It may have seemed politically naive of Paul Hindemith in 1933 to start planning an opera asserting the moral duty of an artist under a repressive regime, but like many intellectuals of the day, he didn’t take the Nazis seriously and hoped they would soon be out of power. Mathis der Maler would be his undoing and force him into exile in 1938. Hindemith later took themes from the opera and wove them into a large-scale symphony and the harmonic outline of the work brilliantly portrays the internal development of the artist. Christoph Eschenbach’s hyper-romantic way allied with the superb Hamburg orchestra would seem ideal for this reaffirmation of the Germanic symphonic tradition. The opening Concert of Angels promised much with impeccable intonation from blended wind and strings, but as the movement proceeded the conductor’s tendency to underline phrases with modifications of pulse allowed momentum to sag. The Entombment becomes ponderous. The Temptation of St. Anthony is grand and mighty but lacks bite.  The Symphony in E Flat was the first major work Hindemith wrote after arriving in America so is an appropriate coupling. With Stokowski, Bernstein or Tortelier it is a breezy romp of a score. Eschenbach trudges, attempting…

Since signing to Virgin (now Erato) the Berlin-based Artemis Quartet has recorded some superb accounts of core repertoire including one of the finest Beethoven cycles of recent times.  Brahms supposedly wrote some 20 quartets that ended up in the bin before the rigorously self-critical composer felt ready to publish the three extant examples. Each inhabits its own sound world and are tough nuts to crack; the dramatic intensity of the first and the sly playfulness of the third can both easily turn turgid if slathered with heavy-handed Romantic excess, so Artemis proves to be ideal exponents with their modernist sensibility tempered by warmth of expression and miraculous variety of tonal colour and dynamics.  The opening movement of the First Quartet is perfectly judged, veering between nervous energy and sweet repose but with an eye always on the architecture so that the ebbing conclusion seems an inevitable consequence rather than a mere petering out. The Romanze is breathtakingly beautiful, drawn with the gentlest brushstrokes of tone; the players’ telepathic ensemble playing at the lowest dynamic level is a wonder to behold. Their variety of vibrato and colour illuminates the Scherzo with half-lights and veiled tone evoking a half-remembered dream so that…

A handful of Limelight critics are spoiled for choice picking their favourite recordings.

Harry Christophers has crafted this superb programme around four settings of King David’s lament for his slain son When David heard and describes it as “a best of poetry in music” – a big call, bearing in mind it is mostly sacred.  William Harris’s Faire is the Heaven and Bring us, O Lord God are sumptuous double-choir anthems full of delicious added-note harmonies and make a glittering wrapping for the delights within. James MacMillan’s The Gallant Weaver is a modern miniature masterpiece of accessible appeal with its gentle hints of Scottish folksong; such a clever piece of vocal writing – its decaying repetitions at different speeds evoke the stacked digital delay effects of modern-day electronic techniques. A surprising rarity is Ivor Gurney’s Since I Believe in God the Father Almighty, an anthem for double choir that is a deeply moving prayer from a troubled soul; Gurney’s experiences at the Western Front haunted him and despite a brief flourish of creative activity after the War he spent the rest of his days institutionalised where he wrote this work. The austere lines set against rich harmonies with surprising side-steps of tonality betray a fragile bipolar state of mind. Sample the line “And…

Editor’s Choice, Jan/Feb 2016 – Opera Francesco Benucci was the star singer of Vienna’s Italian Opera Buffa Company, founded in 1783, and was renowned for his splendid vocalism and good taste – novel qualities for most exponents of the buffa style. He placed musical values first and foremost, characterising roles with elegance and sophisticated wit without descending into vulgar comic shtick. Mozart was delighted by his portrayal of the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro during those nine niggardly Viennese performances before its runaway success in Prague. Benucci later played Leporello when Don Giovanni was revived in 1788 and Mozart whipped up a special comic duet for him and the Zerlina. Hyperion here continues its smart “Arias for…” thematic programming with this tribute to Benucci and has wisely chosen Matthew Rose to convincingly channel the spirit of the original. His dark but nimble tone is ideal for this repertoire, yet not overweight making it fit well within the scale of Jonathan Cohen’s period direction. His musicanship is impeccable, but most importantly he sings ‘on the words’ with subtle changes of colour and emphasis so that the expression is carried across to us with no need for the visuals.  At…

Editor’s Choice, Jan/Feb 2016 – Orchestral Nearly 30 years ago Simon Rattle recorded a cycle of the Sibelius symphonies in Birmingham and despite the adulation of some critics the set left others cold with their infuriating undercutting of brilliant insight with arch mannerisms. His textural clarity and bold delineation of dynamics that served him so well for Stravinsky was evident, but his tendency to prod and poke at phrasing and rhythms tended to pull the rug from under Sibelius’s carefully prepared climaxes. His latest readings bear similar traits, and while that implies a consistent point of view, he hasn’t yet convinced me, despite the glorious playing. Rehearing earlier accounts from Karajan, Kamu or Levine reminds one how different today’s Philharmoniker sounds from that of old; gone is the luxuriant plush sound with laser-like focus and bottomless reserves of tone. In its place is a lean transparency and limpid beauty of sound, but still with plenty of weight and malleable sonority. Sample the opening of the Third Symphony. It’s as cool and transparent as melt-water while the moments of hush have remarkable focus at a barely perceptible dynamic. Or… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already…

