America. Si.nee music was an important means of communication between the Jesuits and the natives, each mission had a choir and orchestra, and the children took lessons in reading, music and dancing. By the 18th century the level or performance was very high, and the filtering or European musical style through native South American attitudes and languages gave rise to a new repertory of "Missionary Baroque" This synthesis is reflected in the collaboration of Florilegium, a European chamber ensemble led by baroque flautist Ashley Solomon, with a quartet of vocal soloists from Bolivia, in "their recording of music from the missions of the Chiquitos and Moxos Indians. Included are several psalms and sacred cantatas for solo voice, accompanied by a small choir and/ or string ensemble, in Latin; two lovely works for solo voice, flute. and continua, in native languages; a sonata for two violins· and continua; a violin duet on 'La Folia'; and a delightful Pastoreta for recorder and. strings. All of these works are anonymous, except for two cantatas by Domenico Zipoli, who left Italy for Cordoba, Argentina in 1717, where he studied for the priesthood, composed music for the Jesuit missions, and died of tuberculosis after only eight years in the new world. The performances here are charming and polished, the sound gives a sense of the spacious cathedral in the Bolivian jungle where it as recorded, and a DVD about the making of the project is included. While teasingly unclear on several questions about this fascinating repertoire, the notes are generally informative. Coli11 Savage Bach - Weinen, Klagen Cantatas BWV 12, 38, 75 Sampson; Daniel Taylor; Padmore; Kooy Harmonia Mundi HMC 901843 Philippe Herreweghe's famous interpretations of Bach with his Collegium Vocale continue with this collection of three Cantatas on the 62 theme of earthly despair and suf- fering moving toward heavenly comfort and consolation. These works each come from different period s in Bach's life, reflecting a variety of styles. Weinen, Klagen, containing the six quintets of his opus 15 (1727) and one example each from works for one, two and three flutes without bass. The disc opens with the solo suite in B minor, the fifth and most vir Sorgen, Sagen, BWV 12 (Weeping, tuosic of the six in op. 35 (1731). lamentation, worry, fear), was Barthold Kuijken plays it with charwritten during Bach's employment in Weimar, Aus tie/er Not schrei ich zu dir, BWV38 (In deep distress I call to Thee) is set to a text by Martin Luther, and based strictly on one of his chor:ale tunes. The double cantata Die Elenden sollen essen, BWV75 (The miserable acteristic flair and impeccable musicianship, proving beyond a doubt that these pieces have no need of the optional continua part which Boismortier also provided. This solo is followed by the first of the 'Concertos' for five flutes. op. 15 - the first concertos by a shall eat), was the first piece offi- French composer, incidentally - cially presented for his new post in · and the shift from the sound of one Leipzig. While both Weinen, Kia- gen and Die Elenden provide a marvelous interplay between in- struments (oboes in particular), Aus tie/er is quite archaic, using instrumentation only to double the vocal parts. As with the other recordings in the Bach cantata project with Har- monia Mundi, the seventeen-voice Collegium Vocal provides just the Hanta"i; and the quite different apright balance of power and facility flute to five is quite magical. These pieces are truly fun, with their unisons, antiphonal pairings over a bass line, and (heir sparkling passagework. Here is.music for flute ensmble which is actually as enjoyable to hear as it is to play! The duo from op. 38, offers some of the most dazzling playing on the disc from Kuijken and Marc proaches of the three players at the to handle both the conviction of the opening of the trio (op. 7, 1725) chorales and the passages of corn- plex interweaving of vocal parts. The soloists, Carolyn Sampson, Daniel Taylor, Mark Padmore and Peter Kooy brilliantly demonstrate five players throughout this recordthe agility and intensely emotive qualities required by these works. For those who require an immer- sion in artful lamentation, this disc comes highly recommended. Dianne Wells Boismortier - Six Concertos for Five Flutes B . .Kuijken; Hantai"; Theuns; Saitta; Etienne Accent ACC 24161 Joseph Bodin de Boismortier has struck me for many years as France's answer to Telemann - gifted,.prolific and stylistically cosmopolitan, often (but not always) brilliant. Boismortier wrote prolifically and beautifully for the flute, blending his semi-Italianate writing style with a strong sensibility for this quintessentially French instrument. This CD provides an excellent sampling of some of his pieces for it, make for provocative listening. This is delightful music, and with such flexibility of colour, dy namics and articulation from all ing, it is truly a great pleasure. And not just for flute players, either! CLASSICAL Alison Melville AND BEYOND .II -··· ' \·>\NllAI. s.,-,l.\;l] I - .. V.I >O/WA ·
