Keith Hempton presents two works featuring Russian-American violinist Jascha Heifetz. Bach substituted a gay and sprightly bourrée into his Partita No. 1 BWV1002 in place of a rollicking gigue; otherwise, the work is in the traditional Baroque style. Jascha Heifetz’s performance of this work still charms audiences today. Heifetz brings poetry into being in his interpretation of the Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor by Max Bruch, which is ranked among the most beloved concertos of all time. The London Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Malcolm Sargent.

Sue Fitch begins with a light-hearted work by Beethoven in which he addressed the elegant and carefree world in his 12 Variations on the ‘Minuetto a la Vigano’ Wo068 from Jakob Haibal’s ballet ‘Le nozze disturbate’. Finnish pianist, conductor, and composer Olli Mustonen will perform it. Next, Luigi Boccherini’s Cello Concerto in B-flat major G482 is a true gem of the Classical Era, with its graceful elegance and melodic charm. I Musici of Montreal will perform it with Yuli Turovsky on cello & Direction. Peter Warlock based his Capriol Suite on a set of Renaissance dances, but the charm of Warlock’s work far exceeds that of the original material. Barry Wordsworth conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Samuel Barber faced many setbacks while composing his Violin Concerto Op. 14. Nevertheless, the work, with its long-breathed songfulness in the first two movements and its unusual, contrasting, perpetual-motion final movement, ultimately became one of the twentieth century’s most popular works. Dene Olding, violin, accompanies the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hiroyuki Iwaki. The composer Barham Livius ‘appropriated’ Mozart’s Concertante for Piano, Horn, Viola, and Cello into an arrangement to be performed by the internationally renowned horn player Anneke Scott, horn, and the Australia-based period-instrument ensemble Ironwood. Other great works include the Main Theme from Schindler’s List by John Williams, an aria by Eugène Bozza, and the Romance in C major Op. 48 by Camille Saint-Saëns.

Michael Owen presents two major works. The first is by the Bulgarian-born British composer Dobrinka Tabakova, who demonstrates her remarkable orchestral flair in her work ‘Earth Suite’ (2018-2020). It is in three independent sections which convey the overwhelming forces of Nature: (i) Tectonic – the potential menace it represents (ii) Pacific – its deep and vast scale (iii) Timber & Steel – the founding materials of industrialisation. Percussion and brass push the musical energy forward. Delyana Lazarova conducts the Hallé Orchestra. The second work is Gustav Mahler’s powerful Symphony No. 9 in D major, an autumnal view of nature. The Hallé Orchestra under Mark Elder presents Mahler as Mahler must have intended.

Phillip Virgo presents two works recorded by 5MBS volunteers at recent Selby & Friends concerts. The first work is Mozart’s Piano Trio No. 5 in C major, K 548, which is a mature work because it is not keyboard-led. Instead, piano, violin and cello are treated as genuine equal partners. Daniel Dodds, violin Julian Smiles, cello Kathryn Selby, piano Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat major Op. 20, completed in 1800, became very popular and did much to launch his career. Beethoven decided to arrange it for smaller forces and turned it into a Trio Op. 38. The Trio arrangement sounds just as fresh as the original Septet. It will be performed by Susie Park, violin Julian Smiles, cello Kathryn Selby, piano

Arlene Matheson celebrates the career of the acclaimed Australian conductor Alexander Briger AO, Founder and Chief Conductor of the Australian World Orchestra. He studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, then at the Richard Strauss Conservatorium in Munich, and finally under Pierre Boulez. The program begins with Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488, a truly transcendental work. It may have been written in the 18th century, but it doesn’t feel like it belongs to any set time period. Genius produces something that will last for centuries. Pianist Simon Tedeschi and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Alexander Briger, will present this work. Next, the gorgeous Australian coloratura soprano, Amelia Farrugia, imbues ‘Ah! Je veux vivre!’ from Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet with happiness and joy. Alexander Briger conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Elena Kats-Chernin loved the double basses and wanted to highlight their majesty, along with the rest of the orchestra, rather than tucking them away at the back. In this work, the eight mighty bass soloists undergo a role reversal, shifting from the back row to the front. Their sound is attractive and mysterious when they perform as soloists in Kats-Chernin’s fairy tale Concerto ‘The Witching Hour’. Kees Boersma and seven other prominent double bass players are accompanied by the Australian World Orchestra conducted by Alexander Briger.

