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Every day we post 10 new Classical CD and DVD reviews. A free weekly summary is available by e-mail. MusicWeb is not a subscription site. To keep it free please purchase discs through our links.

  Classical Editor Rob Barnett    


Recordings issued by the British Music Society
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Frank Bridge
Cyril Scott

Piano Quintets
BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY BMS442CD [67:02]

 

 

 

 


 

Patric STANDFORD (b. 1939)
First Symphony (The Seasons – An English Year) (1972) [32:49]
Cello Concerto (1974) [27:08]
Prelude to a Fantasy (The Naiades) (1980) [9:28]
Raphael Wallfisch (cello)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra/David Lloyd-Jones
rec. 23-24 November 2011, Henry Wood Hall, Glasgow. DDD
BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY BMS441CD [69:56]

Review [JQ]


The Thurston Connection
English Music for Clarinet and Piano
Arnold Bax, Roger Fiske, Iain Hamilton, Hugh Wood, Richard Rodney Bennett
Nicholas Cox Clarinet, Ian Buckle piano

BMS440CD £12 post-free Worldwide

 

Review [JF] Review [JW]



 

 

Kenneth Leighton BMS 439 CD £12.00

 

K Leighton
Complete Chamber Works for Cello

Partita Op.35
Elegy Op.5
Sonata for Cello Solo Op 52
Alleluia Pascha Nostrum

Raphael Wallfisch - cello
Raphael Terroni - piano

Review Rob Barnett
Review John France


 

12.00 Price includes post/packing & air mail for International orders


 

E.J MOERAN BMS 438 CD £12.00

 

E.J.Moeran
Complete Solo Folksong Arrangements

Folksongs from Norfolk
Six Suffolk Folksongs
Songs from County Kerry

Adrian Thompson (Tenor)

Marcus Farnsworth (Baritone)
John Talbot (Piano)

Booklet but no texts

Review [RB]

Review [JF]

Review [NB]


 

12.00 Price includes post/packing & air mail for International orders


 


Alun Hoddinott BMS 437 CD £12.00




Alun Hoddinott
Landscapes - Song Cycles and Folksongs
(World Premiere Recordings)

Claire Booth (sop)
Nicky Spence (ten)
Jeremy Huw Williams (bar)
Andrew Matthews-Owen (piano)

REVIEW [GH]

REVIEW [JF]

REVIEW [MS]

REVIEW [Byz]


 

12.00 Price includes post/packing & air mail for International orders



Wordsworth, Holbrooke, Busch BMS 436 CD £12.00




William Wordsworth
Sonata No 2 Op.66
Nocturne Op.29

Scherzo Op.42

Josef Holbrooke
Fantasie-Sonate Op.19
William Busch
Suite

A Memory
Elegy

Raphael Wallfisch cello
Raphael Terroni piano

Review


 

12.00 Price includes post/packing & air mail for International orders




An English Recital: John McCabe BMS 103CDH £12.00




Vaughan Williams
The Lake in the Mountains
Hymn-Tune Prelude on 'Song13' by Gibbons
Suite of six short pieces
Gustav Holst
Two pieces for piano
Two Northumbrian Folk Tunes
John Ireland
Sonatina for piano
Arnold Bax
Allegretto quasi andante
Peter Warlock
Five Folk-Song Preludes
E.J.Moeran
Bank Holiday
Benjamin Britten
Night Piece (Notturno)
John Joubert
Dance Suite

John McCabe - piano
 
Reviews by
Hubert Culot

 

12.00 Price includes post/packing & air mail for International orders


CD of the Month (Musical Opinion July-August 2009): '...this immensely valuable and downright enjoyable CD of performances by John McCabe...A lovely record.'


English Piano Sonatas: Malcolm Binns BMS 434-435CD 23



Arnold Bax
Piano Sonata No 1 in F sharp minor
Piano Sonata No 2 in G
Piano Sonata No 3 in G minor
Piano Sonata No 4 in G

John Ireland
Piano Sonata

Frank Bridge
Piano Sonata

Malcolm Binns
Reviews by
Colin Scott Sutherland

Hubert Culot
Bob Briggs


 

£23 Price includes post/packing & air mail for International orders


''...when played [Bax] with such enraptured intensity as by Malcolm Binns...the music's ecstatic chromaticism possesses a Scriabinesque hypnotic power. Binns also tames the technical intricacies of the Ireland and Bridge sonatas to a remarkable degree...'' (International Piano)

