2009年9月27日 星期日

葉維與史拉特金接受媒體專訪,為新樂季造勢

隨著新樂季的展開,我們可以看到一大堆樂團指揮家接受專訪的新聞報導。紐約時報當然不可避免的是以新任音樂總監Alan Gilbert與大都會歌劇院的新版Tosca為報導主軸,而每一個城市也都會以當地樂團為主角,底特律與辛辛那提當地報紙便分別專訪了史拉特金與葉維。


之前曾經提到大紅人葉維(Paavo Jarvi)一人身兼辛辛那提交響樂團、法蘭克福廣播交響樂團、布萊梅德意志室內愛樂與巴黎交響樂團四項職務,怎麼可能忙得過來呢?葉維在回答辛辛那提當地報紙專訪時表示:「完全沒有問題!」

It's all planned. I am managing to open and close all three orchestras' seasons.. I will be spending more time in airplanes than anywhere else next year, but everyone is going to get what they expect. I'll spend 13 weeks here, 14 in Paris, 10 in Frankfurt, a few with Kammerphilharmonie, and a few weeks guest conducting.

看來,葉維打算花在剛接手的巴黎的時間最長,老巢辛辛那提的時間差不多,法蘭克福則略少,布萊梅似乎排在最後面,雖然葉維即將率領該團前往薩爾茲堡音樂節演奏全套貝多芬交響曲全集,成為有史以來第二個這麼做的樂團!

另外,隨著Telarc公司不再自行製作錄音,在即將發行最後一張Holst《行星》錄音之後,2009-10樂季將是辛辛那提樂團在葉維率領下頭一次沒有錄音計畫,葉維說,一切還在討論中,可能另尋其他唱片公司合作(談何容易...)或發行自有品牌(更困難了...)。另外,本樂季也是九年來葉維頭一次沒和大眾樂團的康澤爾(Erich Kunzel)分享指揮權,訪談中,葉維將康澤爾與伯恩斯坦、卡拉揚與蕭提相提並論,認為那個有著偉岸人格的時代隨著大師們的凋零而一去不返...

甫接任底特律交響樂團音樂總監的史拉特金(Leonard Slatkin)在10日1月新樂季首場音樂會一口氣安排三首美國作曲家巴柏(Samuel Barber)的作品,特別接受底特律當地報紙專訪,談論這位即將度過百歲冥誕的作曲家,儘管史拉特金以指揮巴柏而著稱,也曾與聖路易交響樂團錄下幾部巴柏作品,像是在Telarc的《弦樂慢版》(Adagio for Strings)或是與Elmar Oliveira合作的小提琴協奏曲,都是演錄俱佳的名盤。但是,引以為憾的是史拉特金並不曾不曾和巴柏本人見過面,在與巴柏熟識的鋼琴家John Browning一再提起他,史拉特金並與其合作灌錄巴柏鋼琴協奏曲後,這樣的感覺更加強烈,而且他對巴柏音樂中的文學性推崇有加~

Of all the composers, he seemed to be the most interested in finding connections between literary form and music. Hence, we have the "Essays," which were conscious decisions to find a way to infuse the formal structure of writing with the formal structure of music. Why that appealed to me was that in the one period of my life when I got out of music, I was an English major. Apparently, Barber was never seen without two or three books under his arm. He was always reading.

對於巴柏被稱為「美國布拉姆斯」,在古典的形式中散發著濃郁的古典氣息,史拉特金也有其獨到見解~

Musically, he was more connected to the 19th Century than the 20th. His three concertos are all virtuoso vehicles in the 19th-Century mold. The First Symphony I find an extraordinary formal structure. There are really only two tunes running through the whole thing, but by the time you get to the end, you don't actually realize that what you're hearing is the same thing you heard at the beginning but completely transmogrified. It's unbelievable -- this facility to manipulate ideas into the formal structure is unlike most composers I know today or through most of the 20th Century.

史拉特金還提到每次聽到歌劇《凡妮莎》(Vanessa)中的詠歎調"Must the Winter Come So Soon?" 都會炫然欲泣,為了這句話,筆者決定打完這篇網誌後,一定要把CD找出來聽看看...

另外一個好消息是,美國Andrew W. Mellon Foundation去年8月便宣布贊助90萬美金,提供未來三年底特律交響樂團發行CD錄音。目前已經規劃的5張CD中,其中有4張將由Naxos公司發行(另1張由Koch發行):

◆ Edgar Meyer/Bela Fleck/Zakir Hussain Triple Concerto (recorded live on Jan. 9-11, 2009) with Slatkin and the DSO (on Koch) with a planned release date of August 2009;
◆ Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 (to be recorded live Sept. 24-27, 2009) and Vocalise (to be recorded live Sept. 11-12, 2009) with Slatkin and the DSO (on Naxos) with a planned release date of winter 2009/2010; (按照規劃,史拉特金將指揮底特律交響樂團為Naxos灌錄拉赫曼尼諾夫交響曲全集,這將是他的第二套拉氏交響曲全套錄音)
◆ Alla Borzova's Songs for Lada (recorded live Jan. 15-17, 2009) and To the New World (to be recorded live Sept. 24-27, 2009) with Slatkin and the DSO (on Naxos) with a planned release date of spring 2010;
◆ Hannibal Lokumbe's Dear Mrs. Parks (to be recorded live Mar. 6-8, 2009 at the DSO's Classical Roots concerts) with Thomas Wilkins and the DSO (on Naxos) with an undetermined release date;
◆ Michael Daugherty's Route 66, Motor City Triptych, Fire and Blood, Raise the Roof (recorded live at select performances from Sept. 1999 to Oct. 2003) with Neeme Järvi and the DSO (on Naxos) with an undetermined release date.

Naxos三星歌劇錄音



各大廠牌不斷降價或打包釋出經典歌劇錄音,讓Naxos的歌劇錄音經營得非常辛苦,關鍵恐怕還是在演唱陣容,少數例外像是《費黛里歐》(8.660070-71)網羅了一群維也納國家歌劇院的老牌演唱家(其中包括2002年3月心臟病發作前一晚就是在維也納國家歌劇院演唱同一個角色Florestan的瑞典籍男高音Gösta Winbergh,以及去年2月過世的丹麥籍女高音Inga Nielsen),另外再加上Alan Titus、Kurt Moll等唱片常見名家等,好不容易被稱為「擁有近數十年來最強的卡司陣容」,被英國企鵝唱片指南評定為僅次於EMI的Klemperer版與DG的Bernstein版。

因此,在吃力不討好的錄音室錄音之外,與歐洲各大地方歌劇節合作進行實況錄音,便成了Naxos公司近期的一項選擇,看來初步成績還算不錯,除了之前本網誌介紹過的與義大利Dynamic公司合作外,德國與東歐都有類似錄音作品已經發行。

圖示三套CDs係2009年英國企鵝唱片指南的三星評鑑Naxos歌劇作品。

Naxos怎麼買?看企鵝唱片指南買...


Naxos每個月都推出20~30張新片,是目前古典音樂唱片公司中生產力最旺盛的,儘管是低價位,買起來相對比較不傷荷包,但很囿於樂團、指揮或獨奏家並非耳熟能詳的明星大牌,或曲目實在是太罕見了,愛樂者常常還是有不知從何下手,甚至會不會買到地雷地片的疑惑...

Naxos公司網站特別將名列2009年版英國企鵝唱片指南三星、四星與必備盤(Key Recording)者的新片(即備註有N字樣者),整理出一份完整清單,個人覺得還蠻實用的,參考價格頗高。

舉例來說,本網誌曾經介紹過的法國指揮家Stephane Deneve指揮皇家蘇格蘭國家交響樂團(Royal Scottish National Orchestra )兩張法國作曲家Albert Roussel交響曲,同獲三星及必備盤推薦,而美國女指揮家Marin Alsop與倫敦愛樂的布拉姆斯交響曲全集系列最後一張第四號也獲三星推薦,連同之前三張,全部同時名列三星榜上。
記得之前滾石最早代理Naxos時,曾經推出一系列「企鵝三星發燒碟」,顧名思義就是把三星評鑑的CD包裝成一個單獨系列,或許現在可以重新考慮恢復了!只是現在不能單稱稱呼為三星就是了...

以上圖示是兩張同時獲得四星評價又列為必備盤的CD,其他四星級或三星級CD族繁不及備載,請直接瀏覽Naxos公司網站

2009年9月26日 星期六

Deutsche Grammophon蕭邦作品大全集17CDs


Maria João Pires的夜曲與Krystian Zimerman的協奏曲恐怕是最大賣點,但僅此於此,不脫東拉西湊的拼裝層次,坦白說,個人並不看好此套銷售數字!

CD 1: Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2
Krystian Zimerman, Polish Festival Orchestra

CD 2: Chopin: Works for piano and orchestra
Claudio Arrau, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eliahu Inbal

CD 3: Chopin: Ballades Nos.1 - 4; 3 Nouvelles Etudes; 3 Ecossaises
Anatol Ugorski

CD 4: Chopin: 12 Etudes, Opp.10 & 25; Barcarolle, Op.60; Berceuse, Op.57
Maurizio Pollini

CD 5&6: Chopin: Mazurkas
Vladimir Ashkenazy

CD 7&8: Chopin: Nocturnes
Maria João Pires

CD 9: Chopin: Polonaises Nos.1 - 7
Maurizio Pollini

CD 10: Chopin: Andante spianato & Grande Polonaise; 3 Polonaises Op. posth.71; 6 Polonaises; 2 Bourrées; Galop marquis; Album Leaf; Cantabile; Fugue; Largo
Anatol Ugorski & Martha Argerich

CD 11: Chopin: Préludes Nos.1 - 24; Préludes in A flat major, Op.posth. & in C sharp minor, Op.45; Impromptus Nos.1 - 4
Rafal Blechacz & Yundi Li

CD 12: Chopin: 4 Scherzos Nos.1 - 4; Rondos Opp.1, 5, 16 & posth.73
Maurizio Pollini & Lilya Zilberstein

CD 13: Chopin: Piano Sonatas Nos.1 - 3
Maurizio Pollini & Lilya Zilberstein

CD 14: Chopin: Variations; Souvenir de Paganini; Bolero; Marche funèbre; Wiosna
Vladimir Ashkenazy

CD 15: Chopin: Waltzes Nos.1 - 19
Vladimir Ashkenazy

CD 16: Chopin: Chamber Works
Beaux Arts Trio,Mstislav Rostropovich&Martha Argerich

CD 17: Chopin: Songs
Elzbieta Szmytka, Martin Martineau

BIS版Vanska指揮Minnesota Orchestra貝多芬交響曲全集


預計10月份下旬上市,保持原有SACD格式,但1套5張預購價只要日幣4000元,應該是5張算2張價,是非常具有市場競爭力的漂亮售價!

