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Music

• Most cherished recordings
• Relatively unknown music
• Unjustly ignored release

Some of my most cherished recordings:

• Bach: Goldberg variations

  CBS: Glenn Gould (recording of 1982)

  The purest music performed by the most musical of musicians.

• Shostakovich: 14th Symphonie

  Decca: Bernard Haitink with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Julia Varady, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

  This recording is one of the finest recordings of any music: perfect cast, perfect sound.

• Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

  Decca: Georg Solti and the Vienna Philharmonic

  The four operas were recorded between 1959 and 1965, in the early days of stereo. Forget about hi-fi, forget about DDD (Dutch: Drie-Dubbele Domheid). This recording proves that the ultimate recording quality was achieved by Decca in the early 60s; since that, little has improved, much has become worse.

• Rachmaninov: Corelli variations Op. 42 and Etudes-tableaux Op.39

  Decca: Vladimir Ashkenazy

  Those who think that Rachmaninov only wrote stereotype virtuoso post-romantic music probably have no more than a superficial knowledge of the piano concertos, which arguably do not reveal fully the genius he was; this as opposed to the Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini (for piano and orchestra), the symphonic works and the various piano pieces. One of his most brilliant piano pieces is the Corelli variations on the ubiquitous theme known as ''La Folia''. Ashkenazy is the perfect performer for this kind of music. He excels in the lyrical passages as well as those of impetuous virtuosity. The sound is wonderfully transparent though a little harsh, as are many of Decca's piano recordings.

• Bach: Das wohltemperierte Klavier

  RCA: Sviatoslav Richter

  As much as I like Bach recordings by Glenn Gould, for the ''old testament'' of piano literature, I prefer Richter's interpretation, which is thoroughly romantic. The sensitive, and sometimes meditative, interpretation of the slow pieces as well as the dazzling virtuosity in the faster preludes and fugues could easily fool you to believe that the music originated from the middle of the 19th century. The lack of authenticity is however not an obstacle for Richter to fully convince the listener that his view on Bach is justified.

  The recording, made in 1972 and 1973 in Schloß Klessheim in Salzburg, is not of the highest quality. For different pieces, different defects can be heard, which suggests the recording crew has been experimenting with positioning of the microphones during recording of the cycle.

• 'Silent Noon' (English Songs, by Quilter, Keep, Britten, ...)

  DG: Bryn Terfel and Malcolm Martineau

  What a voice, what subtlety of interpretation! I'm slowly beginning to discover the wealth of English songs. I can also highly recommend Volume 7 of the Naxos series with English songs, with works by Britten (among others, Holy Sonnets of John Donne, Sonnets of Michelangelo).

• Beethoven: Ninth Symphony

  Wilhelm Furtwängler, Chor und Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele (recording of 1951)

  Those who divide musical performances into authentic (or historically informed) and non-authentic are missing the point. The only distinction that matters is between honest musicians and charlatans. You will find no truer and more heartfelt performance than above-mentioned. For Furtwängler, performing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was a sacred act, and the listener is inevitably drawn into the almost religious experience. I must have heard this hallmark of western music hundreds of times before, but this is the first recording that is so compelling that it moved me literally to tears.

  The recording has never been out of the catalogues and it is claimed its duration even played a role in determining the capacity of the audio CD format. I found the recording among 15 CDs with historical recordings next to 85 CDs containing newer recordings, in the extended 100-CD version of Beethoven's Complete Works by Brilliant Classics. This edition is a bargain parallelled only by the complete Bach and Mozart editions on the same label.

• Sweelinck: vocal music (3 CDs)

  BFO: Netherlands Chamber Choir, conducted by Paul van Nevel, William Christie, Peter Phillips and others

  Marvelous music by the last Dutch composer of any standing. There is a lot of ingenuity and humour in the pieces. Listen for example to Psalm 150 (on Vol. 1): for almost every word the meaning is reflected in the music. Very interesting is also Paul van Nevel's vocal setting after Sweelinck's keyboard variations ''Mein junges Leben hat ein End'' (on Vol. 3).

Some relatively unknown gems from music literature:

• Bernstein: Candide
• Liszt: Christus
• Martucci: Second Symphony
• Medtner: Songs
• Nielsen: Third Symphony
• Schoenberg: Gurrelieder
• Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues
• Walton: First Symphony
• Weber/Mahler: Die drei Pintos
• Zemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau

• Bernstein: Candide (1955)

  Candide and Cunegonde are brought up to be boundless optimists by their teacher Pangloss, who thinks he can prove that this world is the best of all possible worlds. Candide, Cunegonde, and Pangloss then go through the most horrible experiences, meeting Pangloss' counterpart, Martin, who'd rather complain about this worst of all possible worlds. Torn between unrealistic optimism and impractical pessimism, our friends settle in the end with a more mature view of the world.

  Candide was written by Voltaire in 1759, who meant to ridicule the crackpot philosophies of some of his contemporaries. The validity of the ideas expressed in the comedy was made clear when the Vatican put it on the index (sarcastic remark).

