Volume 30 Issue 4 | December 2024 & January 2025

the centennial of the

the centennial of the 1919 BerkshireComposition Competition in America(Acis APL53974 acisproductions.com/encircling-daphne-gerling).Clarke’s Passacaglia on an Old EnglishTune opens the disc. The Viola Sonata Op.7by the virtually unknown English composerKalitha Dorothy Fox (1894-1934) was rediscoveredas one result of the project to find asmany of the 72 entries in the 1919 competition as possible; it’s a worldpremiere recording.The Viola Sonata Op.25 by the French composer Marcelle Soulage(1894-1970) may possibly have been entered in the competition,although the entry deadline preceded the sonata’s November 1919completion. The Fantaisie Op.18 by Hélène Fleury-Roy (1876-1957)completes the CD.There’s nothing spectacular here, but it’s still a beautifully playedand recorded recital of finely crafted and fascinating works.Cellist Alisa Weilerstein and her longtimerecital partner Inon Barnaton are infine form on Brahms Cello Sonatas, pairingthe two works with their own arrangementof one of the violin sonatas (PentatonePYC5187215 pentatonemusic.com/product/brahms-cello-sonatas).The Cello Sonata No.1 in E Minor, Op.38from 1865 clearly illustrates Brahms’ intentionto treat the piano as an equal partner inthe duo – it should “under no circumstances assume a purely accompanyingrole.” The Cello Sonata No.2 in F Major, Op.99 from 1886 isa mature work, although not with the autumnal nature of so many ofhis late chamber works.In between the two sonatas is the duo’s arrangement of the ViolinSonata No.1 in G Major, Op.78. There was a contemporary arrangementof this work, transposed into D major, by Paul Klengel, butBarnaton always felt that the loss of the original key’s timbre andcolour, together with the changes to the piano part and the highregister cello writing rendered it unconvincing.Played here in the original key with the cello mostly an octavelower, Barnaton feels that “those dark colours” are restored, albeitmore so now that the cello part is in the middle of the piano range formuch of the time. Still, there’s no doubting the quality of the playingon a simply lovely CD.The Oslo String Quartet launches their veryown label with Learn To Wait, a digital-onlyrelease that features music by BenjaminBritten, György Ligeti and Nils HenrikAsheim, whose third quartet gives theproject its title (OSQ01 stringquartet.com).Britten’s String Quartet No.1 from 1941was written while he was in the UnitedStates, having left England at the start ofthe war. Although a relatively early work,its brilliance of invention, scoring and technique is a clear indicator ofhow the composer’s career would develop.The central work in the recital is Asheim’s String Quartet No.3,Learn To Wait, composed during the pandemic lockdown. It’s a tenminutesingle movement featuring note clusters, harmonics andextended bowing techniques that apparently seemed a logical choicefor the disc as the Oslo players happened to be working on it at thesame time as the other two quartets; however, it has trouble holdingits own in such company.Ligeti’s String Quartet No.1, Métamorphoses nocturnes from1953-54 clearly has more to say right from the start, the range of itsfascinating soundscape showing a personal voice emerging from theinfluence of both Bartók and Schoenberg’s 12-tone system.Works by Vivaldi and the Irish composer Ailbhe McDonagh (b.1982)are featured on The Irish Seasons, the debutsolo album from the Irish violinist LyndaO’Connor. David Brophy conducts theAnamus string ensemble (Avie AV2688 avierecords.com/releases/the-irish-seasonsailbhe-mcdonagh-•-antonio-vivaldi).O’Connor feels that there are similaritiesbetween Irish and Baroque music,both structurally and in ornamentation,and the pairing of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with the world premiererecording of McDonagh’s The Irish Four Seasons was a natural choice.The former is an intimate, warm and upbeat performance, but it’sreally the McDonagh