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SAINT-SAENS: Piano Concerto No. 2; RAVEL: Piano Concerto; GERSHWIN: Second Rhapsody; MASSENET: Meditation – Andrew von Oeyen, p./ Prague Philharmonia/ Emmanuel Villaume – Warner Classics

SAINT-SAENS: Piano Concerto No. 2; RAVEL: Piano Concerto; GERSHWIN: Second Rhapsody; MASSENET: Meditation – Andrew von Oeyen, p./ Prague Philharmonia/ Emmanuel Villaume – Warner Classics

by | Feb 13, 2017 | Classical CD Reviews

Pianist Andrew von Oeyen embraces his twin cultural loyalties with brilliant elan. SAINT-SAENS: Piano Concerto No. 2 in g minor, Op. 22; RAVEL: Piano Concerto in G Major; GERSHWIN: Second Rhapsody; MASSENET: Meditation from Thais (trans. Oeyen) – Andrew von Oeyen, p./ Prague Philharmonia/ Emmanuel Villaume – Warner Classics 019029508485, 66:05 (1/13/17) ****: Pianist Andrew von Oeyen (b. 1979) considers himself a Parisian-American, so little wonder that his debut album for Warner Classics (rec. 21-25 August 2015) embraces compositions – rather flashy and jazzy in their own respect – from both musical cultures. That Oeyen finds a natural, virtuoso vehicle in the 1868 Concerto No. 2 by Saint-Saens comes as little surprise – Andre Watts did much the same in early days when I heard him at Lewisohn Stadium in New York.  Oeyen plays with requisite strength and optimism, dashing through the Bach prelude evolves into a lovely theme attributed to Gabriel Faure. The breadth of musical line and the plastic contours from the orchestra suggest that the several Artur Rubinstein renditions of the work served as models for the present reading. The second movement Allegro scherzando relies much on Saint-Saens’ great fondness for the fourth of the Chopin scherzos. […]

“Dance Macabre” = Works of ST.-SEANS, DUKAS, DVORAK, MUSSORSKY, BALAKIREV & IVES – Montreal Sym./Kent Nagano – Decca

“Dance Macabre” = Works of ST.-SEANS, DUKAS, DVORAK, MUSSORSKY, BALAKIREV & IVES – Montreal Sym./Kent Nagano – Decca

by | Nov 11, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

A bit late for the holiday, this cross-section of Halloween symphonic poems features an excellent ensemble from Montreal.  SAINT-SAENS: Danse Macabre, Op. 40; DUKAS: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice; DVORAK: The Noonday Witch, Op. 108; MUSSORGSKY: A Night on the Bare Mountain; BALAKIREV: Tamara; IVES: Hallowe’en – Montreal Symphony Orchestra/ Kent Nagano – Decca 483 0396, 69:26 910/16/16 [Distr. by Universal] ***: Ordinarily, I would ascribe a popular, “Halloween” program (rec. 29-30 October 2015) like the one here on Decca to Charles Dutoit, given the usually excellent standard of musical execution. And while the performances of the natural spectaculars – the Dukas and the Saint-Saens – do exhibit the Montreal Symphony’s capacity for grand color, the Kent Nagano (b. 1951) renditions remain relatively prosaic and undistinguished. I still revel in the Mitropoulos version of Danse Macabre and the Stokowski reading of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Besides the Dvorak opus – first made visceral to me by Vaclav Talich – the work that beckons us, Balakirev’s 1882 Tamara, does achieve some of the dramatic compulsion we recall from Sir Thomas Beecham’s riveting account. Based on a ballad by Lermontov, the symphonic poem bears much in common with Liszt’s formula for musical progression, with rippling-water […]

Sommernachts Konzert 2016 (Summer Night Concert) = Music of BIZET, BERLIOZ, POULENC, SAINT-SAENS & others – Vienna Phil./ Bychkov – Sony

