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    Gramophone - Gramophone Awards Shortlist 2016

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    THE WORLD'S BEST CLASSICAL MUSIC REVIEWS Est 1923 - JULY 2016 rN gramophone.co.uk en a haar "THE GRAMOPHONE AWARDS ML ERO OR LAO CORT Love Classical ? Love Qobuz oS aA “ PS a = |e ia i THE FINEST ONLINE MUSIC SERVICE for classical Se ee ees Te eee Ce “Finger on the pulse T hae ist Gromaplone Awards took place in 1977 and every year since we've given the classical record industry a kind ‘of alt check, singing out the finest music-making from 4 12-month period and celebrating the musicians who were making ‘waves. This year, 12 months from the Awards’ 4th anniversary, ‘no exception. Sure, chings have changed aver those four decades ~catler musics ~ from the Renaissance to the Baroque ~ have assumed a major role in which the industry chooses to record. Aer all, much of -though many centuries old ~ has the allure ofthe ‘neve. This is mse that ward again ater a sleep of hundreds of years, And in the Orchestral category, a much broader representation of orchestras and ensembles ison display, though there ssi hat ital element ofthe “health check’ that allows ws to evaluate the musical chemistry bet and its music man orchestra ection (this year we ean puta finger on the pulse ‘of the relationship between the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons, the Seattle Symphony and Ludovie Morlot, the [lle and Sir Mark Elder, the Seastskapelle Berlin and Daniel Barenboim and, with litle poigaaney and regret, berween the (Orchestra Morar nd Claudio Abbado). ‘As wrote last year, we seem to be living in an age of great pianists ~ with Igor Levit, Bertrand Chamayou, Stephen Hough Jonathan Plowright and Yewgeny Sudbin fying the flag inthe Instrumental category supplemented in the Concerto extegory by Maria Jodo Pires (a winner last year) and the stupendows Danii “Trifoniov there's lite cause for concern. Inannual medical mode, i’ also worth pointing out how many younger arists are represented in the pages that follow ~ the perspicacity of BBC Raulio 3's New Generation Artists scheme has clearly borne fruit withthe appearance of many of NGA alumni Igor Levit, Maxim Rysanov, Quatuor Ehine, Alina Thragimova, Janine Jansen and Alice Coot all feature. The proces that produced this shordist of 72 recordings (six in cach of 12 categories) drew on all the Editor's Choices (10 from cach of 13 issues) supplemented by any recordings which our reviewers wanted to champion individually. This was voted on by specials juries and this shorlist was ereated. The September ise ‘of Gramophone (which is published on August 15) farther arrows these recordings down to three per eategory, with the 12 category winners revealed online on Augst 22. The Gramophone Classical Music Awards ceremony takes place in London on September 15 and there we will name our special awards inchading Lifetime Achievement, Arist of the Vear, Young Artist ofthe Vear, Label of| the Year and Recording of the Year. Once again we're delighted tobe producing this digital magazine {in association with our friends at Qobuz and mos of the reeordings here contain direct links to Qobuz where you can sample the smusi-mahing, Listening to this vast aray of outstanding recordngs hha been an enormously pleasurable way of spending the summer, nd we hope you too will nd much to enjoy to. Sams Sy 2005 GRAMOPHONE AWARDS SHORTL 2016 ‘Gckona CD covertobuy or stream trom qobuzcom Baroque Instrumental JS Bach ‘Bachin Montecastino” Chorale Preludes Alen Gott in er Hoh sel hy, ‘BWVG75, Aus titer Not schretich 2d, BWVS87, Jesu, meine Freude, BWV753; Vater Unser im Himmelreich, BWVGE, Wenn wie in hochsten Noten sen, BWV66Ba.\Crromatic” Fantasia, BWV9032. Duets, BWV8O2-805. Fantasias and Fugues ~ BWVS37, BWV904 Fantasia super Jesu, meine Freude, BWV713 Fuga sopra Magnificat, BWV733.Fughetta super Wir lauben allan einen Gott, BWV6SI Kyrie dei Stze BWV672-674,Das \ohltemperirte Clavier - Fugue, BNVB46; Prelude, BVE70 Luca Gugleimiorg Vat ® vivariog (69-000) Paved onthe organ of Chiesa San Nicola, ‘lice Casto, aly Presenting Bach's ‘organ musi in fresh pastures is no easy feat bur the programming alchemy here is highly compelling. The firs element isan original 1749 organ in Piedmont, mirroring the instrument that graced the Abbey of Montecassino before it was destroyed in 1944. The matching ‘components are the renowned teacher (of Mozart among others), musicologist and arranger Padre Martini, and performer-collector Friedrich Wilhelm Rust, whose family contributed significantly to the first complete cdition of the composer's work, the Bach-Gesellschaft-Ausgabe. Their documented part in disseminating Bach's ‘musie in Taly in the 1760s inspires the content and topography of this most cultivated of recitals Luca Gugliemi ~ not to be confused with another fine Iealian Bach organist, Lorenzo Ghiclmi ~is the critical element in the jigsaw, and not just because he offers a consistently probing clarity in his articulation and colouring, binding these strikingly diverse musical styles. More crucial is how the narrative of the Martini “exhibition” unfolds with such grace and ardour: fascination ies in hearing sources ‘of non-organ works, suchas the febrile harpsichord Fantasia chromatic reimagined 4 GRAMOPHONE W485 2016 in the delectable bloom of Chiesa di Nicolso as well asthe hauntingly soft- paletted C minor Fantasia, alongside preludes of intimate