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Mark O'Connor's Hot Swing Trio
In Full Swing
Featuring Wynton Marsalis and Jane Monheit
Sony Odyssey SK 87880
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At 41, Mark
O'Connor's reputation as a first-class jazz/folk violinist and versatile
composer is assured. "In Full Swing", released to coincide with O'Connor's Hot
Swing Trio's January through May U.S. tour – including a prestigious
February performance with Marsalis and Monheit at Jazz at Lincoln Center –
confirms that, in many ways, O'Connor is the rightful successor to his
teacher and “biggest violin hero,” famed French jazz violinist Stephane
Grappelli.
It's not that they have the same sound. A romp through a modest sampling
of Grappelli's hundreds of recordings, made over a span of more than 50
years, reveals an artist whose technique is as light on its feet as his mind
is quick to improvise. The sound is more Old World than new: glistening,
sometimes silvery thin, occasionally a bit edgy, but always viscerally and
emotionally gripping – a sound reminiscent of that produced on the classic
recordings of Bohemian and gypsy violinists. O'Connor, in turn, sounds more
polished, more “modern.” At least as heard on this disc, his tone is
smoother, fatter, and impeccably accomplished. That he plays an 1830s
Vuillaume violin with Zyex strings, and that his fingers seem nearly as
agile as Grappelli's, certainly helps.
The members of the group have very different backgrounds. Paris-born Grappelli, the son of
a philosophy teacher of Italian origin, originally made his living playing
Mozart on the piano as accompaniment for silent films. O'Connor, in turn,
whet his feet in the American folk tradition, and was as influenced by Texas
fiddler Benny Thomasson as by the Parisian jazz master. Grappelli may have
jammed with violinist Yehudi Menuhin, but O'Connor has premiered his Double
Concerto with violinist Naja Salerno-Sonnenberg, made a number of
Appalachian recordings with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and bassist/composer Edgar
Meyer, and seen the recent premiere of his a cappella Folk Mass written in
commemoration of 9/11.
In Full Swing is a ten-cut, 57-minute tribute to the Quintette du Hot Club
formed by Grappelli and gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt in Paris in the
middle of the 1930s. O'Connor composed the foot-tapping title cut and the
“Stephane and Django” tribute; all but two of the other selections are
arranged by him. Many are expectedly upbeat, others, such as “Misty” and “As
Time Goes By” are in a slow, lyrical vein.
O'Connor and his fellow trio members, guitarist Frank Vignola and bassist
Jon Burr, are wonderful musicians. Just listen to how beautifully O'Connor
plays beneath and around sensational vocalist Jane Monheit on J. Burke's
“Misty.” When Monheit sings “a thousand violins begin to play,” one cannot
help but smile at the 1000 twists and turns that O'Connor brings to his
fiddling.
Monheit's vocals on four of the selections, including a solo on Gershwin's
“Fascinating Rhythm,” are alone worth the price of admission. Equally superb
is trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, who solos on “Tiger Rag” and joins Monheit and
crew for Fats Waller's “Honeysuckle Rose” and Braham's “As Time Goes By.”
This disc is a delight from start to finish.
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Robert Schumann: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 3
The Zehetmair Quartet
ECM New Series 289 472 169-2
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Founded in 1997 by
Salzburg-born violinist and conductor Thomas Zehetmair, the Zehetmair
Quartet frequently receives rapturous reviews for their playing. Led by the
41-year old Zehetmair, whose discs of Beethoven and Szymanowski Violin
Concertos have received international recognition, the Quartet has recently
appeared on PBS-radio's Performance Today and completed a 10-day whirlwind
U.S. tour that included Washington DC, Dallas, New Haven, Chicago, New York
City, and Vancouver. On April 28, Zehetmair will join pianist Mitsuko Uchida
for a dual recital in New York City.
The Zehetmair Quartet's interpretive gifts are amply displayed in their
just-released ECM recording of Robert Schumann's String Quartets No. 1 and
3. Schumann wrote all three of his string quartets in the summer of 1842,
two years after he had celebrated his marriage to his young bride Clara by
composing no less than 138 songs. Romantic to the core, the quartets, spill
over with soaring melodies, surges of passion, and the characteristic swings
between ecstasy, heartfelt tenderness, and pathos that reflect, not only the
emotional landscape of romantic composers, but also Schumann's particular
state of manic-depression. It was in fact shortly after composing the
Quartets that Schumann's mental condition further deteriorated, to the point
where, with the assistance of Clara and his friend Johannes Brahms, he
eventually had himself committed to the sanitarium where he lived out the
remainder of his life.