Yvonne Schwerdt opens her program with Ross Edwards’s ‘A Flight of Sunbirds’, melodic, playful, and virtuosic yet intricate, blowing away any cobwebs to shreds. They explore the inner world of the human heart and mind. The Grinberg-Viney team play on one piano – four hands. Following this, the Guitar Concerto No. 1, Op. 325, by Alan Hovhaness marks his first venture into composing for guitar and orchestra. It blends Eastern and Western influences and adapts them to the guitar’s intimate timbre. Guitarist David Leisner is accompanied by the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gerard Schwarz. Mussorgsky’s ‘Songs and Dances of Death’ is a cycle of four songs which present death as a comforter in different guises in a poetic manner. Soprano Brigitte Fassbaender excels in the opening lullaby. The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Neeme Järvi. The narrative composition of Poulenc’s ‘Babar the Elephant’ consists of an uninterrupted succession of diverse pianistic images. Simple and improvisatory, even though there are some tragic moments to go along with the magical charm. A tribute to the human spirit. Australian pianist, internationally acclaimed, Antony Gray, sans narration, wholeheartedly offers his services to Poulenc in this work. Finally, Josef Suk’s ‘Pohadka’ Op. 16 adapts incidental music for a long-forgotten mythological fairy-tale play. The incidental music was considered too good to be forgotten along with the play. Antonín Dvořák wrote about the piece as ‘music from heaven’. It has long been considered one of Suk’s greatest works. Jakub Hrůša conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Yvonne Schwerdt features Anton Rubinstein’s fascinating opera ‘The Demon’ based on a poem by the Russian Romantic writer Mikhail Lermontov. The Demon falls in love with Tamara, the bride, and he kills the bridegroom. The Demon then pursues Tamara, who is trying to escape the Demon’s seductive lures. Some of the greatest music in the opera is derived from the Demon’s attempted seductions of Tamara. Finally, the Demon fails to woo Tamara. Tamara dies but is saved and arrives in Paradise, and the Demon goes on his way elsewhere. This is a remarkable recording of one of Russia’s greatest operas, which has inexplicably fallen by the wayside for so many years. Wholeheartedly recommended listening! Leonid Zimnenko, bass Marina Mescheriakova, soprano Anatoly Lochak, baritone Wexford Festival Chorus National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland Alexander Anissimov, conductor.

Gabrielle Scherrer opens with organist Bine Bryndorf playing the Praeludium in G major, BuxWV 162, by Buxtehude. The work is in five sections, including two fugues. Handel’s Chandos Anthem No. 10, ‘The Lord is my Light ’, is a setting of Psalm 27. Although it draws on other works, including some Italian compositions and ‘Israel in Egypt’, it possesses a bravura freshness. Elizabeth Vaughan (soprano), Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, dir. David Willcocks. Roxanna Panufnik composed her Westminster Mass to celebrate the 75th birthday of Cardinal Basil Hume, leader of the Roman Catholic community in Britain; however, she also wrote it to be performed in a variety of contexts. It is an accessible work. The choir is often accompanied by bells, or a harp or a viola; then the full orchestra comes in. The texture is feather-light at times or denser elsewhere, as required. It is a piece the listener will return to often. Westminster Cathedral Choir City of London Sinfonia Dir. Andrew Watkinson A product of Holst’s Indian Period, when he studied Indian philosophy, the Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op. 26, were set to English translations of texts from Vedic literature. Holst incorporated elements of Indian classical music into these works. The Third Group from this Opus will be presented by the Purcell Singers, Osian Ellis (harp), directed by Imogen Holst. The Theatre of Voices is a vocal ensemble founded by baritone Paul Hillier. Its focus is new music. Arvo Pärt considered the human voice to be the most perfect instrument of all. His ‘And One of the Pharisees’, presented by the Theatre of Voices, is a slow and reverent portrayal of parables from Luke Chapter 7. Beautiful, moving and profound. Other composers include Pachelbel, Henry Stonex, Hovhaness, Dindy Vaughan, and Albinoni.

Ian Johnston presents a splendid program which, in part, celebrates the Venetian composer Baldassare Galuppi, who was born on this day, 18 October 1706. Galuppi’s Concerto Quinto in B-flat major has been referred to as ‘a delight of melodic invention.’ It will be performed by the renowned Ensemble Stilmoderno led by Giorgio Tosi. Galuppi’s style was defined during his lifetime as ‘gay, lively and brilliant, and this certainly captures the style of his Keyboard Sonata No. 7 in G minor, which is played by Fernanda Damiano as she reimagines this work on a modern piano. A cheerful, light, and airy performance of Galuppi’s Motet Confitebor tibi, Domine will be performed by Veronique Gens (soprano) with Il Seminario Musicale. The Alban Berg Quartet brings its own qualities to the forefront as it captures the essence of early Romanticism without straying from Beethoven’s style in its performance of String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132. Zdenek Fibich was a Czech contemporary of Antonín Dvořák, composing in many genres. His most remarkable piano work is a set of 376 pieces titled Moods, Impressions and Reminiscences, Op. 41. The concluding Nocturne, Part IV, of this Opus will be played by pianist William Howard.