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Michel
van der AA (b. 1970) Spaces of Blank; Mask; Imprint
Christianne
Stotijn (mezzo), Gottfried von der Goltz (violin), Asko|Schönberg Ens,
Royal Concertgebouw O/Ed Spanjaard, Otto Tausk, Freiburg Baroque O rec.
2006-10
DISQUIET MEDIA DQM01 [55:08]
[MS]
An
excellent and excellently-produced CD from Van der Aa's own label. He's
a composer much in demand at present. Listen to this interesting and
convincing music to see why.
Michel
van der AA (b.
1970) Here Trilogy
Claron McFaddon (soprano) Netherlands Radio CO/Peter Eötvös,Etienne
Siebens rec. 2004/5
DISQUIET MEDIA DQM02 [49:00]
[MS]
A
trilogy of real substance for chamber orchestra and soprano; full of
concentrated, abstract and metaphorically rich ideas. Yet performed
and presented with great realism and assurance. Definitely something
to investigate.
Mark
ADAMO
(b. 1962) Little
Women
Stephanie Novacek (mezzo) Joyce DiDonato (mezzo) rec. 2000
NAXOS 2.110613
[115:00]
[KM]
A
television production of a very popular American opera, which will most
likely please those who like this sort of thing.
Anton
ARENSKY (1861-1906) Piano Trios 1 & 2
Rachmaninov Trio Moscow rec.
TUDOR 7152 [58:42]
[GD]
Not
the only way to play this music but the interpretations are coherent
and engaging, and repay repeated listening.
Alexander
ARUTIUNIAN (b.1920) Trumpet Concerto see
Popular Trumpet Concertos
Johann
Christian BACH (1735-1782) Milanese Vesper Psalms
Süddeutscher
Kammerchor, Concerto Köln/Gerhard Jenemann rec. 2009
CARUS 83.347 [60:01 + 32:25]
[JV]
Revelatory.
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Cantatas - Vol. 47
BWV 27, 36 & 47
Hana Blažíková (soprano) Robin Blaze (counter-tenor) Satoshi Mizukoshi
(tenor) Peter Kooij (bass) Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki
BIS-SACD-1861 
[68:27] [GD]
Wonderful,
wonderful music presented by performers at the top of their game.
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Arias from Cantatas and Oratorios
Teddy Tahu Rhodes (bass-baritone) Sara Macliver (soprano) Antipodes
O/Anthony Walker, Brett Weymark rec. 2003-8
ABC CLASSICS 476 3871 [55:15]
[KS]
Sensitive
and expressive singing on the part of Teddy Tahu Rhodes makes for a
very enjoyable hour of listening. This is a well chosen program worth
many repeated hearings.
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
The Well-Tempered Clavier , Book I, BWV 846-869
David
Korevaar (piano) rec. 1998
MSR CLASSICS MS 1003 [51:48 + 63:40]
[DC]
A
worthy part of an ever expanding pyramid of WTC excellence.
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Concertos for 2, 3 & 4
Harpsichords
Saar CO/Karl Ristenpart rec. 1965
HIGH DEFINITION TAPE TRANSFERS HDCD209 [65.00]
[GH]
A
period piece CD which might be worth searching out if you bear in mind
that nowadays this style and recording is not as we expect.
RECORDING OF THE MONTH Wilhelm
Friedemann BACH (1710 - 1784) Cantatas 1
Dorothee Mields (soprano) Gerhild Romberger (alto) Georg Poplutz (tenor)
Klaus Mertens (bass) Bachchor Mainz L’arpa festante/Ralf Otto rec. 2010
CARUS
83.362 [69:01]
[MS]
Four
of W.F. Bach's Halle cantatas given splendid world première recordings
by a top team.
Wilhelm
Friedemann BACH (1710 - 1784) Cantatas 2
Rastatter Hofkapelle/Jürgen Ochs rec. 2010
CARUS 83.429 [66:35]
[MS]
The
second in the admirable survey by Carus of W.F. Bach's cantatas. While
completely different from the first in personnel the second is just
as compelling. Good at last to have this wonderful music available in
such expert and articulate performances.