The Zehetmair's interpretation of Schumann's gorgeous First Quartet in A
minor emphasizes its emotional jaggedness. Playing all but the first
movement faster than a competing recording by the Eroica Quartet (Harmonia
Mundi), and the entire work considerably faster than the St. Lawrence String
Quartet (EMI), the Zehetmair's tight sound contrasts with the lusher
performances of the other ensembles. In the Zehetmair's hands, Schumann's
music doesn't simply soar and sigh; it jerks from one melodic idea to
another, as though it romantic ripeness conceals an instability that cannot
help but surface. While there is certainly something to be said for the
warmer, riper sound of the other groups, the cumulative effect of the
Zehetmair Quartet's interpretation, especially their brisk concluding 5:33
fugal Presto (which they play almost a minute and a half faster than the St.
Lawrence String Quartet), is to leave the listener on the edge of their
seat.
Schumann's Third Quartet, like the First, abounds with song-like melodies,
their variations reminiscent of the manner in which Schubert developed some
of his most memorable melodies, e.g. “The Trout” (“Die Forelle”) and “Death
and the Maiden” (“Der Tod und das Mädchen”) into unforgettable chamber music
masterpieces. In the Third, the Zehetmair's bracing interpretation radically
outpaces competing versions, with several movements performed almost a
minute faster. Listening is aided by ECM's customary atmospheric sonics, and
a complement of authentic instruments crowned by Zehetmair's Stradivarius.
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The Call of
the Phoenix
The Orlando
Consort
Harmonia
Mundi 907297
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They call themselves “the boyz.”
If only all the boys on the block made sounds as beautiful as these.
The four men of the a cappella Orlando Consort assembled in 1988 at the
impetus of the Early Music Centre of Great Britain. Initially formed to
perform repertoire from the years 1050 to 1500, their recordings have so far
brought them a prestigious Gramophone award, a slew of award nominations,
and a tour schedule that includes the U.S. in November and January.
The reasons for the consort's success become immediately apparent from the
first cut of this generous 18-track disc. Performing rare 15th century
English church music, the men offer a clarity of diction, rhythmic vitality,
and sheer beauty of sound that makes the sacred character of their music
thoroughly convincing. This is singing so polished and so filled with
veneration that its hymns of praise, mainly to Mary, truly lift the spirit.
Especially outstanding are the voices of countertenor Robert-Harre Jones and
tenor Charles Daniels, both of whom are known from their work with The
Tallis Scholars
The music on "The Call of the Phoenix" was written during the development of
the contenance angloise, the period in English music between 1420 and 1500
prized for its fluid polyphony and systematic consonance. The writing is
distinguished by a much smoother, more suave sound than that heard in the
earlier writing of the Middle Ages. Thanks to the disc's intelligent
programming, the development of the contenance angloise can easily be traced
in the changes of style between John Dunstaple's “Salve scema” and Walter
Lambe's “Stella celi.”
In the next year, the Orlando Consort will follow the lead of the Hilliard
Ensemble by collaborating with the jazz quartet 'Perfect Houseplants' and
the contemporary Dutch ensemble, The Calefax Reed Quintet. If you cannot
catch them live, Harmonia Mundi's customary superb recording technique
delivers a sonically convincing sampling of their vocal beauty.
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ADonizetti: Lucie de Lammermoor
Dessay, Alagna, Tézier
Orchestre & Choeur de l'Opéra National de Lyon, Evelino Pidò
Virgin Classics 7243 5 45528 2 3
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With few new
complete opera recordings appearing these days, the release of a new version
of Donizetti's classic tale of love and madness is cause for excitement.
That Virgin offers for the first time Donizetti's 1839 French revision of
his 1835 Italian Lucia (now Lucie) arouses even greater interest.
Donizetti made many changes to his score before the French premiere. Not
only are the roles of the chaplain Raimondo shortened, and that of Lucia's
maid Alisa cut entirely, but music for other characters and scenes is also
revised. Most striking are the omissions of Lucia's Act I cavatina “Regnava
nel silenzio,” her Act II scene with Raimondo, and several orchestral
episodes; some of Lucia's (Lucie's) coloratura is also simplified. This may
not sound like a big deal, but when opera queens expect necklaces of
diamonds and instead receive strands of pearls, disappointment is the order
of the day.
The cast, headed by French coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay and EMI's tenor
hope of the decade, Roberto Alagna, promises more than it delivers. Dessay
has cancelled many performances in the last twelve months, with ill health
and vocal problems variously cited as the cause. Recorded in January 2002,
she certainly sounds in good vocal estate. But compared to some of our most
lauded Lucias of the last half-century, Dessay comes up wanting. It's not
that her voice isn't beautiful and her top solidly in place; rather, her
emotional commitment, as well as her phrasing, seem more generalized than
inspired.
