Andrew McGregor with Iain Burnside and Nigel Simeone
New recordings with Andrew McGregor, Building a Library on Strauss's Four Last Songs from Iain Burnside, and new orchestral releases reviewed by Nigel Simeone.
with Andrew McGregor.
09.30
Building a Library: Iain Burnside listens to and compares recordings of Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs.
Strauss composed his great swansong for the female voice when he was 84. They are settings of the German poets Hermann Hesse and Joseph von Eichendorff and the themes of death and reconciliation are portrayed in music of the most aching wistfulness and melancholy. They were more or less his final completed works and are among the most popular pieces in the orchestral song repertoire. The list of sopranos who have recorded these songs is a roll call of the most beautiful voices of the last 70 years. Iain Burnside has a very difficult choice to make.
10.30
Andrew McGregor talks to Nigel Simeone about new releases of orchestral music by Sibelius, Saint-Saens, Debussy and Copland.
11.25
Andrew chooses an outstanding new release as his Disc of the Week.
Last on
Music Played
-
![]()
Joseph Haydn
Piano Sonata No. 6 in C: III. Finale. Presto
Performer: Jean-Efflam Bavouzet.- Chandos.
-
![]()
John Tavener
The Protecting Veil (Opening)
Performer: Matthew Barley. Ensemble: Sinfonietta R墨ga.- Signum Classics.
-
![]()
Leonardo Vinci
Dea Triforme... (L'Elpidia)
Performer: Bridget Cunningham. Music Arranger: George Frideric Handel. Singer: Lucy Crowe. Ensemble: London Early Opera.- Signum Classics.
-
![]()
Qigang Chen
Violin Concerto 'la Joie de la souffrance' (end)
Performer: Maxim Vengerov. Orchestra: Shanghai Municipal Committee Band. Conductor: Long Yu.- Deutsche Grammophon.
-
![]()
Johann Sebastian Bach
Prelude and Fugue in B flat minor (WTC Book 1)
Performer: Keith Jarrett.- ECM.
-
![]()
Josef Myslivecek
Adamo ed Eva (final quartet & chorus)
Singer: Alice Rossi. Singer: Roberta Mameli. Singer: Luciana Mancini. Singer: Valerio Contaldo.- Passacaille.
-
![]()
Maurice Ravel
Piano trio in A minor: I. Mod茅r茅
Ensemble: Vienna Piano Trio.- MDG.
-
![]()
Johann Sebastian Bach
Prelude (E major Partita) arr. Schmid & Breinschmid
Performer: Benjamin Schmid. Music Arranger: Benjamin Schmid. Music Arranger: Georg Breinschmid. Performer: Georg Breinschmid.- Oehms Classics.
-
![]()
Jean Sibelius
Lemminkainen's Return Op. 22 No. 4
Orchestra: 大象传媒 Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Sakari Oramo.- Chandos.
-
![]()
Jean Sibelius
Kullervo Symphony Op. 7: Kullervo's Death
Singer: Helena Juntunen. Singer: Benjamin Appl. Choir: Lund Male Chorus. Orchestra: 大象传媒 Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Thomas Dausgaard.- Hyperion.
-
![]()
Francis Poulenc
Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani
Performer: Christopher Jacobson. Orchestra: Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Conductor: Kazuki Yamada.- Pentatone.
-
![]()
Aaron Copland
Symphony No. 3: II. Allegro molto
Orchestra: Orchestra of the Americas. Conductor: Carlos Miguel Prieto.- Linn Records.
-
![]()
Carlos Ch谩vez
Symphony No. 2 'Sinfonia India' (full version for prefade)
Orchestra: Orchestra of the Americas. Conductor: Carlos Miguel Prieto.- Linn Records.
-
![]()
Carl Maria von Weber
Oberon: Overture
Orchestra: Philharmonisches Orchester Giessen. Conductor: Michael Hofstetter.- Oehms.
-
![]()
Carl Maria von Weber
Oberon: Act 2. 'Traure, mein Herz' & Chor der Sklavinnen
Performer: Marie Seidler. Performer: Clemens Kerschbaumer. Performer: Mirko Roschkowski. Performer: Dorothea Maria Marx. Performer: Karola Pavone. Performer: Grga Peros. Orchestra: Philharmonisches Orchester Giessen. Choir: Chor und Extrachor des Stadttheater Giessen. Conductor: Michael Hofstetter.- Oehms.
