Andrew McGregor with Hannah French and Sarah Walker
The best new classical releases, plus in Building a Library, Hannah French compares recordings of Bach鈥檚 Ascension Oratorio, and Sarah Walker reviews new releases of piano music.
09.30
Building a Library: Hannah French listens to and compares recordings of Bach鈥檚 Ascension Oratorio 鈥楲obet Gott in seinen Reichen鈥� BWV 11.
Composed probably in 1735 for the feast of the Ascension, the text of Bach鈥檚 oratorio comprises several biblical sources, free poetry and chorales. It tells the narrative of Christ鈥檚 ascension to Heaven, as told in the Gospels of Luke and Mark, and in the Acts of the Apostles. As is often the case in Bach鈥檚 music, several of the movements from the Ascension Oratorio are re-workings of parts of earlier cantatas, while the alto aria was used again much later for the plangent Agnus Dei of his Mass in B minor.
10.50
Sarah Walker reviews a wide-ranging selection of new piano music recordings.
11.25
Andrew chooses an outstanding new release as his Disc of the Week.
Last on
Music Played
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Edward Elgar
Soliloquy
Performer: Albrecht Mayer. Conductor: Jakub Hr暖拧a. Orchestra: Bamberg Symphony Orchestra.- Deutsche Grammophon.
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Alessandro Striggio
Missa ecco si beato giorno: VI. Agnus Dei
Ensemble: Armonico Consort. Choir: Choir of Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge. Director: Christopher Monks. Director: Geoffrey Webber.- Signum.
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Giovanni Antonini
Prelude (Improvisation)
Performer: Giovanni Antonini.- Alpha.
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Anon.
La morte della ragione (pavana)
Performer: Giovanni Antonini. Ensemble: Giardino Armonico.- Alpha.
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Henry Brant
Ice Field (excerpt)
Performer: Cameron Carpenter. Orchestra: San Francisco Symphony. Conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas.- SFS Media.
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Camille Saint鈥怱a毛ns
Symphony No. 2 in A minor Op. 55: IV. Prestissimo
Orchestra: Utah Symphony. Conductor: Thierry Fischer.- Hyperion.
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Edward Elgar
Piano Quintet (extract)
Performer: Martin Roscoe. Ensemble: Brodsky Quartet.- Chandos.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Cello sonata No. 3 in A Op. 69: II. Scherzo
Performer: Leonard Elschenbroich. Performer: Alexei Grynyuk.- Onyx.
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David Matthews
Double concerto Op. 122: II. Lento
Performer: Sara Trickey. Performer: Sarah-Jane Bradley. Conductor: Kenneth Woods. Orchestra: English Symphony Orchestra.- Nimbus.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Diabelli Variations: Variation XXXI
Performer: Imogen Cooper.- CHANDOS.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Sonata no. 13 in B flat, K. 333: III. Allegretto grazioso
Performer: Lars Vogt.- ONDINE.
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Olivier Messiaen
Vingt Regards sur L'Enfant-Jesus: XX. Regard de l'eglise d'amour
Performer: Martin Helmchen.- ALPHA.
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John Adams
Short Ride in a Fast Machine (arr. Piano 4 hands by Preben Antonsen)
Performer: Christina Naughton. Performer: Michelle Naughton.- WARNER CLASSICS.
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Sergey Rachmaninov
Prelude in D flat major, Op.32 no.13
Performer: Boris Giltburg.- Naxos.
Record Review
9.00am
鈥楲onging for Paradise鈥� 鈥� Strauss: Oboe Concerto + oboe works by Elgar, Ravel & Goossens
Albrecht Mayer (oboe)
Bamberger Symphoniker (orchestra)
Jakub Hrusa (conductor)
Deutsche Grammophon 483 6622
鈥楽upersize Polyphony鈥� 鈥� Striggio: Mass in 40 & 60 parts & Missa sopra Ecco si Beato Giorno; Tallis: Spem in Alium & O Nata Lux + sacred choral works by von Bingen
Armonico Consort (ensemble)
Christopher Monks (director)
Choir of Gonville & Caius College Cambridge (choir)
Geoffrey Webber (director)
Signum SIGCD560
鈥楲a morta della ragione鈥� 鈥� Music by Mainerio, Desprez, Agricola, Dunstable, G. Gabrieli, Gombert etc.
