Anne Sofie von Otter BOLDEMANN / GEFORS / HILLBORG

If it were possible for a CD to receive a rating that's off the top of the scale of five stars, this one would deserve it. These three sets of orchestral songs by contemporary Swedish composers inspire superlatives: they are gloriously expressive, emotionally riveting, and orchestrally brilliant, with challenging but soaringly effective vocal writing. Each has immense musical integrity and is heartstoppingly beautiful. The remarkable performances of these extraordinary pieces, by Anne Sofie von Otter and Kent Nagano, leading the Gothenburg Symphony, make this an outstanding release.

Perhaps most astonishing and intense is Anders Hilborg's extended aria ."..lontana in sonno...," a reflection on romantic passion and its loss, using sonnets by Petrarch written just before and just after the death of his beloved Laura. While Hilborg's writing is highly sophisticated, he uses the purest and most viscerally communicative language to express the poet's grief. The work begins with a striking vocal solo, accompanied for three minutes by a single drone note played on a glass harmonica. The drone is a recurring motif; the voice will emerge from a single instrumental sound, or a solo instrument may appear almost imperceptibly from under the voice, creating timbral shifts that are aurally subtle, but emotionally cataclysmic. The music builds in an intensity that's simultaneously chaste and passionate. While the vocal writing is not conventionally virtuosic in its coloratura demands, the sustained, sensuous lines require the kind of control that only the most disciplined singer can summon, and von Otter's performance is simply stunning.

Laci Boldemann's "Four Epitaphs," a 1952 English setting of four poems from Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology, is a masterpiece waiting to be rediscovered. His text setting is exquisite, and the emotional depth (and tonal idiom) of the songs echoes the best of Samuel Barber's and foreshadows that of Peter Lieberson's "Neruda Songs" written 50 years later. "Lydias sånger" by Hans Gefors is a setting of seven texts inspired by or related to the themes of the 1912 Swedish novel The Serious Game by Hjalmar Söderberg. In the context of this album, Gefors' piece suffers in comparison with the originality of Hilborg's work and the communicative directness of the Boldemann, but taken on its own it's a sensitive and imaginative cycle that has moments of brilliance, particularly the searing "En flammande brunn av eld" and "I nattens våld," and its ultimate effect is deeply moving.

Von Otter's performance is radiant and transcendent. She sings with unfailing purity and her voice is simultaneously warm and incisive. Her engagement with this music is absolute, and the conviction of her singing is palpable. Kent Nagano's beautifully nuanced readings allow the luminous orchestrations to shine without overshadowing von Otter. Deutsche Grammophon's sound is pristine: clean, warm, intimate, and brilliant. (Stephen Eddins)

Anders Hillborg (1954 - )
1 ... lontana in sonno ... [15:05]
Laci Boldemann (1921 - 1969)
4 Epitaphs, Op.10
2) 1. Sarah Brown [3:54]
3) 2. Ollie McGee [2:40]
4) 3. Mabel Osborne [5:10]
5) 4. William and Emily [2:13]
Hans Gefors (1952 - )
Lydias sånger
6) 1. Den vackra älvan badar [1:59]
7) 2. Ud vil jeg! ud! [4:11]
8) 3. En flammande brunn av eld [6:16]
9) 4. Glødende Nat! [9:22]
10) 5. Sfinxen [4:27]
11) 6. Fri föddes hon och hon dör fri [2:56]
12) 7. I nattens våld [4:23]

Anne Sofie von Otter

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

Kent Nagano

2008 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg

1 CD DDD

20/21 Series

477 7439 6 GH

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Viktoria Mullova BACH 6 Solo Sonatas & Partitas

Although Viktoria Mullova released a recording of Bach's three partitas for solo violin for Philips in 1994, she never had the opportunity with Philips to record their companion pieces, the three sonatas for solo violin, so this 2009 Onyx recording is Mullova's first complete recording of all six of these milestone works. In the intervening years, the Russian virtuoso has grown as a technician and as an interpreter. Mullova's tone is still large, but she has developed deeper subtlety. Her attack is less aggressive and more measured, her phrasing is as expressive but more objective, and her dynamic range is more controlled and more graduated. Mullova's dazzling technique, however, is always at the service of the music. In gigues, she sparkles and soars, while in sarabandes she plumbs depths with profound expressivity, and she illuminates the individual lines in fugues with unfailing lucidity. Mullova's approach may have become more reserved, and her current interpretation of the great Ciaconna from the "D minor Partita" is somewhat cooler and more intellectual than her earlier recording. Her intensity now, however, is concentrated on expressing the music rather than herself. The strength and integrity of Mullova's performances are extremely impressive, especially in Onyx's clear, direct but atmospheric digital recordings. (James Leonard)