work that drives the CD – and it’s a real gem.Each of the four seasons is represented by a single movement. Thelovely Spring – Earrach (pronounced AH rakh) has a slow Irish air oneach side of a lively reel, the ABA form mirroring the fast-slow-fastpattern of each of the Vivaldi concertos. Summer – Samhradh (SAUrah), also in ABA form, is in the same G minor key as Vivaldi’sSummer, and quotes from the latter’s third movement. Autumn –Fómhar (FOHR) with its jig and turbulent cross-string patterns, has aclear Vivaldi feel, and Winter – Geimhreadh (GEE rah) includesthemes from the three previous movements.“Has there ever been a composer of moreconsistent eloquence?”, says cellist StevenIsserlis about the subject of his new CDMusic of the Angels – Cello Concertos,Sonatas & Quintets by Luigi Boccherinion which he also directs the Orchestraof the Age of Enlightenment (HyperionCDA68444 hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68444).Boccherini (1743-1805) spent most of hisadult life in Spain in what Isserlis, in his customary exemplary bookletessay calls “his own idyllic realm of the senses.” The CD’s title comesfrom a musical dictionary published a few years after Boccherini’sdeath that described his adagios as giving one “an idea of the music ofthe angels.”Faithful editions of Boccherini’s music, however, are a relativelyrecent development. The two concertos here – the Concerto No.2 in AMajor G475, the authenticity of which was originally questioned, andthe Concerto No.6 in D Major G479, are from Boccherini’s early yearsas a touring virtuoso.Maggie Cole is the harpsichordist in the Sonata in C Minor G2b, andLuise Buchberger the second cellist in the gorgeous Sonata in F MajorG9. The String Quintet in D Minor G280 is at the centre of the recital,and the famous Minuetto & Trio from the String Quintet in E MajorG275 ends an outstanding CD of beautiful – and, yes, eloquent– playing.There’s more fine cello playing on DvořákCello Concerto & Pieces, with cellistBenedict Kloeckner accompanied by theRomanian Chamber Orchestra underCristian Măcelaru and by pianist DanaeDörken in a recital of Dvořák’s cello works“all of which,” it is claimed, “are collectedhere for the first time on a CD.” There’s nosign of the Slavonic Dance Op.48 No.3,though (SWR Berlin Classics 0303412BC berlin-classics-music.com/en/album/885470035130-dvorak-cello-concerto-pieces).Kloeckner’s warm tone and outstanding technique make for a finereading of the Cello Concerto in B Minor Op.104, recorded in a livesingle-take performance in the Stadttheater Koblenz and featuring aparticularly lovely middle movement. The cello and piano versionsof Waldsruhe Op.68 No.5 (Silent Woods) and the Rondo in G MinorOp.94 were both used in Dvořák’s farewell tour of Bohemia beforeleaving for America.The Slavonic Dance Op.46 No.8 and the rarely-performed Polonaisein A Major Op.Post.B94 are both Dvořák originals, and Kloeckner’s54 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

own arrangements of Songs my mother taught me Op.55 No.4 andLeave me alone Op.82 No.1, the song that makes a crucial emotionalcontribution to the concerto, are the remaining tracks on an excellentdisc.A warm and finely-judged performanceof Robert Schumann’s Cello Concertoin A Minor, Op.129 anchors the 2CD setLove Letters – Tribute to Clara & RobertSchumann, with cellist Christian-PierreLa Marca supported by the PhilharmoniaOrchestra under Raphaël Merlin and pianistJean-Frédéric Neuberger (Naïve V7364christianpierrelamarca.com/en/music).Described as “an anthem to eternal love” the release was inspiredby the intimate love letters exchanged between Robert and ClaraSchumann, while seeking to root those letters in a modern context byinviting four contemporary composers to add their own vision of lovein a world of digital connection.CD1 opens with the concerto and also includes Robert’sFantasiestücke Op.73 and his Adagio and Allegro Op.70. It ends withLa Marca’s arrangements of the two movements from the collaborativeF-A-E