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REVIEWS » cds • dvds• books A Napoli Marc Hervieux, tenor; Louise-Andrée Baril, piano & orchestral arranger ATMA Classique ACD2 2620 ★★★★✩✩ One of the most versatile tenors in Canada, Marc Hervieux is at home in a variety of genres, from opera and oratorio to the pop field, including success in the blockbuster rock opera Starmania. For ATMA he has recorded an opera aria disc with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and a Christmas album. Here is his third, a collection of fifteen beloved Neapolitan songs, supported by ten Québecois musicians led by Louise-Andrée Baril. Given his robust tenor with a decidedly Italianate timbre that occasionally recalls a young Domingo, these Neapolitan songs are tailor-made for him. No, it’s not note-perfect— the passaggio and the top can sound a little uncomfortable, and he sometimes croons, but he sings everything with passion and gusto, two welcome qualities in this repertoire. Baril is responsible for the orchestral arrangements— occasionally one is in danger of an overdose of sweetness and sentimentality, but that goes with the territory! Incidentally, Hervieux dedicates the disc to music philanthropist Jacqueline Desmarais, who has been a champion of the tenor from the beginning of his career. Fans of Hervieux will find this disc most entertaining and an excellent choice as a Christmas stocking stuffer. Joseph K. So Bach: Cantatas BWV 54 & 170/Suite in A minor BWV 1067/Double Concerto BWV 1060 Daniel Taylor, countertenor; Tafelmusik/Jeanne Lamon Analekta AN 2 9878 (68 min 46 s) ★★★★★✩ Analekta has presented us with two of Bach’s most beautiful cantatas for alto. With “Pleasant rest” BWV 170 for oboe d’amore, organ obbligato and strings, we immediately fall into a state of grace, and remain there until the end of this magnificent recording. What lovely sounds, lights and shadow that caress the soul, tears and joy inspired by a heavenly moment! Daniel Taylor sings with great artistry and demonstrates perfect mastery of his pure voice. The countertenor seems to surrender completely to the music. The same attention is accorded to BWV 54, “Just resist sin”. More staccato in the strings could have better highlighted the text; however, we are swept up by the rich timbre 42 DECEMBER 2011 / JANUARY 2012 and the mind surrenders. Next, BWV 1067 is performed in a version for violin and strings. Such elegance in the rondeau, tenderness in the sarabande! Jeanne Lamon conducts her ensemble (one instrument per part) with such skill that the version for flute is forgotten. The BWV 1060 is also absolutely superb. By contrast, the sorry look of the record sleeve does not do justice to the quality of the performers it represents. RENÉ F. AUCLAIR Bartok: Violin Concerto No. 1/ Violin Concerto No. 2/Viola Concerto James Ehnes, violin and viola; BBC Philharmonic/ Gianandrea Noseda Chandos CHAN 10690 (77 min 45 s) ★★★★✩✩ Canadian violinist James Ehnes has moved very rapidly to the forefront of the ranks of the world’s great violinists. He is at home in a wide repertoire and plays with both maturity and virtuosity. This Bartok album is surely one of his best so far as he demonstrates prowess on both violin and viola. Bartok’s Violin Concerto No. 2 is “the” Bartok Violin Concerto and is well established as a Twentieth Century masterpiece. The Violin Concerto No. 1, an early work, is far less well known. The Violin Concerto No. 2 is a far more varied and original piece, but the earlier concerto has charms of its own and deserves more performances. Ehnes plays both of them on the 1715 “Marsick” Stradivarius, with a remarkably rich tone and complete understanding of the idioms. Noseda and his orchestra are wonderful and the sound quality on this disc is excellent. The Viola Concerto was left incomplete when the composer died, but Tibor Serly produced a performing version from the sketches, which is the version Ehnes used. It is a beautiful piece, and Ehnes gives a fine performance. PAUL E. ROBINSON Brahms on Brass: Waltzes Op. 39/Ballade in D minor Op. 10 No.1/Eleven Chorale Preludes Op. 122 Canadian Brass Opening Day ODR 7415 (50 min 25 s) ★★★✩✩✩ The Canadian Brass has now become one of the oldest ensembles of its kind. After 40 years it is not surprising that there have been changes in personnel—tubist Chuck Daellenbach is now the only original member left in the group – but the same high standards and astonishing versatility remain intact. But Brahms on Brass? And an entire album? The Canadian Brass has always been innovative in its choice of repertoire, but this is a real stretch. The composer’s contrapuntal proclivities and preference for darker colours work against the idea of brass transcription. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the Waltzes Op. 39, originally composed for piano duet, as arranged by Chris Coletti and Brandon Ridenour, CB’s two trumpeters. This is some of Brahms’ lighter music, and CB plays them with a wonderful sense of style, fine trumpet playing and a great feeling for rhythm and phrasing. The other major work is the Op. 122 Chorale Preludes arranged by Ralph Sauer. This is heavy duty late Brahms and even in its original version for organ it hardly makes for easy listening. In the brass arrangement, the trumpet writing sounds awkward and the problem of sustaining tone in slow-moving music—a non-existent issue on the organ—becomes a major liability. PAUL E. ROBINSON Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 “Romantic” Orchestre Métropolitain/Yannick Nézet-Séguin ATMA Classique ACD2 2667 (69 min 47 s) ★★★★✩✩ Nézet-Séguin is slowly working his way through recording all nine Bruckner symphonies and this is the latest installment. Once again one is astonished by the quality of playing and conducting. The Orchestre Métropolitain sounds just as good as most of the famous orchestras which have recorded the work. Most of the credit must go to the players, but Nézet-Séguin sets the standard and imposes a vision that is both exacting and emotional. The conductor uses the 1936 Haas edition, which is essentially the standard version. Nézet-Séguin adds nothing in the way of interpretative surprises. This is a mature reading that pays careful regard to tempo, dynamics and balance, while building the massive climaxes with care and nobility. Having recently heard Nagano and the OSM perform this work in the new Maison symphonique, comparisons come easily to mind. Both orchestras play very well indeed and Nagano is an even more experienced Brucknerian than Nézet-Séguin. Yet I would give the edge to Nézet-Séguin for the greater joy and exuberance of his interpretation. The finesounding ATMA recording was made in the Saint-Ferdinand Church. PAUL E. ROBINSON Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 Bayerisches Staatsorchester/Kent Nagano Sony 88697909452 (64 min 17 s) ★★★✩✩✩ Kent Nagano recently conducted the OSM in Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4 at their new hall in
Montreal. That performance and this one reflect a consistent view of how Bruckner should be played and conducted. In both cases the orchestra plays very well and balances are very carefully calibrated. But in each case, while there is much to admire and enjoy, it strikes me as almost beside the point. Where is the power of those great Brucknerian climaxes? Where is the inner life of the music? Nagano seems almost apologetic about the dynamic extremes in the music. For him, it is more important that we be able to hear all the instruments, all the time, even when some are clearly more important in what they have to say than others. Nagano is particularly careful with the trumpets. They are rarely heard in his Bruckner performances even when they are playing the melody or animating the rhythm in the big climaxes. The sound on this recording is excellent, and the live performance was made in the Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium, September 23, 2010. But there are other conductors who get more out of the music. PAUL E. ROBINSON Colinda – Noëls de Provence Strada Analekta, AN 2 9840 (40 min 49 s) ★★★★★✩ This CD hot off the grill from Analekta is just in time for Christmas. Strada continues to take us through the greatest musical traditions across Europe in its most recent disc featuring Christmas carols of Provence that are based on the Noëls de Notre-Dame des Doms, a manuscript from the 17 th century preserved in the Avignon Cathedral. With period instruments and accompanied by virtuoso Miquèu Montanaro, the Strada singers and the sound of their polyphonic music transport the listeners to ancient times of winter solstice celebrations. Far from popular modern Christmas discs, this recording of clear voices and of joyful music is great to accompany festive preparations and parties during the winter season. FRANCINE BÉLANGER Convivencia La Mandragore Fidelio Musique FACD031 (55 min 2 s) ★★★★✩✩ Convivencia can be translated to conviviality or cohabitation. Specializing in medieval music, Montreal’s La Mandragora attempts to relive those early days of Spain where different cultures met and lived together in peace. In the Andalusia region, Jews, Muslims, and - Christians cohabitated between 929 and 1031. It is known as the Caliphate of Córdoba. The music presented here is a tribute to this heyday. Many pieces are adaptations of Sephardic, Arabic and even French texts, mostly from the 12 th and 13 th centuries. Some tracks on the disc are new compositions by musicians of the ensemble, inspired by period—all are excellent. The anachronistic use of various instruments that did not exist during this period is surprising! So much for musical exegesis; however, the overall result is quite pleasant. It’s an exotic feast for the ears and heart. Voices, instruments and even the drums are very well