Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Andrew McGregor with Roger Parker, Jeremy Sams and Harriet Smith

With Andrew McGregor. Includes Building a Library: Verdi's Aida; Jeremy Sams and Harriet Smith review new releases of chamber music by Mozart, Schumann and Brahms; Disc of the Week.

with Andrew McGregor.

0930
Building a Library on Verdi's opera Aida. Roger Parker recommends a version of one of the most popular operas in the repertoire. Set in the Egypt of the Pharaohs, Aida has the full panoply of choruses and marches but also much more intimate music, including the celebrated Nile Scene which contains all the subtle orchestration and psychological depth associated with Verdi's later operas.

1050
Andrew is joined by Jeremy Sams and Harriet Smith to discuss new releases of chamber music by Mozart, Schumann and Brahms

1145
Andrew chooses an outstanding new release as his Disc of the Week.

3 hours, 12 minutes

Clip

Music Played

  • William Walton

    Facade - An Entertainment For Reciter And Chamber Ensemble (opening, Nos 1-3)

    Narrator: Carole Boyd. Narrator: Zeb Soanes. Conductor: John Wilson.
    • Orchid Classics : ORC100067.
    • Orchid Classics.
    • 1-3.
  • Maurice Ravel

    Daphnis Et Chloe

    Ensemble: Aedes Ensemble. Orchestra: Les Si猫cles. Conductor: Fran莽ois鈥怷avier Roth.
    • Harmonia Mundi : HMM 905280.
    • Harmonia Mundi.
    • 1-3.
  • Mauricio Kagel

    Die Stucke Der Windrose For Chamber Ensemble

    Performer: Ensemble Aleph.
    • Evidence : EVCD030.
    • Evidence.
    • 1.
  • William Walton

    Facade - An Entertainment For Reciter And Chamber Ensemble Vers. Definitive

    Narrator: Carole Boyd. Narrator: Zeb Soanes. Conductor: John Wilson.
    • Orchid Classics : ORC100067.
    • Orchid Classics.
    • 20.
  • Joseph Haydn

    The Seven Last Words Of Our Saviour On The Cross, i. Introduction

    Ensemble: Callino String Quartet.
    • Coro : COR16152.
    • Coro.
    • 1.
  • Alessandro Scarlatti

    Passio Secundum Johannem (Opening)

    Performer: Giuseppina Bridelli. Choir: Namur Chamber Choir. Orchestra: Millenium Orchestra. Conductor: Leonardo Garc铆a Alarc贸n.
    • RICECAR.
  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Widerstehe doch der S眉nde, BWV 54: III. Aria "Wer S眉nde tut, der ist vom Teufel"

    Conductor: David Bates. Ensemble: La Nuova Musica.
    • Pergolesi: Stabat Mater - Bach: Cantatas BWV 54 & 170.
    • harmonia mundi.
    • 103.
  • Giovanni Battista Pergolesi

    Stabat Mater, P.77 (Stabat mater dolorosa)

    Singer: Lucy Crowe. Singer: Tim Mead. Ensemble: La Nuova Musica. Conductor: David Bates.
    • Pergolesi: Stabat Mater - Bach: Cantatas BWV 54 & 170.
    • harmonia mundi.
    • 104.
  • Arthur Honegger

    Le Roi David - Symphonic Psalm, Part 3

    Narrator: Christophe Balissat. Singer: Athena Poullos. Singer: Lucie Chartin. Singer: Marianne Beate Kielland. Singer: Thomas Walker. Choir: Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne. Orchestra: Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Conductor: Daniel Reuss.
    • Mirare : MIR 318.
    • Mirare.
    • 17-27.

9am

WALTON: Facade
Carole Boyd, Zeb Soanes (reciters), Ensemble, John Wilson (conductor)
ORCHID CLASSICS ORC100067 (CD)

RAVEL: Daphnis et Chloe
Marion Ralincourt (flute), Les Siecles, Ensemble Aedes, Francois-Xavier Roth (conductor)
HARMONIA MUNDI HMM905280 (CD)

KAGEL: Die Stucke der Windrose fur Salonorchester (The 8 pieces of the Wind Rose)
Ensemble Aleph
EVIDENCE CLASSICS EVCD030 (2CD)

9.30am - Building a Library

Building a Library: a weekly look at a piece of music, a comparison of the available recordings, and a recommendation.

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Piece: Aida
Reviewer: Roger Parker

Building a Library: Verdi's Aida

Recommended recording:
Montserrat Caballe (Aida), Placido Domingo (Radames), Fiorenza Cossotto (Amneris), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Ramfis), Piero Cappuccilli (Amonasro), Luigi Roni (The King of Egypt), Nicola Marinucci (Messenger), Esther Casas (Priestess), Royal Opera Chorus, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Riccardo Muti (conductor)
WARNER CLASSICS 2564690845 (3CD)

Other recommended recordings:
Below is a shortlist of other recordings which Roger Parker also liked, although we can鈥檛 guarantee the availability of these discs.

