Andrew McGregor with Jonathan Cross and Erica Jeal
Andrew McGregor rounds up the best new and recent releases, and in Building a Library Jonathan Cross compares recordings of Stravinsky's ballet music, The Rite of Spring.
with Andrew McGregor.
09.30
Building a Library: Jonathan Cross listens to and compares recordings of Stravinsky's ballet music, The Rite of Spring.
Stravinsky's music for The Rite of Spring is arguably his most iconoclastic work and one of the masterpieces of twentieth-century orchestral music. It had originally been written for the 1913 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company, for which he had composed both the Firebird and Petrushka as a young and unknown composer. The premiere at the Theatre des Champs-脡lys茅es on 29 May 1913 caused such a 'riot' that the Rite of Spring has gone down in the history books as much for its notoriety as its influence. The Rite of Spring is subtitled 'Pictures of Pagan Russian in Two Parts' and expresses primitive rituals to celebrate the advent of spring. Its most notorious scene is that in which a young girl is chosen as a sacrificial victim and dances herself to death. The music is raw with savage harmonies, otherworldly melodies, and driving primitive rhythms that pulsate through the orchestra. It is a work that is so influential that it is now more often heard as a concert piece than in its original ballet setting.
10.50
Andrew McGregor discusses new recordings of chamber music with Erica Jeal.
11.25
Andrew chooses an outstanding new release as his Disc of the Week.
Last on
Music Played
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Felix Mendelssohn
Lieder ohne worte, Op. 130: No. 3 (Presto)
Performer: Denis Kozhukhin.- Pentatone.
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Edvard Grieg
Lyric pieces, Op. 12: No. 1 (Arietta)
Performer: Denis Kozhukhin.- Pentatone.
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Edvard Grieg
Lyric pieces, Op. 12: No. 2 (Waltz)
Performer: Denis Kozhukhin.- Pentatone.
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William Byrd
Ave verum corpus
Performer: Mark Lockheart. Performer: Roger Sayer. Music Arranger: John Ashton Thomas.- Edition records.
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Johannes Brahms
Violin sonata in D minor, Op. 108: IV. Presto agittato
Performer: Pierre Fouchenneret. Performer: Eric Le Sage.- B Records.
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Antonio Salieri
Tarare: Prologue, Scenes 1 & 2
Singer: Judith van Wanroij. Conductor: Christophe Rousset. Singer: Tassis Christoyannis. Choir: Les Chantres de la Chapelle de Versailles. Orchestra: Les Talens Lyriques.- 础辫补谤迟茅.
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Heinrich Biber
Fidiium sacro-profanum 1683 Sonata IX in G major
Performer: Harmonie Universelle. -
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Germaine Tailleferre
Final. Vif (String Quartet)
Ensemble: Stenhammar Quartet.- Alma.
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Johann Sebastian Bach
Suite in E major for solo lute, BWV1006
Performer: Franz Hal谩sz.- Bis.
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B茅la Bart贸k
String Quartet No. 2
Ensemble: Ragazze Quartet.- Channel Classics.
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Johannes Brahms
Sonata in F minor, Op. 120 No. 1
Performer: Ulf Wallin. Performer: Roland P枚ntinen.- BIS.
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David Matthews
Sonatina: III. Scherzo-Allegro; IV. Molto vivace
Performer: Krysia Osostowicz. Performer: Daniel Tong.- SOMM.
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George Gershwin
Lullaby
Ensemble: Schumann Quartett.- Berlin Classics.
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Leos Jan谩膷ek
Diary of One Who Disappeared: Nos. 4-15
Performer: Julius Drake. Singer: Emily Burn. Singer: Nicky Spence. Singer: Vaclava Houskova. Singer: Victoria Couper. Singer: Clemmie Franks.- Hyperion.
Record Review
9.00am
鈥業nauguration Cantatas for Hamburg and Altona鈥� 鈥� Telemann: Kommt, Lasset uns Anbeten & Geschlagene Pauken, Auf!
Barockwerk Hamburg (ensemble)
Ira Hochman (conductor)
CPO 555 255-2
Piano works from Mendelssohn鈥檚 Lieder Ohne Worte & Grieg鈥檚 Lyrical Pieces
Denis Kozhukhin (piano)
Pentatone PTC5186 734
鈥楽alvator Mundi鈥� 鈥� Works by Stanford, Blow, Purcell & Tallis arranged for saxophone and organ by J.A. Thomas + original works by J.A. Thomas
Mark Lockheart (saxophone)
Roger Sayer (organ of Temple Church, London)
Edition records EDN1132
鈥楤rahms: Complete Chamber Music Vol. 4鈥� 鈥� Brahms: Violin sonatas Nos. 1-3 & Scherzo in C minor
Pierre Fouchenneret (violin)
脡ric Le Sage (piano)
B-Records LBM 020
9.30am 鈥� Building a Library 鈥� Jonathan Cross on Stravinsky鈥檚 The Rite of Spring
Composer: Igor Stravinsky
Reviewer: Jonathan Cross
Recommended Recording:
Philharmonia Orchestra
Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor)
Sony 88985369592
Other Recommended Recordings:
Les Si猫cles
Fran莽ois-Xavier Roth (conductor)
Actes Sud ASM15
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Simon Rattle (conductor)
Warner Classics 7496362
Cleveland Orchestra
Pierre Boulez (conductor)
DG 4357692
MusicAeterna
Teodor Currentzis
Sony 88875061412
10.20am 鈥� New Releases
Tarare/Ombre de Tarare - Cyrille Dubois听(tenor)
Astasie/Ombre d鈥橝stasie - Karine Deshayes听(mezzo-soprano)
Atar/Ombre d鈥橝tar - Jean-Se虂bastien Bou听(baritone)
La Nature/Spinette - Judith van Wanroij听(soprano)
Calpigi - Enguerrand de Hys听(tenor)
Arthen茅e/Ombre d鈥橝rthen茅e/Le G茅nie du Feu - Tassis Christoyannis听(baritone)
Urson/Un esclave/Un pretre - Je虂ro虃me Boutillier (baritone)
Altamort/Ombre d鈥橝ltamort/Un paysan/Un eunuque - Philippe-Nicolas Martin听 (baritone)
Elamir - Marine Lafdal-Franc听(soprano)
Une bergere sensible/Ombre de Spinette - Danae虂 Monnie虂 (soprano)
Les Talens Lyriques (orchestra)
Les Chantres du centre de musique baroque de Versailles (choir)
Christophe Rousset (conductor)
Apart茅 AP208 (3 CDs)
Biber: Fidicinium Sacro-Profanum
Harmonie Universelle (ensemble)
Florian Deuter (violin)
Monica Waisman (directors)
Accent ACC 24357
鈥楤ach 鈥� The Lute Suites鈥� incl. BWV 995, BWV 997, BWV 1006 & BWV 996
Franz Halasz (guitar)
Bis BIS-2285 (Hybrid SACD)
鈥楪ateways鈥� 鈥� Chen: Wu Zing & La Joie de la souffrance; Kreisler: Tambourin chinois Op. 3; Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances Op. 45
Maxim Vengerov (violin)
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
Long Yu (conductor)
Deutsche Grammophon 483 6606
10.45am 鈥� New Releases 鈥� Erica Jeal on new chamber releases
Debussy: String Quartet in G minor; Tailleferre: String Quartet; Ravel: String Quartet in F major
Stenhammar Quartet (string quartet)
Alba ABCD 431
鈥楤art贸k Bound 鈥� Vol. 1鈥� Bartok: String Quartets Nos. 1, 2 & 4
Ragazze Quartet (string quartet)
Channel Classics CCS41419
鈥楤rahms 鈥� The Five Sonatas for Violin & Piano, Vol. 1鈥� Brahms: Sonata in F minor Op. 120, Scherzo in C minor from the F.A.E. Sonata WoO 2 & Sonata No. 1 in G
Ulf Wallin (violin)
Roland P枚ntinen (piano)
BIS BIS-2369 (Hybrid SACD)
鈥楤eethoven Plus, Vol. 2鈥� 鈥� Beethoven: Sonatas Op. 30 Nos. 1 & 2 & Op. 96; Matthews: Sonatina, Op. 128 + works by Schwertsik, Taylor, Ashworth & Matthews
Krysia Osostowicz (violin)
Daniel Tong (piano)
SOMM SOMMCD 0197-2 (2 CDs)
鈥楥hiaroscuro鈥� - Works for string quartet by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Glass, Shostakovich, Jan谩膷ek & Gershwin
Schumann Quartet (string quartet)
Berlin Classics 0301213BC
11.25am 鈥� Record of the Week
Janacek: The diary of one who disappeared, 艠铆kadla 鈥楴ursery Rhymes鈥� & Moravian folk poetry in songs
Nicky Spence (tenor)
Vaclava Houskova (mezzo)
Victoria Couper (voice)
Clemmie Franks (voice)
Emily Burn (voice)
Julius Drake (piano)
Hyperion CDA68282
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