subtlety and range. Indeed, Gugliemi’s scope is harnessed to the astutely characterised and moderate scale of the musial works, especially projecting the contemplative within the so-called ‘Organ Mass, the Claviribung IL ‘of 1739, There are some exceedingly sweet registration changes, none more so than in the ubiquitous Jen, meine Freude (from the {quartet of works just before), at 3°23" Gugliemi captures the imagination throughout while also celebrating those ‘unheralded cognoscenti in the years immediately after Bach's death, and before Post-Mendelsohn venerating. A finely chiseled and innovative project, warmly recommended. Jonathan Freeman-Atwood JSBach Cananie Variations onVom Himmel hoch dda kom ch her BHV769, Fantasia, BWVS72. Partite diverse soprailchorale'0 Gott, du ‘rommer Gott BWV767 Pastoale, BV59O. Preludes and Fugues BIWVS35;BWV548, ‘Toccata and Fugue. BWV565 Masaaki Suzuki 11S © © es2m1 79 - 0001050) Played onthe SchntgertHinz organ ofthe Martinkerk Groningen, Netherands Of,ll the eurrent ddoyens of modern Bach performance, Masaaki Suzuki knows no limits to his explorations. “This isa dazzling recital (from a musician beter known as a director-harpsichordist) dliscerningly assembled and held aloft by three great pillars: the ubiquitous Toccata and Bygue in D minor, BWVS65; the Pice orgue, BWVS72, with Bach whisking the French 17th century from under its own ‘nose; and, to conclude, the great Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV548 (the Wedge). one’s reflexive defsule a the prospect of an organ recording - even an ‘exquisitely curated Bach one ~ is one of dispassionate or nonchalant resistance, this recording is as likely to turn ears as any made, Along the way, in a deflly balanced presentation of strikingly contrasting ‘essays, Suzuki offers beautifully curned, reflective and buoyant readings of st? _geners concert works. The Pastoral, ‘with is exquisite musette-like opening, whose subsequent C major movement ‘rips along in a manner organises seem universally reluctant to pursue is simply 4 pearl Each of che four movements is ‘sweetly devotional in nature, skilfully preparing the way for the highly distilled and contemplative variations on the chorale ‘O Gort, du frommer Gott. The seasoned reflective qualities of Suzuki, heard to such memorable effect in his complete cantatas series, re reawakened inthe stunn voiced combinations of sounds from. the Schnitger/Hinz in the Martinikerk in Groningen - one of Holland’ finest Baroque organs, restored to its Former elory by Jorgen Ahrend during the 1970s and 80s, ‘Unusual here, also show an ‘emphatically non-organ-playing reviewer cea effortlessly alight on the kinds of ‘malleable Bachian conceits enjoyed habitually in the composer's concertos, keyboard suites and vocal works. Great instrument aside, this is largely down 1 the judicious alchemy of Suzuki's perception of how architecture and local colour can collide to mesmerising effect TThe Fugue from the above-mentioned D minor is case in point: the glistening parallel motion over the pedal at 320", often a bloated gesture, entcingly holds bak to set up the rich-textured gravitas that follows. Inexorable momentum here is born of fervent authority, a vireuosty of combined effects without _gratitous excess, ‘The Canonie Variations on ‘Vom Himmel hoch’, written late in Bach's life asa condition of membership of Lorenz Mituler’s Corresponding Society of the Musical Sciences (hence the work’ proliferation of contrapuntal wizardry), ‘can often leave the listener cold. Pechaps ‘not surprisingly, Stravinsky was beguiled by the possibilty of is intertwining lines in his inventive homage of 1956, with is supea-polyphonic interpolations, Suzuli's performance will persuade you that Bach's unsurpassed technique never obfuscates ramepronecouk the essence ofthe choral; its Christmas provenance is fragrantly atmospheric. The close with its ingeniously ‘compressed ines and the eomposer's ‘outrageous sign-of, iterlly spelling his name (Bis B flat and His B natural), s celebrated in some style by Suzuki TBut i’ the gripping drama and involvement in the large-seale works that remind one of Karl Richter in his most durable o Archiv fo san-playing legacy on m the 1960s (funnily enough, until recently, only available in Japan) Richter's captivating direction and intensity, complete with an almost hypnotic abandon, isa couch more measured in Suzuki's hands but no less effectively communicated, TThe E minor Prelude and Fugue isthe reatest ror de fore here, and arguably Bach's most ambitious single ereation on the organ, Truly syraphonie in grandeur, the work is harnessed impressively by this ‘exceptionally experienced Buchian. Granit-like blocks of intensely chiselled harmonic progressions starting at 2°38" and building to the last at 5°48" are studiously laid down, as if for posterity and yet there's an underlying immediacy and restlessness in Suzuki's rhetoric which leads to thrillingly choppy waters in the Fugue. Only Samui Feinber trrangement on the piano hes ted his piece completely ont of af 0 Sphere but | think ie now has a partner in ander, Mac and emotional isk And ts fn the org, Joan remaratvoe WF Bach Keyboard Concerios-Falckat Falck; Falekas, Sinfonia Falek67. Allegro e fort, Fleka3 lConvito/ Maude Gat Mirae © MiRI62 04 +000) — Bach's eldest son, for whom the weight of his father’s inheritance ‘emotionally and otherwise — contributed to his dispersing the chattels to mitigate his famously precarious professional existence, finds glistening and characterfol advocacy here in Maude Gratton’s brilliantly projected rectal with her ‘one-to-a-part string group, Il Convito. WE Bach often comes with a staple diet of reputational baggage (before one hears 1 note), but this programme challeng on that only the solo keyboard ettes deserve a place in the repertoire From the beginning of the melancholic ‘questing ofthe A minor Harpsichord the not Masai uzukia master of Bach at theharpsicnordandorgan,andon the peau (Concerto to the highly wrought pushmi- pullyu ofthe significant E minor work, a Fiveting concentration of harmonic and textural detail emerges. Ie’ style that sails a course straight between his father's rmotivic tautness and the dissenting gent cof his peers, and it finds is best expression framing works, from his exely and ate periods (1730 and 1770) What Gratton and Il Consito convey so persuasively in their assuaging and elegant performances is that, beyond Wilhelm Friedemann’s capricious figures, mental robustness and vulnerability cohabit as a kind of conceit. This is perfectly ‘exemplified in the knotty Sinfonia, acting 2s one of wo diverting links between the concertos: JSB's muscularity at once yields to the fickle asides of CPE Bach but with Wilhelm Friedemann adding a dose of studied instability Whether i's really ll conceit or part- raphy, the WEB experience is rarely relaxing. The layering of filigree, which doubtless encouraged Carl Zelter Mendelssohn's teacher, to judge his susie as ‘petty and fussy’, i handled with exceptional sangfroid by Gratton and her colleagues, letting the musie speak openly in her engaging and unforced solo playing, withthe dark-hued stings responsive and ‘mainly in tune, Something never quite adds wp in WF Bach. Paradoxically, intelligent recognition of this by performers leads to an idiosyncratic flair whieh is well worth exploring. Most beguiling i the litle Minuet from the Sinfonia: a vignette This sa release that tells unsurprisingly usa ltele bie more about this talented but awkward offspring ofa very great father. Biber Rosary Sonatas Rachel Podger Jonathan Manson sms David Mller ute Marcin Swathewcz Channel Cassie ® © op0/0s0) © cessanasciae + How heartening see new recordings of Biber continuing to come through, even well after the double boost they got from (GRAMOPHONE 2016 5 GRAMOPHONE AWARDS SHORTL the composer’s two anniversaries in 1994 and 2004! Of ll his music, tis surely dhe Mystery (or Rosey) Sonatas ~ 15 sonatas for Violin and continuo, ach representing an episode from the lives of Jesus and Mary corresponding tothe sacred devotional “mysteries” ofthe Rosary, with a solo passacagia to finish ~ dha not only provide the most stimulating listening but also the ‘most fiscinating insight into his way of thinking. Indeed, one could go further and claim chem as one of the most profound and coherent instrumental eyeles ofthe entire Baroque period. Approaches among players differ on a sale from secking out all the deseriptive detail they ean find to relying more onthe subliminal effets of the musi’s symbolic and shetorial gestures and constant cordature (each of the sonata requires a different tuning system forthe violin). All he successful ‘ones, however, draw power from the depth of personal response, which is surely as itshould be, This afterall, s music bya composer for whom the violin was a natural means of expression, a part of his being. ‘Of the new recordings ofthe Rosries, perhaps the most keenly anticipated wil be that by Rachel Podger, ever a glorious example of someone who lives life through her violin. Yet although her booklet-note makes clear that he appreciates how the Violin is made literally to suffer” vhrough the dark retunings associated with Jess's death, she also states that she sees her town role as that of evangelist. This may, suppose, be why her performances (in which she i joined by lutenist David Miller and keyboard player Marcin Swiatkiewie2) ae less directly involving than might have been expected. OF course she can play with race and beauty ~at the opening of "The Canying of the Cross, fr instance, in the smooth Canzona of “The Coronation ofthe Blessed Virgin’ and throughout the Passacaglia (not a new recording, by the way, but taken from her ‘Guardian Angel’ solo dise~ 11/13). There are also ‘many subtleties of articulation and timing, almost as if there are words and pauses Iying behind the notes, though sometimes these develop into lingerings tha stretch the boundaries of continuity. Those used to Podger’s habitual natural exuberance ‘may well find this recording surprisingly inward, even cool undsay Kemp Lawes ‘The Royal Consort Three Consorts tothe Organ Phantasm i lzabeth Kenny <> Emily Ashton oc vi, Danie ye 0:9 Linn © ® *.ckO470 C4 DODIDSO) {6 GRAMOPHONE 48052016, 2016 William Lavwes's 10 Royal Consort sets (or suites) were probably composed for the Caroline court during the 1630s. Unswerving royalist loyalty cost him his life a the Siege of Chester in 165, but not before he had made six-part rearrangements for two violins, bas vols and theorbos. This later version has an eminent discography but Phantasm instead present the first complete recording of the ‘original pieces for four-part viol consort and theorbo, Performer-scholar Laurence Dreyfus begins his }-page booklet essay in bold fashion: ‘One mustn't mince words. ‘To putit frankly, this is one of the greatest collections of ensemble dance music ever composed.’ He argues that Lawes's sets are ‘on a par with Bach's Orchestral Suites and ‘Rameau’s ballet music but criticises that the later expanded versions ‘offer a clear cease of how artists can spoil their work by an excess of fussing’ Phantssm's playing brims with imaginative fantasy and dance-like momentum, although from time to time Lawes's unpredictable liberties with irregular phrase lengths would not have suited actual dancers (eg an Aire and want at the core of Set No 7). Every shift in imitative contrapuntal detail, rhythmical cmphasis and melodic direction serves a conversational discourse between the pait of treble vols (Dreyfus and Emilia Benjamin) and the tenor and bass viols Gonathan Manson, Mikko Perkola and Markku Luolajan-Mikleola)s Eheabeth Kenny’s theorbo continuo realisations area model of tasteful clarity. Concise individual picces often display rare sophistication, such as the seemingly floating Paven that begins No9 and a song-like Galliard in No 2. Avividly accentuated ‘Morris fll: «dance follows hor on the heels of an elegant Zorant (No 6) without any hint of formulaic articulation. Strong doses of Jacobean melancholy are abundan i a few Tonger pieces such asthe Paven in D minor that stares No 2; his is one of several pavans that quotes from Dowsland’s Lacrimae bu the inclusion of an extra short set for four-part viols dating from eater in Lawes's career suggests that Dowland’ influence east subtler shadow later on. A pleasing broadening of textures is injected inco this beguiling survey by the additional tenor violist Emily Ashton and organise Daniel Hyde in some denser six-part sets that could not be squeezed on to Phantasm’s 2012 recording of Laves's Gonsots 1 the Orgen (2/13) Davia Vekors See nein art eri ith i Pri e119) (CHAN) CHANDS¥4 Vivaldi ‘The Four Seasons, Op 8 Nos F4* Concertos for Violin in tromba marina? -RV22: RVI Bassoon Concerts" - RVA96, RVOI eter Whelan 2 LaSerenssima/ Adrian Chandler in Avie © AV2348 74 DDD) To celebrate its 21st birthday, one of the world’s leading ‘exponents of the music of Vivaldi and his contemporaries has finally recorded a work that has rarely been ‘out ofits repertoire since this fine period nstrument band's inception. In doing so, La Serenissima, whose previous recordings have likewise rarely been out of the Gramophone Awards shorlsts, gives 1s a Four Seasons for all seasons. ‘The group's founder and violinist) director Adrian Chandlers not only steeped in the musical language of Baroque Italy, both vocal and instrumental he i alo fully conversant with is humanist wellsprings. Vivaldi’ sonnets and consequent programmatic signposting throughout the score are thus filtered through a more ‘nuanced rhetorieal vision chat is more stage than page. The result is an intensely Aramatie account that will add new spice wo ‘what has for many listeners perhaps come t0 resemble a dreary domestic relationship, “Take, for example, the spacious birdsong, surging waters and thumping rustie dances ‘of ‘Spring’ the languid hest and raging storms finding echoes in the cuckoo's urgent call andthe goldfinchs stratospheric sweetness in “Simmer the drunkar’s erratic progress mirrored in the hunters’ cbullience and the hunted’s tragic fight in “Aucumn’ and the elements’ implacable indifference in “Winter. All and this also goes for two superb bassoon concertos featuring the outstanding Peter Whelan and the two concertos for the three-stringed violin ‘in tromba marina’ — are realised in vivid colours through the agency not of gimmicky extremes of tempo and overly percussive elects but through an incellgent, imaginative approach to bowing, articulation and omamentation across the ‘board that both hinds and differentiates, Despite having not yet recorded The Four Seasons, Rachel Podger is for my money the ‘only Vivaldian who can challenge Chandler atthe moment. Then again, they say ‘geniuses often appear in pars, Wim Yeoman ramepronecouk FEI ct cnacoaovrtohiyrsvemtomeotcom Baroque Vocal GRAMOPHONE AWARDS SHORTLIST 2016 JS Bach {3S Bach Cantata No 63, Christen, stat diesen “ag Magnificat, BWV243a, Organ Preludes - Fuga sopra Magnificat, BWV733: Got, durch deine Gate, BV60O: Puernatusin Bethelehem, 'BW/V603; Vor Himmel hoch, BOS. Gabriel Hoi Christus natusest Ja Doyle, Joanne Lunn 0s Clare Wilkinson 2 [Nicholas Mulroy =» Matthew Brook s:527 Dunedin Consort/John But Linn @ 2. CkO469.08'+ 000-1) We have gor used to the idea now that, ‘coming from the Dunedin Consort, core works will not be quite as they first appear. The Bach Magnificat here isnot the Piece in its familiar D major version bue its original manifestation, east in E flat and ‘with some slight textual differences, while further potential surprises are that the disc stats with a Gabrieli moet and that the Magnificat doesn’t appear unl track 13, ‘The reason, of course, i that this is another of director John Butts liturgical reconstructions, this time of Vespers in Leipzig’s Nikolsikirche on Christmas Day: 1723, Bach’ firstin the job of Kantor. The Magnificat thus gains four delightful litle (Christmas interpolative movements and sits within a longer programme of ‘congregational chorales and organ preludes (hared between Butt and Stephen Farr on the marvellous organ of Greyfriars Kick), ‘the Gabrieli and the Iyrieal, lithe, trumpet bright Cantata No 63, A fll reconstruction ‘would have been too long for the CD, so some extra preludes and a clutch of chant= prayers are downloadable free from the Linn website where you ean also read But’ scholatly