Lindberg & Friends Play Lindberg

On this CD:

1. Fafner Fanfare for Four Frogs, for 4 trombones
Composed by Christian Lindberg
Performed by Christian Lindberg

2. The Ballad of Kit Bones, for 6 trombones & 2 narrators
Composed by Fredrik Hogberg
Performed by Christian Lindberg

3. Mandrake in the Corner, for trombone & orchestra
Composed by Christian Lindberg
Performed by Singapore Symphony Orchestra with Christian Lindberg
Conducted by Lan Shui

4. Doctor Decker, The Dentist, for 4 trombones & 2 narrators
Composed by Christian Lindberg
Performed by Christian Lindberg

5. Catmania, for two trombones & narrator
Composed by Christian Lindberg
Performed by Christian Lindberg

6. Kinky Creatures, for 4 trombones
Composed by Christian Lindberg
Performed by Christian Lindberg

7. Salute to a Sausage Society, for 3 trombones
Composed by Christian Lindberg
Performed by Christian Lindberg

8. Under the Pillow, for 4 trombones
Composed by Christian Lindberg
Performed by Christian Lindberg

9. Kokakoka, for solo trombone & narrator
Composed by Christian Lindberg
Performed by Christian Lindberg

10. Arabenne, for trombone & strings
Composed by Christian Lindberg
Performed by Christian Lindberg, Tapiola Sinfonietta
Conducted by Jean-Jacques Kantorow

11. An Awfully Ugly Tune, for six trombones & narrator
Composed by Christian Lindberg
Performed by Christian Lindberg

Tracks:

Rondo Alla Turca
Libertango
Andante
Variations On 'Casta Diva'
Caprice No.24
El Pano Moruno
Seguidilla Murciana
Asturiana
Jota
Nana
Cancion
Polo
Vocalise
Der Holle Rache
Violin Concerto No.1 - Andante
Syrinx
Trumpet Concerto - Nocturne
Escualo

Amazon.com

It is only natural that players of instruments with a limited repertoire should resort to transcriptions, citing a long line of arrangers from Bach to Liszt to Heifetz. However, the suitability of the material is as important as the skill of the transcriber, and you don't have to be a "purist" to object to some of Balsom's choices. Some of the transcriptions are her own, some are by Julian Milone, a violinist, who also provided the orchestrations of the non-orchestral accompaniments. Unfortunately they sound unnatural compared to Mozart's, in an aria from his Die Zauberflöte, and Bach's, in a movement of his A minor Violin Concerto. Two numbers are for trumpet alone: Paganini's 24th Caprice for violin, which keeps jumping from the highest to the lowest register, bringing out the worst of both, and Debussy's "Syrinx" for flute, which loses its languid character. The "Turkish Rondo" from Mozart's A major Piano Sonata is least satisfying: played in E-flat minor (instead of A minor), it sounds strident, and its breakneck pace destroys the original's grace and buoyancy. The arrangement often gives the melody to the orchestra and un-Mozartian virtuosic interjections to the trumpet. De Falla's Seven Popular Spanish Songs, orchestrated by Luciano Berio complete with castanets, come off better, and not surprisingly, two pieces by trumpet players are most successful: Jean-Baptiste Arban's Variations on Bellini's "Casta Diva," and the Nocturne from Henri Tomasi's Trumpet Concerto. Slow, dreamy and impressionistic, the Concerto is the only "original" piece on the program, and the listener wishes the disc had included all of it. On this record, the playing's the thing. Alison Balsom is a stunning virtuoso; she commands a huge register, a large range of dynamics and colors, and can achieve hair-raising speeds with ease and clarity. This is her second CD; the first was an all-Bach album. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

You can't 'quantify' virtuosity.......2007-03-23

A view which praises with-faint-damn - is too reminiscent of days in academia, and causes me to compose my first Amazon comment. On to Ms. Balsom (from a one who won a 'Silver Bugle(tm)' at a military academy / 8th grade (!) and went on with cornet/trumpet, for many decades since.)

I have heard Nakariakov live, met the miraculous man - he is my Trumpet-God! (among demi-Gods like, newly: Ms. Balsom.) But *critical* comparison of 'technique?' is utterly inappropriate, once within or beyond that sublime level of virtuosity which includes Wynton M., earlier - Gerard Schwartz and.. the precious few.

If you love music, especially brass / are still susceptible of wonderful Goose-bumps: you will not be disappointed in the divine Alison and 'Caprice'. IMHO Her pianissimo in *all* registers is second to none, her intonation flawless and her playing: Sublimely musical, in all senses of that vague but large word. Note that most selections are played on a C trumpet (same key as piano) - a bit different effect from B-flat, for those afflicted with perfect pitch.

Bon appetit - be grateful that, amidst the external absurdities of this particular time - Love expressed in sound remains amongst us. And we can afford, ene, to "buy it"! Sorta

Brilliant trumpet player.......2007-02-18

Alison Balsom demonstrates brilliant technique and feel throughout this albumn with a choice of contrasting pieces painting a picture of a mature performer with incredible talent. Highly recommended for the trumpet solo and concert trumpet enthusiast.... you reach the end wanting more!!

She still needs more time to grow.......2007-01-22

Alison Balsom...I first heard of her when I saw her Caprice video on youtube. I must say, this is some good talent and she certainly brings justice to the trumpet. However, I think that her interpretations are not yet musical enough. She has great dynamics and is able to change her tone a bit but...even though she is able to employ all those technical displays, the musicality seems to be lacking. Even though I hate to compare trumpeters, I believe that she is trying to achieve a style that is similar to Sergei Nakariakov (that is...playing transcriptions which are technically demanding). Unfortunately, her technicality is nowhere near the level of Nakariakov and her musical interpretations still need work. Her style, however, does bear the shadow of her teacher, Hakan Hardenberger. That is to say, she has a clear and open tone.

So...all in all...I think her musicality is lacking...for now.

Great trumpeter, some great music........2007-01-12

Extremely talented performer playing some really great selections. I especially loved Der Holle Rache and Rondo a la Turca. There is also some modern stuff that is skillfully done, but not really my taste.