''...a resounding success for Malcolm Binns and a feather in the BMS cap...the sound quality retains the high definition imperative for music of such personality.'' (International Record Review)

''...a generous and stimulating set that no dedicated Anglophile should overlook.'' (Gramophone)

''...all six of these pieces are of greater stature than their present rating would imply, and they here receive the masterly performances on disc they have long deserved...he gives the best performance I have heard of John Ireland's Sonata...this is an essential issue.'' (Musical Opinion)
''Malcolm Binns is one of Britain's best-kept secrets; his pianism and musicianship are magisterial, matched by few and surpassed by none...He penetrates their spirit and plays with eloquence and conviction...'' (Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music 2009)




John Joubert : Choral Music BMS 102CDH £12.00


O Praise God in his Holiness Op.52
Three Pro Pace Motets Op.19,32,29

How are my Foes Increased, Lord! Op.61
Sleep Canticle Op.81
Three Hymns to St Oswald Op.74
Nowell Op.58


The Louis Halsey Singers
Conductor: Louis Halsey
Organist: Martin Neary

Review by Hubert Culot
 
 

£12.00 Price includes post/packing & air mail for International orders


 
''…very welcome restoration of vividly truthful recordings dating from 1975…these performances are as convincing as they are dedicated; presentation, too, is admirable…'' (Andrew Achenbach, Gramophone)
…''an apt and timely (eightieth) birthday tribute to a very distinguished composer.'' (Hubert Culot, MusicWeb International)
''…Louis Halsey's deep commitment to Joubert's music shines through every bar…there are several truly inspirational moments, not least in the Sleep Canticle and the third of the Hymns to St Oswald.'' (Marc Rochester, International Record Review)

''...The Louis Halsey Singers perform all this music with fervour...the composer's strong personality comes over in every item here.'' (Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music 2009)



Brian Blyth Daubney: October Roses BMS 433CD £12.00

 



Anna Dennis Soprano
William Berger baritone
John Talbot piano

Reviews by Hubert Culot, Graham Bruce and John France
play bonus track (128K): (77K) The Peddler (words: Charlotte Mew)
Anna Dennis (soprano) John Talbot (piano)
Download Text

 

£12.00 Price includes post/packing & air mail for International orders



He writes with a sure touch: a feeling for the poems, and a well defined musical idea as the starting-point for his settings...Both singers deserve gratitude, with William Berger showing once again that he is one of the best of our younger baritones. John Talbot is the excellent pianist, catching the mood of each song and sensitive to every development.
(John Steane Gramophone)

I hope that these songs find a constituency both within and beyond these shores...Performances are admirable.
(Piers Burton Page International Record Review)




Arnold Cooke: Three String Sonatas BMS 432CD £12.00


Arnold Cooke (1906 - 2005)

Three String Sonatas

Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano (1951)
Sonata for viola and piano (1937)
Sonata No. 2 for cello and piano (1980)

Susanne Stanzeleit Violin
Morgan Goff viola
Raphael Wallfisch cello
RaphaelTerroni piano
World Premiere Recordings

Review by Rob Barnett Nick Barnard

£12.00 Price includes post/packing & air mail for International orders


 
A splendid centenary tribute to a neglected British voice...Unfailingly sympathetic performances
...this rewarding disc can be given the warmest of welcomes. (Andrew Achenbach, Gramophone)

I welcome this excellent CD unreservedly. (Robert Matthew-Walker, International Record Review)


Songs of Rutland Boughton BMS 431CD £12.00



Rutland Boughton (1878 - 1960)


Four songs Op.24 (Edward Carpenter)
Five Celtic Love Songs (Fiona Macleod)
Songs of Womanhood Op.33 (Christina Walshe)
Three songs Op.39 (Edward Carpenter)
Symbol Songs (Mary Richardson)
Sweet Ass (Eleanor Farjeon)


Louise Mott (mezzo-soprano) Alexander Taylor (piano)


Review by Rob Barnett Em Marshall Nick Barnard
 

£12.00 Price includes post/packing & air mail for International orders


Expressive performances of neglected but nonetheless attractive songs. (John Steane, Gramophone)

...the chance to hear (Boughton's songs) is welcome. Bravo to the British Music Society for giving us the opportunity.
(Piers Burton-Page, International Record Review)



