Frank Martin, Mass for Two Choirs - Zoltan Kodály, Missa Brevis for Mixed Choir & Organ - Francis Poulenc, Litanies à la Vierge for Three-part Female Chorus & Organ - Choir of the Bavarian Broadcast/Rundfunks, Peter Dijkstra - BR Klassik 2009

This is a real treat from BR Klassik, and these are three important examples of 20th century music for voices that should be in your choral collection. And perhaps they are already. I have multiple versions of all three works here and these performances are very fine and highly competitive. I have too many versions of Kodály's masterful "Missa Brevis" to count - it's just so damn beautiful!

Sorry for keeping things brief (I know you all prefer my typographical babble to all of the exquisite sound) but exhaustion is one of the few constants these days. I will see what tomorrow brings, more posts perhaps - but do not hold your breath as there's a 50/50 that you'd be dead ;)


Enjoy x 3

Martin_Kodály_Poulenc_Messes-Tzadik.zip

http://www39.zippyshare.com/v/itYI0r3D/file.html

"Tongues of Fire" Carl Rütti, Concerto for Organ, Strings and Percussion - Tongues of Fire for Organ solo - Anton Arensky, Variations on a theme of Tchaikovsky - Francis Poulenc, Concerto for Organ, Timpani and Strings - Guild 2012

Here is one of the finest recordings of music for Organ and Orchestra that I know of, especially from the last few years. The "Concerto for Organ, Strings and Percussion" by Carl Rütti is especially exciting and powerful music (as is Poulenc's concerto, but that pretty much goes without saying!), and in my opinion it is one of the best concertos written over the past few years. Everything is exceptionally well played to boot. This is the world premiere recording of the Rutti concerto, and indeed the only recording-however I cannot imagine it being played any better than what we get here. This disc won Gramophone's Critic's Choice in 2012, and after/whilst listening I'm sure all of you will understand/hear why. 

Carl Rütti, born in 1949, is a Swiss organist and composer who also writes a good deal of choral music. The organ concerto presented here, composed in 2011, is actually his second. It opens up with a driving, urgent Allegro and some positively wild solo work for the organ (I simply love modern organ music, and this fits the bill completely)-all very exciting and cogent. The Adagio starts out restful but returns briefly to the agitation of the first movement before settling back to a quiet ending. The third movement is a brief Scherzo, and the fourth and final movement is a theme and variations on a carol tune that builds to a satisfying climax, with plenty of percussion (including tom-toms, cymbals, temple blocks, snare drum, tambourine and triangle) and organ. This is a very impressive piece of music that audiences would really enjoy-let's hope it gets the concert outings it deserves. A complete knockout. 

"Tongues of Fire" is a work for solo organ that lives up to its name, alternating between flickering mischievousness, thunderous declamation, and quiet introspection in its brief seven minutes. Again, modern organ music....love it. 

Arensky's gorgeous "Variations on a theme of Tchaikovsky" gets a sweet, nostalgic, lyrical performance that is almost as expressive as the classic Barbirolli recording. Although at first glance it may seem out of place on the program, it gives the orchestra a chance to shine, and after the powerful Rutti pieces, it cleanses the listener's aural "palate" so to speak before diving into the wonderful Poulenc concerto.

Francis Poulenc's concerto should be performed more often than it is, and although it's a staple of the twentieth century organ concerto repertoire, it's mostly heard on recordings. And as far as recordings of the Poulenc go, the playing here both from the soloist and the orchestra is first rate. The concerto is given a remarkably spiky reading, with a real intensity of approach by organist Martin Heini. One oddity is that while the short Arensky piece gets a separate track for each variation, the entire Poulenc concerto is on one unbroken 24-minute track. Needless to say it's such an excellent piece that I suppose the choice of single tracking hardly matters. Once a knockout always a knockout :)

Enjoy!

