Schumann: Arabeske, This month's new releases include several discs that showcase important pianists playing a variety of music. A live album recorded at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland in 2004 features the 35-year-old virtuoso Evgeny Kissin in a recital of Chopin Impromptus and Polonaises, among them the famous C-sharp minor Fantaisie-Impromptu and the so-called "Heroic" Polonaise in A-flat. The British pianist Paul Lewis offers the second installment of his odyssey trough the 32 Beethoven sonatas.
This three-CD set includes such keyboard monuments as the "Path e tique," "Waldstein," Op. 101 and "Hammerklavier," plus a number of early and middle sonatas. British virtuoso Stephen Hough, known for championing esoteric repertory, takes a swing through Spain on his latest album, which features works by Soler, Mompou, Debussy, Ravel, Alb e niz, Granados, Longas, Niemann, Scharwenka, and the pianist himself.
Up-and-comer Jonathan Biss plays three Schumann's keyboard masterpieces on a new EMI release. New chamber music releases include the final disc in Naxos's survey of the complete Schubert Quartets, featuring the Quartet No. 5 and several shorter works.
The Kod a ly Quartet performs. Two longtime collaborators, violinist Arnold Steinhardt and pianist Seymour Lipkin, team up again for a two-CD set containing all of Schubert's tuneful works for violin and piano on Newport Classics. Baroque specialist Christophe Rousset mans the harpsichord and Stefano Montanari plays the violin in a two-disc album of Bach sonatas.
Shostakovich: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 (Na i ve V5025)) Turning to the 20th century mdash; and beyond mdash; pianist Ralph van Raat plays the complete piano music of John Adams for Naxos. The music ranges from minimalist-influenced works from the late 1970s to 2001's American Berserk, a piece described by the composer as a "short, manic, bipolar scherzo.
" The 21-year-old Armenian violinist Sergey Khachatryan mdash; who tours the U.S. this winter and spring mdash; plays both Shostakovich concertos on a new release from Na i ve; Kurt Masur and the Orchestre national de France accompany.
Carl Nielsen's countrymen from the Danish National Symphony Orchestra play some of his overtures, preludes and shorter orchestra works on a new Da Capo CD. The disc includes overtures to the composer's two big operas, Maskarade and Saul and David, plus the well-known "nature scene" Pan and Syrinx. And here's an oddity: Peter and the Wolf en espa ol.
Antonio Banderas is the narrator; Kent Nagano conducts the Russian National Orchestra. The disc also includes an English version narrated by Sophia Loren and a piece called Wolf Tracks by Jean-Pascal Beintus. Almost 30 years after her death, Maria Callas remains an object of devotion for legions of fans mdash; and a difficult-to-acquire taste for many others.
The controversial diva can be heard again on a new bargain-basement set from EMI. Best Callas 100 contains 100 tracks from the label's Callas Archive on six discs offered for the price of one. The eighth release in the label's Best 100 series, the Callas set features one disc each of arias by Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini, as well as theme CDs of French operatic arias and dramatic heroines.
Callas, by the way, is due to receive a posthumous lifetime achievement Grammy Award on February 11. Natalie Dessay is also the subject of a retrospective collection, from Virgin Classics. The two-CD set presents Dessay in selections ranging from Handel to Stravinsky to Bernstein.
A companion DVD contains 13 video clips of the soprano. Another release from Virgin features the star tenor Rolando Villaz o n in his first early music outing, Monteverdi's "war madrigal" Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda. The cast also includes soprano Patrizia Ciofi and Topi Lehtipuu; Emmanuelle Ha i m conducts her early music band, Le Concert d'Astr e e.
Early music fans may also want to check out Music for Compline, the debut recording from the young British vocal ensemble Stile Antico. The CD presents liturgical music from Tudor England mdash; all written for Compline, the "bedtime service" mdash; by Tallis, Byrd, John Sheppard, and others. Finally, a couple of bargains for admirers of Haydn.
Brilliant classics compiles an 11-disc set offering all the "named" symphonies. The 38 selections range from No. 6 ("Le Matin") through No.
104 ("London"). All the performances are drawn from the highly regarded Nimbus set of the complete symphonies performed by the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra under Adam Fischer. Chandos's early music imprint, Chaconne, reissues all of Haydn's late masses on eight discs in period-instrument performances by the Collegium Musicum 90, conducted by Richard Hickox.
The recordings, widely praised when they were first released, feature as soloists, among others, Janice Watson, Susan Gritton, Pamela Helen Stephen and Mark Padmore.
Charles Dutoit makes his first appearance with the Philadelphians since being named their Chief Conductor Designate. Pianist Martha Argerich is guest soloist.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Orchestra's current music director, Christoph Eschenbach, conducts his other band in Beethoven and Berlioz on tour in Frankfurt. Renata Scotto's staging for Florida Grand Opera, having completed its Miami run, opens in Fort Lauderdale. ".
..it's a Tony winner, for sure.
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in His Pockets yet?
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