In Memory of My Grandmother

Virginia Dingle, born January 25, 1917. Died March 30, 2008

My dear grandmother, generous in spirit, bountiful in grace and beloved by many, mother, grandmother, friend, died peacefully in her sleep at 12:10 pm today in Indiana.

She touched many lives, but none so much as mine. Were it not for her many sacrifices, yards of good advice and tender but firm guidance, I would not have been able to accomplish all that I have.

Hers is a spirit that has changed the lives of many people, and she will be sadly missed by all who knew her.

Rest in peace Granny, may light perpetual shine upon you.

Some Pleasant String Quartets

Ferdinand RIES (1784-1838)

String Quartet No. 2 in G, Op. 70, No. 2. (1812) [26:29]
String Quartet No. 20 in f minor, WoO 48 (ca. 1837) [33:39]

Schuppanzigh Quartett

Anton Steck (violin)
Christoph Mayer (violin)
Christian Goosses (viola)
Antje Geusen, (cello)

Recorded at the German Radio Chamber Music Hall, 13-16 April, 2005.

cpo 777227-2 [60:13]

Ferdinand Ries was a student of Beethoven and a prolific composer, respected during his lifetime if not lastingly famous. The string quartet was amongst his favorite genres, as he took up the form some twenty-five times in his career, although a significant number of these compositions remained unpublished. In this recording we have two fine examples, bookends of his compositional career.

The G major quartet is well crafted and makes for pleasant enough listening, rather a diluted Mendelssohn, without the latter composer’s gift for melody and rich harmonies. The Schuppanzigh deliver a well turned performance, with a warm rich tone, tight ensemble and spot on intonation.

The prize here is the latter work, of such a high quality that one wonders why the composer never had it published. It is on a par with the quartets of Schubert, and is in fact, somewhat better constructed given Schubert’s tendency to go overboard with longer forms. The substantial opening movement shifts deftly between darkness and light, opening with a rather brooding minor subject and flowing into some rollicking major mode tunefulness. Its triple meter slow movement is an elegant three part form, starting with a lovely Mozartean melody, shifting into a somewhat turbulent b-section, and then rounding off nicely with a modified return of the first material. A brief but tasty minor key minuet follows, and concludes with a rollicking finale. This is a work of considerable depth, yet it never takes itself so seriously as to lose its sunny air, this in spite of the minor key center.

Production values are typical of CPO’s high standards, but I do wish they would tighten up their program notes. German scholarly writing has always tended toward the wordy and obtuse anyway, and reading these lengthy, blow-by-blow descriptions of the music in English becomes deadly dull. I often find this label’s program booklets a dreaded chore to wade through.

The Schuppanzigh-Quartett have produced other fine recordings for CPO and this one is certainly no exception. They play with a fine sense of lyricism and panache. If you love string quartets as much as I do, you will want to add this disc to your collection, and since this is labeled as Volume two, it will most likely be worthwhile to investigate the first disc in the series as well.

Ten Things You Can Do To Make Your Life Better Today

Here are ten things that you can do, today or any day for that matter, and your life will be better. I guarantee it or your money back.

1. Turn off your cell phone for two hours, and don't return the voice messages until tomorrow.

2. Read ten poems.

3. Go to a park or a church or a museum, anywhere that you will find a high concentration of beauty. While you're there, sit and watch and listen, but be completely silent for one hour. Actively listen to every sound that you hear and ponder its source.

4. Buy a pair of roller skates.

5. Enjoy a glass of really fine wine. Just one glass. Savor it for a long time.

6. Eat gelato.

7. Listen to Max van Egmond sing songs by Gabriel Faure.

8. Find a garden, and examine the flowers at close range. Note their detail, their fragrance and their unique colors.

9. Call a friend that you haven't heard from in a long time. Reconnect.

10. Calculate the amount of money that you spent this week on Starbucks, beer, junk food and if you smoke, cigarettes. Give that same amount of money to your favorite charity.

That's it. Try a couple of these things. Your world will be better tomorrow! I promise.

Music and the Internet

As many of you know, I am a big media junkie, and subscribe to a million or so internet web sites that serve up music. Here are some things that I enjoy messing with, and I think you will find them of interest as well.

1. Rhapsody (http://www.rhapsody.com/) is a streaming audio server that has well over a million music tracks and adds more every day. At present, you can subscribe to the stream for about $10 per month, and play unlimited music from your computer. For an extra fiver, you can get a "to go" subscription which allows you to drag and drop tracks to compatible MP3 players and use them as long as your subscription is current. They also offer tracks in both WAVE (which you burn to a compact disc) and MP3 formats for purchase. It's a good alternative to ITUNES. I have been a fan for some time now.

2. Speaking of ITUNES, rumors are out that Apple will develop a subscription service similar to Rhapsody's model. We shall see what happens.

3. This just in: MonteVerdi TV (www.monteverdi.tv) A free service that is from my initial examination, a pretty cool thing. They combine a number of classical music services to form a virtual community of sorts. There are live streaming video broadcasts, links to more than 100 classical music stations, links to hundreds of articles on classical music, streaming video clips and a shop to purchase dvds, cds, and digital downloads. I just discovered it, but it looks cool. I plan to install it this evening and give it a go. There are no subscription fees.

4. Pandora. (http://www.pandora.com/). This is an internet radio service where you can create "stations" to fit your tastes. It is powered by the Music Genome Project. In short, you log on, type in an artist or composer and it creates a playlist for you of similar music. It is not "on demand" but you can guide the system as to your personal tastes.

5. Slacker.(http://www.slacker.com/) Similar to Pandora with slightly sexier graphics. You can also get a portable device that although pricey, is a pretty cool toy.