Alison Balsom Caprice.......2007-01-09

The Bach from Alison was excellent. I didnt like the pieces in this CD as much. Also the captions, if I listen on my computer, are in Japanese

Dowland - The Collected Works / The Consort of Musicke, Rooley

Average customer rating:

A musical treasure-box
a beautiful journey into melancholy

Dowland - The Collected Works / The Consort of Musicke, Rooley
John Dowland , Anthony Rooley , Emma Kirkby , Christopher Wilson , The Consort of Musicke , Colin Tilney , Anthony Bailes , Jakob Lindberg , Nigel North , Glenda Simpson , Peter Holman , and John Donne
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Dowland: Complete Lute Works, Vol.1-5
William Byrd: Consort Songs
Bach: The Landowska Recordings
Britten Conducts Britten
Janácek: Operas

ASIN: B000004CYV
Release Date: 2007-03-13

Tracks:

First Booke Of Songes: I. Unquiet Thoughts
First Booke Of Songes: II. Who Ever Thinks Or Hopes Of Love
First Booke Of Songes: III. My Thoughts Are Wing'd With Hopes
First Booke Of Songes: IV. If My Complaints Could Passions Move
First Booke Of Songes: V. Can She Excuse My Wrongs
First Booke Of Songes: VI. Now, O Now, I Needs Must Part
First Booke Of Songes: VII. Dear, If You Change
First Booke Of Songes: VIII. Burst Fourth My Tears
First Booke Of Songes: IX. Go Crystal Tears
First Booke Of Songes: X. Think'st Thou Then By Thy Feigning
First Booke Of Songes: XI. Come Away, Come Sweet Love
First Booke Of Songes: XII. Rest Awhile, You Cruel Cares
First Booke Of Songes: XIII. Sleep, Wayward Thoughts
First Booke Of Songes: XIV. All Ye, Whom Love Or Fortune Hath Betray'd
First Booke Of Songes: XV. Wilt Thou Unkind Thus Reave Me
First Booke Of Songes: XVI. Would My Conceit
First Booke Of Songes: XVII. Come Again: Sweet Love Doth Now Invite
First Booke Of Songes: XVIII. His Golden Locks
First Booke Of Songes: XIX. Awake, Sweet Love
First Booke Of Songes: XX. Come, Heavy Sleep
First Booke Of Songes: XXI. Away With These Self-Loving Lads

Tracks:

Second Booke Of Songs: I. I Saw My Lady Weep
Second Booke Of Songs: II. Flow My Tears
Second Booke Of Songs: III. Sorrow, Stay
Second Booke Of Songs: IV. Die Not Before Thy Day
Second Booke Of Songs: V. Mourn, Mourn, Day Is With Darkness Fled
Second Booke Of Songs: VI. Time's Eldest Son
Second Booke Of Songs: VII. Then Sit Thee Down
Second Booke Of Songs: VIII. When Others Sing Venite
Second Booke Of Songs: IX. Praise Blindness Eyes
Second Booke Of Songs: X. O Sweet Woods
Second Booke Of Songs: XI. If Floods Of Tears
Second Booke Of Songs: XII. Fine Knacks For Ladies
Second Booke Of Songs: XIII. Now Cease My Wand'ring Eyes
Second Booke Of Songs: XIV. Come Ye Heavy States Of Night
Second Booke Of Songs: XV. White As Lilies Was Her Face
Second Booke Of Songs: XVI. Woeful Heart
Second Booke Of Songs: XVII. A Shepherd In A Shade
Second Booke Of Songs: XVIII. Faction That Ever Dwells
Second Booke Of Songs: XIX. Shall I Sue
Second Booke Of Songs: XX. Toss Not My Soul
Second Booke Of Songs: XXI. Clear Or Cloudy
Second Booke Of Songs: XXII. Humour Say What Mak'st Thou Here

Tracks:

Third Booke Of Songs 1603: I. Farewell, Too Fair
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: II. Time Stands Still
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: III. Behold A Wonder Here
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: IV. Daphne Was Not So Chaste
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: V. Me, Me, And None But Me
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: VI. When Phoebus First Did Daphne Love
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: VII. Say, Love, If Ever Thou Didst Find
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: VIII. Flow Not So Fast, Ye Fountains
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: IX. What If I Never Speed?
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: X. Love Stood Amazed
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XI. Lend Your Ears To My Sorrow
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XII. By A Fountain Where I Lay
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XIII. O What Hath Overwrought
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XIV. Farewell, Unkind
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XV. Weep You No More, Sad Fountains
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XVI. Fie On This Feigning!
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XVII. I Must Complain
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XVIII. It Was A Time When Silly Bees
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XIX. The Lowest Trees Have Tops
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XX. What Poor Astronomers Are They
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XXI. Come When I Call

Tracks:

A Pilgrimes Solace: I. Disdain Me Still
A Pilgrimes Solace: II. Sweet Stay Awhile
A Pilgrimes Solace: III. To Ask For All Thy Love
A Pilgrimes Solace: IV. Love, Those Beams That Breed
A Pilgrimes Solace: V. Shall I Strive Wih Words To Move?
A Pilgrimes Solace: VI. Were Every Thought An Eye
A Pilgrimes Solace: VII. Stay, Time, Awhile Thy Flying
A Pilgrimes Solace: VIII. Tell Me, True Love
A Pilgrimes Solace: IX. Go Nightly Cares
A Pilgrimes Solace: X. From Silent Night
A Pilgrimes Solace: XI. Lasso vita mia
A Pilgrimes Solace: XII. In This Trembling Shadow Cast
A Pilgrimes Solace: XIII. If That A Sinner's Sights
A Pilgrimes Solace: XIV. Thou Mighty God
A Pilgrimes Solace: XV. When David's Life
A Pilgrimes Solace: XVI. When The Poor Cripple

Tracks:

A Pilgrimes Solace: XVII. Where Sin Sore Wounding
A Pilgrimes Solace: XVIII. My Heart And Tongue Were Twins
A Pilgrimes Solace: XIX. Up Merry Mates
A Pilgrimes Solace: XX. Welcome Black Night
A Pilgrimes Solace: XXI. Cease, Cease These False Sports
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Lachrimae Pavane
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Can Shee
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Paduana
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: The Frogge
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Frog's Galliard
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Pavana And Galiarda
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Paduana Lachrymae
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Can She Excuse
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Pavion Solus cum sola
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Dowland's Almayne
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Piper's Paven And Galliard
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Pavan Lachrymae

Tracks:

Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: I. The Lamentation Of A Sinner
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: II. Domine ne in furore
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: III. Miserere mei Deus
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: IV. The Humble Suit Of A Sinner
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: V. The Humble Complaint Of A Sinner
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: VI. De profundis
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: VII. Domine exaudi
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Antiquae
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Antiquae Novae
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Gementes
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Tristes
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Coactae
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Amantis
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Verae
Lachrimae: Mr. John Langton's Pavan
Lachrimae: Mr. Nicholas Gryffith His Galiard
Lachrimae: Sir John Souch His Galiard
Lachrimae: Semper Dowland Semper Dolens
Lachrimae: Mr. Giles Hobies Galiard
Lachrimae: The King Of Denmark's Galiard
Lachrimae: Sir Henry Umpton's Funerall
Lachrimae: Mr. Henry Noell His Galiard
Lachrimae: The Earl Of Essex Galiard
Lachrimae: Mr. Bucton His Galiard
Lachrimae: Mr. George Whitehead His Almand
Lachrimae: Captain Digorie Piper His Galiard
Lachrimae: Mr. Thomas Collier His Galiard
Lachrimae: Mrs. Nichols Almand

Tracks:

