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Kaija
SAARIAHO (b. 1952) l'Amour de loin 
Rundfunkchor
Berlin; Deutsches SO Berlin/Kent Nagano. rec. 2006 HARMONIA
MUNDI HMC 801937.38 [65:09 + 56:18] 
[AvdW]
An
outright winner in terms of sheer purity and beauty of sound and
detailing. A great production! ... see Full
Review
Camille
SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921) Carnival of the Animals see DELIUS
Franz
SCHMIDT (1874
- 1939) Symphony
2, Fuga solemnis Anders
Johnsson (organ)
Malmö SO/Vassily Sinaisky
rec. 2007 NAXOS
8.570589 [63:09] [BBr]
Worth
the outlay … see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Alfred
SCHNITTKE (1934-1998) Viola
concerto Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1976) Viola
sonata Antoine
Tamestit (viola); Markus Hadulla (piano) Warsaw Philharmonic/Dmitrij
Kitajenko
rec. 2007/8 AMBROISIE
AM168 [65:26] [CR]
This
is a wonderful recording, capturing the essence of both works with understanding
and communicating effectively to the listening audience ... see Full
Review
Arnold
SCHOENBERG
(1874-1951) Complete
Piano Music
Hardy Rittner (piano)
rec. 2009
MDG 904 1593-6 [62.50]
[GH]
The
disc is well worth searching out ... see
Full Review
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Symphonies
5, 6, 8 & 9 Camerata
Academica
des Mozarteums Salzburg/Sandor Végh PHOENIX
EDITION
437 [62:51
+ 76:19] [BR]
Elegant,
graceful, steady and sensible: everything its cover is not … see Full
Review
Franz SCHUBERT
(1797-1828) Grand Rondeau see Argerich
William
SCHUMAN
(1910-1992) Symphony No. 8 (1962) [32:28] Night Journey
- Choreographic Poem for Fifteen Instruments (1947) [25:28] Charles
IVES, arr. SCHUMAN Variations
on ‘America’ (1891/1964) [7:08]
Seattle Symphony/Gerard Schwarz rec. S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium,
Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA, 21 October 2008 (8); 3 October 2007 (Night
Journey), Seattle Opera House, 15 October 1991 (Variations on ‘America’)
NAXOS
AMERICAN CLASSICS 8.559651 [65:04]
[RB]
For
enthusiasts of the orchestral Schuman and the American 20th
century symphony this brings the Naxos Schuman project to a close in
style. ... see Full Review
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) String
Quartet 3,
Piano Quintet Takács
Qt, Marc-André Hamelin
(piano)
rec. 2009 HYPERION
CDA67631 [56:33] 
[BW]
Very
happy with the Quintet; not so attracted to the Quartet ... see Full
Review
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Fantasie,
Kinderszenen, Carnaval David
Wilde (piano) rec. 2009 DELPHIAN
DCD34050 [36:57 + 52:19] [JW]
Will
excite or madden, but never bore ... see Full
Review
Hilda
SEHESTED (1858-1936) Piano Sonata in A flat major see Romantic
Piano Works by Danish Women Composers
Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) Violin
Concerto 2 Peter Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Violin
Concerto David
Oistrakh (violin) London SO/Eugene Ormandy London PO/Maxim Shostakovich
rec. 1967/72 BBC
LEGENDS
BBCL4267-2 [63:48] [JW]
The
live performance of the Shostakovich receiving its ‘Western’
premiere ... see Full
Review
Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH
(1906-1975) Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43 (1936)
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/Mark Wigglesworth rec. September
2005, Studio MCO5, Music Centre for Dutch Radio & Television, Hilversum,
The Netherlands
BIS SACD 1553