CD 1
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)
Sonata No. 1 in G minor BWV1001
1) I Adagio 3.34
2) II Fuga: Allegro 4.58
3) III Siciliana 2.42
4) IV Presto 3.31
Partita No. 1 in B minor BWV1002
5) I Allemanda – 4.30
6) II Double 4.03
7) III Corrente – 3.36
8) IV Double: Presto 3.26
9) V Sarabande – 3.21
10) VI Double 3.08
11) VII Tempo di Borea –3.21
12) VIII Double 3.33
Sonata No. 2 in A minor BWV1003
13) I Grave 3.34
14) II Fuga 7.07
15) III Andante 4.30
16) IV Allegro 5.44

CD 2
Partita No. 2 in D minor BWV1004
1) I Allemanda 4.20
2) II Corrente 2.37
3) III Sarabanda 3.59
4) IV Giga 3.54
5) V Ciaconna 13.33
Sonata No. 3 in C major BWV1005
6) I Adagio 3.42
7) II Fuga 9.18
8) III Largo 2.52
9) IV Allegro assai 4.54
Partita No. 3 in E major BWV1006
10) I Preludio 3.37
11) II Loure 3.39
12) III Gavotte en Rondeau 3.04
13) IV Menuet I 1.45
14) V Menuet II 2.44
15) VI Bourrée 1.35
16) VII Gigue 1.50

Viktoria Mullova

2009 Onyx
1 CD DDD
ONYX 4040

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Anna Netrebko - Rolando Villazón PUCCINI La Bohème

It is easy to approach an album that's been hyped to the extent this one has with a certain amount of skepticism. Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón are superstars and have made a much-praised album of duets, so their pairing in La Bohème (after their 2005 Traviata) has been touted as a major recording event. It's a pleasure to report that the result fully lives up to the high expectations it promised. The whole enterprise sounds so youthful and impetuous that it makes it possible to hear the opera in a new way. Puccini, of course, wrote the youthful impetuosity into the score, but it has rarely felt so authentically spontaneous and artless. The fact that the principals are in fact young, with young-sounding voices, is an important part of the CD's effectiveness. Also essential is Bertrand de Billy's vibrant conducting. The opera's opening is taken at an unusually zippy tempo; it sounds terrific and creates the sense that these young artists are genuinely happy guys whose hijinks are the inevitable expression of their exuberance. The singers make the scene work because they sound so natural and unmannered that they seem to be making it up as they go along. The level of silliness at the beginning of the act makes the intimacy that develops between Rodolfo and Mimì all the sweeter, and de Billy gives free rein to Puccini's lyrical outpouring at the end of the act. The four principals are extraordinarily fine. From Villazón's first lines, his passionate intensity sets him apart from his more carefree friends, and the ease with which he becomes enthralled by Mimì seems inevitable and entirely believable. The warmth and clarity of his voice and the naturalness of his demeanor makes him a truly memorable Rodolfo. Anna Netrebko's voice can be velvety or ethereal, and blends beautifully with his; her gentleness makes her an ideal foil to Villazón's impetuosity. At the end of the first act, they just sound so blissfully happy. Boaz Daniel is a splendid Marcello, strongly characterized, singing with fullness and vigor. Nicole Cabell's Musetta is vocally gorgeous -- both pure and voluptuous -- but her role is not quite as incisively and distinctively characterized as those of the other principals. Stéphane Degout as Schaunard, Vitalij Kowaljow as Colline, and Tiziano Bracci as Benoit are wonderfully appealing performers, and make a strong contribution to the effectiveness of the CD. Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks plays with brilliance and suppleness under de Billy's inspired direction. Deutsche Grammophon's sound is expansive and atmospheric, with excellent presence and balance. (Stephen Eddins)