One has only to listen to recordings by any of Dessay's “rivals” to discover
what is missing from her interpretation. Beverly Sills' Lucia (Rudel cond.),
recently remastered on Westminster, remains the most imaginative of the lot.
Wonderful throughout, Sills' brilliant use of rubato, shading, iridescent
tone, and coloratura display truly suggest a descent into madness. She may
possess neither the glorious, shining E flat nor the ravishing trill of Joan
Sutherland (Bonynge cond), but Sills' response to Donizetti's score is so
alive that no one in their right mind will complain. Callas, heard in her
famed 1955 live performance conducted by von Karajan, also astounds with a
combination of vocal instability, feather-light runs, deeply felt pathos,
and steely, solid high E flats.
Each of these women is supported by a conductor more imaginative than
Evelino Pidò, who frequently makes Donizetti's tunes sound more um-pah-pah
than need be. (When a melody is admittedly pedestrian, note how Bonynge
whips through it with excitement). Also disappointing is tenor co-star
Roberto Alagna. Alagna certainly has the notes and commitment, but his
throatiness and occasional gruffness show sorry evidence of singing too many
heavy roles. Alongside Callas' thrilling di Stefano, Sutherland's
gloriously-voiced Pavarotti (in her second recording), and Sills'
accomplished Bergonzi, Alagna delivers a performance more dutiful than
memorable. Listening to Sills, Sutherland and Callas in ensemble,
specifically in the famed Sextet, the vocal superiority of their co-stars
and conductor, combined with the greater satisfaction afforded by
Donizetti's Italian version, instills renewed fondness for their classic
recordings of Donizetti's masterpiece.
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Renée Fleming & Bryn Terfel: Under the Stars
Orchestra of Welsh National Opera/Paul Gemignani
Decca 289 473 250-2
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Attention justifiably turns to
this major label disc of Broadway solos and duets. Sung by two of the most
sought after opera singers on today's stages, soprano Renée Fleming and
bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, the compilation offers such a contradictory
mixture of gorgeous vocalism and over-the-top histrionics as to give new
meaning to the well-worn saying, “there is no accounting for taste.”
Terfel is marvelous. A bear of a Welshman who is famed for larger-than-life
portrayals, the artist's ability to aurally swell in size while
simultaneously supplying more of the vocal beauty he emits in soft passages
is extraordinary. He's also a natural in show tunes, the occasional
overemphasis his largess of character lends to words in a Schubert song more
often than not appropriate for the popular idiom. Terfel's natural, unforced
diction is especially laudable.
Soprano Fleming certainly impresses vocally. Given that this disc comes on
the heels of her Grammy-nominated Bel Canto recording of coloratura gems,
graced as it is by multiple high E-flats and perfectly executed trills, she
astounds by sounding equally rich and beautiful in her low register. What is
at the least off-putting, however, and too often appalling is her sometimes
syrupy, afternoon soap opera crooning, especially when wed to frequently
self-conscious enunciation that has not entirely freed itself from the realm
of operatic English.
If you have ever thought than Mandy Patankin was over the top, wait until
you hear Renée. You may be won over by Bryn's initial voicing of “Nothing's
gonna harm you” on Stephen Sondheim's “Not While I'm Around” from Sweeney
Todd, but you're likely to feel the axe fall when Renée chimes in with
“No-one's gonna hurt you.” Especially frightening is her solo rending of
Rodgers and Hammerstein's “Hello, Young Lovers” from The King and I. Is this
the evil Witch of the West trying to fool us into thinking she's the real
thing? And when Renée begins the disc's Stephen Sondheim medley from Passion
with “I wish I could forget you,” you may find yourself nodding in
agreement.
Don't get me wrong. There's no absolute reason why you should avoid this
15-track compilation that travels from the peaks of Cole Porter to the
swamps of Andrew Lloyd Weber. Fleming and Terfel are fine artists, with some
of the most appealing, well-recorded voices you're likely to encounter.
Their total commitment, enhanced by orchestral arrangements perfectly suited
to their interpretations, is quite impressive. It's just that Hallmark's
most soupy offerings seem demure in comparison to some of these artists'
most egregious excesses.
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Turnage: Fractured Line Etc.
Evelyn Glennie, Peter Erskine, Christian Lindberg
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin
Chandos CHAN 10018
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What a racket! The opening of
Another Set To for trombone and orchestra, the first of four premiere
recordings on this disc, wastes no time in voicing one of its main themes, a
“waah, waah, waah” kind of splatter that seems a perverse cross between a
howling infant and a maddening taunt proffered on a children's playground.