馬友友30 Years Outside The Box(90CDs)



中文報刊有相關報導(2009-09-27聯合晚報 )~

EMI本月9月全球同步發行Beatles歷年13張天王專輯,集成兩套盒裝,一是立體聲母帶重製,一是單音原音發行,推出數日,在歐洲賣出超過250萬張,使Beatls解散將近40年後重登搖滾排行榜王座,並且成為今年熱門音樂企業頭號盛事。

紐約時報27日報導,古典音樂界不甘示弱,將在10月27日推出一個全球名流品牌打對台:馬友友。Sony的盒裝馬友友將成為2009年古典音樂的壓軸發行。

盒裝古典音樂近年屢見不鮮,德國留聲機去年打出37CD的卡拉揚,今年紀念他111歲冥誕,再推一套55張。Brilliant發行170張CD的全套莫札特和155張CD的全套巴哈。海頓今年逝世二百年,Naxos正在推出他所有絃樂四重奏、交響曲、鋼琴奏鳴曲、協奏曲和彌撒曲。

盒裝馬友友只有90張CD,但另有值得注意之處。首先,54歲的馬友友仍然活躍全球,遠遠用不著身後添花。盒子裡大部分作品是母帶重製,但許多CD在市面上還很容易買到。另外,盒子包裝和馬友友平易近人的陽光作風十分不同,華貴氣派,絨布襯裡,附一本312頁的精裝小書,封面照片則出自當今美國肖像攝影界第一把交椅Annie Leibovitz的鏡頭。

最搶眼的是定價:789美元 (台幣2萬5000元)。Beatles的兩盒都定在二百美元上下(台幣6480元)。

馬友友打包票是目前全球名氣數一數二的演奏家,重大公共場合,像歐巴馬就職、奧斯卡頒獎典禮、愛德華甘迺迪喪禮、世界經濟論壇,千挑萬選之後,都指定請他演出。他天生魅力,音樂修養過人,琴藝超群,無人不愛。

不過,789美元,有沒有問題?Sony副總裁米勒說:「我認為俗擱大碗。」每張CD不到十美元,而且市場似乎看他同感。海外的合作公司已買走3500套,發行時間是10月27日,但有興趣者可以透過馬友友網站yoyoma.com預訂,搶鮮的頭二百套可以獲得一紙認證,另送一張頂級馬友友簽名照,米勒形容這是「一生只此一次的機會」。米勒並表示,企業高層的反應相當不錯,認為是送禮的上選。

米勒說,盒裝不是馬友友的主意,是他的,用意是突顯馬友友和Sony的30年合作。Sony是不是指望賺一筆? 米勒說,這是奇怪的問題,「我們只想向一位獨特的演奏家致敬」。


以下文字轉載自馬友友官方網站~
Yo-Yo Ma: 30 Years Outside the Box, a deluxe limited-numbered box set of Yo-Yo Ma’s recorded legacy, celebrates his 30th Anniversary recording with Sony Music. Created with the full participation of Yo-Yo Ma, 30 Years Outside the Box is the definitive collection of this iconic artist in a presentation as beautiful and timeless as the music itself.

30 Years Outside The Box will comprise 88 discs of original album releases (entirely remastered with DSD technology) and an additional two discs of bonus material.
◆All discs will be presented in original jacket-style minijackets housed in a beautifully designed, velvet-lined box.
◆The box set includes a large hard-bound book with archival photos, essays, full track lists, original liner notes, and credits. The book also contains a foreword by longtime Yo-Yo Ma collaborator and Grammyy®-winning pianist Emanuel Ax.
◆The book’s main essay, by noted music journalist Richard Dyer, focuses on Mr. Ma’s multifaceted, boundary-defying career and his place as a cultural figure known throughout the world.
◆There will also be congratulatory messages from many of Yo-Yo Ma’s friends and colleagues and short bios of the guest artists.

Celebrating his 30th anniversary with Sony Classical and Sony Masterworks, Yo-Yo Ma has recorded over 75 albums (including 15 Grammy® Award winners) reflecting his wide-ranging interests. He has made several successful recordings that defy categorization, among them Hush with Bobby McFerrin, Appalachia Waltz and Appalachian Journey with Mark O’Connor and Edgar Meyer and two Grammy®-winning tributes to the music of Brazil, Obrigado Brazil and Obrigado Brazil - Live in Concert. Yo-Yo Ma’s most recent recordings include Paris: La Belle Époque, with pianist Kathryn Stott, Appassionato, which contains some of the world’s most romantic music and New Impossibilities, a live album recorded with the Silk Road Ensemble and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; he also appears on John Williams’s soundtrack for Rob Marshall’s film Memoirs of a Geisha. Across this full range of releases, Yo-Yo Ma remains one of the best-selling recording artists in the classical field.

