Casa Guidi
$11.98 – $16.98
Frederica von Stade Sings Dominick Argento
Frederica von Stade
Eiji Oue, Conductor
Minnesota Orchestra
Burt Hara, Clarinet
Double GRAMMY® nominee!
Reference Recordings was once again honored by the Grammy organization, with two nominations for ONE release. Mezzo-soprano FREDERICA VON STADE was nominated in the category Best Classical Vocal Performance, and composer DOMINICK ARGENTO won in the category Best Classical Contemporary Composition. Congratulations to both!
This magical CD brings together world premiere recordings of three works by one of America’s outstanding living composers, Dominick Argento (b.1927), and features the magnificent singing of mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade. “Everything Argento writes …originates in his love for the voice. His subject is self-discovery — the human condition illuminated by music of extraordinary lyric beauty.” Casa Guidi, with Ms von Stade, is a set of five songs with orchestra based on letters of poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Argento’s Capriccio for Clarinet and Orchestra (“Rossini in Paris”) is a delightful tribute to the spirit and melodic brilliance of the great 19th century composer of “The Barber of Seville”. Finally, In Praise of Music: Seven Songs for Orchestra is a brilliant symphonic tribute to the glory of music itself, drawing inspiration from the spirit of music expressed by many cultures over the centuries. Pulitzer Prize winning Dominick Argento is the Composer Laureate of the Minnesota Orchestra and under the direction of Eiji Oue, that orchestra plays with passion, panache and tremendous sensitivity to this beautiful music.
On This Recording
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Casa Guidi:
- No. 1, Casa Guidi
- No. 2, The Italian Cook and the English Maid
- No. 3, Robert Browning
- No. 4, The Death of Mr. Barrett
- No. 5, Domesticity Capriccio “Rossini in Paris”:
- I. Une réjouissance
- II. Une caresse à ma femme
- III. Un petit train du plaisir In Praise of Music:
- No. 1, For the Healer “David”
- No. 2, For the God “Apollo”
- No. 3, For the Satyr “Pan”
- No. 4, For the Sorrower “Orpheus”
- No. 5, For the Angel “Israfel”
- No. 6, For the Saint “Cecilia”
- No. 7, For the Child “Mozart”
Reviews:
“The Minnesota Orchestra commissioned In Praise of Music for its 75th anniversary. In organizing the composition Argento adapted themes from around the world and from as far back in history as music is notated. The result is dazzlingly diverse as it moves from Japanese court music to Tunisian street music (and other equally unlikely juxtapositions) seemingly without effort. …the Capriccio is a substantial and virtuosic full-scale concerto, and its slow movement is lovely enough to be worthy of Mozart’s example. The orchestra’s principal clarinetist, Burt Hara, gives an exciting and good-humored performance. … The disc is welcome as part of the re-launch of Reference Recordings. Not just for modern clarinet fans or vocal fanciers, this beautiful-sounding, award-winning HDCD represents the state of the art in standard CD production, surpassing in tonal depth and naturalness a majority of the SACDs I have heard. Highly recommended.” —Joseph Stevenson, ClassicsToday
“Frederica Von Stade brings years of experience with Casa Guidi songs to this recording, and her subtle sense of character is essential to the success of the songs, which sometimes meander. … The Cappriccio is an entertaining work, given a fine performance by clarinetist Burt Hara. The second movement, which takes its title from Gioachino Rossini’s “Une saresse à ma femme,” is an expressive gem — probably the best-crafted single movement on the album. Eiji Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra take center stage for In Praise of Music, which was composed for the orchestra’s 75th anniversary. Each of the seven “songs” has a distinct orchestration, meant to showcase a different group of musicians within the larger ensemble. Some of them are brilliantly evocative, such as “The fifth song: for the angel, ISRAFEL,” which is based on an Arabian street song. The second “song” is notable for including Argento’s own transcription of Greek musical notation from the second century B.C. Throughout this work, and the entire album, Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra play with color and sensitivity.” —Allen Schrott, AllMusic
