Volume 10 Issue 7 - April 2005

moving duet. The last nine tracks are
settings of English poems by Kenneth
Patchen. Years and others, ranging
in mood from somber to playful.
Burton and Ac.:ker give impecc.:able.
sensitive performances
throu!!hout, and Ac.:ker's accompanime1t
is panirnlarly graceful and
wmplememary to the vocal line at
all times. Serious atkionados might
be disappoimed by rhe absence of
ori!!inal or transliterated versions
of he Yiddish and Hebrew texts
( Enulish translations are provided).
Bea'Utifully engineered, a polished
artistic achievement.
Karen Ages
INSTRUMENTAL
(CLASICAL AND BEYOND)
Handel - Complete Violin Sonatas
Andrew Manze; Richard Egarr
Harmonia Mundi HMU 2907259
Egarr provides accompaniments
with loads of personality and occasional
cheek. At times the ensemble
comes apart for brief moments,
but it doesn't matter. It simply demonstrates
the spontaneity of the
playing and that they surprise even
each other every so often.
Larry Beckwith
Schubert - Piano Sonata in B
flat; Lieder
Leif Ove Andsnes; Ian
Bostridge
EMI 5 579012
melodically related to the sonata
and confirms the rightness of Andsnes'
stylistic handling of that
work. Finally the tiny gem, Abschied
vo11 der Erde \vhich i not
sung but spoken, is a poignant farewell
to life set by Schubrt to accompany
the dying words of a
knight in the play Der Falke [The
Falcon].
With faultless engineering, there
is no downside to this splendid CD.
Bruce Surtees
Concert note: For fans of Schubert
lieder, Matthias Goerne will perform
Die Winterreise at Roy Thomson
Hall on April 3.
Brahms - Symphony No. I;
Tragic overture;
Academic Festival Overture
London Philharmonic Orchestra;
Marin Alsop
Naxos 8.5574
violin solo in the 2nd movement and
the majestic alpenhorn in the last.
Alsop's congenial and easy going
personality is well suited to the Academic
Festival Overture and the disc
concludes on an optimistic note.
Although it will not eclipse Klemperer
's magisterial reading or Karajan's
glowing intensity, I enjoyed this
perfo.rmance very much. Excellent
digital sound.
Ja11os Gardo11yi
Raum and Brahms
Elizabeth Raum· - Pantheon;
Brahms - Trio, Op.40
Erika Raum, violin; David Hoyt,
horn; Janet Scott Hoyt, piano
Arktos 200481
In his program nores to this excellem
recording, violinist Andrew
Manze thoroughly tracks the history
of Handel's works for violin and
harpsichord and justifies the claim
that rhe works performed on this
disc represem Handel's total output
for this pairing. There are the six
sonatas that exist in most collections.
as well as two '·Roger" sonatas,
originally published by John
Walsh in 1730 under the fictitious
name . Jeanne Roger of Amsterdam''.
In addition, the recording
ends with two brilliant one-movement
fragments, evidence alas rhat
some of the sonatas have been lost.
The dynamic duo of Manze and
Egarr continue to rip through the
substamial music of the Baroque era
for violin and harpsichord, building
on the success of their earlier recordings
of Uccelini, Pandolfi, Biber
(Rosary sonatas) and Corelli (Opus
5 complete). Both performers bring
a playful sense of abandon to Handt:l
's music. Tempos are well-chosen,
allowing for ample ornamentation
and expression. Fugues are handled
clearly and brilliantly, chromatic
writing given appropriate "aching"
accents and the stunning melodic
writing in the slower movements is
celebrated by Manze with emotional
playing full of line aQd colour.
7li
In Schubert' lifetime, friends
would get together with the composer
to participate in a "Schubertiad,"
a potpourri of his salon works ...
songs, sonatas, duets, etc. Several
recreations of such evenings are to
be found in the Schubert Edition
from Hyperion, and this is the fourth
of EMI's series with Andsne and
Bostridge that programmes a sonata
followed by several lieder. Both Brahms First Symphony is probably
performers are at the top of their one of the most performed and recorded
works in the repertoire with
respective fields and together they
form a most interesting and successful
collaboration. Their earlier ni, Karajan, Furtwangler, Walter
such giants as Klemperer, Toscani­
Schubert discs, including an individual
Winterreise, have won univer­
make a new statement in this hal­
and a host of others. It is difficult to
sal acclaim.
lowed territory but here is a very
Andsnes' performance of Schubert's
la t completed sonata reveals Marin Alsop has had a most spec­
good attempt made by a newcomer.
the pianist's deep involvemelll with tacular rise in fame in the shortest
and understanding of the composer's
inability to write anything that nings with the Colorado Sy:npho­
possible time. From humble begin­
did not sing. The first movement. ny, this formidably talented student
which can seem endless in less informed
hands, becomes a wordless jumped on to the podium of one of
of Leonard Bernstein has suddenly
song with almost imperceptible Britain's finest orchestras, the
touches of colour, so simply realized
by Andsnes, to illuminate its ing Sir Simon Ranle and making
Bournemouth Symphony, succeed­
progression. The second movement herself a big name in the music
unfolds quietly, seeming to hang in world.
mid-air, while the Scherzo flows Her Brahms is a highly expansive,
effortlessly without being prodded. somewhat lyrical reading, a bit slow
The familiar last movement is beautifully
judged and cleanly articulat­
architecturally. She reveals details,
in places but still held together well
ed. After a performance as satisfying
as this, the listener does not im­
"espressivo" and handles the strings
puts a great deal of emotion in her
mediately even think about making beautifully as befits an expert violin
comparisons with other recorded player and chamber musician.
versions they may own.
The big guns come out at the end
After the sonata, the three lieder in the great accelerando and the final
pages are spectacular. The in­
fall comfortably upon the ears. In
Viola, there is some surface joy not strumentalists of the London Philharmonic
are superb, but special
quite hiding the sadness beneath. The
second song, Der Wi11terabend, is praise should go to the wonderful first
WWW .
THEWHOLENOTE.COM
What would be the result if three of
Canada's finest musicians had the
run of all the facilities at the Banff
Centre for the Arts? You'd better
believe that it would result in a wonderful
CD. This trio exceeds all expectations
with these two works,
each of them ambitious undertakings.
Brahms' Opus 40 Trio, a favourite
of chamber music presenters
and audiences alike, has many
new things to offer us here. Hoyt's
horn is a model of control, especially
in the Adagio mesto movement.
The Finale, often perceived
as bombast in other recordings,
becomes a statement in clarity.
Paired with the Brahms is Elizabeth
Raum's Pantheon, a work from
1999. Raum remains one of Canada's
underexposed treasures, with
over 200 works in her still-growing
catalogue. Her title refers to seven
of the ancient Greek deities, giving
the composer scope co create movements
of differing character. The
Artemis movement, in particular, is
one of those lyrical gems you'll want
to hear repeatedly. Horn lovers will
be interested to -note that Pantheon
was written for the legendary Philip
Myers.
Production is seamless and without
flaws. The Banff Steinway D is
well mannered and even technician
Denis Brassard is credited in the
notes. The photo purports to show
the musicians in the heat of recording,
but they wear their best outfits
and there's nary a microphone to be
seen.
Jolz11 S. Gray
APRIL 1 - MAY 7 2005