  Around 1950 Lillian Hellman and Leonard Bernstein make some initial plans to make a Broadway piece based on the story of Candide, which is to see the light of day in 1955. It is no coincidence that some parallels may be drawn between Candide and the political situation of the 1950s, the ideology gone stale (Pangloss) representing communism, and the malignant pessimist (Martin) representing the House Un-American Activities Committee (Hellman was herself subpoenaed by HUAC).

  Candide could be described to be a comical opera, although opera suggest that it was written for a select audience, which is not at all the case; the music is as accessible as that of the extraordinary West Side Story (1957) and the delightful Wonderful Town (1953). (Of the latter, a superb recording was issued recently (1999) on EMI with Simon Rattle conducting.)

  The music as well as the lyrics are extremely funny. The tone is set by the overture, one of the most joyful pieces of music I know. In the recording I have, the text between the music has not been included, so that the whole work consists of a number of ''songs''. By the way, this unsurpassable recording is by Bernstein himself, on DG, a must for anyone with a love for music and a sense of humour.

  Some highlights are I Am Easily Assimilated (Old Lady's Tango), sung by Christa Ludwig, with a very funny accent, and all the pieces recited more than sung by Adolph Green, a cabaret performer, who has a double role as Pangloss and Martin.

  An example of the morbid humour from the libretto:

  Pangloss (just before being hanged): Ladies and Gentlemen, one final word. God in his wisdom made it possible to invent the rope... aaargh.

  and

  Chorus:
  What a day, what a day
  For an auto-da-fé!
  What a sunny summer sky!
  What a day, what a day
  For an auto-da-fé!
  It's a lovely day for drinking
  And for watching people fry!
  

  I don't believe that this world is the best of all possible worlds, but a world in which we have Bernstein's music is surely much better than one without.

• Liszt: Christus (1873)

  Next time you play 'guess the composer' with your friends, play to them the first movement of this oratorio, which is much like a pastoral symphony, with a highly personal style, like the rest of the work. Chances are your friends will guess correctly this is the music of a great composer, but who...

  There are fewer recordings than this exceptional work deserves, and equally deplorable is that concert performances are few and far between. The recording I know is on Brilliant Classics, with conductor Helmuth Rilling, and can be warmly recommended.

• Giuseppe Martucci: Second Symphony (1904)

  In a time when every self-respecting Italian composer was supposed to write operas, Martucci wrote orchestral works and piano music. The closest he ever came to opera was as conductor to one. His music borrows from many other 19th century composers, yet he manages to unify all those influences into a distinct, and recognizable style. The best of his works is arguably the second symphony, which demonstrates wonderfully how Martucci manages to reconcile different influences into a convincing new idiom.

  The first movement contains many lyrical melodies and beautiful colours, that evoke memories of symphonies by Schumann, Schubert, Dvorák, Sibelius, Franck, and even Magnard. The second movement, Scherzo, is a perky little thing, that could hold its own if compared to the Scherzi from Tchaikovsky's symphonies.

  The third movement, whose character ranges from meditative to passionate, is fascinating from start to finish.

  The energetic finale is the most interesting movement. It is build on cute motives that jump up and down. The way that tonality is obscured at times (but only this) reminds me of French impressionism.

  The first symphony is not as spectacular. It is dominated by lyrical themes with an unmistakable Bohemian flavour (Dvorák, Smetana), owing also to Brahms and Schumann.

  Of his other orchestral works, the two piano concertos deserve attention, although they may not be very original: at times they seem mere imitations of the piano concertos by Brahms, Grieg, and occasionally Tchaikovsky. It would not be fair though to consider Martucci's concertos as fake; the warm romantic sentiments and the exhilarating virtuosity are genuine.

• Nikolai Medtner: Goethe Songs (1904-1908)

  Nikolai Medtner was that other Russian exile, next to Rachmaninov, who continued to compose in a romantic style far into the twentieth century. Perhaps because of the shadow cast by his more famous compatriot, Medtner is often overlooked, unjustly so, as demonstrated by the superb recordings Geoffrey Tozer made for Chandos with piano music, which has reached Vol. 8 at present. My favourite piece on these CDs is the Forgotten Melodies, of which the first movement is formed by the delightful Sonata Reminiscenza. In addition, there are two CDs with the three piano concertos, together with the London Philharmonic conducted by Neeme Järvi. In particular the second piano concerto is quite exceptional. In it you will find a remarkable combination of tireless motor rhythms with the loveliest of lyrical ideas.

  The crown upon the series by Chandos is however a miraculous recording by Geoffrey Tozer and soprano Susan Gritton of songs by Medtner on poems by Goethe, plus the Suite-Vocalise and the Sonate-Vocalise. There is little that can prepare the unsuspecting listener for the rare beauty of the very first song on the CD An die Türen wil ich schleichen, or the beginning of the Suite-Vocalise. Nothing but praise for singer and pianist.

  Unmissable!