Samuel
BARBER (1910-1981) Three Songs see
Let Beauty Awake
Arnold
BAX (1883-1953) Piano Quintet Frank
BRIDGE (1879-1940) Piano Quintet
Ashley Wass (piano) Tippett Qt
NAXOS 8.572474 [68:18]
[JF]
Works
that are to be appreciated and enjoyed: they move and inspire
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN
(1770-1827)
Complete Piano Sonatas
Alfred Brendel (piano) rec. 1961-66
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94075 [9 CDs: 615:25]
[GD]
This
was the set that first put Brendel on the road to international recognition.
Listening to it, you can tell why that is.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Symphony 9
Tilla Briem (sop.) Elisabeth Höngen (alto) Peter Anders (ten.) Rudolph
Watzke (bass) Bruno Kittel Ch, Berlin PO/Wilhelm Furtwängler, rec. 1942
PRISTINE
AUDIO XR PASC250 [73:02]
[MC]
For
those who want a recording of Furtwängler’s famous 1942 account this
is the best I have heard.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770
- 1827) Symphonies 1, 2, 4, 5 & 8, Fidelio overture
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Symphony 1
Concertgebouw O/Willem Mengelberg rec. live, 1940
PRISTINE AUDIO XR PASC 221, 229 & 236 [73:38 + 71:09
+ 68:23] [JW]
Incandescent
leonine performances, wilful, full of agogic distortions, rhetorical
in places, replete with rhythmic licence and personalised to the
point of caricature yet often overwhelming.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Complete Violin Sonatas
Renaud Capuçon (violin) Frank Braley (piano) rec. 2009
VIRGIN CLASSICS 6420010 [3 CDs: 223:16]
[JW]
Cut
from intimate cloth, preferring incremental, dextrous playing, exuding
tenderness and relaxation. Will appeal strongly to those who value chamber
intimacies above concertante vigour.
Vincenzo
BELLINI (1801-1835) I Capuleti e I Montecchi
Edita Gruberova (sop.) Agnes Baltsa (mezzo) Dano Raffanti (ten.) John
Tomlinson (bar.) Gwynne Howell (bass) Orch. & Chor. ROH/Riccardo
Muti, rec. 1984
EMI CLASSICS 6406372 [58.36 + 71.24 + bonus disc]
[RJF]
Stage
noise and recording limitations are a significant drawback here.
George
BENJAMIN
(b. 1960)
Palimpsests, At First Light, Sudden Time
Ensemble Modern & Ensemble Modern O/George Benjamin rec. 1995-2003
NIMBUS NI5732 [57:26]
[WH]
Remarkable, challenging music in outstanding performances.
Luciano
BERIO (1925-2003) A Portrait
Francesco D’Orazio, Alessandro Tampieri (violin) Andrea Bacchetti, Giampaolo
Nuti (piano) Fausto Ghiazza (clarinet) “Giuseppe Verdi” SO/Riccardo
Chailly rec. 2000-6
DECCA 476 3479 [3 CDs 75:00 + 43:24 + 58:45]
[DC]
If
this is Decca’s new way of re-releasing ‘old’ recordings, you can count
me in.
Hector
BERLIOZ (1803-1869) Symphonie fantastique
Boston
SO/Charles Munch rec. 1962
HIGH DEFINITION TAPE TRANSFERS HDCD207 [49:01]
[RMo]
This
re-mastering is a revelation and gives new life to a classic account.
Hector
BERLIOZ (1803-1869) Overtures see Sir
Adrian Boult
Georges
BIZET (1838-1875)
Clovis et Clotilde, Te Deum
Katarina Jovanovic (soprano); Philippe Do (tenor) Mark Schnaible (bass)
Choeur Régional Nord - Pas-de-Calais Lille Ntl O/Jean-Claude
Casadesus rec. 2009
NAXOS 8.572270 [52:38]
[IL]
Two
colourful youthful works, full of ardour, and worth consideration.
Georges
BIZET (1838-1870) Carmen see
VERDI
Ernest
BLOCH (1880-1959)
Violin Works Suites, Sonatas, Baal Shem, Violin Concerto
František Novotný (violin) Serguei Milstein (piano) Brno
PO/Tomáš Netopil rec. 2007/8
RADIOSERVIS CR0439-2 [72:49 + 67:18]
[JW]
The
performances are fiery.
