Interview

Andrew talks to Jordi Savall about his recent mammoth recording project, Jerusalem and about future plans.

Jerusalem – La Ville Des deux Paix: La Paix celeste et la Paix Terrestre (City of two peaces: Heavenly peace and Earthly peace)

Singers: Begoña Olavide, Lior Elmalich, Muwafak Shahin Khalil, Razmik Amyan, Lluis Vilamajó, Marc Mauillon; Recitants: Manuel Forcano (Hebrew); Jean Hache (French); Nejat Ferouse (Turkish); Invited musicians: Yair Dalal (oud); Dvir Cohen, Erez Shmuel Mounk (percussion); Yagel Harel (shofar); Wabab Badarne (qanun); Usama Abu Ali (flutes, ney); Kaled Abu Ali (chant); Razmik Amyan (chant); Gaguik Mouradia (kamancha); Dmitris Psonis (santur, morisca, percussions); Omar Bashir (oud); Fahmi Alqhai (viol); Mutlu Torun (oud); Driss El Maloumi (chant, oud): Khaled Arman (rebab); Siar Hashimi (darbouka); Al-Darwish (Sufi group of Galilee); Les trompettes de Jéricho; La Capella Reial de Catalunya, Hespèrion XXI, Jordi Savall (director)

Alia Vox AVSA9863 (2 Hybrid SACDs)

Reviews:

Given electric performances and virile repertoire, early music regularly offers uplifting experiences, but do they hit you like bulletins ripped from today s news? Not often.

Matters are different in Jerusalem. Time and again the 52 tracks of Jordi Savall s bumper project bring you slap up against the continuing tragedy of Gaza of wrecked buildings, wailing people, and faiths at war. There will be a great peace throughout the world, until the end of time, sings Montserrat Figueras on track two, following the Greek text of a Sibylline oracle.

The rest of the programme uses the history of Jerusalem to plead for that elusive world peace. Jews, Christians, Arabs, Turks, Armenians are all given a voice in music and words from across the centuries, with different religions and cultures battling for dominance and a homeland as the end of time ticks closer…

As Savall and Manuel Forcano s collection advances, the heart is still moved, the mind still whirrs. Whatever the language and culture adopted, Figueras throbs with humanity. Instrumentally, Savall, Hespèrion XXI and their guests always give us splendour. Track by track you listen, learn, read and wonder. Jerusalem may not bring world peace any closer, but you ll never read the Gaza headlines in quite the same way again. –Geogg Brown, The Times, January, 2009

As always with Savall, the whole thing has the sense of a scrupulous piece of historical and musicological research…there are certainly some fascinating moments, as well as some striking imagery. –The Guardian, January, 2009

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Saturday 9 February 2008

Listen to this episode for up to 7 days after broadcast

Andrew McGregor introduces Radio 3′s weekly programme devoted to all that’s new in the world of recorded music.

CD Review

WHITE: Christe qui lux es et dies (IV)

(c/w Lamentations a 5; TYE: Agnus Dei from Mass: Euge bone; Peccavimus cum patribus nostris; PARSONS: Ave Maria; O bone Jesu;
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers (conductor)
Coro COR16056 (CD)

ANON: Glorioso Domina from disc Francisco Javier: La Ruta de Oriente (Francis Xavier – The Route to the Orient)

Hesperion XXI, La Capella Reial de Catalunya, Hiroyuki Koinuma, Ichiro Seki, Yukio Tanaka, Prabhu Edouard, Ken Zuckerman, Montserrat Figueras, Jordi Savall (director)
AliaVox AVSA 9856 (2 Hybrid SACDs and book)

BEAMISH: Viola Concerto No. 2, ‘The Seafarer’ (2nd movement)

(c/w Whitescape; Sangsters)
Tabea Zimmermann (viola), Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Ola Rudner (conductor)
BIS CD 1241 (CD)

Building a Library Recommendation

MOZART: String Quartet No. 23 in F K590

Reviewer – Peter Quantrill

Overall choice:

Quatuor Mosaiques
Naive E8888 (CD)

Traditional Instrument Choice:
Tokyo Quartet
Buddulph BID80215

Next week David Vickers examines recordings of Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater.

New Releases

Rob Cowan looks at some recent issues of historic recordings. With extracts from the following discs:

Historical Russian Archives: Alexander Gauk Edition

(CD 1: SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 5 Op. 47; RACHMANINOFF: Russian Folk Songs for Chorus Op. 41; ‘Spring’, Cantata for Baritone Op. 20

CD 2: SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 11 Op. 103; RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: The Song of Oleg the Wise Op. 58;

CD 3: KHACHATURUIAN: ‘Sparticus’, Suite; GLINKA: Premiere Polka;
Kamarinskaya;

CD 4: KHATCHATURIAN: Symphony No. 1; GLINKA: Memory of Friendship; Patriotic Song;

CD 5: MYASKOVSKY: Symphony NO. 17 Op. 41; PROKOFIEV: Flourish, Mighty Homeland Op. 114; Russian Overture, Op. 72; IVANOV-RADKEVICH: Russian Overture;

