Chopin: The Four Ballades and Beyond

2 Waltzes, Op. posth. 69: No. 2 in B Minor

2 Waltzes, Op. posth. 69: No. 1 in A-Flat Major, “Valse de l'adieu”

Impromptu No. 3 in G-Flat Major, Op. 51

Kjell Fagéus, clarinet Hans Samuelsson, bassoon Stefan Bojsten, piano (Early recording 1979)
Presto - Andante - Allegretto grazioso


Felix Mendelssohn-Bartoldy Concert Piece nr 2 op. 114

THOMAS GOULD Live in Riga
Sinfonietta Riga

1-3. Violin Concerto in D, Op. 61 - Ludwig van Beethoven
	I. Allegro ma non troppo
	II. Larghetto
	III. Rondo (Allegro)

4. The Lark Ascending - Ralph Vaughan Williams  

Produced by Raphaël Mouterde
Executive producer Dave Stapleton

‘Live in Riga’ is the major new album from the celebrated 31 year old British violinist Thomas Gould.  Recorded live in concert with Sinfonietta Riga on April 11th 2014 at the Great Guild Hall in Riga, Latvia, it confirms Gould’s enormous potential as one of the most inventive and colourful instrumentalists of his generation.  Gould is no ordinary classical musician but one of a new generation who refuse to be defined by a single genre.  He has developed impressive jazz credentials, but it is in this environment as soloist/director of classical repertoire where he really excels.  The Times recently described Gould as “intent on becoming the Nigel Kennedy of his generation”.  Gould, however, is incomparably his own musician.  Bold and courageous enough to forge his own path and follow his singular vision, he steps outside the footsteps of the greats.

‘Live in Riga’ is a defining album for Gould, his first disc of a three-album deal with forward-thinking British jazz and classical record label Edition Classics.  Over the last decade he has been in demand as a soloist with major orchestras worldwide, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra and LA Phil New Music Group.  He is also much in demand as a leader/director, working with Britten Sinfonia, Aurora Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s ACO2, but it’s when he brings these disciplines together that the magic happens.  As Gould explains, “It means that everyone plays in a more engaged way. There is a group commitment to making it work, so the process is much more collaborative than when working with conductor.”

Sinfonietta Riga is an orchestra with a story to tell.  Formed in 2006, their vision is as bold as Gould’s.  Equally happy to play in concert dress or T-shirts they are intent on building new audiences for the music while reaching for the highest artistic standards.  Their collaboration is a perfect match and a unique experience for both the orchestra and for Gould.  This live concert recording bears witness to this special musical symbiosis.

To release an album featuring Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending is a bold decision.  As two cornerstones of the violin repertoire, there are plenty of performances to compare, but Gould’s versions demonstrate a brilliance of tone and colour that demands attention.  His flexibility and breadth of musical interests is fully evident.  Gould’s playing has the clarity you would expect from any major performer but radiates a freedom in its expression as though improvised with an immediate elegance and poise.

For Gould it’s all about achieving the right balance.  Whether it’s jazz or classical, written or improvised, as soloist or director, Gould is right in the eye of the storm.  If the dark clouds gathering in the wider music world imply that the days of the single-minded virtuoso are coming to an end; if to succeed in that brave new world we need to attract more diversity and brighter colours, then in Thomas Gould we may have found the lightning conductor to spark a new generation.


THOMAS GOULD Beethoven - Violin Concerto In D, Op.61 - II. Larghetto

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Sonata BWV 1031
Sicilienne

DUO CORD'EOLE
Fanny MAYNE, Querflöte
Nicolas FAURE, Violoncello
www.duocordeole.com

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)- Sicilienne BWV 1031

Alliterations

This set of SWWs was written in memory of a wonderful singer, teacher and friend, Diana Walkley. Here, significant reference is made to Elgar's Music Makers - a score of great insight, I now understand, into a lonely composer: a true 'dreamer of dreams'

SWW22.5

wanted (lovely piano)

This upbeat piece, from Jean-Baptiste Lully's « Le bourgeois gentilhomme», caught my ear while watching a movie about a serial killer who left behind a CD with this music on it at the crime scenes. I’ll spare you the details of how this music relates to the murders; but will say that one of the detectives googled the composer's name, and learned that when he conducted his music, he used a staff («baton») to pound out the beat on the floor. During one performance, Lully missed the floor and rammed the staff into his foot instead, which became infected, and he eventually died of gangrene. Ok, gruesome; but, the music is delightful, I think. Performed here on virtual instruments: strings for the first time through, woodwinds (recorders, oboes, and bassoon) the second time, and tutti the third time (with continuo and percussion throughout). Played on a wind controller (Akai EWI USB).

Castle Consort

Lully: Marche pour la Cérémonie des Turcs (2018.01.27)

Waltzes, Op. 64: No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor, Tempo giusto

Frederic Chopin: Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2

Newspaper critics are unanimous in their praise of Vadim's interpretations deeming them as «sensitive and expressive», «intelligent and powerful». With record-breaking 235 million views, his interpretation of the «Nocturne in E-flat Major» by Frederic Chopin is among the most popular classical music recordings on YouTube.

2 Waltzes, Op. posth. 69: No. 2 in B Minor

Vadim Chaimovich