how he can rescue the speech from centuries of overexposure. Well, Beethoven can be just like that. Want to record symphonies five and six? You'd better have something new to say or else call it quits before the down beat. Tafelmusik, with more than 70 recordings behind them, seem ever confident of bringing a revitalizing touch to works we've known intimately for a lifetime. These familiar Beethoven symphonies present themselves as two forms of music - absolute and program. Despite their conceptual·differences, Symphonies five and six were completed in the same year and premiered at the same concert. It seems wonderfully appropriate then, to present them on the same CD. Tafelmusik under Bruno Weil bring their characteristic touch to this recording. The strings are sparse and largely straight-toned, revealing surprising hues of colour in the wind parts. After years of big .romantic orchestral performances this sound is wonderfully new, especially in the seco11d and third movements of the sixth symphony. The fourth movement "storm" is delightfully bad weather, reminiscent of The Four Seasons and the finale offers a slightly slower tempo than usually heard but works well nevertheless. Beethoven's fifth symphony feels a bit more metered than we have come to expect and certainly smaller in scale. The brass, however, always expand the fortissimo passages when needed leaving no doubt as to Beethoven's grander intentions. It's been a long time since five and six sounded so new. Worth having. Alex Baran Concert Notes: Tafelmusik performs at the Guelph Spring Festival on May 13. The Quinte Symphony performs on all-Beethoven program including the Pastoral Symphony on May 28 in Belleville. (see Further Afield listings.) The Toronto Philharmonia includes the Pastoral Symphony on its May 19 program at the George Weston Recital Hall. Schubert - Die Schone Miillerin Ian Bostridge; Mitsuko Uchida EMI5 578272 This collaboration comes as something of a surprise because Bostridge has done so well accom- MAY 1 - )UNE 7 2005 panied by Leif Ove Andsnes on at least four superlative Schubert recitals for EM!. This new release was recorded in December 2003, pre- and postdating some of the Andsnes discs. It is reasonably obvious that, although the material is different, Bostridge is better controlled with Andsnes at the keyboard. This is Bostridge's second recording of this work and the earlier, gentler version on Hyperion is the better, wherein he controls his inclination to embellish and over-articulate. Uchida clearly aids and abets his mannerisms ... as an accompanist should do. But the tenor's overworked heartiness is, to these ears at least, very close to tiresome, while, for others, this very animation is just what is needed to bring the poems of Wilhelm Muller to life. Not surprisingly, some of opera's most enthusiastic fans are completely untouched by lieder, presumably because of the absence of dramatis personae. · Having said all this, I must say that 1 .am a fan of this particular school of English tenors, which is so well represented by the almost white toned voices of Peter Pears and Mr. Bostridge. Bruce Surtees • remedies. he started Bocox treatm.ents, and this disc is the miraculous result. This is expansive music-making. Throughout, starting with Hess's arrangement of Bach's Jesu. Joy of Ma11 '.s Desiring. Fleisher puts the emphasis on singing. Yet he maintains his renowned clarity of touch. Scarlatti's Sonata in E major, however, falters when Fleisher becomes too insistently dramatic. Chopin's Nocturne in D flat 111ajor sets things right. In hi s· program notes Fleisher calls it 'my mother's favorite piece', but his eloquent balancing of voices, especially in the closing dialogue. is anything but sentimental. The centerpiece of this recording is Schubert's Sonata in B flat major, which Fleisher calls 'sacrosanct, a holy piece'. Since he first recorded it fifty years ago, Fleisher has become more introspective. But he maintains thrilling dramatic urgency in the fir.st two movements. and sparkling exuberance in the last two. "Two Hands" is studded with moments of revelatory beauty like the breathtaking return to the minor key just over half-way through the slow movement - further reason to . seek out this exquisite disc. Pamela Margles Future Concert Notes: Fleisher has been a frequent visitor to the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto for many years. where he gives masterclasses. performs chamber music and conducts. He will be giving masterclasses Feb. 23, 24 and April 20, 21, 2006. Fleisher will perform Hindemith's Piano Concerto (for the Left Hand) with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra on April I. 2006. Chopin; Rachmaninov Piano Sonatas Helene Grimaud Deutsche Grammophon 4745325 Fresh on the heels of her highly successful debut recording "Credo", Deutsche Gramophone's "hot new DISCOVERIES, CONTINUES ... DIGITAL EDITING CD MASTERING - OPEN REEL TRANSFERS· 96/24 C,APABILITY CONTACT: KARL MACHAT .,,,,.,, 1'1' I 111 I #'/1/1·'1"1 I I I I If ; 314 Churchill Ave Toronto, Ontario M2R 1 E7 Canada ; Tel: 416-224-1956; T H d ; Fax: 416-224-2964 wo an s e. MIKROKOSMOS www.mlkrokosmos.com Leon Fleisher ; .Vanguard Classics ATM CD 1551 S 'fhis collection performed by Leon We b uy y our tention. Deservedly so, since it is ; the first solo recording in forty collection s years from one of the greatest pi- Fleisher has attracted a lot of at- ;, classical LP anists of his generation. (classical, su ch as In his prime, Fleisher blazed ; with virtuosity and intellectual in- Beethoven, Mozart, ; cisiveness. But in 1965, when he Stockhausen) was thirty-seven, the American ;, pianist l p st the use of his right hand ; we tra vel anywhere for good colle ctions to dystonia, a neurological disorder. After struggling with various ; WWW. THEWHOLENOTE.COM ... .. ,,,,,,,,,,.,, 416 503 3060 OR 647 227 KARL MISTERS.MASTERS@SYMPATICO.CA
