Works: J.S. Bach:
Mass in B Minor (Breitkopf Edition, edited by J. Rifkin)
Artists: Dunedin Consort & Players dir. John Butt Susan Hamilton - soprano,
Cecilia Osmond - soprano,
Margot Oitzinger - alto,
Thomas Hobbs - tenor,
Matthew Brook - bass.
The Dunedin Consort’s recording of Bach’s Mass in B Minor revisits the spectacular individual virtuosity that
made the Messiah recording so successful. This is the premiere recording of the work in the new Breitkopf
edition, edited by Joshua Rifkin, a leading thinker in authentic period performance, who fully endorses John
Butt’s interpretation. Bach’s Mass capitalizes on the very essence of the group’s skills: skilled virtuosic choral performance
coupled with outstanding, characterful solo singing. Bach’s Mass in B Minor is undoubtedly his most spectacular choral work and the Dunedin Consort’s
single-voice performance enables a level of clarity and expression that is not traditionally a feature of
modern choral performance. This recording features several soloists from the acclaimed recording of Bach’s Matthew Passion,
which was named the BBC Music Magazine’s Benchmark.
Winner of the 2007 Classic FM Gramophone Award for Best Baroque Vocal Album for their recording
of Handel’s ‘Dublin’ Messiah the Dunedin Consort has established a reputation as the finest single-part
period performance choir currently performing. The multi-award-winning Dunedin Consort has won praise for the natural style of its soloists (“an
authoritative bass and a superb contralto” The Guardian) and renown for the virtuosity of its singers.
“The Dunedin Consort's exemplary singers produce virtuoso choruses that are theatrically charged, splendidly
poised and exquisitely blended.” Gramophone
Works: 1. Salve splendor Inchcolm Antiphoner
2. James MacMillan: Os mutorum
3. Confessor Dei Inchcolm Antiphoner
4. Ivan Moody: O quam mirabilis
5. Green grow the rushes harp
6. Michael McGlynn: Lorica
7.Peter McGarr: Flower Garland
8. Brigit antiphons
9. Inviolata, integra et casta es, Maria W1
10. Through the wood laddie harp
11. Joanne Metcalf: O Shining Light
12. Beatus Gallus chant
13. Rebecca Rowe: There is nothing brighter than the sun
14. A solis occasu chant
15. Gabriel Jackson: Ubi flumen praesulis
16. Sacrosanctam Kentegernus Sprouston Breviary
17. James McCarthy: The Stars in their Courses
18. John Tavener: Two Hadiths
Artists: Canty - director Rebecca Tavener
With William Taylor – harp
’Carmina Celtica’ features the world premiere of nine contemporary works commissioned over a decade by Canty,
Scotland’s own Anonymous 4. The Ensemble blend contemporary works by Sir John Tavener and James MacMillan
alongside haunting Medieval chant to create the unique and beautiful soundworld for which it is renowned.
Described by The Times as "among the very best creative talents of his generation", Sir John Tavener wrote Two
Hadiths specially for Canty in 2007. Two Hadiths explores the sitar-like sonorities of the bray harp in meditative
settings of the poetic sayings of the Prophet Mohammed.
James MacMillan is the pre-eminent Scottish composer of his generation. Commissioned for Canty in 2008, Os
mutorum is both moving and expressive.
Ivan Moody has set the words of Hildegard of Bingen in his contribution O quam mirabilis. The Telegraph calls his
music “powerfully expressive” and this 2006 work showcases the emotive power of female choral singing.
Michael McGlynn, in addition to directing successful Irish choir Anúna, is a "most accomplished contemporary
choral composer” (All Music Guide). He describes Lorica as accentuating “the sonic purity of Canty and harkens
back to an age of delicate vocal timbre and set, but fluid musical constraints".
Canty, Scotland’s only professional Medieval music group, was formed by Rebecca Tavener in 1998, the 900th
anniversary of the birth of Hildegard of Binge. It comprises the regular female singers with Cappella Nova,
Scotland’s leading early music vocal ensemble.
