NEW & RECENT ARTICLES
[New] The Comedy Overture survey
- an update by David Barker
Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé
- a survey by Ralph Moore
Stanfordian Thoughts - 16. Stanford and the Mass by Christopher Howell
Stanfordian Thoughts -
15. Patriotic Songs by Christopher Howell
The Comedy Overture - a survey by David Barker
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Sacred Music 1
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Wednesday August
31st
Johannes Brahms
(1833–1897) Violin Concerto Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) Hussite Overture - Henryk Szeryng (violin), Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Rafael Kubelík rec. 1967 ORFEO C220081 [50]
[JW]
Szeryng and Kubelik in Vienna, performing with bravura intensity.
Malcolm Dedman (b. 1948)
Piano Music Vol. 1 - Nancy Lee Harper (piano) rec. 2021 TOCCATA CLASSICS TOCC0649 [66]
[RB]
A beleaguered but gritty determination to speak directly to audiences.
Giuseppe Martucci (1856-1909),
Alfredo Casella (1883-1947) &
Muzio Clementi (1752-1832)
Piano Trios -
Hèsperos Piano Trio rec. 2021 TACTUS TC850006 [62] [DJB] A pleasant surprise, with the Martucci going up considerably in my esteem.
Jules Massenet (1842-1912) Songs with Orchestra
- Nicole Car, Jodie Devos (soprano) Cyrille Dubois (tenor)
Orchestre de Chambre de Paris/Hervé Niquet rec. 2020 BRU ZANE BZ2004 [67]
[MC]
A strong contender for my record of the year.
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Pan’s Anniversary -
Choir of Clare College, Cambridge,
Britten Sinfonia/William Vann rec. 2021 ALBION RECORDS ALBCD054 [72]
[JQ]
A notable addition to the Vaughan Williams discography.
Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919–1996)
Die Passagierin - Dshamilja Kaiser (mezzo-soprano), Will Hartmann (tenor), Grazer Philharmoniker/Roland Kluttig rec. 2021 NAXOS NBD0144V [143]
[GT]
Weinberg’s first operatic masterpiece is given a fine performance by Oper Graz.
Tuesday August 30th
Ernest Chausson (1855-1899)
Piano Trio Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931) Poème Élégiaque,
Méditation-Poème -
Bruno Monteiro (violin) Miguel Rocha (cello) João Paulo Santos (piano) rec.
2021 ETCETERA KTC1729 [60] [JW]
A hothouse Franco-Belgian programme astutely programmed and beautifully performed.
Alan Hovhaness (1911–2000)
Piano Works Vol. 2 - Alessandra Pompili (piano) rec. 2020 DYNAMIC CDS7946 [56]
[RB]
A lonely and even isolated quest in a forest of tonal music at the extreme boundaries.
Paul Lacombe (1837-1927) Piano Quartet,
Cello Sonata,
Violin Sonata No 3 -
Victor Sangiorgio (piano)
Sergey Levitkin (violin)
Josephine Knight (cello)
Rachel Roberts (viola) rec. 2021 DUTTON CDLX7397 SACD [75]
[DJB] Well-crafted, conservative works, alas not especially memorable.
Boris Lyatoshinsky (1895–1968)
Symphonies Nos 4 & 5 - Cracow Philharmonic Orchestra/Roland Bader rec. 1994 CPO 9991832 [53]
[GT]
A fine account of Ukraine’s leading symphonist.
Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
Piano concertos, Deux mélodies hébraïques,
Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé - Cédric Tiberghien (piano), Stéphane Degout (baritone), Les Siècles/François-Xavier Roth rec. 2020–21 HARMONIA MUNDI HMM902612 [74]
[JQ]
A disc for lovers of Ravel’s music to savour and delight in.
Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942)
Piano Concerto, Der Bürger als Edelmann - Michael Rische (piano)
WDR SO Köln/Israel Yinon, Deutsches SO Berlin/Gerd Albrecht rec. 1998-1999 HÄNSSLER CLASSIC HC21042 [52]
[LW]
This disc fills a notable gap in the Schulhoff discography.
Monday August 29th
Alfredo Catalani (1854-1893)
La Wally - Izabela Matula (soprano), Leonardo Capalbo (tenor), Wiener Symphoniker/Andrés Orozco-Estrada rec. 2021
UNITEL EDITION 806404 Blu-ray [135] [GT]
An outstanding performance of an unjustly neglected opera.
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) Nouvelle Symphonie - Florian Sempey (baritone)
Les Musiciens du Louvre/Marc Minkowski rec. 2021 CHATEAU DE VERSAILLES CVS062 [65]
[SB] A delightful programme and a worthy successor to the original 'Symphonie imaginaire'.
Maurice Ravel (1873-1937) Cantates Pour Le Prix de Rome - Véronique Gens (soprano) Choeur et Orchestre National des Pays de La Loire/Pascal Rophé
rec. 2021 BIS BIS-2582 SACD [2 discs: 102] [JQ] These unfamiliar early Ravel works are shown in the best possible light.