• Carl Nielsen: Third Symphony, 'Espansiva' (1911)

  The explosive first movement excellently demonstrates the richness of harmony and rhythm pervasive in much of Nielsen's work. The enchanting second movement applies two wordless human voices, to a wonderful effect. The third movement is delightfully varied. My favorite part is the somewhat enigmatic fourth movement, which sets out by a remarkably stretched-out theme.

  Among the best of his other orchestral works is the strikingly original fourth symphony ('The Inextinghuishable'). For a complete recording of the six symphonies by Nielsen, I highly recommend the CDs with Herbert Blomstedt conducting (Decca).

• Arnold Schoenberg: Gurrelieder (1903)

  An exceptional work, which marks the beginning of what we now know as 20th-century music. It consists of three parts, the first two in a romantic style, the third already firmly anchored in the second Viennese school. Despite its monumental character, it is performed very rarely, which may be blamed on the large setting. All in all, I think it's one of the most impressive works of the 20th century.

  Among the best recordings available at this time is the version with Riccardo Chailly, on Decca. The RSO Berlin is at its best, interpreting the exuberant setting in an overwhelming way. Brigitte Fassbaender is sensational in the part of ''Waldtaube''. Siegfried Jerusalem and Susan Dunn excellently perform the parts of Waldemar and Tove, although at times they appear to have slight difficulties rendering convincingly the capricious turns of the melody and rhythm in Schoenberg's music.

• Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues Op. 87 (1951)

  An impressive collection of piano pieces, a kind of 20th century equivalent of Das wohltemperierte Klavier. Some of the pieces are very funny, some very complicated, most are both at the same time.

  This is very difficult music to play, but it is done wonderfully by Keith Jarrett (on ECM). A recording I know by Tatjana Nikolajeva is a definite turn-off: she fails to hit all keys properly, so that important melodic lines are lost. In recent years a number of new recordings of this work have been issued, of which one is by Vladimir Ashkenazy; I cannot however not comment on these newer recordings.

• William Walton: First Symphony (1934)

  I recently discovered this piece. The first movement is nothing like you ever heard before. It creates its own musical reality, and yet is completely convincing from the start. The second movement continues in Walton's very distinct idiom; it's a whirling and malicious Presto, which is over before you know it. The third movement is the most conventional of the 4 movements, yet for the attentive listener, there is much to be admired. The fourth movement seems a little out of focus with the rest, yet it has its merit. It reminds me a lot of Steven Spielberg movies (John Williams, eat your heart out!).

  The recording by Sir Charles Mackerras with the London Philharmonic is highly recommended. I had been looking for this CD for over 5 years before I finally found a copy by accident, so I don't know how easy it is to obtain this CD these days. (Yes, it's EMI, with their chaotic policy of introducing the most interesting recordings, only to remove them from their catalogue the next season!) The dynamics of this recording are sensational. Wait till the neighbours are out, and see how far you can turn up the volume before the fuses blow.

  The second symphony, from 1960, also on the aforementioned CD, is much less interesting. I do like the first movement though, which has a mechanical rythm to it, suggesting a bustling city center. (Is it a coincidence that the work was commissioned to commemorate the 750th anniversary of the granting of Liverpool's charter?)

• Weber/Mahler: Die drei Pintos (1887)

  Given the dramatic aspects of his symphonies and songs, it has often been conjectured that Mahler would have been a wonderful opera composer, were he to have been involved in writing operas. However, there is one opera that is largely by his hand, viz. Die drei Pintos, for which mere sketches of an uncompleted opera were left by Carl Maria von Weber. Mahler did an excellent job in orchestrating and supplying the many missing numbers. He kept mostly to Weber's idiom, but Mahler's genius is unmistakable.

  The RCA recording I know, by Lucia Popp, Werner Hollweg, Hermann Prey, various other excellent singers, and Gary Bertini conducting, is performed with much enthusiasm and humour.

• Zemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau (1902)

  An orchestral suite typical of late-romanticism, giving a poignant rendering of the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. The innocence and vulnerability of the little mermaid, her great expectations, and the cruelty of her fate are wonderfully set to music.

  There is a superb recording by Chailly on Decca, which fortunately has been reissued recently. One alternative, a recent recording by James Conlon on EMI, is praised by some as being even better than Chailly's, but I feel the tempo of the Conlon recording is too slow, which makes it lack some of the drive present in Chailly's performance.

The most unjustly ignored release that I know

Robert Schumann: The Complete Piano Works, by Jörg Demus, on Nuova Era (13 CDs)

This is a release from 1989, but there is no trace of it in the Penguin Guide, or any other major such publication as far as I know. My decision to buy it was due to its extremely low price, not thanks to the critics, who apparently haven't been doing their jobs. That these recordings have so far been ignored is very surprising, first because this seems to be the only complete edition of the piano works by Schumann (most notably, Ashkenazy never finished his Schumann project), secondly because the performance is nothing less than spectacular. Demus possesses the rare combination of virtuosity, wit and sentimentality necessary to perform Schumann well.

The technical aspects of the recording are abysmal, and differ from track to track, and I sincerely hope the person responsible never made a day job of recording. However this is amply compensated by the superb performance.