RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Gustav
MAHLER
(1865-1911)
Symphony No.9 in D (1909-10) 
Berliner Philharmoniker/Sir Simon Rattle rec.
October 2007 Philharmonie, Berlin.
EMI CLASSICS 501228-2 [84.00] [TD]
Contemplating
buying a Mahler 9 for the very first time:
this is the one to have ... see Full
Review
Gustav
MAHLER (1860-1911)
Das Lied Von Der Erde
Christianne Stotijn (mezzo); Donald Litaker
(tenor); Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra/Martin
Sieghart rec. 2006
EXTON HGO0702 
[59:09][TD]
One
day we may be surprised by a truly great new
version but this honourable newcomer is not
it ... see Full
Review
Bohuslav
MARTINŮ
(1890-1959) Bergerettes
- Five pieces for violin, cello and piano
(1939) [21:46] Alfred
SCHNITTKE (1934-1998) Trio for
Violin, cello & piano (1985-1992) [23:45]
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH
(1906-1975) Trio No. 1 for Violin,
Cello and Piano (1923) [12:09]
Puella Trio rec. 2007
ARCODIVA UP 0103-2 131 [57:58] [DC]
Has
to be a winner ... see Full
Review
Bohuslav
MARTINŮ (1890-1959) Complete
Piano Music - Volume 4 Includes Seven Czech Dances, Les
ritournelles,
Rujana Giorgio Koukl rec. 2006 NAXOS
8.570215 [JW] [BBr]
Koukl
has cast his net wisely and well, mixing established classics with
works that none but a manuscript editor would have heard [JW]
I
made the mistake of judging the book by its cover and dismissing
the contents of this CD without playing it. Under no circumstances
must you make the same idiotic mistake [BBr] ... see Full
Review
Felix
MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) A
Midsummer Night’s Dream (ballet) Alessandra
Ferri, Roberto Bolle, Teatro alla Scala O/Nir Kabaretti rec.
2007 TDK
DVWW-BLMID 
[RW]
Fine
production with visual identity carefully wedded to movement … an
apt and complete interpretation ... see Full
Review
Mark
Anton MOEBIUS (b. 1973) Fluchtpunkte eines Jägers see
SCHUMANN
E.
J. MOERAN (1894-1950) Piano Music see BAINES
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Philippus (Philippe) de MONTE
(1521-1603) Motets, Madrigals and Chansons
Ensemble Orlando Fribourg; In Echo/Laurent Gendre rec. 2007
CLAVES 502712 [51:17][BW]
An
unjustly neglected composer brought to life in very good performances,
well recorded ... see Full Review
Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Flute
Quartets; Clarinet Quintet Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) String Quintet
William Bennett (flute); Grumiaux Trio rec. 1969-79
PHILIPS ELOQUENCE 4428289 [63:41 + 77:39][CR]
An
essential part of any CD collection ... see Full
Review
Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Divertimento
for violin, viola and cello Antonio
VIVALDI (1678-1741) The Four Seasons David
Nadien (violin) Kapp Sinfonietta/Emanuel Vardi rec. 1960/61 CEMBAL
D’AMOUR CD125 [JW]
Nadien’s
is a name worth celebrating and this disc does just that ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Marc NEIKRUG (b.
1946) Through Roses Will
Quadflieg (speaker); Pinchas Zukerman (violin); Michel Rouilly
(viola – alto); Wolfgang Bogner (cello); Gunter Rumpel (flute);
Eduard Brunner (clarinet); Anne Leek (oboe); Pierre Beboux (percussion);
Marc Neikrug (piano)/Christoph Eschenbach rec. 1985 DEUTSCHE
GRAMMOPHON 4159832 [OP]
One
of the most moving pieces that I’ve ever experienced and one
of my most cherished discs ... see Full
Review
Jacques
OFFENBACH (1819-1880)
Gaîté Parisienne, Les belles américaines Jacques
IBERT (1890-1962) Divertissement for Small Orchestra
Cincinnati Pops O/Erich Kunzel rec. 1990/1
TELARC CD80294 [TP]
A
welcome mid-price reissue of delightful music,
stylishly played ... see Full
Review
Giovanni
PACINI (1796-1867) Alessandro
nell’Indie
Bruce Ford (tenor), Jennifer Larmore, Geoffrey
Mitchell Ch, London PO/David
Parry rec. 2006 OPERA
RARA ORR35 [3 CDs]
[RJF]
Construction
