The latest CD releases reviewed
HOLST: THE PLANETS; COLIN MATTHEWS: PLUTO; KAIJA SAARIAHO: ASTEROID 4179, TOUTATIS; MATTHIAS PINTSCHER: TOWARDS OSIRIS; MARK-ANTHONY TURNAGE: CERES; BRETT DEAN: KOMAROV'S FALL
Rundfunkchor Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Simon Rattle EMI Classics 369 0962 (2 CDs for the price of 1) *****
Simon Rattle is both smooth and radical in his new recording of Holst's 1916 suite, The Planets. The smoothness comes from taking a long-phrased view, which, unexpectedly, makes the music sound altogether more modern than the familiar orchestral showpiece approach. If it sounds a little pale at first, wind up the volume to get the full impact of a recording which has an exceptionally wide dynamic range. Rattle includes Colin Matthews's musically apt, but now astronomically out of line, 2000 addition of Pluto to Holst's seven movements, as well as four specially commissioned, companion "asteroids", of which the most immediately appealing is Kaija Saariaho's quavering Toutatis. By coincidence, Holst's own indispensable 1926 recording of The Planets (among the swiftest around), has just reappeared on Naxos (8.11048), coupled with Vaughan Williams conducting his own Fourth Symphony. www.emiclassics.com Michael Dervan
KALKBRENNER: PIANO CONCERTOS 1 & 4
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra/ Howard Shelley (piano) Hyperion CDA 67535 ***
Friedrich Kalkbrenner (1785-1849) was a giant of the piano. He was the dedicatee of the First Piano Concerto of Chopin, a young admirer of his. But posterity's verdict has been harsh, and not even the tiniest morsel of his music has survived in the repertoire. So what, on the evidence of these two concertos, did the music of Kalkbrenner actually sound like? Skilful but misdirected might be the best description. The tendency is for musical interest to stall while Kalkbrenner gives the pianist's fingers a thorough workout. The orchestral writing and some well-negotiated, surprising modulations show a composer well grounded in his craft. But there are simply too many difficulties included and extended for their own sake. As in any form of gymnastics, straightforward hyperactivity is never as rewarding as a sequence of well-chosen moments. Howard Shelley shows his mettle in keeping pace with the all-too-undiscriminating composer. www.hyperion-records.co.uk Michael Dervan
RAVEL: DAPHNIS ET CHLOÉ
Choeur de Radio France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France/ Myung-Whun Chung Deutsche Grammophon 477 5706 ***
Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé is a work of uniquely sensual allure. Myung-Whun Chung's new recording of this luxuriant 1912 ballet turns out to be one of those performances which is more attentive to the letter than the spirit of the music. The playing and singing are solid and secure, but the conductor doesn't give the music's rapture sufficient room to breathe or expand. It's not that he doesn't secure some gorgeous sounds and well-rounded contouring. But his pacing and shaping are sometimes such that the music-making is matter-of-fact when it really needs to be in freest flight. There's no shortage of competence here, just a limitation of imagination. www.deutschegrammophon.com Michael Dervan
WOLF: 24 SONGS
Ian Bostridge (tenor), Antonio Pappano (piano) EMI Classics 342 2562 ****
The delights of the songs of Hugo Wolf are the delights of the miniature. The songs may be short and sometimes apparently simple, but each creates a world complete unto itself. Ian Bostridge has command of the kind of artless delivery that would make his selection of 24 song to texts by Eichendorff, Mörike and Goethe come perfectly to life. At times, however, he chooses to lean a little too much on musical stresses, to underline his points with more firmness than is really necessary. But his perceptiveness and involvement are never in question, and Antonio Pappano's piano playing - the piano parts are very much at the core of the miracle that is Wolf's song-writing - is balanced to perfection. The disc comes with full texts and translations. www.emiclassics.com Michael Dervan
