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RECORDINGS
OF THE MONTH
RECORDING OF THE MONTH Nicolae
BRETAN (1887–1968)
Sacred Songs Requiem
etc. see review for details 
Ludovic Konya (baritone) Phyllis Bryn-Julson
(soprano)rec 1973/74 Texts with English and
French translations and German summaries enclosed.
NIMBUS NI 5584 [76:06] [GF] 
A
strong candidate for my Recordings of the
Year – for the quality of the music as well
as the accomplished singing ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Nicolae
BRETAN (1887–1968)
My Lieder-Land: The Songs of Nicolae
Bretan - Vol. 2
Ludovic Konya (baritone), Ferdinand Weiss
(piano); Martin Berkovsky (piano) rec. live,
1973-1976 Texts and translations enclosed
NIMBUS NI 5640 [75:10]
[GF]
Marvellous
songs, melodious and expressive, congenially
executed by the eloquent Ludovic Konya. ...
see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Eric
COATES Sound and Vision
Music for Orchestra and Songs with Orchestra
BBC Concert Orchestra/John Wilson. rec.
2007
DUTTON EPOCH CDLX 7198 [71:03]
[RB]
Fills
gaps with a consummate sweep and mastery ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809)
The Creation
Chetham’s Chamber Choir; Gabrieli Consort & Players/Paul McCreesh
rec. 2006 ARCHIV PRODUKTION
4777361 [79:27 + 29:29][JQ]
Haydn’s
great masterpiece makes its full effect in this exceptional performance
... see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Charles IVES
(1874-1954)
Romanzo di Central Park (songs)
Gerald Finley (baritone), Julius Drake (piano) Magnus Johnston (violin)
rec. 2007 HYPERION CDA67644
[62:28]
[DM]
A
glorious disc ... see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911) Symphony
4 Luba Orgonášová,
Tonhalle O Zurich/David Zinman rec. 2006 RCA-BMG
88697 168522 
[57:21] [DM]
A
performance full of wonder from a Mahlerian of real stature ...
see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Wolfgang Amadeus
MOZART (1756-1791) Symphonies Nos.
38-41
Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Sir Charles Mackerras rec. 2007
LINN CKD308
[66:49 + 72:29][TH]
A
set worthy to stand as a benchmark for our
time ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Luigi
NONO (1924-1990)
Prometeo,
Tragedia dell’ascolto (1984-6) Petra
Hoffman, Monika Baer (sopranos); Susanne Otto,
Noa Frankel (altos); Hubert Meyer (tenor);
Sigrun Schell, Gregor Dalal (speakers)
Solistenchor, Freiburg; Ensemble Recherche;
Solistenensemble des Philharmonischen Orchesters
Freiburg; Solistenensemble des SWR Sinfonieorchesters
Baden-Baden und Freiburg; xperimentalstudio
für akustische Kunst; former Experimentalstudio
der Heinrich-Stobel-Stiftung des Südwestrundfunks;
Andre Richard (director); Peter Hirsch, (conductor
1); Kwame Ryan, (conductor 2) rec. 16-19 May
2003, Konzerthaus Freiburg.
COL
LEGNO WWE 2SACD 20605 [66:38 + 64:54]
[AO]
The
thieves who stole 1000 copies of this disc
certainly had excellent taste! ... see Full
Review
RECORDING OF THE MONTH Heavenly
harmonies Music by Thomas TALLIS (c.1505-1585) and William BYRD (1539/40-1623)
Stile Antico rec. 2007
HARMONIA MUNDI USA HMU807463
[78:51][MG]
You
won’t find a better demonstration of just how beautiful and powerful
these pieces are … see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH To
Music - An anthology of English 20th century
choral music Chamber
Choir of Birmingham Conservatoire/Paul Spicer, David Saint (organ)
rec. 2007 REGENT
REGCD274 [74:53] [JQ]
This
is a splendid disc in every way and earns a resounding Bravo! ...