90張CD清單如下:
01 Robert White Sings Beethoven
02 Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals Variations on a Theme of Beethoven, Op. 35 Polonaise, Op. 77
03 Saint-Saëns and Lalo: Cello Concertos
04 Haydn: Cello Concertos
05 Beethoven: Complete Sonatas for Cello and Piano, Vol. 1
06 Kreisler • Paganini
07 Bach: Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord
08 Bach: The Six Unaccompanied Cello Suites
09 Bach: The Six Unaccompanied Cello Suites
10 Shostakovich and Kabalevsky: Cello Concertos
11 Bolling: Suite for Cello and Jazz Piano Trio
12 Beethoven: Complete Sonatas for Cello and Piano, Vol. 2
13 Schubert: String Quintet
14 Japanese Melodies
15 Elgar and Walton: Cello Concertos
16 Mozart: Divertimento, K. 563
17 Brahms: Sonatas for Cello and Piano
18 Strauss: Don Quixote Schoenberg: Concerto
19 Beethoven: Complete Sonatas for Cello and Piano, Vol. 3
20 Dvořák: Cello Concerto
21 Boccherini: Concerto J. C. Bach: Sinfonia Concertante and Grand Overture
22 Mozart: Adagio and Fugue in C Minor Schubert: String Quartet No. 15
23 Schumann: Cello Concerto Fantasiestücke, Op. 73 • Adagio and Allegro • Fünf Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102
24 Dvořák: Piano Trios
25 Brahms: Double Concerto • Piano Quartet
26 Shostakovich: Piano Trio • Cello Sonata
27 Barber and Britten: Cello Concertos
28 Strauss and Britten: Cello Sonatas
29 Shostakovich: Quartet No. 15Gubaidulina: Rejoice!
30 Anything Goes: Stéphane Grappelli and Yo-Yo Ma Play (Mostly) Cole Porter
31 Mozart: Serenade No. 10, “Gran Partita” • Sonata for Bassoon and Cello
32 Brahms: The Piano Quartets
33 Brahms: The Piano Quartets
34 Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonatas
35 Tchaikovsky Gala in Leningrad
36 Hush
37 Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante • Tchaikovsky: Variations
38 Brahms: String Sextets
39 Brahms: String Sextets
40 Brahms: Sonatas for Cello and Piano
41 Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht • String Trio
42 Fauré: Piano Quartets
43 Made in America
44 Dvořák in Prague
45 Beethoven and Schumann: Piano Quartets
46 Chopin: Piano Trio • Polonaise brillante • Cello Sonata
47 The New York Album
48 Immortal Beloved
49 Brahms, Beethoven, and Mozart: Clarinet Trios
50 Dvořák and Herbert: Concertos from the New World
51 Schubert: “Trout” Quintet • “Arpeggione” Sonata
52 Goldenthal Fire Water Paper: A Vietnam Oratorio
53 Appalachia Waltz
54 Lieberson: King Gesar
55 Schubert and Boccherini: String Quintets
56 Yo-Yo Ma: Premieres
57 Mozart: The Piano Quartets
58 From Ordinary Things
59 Tan Dun: Symphony 1997
60 Seven Years in Tibet Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
61 Mark O’Connor: Liberty!
62 Soul of the Tango: The Music of Astor Piazzolla
63 The Cello Suites – Inspired by Bach
64 The Cello Suites – Inspired by Bach
65 Korngold and Schmidt: Music for Strings and Piano Left Hand
66 Tavener: The Protecting Veil
67 Simply Baroque
68 Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 • Cello Sonata
69 Yo-Yo Ma: Solo
70 Appalachian Journey
71 Dvořák: Piano Quartet, Op. 87 Romantic Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 75 Sonatina in G Major for Violin and Piano, Op. 100
72 Simply Baroque II
73 John Corigliano’s Phantasmagoria
74 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
75 Yo-Yo Ma Plays the Music of John Williams
76 Silk Road Journeys When Strangers Meet
77 Meyer and Bottesini: Concertos
78 Naqoyatsi Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
79 Paris: La Belle Époque
80 Obrigado Brazil
81 Obrigado Brazil: Live
82 Vivaldi’s Cello
83 Isaac Stern Schubert • Brahms • Bach • Mozart
84 Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone
85 Silk Road Journeys Beyond the Horizon
86 Memoirs of a Geisha Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
87 New Impossibilities
88 Yo-Yo Ma and Friends Songs of Joy and Peace
89 The Bonus Disc 1
90 The Bonus Disc 2

2009年9月25日 星期五

訃告:Mercury唱片傳奇性製作人Wilma Cozart Fine

以下摘自9月25日美國紐約時報~

Wilma Cozart Fine, Classical Music Record Producer, Dies at 82

Wilma Cozart Fine, a record producer who, with her husband, C. Robert Fine, ran the classical division of Mercury Records in the 1950s and early ’60s, producing hundreds of recordings that are still prized by collectors for the depth and realism of their sound, died on Monday at her home in Harrison, N.Y. She was 82. Her death was announced by her son Thomas.

Mrs. Fine was one of the first women to excel at record production, a field that is still dominated by men(的確如此,女指揮家一個一個冒出頭來,但女性幕後製作人卻有如鳳毛麟角般罕見,比較為人所知的應該是曾經自創Opus 111古樂品牌的女製作人Yolanta Skura). She brought sensitivity and taste to her work, which included notable recordings by the conductors Rafael Kubelik, Antal Dorati and John Barbirolli; the composer and conductor Howard Hanson; the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony; the pianists Byron Janis, Gina Bachauer and Sviatoslav Richter; and the cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.

李希特1961夏天年終於在倫敦首次登台,便利用同一段時間在孔德拉辛(Kyril Kondrashin)指揮London Symphony Orchestra伴奏下灌錄了李斯特兩首鋼琴協奏曲,由Philips發行的錄音問世後一直是該曲目最受推崇的版本,堪稱「定盤」,幕後製作團隊便是Mercury的Fine夫婦,而李希特與羅斯托波維奇絕無僅有的貝多芬大提琴奏鳴曲,亦出自該團隊手筆。


With Mr. Fine, an ingenious recording engineer whom she married in 1957, she developed recording techniques that, even in their early monaural recordings, seemed to capture not only the performance but also a sense of the space in which it took place.

The Fines were among the first to make mass-market stereo recordings, and in the early 1960s they experimented with recording on 35-millimeter film instead of on magnetic recording tape. Among their productions were sonic spectaculars like a 1954 recording of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” by Dorati and the Minneapolis Symphony, with bells recorded at Yale University and a cannon recorded at West Point, and a 1958 remake, with different bells and cannon.

