-
"Santtu conducts Sleeping Beauty" is the second digital release by Philharmonia Records, showcasing a selection of music from Tchaikovsky's fairytale ballet, 'The Sleeping Beauty'. Conducted and arranged by Santtu-Matias Rouvali, this performance, held at the Royal Festival Hall in 2023, highlights Santtu's favourite excerpts, from the serene Garland Waltz to the dramatic climax 'Apotheose'. "Santtu-Matias Rouvali gives us, for Christmas, a refreshing and vibrant Sleeping Beauty Suite. His album production is so dizzying as the quality of their records. Again, maximum recommendation." - Ritmo "The playing is big and bold, with plenty of bass-drum welly in the Carabosse elements in the Introduction, a percussive ending to the Rose Adagio that sounds positively martial, plus pomp and glitter aplenty in the Apotheosis, all vividly recorded." - Gramophone -
“Santtu conducts Strauss: Ein Heldenleben” is the sixth album from Philharmonia Records. Conducted by Santtu-Matias Rouvali, this performance was recorded at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. ★★★★★ - “The orchestral sound is superb and gloriously expansive” - BBC Music Magazine “An expression of power without disorder, of tension without confusion – a Heldenleben of irresistible gravity and luminous calm.” - Sonograma “The recording quality is flawless and there is no hint of this being live … this [recording] achieves a profundity which wholly validates Rouvali’s more reflective interpretative choices." - MusicWebInternational -
Santtu conducts Strauss is a 2-CD deluxe album with four works by Richard Strauss conducted by Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, two of which are live recordings of Santtu’s 2021/22 opening concert and first concert as Principal Conductor at Royal Festival Hall. Eine Alpensinfonie and Also sprach Zarathustra are live recordings of Santtu’s opening concert of the 2021/22 season, and his first concert with the Philharmo- nia as Principal Conductor. The concerts received great reviews. Tim Ashley (The Guardian) said “With the Philharmonia on tremendous form, Rouvali proved a fine Straussian, measured in his approach, and careful in his attention to detail and colour”. Rebecca Franks (The Times) awarded 5-star reviews: “There were “wow” moments aplenty as the Philharmonia laced up its hiking boots and happily hit every waymark in Strauss’s mountain journey: the glorious sunrise, the resplendent summit, the violent storm with wind machine, thunder sheet and organ.” "[Also sprach Zarathustra] Rouvali’s conducting of both is certainly interesting and personal… impressive, an expansive reading that sees the work whole…[An Alpine Symphony] undeniably picturesque, vivid and dramatically projected…top-notch playing, and this extravagant score also enjoys notable recorded sound… lingering lyricism, invariably heartfelt and, in conclusion, cathartic" - Colin's Column "Rouvali is already a great Straussian…speaks very well for the future of his partnership with the Philharmonia…This set is still a noteworthy benchmark for this new conductor/orchestra partnership…The recorded sound on these discs is mostly excellent" - Musicweb International ★★★★ Performance ★★★ Recording "[Don Juan, Till Eulenspiegel] you can hear the excellence of the solo work, in the wind in particular" - BBC Music Magazine"It's generous in all senses, with extensive documentation accompanying performances that are expansive, vividly recorded and beautifully played…[Alpensinfonie] a handsome and ultimately rewarding performance…[Also sprach Zarathustra] is notable for a truly thrilling sunrise and some exciting climaxes elsewhere…an enjoyable release…[the performances] offer ample evidence of Rouvali as an interesting and far from conventional Straussian, and one well worth hearing" - Gramophone
“This whole album is just a huge success in my books. I mean to take something so epic –all these things are so epic and so massive and to still have so many refined nuances and tiny details and colours and attention to, you know, really beautiful harmonies… I think that the orchestra and Santtu really do a fine job of balancing these nuances together. It’s really incredible." - BBC Radio 3 Record Review -
Their tenth album with Signum Classics, the Armonico Consort directed by Christopher Monks return with two works by Francesco Scarlatti. This recording has been made using new editions of the works, (made especially for this recording) that follow only the autograph scores. Armonico Consort began life in 2001, set up by Christopher Monks and a group of university colleagues with a shared passion for music from the Renaissance to Baroque, coupled with the imagination to find new and unusual ways to present concerts. Audiences seemed to love their engaging and imaginative approach, and most concerts in the first years sold out. The founder and Artistic Director of Armonico Consort and its ground-breaking education programme AC Academy, Christopher Monks has established himself as a versatile and prolific conductor and keyboard player. Specialising in the performance of music from the Baroque and late Renaissance, Christopher is equally at home with major and modern choral repertoire. ★★★★★ "This extraordinarily successful release has a musical significance of the highest order. The performances throughout betoken both care in preparation and total commitment in the realisation of these neglected masterworks…This release is a shining example of what the gramophone can achieve" - The Organ ★★★★ "The sparkling setting of Dixit Dominus features dramatic word painting and a lavish use of a high trumpet; this performance is full of high energy" - Choir and Organ "It’s fresh and invigorating music and performances" - BBC Radio 3—Record Review -
