
Bach's Christmas Oratorio in Building a Library with Nicholas Kenyon and Andrew McGregor
Nicholas Kenyon chooses his favourite recording of Bach's Christmas Oratorio in Building a Library, and Katy Hamilton reviews an exciting pile of new piano releases.
with Andrew McGregor
9.30 Building a Library
Nicholas Kenyon chooses his favourite recording of Bach's Christmas Oratorio.
Bach wrote his Christmas Oratorio for performance in church during the Christmas season of 1734. It incorporates music from earlier compositions and is in six parts, one part for each of the major feast days of the Christmas period. It is full of wonderfully invigorating choruses and expressive arias and is a seasonal favourite.
10.30
Katy Hamilton reviews an exciting mixed bag of new piano releases, including music by Rzewski, Dvorak and Beethoven recorded on a replica of his Erard piano.
11.20
Record of the Week
Andrew recommends an outstanding new release.
Last on
Music Played
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Samuel Scheidt
Ludi musici I, No. 22: Intrada, SSWV 60
Ensemble: Lautten Compagney.- Deutsche HM.
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Erik Satie
Sarabande No. 3
Ensemble: Lautten Compagney.- Deutsche HM.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Romance No. 2 for Violin and Orchestra in F major, Op. 50
Performer: Midori. Orchestra: Lucerne Festival Strings. Conductor: Daniel Dodds.- Warner Classics.
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Richard Rodney Bennett
Lullaby Baby
Choir: Choir of Keble College, Oxford. Director: Matthew Martin.- CRD.
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Robert Schumann
Adagio & Allegro, Op. 79
Performer: Steinar Granmo Nilson. Performer: Kristin Fossheim.- 2L.
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Richard Strauss
Träumerei am Kamin. Ruhig schwebend (4 Symphonic Interludes from "Intermezzo, Op. 72", TrV 246a, No. 2)
Orchestra: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Mariss Jansons.- R. Strauss & Brahms: Orchestral Works (Live).
- BR-Klassik.
- 102.
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Lennox Berkeley
Shepherd, Shepherd, Hark That Calling
Singer: Kathleen Ferrier. Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Hugo Rignold.- Somm Records ARIADNE.
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Johannes Brahms
Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major, Op. 8 (2nd mvt)
Ensemble: Trio Isimsiz.- Fauré: Piano Trio - Schubert: Notturno in E-Flat - Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 in B.
- Rubicon.
- 106.
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Sergey Rachmaninov
Arion, Op. 34 No. 5
Performer: Lada Valešová. Singer: Natalya Romaniw.- Arion: Voyage of a Slavic Soul.
- Orchid Classics.
- 1201.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135 (2nd mvt)
Ensemble: Kremerata Baltica. Conductor: Mario Brunello.- Alpha.
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György Ligeti
Arc-en-ciel (Etudes, Book 1, No. 5)
Performer: Khatia Buniatishvili.- Sony.
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Johann Sebastian Bach
Badinerie from Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B Minor, BWV 1067 (Arr. for Four Hands)
Performer: Khatia Buniatishvili. Performer: Gvantsa Buniatishvili.- Sony.
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Erik Satie
Pièces froides: Danse de travers No. 2
Performer: David Greilsammer.- Naive.
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Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Fantasia in D minor, Wq. 113 / 3 (H195)
Performer: David Greilsammer.- Naive.
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Erik Satie
Pièces froides: Danse de travers No. 3
Performer: David Greilsammer.- Naive.
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Antonín Dvořák
Serenade (Poetic Tone Pictures, Op. 85)
Performer: Elena Bashkirova.- Dvořák: Poetic Tone Pictures.
- CAvi-music.
- 109.
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Louis Adam
Sonata in C Major, Op. 8 No. 2 (3rd mvt)
Performer: Tom Beghin.- Evil Penguin.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 'Waldstein' (4th mvt)
Performer: Tom Beghin.- Evil Penguin.
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Frederic Rzewski
Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around
Performer: Thomas Kotcheff.- Coviello.
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Malcolm Arnold
The Dancing Master, Op. 34 (opening)
Singer: Eleanor Dennis. Singer: Catherine Carby. Singer: Mark Wilde. Singer: Ed Lyon. Singer: Fiona Kimm. Singer: Graeme Broadbent. Orchestra: ѿý Concert Orchestra. Conductor: John Andrews.- Resonus Classics.