Tongues_of_Fire-Rütti_Arensky_Poulenc-Tzadik.zip

http://www41.zippyshare.com/v/aO6GbmZA/file.html

Work for 2 Pianos - Germaine Tailleferre - Francis Poulenc - Randall Snyder - Orchestre du Conservatoire du Centre de Paris, Clinton-Narboni Duo - Elan Recordings 1998

I have always thoroughly enjoyed the music of the enigmatic French composer Germaine Tailleferre and bought this disc specifically for her Concerto Grosso, which is a world premiere. When I purchased years ago a disc on Koch Classics called "The Women's" I was immediately in love discovering Tailleferres's music; this first experience was the absolutely delightful "Concertino for Harp and Orchestra", still a favorite concertante work of mine. 

Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983) was the only female member of "Les Six" and the most mysterious of the group (the others of course being Francis Poulenc, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, George Auric, and Louis Durey). Her compositional style, and this can be said of "Les Six" is general-can be described as cheerful, lighthearted, optimistic and filled with bright harmonies and rhythms. Their sunny musical personalities represented a notable departure from the prevailing misty sonorities of the Impressionistic composers or the heavy Germanic influences of Wagnerian romanticism. Indeed much of the music succeeds in being childlike in it's simplicity while maintaining a French sophistication and insouciance. Tailleferre's "Concerto Grosso for 2 Pianos, Singers, Saxophones and Orchestra" is a lovely but also oddball work (the forces used especially the wordless voices sums it all up I think). Paying stylistic homage to the Baroque, the Concerto is in three movements. The pianos provide the rhythmic drive throughout the work and in certain passages one can detect the neoclassical influences of Stravinsky, a close friend of Tailleferre. The wordless voices are treated like additional instruments of the orchestra. The inclusion of a Persian folksong and the absence of upper strings give the second movement a  somewhat sombre quality. Drawing on her prowess in contrapuntal writing, the finale is a fugato which concludes with a dramatic cadenza for unaccompanied voices. I am always hoping to hear many more works by Tailleferre, her legacy includes over 300(!) compositions for orchestra, voice, piano, chamber ensemble, ballet, opera and film. A side note, "Les Six" was a name given to the group by Satie and Cocteau. 

Randall Snyder was completely new to me. "Double" for 2 Pianos and Orchestra" has two movements that are diametrically opposed with regard to their compositional style and role of the piano soloists. In movement I, 'Episodes', the pianos generally provide supporting roles to the orchestral ensemble. This movement suggestive of a cliff-hanger serial from the 1930's, continuously evolves a musical narrative with a sequnce of 5 sections . There is a quiet impressionistic mood but things change with a scherzo-like episode building with ever-increasing energy to a frenetic climax, and ultimately the music conjures up the atmosphere of the opening, however with practically no recapitulation at all. In the second movement "Schubertpath", the pianos no longer function as as accompanists, but rather as "competing" soloists. A strict tempo is maintained throughout the movement, which gets it's inspiration from the harmonic and rhythmic framework of Schubert's 1827 choral work "Standchen" (not to be confused with his popular lied of the same title). "Double" was composed for this recording and has a certain Gallic transparency that compliments the other two works on the disc I think. This also is a world premiere. 

The wonderful Poulenc "Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra" needs little introduction. (Btw I find Poulenc's chamber music to be some of the finest of the 20th century, anyone agree here??) Jumping ahead to when he was 20 years old, Poulenc's formal training began with Charles Koechlin and and lasted for three years. His creative style (which combines classical clarity with the spirit and sounds of Parisian street life) placed him at the center of the new French musical tastes and made him a natural choice for inclusion, by Cocteau, in "Les Six". Throughout his life, Poulenc's music remained unmistakably unique, even as he venerated many traditional and contemporary composers, including Mozart, Scarlatti, Tchaikovsky, Bartok, and Stravinsky. Poulenc's Concerto has sparkling humor, and kaleidoscopic melodies ranging from tender to to brilliant. One of his masterpieces imo.

Track list:

Germaine Taileferre "Concerto Grosso for 2 Pianos, Singers, Saxophones, and Orchestra" (17:59)

1) Allegro (7:42)

2) Larghetto (5:37)

3) Allegro Maestoso (4:40)

Randall Snyder (b. 1944) "Double for 2 Pianos and Orchestra" (16:25)

4) Episodes

5) Schubertpath

Francis Poulenc "Concerto in D minor for 2 Pianos and Orchestra" (18:26)

6) Allegro ma non troppo

7) Larghetto

8) Finale. Allegro molto

Enjoy!