Disc on Demand available from Presto Classical "In a word I feel myself the most unhappy and wretched creature in the world. Imagine a man whose health will never be right again, and who in sheer despair over this ever makes things worse and worse instead of better ...but I have tried my hand at several instrumental things ... in fact, I intend to pave the way towards a grand symphony in this manner.” These extracts from a letter of 1824 epitomise to me the paradox of Schubert, the manic depressive composer. On the one hand his music has that world-weary element of profound grief – 'the most wretched creature in the world' – and on the other a life-affirming exuberance bordering on the manic that characterises the Wanderer-Fantasie and parts of the D major sonata D.850. While Schubert's later piano music has a range of emotions that rivals Beethoven's last sonatas, in the beginning of his career he perhaps lacked the assurance of the older composer, and he was less fastidious about destroying sketches and fragments. As a result there are a large number of unfinished works and, therefore, the pianist has to make a decision about where to start the Schubert odyssey. Schubert himself made no effort to try and publish any of his sonatas before the great A minor D.845 of 1825. I decided to start slightly earlier with the B major of 1817 where one senses an assurance and boldness of tonal experiment not found before in his piano music. In this series, Llŷr Williams explores Schubert's solo piano repertoire in exquisite detail, producing some truly unique performances of some of the most romantic music ever composed. All download include booklets. -
Renowned performers Iestyn Davies and Joseph Middleton perform Schubert's tragic song- cycle Die schöne Müllerin (The Beautiful Maid of the Mill). Adapting poetry by Wilhelm Müller, the genesis of D. 795 marks the beginning of the end of Schubert's life; he discovered that he had contracted syphilis sometime in late 1822 or early 1823, and it was in 1823 that he composed this tale of a poet-singer who dies in the aftermath of erotic experience. Released under the own label of St John's College, Cambridge, this recording acts as a celebration of Iestyn Davies's formative period at the college; beginning there as a 7-year-old probationer in 1987, he progressed to become Head Chorister, before ultimately returning to study as a choral scholar. Alongside full texts and translations, the booklet includes a background on the work by noted Lied expert Susan Youens, as well as reflections on Iestyn's time at St John's from the College's past and present Directors of Music – Christopher Robinson and Andrew Nethsingha. ""Die liebe Farbe" is hauntingly beautiful, for example, the countertenor spinning his line with a deeply affecting purity of tone…there's a hypnotic quality to "Der Muller und der Bach too…The way the pair handle the switch in mood at "O Bachlein meiner Liebe"…will stop you in your tracks…This is an often beguiling - and well-recorded - album. The countertenor's fans need not hesitate, and adventurous Schubertians might well also want to seek it out for a fresh perspective on this familiar work" - Gramophone "Highly polished performance from two superb musicians…The slower songs work beautifully…Middleton brings texture through his imaginative rendition of Schubert's accompaniments. The recording quality is outstandingly clear" - BBC Music Magazine -
Disc on Demand available from Presto Classical "In a word I feel myself the most unhappy and wretched creature in the world. Imagine a man whose health will never be right again, and who in sheer despair over this ever makes things worse and worse instead of better ...but I have tried my hand at several instrumental things ... in fact, I intend to pave the way towards a grand symphony in this manner.” These extracts from a letter of 1824 epitomise to me the paradox of Schubert, the manic depressive composer. On the one hand his music has that world-weary element of profound grief – 'the most wretched creature in the world' – and on the other a life-affirming exuberance bordering on the manic that characterises the Wanderer-Fantasie and parts of the D major sonata D.850. While Schubert's later piano music has a range of emotions that rivals Beethoven's last sonatas, in the beginning of his career he perhaps lacked the assurance of the older composer, and he was less fastidious about destroying sketches and fragments. As a result there are a large number of unfinished works and, therefore, the pianist has to make a decision about where to start the Schubert odyssey. Schubert himself made no effort to try and publish any of his sonatas before the great A minor D.845 of 1825. I decided to start slightly earlier with the B major of 1817 where one senses an assurance and boldness of tonal experiment not found before in his piano music. In this series, Llŷr Williams explores Schubert's solo piano repertoire in exquisite detail, producing some truly unique performances of some of the most romantic music ever composed. All downloads include booklets. -