CD 1:
Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924)
La Bohème
Act 1
1) "Questo Mar Rosso" [4:17]
2) Pensier profondo" [1:18]
3) "Legna!" [3:29]
4) "Si può" [5:18]
5) "Io resto" [1:11]
6 "Chi è là?" [1:26] $ 1.29
7) "Si sente meglio?" [2:29]
8) "Che gelida manina" [4:41]
9) "Sì. Mi chiamano Mimì" [5:19]
10) "Ehi! Rodolfo!" [0:44]
11) "O soave fanciulla" [4:07]

Act 2
12) "Arranci, datteri!" [2:45]
13) Chi guardi? [3:01]
14) "Viva Parpignol" [2:10]
15) Ch'io beva del tossico! [3:17]
16) "Quando m'en vo" [4:41]
17) "Chi l'ha richiesto?...Caro! - Fuori il danaro!" [2:15]

CD 2:
Act 3
1) "Ohè, là, le guardie!" - "Aprite!" [3:34]
2) "Sa dirmi, scusi" [1:36]
3) "Mimi!" - "Speravo di trovarvi qui" [4:45]
4) "Marcello. Finalmente!" [1:14]
5) "Mimì è una civetta" [1:26]
6) "Mimì è tanto malata!" [3:15]
7) "Donde lieta uscì" [3:17]
8) "Dunque è propio finita!" [5:32]

Act 4
9) "In un coupé?" [1:22]
10) O Mimì, tu più non torni [2:53]
11) Che ora sia? [2:16]
12) "Gavotta" [1:36]
13) "C'è Mimì..." [5:53]
14) "Vecchia zimarra, senti" [2:30]
15) "Sono andati" [5:39]
16) "Che avvien?" [2:58]
17) "Che ha detto il medico?" [3:01]

Bavarian Radio Chorus,

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Kevin Connors

Gerald Haußler

Udo Mehrpohl

Anna Netrebko

Rolando Villazon

Boaz Daniel

Stéphane Degout

Nicole Cabell

Tiziano Bracci

Kinderchor des Stadttheaters am Gärtnerplatz

Vitalij Kowaljow

Nicolas von der Nahmer

Verena Sarré

Conducted by Bertrand de Billy

2008 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
2 Compact Discs
477 6600 1 GH2

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Anna Netrebko - Rolando Villazón VERDI La Traviata

Casting two of opera's fastest-rising stars in La Traviata is a surefire way to attract attention, and so the pairing of Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón in the leading roles proved to be the hottest ticket of the 2005 Salzburg Festival. It was an occasion tailor-made for live recording, and just a few months later, we're lucky to have the results already in hand. Both vocally and dramatically, it's an excellent effort; above all, it's worth hearing for Villazón's Alfredo. This is the tenor's first starring role in a complete opera recording, and it's everything you would expect from hearing his two recital CDs. On those albums, Villazón showed a real dramatic gift on the concentrated level of the single aria, while here he holds our attention with a similar command across the length of a full opera, his richly hued voice reaching a series of expressive crests as the romantic plot develops. Netrebko is just as successful, and while she may not displace Angela Gheorghiu as the leading Violetta of recent years, she does deliver a deeply persuasive performance, from the sparkling "Sempre libera" of Act I to the resigned "Addio del passato" in Act III, and especially in the impassioned dialogue of Act II with Alfredo's father. (Thomas Hampson is quite satisfactory in the latter role here, but it's not his most distinguished performance; there's a cool solemnity to his singing, though the voice does sound marvelous.) The ensembles and choruses in the party scenes are exceptionally well balanced for a live recording, a tribute both to DG's engineers and to conductor Carlo Rizzi. But the strongly charismatic lead performances are the main attraction here, and Netrebko and Villazón are sure to please their fans -- and make many new ones -- with this release. (Scott Paulin)

CD 1:
Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901)
La traviata
Act 1
1) Prelude [3:38]
2) "Dell'invito trascorsa è già l'ora" [4:40]
3) "Libiamo ne'lieti calici (Brindisi) [3:04]
4) "Che è ciò?" [2:12]
5) "Un dì felice, eterea" [3:33]
6) "Ebben? che diavol fate?" [1:11]
7) "Si ridesta in ciel l'aurora" [1:21]
8) "E strano!" - "Ah, fors'è lui" [4:30]
9) "Follie! Delirio vano è questo!" - "Sempre libera" [4:54]