6. Live 365. Yours truly has his own broadcast on this fantastic service which connects you to thousands of internet radio broadcasts. You can check out my station at www.live365.com/stations/maestro214 or you can search in the engine there for Radio Helios.

7. Acid Planet. (http://www.acidplanet.com/) A product of the Sony corporation, you can find lots of cool music there for free, many tracks are downloadable. This is a perfect site for those of you into electronic, trance and sundry forms of club dance music.

8. Music Submit. (http://www.musicsubmit.com/) is a splendid site for musicians to get their tracks distributed all over the place. If you are a broadcaster you can download music for your station. If you are a musician, you can submit music to be sent to broadcasters all over the planet.

That ought to give you some fun things to explore. Hope you enjoy them.

The Curse of the Last Eight Years

Those of us who voted for Al Gore and John Kerry knew this would happen, and yet enough of us sat at home on election day that we allowed Dubbya and his minions to get selected (choice of words intentional) not once but twice.

It hit home to me big time this week, when I went to the grocery store. Yes, I have been following the news of the war, and of the housing sector debacle, and of the Fed's bailing out of an investment bank for the first time in history, and of the kajillion dollar deficit in the federal budget, and of the absurd price of gasoline in spite of no oil shortages, no refinery slowdowns and oh, yes, Exxon Mobil's kajillion dollar profits. And yes, I have noticed that the America dollar isn't worth the paper upon which it's printed.

But the fallout of all these splendid disasters has now started to hit at the real heart of the American people, that is, in the price of food. Walk through the aisles of you grocery store and you will notice that every price on the shelf tags is way out of line. Paper goods are obscenely overpriced, the price of basic food staples have also increased dramatically. I was shocked that the single bag of groceries that I brought home yesterday cost over $40. This after having just spent $50 to fill up my car.

The Europeans have paid high fuel prices for years, and they tell us we should too. The difference is in the fact that most Europeans are taxed to the hilt, and gas taxes are just one more way for European governments to raise revenue. We don't operate on that system here, and the reason for our high gas prices is, well, greed.

History proves that a nation's people will tolerate just about anything but hunger. Most major revolutions have occurred when the general population was at or near starvation. Pay attention America, we're up! If gas and food prices continue to soar, and middle to low income families continue to be turned out of their homes due solely to the greedy lending practices of avaricious lenders, there will be open revolt.

It is time that we went to the polls and elected a government that was again of and for the people, and not hell bent on power as the present administration is. Let's learn from our mistakes people. We've less than a year to go of the Bush disaster. Let's not make the same mistake in 2008.

Fine Symphonies by Stanford

Charles Villiers STANFORD (1852-1924)

Symphony No. 2 in D minor, “Elegiac” (1880) [34:46]
Symphony No. 5 in D major, “L’Allegro ed il Penseroso” Op. 56. (1894) [39:47]

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
David Lloyd-Jones

Recorded in The Concert Hall, Lighthouse, Poole, Dorset, UK on 29-30 June and 25-26 July 2006.

NAXOS 8.570289 [74:33]

Sir Charles Villiers Stanford was born to a family of Dublin lawyers in 1852. He, along with Hubert Parry, was one of the two most significant British composers prior to Elgar and he did much to advance the cause of British music. After study at Queen’s College, Cambridge, he was appointed organist at Trinity College. After study in Germany, he returned to Cambridge where he instigated many reforms in the musical establishment. He would later be appointed to the newly formed Royal College of Music, where he would teach such luminaries as Bridge, Butterworth, Moeran and Vaughan Williams. He is often credited with beginning the revival of British composition that would produce great composers from the above-mentioned all the way to Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.

His seven symphonies are the cornerstone of his output. Carefully crafted and vigorous in nature, they never really wander outside of the model set forth by Mendelssohn, Brahms and Schumann. Although the second symphony is titled “Elegiac” there is nothing particularly mournful about the work, which begins with an energetic and tuneful opening movement, followed by a warm and perhaps somewhat melancholy slow movement, a brisk minor key scherzo and a structured and climactic finale.

David Lloyd-Jones leads his Bournemouth charges in a taut, well paced performance. The romantic nature of the music is taken seriously, yet Lloyd-Jones never indulges in overt sentimentality, always keeping up a steady, even, forward line. The orchestra sounds warm and rich, particularly in movements two and four, and there is some superior playing from the orchestra’s winds. Of particular merit is the second movement lento, in which Lloyd-Jones sets a most lovely tone, bathing us in sound akin to the perfect swim; in waters that are the perfect temperature. There is plenty of energy in the resounding last movement, all delivered with the appropriate English restraint.

The Symphony No. 5 is a horse of a different color. Based on two contrasting poems of John Milton, Stanford is far more overtly dramatic in this score, going so far as quote rather lengthy sections of the poetry in the score. Reflective of the poetry which describes horrors, shrieks and other such nastiness, the symphony opens with raucous brass and tympani followed by busy strings and woodwinds. It never loses its energy from start to finish. The second movement is a remarkable contrast to the first. Tuneful and jolly, this is gracious and endearing music.
The cream here is the stunningly beautiful third movement based on verses from Il Penseroso. This is perhaps what Elgar should sound like: nostalgic, sweeping melodies, warm brass laden orchestration yet never bottom heavy. The Bournemouth pull this music out of their instruments at the perfect degree of tension, sending the listener up one mountain summit after another, wrapped in an exquisitely woven blanket of sound. The work ends with a confident final movement marked by an underpinning of pulsating string figures capped by soaring and hopeful melodies.

