Gioacchino Rossini - Armida

"In April 1952, when she sang the title role of Rossini's 'Armida' under Tullio Serafin at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Maria Callas was just twenty-eight-years old. Her international renown came later. But the febrile applause that greets her first entrance on this recording indicates that, in Italy, she was already a sensation.

"This 'Armida' [...] makes it amply clear what the fuss was about. She’s astonishing throughout, but especially in the opening salvo of the work’s finale. The sorceress Armida has just learned that her lover Rinaldo is abandoning her, and she responds with a series of runs, turns and octave leaps that would defeat all but the most technically accomplished singers. Callas’s singing here doesn’t register just as a technical tour-de-force but also as a searing portrait of rage. Her voice remains at full, torrential strength through even the most intricate passagework. Each note is sounded as cleanly as if on a piano, her attack giving the passagework, for all of its rapidity, a sculptural quality. Other singers have been as fleet, but none has been able to articulate coloratura with the same astounding force or ferocity. The passage is as phenomenal a two minutes of operatic performance as exists on disc. 

"In a role that consists mostly of coloratura, Callas offers an encyclopedic display of the expressive variety that florid singing can achieve. In her Act II duet with Rinaldo, it serves as a means of seduction. The sounds she makes aren’t exactly dulcet: the voice’s resin was a defining quality throughout her all-too-short career. But the way she binds those sounds into shapely, alluring phrases makes mere mellifluousness seem beside the point. 'D'amore al dolce impero,' Armida’s showpiece rondo, not only dazzles the ear but demonstrates the sorceress’s supernatural capability for erotic enchantment. Still, Callas makes every bit as overwhelming an effect in the andante central section of the finale, when the writing forsakes coloratura in favor of simple declamation: Armida here has the nobility of a Gluck heroine.

"The rest of the cast is significantly less impressive. Armida calls for no fewer than seven tenors; when the Met staged the work in 2010–11, it mustered a uniformly stronger male contingent than can be heard here: the Rossini tenor, in happy abundance in our own era, was thought extinct in the middle of the last century. Francesco Albanese’s lyric approach suggests Rinaldo’s pliancy, but the florid writing is either simplified or simply excised. Gianni Raimondi, early in his career, is double cast as Eustazio and Carlo, and he’s thoroughly likable in both roles. But the leather-lunged dramatic tenor Mario Filippeschi makes such a hash out of the warrior Gernando’s music that one can only be thankful that his Act I aria fell victim to Serafin’s pruning shears.

"The Florence orchestra does not sound as polished as the La Scala forces do elsewhere in this collection, but Serafin has the measure of the music. His tempos tend to be statelier than we expect today in Rossini performances, but the whole is wonderfully buoyant, and the synergetic support he gives his prima donna demonstrates why theirs was a momentous collaboration. Previous editions of this 'Armida' have been so congested as to border on the unlistenable; though Warner’s remastering hasn’t exactly made the performance easy on the ears, it has brought a new degree of spaciousness to the sound, allowing us to hear Callas in all her blazing intensity." (Fred Cohn. From the Opera News review to the Warner Classics reissue of this recording. See here.)

Performers: Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Tullio Serafin, Maria Callas, Francesco Albanese, Mario Filippeschi, Gianni Raimondi, Alessandro Ziliani

1.1. Sinfonia
1.2. Atto I: 'Lieto, Ridente Oltre L'usato'
1.3. Atto I: 'Ah! No. Sia Questo Di Tregua Il Giorno'
1.4. Atto I: 'Arditi, All'ire Farem Ritorno.'
1.5. Atto I: 'Si, Guerrieri, Fian Sacre'
1.6. Atto I: 'Germano, A Te Richiede Donna Real'
1.7. Atto I: 'Signor, Tanto Tuo Nome'
1.8. Atto I: 'Sventurata! Or Che Mi Resta'
1.9. Atto I: 'Or Che Farò? Ceder Dovrò?'
1.10. Atto I: 'German, Se Togli Al Campo'
1.11. Atto I: 'Per Me Proprizioil Fato'
1.12. Atto I: 'Cedei Guerrieri È Ver'
1.13. Atto I: 'Com! A Dudon Costui Succede?'
1.14. Atto I: 'Non Soffrirò L'offesa'
1.15. Atto I: 'Grata Quest'alma, Costante La Memoria'
1.16. Atto I: 'Amor... Possente Nome!'
1.17. Atto I: 'Vacillaa Quegli Accenti'
1.18. Atto I: 'Ah! Non Poss'io Resistere'
1.19. Atto I: 'Cara, Per Te Quest'anima'
1.20. Atto I: 'Ecco Il Guerriero Il Duce'
1.21. Atto I: 'Se Pari Accenti'
1.22. Atto I: 'Che Terribile Momento!'
1.23. Atto I: 'Sappia Il Duce Il Caso Orrendo'
1.24. Atto I: 'Deh! Se Cara A Te Son Io'
1.25. Atto I: 'Vieni, O Duce, Punisci L'errore'
1.26. Atto I: 'Un Astro Langue'
1.27. Atto II: 'Alla Voce D' Armida Possente'
1.28. Atto II: 'Sovr'umano Potere'
1.29. Atto II: 'Di Ferro E Fiamme Cinti'
1.30. Atto II: 'Ebben, L'istante È Giunto'
1.31. Atto II: Introduzione
1.32. Atto II: 'Dove Son Io!...'

