Latest releases reviewed
HANDEL: WATER MUSIC; MUSIC FOR THE ROYAL FIREWORKS Aradia Ensemble/Kevin Mallon Naxos 8.557764 ****
Handel's Water Music (written for a journey on the Thames by King George I in 1717) and Music for the Royal Fireworks (marking the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1749) are among the most popular examples of occasional music from the 18th century. Belfast conductor Kevin Mallon and the period instruments musicians of Toronto's Aradia Ensemble emphasise the upbeat celebratory nature of the music. The playing is light on its toes and unfussy in manner, even when the tempo choices are controversially fast. This is music-making based on a seemingly straightforward pleasure principal, and as such it succeeds very well indeed. www.naxos.com
Michael Dervan
ALBÉNIZ, GRANADOS, FALLA, WORKS FOR PIANO Michel Block, Gonzalo Soriano, Aldo Ciccolini, Teresa Llacuna EMI Classics 336 1392 ****
For many people, Spanish piano music begins and ends with the playing of Alicia de Larrocha. This interesting new EMI set of recordings from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s gives her a miss, although she has recorded for the label. It airs a generally more relaxed view of Albéniz's Iberia from Michel Block, who is often subtler in colouring and voicing than Larrocha in these fantastical and technically demanding pieces, though less taut in rhythm. Aldo Ciccolini takes on Granados's Goyescas in a style closer to Larrocha's. Gonzalo Soriano, the one player on this set who's heard in all three featured composers, has a softer and more sultry manner. Teresa Llacuna, who takes on most of the Falla, is more drily pointed. www.emiclassics.com
Michael Dervan
The String Quartet of 1979 is among the first of Morton Feldman's late, long compositions - 100 minutes according to the score, just under 80 in this recording. "Up to one hour," said the composer, "you think about the form, but after an hour and a half it's scale. Form is easy - just the division of things into parts. But scale is another matter. You have to have control of the piece - it requires a heightened kind of concentration. Before, my pieces were like objects; now, they're like envolving things." Feldman's use of repetition and near repetition, his concentration on low dynamics and subtle shadings rather than bright colours, creates a world where half utterance is the norm, where the rare intrusion of even a mezzo forte can shock like a bolt of thunder. This 1993 recording of his First Quartet has just the right balance of disorienting strangeness and hypnotic grip. www.naxos.com
Michael Dervan