Il Giardino Armonico (ensemble)
Giovanni Antonini (recorder & direction)
Alpha 450
Henry Brant: Ice Field
San Francisco Symphony (orchestra)
Cameron Carpenter (Fratelli Ruffatti concert organ of Davies Symphony Hall)
Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor)
SFS Media SFS-0075
(digital only)
9.30am 鈥� Building a Library 鈥� Hannah French on J.S. Bach鈥檚 Ascension Oratorio
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Reviewer: Hannah French
Recommended Recording:
Lenneke Ruiten (soprano)
Meg Bragle (mezzo soprano)
Andrew Tortise (tenor)
Dietrich Henschel (bass)
The Monteverdi Choir
The English Baroque Soloists
John Eliot Gardiner (conductor)
SDG 185
Other Recommended Recordings:
Sandrine Piau (soprano)
Sibylla Rubens (soprano)
Bogna Bartosz (mezzo soprano)
Bernhard Landauer (countertenor)
James Gilchrist (tenor)
Christoph Pr茅gardien (tenor)
Jorg Durmuller (tenor)
Klaus Mertens (baritone)
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir
Ton Koopman (conductor)
Challenge Classics CC72285
Carolyn Sampson (soprano)
Iestyn Davies (countertenor)
James Gilchrist (tenor)
Petery Harvey (bass)
Retrospect Ensemble
Matthew Halls (conductor)
Linn Records BKD 373
10.20am 鈥� New Releases
Saint-Sa毛ns: Symphony No.2, Danse macabre & Symphony in F 鈥楿rbs Roma鈥�
Utah Symphony (orchestra)
Thierry Fischer (conductor)
Hyperion CDA68212
Elgar: String Quartet & Piano Quintet
Brodsky Quartet
Martin Roscoe (piano)
Chandos CHAN 10980
Beethoven: Cello Sonatas Nos. 1-5 & Cello Sonata in F major, Op. 17 (arr. from horn sonata by Beethoven)
Leonard Elschenbroich (cello)
Alexei Grynyuk (piano)
Onyx 4196
David Matthews: Symphony No.9, Variations for Strings & Double Concerto for Violin and Viola
Sara Trickey (violin)
Sarah-Jane Bradley (viola)
English String Orchestra
English Symphony Orchestra
Kenneth Woods (conductor)
Nimbus NI 6382
10.45 am 鈥� New Releases 鈥� Sarah Walker on Piano Releases
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations & 11 Bagatelles
Imogen Cooper (piano)
Chandos CHAN 20085
Mozart: Piano Sonatas K280, K281, K310 & K333
Lars Vogt (piano)
Ondine ODE 1318-2
Messiaen: Vingt Regards sur l鈥橢nfant-J茅sus
Martin Helmchen (piano)
Alpha 423 (2 CDs)
鈥楢merican Postcards鈥� 鈥� Arrangements for piano duet of works by Adams, Schoenfield, Nancarrow & Copland
Christina and Michelle Naughton (piano duet)
Warner Classics 0190295562298
Rachmaninov: Preludes Opp. 23 & 32 + Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3 : No. 2. Prelude in C-sharp Minor
Boris Giltburg (piano)
Naxos 8.574025
11.20am 鈥� Record of the Week
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 鈥楶athetique鈥�
Berliner Philharmoniker
Kirill Petrenko (conductor)
Berliner Philharmoniker BPHR190261 (Hybrid SACD & download)
Broadcast
- Sat 25 May 2019 09:00麻豆约拍 Radio 3
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