2.1. Atto II: 'Mio Ben, Questa Che Premi'
2.2. Atto II: 'No; D'Amor La Reggia È Questa'
2.3. Atto II: Canzoni Amorose
2.4. Atto II: 'D'amor Al Dolce Impero'
2.5. Atto II, Ballo: Marziale
2.6. Atto II, Ballo: Andante
2.7. Atto II, Ballo: Allegro Moderato
2.8. Atto II, Ballo: Vivace
2.9. Atto II, Ballo: Coda Orchestra
2.10. Atto III: 'Come L'Aurette Placide'
2.11. Atto III: 'Oh Quanto, Amico, D'Ascalogna Al Saggio'
2.12. Atto III: 'T'inganni. A Noi Sen Viene'
2.13. Atto III: 'Fuggite Infernei Mostri'
2.14. Atto III: 'Soavi Catene'
2.15. Atto III: 'O Mio Rinaldo, Ammira'
2.16. Atto III: 'Lo Splendor Di Que'rai'
2.17. Atto III: 'In Quale Aspetto Imbelle'
2.18. Atto III: 'S'hai Cor Bastantein Petto'
2.19. Atto III: 'Unitevi A Gara Virtude, Valore'
2.20. Atto III: Musica Di Trasformazione
2.21. Atto III: 'Sia Lode Al Cielo, Da Quelle Inique Mura'
2.22. Atto III: 'Ed È Più Vero?...'
2.23. Atto III: 'Se Al Mio Crudel Tormento'
2.24. Atto III: 'Dove Son Io!... Fuggi!'
2.25. Atto III: 'Vendetta...'
2.26. 'D'amor Al Dolce Impero'

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Jan Ladislav Dussek - Works for Piano Four Hands

"Dussek was born four years after Mozart, and lived three years beyond Haydn, yet his life-works still can't be placed alongside those of the Classical Masters. In many respects, he can be looked upon as a forerunner to Romanticism, without him ever actually having a conscious aim to establish any new style. 

"The earliest dating work featured in this recording is the Op. 32 in C major, also known as the 'Grande Ouverture', which was written in 1796. It was in that year that Dussek's 'piano study hook' was published, in London in English (and then in Leipzig in 1802 in German). Also in that year, he and lgnaz Joseph Pleyel were preparing to put out a work far publication in Paris in the following year — the 'Nouvelle Methode de Pianoforte, contenant les principes du doigte'. The monumental opening movement of the 'Grand Ouverture', (with a slow opening in sonata form) is lengthier than the following too, and superior even in it's refinement. (Therefore, truly justifying it's title of 'Grand Ouverture'). The solemn and stately nature of the 'Largo' calls to mind the French-type ouverture. In the fast main section, the first subject is followed by a lengthy transition section (in which the bridge function of the section is barely noticeable, because of the abundance of thematic material). It is soon noticeable, that the secondary theme, which begins as conventional and steady, is in actuality, flexible. The start of the development section is flighty in character, and the many chains of sequences can cause the listener to lose direction. It is the feature of the recapitulation, that after many modulations, the listener is once again thrown into uncertainty; the theme appearing in the subdominant, (almost as if the real recapitulation were actually only a false one). The F-major 'Larghetto' is the simple binary form — an 'Haven of Peace' within the work. 