Luigi
BOCCHERINI (1743-1805) Cello Sonata 4 see
DVOŘÁK
Paul
BOWLES (1910-1999) Blue Mountain Ballads see
Let Beauty Awake
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Johannes BRAHMS
(1833-1897)
String Quintets 1 & 2
Raphael Ens rec. 1995
HYPERION HELIOS CDH55369 [58:07]
[LW]
The
best option for these quintets.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) A German Requiem
Herbert
Janssen (baritone) Vivian Della Chiesa (soprano) Westminster Ch, NBC
SO/Arturo Toscanini rec. 1943
PRISTINE AUDIO PACO050 [73:46]
[RMo]
A
pleasant and interesting listen, but far from indispensable.
Johannes
BRAHMS
(1833-1897) Ein Deutsches Requiem
Christine Schäfer (soprano); Christian Gerhaher (baritone) Bavarian
Radio Ch, Munich PO/Christian Thielemann rec. live 2007
UNITEL CLASSICA/C MAJOR 703308
[82:40]
[WH]
Magnificently
sung and played, beautifully filmed, but the interpretation tests the
listener’s patience.
Johannes
BRAHMS
(1833-1897) Piano Quartets 1 & 3
The Milander Qt rec. 2007
AVIE AV2203 [76:14]
[GD]
A
great recording and a very promising start to what should be a glittering
recording career.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Johannes BRAHMS
(1833-1897)
Handel Variations, Rhapsodies, Piano Pieces
Murray Perahia (piano) rec. 2010
SONY CLASSICAL 88679 79469 2 [78:44]
[DC]
Do
you really need to ask if this is any good?
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Three Intermezzos Fryderyk
CHOPIN (1810-1849) Ballades 1-4 Aleksandr
SCRIABIN (1872-1915)
Sonata 4
Vassily Primakov (piano) rec. 2009
BRIDGE
9315 [68:00]
[OL]
This
is the most Romantic presentation of the most Romantic music.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Violin Concerto Antonín
DVOŘÁK (1841-1904) Violin Concerto
Itzhak Perlman (violin) Chicago SO/Carlo Maria Giulini, LPO/Daniel Barenboim,
rec. 1974/6
EMI CLASSICS 6317702 [75:01]
[JW]
This
isn’t a dance competition, but if it were it would be 9 for the Dvořák
and 7 for the Brahms.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Symphonies 1-4, Haydn Variations, Piano Concerto 2
Edwin Fischer (piano) Berlin PO, North German RO, Vienna PO/Wilhelm
Furtwängler, rec. 1942-54
MUSIC & ARTS CD-4941 [4 CDs: 267:52]
[JW]
In
newly restored form, this box represents the best of Furtwängler’s
Brahms.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Viola Sonata see CLARKE
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Double Concerto see DVOŘÁK
Havergal
BRIAN (1876-1972) In Memoriam, Festal Dance,
Symphonies 17 & 32
RTÉ Ntl SO/Adrian Leaper rec. 1992
NAXOS 8.572020 [59:37]
[JF]
Sound
quality: outstanding, playing: convincing; the programme is ultimately
satisfying.
Frank BRIDGE (1879-1940) Piano
Quintet see BAX
Benjamin
BRITTEN (1913-1976)
Les Illuminations, Serenade, Nocturne
Jerry Hadley (tenor) English String O/William Boughton rec. 1989
NIMBUS NI5234 [74:13]
[WH]
A
different way of looking at Britten’s three magnificent song cycles.
Benjamin
BRITTEN (1913-1976) Les Illuminations, Prelude
and Fugue, Variations of a theme of Frank Bridge
Karina Gauvin (soprano) Louis-Philippe Marsolais (horn) Pascale Giguère
(violin) Les Violons du Roi/Jean-Marie Zeitouni rec. 2009
ATMA ACD2 2601
[59:29]
[WH]
A
very fine Britten collection, brilliantly played and beautifully sung.
Anton
BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony 5
Bavarian RSO/Bernard Haitink rec. 2010
BR KLASSIK 900109 [75:43]
[TB]
Haitink
has a strong overall view of the symphony’s structure, which in
turn allows the ebb and flow of the emotional characteristics to make
their full impact.
Gavin
BRYARS (b.1943) At Portage and Main,One Last
Bar Then Joe Can Sing, New York
Percussions Claviers de Lyon, L'Ensemble de Basse-Normandie/Dominique
Debart
GB RECORDS BCGBCD17 [59.35]
[KM]
A
wonderful album of contemporary music that is highly enjoyable
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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