Malcolm Binns: The Piano Music of Patrick Piggott BMS 430CD £12.00



1. Fantasia quasi una Sonata (First Piano Sonata)
2. Second Piano Sonata
3. Eight Preludes and a Postlude (Set 3) 
 
MusicWeb Reviews
Colin Scott Sutherland
John France

£12.00 Price includes post/packing & air mail for International orders 


A most welcome and, in its own way, important disc - admirers of British twentieth-century music should certainly acquire it.
(Robert Matthew-Walker, International Record Review)

Malcolm Binns's lyrical freshness and technical brilliance - the flair of his performances, too - make an excellent case for the composer.
(Stephen Plaistow, Gramophone)

Malcolm Binns...meets the fearsome challenge of Piggott's piano writing head-on and emerges triumphant.
(Martin Anderson, International Piano)

This is all fascinating music by a highly individual musician...
It is played persuasively and expertly by an artist who really understands its ruminative intricacies, and very naturally recorded.
(Penguin Guide to Compact Discs)

Binns's performances seem exemplary...these are cogent and passionate readings, beautifully recorded. (Calum MacDonald, Tempo)


 


MICHAEL HABERMANN PLAYS SORABJI
BMS427-9CD
  £23


Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (1892-1988)
Legendary Works for Piano
Volume One:
EARLY WORKS

Two Piano Pieces: In the Hothouse [1918];Tocatta[1920]
Fantasie Espagnole [1919]
Valse Fantasie:Hommage ? Johann Strauss [1925]
Pastiche: Hindu Merchant's Song (Rimsky-Korakov) [1922]
Pastiche: Habanera from Bizet's Carmen [1922]
Pastiche: Chopin's Valse, Op.64, No.1 [1922]
Michael Habermann: A La mani?re de Sorabji:"Au clair de la lune" [1972]
Volume Two: NOCTURNES
Le jardin parfum? - Poem for Piano [1923]
Nocturne: Dj?m? [1928]
Gulist?n (The Rose Garden) - Nocturne for Piano [1940]
Volume Three: ASSERTIVE WORKS
Introito and Preludio-Corale from Opus Clavicembalisticum [1929-30]
Prelude, Interlude and Fugue [1920-22]
Fragment for Harold Rutland [1926, rev. 1937]
Fantasiettina sul nome illustre dell'egregio poeta Christopher Grieve
ossia Hugh M'Diarmed (Tiny Little Fantasy on the Illustrious Name of
the distinguished Poet Christopher Grieve, i.e. Hugh M'Diarmed)
[1961]
"Qu?re reliqua hujus materiei inter secretiora" ("Seek the rest of this matter
among the things that are more secret")
[1940]
St. Bertrand de Comminges: "He was laughing in the tower" [1941]

rec. 1980-1995
MusicWeb Reviews:
Rob Barnett Colin Clarke


 
Three discs for the price of two
£23
Price include post/packing & air mail for International orders 

An essential set... to explore some of the most amazing pianistic composition of the 20th century. (Calum MacDonald, International Piano)

Habermann performs extraordinary technical and musical feats: these discs are a must for anyone interested in post-Romantic piano music.
(Martin Cotton, BBC Music Magazine)

...there can be no doubting the extent of Habermann's sympathies, nor the depth of his insight. (Richard Whitehouse, Gramophone)

(Habermann) has internalized this composer's daunting aesthetic to unprecedented and possibly unsurpassed degrees.
(Jed Distler, International Record Review)

Habermann is a splendid exponent of the pyrotechnical wizardry and the richness of these scores.
(Penguin Guide to Compact Discs - 3 Stars)

MEWTON-WOOD PLAYS TWENTIETH CENTURY PIANO CONCERTOS BMS101CDH £12.00

Arthur Bliss (1891-1975)
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Igor Stravinsky ((1882-1971)
Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings, Op35
Noel Mewton-Wood (piano) Harry Sevenstern
(trumpet) Utrecht Symphony Orchestra etc./ Walter Goehr
rec. 1952-3


MusicWeb Reviews:
Rob BarnettPaul Shoemaker John Quinn Bob Briggs
MusicWeb Recording of the Year 2003
Gramophone Critics Choice 2003 - Bryce Morrison
Classic Record Collector Historic Awards 2004: Runner-up
Gramophone Awards 2004: Record of the Year Finalist (Historic Reissue)

 

"Mewton-Wood gives the performance of his life, a performance of youthful ardour (and endurance) ... a most exciting and satisfactory affair." (Alec Robertson in Gramophone, November 1953
"...(Mewton-Wood's) dumbfounding account of Bliss's Piano Concerto ... " (Robert Matthew-Walker in International Record Review, June 2003)

