Best of the year from EMI and Virgin Classics

Christina Pluhar

Via Crucis Via Crucis Via Crucis

IIn this new collection Via Crucis, Christina Pluhar and her periodinstrument group L’Arpeggiata are joined by star soloists Nuria Rial and Philippe

Jaroussky as well as male vocal quartet Barbara Fortuna who interweave earthy Corsican folk songs into this 17th century Italian sacred music.

Leif Ove Andsnes

Following his multipleaward winning recording of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, Leif Ove Andsnes performs Piano Concertos

Nos. 3 & 4 with the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Antonio Pappano. “This is a disc of terrific stature.” The Daily Telegraph

Joyce DiDonato

This DVD is the “break a leg” performance in which DiDonato sings from a wheelchair having broken her leg on opening night. Antonio Pappano conducts a sparkling Royal Opera House production.

Simon Rattle

Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker present this brand new recording of Tchaikovsky’s best-loved ballet The Nutcracker. A limited

The Nutcracker The Nutcracker The Nutcracker

Experience Edition has been issued which includes a 64-page hardback book and a free 24-hour pass to the BPO Digital Concert Hall plus lots more.

Alison Balsom

Following the success of her recent Haydn and Hummel recording, the awardwinning British trumpeter joins the Scottish Ensemble for a programme of Italian Baroque concertos originally composed for the violin or oboe by Vivaldi, Tartini, B. Marcello, Albinoni and Cimarosa.

Alan Curtis

Berenice Berenice Berenice

With this release of Berenice, Alan Curtis adds his seventh recording of a complete Handel opera to the Virgin Classics catalogue, Recorded here with Il Complesso Barocco. Watch this space for Ariodante also conducted by Curtis, due for release in 2011, starring Joyce DiDonato.

Antonio Pappano

Following their award-winning recordings of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Pappano and his Roman Orchestra and Choir are da Requiem da Requiem da Requiem

MadamaButterfly MadamaButterfly MadamaButterfly joined by Anna Netrebko, Joyce DiDonato, Lawrence Brownlee and Ildebrando D’Arcangelo in this dramatic work sublimely set to music by Rossini.

Renaud Capuçon

Renaud Capuçon and Frank Braley have devoted much of their 2009 -10 concert schedule to Beethoven’s sonatas for

Renaud Renaud Renaud Capuçon and Capuçon and Capuçon and Frank Braley Frank Braley Frank Braley have devoted have devoted have devoted much of much of much of their 2009-10 their 2009-10 their 2009-10 concert concert concert schedule to schedule to schedule to Beethoven’s Beethoven’s Beethoven’s sonatas for sonatas for sonatas for violin and piano. “They bring wit, fire, deeply violin and piano. “They bring wit, fire, deeply violin and piano. “They bring wit, fire, deeply violin and piano. “They bring wit, fire, deeply felt introspection and an exhilarating freshness to all 10 of these masterpieces.” The Sunday Times

Ian Bostridge

A collection of rarely performed Baroque arias inspired by the unique voices of three influential tenors who challenged castrato

A collection A collection A collection of rarely of rarely of rarely performed performed performed Baroquearias Baroquearias Baroquearias inspiredby the inspiredby the inspiredby the unique voices of unique voices of unique voices of three influential three influential three influential tenors who tenors who tenors who challenged challenged challenged castrato castrato castrato supremacy: Englishman John Beard and two supremacy: Englishman John Beard and two supremacy: Englishman John Beard and two supremacy: Englishman John Beard and two Italians Francesco Borosini and Annabile Po Fabri. “Bostridge is at his most vivid, expressive and ornamental.” The Observer

Discover more… www.emiclassics.co.uk www.youtube.com/emiclassics www.facebook.com/emivirginclassics www.twitter.com/emiclassics Contents – January 2011

‘The Freiburgers’ playing sparkles with elegance and expressiveness…This is an unmitigated joy’ David Vickers on the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra’s recording of Telemann’s Tafelmusik, reviewed on page 64

Letters

Memories of Joan Sutherland; unappreciated

Liszt; does Gerald Finley “do” evil?

8

tributes Henryk Górecki memories from Philip Clark; John Steane on Shirley Verrett’s legacy

10

editor’s choice Pappano delivers a great Rossini Stabat mater;

revelatory Telemann from the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra; Vasily Petrenko’s Shostakovich – “not since Karajan…”

14

S o u n d b i t e S

a r t s

&

i c

M u s l e b r e c h t

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i c

/ a l d e b u r g h M u s

M a l c o l M W a t s o n

:

p h o t o g r a p h y

For the record Daniel Barenboim signs major deal with DG;

new labels for the New Year; NMC Songbook Competition – winner revealed!

16

a conversation with… …best-selling pianist Simone Dinnerstein

21

diary

Soprano Dawn Upshaw considers her new role as guest curator of the Ojai Music

Festival and calls some old friends

22

one to watch Tenor Michael Fabiano, star of the Met’s documentary The Audition, and now at ENO

23

richard eyre How music can be religion, even for atheists

25

PhiLiP Kennicott Why interesting pianists aren’t always the stars

26

www.gramophone.co.uk

F e A t u R e S

the 20 Greatest choirs At a time when the choral music scene is as healthy as it has ever been, an international jury pluck a list of the elite from the many superb choirs singing today. And, says leading American choral composer Eric Whitacre, one nation’s choristers are clearly hitting the high notes

32

itaLy’s ForGotten man Bruno Maderna was the great Italian musician of his era, equal in importance to Pierre Boulez. So why, asks Philip Clark, do so few people talk about him now?

44

the GramoPhone coLLection Bryce Morrison picks his favourite recording of Schubert’s profound last piano sonata

46

e n C o R e musicaL journeys Daniel Hope works with musicians of the future; a Hänssler Classic celebration;

Ruth Palmer’s “Hidden Acoustics”

109

PicK oF the musicaL month Jonas Kaufmann stars in Fidelio in Munich;

James Ehnes plays Mozart in Toronto

113

audio and visuaL The kit of the year; Yamaha’s new, affordable amplifier unveiled and reviewed

114

my music Beach Boy Brian Wilson on his enduring influences, Bach and Gershwin

130

I Fagiolini, just one of the choirs reaping the votes in our ‘The 20 Greatest Choirs’ feature 32

Has Bruno Maderna, the larger-than-life Italian composer, been unfairly neglected? 44

GRAMOPHONE january 2011 3