Viktor Ullmann: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2; Six Lieder, Op. 17; Don Quixote Dances the Fandango. Juliane Banse, soprano; Gürzenich-Orchestra/Cologne Philharmonic, James Conlon, conductor. (Capriccio 67017)

JAMES CONLON received his bachelor's degree in orchestral conducting from Juilliard in 1972. A member of the Juilliard faculty from 1972 to 1982, Conlon made his New York Philharmonic debut in 1974, and his Met debut in 1976. He was music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic from 1983 to 1991, and led the Cologne Philharmonic and Cologne Opera from 1989 until 2002. Since 1995 he has been principal conductor of the Paris Opera.

Conlon has made nine recordings for EMI of the music of Arnold Schoenberg's teacher, Alexander Zemlinsky. Conlon is now recording for the German label Capriccio. His newest CD is devoted to the music of Viktor Ullmann, the first in a project to perform music suppressed by the Third Reich. Born in 1898, Ullmann studied composition with Schoenberg in Vienna and conducted in Prague. In 1942 he was interned at Terezen and placed in charge of concerts. He composed more than 20 works there before being deported to Auschwitz in October 1944, where he died in the gas chambers.

On the CD, Conlon conducts with assurance Ullmann's Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 (orchestrated from the Fifth and Seventh Piano Sonatas); the jewel-like Six Lieder, beautifully sung by soprano Juliane Banse; and the phantasmagorical overture, Don Quixote Dances the Fandango. Ullmann's works are expressionistic, tonal, markedly chromatic, and stylistically distinctive (if, at times, redolent of Berg). The orchestrations are transparent; the motivic material aphoristic. The music conveys an atmosphere of unease mingled with premature optimism.

A companion DVD, "Estranged Passengers"--In Search of Viktor Ullmann, is sold separately ("Estranged Passengers" was the ironic title Ullmann gave his diary). An 80-minute documentary on the composer's harrowing life, the DVD includes interviews with Conlon and rehearsals of Ullmann's Symphony No. 2 (Capriccio 93503).

Other recent Conlon CDs offer works by Shostakovich (Capriccio 10892) and Karl Amadeus Hartmann (Capriccio 10893).

Capriccio's Ullmann CD is encoded with "Copy Control," which prevents digital copying. Unfortunately, it also disables it from being played on a computer's CD-ROM drive; it can be listened to on standard CD players only.

Harvey Shapiro Recital in Japan

Harvey Shapiro Recital in Japan: Works by Tartini, Beethoven, Schumann, Popper, Rachmaninoff, and Pergolesi. Harvey Shapiro, Hakuro Mori, and Noboru Kamimura, cellos; Hiroko Komoriya, piano. (DiscArt DACD-973)

HARVEY SHAPIRO recorded this remarkable cello recital in 1996 at the age of 85. Shapiro began attending Juilliard when he was 8, receiving his diplomas in 1929 and 1932. A charter member of the NBC Symphony under Arturo Toscanini, 1937-46, Shapiro later played in live broadcasts of the WQXR String Quartet, 1947-63. A Juilliard faculty member since 1970, Shapiro has been teaching at the School for 33 years.

Recital in Japan contains the Adagio from Tartini's Concerto in D; Beethoven's 12 Variations on a Theme by Handel; Schumann's Fantasiestüke, Op. 73; Popper's Requiem, Op. 66 (with two additional cellists); Rachmaninoff's Sonata, Op. 19; and--as an encore--Pergolesi's "Nina."

Shapiro's performances are ardent and exultant, displaying complete technical security and impeccable intonation. This is rapturous playing in the true grand manner, with surging ebb and flow of phrasing, expressive portamentos, and masterful subtlety of dynamics. Shapiro's pianist, Hiroko Komoriya, matches him note-for-note in both exuberance and refinement. The recording's slightly distant microphone perspective and reverberant acoustics are highly flattering to Shapiro's lush, velvet tone. The CD's Japanese-language program note booklet does not provide English translations.

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