Act 2
10) "Lunge da lei" - "De' miei bollenti spiriti" [3:39]
11) "Annina, donde vieni?" - "Oh mio rimorso!" [2:21]
12) "Alfredo?" "Per Parigi or or partiva" [3:46]
13) "Pura siccome un angelo" [1:51]
14) "Non sapete quale affetto" [2:13]
15) "Un dì, quando le veneri" [2:49]
16 "Ah! Dite alla giovine" [4:52]
17) "Imponete" "Non amarlo ditegli" [5:04]
18) "Dammi tu forza, o cielo!" [1:49]
19) "Che fai?" "Nulla" [2:28]
20) "Ah, vive sol quel core" [2:25]
21) "Di Provenza il mar, il suol" [4:23]
22) "Né rispondi d'un padre all'affetto?" - "No, non udrai rimproveri" [3:49]

CD 2:
1) "Avrem lieta di maschere la notte" [0:55]
2) "Noi siamo zingarelle" [2:50]
3) "Di Madride noi siam mattadori" [2:24]
4 "Alfredo! Voi!" [3:44]
5) "Invitato a qui seguirmi" [2:25]
6) "Ogni suo aver tal femmina" [1:32]
7) "Di sprezzo degno se stesso rende" [1:56]
8) "Alfredo, Alfredo, di questo core" [4:43]

Act 3
9) Prelude [3:39]
10) "Annina?" "Comandate?" [4:59]
11) Teneste la promessa...Addio del passato [7:27]
12) "Largo a quadrupede" [0:54]
13) Signora...Che t'accadde...Parigi, o cara [6:02]
14) "Ah, non più!" - "Ah! Gran Dio! Morir sì giovine" [3:43]
15) "Ah, Violetta!" "Voi? Signor?" [1:45]
16) "Prendi, quest'è l'immagine" [4:35]

Anna Netrebko
Rolando Villazón
Thomas Hampson
Helene Schneiderman
Diane Pilcher
Konzertvereinigung
Wiener Staatsopernchor
Wiener Philharmoniker
Carlo Rizzi

2005 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
2 Compact Discs
477 5933 1 GH 2

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TEREZÍN | THERESIENSTADT von Otter - Forsberg - Gerhaher - Hope

The idea for this collection of music written by prisoners at Theresienstadt, or Terezín, grew out of Anne Sofie von Otter's performance at the 2000 International Forum on the Holocaust. The music here represents only a small fraction of what was written and performed at the camp, much of which has been lost. Terezín served as the Nazi's model camp, in which artists were allowed to create new works put on display for the international public as a proof of the humane treatment of prisoners. The performances only masked the hard labor and malnutrition the prisoners suffered when they were not on public display, and most of them died there or went to their deaths in other camps. The awareness of the tragedy behind the music heightens its poignancy. Perhaps most moving are the songs that directly address the prisoners' suffering -- Ilse Weber's "I wandre durch Theresienstadt" and "Ade, Kamerad!," Karel Svenk's "Anything goes!," and the bitterly ironic "Terezín Song," set to a merry tune from the operetta "Gräfin Maritza." Weber's songs have the sweet simplicity of Schubert, and her lullaby, "Weigala," which she sang as she joined a group of children being taken to their deaths, is almost unbearably poignant. The works by the best-known Theresienstadt composers -- Hans Krása, Viktor Ullmann, Pavel Haas, and Erwin Schulhoff -- are at an entirely different level of compositional sophistication than the folk-like or cabaret style songs of the others, but they are no less deeply felt. The performances are uniformly of the highest quality. Von Otter and baritone Christian Gerhaher sing with extraordinary purity, tonal radiance, and intensity. Pianist Bengt Forsberg accompanies them with comparable eloquence and sensitivity. Daniel Hope gives an impassioned performance of Schulhoff's "Sonata for solo violin." Deutsche Grammophon's sound is clean, lively, and present, with excellent balance. (Stephen Eddins)