Disc on Demand available from Presto Classical "In a word I feel myself the most unhappy and wretched creature in the world. Imagine a man whose health will never be right again, and who in sheer despair over this ever makes things worse and worse instead of better ...but I have tried my hand at several instrumental things ... in fact, I intend to pave the way towards a grand symphony in this manner.” These extracts from a letter of 1824 epitomise to me the paradox of Schubert, the manic depressive composer. On the one hand his music has that world-weary element of profound grief – 'the most wretched creature in the world' – and on the other a life-affirming exuberance bordering on the manic that characterises the Wanderer-Fantasie and parts of the D major sonata D.850. While Schubert's later piano music has a range of emotions that rivals Beethoven's last sonatas, in the beginning of his career he perhaps lacked the assurance of the older composer, and he was less fastidious about destroying sketches and fragments. As a result there are a large number of unfinished works and, therefore, the pianist has to make a decision about where to start the Schubert odyssey. Schubert himself made no effort to try and publish any of his sonatas before the great A minor D.845 of 1825. I decided to start slightly earlier with the B major of 1817 where one senses an assurance and boldness of tonal experiment not found before in his piano music. In this series, Llŷr Williams explores Schubert's solo piano repertoire in exquisite detail, producing some truly unique performances of some of the most romantic music ever composed. All downloads include booklets. -
Disc on Demand available from Presto Classical “In a word I feel myself the most unhappy and wretched creature in the world. Imagine a man whose health will never be right again, and who in sheer despair over this ever makes things worse and worse instead of better …but I have tried my hand at several instrumental things … in fact, I intend to pave the way towards a grand symphony in this manner.” These extracts from a letter of 1824 epitomise to me the paradox of Schubert, the manic depressive composer. On the one hand his music has that world-weary element of profound grief – ‘the most wretched creature in the world’ – and on the other a life-affirming exuberance bordering on the manic that characterises the Wanderer-Fantasie and parts of the D major sonata D.850. While Schubert’s later piano music has a range of emotions that rivals Beethoven’s last sonatas, in the beginning of his career he perhaps lacked the assurance of the older composer, and he was less fastidious about destroying sketches and fragments. As a result there are a large number of unfinished works and, therefore, the pianist has to make a decision about where to start the Schubert odyssey. Schubert himself made no effort to try and publish any of his sonatas before the great A minor D.845 of 1825. I decided to start slightly earlier with the B major of 1817 where one senses an assurance and boldness of tonal experiment not found before in his piano music. In this series, Llŷr Williams explores Schubert’s solo piano repertoire in exquisite detail, producing some truly unique performances of some of the most romantic music ever composed. All downloads include booklets. -
“In a word I feel myself the most unhappy and wretched creature in the world. Imagine a man whose health will never be right again, and who in sheer despair over this ever makes things worse and worse instead of better ...but I have tried my hand at several instrumental things ... in fact, I intend to pave the way towards a grand symphony in this manner.” These extracts from a letter of 1824 epitomise to me the paradox of Schubert, the manic-depressive composer. On the one hand his music has that world-weary element of profound grief – ‘the most wretched creature in the world’ – and on the other a life-affirming exuberance bordering on the manic that characterises the Wanderer-Fantasie and parts of the D major sonata D.850. Here, Llyr Williams plays a collection of Schubert solo piano works across a series of releases, once again showing why he is one of the most diverse and extraordinary pianists performing today. All downloads include booklets. -