Sommernachts Konzert 2016 (Summer Night Concert) = Music of BIZET, BERLIOZ, POULENC, SAINT-SAENS & others – Vienna Phil./ Bychkov – Sony

by | Sep 10, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

Semyon Bychkov leads the Vienna Philharmonic in a French program of colorful energy. B01DFY8L1M  Sommernachts Konzert 2016 (Summer Night Concert) = BIZET: Farandole from L’Arlessienne Suite No. 2; BERLIOZ: Marche Hongroise from Le Damnation de Faust, Op. 24; POULENC: Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra; SAINT-SAENS: Finale from Le Carnaval des animaux; RAVEL: Daphnis et Chloe – Suite No. 2; Bolero; OFFENBACH: Can-Can from Orphee aux enfers; J. STRAUSS II: Wiener Blut Waltz, Op. 354 – Katia & Marielle Labeque, pianos/ Vienna Phiharmonic Orch./ Semyon Bychkov – Sony 88985313542, 81:40  (6/10/16) ****:  Whether 26 May 2016 qualifies as “midsummer” may be negotiable, but the charm and high spirits of the occasion of this Vienna Philharmonic concert remain unequivocal. Conductor Semyon Bychkov decided that music by French composers would comprise the program, excepting the encore by Johann Strauss. The 1932 Concerto for Two Pianos in d by Poulenc appears as a rare novelty, added to the Vienna Philharmonic repertory at this very concert. The engaging concerto sparkles with light tunes in the tricky meters of the music hall, contrapuntal but clear textures, modal harmony, ostinato patterns, and Gallic penchant for cyclic form. The two sisters keep the keyboard parts in constant […]

SAINT-SAENS: Music for Piano Duo and Duet, Vol. One = Martin Jones & Adrian Farmer, p. – Nimbus

SAINT-SAENS: Music for Piano Duo and Duet, Vol. One = Martin Jones & Adrian Farmer, p. – Nimbus

by | Sep 4, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

A deliciously joyful collection of four-hand work to complement your Saint-Saens library. SAINT-SAENS: Music for Piano Duo and Duet, Vol. One = Tarantelle, Op. 6; Duettino in G Major, Op. 11; Le Rouet d’Omphale, Op. 31; Koenig Harald Harfagar, Op. 59; Septet: Menuet & Gavotte; Polonaise, Op. 77; Feuillet d’album, Op. 81; Berceuse, Op. 105; Scherzo, Op. 87; Pas redouble in B-flat Major, Op. 86 – Martin Jones & Adrian Farmer, pianos – Nimbus Alliance NI 5940 65:35 (8/12/16) [www.wyastone.co.uk] ****: This recording (May & October 2015) presents the first of two volumes of original compositions and arrangements for piano duo and duet by Camille Saint-Saëns. This program offers the substantial Scherzo, Op. 87 and Polonaise, Op. 77 for two pianos, alongside a number of smaller works for two pianos and piano four hands. Saint-Saens (1835-1921)himself re-cast several of his chamber music compositions for piano-duo performance, as in his 1857 Tarantelle, Op. 6.  Typically, this composer’s music enjoys the brio of life, its sparkle and elan. Playful clarity combines with serenity in craft and security of expression. The other significant chamber music arrangement, from the 1880 Septet, Op. 65, arranges the staid Menuet & Gavotte in liquid tones. Two orchestral […]

SAINT-SAENS: Symphony No. 3 “Organ”; Intro and Rondo capriccioso in a; La muse et le poete for violin, cello & orch. – Jan Kraybill, pipe organ/Kansas City Sym./ Michael Stern – Reference Recordings (45 rpm vinyl)

SAINT-SAENS: Symphony No. 3 “Organ”; Intro and Rondo capriccioso in a; La muse et le poete for violin, cello & orch. – Jan Kraybill, pipe organ/Kansas City Sym./ Michael Stern – Reference Recordings (45 rpm vinyl)

by | Mar 19, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

A fine performance and a first on 45 rpm vinyl. SAINT-SAENS: Symphony No. 3 “Organ”; Intro and Rondo capriccioso in a; La muse et le poete for violin, cello & orch. – Jan Kraybill, pipe organ/Kansas City Sym./ Michael Stern – Reference Recordings stereo 45 rpm vinyl RM-1514, 35:27 (3/15/16) ****: The Kansas City Symphony is the only full-time professional symphony in the region, and has made other acclaimed recordings for Reference Recordings. This session, which gets a full and rich romantic sound out of the musicians, was recorded using the HDCD encoding invented by Keith O. Johnson, the recording engineer, and mastered onto this 180 gram half-speed-mastered 45 rpm vinyl, with its wider grooves and faster speed enhancing the sonics almost as much as direct disk recording, which almost nobody is doing anymore. The first two movements are on Side A and the third and fourth movements on Side B. The acoustically superior Helzberg Hall of 2011 is a factor in the success of this recording. Conductor Stern is in his second decade with the orchestra and has been hailed for his remarkable artistic ascent, inventive programming, organizational development and stability, and extraordinary growth of its varied symphony audiences. […]