Ilse Weber (1903 - 1944)
1) Ich wandre durch Theresienstadt
Karel Svenk
2) Pod destnikem (arranged by Moshe Zorman) [3:10]
3) Vsechno jde! (arranged by Moshe Zorman) [2:16]
Ilse Weber (1903 - 1944)
4) Ade, Kamerad! [2:23]
5) Und der Regen rinnt [1:48]
Adolf Strauss (1902 - 1944)
6) Ich weiß bestimmt, ich werd Dich wiedersehn (arranged by Moshe Zorman) [3:19]
Emmerich Kálmán (1882 - 1953)
Gräfin Mariza - Operetta in 3 Acts
7) Terezín-Lied - Adaption of Komm mit nach Varasdin (Arrangement) [2:56]
Martin Roman (1910 - 1996)
8) Karussell [4:12]
Ilse Weber (1903 - 1944)
9) Wiegala [2:35]
Hans Krása (1899 - 1944)
Tri pisne na slova basni Arthura Rimbauda v prekladu V. Nezvala
10) Ctyrversi (Vierzeilengedicht) [1:41]
11) Vzruseni (Empfindung) [2:00]
12) Pratele (Die Freunde) [1:19]
Carlo S. Taube (1897 - 1944)
13) Ein jüdisches Kind [2:44]
Viktor Ullmann (1898 - 1944)
Drei jiddische Lieder (Brezulinka), Op.53
14) 1. Berjoskele [5:21]
Six Sonnets de Louize Labané, Op.34
15) 1. Claire Vénus... (Sonnet V) [3:36]
16) 2. On voit mourir... (Sonnet VII) [2:39]
17) 3. Je vis, je meurs... (Sonnet VIII) [1:22]
Pavel Haas (1899 - 1944)
Ctyri Pisne na slova cinske poezie (Vier Lieder nach Worten chinesischer Poesie)
18) Zaslech jsem divoke husy (Ich vernahm Wildgänse) [2:39]
19) V bambusovem haji (Im Bambushain) [2:06]
20) Daleko mesic je domova (Fern der Heimat ist der Mond) [5:06]
21) Probdena noc (Durchwachte Nacht) [3:27]
Erwin Schulhoff (1894 - 1942)
Sonata for violin solo (1927)
22) 1. Allegro con fuoco [1:42]
23) 2. Andante cantabile [5:31]
24) 3. Scherzo [2:11]
25) 4. Finale [2:36]

Anne Sofie von Otter
Bengt Forsberg
Christian Gerhaher
Daniel Hope

2007 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg

1 CD DDD

477 6546 2 GH

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Anne-Sophie Mutter MENDELSSOHN

Anne-Sophie Mutter has always been a superlative violinist with an imposing sound and technique that command attention. As she has progressed her career she has shown a growing reluctance to restrain her interpretations, and this 2008 Mendelssohn recording is evidence that as she progresses in her now-mature career she is becoming more and more assertive in that direction. Here she has wisely programmed not just the German Romantic's evergreen "Violin Concerto," but also his less well-known "Piano Trio in D minor" and his nearly ignored "Violin Sonata in F major," thereby attractively broadening the range of repertoire. And Mutter has astutely joined with Kurt Masur and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig in the concerto, with cellist Lynn Harrell and pianist André Previn in the trio, and with Previn in the sonata.But, naturally, it is Mutter's playing that is most significant here, and it is on this point that her diehard and more fickle fans will part company. Mutter's flexible tempo rubato, willful phrasing, and free use of glissando, portimento, and vibrato fall outside the interpretive mainstream for early Romantic music, so purists may chafe. These same qualities suffused Mutter's recent recordings of Mozart and Bach, and they were just as characteristic of the musician and uncharacteristic of the music there as they are here. Listeners unfamiliar with Mutter who find brilliantly virtuosic and highly individualistic violin playing appealing will likely enjoy this disc. Listeners who prefer a more direct representation of the musical substance with less personal charisma may not. It should be added that Deutsche Grammophon's digital sound, while wonderfully clear and vivid, is focused more on the violinist than on her accompanists. (James Leonard)

Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847)
Violin Concerto in E minor, Op.64
1) 1. Allegro molto appassionato [12:19]
2) 2. Andante [7:15]
3) 3. Allegretto non troppo - Allegro molto vivace [6:15]

