4
– The Soundtrack Music by Antonio
VIVALDI (1678-1741), George GERSHWIN
(1898-1937), Nora BAYES and Jack NORWORTH 
Sayaka Shoji (violin) and the Kioi Sinfonietta, Tokyo
ABC CLASSICS 4429963 [57:08][JW]
Soundtrack to a seasonal travelogue illuminated
by the local musics of the visited countries ... see Full
Review
20th
Century Works for Cello and Strings Witold
LUTOSŁAWSKI Grave - Metamorphoses for
cello and string orchestra. Elizabeth
MACONCHY Epyllion Paul
HINDEMITH Trauermusik Paul
PATTERSON Cello Concerto op. 90 Mark
KOPYTMAN Kaddish Raphael
Wallfisch (cello) Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim/William
Boughton rec. 2006. DDD NIMBUS
NI 5815 [71:45] [JF]
A
great release full of interesting, impressive material ... see Full
Review
Æquatour — Im
Zwielicht Caspar
Johannes WALTER (b. 1964) Drei Ansichten Heinz
HOLLIGER (b. 1939) Schwarzgewobene Trauer Rico
GUBLER (b. 1972) KAL Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Zwielicht Nicolas
A. HUBER (b. 1939) Demijour Valentin
MARTI (b. 1965) Fernruf J12 Hans
Ulrich LEHMANN (b. 1937) Canticum II Ensemble Æquatour
(Sylvia Nopper (soprano); Ingrid Karlen (piano); Matthias Arter
(oboe/English horn); Tobias Moster (cello) rec. 2006 MUSIQUES
SUISSES MGB CTS-M102 [DB]
For
fans of so-called “difficult” music. Performances are riveting
and compelling … see Full Review
Claudio
Arrau (piano) Richard
STRAUSS (1864-1949) Burleske Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Piano Concerto; Carnaval Claudio
Arrau (piano) rec. 1939-46 NAXOS
8.111265 [JW]
One
for the Arrau collector ... see Full
Review
Julius Baker (flute) - A Flutist’s
Favorites
Julius Baker (flute); Boris Barere (piano) CEMBAL
D’AMOUR CD 127 [63:20][JW]
A
valuable and worthy tribute to a rare artist ... see Full
Review
Barbirolli
– Russian Favourites Peter
Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Swan Lake Ballet Op 20 – excerpts
(1875/7) [16:54] Romeo and Juliet (1869, rev 1880) [20:38] Marche Slave
Op.31 (1876) [8:34] Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
(1844-1908) Capriccio Espagnol Op. 34 (1887) [14:24] Anatole
LIADOV (1855-1914) The Enchanted Lake Op. 62 (1909) [6:08]
Hallé Orchestra/John
Barbirolli rec. Free Trade Hall Manchester, 1953-59; Kingsway Hall,
London, 1950 (Swan Lake)
GUILD GHCD 2325 [67:13] [JW]
Three
of these performances are making their first
appearance on CD ... see Full
Review
A Piano
Odyssey
Trevor Barnard (piano) rec.1978. DIVERSIONS
DDV 24125 [JW]
A
rather bipartite affair - an enjoyable if
not quite Homeric journey. ... see Full
Review
Baroque
Bohemia & Beyond Volume 4 Josef
MYSLIVEČEK (1737-1781) Sinfonia
III Jan Adam GALLINA (1724-1773) Sinfonia
[13:17] Jan VENT (1745-1801) Sinfonia Josef
MYSLIVEČEK (1737-1781) Sinfonia VI Josef
BÁRTA (c.1744-1787) Sinfonia Josef
FIALA (1748-1816) Sinfonia Czech
Chamber PO/ Vojt&277;ch
Spurný rec. 2007 ALTO ALC1014 [GPu]
A
CD which will certainly appeal to those with an interest in the
music of this time and place, but which is not so special as to
