Dvorak to Duke Ellington

"Peress has in-depth and first-hand knowledge of the subject as he worked with Ellington, edited and'or orchestrated five of Ellington's symphonic works, and has presented a number of critically acclaimed historically accurate concert recreations...With an unparalleled background in music and research, Peress is uniquely suited to delve into the topic at hand, and does so with skillful results, ...there is not a graduate composition or conducting major who would not benefit from reading this highly personal tome." --JCG"For anyone interested in a good look at a poorly understood line of American musical history, or for anyone interested in a simple, fascinating story of music and genius, Peress's Dvorak to Duke Ellington is a captivating read." --International Musician"What makes Dvorak to Duke Ellington so compelling is that it is written by an accomplished conductor who collaborated with Ellington late in his life on the orchestration and/or creation of some of his major compositions, most notably Black, Brown, and Beige and Queenie Pie. Among Peress's most significant achievements is his balancing of an almost irrepressible enthusiasm for the music he champions with a more objective judgement that needs to be brought to bear on what is still a raw topic: namely, how do we come to terms with the complicated miscegenation that is American music?"--Symphony Read more.

Dvorak: Slanovic Dance/Kubelik, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Dvorák's music is often a source of sheer warmhearted joy. Even the sadder moments in these gorgeous dances come with a hidden smile and a gracious sense that all is right with the world. The late Rafael Kubelik led his German orchestra in a wonderful recording of these Dances, beautifully played with great affection and idiomatic rhythms (which the conductor must have taught the orchestra). As performances, these are comparable with the legendary 1950 set by Vaclav Talich and the Czech Philharmonic (Supraphon 11 1897-2). Unlike the Supraphon, though, Kubelik's recording is stereo, sounding better than ever in its new remastering and offered at mid-price. --Leslie Gerber Read more.

A Must Dvorak CD For Your Collection

Harnoncourt's excitingly uninhibited new set of the Slavonic Dances, with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, combines great exuberance and virtuosity with vivid colouring. Harnoncourt's direction has tremendous zest and vitality. The Dumka character of Op. 46/2 is spectacularly caught, moving from a relaxed lyrical charm and warmly flexible phrasing to spontaneously hot-blooded bursts of energy, with the trombones electrifying unleased. The delicacy of the string and woodwind playing in No. 6 of the first set is particularly beguiling, as is the seductive rubato at the opening of Op. 72/2. But even here the relaxation of the shapely phrasing is underpinned by an inherent vitality, with the last two chords given a firm finality. Beautiful music. --Tanis Somerville-Christianssen. Read more.

Antonin Dvorak: Slavonic Dance No.15, Op.72 No.7

Dvarak was keenly interested in Slavonic dances and music, collecting a large amount of material on this subject. The widespread popularity of Brahms' collection of Hungarian dances (21 pieces) seemed to encourage Dvorak to write this piano piece in the form of a Hungarian dance, originally for a four-hand performance. A four-hand performance on the piano was a popular form of home music in Eroupe in those days. Therefore, Dvorak did not intend this piece for concerts. But because he emphasized his character ethnic flovor and expressed it in the simplest possible manner using bold modulation, a variety of rhythms and skillful orchestration, "Slavonic Dance No.15, Op.72 No.7" became a full-fledged piece for concerts.

A Night Piece For A Flute And String Orchestra

Arthur Foote, the composer of this piece, was born in Salem near Boston in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. He studied music at the New England Music Academy and later at Harvard University under the instruction of Paine. While serving as a church organist in Boston, he composed music that reflected the influence of Brahms. He contributed to the development of classical music in the United States and is reguarded as a student of the so-called Boston school.

Besides "A Night Piece for a Flute and String Orchestra," he wrote many other pieces of chamber music and vocal music including a string suite for a string quartet: D. op.21 (written in 1886); d. op.36 (1896) op.63 (1910) and two piano trios.

Mozart: Horn Concertos

For this recording, Lowell Greer himself reconstructed a natural horn of the type that was invented during Mozart's later years and was generally played in orchestras at the beginning of the nineteenth century. He is pictured holding the horn in the booklet, and the pride in his eyes is only natural, for this is a wonderful-sounding instrument that seems ideal for playing Mozart's playfully beautiful Horn Concertos. Greer and the Philharmonia Baroque play in a relatively straightforward, perhaps even somewhat naive manner, but this is not necessarily a criticism: At all events, the disc can give enormous listening pleasure (as is presumably evidenced by the fact that I have often heard it being played on German radio stations). The engineering puts the horn on the left of proceedings and in the centre of attention, and it is truly wonderful to listen to this glorious sound. Musicologically, I suspect that the Sony Vivarte recording made by Ab Koster and the Canadian Tafelmusik ensemble is a little more refined (and the music has definitely been reconstructed in a more accurate manner there); but nonetheless, the Harmonia Mundi recording is a true classic and is well worth the listening to. --Leslie Richford Read more.

Mozart: Horn Concerto No.1-4

As a music teacher and hornist who has performed all of the Mozart horn concertos at one time or another, I am probably more picky about recordings of these works than anything else. Everyone always upholds the Dennis Brain recordings as the best, and rightly so. Brain was the all-time master of the horn, period. The problem is that he died young and his Mozart recordings were made in the 1950s. Yes, the CD has been remastered and sounds quite good, but there's only so much a producer can do.

That's why one recording of these masterpieces simply will not do.

This CD by Barry Tuckwell most assuredly needs to be the "other" recording one has in their collection. Tuckwell with his gorgeous tone, fantastic range, and excellent lip trills is easily the best hornist in the past few decades. He plays each concerto with spirit and aggression in contrast to Brain's more controlled and leisurely interpretation. His cadenzas are more modern and showy yet maintain classical style and taste. The ASMF provides perfect, well-balanced accompaniment with, interestingly enough, a harpsicord playing basso continuo underneath the orchestra (a feature that may or may not have been used when Mozart first debuted these concertos).

Finally, the original recordings are modern enough that when digitally remastered, they sound clear as a bell. So yes, buy the Brain recording, he is the best hornist of all time. But this recording by Tuckwell is marvellous and should be immediately added to one's collection. Both recordings are correct, both are beautiful, but both are different. Therefore, both are needed. Buy it now.