and melodic invention lacking Rossini’s genius
and Donizetti’s later flowering but a welcome
opportunity ... see Full
Review
Giovanni PAISIELLO (1740–1816)
Passio di San Giovanni
Trine Lund, Monika Mauch (sopranos); Jörg Schneider (baritone); Vocalconsort
Berlin, L'Arte del Mondo/Werner Ehrhardt rec. live 2006
CAPRICCIO 60133 [JV]
Fine
music … an interesting extension of the repertoire for Passiontide
... see Full Review
Johann
Gottfried Wilhelm PALSCHAU (~1741-1815) Harpsichord
Concertos Nos.1 & 2 Johann
Abraham Peter SCHULZ (1747-1800) Six
Pièces Pour le Clavecin ou le Piano Forte
Lars Ulrik Mortensen (harpsichord; leader)/Concerto Copenhagen
rec. 2007
DACAPO 8.226040 [67:08][JFL]
Intrigue
gave way to proper enjoyment when I listened
to Palschau’s concertos ... see Full
Review
Robert PARSONS
(c.1530-1572)
Choral Music
Voces Cantabiles/Barnaby Smith rec. 2007
NAXOS 8.570451 [69:46][MS]
Voces
Cantabiles have enthusiastically and carefully
reached into a tightly tied sack and pulled
out some jewels ... see Full
Review
Charles PREVIN
(1888–1973) House
of Frankenstein see
SALTER
Henry
PURCELL (1659-1695) Dido
and Aeneas Susan
Graham, Ian Bostridge, European Voices,
Le Concert d’Astrée/Emmanuelle Haïm rec. 2003 VIRGIN
CLASSICS 5034222 [JW]
A
warm welcome back to a first class recording ... see Full
Review
Sergei Vasilievich
RACHMANINOFF (1873-1943)
Olga Rusina Plays Rachmaninoff
Olga Rusina (piano) rec. 2002/2006
DUX 0565 [63:32] [WK]
A
disc of sometimes vibrant, sometimes eccentric
Rachmaninoff - worth catching for certain
of the performances. ... see Full
Review
Maurice
RAVEL (1875-1937) Works
for Piano see DEBUSSY
Steve
REICH
(b. 1936) Music
for 18 Musicians (1976) [61:21]
Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble/Bill
Ryan rec. No date given, Royce Auditorium,
St. Cecilia’s Music Center, Grand Rapids,
MI. USA.
INNOVA 678 [61:21] [KMc]
An
excellent recording of the seminal work of
minimalism ... see Full
Review
Antonín
REICHA (1770-1836) Oboe
quintet Antal DORÁTI (1906-1988) Notturno
and Capriccio for oboe quintet Malcolm
ARNOLD (1921-2006) Oboe Quartet Adam
Halicki (oboe) Camerata Quartet
rec. 2001 DUX 0583 [BW]
A
strange set of bedfellows, but all the music is attractive, well
played and recorded ... see Full Review
Anton REICHA
(1770-1836)
Woodwind Quintets - Volume 9 Quintet Op. 99 No. 5 & 6
Westwood Wind Quintet rec. 2006
CRYSTAL RECORDS CD269 [JW]
Big
symphonic quintets, cleanly delineated, finely played and bursting
with Classical ideas and expertise ... see Full
Review
Ottorino
RESPIGHI (1879-1936) Humoreske for
violin and orchestra, Leggenda for violin and orchestra, Sei
piccoli pezzi (orch. Adriano), Rossiniana Marco
Rogliano (violin)
Sassari SO/Roberto Diem Tigani INEDITA
PI2632 [IL]
A
rare treat for Respighi fans. Engaging performances in very good
sound ... see Full Review
Ferdinand
RIES (1784-1838) Flute Quartets
John Herrick Littlefield
(flute); Aaron Boyd (violin); Ah Ling Neu (viola); Yari Bond (cello)
rec. 2006 NAXOS 8.570330
[56:33][BW]
Attractive
music – not top-flight but certainly worth getting to know – well performed
and recorded ... see Full Review
Joaquín RODRIGO
(1901-1999)
Complete Orchestral Music - Volume 10: Songs and Madrigals
Raquel Lojendio
(soprano) Asturias SO/Maximiano Valdés rec. 2003
NAXOS 8.555845 [GPu]
Fine
settings distinguished by their blend of old
and new and by Rodrigo’s constant responsiveness
to his texts … see Full
Review
Miklós
RÓZSA
(1907-1995) Music
for Violin and Piano: Variations
on a Hungarian Peasant Song; Duo
for Violin and Piano; North
Hungarian Peasant Songs and Dances;
Sonata for Solo Violin
Philippe Quint (violin); William Wolfram (piano)
rec. 2007
NAXOS 8.570190 [60:32][WK]
Rozsa’s
output for single violin in committed and
idiomatic performances ... see Full
Review
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