Romantic Pattern Style

Gustav Mahler's Second Symphony, also referred to as the "Resurrection Symphony", is a complete expression of Mahler’s existential struggle; both its form and its overpowering sound make this utterly clear. This live recording from 20011 is performed by the Chor and Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under its chief conductor Mariss Jansons with the two singers Anja Harteros and Bernarda Fink.

Since the early 18th century, music has been encouraged in all children in the Czech lands and so it is not surprising to find, by the end of the eighteenth century, Bohemian and Moravian musicians holding leading positions in courts and orchestras all over Europe. When looking at the beginnings of these men, especially the composers who were significant figures in Dresden, Mannheim, Vienna, London and Paris, many of them came from humble families in remote towns and villages. Most of them had to find employment abroad, as there was not sufficient at home.

It was in 2018 when Ksenia took the decision to record the 24 Capricci by Paganini together with the 4 Studi discovered by Danilo Prefumo and, after investigating their history, philology, compositive pattern, lyric-harmonic and executive features, after having performed all the 24 Capricci in various recitals. Her studies brought her to consider each Capriccio for its own specific compositive and executive characteristics, connecting at the same time one Capriccio to the other: that’s why she performs them in an innovative sequence whose purpose is to emphasize the stylistic and harmonic similarities which reveal the composer’s personality in his research of sonorities linked to the technical virtuosity and the sound effects of the instrument.

Violin Concerto was Wetz’s final large-scale work, and is one of, if not the best work in this collection. Cast in one movement but divided into four tracks on the CD, it sounds fantastic in the capable hands of Ulf Wallin, who relishes this work’s eloquence. There isn’t a huge amount of virtuoso writing for the soloist, and soaring lyrical shapes are more of a feature. Even the cadenza moments are more like ‘monologue’ passages with the orchestra never entirely receding, but with Wetz’s harmonic richness there is a great deal to get your teeth stuck into with this concerto, and indeed few passages where you have the feeling things could move along a bit quicker.

Anne Akiko Meyers is a thoughtful rather than a flamboyant virtuoso, and the four items here suit her exceptionally well. There is no feeling that the shorter pieces are in any way mere fillers, so rapt is her playing. The sweet, gentle opening of the Mendelssohn Concerto, as presented by Anne Akiko Meyers, immediately sets the pattern not only for that central work, but for the whole, unusual collection on this disc.

Born in London of Italian-French parents, Sir John Barbirolli (1899–1970) trained as a cellist and played in theatre and café orchestras before joining the Queen’s Hall Orchestra under Sir Henry Wood in 1916. His conducting career began with the formation of his own orchestra in 1924, and between 1926 and 1933 he was active as an opera conductor at Covent Garden and elsewhere. Orchestral appointments followed: the Scottish Orchestra (1933–36), the New York Philharmonic (1936–42), the Hallé Orchestra (1943–70) and the Houston Symphony (1961–67). Barbirolli guest conducted many of the world’s leading orchestras and was especially admired as an interpreter of the music of Mahler, Sibelius, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Delius, Puccini and Verdi. He made many outstanding recordings, including the complete Brahms and Sibelius symphonies, as well as operas by Verdi and Puccini and much English repertoire.