Naxos Records

The Tallis Scholars - Sing Tudor Church Music, Vol .1
Music written by Browne, Cornysh, Taverner, Tye
2xCD | EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 621 MB | Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Gimell Records # CDGIM 209 | Country/Year: UK 2008
Genre: Classical | Style: Renaissance, Sacred, Vocal

"…For those newcomers to this group, suffice it to say that you will rarely find an ensemble as carefully rehearsed or skillfully prepared for the repertory they choose to engage in—simply one of the finest ever, legendary, and there has never been a disc they have released that has gotten less that rave reviews…" ~audiophile-audition

These two Tenth Symphonies represent powerful statements by composers undergoing the greatest of crises in their eventful lives. Gustav Mahler’s last and incomplete symphony was kept a secret by his widow Alma for many years after his death, the desperate scrawl of ‘Almschi!’ on its final page an outburst at her betrayal of their marriage. Shostakovich’s intense and deeply symbolic Symphony no.10, considered by many to be his finest, was kept hidden by the composer for fear of Soviet reprisals, and was only performed after Stalin’s death in 1953.

Mozart’s return to Vienna in 1781 initiated a remarkable period of inventiveness and productivity. In late 1784 he wrote the Piano Concerto No. 19 in F major, a work Mozart performed in Frankfurt on the occasion of Leopold II’s election as Holy Roman Emperor and which is notable for its rhythmic vivacity and sense of colour. In 1786 he wrote the Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major – a work that stretched the concerto genre considerably with its operatic qualities and dramatic dialogue. Ignaz Lachner’s ingenious transcriptions show a complete grasp of Mozart’s idiom, incorporating much instrumental detail and reinventing the music’s underlying dramatic scheme within a chamber context.

Boris Giltburg’s Rachmaninov recordings for Naxos have received numerous praises and awards. Recently he won Best Soloist Recording (20th/21st century) at the inaugural Opus Klassik Awards for his recording of Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto coupled with the Études-tableaux, Op. 33 (8.573629). In May 2018 Naxos released his recording of the Third Piano Concerto and Corelli Variations has already garnered spectacular reviews including a Gramophone Choice award. His recording of the Études-tableaux, Op. 39 and Moments musicaux was a Gramophone ‘Recording of the Month’ (June 2016). In January 2019 Naxos released Boris’ recording of Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes (8.573981), which was praised by The Sunday Times (London) as ‘a Liszt disc of the most compelling brilliance.’ Written over a period of 18 years, Rachmaninov’s sets of Préludes are a mirror and a record of his compositional development. With so rich a variety of character, colour, texture and mood, no two préludes are fully alike. Whether evoking ballad or bell toll, the exotic or folk influences, the Préludes stand in the great tradition of works by Bach and Chopin written in all 24 major and minor keys.

Described as having ‘natural genius’, John Abraham Fisher (1744–1806) was a significant figure in London during the second half of the 18th century. A virtuoso violinist, he also wrote admired stage works for the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. His orchestral works are largely forgotten today, but his symphonies display a surprising awareness of contemporary continental trends in their use of dynamic variations, revealing the influence of the Mannheim School. Possessing a richness of colour, contrast and surprise, these symphonies typify Fisher’s expanding Classical style.

The rediscovery of Florence Price’s music has revealed one of the most significant bodies of work by an African American composer in the 20th century. The variety of genres represented on this release place Price’s immense artistic imagination on full display. The two Concert Overtures explore her engagement with spirituals, both episodically and coloristically, in music that embraces the somber, the poignant and the ebullient. Songs of the Oak is a tour de force of Hollywood-influenced storytelling while The Oak offers a more anxious, ultimately tragic portrait. Price’s best-known work is the Suite of Dances – originally for piano it is heard here in the composer’s full, sumptuous orchestration.

Providing an overview of almost a century, this album reflects the aspirations of Polish nationalism through the works of three pivotal figures. Karol Kurpiński laid the foundations of a national style and his Fantasy for String Quartet is both serious and ingenious in design. Zygmunt Noskowski, considered the country’s leading composer during the last decade of his life, was a mentor to future generations and crafted a witty piece on a theme of Viotti, including the use of a polacca. Stanisław Moniuszko’s quartets balance the hymnal with the rustic, being lively, unexpected and bracing.