Record Review
9.00am
Time Zones: Satie, Scheidt
Lautten Compagney
Wolfgang Katschner (director)
Deutsche HM 19439807952
Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Romances
Midori (violin)
Festival Strings Lucerne
Daniel Dodds (director)
Warner Classics 9029517920
Ave Rex Angelorum: Carols and Music Tracing the Journey from Christ the King to Epiphany
Choir of Keble College Oxford,
Jeremy Filsell (organ)
Benjamin Mills (organ)
Matthew Martin (director)
CRD CRD3537
The Horn in Romanticism: Dukas, Gounod, Saint-Saëns, Chabrier, Czerny, Franz Strauss, Schumann and Richard Strauss
Steinar Granmo Nilsen (historical horns)
Kristin Fossheim (fortepiano)
2L 2L-162-SABD (Hybrid SACD)
9.30am – Building a Library – Nicholas Kenyon on J. S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Reviewer: Nicholas Kenyon
Recommended Recording:
Malin Hartelius (soprano)
Kristina Hammarström (alto)
Jörg Dürmüller (tenor)
Detlef Roth (baritone)
Combattimento Consort Amsterdam
Capella Amsterdam
Jan Willem de Vriend (conductor)
Challenge Classics CC76607 (2 Hybrid SACDs) or CC76608 (download)
Other Recommended Recording(s):
Lisa Larsson (soprano)
Elisabeth von Magnus (alto)
Christoph Prégardien (tenor)
Klaus Mertens (bass)
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir
Ton Koopman (conductor)
Erato 9029539278 (2 CDs) or 0630146352 (download)
Nancy Argenta (soprano)
Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo-soprano)
Anthony Rolfe Johnson (tenor)
Hans Peter Blochwitz (tenor)
Olaf Bär (bass)
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
John Eliot Gardiner (conductor)
DG Archiv 4791759 (2 CDs)
Historic choice:
Elly Ameling (soprano)
Helen Watts (contralto)
Peter Pears (tenor)
Tom Krause (baritone)
Lübecker Kantorei
Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
Karl Münchinger (conductor)
Decca E4554102 (2 CDs)
10.15am – New Releases
Mariss Jansons: His Last Concert - Live at Carnegie Hall
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Mariss Jansons (conductor)
BR Klassik 900192
20th-Century British Treasures: Kathleen Ferrier
Kathleen Ferrier (contralto)
Anna Pollak (mezzo-soprano)
Frederick Stone, Phyllis Spurr, Ernest Lush (piano)
EOG Orchestra
Reginald Goodall (conductor)
London Symphony Orchestra
Hugo Rignold (conductor)
Somm ARIADNE5010
Trio Isimsiz: Brahms, Fauré and Schubert
Trio Isimsiz
Rubicon RCD1048
Arion: Voyage of A Slavic Soul – songs by Rimsky Korsakov, Dvořák, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Novák
Natalya Romaniw (soprano)
Lada Valešová (piano)
Orchid Classics ORC100131
Searching for Ludwig: Beethoven, Sollima & Ferré
Kremerata Baltica
Gidon Kremer (violin/director)
Mario Brunello (conductor)
Alpha ALPHA660
10.45am – New Releases – Katy Hamilton on new chamber releases
Labyrinth: music by Morricone, Satie, Chopin, Ligeti, Bach etc.
Khatia Buniatishvili (piano)
Sony 19439795772
Labyrinth: music by Janáček, Lully, Beethoven, Crumb, Ligeti, Bach etc.
David Greilsammer (piano)
Naïve V7084
Dvorak: Poetic Tone Poems
Elena Bashkirova (piano)
Avi Music AVI8553113
Beethoven and His French Piano
Tom Beghin (piano)
Evil Penguin EPRC0036 (2 CDs)
Frederic Rzewski: Songs of Resurrection
Thomas Kotcheff (piano)
Coviello COV92021
11.15am – Record of the Week
Malcolm Arnold: The Dancing Master, Op. 34
Eleanor Dennis (soprano)
Catherine Carby (mezzo-soprano)
Fiona Kimm (contralto)
Ed Lyon (tenor)
Mark Wilde (tenor)
Graeme Broadbent (bass-baritone)
ѿý Concert Orchestra
John Andrews (conductor)
Resonus Classics RES10269
Broadcast
- Boxing Day 2020 09:00ѿý Radio 3
Composers A to Z
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