For those of you who enjoy the work of the German romantics, you will most likely find this music most enjoyable. While it is quite a bit less ponderous than its German cousins, it still contains enough gravitas to satisfy the musical soul searcher, yet veers often enough into a light-hearted realm that seekers of beautiful melodies will leave just as happy.

An Hour of Elegance

Silvius Leopold WEISS (1687-1750)

Sonata No. 15 in B flat Major [24:45]
Sonata No. 48 in F sharp minor [35:20]

Robert Barto, (baroque lute)

Recorded in the Green Room, Offord Hall, Aurora, Ontario, Canada from 1-4 February 2005.

NAXOS 557806 [60:05]

The German lutenist Silvius Leopold Weiss, who was an almost exact contemporary of Sebastian Bach, was regarded as the greatest composer-performer of lute music in Europe during his day. His reputation was equal to that of John Dowland of England who lived more than a century earlier. In 1760, the poet and musician Luise Gottsched wrote that “his compositions stand out above all that are known today. To be sure they are difficult, but only those who are too careless or too old, or otherwise prefer another instrument.” His vast output was difficult to obtain in his own lifetime as he carefully guarded the manuscripts to prevent others from stealing his work, a common practice in an age before universal copyrights.

This fine performance by Robert Barto, the seventh volume in an ongoing series of recordings released by the completist minded Naxos label, presents two sizeable works called sonatas, although they more closely resemble the suites of dances that Bach would call partitas. Opening with a rather melancholy Allemande, the B-flat major sonata effectively moves back and forth from serenity to jaunty frivolity as it runs its course. Barto plays with a warm and generous tone, direct and free of affectation. He has an excellent sense of tempo and it is obvious that he understands that at some basic level, all of this music could be danced to.

The f-sharp minor sonata begins with a gravitas similar to the earlier work. Considerably later in the composer’s output, it seems a bit more reflective and weightier, but still is possessed with a certain joyous spirit that makes the music immediately attractive. Again Mr. Barto is in complete control here, carefully bringing out inner voices and displaying a fine sense of arching line and rhythmic integrity.

In short, this is peaceful and contemplative music, even when it is expressing joy. It is the perfect compliment to an evening by the fireside with a good book and a glass of wine. It will carry you back to a time when refinement and elegance were still valued as a character trait, a time when self-expression through art and music were trademarks of the well educated. Robert Barto’s unhurried virtuosity is just the thing to set a perfect mood. Set aside an hour without interruptions and revel in this bouquet of musical delights.

My Little Contribution to the English Language

As some of you may know, I do a good deal of professional writing and speaking as relates to my job at the radio and as a reviewer. I have noticed a plethora of bad English habits that are becoming more and more common, so here's my meager attempt to stamp them out.


1. An apostrophe shows possession, not plurality. Correct: This is Kevin's diatribe. Incorrect: There are lots of nail's in my toolbox.

2. Nauseous means that you make someone sick. Nauseated means that you yourself are sick.

3. Many people use the reflexive pronoun myself incorrectly. Correct: If you have a question, please contact John, Max or me. Incorrect: If you need help you may contact myself at any time.

4. The phrase 'a lot' consists of two words.

5. Partner, access and impact are nouns, not verbs.

6. ATM is the abbreviation for Automated Teller Machine. To say ATM machine, is redundant. The same applies to PIN, which is the abbreviation for Personal Identification Number. To say PIN number is redundant. There are many more examples, but you get the idea.

7. A question should be punctuated with a question mark.

8. When reading copy on the air, or when announcing web sites in public, please note that this symbol, / , is a FORWARD slash. Not a back slash as it is most commonly identified.

9. Classical musicians do not play "on" their instruments.

10. Your is possessive. You're is the contraction for you are.

11. Its is possessive, it's is the contraction for it is.

12. The common phrase "close proximity" is redundant. To be in proximity means to be close to something.

13. The word important has a t in the middle, not a d. The word hundred ends in the letter d, not t. Ask is a verb meaning to seek information or to inquire. Ax is a tool for chopping wood. February is pronounced Feb-ru- ar-y, not Feb-ewe-ar-y.

14. The word forte has two origins, two meanings and two pronunciations. Forte, meaning a strong point in one's character, is derived from the French, meaning strong. It is a one syllable word pronounced like the word fort in English. The other origin, spelled the same way, is a musical term, is Italian and is pronounced for-tay. It means "loud."

15. Although since 1905 it has become common usage, the word for being fastidious or nit picking is PERNICKETY, not PerSnickety.

16. One who shows empathy is empathic, not empathetic.

17. The word myriad means ten thousand. If you are using it to mean a generic large number, then it does not take a definite article, but rather stands alone. Example: There are myriad good reasons to attend BPI in the summer.

18. It's amusing to hear amateur singers describe themselves as "real high sopranos." Are there any real low ones?

19. Ultimate means "the last." Penultimate means "the next to the last." Neither word means "the best."

20 Epitome means "typical" or possessing most of the traits common to a particular class or group. It does not mean the very best. That would be "apex." Example: The Honda Accord is the epitome of middle class automobiles.

21. Dominant is an adjective. Dominate is a verb. (Those of you who need to get that one will!)

22. Unique means "one of a kind" so there can be no degrees of uniqueness. Being very unique is akin to being a little pregnant.


That's enough for now. This isn't meant to be snarky, rather to help folk who have to speak and write sound as intelligent and well read as they certainly are, and to preserve the language in its correct form.

