Aero Journal №1 1998

Among many fine works this first volume contains two particular treasures, the first being a fabulous two-verse rendition of the chorale "Gott sey gelobet und gebenedeiet"; and the second is Weckmann's extraordinary masterpiece, the monumental extended chorale fantasy on "Es ist das Heyl uns kommen her". Each one of the seven variations is a fine piece, but by the time you get to the initially understated opening of the sixth variation you have the feeling that you are in for something special, and indeed the majestic Lutheran chorale theme is soon blossoming into the most beautiful and elaborate variations you can imagine, which you begin to wish would never cease. The work is then rounded off by a majestic statement of the original hymn tune, and so the disc ends.

In many ways Jordi Masó’s excellent Naxos collection is not upstaged by the competition. Moreover this is to be the first of a continuing series. He gives us the complete Canciónes y danzas (except for No. 13, which is for guitar), plus the engagingly diverse, but at times almost mystical Charmes, and his playing is imbued with gentle poetic feeling. Masó’s pianistic sensibility is never self-aware, always at the service of the composer, and the music’s soft-hued colours are perceptively graduated. The unostentatious innocence of the Scènes d’enfants is beautifully caught. Excellent recording makes this a disc to recommend even if it cost far more than it does.

The Manfreds – which is to say, the reunited Manfred lineup sans Manfred Mann himself – have been performing to enthusiastic audiences in Europe since the 1990s, and 5-4-3-2-1 is a studio document of their sound, which is very close to their original sound, only a bit slicker. Paul Jones and Mike d'Abo split the vocal chores between them, each picking up his own repertory, and Mike Vickers, Mike Hugg, and Tom McGuinness from the original band are here, with Benny Gallagher (bass, guitar, vocals) and Rob Townsend (drums) filling out the line-up. D'Abo's "Handbags and Gladrags" is also represented, but, surprisingly, not Jones' "High Time." The sound is excellent and the group does try to add some modern inflections to some of the songs, but one suspects that they were more of an improvisatory group than this back in their prime years./quote]

In terms of a First symphony being the establishment of a recognizable voice of a respective country, Ernst Von Dohnanyi (1877-1960) was an Hungarian equivalent to England's Sir Edward Elgar. Dohnanyi, however, was a little-known, overshadowed force of 20th Century Hungarian music, largely due to the popularities of both Bela Bartok & Zoltan Kodaly. His works, especially his two symphonies, therefore continue to suffer from obscurity. But, here comes the rescue, at least in part. Leon Botstein & the London Philharmonic brings the First symphony from the coldness of obscurity with this excellent, probing Telarc recording. It's rival Chandos recording, released in March of 1999, features Mathias Bamert & the BBC Philharmonic.

This double-CD set covers the career of the Glitter Band, who began their career as Gary Glitter's backing band and quickly made the transition to singles act to score a variety of chart hits in Europe during the mid-'70s. All of those hits, plus a copious outpouring of album tracks, B-sides, and outtakes, are represented on Solid Silver: The Ultimate Glitter Band, Vol. 1. At their best, the Glitter Band hit the same combination of pop hooks and rock attitude that typified the best glam songs: "Angel Face" mixes glam chants and a stomping beat to powerful effect and "Goodbye My Love" benefits from a dynamic guitar-driven arrangement that highlights the drama of its lyrics.

Recorded a year or so after Devia's impressive recital performance of La morte di Didone at Pesaro festival (available by Bongiovanni label), this first Rossini cantatas recital offers more insight in a composer whom we mostly associate with comic operas. And who is better qualified to conduct Rossini works than Chailly.