What are you listening to now?

[Megan]

Megan,
have you listened to more of this week's composer of the week programmes, dedicated to Skalkottas?

The last three years of Skalkottas' life were played out against the background of Greece's descent into the brutal chaos of civil war. Despite the conflicts and the disintegration going on around him, things were going quite well for Skalkottas - he got married, and now concentrating on tonal music, he at last began to hear his pieces performed in Athens. But his ill-starred life ended, two days before the birth of his second son, just as he had begun to find happiness and recognition. Given the way he had been marginalised since his return to Greece, there were several overly sentimental tributes to him by members of the establishment after his death. Donald Macleod explores the final tragic chapter of Skalkottas' life.

.





Unfortunately I was late in listening to this programme today and just caught the last two pieces actually and found it very intersting.
I will use the listen again function sometime today perhaps.

Did you hear all the pieces Roehre?

Skalkottas is a new composer for me and found that his music stimulated my interest.
It's odd how sometimes I will sometimes switch off if I don't like a particular piece of music, but today I stayed with it and found that even though I wasn't quite sure when I first started to listen, then my interest kicked in.
I like Donald Macleod's very intelligent engagement with the listener.

[Sorrano]

This morning:

Rozsa: Hungarian Peasant Song and Dance, Op. 5, 3rd Movement

Liszt: Hungarian Fanstasia (1852)

[Chris]

A new release in Wolfgang Helbich's Aporyphal Bach series on CPO!

Missa in G major, BWV Anh. 167
Magnificat in C major, BWV Anh. 30
Missa in A minor, BWV Anh. 24
Sanctus in G major, BWV 240
Sanctus in D minor, BWV 239
Sanctus in C major, BWV 237
Cantata, BWV 150

As with the previous releases, these pieces are wonderfully performed and wonderful works in themselves. I thought Helbich was done with this series, but then I saw this pop up on Amazon. I hope he continues!

[Roehre]

A new release in Wolfgang Helbich's Aporyphal Bach series on CPO!

Missa in G major, BWV Anh. 167
Magnificat in C major, BWV Anh. 30
Missa in A minor, BWV Anh. 24
Sanctus in G major, BWV 240
Sanctus in D minor, BWV 239
Sanctus in C major, BWV 237
Cantata, BWV 150

As with the previous releases, these pieces are wonderfully performed and wonderful works in themselves. I thought Helbich was done with this series, but then I saw this pop up on Amazon. I hope he continues!

I do as well, but it is a pity that he has recorded the Sanctus mvts BWV 237,239 and 240 and cantata 150, as these are readily available elsewhere (and already twice in my own collection). But the other pieces still make this CD worthwile IMO.

[Chris]

I do as well, but it is a pity that he has recorded the Sanctus mvts BWV 237,239 and 240 and cantata 150, as these are readily available elsewhere (and already twice in my own collection). But the other pieces still make this CD worthwile IMO.

Really? I agree about BWV 150, but the only places I found BWV 237, 239, and 240 were on various complete Bach editions, usually in volumes that are now out of print. I think Rilling's recordings are still readily available, but he uses modern instruments, and I appreciated these period instrument recordings very much.

The oddest omission to me is the Motet BWV Anh. 161. The Apocryphal Motets disc even specified BWV Anh. 159-165 right on the front cover, but for some reason 161 was not on there. I don't remember if that was explained in the liner notes, but I was hoping it would pop up later.

[Megan]

This programme is on air now:

Listen Live on BBC Radio 3 (Started at 19:30)


Synopsis

Nicola Benedetti plays Vivaldi's Four Seasons with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, live from the Glasgow City Halls. Presented by Donald Macleod.

Although Vivaldi's 500 instrumental concertos include some 37 for bassoon, four for the mandolin and at least one for the 'flautino' or flageolet (a member of the flute family, similar to a recorder), nearly half of the total are for solo violin. Tonight, Nicola Benedetti plays some of the most celebrated.
Rameau's comic opera Les Paladins includes elements of farce and knockabout comedy, and was based on a fable by La Fontaine, blending reality with the surreal as a young knight, Atis, struggles to free a young Italian girl, Argie, from captivity and win her hand.

Gluck: Overture, Ballet and Chaconne from Orfeo ed Eurydice

Vivaldi: Concerto in D 'Il Grosso Mogul' RV 208

Nicola Benedetti, violin
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Christian Curnyn, director.
.

Presented by my favourite Donald Macleod

And at 20:30, we continue with...


Rameau: Suite from Les Paladins
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

Nicola Benedetti, violin
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Christian Curnyn, director.

[Chris]

Volume 4 from the Inedita Beethoven Rarities series:

Unfinished Piano Concerto in D Major, Hess 15
Gratulationsmenuett, WoO 3
Modlinger Tanze WoO 17
Musik zu Einem Ritterballett, WoO 1

Speaking of pieces that shouldn't have been included on CDs devoted to rarities, WoO 1, 3, and 17 had been recorded before and were easily obtainable, and it's too bad this space couldn't have been used for something else. It is nice to have Hess 15, though.

[Roehre]

Volume 4 from the Inedita Beethoven Rarities series:

Unfinished Piano Concerto in D Major, Hess 15
Gratulationsmenuett, WoO 3
Modlinger Tanze WoO 17
Musik zu Einem Ritterballett, WoO 1

Speaking of pieces that shouldn't have been included on CDs devoted to rarities, WoO 1, 3, and 17 had been recorded before and were easily obtainable, and it's too bad this space couldn't have been used for something else. It is nice to have Hess 15, though.