Happy reading,

Kevin

An Evening with some Amazing Musicians

Last night was a musical mountaintop experience as I listened to David Finckel and Wu Han play an amazing program on masterworks for cello and piano. Opening with Schubert's tuneful Arpeggione Sonata, a work written for a now defunct hybrid between the cello and the guitar, I was quite taken by David's careful attention to Schubert's melodies, and how he took great care in his bowings to make the phrases sound as if they were sung and not played on an instrument.

Next came a youthful Beethoven sonata, one that was obviously written more to show off his own skill at the piano than the cellists' prowess. Wu Han tore it up to put it somewhat bluntly. She fired off Beethoven's clusters of notes with apparent ease. More remarkable still was the delightful rapport between this husband and wife duo.

In the second half we were treated to music of Anton Webern. Wu Han set the mood for the audience with a humorous chat about the music, deftly dispelling any fears that the audience may have had about the brief but sometimes pungent music.

Finally a gorgeous and autumnal Brahms sonata finished out the program. Two encores followed, a little melody by Borodin and a fierce scherzo by Shostakovich. This was an amazing evening of music making. I encourage you to check out David and Wu Han's recordings at www.artistled.com.

There was a lovely reception afterwards in a private home, and I was fortunate enough to be invited to join the artists around an intimate table for several hours of conversation and bantering about music and musicians. What a night!

You Tube Debate

Recently, I posted comments on a You Tube video of renowned Canadian tenor Jon Vicker's portayal of Peter Grimes. I remarked that Vickers was a fundamentalist and that he was quite homophobic. I recently received this response. I thought you might enjoy reading it and my response to the writer.

Dear Maestro 214: I take strong objection to your off color remark about Jon Vickers being a "fundie Christian". I'm sure you can agree that this expression is classless and slightly ridicules fundamental Christians, whose numbers are huge and growing everyday. I believe it would be prudent of you to not make such a remark which downgrades individual's religious beliefs regardless of how you feel about it. How would you feel if someone referred to a black man as a "blackie" or a Jewish man as a "Jewy". I'm not sure why you believe that Vickers is a homophobe. If one's views of homosexuality conflicts with his religious beliefs, then he has every right to stick with his guns and be consistent with his philosophy as long as he is not destructive of such groups of individuals. Kudos to Mr. Vickers who is a man of principle and should not be ridiculed just because his beliefe may not consistent with yours. Because one does not believe in the secular "progressive's" view of sexuality, does not make one a homophobe. Canned lingo such as the ones to which you have referred only divides and leans to the notion that tolerance and diversity only apply to the politically correct which is the worst sort of exclusion, bigotry and therefore hypocrisy.

Dear sqnmath1234,

If you assumed that my remark was intended to ridicule fundamentalist Christians, you were dead on. I make no apologies whatsoever for ridiculing a group whose political influence in the United States has been utterly disastrous, and thank God, is noticably waning.

Considering that many of the Fundamentalist movement's leaders have made disgustingly disparaging remarks about homosexuals, I see no reason that I as a homosexual, need show them any more civility than they have shown me. May I remind you that such outstanding "moralists" as the Rev. Jerry Falwell blamed the September 11 terrorist attacks on an acceptance of homosexuality in the United States, and that other such paragons of virtue like Fred Phelps have made careers out of hateful anti-gay rhetoric.

Jon Vickers all but detested Benjamin Britten, and the feeling was pretty mutual. He even went so far as to change texts in the libretto of Peter Grimes to remove what he perceived as gay overtones. His homophobia is rather well documented, and I would refer you to Humphrey Carpenter's excellent biography on Britten if you would care to research it further.

Vickers made a fortune off the work of one of the twentieth century's most prominent gay composers. Funny that he had the moral hutzpah to decline singing Tannhauser and Parsifal on the grounds of his faith, grounds that were blatantly anti-Catholic, but he had no issue with altering a living composer's art to great fame and financial success. Here, sir (or madam as your screen name makes your gender unclear) lies Mr. Vickers' hypocrisy.

Further, you've really no right to call me on using canned lingo when you yourself have used terms such as "social progressives" and even gone so far as to put them in quotation marks as to dilute the impact that such people have had on the improvement of universal human rights.

As for my rhetoric being an agent of intolerance, I would simply say to you that at no time have gays and lesbians attempted to ban the teaching of proven science, nor have we tried to enact legislation which forbids two consenting adults from entering into a legal and loving partnership, nor have we attempted to keep heterosexual persons from bearing and raising children, nor have we thrown our own children into the streets at ages as young as thirteen simply because they didn't conform to our uninformed and illiterate conceptions of the Bible. These are all hallmarks of fundamentalist behavior.

I do believe that if you compare the statistics, that fundamentalist Christians have made far more attempts to divide people, to sow hatred and to legislate a minority's narrow view of morality than any group of homosexuals has ever attempted.

If you're offended by being called a "fundie" so be it. The very concept of fundamentalism and its divisive political agenda offends me to the core. Especially given that more often than not, as was clearly the case with the current administration, greedy politicians have used the usually genuine faith of Christian believers as a stepping stone to very secular power, and then laughed at said believers' gullibility behind closed doors.


Kevin Sutton
By the way, you should have had the guts to sign your name to your post

Some Weekend Listening for the first of February

Here are some tasty new releases that I recommend for your weekend enjoyment.

Wu Han, piano
Russian Recital, music of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Scriabin. Wu is the wife of cellist David Finckel, of Emerson String Quartet fame. She gives us a spiffy recital of Russian music. ArtistLed Records No. 10701.

Indigo Road
Original Lute Music by Ronn McFarlane. Dorian 90701. Splendid original compositions by America's master lutenist.

