Crossovers, Piazzolla, Bach, and the Persecution of Russian Artists

Streaming Classical (22-8): Crossovers, Piazzolla, Bach, and the Persecution of Russian Artists

Classical Streaming Tip The online vendor Prestomusic actually operates a good site, with expert staff putting out weekly articles on new releases, and even interviews. I usually keep a tab open for them. The search function is very useful because the user configurable album display includes quick review capsules from varied sources - convenient on artists and albums new to me. They also have a jazz department. I actually tried a few but, again here, I’m too much of an oldie to find much that I like (or that haven’t been said; more on this jazz conundrum maybe later - imho it’s worse than the state of the Classical).

"Crossovers"

I think this issue is a great one, featuring many exceptional albums. Unusually, this time I shall start with some materials that have crossover tones, which I judge to be suitable even for the majority of regular audiophile readers, who do not listen to that much classical, if at all (and if they read this column). I am using the term broadly, meaning in the absence of a full orchestra, often in redacted transcriptions.

Mind you, behind the scene, I actually often scour various streaming services for alternative material. However, much as I try, not much really fulfill my expectations. For a classical devotee, I actually belong to the minority that try out a lot of modern works by rigorously trained recent or current composers. Even there, not much really catch my imagination. The ones I like are mostly “European”, but that is a big compass. Even the classical companies, like DG, are promoting crossover composers but, for me, most of the albums disappoint. Take Max Richter, I have no interest in listening further to his works. Neither am I so sure of the now-fashionable current crop of young Icelandic and Baltic composers.

Christian-Pierre La Marca is a name new to me, one of an amazing crop of highly capable French cellists. He latest album Cantus (Sony) is a superbly well curated, mostly transcribed, miniatures under a pious canopy, but it works very well. This album gave me joy and comfort, just as the Tine Helseth trumpet and organ album (LAWO) I recommended last time (later I listened to her other crossover and pop albums but they do nothing to me). Another, more serious, album on the same label, Paris-Moscou, is also very good (well, the name is risqué now, no? Perhaps they should burn the remaining stock? Of course not). His previous album Cello 360 (Naive) incorporates music from even earlier, viol music, and it’s also quite good. However, I draw the line at Wonderful World, much more crossover and a potpourri that didn’t at all work for me. BTW, La Marca is cellist of the Trio Dali, whose initial formation had the fine violinist Vineta Sareika (now first violin of the famed Artemis Quartet) and they were winner of the Frankfurt Piano Trio Competition. Their playing is refined and patient. Too bad there were only 2 albums (Fuga Libera) of this incarnation: A refreshing Schubert Trios and a classy and austere Ravel disc. Unlike many of their French contemporaries, their sound is always supple.

Signum Saxophone Quartet Previously I waxed lyrics about the Calefax Reed Quintet’s Dido and Aeneazz (Pentatone), a jazzy infusion of life into Purcell’s immortal work. That was a class act, a scholarly and inspirational effort that succeeds on a rarefied level. The Signum Saxophone Quartet’s offering is much more modest, but bears some resemblance in its sound world. Their latest release, Echoes (DG), is surprisingly captivating and elevating. Somehow, the transcriptions work (for these ears) even better than the origin; perhaps virtuosic breathing control injects life into even minimalist materials that can otherwise be banal. Fabulous playing, and a good try for DG.

Black Pencil This unusual quintet comprise Recorder, Panpipe, Viola, Accordion and Percussion. It’s latest album, Come Out Caioni, is based upon reconstructions/arrangements of the music collection of medieval monk Johannes Caioni. I must say although the sound world is engaging, it has predecessors. Black Pencil resembles a modernized, more austere and reduced version of the Atrium Musicae de Madrid under Gregorio Paniagua, whose various recordings, La Spagna (BIS), La Folia and Musique de La Grece Antique (Harmonia Mundi), are all audiophile classics (and I love and recommend them highly). The Record Label, Dreyer Gaido, was utterly unknown to me, but deserves mention for recording unusual repertoire with a Near East emphasis. I intend to peruse some of the vast offerings.