Sacred Songs: Sorrow, Come!
Sacred Songs: I Shame At Mine Unworthiness
Sacred Songs: An Heart That's Broken And Contrite
Psalms: Psalm 100: All People That On Earth Do Dwell
Psalms: Psalm 38: Put Me Not To Rebuke O Lord
Psalms: Psalm 130: Lord To Thee I Make My Moan
Psalms: Psalm 104: My Soul Praise The Lord
Psalms: Psalm 100: All People That On Earth Do Dwell
Psalms: Psalm 134: Behold And Have Regard
A Prayer For The Queen's Most Excellent Majesty
Instrumental Music: Solus cum sola pavan
Instrumental Music: Lachrimae
Instrumental Music: Galliard
Instrumental Music: Pipers Pavan
Instrumental Music: Lachrimae
Instrumental Music: Lady Rich Galliard
Instrumental Music: Earl Of Essex Galliard
Instrumental Music: If My Complaints
Instrumental Music: Lachrimae Doolande
Instrumental Music: Lord Willoughbie's Welcome Home
Instrumental Music: My Lord Chamberlaine His Galliard
Instrumental Music: Comagain
Instrumental Music: Pavan Lachrymae
Instrumental Music: Sorrow Stay

Tracks:

Lute Music: Preludium
Lute Music: Lachrimae
Lute Music: Can She Excuse
Lute Music: Dr. Case's Pavan
Lute Music: Melancholy Galliard
Lute Music: Sir John Smith, His Almain
Lute Music: Fantasia
Lute Music: A Dream
Lute Music: Almain
Lute Music: The Queen's Galliard
Lute Music: Coranto
Lute Music: Resolution
Lute Music: Mrs. Vaux Galliard
Lute Music: Almain
Lute Music: Mr. Dowland's MIdnight
Lute Music: Fantasia
Lute Music: Loth To Depart
Lute Music: The Most Sacred Queen Elizabeth, Her Galliard
Lute Music: The Earl Of Essex, His Galliard
Lute Music: Pavan
Lute Music: John Dowland's Galliard
Lute Music: Aloe
Lute Music: The Lady Clifton's Spirit
Lute Music: What If A Day
Lute Music: Mr. Giles Hobie's Galliard
Lute Music: Come Away (Song arrangement)
Lute Music: Galliard
Lute Music: Fancy (Fantasia)

Tracks:

Lute Music: Lachrimae (Basic Version)
Lute Music: Galliard To Lachrimae
Lute Music: [Jig]
Lute Music: Galliard On 'Wasingham'
Lute Music: Complaint (Ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Mignarda (Galliard)
Lute Music: Semper Dowland Semper Dolens (Pavan)
Lute Music: The Frog Galliard
Lute Music: A Fancy (Fantasia)
Lute Music: Fancy (Fantasia)
Lute Music: Piper's Pavan
Lute Music: Captain Digorie Piper's Galliard
Lute Music: Lady Laiton's Almain
Lute Music: Dowland's Galliard
Lute Music: Dowland's First Galliard
Lute Music: Tarleton's Jig
Lute Music: Walsingham (ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Lord Willoughbie's Welcome Home (Ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Sir Henry Guilforde, His Almain
Lute Music: Pavan (Related To 'Lachrimae')
Lute Music: Mr. Langton's Galliard
Lute Music: Mrs. Clifton's Almain
Lute Music: Galliard
Lute Music: Lady Hunsdon's Puffe (Almain)
Lute Music: Galliard
Lute Music: Go From My Window (Ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Fancy (Fantasia)

Tracks:

Lute Music: Pavana Johan Douland
Lute Music: Mrs. Brigide Fleetwood's Pavan (Solus sine sola)
Lute Music: La mia Barbara
Lute Music: Sir Henry Umpton's Funeral (Pavan)
Lute Music: Lachrimae
Lute Music: Farewell Fancy (Chromatic Fantasia)
Lute Music: Farewell (On The 'In Nomine' Theme)
Lute Music: The King of Denmark's Galliard
Lute Music: Mrs. Vaux's Jig
Lute Music: Mrs. Nichol's Almain
Lute Music: Galliard
Lute Music: Lord Strang's March
Lute Music: Mrs. Winter's Jump
Lute Music: Can She Excuse (Galliard)
Lute Music: The Shoemaker's Wife, A Toy
Lute Music: Mrs. Norrish's Delight
Lute Music: Galliard
Lute Music: Mrs. White's Thing (Almain)
Lute Music: Mrs. White's Nothing
Lute Music: The Frog Galliard
Lute Music: Solus cum sola
Lute Music: The Lord Viscount Lisle, His Galliard
Lute Music: Orlando Sleepeth (Ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Robin (Ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Galliard (On A Galliard By Daniel Bacheler)
Lute Music: Forlorn Hope Fancy (Chromatic Fantasia)

Tracks:

Lute Music: The Lady Russell's Pavan
Lute Music: Fancy (Fantasia)
Lute Music: Sir John Langton's Pavan
Lute Music: Earl Of Derby, His Galliard
Lute Music: A Coy Toy
Lute Music: Fortune My Foe
Lute Music: [Almain]
Lute Music: Mr. Knight's Galliard
Lute Music: Sir John Souch His Galliard
Lute Music: Tarletone's Riserrectione
Lute Music: The Lady Rich, Her Galliard
Consort Music: Lachrimae Pavan
Consort Music: Can She Excuse Galliard
Consort Music: Captain Piper's Pavan And Galliard
Consort Music: The Frog Galliard
Consort Music: Round Battell Galliard
Consort Music: Fortune My Foe
Consort Music: Dowland's First Galliard
Consort Music: Katherine Darcie's Galliard
Consort Music: Tarleton's Jigge
Consort Music: Almain a 2
Consort Music: Mistress Nichols Almain a 2
Fullsack And Hildebrandt: Auserlesener Paduanen und Galliarden: Susanna Fair (Galliard)
Haussmann: Rest von polnischen und andern Tanzen: Mistress Nichols Alman a 5
Opusculum: Mr. John Langton Pavan And Galliard
Opusculum: La mia Barbara Pavan and Galliard
Opusculum: Lachrimae Antiquae Novae Pavan and Galliard

Tracks:

Consort Music: Mistress NIchols Almain
Consort Music: Volta a 4 ('Ioh. Douland')
Consort Music: Were Every Thought an Eye
Consort Music: Lady If You So Spite Me
Consort Music: Pavan a 4
A Musicall Banquet: I. My Heavy Sprite (Anthony Holborne)
A Musicall Banquet: II. Change Thy Mind Since She Doth Change (Richard Martin)
A Musicall Banquet: III. O Eyes, Leave Off Your Weeping (Robert Hales)
A Musicall Banquet: IV. Go, My Flock, Go Get You Hence (Anon.)
A Musicall Banquet: V. O Dear Life, When Shall It Be? (Anon.)
A Musicall Banquet: VI. To Plead My Faith (Daniel Bacheler)
A Musicall Banquet: VII. In A Grove Most Rich Of Shade (Guillaume Tessier)
A Musicall Banquet: VIII. Far From Triumphing Court
A Musicall Banquet: IX. Lady, If You So Spite Me
A Musicall Banquet: X. In Darkness Let Me Dwell
A Musicall Banquet: XI. Si le parler et le silence (Pierre Guedron)
A Musicall Banquet: XII. Ce penser qui sans fin tirannise ma vie (Pierre Guedron)
A Musicall Banquet: XIII. Vous que le Bonheur rappelle (Pierre Guedron)
A Musicall Banquet: XIV. Passava Amor su arco desarmado (Anon. Spanish)
A Musicall Banquet: XV. Sta notte mi sognava (Anon. Italian)
A Musicall Banquet: XVI. Vuestros ojos tienen d'Amor (Anon. Spanish)
A Musicall Banquet: XVII. Se di farmi morire (Domenico Maria Megli)
A Musicall Banquet: XVIII. Dovro dunque morire? (Giulio Caccini)
A Musicall Banquet: XIX. Amarilli mia bella (Giulio Caccini)
A Musicall Banquet: XX. O bella piu (Anon, Italian)