see Full Review
BARGAINS
OF THE MONTH
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Felix
MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) Symphony
4 Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Symphony
9 Berlin PO/Klaus
Tennstedt
rec. 1980/83 EMI CLASSICS ENCORE
5090222 [77:01] [TP]
Tennstedt’s
fans will be glad to be able to snap this disc up ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Gioachino
ROSSINI (1792-1868) La
donna del lago Maxim
Miranov, Sonia Ganassi, Prague Chamber Ch, SWR Radio O Kaiserslautern/Alberto
Zedda rec. live 2004 NAXOS
OPERA CLASSICS 8.660235-36 [73.29 + 73.26] [RJF]
This
recording should allow newcomers to enjoy this most melodic and
romantic of Rossini’s opera seria ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Jean SIBELIUS (1865-1957)
Incidental Music Pelléas et Mélisande suite; Karelia
Overture & Suite; King Christian II Suite
Philharmonia Orchestra/Enrique Batiz & London Symphony Orchestra/Loris
Tjeknavorian rec. 1982 & 1994
REGIS RRC1272 [78:14][RB]
An
atmospheric, generous and inexpensive helping of Sibelius's most instantly
engaging incidental music ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH
Andrés Segovia: 1950s American Recordings
- Volume 3
Andrés Segovia (guitar)
rec. New York, 1952-56
NAXOS 8.111091 [77:33]
[JW]
Really
first class ... see Full Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Michael
Studer - The Legacy Michael
Studer (piano)
rec. 1972-90 CLAVES 50-2713-18 [6
CDs: 439:59] [DC]
An
amazing bargain – buy it for the Bach, and become enthralled by
the rest ... see Full Review
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3 C-L]
[Part
4 M-R] [Part
5 S-Z]
[Part
6 Misc A-L] [Part
7 Misc M-Z]
[Recommended
recordings]
An excellent reissue by Hyperion on their Helios
label, this disc opens with that astonishing work Rejoice in the
Lamb. The piece was commissioned by St Matthew’s, Northampton, to
celebrate the church’s fiftieth anniversary. Britten chose words by
Smart, an eccentric eighteenth century mystical poet, who wrote his
Jubilate Agno - which includes the famous “For I shall consider
my Cat Jeoffrey” - in a mental asylum. Most of the words are heavily
concerned with animals and nature and music or instruments. The resulting
combination of rather odd but intriguing text and stunning music is
completely unique. There is nothing else like this amazing work!
All
the soloists here are of the highest standard. Soprano Mary Seers has
a very pure voice, quite boy-like and crystalline, with almost no vibrato.
This is an excellent choice as her voice works perfectly for this sort
of music, and is very beautiful. All other soloists – Michael Chance,
Philip Salmon and Quentin Hayes - are similarly well-suited to their
roles, and perform with great clarity and beauty of voice. Even the
sopranos in the Corydon Singers are wonderfully pure-toned, resulting
in a performance that is incredibly clear and fine. Yet although the
singing is quite delicate at times, the performers are able to invest
it with spirit and fire when necessary: listen to the incredibly dramatic,
chilling and effective rendition of For I am under the same accusation
with my Saviour.
On
the whole, this is a very fine performance. It is fairly measured –
possibly even a little on the slow side, but we consequently get the
full benefit of the beautiful singing and good enunciation. The resonant
acoustic of St Albans Church in Holborn conveys an ethereal quality,
yet does not detract from the clarity of the sound.
The
Wedding Cantata was composed to celebrate the wedding of the
Earl of Harewood to Marion Stein, both of whom were friends of Britten.
The words were written for the occasion by Ronald Duncan. Again, the
soprano, Janet Coxwell this time, has a very pure and clear voice that
suits the music, and the piece is given a wonderfully joyful performance.
The Festival Te Deum follows, with some radiant singing. The
disc then concludes with A Boy was Born – yet again, a remarkable
piece given that Britten was only 19 when he composed it. This despite
the fact that we know from even earlier works - such as the Quatre
Chansons Françaises - that he had found and developed his own voice
even early in his teens.
All
in all, a splendid disc – superb performances of excellent works, and
well worth getting hold of.
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