The latest releases reviewed.
STOCKHAUSEN: STIMMUNG Theatre of Voices/Paul Hillier Harmonia Mundi HMU 807408 *****
Stockhausen's Stimmung, which introduced overtone singing to western music in 1968, is a work that's emblematic of important aspects of 1960s culture. It's an amplified vocal sextet which, as Paul Hillier puts it, "redefines the very notion of what a vocal ensemble is for and what it might achieve". The piece is long, quiet, meditative, exploring outwards from the natural sounds of a single, low B flat, and invoking magic names and erotic poetry with an inward, incantatory ecstasy. It's both tonal and serial, and is marked by that strange combination of complexity, sophistication and naivety which is to be found in so much of Stockhausen's music. Paul Hillier's 78-minute Copenhagen version (no two performances need be the same) has input from the composer, refreshing the work for a new century. www.uk.hmboutique.com MICHAEL DERVAN
BEETHOVEN: PIANO CONCERTO NO 5 (EMPEROR); SONATA IN A OP 101 Hélène Grimaud, Staatskapelle Dresden/Vladimir Jurowski Deutsche Grammophon 477 7149 ***
Unlike John O'Conor, Hélène Grimaud seems more concerned to make a grand individual statement in the Emperor Concerto. Her tonal presentation and expressive reach are much more wide-ranging than O'Conor's. She seems to want to find new things to say through the music rather than let it speak for itself. Conductor Vladimir Jurowski offers matching support, and the recording, too, is altogether more in your face than Telarc's for O'Conor. The effect can be somewhat distracting, generating a sense of striving towards the future rather than O'Conor's readiness to live in the now. Grimaud adopts a similar, heavily finger-printed approach to the late Sonata in A. www.deutschegrammophon.com MICHAEL DERVAN
BEETHOVEN: PIANO CONCERTOS 2 & 5 (EMPEROR) John O'Conor, London Symphony Orchestra/Andreas Delfs Telarc CD-80675 ***
The protracted hiatus in John O'Conor's recording activity for Telarc is brought to an end by this new coupling of two Beethoven piano concertos, the first instalment in a full cycle with the LSO under Andreas Delfs. The recording of both piano and orchestra is dry, and this emphasises what you might call an old-mannish aspect to the solo playing, It's plain, wise and to-the-point, without frippery or attitude. O'Conor gives the impression of knowing exactly how these two concertos need to go and of being happy to let them be themselves. The effect will probably be too muted for certain tastes, especially in the finale of the Emperor. But it's sure to please O'Conor's many fans at home and abroad. www.telarc.com MICHAEL DERVAN
SIBELIUS: SYMPHONIES 1-7; TONE POEMS Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra/ Neeme Järvi Deutsche Grammophon 477 6654 (7 CDs) ***
For the 50th anniversary of the death of Sibelius, Deutsche Grammophon has collected Estonian conductor Neeme Järvi's Gothenburg recordings of the great Finnish master's tone poems (from the 1990s) and symphonies (released as recently as 2005) for a special-priced set. Sibelius's early Tchaikovkian manner morphed over time into a style of greater austerity. Järvi's approach has the effect of a well-fitting suit. There's nothing unduly spectacular to attract the attention, but the detail is always well-moulded. The recordings are full in manner yet clear in detail, the playing tonally warm and emotionally refined. Sadly, they now come without any sleeve notes. www.deutschegrammophon.com MICHAEL DERVAN
