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Alphabetical Listing

PART 2
A-B

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]
[last 5 days] [Recommended recordings]


Superbudget £5.99 or less Budget £6-7.99 Medium £8-10.99 Full price £11+ Download

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Jehan ALAIN (1911-1940) Complete Works for Organ Jean-Baptiste Robin (organ) rec. 2009/2010 BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94233 [3 CDs: 71:58 + 71:37 + 79:26] [DC]

Not quite perfect, but still worth every penny.

Anton ARENSKY (1861-1906) Violin Concerto see CONUS

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) St Matthew Passion Vienna State Opera O/Hermann Scherchen rec. 1953 TAHRA TAH 701-3 [3 CDs: 199:14] [JW]

A comprehensively successful set.

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Keyboard concertos ASMF/Murray Perahia (piano, director) rec. 2000-3 SONY CLASSICAL 88697 824292 [3 CDs: 163:34] [MC]

The sense of a great opportunity missed.

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Keyboard concertos Alexandre Tharaud (piano) Les Violons du Roy/Bernard Labie rec. 2010 VIRGIN CLASSICS 0709132 [74:46] [DC]

Well-tempered sounds for ill-tempered times.

Mily BALAKIREV (1837-1910) Tamara see Oriental Rhapsody

Samuel BARBER (1910-1981) Despite and still and other songs Melissa Fogarty (soprano) Marc Peloquin (piano) rec. 2011 AUREOLE RECORDS 101 [48:45] [RB]

Intelligence, operatic chops and sensitivity make Fogarty a perfect fit for this serious sequence of Barber songs. 

Samuel BARBER (1910-1981) Historical Recordings rec. 1935-1960 WEST HILL RADIO ARCHIVES WHRA6039 [8 CDs + CD-ROM] [RB]

A stunning conspectus of Barber performance practice and original versions as presented as to the public during the composer's lifetime.

Samuel BARBER (1910-1981) Ballade, Piano Sonata see GRIFFES

Bela BARTÓK (1881-1945) Violin Concerto 2, Violin Sonata 1 Yehudi Menuhin (violin) Philharmonia O/Wilhelm Furtwängler; Adolph Baller (piano) rec.1947/1953 NAXOS HISTORICAL 8.111336 [68:43] [SV]

This will give some idea of what the Menuhin fuss was originally about.

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Symphonies 1-9, Overtures: Egmont, Leonore 3 Staatsoper Dresden Ch, Staatskapelle Dresden/Sir Colin Davis rec. 1991-3 NEWTON CLASSICS 8802077 [6 CDs: 402:50] [JQ]

Sensible, thoughtful and thoroughly musical … a good, sound proposition. 

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) String Quartets 1 & 2 Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) String Quartet 1 Catterall String Quartet: Arthur Catterall and John S. Bridge (violins) Frank S. Park (viola) Johan C. Hock (cello) rec. 1921-24 HISTORIC RECORDINGS HRCD00107 [75:38] [JW]

This is where it all began.

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Favourite Piano Sonatas Alfred Brendel (piano) rec. early 1960s BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94272 [3 CDs: 188:55] [JS]

At the low price at which the set is available these are discs that should have wide appeal.

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Symphony 9 Irmgard Seefried, Rosette Anday, Anton Dermota, Paul Schöffler, Wiener Singakademie, Wiener Philharmoniker/Wilhelm Furtwängler rec. 1953 ICA CLASSICS ICAC 5034 [74:12] [JS]

An account of such imagination and perception that it is worth hearing as an essential alternative to other versions.

Franz BENDA (1709-1786) Violin Sonatas Hans-Joachim Berg (violin) Naoko Akutagawa (harpsichord) rec. 2010 NAXOS 8.572307 [72:29] [JV]

A disc for connoisseurs.

Richard Rodney BENNETT (b.1936) Clarinet Chamber Music - A Birthday Tribute Duo Concertante, Sonatina, Scena III, Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, Sonata for Bass Clarinet and Piano, Ballad in memory of Shirley Horn Victoria Soames Samek (clarinets) Michael Bell (piano) Inspirity Str Qt, East Winds rec. 2010. CLARINET CLASSICS CC0064 [80:06] [RB]

A worthy and generously proportioned gift to the composer and to us.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Hector BERLIOZ (1803-1869)Grande Messe des Morts Robert Murray (tenor) Gabrieli Players/Consort/Chetham’s Sch of Music Symphonic Brass Ens/Wroclaw Phil Ch/O/Paul McCreesh rec. 2010 SIGNUM CLASSICS SIGCD280 [48:25 + 40:17] [ST]

First class.