“The combination of voices and instruments is spellbinding.” Early Music Today
Artists: Iván Fischer with Budapest Festival Orchestra
Whereas the first set had featured predominantly Czech dances (with the exception of the second which
evoked the Ukranian dumka — not, strictly speaking, a dance), the second set is more broadly Slavonic,
incorporating Slovak, Polish, Serbian and Russian elements in addition to Dvorák’s favourite melancholy
dumka strains. In these sixteen highly varied and colourful dances, Dvorák had fulfilled his original brief to
perfection, creating stylised, even idealised dance fantasias which inter - mingle folk elements with his own
inspired melodies so effectively, so disarmingly and so artistically that for the most part they have defied
attempts by musicologists to uncover the folk sources. Dvorák justified his approach in 1894: From the rich
stores of Slavonic folk music, in its Hungarian [i.e. Slovak], Russian, Bohemian and Polish varieties, the
composers of the day have derived, and will continue to derive, much that is charming and novel in their
music. Nor is there anything objectionable in this, for if the poet and painter base much of their best art on
national legends, songs and traditions, why should not the musicians? – Iván Fischer
Iván Fischer is founder and Music Director of the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the
National Symphony Orchestra of Washington D.C. The partnership between Iván Fischer and his Budapest
Festival Orchestra has proved to be one of the greatest success stories in the past 25 years of classical music.
Fischer introduced several reforms, developed intense rehearsal methods for the musicians, emphasizing
chamber music and creative work for each orchestra member. Intense international touring and a series of
acclaimed recordings for Philips Classics, later for Channel Classics have contributed to Iván Fischer's
reputation as one of the world's most visionary and successful orchestra leaders.
latest recording highly acclaimed (...) for anyone
seeking an imaginative new performance (...)
enthusiastically recommended. A winner.Fanfare on recent Brahms recording
Artists: Stamic Quartet:
Jindrich Pazdera – 1st violin,
Josef Kekula – 2nd violin,
Jan Peruška –
viola, Petr Hejný – cello
Jana Boušková (harp) and Jirí Hudec (double bass) as
Following the acclaimed recordings of the two violin concertos (SU39612) and the cello concerto (SU39892),
Supraphon returns to the work of Josef Bohuslav Foerster, a composer somewhat neglected until recently. This
double CD presents for the first time his complete string quartet oeuvre. The first quartet (1888) is dedicated to
Tchaikovsky, who recognised in Foerster a talented music creator and in a letter encouraged him to
persevere with composing.
The form of string quartet would subsequently accompany Foerster until the very end. The fifth quartet, “The
Vestec” (1959), is Foerster’s final work. After a long and arduous creative journey and seeking, he returns in it
to his Smetana and Dvorák roots, already evident in the first quartet. This recording is supplemented by three
minor compositions (including Erinnerung for string quartet and harp) and the idiomatic two-movement string
quintet with double bass. Stamic Quartet, one of the foremost ensembles representing the renowned Czech
quartet school worldwide, interprets Foerster with technical mastery and an understanding of the deeper
layers of his work.
Works: Louis Caix d’Hervelois: Deuxiéme Suite in G major
Robert de Visée: Passacaille (ms Vaudry de Saizenay:
late 17th century)
Anne-Danican Philidor: ‘Sonate pour la flute a bec’ in D
minor
Charles Dieupart: Suite No.1 in A major ‘pour une flute
de voix’
Robert de Visée: Suite in D minor (ms Vaudry de
Saizenay: late 17th century)
François Couperin: Le Rossignol-en-amour Lentement, et
très tendrement, quoy que mesuré (Troisième Livre de
pièces de clavecin Quatorzième Ordre)
Charles Dieupart: Suite No 6 in F minor ‘pour une flute du
quatre’
François Couperin: Le Rossignol Vainqueur Très Double
du Rossignol
Following her successful collaborations with Richard Egarr and Andrew Lawrence-King world-famous recorder
player Pamela Thorby teams up with renowned lutenist Elizabeth Kenny for her fourth solo album on Linn, ‘The
Nightingale and the Butterfly’, a sparkling exploration of French Baroque music.
Pamela Thorby has established herself as one of the world’s leading recorder players. She is most
regularly heard on Karl Jenkins’ fabulous Adiemus recordings making her possibly one of the most
listened to recorder players in the world. Pamela was a founding member of the multi award-winning Palladian Ensemble achieving international success with ten critically acclaimed albums. Pamela has appeared many times as a soloist at major UK festivals and venues including Wigmore Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. Elizabeth Kenny, one of the UK’s foremost lute players, performs regularly with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Gabrieli Consort and Les Art Florissants.
‘The Nightingale and the Butterfly’ presents a fine example of Pamela Thorby’s award-winning
trademark sound: soaring and graceful melodies played impeccably. Elizabeth Kenny weaves the lute melodies seamlessly amongst Pamela’s recorders – the two players complementing each other effortlessly.
Thorby and Kenny, both specialists in Baroque repertoire, give a unique interpretation of these
appealing works whilst uncovering the beauty of some lesser-known gems.
"Pamela Thorby's sensual recorder playing, complete with improvised flourishes and infinitely flexible dynamic
shadings, is out of the top drawer."Music Week
Artists: Gabrieli Consort and Players
Paul McCreesh
The Avison Ensemble is an outstanding period instrument orchestra who has been performing together for
nearly 25 years. The Ensemble, directed by Pavlo Beznosiuk, gives a fresh and insightful performance of
George Frideric Handel’s masterpiece Concerti Grossi Opus 6.
Under the masterful direction of Pavlo Beznosiuk the Ensemble’s enviable precision and musicalrapport is evident.
The period ensemble creates dazzling colour, the tones and textures bringing this popular Baroque
masterpiece to life. Formed in 1985, the Ensemble has attracted great critical acclaim. The Guardian commented: “I’d
take the Avison Ensemble over Karajan…any day”.
In 1692 the ‘musical society’, a group of musicians and amateur including the publisher John Playford,
initiated a specifically British annual celebration to celebrate St Cecilia’s Day on 22 November. The festivities
were to include singers from Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Chapel Royal, along with
musicians from the King’s band and from the London theatres. Purcell’s composed two Odes for these
occasions – the first ‘Welcome All the Pleasures’ was completed in 1683, and the second, ‘Hail Bright Cecilia’,
in 1692. It is laid out for a large group of instrumentalists and singers, and runs to 40 minutes. The opulent style
of writing, and the sheer inventiveness and freedom of Purcell’s inspiration laid the foundations for Handel’s
oratorios 25 years later. It is the grandest and most brilliant vocal work to be composed in England prior to the
advent of Handel.
‘This performance is exceptionally receptive to the brilliance of the score. The trumpets are bold and brassy...and the ensemble as a whole moves effortlessly from discretion and intimacy
to the imposing timbral homogeneity of McCreesh's most extrovert Venetian exploits. His tempos - especially
in the grand opening instrumental sinfonia – are irrepressible and invigorating.’ Gramophone(1995)
Works: Pergolesi: Stabat Mater, Flute Concerto in G major, Sinfonia in F major for cello and b.c, Salve Regina in F minor
Artists: Florilegium Soloists:
Elin Manahan Thomas – soprano,
Robin Blaze – countertenor,
Ashley Solomon – flute,
Jennifer Morsches – cello
Pergolesi As a composer Pergolesi’s productive career began at the age of twenty, and by twentysix (March
1736) he had died of tuberculosis. During his lifetime Pergolesi’s fame was restricted, in the main, to Rome and
Naples, yet after his death, his reputation eclipsed most other composers in the second half of the eighteenth
century. The whole of Europe developed an increasing curiosity for his compositions. His posthumous celebrity
status was such a magnet in the music world that, hoping to reap large financial profits, publishers and opera
directors alike attributed his name to hundreds of vocal and instrumental works by lesser-known composers.
Following Pergolesi’s death the Stabat Mater became one of the most celebrated and frequently printed
works of the 18th century.