demand the attention of a wider audience … see Full
Review
Dedicated
to Barrère -
Volume Two Includes Philippe
GAUBERT (1879-1941) Sonatine quasi Fantasia Christiaan
KRIENS (1881-1934) La Nymphe Bocagère Wallingford
RIEGGER (1885-1961) Suite for flute alone Charles
Tomlinson GRIFFES (1884-1920) Poème Marion
BAUER (1882-1955) Forgotten Modes Leone
Buyse (flute) Martin Amlin (piano) Paula Page (harp) rec. 2004-07 CRYSTAL
RECORDS CD716 [JW]
A
wide and eloquently expressive palette ... see Full
Review
Alfie
Boe La Passione
Royal PO/Valeriano Chiaravalle rec. 2007
EMI CLASSICS 5044112 [RH]
Well
performed and well produced, but ultimately I tired of his aping of
the Italian manner ... see Full Review
The
British Quartet Geoffrey
KIMPTON
(b. 1927) String
Quartet No.2 (1992) [17:17] Alan BUSH
(1900–1996) String Quartet Op.4 (1923) [16:38] David
BECK (b. 1941) String Quartet (1962) [15:07] Kevin
MALONE (b. 1958) Aims, Goals, Targets and Objectives (2003)
[8:08] New World Quartet
rec. 2007 CAMEO CAMPION
2071 [57:16] [HC]
Fairly
contrasting works excellently played. Well
worth investigating. ... see Full
Review
Carestini – The
Story of a Castrato Arias
from Nicola
PORPORA (1686-1768) Siface Giovanni
Maria CAPELLI (1648-1726) I fratelli riconosciuti Georg
Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759) Arianna in Creta,
Ariodante, Alcina Leonardo
LEO (1694-1744) Farnace Johann
Adolf HASSE (1699-1783) La clemenza di Tito Christoph
Willibald von GLUCK (1714-1787) Demofoonte Carl
Heinrich GRAUN (1704-1759) Orfeo Philippe
Jaroussky (counter-tenor)
Le Concert d`Astrée/Emmanuelle Haïm
rec. 2006 VIRGIN CLASSICS 3952422 [JW]
In
attempting to bring the theatrical aspects
of the alto castrato to life Jaroussky has
overstepped the mark ... see Full
Review
The City
Waites - Lusty
Songs and Country Dances
Douglas Wootton (voice, lute cittern); Roderick
Skeaping (violin, bass viol, voice); Michael
Brain (curtal, recorders, voice); Mike Sargeant
(bagpipes); Dave Chatterley (hurdy-gurdy);
Robin Jeffrey (lute); Ian Gammie (violone);
Lucie Skeaping (director, voice, violin) rec.
1992/1995
REGIS RRC 1275 [70:42] [PG]
Plausibly
sounds as if it could have been plucked from
a tavern 350 years ago ... nearly flawless
… see Full
Review
The
Cleveland Orchestra at
Carnegie Hall Franz
von SUPPÉ (1819-1895) Leichte
Kavallerie: overture Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Piano
Concerto No. 17; Le Nozze di Figaro
(arias) Johann
STRAUSS II (1825-1899) Kunstler-Leben;
Annen-Polka; Die Fledermaus: overture
Leif Ove Andsnes (piano); Dorothea Roschmann
(soprano); The Cleveland Orchestra/Franz Welser-Möst
rec. 2006
EUROARTS 2056578 
[76:13][MG]
A
satisfying variety of Viennese pieces but
Mozart’s probe more deeply … see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Arie
di bravura - Diana
Damrau Arias by Salieri, Mozart
and Righini Diana
Damrau (soprano) Le Cercle de l’Harmonie/Jérémie Rhorer rec.
2006 VIRGIN
CLASSICS 3952502 [GF]
This
disc is superb in all respects and the repertoire is un-hackneyed!