 
£12.00 Price include post/packing & air mail for International orders 


 


YORK BOWEN String Quartets, Phantasy Quintet BMS426CD £12.00

York BOWEN (1884-1961)
String Quartet No. 2 in D minor Op. 41 (c.1918) [28.29]
String Quartet No. 3 in G major Op. 46(b) (1919) [27.04]
Phantasy Quintet for bass clarinet and string quartet Op. 93 (1932) [14.02]
Timothy Lines (bass clarinet)
Archaeus Quartet recorded  Recital Room, Tonbridge School, Kent, 16, 18, 20, Dec 2001


See MusicWeb review

More forgotten Bowen restored to the catalogue in delightful fashion ... intonation and sense of style are impeccable throughout this disc ... performance and recording are exemplary. This disc certainly deserves wide circulation.
(Piers Burton-Page, International Record Review. August 2002)

...the Archaeus Quartet are sterling advocates of all this rewarding material ... the sound is eminently vivid to match. A stimulating and very enjoyable release.
(Andrew Achenbach, Gramophone, September 2002)

For further information on York Bowen, please visit www.yorkbowen.co.uk
£12.00 Price include post/packing & air mail for International orders 


 

 

ENGLISH RECORDER MUSIC The Dolmetsch Legacy BMS425CD £12.00

Gordon Jacob Variations
Cyril Scott Aubade
Edmund Rubbra Sonatina Op. 128
Antony Hopkins Suite
Edmund Rubbra Passacaglia Sopra
'Plusieurs Regrets'
Op.113
John Gardner Little Suite in C Op.60
Edmund Rubbra Meditazioni Sopra
'Coeurs D?sol?s'
Op.67
Colin Hand Sonata Breve
Fritz Reizenstein Partita

Ross Winters (recorder) Andrew Ball (piano)
See MusicWeb review


Varied, well-played tribute to Carl Dolmetsch ... Ross Winters and Andrew Ball create an understanding partnership ... excellent recording and very good balance.
(Ivan March, Gramophone, June 2001)

... this compliation of mainstream twentieth-century recorder pieces is a very usefull addition to the catalogue ... music which is demanding, satisfying and accessible.
(Micheline Wandor, International Record Review, may 2001)

 

£12.00 Price include post/packing & air mail for International orders


JOHN McCABE PIANO MUSIC   BMS424CD £12.00

IThe programme, released in the composer's sixtieth birthday year, includes:

1) Variations (1963) 9.44
2) Aubade (Study No. 4, 1970) 5.59
3) Gaudi (Study No. 3, 1970) 14.42
4) Five Bagatelles (1964) 4:47
5) Mosaic (Study No. 6 1980) 13.42
      world premiere recording
6) Haydn Variations  (1983) 27.12
       world premiere recording

see MusicWeb Review and Review
 
£12.00 Price include post/packing & air mail for International orders


 

GRAMOPHONE Critic's Choice Award 1999
' .. an exceptionally fine issue celebrating John McCabe's 60th birthday, that not only serves as a superb tribute to McCabe the composer, but also his prowess as a pianist and interpreter.' (Michael Stewart, Gramophone)
'The Haydn Variations (in effect a sonata, and a massive one, in variation form) is rather close to a masterpiece, I think, endlessly absorbing...' (Michael Oliver, Classic CD)
 

ENGLISH CELLO SONATAS:JOHN FOULDS, ERNEST WALKER, YORK BOWEN BMS423CD £12.00




World Premiere Recordings

JOHN FOULDS
Sonata for Cello and Piano Op.6
ERNEST WALKER
Sonata in F minor for cello and piano Op.41
YORK BOWEN
Sonata in A major for cello and piano Op.64


Musicweb reviews [MC] ,[TH]
 

£12.00 Price include post/packing & air mail for International orders


 


Jo Cole
(cello) and John Talbot (piano)

'.. a performance of palpable, indeed eloquent, commitment.'