杜拉第的《1812序曲》錄音是Mercury公司的招牌作品,一共錄製過兩次,都是相同樂團(Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra),第一次錄音(TAS與企鵝三星帶花雙料推薦版本)是在1954年,仍然是單聲道時代,炮聲是在西點軍校錄下拿破崙時期製造的古炮射擊聲,鐘聲則錄自耶魯大學校園內的大鐘;第二次錄音是在1958年,這時已進入立體聲時代,炮聲改為使用1775年法國製造的大炮,鐘聲則改用紐約河畔教堂的大鐘鐘聲。


Mrs. Fine also had a brilliant marketing sense. One of the first things she did when she joined Mercury, in 1950, was persuade the label’s president, Irving Green, to sign the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, then floundering. Mercury’s first recording with that orchestra, overseen by the Fines, was Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition,” with Kubelik conducting, in April 1951. When the recording was released that fall, along with another recording of works by Bartok and Bloch, Howard Taubman wrote in The New York Times that “unless this recording has flattered the ensemble’s competence out of all recognition, one must welcome the Chicagoans back to the top rank of American orchestras.”
But it was another sentence in the review that caught the Fines’ attention: “Thanks to one of the finest technical jobs of recording made on this side of the Atlantic the orchestra’s tone is so lifelike that one feels one is listening to the living presence.” Thereafter, Mercury’s classical discs bore the legend “Living Presence,” and the slogan helped define the company’s goals and achievements.

Mrs. Fine was born in Aberdeen, Miss., on March 29, 1927, and grew up in Fort Worth. She studied music education and business administration at North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) in Denton and found a job working as Dorati’s personal secretary when he was music director of the Dallas Symphony. When Dorati moved to the Minneapolis Symphony, Mrs. Fine followed, but she soon decided to move to New York, where, with a recommendation from Dorati, she was hired by Mercury.


Besides signing and recording American orchestras, Mrs. Fine and her crew made recordings in London, Vienna and Moscow. She retired in 1964 to rear her sons, who survive her. In addition to Thomas, of Brewster, N.Y., her sons are Matthew, of Montclair, N.J., and John, of Port Chester, N.Y. She is also survived by a brother, Eugene Cozart of Fort Worth; and four grandchildren. Mr. Fine died in 1982.

Mercury是第一家在莫斯科錄音的美國唱片公司,屬冷戰美蘇兩強對峙時期罕見的歷史記錄,由Byron Janis擔綱演出,伴奏樂團則是由孔德拉辛指揮Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra。


Mrs. Fine came out of retirement in 1989 to oversee the reissue of the Mercury Living Presence recordings on CD. She worked on the remastering project for a decade.

Wilma Cozart Fine親自參與CD版轉錄工作,進而帶動RCA Living Stereo跟進,Decca Legend、DG Original與EMI GROC等一連串復古風潮!

因為Naxos,我們有機會聽到很多管弦樂團錄音...

以下四個組合從俄羅斯遠東地區、紐澳、美國紐約州到北歐瑞典,皆非古典音樂世界的主流,但,勇於開發新錄音曲目並投資在具有潛力或實力樂團,還是要給予掌聲鼓勵的。另外,Naxos近期陸續發行德國歷史悠久的Weimar Staatskapelle(威瑪國家歌劇院管弦樂團)一系列錄音,其中包括史特勞斯與李斯特交響詩作品。


Kurt Sanderling的兒子Thomas Sanderling指揮西伯利亞Novosibirsk Academic Symphony Orchestra演出Taneyev交響樂曲與管弦樂曲,看來應該又是另一個全集計畫的進行。




斯洛伐克編曲家兼指揮家Peter Breiner指揮紐西蘭交響樂團(New Zealand Symphony Orchestra)灌錄楊納傑克歌劇改編管弦樂曲作品,目前已經發行到第三輯。



女指揮JoAnn Falletta指揮美國水牛城愛樂(Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra),近期錄音作品以知名作曲家不為人知罕見作品或改編作品為主。


俄國籍指揮家VassilySinaisky指揮瑞典Malmo Symphony Orchestra,已完成奧國作曲家Franz Schmidt交響曲全集錄音的前兩集。

2009年9月24日 星期四

也是台灣之光!ClassicsToday.com評鑑《胡旋舞》專輯10/10雙滿分


網站創辦人David Hurwitz親自執筆之評論全文如下~

Projects like this "East meets West" hybrid will either reek of kitsch or become a delectable, guilty pleasure. Happily, Sharon Bezaly's amazing technique and the sensitive accompaniments of the Taipei Chinese Orchestra under Yiu-Kwong Chung ensure that this release falls squarely in the latter category. In fact, you don't even have to feel guilty to feel the pleasure in Chung's exuberant Whirling Dance, or in his skillfully-wrought Flute Concerto. The latter certainly could become a repertory piece if recast for Western symphony orchestra, and in fact its lucid textures for strings and harp, with winds and percussion skillfully touched in, should work perfectly. Tuneful but never tacky, it's just plain beautiful, and (it goes without saying) Bezaly plays with impeccable tone and bewitching grace.

Shui-Long Ma's Bamboo Flute Concerto, originally composed for said instrument and Western orchestra, has here been turned inside out and arranged for Chinese orchestra and piccolo. Okay, there are times when the tunes may get a bit cinematic in the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" sense, but having a piccolo as the solo instrument gives the piece the edge it needs, and at 16 minutes it doesn't sound a second too long. The remaining numbers consist of "light music"--one traditional tune and two song arrangements, brief and full of charm.

Let's face it: the music is so pretty and Bezaly's playing so alluring that you'd have to be pretty miserable not to love it--and the engineering is stunning no matter how many channels you decide to employ in listening. I would very much like to hear some major works featuring the Taipei Chinese Orchestra as well. Chung Yiu-Kwong has the group playing with fine ensemble qualities, and the orchestra's timbres are familiar enough to be immediately assimilable, but different enough to be intriguing. Yummy.


沒有問題的,David Hurwitz先生!台北市立國樂團與瑞典BIS公司的第2與第3張專輯正在緊鑼密鼓籌備中,分別是與法國薩克斯風演奏家Claude Delangle與瑞典長號演奏家Christian Lindberg合作,今年年底還安排有兩場「新片搶先聽」音樂會,曲目當然少不了鐘耀光團長為兩人量身打造的中國傳統樂器協奏曲,值得拭目以待。

2009年9月23日 星期三

Herbert Blomstedt 馬勒第二號交響曲

雙CD單張價,靜靜躺在唱片行架上十餘年了,就算母公司重新發行,降價空間也非常有限了,那還等甚麼呢,就讓我直接帶你回家吧....