rendered by a high quality sound recording. What a joy to hear these sounds that take us away! To the past, to a dream world, to a mythical Andalusia... RENÉ FRANÇOIS AUCLAIR Franck, Debussy, Poulenc: Sonates Anne Gastinel, cello, Claire Désert, piano Naïve V 5259 (61 min) ★★★★★★ Anne Gastinel celebrates her twenty years of recording with a magnificent CD dedicated to French chamber music, with her favourite accompanist, Claire Désert. They first perform the transposition for cello—“approved by the author”—of the Sonata for violin and piano by César Franck (Belgian by birth) as if in a dream, taking the necessary breath to allow the sound of Testore de Gastinel to blossom. In the end, they manage to make you forget the original, no small feat indeed! They also succeed in finding the delicate balance between retained lyricism and sharp humour in Debussy’s Sonata (which the composer wanted to call “Pierrot vexed by the moon”), a concise masterpiece which seems too brief, in particular the central movement, Serenade. The Sonata by Poulenc is generally not held in great esteem. Both interpreters still manage to give the impression they take great pleasure playing it. The listener can’t help but be won over by the elegance in executing the composer’s pirouettes. Great sound recorded in stereo. ALEXANDRE LAZARIDÈS From Here on Out: Muhly, Greenwood, Perry Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony/Edwin Outwater Analekta AN 29992 (68 min 34 s) ★★★★✩✩ Three young composers are represented on this disc by the Kitchener- Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, two of which are issued by the universe of “alternative” rock—Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) and Richard Reed Parry (Arcade Fire). Curiously, the most consonant and “accessible” work is written by the only composer with “classical” training, Nico Muhly, REVIEWS CDs based in New York. His piece From here on out stems from a type of post-impressionist American modernism that is very enjoyable. The textures are always kaleidoscopic, featuring luminous counterpoint of the various orchestral instruments in a defined manner. Oboe, flute, violin, keyboard percussion, everything melds together evocatively. There are very few sound blocs and there are never sections used as a mass. Everything is gossamer and scintillating. At times, this music recalls that of Russian Valentin Silvestrov’s. It’s very pretty. At the other end of the spectrum, Jonny Greenwood offers a heartfelt homage to Penderecki—of the 1960s and 70s—with piercing quarter tones and uncompromising dissonances in Popcorn Superhet Receiver. Then, Richard Reed Parry continues with an intriguing work where musicians, connected to stethoscopes, follow their bodies’ rhythms. For Heart, Breath and Orchestra, despite the random character, is enjoyable and even fun. FRÉDÉRIC CARDIN Great Piano Trios: Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Shostakovitch Gryphon Trio Analekta AN 2 9510-8 (9CD) ★★★★★✩ Canada’s Gryphon Trio has recorded a wide range of chamber music for Analekta. The recordings represent the evolution of the piano trio from the classical period to pre-romanticism. Why then did they abandon the Haydn trios 31 st Season piano Dorothy Fieldman Fraiberg clarinet Simon Aldrich violin Alexander Lozowski viola Pierre Tourville cello Sheila Hannigan Works by Rabl, Mozart and Piazzolla Thursday, February 9, 8 pm Redpath Hall, McGill University Admission free www.allegrachambermusic.com DECEMBER 2011 / JANUARY 2012 43
Page 2 and 3: CONTENTS DECEMBER 2011 — JANUARY
Page 4 and 5: y CAROLINE RODGERS PHOTOS OF ANA SO
Page 6 and 7: ON THE COVER SVADBA PHOTOS John Lau
Page 8 and 9: N TES by CRYSTAL CHAN, REBECCA ANNE
Page 10 and 11: discovery cd Transposing Tradition
Page 12 and 13: PORTRAIT ALEXANDRE DA COSTA A passi
Page 14 and 15: MUSICULTURE to create music for a f
Page 16 and 17: MUSICULTURE IN MEMORIAM Maryvonne K
Page 18 and 19: PHOTO Philippe Jasmin PORTRAIT NÉZ
Page 20 and 21: OPERA HIROMI OMURA will play Leonor
Page 22 and 23: PORTRAIT LAN TUNG Taiwanese-born er
Page 24 and 25: CONCERT Previews by RENÉE BANVILLE
Page 26 and 27: PREVIEWS A GREAT LIEDER PERFORMER A
Page 28 and 29: 2011 DECEMBER in QUEBEC TO LIST YOU
Page 30 and 31: TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY S
Page 32 and 33: PREVIEWS Elsewhere in QUEBEC OPERA
Page 34 and 35: Mozart: Don Giovanni. McGill S.O.;
Page 36 and 37: SALUTE TO VIENNA Salute to Vienna b
Page 38 and 39: jazz Jazz is particularly fond of h
Page 40 and 41: JAZZ REVIEWS News from Europe Dutch
Page 44 and 45: REVIEWS CDs they had already record
Page 46 and 47: variations ON A THEME Looking for a
Page 48 and 49: CONTEST CIOC Pipe dream turned real
Page 50 and 51: ARTS THIS WINTER ΩDance by TAO FEI
Page 52 and 53: ARTS THIS WINTER Visual Arts by JUL
Page 54 and 55: ADISQ 2011 NOMINATION ALBUM OF THE

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