Customer Reviews:

A musical treasure-box.......2006-09-10

Both the music and this actual product are masterpieces. John Dowland's collected works here - covering 12 compact discs - exhibit the depth and power of this composer, a composer who many now regard as suffering from clinical depression. I doubt that the issue of the diagnosis of Dowland's depression can ever be settled, however, it is certainly obvious from his music, so completely on display here, that he was a man with very dark depths and corners in his mind. Dowland's various manifestations and "takes" on his own tune, "Flow my tears"/"Lachrimae" are here. This tune has haunted me ever since I first heard it when I was a child. It seems to sum up Dowland's feelings - at least Dowland seems to have thought so.

The First, Second, Third and Fourth Bookes of Songes, A Musicall Banquet, the keyboard transcriptions, all the lute music, consort music are here and virtually everything else written or supposedly written by John Dowland. Anthony Rooley and The Consort of Musicke perform this music with style and feeling throughout. This 12 CD set is something of a monument to the ensemble - I only wish they'd finished their collection of Monteverdi madrigals, which was equally good (La Venexiana are currently doing a magnificent job of recording all Monteverdi's books of madrigals for the GLOSSA label).

This is an expensive set, however, you will probably never need to buy another John Dowland CD again after buying and listening to this collection.

I bought this CD set on a mild Summer evening of 1998 and listened to it while sitting in my sun room - which a glorious orange sunset in progress, and a glass of wine. It brought back so many memories.

a beautiful journey into melancholy.......2001-06-15

I'm amazed at how many people tend to associate John Dowland's music with a tragic sense of drama. While no doubt this is art highly based on sadness, the "tragic" sense of it is more a legacy from the Romantic period. During the Renaissance, however, sadness was undestood as a very aesthetic way of approaching life. That is also the reason why Shakespeare's tragedies appear more sophisticated than his comedies.

Tracks:

Lachrimae Antiquae
If My Complaints Could Passions Move
Can She Excuse My Wrongs
Come Away, Come Sweet Love
My Lady Hunsdon's Allmande
A Piece Without Title
The Shoemaker's Wife: A Toy
Lachrimae Antiquae Novac
Come Again: Sweet Love Doth Now Invite
Come, Heavy Sleep
Mr. Dowland's Midnight
Sir John Smith, His Almain
Semper Dowland Semper Dolens
Lachrimae Gementes
I Saw My Lady Weep
Flow My Tears
Fine Knacks For Ladies
Shall I Sue
Lachrimae Tristes

Tracks:

Me, Me, And None But Me
Forlorn Hope Fancy
Weep You No More, Sad Fountains
Lachrimae Coactae
Go Nightly Cares
The Right Honourable Ferdinando, Earl Of Derby, His Galliard
The Most Sacred Queen Elizabeth, Her Galliard
Tell Me, True Love
Lachrimae Amantis
In Darkness Let Me Dwell
A Fantasia
My Lord Chamberlain His Galliard
Far From Triumphing Court
I Shame At Mine Unworthiness
Lachrimae Verae

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Virtuoso Accordion

Manufacturer: Bridge Records, Inc.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Product Description

The 20th century produced a large classical repertoire for a number of previously under-used instruments, the accordion among them. This stellar disc presents the Finnish accordion virtuoso, Mikko Luoma, in a group of pieces that demonstrate the fascinating expressive range of this often maligned instrument. Jukka Tiensuu holds a unique place among composers that have written for the accordion. Mikko Luoma writes that "he gave a well needed push for accordionists with his Aufschwung, and 25 years later with Zolo defined the accordion from a totally new perspective. The young Sampo Haapamäki's piece Power sets the accordion fearlessly into motion with its spinning sonorities. The Finn Magnus Lindberg studied in the early 80's with the French composer, Gérard Grisey. Both played the accordion in their youth. Grisey's early piece (given its premiere recording here) is very different from Lindberg's, which uses a spectral approach to harmony. Magnus Lindberg writes that "The exceptionally large dynamic and tonal spectrum of the accordion, its "virtuoso potential" arising from the way the manuals are constructed, its harmonic and polyphonic scope and characteristics of bellows handling, compared to the bowing of a string instrument, make this an utterly fascinating instrument for me." Salvatore Sciarrino's Vagabonde blu is a quietly intense piece which creates a magical atmosphere through its use of the accordion's 'stradella-bass'-- pre-set major, minor, seventh and diminished chords in the instrument's left manual. Vladimir Zubitsky's wonderful Carpathian Suite is perhaps the most traditional music on this disc, utilizing the sounds of Ukranian folklore and folk instruments. Mikko Luoma is a senior lecturer at Turku Music Academy in Finland, and has lectured and given master classes at the Juilliard School, Columbia University, the Hochschule für Musik in Lübeck and the Musik Akademie Franz Liszt in Weimar.

Dedicated to Christian Lindberg [Hybrid SACD]

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Dedicated to Christian Lindberg [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Bis
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000OT8K2M
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Average customer rating:

Just about as good as it gets...
Beautiful if nonstandard rendition of Bach
A dazzling performance.

Murray Perahia Plays Bach

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Bach: Keyboard Concertos Nos. 3, 5, 6, 7
Bach: Keyboard Concertos Nos. 1, 2 & 4
Songs Without Words
Bach: English Suites Nos. 1, 3 & 6
Bach: English Suites Nos. 2, 4 & 5 / Perahia

ASIN: B0000CG89Y
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Tracks:

I. Allegro
II. Adagio Ma Non Tanto E Dolce
III. Tempo Di Alla Breve
I. Allegro
II. Affetuoso
III. Allegro
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Presto

Amazon.com

After playing and conducting Bach's concertos for solo keyboard, Perahia now turns his attention to a pair of similarly scored concertos which involve a couple of excellent colleagues. Except for instrument purists who insist on harpsichords and other period instruments, no Bach lover is likely to have any trouble with the sound of these performances. They are lucidly and expressively played, and every important line is clearly audible. After his rather aggessive approach to the solo concertos, Perahia and his colleagues sound surprisingly sedate in these performances, which are lovely but occasionally seem a bit deficient in excitement and drive. The "Italian Concerto," without the orchestra, is similarly mellow. If it suits your interests, this is a highly pleasing disc, quite well recorded, although there should have been more than 55:24 of music on it. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Just about as good as it gets..........2005-07-19

Exquisite. Just forget academic hang-ups about period versus modern instruments etc - and listen to the music - and the sheer musicianship - which is sublime on this disc. Bach often arranged for different instruments quite freely, like most good composers, so he would most-likely have thoroughly enjoyed his work played on a piano instead of a harpsichord - and it is such enjoyment to let this music wash-over you wherever you are - driving, relaxing, whatever.