2009年9月22日 星期二

小提琴家密爾斯坦的EMI偉大錄音集



EMI低價盒裝Icon系列到目前為止唯一讓筆者稍稍心動的發行,但最後應該還是不會付諸行動就是了....

8CDs均為1955至1964間為美國Capitol與英國EMI兩公司的錄音集結。尷尬的是,密爾斯坦為美國Capitol錄音時剛好處於單聲道與立體聲新舊交接的轉捩點,因此,相同曲目往往在很短時間內便二度錄音,準備以立體聲版取代單聲道版,舉例來說,密爾斯坦曾於1955年1月與william Steinberg指揮匹茲堡交響樂團灌錄貝多芬小提琴協奏曲(美國Capitol版),短短六年後,在1961年7月便又與Erich Leinsdorf指揮英國愛樂重新灌錄(英國EMI版 ),此盒收錄的版本是前者。
筆者手上擁有其中數張90年代晚期Capitol美國版Full Dimensional Sound(之前稱為「全方位之音」) Mono錄音,係LP轉錄CD黃金年代的美好回憶見證之一...

CD 1
巴哈:無伴奏小提琴奏鳴曲&組曲第一到四號

CD 2
巴哈:無伴奏小提琴奏鳴曲&組曲第五到六曲
韋瓦第、韓德爾、塔替尼小提琴奏鳴曲
韋它利:夏康舞曲

CD 3
莫札特:兩首小提琴奏鳴曲
貝多芬:小提琴奏鳴曲「春」&「克羅采」

CD 4
貝多芬:小提琴協奏曲(William Steinberg/Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)
布拉姆斯:小提琴協奏曲(Anatole Fistoulari/Philharmonia Orchestra)

CD 5
柴可夫斯基、葛拉佐諾夫:小提琴協奏曲(William Steinberg/Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)
普羅高菲夫:第一號小提琴協奏曲(Vladimir Golschmann, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra)

CD 6
聖桑:第三號小提琴協奏曲(Walter Susskind/Concert Arts Orchestra)
蕭頌:詩曲(Anatole Fistoulari/Philharmonia Orchestra)
德弗札克:小提琴協奏曲(william Steinberg/Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

CD 7
貝多芬:兩首浪漫曲(Nathan Milstein/Philharmonia Orchestra) 、
聖桑:序奏與奇想輪旋曲(Walter Susskind指揮Concert Arts Orchestra)
孟德爾頌:小提琴協奏曲(Philharmonia Orchestra)
布魯赫:第一號小提琴協奏曲(Leon Barzin/Philharmonia Orchestra)

CD 8
小品集 (與以下第6張CD相同)

另外,之前美國EMI也曾經發行過6CDs的The Art of Nathan Milstein中價套裝,由曲目與錄音時間可以看到兩套間有部分相同、也有部分不同,反正,Icon系列就是東拼西湊,讓之前零星散買的樂友正因為缺少其中幾片,而不得不乖乖掏出錢來...曲目重複無所謂,筆者反而期待EMI時期錄音大全集這類企畫能夠盡早推出!

CD1
1-3.葛拉祖諾夫:a小調小提琴協奏曲,作品82(1957年)
Glazunov: Violin Concerto in A minor, op. 82
4-6.普羅高菲夫:g小調第二號小提琴協奏曲,作品63(1965年)
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.2 in G minor, op. 63
7-9.聖桑:b小調第三號小提琴協奏曲,作品61(1964年)
Saint-Saens: Violin Concerto No.3 in B minor, op.61

CD2
1-3.柴可夫斯基:D大調小提琴協奏曲,作品35(1959年)
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D, op.35
4-6.布拉姆斯:D大調小提琴協奏曲,作品77(1961年)
Brahms: Violin Concerto in D, op. 77

CD3
1-3.貝多芬:D大調小提琴協奏曲,作品61(1961年)
Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D, op.61
4-6.德弗札克:a小調小提琴協奏曲,作品53(1957年)
Dvorak: Violin Concerto in A minor, op.53

CD4
1-3.韋瓦第:d小調雙小提琴協奏曲,作品3第11號
Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Violins, Cello, and Strings op.3/ no.11
4-7.韋瓦第:A大調第二號小提琴奏鳴曲,作品2第2號
Vivaldi: Violin Sonata No.2 in A, op.2/no.2 (ed. David)
8-11.韓德爾:D大調第四號小提琴協奏曲,作品1
Handel: Violin Sonata No.4 in D, op.1
12.韓德爾:緩板(胡拜改編)
Handel: Larghetto
13.韋塔利:夏康舞曲
Vitali: Chaconne in G minor (attrib. Vitali)
14.柯瑞里:佛利亞舞曲
Corelli: “La Follia”, op.5/no.12 (arr. Leonard)
15-17.塔替尼:g小調小提琴奏鳴曲「魔鬼的顫音」(克萊斯勒改編)
Tartini: Violin Sonata in G minor “Il trillo del diavolo” (arr. Kreisler)
18.巴哈:歌謠(威廉米改編)
J.S. Bach: Air from Orchestral Suite No.3 in D, BWV 1068 (arr. Wilhelmj)

