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Doreen
CARWITHEN
(1922-2003) Film
Music 
BBC Concert O/Gavin Sutherland rec. 2010
DUTTON EPOCH CDLX 7266 [61:31] [RB]
Some
really fine cinema music here high on sumptuous 1950s confidence.
Alfredo
CASELLA (1883-1947)
Symphony 3, Elegia eroica
Roma SO/Francesco La Vecchia rec. 2008/10
NAXOS 8.572415 [62:12]
[CH]
Probably
the strongest and most symphonic symphony written by an Italian.
Ernest
CHAUSSON (1855-1899) Počme see RESPIGHI
Erik
CHISHOLM (1904-1965) Music for Piano - Vol. 7:
Elegies and Suites
Murray McLachlan (piano) rec. 2006
DIVINE ARTS DIVERSIONS DDV24155 [68:45]
[Byz]
Jam-packed
with inventive, subtle and tantalising rhythms, harmonies and effects.
Frédéric
CHOPIN (1810-1849) Piano Concerti 1 & 2
Daniel Barenboim (piano) Staatskapelle Berlin/Andris Nelsons rec. 2010
DEUTSCHE
GRAMMOPHON 477 9520 [73:34]
[MC]
A
desirable disc that will attract many listeners.
Fryderyk
CHOPIN (1810-1849) Waltzes
Mordecai Shehori (piano) rec. 2010
CEMBAL D’AMOUR CD156 [63:58]
[JW]
This
enterprising, very personal approach will win Shehori admirers.
Mikolajus
ČIURLIONIS (1875-1911) Piano Music - Vol. 1
Muza Rubackyte (piano) rec. 1993
NAXOS 8.572659 [69:34]
[Byz]
Lovely
lyrical tone and expressiveness ensure persuasive performances.
Mikolajus
ČIURLIONIS
(1875-1911) Piano Music, vol. 2
Muza Rubackyte (piano) rec. 1993
NAXOS 8.572660 [69:35]
[Byz]
Rubackyte
pays this music great respect and her lovely lyrical tone, discipline
and expressiveness ensure persuasive performances.
Sir
Frederic Hymen COWEN (1852-1955) Concertstück
see SOMERVELL
Bernhard
Henrik CRUSELL (1775-1838)
Clarinet Concertos 1-3, Clarinet Quartets 1-3
Emma Johnson, Henk de Graaf (clarinet) English CO/Gerard Schwarz, Daniel
String Qt rec. 2007
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94219 [73:58 + 66:06]
[Byz]
Elegance,
joie de vivre and cantabile mellifluousness.
Matthew
CURTIS
(b.1959) Orchestral
Works (Volume IV) A Festival Overture [4:32] Short and Suite (Valse;
Intermezzo; Fancy Free; On the River; Striding Edge) [9:34] Variations
on a Theme of Verdi [10:25] Four Winds Suite [26:20] Autumn Leaves [4:33];
Sterling Silver [7:59]; Summer Serenade [3:34]; Christmas Rush [4:02]
Royal
Ballet Sinfonia/Gavin Sutherland rec. 2008-9, DDD British Composer series
CAMPION
CAMEO 2085 [79.47] [RB]
A
magician of light exuberant music in the grand British tradition.
Carl
CZERNY
(1791-1857) Piano
Sonatas - Volume 3
Martin Jones (piano) rec. 2008/ 2009/2010
NIMBUS NI5872/73 [68:56 + 75:23]
[JW]
Fresh
from my enjoyment of volumes 1 and 2 in this series, I find that there’s
no cessation in the latest release
Claude
DEBUSSY
(1862-1918)
String Quartet see Virtuoso
Qt
Frederick
DELIUS (1862-1934)
A Collection of Rare Historic Recordings
Sir John Barbirolli, Sir Eugène Goossens, Constant Lambert, Isobel
Baillie & Heddle Nash rec. 1929-55
DANACORD DACOCD717 [76:07]
[RB]
Dedicated
Delians - are there any others? - will need to get this disc of Delius
rarities.
Frederick
DELIUS (1862-1934)
Hiawatha, Suite, Légende, Double Concerto,
Caprice and Elegy
Philippe Graffin (violin) Sarah-Jane Bradley (viola) BBC Concert
O/David Lloyd-Jones rec. 2009
DUTTON EPOCH CDLX 7226 [71:57]
Lebenstanz, Irmelin suite, A Poem of Life and Love,
A Village Romeo and Juliet suite
Royal Scottish Ntl O/David Lloyd-Jones rec. 2010
DUTTON EPOCH CDLX 7264 [68:06]
[RB]
Mightily
impressive in these hands.