Wilfred Brown: At the Crossroads of Human Experience
by Stephen Duncan Johnston publ. 2017
EM Publishing
[RB]
A rare example of a book about a singer outside the glitter and glow of the operatic world.
Fête du Soleil Works by
Albéniz, Ravel, Respighi & Schumann - Yi Lin Jiang (piano) rec. 2021/2022
ANCLEF 20220913 [66] [DC]
A love letter to the north-western Mediterranean Sea.
Reflections
Works by Copland, Gershwin and others - Västerås Sinfonietta/Simon Crawford-Phillips rec. 2021
dB PRODUCTIONS DBCD203 [79] [GF]
High-quality music-making and a fascinating meeting of the old and the new.
Alec Rowley (1892-1958) Piano works -
John Lenehan (piano) rec. 2021 DUTTON EPOCH CDLX7401 SACD [75]
[JW] Premiere recordings for Rowley’s spruce and attractive piano works.
Friday August 26th
John Williams (b. 1932)
A Gathering of Friends -
Yo-Yo Ma (cello) Jessica Zhou (harp) Pablo Sáinz-Villegas (guitar)
New York Philharmonic/John Williams rec. 2021 SONY CLASSICAL 19439983662 [68]
[LW]
A new version of John Williams’ Cello Concerto to celebrate his ninetieth birthday.
La Folia Arrangements
of works by Kreisler, Vitali, Paradis, Corelli
& Tartini - Sebastian Bohren (violin)
Stringendo Zürich,
CHAARTS Chamber Artists rec. 2021/22 AVIE AV2513 [61] [DJB]
A well-thought-out and original programme, brilliantly performed.
Maestro Glorioso Ten
Essays in Celebration of Sir John Barbirolli
by Raymond Holden publ. 2021 The Barbirolli Society
[RB] The span of Barbirolli literature is enriched by this book.
Nathan Milstein (violin)
The U.S. Armed Forces Studio Recordings rec. 1944-50
BIDDULPH 85015-2 [77] [SG]
Some welcome additions to the artist's discography.
The Mysterious Motet Book of 1539 Siglo De Oro/Patrick Allies
rec. 2022 DELPHIAN DCD34284 [67]
[JQ]
An outstanding release, seamlessly combining top-class musicianship with dedicated scholarship.
Fritz Reiner (conductor)
Rarities Vol. 3 -
P-SO New York, CBS
SO, Columbia SO, Pittsburgh SO
rec. 1939-45 PRISTINE AUDIO PASC438 [72] [SV]
Fills out our ideas of Reiner beyond the stereo discography.
Alexander Uninsky (piano)
Concert Tours in Europe 1951-1962
MELOCLASSIC MC1058 [79 + 70] [JW]
Communicative performances from one of Prokofiev’s most committed exponents.
Thursday
August 25th
Georg Goltermann (1824-1898)
Nocturnes and Romances - Katherine Decker (cello), Eun-Hee Park (piano) rec. 2019
MSR CLASSICS MS1673 [78] [DJB]
Charming miniatures, best approached in small batches, lest a sense of sameness creep in.
Ivan Khandoshkin (1747-1804)
Sonatas - Aleksandra Kwiatkowska (historical violin) rec. 2022
ETCETERA RECORDS KTC1772 [48] [DC]
Sensitively performed and highly enjoyable in every regard.
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
Madama Butterfly - Mirella Freni
(soprano) José Carreras (tenor) Teresa
Berganza (mezzo)
Ambrosian Opera Chorus,
Philharmonia Orchestra/Giuseppe Sinopoli rec. 1987 DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 4235672 [2 CDs: 153]
[LD]
A darker than usual Butterfly.
Sergey Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Rachmaninoff Stories -
Mathis Rochat (viola)
Erdem Misirlioglu (piano) rec. 2021 PROSPERO CLASSICAL PROSP0032 [64]
[RB] Spirited bravura viola arrangements - performances that brim with conviction.
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Symphonies Nos 5 & 6 -
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult rec. 1972-1975 ICA CLASSICS ICAC5164 [69]
[JQ] A good live account of the Sixth but the real prize here is the Fifth.
Álvaro Cassuto (conductor)
Three Portuguese Orchestras rec. 1988-2003
NAXOS 8.579130 [66] [SV]
A testament to Cassuto's skill as an orchestra builder.
Rarities of Piano Music at Schloss vor Husum 2021 DANACORD RECORDS DACOCD939 [69] [RCh]
It is wonderful to welcome back this amazing festival after a year's absence and in characteristically entertaining and enlightening style.
Henryk Szeryng (violin) The Unreleased Berlin Studio Recordings -
Marinus Flipse, Günther Ludwig (piano) rec.
1962-1982 THE LOST RECORDINGS TLR 2203040 [65 + 50]
[JW] Szeryng in Berlin shows poise, consistency and assurance.