CD5.
1-3.莫札特:C大調小提琴奏鳴曲,K.296
Mozart: Violin Sonata in C, K.296
4-5.莫札特:e小調小提琴奏鳴曲,K.304
Mozart: Violin Sonata in E minor, K.304
6-9.貝多芬:F大調第五號小提琴奏鳴曲「春」,作品24
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No.5 in F, op.24 “Spring”
10-13.普羅高菲夫:D大調第二號小提琴奏鳴曲,作品94a
Prokofiev: Violin Sonata No.2 in D, op.94a

CD6(Robert Irving/Orchestra,美國Capitol錄音)
1.拉赫曼尼諾夫:聲樂練習曲
Rachmaninov: Vocalise, op.34/no.14
2.穆索斯基:足尖舞
Mussorgsky: Gopak from Sorochintsky Fair (arr. Jones)
3.葛拉祖諾夫:冥想曲
Glazunov: Meditation, op.32
4.柴可夫斯基:詼諧圓舞曲
Tchaikovsky: Waltz-Scherzo, op.34
5.柴可夫斯基:心愛地方的回憶-冥想曲
Tchaikovsky: Souvenir d’un lieu cher, op.42 - Meditation
6.柴可夫斯基:心愛地方的回憶-詼諧曲
Tchaikovsky: Souvenir d’un lieu cher, op.42 - Scherzo
7.林姆斯基-高沙可夫:俄羅斯主題幻想曲,作品33
Rimsky-Korsakov: Fantasia on Russian Themes, op.33
8.林姆斯基-高沙可夫:大黃蜂的飛行
Rimsky-Korsakov: Flight of the Bumblebee from The Tale of the Tsar Sultan
9.布拉姆斯:第二號匈牙利舞曲
Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.2
10.馬斯奈:泰綺思冥想曲
Massenet: Meditation form Thais
11.葛路克:受佑精靈之舞
Gluck: Dance of the Blessed Spirits form Orfeo ed Euridice (arr. Kreisler)
12.蕭邦:第20號夜曲
Chopin: Nocturne No.20 in C minor (arr. Milstein)
13.法雅:霍塔舞曲
Falla: Jota from Sitet canciones populares espanolas (arr Kochanski)
14.維尼奧夫斯基:塔朗泰拉詼諧曲
Wieniawski: Scherzo-Tarantelle, op.16
15.德布西:吟遊詩人
Debussy: Minstrels from Preludes, Livre I (arr. Hartmann)
16.薩拉沙泰:序奏與塔朗泰拉舞曲
Sarasate: Introduction and Tarantelle, op.43
17.克萊斯勒:普格納尼風格的前奏曲與快板
Kreisler: Praeludium and Allegro in the Style of Pugnani

2009年9月21日 星期一

Naxos與Dynamic的君子協議

近期Naxos發行的新片中,有兩款歌劇錄音都是由義大利品牌Dynamic負責錄製於義大利各地音樂節,授權Naxos發行實況錄影DVD在先,幾個月後再由Naxos發行CD版;其中,9月發行的威爾第《馬克白》曾獲相當好評。同一版本同時發行DVD與CD兩種不同格式並非新鮮事,特別的地方在於錄製與授權均來自本身還是有固定發行歌劇DVD與CD的義大利Dynamic公司。

2009年9月20日 星期日

低價版貝里尼罕見歌劇《I Capuleti ed I Montecchi》


在華納低價歌劇第三波發行計畫中,另一套值得列入考慮的錄音是剛剛接任柏林德意志歌劇院(Deutsche Oper Berlin)音樂總監的英國籍指揮家Donald Runnicles,在1999年指揮蘇格蘭室內樂團(Scottish Chamber Orchestra)演出的貝里尼歌劇《卡普雷特與蒙太鳩》(I Capuleti ed I Montecchi),企鵝三星推薦。

羅斯托波維契三星戴花歌劇《戰爭與和平》錄音低價上市



Mstislav Rostropovich指揮Orchestre National de Radio France於1991年演出的普羅高菲夫歌劇《戰爭與和平》被譽為老大師代表性錄音,原本的4CDs濃縮為3CDs,是華納低價歌劇系列第三波發行計畫中最受矚目的強片。

Günther Herbig指揮NSO馬勒第六號交響曲



2009年4月19日音樂會實況錄音,推出速度算是很快的了,只可惜雙CD中價位有點不親民,比起Berlin Classics單CD版本貴上兩百元,國家級台灣愛樂與德國身經百戰的廣播樂團Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra相較,好像也沒佔多少優勢,恐怕只適合愛國樂迷了...
另外,Günther Herbig下週(9月24日)將指揮NSO演出馬勒第九號,該曲目也曾經在Berlin Classics留下錄音,根據記錄,大師還有一張馬勒第五號的錄音,。

Alfred Brendel第三回貝多芬鋼琴奏鳴曲全集低價盒裝上市


90年代數位錄音, 很可惜沒有將Rattle版協奏曲一併加入... 從封面的變化,也見證了Philips這個品牌的殞落!

2009年9月19日 星期六

WILLIAM CHRISTIE與LES ARTS FLORISSANTS登台30週年紀念盒


可惜是精選集,而不是系列全曲發行...
從洋洋灑灑的收錄曲目來看,日後極可能按作曲家,陸續推出全曲盒裝,優先期待韓德爾作品與莫札特兩部歌劇。


CD1
Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine
d’India – Madrigals
Charpentier: Divertissements, Airs et Concerts La Pierre Philosophale, H.501
Landi: Il Sant’Alessio
Charpentier: La Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers

CD2
Charpentier: Médée
Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
Purcell: King Arthur
Charpentier: In Nativitatem Domini Canticum H.416

CD3
Charpentier: Les Plaisirs de Versailles
Rameau: Hippolyte et Aricie
Rameau: Les Fêtes d’Hébé
Rameau: Zoroastre

