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101
Essential Opera Favourites (Arias and Choruses) 
Various singers, choirs, orchestras and conductors; Full track-list
at end of review rec. 1954–1982
DECCA 476 3781 [6 CDs: 71:58 + 78:54 + 72:55 + 72:19 + 71:28
+ 70:53] [GF]
If
the contents appeals: add this box to your collection… see Full
Review
American
Clarinet Elliott
CARTER (b.1908) Clarinet Concerto (1996) [19:47]; Steve
REICH (b.1936)
New York Counterpoint (1985) [11:07]; Elliott
CARTER (b.1908) Gra (1993) [3:45]; Howard
SANDROFF (b.1949) Tephillah (1997) [16:18]; John
ADAMS (b.1947) Gnarly Buttons (1996) [24:56]
Franck Rossi (tape, electronics); André Trouttet (clarinet) (Adams);
Alain Damiens (clarinet); Ensemble InterContemporain/David Robertson
rec. 1996,1998. DDD
EMI CLASSICS 9 67133 2 [76:30]
[CR]
Enjoyable
multi-faceted compositions, interesting and varied programming and high
quality playing throughout. ... see Full
Review
Baritone
Arias
Lado Ataneli (baritone) Württemburg PO/Lodovico
Zoche rec. 2007
NAXOS 8.572438 [55.15]
[GF]
Among
baritones at present active in this kind of repertoire Ataneli is among
the best ... see Full Review
Basque
Music Collection Vols 5, 8 & 11 Francisco
ESCUDERO (b.1912) El sueño de un Bailarín, Concierto
vasco, Cello concerto, Sinfonía Sacra, Joan
Bautista, Aranzazu Euskadiko
SO/Arturo Tamayo
rec. 2001 CLAVES
CD
50-2110/11 [67:07
+ 77:07]
Tomás GARBIZU (1901-1989) Misa Papa Juan XXIII, Cinco
canciones vascas Euskadiko
SO/Cristian Mandeal
rec. 2004 CLAVES
CD
50-2413 [66:30]
Luis
de PABLO (b. 1930) Danzas Secretas, Frondoso Misterio Frédérique
Cambreling (harp); Asier Polo (cello) Euskadiko SO/Arturo Tamayo
rec. 2008 CLAVES
CD
50-2817 [55:29] [RB]
Three
important and authoritative releases in this valuable series ...
see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Between
Life and Death:
Songs and arias Christoph
Prégardien (tenor) Michael Gees (piano)
rec. 2008 CHALLENGE
CLASSICS CC72324 
[41:50
+ 44:47] [DM]
It’s
quality and not quantity that counts here … see Full
Review
The
Bliss of Solitude
Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958)
On Wenlock Edge Adrian WRIGHT (b.
1955) The Bliss of Solitude Roger QUILTER
(1877-1953) Three Pieces for Piano, Three Shakespeare Songs,
Three Songs
Richard Dowling (tenor); Joanna Smith (piano) rec. 2008
HERALD HAVPCD354 [74:13]
[JF]
All
in all, a most satisfying release ... see Full
Review
The
Bohemian Album Antonín DVOŘÁK
(1841-1904) Serenade for Strings Pavel
HAAS (1899-1944) String Quartet 2 Erwin
SCHULHOFF (1894-1942) 5 Pieces
Amsterdam Sinfonietta/Candida Thompson, rec. 2008
CHANNEL CLASSICS CCSSA24409 [78:00]
[JW]
The
pleasure of hearing the fine playing but can’t see why anyone should
prefer these two inauthentic versions to the originals ... see Full
Review
Mike
Brewer's World Tour
- National Youth Choir of Great Britain Hamba
Lulu (Zulu wedding song); Holday danaa (Bengali bird song);
Molihua (China); Pueblo Sunrise Song (New Mexico); Ej
lásko, lásko (Moravian folksong); Tango Cappella (Argentina);
Kvölda tekur (Icelandic folksong); Meguru (Kavango song
from Namibia); Tourdion (France); Izintakana (Zulu bird
song); Korobushka (Russia/Ukraine); Pokarekare (Maori
love song); Yelli bo'dek dhaya fikri (Tunisia); El cascabel
(Mexico)
National Youth Choir of Great Britain/Mike Brewer rec. details not supplied.