Regular performances in some of the world’s most prestigious venues have confirmed Florilegium’s status as
one of Britain’s most outstanding period instrument ensembles. Since their formation in 1991 they have
established a reputation for stylish and exciting interpretations, from intimate chamber works to large-scale
orchestral and choral repertoire, frequently working with some of the world’s finest musicians. On this
recording they work with Elin Manahan Thomas, fast becoming one of Britain’s leading young sopranos, and
Robin Blaze, established in the front rank of countertenor interpreters of Purcell, Bach and Handel.
“Few can match Florilegium's interpretative flair
and technical accomplishment in this repertoire.” Sunday times CD of the Week for previous Bach & Telemann CD
Works: Handel
Concerti Grossi Opus 6
Numbers 1 – 12
Artists: Avison Ensemble: Pavlo Beznosiuk (director and violin);
Joanne Green (violin); Jane Gordon
(violin); Iwona Muszynnska (violin); Caroline
Balding (violin); Simon Kodurand (violin);
Katarina Bengtson (violin); Ellen O’Dell
(violin); Rachel Byrt (viola); Emile de
Roubaix (viola); Richard Tunnicliffe (cello);
Deborah Thorne (cello); Tim Amherst (bass);
Roger Hamilton (harpsichord)
The Avison Ensemble is an outstanding period instrument orchestra who has been performing together for
nearly 25 years. The Ensemble, directed by Pavlo Beznosiuk, gives a fresh and insightful performance of
George Frideric Handel’s masterpiece Concerti Grossi Opus 6.
Under the masterful direction of Pavlo Beznosiuk the Ensemble’s enviable precision and musicalrapport is evident.
The period ensemble creates dazzling colour, the tones and textures bringing this popular Baroque
masterpiece to life. Formed in 1985, the Ensemble has attracted great critical acclaim. The Guardian commented: “I’d
take the Avison Ensemble over Karajan…any day”.
The Avison Ensemble comprises some of Europe's leading baroque musicians, including artists from
The Hague, Germany, France, Austria and London, with international soloists from all over the globe.
Pavlo Beznosiuk, the UK's foremost baroque violin virtuoso, is in demand as a soloist and orchestral
leader performing regularly with the Academy of Ancient Music and Orchestra of the Age of
Enlightenment.
“They must surely be one of the finest baroque ensembles now in existence.” Early Music News
“This is exemplary baroque string playing, and at its most tasteful.” The Consort
Works: Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy – Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op.
49 (1839)
Franz Schubert – Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat Major, Op. 100 (D. 929,
1827)
Artists: Smetana Trio:
Jitka Cechová – piano,
Jana Vonášková-Nováková – violin,
Jan Pálenícek – violoncello
After focusing on the Czech trio literature (on highly acclaimed recordings ranging from Dvorák to Martinu)
and paying a visit to Tchaikovsky (SU 3949-2), the Smetana Trio has turned to the very heart of the
Romantic repertoire for their newest album. Both of the pieces on this disc rank among the most frequently
played trios; in both of them, the composers succeeded in striking a rare balance in the texture as well as in
the instrumentation, placing all three instruments on an even footing. The success of the Schubert trio, which
makes use of Swedish folk melodies, is attested to by the fact that it was the only one of the composer’s
works to be published abroad during his lifetime.
Coincidentally the piece received Robert Schumann’s highest praise in his comment on the Mendelssohn
trio: “It is a contemporary masterpiece, a work such as Beethoven’s trios were in their day, or Schubert’s
Trio in E flat Major, a very beautiful composition which still pleases grandchildren and great-grandchildren
years afterwards.” Both pieces find excellent performers in the Smetana Trio, with its sense of ensemble
playing. In Schumann’s words, may Mendelssohn and Schubert “still please grandchildren and greatgrandchildren
years afterwards” on this recording as well.