(Calum MacDonald, Hi-Fi News and Record Review)

'.. (the Foulds Sonata) ought to be one of the mainstays of the international cello-piano repertoire .... a mandatory acquisition for anyone with a genuine interest in British music.' (Martin Anderson, Tempo)

SIXTY GLORIOUS YEARS BMS422CD £12.00

A concert of Victorian
 Music performed during the Centenary year of
 Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee - 2 June 1997

THE MIDLANDS CHORALE

Ian Wass organ, Robert Williams Conductor
John Talbot piano, Katy Morell soprano, Phillida Bannister contralto, Campbell Russell tenor, Fiona Murphy cello, Wilfred Goddard clarinet
MusicWeb review [RW]
MusicWeb review [JF] [NB]


 

£12.00 Price includes post/packing & air mail for International orders


 

SULLIVAN Jubilee Hymn: O King of Kings, HULLAH Three fishers went sailing, MACKENZIE Dormi, Jesu (The Virgin's Cradle Hymn), STERNDALE BENNETT No2 of Three Romances Op.14, PEARSALL O who will o'er the downs so free? ARMES Victoria, HATTON To Anthea, BALFE When I beheld the anchor weigh'd, GOSS If we believe that Jesus died, RICHARDS Pastorale, PRINCE ALBERT Gruss an den Bruder, G.MACFARREN Pack, clouds away, CARROLL The stars, Nature,W. MACFARREN L'Amiti?, BALFE The Sands of Dee, WHITE To Mary, BISHOP Home! Sweet Home!, MARTIN Short Festival Te Deum in A

ORCHESTRAL WORKS BY JOHN JOUBERT BMS 419 CD £12.00

Issued in honour of Joubert's 70th birthday in
March 1997, the programme consists of world
premiere recordings of his Temps Perdu - Variations
for String Orchestra op. 99; Sinfonietta op. 38;
and The Instant Moment - song-cycle for
Baritoneand String Orchestra to words
by D H Lawrence, Op. 110.  Played by the

English String Orchestra conducted by
William Boughton
. The baritone soloist is
 Henry Herford.


MusicWeb Review [NH] Review [NB]
£12.00 Price includes post/packing & air mail for International orders


 

"All three works receive committed performances from the ESO. Both for the original choice of repertoire and quality of playing and recording, the BMS is to be congratulated on this its first orchestral CD." (Trevor Hold BMS News 74 June 1997)

 

ENGLISH PIANO TRIOS BMS 418 CD £12.00

FRANK BRIDGE (1879-1941)
Phantasie in C minor
JAMES FRISKIN (1886-1967)
Phantasie in E minor
JOHN IRELAND (1879-1962)
Phantasie in A minor
E J MOERAN (1894-1950)
Piano Trio in D major
Cantamen
(Caroline Balding, violin; Jo Cole, cello; Timothy Lissimore, piano)


MusicWeb review

 

£12.00 Price includes post/packing & air mail for International orders

 


"This magnificent CD, performed throughout with inspired dedication and recorded with a warmth of presence, is recommended without reservation... a major achievement by the BMS." (Geoffrey Self, News 73 March 1997)

 

SONGS OF SPRINGTIME BMS 417 CD £12.00

Partsongs for unaccompanied mixed chorus by:
E.J.MOERAN

Songs of Springtime
plus six other partsongs
ARTHUR BENJAMIN
Three Mystical Pieces

EDGAR BAINTON
In the Wilderness, Night, Open thy Gates
LESLIE HEWARD
The Witches? Sabbath
.

City Chamber Choir of London
conducted by Stephen Jones.

MusicWeb review
 
£12.00 Price includes post/packing & air mail for International orders


 

"extremes of joyous excitement ? heart-tearing sadness ? Lovers of British choral music are in for a treat!" (Brian Blyth Daubney News 71 Sept 1996)

"...a most congenial programme, ending with a tour de force ( The Witches' Sabbath)  which must be brought forward into the light and accorded first welcome.... their disc deserves every success." (Gramophone)

PIANO MUSIC BY LENNOX BERKELEY BMS 416 CD £12.00

Music for Piano Solo:
Six Preludes Op.23 (1945)
Sonata Op 20 (1941-45)
Five Short Pieces Op.4 (1934)
played by Raphael Terroni.

Music for Piano Duet:

Sonatina for four hands Op.39 (1954)
Theme and Variations for four hands Op.73 (1968)
Palm Court Waltz for four hands Op.81 No.2 (1971)
Played by
Raphael Terroni & Norman Beedie.

MusicWeb review
£12.00 Price includes post/packing & air mail for International orders 


 

"Terroni plays them exquisitely ? neat fingerwork ? acute ear for pianistic colour and a strong sense of rhythm." (Roderick Swanston, Classic CD) (Gramophone Magazine Critics? Choice 1994)



British Music Society Website