[66: 44]
[DM]
Wigglesworth’s
Shostakovich could be the new benchmark ... see Full
Review
Dmitry
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) Symphonies
5 & 9 Royal
Liverpool PO/Vasily Petrenko rec. 2008 NAXOS
8.572167 [78.07] [WH]
One
of these superb performances won’t please everybody, but a remarkable
bargain … see Full Review
Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH
(1906-1975) 24
Preludes and Fugues for Piano, Op.87 (1950/51)
Colin Stone (piano)rec. February-March 2007, Speech Room, Harrow School,
Middlesex
BIG EARS 005 [71:16 + 73:59]
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) 24
Preludes and Fugues for Piano, Op.87 (1950/51)
Jenny Lin (piano)rec. April 2008, SWR Hans Rosbaud Studio, Baden-Baden,
Germany
HÄNSSLER CLASSIC 98.530 [74:40 + 66:43]
[JFL]
Once
you’ve heard this extraordinary pianist, you are bound to come back
… see Full Review
Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) Preludes and fugues see BACH
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1976) Viola
sonata see SCHNITTKE
Jean
SIBELIUS
(1865-1957)
Finlandia, Tapiola, Oceanides, Nightride
and Sunrise, Pohjola's Daughter, Prelude to The Tempest
London
PO/Adrian Boult rec. 1956
SOMM SOMMCD093 [69:05]
[JW][RB]
Boult
is a fine exponent of the tone poems [JW] ... Boult the irascible martinet
- Sibelians need to hear this [RB] ... see Full
Review
Jean
SIBELIUS (1865-1957) A 78rpm Anthology – 1930-1941
Robert Kajanus, Leslie Heward, Eugene Ormandy, Sir Thomas Beecham,
Serge Koussevitzky rec. 1930-40
PRISTINE PASC 204 [73:44]
Jean SIBELIUS (1865-1957) En Saga, Pohjola's Daughter,
Oceanides, Tapiola Hugo ALFVÉN
(1872-1960) Swedish Rhapsody 1
Philadelphia O/Eugene Ormandy rec. 1953/5
PRISTINE PASC 205 [65:58]
[RB]
A
refreshing Sibelian draught for connoisseurs ... see Full
Review
Christian
SINDING (1856-1941) Music
for Violin and Piano - Vol. 1 Henning
Kraggerud (violin) Christian Ihle Hadland (piano) rec. 2006 NAXOS
8.572254 [57:18] [JW]
Sympathetic
and well judged performances … see Full
Review
Bedrich
SMETANA (1824-1884) String Quartet 1 Leoš JANÁCEK (1854-1928) String
Quartet 2 Hába
Qt rec. 2008/9 ZUK
RECORDS 331 [53:31] [LW]
Short
playing time detracts from winning performances … see Full
Review
Louis
SPOHR
(1784-1859)
Der Fall Babylons - Overture, WoO63 (1840) [7:23] Symphony
No. 3 in C minor, Op 78 (1828) [30:09] Symphony No. 6 in G major, The
Historical Symphony Op. 116 (1839) [26:07]
Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana/Howard Shelley rec. March 2009, Auditorio
Stelio Molo, Lugano, Switzerland
HYPERION CDA67788 [63:38]
[RB]
The
accomplishment and confidence of a master craftsman can be felt ...
see Full Review
Carl
STAMITZ (1745-1801) Cello Concerto No. 1 in G [20:50]
Sinfonia concertante in D for violin, viola and orchestra [18:12] Cello
Concerto No. 2 in A [22:17]
Zoltan Rňcz (cello); Ulrich Grehling (violin); Ulrich Koch (viola) Cappella
Coloniensis/Gunter Wich (cello concertos), Marcel Couraud (sinfonia
concertante) rec. 8 April 1975 (No. 1), 1 August 1958 (Sinfonia), 6
June 1970 (No. 2), Oetkerhalle, Bielefeld, Germany
mid-price
PHOENIX EDITION PE 194 [62:15]
Always
a joy to hear a new Carl Stamitz CD … see Full
Review
Johann
STAMITZ
(1717-1757)
Flute Concerto in D major [17:04] Flute Concerto in C major [21:23]
Flute Concerto in D major [16:47] Flute Concerto in G major [13:59]
Robert
Aitken (flute) St Christopher Chamber Orchestra/Donatus Katkus rec.