Perahia is at his usual level of perfection, energy and enthusiasm, and for me, the smooth and subtle playing of Kenneth Sillito's violin - and especially Jaime Martin's flute - is the real bonus - beautifully and sensitively crafted phrasing throughout both the Brandenburg 5th and the Concerto for flute, violin and clavier.

Beautiful if nonstandard rendition of Bach.......2003-12-13

The centerpiece of this CD is Perahia's performance of the Fifth Brandenburg. Perahia bites into it like what it is--the first piano concerto. True, he doesn't play it on a harpsichord and disregards almost everything the past 20 years or so of musical scholarship have told us about period performance. On the other hand, Beethoven, Chopin, and the rest of the 19th century composers played Bach with their own hands, and they probably played him like this. The result wasn't the exact sound Bach had in mind when he put pen to paper, but it was the sound that inspired the great keyboard literature of that century. To listen to Perahia play this is to hear the granddaddy of piano concertos anew. Anyone who loves Bach already has a couple Brandenburg recordings; this is a nice compliment to them. Anyone who loves 19th century piano music deserves a taste of this, too. Then Perahia throws in the triple concerto, which just doesn't get recorded enough, and the Italian concerto, which any Bach lover is going to already know well. Sound quality and engineering are impeccable.

A dazzling performance........2003-11-10

Bravissimo! Perahia's dazzling performance culminates in the cadenza in the first movement of the Fifth Brandenburg Concerto. This superb recording stands in stark contrast with the boring antiquarian stuff of the "historically informed" performance fad that may have prevented an entire generation of music fans from enjoying an important pianistic tradition connected with this concerto. I do not know of any recording of this concerto played on a modern piano since the legendary mono recording by Edwin Fischer made in the 1950s. The Triple Concerto and the Italian Concerto also give splendid testimony of exquisitely shaded modern piano performances. Highly recommended.

Anne Sofie von Otter - Lamenti (Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Purcell, Bertali, Legrenzi) / Goebel

Average customer rating:

Beauty for Its Sake; Van Otter, Goebel record a Paradigm
Splendid music, great singing! A disc to treasure...

Anne Sofie von Otter - Lamenti (Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Purcell, Bertali, Legrenzi) / Goebel
Claudio Monteverdi , Antonio Bertali , Giovanni Legrenzi , Antonio Vivaldi , Henry Purcell , Alessandro Piccinini , Anne-Sofie von Otter , Musica Antiqua Köln , Reinhard Goebel , Jakob Lindberg , Markus Mollenbeck , and Franz-Josef Selig
Manufacturer: Archiv Produktion
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Marian Cantatas & Arias
Anne Sofie von Otter - Schumann: Frauenliebe und -leben / Forsberg
Music for a While: Baroque Melodies
Anne Sofie von Otter - La Bonne Chanson
Anne Sofie von Otter - Love's Twilight (Late Romantic Songs by Berg, Korngold, Strauss)

ASIN: B00001IVOP
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Tracks:

'Con che soavita'
'Lamento della Regina d'Inghilterra'
'Il ballo del Gran Duca' Op. 16: 'Corrente Nona'
Cantata 'Cessate, omai cessate'
'Lamento d'Arianna'
'Incassum, Lesbia, rogas'
Ciaccona
'Oh solitude!'

Amazon.com

Many fans and at least a few writers call Anne Sofie von Otter the best mezzo-soprano in the world--period. While some of her earliest recording successes were in Bach and Monteverdi, it's her remarkable singing in mainstream concert works and operas from Mozart to Massenet to Mahler that made her world-famous. The music on this disc (mostly from the 17th century) is the oldest von Otter has done in a while--and dedicated early-music lovers might expect that her years in the opera house and recital hall have spoiled her voice for this repertory. (That seemed to be the case with her blustery, oversung Octavia in The Coronation of Poppea.)

Well, the first 30 seconds of the breathtaking opening track, Monteverdi's "Con che soavità," should allay those fears quite nicely. This is Emma Kirkby territory--von Otter sounds very different, of course, but every bit as convincing as Kirkby and arguably more sensuous. Similarly, in Vivaldi's cantata "Cessate, omai cessate," von Otter's virtuosity and fire give even Cecilia Bartoli a run for her money. (To these non-native ears, von Otter's Italian diction seems exemplary, as well.) She captures the intense yet dignified grief of the princess Ariadne in Monteverdi's Lamento d'Arianna and the pensive eloquence of Purcell's "O Solitude" equally well. Yet she never fails to blend with the period instruments (exquisitely played by lutenist Jakob Lindberg and Musica Antiqua Köln) and never overwhelms the music. (Her embellishments sound very apt--if not very spontaneous--as well.) This is probably the best solo recording von Otter has ever made--and that's saying a lot. Let it never be said again that this tall, blonde Swede is a cool and dispassionate artist. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Beauty for Its Sake; Van Otter, Goebel record a Paradigm.......1999-12-07

Sumptuous. Absolutly. There isn't a single flaw in this CD. Van Otter is--Von Otter. She sings in the early style for this CD. Sometimes Mr. Goebel gets carried away with himself. I have found his CD's to be hits and misses. But on this CD Mr. Goebel splits the arrow already on the bullseye. Perhaps age and maturity have given Mr. Goebel the confiedence to hold back a bit and let the music grab the listener's attention rather than shake up the early music orchesta pit. This CD seduces you. Who would have thought such tenderness from one of the bad boys of the Early Music Movement. It is Goebel at his best: scholarship with musicianship. This CD must be saved from World War III. It is a fine example of the best of humans.

Splendid music, great singing! A disc to treasure..........1999-09-15

The CD appeared on the European market early this year ("Gramophone" reviewed it in March on p. 88) and it is only now that it has its American premiere. I was waiting impatiently - so did many von Otter's admirers in this country - and here it is! I bought my copy in Europe a couple of months ago and listened to it many, many times. What a wonderful disc it is! One of the highlights of the program is Vivaldi's cantata "Cessate, omai cessate" which has been recorded not so long ago by Andreas Scholl (1996 "Gramophone Award" winning disc with Vivaldi's "Stabat Mater" and other vocal and instrumental pieces, Harmonia Mundi HMC 901571). Both interpretations are splendid, but diametrically different with Scholl more withdrawn and resigned (the cantata tells a story of an unhappy love) and von Otter boiling with fury, one of the most "furious furies" I've ever heard in the so called 'ancient music' repertoire (Handel can be quite good at it!). There are other wonderful pieces, including such gems as Purcell's "Incassum, Lesbia, rogas" or famous ""Oh solitude". Throughout the disc, von Otter proves once again how masterly she can convey the mood of music by using the most subtle colors of her voice's palette. This disc is my treasure! Its contents - heralded by the title - does not promiss an easy and cheerful fall listening, but as always with von Otter's recitals - it brings real joy, though sometimes through tears.

