Lawrence Power Andrew Manze Berlioz: Harold in Italy; Weber: Aufforderung Zum Tanz; Andante Und Rondo Ungarese

Berlioz - Harold in Italy and Other Orchestral Works (2018) {Hyperion CDA68193}
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© 2018 Hyperion Records | CDA68193
Classical / Romantic / Orchestral

This is a sensational disc - an exploration of Berlioz such as few others offer. The viola sound of Lawrence Power has a lot to do with it - it is such a beautiful sound, so close to actual singing, that as soon as he plays it is as if Harold himself is expressing his feelings directly; added to this, the orchestra is of unusual brilliance under Andrew Manze's direction. The range of sounds is thrilling, bringing together all these landscapes as vividly as any art can. Harold en Italie is an amazing score, but one that has suffered a certain neglect, even though viola concertos from the 19th century are so thin on the ground.

For his second CD release, 25-year-old, New York-born violist David Aaron Carpenter is joined by Vladimir Ashkenazy who leads the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Together they perform the Symphony with Viola obbligato, “Harold in Italy,” which Hector Berlioz originally wrote on a commission from Paganini. The present recording features, for the first time, an unpublished more virtuosic soloist part written for Paganini.

Volume 23 in the Hyperion Liszt series validates Liszt's phenomenal mastery of transcribing, and in the case of Berlioz's "Harold in Italy," translating an orchestral work with viola obbligato into a magnificent chamber work for piano and viola. The excellent content of Berlioz's work alone can easily earn five stars, but the other three substantial transcriptions of Gounod and Meyerbeer enhance the splendor of this recording even further.

The British viola player Lawrence Power continues to be acclaimed as one of the greatest performers of today. Together with Hyperion he is recording all of the seminal twentieth-century works for the viola. Of the three Hungarian works for viola and orchestra on this latest release, the best-known is Bartok’s viola concerto, completed after the composer’s death by Tibor Serly.

The only out-and-out solo piece is Weber's Andante and Hungarian Rondo… Skinner makes a beautiful sound in the expressive Andante, and hurtles effectively through the virtuoso coda… even if you're not particularly a bassoon buff you'll find this a very enjoyable programme

On her second PENTATONE album FLOW, Annelien Van Wauwe presents a programme inspired by her love for yoga, combining Mozart’s famous Clarinet Concerto with the world premiere recording of Wim Henderickx’s concerto SUTRA. Van Wauwe performs both works on the characteristic basset clarinet, together with the renowned NDR Radiophilharmonie under the baton of Andrew Manze.

Antje Weithaas probes every detail in the musical text, charged with energy and with her compelling musical intelligence and unrivaled command of technique. Her charisma and stage presence are gripping but never force their way in front of the work. And we therefore are happy that this internationally top-ranking violinist is now interpreting the Violin Concerto by Robert Schumann and the Double Concerto by Johannes Brahms for cpo with Maximilian Hornung, a cellist who in every way is her equal.