Volume 30 Issue 2 | October & November 2024

heartbreaking final In

heartbreaking final In Paradisum putting into context Canada’s history of combat and, yes, the pity of war. The orchestra, choirs, soprano Zorana Sadiq, mezzo-soprano Rebecca Haas, tenor Colin Ainsworth and baritone Brett Polegato are all led admirably, intelligently and with great passion by Bramwell Tovey. The Canadian Army was active in the Afghanistan conflict from 2001-2014. In Afghanistan: Requiem for a Generation, Ryan and Steele have borne witness to that difficult period with grace, respect and beauty. This is surely one of the most important Canadian works of the 21st century. Larry Beckwith John Corigliano – Mr. Tamborine Man; Vincent Ho - Gryphon Realms Laura Hynes (amplified soprano); Land’s End Ensemble; Karl Hirzer Naxos 8.579160 (naxos.com/ CatalogueDetail/?id=8.579160) ! Among the traits, and there are many, that people find compelling about the current octogenarian and formerly dubbed “voice of his generation,” Bob Dylan, are his restless nature and continued creativity. Famously categorizing himself as a “song and dance man,” to insert distance between he and his then folk-rock contemporaries and attach himself to a vaudevillian past that he wanted, but truly never had, Dylan has shape shifted so many times that his only constant is change. Long before it was fashionable to see such groups as Lake Street Dive and Scary Pockets reimagining the possibilities of canonic cover versions, Dylan himself was radically reinventing his own songbook, most famously in July 1965 at the Newport Folk Festival. Given the composer’s own stance on the malleability of his work, perhaps it is not surprising that Dylan’s music has provided creative fodder for musicians not just of the folk/rock ilk, but such jazz players as Nina Simone, Ben Paterson, and Bill Frisell, among others. Here, with Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan (version for amplified soprano and sextet), the highly feted American composer John Corigliano brings Dylan’s poetic lyrics into the realm of contemporary classical music, setting seven texts to his unique original music with compelling results. Acknowledging in the liner notes the newness of this exercise, (as Dylan’s words had not previously been set to classical music), while locating the historical antecedents of Schumann or Brahms working with a Goethe text. Corigliano’s reimagining has been beautifully realized here by soprano Laura Hynes and Calgary’s Land’s End Ensemble under Karl Hirzer. Corigliano’s cycle is paired effectively with Canadian composer Vincent Ho’s Gryphon Realms (for piano trio) commissioned by Toronto’s Gryphon Trio inspired by that mythical tripartite beast. It is performed here by the core members of Land’s End, violinist Maria van der Sloot, cellist Beth Root Sandvoss and pianist Susanne Ruberg-Gordon. This 2024 Naxos release is highly enjoyable and immensely satisfying. Andrew Scott Bespoke Songs Fotina Naumenko; various artists New Focus Recordings FCR410 (newfocusrecordings.bandcamp.com/ album/bespoke-songs) ! Sensual doesn’t so much ooze as burst in ecstatic luminosity from Fotina Naumenko’s soaring, swooping soprano. The recital comprises 20 works specially commissioned by Naumenko from four composers. Each takes a cue from a verse by poets selected by the soprano and relates to settings and emotions awakened by the global pandemic. The album takes its title from a cycle of twelve – Bespoke Songs –composed by Jonathan Newman, set to the poetry of Kristina Faust. Two shorter cycles comprise a work by Jennifer Jolley (“Hope” Is The Thing with Feathers – poetry by Emily Dickenson), and one by Benedict Sheehan (Let Evening Come with texts by Jane Kenyon). These cycles bookend Carrie Magin’s work (How to See An Angel set to Dorothy Walter’s poem). The commissions were initiated during the global pandemic and reflect the angst that was imposed on a human psyche which still cries out for healing. The work of artists of the first order were driven not only to deeper reflection, but also to surface for air with the singular impulse to heal others with art. This Naumenko certainly does with uncommon erudition. Her instrument is gorgeous: lustrous, precise and feather-light. Her musicianship is fierce as she digs into the expression of every word, giving every phrase a special grace. The accompanying musicians bring a deeply interiorised reading that complements Naumenko’s execution. Raul da Gama Editor’s note: I was surprised to find a Canada Council logo displayed on the CD’s back cover as none of the liner notes referred to a Canadian connection. Upon consultation with the label rep I was told that Fotina Naumenko, Nadège Foofat and Marika Bournaki (conductor and pianist on Bespoke Songs respectively) are Canadian citizens. Love to My Liking Alkemie Bright Shiny Things BSTC-0201 (alkemie. bandcamp.com/album/love-to-my-liking) ! Unusually for recordings of medieval troubadour songs, all five vocalists on this CD are women – three of the sixmember Alkemie ensemble (they also play instruments) and two “guests.” They’re reviving the spirit of the all-butforgotten Trobairitz, a unique all-female troupe of 13th-century French troubadours (not mentioned in the CD’s notes), discovered when I googled “female troubadours.” The notes also offer little information beyond the names of the selections, performers and instruments. Most regrettably, there are no texts or translations. Searching online, I learned that Alkemie was founded in 2013, is based in Brooklyn and that most of the CD’s 13 selections were drawn from the 13th-century collections Chansonnier du Roi and Montpellier Codex. I also found descriptions of five instruments with names unfamiliar to me: hümmelchen (small German bagpipe), viola a chiavi (sevenkeyed viola), scheitholt (German zither), gittern (small lute) and douçaines (doublereed woodwind). These, plus recorders, vielle, psaltery, lute, harps and percussion provide Alkemie’s constantly varying combinations of intriguing instrumental timbres, among the disc’s chief delights. I particularly enjoyed the selections featuring all five singers – the up-tempo E, bone amourette/La rotta della Manfredina, La joliveté/Douce amiete and L’autrier chevauchoie delez Paris, and the haunting, chant-like Belle doette as fenestres se siet, lasting over nine minutes. Although Alkemie’s fresh arrangements, incorporating touches of bluegrass and Celtic music aren’t historically authentic, since no one can ever know exactly how these ancient pieces originally sounded, musicological conjecture must yield to extant entertainment. Michael Schulman 72 | October & November 2024 thewholenote.com

CLASSICAL AND BEYOND Amadeus dt l’Imperatrice - Montgeroult | Mozart Elisabeth Pion; Arion Orchestre Baroque; Mathieu Lussier ATMA ACD2 2885 (atmaclassique.com/ enproduct/amadeus-et-limperatrice) ! One of the great anecdotes involving the premiere of Felix Mendelssohn’s iconic String Octet in E-flat Major, Op.20 tells us that an audacious listener, not recognising Mendelssohn, is believed to have commented, “Surely that was written by Beethoven?” Jump-cut to a blindfold test – to listen to this disc Amadeus et l’Impératrice without being told these works are by the Hélène de Montgeroult (and Mozart) – to determine who composed each work. Indeed, all Montgeroult’s works represented here, particularly her superb Concerto pour pianoforte No 1 en mi bémol majeur evoke a genius not unlike Mozart’s. This Concerto as performed here by the Arion Orchestre Baroque conducted by Mathieu Lussier, with Élisabeth Pion eloquently laying out the solo parts on fortepiano, is a flawless performance, worthy of heralding the composer’s unbridled genius vis-à-vis Mozart. Montgeroult enriches orchestral sonority by employing a wide range of instruments. The clearly defined wind section in this concerto, emphasises the conversational exchanges between wind and strings in the outer movements. Throughout Pion parades a graceful and tender style while displaying the marvellous rapport between soloist and orchestra. In a masterstroke, the sandwiching of Mozart’s grand and dark Concerto No 24 en do mineur K491 between Montgeroult’s eloquent works suggests that she is – if nothing else – every bit as adventurous and ingenious as Mozart, Amadeus et l’Impératrice indeed…! Raul da Gama Haydn Symphonies - Mercury & La Passione Tafelmusik; Rachel Podger Tafelmusik Media TMK 1041CD (tafelmusik. org/meet-tafelmusik/recordings) ! Over 30 years ago, when Tafelmusik was coming into its own as a worldclass period instrument orchestra, they signed a multi-record deal with Sony Classical and set out on an ambitious voyage to record Haydn symphonies (and other repertoire) with the jovial German conductor Bruno Weil and the legendary producer Wolf Erichson. The relationship with Weil was transformative and I would argue that their collaborative exploration bred an innate flair for – and deep understanding of – Classical style that continues today. Their newest recording – on their own Tafelmusik Media label – of symphonies 43 and 49 is full of attention to the minute details of Haydn’s quirky writing and is a welcome reminder of the ensemble’s virtuosity and breadth of expression. Haydn wrote the Symphony in F Minor No.49 (“La Passione”) in 1768, during what is known as his “sturm und drang” period, one that saw an astounding growth in his technique, planting the seeds and foreshadowing the German Romantic era that was to come decades later. Tafelmusik’s performance – directed from the violin by newly-appointed Principal Guest Conductor Rachel Podger – absolutely nails the colour, transparency, dramatic energy and harmonic tension present in every measure of this fantastic work. The so-called “Mercury” Symphony No.43 was actually written three years later and is a sunny contrast to the broodiness of “La Passione.” It’s still packed with innovation and angst and the orchestra brings this out beautifully. How fabulous that one can compare this performance with Tafelmusik’s 1992 studio recording with Weil: both powerful, wonderful and full of life in quite different ways. One quibble: the booklet details should list the players’ names! Larry Beckwith Beethoven Marc-André Hamelin Hyperion CDA68456 (hyperion-records. co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68456) ! Given Marc- André Hamelin’s unimpeachable technical prowess, it is no surprise that he tackles the epic Hammerklavier Sonata for his first recording of music by Beethoven. Hamelin’s tempos are rapid, though well under Beethoven’s unreasonably fast metronome markings. This allows lyrical passages to breathe expressively, and for Hamelin to apply a variety of colouring to Beethoven’s many surprising harmonic shifts. Hamelin’s Steinway piano has been recorded in a very reverberant acoustic, and while this creates a flattering halo around slower-moving cantabile passages (the slow movement’s opening and the D major central section in the finale), it also obscures the detail of fast passagework and the thorny counterpoint of the outer movements, while blurring the edges What we're listening to this month: thewholenote.com/listening WINGS: Chamber Music by Rami Levin Alisa Jordheim, Kuang-Hao Huang, Denis Azabagić et al "uniformly excellent [performances of] terrific material...distinguished by high levels of craft." Ron Schepper, textura.org Cello Unlocked Bryan Hayslett Cello, human body, and voice become one in this gorgeous amalgam of avant-traditional artistry. Soaring melodies and rich textures evoke new kinds of beauty. Lullabies After Storms and Floods Parade Parade blends pop, rock and jazz, blurring the lines between improvisation and composition and creating unique and immersive sonic landscapes. Towards the Light Les Arrivants Abdul-Wahab Kayyali, Amichai Ben Shalev, and Hamin Honari create new music based on Arabic, Persian and Argentine Tango Traditions. thewholenote.com October & November 2024 | 73