CD 6: TCHAIKOVSKY: The Seasons Op. 37; BALAKIREV: Islamey; GLAZUNOV: Spring OP. 34; Waltz Op. 42 No. 3; ARENSKY: March, in memory of Suvorov; In the Fields Op. 36 No. 24; Waltz from ’6 Children’s Pieces’ Op. 34;

CD 7: TCHAIKOVSKY: Hamlet Op. 67a; Fatum Op. Posth.77;

CD 8: TCHAIKOVSKY: Snegourotchka, Snow Maiden Op. 12;

CD 9: LISZT: Eine Faust-Symphonie;

CD 10: BEETHOVEN: Overture Coriolan; MENDELSSOHN: Overture Ruy Blas; BIZET: Patrie, Overture Op. 19; CASELLA: Italia, Rapsodia per orchestra; ENESCU: Romanian Rhapsody No. 1; MILHAUD: Suite Provencale)

USSR State Radio and TV Symphony and Chorus, Alexander Gauk (conductor)

Brilliant Classics 8866 (10 CDs, Budget)

Charles Munch Conducts Beethoven – Unissued Concert Performances With the Boston Symphony Orchestra 1954-1957

(Symphony No. 6 ‘Pastoral’; Symphony No. 7; Piano Concerto No. 3; Piano Concerto No. 5 ‘Emperor’ Op. 73; Symphony No. 3 ‘Eroica’ Op. 55; String Quartet No. 16 Op. 135; Violin Concerto; Leonore Overture No. 2 Op. 72; Die Weihe des Hauses, Op. 124 Overture)

Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch (conductor)

Pristine Audio WHRA-6014 (5CDs, Budget)

Famous Mendelssohn Recordings

(Symphony No. 4 Op. 90,
Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 25,
Symphony No. 5 Op. 107)

Halle Orchestra, Hamilton Harty (conductor);
Ania Dorfmann (piano), London Symphony Orchestra, Walter Goehr (conductor);
L’Orchestre de la Societe du Conservatoire e Paris, Charles Munch (conductor)

Dutton CDBP 9781 (CD, Budget)

BRAHMS: Symphony No. 4; WAGNER: Siegfried-Idyll

Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, Hans Knappertsbusch (conductor)

Orfeo C 723 071 B (CD, Mid Price)

The Beecham Collection

(BOCCHERINI: Overture in D; GRETRY: Ballet Suite Zemire et Azor; LISZT: Die Loreley; FRANCK: Le Chasseur Maudit; ELGAR: Enigma Variations)

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Thomas Beecham (conductor)

Somm Beecham 22 (CD, Mid Price)

BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9, “Choral”
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (soprano), Elisabeth Hongen (alto), Hans Hopf (tenor), Otto Edelmann (bass), Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra, Wilhelm Furtwangler (conductor)

Orfeo C 754 081 B (CD, Mid Price)

1. Sym No.9 in d, Op.125 ‘Choral’: I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo, Un Poco Maestoso
2. Sym No.9 in d, Op.125 ‘Choral’: II. Molto Vivace
3. Sym No.9 in d, Op.125 ‘Choral’: III. Adagio Molto E Cantabile-Andante Moderato-Adagio
4. Sym No.9 in d, Op.125 ‘Choral’: IV. Presto-Allegro Ma Non Troppo-Allegro Assai-Presto-Allegro…

Session Report: Fire Burning in the Snow

How do Jeffrey Skidmore’s Ex Cathedra Consort and Baroque Ensemble recreate the exuberant Baroque music of Latin America in a north London church?

Fire Burning in the Snow

(with works by Juan de Araujo and Diego Jose de Salazar)

Ex Cathedra Consort and Baroque Ensemble, Jeffrey Skidmore (director)

Hyperion CDA67600 (CD)

1. Hanacpachap cussicuinin (verses 1- 5)(Anonymous)
2. Dixit Dominus (Juan de Araujo)
3. Silencio (Juan de Araujo)
4. Dime, amor (Juan de Araujo)
5. A, del la region de luces ! (Juan de Araujo)
6. Hanacpachap cussicuinin (verses 6 – 10) (Anonymous)
7. A, del cielo ! (Juan de Araujo)
8. Fuego de amor ! (Juan de Araujo)
9. En el muy gran Padre Ignacio (Juan de Araujo)
10. Hanacpachap cussicuinin (verses 11- 15) (Anonymous)
11. Salga el torillo hosquillo! (Diego Jose de Salazar)
12. Dios de amor (Juan de Araujo)
13. A, del tiempo! (Juan de Araujo)
14. Hanacpachap cussicuinin (verses 16- 20) (Anonymous)

Disc of the Week

BIZET: Jeux d’Enfants, Op. 22
(c/w Symphony in C Major; CHABRIER:
Suite Pastorale)

Les Siecles, Francois-Xavier Roth
(conductor)

Mirare MIR 036 (CD)

Next Week

On next week’s CD Review David Vickers recommends a recording of Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater (Building a Library), there’s an interview with conductor Thomas Dausgaard and James Jolly talks about the whole area of music downloads.