Brahms: The Clarinet Sonatas. Jon Manasse, clarinet and Jon Nakamatsu, piano. Harmonia mundi 907430. Skimpy on the timings, but this recording of Brahms' autumnal clarinet music is simply gorgeous.

Elgar: Violin Concerto, Serenade for Strings. James Ehnes, violin. Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis. Onyx 4025. A major new release from one of the most important and deeply musical violinist at work today.

Enjoy!

A Review for Friday. Sorry, I have gotten behind!

George Frederic HANDEL (1685-1759)

Agrippina (Drama in three acts) (1709-10) [154:00]

Claudius: Günter von Kannen
Agrippina: Barbara Daniels
Nerone: David Kuebler
Poppea: Janice Hall
Ottone: Claudio Nicolai
Pallante: Ulrich Hielscher
Narciso: Eberhard Katz
Lesbo: Carlos Feller

The London Baroque Players
Arnold Östman
Stage Direction by Michael Hampe.

Filmed 1-4 May 1985 at the Rokokotheater Swchetzingen.

EUROARTS DVD 2054538 [154:00]

Because compact discs and DVDS are of such high and lasting quality and are so relatively inexpensive to manufacture, the music world enjoys quite an embarrassment of riches. Record companies continue to mine the depths of recorded performances, and now with the DVD firmly ensconced as the medium of choice for video productions, the market is beginning to see as big a flood of them as it did in the eighties and nineties with compact discs. The result is a seriously mixed bag where quality is concerned, and after having suffered through this production, I wish that the decision makers who let this one out of the can were a bit more discerning.

Handel’s convoluted drama about the behind the scenes machinations of Agrippina, who was the wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius, and mother of Nero, was a tremendous success when it first hit the Italian stages in 1709. And as Handel operas go, this one has some dramatic thrust to it, and some memorable tunes, in spite of the fact that as usual, Handel recycled a good bit of the music from earlier works. In this production, roles that would have been sung by castrati have been replaced with their octave-down male counterparts instead of countertenors, a decision that works well, and frankly makes this nearly unbearable production a few grams more tolerable.

For the life of me, I do not understand why first, opera companies cast singers who are so clueless as to baroque style in productions of baroque operas, and second why, when we have come miles in terms of stylistic and historical performance practice and in the ability to play period instruments well, that the label executives continue to pummel us with productions such as this one that are so severely dated and just plain poorly executed.

Let us begin with the orchestra. Ok, so the London Baroque Players have a bit of a reputation and some recordings to their credit. They play here with nary an ounce of grace and poise, honking and screeching their way through the score with all the enthusiasm that one might expect from a group of moonlighters. This is just plain ugly playing and the close microphones and the boxy acoustic of the Rokokotheater does not help. The sound falls dead at the first row of seats, and it is not enhanced at all when played through a stereo system.

Then there is the singing. Good God! A visit to the local dog pound would result in less barking, woofing, screeching and hacking. David Kuebler sings with a throaty edge to his tone that is maddening, and he puts so much pressure on the voice that there is nowhere for beauty of tone, if he had any, to blossom. Couple that with his forced coloratura and you get some pretty unbearable singing. Barbara Daniels looks regal enough as Agrippina, but she sings Handel with a Verdi voice that overpowers the music. Günter von Kannen is about as kingly as a walrus as he stumbles around the stage looking like and aging out of makeup circus clown, and singing as though he had a sweat sock stuffed down his throat.

The only mildly saving grace here is Janice Hall’s Poppea. This lady can actually sing. Her tone is lovely, she sings Handel with a clue or two about the style and she does not try to overpower us with sheer volume.

The supporting characters are miscast as well. Carlos Feller and Claudio Nicolai were already shall we say, mature, when they appeared in this performance. They are costumed and made up to look even older, and then when you have to listen to their forced, swallowed and tension filled tone, and their mere approximations of the pitches, you wonder from just which home for retired opera singers they were bussed in for this production.

To sum it up, this one should have never made it out of the file cabinet, and were viewers unfortunate enough to have this as their first Baroque opera experience, the cause would be set back a full generation. A request to Euroarts: please don’t do this to us again. No one wants to waste 154 minutes of his life on such third rate product.

Kevin Sutton

The Baltimore Consort Performs in Fort Worth

Fort Worth’s First Presbyterian Church, with its long and proud Scottish heritage and tradition was a most appropriate setting for the Baltimore Consort’s January 26^th performance of Adew Dundee, Early and Traditional Music of Scotland. The six musicians of the consort provided one of this season’s most satisfying concerts. The group has made a career of exploring the more obscure nooks and crannies of the repertoire. In a program that spanned the emotional gamut from the heartbreak of lost love to the ecstasy of Catholic spirituality to some low-down, toe tapping pub tunes, the music moved and inspired the sizeable audience, making even the most staid of Presbyterians sway in their pews.

The consort’s five instrumentalists performed on at least a dozen instruments, infusing their virtuosity with an element of joy and fun that was palpable and infectious. They were augmented with a guest performer, Danielle Svonavec, whose light and effortless soprano added the perfect seasoning to a hearty soup of colorful instrumental sonorities.

In an evening that was full of delights and surprises, there were a few absolute standouts. Ms. Svonavec’s haunting and unaccompanied One yeir begins, was a tour de force of vocal virtuosity. Her effortless transport from tenor g to the upper portions of her range was to die for. Gypsen Davy, a work imported to the new world was deliciously funny. In addition, Ronn McFarlane played a number of elegantly executed solo lute pieces, and Larry Lipkis and Mindy Rosenfeld provided some delightful banter in a number of works featuring dueling flutes and crumhorns. Mark Cudek made a virtual jazz rhythm section with his cittern, and provided a bit of sixteenth century bee bop by turning his viola da gamba on its side and playing it like a bass guitar. Mary Ann Ballard deftly switched from instrument to instrument as she provided one tuneful obbligato after another on her various viols.