Tailleferre_Snyder_Poulenc_Works_for_2_Pianos_Tzadik.zip

http://www58.zippyshare.com/v/33909964/file.html

Buried Treasure - Francis Poulenc - Randall Thompson - Carl Nielsen - Joaqin Turina - Robert Muczynski - Edouard Lalo - Alan Hovhaness - Clark McAlister - Chamber Music Palm Beach

Sorry for the lil lapse in posting..it had been a busy week, and full of more grief than I would have wished. Here is a quick (and great) offering for now, it's a Klavier Records disc from 2000 called "Buried Treasure" with the ensemble Chamber Music Palm Beach. This is charming music for winds, however there's also some strings (violin, viola, cello, doublebass) in a few of the (equally charming) pieces. It's a nice varied program, the music of Hovhaness following the "Deux Aubades" by Lalo for example. My favorites on the disc are Poulenc's "Mouvments Perpetuels" (I love anything by Poulenc! His chamber music is especially exciting, and he wrote a lot of it thankfully!), as well as Randall Thompson's "Suite" for Oboe, Clarinet and Viola (Randall Thompson is another one of my favorite American composers, I don't understand why it's in fact the "other" American (Virgil) Thompson that gets more attention), and of course the Hovhaness Suite. Not to mention the Nielsen "Serenata.." and Muczynski's "Fragments". (I might as well say I fancy the whole disc, which I do)

I don't have time to write any real info or thoughts about the program right now, however I know that many of you (esp. all you wild and crazy wind addicts out there ;) will truly enjoy listening to all the music presented here. If anyone wishes that I write notes about the disc when I can feel free to let me know. I will try to post other "Buried Treasures" this evening. Enjoy...

Track List:

Francis Poulenc
1. Trois mouvements perp‚tuels, for chamber orchestra (orchestration of piano work, FP 14): Assez Mod‚r
2. Trois mouvements perp‚tuels, for chamber orchestra (orchestration of piano work, FP 14): TrŠs Mod‚r‚
3. Trois mouvements perp‚tuels, for chamber orchestra (orchestration of piano work, FP 14): Alerte

Randall Thompson
4. Suite for oboe, clarinet & viola: Gaio
5. Suite for oboe, clarinet & viola: Adagio Assai
6. Suite for oboe, clarinet & viola: Allegro
7. Suite for oboe, clarinet & viola: Lento Religioso
8. Suite for oboe, clarinet & viola: Grave; Allegretto

Carl Nielsen
9. Serenata in vano, for clarinet, bassoon, horn, cello & double-bass, FS 68: Serenata Invano

Joaquin Turina
10. La Oraci¢n del torero, for lute quartet (or string quartet/string orchestra), Op. 34: La Oraci¢n del

Robert Muczynski
11. Fragments, for flute, clarinet & bassoon: Waltz
12. Fragments, for flute, clarinet & bassoon: Solitude
13. Fragments, for flute, clarinet & bassoon: Holiday
14. Fragments, for flute, clarinet & bassoon: Reverie
15. Fragments, for flute, clarinet & bassoon: Exit

Edouard Lalo
16. Aubades (2), for 10 instruments/small orchestra (from opera "Fiesque"): Andante; Allegretto Non Trop
17. Aubades (2), for 10 instruments/small orchestra (from opera "Fiesque"): Andantino

Alaln Hovhaness
18. Suite for English horn & bassoon in D minor, Op. 21: Adagio Espressivo
19. Suite for English horn & bassoon in D minor, Op. 21: Allegro Grazioso
20. Suite for English horn & bassoon in D minor, Op. 21: Andante Espressivo

Clark McAlister
21. Lou's Mountain Bread, for wind quintet, string quartet & double bass: Energetic
22. Lou's Mountain Bread, for wind quintet, string quartet & double bass: Relaxed but Rhythmic
23. Lou's Mountain Bread, for wind quintet, string quartet & double bass: Lively

Buried_Treasure_ChamberMusicPalmBeach_Tz.zip


http://www63.zippyshare.com/v/73151212/file.html