World on a string

The vanguard of women conductors tended to appear, of necessity, masculine or, at least, sexless. That may finally be changing. Anu Tali -- a gifted, statuesque blond Estonian conductor in her early 30s who founded the Nordic Symphony a few years ago -- is not afraid to make a kinky statement. She surrounds two moody, pulsating, dramatically physical scores ("Zeitraum" and "Action Passion Illusion") by the Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tuur with offbeat works by Sibelius and Rachmaninoff. Sibelius' early "The Wood Nymph" is a chamber piece with narration in Swedish about a siren's emasculating powers. Rachmaninoff's Three Russian Songs for chorus and orchestra ends with luscious music describing an unfaithful wife nervously awaiting her husband's return, knowing that he carries a gift -- a whip. The performances are first-rate.

-- Mark Swed

Beethoven, tart and sinewy

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5

Minnesota Orchestra. Osmo Vanska, conductor. (BIS)

***

The Minnesota Orchestra is having a love affair with its new Finnish music director, Osmo Vanska. Musical America made him its 2005 conductor of the year. And now the boutique Swedish label BIS is giving him and Minnesota the ultimate accolade: a new Beethoven symphony cycle. The first release reveals a conductor with many strengths. His is a tart, sinewy, muscular Beethoven, every detail carefully considered. Though distinct, these performances can't quite match Simon Rattle's for their sheer exuberance, Carlos Kleiber's for their unforgettable immediacy or David Zinman's for their exciting velocity. But if you have a Super Audio CD player, a $13,000 preamp, half a dozen mono tube amps and a room full of imposing loudspeakers, you will probably find this impressive audiophile recording in a class by itself.

-- M.S.

Faure as reflected in water

Faure: The Complete Songs I: Au bord de l'eau (At the Water's Edge)

Felicity Lott, Jennifer Smith, Geraldine McGreevy, Stella Doufexis, sopranos. John Mark Ainsley, tenor. Christopher Maltman, Stephen Varcoe, baritones. Graham Johnson, piano. (Hyperion)

***

This is the first of four Hyperion CDs planned to encompass the 100-plus song output of Gabriel Faure, widely regarded as the greatest composer of French melodie. Each disc arranges the songs chronologically around a broad theme. Here it's water, in motion or stillness, both of which Faure captured with uncanny sensitivity. Most people are drawn to the composer's middle, lyrical period, but it's the late, stripped-down songs that most impress. French song has fewer champions than does German lied; Johnson and his team are among the current best.

-- Chris Pasles

Brahms that flows and sings

Brahms: Symphony No. 1, Academic Festival Overture, Tragic Overture

London Philharmonic Orchestra. Marin Alsop, conductor. (Naxos)

***

With her debut Brahms CD, Marin Alsop offers a sumptuously lyrical rendition of the composer's First Symphony and two overtures. Principal conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony, lauded American music proponent and a famous Leonard Bernstein protegee, Alsop blends Romantic symphonic convention with the organic phrasing and transitions of a chamber musician. She summons a bright, singing sound from the London Philharmonic, and each gesture flows, yoga-like, into the next. Sturdy enough to serve as a Brahms primer, this rendition of the symphony can feel a little sensitive in slow spots for fans of Golden Age maestros. Relief exists in imposing accounts of the "Academic Festival" and "Tragic" overtures.

-- Adam Baer

Sounds of Azerbaijan

"Mugam Sayagi": Music of Franghiz Ali-Zadeh

Kronos Quartet, Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, piano. (Nonesuch)

***

Here's an ear-opener into the sonic world of Azerbaijani composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh (b. 1947), who freely mixes elements of her native mugam tradition with 20th century Western classical techniques. The string quartet "Mugam Sayagi," written at the time of the 1993 Azerbaijani-Armenian war, begins and ends with a doleful threnody, with passages of agitation and a tambura and synthesizer adding an Indian-like drone under the solo violin in between. Another quartet, "Oasis," dramatically suggests the thoughts of a desperate wanderer in the desert, with taped droplets of water and men's voices for atmosphere. And the piano quintet "Apsheron" contains some desolate night music. "Music for Piano" -- played by the composer on a jangling, partially prepared instrument -- sounds like Cage on a Middle Eastern trip. Memo to Kronos fans: "Mugam Sayagi" is a remake of an earlier recording on their "Night Prayers" CD.

-- Richard S. Ginell

The exploration of mysteries

Crumb: Makrokosmos I & II

Margaret Leng Tan, piano. (Mode CD or DVD)

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