The ensemble was slightly and tastefully amplified, a necessary evil given the soft sounds that these early instruments produce. Couple the quiet instruments with the enormous space, the electronic enhancement was needed, but never detracted from the enjoyment of the music. If one were to criticize anything, it would be the concert series’ policy not to provide printed programs. The practice first caused the performers to have to speak at length from the stage, and while the information was really necessary, it lengthened the program by nearly fifteen minutes, and caught the performers off guard just enough to make them sound a tad under-rehearsed as they spoke. More serious though, was depriving the audience of the song texts, whose dialectical and complex poetry would have been well served by our having been able to read along.

Given however, that there was no admission charge, and that the performance was truly world class, this can only be seen as a mild flaw. In short, this was inspiring music played with peerless musicianship. Truly a delightful evening.

Radio Helios

Hello All,

I have been upgrading our programs on Radio Helios, and am in the process of developing a whole new playlist. I am also adding voice tracks to introduce the pieces as well.

I am working on getting some interviews and other fun features up and running soon as well.

You can help support Radio Helios by becoming a premium member, by clicking on the links to artists' work on our homepage, and by buying cds from the links provided.

Thanks for your continued support of the station, and if you care to submit music to be played, please do so by contacting me at maestro2@grandecom.net.

You may send CDS to me at Radio Helios, 10661 Steppington Drive Suite 2113, Dallas, TX 75230.

A Review for Monday

Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel (1714-1788)

Sonata in d minor, H. 128 [11:01]
Sonata in f sharp minor, H. 37 [11:45]
Sonata in A major, H. 186 [13:24]
Rondo in d minor, H.290 [4:07]
Sonata in C major, H. 248 [7:53]
Rondo in B flat major, H. 267 [4:52]
Sonata in E major, H. 83 [7:30]
Cantabile in b minor, from Sonata, H. 245 [3:04]

Christopher Hinterhuber, piano

Recorded at the Phoenix Studio, Budapest from 27 February to 1 March 2004.

NAXOS 8.557450 [63:46]

Second son of Johann Sebastian Bach, court harpsichordist to Fredrick the Great and godson of Georg Philipp Telemann; Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was destined for greatness. Although he began his career in law school, it was as a keyboard virtuoso and composer that the arguably most successful of the after-Sebastian generation of Bachs was to make his fame and fortune. The most broadly educated and intellectual of all of Sebastian’s children, Carl Philipp would gain great respect as a learned man, teacher and author. His Essay on the True Art of Clavier Playing was held in high esteem. His influence on the work of Franz Josef Haydn is unquestionable and blatantly obvious. Upon his death he was mourned by his colleagues as a more significant and important composer than his father.

It would be easy enough on first glance to dismiss the younger Bach as a composer of Rococo fluff, and frankly, having just now become acquainted with his music in anything other than name, I expected nothing less. My surprise and delight was enormous then when I popped this disc into the player to discover music of energetic and complex rhythmic vitality and startlingly original and adventuresome harmonic language. Bach’s preference for the newer clavichord over the more traditional plucked harpsichord is obvious from the start. This music employs a new kind of virtuosity, one that plays up its emotional and dramatic content, and is far more reliant on melody than counterpoint, which by the time of these works, was considered passé and academic.

The sonatas are as a rule cast in the fast-slow-fast three movement form that would dominate the genre until Beethoven. The outer movements are full of technical display, and yet never stray from their overall focus on melody. They are full of exciting and unexpected twists and turns, and Bach uses the entire range and scope of the instrument to express himself. Often we find long melodies beginning in the upper register, only to be completed by a two or three octave drop to the bass. The inner movements are lovely in their aria like treatment.

The Rondos, although dismissed at their publication by some critics as needless filler and unworthy of inclusion with the more sophisticated sonatas, are brimming as well with interesting and exciting music. Brief and without wasted notes, they are little virtuoso showpieces that delight the ear.

Christopher Hinterhuber, performing here on a modern grand, is a pianist of formidable technique, able to handle fast passage work with ease and aplomb. He plays just fast enough to give us the whirlwind spirit of the music with out obliterating lines. His cantabile playing is admirable as well. I did find that particularly in the upper registers, the playing gets a bit shrill and clanky. I would have wished for more subtlety, warmth and nuance of tone in the upper end of the piano. Nonetheless this is a small detraction, and I am thrilled that this splendidly crafted and colorful music has seen a bit more sunlight.

A definite must own for lovers of fine keyboard music. Highly recommended.

Kevin Sutton

Some Remarkable Beethoven

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)

String quartet in E flat major, Op. 127 [33:43]
String quartet in a minor, Op. 132 [41:16]

The Hagen Quartet
Lukas Hagen and Rainer Schmidt, violins; Veronika Hagen, viola and Clemens Hagen, cello.

Recorded in the Schloss Mondsee in November 2003 and in Wiesloch, Palatin, Minnesängersall in March 2004.

DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 477 5705 [75:07]

When Beethoven was commissioned by Prince Galitzin in November of 1822 to compose a new set of string quartets, he was in the enviable position of having complete artistic freedom and the a clout to demand any price he wished for the completed works. He accepted the commission for the then whopping fee of fifty ducats per quartet and promised the first quartet to be delivered in March of the following year. The patron would have to wait far longer, as the completion of the ninth symphony and the Missa Solemnis took priority, and the quartets were not delivered until 1825. The result, however was spectacular, and the late quartets were to become the Beethoven’s crowning achievement; music for the ages with little or no regard to tradition, nor with any concern about audience reaction to these most remarkable, unusual and heretofore unheard of structures and sounds.