“In a word I feel myself the most unhappy and wretched creature in the world. Imagine a man whose health will never be right again, and who in sheer despair over this ever makes things worse and worse instead of better …but I have tried my hand at several instrumental things … in fact, I intend to pave the way towards a grand symphony in this manner.” These extracts from a letter of 1824 epitomise to me the paradox of Schubert, the manic depressive composer. On the one hand his music has that world-weary element of profound grief – ‘the most wretched creature in the world’ – and on the other a life-affirming exuberance bordering on the manic that characterises the Wanderer-Fantasie and parts of the D major sonata D.850. While Schubert’s later piano music has a range of emotions that rivals Beethoven’s last sonatas, in the beginning of his career he perhaps lacked the assurance of the older composer, and he was less fastidious about destroying sketches and fragments. As a result there are a large number of unfinished works and, therefore, the pianist has to make a decision about where to start the Schubert odyssey. Schubert himself made no effort to try and publish any of his sonatas before the great A minor D.845 of 1825. I decided to start slightly earlier with the B major of 1817 where one senses an assurance and boldness of tonal experiment not found before in his piano music. In this series, Llŷr Williams explores Schubert’s solo piano repertoire in exquisite detail, producing some truly unique performances of some of the most romantic music ever composed. All downloads include booklets. -
“In a word I feel myself the most unhappy and wretched creature in the world. Imagine a man whose health will never be right again, and who in sheer despair over this ever makes things worse and worse instead of better ...but I have tried my hand at several instrumental things ... in fact, I intend to pave the way towards a grand symphony in this manner.” These extracts from a letter of 1824 epitomise to me the paradox of Schubert, the manic-depressive composer. On the one hand his music has that world-weary element of profound grief – ‘the most wretched creature in the world’ – and on the other a life-affirming exuberance bordering on the manic that characterises the Wanderer-Fantasie and parts of the D major sonata D.850. Here, Llyr Williams plays a collection of Schubert solo piano works across a series of releases, once again showing why he is one of the most diverse and extraordinary pianists performing today. All downloads include booklets. -
Christopher Glynn continues his series of Schubert in English releases with a new recording of ‘The Fair Maid of the Mill’ (Die schöne Müllerin) with acclaimed Scottish tenor Nicky Spence. Set to a new translation by writer and director Jeremy Sams, Willhelm Müller’s direct and emotionally-charged poetry became the basis of Schubert’s first cycle to tell a complete story over the course of its 20 songs. Nicky Spence is one of Scotland’s proudest sons and his unique skills as a singing actor and the rare honesty of his musicianship have earned him a place at the top of the classical music profession. Nicky won a record contract with Decca records while still studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and then took a place as an inaugural Harewood Artist at the ENO. Christopher Glynn is a Grammy award-winning pianist, praised for his ‘breathtaking sensitivity’ (Gramophone), ‘irre- pressible energy, wit and finesse’ (The Guardian) and ‘perfect fusion of voice and piano’ (BBC Music Magazine). He is also Artistic Director of the Ryedale Festival, where he has been praised as a ‘visionary’ and ‘inspired programmer’ (The Times). "[Nicky Spence] undoubtedly one of the most brilliantly communicative singers working today. In his hands, every word feels natural and right … Glynn plays with subtlety throughout, underpinning the interpretation with a wealth of telling details. If you have any doubts about the idea of lieder in English, this superb performance - beautifully recorded - should win you over" - Gramophone ★★★★ Performance ★★★★ Recording "Nicky Spence ranges with great nuance through romance, awkwardness, brashness, self-doubt, the matter is the loneliness of unrequited love, the vulnerability, all done with that little bit of theatricality that is there in the original Wilhelm Müller poem cycle…'The Brook Sings A Lullaby' finale is quietly devastating, Spence building it's impact slowly, vocally tender and protective; Glynn ever-skilfully evoking the smooth, soothing currents" - BBC Music Magazine "[Nicky Spence] still a beautiful, flexible, easily-produced sound which never falters; his tone encompasses both sweetness and power as required and his knack of placing just the right emphasis or applying a momentary pause in the words without unduly disrupting the vocal line is apparent throughout…Glynn supports him with some of the most subtle and sensitive pianism I have even heard applied to this work…[Glynn] and Spence make an ideally matched partnership – fresh and immediate, presenting it in a manner which could easily win new adherents to this miraculous song cycle" - Musicweb International -
