Marktpolitisch mag der Audite-Versuch, dem von der DG im Studio fixierten...

Eine Bigband ohne Saxophon? Undenkbar! Ein Sinfonieorchester mit Saxophon?...

Das ist heute die erste Einspielung in einer offensichtlich als Gesamtaufnahme...

Henri Vieuxtemps gehört zu den wenigen Komponisten, die mit dem besonderen...

First of all, this brass quintet sounds excellent, showing rounded tone qualities, fine intonation and blend, and good dynamic variety. Listening to them is a pleasure. Second, this is an unusual program, since most collections of Russian brass music tend to major in the works of Victor Ewald (1860-1935). Several of the pieces are original brass quintets, while the rest are arrangements of piano literature.

The most substantial of the original brass works is a suite by Aleksandr Poteenko (b 1960) that shows numerous stylistic influences. I is a virtuoso study, especially for trumpeters Falk Zimmermann and Klaus Wingensiefen, while II is a waltz that gives a lyrical melody to trombonist Thomas Steger. Tuba player Guido Gorny dances nimbly in a whimsical III, and horn player Frank Lefers ruminates in IV. The trumpets grab the spotlight again in V.

Viktor Grischen's little Rondo (1986) sounds like a study from Bartok's Mikrokosmos and seems to be a "musical caricature of village life in provincial Russia". A Brass Quintet by Anton Simon (1850-1916) has three movements based on folk-like melodies, while the one by Alexander Alabiev (1787-1851) sounds like a model for the not-very-sophisticated but tuneful and virtuoso brass music of Wilhelm Rams(0248)e and Victor Ewald.

The best music of the program is the piano arrangements, including the always impressive Rachmaninoff Prelude in G minor and three evocative selections from Sergei Bortkiewicz's Russian Tunes and Dances. From Tchaikovsky's Seasons we have the sprightly 'February', lyrical 'April', and gliding 'December'. A set of harmonious pieces by Alexander Scriabin brings the collection to a close.

This concert from 24 April 1969 demonstrates how the concerto should be--but often is not--done. The relaxed, sinuous entry of the violin in the first movement immediately tells us we're about to be treated to some great musicmaking. The 21-year-old Zukerman's unforced, sweet-toned playing has all the fresh, vibrant, unaffected honesty of an astonishingly gifted young performer riding the great wave of confidence and energy that comes with first arriving at artistic maturity. His grasp of the solo part is masterly and completely self-contained. Nothing is wanting.

Zukerman tackles the first movement cadenza with no apologies for its virtuoso-showpiece qualities, but he also brings to it nuanced expressiveness. He links it organically to the rest of the movement, rather than treating it as a tacked-on party piece. As it is through the entire performance, his tone is firm but never forced, harsh, squeaky, or abrasive. There is polish without blandness, and a wonderful silvery quality to it, like nicely patined fine silver.

The slow movement starts off shakily in the orchestra, with some untidy ensemble and sour playing from the clarinet. Then Zukerman enters and all becomes sweetness and expressive light again. Despite his brilliant handling of the first movement's keen technical demands, his playing in II is tinged with just the right gentle Tchaikovskian melancholy. It is neither heavy and tragic nor sentimental. The finale is remarkable for its freshness, vitality, and breathtaking, crisp articulation from the soloist, despite the brisk pace he and Kubelik take. The atmosphere of these proceedings is anything but "ho-hum, we're doing the Tchaikovsky again".

Kubelik was not a great Tchaikovsky conductor, but here he leads a solid, sensitive accompaniment and he doesn't fight the soloist for control. They work together, and we--and the audience at the concert--are the beneficiaries. Nevertheless, there is some inconsistency to his handling of the orchestra.

For example, the two waltz-like orchestral climaxes in I are superb--noble, spacious, elegant--but the transitional passages directly afterward are slack and directionless. The Bavarian Radio Symphony, then as now, is clearly not one of the world's first-rank orchestras, but the unfortunate moments from the orchestra pass fairly quickly.

Zukerman's playing binds the proceedings together with a superb concentration and focus that are all too rare even in concerts. One question: Is the solo work as beautiful as Repin's on the new Philips disc I reviewed last issue? Oh, yes--much more so. It approaches the level of the classic Szeryng/Munch RCA recording. Even in an outrageously overcrowded field, this performance stands out, though patches of scrappy orchestral work prevent me from making an unqualified recommendation. Rather than serve as one's only recording of the piece, this is a good supplement for a collection that already contains the Szeryng, Heifetz/Reiner (RCA), Stern/Rostropovich (Sony), and Mutter/Karajan (DG). After all, who can get by with only one copy of the Tchaikovsky concerto?