DDD
DELPHIAN DCD34080 [68:02]
[RW]
Enthusiasm
and powerful delivery from every member of this deeply committed choir
... see Full Review
Coeperunt
loqui
Orlando di LASSUS (1532-1594) Missa
Venatorum, Magnificat septimi toni Thomas
TALLIS (c.1505-1585) O sacrum convivium, Nunc
dimittis à 5, Loquebantur variis linguis Hieronymus
PRAETORIUS (1560-1629) Magnificat quinti toni John
SHEPPARD (c.1515-1558) Reges Tharsis et insulæ
Cristóbal de MORALES (c.1500-1553)
Magnificat primi toni Peter PHILIPS
(c.1560-1628) Ecce vicit Leo
Cheltenham College Chamber Ch/Alexander Ffitch rec. 2009
HERALD HAVPCD351 [57:48]
[BW]
Performances
challenge the best ... see Full
Review
The
Billy Collins Suite -
Songs inspired by his Poetry Susan
Cook (saxophone) Yoko Yamada-Selvaggio (piano) Steve Robinson
(narrator) Buffy Baggott (mezzo) Lincoln Trio, John Bruce Yeh
(clarinet)
rec. 2008 CEDILLE
CDR90000115 [54:45] [JW]
Wildly
disparate and uneven ... see Full
Review
Franco
Corelli - A Perfect (Italian) Tenor Arias
by Verdi, Giordano, Mascagni, Cilea & Puccini Orchestra
RAI, Torino/Arturo Basile, rec. 1954-1957 REGIS
RRC 1315 [73:53] [GF]
One
of the most glorious tenors who ever set foot in a recording studio
... see Full Review
Crazy I
Furiosi
rec. 2008 DORIAN
SONO
LUMINUS DSL90802 [64:22] [GPu]
A
quirky programme which is decently played but isn’t wholly
satisfying … see Full Review
The
Dante Troubadors
Martin Best Medieval Ensemble rec. 1982
NIMBUS NI 5002 [49.13]
[RH]
Best's
performances are convincing, vividly communicative. Very seductive.
... see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Diminuito Rolf
Lislevand (lutes, vihuela de mano); Linn Andrea Fuglseth, Anna
Maria Friman (voice)
rec. 2007/8 ECM
NEW SERIES
2088 [58:11] [DC]
Transcendent
music making - and great fun as well ... see Full
Review
Double
Trouble Barbara
THOMPSON (b.1944) Double Trouble, Tuba
Concerto Andy SCOTT Tuba Concerto, Going
Down,
Bite the Bullet Tubalaté,
Foden’s Band/Michael
Fowles EGON
SFZ152 [60:52] [BBr]
I
enjoyed it … see Full
Review
Duende Xavier
MONTSALVATGE (1912 - 2002) Cinco canciones
negras Enrique GRANADOS (1867
- 1916) Canciones Amatorias Jesús
GURIDI (1886 - 1961) Seis Canciones Castellanas Manuel
de FALLA (1876 - 1946) Siete Canciones
populares Españolas Annika
Skoglund (mezzo); Love Derwinger (piano)
rec. 2009 ICTUS
DISC
IMP1009 [62:58] [GF]
Skoglund
has her own ‘duende’: living expression and spontaneous
creation ... see Full Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH English
Viola Sonatas by Jacob, Ireland, Arnold,
Delius and Berkeley Martin
Outram (viola); Julian Rolton (piano)
rec. 2009 NAXOS
8.572208 [72:04] [BBr]
A
fabulous disk … see Full
Review
English
Wind Band Classics Gustav
HOLST (1874-1934) Suite No. 1 [9:55]; Suite No. 2
[10:57]; Hammersmith [13:50] Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958) English
Folksong Suite [10:30]; Toccata Marziale [4:41] Gordon
JACOB (1895-1984) William Byrd Suite for Symphonic
Band [18:32] William WALTON (1902-1983) Crown
Imperial [9:50] Eastman
Wind Ensemble/Frederick Fennell rec. 1955-59. ADD BEULAH 1PD82 [77:18] [RB]
Magnificent
playing and lasting technological excellence ... see Full
Review
Fanfares
and Overtures H.
Owen REED (b. 1910) Overture, Fanfare for Remembrance,
Renascence Karel HUSA (b.
1921) Music for Prague 1968 William
SCHUMAN (1910 -1992) George Washington Bridge Rutgers
Wind Ens/William Berz
rec. 2006-8 NAXOS
8.572230 [65:46] [BM]
What
a strange disc! … see Full
Review
Fernand
Faniard –
Ténor
héroïque; Mélodies, Airs d’opera
Orchestre de Radio Alger/Roger Ellis, recorded 18 August 1949 Fernand
Faniard (tenor) with accompaniments as above
MUSIQUE EN WALLONIE MEW 0850 [75:02]
[JW]
Powerful
and heroic but could be too hard and not ideally flexible ... see Full
Review
From
Bow to String Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Sinfonia Concertante in E flat
major for violin and viola in E flat major, K364 (1779) [30:31] ¹ William
WALTON (1902-1983) Viola Concerto (1928-9, revised 1961)
[25:48] ²
Glenn Dicterow (violin); Karen Dreyfus (viola) Warsaw National Philharmonic
Orchestra/Carl St Clair ¹ Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra/Jerzy
Swoboda ² rec, August 2001 (Mozart) and June 1995 (Walton), Warsaw
NAVONA RECORDS NV5822 [56:22]
[JW]
Dutiful,
malleable but hardly imbued with allure ... see Full
Review
A
German Bouquet Works
by Schop, Schmelzer, Muffat, Krieger, Buxtehude, bach, Erlebach & Pisendel Trio
Settecento rec. 2008 CEDILLE
RECORDS
CDR 90000 114 [78:30] [JV]
This
recording gives some idea of the quality of German violin music
of the late 17th century but doesn't explore it to the full ...
see Full Review
The
Golden Age of Light Music: Highly Strung rec.