Trombonist Christian Lindberg may very well be, as declared by the
international readership of The Brass Bulletin, one of the ten greatest
brass players of the twentieth century, a man whose artistry has inspired
composers of the status of Schnittke, Xenakis, Berio and Takemitsu to write
concertos for him. (Over seventy concertos and a great many solo works have
been composed for Lindberg). Nonetheless, that does not make this piece of
music, nor any of the other three pieces on the disc, easier to listen to.
Many listeners will groove to the music of British composer Mark-Anthony
Turnage (b. 1960). It's large scale, hard-edged, reminiscent of much
cacophonous jazz, and frequently dark. Certainly it attracts star soloists
and conductors. Evelyn Glennie, heard hear joining percussionist Peter
Erskine for Turnage's Double Percussion Concerto “Fractured Lines,” is the
first percussionist to successfully sustain a full-time solo career.
Glennie's twelve solo CDs, seventeen collaborative discs, two Grammys, and a
Classic CD award have helped generate over 100 performances a year. She has
in fact stated that if she had to take one instrument to a desert island, it
would be the snare drum. It's thus no surprise that someone with this view
of paradise would find herself drawn to Turnage's darkly sensational,
anything but sedate music.
Erskine began his career at the age of eighteen with the Stan Kenton
Orchestra, and has since played with Weather Report, Ensemble Modern, the
BBC Symphony Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. He leads his own
trio, tours extensively, and has recorded 400 albums, one of which won him a
Grammy. As for the distinguished BBC Orchestra, it will devote this year's
annual composer weekend to the music of Mark-Anthony Turnage, the
Orchestra's Associate Composer.
None of this, however, changes the fact that my partner's pooch, the
estimable Baci Brown, found himself more comfortable retreating to the
kitchen when Turnage's music began to fill my living room. Maybe he's been
fed too much Mozart, Schubert, and Donizetti of late.
This 56-minute CD contains a fine essay and revealing interview with Turnage
that provide much insight. For example, the composer says of the annoying
Another Set To that while it's “quite argumentative… the thing I'm pleased
about is that compared with a lot of my pieced it's optimistic and
extrovert.” Optimism comes in many forms.
Elsewhere you'll learn that Four-Horned Fandango has been heavily revised
since it was first performed by the horn section of the City of Birmingham
Symphony Orchestra under Simon Rattle in celebration of EMI's 100th
birthday. Silent Cities for orchestra, a revised version of variants
surrounding a tune by John Scofield that were originally composed for the
Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, begins with a section titled “Nagging and
obsessive.” It may end “Smooth and serene,” but the nagging impressed me the
most.
To summarize: impressively tailored music, definitively performed,
challenging for some, satisfying for others, definitely worth exploring.
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Dvorák: Piano Quintets in A, Op. 5 & Op. 81
Ivan Klánsky - Prazák Quartet
Praga PRD 250 175
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Thoughts of
Czeck composer Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) inevitably summon forth
expectations of felicitous melodies that flow forth like fresh, sparkling
water from a deep and abundant source. Known for assimilating the “dumka,”
“polka,” and other Slavonic folk dance idioms into romantic classical forms,
Dvorak was so adept at reflecting the popular heartbeat of a region that he
was able, during his brief stay in America, to compose his somewhat
convincing, and unquestionably beautiful, “New World Symphony” and
“American” String Quartet.
Dvorak wrote two piano quintets, both in the key of A. The first, his Op. 5,
was composed in 1872, at a time when he was playing viola in the Prague
Provisional Theatre Orchestra. It was only after 1876, when Brahms
discovered him and the orchestra's conductor Bedrich Smetana championed his
works that Dvorak began to become known beyond Czechoslovakia and to develop
a mature style of composition.
The original first movement of the early quintet reflected the influence of
Wagner. Dvorak abandoned the work shortly after its premiere, eventually
misplacing the original manuscript. It was only in 1887, after obtaining a
copy from a music critic, that he created the revised version heard on this
recording. In the process, the composer eliminated over 170 bars of music,
including 150 Wagnerian-influenced bars in the first movement. Though he
never published his revision, the project inspired Dvorak to compose another
Piano Quintet in A, his Op. 81, in the same year. Considered a masterpiece
of romantic composition, it is this piano quintet that is most frequently
programmed in concerts.
Dvorak's music comes naturally to the Czech forces heard on this recording.