Kubelik's take on the symphony is clean and professional but nothing special. The trumpets in the ominous first movement fanfares are strident and shrill, but the woodwind playing is better than in the concerto. Kubelik churns up some fury in the big, gangly first movement, but he lets it become episodic, lacking the dramatic build this music should have. The conviction and frisson of the great performances just isn't anywhere to be heard. Kubelik is serviceable, not incandescent, and efficient rather than moving, despite his audible stomping during some of the high-stress passages. At least the Munich audience is pleasantly quiet, despite the April date of the concert.

There are many better recordings out there, starting with Kubelik's own earlier Chicago Symphony account. Even there, his take on the work is rather driven, hard-edged, and forced--and not helped by Mercury's glassy LP sonics (which would undoubtedly benefit from modern digital remastering). I certainly would turn to Bernstein (Sony, rather than the later DG), Karajan (preferably EMI), Muti (EMI), Ormandy (Sony), and Monteux (RCA) first. Those interpretations differ widely in character, but they all have far more to say than Kubelik.

Audite's sound is good FM-quality stereo, with a natural balance between soloist and orchestra and no distortion. There is some hail ambiance, a sense of air around the instruments, and a touch of reverb (added in the remastering?). The lower bass is a bit muddy. The sound is not dry but also not lush and tropical. Tape hiss is minimal--almost inaudible on speakers, though I could hear it when I put on some high-end headphones and boosted the treble unnaturally high. The packaging doesn't indicate if the recording has been put through No Noise or a similar noise-reduction process. Under normal playback, the treble is clean and clear but not brittle.

These recordings of Eduard Franck\'s (1817-93) string quartets are proudly labeled premiere recordings. I have no reason to disagree with that statement. In fact the only other recordings of Franck listed in my most recent Schwann are on Audite. Who was Eduard Franck? He was a student of Felix Mendelssohn, who had nothing but praise for his early works. Born into a wealthy Breslau banking family, the four sons pursued entirely different career paths. Eduard was the youngest and pursued a musical career wholeheartedly, settling in Cologne, where he taught at the Rheinische Music School. Unfortunately, his teaching and solo performances came first, and few of his compositions were ever published, perhaps owing to his ambition for absolute perfection. Also, he tended to move from place to place every few years and thus didn\'t establish a lasting reputation anywhere. It is only now, more than 100 years after his death, that an exhaustive biography jointly written by his grandson and great-grandson has begun to ope n modern eyes to his works.

The Quartet in E-flat, Op. 54, was evidently written in Berlin in 1847; its companion, the Quartet in C minor, Op. 55, was not published until after his death, and its date of composition is uncertain. It appears first here and is an exceptionally fine quartet. The recording is ideal. Microphone placement is fairly close, yet the instruments sound in their individual places. This is important, because each instrument has a remarkable number of solos. He clearly was in full command of the quartet form, for the whole work is delectable. Themes are well and fully developed. Each of the four movements is well developed, and the quartet is unusual in that all four are marked allegro, allegro vivace, or allegretto. Both quartets are substantial, lasting 34 and 35 minutes.

The E-flat work begins with two adagio movements and concludes with two allegro movements. It is reminiscent of both the late Beethoven quartets and certain aspects of Haydn but with distinctly romantic influences as well. II is interesting for its similarities to great funeral music. Remarkable virtuoso turns are given to the first violin. III is a classically oriented minuet with a hunting trio. The finale is a series of variations.

Both quartets are well worth knowing, but Op. 55 is especially impressive. I would very much like to hear the other Franck works on at least five Audite releases, including two violin concertos and two symphonies as well as his Third Quartet and his piano quintet. Everything about this issue speaks of careful preparation and loving work.

While it is true that the Turina Trio plays with feeling, they don\'t strike me as that good a group. The violinist especially has an edge on his tone in the upper registers that is most annoying.

In Circulo, I prefer the Madrid Trio (Ensayo), the Beaux Arts Trio (Philips) and the Arbos Trio (Naxos).

For the Zilcher, this is the preferred recording simply because it is the only one. Hermann Zilcher (1881-1948) was one year older than Spaniard Joaquin Turina. His trio was written in 1927 when he was director of the Wurzburg Conservatory. He was a conservative whose music sounds to be more from the time of Brahms and Reger. We are told by the notes that this trio, written for performance by Zilcher\'s own trio, is one of his best remembered works. Well, it is carefully crafted but not that memorable. II is a set of variations on the song known in English as \'All Through the Night\'.

As to the Dvorak, I prefer the recordings by the Suk or Smetana Trios on Supraphon. This version seems to be ill played.

The notes are good enough and the sound is exceptional.

Vox Bona, the chamber choir of the Kreuzkirche Bonn, offers us here a lovely and reflective a cappella theme collection of mostly late-romantic German pieces about the moods and mysteries of the night.