... see Full Review
English Piano
Sonatas CD 1 [74:26]
Arnold BAX
(1883-1953), John IRELAND
(1879-1962), CD 2 [72:32] Frank
BRIDGE (1879-1941) Arnold
BAX (1883-1953)
Malcolm Binns (piano) rec. 2007, notes in
English only. BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY
BMS434-435CD [72:32 + 74:26] [HC]
A
magnificent collection of impressive and substantial
British piano sonatas ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Fire
Burning In Snow Baroque music from Latin America – 3 Ex
Cathedra Consort and Baroque Ensemble/Jeffrey Skidmore rec. 2007,Texts
and English translations included HYPERION
CDA67600 [75:35] [JQ]
This
is a CD that commands attention ... see Full
Review
Forgotten
Provence: Music-making
in the South of France, 1150-1550
Martin Best Consort rec. 1994. DDD. Booklet
with notes in English. Translations, but not
original texts, included.
NIMBUS NI5445 [64:19] [BW]
The
whole programme, the lively and the reflective,
is very well performed ... see Full
Review
French
and Belgian Violin Sonatas Includes Claude
DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Violin Sonata Maurice
RAVEL (1875-1937) Violin Sonata Gabriel
FAURÉ (1845-1924) Violin Sonatas 1 & 2 César
FRANCK (1822-1890) Violin Sonata Guillaume
LEKEU (1870-1894) Violin Sonata Henri
VIEUXTEMPS (1820-1881) Ballade et Polonaise Arthur
Grumiaux (violin) István Hajdu, Paul Crossley, Gyorgy
Sebok, Dinorah Varsi (piano) rec. 1962-78 PHILIPS
ELOQUENCE 442 8299 [JW]
You
can never go wrong with Grumiaux ... see Full
Review
Tito Gobbi
Arias
rec. 1942-1953
NIMBUS RECORDS PRIMA VOCE NI 7946 [76:10]
[JS]
A
disc that should be an essential purchase
for anyone with a love of Italian opera or
of singing in general. ... see Full
Review
Gregorian
Chant for Easter Abbey
of Saint Joseph de Clairval, Flavigny TRADITIONS
MONASTIQUES CD12 [RH]
Chant
as sung in a real Benedictine community ... see Full
Review
Barbara
Hendricks Operetta Arias & Duets Barbara
Hendricks (soprano) rec. 1992-3 EMI
CLASSICS 5046752 [2 CDs] [JS]
Will
appeal to admirers of the soprano but I suspect that they will
be greatly disappointed ... see Full
Review
Inventio Includes Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707) Toccata Georg Böhm (1661-1733) Vater
unser im Himmelreich Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, Trio
Sonata No.3, Fugue Eric
Quist (organ) rec. 2006 DE
VERSLUIS dev-eq1016 [BW]
A
well-chosen recital, very well played and recorded: a real discovery
... see Full Review
Journey - Contemporary
Danish Works Palle MIKKELBORG
(b. 1941) Everything Matters
Herman D KOPPEL (1908–1998) Duo for violin and guitar
Jørgen JERSILD (1913–2004) 10 Impromptu
Vagn HOLMBOE (1909–1996) Duo Concertato
Kim Sjøgren (violin); Lars Hanibal (guitar)
rec. 1988 DA
CAPO 8.226902 [59:10][BBr]
A
super disk and well worth investigating ... see Full
Review
The
Kite Runner – film score (2007) Music by Alberto
IGLESIAS (b.1955), Ehsan AMAN
(b.1959), Sami YUSUF (b.1980)
and Bara KHERIGI
Hollywood Studios Symphony/Michael Nowak
EDGE MUSIC 477 7333 [62:47][RM]
If
not immediately memorable, the score is certainly atmospheric and undeniably
skilful ... see Full Review
Otto
Klemperer Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) ‘Egmont’ Overture Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Symphony No. 1 Gustav
MAHLER (1860-1911) Kindertotenlieder
Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester/Otto Klemperer rec. 1955
MEDICI MASTERS MM0052 [JQ]
These
live performances show Klemperer in characteristically trenchant
mood. ... see Full Review
[Click
here for the most recent reviews (last
five days)]
Click for alphabetical listings by composer:
[Part
1 New] [Part
2 A-B] [Part
3 C-L]
[Part
4 M-R] [Part
5 S-Z]
[Part
6 Misc A-L] [Part
7 Misc M-Z]
[Recommended
recordings]
