Francesco Piemontesi / Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Andrew Manze MOZART Piano Concertos Nos. 19 & 27 - Rondo K. 386

PIANO CONCERTOS Nos. 19 & 27 - RONDO K. 386

Ingrid Fliter / Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Antonio Méndez SCHUMANN Piano Concerto - MENDELSSOHN Piano Concerto No. 1

Ingrid performs repertoire that is very close to her heart: concertos by two nineteenth century heavyweights, Schumann and Mendelssohn. 

Ingrid brings the lyrical romanticism of Schumann's iconic Piano Concerto to life whilst perfectly navigating the shifting colours and technical demands of this brilliant showpiece. The sparkling passagework and charming melodies which characterise Mendelssohn's innovative G minor concerto demonstrate Ingrid's innate skill and pianistic instinct. Following Ingrid's live performance of the Mendelssohn concerto one critic wrote: ‘In the beautiful second movement, time stood still.'

With both composers giving equal focus to soloist and orchestra, the musicality of the SCO's award-winning musicians shines through as they partner Fliter perfectly. This also marks the recording debut of Antonio Méndez, who is fast becoming one of the most exciting conductors of his generation following engagements with a host of international orchestras. 

...there's still room for something fresh to be said with this evergreen music ... in both the Mendelssohn and Schumann, Fliter plays with tautness and energy, fitting hand-in-glove with the smaller chamber-orchestra forces of the SCO and drier recorded sound. Heartfelt and intelligent, this is life-enhancing music, and as a bonus there's The Fair Melusina Overture...' BBC Music Magazine

Emma Bell HANDEL Operatic Arias

 Emma Bell gets better and better. This sparkling recording confirms her reputation as one of the most exciting of the younger generation of Handelians. Berenice’s arioso ‘Tutta raccolta ancor’ is warmed into life with honeyed tones, and there’s heart stopping decoration as Cleopatra in the central section of ‘Piangerò la sorte mia’ from Giulio Cesare. It’s the suppleness of the voice that excites, with trills that really trill and scales that effortlessly climb the heights above the stave. So who cares if now and again Bell snatches at her topmost notes?
It’s Bell’s instinct for the drama of a Handel Aria that keeps you listening. Technique is always subordinated to psychology as she turns queens, princesses and sorceresses into flesh and blood women: Melissa spitting fury in ‘Destero dall empia Dite’ from Amadigi or Rodelinda shrouded in deepest sorrow in ‘Se’l mio duol non è sì forte’.
Richard Egarr directs a Scottish Chamber Orchestra on its very best behaviour with fine string playing throughout and a magnificently angry trumpet obbligato in the aria from Amadigi. Soloist and ensemble seem to egg each other on to ever-greater brilliance, which surely is just as it should be in the Baroque. (Christopher Cook, BBC Music Magazine)

Ingrid Fliter / Jun Märkl / Scottish Chamber Orchestra FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN Piano Concertos

The Argentinian-born pianist Ingrid Fliter, a winner of the prestigious 2006 Gilmore Artist Award and a former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist has already made three recordings for the EMI label - one of Beethoven and two of Chopin - that have garnered much critical acclaim, but this new coupling of the two Chopin Piano Concertos is her first to appear on the Linn label.

As a former silver medal winner in the 2000 Frederic Chopin in Warsaw in it is clear that the music of this composer is not only at the centre of Ingrid Fliter's repertoire, but from an early age has occupied a special place in her psyche. In both concertos the fluency of Fliter's playing is matched by especially clean articulation and a welcome forward momentum. Her use of rubato is finely controlled, yet in both slow movements there is no lack of poetry, thanks especially to her limpid cantabile playing. The scintillating performances of the outer movements of these two concertos exemplify this pianist's immaculate technique and excellent musicianship.

The orchestral accompaniments from Jun Märkl and the forty players of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra are both elegant and supportive to the soloist, with Peter Whelan's expressive bassoon solos a particular pleasure, whilst Chopin's often unfairly maligned orchestration here sounds beautifully transparent.

The multi-channel recording made in the Usher Hall, Edinburgh (7-9 June 2013) by Philip Hobbs possesses a crystalline clarity, albeit with a touch of hardness that is probably more an artefact of the hall's bright acoustic than the engineering. However, it is good to hear the timpani reproduced so crisply, and the balance between piano and orchestra could hardly be bettered.

In spite of considerable competition on record in these two concertos Ingrid Fliter's spellbinding and refreshing accounts of both works can be confidently recommended. Future recordings by this absorbing pianist are eagerly awaited. (SA-CD.net)