Philharmonia Baroque Productions

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 7

Music Director Nicholas McGegan leads Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra on historically accurate instruments in two symphonies from Beethoven’s middle period. Writing of the live performance of Symphony No. 4, San Francisco Classical Voice said “This was the perfect music for this conductor and this orchestra, so beloved for their balance of wit and profundity…This was fine Beethoven playing — damn fine.” And the San Jose Mercury News noted, “Interpreted by McGegan and the orchestra, it was a joy…clear, direct, intimate Beethoven.”

The performances were recorded live at First Congregational Church, Berkeley, CA on November 10-11, 2012 (Symphony No. 4) and September 12-13, 2009 (Symphony No. 7).

This recording is made possible in part by a generous gift from the Waverley Foundation.

Brahms: Serenade No. 2 in A Major, Serenade No. 1 in D Major

“If Brahms had called his enchanting Serenade in D major a symphony—and he almost did—we would be hearing it all the time” (Michael Steinberg, annotator). Music Director Nicholas McGegan and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra bring to life the depth and brilliance of Brahms’ two Serenades in this recording on historically accurate instruments. Writing of the live performance, Joshua Kosman of the San Francisco Chronicle said, “Nothing affirmed the power of [the historically-informed] approach like the splendid performance of the Serenade… [McGegan] embraced every opportunity to give the music a musky physicality – especially in the outer movements, whose rhythmic force was arresting.”

This recording is made possible in part by a generous gift from the Waverley Foundation.

Hear the Scherzo from Brahms’s Serenade No. 2 in A major.

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Read reviews and analysis of Brahms: Serenades.
Read Michael Steinberg’s notes on the serenades from the CD.

Handel: Atalanta – Labelle, Rydén, van de Sant, Slattery, Cutlip, McKern, Philharmonia Chorale

Philharmonia Baroque Productions’ release of Handel’s Atalanta was recorded live in 2005 at concerts described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “Magnificent… the most vibrant, exhilarating stretch of musical showmanship this organization has offered in many a long season. Not since a decade ago have Philharmonia audiences witnessed a performance so deep, so affecting or so rich in musical splendor… The music is inventive and beautiful throughout… McGegan, a consummate master of this style, led a performance that was at once tender and vivacious, brisk and rhythmically free. .. Even in a cast without a weak link, soprano Dominique Labelle stood out for the grandeur and pathos of her singing in the title role… a breathtaking performance.”

This recording is made possible in part by a generous gift from the Waverley Foundation.

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Op. 8, Nos. 1-4 • Concerto in B-flat Major, RV 375 • Concerto in E Minor, RV 277 “Il favorito” • Concerto in E Major, RV 271 “L’amoroso”

Listen to a sample.

This CD features studio recordings of seven Vivaldi violin concertos, including his beloved The Four Seasons, as well as the Concerto in B-flat major ( RV 375); the Concerto in E minor, “Il favorito” (RV 277); and the Concerto in E major, “L’amoroso” (RV 271). The soloist for all concertos is 30-year veteran of the Orchestra, violinist Elizabeth Blumenstock.

The recordings for this CD were made in December, 2010 at Skywalker Sound in Nicasio, CA, the facility in which 18 Academy Award®-winning film soundtracks were produced.

Philharmonia Baroque’s third recording release is made possible in part by a generous gift from the Waverley Foundation.

Haydn: Symphonies No. 104 “London”, No. 88, No. 101 “The Clock”

GRAMMY^® Award Nominee for Best Orchestral Performance!

Haydn was called the “father of the symphony”, and some of his greatest works in this form were composed for concerts he gave in London, including the three recorded live on this CD. The New York Times says “These are really fine performances…seldom have his elemental dynamic contrasts sounded so properly in proportion or so mercurial, with the 50 or so players able to play out lustily in fortes and pull back quickly to quieter modes, whether playful, subtle or mysterious…beautifully produced and engineered.”

In a review of the concert at which Symphony No. 104 was recorded, the San Francisco Chronicle said “Even after all these decades of exploration and rethinking, the sound of musical performance on period instruments retains its power to amaze.”

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson – Berlioz: Les Nuits d’été / Handel: Arias

The New York Times calls this recording “flawless” and “astounding.” The San Francisco Chronicle says “This is an indispensable document from one of the greatest singers of the 20th Century.” The Bay Area Reporter calls it “not just the best but the truest Les Nuits d’ete in recorded history.” Hear it for yourself.

George Frideric Handel (recorded live October 19, 1991)
“Figlio non è…L’angue offeso mai riposa” from Giulio Cesare
“Ben a raggion…Vieni, o figlio, e mi consola” from Ottone
“Mirami altero in volto” from Arianna
“La giustizia ha già sull’arco” from Giulio Cesare
“Ombra cara di mia sposa” from Radamisto
“Ogni vento, ch’al porto lo spinga” from Agrippina
Encore: “Qual nave smarrita” from Radamisto

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Philharmonia Baroque Productions

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 7

CONTENTS:

Brahms: Serenade No. 2 in A Major, Serenade No. 1 in D Major

CONTENTS:

Handel: Atalanta – Labelle, Rydén, van de Sant, Slattery, Cutlip, McKern, Philharmonia Chorale

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Op. 8, Nos. 1-4 • Concerto in B-flat Major, RV 375 • Concerto in E Minor, RV 277 “Il favorito” • Concerto in E Major, RV 271 “L’amoroso”

Haydn: Symphonies No. 104 “London”, No. 88, No. 101 “The Clock”

CONTENTS:

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson – Berlioz: Les Nuits d’été / Handel: Arias

CONTENTS: