Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 17 & 27

“[Hewitt] weights the finale [of K491] to reflect rumination or melancholia, and propounds it supremely well too...Yet the Andante evokes the finest in her, its trajectory exposed through pathos and proud gesture.” --Gramophone Magazine, June 2013

“Hewitt displays her pianistic talents to full advantage. Particularly enjoyable are the concluding variations, with their opera buffa-style coda, in which she seems completely at one with the alert playing of the Mantua Chamber Orchestra under Hannu Lintu.” --BBC Music Magazine, August 2013 ****

“[the Presto of K453] is brilliantly done, anmd this is a brilliant performance all round.” --International Record Review, May 2013

“The sound is wonderfully clean and focused, with an ideal balance between Hewitt’s customary Fazioli piano and the orchestra...a Mozart release to cherish.” --The Telegraph, 10th May 2013

Angela Hewitt turns to two of Mozart’s greatest and most popular concertos for her latest album. Together with her frequent collaborators, the Orchestra da Camera di Mantova and brilliant Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu, she presents these works in performances which are both elegantly stylish and profoundly felt. This release is completed by a personal reflection on the music by Hewitt herself in the accompanying booklet.

The Haydn Project

In celebration of its 25th anniversary season, the Emerson String Quartet turns its attention to Franz Joseph Haydn with this collection of some of the composer's best-known string quartets. Haydn is the natural choice for such a commemoration -- he established the string quartet as a genre -- and the Emersons, who play here with characteristic precision and intensity, waste no time finding the lyricism, wit, and pure joy in his wonderful music.

The program of seven works is organized chronologically, beginning with the Fifth Quartet from the breakthrough Opus 20, in which the composer first showed the profound artistic potential of the new genre. The following Quartet Op. 33 no. 2, called "The Joke," is the first of several with titles, this one derived from the work's humorous ending without an end. Listeners unfamiliar with its pause-filled finale will simply not know when it has finished. With the second disc, we encounter Haydn's quartets in full maturity, especially Op. 76 no. 2, the "Quinten" or "Fifths" Quartet, where a new experimental spirit can be heard, as well as premonitions of Beethoven, who studied with Haydn.

A third "bonus disc" offers an anthology of samples from the Emerson's extensive recording catalogue -- ranging from Mozart and Beethoven to Ives and Shostakovich. Their recording of the complete Shostakovich quartets won a 2001 Grammy Award. Curiously, the Emersons have not often recorded Haydn's quartets. This set, then, is not only a timely tribute to them; it's a crucial addition to their growing collection of superb recordings.

Casella: Concerto for Orchestra, Pagine di guerra & Suite

"Solo work is polished and distinctive, and the ensemble is well blended and disciplined. Conductor Francesco La Vecchia seems to know what he wants to get out of these scores…If you have enjoyed earlier releases in this series, there is no reason to hesitate. If you haven’t heard Casella yet, then what are you waiting for? This disc is as good a place as any to begin." --Fanfare, May 2013

"Playing, interpretation, and sound are all good. This pioneering Naxos survey of the Italian symphonic tradition has opened my ears to a worthwhile composer." --American Record Guide, January 2013

"These performances are extremely fine. Chandos just released the Concerto in its own Casella series…but I prefer Francesco La Vecchia’s more relaxed way with the music. If his orchestra isn’t perhaps as polished as the BBC Philharmonic, his approach gives the piece just that much more breathing room to make an impression. He allows its Italianate lyricism to blossom naturally, while the neoclassical chatter of its rhythms never turns mechanical. The engineering also ranks with the best in this generally excellent ongoing series. Both the Suite and Pagine di guerra are recording premieres. This disc is a treat, and a major release." ---ClassicsToday.com, October 2012

"…here is a tribute to La Vecchia’s judicious balancing of raw pictorialism and real feeling.

The Concerto for Orchestra, dedicated to the Dutch conductor Willem Mengelberg, is the most substantial work here. It’s also a summation of Casella’s progress to date; in the highly animated Sinfonia various parts of the orchestra are allowed to shine, those see-sawing string figures reminiscent of Shostakovich at times. That said, there’s a boldness—an ease of invention if you like—to Casella’s writing that confirms he’s mastered his craft; the Passacaglia, artfully worked, is not as dry as one might expect, and the finale takes us on a thrilling ride…La Vecchia and his band are every bit as engaged—and engaging—in this strange, delightfully dishevelled work.

Music of unbridled energy, a big, sense-sating sound and unusually detailed liner-notes add up to a most desirable package. In short, Naxos have given us another cracker—and it’s not even Christmas!

Great fun; buy now and beat the rush." --MusicWeb International, October 2012

The Musical Treasures of Leufsta Bruk I

In the 18th century, Leufsta Bruk – some 140 kilometres northwest of Stockholm – was the centre of a major industry producing iron both for Swedish needs and for export. It was a little principality in the middle of the forest governed by the descendants of Louis De Geer, a Belgian financier who developed the ironworks. The family was highly cultured and musical, and in particular Charles De Geer, a noted scientist as well as industrialist, contributed greatly to the remarkable collection of musical scores at Leufsta. These scores were to a large extent brought from Amsterdam and mirror the development of music and music publishing on the continent, as well as the musical activities at a flourishing Swedish manor of the period.

Not surprisingly the collection – and this disc – contains music by well-known composers such as Vivaldi and Tartini, but there are also rarely heard works, for various instrumental combinations. Duets, keyboard solos, trio sonatas and the charming collection of ‘Boer Dances’ bear testament to the entertainments – often with the active participation of members of the De Geer family themselves – that enlivened the evenings at Leufsta in the mid-18th century.

Bringing these musical treasures to life is the Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble, whose many recordings on BIS have created a following around the world. Released in 1985 their version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, with soloist Nils-Erik Sparf, is considered one of the classic recordings of this work. A much later disc, Telemann’s Don Quixotte (BIS-CD-1226) was recommended by the Spanish magazine CD Compact, and received a 5 star review in BBC Music Magazine, containing the following words of praise: 'the Drottningholm musicians capture all with admirable esprit and no breaches of stylistic decorum.' The same may safely be said about the present recording.

Bach: Une cantate imaginaire

“Her contralto is distinctive - at once voluptuous and androgynous, with an impressively wide range and sure technique - while her direction is idiosyncratic. At times, her approach seems mannered...Elsewhere, though, Stutzmann really captures the sublime quality of Bach's sacred music” --BBC Music Magazine, March 2013 ****

“This is certainly a very attractive and intelligent offering indeed, astutely compiled and most beautifully performed.” --International Record Review, February 2013

“Stutzmann has an ear for captivating attention and her orchestra, Orfeo 55, are often as responsive to her 'stick' as they are to her dark-hued vocalisation...Immediacy of sentiment and fresh anticipation of the core 'conceit' of each one of these disparate movements is Stutzmann's strongest suit...This [disc] is, overall, rather too much of a good thing - but still admire the sparkle and committed intent.” --Gramophone Magazine, February 2013

“Stutzmann has a unique voice, one which hasn’t always appealed to me. However, she uses it to good effect here. Her fruity, sometimes throaty contralto has a unique colour that sets it apart...Orfeo 55 make a lovely sound, lithe and flexible with great rhythmic bounce, and they’re shown off to their finest effect in the Sinfonia that opens the disc.” --MusicWeb International, January 2013