Sonata written by Schumann, Brahms and Albert Dietrichfor the violinist Joseph Joachim: the Intermezzo by Schumann and theScherzo by Brahms, the latter a close associate of both Schumanns.CD2 is a somewhat less successful mixed bag, with three works byClara and four by Robert interwoven with world-premiere recordingsof Fabien Waksman’s Replika, Michelle Ross’ Désenvoyé, Neuberger’sVibrating and Patricia Kopatchinskaja’s Klingelnseel & Choraland SMS.VOCALArt Choral Vol.2 – Baroque IEnsemble Artchoral; Matthias MauteATMA ACD2 2421 (atmaclassique.com/en/product/art-choral-vol-2-baroque-i)! Those seekingthe mesmerizingand magical in theirchoral listening willenjoy this album ofworks by 16th and17th century experimenterssuch asGesualdo, Schütz,Monteverdi and Purcell —part of an ATMAseries comprising fifteen volumes of musicfrom 16th to the 21st centuries. MatthiasMaute and Quebec’s Ensemble ArtChoralachieve a deft ensemble dynamic while alsodelivering the soloist flair that is so needed inthis repertoire.The opening track, Il Lamento d’Ariannaby Claudio Monteverdi, sparkles with the“meraviglia” (wonderment) which thecomposer sought to depict, as discussedin the recent book Monteverdi and theMarvellous by Canadian scholar Roseen Giles.From the first words, (“Lasciatemi morire /Let me die”), their intensity and precisiondissolves at times to sweetness, as it should.Carlo Gesualdo’s music is known for itscolourful word-painting, involving shiftsfrom exaggerated chromaticism to melodiousdiatonicism. Especially effective on thisrecording is the reading of Tristis et animamea, a church responsory set with the floridand dramatic style of a madrigal and deliveredwith the panache that Gesualdo deserves.Maute approaches the Purcell pieces differentlythan this reviewer has heard or sungbefore. Especially with Man that is Born of aWoman – and In the Midst of Life, into whichit segues without credit – the pace feels sorushed that in places the dissonances andtext settings fly by rather than lingering painfullyas seems apt for a funeral piece. It is abold choice, but the madrigal-like delivery iseffective in such sections as “He fleeth as itwere a shadow / and ne’er continuith...” Onecan’t imagine that the choir of WestminsterAbbey sung it this way at Queen Mary’sfuneral, for which it was composed, butthis performance cleverly points to Purcell’sItalian influences and stands as an alternateinterpretation of this rich and belovedrepertoire.Stephanie ConnMonteverdi – The “Lost” VespersThe Thirteen; Matthew RobertsonAcis APL54148 (acisproductions.com/the-thirteen-monteverdi-lost-vespers)! The Thirteenis an acclaimedprofessionalorchestra andchoir of soloiststhat reimaginesvocal music,from early chantsand masterworksto contemporaryworld premieres. Their most recent recording,The ‘Lost’ Vespers, is the culmination of afive years passion project by the ensemble’sartistic director and founder, MatthewRobertson. The ‘Lost’ Vespers is a curatedcompilation that draws from Monteverdi’send of life volumes, Selva morale e spirituale(1640-1641) and Missa et salmi (1650).What we're listening to this month:thewholenote.com/listeningThree of Twelve and AnotherGraham FlettThis recording featuresexperimental works for electricguitar(s), performed by ElliotSimpson, who multitracked thequartet during the darkest hoursof the 2020 pandemic.Imagine Many GuitarsTim BradyIncludes :Symphony #11 (eightguitars and twelve voices), worksfor twenty, four and solo guitar.The electric guitar - re-imagined.Rebecca Bruton + Jason Doell: aroot or mirror, blossom, madder,cracks; togetherQuatuor Bozzini, junctQínkeyboard collective“…this music is touching…” “Not tobe missed if you love the best oftoday's music.” Selected on manycritics’ 2024 end-of-year lists.Awake and DreamingKatherine DowlingAlice Ping-Yee Ho’s solo pianoworks shine with hyper-virtuosityand emotional expression. Thisstriking collection features worldpremiererecordingsthewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 55