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Weekend Edition Saturday, April 19, 2008 · Baltimore Symphony Orchestra music director Marin Alsop says Antonin Dvorak's symphony "From the New World" was one of the first big orchestral works to incorporate indigenous American musical ideas. She discusses the music with Scott Simon. LISTEN | WEB LINKS | SHOP Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 "From The New World" | Alsop writes
Pianist Murray Perahia releases new CD of Bach Partitas after three year period of no recording. Recovering from hand injuries developing a decade ago. MORE
VIVALDI's The Four Seasons present a formidable challenge to the soloist's technical command, tonal variety and imagination; they have been recorded so many times that any violinist who wants to add to the discography must have something distinctive and personal to offer. Sarah Chang has both the brilliant technique and the extroverted personality needed to put her own stamp on the music. Her approach is essentially programmatic. She follows Vivaldi's instructions with obvious relish, using her dazzling virtuosity and all her instrumental resources to create mood and atmosphere and to conjure up vivid pictures of "seasonal" events. Tempi range from beautifully calm slow movements to fast passages at headlong speeds. Contrasting dynamics and articulation, ponticello, trills that give off sparks; colorful nuances, from unvibrated and glassy, to throbbing and passionate, serve to underline Vivaldi's imagery. The result is a dramatic, technically fearless, emotionally uninhibited performance, which, though far from baroque, is honestly felt and convincing in its own way. As an encore, Sarah Chang plays the familiar "G-minor Concerto" with charm and vivacity, and an almost romantically luxurious tone. Totally incongruous with the natural spontaneity of her playing, the booklet shows her in nine terribly affected poses, glamorously attired, amid autumn leaves and snowflakes. --Edith Eisler [amazon.com] 
King's College Choir are one of today's most accomplished and renowned representatives of the great British choral tradition and this is reflected in their impressive discography with EMI Classics. This new recording, in which the choir are joined by viol ensemble Fretwork, widens that representation and is a beautiful addition to the choir's repertoire. Fretwork is a consort of viols based in the UK. Formed in 1986, the group consists of six players and is considered to be one of the finest groups performing music for viol consort. This disc features a stunning selection of anthems from the Tudor Times, featuring some of the period's most prestigious composers. The disc includes a "This is the Record of John" by Orlando Gibbons which must have been one of the most popular anthems of this era judging by the number of manuscripts that contain it. Orlando Gibbons himself had an association with Kings College, Cambridge as a chorister under the direction of his eldest brother from 1596 to 1598.
Magdalena Kozena has a mesmerising vocal range, lives with Simon Rattle, and is about to debut in London. Michael Church meets the mezzo with all the right moves.
Dorian Recordings is poised to release four new recordings featuring our artists who best showcase the instruments and music of Early and Classical periods. The recordings reflect Dorian’s high standard of performance fidelity recording. Now under new ownership, Dorian Recordings is creating new albums that meet and exceed the technical standards that audiophiles have come to expect from Dorian. These recordings feature some of the best selling past Dorian artists, as well as the best and brightest new artists in the fields of Early and Classical music.
Naxos collaborates with top violinists in a new series dedicated to 19th century virtuoso violin music While many other record labels are content to record the same violin music over and over again, Naxos has chosen to raise the bar to a new level by recording 200 albums—possibly even more—dedicated exclusively to music composed by 19th century violin virtuosos. Our list of fine virtuosos dedicated to this project includes Friedemann Eichhorn, Chloe Hanslip, Misha Keylin, Philippe Quint, and Tianwa Yang. With the dedication and skill of these and other astounding violinists, this series will revive this unjustly neglected segment of the classical repertoire and create excitement among a whole new generation of listeners for the golden age of violin music. With this series we will reintroduce the world to the great names and music of the 19th century virtuosi. For instance the name Pierre Baillot (1771-1842) is not well known today but was one of the biggest names in 19th century France, both as a pedagogue and a performer. Along with two other famous violin virtuosos, Pierre Rode and Rodolphe Kreutzer, he created one of the most famous violin methods in history, the then-official method of the Paris Conservatory. In addition to his teaching duties and travels, Baillot managed to compose many works, including nine violin concertos. All of Baillot’s nine violin concertos, many of which have not been played for well over a century, make their world premiere recording within this collection. This project will also mark the recording debut of concertos by Rodolphe Kreutzer (1766-1831, 19 Concertos), Felipe Libon (1775-1838, 6 Concertos), Francois Habeneck (1781-1849, 2 Concertos), Alfredo d’Ambrosio (1871-1914, 2 Concertos), Ferdinand David (1810-1873, 5 Concertos), Ludwig Maurer (1789-1878, 9 Concertos), Nicholas Wery (1789-1867, 3 Concertos), Jacques Mazas (1782-1849, 2 Concertos), and numerous others. One part of this collection of complete violin concertos includes the thirteen violin concertos by the French virtuoso Pierre Rode (1774-1830). Earlier this year Friedemann Eichhorn recorded concertos 7, 10, and 13 with the SWR Radio Orchestra Kaiserslautern conducted by Nicolas Pasquet. When this collection of amazing concertos is complete it will be a 'must own’ for discerning music collectors everywhere, providing listening pleasure for years to come. NAXOS Violin Works on CD and DVDs
DECCA CELEBRATES THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF West Side Story WITH A NEW RECORDING FEATURING ITALIAN TENOR VITTORIO AND INTERNATIONAL SINGING SENSATION HAYLEY WESTENRA WITH MUSIC COMPOSED BY LEONARD BERNSTEIN BUY IT (August 31, 2007- New York, NY)-- One of the most lauded musicals ever written, West Side Story is still as relevant and well-loved today as it ever was. In this 50th anniversary year of the musical, Decca has assembled some of the biggest classical crossover stars to record a brand new version of the musical. The new recording will be in stores on September 25th and features the angelic soprano Hayley Westenra as Maria and Italian tenor, Vittorio as Tony with music by Leonard Bernstein. This new interpretation of West Side Story is one of the only major recordings of this masterpiece to have been made since the 1984 version with Mr. Bernstein himself conducting. This updated project was also authorized by the Bernstein foundation in New York. With a bright young cast and timeless tunes, this is set to become the recording of choice for the 21st Century West Side Story lover. Hayley Westenra and Vittorio have nothing short of great chemistry and their passionate singing brings the characters to life. This modern take promises to reinvigorate the classic and bring it to a whole new audience.
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