Volume 19 Issue 4 - December 2013

with melodies and brightness. The flutesoloist, Claire Marchand, plays with sensitivityand clarity, and the two instrumentsblend very well. Milot has composed cadenzasfor both Handel’s and Mozart’s concertos,in keeping with the practices of the timesand contributing more authenticity to thisrecording.—Ivana PopovicCLASSICAL & BEYONDBrahms – The SymphoniesGewandhausorchester; Riccardo ChaillyDecca 4785344!!The FourSymphonies includingsome revised andoriginal material:Tragic Overture,Haydn Variations,Academic FestivalOverture; Intermezzi,Liebeslieder Waltzes,Hungarian Dances (3 CDs in a hard-boundbook). Here are some notes to myself as Imade them listening to this set in preparationto write a review:Hits the ground running ... Not traditionalweighted-down performance ... Keepsmoving ... The music flows ... Thrilling ... Couldbe the Beethoven Tenth ... Hearing with newears ... Perfect balances ... Translucent ... Clearlyhear the pluck in the plucked basses.Vivid recording, you can see theorchestra ... Outstanding string section thatdoesn’t swamp the woodwinds ... Instrumentsclear without spotlighting ... Clearly hear theinner instrumentation in true perspective.Feels like hearing the works for the firsttime ... Outstanding dynamics ... Texture inthe horns reminiscent of Szell ... Tempos fluidand forward-looking ... Well-rehearsed but nosense of hearing a routine performance ... Notrudging through well-worn paths ... Notdutiful or obligatory.Gorgeous singing winds ... Excitinglyfresh ... Spectacular ... Confident ... Brahmsrestored ... Chailly, the orchestra a perfectmatch ... Brings to mind Toscanini’s 1951recording of the First ... Unique interpretations... Enthusiastic, firm, clear, articulate,translucent ... This is how Brahms was heard atthe first performances before there were anycoats of traditions to wear.I guess what I’m saying is “Highlyrecommended!”—Bruce SurteesRachmaninoff – Symphonic Dances;Stravinsky – The Rite of SpringToronto Symphony Orchestra;Peter OundjianTSO Livetso.ca/tsolive!!TSO Live is a self-produced label of liveconcert recordings, established in 2008 by theToronto SymphonyOrchestra and itsmusic director PeterOundjian. Theirnewest release featuresRachmaninov’sSymphonic Dancesand Stravinsky’s TheRite of Spring, twoworks that share a common thread of experimentalharmonies and prominent rhythms.Rachmaninov composed this orchestralsuite in three movements in 1940,shortly after escaping the war in Europe andmoving to the United States. It was originallyconceived as a ballet; its final versionretained complex rhythms but also becamevery symphonic in nature. The first movementstarts with a marching fast section, withbeautifully rendered dynamic contrasts in theorchestra. Shifting harmonies and elementsof sarcasm continue in the second movement,combining folksy melodies with waltzlikelilts. The last movement is inspired bythe chants of the Russian Orthodox Churchand the Gregorian chant of the dead. In away, it was as if Rachmaninov had a premonition— Symphonic Dances was to be his lastoriginal composition. The TSO maintainsa cohesive expression with many beautifultextures throughout this piece.The star of this recording, in my opinion,is The Rite of Spring. It is dark, it is pagan, itis mystically powerful. It contains complexrhythms and metres, experiments in tonalityand dissonance. Stravinsky wrote it 100years ago, in 1913, for a Paris season of SergeiDiaghilev’s Ballets Russes company. Thepremiere caused a riot in the audience — manywere escorted outside and the reaction barelysubsided by the end of this 35-minute ballet.It was said that Nijinsky, who choreographedthis piece, had to keep shouting the numberof steps to the dancers as they could nothear the orchestra at times. It was a pleasurehearing the TSO playing with such gustoand precision. The avant-garde elements thatcaused a disturbance 100 years ago are almostcertainly the same elements that appeal to thecontemporary audience. It is not a surprisethat The Rite of Spring remains one of themost recorded works of the classical repertoire.This recording has a freshness thatcaptivates the listener.—Ivana PopovicStravinsky – Rite of Spring;Moussorgski – Pictures at an ExhibitionPentaèdreATMA ACD2 2687!!Canadian quintetPentaèdre tackles therhythmic complexitiesand melodic nuancesin wind transcriptionsof two works byRussian composers,Igor Stravinsky andModest Mussorgsky.Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring is surprisinglymusically successful in this wind transcriptionby Michael Byerly. Shorter in lengthhere than the original composition, the flute,clarinet, oboe, bassoon and horn parts areremarkable in their loyalty to the originalscore. The driving rhythmic patterns andtwirling melodies that shocked audienceswhen first performed continue to shockand amaze here. The quintet is a tightly knitensemble which works to its advantage in thiscolourful and virtuosic performance.In contrast, the Mussorgsky Pictures atan Exhibition is, though performed exquisitely,not as successful. The transcription byStéphane Mooser is perhaps too much of agood thing here as his goal was to expand thewind instruments’ tonal palate in contrastto his liner notes comment that “the otherexisting versions for wind quintet are toolimited in colour range.” These occasionaldense sections take away from the overallbeautiful phrasing and melodies of bothperformance and individual parts.The high production quality allows for eachwind instrument to sound “live.” Pentaèdreneeds to be congratulated for expandingthe woodwind repertoire with these transcriptionsof audience-loved works. Theensemble’s fresh musical approach and technicalacumen brings new life to establishedrepertoire.—Tiina KiikQuartetski Does StravinskyQuartetskiAmbiances Magnétiques AM 213actuellecd.com! ! Jazz andmodernism botherupted in the early20th century, andthe lines of concordanceare many,including the polyrhythmsof jazz inIgor Stravinsky’smasterpiece of primordial impulses, LeSacre du printemps. Its opening melodyhas been referenced by jazz musicians suchas Carla Bley, Rahsaan Roland Kirk andOrnette Coleman. Celebrating the work’s100th anniversary, Montreal’s transformativeQuartetski Does Stravinsky, followsa loose and reduced score while interpolatingand overlaying improvisations eitheranarchic or folk-inspired. The instrumentationis constructed for maximum chronologicalassociation, leaping from the sound ofa medieval consort with founder Pierre-YvesMartel’s viola de gamba, Phillippe Lauzier’sbass clarinet, Isaiah Ceccarelli’s percussionand Josh Zubot’s violin to guitarist BernardFalaise’s very electronic approach. Alternatelyhomage and deconstruction, it’s a fearlesswork, casting Stravinsky’s masterwork in anew light — at once more intimate, flexibleand playful.—Stuart Broomerthewholenote.com December 1, 2013 – February 7, 2014 | 73