1946-59 GUILD
GLCD5166 [77:38] [BBr]
This
is an invaluable series … see Full
Review
The
Golden Age of Light Music Orchestral
Gems in Stereo rec.
1956-9 GUILD
LIGHT MUSIC GLCD 5165 [78:20]
[BBr]
A
most enjoyable disk…see Full
Review
Great
Short Masterpieces for Piano by Schubert,
Debussy, Satie & Berio Michal
Tal (piano) ROMÉO
RECORDS 7278/79 [78:18 + 72:45] [JW]
Mixed
results but persistent low hum makes listening unattractive ...
see Full Review
Sylvie
Guillem, On The Edge / Sur le fil - a portrait
by Françoise Ha Van Extras: Guillem Over The Seasons DEUTSCHE
GRAMMOPHON 073 4544 [118.00] 
[MM-B]
Sadly
no more than mildly curious ... see Full
Review
My
Heart Is Ever Present
Tine
Thing Helseth (trumpet) Isa Katharina Gericke (soprano) Norwegian CO
rec. 2009
SIMAX PSC1276
[55:42] [GF]
Playing
and singing on a very high level ... see Full
Review
In
Fun and Earnest
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Symphonic
Etudes Franz LISZT (1811-1886) Hungarian
Rhapsody 6 Rodion SHCHEDRIN (b. 1932)
Humoresque Nina KAVTARADZE Nostalgic
Tango
Nina Kavtaradze (piano) rec. 2009
DANACORD DACOCD681 [62:13]
[JW]
A
rather necessarily uneven recital ... see Full
Review
Italian
Trumpet Concertos Antonio
VIVALDI (1678-1741) Trumpet
concerto Alessandro SCARLATTI (1660-1725) Arias Alessandro
MARCELLO (1669-1747) Trumpet concerto Pietro
BALDASSARE (1690-after 1768) Trumpet sonata Baldassare
GALUPPI (1706-1785) Aria Giuseppe
TARTINI (1692-1770) Trumpet concerto Tomaso
ALBINONI (1671-1751) Trumpet concerto Gábor
Tarkövi (trumpet) Bavarian RSO CO/Radoslaw Szulc rec.
2008 TUDOR
7161 [61:41] [J-PJ]
Not
a disc for purists. But a good buy for music lovers who don’t
like to question things too much ... see Full
Review
I
Was like WOW Jörgen
van Rijen (trombone), Paolo Giacometti (pno), Marcel Beekman
(ten.), Frits Damrow (trumpet), Combattimento Consort/Jan Willem
de Vriend, rec. 2008 CHANNEL
CLASSICS CCS SA 26909 [63:36] [GD]
I
was like WOW! ... see Full Review
Gunnar
Johansen in Performance and Recording - The Artist Direct
Includes Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Passacaglia and Fugue Franz LISZT (1811-1886)
Après une lecture de Dante: Fantasia quasi sonata
Ferruccio BUSONI (1866-1924) Variations
and Fugue Gunnar JOHANSEN (1906-1991)
Piano Sonata 2 Johann STRAUSS II (1825
- 1899)/ Leopold GODOWSKY (1870-1938)
Künstelerleben
Gunnar Johansen (piano)
GUNNAR AND LORRAINE JOHANSEN CHARITABLE TRUST [76:04] [JW]
Reaches
into the vortex with unremitting passion and sweep ... see Full
Review
Judith
Leclair – Works for Bassoon Roger BOUTRY
(b.1932) Interférences Bernard ANDRÈS
(b.1941) Chants d’arrière-saison Camille
SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921) Sonata Ludwig
MILDE (1849-1913) Andante & Rondo, Polonaise Reinhold
GLIÈRE (1875-1956) Humoresque
Judith Leclair (bassoon), Jonathan Feldman (pno), Gretchen van Hoesen
(harp), rec. 2007-8
AVIE AV2181 [58:31]
[JW]
Mellifluous
and always engaging ... see Full
Review
Lobt
Gott ihr Christen allzugleich -
Baroque Bass Cantatas by Telemann, Kegel, Wolff, Roemhildt,
Hoffmann & Donati
Klaus Mertens (bass-baritone) Accademia Daniel/Shalev Ad-El rec. 2007
CPO
777 298-2 [75:42] [JV]
Cantatas
by completely unknown German composers of the early 18th century - music
and performances of high quality ... see Full
Review
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]
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