Heinrich Sutermeister: Orchestral Works, Volume Two

Heinrich Sutermeister (1910–95) belongs to the generation of Swiss composers after Bloch, Honegger, Martin and Schoeck. His operatic version of Romeo and Juliet soon spread his reputation far afield, and conductors as prominent as Böhm, Karajan and Sawallisch championed his works, although since his death his music has not had the attention it deserves. These four big-boned works – a powerful setting of Boethius, an extract from Romeo und Julia and two sets of moving love-letters from genuine historical figures in Renaissance, Baroque and Enlightenment Germany and Switzerland – attest to the acuity of his ear in balancing voice and large orchestra and confirm his instinct for drama.

Juliane Banse, soprano (1–9, 17–22)
Benjamin Bruns, tenor (10–16)
Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz
Rainer Held, conductor

Livia Teodorescu-Ciocănea: Le rouge et le noir

Le rouge et le noir, the pioneering psychological novel by Stendhal published in 1830, has had a number of adaptations on film but surprisingly few treatments in music. This three-act ballet, premiered in 2000, by the Romanian composer Livia Teodorescu-Ciocănea (b. 1959), rectifies that omission in the grand manner. The atmosphere is dark and passionate, as the novel requires, and the musical language reflects the remarkable tradition of Romanian modernism that emerged in the second half of the twentieth century from the music of Enescu – a distinctive soundworld that blends rich timbral colour with deep roots in Romanian folk-music.

Mihaela Stanciu (soprano)
Romeo Cornelius (countertenor)
Chorus and Orchestra of Romanian National Opera
Răsvan Cernat (conductor)

Heinrich Sutermeister: Orchestral Works, Volume One

Heinrich Sutermeister (1910–95) belongs to the generation of Swiss composers after Bloch, Honegger, Martin and Schoeck. His operatic version of Romeo and Juliet soon spread his reputation far afield, and conductors as prominent as Böhm, Karajan and Sawallisch championed his works. Although his star has waned in the quarter-century since his death, the four orchestral works recorded here – ranging from the dramatic essay he drew from that first Shakespearean operatic success, via the easy-going charm of two lighter suites, to his deeply felt response to the Swiss landscape – bring a salutary reminder of why his music appeals so directly to its audiences.

Mit Deutschem Kommentar

Bruno Cathomas, speaker (8–13)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Duncan Riddell, leader
Rainer Held, conductor

Prokofiev’s Violin Partnerships

At the beginning of October Toccata Classics will release a new album, by the violinist Yuri Kalnits and pianist Yulia Chaplina, of music by Prokofiev… 

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