Anne-Sophie Mutter
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Kurt Masur

Piano Trio No.1 in D minor, Op.49
4) 1. Molto allegro agitato [9:01]
5) 2. Andante con moto tranquillo [6:52]
6) 3. Scherzo (Leggiero e vivace) [3:38]
7) 4. Finale (Allegro assai appassionato) [8:10]
Anne-Sophie Mutter
Lynn Harrell
André Previn

Sonata for Violin and Piano in F major (1838) (without opus number)
8) 1. Allegro vivace [11:25]
9) 2. Adagio [7:14]
10) 3. Assai vivace [5:23]
Anne-Sophie Mutter
André Previn

2009 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1CD DDD
477 8001 4 GH 2

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Maria João Pires CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 1

Maria Joao Pires has garnered a special reputation for Chopin, and she follows her acclaimed Second Piano Concerto – coupled with a glowing account of the Preludes (DG, 10/94) – with the First, again with solo works as fillers. Her musicianship is (as we have come to expect) wonderfully natural, with a voice of eloquent directness and purity. Her stance, too, is perfectly judged: she is inside the music, portraying it with love and affection, yet without any trace of narcissism. Nevertheless, while her innate stylishness and the beauty of her sound should never be taken for granted, she doesn’t always capture the youthful fervour of early Chopin.
Pires’s approach to the concerto is ardently lyrical, giving her spacious sense of rubato and radiant singing tone the greatest expressive freedom. If the piano’s first entry hardly grabs your attention, Pires’s wonderfully pliable phrasing and bell-like sonority soon win you over. She has a magical way with music of gentle expressiveness, and her bel canto in the central Romanze is ravishing; moreover, in passages of sublime simplicity she avoids preciousness by maintaining a resilience of line and a firmness and clarity to the tonal fabric. What I did miss, however, was a sense of sparkle central to Chopin’s early piano writing. The end of the development of the first movement (track 1 from 12'23'') is hardly risoluto, and the opening of the finale is a very laid-back vivace, her broad tempos rarely allowing the music to ignite. While there is an emphasis on tonal beauty and refinement, and many interesting details are able to emerge, a touch more brilliance in the outwardly showy sections would surely give the cantabile passages an even more poignant intensity. Warmly recorded and sensitively accompanied, this is undoubtedly a version I shall return to again and again – the true test of any recommendation – but a little more pianistic flair would have dispelled even the slightest reservation.
‘Chopin with grace and eloquence’ proudly proclaims DG’s slip-case, and these qualities are abundant again in the solo works. The great F minor Fantasie may not have the drama of, say, Kissin, but it has a concentrated power and conviction. The Fantaisie-impromptu, loaded with expressive intensity and supported by tonal strength and exquisite melodic shaping, is for me the highlight of the disc. Taken quite slowly, the Berceuse has a crystalline clarity – every note is like a polished jewel – but I soon wished for greater luxuriance and a more velvety sonority. Nevertheless, DG have isolated two outstanding characteristics of Pires’s playing, and while this CD may elicit a mixed response, any slight disappointments are surely augmented by the level of expectation. So, reservations notwithstanding, this is a thoroughly rewarding disc.' (Tim Parry)

Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor, Op.11
1) 1. Allegro maestoso [20:44]
2) 2. Romance (Larghetto) [10:15]
3) 3. Rondo (Vivace) [10:45]
4) Fantaisie in F minor, Op.49 [14:34]
5) Impromptu No.4 in C sharp minor, Op.66 "Fantaisie-Impromptu" [5:44]
6 Berceuse in D flat, Op.57 [5:30]

Maria João Pires
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Emmanuel Krivine

1998 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
457 5852 7 GH

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Maria João Pires CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2 / 24 Preludes