Record Review
9.00am
鈥楬aydn 鈥� Piano Sonatas vol. 8鈥� 鈥� Haydn: Sonata Nos. 5, 51, 6, 7 & 59 + other works for piano
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano
Chandos CHAN 20087
Tavener: The Protecting Veil, Mother and Child; Khan: The Song of Separation and Waiting + readings of Yeats poems
Matthew Barley (cello)
Sukhvinder 鈥楶inky Sing (tabla)
Sinfonietta Riga (ensemble)
Signum Classics SIGCD585
鈥楬andel鈥檚 Queens鈥� 鈥� Arias for Cuzzoni & Bordoni by Pollarolo, Handel, Hasse, Porpora, Orlandini, Vivaldi, Torri, Bononcini, Ariosti, Leo & Greene
Lucy Crowe (soprano / Cuzzoni)
Mary Bevan (soprano / Bordoni)
London Early Opera
Bridget Cunningham (director)
Signum Classics SIGCD579 (2 CDs)
鈥楪ateways鈥� 鈥� Chen: The Five Elements & The Joy of Suffering; Kreisler: Tambourin Chinois, Op. 3; Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45
Maxim Vengerov (violin)
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
Long Yu (conductor)
Deutsche Grammophon 483 6606
9.30am 鈥� Building a Library 鈥� Iain Burnside on Straus鈥檚 Four Last Songs
Composer: Richard Strauss
Reviewer: Iain Burnside
Recommended Recording:
Karita Mattila
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Claudio Abbado (conductor)
DG 4451822听
Other Recommended Recordings:
Jessye Norman
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Kurt Masur (conductor)
Philips 4758507
Anna Tomowa-Sintow
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan (conductor)
DG 4191882
10.20am 鈥� New Releases
J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Book I (concert recording)
Keith Jarrett (piano)
ECM 481 8016 (2 CDs)
Myslivec虒ek: Adamo ed Eva
Roberta Mameli (soprano)
Alice Rossi (soprano)
Luciana Mancini (mezzo-soprano)
Valerio Contaldo (tenor)
Il Gardellino (ensemble)
Peter van Heyghen (conductor)
Passacaille PAS 1053 (2 CDs)
Ravel: Piano Trio in A minor; Chausson: Piano Trio in G minor
Vienna Piano Trio
MDG 942 2130-6 (Hybrid SACD)
鈥楤ach:Reflected 鈥� Improvisations on J.S. Bach鈥�
Benjamin Schmid (violin)
Georg Breinschmid (double bass)
Diknu Schneeberger (guitar)
Stian Carstensen (accordion)
Emiko Uchiyama (marimba)
Miklos Skuta (clavier)
Oehms Classics OC 1892
10.45am 鈥� Nigel Simeone on new orchestral recordings
Sibelius: Lemmink盲inen Suite, Spring Song & Suite from Belshazzar鈥檚 Feast
大象传媒 Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo (conductor)
Chandos CHAN 20136
Sibelius: Kullervo
Helena Juntunen (soprano)
Benjamin Appl (baritone)
Lund Male Chorus
大象传媒 Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Dausgaard (conductor)
Hyperion CDA68248
Saint-Sa毛ns: Symphony No. 3; Poulenc: Concerto for Organ, Strings & Timpani; Widor: Toccata from the Symphony for Organ No. 5
Christopher Jacobson (organ)
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Kazuki Yamada (conductor)
Pentatone PTC5186638 (Hybrid SACD)
鈥楶an-American Reflections鈥� 鈥� Copland: Symphony No. 3 & Ch谩vez: Symphony No. 2 鈥楽infon铆a India鈥�
The Orchestra of the Americas
Carlos Miguel Prieto (conductor)
Linn Records CKD 604
11.25am 鈥� Record of the Week
Weber: Oberon
Oberon - Clemens Kerschbaumer (tenor)
Huon - Mirko Roschkowski (tenor)
Rezia - Dorothea Maria Marx (soprano)
Meerm盲dchen - Karola Pavone (soprano)
Sherasmin 听- Grga Pero拧 (baritone)
Fatima 听- Marie Seidler (mezzo-soprano)
Roman Kurtz (narrator)
Chor und Extrachor des Stadttheater Giessen
Philharmonisches Orchester Giessen
Michael Hofstetter (conductor)
Oehms OC984 ( 2 CDs)听
Broadcast
- Sat 13 Jul 2019 09:00大象传媒 Radio 3
Composers A to Z
Visit the extensive Radio 3 audio archive of programmes about composers and their works.
Browse previous episodes of the Record Review Podcast
All episodes since 2010, listed alphabetically by composer surname.
Why the music we love as teens stays with us for life
Cognitive neuropyschology can explain why we return to old favourites again and again.