The Prazak Quartet was founded in the mid-1970s by four students at the
Prague Conservatory. After winning important competitions in 1978 and 1979,
the newly graduated musicians embarked upon a career as a professional
quartet. Known for their mastery of the music of Czechoslovakian composers
-- they have made multiple recordings of works by Dvorak, Smetana, Suk,
Novak, Janacek, and Schulhoff -- they are equally respected for performances
of the Second Viennese School (Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, and Zemlinsky) and
their predecessors (Haydn, Mozart, and Schubert). The Quartet is currently
completing a five-year recording project of Beethoven's String Quartets.
Joined herein by Czech pianist Ivan Klansky, the musicians deliver
exceptionally winning performances. From the opening notes of the Op. 81
Allegro, whose first theme is a classic song-like melody that, once heard,
cannot be forgotten, the men seem to have Dvorak's music in their blood.
They understand the romantic give and take of his writing, alternately
bubbling along sweetly and surging with the melodic flow in a consistently
musical manner that maintains the classical line.
Flattered by a natural, warm acoustic, the Prazak's rendition of Op. 81
certainly has the edge over a rapidly dispatched, edgy digital transfer of a
1975 performance featuring famed Czech pianist Rudolf Firkusny and the
Juilliard String Quartet (Sony Essential Classics), and a much slower,
sometimes soppy 1990 Firkusny remake with the Ridge Quartet (RCA) that
boasts a wide but one-dimensional soundstage. The warmth of the piano and
cello are balanced by a sound that is simultaneously sweet and, in its
romantic expression, a welcome throwback to an earlier era.
The Prazak Quartet has devoted November 2002 and February-March 2003 to
touring the United States. With appearances including New York's Carnegie
Hall, Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall, and a Chamber Music Festival in the Napa
Valley, they ended their tour with two mid-March appearances in Costa Mesa
and La Jolla in Southern California. The all-Czech program heard in many of
these venues featured Smetana's My Country, Martinu's String Quartet No. 7,
and Janacek's String Quartet No. 2 “Intimate Letters.”
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Schubert for Two: Gil
Shaham/Göran Söllscher
DG 289 471 568-2
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Eyebrows may
raise at the sight of Schubert's instrumental and vocal music arranged for
violin/guitar duo. But if we have come to accept Bach's music arranged for
every instrument known to humankind, why not give Schubert's a try on
guitar, accordion, or whistle?
This is not a collection of the profound Schubert, music that reflects his
early knowledge of impending demise from the syphilis he contracted while
still a teenager. Rather, it mostly offers a taste of Schubert's sweeter
fare, a slice of a composer light on his feet. That "Schubert for Two" has
"pleasant classical FM programming" written all over it does not in itself
diminish its musical value.
There is sound musical precedent for some of the arrangements on this 16
selection CD. The disc's longest piece (25:30), Schubert's famed
three-movement "Arpeggione" Sonata D 821 (1824), was composed so that one
Vincenz Schuster would have something to play on his arpeggione, a hybrid
instrument invented in 1823 by Johann Georg Stauffer that is a cross between
a guitar and a viola da gamba. With its six strings tuned an octave lower
than the guitar's, the arpeggione was held between the knees and bowed like
a cello. Though the Arpeggione Sonata is usually arranged for either
viola/piano or cello/piano, hearing it played on violin and guitar curiously
takes it one step closer to and another step away from the work's authentic
roots.
Schubert's publisher Diabelli originally issued the 15 German dances D 365
in an arrangement for flute or violin and guitar. Whether Schubert made or
sanctioned the arrangement, we do not know. But we are certain that Schubert
played the guitar, published a number of his songs with guitar
accompaniment, and composed a Quartet for flute, guitar, viola and cello
(Koch).
Shaham sounds marvelous. The man, who brought the entire Davies Symphony
Hall audience to its feet a year ago when he joined Michael Tilson Thomas
and the San Francisco Symphony for a stupendous performance of Beethoven's
Violin Concerto, here plays far more simply. His Stradivarius' sound remains
"old world" in the richness of its lower notes and incomparable sweetness on
high, but the playing, with minimal vibrato, is distinctly modern. Shaham is
at his most touching in the Arpeggione's lovely central Adagio.
Although Shaham's violin, provided far more resonance than the guitar,
dominates the proceedings, Söllscher's modern instrument is well captured,
if not with the last ounce of veracity heard on a recent Grammy-nominated
disc of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (Telarc). Neither violin nor guitar
can approach the emotional range of voice and piano in the program's two
songs, the famous "Standchen" (Serenade) and "Ave Maria."
All said, ideal for tea for two or dessert, if not as major fare.
(To see details
on my procedure for reviewing music, click
HERE.)
- Jason Serinus
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