Since recording much Mozart, Chopin and Schumann for Erato, Maria-Joao Pires has become a different and very great pianist. Here, beautifully and responsibly partnered by Previn and the Royal Philharmonic—the days of massacred tuttis and lax and indifferent orchestral partnerships seem mercifully remote—and recorded with the greatest warmth and clarity, she at last gets the treament she deserves. What gloriously imposing breadth as well as knife-edged clarity Pires brings to each phrase and note; absolutely nothing is taken for granted. To lift a phrase from Keats, she ''loads every rift of her subject with ore'' and the intricacy and stylishness of her rubato remind us that the inspiration behind the F minor Concerto was Constantia Gladkowska, a young singer and Chopin's first love. Listen to Pires's fioritura in the heavenly Larghetto or her way of edging into the finale's scintillating coda and you will gasp at such pianism and originality. Indeed, the opening of her finale may surprise you with its dreaminess (Allegro vivace?) but as with all great pianists, even her most extreme ideas are carried through with unshakeable conviction and authority.
Pires's 24 Preludes, too, remind us that she is the possessor of one of the most crystalline of all techniques. More importantly, her way with the more interior numbers among Chopin's teeming and disparate moods is of exceptional drama and intensity. Understatement plays little part in her conception and those who prefer the more classically biased playing of artists such as Pollini or Perahia (CBS, 1/76—nla) are in for some surprises. In No. 4, for example, her reading is intensely 'laden', the stretto climax super-charged, the entire performance virtually choked by its own emotion. Yet how memorably she allows the central unease of No. 13 to dissolve into tranquillity, and, returning to fire and fury, what rhetorical force she unleashes in No. 18. But, then, I could go on for ever, and space forbids. In short, you rarely hear Chopin playing of greater mastery or calibre. In her own scrupulously modern way Maria-Joao Pires surely embodies the spirit of the great pianists of the past; of Kempff, Edwin Fischer and, most of all, Alfred Cortot.' (Bryce Morrison)

Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Piano Concerto No.2 in F minor, Op.21
1) 1. Maestoso [14:34]
2) 2. Larghetto [9:11]
3) 3. Allegro vivace [8:46]
24 Préludes, Op.28
4) 1. in C major [0:34]
5) 2. in A minor [2:32]
6) 3. in G major [1:01]
7) 4. in E minor [2:18]
8) 5. in D major [0:38]
9) 6. in B minor [2:04]
10) 7. in A major [0:50]
11) 8. in F sharp minor [1:55]
12) 9. in E major [1:18]
13) 10. in C sharp minor [0:40]
14) 11. in B major [0:49]
15) 12. in G sharp minor [1:14]
16) 13. in F sharp major [3:19]
17) 14. in E flat minor [0:26]
18) 15. in D flat major ("Raindrop") [5:56]
19) 16. in B flat minor [1:13]
20) 17. in A flat major [3:20]
21) 18. in F minor [1:03]
22) 19. in E flat major [1:27]
23) 20. in C minor [1:59]
24) 21. in B flat major [1:58]
25) 22. in G minor [0:53]
26) 23. in F major [1:01]
27) 24. in D minor [2:40]

Maria João Pires
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
André Previn

1994 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
437 8172 5 GH

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Alice Sara Ott FRANZ LISZT Etudes d'exécution transcendante

Born in Munich in 1988 to a German father and a Japanese mother, Alice Sara Ott received her first piano lessons when she was four and won first prize with distinction in Germany's prestigious “Jugend musiziert" competition at the early age of seven. This was followed by further top prizes and special awards at the Steinway, Grotrian Steinweg, Bach Cöthen and other competitions, including the 4th EPTA (European Piano Teachers Association) International Competition. At the age of 15 she won first prize (the Silvio Bengalli Prize) at the Pianello Val Tidone Competition in Italy as the youngest contestant and with the highest number of points ever given in the competition's history.