Works: PENDERECKI
Concerto for violin and orchestra (1977),
Concerto for horn and orchestra,
"Winterreise" (2008) worldpremiere
Artists: Sinfonietta Cracovia,
Krzysztof Penderecki, conductor
Robert Kabara, violin
Radovan Vlatkovic, horn
‘As a young boy I always dreamt of becoming a violin player. It was the violin, not
the piano that inspired me to compose my first pieces, which I used to practice my technique. I devoted
myself to composing and to this day, I feel I have not fulfilled my potential as an instrumentalist. Still, when I am travelling
around the world and am forced to compose in hotel rooms, even though the piano remains the crucial
element of my creation, I find it extremely useful to keep a violin-fingering chart close at hand. Many a time
when taking notes with my right hand, in my mind’s eye I instinctively visualize violin strings to make certain I
have achieved the effect I was aiming for.’ from: a composer’s reflection by Krzysztof Penderecki
Penderecki's international recognition began in 1959 at the Warsaw Autumn with the premieres of the works
Strophen, Psalms of David, and Emanations, but the piece that truly brought him to international attention was
Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima, written for 52 string instruments. Penderecki has won many prestigious
awards including Grammy Awards in 1987 and 1998 and 2001, and the Grawemeyer Award for Music
Composition in 1992.
The Violin Concerto was a turning point in Penderecki’s career, as he started to embrace romanticism and
reject the extreme modernism of his early career.
The Horn Concerto is receiving here it’s premier recording.
Works: Dvorak:
Symphony no.7 in D minor op. 70,
Suite in A major, (‘American’), B 190 (op. 98b)
Artists: Iván Fischer with Budapest Festival Orchestra
Iván Fischer: There are many hidden treasures among Dvorák’s works and it is a particular pleasure for me to present the
beautiful Suite for Orchestra in A major on this disc. I think it should be performed more often in concerts, and I sincerely
hope that this recording will inspire orchestras to extend their Dvorák repertoire with this composition of enchanting beauty,
lyricism and freshness.
The 7th Symphony is among the greatest masterpieces. Symphonies, which start in a minor and end in a major key, like
Beethoven’s fifth, Mahler’s first and many others take us from sadness to happiness, from tragedy to jubilation. But here
Dvorák sustains the D minor to the very end: he turns to D major only in the final six bars! It is an extraordinary structure, an
incredible development creating irresistible excitement.
Iván Fischer is founder and Music Director of the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the National
Symphony Orchestra of Washington D.C. The partnership between Iván Fischer and his Budapest Festival Orchestra has
proved to be one of the greatest success stories in the past 25 years of classical music. Fischer introduced several reforms,
developed intense rehearsal methods for the musicians, emphasizing chamber music and creative work for each orchestra
member. Intense international touring and a series of acclaimed recordings for Philips Classics, later for Channel Classics
have contributed to Iván Fischer's reputation as one of the world's most visionary and successful orchestra leaders.
Works: Dvorak: Symphony no. 9 in E minor, op. 95 ‘From the New World’
Symphony no. 8 in G major, op. 88
Artists: Iván Fischer with Budapest Festival Orchestra
This pair of symphonies was written solely to satisfy Dvorák s own poetic muse. In the keys of G major and its
relative minor, E minor, they can be regarded as representing two sides of the same coin. The Eighth,
composed in Dvorák’s summer residence at Vysoká deep in the Bohemian countryside, is indisputably “From
the Old World” and rooted in Central Europe — “a work singing of the joy of green pastures, of summer
evenings, of the melancholy of blue forests, of the defiant merry-making of the Czech peasants”, to quote the
conductor Václav Talich, while the Ninth, composed in the claustrophobic surroundings of New York and
intended as a greeting “From the New World”, is steeped in the composer’s “unappeasable yearning for his
native soil” (from: liner notes)
Iván Fischer is founder and Music Director of the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the
National Symphony Orchestra of Washington D.C. The partnership between Iván Fischer and his Budapest
Festival Orchestra has proved to be one of the greatest success stories in the past 25 years of classical music.
Fischer introduced several reforms, developed intense rehearsal methods for the musicians, emphasizing
chamber music and creative work for each orchestra member. Intense international touring and a series of
acclaimed recordings for Philips Classics, later for Channel Classics have contributed to Iván Fischer's
reputation as one of the world's most visionary and successful orchestra leaders.
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