Average customer rating:

Great CD
wow this is amazing
CD shows many possibles for pros and student alike
great player, selection of music a bit disappointing
This is a ravishingly diverse album, proving CL's Greatness!

The Virtuoso Trombone

Manufacturer: Bis
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Trombonastics
Four of a Kind, Music for Trombone Quartet
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Christian Lindberg: Songs for Sunset
The Criminal Trombone

ASIN: B0000016B1
Release Date: 1993-07-06

Tracks:

The Flight Of The Bumble-Bee
Sonata (Vox Gabrieli) For Trombone And Piano
Ballade Pour Trombone Et Piano
Csardas
Liebesleid
Blue Bells Of Scotland
Allegro Moderato Meastoso
Allegretto Grazioso
Leid Des Raufbolds (Swashbuckler's Song)
Allegro Moderato Meastoso
Sequenza V For Trombone Solo

Customer Reviews:

Great CD.......2006-08-24

This is a great CD for any trombonist's collection...As was mentioned before, the Blue Bells, Czardas and Hindemith are all first rate. The largest contribution to the very small collection of quality trombone recordings out there, however, is the much overlooked and extremely beautiful Sulek Sonata. The artist does such a first rate job presenting such a wonderful piece of music, it's worth the entire cost of the CD in one track.

wow this is amazing.......2006-03-09

I am quite impressed by this recording. Christian Lindberg gives a flawless performance of Flight of the Bumblebee, Bluebells of Scotland, and the Hindemith Sonate. This should be in every trombonist's CD collection.

CD shows many possibles for pros and student alike.......2000-06-27

This CD shows Christians virtuosity yet it also proves that the trombone is capable of more than slow ballads. Ive studied with Christian and I can tell you though this CD seems to be as hard as it comes there are better of his CDs. This is probably his 2nd best though. He is a master of trombone and this CD allows students and professionals to 1>Hear a real trombone sound 2>Dicover new peices 2>and also show the trombones possivilities. THIS IS A GREAT CD TO LISTEN TO AND PERFORM ALONG SIDE IN PRACTICE!

great player, selection of music a bit disappointing.......2000-02-03

I hated to rate this a 3 stars, because the trombone playing is awesome! However, the selection of music leaves much to be desired, in my opinion. However, 2 of the selections, Flight of the Bumblebee (did he really play the trombone that fast? ), and Blue Bells of Scotland (magnificent!), are so tremendous that any trombone player should buy this CD just for those 2 tracks.

This is a ravishingly diverse album, proving CL's Greatness!.......1999-11-16

What I love most of this album is the great diversity of styles created by the different composers of this album. My favorite songs are
1) Blue Bells
2) Csardas
3) Liesbald (or however you spell it)

Anyway, I'm playing Blue Bells of Scotland this year for my UIL solo and ensemble competition next spring, and I have found it to be immensely helpful in determining styles, etc. Of course, it is also discouraging knowing somebody could be so much better than me :) Christian Lindberg is truly a fabulous artist!

Lindberg: Feria/Corrente II/Arena
Average customer rating:

Three works at the heart of Lindberg's oeuvre and a great introduction

grand orchestrations little on content or none

90s Classics

Lindberg: Feria/Corrente II/Arena

Manufacturer: Ondine
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Magnus Lindberg: Piano Concerto; KRAFT

Music of Magnus Lindberg

Magnus Lindberg: Kinetics (1988-89) / Marea (1989-90) / Joy (1989-90) - Jukka-Pekka Saraste

Magnus Lindberg: Clarinet Concerto; Gran Duo; Chorale

Unsuk Chin: Akrostichon-Wortspiel

ASIN: B000007NG1
Release Date: 1998-06-16

Tracks:

Feria
Corrente II
Arena

Customer Reviews:

Three works at the heart of Lindberg's oeuvre and a great introduction.......2005-08-17

This Ondine disc contains three orchestral pieces by Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg performed by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jukka-Pekka Saraste. The style of Lindberg's youth was thoroughly avant-garde, and concerned with unusual instrumentation and rhythms, culminating with the massive "Kraft" for avant-garde ensemble and orchestra in 1985. After a three year hiatus, Lindberg returned in at the turn of the 90's with the trilogy "Kinetics"-"Marea"-"Joy" (also available on Ondine) where his main interest was now building up giant yet well-organised harmonies within the limits of traditional instrumentation. The three works here, "Feria", "Corrente II", and "Arena", continue this line of investigation.

"Feria" (1997) takes its title from the Spanish word for an outdoor festival or fair and, says Lindberg, the festive nature and exhuberance of the piece is meant to "herald a lively public spectacle." It is composed of two busy sections and between them a slower-paced (but little is truly slow with Linderg) section that contains a chord progression from Monteverdi's "Lasciatemi morire (Lament of Arianna)", as well as some lovely pizzicato playing. The listener is awed by the immense orchestral forces constantly at play; ironically, the work had its genesis in a chamber piece, but Lindberg was too tempted to involve an entire symphony orchestra, which Lindberg calls his "favourite instrument". It should be noted that this piece forms a "symphonic triptych" with "Parada" (2001) and "Cantigas" (1997-1999), both available on a must-have Sony disc and the latter of which is possibly Lindberg's finest work to date.

"Corrente II" for symphony orchestra (1992) is an expanded version of "Corrente" (available on an earlier Ondine disc) for ensemble of 16 instruments (1991), and Lindberg says that the new orchestration is like viewing an object from afar instead of up close, since many details are lost but the general structure of the work is clearer. One new element that is immediately recognisable is the great role of percussion in the beginning. The fragment of Purcell which gave such an usual touch to the original appears more often here.

"Arena" (1995) was written for the Jean Sibelius International Conducting Competition, and is therefore full of challenging changes in tempo and multiple layers of sound. Like "Feria", much of the music is based on toying with a brief motif and frequent trumpet fanfares (perhaps explaining the piece's title), compelling engine-like moments first on low instruments and later on high winds, and even elements of true melody (which are rare in his later ouput). This is the strongest piece on the disc, and one of Lindberg's all-time standouts.