Christopher Glynn continues his Schubert in English series by joining baritone Roderick Williams and soprano Rowan Pierce for songs of loneliness and companionship, nature and the seasons, faith and doubt, wandering and homecoming, caution and consolation - all in new English versions by Jeremy Sams. "No songwriter has more to say to us than Schubert. I commissioned these new translations in the hope of bringing his songs to a wider audience, as well as offering a fresh perspective to those who know them well. A good translation is an act of homage – a retelling, not a replacement – and like a screen adaptation of a classic novel, can be a stepping stone to the original, or enjoyed in its own right. We hope listeners enjoy these new versions in which Jeremy Sams recreates the immediacy of Schubert’s storytelling for a modern English-speaking audience." - Christopher Glynn “Sam’s made new translations of the Schubert song cycles for Roderick Williams and they’ve renewed the collaboration with standalone songs... Sam’s joy in the wordplay offers new perspectives, and the lightness of Rowan Pierce’s soprano alongside the warmth and eloquence of Roderick Williams and Chris Glynn’s piano playing make this a jewel box of delights." - BBC Radio 3 "Roderick Williams applies his warm and supple baritone to 11 of them [songs]. Her [Rowan Pierce] fresh timbre, sensitivity and technical security offer their own rewards. Both singers' work is admirably complemented by Christopher Glynn's tasteful and musicianly support at the piano." - Gramophone -
Viktoria Mullova and Alasdair Beatson present their first release with Signum Classics. The works presented on this recording span the final decade of Schubert’s life. Beginning with the Sonata in A of 1817, its lyrical, wistful opening giving way to a Viennese joy and exuberance. Closing with the Rondo in B minor of 1826, thrilling in its heroic journey through an abundance of themes, with twists and turns almost competitively athletic between the two instruments. At the heart of the recording, the Fantasie in C of 1827 – a music unutterably inspired, ravishingly beautiful, a tour de force of colour and texture, an unpredictable and unparalleled dreamlike vision of another world. Viktoria Mullova is known internationally as a violinist of exceptional versatility and musical integrity. Her curiosity spans the breadth of musical development from baroque and classical right up to the most contemporary influences from the world of fusion and experimental music. Scottish pianist Alasdair Beatson works prolifically as a soloist and chamber musician. Renowned as a sincere musician and intrepid programmer, he champions wider repertoire with particular interest in Beethoven, Schumann and Schubert among others. ★★★★★ Performance, ★★★★★ Recording "Profoundly intimate performance… To hear Alasdair Beatson's exquisitely subtle rendering of the C-major fantasies opening oscillations and the way Viktoria Mullova segues into the fluttering textures as though she is me merely breathing on her strings, is to enter a world in which every tiny gesture is of vital significance." - BBC Music Magazine "Viktoria Mullova lavishes her laser-like focus and intense musicality on these works… In faster, louder music – the Scherzo of the Sonata, for example, or much of the Rondo – the Graf holds its own in the discourse, and the shimmering opening of the Fantasy is as beguiling as it ever should be…These three works are not commonly paired in period instrument performances such as this…[the] blazing commitment [is] on display from both players." - Gramophone "There is an attractive smokiness to Viktoria Mullova's playing on gut strings which gives these performances a truly domestic chamber feeling…the sense of this being a labour of love shines through…in the faster movements all her agility and vivacity moves the music along with proper drive." - Present Arts -
Christopher Glynn continues his series of late Schubert song cycles in English, joined by celebrated soloists Sir John Tomlinson, Sophie Bevan, Julian Bliss and Alec Frank-Gemmill.
Titled by the works first publisher following Schubert’s death, Swansong (Schwanengesang) D 957 sets sets the words of poets Ludwig Rellstab, Heinrich Heine and Johann Gabriel Seidl in songs that cover a variety of different emotional states. The lighthearted Love Message (Liebesbotschaft), with its rippling accompaniment, addresses a murmuring brook with the hope of true love. The bone-chilling Doppelgänger with its stark, slowly tolling chords, finds the protagonist crazed with a nocturnal vision of himself agonizing at the empty doorstep of his lost love. Renowned for his clear diction and powerful voice, Sir John Tomlinson brings his insight and nuance to these profound works.
Reminiscent of the scoring for The Shepherd on the Rock and composed in the same year, On the River (Auf dem Strom) combines soprano and horn in a setting of a poem by Ludwig Rellstab. Originally given to Beethoven who did not live long enough to set it, Schubert took up the words in a work that is a subtle homage to the composer.
The 1828 work The Shepherd on the Rock (Der Hirt auf dem Felsen) sets words by Wilhelm Müller and German playwright Helmina von Chézy, and was composed in gratitude to the soprano Anna Milder-Hauptmann. Here performed by Sophie Bevan and Julian Bliss, it tells the story of a shepherd lamenting the distance between him and his beloved before a reflection on loneliness and grief. The final section celebrates the arrival of spring in a hopeful conclusion.
The creamy clarity of both Alec Frank-Gemmill’s horn and Julian Bliss’s clarinet sound is a perfect foil for Sophie Bevan’s exquisite, rounded legato - BBC Music Magazine
Christopher Glynn’s playing is excellent throughout - Gramophone