JOHN FIELD : The Piano Concertos (2008) 4xCD BOX-SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This box collects four discs released in the mid-'90s by pianist Miceal O'Rourke and the London Mozart Players under Matthias Bamert. Included are not only the seven piano concertos of Irish composer John Field, but also an assortment of chamber pieces for piano and strings. Several of these are arrangements of solo piano works, and even in the others the strings don't have much to do. Field is known as the originator of the nocturne, later elaborated to delicious effect by Chopin. His piano concertos, broadly speaking, are a bit like the young Chopin's, with virtuosic piano parts applied to rather simple structures. In a way it's nice to have the whole set, for their pleasures are scattered and discrete rather than thoroughgoing. Field was a crowd-pleasing pianist who took what he needed where he could find it, and in the Piano Concerto No. 5 in C major ("The Blazing Storm") he sounds like not Chopin but Beethoven. The Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major (as with Beethoven not the first one composed) has a central movement based on a lovely Scottish song, and there are other reminders that the music comes from the British Isles. Irish pianist O'Rourke has a more restrained style than one competitor in these works, British player Benjamin Frith, which is sometimes preferable (in the generally Mozartian early works) and sometimes not. The transparent but somewhat distant Chandos sound is unimpeded by the reissue process. by James Manheim
All Tracks & Credits

KORNGOLD : Sursum Corda • Sinfonietta (Matthias Bamert · BBC Philharmonic) (1995) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This 1995 Chandos release features two impressive works from the early years of Erich Wolfgang Korngold's career, when he was regarded as a Wunderkind rather like his namesake, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The symphonic overture, Sursum Corda, Op. 13, written in 1919 when the composer was 22, is a fantastically adventurous work in the mold of Richard Strauss' tone poems; yet surprisingly, it proved to be a bit ahead of its time and a failure with audiences. However, it ended up being used extensively in Korngold's 1938 score for Warner Brothers' The Adventures of Robin Hood, which won an Academy Award. This brilliant piece is well matched on this CD by an earlier composition, the ambitious Sinfonietta in B flat major, Op. 5, which Korngold composed between 1911 and 1912 and which demonstrates his astonishing precocity in orchestration, harmonic modulations, and absorption of the finer points of symphonic structure. Recorded in 1994, these performances by Matthias Bamert and the BBC Philharmonic are enjoyable for their bright colors, smooth execution, rich textures, and abundant energy, but they are not well-served by Chandos' reproduction, which is distant, shallow, and lacking clear separation of orchestral sections. Often, the result is an aural haze that may be suitable in some of the lush passages, but such soft-focus recording makes the music indistinct where it needs to be crisp and obscures many interesting internal details. Blair Sanderson
Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957)
1.    Sursum Corda, Op. 13 ]19:31]
2-5.    Sinfonietta, Op. 5 [43.02]
Credits :
Conductor – Matthias Bamert
Orchestra – BBC Philharmonic

DOHNÁNYI : Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (Shelley-Bamert) (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 

Contemporaries of Mozart : ADALBERT GYROWETZ - Symphonies (2000) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : VÁCLAV PICHL - Symphonies (1999) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : LEOPOLD KOZELUCH - Symphonies (1999) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : FRANÇOIS-JOSEPH GOSSEC - Symphonies (1998) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : JOHANN BAPTIST VANHAL - Symphonies (1998) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : ANTONIO ROSETTI - Symphonies (1997) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : IGNACE PLEYEL - Symphony in C; Symphony in G; Symphony in D (1997) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : CARLOS BAGUER - Symphonies (1996) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : CARL STAMITZ - Four Symphonies (1995) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : MICHAEL HAYDN - Symphonies (1996) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : FRANZ KROMMER - Symphonies Op. 40 • Op. 102 (1994) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : MUZIO CLEMENTI - Symphony No.1, Two Symphonies Op.18 (1983) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : WILLIAM HERSCHEL - Symphonies (2003) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : JOSEF MYSLIVECEK - Symphonies (2004) Mp3

Does the world need to know the 35 symphonies of Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781)? Probably not, but anyone who knows and loves the symphonies of Martini, Samartini, and J.C. Bach or the early symphonies of Mozart might enjoy hearing the symphonies of a Bohemian composer living in Italy in the middle years of the eighteenth century. Myslivecek, known in Italy as Il Boemo because no one there could pronounce his real name, was not a great composer, but he was a competent composer with a skill for orchestration and a way with a pretty tune. As this premiere recording of six of Myslivecek's symphonies by Matthias Bamert and the London Mozart Players proves, there are fleeting charms to these ephemeral works, lovely little Andantes with flutes in thirds, vivacious Allegro con spiritos with svelte strings and suave horns, and lithesome Prestos with witty violins and sweet cellos. And while none of Myslivecek's music is at all memorable, it is delighting and diverting while the disc is spinning. Chandos' early music sound is richer and warmer than most and as clear and lucid as any. by James Leonard

Contemporaries of Mozart : FRANZ ANTON HOFFMEISTER - Symphonies (2005) Mp3

Contemporaries of Mozart : CHRISTIAN CANNABICH - Symphonies (2006) Mp3

To the uninitiated, the name Christian Cannabich may seem to indicate some kind of Jesus-friendly herbal substance. However, to those in the know, Cannabich was one of the guiding lights of the eighteenth century Mannheim School and a pioneer of the symphony. Cannabich composed about 80 symphonies and was a friend of Wolfgang Mozart, who openly expressed his admiration for Cannabich's skills as a conductor. Therefore, it certainly makes sense that Chandos should include a disc of five of Cannabich's symphonies in its fine, long-running series Contemporaries of Mozart.

It really shouldn't comes as a surprise that conductor Matthias Bamert is so skillful in leading period ensembles, as he has already made so many recordings of this kind apart from his work with modern orchestras. "Regular" conductors aren't supposed to be quite so good with such groups, and Bamert gets just the right results with the London Mozart Players -- these performances are rhythmically crisp, energetic, and elegant. While there are no stormy, minor-key works here in the manner of Mozart's Symphony No. 25 or Vanhal's D minor efforts, there are some rather dramatic and striking opening movements among the five symphonies here, particularly in the works in E flat major and in C major. Generally, the first movements of Cannabich's symphonies are the most interesting, the second movements are more graceful and architectural, and the third movements more dance-like. This scheme is dutifully observed for the three-movement works, the opening, un-numbered Symphony in G major is the only four-movement symphony. It feels a little more like a Haydn symphony than the others, though curiously it is the earliest of the works here, composed in 1760, just as Haydn was writing his first symphonies.

The performances are excellent and the recording no less so. Cannabich's music will probably not knock you out of the water like the better symphonies of Kraus or Vanhal. Nevertheless, it is good music, and if one has already developed a taste for eighteenth century symphonies, then Chandos' Cannabich: Symphonies will provide a pleasing addition to one's holdings in this area. by Uncle Dave Lewis  

Contemporaries of Mozart : FRANZ RICHTER - Symphonies (2007) Mp3