Alice Sara Ott has made an unusual speciality of performing Liszt's twelve Transcendental Etudes and has already won extraordinary praise for her live performances of the daunting cycle in Germany and Switzerland. Her triumphant recital at Munich's Herkulessaal in January 2007, playing Beethoven's “Waldstein" Sonata and the Liszt Transcendental Etudes, elicited the following extraordinary encomium in the Süddeutsche Zeitung: “Ott lends a personal, almost overwhelming poetic charm to this splendid music, transporting her listeners into ecstatic delight." In May 2007 at the Ruhr Piano Festival, her performances of Beethoven's “Appassionata" Sonata and the Liszt Etudes met with similar acclaim. Two month later, at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, she was awarded both the festival's own special prize and the audience prize. In 2008, she made her New York debut, playing a Liszt programme at the Yamaha Artist Center and performed the Liszt Etudes serveral times in Germany and Austria again. In May 2008 she stepped in for Murray Perahia in Basle, playing the “Waldstein" Sonata and the Liszt Transcendental Etudes and again elicited glowing reviews.
It is only natural, then, that Alice Sara Ott has chosen this Himalayan peak of the repertoire for her DG debut. The seeds of this cycle were sown in 1826 in the set of Etudes op.1, an early flexing of Liszt's pianistic muscles. Dedicated to his teacher Carl Czerny, those studies already outstripped him in novelty, adroitness and sparkle. Then in 1838, and in the revised version of 1851, Liszt transformed these rudimentary beginnings into a craggy, fiercely demanding work that, with the exception of Alkan's Etudes opp. 35 and 39, has never been surpassed in difficulty. But if the Transcendental Etudes are Liszt's truest lexicon of technique, his virtuosity was one of poetic response as well as dexterity: the visionary calm of “Paysage", the coruscating fioriture of “Ricordanza" and the massive chord sequences of “Harmonies du soir" are as vital to the cycle's cumulative effect as the heaven-storming onslaught of “Mazeppa" or the profuse and scintillating tracery of “Feux follets". In this sense, Chopin's influence is as important as Paganini's and the final and authentic version of the Transcendental Etudes is an awe-inspiring fusion of poetry and brilliance and one of the stiffest challenges in the entire keyboard literature. (Bryce Morrison )

Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886)
12 Etudes d'exécution transcendante, S.139
1) No.1 Prélude (Presto) [0:53]
2) No.2 Molto vivace [2:18]
3) No.3 Paysage (Poco adagio) [5:15]
4) No.4 Mazeppa (Presto) [7:45]
5) No.5 Feux follets (Allegretto) [3:56]
6) No.6 Vision (Lento) [6:27]
7) No.7 Eroica (Allegro) [5:06]
8) No.8 Wilde Jagd (Presto furioso) [5:26]
9) No.9 Ricordanza (Andantino) [10:13]
10) No.10 Allegro agitato molto [4:29]
11) No.11 Harmonies du soir (Andantino) [8:42]
12) No.12 Chasse neige (Andante con moto) [5:38]

Alice Sara Ott

2009 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
477 8362 6 GH

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Lisa Batiashvili BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto / TSINTSADZE Miniatures

While older listeners may not be moved to cast aside their favorite recordings of Beethoven's "Violin Concerto," younger listeners may be moved to embrace this 2009 recording performed by Georgian violinist Lisa Batiashvili. For one thing, Batiashvili has a virtuoso technique rivaling the best of past players. Her tone is pure but touched with sweetness, her intonation precise but not at all pedantic, her phrasing lyrical but not the least sappy, and her feeling for rhythm irresistible. For another thing, Batiashvili has a poetic sensibility likewise rivaling the best of past players. To top if off, Batiashvili functions as her own accompanist, leading the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen with a deft sense of partnership. Batiashvili has cunningly preceded her Beethoven recording with a set of six short pieces by Georgian composer Sulkhan Tsintsadze called, appropriately enough, "Miniatures" arranged for violin and orchestra by the soloist's father and accompanied by the Georgian Chamber Orchestra, also under the soloist's direction. Though neither Batiashvili nor anyone else would assert these works rival Beethoven's concerto in depth and substance, the "Miniatures" are inordinately charming pieces that not only introduce an otherwise unknown composer to an international public, but cleverly set up Beethoven's concerto so the listener can hear that warhorse with fresh, or at least fresher ears. Recorded in cool, clear digital sound, this recording deserves to be heard by anyone who enjoys Beethoven's "Violin Concerto." (James Leonard)

Sulkhan Tsintsadze (1925 - 1991)
6 Miniatures

1. Mzkemsuri [1:31]
2. Suliko [2:32]
3. Lale [1:51]
4. Indi Mindi [2:08]
5. Zinzkaro [2:44]
6. Sachidao [2:00]

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61
7. Allegro, ma non troppo [24:38]
8. Larghetto [9:05]
9. Rondo [10:01]

2008 SONY Classical
1 CD DDD
733400

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