Piazzolla American Clave Recordings
In this Blog, I have previously mentioned my reverence for the master’s Zero Hour and Rough Dancer and the Cyclical Night (Nonesuch), part of the American Clave recordings, which now Nonesuch has re-issued in full. The shorter items are just as fabulous, as the master’s rock-solid quintet was just formidable. Pianist Pablo Ziegler may be the most famous, but I’d like to single out the playing of violinist Fernando Suarez Paz - what wizardry! It is the exact equivalence of Ray Nance’s playing in Autumn Leaves in Ellington’s Mood Indigo, one of my desert island tracks. Thank you Gidon Kremer and his likes for popularizing Piazzolla, but Suarez Paz shows us how it should really be played. It matters not what kind of quintet, what kind of genre, Piazzolla is tops in material and ensemble perfection. Immortal.

Bach - Simple but Not Too Simple
Bach with a fine pulse? Veterans show us how well the music can sound played conservatively (but not overly so). Big names, from Perahia to Schiff (you can add tens) make us take note, but it’s not uncommon too that somewhere along the line they make us a bit unsettled over their twists (losing the line). The music is protean and not meant to be smooth sailing at all times. Sometimes players of reserve (and inner strength) guide us further than those who rely on sheer brilliance. Keyboardist Helmut Walcha (DG), particularly on the organ, is a great example. On the harpsichord, of more recent vintage, I really admire Celine Frisch’s Goldberg (Alpha; and there are lots of other Bach albums that I’ve yet to explore). The sound of the instrument is just right, rich and not indulgent, and an hour just flows by. One would expect that of her, as her ensemble Cafe Zimmermann is wonderfully expressive in all music Bach. Then there is Trevor Pinnocks’ traversal of the Well Tempered Klavier (DG), monumental and a lifetime’s work, but, again, the sound of the instrument is very soothing.

Switching to the piano, Niklas Sivelov is undeservedly relatively obscure outside Scandanavia. I knew of him only because I happened to have heard him (serendipity!) at Queens College (near my NY home). The recital was highly memorable (indeed I remember it as well today) and I wrote about it in my classical blog (here). Imagine my surprise when I found he has my review on his website. Recently I was very happy to have found that he has just recorded a whole lot of Bach (AMC Amcharra). I sampled a lot of it and everything I heard were played in a natural, refreshing and spontaneous manner, corresponding to what I had the privilege to have heard at the concert. I can listen all morning (the best Bach compels a marathon) whereas I cannot do that with many bigger names (some mentioned above). It distills down to what is the self, as critical jargon always uses the dubious term “selfless”. The term is confusing, often used to excuse unimaginative and literal playing. The thing is, we really cannot be selfless - what good musicians aim for is to enter the composer’s mind, while largely obeying the score. For Bach’s keyboard works, what I think is that it is easier for the good harpsichordist or organist (more homogeneous instrumental textures), but quite complex for the pianist. From Sivelov, I hear Bach feeling most contented and joyous and whatever the pianists highlights is always at one with the flow; rarely was I thrown off the path, as happens so often with most more self-conscious pianists. This is not at all accidental, nor surprising, as this pianist is also a respected pedagogue, known composer and, last but not the least, an improviser! That’s a hell of a lot under one roof (his precious skull). Many pianists past and present have tackled Bach wholesale, but few, if any, have been as successful across the board - Sivelov’s accomplishment no doubt stems from his being a complete artist (Gulda is another who springs to mind, although he had a stingier flavor). There is much I still have to get through, and that’s all good. If you feel adventurous, try him playing his own piano concertos (Naxos) - pretty wild stuff but definitely worthwhile, for my taste perhaps more interesting than those of his late-romantic compatriot predecessor Stenhammar, whom he champions (the pianist’s definitive recordings are also on Naxos). Kudos! An artist of the highest caliber. I really hope to hear him in concert again!