"In the closing 'Rondo', the characteristic circle dance is apparent, and in it's form, the structure is relatively free. The rondo theme is like an endlessly lengthy section in itself. As a result of this characteristic, any musical material can he introduced, distorting it's proportions, contrary to the expectations of the listener. Chronologically, his next work — also in C major — is the Op. 48, written in 1801, and is the first piece featured on this disc. The proportions of the movements are more even, though again it is the first movement that is the most significant. In the exposition section of the 'Allegro', transitions and modulations make the second subject area particularly lengthy. For the most part, it is from this pliable material that the heavily modulating development section is built. Surprisingly, in the following recapitulation, the opening of the first subject theme is not re-introduced. This 'surprise' element is emphasised further by the fact that it doesn't stay continuously within the tonic key. 

"The middle movement a 'Larghetto' in A-flat major, almost reaches I Beethovenian heights and depths. It suggests a sense or intimacy, and at the same time, shows Dussek's sensitivity to key-symbolism. 

"The C minor intermezzo leads with attacca into the following 'Rondo', in which the sections are dynamic and asymmetric, thus holding the attention. The theme on this occasion is also characterised by the fact that it can appear at anytime, almost imperceptibly, for as long as the previous material is able to blend with it. It's defining feature, is the lack of melodical particularity, and it is precisely because of that, that almost on the initial hearing, a sense of familiarity is awakened. The three fugues dating from 1808, are in D major, G minor and F major. In all three movements, the importance of the interlude sections appears almost negligible, as the movements are almost entirely structured around the thematic material. 

"However, it would be futile to look for any characteristics of the art of the Baroque fugue, since the movements fulfil only mono-thematic expectations. 

"Dussck's sensitivity towards the tonalities he chooses can be traced back to the start of his career. He was particularly drawn to the key of G minor, which he would always use to achieve a specific atmospheric effect. 

"His late 'Piano sonata in B major' (1811), with the slow movement — a heart-rending funeral march in G minor — is a fine examples of this. As if self-conscious in openly displaying his emotions, he diverts attention towards a light-hearted minuet-finale." (Katalin Eider, tr. Catherine Offord. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Adrienne Soós, Ivo Haag

1. Sonata In C Major, Op. 48 (C. 186): I. Allegro
2. Sonata In C Major, Op. 48 (C. 186): II. Larghetto Affetuoso E Non Troppo Lento
3. Sonata In C Major, Op. 48 (C. 186): III. Intermezzo. Allegretto Moderato Ma Energico - Rondo. Allegro Moderato
4. Grande Sonate In B-Flat Major, Op. 74 (C. 234): I. Allegro Con Fuoco
5. Grande Sonate In B-Flat Major, Op. 74 (C. 234): II. Marche Funebre. Andante Moderato
6. Grande Sonate In B-Flat Major, Op. 74 (C. 234): III. Menuetto. Tempo Di Ballo - Quasi Andante
7. Three Fugues, Op. 64: Fuga I (C. 227). Tempo Molto Moderato
8. Three Fugues, Op. 64: Fuga II (C. 228). Andante Moderato
9. Three Fugues, Op. 64: Fuga III (C. 229). Tempo Ad Libitum Ma Non Presto
10. Sonata In C Major, Op. 32 (C. 144): I. Largo - Allegro Moderato
11. Sonata In C Major, Op. 32 (C. 144): II. Larghetto Non Tanto
12. Sonata In C Major, Op. 32 (C. 144): III. Rondo. Allegretto

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Joseph Haydn - Piano Sonatas Nos. 53-56 & 58; Un Piccolo Divertimento

"Haydn's 'Sonata in E minor, Hob. XVI:34', is of uncertain date, but was published in London in 1784 as one of a group of three keyboard sonatas. It seems that all three were derived from an earlier source. The sonata opens with a fast movement in 6/8, the ascending arpeggio in the left hand answered immediately by the right. It has a G major second subject and the central development starts in E major, making much of the opening figure before the final recapitulation. The following 'Adagio' in G major has elaborate figuration for the right hand and is linked by means of an unexpected cadence into E minor to the final 'Vivace' molto in that key, marked innocentemente and with contrasting melodies in the major and minor keys. 