Though Lindberg's most accessible piece is probably "Cantigas", the rest of the material on that Sony disc is sub-par, and so I think this Ondine disc is probably the single best introduction to the work of this Finnish genius, and I recommend it without hestitate to any fan of contemporary music.

grand orchestrations little on content or none.......2005-04-02

you at first are overwhelmed by Lindberg's orchestrations, but then he keeps his timbres on a short leash, allowing rhythms snappy kinds of gestures to direct things and push things around. Sometimes Lindberg pounces on quite powerful moments but it seems as a listener we pay for them by sitting through more relatively light weight stuff. "Feria" is a Fest idea for those who work they get one day off, as I guess some of us still do, others to make the dream come true continue to work for surplus profit. I would think if you think of orchestrations on a grand scale it should be closer to nature,timbre is equivalent to materials,to impounded steel, copper, zinc, or wood, natural elements, and you see magnificent shapes as Serra's "torqued ellipsis" and say, "why can't the orchestra play like that!", well Lindberg seems to be not too many miles away from this, he needs to get more serious I suspect. Stravinsky taught all of us how to orchestrate and we are still learning,only we get stuck on the facile certainly American orchestrators as Adams and Kernis,Glass can't live without the facile in their work to help direct it around,and make the listening experience more pleasurable, "tell them what they want to hear,please",like scholars today speaking about the Middle East. Lindberg also tells us what we want to hear, instead music should cross borders to be art.conceptual ones,Border crossings occurred in Stravinsky as did Schoenberg, for a time,(until he came to America) Berg,etcetra etcetra.

90s Classics.......1999-12-02

Feria is the most satisfying of the three accomplished works on this disc. It's not difficult to see why this is one of Lindberg's most popular pieces, and in 20 years' time I wouldn't be surprised if this was seen as one of the seminal works of the 1990s. The opening fanfare is thrilling, and pulls you into a riveting twenty minutes' listening. It's one of Lindberg's best-conceived pieces, structurally speaking, and the orchestration is really magnificent, full of interesting textures.

Corrente II is a sort of rhythmic study, overlaying different ostinatos in a manner resembling Steve Reich, but rather more sophisticated; and Arena is a virtuosic orchestral toccata which certainly bears repeated hearing. This is a great disc for listeners new to Lindberg's music, as it gives an accurate picture of the composer at his most orchestrally inventive. Performance and recording are excellent.

Music of Magnus Lindberg
Average customer rating:

Fantastic Cello Playing!

Two of Lindberg's best pieces together with two not so successful

Stunners from Lindberg et al.

stunning neoromanticism

Thrilling Revelations

Music of Magnus Lindberg
Salonen , and Pco
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Magnus Lindberg: Piano Concerto; KRAFT

Kaija Saariaho: Château de l'âme / Graal Théâtre / Amers

Magnus Lindberg: Clarinet Concerto; Gran Duo; Chorale

Esa Pekka Salonen: Wing on Wing

Salonen - LA Variations · Five Images After Sappho · Mania · Gambit · Giro / Upshaw · Karttunen · L.A. Phil. · London Sinfonietta · Salonen

ASIN: B000066SKA
Release Date: 2002-06-04

Amazon.com

Four premier recordings add up to a generous dose of Magnus Lindberg's orchestral mastery, served up in lovingly prepared, magnificently engineered performances by the composer's friend and longtime champion Esa-Pekka Salonen. Within just a few minutes into Cantigas, you're swept up by swirling pools of color chords, ticklish brass flurries both muted and open, and chattering, petulant rhythmic figures that bounce off a pliable canvas of dense sonorities. Imagine Respighi's Pines of Rome Swiss-cheesed through a kaleidoscope, and you'll get the idea. Parada reveals a more austere side of Lindberg's protean talents, while the more sparely scored Cello Concerto showcases Anssi Karttunen's virtuosity. He deftly tosses off Lindberg's zigzagging melodic lines (which the orchestral members quickly answer or comment upon) and sails through a cadenza jam-packed with twitchy pizzicato pellets, buzz saw low notes, and suspenseful silences. Lastly, Fresco is a mega-study about loud and soft, laid out in huge sound blocks that effortlessly glide from gentle to aggressive. Booklet notes include clear, insightful, and informative composer comments. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Cello Playing!.......2007-04-25

Enough has been written in the other reviews, particularly the succinct editorial review, to give you an idea of this music,yet nobody seems to have said explicitly that you will ENJOY it, so I will. The Cello Concerto is deeply layered with compositional ideas, worth hearing many times, but it's also transparent and highly colored with virtuosic cello passages. To me this seems like "the best of both worlds" -- a composition that's musically profound but not pedantic, flashy but not trite.

Two of Lindberg's best pieces together with two not so successful.......2005-09-06

THE MUSIC OF MAGNUS LINDBERG is a Sony collection of four pieces by this great contemporary Finnish composer performed by the orchestra Philharmonia with Lindberg's old school chum Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting. Though Lindberg is still concerned with harmonies as he has been since the late 1980s, the pieces here inaugrate new techniques that set them apart from most of these earlier harmonic works. Two of the pieces here are thrilling, while the other two are fairly disappointed, so I am of mixed opinions about this disc.

"Cantigas" (1999) might be the finest piece Lindberg has written to date. While not a concerto, it gives an important role to the oboe, performed here by Christopher O'Neal. Based around the simple interval of a fifth, the piece marks a new phase in Lindberg's composition where pieces are more clearly broken into sections than before, allowing some room to breathe among the dense harmonies that Lindberg is known for. The five sections of "Cantigas" are cycles of increasing and decreasing tempos, and the music is very energetic and rhythmically compelling; Anssi Kartunnen writes that the room in which Lindberg composed the piece was littered with "empty instant espresso bags, energy drink cans, vitamin pill jars..." which explains a lot. I should note that "Cantigas" is a part of a "symphonic triptych" with "Feria" (1997) and "Fresco".

The "Cello Concerto" (1997-1999) was written for Anssi Karttunen, who performs here. Like "Cantigas", this piece is part of Lindberg's new technique of sectioning, and it is in five movements played without a break, each one of them divided into smaller sections. The concerto is similar to his early piece for cello and orchestra "Zona" in the use of a chaconne technique of continual variations. In each movement, the various sections have the same harmonic structure, which is reworked over the course of the movement. Overall, the piece makes a transition from the avant-garde to romanticism, with the cadenza serving as the bridge. The piece is representative of how Lindberg uses the concerto genre: harmonic material for the orchestra is created from ideas generated by the soloist, as when the minor third stated by the cello at the beginning comes to permeate the entire orchestra. This is a very entertaining piece, and ranks with "Cantigas" at the top of his work so far.

"Parada" (2001) came from an attempt to write a genuinely slow piece, since so much of Lindberg's oeuvre is made up of blazingly fast music. It consists of two layers of thematic material, one being a normal melodic line, and the other very, very slow-moving sounds, that don't meet each other. "Fresco" (1997) is similar in its exploration of non-intersecting contrasts, in this case inspired by the Balinese gamelan's "loud" outdoor and "soft" indoor styles of playing, but is much longer and sectioned. While theoretically interesting, the two pieces fail to excite like almost everything else Lindberg has written.

