40+ Volume 06 August 2019

This is the second of four volumes of the complete recorded output of Def Leppard available as a 7-CD box set. The box features the albums Adrenalize, RetroActive, Slang, Euphoria (never before on vinyl) and Rarities Vol. 2 and 3, both specially compiled by Joe Elliott…

The existence of a third Passion by Bach based on the Gospel of St. Mark had long been known. Numerous studies carried out from the second half of the 20th century by specialist musicologists and musicians confirmed that on Good Friday, 1731, Bach presented this Passion set to a text by Picander, which the latter published one year later at the same time as his third volume of poetry. In 2009, the existence of this Passion was fully confirmed by the discovery at St. Petersburg of a later version of the libretto used for a new performance of the work, which took place in 1744. Compared with the 1732 libretto, it contains a number of modifications to the texts, as well as a different ordering of some chorales and arias and the addition of two new arias. Thanks to the new version, we have a very clear idea of the form and content of this third Passion by Bach.

The next installment of the Grateful Dead’s Dave’s Picks live archival series will feature a legendary concert from 1973. Dave’s Picks Volume 32 contains an official recording of the band’s March 24, 1973 performance at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.

Live 1969 is a brand new Elvis Presley 11CD box set that marks the 50th anniversary of his performances at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. Returning to the stage for the first time in eight years, the 1969 Vegas run saw Presley perform 57 sold-out shows and the live debut of ‘Suspicious Minds’. During this residency he was backed by two vocal groups (The Imperials and The Sweet Inspirations), a full orchestra and a band later known as the TCB band. Live 1969 features the release of eleven complete sets from Elvis’ August 1969 engagement at Las Vegas’ International Hotel. Of these performances, four are being released in full for the first time ever – including two Elvis shows that have remained almost completely unheard for fifty years (August 22 and 25).

British harpsichordist Gilbert Rowland, who has recorded well-received versions of works by Soler and Scarlatti, here turns his attention to Handel's suites for harpsichord. These works have been historically neglected, apparently for the mere reason that they are not like Bach's partitas. Published mostly in 1720 and 1733 but dating in some cases from the earliest years of Handel's career, they are brilliant works that effectively fuse the decoration-encrusted French style with joyous Italianate lightness. They can be approached in several different ways. Rowland steers away from tempo variations, offering crisp readings that tend to drive directly forward through a phrase and then pause slightly at its end.

This final recital has been previously released on Naxos Historical (review) and elsewhere, but the edition presented here uses tape from the original 1950 French Radio Broadcasting (R.T.F.). At this time of the performance Dinu Lipatti was very ill with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma from which he had been suffering since 1943, but cortisone treatment provided temporary relief, during which he was able to give two public performances: Mozart’s Concerto in C Major K.467 with Herbert von Karajan at the Lucerne Festival on August 23, and this solo recital at the 3rd Besançon International Music Festival on September 16.

Vasily Petrenko is one of the most significant and galvanizing musicians alive. He became famous for his transformative work at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the oldest orchestra in the United Kingdom, where he refashioned the orchestra's sound, reconnected the organization to its home city and presided over a huge increase in ticket sales. Vasily is one of the most acclaimed classical recording artists alive and has won numerous accolades for his recordings of Russian repertoire, including two Gramophone awards.

English harpsichordist, organist, and clavicembalist Joseph Payne is a scholarly, intelligent, and gifted artist who has amassed an impressively voluminous output of recordings on period keyboard instruments. While many players of pre-piano keyboards are happy to limit themselves to exploring a single composer or two's work in depth, Payne has recorded entire manuscript collections and has delved very deeply into the available repertoire that predates the Romantic era. In 1985 Payne enjoyed the privilege of being the first organist to record the then newly discovered Neumeister Chorale Preludes attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach.