Tuesday, December 21, 1999
Add a local touch to collection with these classical music CDs
BY JANELLE GELFAND
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Here are more new CDs with Cincinnati connections.
• Dvorak: Stabat Mater. Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Christine Goerke, soprano; Marietta Simpson, mezzo; Stanford Olsen, tenor and Nathan Berg, bass-baritone. This is the last recording made by choral icon Robert Shaw, who conducted the Cincinnati May Festival 13 times. Mr. Shaw died in January.
In the liner notes, Telarc producer Robert Woods has written a moving remembrance of that last recording, which he called “one of the most remarkable experiences in our long collaboration.”
The Stabat Mater is a Latin poem describing the Virgin Mary at the foot of the Cross. Dvorak's emotional setting is an unjustly obscure work; it was unknown to Mr. Shaw when he began contemplating a recording.
He gives the expansive, sombre setting a moving performance, and we feel the dignity of the work. In true Shaw style, it is both reflective and intense, and the choral singing is splendid. In addition, he assembled some of his favorite soloists — including University of Cincinnati College-
Conservatory of Music grad Stanford Olsen. CD: $16.99; Telarc.
• Palm Court Christmas. This album by Miami University faculty members features traditional carols in contemporary — and often schmaltzy — arrangements.
Pianist Ron Matson turns “Jingle Bells” into a Scott Joplin rag, and other tunes have the character of cocktail music.
He is joined by clarinetist Michele Gingras, violinist Eric Pritchard, violist Mary Harris, cellist Steven Shumway, and William Albin on drums. CD: $10; available via e-mail at gingram@muohio.edu.
• Miami University lists 15 recordings on its Web site (fna.muohio.edu/musweb/index.htmlx), including Ms. Gingras and the Cincinnati Klezmer Project in Old World Meets New World and Klezmer's Greatest Hits.
• Homage to the 50s. To some, the 1950s in classical music means unpenetrable, atonal music composed in the 12-tone method. But to violinist Beth Ilana Schneider (a Wyoming High School grad) and guitarist Matt Gould, the '50s is fodder for rediscovery.
The duo (called Duo 46) is turning heads with its debut recording, Homage to the 50s. It includes “Serenata” by Bruno Bartolozzi, and “Spielmusik” by Siegfried Behrend. Austrian composer/pianist Waldemar Bloch, whose style has been compared to film music, is represented with a sonata.
Perhaps the only familiar name is Jeno Takacs. Like Bartok, Takacs studied the folk music of the countryside. He wrote “Divertimento” while a faculty member at CCM.
The duo performs these attractive works with style; the guitar adds a touch of warmth to the sometimes austere writing. CD: $17.99, at Joseph Beth Booksellers, Barnes & Noble, or online at Borders.com, CDNow.com and Amazon.com.
• James Conlon, who holds posts with the Cincinnati May Festival, Paris Opera and City of Cologne, has two provocative new releases with his European forces.
Schreker: Orchestral Works. The Gurzenich Orchestra of the Cologne Philharmonic, James Conlon, conductor. Orchestral works by the forgotten Austrian-born composer Franz Schreker figure on Mr. Conlon's latest album with the Gurzenich Orchestra of the Cologne Philharmonic.
Schreker's music is an astonishing find; it is melodious, opulent and powerful, and Mr. Conlon's readings are richly detailed. The works here, composed between 1902-33, inhabit the lush, post-romantic sound world of Mahler, and would be a welcome addition on any symphony program. They include: Vorspiel zu einer grossen Oper (Prelude to a Major Opera, 1933); Intermezzo (1900); Vorspiel zu einem Drama (Prelude to a Drama, 1914) and Romantic Suite (1902). CD: $16.99; EMI Classics.
• Stravinsky, Le Rossignol; Renard. Orchestra and Chorus of the National Opera of Paris, James Conlon, conductor. Le Rossignol (The Nightingale) is a stunning and little-known opera in three acts composed in 1908.
It has all the exotic color and fantasy of Stravinsky's early ballets. Among the highlights is a great coloratura aria for the Nightingale, beautifully sung by Natalie Dessay.
Mr. Conlon has assembled an admirable cast (who sing in Russian) for his debut recording with the Paris forces. His reading is both evocative and detailed; he masterfully balances delicacy with brilliance. Renard, a colorful “burlesque,” is a sharp, witty and irreverent contrast to the atmo spheric Nightingale. CD: $16.99; EMI Classics.
• Percussion Group Cincinnati. Founded in 1979 at CCM, Percussion Group Cincinnati celebrates its 20th anniversary with its first CD. For the non-traditionalist on your gift list, this disc encompasses experimental and world music — created for the Percussion Group by composers from the United States, Africa, Asia and Europe.
Known for championing the work of John Cage, the ensemble paints a gentle canvas of Asian-tinged sounds in “Amores.” “Time” from Mr. Cage's Living Room Music is a witty, canonic exploration of vocal sounds (whistling, buzzing) and text (by Gertrude Stein).
“Umculo Wa Bathatho” (“Music for Three” in Zulu) by Jahn Beukes takes its cue from minimalism, with mesmerizing pulsations and phase shifting. The three members (Allen Otte, James Culley and Russell Burge) drum ritualistically in Russell Peck's “Lift Off,” and ringing chimes evoke time and space in “Lam Mot” by Chinese composer QuXiao-song. “Dig It” by Randy Coleman mixes live sounds with computer-generated tape, and the marimba figures in “Four Chilean Songs.” CD: $15, at Barnes & Noble and Joseph Beth Booksellers, or at w3.one.net/-pgc.
• The latest Telarc CDs from Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops include On Broadway, The Great Movie Scores (Steven Spielberg) and Magical Musicals.
Magical Musicals, Mr. Kunzel's 100th album, continues the Pops maestro's exceedingly popular Disney Series, such as the Grammy-nominated Disney Spectacular.
For classical fans, Jesus Lopez-Cobos and the CSO have just released an album of music by Paul Dukas, featuring The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
CSO and Pops CDs ($15), cassettes ($10). Or, there's the Big Band videocassette with Doc Severinsen, taped live at Music Hall in 1997 ($15).
Recordings, CSO and Pops ticket packages and merchandise may be purchased at the CSO/Pops sales office, Memorial Hall, Over-the-Rhine; at the Classical Music Center, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday or Friday, 4 W. Fourth St., downtown; or at Music Hall during concerts.
Some items may be ordered through the CSO Web site: www.cincinnatisymphony.org. Information: 381-3300.
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Add a local touch to collection with these classical music CDs
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