Volume 16 Issue 5 - February 2011

Gardens of SpainLyne Fortin; Esther GonthierAnalekta AN 2 9972Wolf – Italienisches LiederbuchCatherine Robbin; Daniel Lichti;Leslie De’AthAnalekta AN 2 9956Two recentAnalekta releasesfeature the musicof Hugo Wolf, thelate 19th-centurylife-long composerof lieder. Onerecording focusesexclusively on onecycle by Wolf, whilethe other includeshim in a collectionof Spanish andSpanish-inspiredpieces. Whileboth song cyclesare named forthe countries thepoetry originates from, Wolf’s musicitselfisitself isdecidedly Germanic.In each of the excerpts from SpanishesLiederbuch performed by Lyne Fortin, shecertainly has the dramatic presence to handlethe “Sturm und Drang” required by the constantlychanging emotional content. In selec-passionately compared to a girl or a womannessthat Fortin delivers beautifully. Fortintruly Spanish repertoire on this recoding.The cantos by Cuban composer Joaquinthat keep quite a pace until the third selectionwhich slows but maintains the emotivemomentum. In fact, throughout the CD, thissinger sings as though always on edge, withsmouldering moments juxtaposed with shrillpeaks of high anxiety, keeping the listenerthrilled with uncertainty. Pianist EstherGonthier keeps the tension high throughoutand especially shines in the Torroba, whereher piano takes on the persona of a strummingguitar.Hugo Wolf’s Italienische Liederbuch israrely performed in its entirety, consistingas it does of no less than forty-six vignettes.Having performed a few of them in a recentconcert tour entitled “Songs of Venus andMars”, mezzo-soprano Catherine Robbinand bass-baritone Daniel Lichti were inspiredto record the complete cycle sincethe lieder neatly fall into categories suitablefor both male and female singers. Again,in paying homage to the Tuscan folk poemsand Venetian vilotehis own nationality, but the translationsinto German still make for quite the rangeof emotion, from passion to reverence andplayfulness to despair. Both Robbin andLichti along with pianist Leslie De’Ath adda certain elevation to sentiments of romanticexploration in the same way that Wolf transformsthe simplicity of the lyric to a moreclassical standard of high art. The singers,well known for their expertise in this repertoire,imbue the performance with superbtonal quality, warmth and grace.—Dianne WellsEARLY & PERIOD PERFORMANCESalsa BaroqueEnsemble Caprice; Matthias MauteAnalekta AN 2 9957Matthias Maute’snotes explain salsabaroque as being17th and 18th centuryLatin Americanand Spanish musicwith a diffusionof harmonies andrhythms of Europeand Africa blended with Amerindiannuances and styles. Hybrid must be anunder-statement.The choice of pieces is itself varied asZipoli’s pastorales vie with his battagliasand in turn mingle with Gaspar Fernandes’compositions with their unsullied preconquistadortitles. The opening (anonymous)chaconne combines easily recognizablebaroque music with spirited Latin Americanembellishments; Variations on la Gayta andthe lively singing of further settings bringhome the passionate nature of this fusionof music from Spain and her new colonies.Listen to Lanchas para baylar for furthermore indigenous need only listen to theHanacpachap cussicuinin. It is incomparablyLatin American, mainly because it is datedto 1631 in Cuzco!Looking at the cover design of this CDwith its electronically-drawn drizzlings ofLatin American dressings and then translatingits title (baroque sauce), you might getthe impression this is one for the tapas-baryuppies. It is, in truth, a valuable introductionto music created by Spanish andPortuguese composers who were assigned tothey found there.—Michael SchwartzVivaldi Oboe ConcertosAlex Klein; New BrandenburgCollegium; Anthony NewmanCedille FOUNDation CDR 7003(www.cedillerecords.org) of his time, Antonio Vivaldi (1675-1741)wrote a total of 14 concerti for oboe, plusan additional threefor two oboes. Thissampling of eightof them, from oneoboists, is a recentre-release of materialoriginally recordedin 1993. AlexKlein is probably best tknownasaformera principal oboist of the Chicago Symphony,a position he held from 1995 to 2004, whenhe left the job due to focal dystonia, a neurologicalcondition affecting the muscles inand I had the pleasure of hearing him performlive in Kitchener a couple of years ago).In addition to composing, Vivaldi alsotaught music at the Ospedale della Pietá,an orphanage for girls in Venice. In theinsightful liner notes with this recording,Klein suggests that these works were perhapswritten for these girls, with their particulartalents and personalities in mind. Given thetechnical challenges of these concerti andthe limitations of the oboe of the time, ifthis is true, these girls must have been trueprodigies! Speculation aside, this recordingpresents these works in their best light,played here by a true virtuoso. Klein’stechnical mastery of the instrument isstaggering – even the most virtuosic passagesan impression of total ease; and embeddedwithin the most technically demandingsections, Klein manages a sensitivity andsubtlety of expression that only a truemaster can convey. This recording deservesundivided listening attention to fullyappreciate the complexity and nuance ofperformance.—Karen AgesJ.S. Bach – Organ WorksNicolas-Alexandre MarcotteXXI-21 Productions; XXI-CD 2 1713Organist Nicolas-Alexandre Marcotteorgan built in 1973by Karl Wilhelm forÉglise Saint-Matthias(Montréal). It is entirelymechanical (tracker action)and voiced in thevery best Baroque style. Marcotte’s repertoirechoice (some duets, a Fantaisie, a TrioSonata, etc.) is far from standard Bach butcarefully chosen to demonstrate the Baroquekeyboard technique of note detachment, thevery antithesis of the Romantic tendency forlegato in nearly everything. The playing isbrilliant and the acoustics perfect – an altogetheroutstanding recording achievement.—Alex Baran62 thewholenote.comFebruary 1 - March 7, 2011