Piano Dieties

Famous as many musicians are, it takes even more intangible factors to advance to the deity class. Aside from early or untimely death (Neveu, Lipatti, Haskil) and other catastrophes, perhaps rare appearances and frequent cancellations help (Michaelangeli, Kempff), and general unavailability is surely a factor. Grigory Sokolov, who (like Celibidache) for a long period eschewed recordings, has long attained the status. His recent live recordings (DG) I have followed. While worthwhile, they can be wayward. His latest At Esterhazy Palace is one of his best. It features of course Haydn, but it’s the Schubert Impromptus, D935 that really captured me for the formal perfection and austerity.

My idol, Ruth Slenczynska, nearing a hundred years old, had never stopped playing and teaching but had lied under the radar until very recently, when Decca did her justice by re-issuing her American Decca recordings, an indispensable set. I was very happy then but imagine my surprise when Decca recently issued a new recording, My Life in Music! Boy, what a life-affirming album filled with a lifetime’s knowledge. The album starts with Rachmaninov and Barber, pivotal figures in her early life, and then various others. The playing is gentle, but complete at every level. This is an album for which you should drop everything and just listen hard. It sounds deceptively gentle but the subtleties are ravishing. Just sample Track 2, Rachmaninov’s thrice familiar Prelude, Op 32/5, and you shall be hooked. I have not heard better. Good for you, Decca! Somebody there cares!

Young but Formidable Chopin Stylists Two Chinese North Americans stand tall here. Canadian Bruce Liu won the 2021 Chopin Competition in dramatic fashion, and DG has just issued his first album, culled from competition rounds. It has deservedly received universal acclaim, indeed accolades. It’s exhilarating from start to finish, and the last cut, a Chopin Variations, is just plain and simple perfection! His many somewhat older but still very young DG stablemates have released many good Chopin albums in recent years, but this one is just one of a kind. A must. It’s notable that one of his mentors is his fellow Canadian, previous Chopin winner Dang Thai Son, one of my heroes!

And then there is 2018 Leeds winner, American Eric Lu, whose 2020 album (Warner) of Chopin Preludes (and Schumann Ghost Variations) is equally distinguished. These are 2 of the very best Chopin recordings in the past few years.

Mahler Transcriptions Even as a fan of transcriptions, I had thought the kaleidoscopic nature of Mahler’s writing for the huge orchestra would be off-limits. Not so. As previously recommended, Zlata Chochieva’s (re)creations (Accentus), which has a single one (of Symphony No.3), engaged me. So, when I learned (via MusicWeb) of Beatrice Berrut’s Mahler disc Jugenstil (La Dolce Vita), I rushed to it, and was I delighted! She made transcriptions of several symphonic fragments and most were delightful (though No. 6 less so). A great effort! I was delighted when my memory was refreshed that long ago I had recommended her album (Fuga Libera) with cellist Camille Thomas (who is now DG). Her Liszt albums (Aparte) are also outstanding. Come to think of it, I should not be surprised, as a good transcriber can make a meal even out of morsels. Liszt is the greatest exponent of the art. And then there is the Glenn Gould’s singular transcription of Wagner (Sony), simply marvelous! Back full circle to Zlata Chochieva, her newest release, Chiaroscuro (Naive), a surprise pairing of Mozart with Scriabin, is excellent. It did occur to me that the fast Scriabin Prelude, Op 15/2, is not so far off Mozart’s sound world.

The Romantic Orchestra
Where are the Romantics Today? Judging by the incredible level of the German orchestras now, a lot of them in German speaking countries. Isn’t it a dichotomy that the term “Teutonic” has a “negative” connotation of stoicism and poker-faced determination? But think clearly, most of the greatest breath-taking slow movements were composed by Germanic composers. It started with Mozart (think Piano Concerto No. 21, Symphony No. 40), but I think Beethoven actually has the largest number of headily romantic slow movements. Think the slow movements of the Moonlight, Pathetique Piano Sonatas, the Second and Ninth Symphonies, not to mention those of the concertos. And then Brahms and Bruckner, for me the greatest of the romantic composers (complemented only by the Russians Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov). If you ask me, the greatest romantics living today are the collectives of the superb orchestras mentioned here!

