Topic: BRANA Releases
BRANA New Releases
The Pupils of Beethoven (BR0005)
Songs With and Without Words (BR0006)
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 (BR0020)
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 (BR0020)
If you have never heard Moniuszko’s songs, rare Pergolesi arias or Villa-Lobos’ beautiful Bachianas No. 5, then this album is a must have... This beautiful collection of songs features the melodic works of Pergolesi, the quirky Polish songs of Niewiadomski and Moniuszko, Scarlatti’s beautiful setting of the poem, Le Violette and the popular title work, Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 by Brazilian composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos (who dedicated his 5th Piano Concerto to Ms. Blumental). The unknown repertoire and the profound musicianship make this album a particular collector’s item. Among this recital album are two ensemble tracks. Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 is without doubt the best known of the nine works Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887 – 1959) composed to demonstrate his admiration for the music of JS. Bach. This particular work for voice and 8 cellos is in two movements. The Aria (Cantilena) is a part vocalise of a poem about nature by Ruth Valdares Correia. The text for the second movement, Dan?a (Martelo) is by Manuel Bandeira and sees Villa-Lobos drawing on his Brazilian roots, evoking the birds of his homeland.
A Serpina Pencerete is an aria from the opera La Serva Padrona (The Maid Mistress) by Italian composer, Giovanni Pergolesi (1710-1736). This was Pergolesi’s most successful comic stage work written in only two acts and with only three characters in the plot and the work that ensured his everlasting fame. Annette Celine recorded the complete opera with bass baritone, Sesto Bruscantini and the Rome Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor, Alberto Zedda, from which this aria is taken.
This CD also provides an insight into the musical lives of Brazilian soprano Annette Celine and Polish/Brazilian pianist, Felicja Blumental. While their natural curiosity for lesser known classical music is evident, it also finds Ms Celine and Ms Blumental drawing on their Polish and Brazilian background and demonstrating their profound understanding of music from around the world. This is particularly evident in Ms Celine’s performance who seamlessly flows from one language to the next.
The Pupils of Beethoven (BR0005)
This CD partners the Piano Concertos of Carl Czerny and Ferdinand Ries, both of whom were pupils of the great master. Carl Czerny was born in Vienna and studied with Beethoven at the age of 10. Precociously a gifted piansit, he gave his first public performance at the same age and became a leading exponent of Beethoven’s piano music. It is unknown exactly how many concertos Czerny composed, but this is work (Piano Concerto in A minor, Op 214) is certainly the best known and most attractive. Here it is performed by Felicja Blumental and the Vienna Chamber Music, conducted by Helmut Froschauer.
Like Czerny, Ferdinand Ries was a prolific composer. Through teaching Ries, Beethoven was returning a favour. Ferdinand’s father, Franz Ries had taught the young Beethoven and offered support following the death of Ludwig’s mother. Later Beethoven taught Ferdinand withouth charge, supported him financially and arranaged a prestigious cocnert debut at which Ries performed the premiere of Beethoven’s piano Concerto in C minor. This CD presents Piano Concerto in C sharp minor, Op. 55 (the third of eight concertos composed by Ries), which is dedicated to fellow virtuoso Muzio Clementi and is his best known work. Theodore Guschlbauer conducts the Salzburg Chamber Orchestra with soloist, Felicja Blumental.
Songs With and Without Words (BR0006)
This CD is a collection of Ms Celine’s favourite songs that have been transcribed for vocal and solo piano arrangements. It features the well known Apr?s un r?ve by Gabriel Faur? (also arranged by Percy Grainger for solo piano which can also be heard on this CD), two love songs by Felix Mendelssohn, an art song by Maude Valerie White (one of a few successful women composers of the 19th Century), a charming children’s song, Tilim Bom by Igor Stravinsky, a vocal arrangement of Brahms’ Wigenlied (Lullaby), as well as vocal pieces by Verdi, Cui, Rubinstein, Brahms, Grieg, Chaminade, Duparc, Debussy, Granados, Rachmaninoff, Haydn and Obradors.