Central to both of these works are their slow movements. Longer in both cases by nearly double the lengths of their surrounding movements, Beethoven relies far more on the conveyance of a specific set of thoughts or ideas as opposed to any real dependence on form. This is especially true of the poignant Convalescent’s Holy Song of Tthanksgiving to the Deity, a sincere expression of gratitude from the composer upon his recovery from a long and painful stomach disorder. The serenity and sheer beauty of this single movement is overwhelming, and to hear this fine performance would be worth the cost of the entire disc.

The Hagens have been on the scene for some years now, making a fairly good sized collection of recordings. I have found it interesting however how heavily they rely on the standard repertoire in their programming, with sojourns outside the established canon being fairly rare occurrences. That aside, these are performances of supreme dedication and finesse. Given that the late Beethoven quartets are notorious for their difficulty, one would never know it to hear them played by the Hagens.

Intonation and ensemble are first rate, as one would come to expect from such a seasoned group. What I found to be most refreshing was the pacing of the works. They are never allowed to bog down in syrupy romanticism, even in the sublime Convalescent’s Thanksgiving, which could easily give way to self-indulgence. The Hagens do indulge, however in a bit of extraneous sniffing and snorting, a habit of which my extreme distaste is well known. It is however not enough to detract from this beautifully paced, flawlessly executed performance.

A highly commendable release, worth some pride of place in any collection.

Kevin Sutton

Interesting Cello Music

Claude LAMOTHE
Jacques ROY

(The composer’s/artist’s dates are not listed in the program booklet)

VIVACE
Music for cellos, as performed by Claude Lamothe.

Día a Día [8:12]
La Cathédrale de Bourges [3:50]
L’île aux Monuments [1:51]
V Comme Dans Bach [4:30]
Eine Walzer [4:01]
L’île des Vents [2:44]
Traversées [7:43]
L’île au Printemps [7:36]
See you…[5:15]

Dates of compositions are not listed.
Recorded at Studio Roy, Montreal, June and July 2005.

ANALEKTA AN 2 9808 [45:50]

Cellist Claude Lamothe began his career as a double bassist performing for some years with I Musici de Montreal until he discovered the wonders of the cello. Like his colleagues Matt Haimowitz and Yo Yo Ma, he seems to take great delight in exploring and creating non-traditional repertoire for his instrument, and this disc which has a rather refreshing combination of styles and moods for the most part succeeds quite handily in finding a more populist idiom for the cello.

This disc would not be possible without the aid of studio tricks, overdubbing being the main fare here, as Lamothe performs all the parts himself. Some of the music owes a nod to Astor Piazolla with its tango-esque rhythmic gestures and its Latin harmonies. Other works are distinctly patterned after the free jazz styles of say, Pat Metheny, and there is even the hint of Karl Jenkins present here and there.

Even though some of the music borders on being new agey, Lamothe and his sometimes co-composer and producer Jacques Roy have come up with a brief but arresting collection of pieces that showcase their broad range of tastes, ideas and influences. If you are looking for music that plumbs the depths of emotion or sends you on flights of ecstasy, you aren’t likely to find it here. What you will find is a refreshing three-quarter hour’s worth of interesting and engaging music, sure to entertain if not transform you.

In other cases, I might complain that there is not enough music on this full-priced disc, but I think that at just under 46’ we get just what we need; a pleasant diversion, worthy and well crafted music, and a program that goes right up to the line of gimmick, but thankfully does not jump over.

I have no qualms at all about endorsing this disc, and would wager that many serious listeners would find the lightheartedness of the works here to be a very pleasant side road down which to travel. Recommended.

Kevin Sutton

Music of an Italian Outlaw

Alfonso FERRABOSCO (1543-1588)

Dolci ire (madrigal a 5) [6:55]
Auprès de vous (chanson a 5) [2:49]
In Nomine I [2:38]
Pecantem me quotidie (motet a 5) [3:32]
Psalmus CIII [32:32]
Bruna sei tu, ma bella (madrigal a 5) [2:45]
Domine, non secundum peccata nostra (motet a 6) [4:35]
Quel sempre acerbo (madrigal a 6) [4:14]

The Huelgas Ensemble
Paul Van Nevel, conductor

Recorded September 2004 at the Chapel of the Franciscans, Lille

HARMONIA MUNDI HMC 901874 [60:40]

Alfonso Ferrabosco, known as “Il Padre” to distinguish him from his son who also became a composer, lived a life of intrigue and turmoil, ferrying back and forth between his Italian homeland and England, where to the great consternation of the Pope, served in the Anglican court of Queen Elizabeth I. Born in 1543, he worked with Palestrina in the Papal Chapel until the ascendance of Paul IV in 1555, when all married men were summarily dismissed from the Vatican’s service. (Palestrina was to suffer the same fate.) After a series of run-ins with official Rome, he landed in England where he worked for Queen Elizabeth I, later running afoul of her good graces, only to be reinstated, and removed again. Thought by some to be a spy and double agent, he was valued by Elizabeth not only for his musical ability, but also for his in-depth knowledge of the goings on in Rome. Political machinations aside, he was a unique and original composer, often eschewing the day’s harmonic conventions. As a madrigalist, he was a harbinger of things to come, greatly influencing the future English madrigal school that was to come to its apex in the works of Morely, Weelkes, Wilbye &c. As a composer of sacred works, he never betrayed his Catholic upbringing, setting mainly Psalm texts that were universal to both faiths.