CD4
Handel: Orlando
Handel: Alcina
Handel: Acis and Galatea
Handel: Theodora

CD5
Desmarest: Grands Motets Lorrains
Couperin: Leçons de Ténèbres
Rameau: Les Grands Motets
Mondonville: Grands Motets
Mozart: Mass in C minor, K.427
Mozart: Requiem, K.626

CD6
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte
Rameau: La Guirlande
Rameau: Zéphyre
Lully: Les Divertissements de Versailles
Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail

2009年9月18日 星期五

Gennady Rozhdestvensky布魯克納交響曲全集(Venezia)



俄羅斯元老指揮家Gennady Rozhdestvensky即將來台指揮台北市立交響樂團,日本獨賣的俄羅斯唱片廠牌Venezia也即將推出其16CDs布魯克納交響曲「全集」錄音,樂團是親兵樂團USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra。速度無論再怎麼慢慢拖,九首交響曲再加上0號與00號,也不可能佔掉16張CD,原因其實出在一口氣收錄好幾種不同版本,其中集中在第1號到第4號交響曲,第3號與第4號各有3種不同版本。


vol.1 Limited 8CD Set

CD1
Symphony No. 1 (1886 Linz Ver) rec. 1986
CD2
Symphony No. 1 (1890-1 Vienna ver) rec. 1984
CD3
Symphony No. 2 (1877 2nd Ver) rec. 1984
CD4
Symphony No. 3 (1877 2nd Ver) rec. 1984
CD5
Symphony No. 3 (1873 1st Ver) rec. 1988
CD6
Symphony No. 3 - adagio (1876 Ver) rec. 1985
Symphony No. 3 (1889 3rd Ver) rec. 1988
CD7
Symphony No. 4 "Romantic" (1874 1st Ver) rec. 1987
CD8
Symphony No. 4 "Romantic" - Finale(1878 Ver) rec. 1987
Symphony No. 4 "Romantic" (Revised by Mahler from Roewe Ver) rec. 1984

vol.2 Limited 8CD Set

CD1
Symphony No. 4 "Romantic" (1878-80 Second Ver) rec. 1988
CD2
Symphony No. 5 (Original Ver) rec. 1984
CD3
Symphony No. 6 (Original Ver) rec. 1984
CD4
Symphony No. 7 (ed:Haas) rec. 1985
CD5-CD6
Symphony No. 0 (1869 Original Ver) rec. 1983
Symphony No. 8 (1890 2nd Ver.ed:Haas) rec. 1985
CD7-CD8
Symphony No. 9 (Original Ver) rec. 1985
Symphony No. 9 - Finale (Reconstructed by Nicola Samale&Giuseppe Mazzuca, 1986) rec. 1988
Symphony F minor (1869 Original Ver)

女大十八變:Chole Hanslip


英國小提琴家Chole Hanslip的第六張CD胡拜(Jeno Hubay)小提琴協奏曲(Naxos 8.570278)已經在台上市。


英國樂評家Philip Clark在《留聲機》(Gramophone)雜誌評論其之前的John Adams小提琴協奏曲專輯(Naxos 8.559302)時曾有這樣一句:"Playing like this should secure Chloë Hanslip's reputation for life".

2009年9月12日 星期六

Mark Ermler柴可夫斯基三部芭蕾作品再版



俄國指揮家Mark Ermler(1932~2002)為英國科芬花園皇家歌劇院交響樂團(Orchestra of the Royal Opera house, Covent Garden)於80年代晚期為英國Confier唱片灌錄了好幾部芭蕾舞曲,其中包括了柴可夫斯基三部芭蕾舞曲~胡桃鉗(2CDs)、天鵝湖(2CDs)、睡美人(3CDs),隨著母公司BMG併入Sony集團,Sony即將在低價Essential Masterworks系列重新推出。
Mark Ermler是其世代最受尊敬的俄國指揮家之一,他是個早慧的天才型指揮家,20歲首次登台就指揮列寧格勒愛樂交響樂團,翌年指揮列寧格勒音樂學院樂團演出莫札特歌劇《後宮誘逃》,奠定了他一生指揮生涯的基礎,後來長期待在波修瓦劇院,以指揮歌劇與芭蕾舞曲聞名,指揮超過2000場次演出。正是因為率團前往倫敦演出的機緣,讓他被任命為科芬花園皇家歌劇院交響樂團首席客座指揮,留下了幾部芭蕾舞曲錄音,堪稱是指揮生涯錄音代表作品,在此之外,他也曾經為俄國Melodiya國營唱片公司留下幾部俄國歌劇作品錄音,可惜長期以來流通不廣,進而影響他的國際知名度。

2009年9月4日 星期五

史上第一位打擊樂獨奏家Evelyn Glennie在台灣


「無論晴天或雨天,這都將會是一場精彩絕倫的演出!」

為了一位古典音樂家,我第一次沒有因為看到李×2100就馬上轉台...,當主持人李×問她說擔不擔心 9月5日聽障奧運下雨時,Evelyn Glennie說了上面一句話;再被問到聽障是否為音樂路途帶來比一般人更多的挫折與困難時,她回答說,每個人或多或少都會遇到挫折,挫折是每一位年輕人都必須面對的挑戰,她就像很多年輕人一樣走過來了,並沒有因為聽力上的不方便而自怨自艾。

根據統計,累計已有超過135部打擊樂作品是提獻給Evelyne Glennie,而且平均一年有超過一百場音樂會演出。

Evelyne Glennie頗富傳奇性的人生經歷,也曾因與美國指揮家Leonard Slatkin傳出不倫之戀而更添浪漫色彩。

PS:CD圖片是Naxos公司美利堅古典系列,美國女作曲家為Margaret Brouwer為Evelyn Glennie量身打造的曲目《輪迴》,封面主角是作曲家Margaret Brouwer,並非Evelyne Glennie。