booklet-notes. As usual the forces are small-seale, save for «wo lust y (adorned with enjoyably headstrong organ improvisations). The Magnificat itself is ‘exciting, fresh and faultlessly paced: the crystal stream ofthe firs chorus, the ‘Ee ‘exultavie’ taking just enough time to allow Joanne Lunn to shape her phrases, the ‘compelling build in Feit potentiam’ to 4 impani-powered conclusion ~ so many interpretative decisions here seem the right ‘ones. The sound (helped perhaps by the ramephonecouk low pitch of A=392Hz) i a treat for the ea the vocal soloists are lucid and distinctive, so that altogether this vital performance isnot just a genuinely fascinating new slant on a familiar masterpiece ~as the Dunedins’ St John Pasion was (3/13) ~ but 2 joyous re-encounter with an old fiend, As for those good churchpeople of Leipzig hearing it for the first time, how ‘they must have marvelled at the man they had hired! Undsay Kemp JS Bach. ‘Mass in 8 minor BWV232 Hannah Morison:oo Esther Brazier Meg Braple, Kate Symonds Joy cr Peter Davoren, Nick Pritchard 27: Alex Ashworth, David Shipley basses Monteverd Chir English Baroque Soloists {Sit Soha Cot Gardiner Sol'Deo Gloria ® 2 S0G722 106" DOD- TH) "The degree to whieh conductors are more or less synonymous with particular works isa largely subjective matter, though few would argue that the Mass in B minor capeures with special pertinence the flavour of John Eliot Gardiner’s distinesive contribution to music-making over 50 years ‘of professional life. While he has only recorded the work once before, in 1985, performances ofthe work have peppered his career in all four comers ofthe globe. That recording was something of 2 yardstick aa time when the pioneering ‘compact dise coincided with the second birth of the ‘early musie movement” in tsunami mode: Gardiner let rp, in short, witha towering performance of blazing choruses and oratorian solos, firmly planting his fet in the DG space that Karl Richter had vacated with his early death four years earlier. If that performance now seems ‘uncontaned ina besting vigour of varying durability, the intervening 30 years have transformed Gardiner’s B minor with his consistently impressive Monteverdi Choir and English Barogue Soloists from something less culturally reactive and adrenalin-driven towards a more contained, pictorial and inhabited ideal, though no less ‘energised, IFthere was anything Gardiner learnt from the monumental traversal of the cantatas during that great millennium year, it was to take longer-breathed interpretative positions with Bach and to know when to let the singers, especially, and the musie do the work, From the outset here, Gandiner’s ‘meticulous grasp ofthe detail and architecture in tandem is almost teriyingly auspicious. The Kyrie has never fele more naturally contrasting in both that respect and inthe etched placement (ome might find it 2 touch to articulated) of the ful entries; melos'~an unbroken evolution of line = which becomes especially evident from the ‘autly conceived Et in unum’ and the most luscious ‘Et incamatus’ each underpinned by skilful dynamie contouring Indeed, the idea of the Mass as Bach’s ‘summa’ anthology (a work that may never even have been conceived as a single piece) has often inhibited that elusive golden “are™ where the culminating ‘Dona nobis feels ‘maignetised to all before it. How can it be ‘uncovered without pressing too hard on the tempi or under-curating those reflections of discrete stillness? If Briiggen’s first reading with its purity of abstraction comes close in its controversially instrument= heayy recording and, more recently, Jonathan Cohen's elegant and generous ‘sccount asks further questions ~ albeit in the difficult acoustic of Tetbury Church ~ wwe have a further vision here with Gardiner’s extraordinary, single-minded, ‘quasi-mathematicl proof. Ie stars with peerless choral singing, the trumpet-led movements bolted into an vunerring taetus and purring through the gas; the Ft exspecto’ with its luminous lead-in is quite miraculous, as isthe shining portal of the Sanctus Such is Gardiner's “ramati placement tha the predominance ‘of D major never palls. Less consistent are the solo movements. Gardiner’s policy of showeasing young vocal talent inevitably leads to oceasional gaucheness and some hints of redness, but the price is small: there is much tha is winning, and the *Laudamus te’ (Hannah Morrison) is one of several examples of fresh tenderness ‘Out ofthis youthful paradigm emerges an especially corporate endeavour, one that challenges pre-conceived ideas on voeal and instrumental ‘role-play’, and celebrates Bach's endlessly sophisticated relationship GRAMOPHONE WARDS 2016 7 GRAMOPHON' Pritpe Jarusshy atthe recording sessions for Warners new Patenope:te French countertenoris more lover than fighter as Arsace beewes players and singers: perspectives ‘where our modern ears are forced to re-evaluate expectations within our conventional understanding. This is borne out in many ways, none more than the dialogues of the “Quoniam’, where the bass, horn and bassoon: fulfil many purposes in a changing cans. ‘Ganliner’s admiration for this work is palpable in every bat, pchaps over-curated for some; and ifs the softcr-hues of Cohen nay be rere Ban the sip of captured in the strikingly immediate recorded sound of LSO Se Luke's this High Mass joins distinguished discography at high able. nathan Freeman Attwood JS Bach Mass in 8 minor BWV232 MariaKeohane, Joanne Lunn Else Torp, Hanna Kappetin:oo: Alex Potter, Valdemar Vlladsen tins Jan Kobow, Cs Watson 25 Peter Harvey, Jkob Bloch Jspersen ses Concerto Copenhagen / Lars UrikMortensen = “Therearea plethora ay of period-inserament recoding othe B minor sig and soll fom The King’s Comores 73 payers tnd singers Uperon to Cans Cols 39 mnians amon Man) es ae to debe whether teresa meaning pecking oder of eordings ofthe pee et Alone Single benchmark enon, Cameco {8 GRAMOPHONE. 