So recently, in preparation for various projects and concerts I've been doing some listening, and it got me thinking about how fantastic some of the recordings out there are, and I'd love to share some that I've found recently and not-so-recently that I think are particular gems!
Recently a colleague and I started talking about organ duets, and I am sure that it will come as no surprise to organ enthusiasts that I immediately stumbled across the fantastic 1985 recording of organ duets for 4 hands by Hans Fagius & David Sanger.
Can you guess who's hands are whose? Thank goodness they wore different colours!
The choice of registration is a delight to listen to. Recorded in Österhaninge Church in Sweden (the choice of many organists, it seems!), the timbre of the instrument suits the repertoire down to the ground. I tried to find some more information on this instrument, and all I could find is that it has "3 manuals, 37 ranks, 27 registers (I'm assuming this means 'stops')...built in the old housing from 1863 by Johansson & Norgren. Expansion by 8 ranks / 7 registers planned in 1973 - status unclear." (source)
It's clear however that it's a delightful instrument to hear. Particular highlights are the explosive entry of the Fantasia in C minor, Op 35, I (Hesse), with the wonderful pedal reed cutting through the bright mixtures, whereas in contrast, the wonderful diapason textures are showcased alongside a bouncy rendition of J.C Bach's Duet in A major, Op. 18, No. 5, the clarity of articulation balancing nicely against the very generous acoustic of the building. Samuel Wesley works really nicely on this instrument too, and the two players complement each other seamlessly. It's easy to forget there's four hands (+ feet!) at work here. Kellner's Quartetto in Eb major features later in the album, and the dainty dance this piece creates reminds me of a music box here; the registration almost seems to have a faint tremulant in the mix, with the flutes wavering ever so slightly (but this could be the tuning, I suppose!). At any rate it's a welcome sound in the mix and I can see why this recording is one that stands out to many organists!
Now for a piece I've performed more times than I can count - Edward Gregson's inimitable Tuba Concerto. Written originally for brass band in '76, the orchestral accompaniment followed two years later. Gregson then wrote a piano reduction which is incredibly fun to play, but very fiddly in certain corners, both for the soloist and the accompanist! However, one recording really caught my eye recently. Tubist Marcus Ripoli, accompanied by the Asterism Philharmonic Orchestra (created specifically for this project, apparently), in the 2021 album "Endeavour - Tuba Concertos" do a wonderful job of showcasing this somewhat niche repertoire.
This album art makes me want to play those ball-in-a-maze games for some reason...
Even more impressively, the credits state: "Recorded, edited, produced and musical direction by Marcos Ripoli." He must have been busy! I'm a particular fan of the balance of orchestration in these recordings and the runs are crystal clear and precise without feeling forced. Some of the tempos in the first movement, initially I found to be faster than I've otherwise heard (i.e from the 02:20 mark) but convincingly so in this case! The energy it captures is infectious and you can tell Ripoli had a lot of fun making this album. The richness and warmth of the second movement makes me melt a little bit, and the gentle wash of the gong over the luscious string opening at 0:24 had me hooked before Ripoli's rich tone leads us through the uncertain waters of the second movement. The final movement leaves little to be desired - the long, well-articulated phrases keep you flying on before being brought back down to earth with Gregson's dissonant refrains. I almost wish the last minute or so was a little faster, compared to the explosive energy of the 1st movement, but overall, a lovely listen!
Coming back to my home instrument for a second, I've had a lot of my Diploma students talking to me about Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's arrangement of Deep River, the famous African-American spiritual. However, I've yet to beat Isata Kanneh-Mason's recording of this wonderful work, in her secondalbum Summertime, which focuses on American composers; Samuel Barber, Amy Beach, Earl Wild and George Gerswhin. Many of you will know the Kanneh-Mason name from the famous cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason (and the rest of the family is extremely musical too: http://www.kannehmasons.com/)
Props to the graphics team on this album art. The colours and framing here are simple but really effective!
The sensitivity of tone here carries the tune as it weaves from the top to between the hands and the delicacy of the phrasing feels effortless. The urgency of the middle section from 2' pulls you inexorably forwards with the bright fanfare chords, before immediately sinking back into rolling chords and the reprisal of the tune which makes you almost want to lean into the sound to get enveloped by it. The touch control of the ending is absolutely stunning to behold and if you close your eyes, you can almost see her at work, the precision at play at her fingertips, as the pieces melts away. It's well worth your while listening to the entire album (and the first one, to be fair!). I believe I'm right in saying that Isata's third album will be released soon which is very exciting (26th May, as of time of writing).
This last recording is one that has been on my radar for a long time, and for good reason. In 2017, Wayne Marshall OBE (I implore you to look him up if that name doesn't already excite you!) and Andy Miles teamed up with WDR Funkhausorchester Köln to record, amongst other things, Daniel Freiberg's Jazz Clarinet Concerto "Latin American Chronicles". I could write an entire article about how amazing all of these musicians are, but you'd be reading this until the sun set then rose again, so I'll save that for another article!
(Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate how cool this album art is? Marshall's cheeky grin and Miles' 'solo pose' combo is just fantastic.)
Andy Miles' tone and control of his instrument is one of the best out there, and he puts it to incredible use in this. The opening movement is so sweet and honeyed in tone you almost forget he's playing a clarinet, before he so effortlessly passes into the altissimo register in runs that could be described mildly as 'athletic'... The orchestra blends and responds to Miles' in a susurration of duets which, like the Gregson, makes it feel like you're running through a field, followed by a mass of birds and deer, in some fairy-tale-esque fever dream, harp glissandos and a running river of strings all around you, before the funky syncopation crisply reminds you that this movement is called panorámicas for a reason - don't get too comfortable; this is Latin America at it's finest with stratospheric lines and jagged rhythmic edges and a flashy ending to the first movement that makes you want them to replay the whole movement again!
The bittersweetness of the second movement, Diálogos, with it's raindrop timbres in the piano and rich harmonies bely the depth of emotion that Miles' is about to bring, with beautiful solos interspersed through the rest of the orchestra, notably in the oboe and cello, that puts its heart-on-sleeve moments front and centre. It feels, for a moment, almost like you're watching one of those heartbreaking film scenes that has the room reaching for their tissues, before the end of the movement which forces you out of your seat in awe of its grandiose might. How could anyone sit still hearing this?! Miles waxes lyrically at the end here, and I almost
The final movement, Influencias, takes it up a step and brings the syncopation to the fore. There are so many twists and turns here but Miles' agility on the instrument makes it feel so easy and effortless despite how challenging some of the lines are here. The percussion here really sits in the centre of the balance and it is so well-recorded that you don't miss anything at all; even in the tutti moments - you can pick out any instrument you like clean as anything. I don't need to further champion how fun Miles and Marshall make this movement; if by 3'15'' you aren't out of your chair and moving about you're listening to the wrong piece!
Again, the rest of the album is absolute gold dust, and to have this trio together on one album is like a dream come true. A must-listen for any music lover! Also, I'd love to take people's suggestions on what to listen to and review next! I've got a few more ideas up my sleeve for the next albums to write about but feel free to pop any ideas in the comments below!
Myles