Gramophone Magazine December 2021

One of the joys of the Gramophone podcast is the chance to hear at length, and in their own voice, exactly what artists feel about their recordings. In one of our more recent episodes, countertenor Philippe Jaroussky discussed his new and richly varied recital, ‘À sa guitare’, recorded with Thibaut Garcia. Talking about his album – which draws together songs from the Baroque era through to 20th-century chansons – he said: ‘Even if there is a big mix of styles, I would encourage people to start from the beginning and just to listen carefully to all the bridges, because I spent a lot of hours on that!’ Another podcast from last month featured Andrew Nethsingha discussing the new album from St John’s College, Cambridge, ‘The Tree’. There, even the title…

‘I have loved Saint-Saëns’s music since I was a teenager,’ says TIM ASHLEY, who writes our cover feature this issue, ‘but researching and writing about the complexities of his life, work and character became the most fascinating voyage of discovery that only increased my admiration for him.’ ‘Regular readers will have noticed something rather special happening at the Finnish Radio SO recently,’ says ANDREW MELLOR, who interviews Hannu Lintu this issue. ‘It was such a privilege to sit down with the conductor in situ and chew over conducting, recording and growing as a musician.’ ‘These are interesting times for music competitions,’ says our Competitions Guide author CHARLOTTE GARDNER. ‘Recently, we’ve seen an increase in multidisciplinary juries offering career-relevant prizes. Not every event can discover a star, but 2022 paints a picture of…

BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra. Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra / Susanna Mälkki BIS An incredibly atmospheric survey of Bartók orchestral music, rich in detail and drama. REVIEW ON PAGE 64 ‘AMERICASCAPES’ Basque National Orchestra / Robert Trevino Ondine A fascinating and gloriously played programme of little-known American orchestral works, assembled and conducted with real care and passion by Robert Trevino. REVIEW ON PAGE 72 CHOPIN Piano Works Bruce Liu pf DG Followers of the recent Chopin Piano Competition – among which, given the huge viewing figures, you are highly likely to be one – can now celebrate the success of Bruce Liu with this wonderful album of performances captured live in Warsaw. REVIEW ON PAGE 89 DVD/BLU-RAY BRITTEN The Turn of the Screw Sols; Sinfonia of London / John Wilson Chandos Britten’s dark tale told in a production from Wilton’s Music Hall, with music-making from a superb…

Warner Classics has signed an exclusive contract with the Samoan tenor Pene Pati. His label debut, scheduled for spring next year, will be a recital of arias from Romantic operas by Verdi, Rossini, Donizetti, Meyerbeer, Gounod, Massenet and Godard, recorded with the Orchestre national Bordeaux Aquitaine under the conductor Emmanuel Villaume. Pati – who grew up in New Zealand – is a graduate of San Francisco Opera’s training scheme, the Adler Program, and a prizewinner at competitions including Operalia, Neue Stimmen, the Montserrat Caballé International Aria Competition and the Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Award. Alain Lanceron, President of Warner Classics and Erato, said of the signing: ‘Pene Pati is in the great tradition of lyric tenors. First and foremost, there is the beauty and warmth of his voice, which…

Deutsche Grammophon has added a new young tenor to its roster: Jonathan Tetelman. The 33-year-old Chilean-American singer’s Yellow Label debut – set for release next summer – will be a programme of Verdi and verismo arias. It was recorded in late October in Las Palmas, with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria and its Chief Conductor Karel Mark Chichon at their home venue, the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus. Tetelman hopes his album will create ‘a portrait of what represents my path as an artist, combining a few lesser-known works with arias and duets for the romantic tenor voice. We’re focusing on the Italian and fuller lyric French repertoire, which is a great place to start. Since making the switch from baritone to tenor, I have honed my craft and sharpened my focus.…

Warner Classics has announced the renewal of its relationship with acclaimed pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja. The first recording under the new contract will be Mozart’s complete piano sonatas, to be released in a six-CD box in February. Leonskaja’s existing catalogue on Warner includes widely admired solo Schubert and Brahms, concertos with conductors including Kurt Masur, chamber music with the Alban Berg, Borodin and Artemis quartets, and a 1995 recording with Sviatoslav Richter of Grieg’s arrangements for two pianos of Mozart sonatas. It is a joy and an honour for Warner Classics to welcome back the legendary Elisabeth Leonskaja,’ said Bertrand Castellani, VP A&R Warner Classics & Erato. ‘Not only is she one of the greatest pianists of our time, but she is also a link to the Russian school that has played such…