Volume 10 Issue 4 - December 2004

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NAXOS
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MONTHLY
FEATURE
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VIVALDI:
Sacred Music V11lumc I:
Aradia Ensemble
Kc' in lallon
11.557445
Oon·1 fori:ct Aradia's spccial
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\'haldi Chrhlma
Conccrl & CD launch
Sun Dec 121h. 3 p.m.
Si Paul'> Basilica
X3 l'owcr S1. Toron10
rickc1s: S20.00IS12.00
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MAXWELL OA VIES
Nnxos Quartets I & 2
Mai:gini Qu11rte1
8.557396
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RACHMANINOV
Vespers
Finnish Opera Chorus
11.5559011
\t all line record stores. For
more information about
a\os go to
www.naxos.com
.
performs on recorder. transver e
nute and violin. Now based in
Montreal the group also includes
Sophie Lariviere (recorder and
transverse nute), Lukas Friedrich
(violin), Michael Spengler (viola da
· gamba), Maria Grossmann (harpsichord),
Hubert Hoffmann (lute)
and Rafik Samman (percussion).
Frank T. Nakashima
CLASSICAL AND
BEYOND
Jacqueline du Pre in Portrail
(DVD)
Elgar Cello Concerto;
Beethoven Ghost Trio
BBC Opus Arte DVD OA
CN0902 0
beautiful
ing much
ducted various orchestras around There were about JOO CDs issued
Europe bu1 after the Nazi occupa- by RCA remastered as Living
This is a
1ion he was sent lO Terezin to lead Stereo. mainly classical. featuring
the prisoners' orchestra. He was their prized conductors and their
film cell­
later moved to Auschwi12. which orchestras, their distinguished inhe
survived but his wife and six strumentalisls and singers. In spite
of the month old baby did not. He met of all the advances in technology.
musical
his second wife in 1he camp and most, or perhaps all, or those rethey
side of
married after the liberation. cordings sound as remarkable 10-
life of Following the departure of Vaclav day as 1hcy most certainly did then.
the late Talich from The Czech Philhar- These and all other SACDs u1imonic,
cc I Ii s t
David Oistrakh suggested Jize a new process, DSD (Direct
who died
that Ancerl should take over. He Stream Digi1al), developed by
in 1987,
became established and guest con- Sony and Philips which by samducted
the victras
with distinguished orches- pling at 2,822,400 times per sec­
including The Berlin Philhar- ond dramatically increases possimonic
and The Concertgebouw ble frequency range five-fold and
Orchestra. But he never really re- dynamics by 24 db. The ne1 result
covered from his horrific WW2 is that SACD is, at least for now.
experiences and after the Russian ihe ultimate way to hear the origi­
tim of MS. hu1 whose all too few
recordings are still held in the highest
universal esteem.
In 1his production we see her
first well after she stopped performing
in 1973 and then back to
her receiving her first cello as a
four year old. We learn tha1 she
could sing in 1une before she could
1alk. l-lighligh1s of her career are
touched on including her spiritual
association wi1h the Elgar Cello
Concerto, and we are treated lo lhe
complete broadcast video of the
concerto conducted by husband
Daniel Barenboim. This is in black
and while, which seems to enhance
the experience. The Ghost trio is
in colour.
Wi1h lots of interviews and wonderful
candid videos of che musicians
a1 work and ac "play", this
exemplary biography by Christopher
Nupcn is one DVD that will
be experienced many Limes over.
Jacqueline du Pr(! is someone you
would like to have known and
those of us who heard and saw her
live will forever be grateful.
Bruce Surtees
Karel Ancerl Gold Edition:
Karel Ancerl and the Czech Philharmonic
Orchestra;
various distinguished soloists
42 Supraphon CDs (so far)
This honoured conductor's recordings
are available on various labels
but Supraphon is the home·· label
Vol.33 has 1he Mahler Ninth;
Vol.31 has the Brahms Double Conceno
and Second Symphony: Vol.29
has an auractive collection of famous
overtures; and Vol.27 has
Scllelomo and the Schumann Cello
Concerto with Andre Navarra.
Bruce Surtees
and has documented a considera- The RCA Living Stereo SA CDs
ble number or his performances.
RCA SACD mid price
During 1he 1930s Ancerl con- remastcrings
occupation of his country in 1968
he decided 10 never go back. He
became conductor of the Toronto
Symphony, a post he held un1il 1he
on SACD players for the full ex­
perience. Even on CD players the
year of his death in 1973.
His were neither controversial
nals. The hybrid Living Stereo
discs have two layers and may be
played on regular CD players or
improvement over the originals is
nor heaven-storming performanc- unquestionable. At budge1 price,
cs but clearly true 10 the score. He the SACD layer may be considered
balanced the orchestra so that no a bonus for now or later.
instrumental line was left unheard In the initial 10 releases, a few
nor given uncalled-for prominence stand out as absolutely spectacular:
and his sense of rhythm and phras- Pictures at an Exhibition with Reining
was not always conventional.
er and the Chicago Symphony;
Supraphon has issued some 42 Saini - Saens' Organ Symphony, La
Gold Edition discs, carefully re- Mer. and £scales with Munch and
mastered using 1he latest 1echnol- the Boston Symphony; Munch again
ogy and I have been I istening to a conducting 1he comple1e Daplmis et
dozen or SQ of the newer releases.
Chloe; and Chopin's four Ballades
One quickly becomes auuned to and Scherzos played by Arthur
the conductor mannerisms and Rubinstein. Van Cliburn plays the
soon Ancerl's characteristic ways Tchaikovsky First and the Rachsound
perfectly logical. These Su- maninoff Second concertos; and
praphon discs are rich wilh Czech
Heifetz and Munch play the
composers. many unavailable else- Beethoven and Mendelssohn conwhere.
but there are many stand- cenos. The most famous disc of all
ard repertoire items: Volume 9 has is Also Sprach Zarathustra and £in
the Shostakovich First and Fifth; Heldenleben conducted by. of
Vol. 36 has Alexander Nevsky; course, Fritz Reiner in Chicago.
78
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