As the rather philosophically-toned notes point out, nighttime for most of us means protection and threat at the same time; it is "the place of demonic powers as well as the stronghold of comfort and security". Small wonder that night has fired the creative impulses of artists of all kinds. German poets and musicians--particularly in the romantic period--have left us especially sensitive and lovely evocations of the cycle of daily darkness. Some of the best of these are heard here, most of them for normal mixed chorus.

Three fine pieces from Max Reger, all in the style of German folk music, begin the program. 'The Moon has Risen', his second piece, is a drawn-out prayer, asking for peaceful repose and rest from the world's troubles. It is the first of several pieces here to draw parallels between nighttime and the "long night" of death. The most memorable of Brahms's four choral gems here are the two intense 'Night Vigil' songs, setting poetry by Ruckert. These offer stark contrast to his folk-flavored 'Furtively the Moon Rises'. Robert Schumann's single selection, 'Uncertain Light', for double chorus, impulsively explores the common romantic theme of the driven wanderer, stumbling resolutely through the night in pursuit of a distant and mysterious flicker of light. Hugo Wolf's lush and gentle Eichendorff setting, 'Resignation', is a particular treat; and Josef Rheinberger's imploring 'Evening Song' is a happy discovery.

More complex sonic moods and effects are heard in the three pieces by Harald Genzmer (b.1909). The most arresting of them is the Latin-hued 'Black Moon', with softly insistent men's voices spinning out a subtle dance rhythm beneath the women's sensual singing. Only two non-German composers are included. Kodaly's ecstatic 'Evening' speaks of nocturnal joy and peace in striking harmonic language. Perhaps the most disturbing offering of the lot is Britten's 'Long Night', from his eight Sacred and Profane pieces--a piece of bitter resignation.

The wonderful singers of Vox Bona produce the kind of clean, clear, yet robust singing often heard from German ensembles. Their sonorities are consistently pleasing, save for a few slightly shrill-sounding passages from the sopranos at the top of their volume and range. Otherwise, their sense of smooth ensemble and subtle emotional intensity makes this nocturnal music a real joy to hear.

Notes and texts are impeccable, and the English translation is quite elegant. Sound is vividly detailed and transparent. This is deep, thought-provoking, and mostly very beautiful material.

Josephine Lang (1815-80) suffered the typical life of a 19th Century woman composer: a domineering, jealous father, an unsupportive famlly, and more than her share of personal tragedy (she outlived three of her four sons). Like Carl Wieck, Lang's father tried to control every aspect of her education, musical and otherwise. When the young Josephine came to the attention of Felix Mendelssohn, he did his best to encourage her and see to it that she obtained a first class musical education, even offering to board her at the Mendelssohn home in Berlin where he could personally supervise her development. Her father refused. After the death of her father she married Reinhold Kdstlin, a professor of law who did nothing to encourage her to compose. As Ferdinand Hiller would later write, "the artist Josephine Lang disappeared before the Frau Professor; indeed, the art of music often had to yield to the art of cooking". The death of K6stlin in 1856 forced Lang to begin her career anew and, with the help of Hiller, Clara Schumann, and Rebecka (Mendelssohn) Dirichiet, she was able to re-establish herself as a piano pedagogue and composer of lieder.

Lang appears to have concentrated most of her musical efforts on lieder, rarely attempting anything on a larger scale. Only a few composers of piano miniatures and songs have established themselves in the repertory, since there is an expectation that a real composer must eventually attempt something greater. But there's a lot to be said for sticking to what one does well, and Lang, in her 150 published lieder, shows us that she was a very able composer. Mendelssohn waxed rhapsodic over her songs, and it is no wonder: she sounds exactly like him. In song after song, the spirit of Mendelssohn is never far. Grace, poise, elegance, beauty, and simplicity are her hallmarks. But Lang is no mere imitator of an established model. As a composer of songs, she's not just like Mendelssohn, she's often (dare I say it?) better Lang's songs have an extra something that all but the best of Mendelssohn's lack, making the elder composer's efforts sound like the imitations. With respect to her exact contemporaries Robert Franz and Robert Volkmann, she is consistently better. If she has a deficiency, it is that she never developed with time. Songs written in 1870 sound like those from 1840.

Serving this good music is soprano Heike Hallaschka's delightful singing. Confident and controlled, her bright pretty voice is ideally suited to the material. She also invests each song with subtle characterization, wisely avoiding the temptation to let them sing themselves. The engineers have captured the proceedings in ideal sound: realistic balance between singer and piano, both surrounded with just enough space to avoid a sense of being too close, but not with so much as to sound too reverberant.

An intelligent essay, reasonably well translated, and complete texts round out the release. Only the absence of translations for the texts mars the impression of this otherwise wholly effective and easily recommendable recording.