Mozart - Piano Concerto 23 [Uchida/Tate-English Chamber Orchestra]

Another Mozart Piano Concerto, i only know Concertos 20-21 & 24 really well, the 23rd is still a work that needs to become more familiar to me to differentiate itself from the other late Concertos [22 & 25-27].

I seriously wish that Philips would make a boxed set of Uchida's Mozart piano Concertos 20-27, nicely fitted on four discs, instead i've got four separate discs.

Mozart finished this Concerto a week after his 30th birthday, also Mitsuko Uchida has recorded this Concerto again, this time she's the Pianist/Conductor with The Cleveland Orchestra, and twice as old as Mozart was, i will have to get this new disc, i hear it's darker, and more introspective.

I was very impressed with the happy first movement, very much in the same vein as his Clarinet Concerto, mainly because it's in the same key, it has a two minute orchestral introduction, which is of course very sunny, congenial at first, but more bubbly as it gets going [0:00-2:07], the piano when it enters is quite regal and restrained at first [2:08], but soon gets into the same spirit as the orchestral introduction, nice runs up and down the keyboard, there's a darker middle section in A Major [4:56-6:17], the piano hits some nice vibes as it stirs up a lather, very Mozartian, but also at times hard to individualise from other similar works, but certainly very enjoyable, and Uchida has this light delicate touch about her, maybe trying to imitate a fortepiano, which is very apt for this Concerto.

Here's Horowitz playing the first movement on YouTube, with Giulini conducting.

Sibelius - Tone Poems [Jarvi-Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra]

Again the booklet cover is a treasure, a desolate black and white shot of a flooded woodland [Sally Mayman], all very symmetrical, bleak from human intervention, and yet... the trees must have been planted by humans to have that horizontal mathematical symmetry about them, but also nature in it's mirror image creates a vertical symmetry too, i wish others would take note at creating a visual art to go along with the aural art on the disc inside, and for once the big yellow monster is a nice colour that adds to the booklet!.

This is a lovely disc, two big Tone Poems bookend smaller pieces, in fact it has that same mirror symmetry as the booklet cover!, and yet all the pieces are places in composition order, i believe this disc was culled from individual pieces that were originally from other discs, the recording dates are from 1992 to 1995, but this compilation is from 2000.

Most of all i enjoyed tracks 1 & 7, 'En Saga' and 'The Bard', En Saga i know fairly well, and it's a piece i've grown to appreciate, but The Bard is really quite unknown to me, but what a wonderful piece it is, what a wonderfully atmospheric opening!, with what sound like bass clarinets [0:00+], gorgeous in the bass, never to return later, and then the harp enters [0:03], and is a constant feature of the work, and must represent the Bard himself, strumming away his tales/poems, it's set in the dark and mysterious key of E Flat Minor, and goes with the music so well, [Prokofiev's Symphony 6 is in the same key], it's such a delightful piece, full of murkiness, and yet very lightly scored for orchestra, a very nice discovery for me.

Here's 'The Bard' being played on YouTube, conducted by Paavo Berglund.

And here's a very nice review of this disc.

Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto [Midori/ Jansons-Berliner Philharmoniker]

Exactly last month i was listening to this Concerto with Jansons conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker [7th June 2010], however that time it was Sarah Chang as the soloist, so the only difference is this time it's Midori playing, but it's always going to be different/unique.

Just mentioning the booklet, a nice picture of Midori, the lettering has those lovely loops and tails, and pleasing colours.

I really do love the the first movement the best, but this time i found the middle slow movement so enchanting, Midori enters in almost unnoticed [0:33+] nice and wistful, it's the music that gets noticed, and not her [remembering that this is a live recording], the music is in C Major, but there's an A Minor darker middle section [3:31-5:28], where the waters are troubled somewhat, the violin plays music more complex and somewhat sorrowful, and the orchestra are louder, a beautiful Andante.

Here's Midori playing the first movement on YouTube.

Schumann - Cello Concerto [Harrell/ Marriner-The Cleveland Orchestra]

Well first off the booklet photo, it's a peach!, some of these Decca Eclipse issues are gorgeous, and this one is the very best of all, a poppy field, with a villa in the background, the colours are delightful, even the slightly lavender sky is a treat, well proportioned and from a great angle, only the music is better!.

All my Schumann posts are about his Piano Concerto, his Cello Concerto doesn't get the same adoration, but it's a wonderful work, full of invention and great tunes, and i'm glad i'm getting to know it better.

The work is cast in three movements, however since there are no breaks in the work, this Decca issue has only listed the total timing, as if the work is in one continuous movement, not being familiar with the work when i first heard it, i naturally cut the Concerto into four distinct sections, as my timing sticker/transfers suggest on the back inlay card, of course the last two sections are in fact the third movement, and yet they feel separate, also i realize that my timings are out, it's the way the music feels, here's the real timings, and i'll change the booklet later,

1 = 0:00-11:12

2 = 11:12-15:51

3 = 15:51-25:30

So it's the gentle and heavenly slow movement that i really loved, it's such a peaceful tune [11:15-12:06, 12:33-13:01 & 13:56-14:50], throughout the strings pizzicato, and there's a wistful middle section with the cello bowing long lines [13:02-13:54], feeling like a coda of sorts, it's short and sweet, a lovely central section.

Here's Luca Franzetti playing the slow middle movement on YouTube, with Diego Matheuz conducting.

Mozart - Symphony 41 [Bruggen-Orchestra Of The Eighteenth Century]

I must admit i'm not a period instruments devotee, in Baroque fair enough, but moving into the romantic era, i think modern instruments work better, but i can't help having a listen, and i think the results add to my love of this Symphony.

Bruggen is Dutch, now 75 years old, this disc was recorded back in 1986, a live recording with the Orchestra Bruggen co-founded, the only quibble i have is that it's a bit short measure [46 minutes], another couple of Overtures would have been really welcome.

I like the booklet too, a nice clear picture of Bruggen pondering [Fernando Van Teylingen], with writing in blue and white over a black background that makes it stand out.

I acquired this disc recently, and this is the first time i've got round to listening to it, the last movement of the last Symphony is my favourite Symphonic Mozart moment, it has that onward and upward type of surge to it, it reminds me of the same sort of 'feel' as the last movement in Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, the way it constantly goes from soft strings, to louder brass/timpani, and back and forth, it makes the louder outbursts all that more glorious/regal, it's those busy violins that get me [2:10-2:15 & 4:23-4:37], and nearer the end they come back again [10:38-10:43] this time accompanied by some timpani friends for a stronger effect, true the strings aren't as sweet in period instrument performance, but i enjoyed Bruggen's way with the music.

Here's Bruggen conducting the final movement on YouTube.

Mozart - Serenade 10 'Gran Partita' [Marriner -Academy Of Saint Martin In The Fields]

What is it with this work that makes me love it so?, i'm actually adverse to this type of music, i really find Schubert's Octet boring, as soon as i hear the words Wind Band, i think of WindBag!, and yet this is a genius of a composition, one of Mozart's very best works.

Chamber music?, or Symphonic?, this performance uses a Conductor in Neville Marriner, it sounds like a big group, but there's only 13 players, it's amazing what you can do with a small group, Mozart uses a mix of woodwinds and brass, chooses four horns, but no flutes or trumpets, seems a bit arbitrary to include certain instruments, and leave out others, but the results speak for themselves.

This work proves that Mozart is a genius, i enjoyed the first and sixth and seventh movements, the sixth movement variations are very er... varied!, but the last movement finale is a great closer, it's short and sweet, dominated by the higher woodwinds, it's a lively piece, beginning with a fast and complex opening, where all the players chatter away, everything is repeated twice, there's variations to the music, and each little variation spotlights one instrument inparticular, but the piece keeps its jolly exuberance, it's almost danceable music, this is what a finale should be all about.

Here's the finale being played on YouTube.

Vaughan Williams - Symphony 6 [Previn-London Symphony Orchestra]

Again here's Vaughan Williams's Sixth Symphony, i admit that i have been a late developer to this Symphony, only in the last two years have i really listened to it, and i'm still not that greatly familiar with the work, so it's a nice revelation to hear something fairly 'new' each time i hear this work.

My thoughts are directed at the last time i reviewed this Symphony with Davis a few months ago [20th February 2010], and the same feelings i've had on this listen, however this time i was very impressed with the opening of the Symphony, it's composed in E Minor, but the whole thing is somewhat ambiguous, it doesn't want to settle anywhere, it seems all the elements of the orchestra are warring with each other, strings/woodwind/brass/percussion seem to all want to stamp out their own tune at the expense of everyone else, certainly a movement of chaos, it starts off loud and brash, something to shock you out of your seat [0:00-1:23], the strings try to carve out a melody, but end up in a war with the high brass, the middle brass has some nice 'stabbings' [0:29+ & 0:38+], while the lower brass mumble out and mirror the string tune [1:06-1:23], what an opening!, full of chaos, it's like a zoo, but all the animals are in the same cage!, then after a link comes the jolly disjointed galloping theme [1:45-5:04], basically in three parts, all of the orchestra fight it out, but the first is mainly given to the woodwind [1:45-3:08], the second to the strings [3:14-4:32], and the third to the brass [4:33-5:04], towards the end there's a nice pastoral moment [6:09-7:24], it starts on the saxophone [6:09+], the harps strum in [6:17+], and the lower strings sing out this doleful yet peaceful tune [6:20-6:54], and the higher strings send the music into powerful realms [6:54-7:24], a very inventive and revolutionary movement from RVW that i'm coming to terms with.

Here's Adrian Boult conducting the opening movement on YouTube.