This disc is exquisitely engineered--the sound of the percussion in "Cantigas" is especially splendid. The liner notes contain a fine interview with Lindberg that helps to grasp the structure of the works. It is a pity that the material here is not entirely captivating. If you've never heard Lindberg's work before, try the more consistent Ondine disc with "Feria", "Corrente II", and "Arena" as an introduction. Fans of the composer will nonetheless want to pick this one up sooner or later since "Cantigas" and "Cello Concerto" are very worth hearing.

Stunners from Lindberg et al........2004-10-18

Sony Classical's recent release highlights three talented Finns: composer Magnus Lindberg, conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, and cellist Anssi Kartunnen. The disc confirms Lindberg's place among those few composers who successfully combine innovation and communication, drawing the audience in to new sounds and techniques that other composers just aren't able to combine in as immediately attractive a way.

Production on the disc is excellent. The liner notes feature an informative, somewhat technical interview with the composer that touches upon important structural aspects of each work. Martin Anderson nails Lindberg's style when he writes: "...this surface busy-ness and longer-term harmonic evolution seem to exist as two parallel worlds - almost as if you have to look underneath the exterior of the music to see what's really going on." The fact that Lindberg creates such a gorgeous exterior out of such rigorous and intellectual planning is stunning. Sound quality is demonstration-worthy, the loudest, most complex counterpoint springing vibrantly to life (this is also, no doubt, due to the virtuosity of the Philharmonia and the dedication and ability of Salonen in music like this).

The first work on the disc, "Cantigas", was composed for the Cleveland Orchestra. The tempo relationships, intervallic content (focusing upon that very "tonal" interval, the perfect fifth) and "fundamental, open function of the bass" combine to make the piece instantly accessible. The piece is typically busy, in Lindberg's style from Corrente and other works from the 90s, and several listens reveal fascinating details and interconnections. It's amazing how virtuosic some of the writing is, and the wind and brass of the Philharmonia have a heyday. My jaw dropped several times. The fantastic oboe soloist, Christopher O'Neal, is justly credited on the album cover, and his solos that introduce the "A" material at the beginning and return a little over halfway through the work would serve as excellent introductory guide posts to someone uninitiated to contemporary music. Similarly, when the oboe's opening, perfect fifth idea returns in the brass (after having been skewed throughout) at around 15:50, one feels a wonderful sense of harmonic arrival, similar to the feeling one gets at the recapitulation of a sonata-allegro movement. From 17:00 on, it's a roller-coaster ride, the brass punctuating wild bell-like chords, the woodwinds chattering away, and the bass line slowly prodding the entire ensemble to resolve on a gorgeously managed major triad, an arrival which the composer compares to the modulation at the end of Ravel's Bolero. The quiet ending is, admittedly, a bit of a let-down--I would have liked more time for the music to unwind.

The Cello Concerto begins with a catalogue of technique--bow pressure, harmonics, pizzicati, glissandi, etc. The orchestra gradually picks up on the harmonies implied by the soloist and the one-movement work is off. The melodic and harmonic material seems a bit harder to grasp than the very basic building blocks of "Cantigas", but the way the orchestra tends to follow and imitate the material the cello just introduced is easy to discern. The bulk of the opening of the work is gestural, with material introduced by the soloist and then developed by the orchestra beneath new material. A stratspheric interaction between high orchestral instruments, metallic percussion and celloharmonics (around 10:00) initiates a crazy sequence of events that evaporates into the bizarre cadenza. Beginning with fragmentedgestures, the cellist is joined by the orchestra in violent outbursts and the closing third of the work returns to the opening activity level, adding a beautiful lyrical melody here and there. The falling gestures that dominate the final 5 minutes of the work develop into downward glissandi from the soloist that close the work. Kartunnen's large, dark tone and flawless technique are shown in every light throughout the work. The recording balance is very natural, with the cello receding from the spotlight when necessary.

"Parada", the briefest work on the disc (12:38) is also the least "busy". Lindberg says that he tried to "make a genuinely slow-moving thing", and the harmonic motion is definitely slowed down compared to the other works on the disc, but busy-ness seems to be native to his style, and it remains here. The opening minutes of the work feature fairly anonymous chorale-like writing, but after a morph to the quick, busy second half, we are back in familiar territory. The activity subsides after a few minutes and we return to the chorale-like material. The less busy moments seemed very self-conscious and out of Lindberg's idiom to me, especially in the second half of the work where he seems to try to make up for his characteristic filigree with percussion activity. The work is the least original on the disc, but still has its interesting moments.

"Fresco" sticks to one idea throughout, "strong contrasts and clashes between chamber-like or lighter-textured music and almost harsh pillars of sound-blocks." These two musical worlds combine in every imaginable way throughout the 21 minute work and again put the orchestra to a very virtuosic test. Lindberg writesthat "there is basically no solution between these contrasts", and this may prove troublesome to some listeners, as there is no traditional conflict-resolution relationship to the work. It's definitely the hardest nut to crack on the disc, harkening back to the uncompromising world of "Kraft". One can't help but marvel at the athletics the orchestra goes through, but it would take many attentive listenings to really "figure out" this piece.

stunning neoromanticism.......2002-09-28

This is an outstanding recording, a great major label showcase for Lindberg's forceful orchestral style, taking everything he learned as part of the avant-garde and applying it to works that are mainly tonal, with complex harmonies and internal development as rigorous as Beethoven. My first impression of this music was that it was a sort of "generic modernism," but with repeated listening I realized that what led to this impression was the blending of romantic with modern elements. Apparently Lutoslawski was an influence, which is interesting because the Polish composer incorporated modern influences into his more traditional approach, whereas with Lindberg it is the opposite, incorporating tonality into his modernism. Elliot Carter seems to me to be an influence as well, as there is a muscular and dynamic progression in every piece, and Sibelius is no doubt a factor as well. Lindberg began as a resolutely avant composer with his first works of the early 1980s. After a retreat in the late '80s, he returned with a new sound, one he has pursued ever since. Some may lament this as a turn to the past, but the avant-garde is way out ahead of most listeners, and Lindberg is now meeting them more than half-way with music that is still complex and challenging.

Absolutely brilliant! One of the best classical recordings of the year, and a composer for our time.

Thrilling Revelations.......2002-09-01

To hear the music of Magnus Lindberg performed live, in a good concert hall, call be overwhelming - in the best sense of the word. His works contain such brilliance of ideas, pairing of orchestral choirs, sudden contrasts and evolving rhythms and colors of sound that grasping them intellectually would at first appear to be an insurmountable task. But give yourself over to the sensualist side of your brain and the experience becomes luxurious. These four works here recorded in beautifully rich sonics are all premiere recodings, and it will be a long time before anyone will match Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Philharmonia results. One may wish he had at hand his own LA Phil which has demonstrated an affinity for this composer's work, but the recording is successful all the same. At this point, for this listener, the all orchestral pieces work more successfully than the cello concerto, but that is quibbling. The incredible conversations between loud and soft in the 'Fresco', the endless spinning out of fresh thoughts in the 'Cantigas', and the multilayered beauties of 'Parada' all beg repeated hearings. All this from a composer born in 1958! Kudos to all concerned.

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