Anja Harteros (Aida), Jonas Kaufmann (Radames), Ekaterina Semenchuk (Amneris), Erwin Schrott (Ramfis), Ludovic Tezier (Amonasro), Marco Spotti (The King of Egypt), Paolo Fanale (Messenger), Eleonora Buratto (Priestess), Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Roma; Coro dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Antonio Pappano (conductor)
WARNER CLASSICS 2564610663 (3CD)

Maria Callas (Aida), Richard Tucker (Radames), Fedora Barbieri (Amneris), Giuseppe Modesti (Ramfis), Tito Gobbi (Amonasro), Nicolai Zaccaria (The King of Egypt), Franco Ricciardi (Messenger), Elvira Galassi (Priestess), La Scala Orchestra and Chorus, Tullio Serafin (conductor)
WARNER CLASSICS 2564634097 (2CD)

Leontyne Price (Aida), Jon Vickers (Radames), Rita Gorr (Amneris), Giorgio Tozzi (Ramfis), Robert Merrill (Amonasro), Plinio Clabassi (The King of Egypt), Franco Ricciardi (Messenger), Mietta Sighiele (Priestess), Orchestra e coro del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Sir Georg Solti (conductor)
DECCA 4782679 (2CD)

Mirella Freni (Aida), Jose Carreras (Radames), Agnes Baltsa (Amneris), Ruggero Raimondi (Ramfis), Piero Cappuccilli (Amonasro), Jose van Dam (The King of Eygpy), Thomas Moser (Messenger), Katia Ricciarelli (Priestess), Wiener Philharmoniker, Chor der Wiener Staatsoper, Herbert von Karajan (conductor)
WARNER CLASSICS 3818772 (3CD)

10.30am 鈥 new releases for Easter

HAYDN: String Quartet Op. 51 'Seven Last Words'
Callino Quartet
CORO COR16152 (CD)

Alessandro Scarlatti: Passio Secundum Johannem
SCARLATTI, A: St John Passion
Giuseppina Bridelli (mezzo-soprano), Choeur De Chambre De Namur, Millenium, Leonardo Garcia Alarcon (conductor)
RICERCAR RIC378 (CD)

Pergolesi: Stabat Mater
BACH, J S: Cantata BWV54 'Widerstehe doch der Sunde'; Cantata BWV170 'Vergnugte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust'
PERGOLESI: Stabat Mater
Lucy Crowe (soprano), Tim Mead (counter-tenor), La Nuova Musica, David Bates
HARMONIA MUNDI HMM907589 (CD)

Gavin Bryars: The Fifth Century
BRYARS: The Fifth Century; Two Love Songs
The Crossing, PRISM Saxophone Quartet, Donald Nally (conductor)
ECM 4814495 (CD)

10.50am 鈥 Harriet Smith and Jeremy Sams on chamber music

Lettres Intimes
BARTOK: String Quartet No. 1, Sz 40 (Op. 7)
JANACEK: String Quartet No. 2 'Intimate Letters'
SCHULHOFF: Five Pieces for String Quartet
Quatuor Voce
ALPHA ALPHA268 (CD)

Mozart: Violin Sonatas Volume 3
MOZART: Violin Sonata No. 12 in G major, K27; Violin Sonata No. 16 in B flat major, K31; Violin Sonata No. 17 in C major, K296; Violin Sonata No. 23 in D major, K306; Violin Sonata No. 32 in B flat major, K454; Violin Sonata No. 36 in F major, K547 'For Beginners'
Alina Ibragimova (violin), Cedric Tiberghien (piano)
HYPERION CDA68143 (2CD)

Brahms: String Sextets
BRAHMS: String Sextet No. 1 in B flat major Op. 18; String Sextet No. 2 in G major Op. 36
Cypress String Quartet, Barry Shiffman (viola), Zuill Bailey (cello)
AVIE AV2294 (CD)

Brahms: Piano Quintet & Schumann: String Quartet No. 1
BRAHMS: Piano Quintet in F minor Op. 34
SCHUMANN: String Quartet No. 1 in A minor Op. 41 No. 1
Menahem Pressler (piano), Pacifica Quartet
CEDILLE CDR90000170 (CD)

11.45am 鈥 Disc of the Week

HONEGGER: Le Roi David
Christophe Balissat (le recitant), Athena Poullos (la pythonisse), Lucie Chartin (soprano), Marianne Beate Kielland (mezzo-soprano), Thomas Walker (tenor), Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne, Daniel Reuss (conductor)
MIRARE MIR318 (CD)

Broadcast

  • Sat 1 Apr 2017 09:00

Composers A to Z

Composers A to Z

Visit the extensive Radio 3 audio archive of programmes about composers and their works.

Browse previous episodes of the Record Review Podcast

Browse previous episodes of the Record Review Podcast

All episodes since 2010, listed alphabetically by composer surname.

Why the music we love as teens stays with us for life

Cognitive neuropyschology can explain why we return to old favourites again and again.