St Catharine’s Concert Hall, Vilnius, 22-24 June 2006. DDD
NAXOS 8.570150 [69:15]
[JPJ]
Robert
Aitken's flawless technique and lightness of touch make him perfectly
suited to this kind of repertoire... see Full
Review
Charles
Villiers STANFORD (1852 - 1924) Clarinet Concerto see
Clarinet
Variations
William
Grant STILL (1895
– 1978) Symphony No.5 Western Hemisphere (1945 rev. 1970)
[19:37] Poem for Orchestra (1944) [10:27] Symphony No.4 Autochthonous
(1947) [26:15]
Fort Smith Symphony/John Jeter rec. 23–24 May 2009, Arkansas Best Corporation
Performing Arts Center, Fort Smith, Arkansas. DDD
NAXOS AMERICAN CLASSICS 8.559603 [56:24]
[BBr]
A
sidelight on American music … see Full Review
Richard
STRAUSS (1864-1949) Symphonia
Domestica, Metamorphosen Staatskapelle
Weimar/Antoni Wit
rec. 2005/7 NAXOS
8.570895 [75:11] [WH]
A
magnificent Domestica, a fine Metamorphosen … see Full
Review
Richard
STRAUSS
(1864-1949)
Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Op. 28 [14:01] Don Juan, Op. 20 [15:42]
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Symphony No. 36 in C Linz KV 425 [24:37] Overture, Don Giovanni
KV 527 [6:06] Overture, Le nozze di Figaro KV 492 [3:51]
Overture, Cosi fan tutte KV 588 [4:06]
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Fritz Busch (Till Eulenspiegel and Mozart Symphony)
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Fritz Busch (Don Juan) Glyndebourne Festival
Orchestra/Fritz Busch (Overtures) rec. London, Abbey Road Studios, 5-6
March 1934 (Till); 6-8 July 1936 (Don Juan); 5 March 1934 (Linz) and
Glyndebourne Festival Opera House, 29-30 June 1936 (Don Giovanni); 28
June 1935 (Figaro and Cosi).
GUILD GHCD 2356 [68:49]
[KS]
With
the exception of some turgid tempi in the Linz there’s little here not
to enjoy. … see Full Review
Igor
STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) The
Rite of Spring, Petrushka, The Firebird, Apollo City
of Birmingham SO/Simon Rattle
rec. 1986-8 EMI
CLASSICS
9677112 [70:12 + 77:46] [BW]
Individual
preferences apart, this is a fine bargain ... see Full
Review
Igor
STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) Octet, Dumbarton Oaks, Symphony
in C, Symphony in Three Movements 20th
Century Classics Ensemble, O St. Luke’s, Philharmonia O/Robert
Craft rec. 1991-9 NAXOS
8.557507 [75:39] 
[DM]
Some
fine performances … Craft’s unique authority … an obvious and rewarding
choice ... see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Sir Arthur
SULLIVAN
(1842-1900)
Ivanhoe
Peter
Wedd (tenor) Toby Spence (tenor) Janice Watson (soprano) - Catherine
Wyn-Rogers
(mezzo)
BBC Ntl O Wales/David Lloyd-Jones rec. 2009
CHANDOS CHAN 10578 (3) [3 CDs: 59:01 + 52:08 + 54:24]
[RW]
An
excellent job … sure to please the harshest of critics ... see Full
Review
Franz
von SUPPÉ (1819-1895)
Pique
Dame Anjara
Ingrid Bartz (mezzo); Mojca Erdmann (soprano) WDR SO & Ch/Michail
Jurowski rec. 2006
CPO 777 480-2 [55:56] [JS]
A
fascinating example of Viennese operetta. Its sheer tunefulness is an
obvious attraction … see Full Review
Johan
SVENDSEN (1840-1911)
Romeo
and Juliet, op.18 (1876) [12:17] Norwegian Rhapsody no.1, op.17
(1876) [9:13] Norwegian Rhapsody no.2, op.19 (1876) [8:51] Norwegian
Rhapsody no.3, op.21 (1876) [9:54] Norwegian Rhapsody no.4, op.22 (1877)
[12:18] Zorahayda, op.11 (1874, rev. 1879) [12:21]
South Jutland Symphony Orchestra/Bjarte Engeset rec. Alsion Concert
Hall, Sřnderborg, Denmark, 18-21 December 2007
NAXOS 8.570322 [64:55]
[RMay]
If
only he had been taken up by Signor Mantovani ... see Full
Review
Sergei
Ivanovich TANEYEV (1856-1915) Violin sonata & piano