2016 Copenhagen and Lars Ulik Mortensen addope the minimalist one-voice-per-part approach to the choir, as advocated by the research of Joshua Rifkin and Andrew Parrott: 10 expert voices have been chosen shrewdly, with five‘eoneertino’ singers (che soloists) reinforced in choruses by an additional five ‘pie’ voices. Polemical debates about performance practice will eontinue to rage on and will probably never be settled satisfactorily but in the meantime open-minded Bachians might be content to simply evaluate each performance according to how successfil itis in reaching a clear set of astheti aims. To my mind, Mortensen’s special performance, which is fall tothe brim with insightful ‘musicianship and has a refreshing avoidance of contrived formulas comfortably joins Parrott (EMT, Junghiine! and John Butt (Linn) as the finest examples ofthis kind of perspective on performing Bach's monumental sacred masterpiece. The opening strains ofthe Kyrie are phrased compassionately, and the unfurling fague hasan impeccable balance and shapeliness, with an equal democratic balance between the instrumentalists and singers achieving results that are both coherent and eloquent. Mortensen nurtures a natural flowing momentum throughout proceedings; the trumpets fboes and drums in flamboyant D major choruses achieve conversational transparency, with a convivial dialogue between the choir and orchestra preferred to the kind of bold punchiness one often encounters in grander conceptions, It is gratifying to hear “Cum Sancto Spittu' ina courtly manner instead of seeming ike a byperventlating bull charging ata gate (there is definitely a place for the thrills and spills of a more impatient method, but not inthis performance). The double-whammy of Et incarnatus est and "Crucifisus’ receive rapcurous performances during whieh the instrumentalists obviously listen and respond attentively tothe five ‘coneertino singers. The tenor cantus firmus in ‘Confteor’is projeeted too weakly, although the immaculately balanced polyphony’ proceeded to take my breath away atthe transition into ‘et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum" Maria Keohane and Joanne Lunn combine to beguiling effec in an ‘understated "Christe eleison’, and the latter sings ‘Laudamus te! radiantly in partnership with Fredrik From's sophisticated violin obbligat playing, The ‘musical conversation between oboist Antonie Toruneeyk and countertenor Alex Potter in ‘Qui sedes'ebbs and flows sweetly. Peter Harvey's ‘Quoniamn’ has dighified gravitas (and tasteful horn- playing by Ursula Paludan Monberg), and Jan Kobow sings poignancly in partnership ‘with foutise Katy Bircher in the Benedict Moreover, each concertist astutely shades their leading of each strand within he individual contrapuntal choruses. components are routinely marvellous, but Concerto Copenhagen produce something ‘much more than the sum of ts parts: one fof the most profoundly captivating interpretations to have emerged recently ramepronecouk Handel Partenope Karina GaN 9 om Philp Jroussky a= ‘Teresalervtino make Baath. John Mark Ansley fo Luca TH nPomo ero / Ricardo Minas Erata © 2564 609007 (3925 +000 S/T) (Senesino} put me in a sweatin telling me that Parthenope was likely to be brought ‘on the stage, fr iis the very worst book (excepting ome) that I ever read in my whole life.’ (Owen Swiney) All the reasons why Partenope was originally rejected by London’s Royal Academy of Musie in 1726 ~ frivolity lack of extended arias and t00 much recitative - are those which make itso natural aft fora contemporary audience, FJ Dent deseribes the libretto as ‘Shakespearean’, putting hs finger on ‘the unusual balance of dramatie modes, Stampigli and Handel achieve in a story that ends in a double wedding but could just as easily end in tragedy, Shorter arias distil all Handel's maeure melodic instnets {nto more emotionally concentrated ‘expressions, while longer rcitatives alow for quicker, witier interplay and more detailed character development. ‘Which makes iall the more baffling that thisis only the third commercial recording of the opera, joining Sigiswald Kuijken (1979) and Christian Curnyn 2004), as ‘well asthe DVD production directed by Francisco Negrin (2008), While all three Ihave their interest, and Curnyn’s treatment thas been a valuable benchmark since its release, Ricardo Minas’ triumphant now recording isso sensitive tothe work's shifting tone~ by curns buoyant and light- footed, ender, humorous (ust listen to the mock-marial relish ofthe horns in Rosmirs's Act I closer ‘To seguo sol fiero’) = and so impeocably eas sto ring this ‘unusual work's virtues int sharp new focus At the centre of Handel’s love-tangle is Queen Partenope, who must choose Detween her many suitors: Emilio, the pugnacious Prince of neighbouring Cuma, smooth-taking Arsice, who has abandoned his beloved Rosmira to pursue the queen, and the shyly sincere Armindo, [An onstage battle adds politcal scope and instrumental colour to an essentially domestic narrative, generating a thriling sequence of