"The three sonatas Hob. XVI:40 - 42 appeared in 1784 and were dedicated to Princess Marie Esterházy, who had married the grandson of Haydn's patron Prince Nicolaus in the early autumn of 1783. It has been suggested that the set was in the nature of a wedding present to the wife of Haydn's future patron, the younger Prince Nicolaus. Each of the sonatas is in two movements. The first of the sonatas, in G major, is marked 'Allegretto e innocente', a suggestion of the feminine grace expected of their performer. The principal theme, each of its two sections repeated, is followed the two sections of a dramatic theme in G minor. A varied version of the G major theme returns, to be followed by a more elaborate version of the G minor material, leading to a more decorated re-appearance of the first theme. The second movement, marked 'Presto', is again in two repeated sections, the first of which returns after a brief interlude of drama, to end now in the tonic key. A section in E minor is followed by a more elaborate version of the principal theme. The second sonata, in B-flat major, has a principal theme in dotted rhythm, while a triplet accompaniment predominates in the subsidiary theme. Interesting twists of harmony, even in the second bar, are carried further in the central development, which opens in D-flat major. Much use is made of answering figures between right and left hands in the lively second movement. Again the two sections of the principal theme are each repeated, before a B-flat minor version of the material, leading to a more decorated version of the first theme in the tonic major key. The set ends with a Sonata in D major. The first movement is marked 'Andante con espressione' and the two sections of the principal theme are again each repeated before returning in varied guise, with changes of ornamentation and mode, the final version being one of some intricacy. The main theme of the lively second movement is one of the clearest possible texture in its first appearance and forms the substance of the movement. 

"The 'Sonata in C major, Hob. XVI:48', first appeared in 1789 in the first number of the 'Musikalischer Pot-Pourri' published by Christoph Gottlob Breitkopf in Leipzig. It opens with a slow movement, marked 'Andante con espressione', and shows an attention to the dynamics of the new fortepiano that heralds the work of Beethoven. The two repeated sections of the principal theme are followed by a more complex excursion into C minor, before the return of the first theme in C major in embellished form, followed by a second version of the C minor episode. A wider range of the keyboard and its possible sonorities is explored in the final section, based on the main theme. The final 'Rondo' opens with a spritely main theme but goes on to exploit more grandiose keyboard effects in thicker lower register chords and octaves and a C minor section, after which the main theme returns, in its final guise using sonorities that Haydn had not used before in his sonatas and hence in notable contrast to the group of delicate sonatas for Princess Marie Hermenegild. Haydn's 'Variations in F minor, Hob. XVII:6', with the added title 'Sonata, Un piccolo Divertimento', were written in Vienna in 1793 for Barbara von Ployer, a pupil of Mozart and daughter of the Salzburg Court Agent in Vienna. The work was published in Vienna only in 1799, when it was dedicated to Baroness von Braun, wife of the director of the Vienna Court Theatres. These double variations start with the F minor theme, followed by a second theme in F major, the first of these then varied by syncopation, and the second with added trills. A rapid demisemiquaver version of the F minor theme follows with an F major variation of equal intricacy. The return of the F minor theme leads on to an extended section calling for some virtuosity, with considerable dynamic variety and a whispered ending in F major, spanning a wide range of the keyboard." (Frédéric Castello. From the liner notes.)

Performer: Jenő Jandó

1. Piano Sonata No. 53 In E Minor, Hob. XVI:34: I. Presto

2. Piano Sonata No. 53 In E Minor, Hob. XVI:34: II. Adagio

3. Piano Sonata No. 53 In E Minor, Hob. XVI:34: III. Vivace Molto

4. Piano Sonata No. 54 In G Major, Hob. XVI:40: I. Allegretto E Innocente

5. Piano Sonata No. 54 In G Major, Hob. XVI:40: II. Presto

6. Piano Sonata No. 55 In B-flat Major, Hob. XVI:41: I. Allegro

7. Piano Sonata No. 55 In B-flat Major, Hob. XVI:41: II. Allegro Di Molto

8. Piano Sonata No. 56 In D Major, Hob. XVI:42: I. Andante Con Espressione

9. Piano Sonata No. 56 In D Major, Hob. XVI:42: II. Vivace Assai

10. Piano Sonata No. 58 In C Major, Hob. XVI:48: I. Andante Con Espressione

11. Piano Sonata No. 58 In C Major, Hob. XVI:48: II. Rondo. Presto

12. Variations In F Minor, Hob. XVII:6 'Un Piccolo Divertimento'

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Joseph Haydn - Piano Sonatas Nos. 59-62