works Ivan
Peshkov (violin) Olga Solovieva (piano) rec. 2005/8 NAXOS
8.557804 [72:41] [JW]
A
bipartite disc of real pleasures ... see Full
Review
Aleksander
TANSMAN (1897-1986) Works
for solo piano Margaret
Fingerhut (piano) rec. 2008 CHANDOS
CHAN10527 [73:39]
Works for cello and piano Cracow
Duo rec. 2009 DUX
0697 [51:46]
Cinq pièces, Violin Concerto,
Suite Baroque, Bariosz
Cajler (violin)
Podlasie SO (Białystok)/Marcin
Nałęcz-Niesiołowski
rec. 2008 DUX
0639 [50:12] [JW]
Worthy
ambassadors for Tansman’s music … see Full
Review
Francesco
TÁRREGA (1852 – 1909) Guitar Music Mats
Bergström (guitar) rec. 2008 NAXOS
8.572365 [61:45] [GF]
I
don’t expect to hear this music played with more elegance, warmth
and charm … see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH John TAVERNER (c.1490-1545) Sacred
Choral Music Ch
St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh/Duncan Ferguson
rec. 2009 DELPHIAN
DCD34023 [58:10] [JQ]
An
outstanding disc ... see Full Review
Pyotr
Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Piano Concertos
1-3, Concert Fantasy Jerome
Lowenthal (piano) London SO/Sergiu Comissiona rec. 1987/9 BRIDGE
RECORDS 9301A/B [68:36 + 57:44] 
[BR]
Quality
performances to match the curiosity value … see Full
Review
Pyotr
Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) String Quartets
1-3, Souvenir de Florence Keller
Qt, Kim Kashkashian (viola) Miklós Perényi (cello) rec. 1991-3 WARNER
CLASSICS APEX 2564 686417 [2 CDs: 67:12 + 73:07] [BW]
No
real complaints but there are better performances of all this music
... see Full Review
Peter
Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Violin Concerto see
SHOSTAKOVICH
Andy
TEIRSTEIN (b.1957) Open
Crossings rec.
2007-08 NAXOS
8.559617 [75:48] [JW]
An
eclectic mélange of music, excellently played, recorded
and documented ... see Full Review
Mark-Anthony
TURNAGE (b. 1960) From the Wreckage see GRUBER
Ralph
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958)
The
Wasps: Aristophanic suite (1909) [26:05] Piano Concerto in C (1926-31)
[27:39]* English Folk Song Suite (1923) (orch. Gordon Jacob)
[9:17] The Running Set (1933) [6:36]
*Ashley Wass (piano) Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/James Judd
rec. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, 27-28 January 2009.
NAXOS 8.572304 [69:37]
[MG]
A
good value selection, engagingly performed …see Full
Review
Francesco
Maria VERACINI (1690 - 1768) Overtures & Concerti
Vol. 1 L'Arte
dell'Arco/Federico Guglielmo (violin)
rec. 2005 CPO
777 302-2 [59.28] [RH]
This
disc makes a strong case for Veracini's music ... see Full
Review
Giuseppe
VERDI
(1813-1901) Messa da Requiem Anja
Harteros (soprano); Sonia Ganassi (mezzo); Rolando Villazón (tenor);
René Pape (bass) Orchestra and Chorus of the National Academy of Santa
Cecilia, Rome/Antonio Pappano rec. 8-13 January 2009, Auditorium Parco
della Musica, Sala Santa Cecilia, Rome. DDD
EMI CLASSICS 6 98936 2 [46:29 + 37:50]
[MC]
Antonio
Pappano proves himself a Verdi conductor of great stature and has produced
a scorching performance of the Requiem that can rival the very best
... see Full Review
Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901) Don Carlos Julian
Gavin (tenor) Alastair Miles (bass) Opera North Ch & O/Richard
Farnes rec. 2009 CHANDOS
CHAN3162(3) [3 CDs: 62.06 + 34.08 + 71.15] [RJF]
Another
worthy addition to Chandos’s Opera in English series ... see Full
Review
Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901) Un
Ballo in Maschera (1859) Marcelo Álvarez