Leipzig Gewandhaus This orchestra’s greatness can be gleamed from two of their recent releases. An excellent Brahms cycle conducted by Blomstedt (Pentatone). Together with the recently recommended Eschenbach (below), they rival the golden standards of Walter, Klemperer and Jochum, and in superior sonics. And then there is their Strauss box with Andris Nelsons (DG). This mega orchestral work compendium was shared with the Boston Symphony. Now, Nelsons is a frustratingly uneven conductor, and his Bruckner cycle with the Gewandhaus can only be counted as a failure. However, he is much more suited to Strauss (tone painting, less structural issues) and had proved himself before with the Birmingham SO (Orfeo). The interesting thing to me is, a critic declared the two orchestras as so great as to be indistinguishable! Huh? Yes, the BSO are regal and play very well, but IMHO, aside from some excellent Shostakovich (DG), their partnership with Nelsons has its weak point - a lack of urgency and even flabbiness. And then tonally, they are different. Here, the BSO Alpine Symphony and Don Quixote are rather uneventful. The greatest performances here are by the Gewandhaus, capped by an absolutely stupendous Thus Spake Zarathustra, now a top choice, bar none (yes, even including Reiner). This orchestra had made some very fine recordings of Mendelssohn (who built the orchestra) under its former director Chailly (Decca). On the same label, the conductor has released a new recording, Musa Italiana, with his new La Scala orchestra. The program (Mendelssohn, Schubert and early Mozart) is interesting and refreshing, a very good disc. It is interesting to compare the two orchestras in the Italian Symphony. Good as the Italian players are, unless you want less vibrato and a leaner sound, the Leipzigers are much more characterful and sweeping.

Konzerthausorchester Berlin This is likely the lowest ranking of the Berlin orchestras, yet under Eschenbach, they proved to be sublime in Brahms (Berlin Classics), and now, a disc of that early romantic, Weber (Alpha), that is just superb. Mind you, I regard Weber as someone who is harder to bring off than any other German Romantics, and this disc of some of the composer’s best works, though short in playing time, is just a perfect recording!

Czech Philharmonic Well, this Central European orchestra is a great one but, for long, they have not had effective musical directors. Bychkov has been around, but I’m not sure at all he is the one. Nonetheless, despite their uneven recent Decca efforts (Tchaikovsky and others), the recent Mahler Symphony No. 4 (Pentatone) is a winner, notwithstanding soprano Chen Reiss’ less than seraphic singing. Mind you, I had attended their M2 live in NYC (here).

Shostakovich and Persecution

Big orchestral recordings are understandably fewer during the pandemic. Finally, there are some! Warner has issued the Symphony No. 5 with the Rotterdam Phil under Israeli Lahav Shani. It’s a very good recording that makes this warhorse sound fresher than usual.

The regrettable case of Tugan Sokhiev This excellent conductor, who was also director of the Bolshoi, over more than a decade, single-handedly brought the second-tier Orchestre National de Capitale de Toulouse to the world stage. After a series of very fine and critically acclaimed recordings on Naive (Mussorgsky, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky etc, which I urge you to listen), the team made it to big time on Warner. In 2020, they inaugurated a Shostakovich cycle with the Symphony No. 8. And the second installment, No. 10 has just come out. Both are sensational for the conductor’s galvanization. Well, what has promised to be a Shostakovich cycle for the 20’s is now put to an end. No doubt due to nonsensical pressure, Sohkiev had just resigned from his French orchestra - and also his Russian one. I consider this an artist’s protest and I feel sorry for him. I also feel sorry that the promising Shostakovich cycle shall be no more. The Toulouse orchestra will not find anyone close to Sokhiev’s caliber, but I don’t feel sorry for them. Shostakovich was against persecution of anyone, but these recordings of 2 of his greatest symphonies seemed to be destined for the remembrance of the current persecution of great Russian artists. Shostakovich would not have approved of war, but neither would he have approved of the persecution of artists.