Paul van Nevel’s Huelgas ensemble is the perfect choice for this harmonically ripe music. Not having seen the actual scores, I was at first quite fascinated by the part make up of the choir. With only one alto listed in the personnel roster, one wonders just how the composer achieves the textures he does with apparently uneven scoring. I will leave that subject hence alone, as it is difficult to comment without the score in front of me.

As for the music itself, it is typical of the time, excepting that it is far less “safe” in its use of jarring shifts of tonal center. In the Psalm setting, some movements begin in E major only to end in F-sharp major, other passages shift from B-flat into B major, all amazingly seamlessly and naturally. At least in these selections, there is very little variation in tempo, most works moving along in the standard late renaissance pace of about sixty half notes per minute, a standard of tempo derived from the average adult male’s pulse. What is particularly noteworthy is the utter transparency of line and the careful attention that Ferrabosco pays to the clarity of the text. Each word, even in the more complex passages is quite distinguishable, which is due in part of course to this choir’s scrupulous attention to balance and enunciation.

Although the singing of the Huelgas ensemble is flawless in tone quality and their tuning is perfect, I would have appreciated a bit more dynamic variety. What I perceived was beauty for beauty’s sake, and it would have been somewhat refreshing to hear a little more Italian angst, especially in the madrigals with their more adventuresome and emotion packed texts. That is a taste issue with me, however, and my personal whims in no way kept me from thoroughly enjoying this beautifully recorded disc of glorious music, heretofore unknown to me.

Excellent, entertaining and informative program notes by Maestro Van Nevel cap off a first rate recording, up to Harmonia mundi’s customary high standards. No lover of vocal polyphony will want to be without this lovely recording.

Kevin Sutton

Monday's Review

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)

Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat, K. 271 [30:26]
Piano Concerto No. 19 in F. K. 459 [26:13]
Nine Variations on a Menuet by Duport K. 573[10:38]

Clara Haskil, (piano)
Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra
Otto Ackermann (K. 271)
Ferenc Fricsay (K. 459)

Recorded at the Funkhaus Sall, WDR Cologne, 11 June 1954 (K. 271) and 30 May 1952(K. 459), and at the Besançon Festival, 7 September 1956 (K. 573).

MEDICI ARTS MM004-2 [67:58]

Charles Chaplin declared that he had met only three geniuses in his life: Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and Clara Haskil. Practically worshipped in her later years, Ms. Haskil suffered for most of her life from everything to a painful spinal condition to a crippling self-doubt. Her fellow Rumanian Dinu Lipatti was her ardent champion. His early death left Haskil grief stricken (she was secretly in love with him) and without a mentor. In spite of all these negative circumstances, Clara Haskil would go down in history as a goddess amongst pianists, a woman capable of a musical passion and elegance practically unequalled by her peers, and a classicist of the highest refinement.

Such plaudits are well in evidence in these 1950s vintage recordings of Mozart. This is playing of such pristine clarity that in spite of the somewhat muddy monaural sound, the listener is instantly drawn in and held captive. Passage work is perfect, each note a pearl on a strand. Phrases are nuanced to marble smoothness.

Neither is Haskil afraid of a little drama. More turbulent passages are played with flare. Ms. Haskil always has the reigns well in hand though, never letting emotion get the better of a firm sense of classical order and discipline. Slow movements are played lovingly and tenderly, but there is never the slightest hint of overt romanticism. Each melody evokes the rising of the sun in the morning, each cadence is perfectly placed. It is as though she composed each phrase herself, first sketching her thoughts, then carefully revising and refining her ideas, and then committing them to the page only when they were perfected.

Both Otto Ackermann and Ferenc Fricsay provide well balanced and sensitive accompaniments, but it is in the sound of the orchestra that the inferior sound quality becomes most obvious. Textures are blurred by the less that clear sound and at times the boxiness becomes a bit tiring. Nonetheless, these are performances of such grace and beauty from the soloist that I have found myself returning to this performance again and again, not only for enjoyment, but also for instruction.

This is a series that seems to be more about the performers than the music itself, and as such the booklet note by the always able Bryce Morrison is somewhat skimpy on information about the works at hand. No matter, really. His compassionate yet honest assessment of Haskil as a person and artist is insightful and lends even more enjoyment to her nearly flawless playing.

There are really not enough superlatives for this recording. Any music lover at any level should find something in which to marvel here.

-Kevin Sutton

-flawless, perfectly expressive…even the inferior sound does little to damage this priceless pianism.

Some Saturday Listening

Although I won't be publishing reviews on the weekends, I will treat you to a little list of things that you might want to sit down with a glass of wine and listen to.

Here are this weekend's recommendations:

A Sacred Romance. Music of Franck, Widor, Vierne, Tournemire, Messiaen and Couperin. Kevin M. Clarke at the Noack organ of the Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX. Pro Organo CD 7217.

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 8 (Symphony of a Thousand). Soloists, Choirs and the Staatskappelle Berlin, Pierre Boulez. Deutscher Grammophon 4776597.

Carlo Gesualdo: Quinto libro dei Madrigali. The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley. Decca/L'Oiseau Lyre, 4759110.

Samuel Barber, William Walton and Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Violin Concertos. James Ehnes, violin, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Bramwell Tovey. CBC SMCD 5241.

Eyvind Alnaes, Christian Singding: Piano Concertos. Piers Lane, piano. Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra: Andrew Litton. Hyperion CDA 67555.

As usual, there are some off the beaten path works here, but that's why it's interesting to know me, right?

Happy Listening and have a great weekend.

Kevin