(tenor) Violeta Urmana (soprano) Ch & O Teatro Real, Madrid/Jésus
López-Cobos rec. live, 2008 OPUS
ARTE OA1017D [144:00] 
[ST]
Excellent
Verdi singing ... see Full Review
Turbulent
Heart Louis
VIERNE (1870-1937) Les Djinns, Eros, Ballade
du désepéré, Psyché Ernest
CHAUSSON (1855-1899) Počme de l’amour et de la
mer Steve
Davislim (tenor) Queensland O/Guillaume Tourniaire rec. 2008 MELBA
RECORDINGS MR301123 [76:32] [WK]
Little-known
works by Vierne stupendous in their variety and intensity and a passionate
reading of the Chausson … see Full
Review
Antonio
VIVALDI
(1678-1741)
The Concerto Album Includes "Four Seasons"
Virtuosi
di Roma/Renato Fasano
EMI CLASSICS 5094492 [3 CDs: 70:27 + 53:02 + 64:47]
[SV]
I'm
glad I got to know these performances, and you should do so, too …
see Full Review
Antonio
VIVALDI (1678-1741) Pyrotechnics: Opera
arias Vivica
Genaux (mezzo) Europa Galante/Fabio Biondi rec. 2008 VIRGIN
CLASSICS 6945730 [75:42] [J-PJ]
Vivica
Genaux is superb … perfectly suited to this type of repertoire
... see Full Review
Richard
WAGNER
(1813-1883)
Der Ring des Nibelungen
Soloists plus Vienna State Opera Chorus (Götterdämmerung) Vienna Philharmonic/Georg
Solti rec. 1958; 1962; 1964; 1965. Producer: John Culshaw; Senior engineers:
Gordon Parry, James Brown Japanese remaster, 2009; UK import limited
to 35 copies; Ł495; US Price $800+taxes CDs/SACD Hybrid
DECCA ESOTERIC ESSD90021-90034 [14 discs+ 1 DVD]
[JL]
With
the Vienna Ring remastered, forty years after the event, Esoteric has
fulfilled the ultimate potential of the recording industry. ... see
Full Review
Richard
WAGNER (1813
- 1883) Die
Walküre - Acts I and III Kirsten
Flagstad (soprano) Vienna PO/Hans Knappertsbusch, Sir Georg Solti
rec. 1957 DECCA
ELOQUENCE 480 1892 [63:05 + 71:08] [GF]
It
is a privilege to have back in circulation these magnificent late
recordings by one of the giants in the history of opera … see Full
Review
Richard
WAGNER (1813–1883) Die Walküre Peter
Seiffert (tenor) Petra Maria Schnitzer (soprano) Juha Uusitalo
(bass-baritone) O de la Comunitat Valenciana/Zubin Mehta rec.
live UNITEL
CLASSICA 700708 [270:00] [ST]
Well
worth picking up for the spectacular staging and the outstanding
musical values ... see Full
Review
Richard
WAGNER (1813-1883) Tristan
und Isolde Robert
Dean Smith, Iréne Theorin
Bayreuther Festspiele Ch & O/Peter Schneider
rec. live, 2009. OPUS
ARTE OA1033D [3
DVDs:
292:00] [ST]
All
in all I found watching the whole thing rather depressing, but
that’s not an invalid reading of Wagner’s great score
and you’ll probably find something here to match your view
of Tristan, whatever that is ... see Full
Review
Sir William WALTON (1902-1983) Siesta see
Boult
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Kurt
WEILL
(1900-1950) Lost
in the Stars (1948-49) Leader - Gregory Hopkins (tenor); Stephen
Kumalo - Arthur Woodley (bass-baritone); Absalom Kumalo - Reginald Pindell
(baritone); Irina - Cynthia Clarey (soprano); John Kumalo - Reginald
Pindell; Linda - Carol Woods (singer); Alex - Jamal Howard (treble)
Concert
Chorus of New York; Orchestra of St.Luke’s/Julius Rudel rec. 16, 19,
21 September 1992, BMG Studios, Studio B, New York City DDD English
text included
NIMBUS NI 2543 [71:41]
[JQ][RB]
Weill’s
last completed work given a fine, dramatic reading [JQ] Everything is
just right [RB] ... see Full Review
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for alphabetical listings by composer:
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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]
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