I bought that CD for it too. Acceptable performances, but without this concerto-movement this CD wouldn't make much change to be regularly sold. As you rightly say: There are brilliant performances available of the other works recorde.

[Roehre]

Really? I agree about BWV 150, but the only places I found BWV 237, 239, and 240 were on various complete Bach editions, usually in volumes that are now out of print. I think Rilling's recordings are still readily available, but he uses modern instruments, and I appreciated these period instrument recordings very much.

The oddest omission to me is the Motet BWV Anh. 161. The Apocryphal Motets disc even specified BWV Anh. 159-165 right on the front cover, but for some reason 161 was not on there. I don't remember if that was explained in the liner notes, but I was hoping it would pop up later.

BWV 237-240 were recorded for the great Teldec edition Bach 2000 (i.a. including all the Harmoncourt/Leonhardt cantatas) and were available separately as well, but -indeed- not on period instruments (Lausanne/Corboz).
The same applies for Rilling and the Brilliant versions (which are/were availlabe separately too, btw)

That omission of Anh.161 is weird indeed. But I keep hope it will appear one day. The list of attributed or apochrypal (vocal) works of Bach is not yet exhausted

[Roehre]

Today:

Ketting:
Time Machine (1972)

Casella:
La donna serpent: suites I and II op. 50 (1928-31)

Birtwistle:
The Triumph of Time (1972)

[Chris]

Another Inedita Beethoven Rarities disc, Volume 3.

Macbeth, Overture, Biamonti 454 (Reconstructed from the original sketches by Albert Willem Holsbergen)
Rondo in B Flat Major, WoO 6
Piano Concerto in G Major, Op. 61a (After the Violin Concerto)

Again, the Rondo and Piano Concerto aren't that rare, so it's one piece that makes this disc interesting - the Macbeth Overture. Obviously this is not a real Beethoven composition, but I do rather like this realization, much more than Barry Cooper's realization of the 10th Symphony, actually.

[Roehre]

Another Inedita Beethoven Rarities disc, Volume 3.

Macbeth, Overture, Biamonti 454 (Reconstructed from the original sketches by Albert Willem Holsbergen)
Rondo in B Flat Major, WoO 6
Piano Concerto in G Major, Op. 61a (After the Violin Concerto)

Again, the Rondo and Piano Concerto aren't that rare, so it's one piece that makes this disc interesting - the Macbeth Overture. Obviously this is not a real Beethoven composition, but I do rather like this realization, much more than Barry Cooper's realization of the 10th Symphony, actually.

Chris, please note that WoO 6 here is performed in the Tigani edition, straightforwardly based on Beethoven's score and therefore much nearer to B's intentions than the published version we normally hear performed: it lacks the beefed up passages added by Czerny (piano part) and Ries (orchestration).

[Chris]

Chris, please note that WoO 6 here is performed in the Tigani edition, straightforwardly based on Beethoven's score and therefore much nearer to B's intentions than the published version we normally hear performed: it lacks the beefed up passages added by Czerny (piano part) and Ries (orchestration).

True. I noticed Inedita also has a premier of the "critical edition" of the WoO 4 concerto on one of their discs. Are there any major differences there?

[Roehre]

True. I noticed Inedita also has a premier of the "critical edition" of the WoO 4 concerto on one of their discs. Are there any major differences there?

That's a tricky one, as there doesn't exist a full autograph score, only a kind of piano-part based piano reduction with indications of the instrumentation.
The most used one is the 1943 completed version by Willy Hess, which IMO gives a reliable "picture" of the intentions as hinted at in that reduction.

Recently (two, three years ago I guess) I heard an American completion which IMO was OTT as using the Mannheim orchestra as point of departure for the orchestration.
The Mannheim orchestra was in the 1780s one of the best orchestras in the world, but also significantly bigger in terms of available instruments than the Bonn orchestra Beethoven was playing in (and -in 1790- composing for: WoO 1, 5 and WoO 89&90), Though certainly sounding beethovenian the use of clarinets e.g. cannot have been in Beethoven's mind in 1784 (and: Mozart hadn't used clarinets in his piano concertos at that time either, but Beethoven at that time cannot have heard any of these -with or without clarinets).Unfortunately I haven't made a not of the editor of that score .
[btw, I think this editor had a very rare copy of Hellmesberger's 1888 completion of the Concerto fragment WoO 5 at his disposal, as -like Hellmesberger- he also added trumpets and timpani]

Ronald Brautigam argues that even Hess' orchestration is richer than Beethoven may have written for. His performing edition (released last year on BIS) is completely based on the instruments which with certainty were present in the Bonn court orchestra according to the pay list of that year.
It means i.a. only 1 bassoon playing colla parte and only 1 horn part (Hess uses two).

Listening carefully to the recording of the "critical edition" hinted at on Inedita made me doubting that the editor has done more than changing a little phrase here and there. AFAIK the instrumentation is identical with Hess' version.


PS: the first (piano-)concerto in which Mozart used clarinets is KV482 from 16 december 1785 [B's 15th birtday, btw].

[Roehre]

Today:

Bingham:
Shakespeare Requiem for soprano, bass, chorus and orchestra (2008)

CD: The Service of Venus and Mars
Music for the Knights of the Garter 1340-1440

McCabe:
String Quartet no.5 (1989)