"The 'Sonata in E flat major, XVI:49' in the Hoboken listing of Haydn's works, was dedicated to Anna von Gerlischek, a housekeeper in the service of the Esterházys, who later married the Esterháza violinist Johann Tost, a man whose later business dealings with Haydn have raised various questions. The sonata was in fact intended for Maria Anna von Genzinger, wife of the ennobled physician to Prince Nikolaus and a gifted player, with whom Haydn carried on a playfully teasing correspondence. In a letter dated 20th June 1790 he tells her he has sent her his brand new E-flat Sonata, although it is not entirely new; in fact only the Adagio is new, and he expresses a wish to play the sonata to her himself, something that would make his absence from Vienna more tolerable. Mademoiselle Nanette, Anna von Gerlischek, is not to know that the work she has commissioned for Frau von Genzinger was already half completed. In a letter written a week later Haydn tells Frau von Genzinger that he has played the sonata at Mademoiselle Nanette's in the presence of the Prince and was rewarded by her giving him the present of a gold tobacco-box. Later problems arose over a pirated edition of the sonata, attributed by Haydn to the activities of an unscrupulous copyist. The opening figure of the first movement assumes importance as the work progresses, with a four note figure near the end of the exposition leading, in the central development section, to a brief cadenza before the final recapitulation. The B-flat 'Adagio' is a movement of particular beauty. The final 'Tempo di Minuet' includes a version of the principal theme in the key of E-flat minor, before the re-establishment of the original key brings the sonata to an end. 

"The three sonatas listed as Hoboken XVI: 50-52 were written in 1794 or 1795 for Therese Jansen, a pupil of Clementi, who enjoyed particular success in London as a teacher and performer. In 1795 she married the London art-dealer Gaetano Bartolozzi and later moved with him to Vienna and then to Venice, before returning to London in 1800, after losses incurred in the Napoleonic Wars. Problems arose over the publication of these last of Haydn's piano sonatas, the rights to which, the property of Therese Jansen, seem to have been partly infringed by the composer. 

"The first of the Jansen sonatas, the 'Sonata in C major', known sometimes as the 'English Sonata', was written in part with the possibilities of the instrument available to Therese Jansen in London in mind, including a passage in the first movement marked 'sopra una corda', on one string, impossible on the pianos then available in Vienna. The extended first movement contains a wide range of dynamic effects, even in the statement of the first subject, while the last movement uses an upper range of the keyboard not then found on continental instruments. The F major 'Adagio', apparently written earlier in Vienna, before Haydn's second journey to England, allows lyrical embellishment of the melody. It is followed by a final rondo that has its surprises, as the principal theme is momentarily interrupted, a recurrent feature.

"The two-movement 'Sonata in D major, Hob. XVI: 51', is firmly based on its opening theme, which appears at the start of each of the three sections of the movement, the second containing a passage in the key of D minor. The second movement, marked 'Presto', is marked by off-beat dynamic accents and carries many of the features of a scherzo, its opening figure later recalled by Beethoven. The sonata leads to the last of Haydn's compositions in this form, the 'Sonata in E flat major, Hob. XVI: 52'. The first movement of this sonata opens impressively with arpeggiated chords, introducing a movement that makes demands on a performer in the elaboration of its central development section and the brilliance of its conclusion. The 'Adagio' shifts to the unexpected key of E major, again exploiting the dynamic and timbre possibilities of the available English piano. The original key is restored in the last movement, which makes its own not unconsiderable demands on a performer. This final sonata was not published in London until 1799, when it appeared with its dedication to Therese Jansen. In December 1798 Artaria had published the sonata in Vienna with a dedication to Madeleine von Kurzböck, also a pupil of Clementi and of Haydn himself. The work received wide acclaim, to become not only the summary of Haydn's own achievement in the keyboard sonata, but to exercise very considerable influence on later composers." (Frédéric Castello. From the liner notes.)

Performer: Jenő Jandó

1. Piano Sonata No. 59 In E-Flat Major, Hob XVI:49: I. Allegro

2. Piano Sonata No. 59 In E-Flat Major, Hob XVI:49: II. Adagio E Cantabile

3. Piano Sonata No. 59 In E-Flat Major, Hob XVI:49: III. Finale: Tempo Di Minuet

4. Piano Sonata No. 60 In C Major, Hob XVI:50: I. Allegro

5. Piano Sonata No. 60 In C Major, Hob XVI:50: II. Adagio

6. Piano Sonata No. 60 In C Major, Hob XVI:50: III. Allegro Molto

7. Piano Sonata No. 61 In D Major, Hob XVI:51: I. Andante

8. Piano Sonata No. 61 In D Major, Hob XVI:51: II. Finale: Presto

9. Piano Sonata No. 62 In E-Flat Major, Hob XVI:52: I. Allegro

10. Piano Sonata No. 62 In E-Flat Major, Hob XVI:52: II. Adagio

11. Piano Sonata No. 62 In E-Flat Major, Hob XVI:52: III. Finale: Presto

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