orchestral and vocal episodes, ramephonecouk GRAMOPHONE AWARDS SHORTLIST 2016 ‘The introductory Marche captures the difference between Curnyn and Minas. Precise, measured and texturally clean, rnyn’s batle would do any British general proud, but Minas's isthe florid, boisterous confict of opera, bright with jangling percussion additions and the sword-clater commentary of Federica Bianchi and Davide Pozsi’s harpsichords. You can smell the blood and the braggadocio, Ts there a better Handelian soprano than Karina Gauvin currently working Her Partenope does nothing to dull the sheen on the Canadian’s crown, The {queen must remain a cipher to the end, never showring her hand. Gauvin twitches her lovers strings just tightly enough to set them dancing. We hear the relish in her extraordinary ‘Spera o goul in which she simultaneously praises Armindo and punishes Arsace (Minasi’s orchestra her willing co-conspirator), and the easval brilliance of her top C in her opening aria ‘L'amor edil destin’ is deployed with calculated ease, Yee there'sa shy warmth, to her ‘Si, scherza, si” that says that the seductress has finally become a woman worthy ofthe faithful Armindo, In contrast to Lawrence Z vocal muscularity (Chandos) and René Jacobs's forceful delivery (Sony), Philippe Jaroussky’s Arsace is all sofeness - more ‘lover than a fighter, and the more persuasive for it. He eroons his promises to the forsaken Rosmira with such sincerity (Chrio parta®) that nether she nor we ean refuse him, Jaroussky’s Dright, light instrument eapcures both the character's peevsh vanity (‘Sento amor’) and his fragile charm (Ma quai note) Casting a soprano as Armindo rather than a countertenor (as both Curnyn and Kuijken do) gives the role an innocence thae articulates « poignant conerast withthe deceitfil Arsace. Eméke Banith makes an exquisite, persuasive suitor. The “Hungarian singer grows from tentative delicacy in Act Ito ringing oy in Act 3 =a constant of sincerity in this group of disemblers, Mezzo Teresa Iervolino makes much of Rosmira's low-lying musi, retaining vocal colour even in the depths (of Furie son dell'alma mia’, and together swith bass Luea Tittoto (wonderfully characterful and agile in the supporting role of Ormonte, chief of guards) brings an anchoring depth to a work dominated by so many upper voiees. ‘Minas follows previous recordings in using Handel's original 1730 score as the basis for his performing edition, but also steals judiciously from later revivals — notably an extra aria for Armindo CC se 1 vedo’) and an attractive trumpet sinfonia. The result, burnished withthe ‘conductor's swift speeds and careful pacing, isa recording that needs no visuals to bring. its story t life, an opera lively with human insight and understanding - to comedy what Giulio Cestre isto tragedy ‘Minasi has made a masterpiece, catching the passing glances and sideways smiles ‘of Handel's score, and transforming them into something of real dramatic substance Minas's ack-catalogue is exceptional but this is his finest work yet. Atrandra Coghlan Copa esis Kags 279% 291%) (SONI) 4497529972 Monteverdi Madrigal. Vol1~Cremonal Madrigal: Book 1~CtYamita vita mi: Bact soavie cari: La vagapastorlla:Pol che del ‘mio dolore: Questa orillacco: Fumi la pastorlla: Ard sima non ‘amo. Book 2~ CCantalun tempo: Non ilevavancor faba ‘novella: Sandasse Amor a cacci: Se tu mi lass perfida. tue danno; Ecco mormorar onde. Book 3-0 primavera, gioventi de anno; Sovratenereherbette, e bianchi for ‘tio non tami cor mo: Vatene pur, crude! Les Arts Florissant / Paul Agnew Les Arts Florian Ettons © AFOOS (60"= DOD, Recorde ive at he ‘Ce det Musique, Paris, 201112 From the outset, the young Monteverdi new how to clothe lovers’ tormentin musi so beguiling asto induce the suspension of disbelief {Gn even most eynical listener) a the artificiality ofhis madrigal texts. With the ‘opening phrase of Poi che del mio dolore’, published when the composer was sil in his teens, the protagonist's pain and Love's delight in causing it are evoked inthe same ‘moment, Whether or noe it was planned that way, Paul Agnew and his singers impart to this passage a hesitancy, a poignant fray that adds a further emotional layer to the ‘construction. Ifa keen sense of the interpretative moment is the hallmark of ‘ensemble performance atts best, then this new Monteverdi instalment from Les Arts Florissants deserves to be held up as such, Chronologically, this second dise ofa setof three is out of sequence: toffers selection from Monteverdi's Sst three madrgal books, issued between 1587 and 1592 (subsequent books would be more spaced out). The madrigals from this Cremonese period are not as well known as those ofthe subsequent Mantuan petiod in the previously issued Vol 2 —hence [GRAMOPHONE 4,05 2016 9 perhaps the label's decision eo issue the atter first. I reviewed that volume very enthusiastically in January, praising its cohesion and spontaneity, the sense of rs ‘aking without a safety net. One might say the same of this one: in several places, particularly in Book 1, the music i taken by the seruff ofthe neck, the beat accelerating to the point where one anticipates things coming unstuck (ty the thousand burning ames" of ‘Questa ordi lacio’ of the lover's demented words in ‘Asie ali mi vogli potato ‘Ardo si ma non vYamo), Agnew’ selection from the next ro books is as astute as before, and ineludes the “mini-cyel’ that concludes Book 3.1 particularly enjoyed the breathless depiction fof the huntin ‘Sandasse Amor & eacea? and sstngly leisurely progress of “Eeeo ‘mormorar Ponde Monteverdi completists will note the lack ‘of competing accounts of Books 1 and 3 from Concerto Italiano, while Book 2 boasts ‘comparably fine readings by both them and La Venexiana. Either way, this‘pocket cyl’ from Las Ants Flrissans deserves a space on the shelf next to them, That these ae ive performances, and ina relatively dry though not unflattering acoustic, contributes to the sense of spontaneity It also accounts forthe fda seutter, which repeated listening, = however, doesn't aggravate, As with the previous volume, packaging, presentation says ae respectively nd illuminating. One is tom between regret that there isto be only ‘one further volume, and anticipation at what and accompany handsome, cla 10 GRAMOPHONE 2016 ‘Le Concert Royal de la Nuit after Balt Royal de la Nui wth music by Jean ddeCambefort Antoine Botsset Louis Constantin, Michel Lambert. Francesco Cava Lig Ross and Anonymous Ensemble Correspondances/ Sébastien Dauce Harmonia Mundi © HMCOS 22234 (53-00-71) ‘On the evening of February 23, 1653, the Ballet Roya de la Nuit was performed at the Louvre forthe 15-year-old Louis XIV, who had recently stabilised his unsteady position on the throne after the Fronde civil wars. The lavish entertainment was organised by the poot Isaac de Bensérade into four pars Aeseribed as veilles watches), each representing a period of the night; it calminaced in a grand ballet during which the young king himself danced as Apollo Ge the Sun King) banishing the spectre of gloomy night as dawn arrived ~a politcal allegory for the crushing of the rebellion which nobody could have misunderstood. Sébastien Daueé has designed a selective exposition of the musieal dimension of the aceted Ballet de la Nut. Vocal by Jean de Cambefort includes a spellbinding solo for Nighe that begins the first will (he alo soloist Lacile Richardot consort of viols) and a hushed dialogue for Sleep and Silence that commences the fourth sville is accompanied sensuously by (ung delicately by bass Frienne Bazola and soprano Caroline Bardot) Ensemble Correspondanees play about two-thirds of the original 1653 dances, reconstructed expertly by Daueé from a manuscript first violin part copied nesrly 4 years after the production. Its likely some instrumental musie was writen by members ofthe illystrious Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi, Ithough one wonders if any anonymous hits might be the handiwork of the 20-year-old Lully (who danced five roles in the Baller dela Nuit). His future father-in- law Michel Lambert is the composer of a dialogue sung sweetly by three uncredited Graces, Daucé invokes the privilege of creative licence withthe interp extracts fom operas by Iealans ivi Paris by Cardinal Mazarin during the early years ofthe Sun King’s reign. The bulk of the third zeille is compiled from Cavalli's Ercole amante (1662) and the fourth vil Erato © 2564 648761 (72 - DDD) ramephonecouk GRAMOPHONE AWARDS SHORTLIST 2016 SOHLEEAT on MMe 1. osinscisihe peak of Schubert’ \n thamber ouput and high on any ensembles wishlist. The essential recordings range from the Amadeus Quarte ith Willi Pleeth or Robert Cohen ~ DG) othe Gramophone Chaser Award-winning Pavel Haas Quartet (with Danjulo shizaka Supeyphon, 10/13), with any number in hetween, So new recordings are going to have to be something spel. Ths ont Fora stare the Ehene Quartet quite clearly think deeply shout every note, evry texture every gesture ~as they have demonstrated in the pas, no est in their Faure/Debssy/Ravel Grimopbone Recording ofthe Yea (12/08). And they For nothing but the best in hit of guest clin: Gautier Capuson, ‘who you couldnt usualy imagine paying second elloto anyone. The lower instruments ae the engine room ofthe (Quintet and his performance demonstrates that as finely as an. For all dhe purity and ‘wonder of Pierre Colombe’ fis ilin i's the combination of Capugon and Raphael Merlin onthe bottom line that tly drives the music along. “The detailing, to, i remarkable, whether it be the way the cello duct ofthe First movement’ second subjects nuanced and inflected, pulling just enough a the pulse to give it individuality and shape, the way they don’t overpay the slow ‘movement’ central convulsion but til ‘manage to make the return ofthe opening console even ait breaks the hears or the futhentie Viennese lil ofthe finale an Apfbirudel favoured, a only French Players can, with a generous dash of ere pitsire, And sil this a performance that makes you come back for seconds The standard coupling forthe Quinte is usualy the Quartets, Here, however, the bine offer something unique: set of arrangements of five generally sad songs for which they are joined by Lauréne Durantl on double bas and the dark burtone of Matthias Gaerne, making 3 rather special appenlx this series of Piano-accompanied Schubert Lieder for Harmonia Mundi Tippett Sting cunt“ NoF Wo SNR Nod NES! Meath urtet moe at Lie ® & WHLED000 C28 000) ected oe, “Dceber 3.208 Snuty ‘Mich 6 nas 24 Les forcefully chan The Lindsay, yet with ‘more momentum than the Tippett Quartet ‘on Naxos, the Heath Quartets Tippett ‘exemplifies hw ideas of Beethoven's ‘quartets in performance, and string quartet- playing more widely, have evolved over the las four decades. Yes, Beethoven, not only Tippett for these works and these performances are unimaginable without lived understanding of the medium as

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