Andrew McGregor with Mark Lowther and Sophie Yates
Presented by Andrew McGregor. Building a Library focuses on Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, and Sophie Yates assesses new releases of instrumental and vocal baroque music.
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Building a Library on Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius with Mark Lowther.
Following the triumph of Elgar's Enigma Variations, The Dream of Gerontius is a work by a confident composer at the height of his powers. But sharing the fate of so many first performances, its 1900 premiere was not a popular success. Under-rehearsed and chaotic, partly due to the complexity and modernity of the writing, there was another issue, too: the Anglican community bridled at the work's uncompromisingly Catholic text by Cardinal Newman. More than a century later, in more ecumenical times, the work is part of the standard repertoire of choral societies up and down the land and has been most often recorded by UK conductors, choirs and orchestras.
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Sophie Yates assesses new releases of instrumental and vocal baroque music, including Rinaldo Alessandrini's arrangements of Bach keyboard works for period instrument ensemble.
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Andrew chooses an outstanding new release as his Disc of the Week.
Last on
Music Played
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Claude Debussy
Suite Bergamasque: Clair de lune
Performer: Seong鈥怞in Cho.- Seong-Jin Cho - Debussy.
- Deutsche Grammophon.
- 15.
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Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 2 In D Major Op.73
Orchestra: The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Conductor: Paavo J盲rvi.- Brahms Symphony No.2.
- RCA Red Seal/Sony.
- 1.
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Hans Abrahamsen
Quartet No. 4 For Strings
Ensemble: Arditti Quartet.- Hans Abrahamsen: String Quartets No.1-4.
- Winter & Winter.
- 2.
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Morten Lauridsen
O Magnum Mysterium
Ensemble: ORA. Conductor: Suzi Digby.- Advent Calendar.
- Harmonia Mundi.
- 9.
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Toby Hession
Master of Music
Ensemble: The King鈥檚 Singers.- The King's Singers: Gold.
- Signum Classics.
- 601.
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Leonard Bernstein
Chichester Psalms For Treble, Chorus And Orchestra
Choir: Choir of King鈥檚 College, Cambridge. Orchestra: Britten Sinfonia. Conductor: Stephen Cleobury.- Vaughan Williams / Bernstein.
- King's College.
- 7.
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Franz Schubert
Erlk枚nig (Orch. Berlioz)
Orchestrator: Hector Berlioz. Conductor: Laurence Equilbey. Orchestra: Insula Orchestra. Singer: Stanislas de Barbeyrac.- Schubert: Nacht und Tr盲ume.
- Warner Classics.
- 113.
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Franz Schubert
Das Grab, D. 377 (Orch. Krawczyk)
Orchestra: Insula Orchestra. Conductor: Laurence Equilbey.- Schubert: Nacht und Tr盲ume.
- Warner Classics.
- 114.
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Jacobus Clemens non Papa
Missa Virtute magna: VI. Agnus Dei
Conductor: Bo Holten. Ensemble: Musica Ficta.- Thomiss酶n's Easter.
- Dacapo.
- 1301.
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Anonymous
Lutheran Service: Postcommunion, Blessing
Conductor: Bo Holten. Ensemble: Musica Ficta.- Thomiss酶n's Easter.
- Dacapo.
- 1401.
-
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Anonymous
Hymn: O Lord, in these times so perilous
Conductor: Bo Holten. Ensemble: Musica Ficta.- Thomiss酶n's Easter.
- Dacapo.
- 1501.
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Robert Schumann
Piano Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 47
Performer: Hrachya Avanesyan. Performer: Diemut Poppen. Performer: Alexander Chaushian. Performer: Yevgeny Sudbin.- Schumann: Piano Quartet, Op. 47 - Brahms: Piano Quintet, Op. 34.
- BIS.
- 1-4.
Record Review
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BUILDING A LIBRARY 鈥� THIS WEEK鈥橲 WINNING DISC:
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ELGAR: THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS
Anthony Rolfe-Johnson (tenor), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (mezzo-soprano),
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir, Huddersfield Choral Society, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vernon Handley (conductor)
Warner Classics 5757582 (6CD set and digital download)
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9.00am
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DEBUSSY: IMAGES, CHILDREN'S CORNER AND SUITE BERGAMASQUE
CLAUDE DEBUSSY: Images I; Images II; Children鈥檚 Corner; Suite Bergamasque; L鈥橧sle Joyeuse
Seong-Jin Cho (piano)
Deutsche Grammphon 479 8308 (CD)
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BRAHMS: SYMPHONY No.2
JOHANNES BRAHMS: Symphony No.2; Tragic Overture, Op.81; Academic Festival Overture, Op.80
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Paavo J盲rvi (conductor)
RCA Red Seal/Sony 88985 459462 (CD)
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HANS ABRAHAMSEN: STRING QUARTETS Nos.1-4
Arditti String Quartet
Winter & Winter 910 242-2 (CD)
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ES WAR EINMAL鈥NCE UPON A TIME鈥�
ROBERT SCHUMANN: Fairy Tales Op.132; Fantasiest眉cke Op.73; M盲rchenbilder Op.113
J脰RG WIDMANN: Es War Einmal: Five Pieces in a Fairytale Mood for Clarinet, Viola and Piano
Tabea Zimmermann (viola), J枚rg Widmann (clarinet), D茅nes V谩rjon (piano)
Myrios Classics MYR020
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听9.30am 鈥� Building a Library
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Composer: ELGAR
Piece: The Dream of Gerontius
Reviewer: Mark Lowther
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Recommended Recording:
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Anthony Rolfe-Johnson (tenor), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (mezzo soprano),
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir, Huddersfield Choral Society, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vernon Handley (conductor)
Warner Classics 5757582 (CD)
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Other Recommended Recordings:
Below is a shortlist of other recordings which Mark also liked, although we can鈥檛 guarantee the availability of these discs.
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Heddle Nash (tenor), Gladys Ripley (alto), Huddersfield Choral Society, Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, 麻豆社 Symphony Orchestra, Malcolm Sargent (conductor)
TESTAMENT SBT2025 (CD)
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Richard Lewis (tenor), Dame Janet Baker (mezzo soprano), Halle Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli (conductor)
EMI CMS 7631852 (CD)
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Paul Groves (tenor), Alice Coote (mezzo soprano), Hall茅 Choir, Hall茅 Youth Choir, Halle Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder (conductor)
HALLE CDHLD7520 (CD)
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听10.20am 鈥� NEW RELEASES
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ADVENT CALENDAR
Carols by composers including Sally Beamish, Richard Allain, Morten Lauridsen, Cecilia McDowall and Arvo P盲rt, and newly commissioned works from John Rutter and Debbie Wiseman.
MORTEN LAURIDSEN: O Magnum Mysterium for chorus
ORA Singers, Suzi Digby (conductor)
orasingers.co.uk (download from Harmonia Mundi from 24th December)
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THE KING鈥橲 SINGERS - GOLD
The King鈥檚 Singers鈥� 50th Anniversary album with 60 tracks divided across three albums, themed as Close Harmony, Spiritual and Secular.听
TOBY HESSION: Master of Music
The King鈥檚 Singers
Signum Classics SIGCD500 (CD)
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VAUGHAN WILLIAMS / BERNSTEIN
LEONARD BERNSTEIN: Chichester Psalms for treble, chorus and orchestra
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Dona Nobis Pacem re-orchestrated by Jonathan Rathbone
Aylish Tynan (soprano), Roderick Williams (baritone)
Choir of King鈥檚 College Cambridge, Britten Sinfonia, Stephen Cleobury (conductor)
King鈥檚 College KGS0021 (Hybrid SACD)
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SCHUBERT: NACHT UND TRAUME
Famous Schubert songs performed in orchestral versions by such masters as Berlioz, Liszt, Brahms, Strauss, Webern, Britten and Schubert himself.
FRANZ SCHUBERT: Erlk枚nig D.328, arr. Berlioz for voice and orchestra
FRANZ SCHUBERT: Das Grab D.377, arr. Krawczyk for choir and orchestra
Stanislas de Barbeyrac (tenor), Accentus Choir, Insula Orchestra, Laurence Equilbey (conductor)
Erato 0190295769437 (CD)
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THOMISSON鈥橲 EASTER
This recording reflects the elements that made up an early Lutheran feast-day service in Denmark, including a fashionable Mass cycle by the Flemish master Jacobus Clemens non Papa.
CLEMENS NON PAPA: Agnus Dei 听(from Missa Virtuta Magna)
ANON.: Sung Liturgy (Postcommunion collect; Blessing)
THOMISSON: Hymn: O Lord, in these times so perilous
Musica Ficta, Bo Holten (conductor)
DaCapo 8226188 (CD)
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10.55am 鈥� New Releases: Sophie Yates on new Baroque CDs
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BACH VARIATIONS ON VARIATIONS
Rinaldo Alessandrini鈥檚 adaptations of some famous Bach works, including:
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH: Passacaglia in C minor BWV582
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH: Goldberg Variations BWV988
Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini (director and arranger)
Na茂ve OP30575 (CD)
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BACH IN BLACK
Three violin concertos and three famous arias (from St Matthew Passion, St John Passion and B minor Mass)
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH: Violin Concerto in D minor BWV1052
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH: Erbarme Dich (from St Matthew Passion BWV244)
La Voce Strumentale, Dmitry Sinkovsky (countertenor and violin)
Na茂ve OP30567 (CD)
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QUELLA FIAMMA: ARIE ANTICHE
A selection of pieces from Arie antiche, a 19th Century collection of songs edited by Alessandro Parisotti to be a vocal primer, including:
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL: Piangero la sorte mia (from Giulio Cesare)
ANDREA FALCONIERI arr. Tufvesson: Passacalle
Nathalie Stutzmann (mezzo and conductor), Orfeo 55 (orchestra)
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TELEMANN: QUATUORS PARISIENS
GEORGE PHILIPP TELEMANN: 20 Fuguettes pout l鈥檕rgue ou pour le clavessin; Nouveaux quatuors Parisiens; Quatri猫me livre de quatuors; Quatuors Parisiens; Nouveaux quatuors Parisiens
Nevermind: Anna Besson (flute), Louis Creac鈥檋 (violin), Robin Pharo (viola da gamba), Jean Rondeau (harpsichord)
Alpha Classics Alpha299 (CD)
11.45am 鈥� Disc of the Week
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BRAHMS & SCHUMANN 鈥� CHAMBER MUSIC WITH PIANO
ROBERT SCHUMANN: Piano Quartet in E flat major, Op.47
JOHANNES BRAHMS: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op.34
Hrachya Avanesyan (violin), Boris Brovtsyn (violin), Diemut Poppen(viola), Alexander Chaushian (cello), Yevgeny Sudbin (piano)
BIS2258 (Hybrid SACD)
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