This accomplished Valencian ensemble under Carles Magraner has amassed a fine discography since 1987 but has been over-shadowed by the prolific output of a certain Catalan group with a charismatic front man. A shame, but such is the whim of the market. The programme, evoking the key date of 1414, intersperses movements of the Requiem with laments. It could be a grim affair but works a dark charm thanks to inspired realisations and vivid performance. Vocal ensembles have that sensuous Iberian manner with ochre colouring and characterful soloists. Tenor Miguel Bernal is superb; his fervour bordering on the histrionic in the sequence Clangam, Filii and Agnus Dei. Hair-shirted purists might sniff at the degree of conjectural instrumental elaborations but non-specialist listeners will enjoy the variety of timbre within the prevailing style, with interesting use of an exaquier, a sort of small primitive harpsichord, and exquisite work on flute by David Antich. For the final three tracks the listener is jolted out of medieval Iberia with a brief jaunt across the Alps for Ir Tanezer und Spranezer, a literal dance of death, before being eased into the more familiar idiom of plainchant settings Recording quality is reference class, spectacularly present and natural with…

Beware opening doors to a dark soul within, says our critic of a Boulez-Bartók marriage. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Following his critically acclaimed Rameau and CPE Bach on Hyperion, Mahan Esfahani steps out in style on DG Archiv with this concept album mixing Baroque with Minimalism. I was a little alarmed at his relentless drive through Scarlatti’s La Folia Variations, but the mania is held in check by rigour and discipline. Gorecki’s Harpsichord Concerto is a strangely disturbing piece with its first movement infuriatingly like a broken-record while the second, a baroque mash-up, evokes Jerry Lee Lewis in a powdered wig. Esfahani is in his element in CPE Bach’s La Folia romp and his double tracked version of Steve Reich’s Piano Phase is a tour de force; stunningly accurate with the harpsichord’s pin-point precision helping to delineate the pattern as it shifts in and out of phase. The programme concludes with a magnificent account of Bach’s BWV1052 Concerto performed with intensity and gravitas, as befits a work of abstract intellect allied to sensuous pleasure. Esfahani’s articulation and subtle timing is a wonder, uncovering details that often fly by in the rush.  Concerto Köln fully supports his aesthetic with austere beauty of tone and focused rhythmic point. Their employment of a lute in the continuo makes especial sense in the…

Rameau’s oeuvre for harpsichord comprises a mere four dozen pieces from a composing career of nearly six decades so it is not surprising that players have taken to raiding the great tunesmith’s operatic works, citing his transcription of Les Indes Galantes as precedent. The bulk of this recital is Guillermo Brachetta’s transcription for two harpsichords of music from Platée (1745); a scathing satire of fashion and operatic conventions disguised as a comic romp. Poor Platée is a hideously ugly nymph (a tenor in drag) who resides in a swamp but is quite unaware of her uncomeliness. Heartless Jupiter decides to prove his fidelity to Juno by courting such an unlikely conquest just for the fun of it and leaves Platée broken and humiliated to the cruel amusement of the gods. Rameau’s score satirises Italian opera with bizarre vocal gymnastics and is chock full of musical non sequiturs, onomatopoeic effects (a croaking chorus of frogs), startling orchestration and dozens of good tunes. You may wonder if all this comes across with the reduced palate of the harpsichord, but such is the quality of harmonic and melodic invention beneath the opera’s glitteringly orchestrated surface, these reductions can stand on their own even…

This recording of the complete Daphnis et Chloé came after a run of stage performances at the Bastille last year and it is a shame the production wasn’t filmed as we need a decent staging on DVD. In that context Jordan’s reading would be more satisfying than this audio only account. The needs of choreography have straight-jacketed his interpretation and while some may enjoy its straightforward, unfussy manner, for many it will come across as bland and paradoxically un-theatrical. Limpid textures and restraint are a pleasure in themselves, but the lack of thrust and dramatic gesture stops the performance from taking flight. That marvellous opening sequence of mounting voluptuousness should make senses tingle but fails to arouse. Dorcon’s dance is hardly grotesque, and the mocking laughter is half-hearted. The pirate sequences are way too careful. The Bacchanale never quite takes off. The burbling brook at Daybreak is lovingly articulated though, and one does get a frisson with an orgasmic Sunrise. Similar issues plague La Valse. Wonderful moments are glossed over, the opening devoid of mystery, the final breakdown lacks abandon. There are fine textures, but I wish Jordan would just cut loose. Orchestral playing is fine but not outstanding. Recorded…

This programme has been cleverly crafted around the world premiere recording of Sir James MacMillan’s Oboe Concerto performed by its dedicatee Nicholas Daniel with the composer at the helm. It is a bold virtuosic work that should prove popular with both players and audiences.  The breezy first movement, a bustling affair with the soloist goaded on to challenging passage-work by startling effects in the orchestra, contrasts starkly with the following Largo based on material from a earlier composition In Angustiis (a post-9/11 lament for solo oboe). It juxtaposes periods of keening sorrow with outbursts of rage, while stretching the expressive possibilities of the instrument just about as far as it can go. The Finale is forthright and playful, opening with a demented parody of serialist pretensions before veering off in unexpected poly-stylistic directions – although some of its jokes are a little too wacky for its own good.  The disc opens with Vaughan William’s pastoral idyll with the soloist directing a performance that should serve as a top recommendation for this under-recorded gem. The Britten Sinfonia’s limpid strings conjure moments of heart-stopping beauty such as the hushed rapture at the close of the first movement. Daniel’s slender but focused tone is quintessentially British and…