Georges BIZET (1838-1875) Carmen Béatrice Uria-Monzon, Roberto Alagna, Marina Poplavskaya, Erwin Schrott, Gran Teatre del Liceu/Marc Piollet rec. 2010 UNITEL CLASSICA 707404 [156:00] [DBi]

A startling, but gripping and coherent production, with a superb Carmen and excellent all-round cast and orchestra.

Ragomania William BOLCOM (b.1938) Ragomania, Clarinet concerto, Commedia Clare FISCHER (b.1928) The Duke, Swee’Pee and Me Richard Stoltzman (clarinet) Lankaster Fest O/Gary Sheldon rec. 2008 MARQUIS 81397 [52:45] [OL]

Cheerful and attractive.

Alexander BORODIN (1833-1887) Prince Igor: Polovtsian Dances see TCHAIKOVSKY

Sergei BORTKIEWICZ (1877-1952) Piano Works - Vol. 3 Jouni Somero (piano) rec. 2006 FINNCONCERT FCRCD 9723 [67:50] [Byz]

Not as compelling as the first two volumes but the sonata is magnificent.

Sergei BORTKIEWICZ (1877-1952) Piano Works - volume 5 Jouni Somero (piano) rec. 2010. DDD FINNCONCERT FCRCD 9736 [72:24] [Byz]

This gem-studded volume itself verges on the indispensable.

Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Cello Sonatas 1 & 2 Maurice Maréchal (cello) Jeanne-Marie Darré (piano) rec. 1952 FORGOTTEN RECORDS FR 168 [43:27] [JW]

Richly rewarding despite the occasional frailty.

Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Piano Sonata 3, Four Ballades Daniel Barenboim (piano) rec. 1996 WARNER APEX 2564 67317-6 [57:01] [JW]

A good opportunity to enjoy Barenboim’s agreeably magisterial, but rhythmically alert approach.

Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Piano Concertos 1 & 2 Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809) Andante con Variazioni, Fantasia, Joseph HAYDN Sonata 52 Wilhelm Backhaus (piano) Vienna PO/Karl Böhm, Carl Schuricht rec. 1953/9 HÄNSSLER PROFIL PH11051 [58:22 + 61:22] [MC]

Most impressive. Effortless virtuosity. But does not displace my benchmark recordings. 

Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) String Quartet 1 see BEETHOVEN

Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Alto Rhapsody see Reiner Rarities

Havergal BRIAN (1876-1972) Symphony 1 Susan Gritton (soprano) Bach Ch, Brighton Festival Ch, Huddersfield Choral Soc, London SCh, BBC Ntl Ch & O Wales; BBC Concert O/Martyn Brabbins rec. live, 2011 HYPERION CDA67971/2 [54:07 + 60:41] [NB]

If I was allowed to keep only one of the recorded versions of The Gothic I would opt for this new version. 

Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976) Violin Concerto Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Symphony 4 Stanisław MONIUSZKO (1819-1872) Straszny dwór - Mazur Wanda Wilkomirska (violin) Warsaw PO/Witold Rowicki rec. live, 1967 ORCHESTRAL CONCERT CDs CD12/2011 [73:03] [JW]

Hair-shirt production values from this company ensure that terrific concerts such as this have a continuing and richly deserved afterlife. 

Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976) Sinfonia da Requiem see Arcadia Lost

Max BRUCH (1838-1920) Violin Concerto 1 see WIENIAWSKI

Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphonies 4, 7 & 9 Philharmonie Festiva/Gerd Schaller rec. 2007-10 HÄNSSLER PROFIL PH11028 [4 CDs: 65:43 + 64:52 + 36:54 + 46:47] [MC]

A really impressive release.

Joan BRUDIEU (?1520-1591) Missa Defunctorum, Madrigals Exaudi Nos/Joan Grimalt rec. 2010 COLUMNA MÚSICA 1CM0251 [45:10] [Byz]

Brudieu's Mass: one of the finest of its time and place. 

Ole BULL (1810-1880) Cantabile doloroso e Rondo giocoso see WIENIAWSKI


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]
[last 5 days] [Recommended recordings]




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