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Mozart's Magic Flute in Building a Library with Flora Willson

The best classical releases, plus Flora Willson chooses her favourite recording of Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute, and Mark Lowther reviews new releases of chamber music.

with Andrew McGregor

9.30 Building a Library
Flora Willson chooses her favourite recording of Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute.

Mozart's masonic opera is a wonderful but challenging combination of the high moral seriousness of the two young lovers Tamino and Pamina with the low knockabout comedy of Papageno and his feathered girlfriend, Papagena. It can be difficult to bring off in the theatre and recording studio because of these different levels which need to be brought together. And some of the female and racial stereotypes haven't aged well. But this quintessential piece of late Mozart distils all the humanity and beauty that people love in his operas.

10.30
Mark Lowther reviews a new box set of the complete works of Ravel on the Warner Classics label.

11.20
Record of the Week
Andrew recommends an outstanding new release.

2 hours, 47 minutes

Music Played

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben (from Zaïde)

    Singer: Regula Mühlemann. Orchestra: Kammerorchester Basel. Conductor: Umberto Benedetti Michelangeli.
    • Sony.
  • Luigi Cherubini

    Gloria (Missa solemnis in D minor)

    Choir: Kammerchor Stuttgart. Orchestra: Klassische Philharmonie Stuttgart. Conductor: Frieder Bernius.
    • Carus.
  • Andrea Falconieri

    Corrente dicha la Cuella, Il Spiritillo Brando & Brando dicho el Melo

    Ensemble: Il Ricercar Continuo.
    • Arcana.
  • Florent Schmitt

    Musique sur l'eau, Op. 33

    Singer: Susan Platts. Orchestra: Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: JoAnn Falletta.
    • Schmitt: Orchestral Works.
    • Naxos.
    • 201.
  • Emmanuel Despax

    The Sound of Music Fantasy

    Performer: Emmanuel Despax.
    • Signum Classics.
  • Franz Schubert

    Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944 "The Great" (4th mvt)

    Orchestra: The Cleveland Orchestra. Conductor: Franz Welser‐Möst.
    • Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C Major "The Great" - Křenek: Static and Ecstatic.
    • Cleveland Orchestra.
    • 104.
  • John Eccles

    Ground. Aire III (The Mad Lover Suite)

    Performer: Théotime Langlois de Swarte. Performer: Thomas Dunford.
    • Harmonia Mundi.
  • Ralph Vaughan Williams

    How Cold the Wind Doth Blow (Folk Songs from Sussex)

    Performer: Jack Liebeck. Performer: William Vann. Singer: Mary Bevan. Singer: Toby Spence.
    • Albion.
  • Richard Wagner

    Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Act 3, excerpt)

    Singer: Klaus Florian Vogt. Singer: Georg Zeppenfeld. Choir: Chor der Staatsoper Dresden. Orchestra: Staatskapelle Dresden. Conductor: Christian Thielemann.
    • Profil Medien.

Record Review

9.00am

Mozart Arias II

Regula Mühlemann (soprano)

Basel Chamber Orchestra

Umberto Benedetti Michelangeli (conductor)

Sony 19439752372

Luigi Cherubini: Messe Solenelle No 2 in D

Ruth Ziesak (soprano)

Christa Mayer (mezzo-soprano)

Christoph Genz (tenor)

Thomas E. Bauer (baritone)

Kammerchor Stuttgart

Klassische Philharmonie Stuttgart

Frieder Bernius (conductor)

Carus CAR83512

Pulchra es. Affetti in 17th-century Italian instrumental music: Castello, Bertoli, Rognoni etc.

Il Ricercar Continuo

Arcana A118

Florent Schmitt: La Tragédie de Salomé and other works

Susan Platts (mezzo-soprano)

Nikki Chooi (violin)

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

JoAnn Falletta (conductor)

Naxos 8574138

Emmanuel Despax: The Sound of Music Fantasy

Emmanuel Despax (piano)

Signum Classics SIGCD820 (download only)

9.30am – Building a Library – Flora Willson on Mozart’s The Magic Flute, K. 620

Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Reviewer: Flora Willson

Recommended Recording:

Marlis Petersen (soprano, Pamina)

Daniel Behle (tenor, Tamino)

Anna-Kristiina Kaappola (soprano, Queen of the Night)

Marcos Fink (bass-baritone, Sarastro)

Daniel Schmutzhard (baritone, Papageno)

Sunhae Im (soprano, Papagena)

RIAS Kammerchor

Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin

René Jacobs (conductor)

Harmonia Mundi HMC902068/70 (3 CDs)

Other Recommended Recording(s):

Pilar Lorengar (soprano, Pamina)

Stuart Burrows (tenor, Tamino)

Cristina Deutekom (soprano, Queen of the Night)

Martti Talvela (bass, Sarastro)

Hermann Prey (bass-baritone, Papageno)

Renate Holm (soprano, Papagena)

Wiener Sängerknaben

Wiener Staatsoper

Wiener Philharmoniker

Georg Solti (conductor)

Decca 4780394 (3 CDs)

10.15am – New Releases

Schubert: Symphony No. 9 & Křenek: Static and Ecstatic

Cleveland Orchestra

Franz Welser-Möst (conductor)

Cleveland Orchestra TCO0002 (Hybrid SACD)

The Mad Lover: music by Eccles, Purcell, Dunford, Matteis etc.

Theotime Langlois de Swarte (violin)

Thomas Dunford (lute)

Harmonia Mundi HMM902305

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Folk Songs Volume 1

Mary Bevan (soprano)

Nicky Spence (tenor)

Roderick Williams (baritone)

Jack Liebeck (violin)

William Vann (piano)

Albion Records ALBCD042

10.45am – New Releases – Mark Lowther on new Ravel box

Ravel: The Complete Works

Various artists

Warner Classics 9029528326 (21 CDs)

11.15am – Record of the Week

Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

Georg Zeppenfeld (bass, Hans Sachs)

Klaus Florian Vogt (tenor, Walther von Stolzing)

Jacquelyn Wagner (soprano, Eva)

Adrian Erod (baritone, Sixtus Beckmesser)

Sebastian Kohlhepp (tenor, David)

Vitalij Kowaljow (bass, Veit Pogner)

Staatsopernchor Dresden

Staatskapelle Dresden

Christian Thielemann (conductor)

Profil Medien PH20059 (4 CDs)

Broadcast

  • Sat 21 Nov 2020 09:00

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