Gaetano
DONIZETTI (1797-1848) Marino Faliero
Giorgio Surian, Rachele Stanisci, Ch & O Bergamo Musica Festival
Gaetano Donizetti/Bruno Cinquegrani rec. 2008
NAXOS 
2.110616-17
[73:27 + 78:47] [JZ]
A
strong production now made readily available.
Thomas
DUNHILL (1877-1946) Violin Sonata see English
Violin Sonatas
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Ross
EDWARDS (b. 1943) Violin concerto Jean
SIBELIUS (1865-1957) Violin Concerto
Adele Anthony (violin) Adelaide SO/Arvo Volmer rec. 2009
CANARY CLASSICS CC09 [57:20] [NB]
A
very rewarding disc.
George
ENESCU (1881-1955) Impressions d’enfance
Erwin SCHULHOFF (1894-1942) Violin sonata 2 Bela
BARTÓK (1881-1945) Violin sonata 2
Gidon Kremer (violin) Oleg Maisenberg (piano) rec. 1996
WARNER APEX 2564 67391-2 [62:57] [SA]
A
wonderfully musical celebration of three major works from the first
half of the twentieth century.
Joăo
Rodrigues ESTEVES
(c1700 - after 1751) Sacred Music
Andrew Carwood (tenor)*, Mike McCarthy (bass)* Christ Church Cathedral
Choir/Stephen Darlington; David Goode, Philip Millward (organ) rec.
1996
NIMBUS NI 5516 [68:06]
[JV]
Delightful
performances of some treasures from the Portuguese musical heritage.
Michelangelo
FALVETTI (1642
- 1692) Il diluvio universale
Choeur de Chambre de Namur, Cappella Mediterranea/Leonardo García-Alarcón
rec. 2010
AMBRONAY AMY026 [64:35]
[JV]
Only
the addition of percussion dissuades me from labelling this disc "Recording
of the Month".
Gabriel
FAURÉ (1845-1924)
Complete
Barcarolles: Trois Romances sans paroles, Op.17:
Charles Owen (piano) rec. 2010 DDD
AVIE AV2240 [63:19]
[GA]
Charles
Owen is a wonderful interpreter of Fauré, and takes us behind the veil
of these Barcarolles with great sensitivity and sureness.
Hans
GAL (1890-1987) Symphony 3 Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Symphony 3
Swan O/Kenneth Woods rec. 2010,
AVIE AV2230 [66:16]
[RB]
Gál's
Third Symphony takes a welcome bow after some six decades.
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Reinhold GLIERE (1875-1956)
Symphonies 1-3; Horn Concerto; The Zaporozhy Cossacks; The
Red Poppy & The Bronze Horseman Suites; Concert Waltz;
Heroic March; Overtures
BBC Philharmonic/Sir Edward Downes, Vassily Sinaisky rec. 1991-96
CHANDOS CHAN10679(5)X [5 CDs: 348:43]
[RB]
Done
with Chandos style … elite results … voluptuously lyrical and vividly
imagined … The price is irresistible.
Alessandro
GRANDI (c.1586 - 1630) Vespro della Beata Vergine
Deborah
York, Daniel Taylor, Ed Lyon, Peter Harvey, Gächinger Kantorei
Stuttgart, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart/Matthew Halls rec. 2010
CARUS 83.367 [57:50]
[JV]
A
largely unsatisfying attempt to bring Grandi's music to the attention
of a modern audience.
Benjamin
GODARD (1849-1895) Piano Concerto 1, Introduction et
Allegro, Symphonie Orientale
Victor Sangiorgio (piano) Royal Scottish Nat O/Martin Yates rec. 2011
DUTTON
EPOCH INTERNATIONAL CDLX 7274 [69:51]
[RB]
Dutton
have the market in starry Godard revivals all to its own; done with
style, need I add.
Charles
GOUNOD (1818-1893)
Requiem Mass, Marche solennelle pour orgue
Hubert Dény (bass) Gilles Vitale (tenor) Pascale Mélis
(organ) l’Opera National de Paris Ch, Bernard Thomas O/Françis
Bardot rec. 1996
FORLANE FOR16759 [46.42]
[RH]
If
you are attracted by Gounod’s sacred music then this recording
merits attention. Otherwise not of general interest.
RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Edvard GRIEG (1843-1907) Peer Gynt Suite 1 see
SIBELIUS
Ernesto
HALFFTER
(1905-1989) The
Piano Music
Martin Jones (piano) rec. 2006/7, DDD
NIMBUS NI5894 [79:23]
[OL]
Martin
Jones is a perfect advocate for this beautiful music.
George Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759) Water Music Suite
see Harty
Joseph
HAYDN
(1732-1809)
Variations Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Sonata in F Béla BARTÓK (1881-1945)
Suite Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Four Piano Pieces Frédéric CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Ballade 4
Sarah Beth Briggs (piano) rec. 2005
SEMAPHORE MULTIMEDIA SML MP14 [72:19]
[Byz]
A
varied, generous programme of excellent pianism from performer and composers
alike.
Franz
Joseph HAYDN (1732 - 1809) Baryton Trios
Guido Balestracci (baryton) Alessandro Tampieri (viola) Bruno Cocset
(cello) rec. 2010
RICERCAR RIC 315 [73:16]
[JV]
Haydn's
trios are irresistible, and the artists have done everything to bring
them to life.
Joseph
HAYDN (1732-1809) String Quartets, Op. 20
The London Haydn Qt rec. 2010
HYPERION CDA67877 [79:53 + 80:25]
[DC]
Authentic,
and very easy to recommend.
Franz
Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809) Piano Trios Vol. 1
Kungsbacka Piano Trio rec. 2008
NAXOS 8.572040 [52:35] [MG]
Always
good and sometimes very good performances.
Joseph
HAYDN (1732
– 1809) Missa Brevis, Harmoniemesse
Rebel Baroque O/J. Owen Burdick, Jane Glover rec. 2001/8
NAXOS 8.572126 [52.28]
[RH]
A
fine disc particularly the wonderfully joyous account of the HarmonieMesse.
Franz
Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809)
Symphonies 88-92, Sinfonia concertante
Berlin PO/Sir Simon Rattle rec. 2007
EMI CLASSICS 3942372 [75:47 + 68:31]
[SV]
Rattle
and his players simply haven't yet lived with some of this music quite
long enough.
Joseph
HOLBROOKE
(1878-1958)
Sonata in F major for Violin and Piano The Grasshopper (1917
version — Authorised Original Version) [26:20] Granville
BANTOCK (1868-1946) Sonata in F major for Viola and Piano
Colleen (1919) [40:02]
Rupert Marshall-Luck (violin and viola); Matthew Rickard (piano) rec.
2011
EM RECORDS EMR CD003 [67:01]
[RB]
Superbly
confident and generous both as to the music and the execution.
Hans
HUBER (1852-1921) Phantasie, Violin Sonatas 5
& 6
Gilles Colliard (violin) Timothy Altweg (piano) rec. 2010
GUILD GMCD 7371 [74:40] [RB]
Colliard
and Altwegg know the outward appearance and the musculature of this
late-romantic material.
Michael
HURD (1928-2006) The Widow of Ephesus; Mr Owen’s
Great Endeavour
Pippa Goss, Louise Winter, Michael Bundy, City of Canterbury Chamber
Choir, Orchestra Nova/George Vass rec. 2010
DUTTON EPOCH CDLX 7269 [67:01]
[RB]
Steadfastly
rewarding. Lovely!
Ludvig
IRGENS-JENSEN (1894-1969)
Symphony, Passacaglia
Bournemouth SO/Bjarte Engeset rec. 2009
NAXOS 8.572312 [66:47]
[NB]
Congratulations
and praise to Naxos for another winner of a disc.
Gordon
JACOB (1895-1984) Viola Concertos 1 & 2, Concert
Piece, Three Pieces, Passacaglia Stereophonica
Helen Callus (viola) BBC Concert O/Stephen Bell rec. 2010
DUTTON EPOCH CDLX7258 [73:36]
[RB]
While
the gem is the romantic first Concerto, there is much here to discover
and in which to take delight.
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Leoš
JANÁČEK (1854-1928) Sinfonietta, Lachian
Dances, Taras Bulba, The Cunning Little Vixen Suite,
Jealousy, From The House of the Dead prelude, The Makropoulos
Case suite
Czech State Philharmonic, Brno/José Serebrier rec. 1995/6
REFERENCE RECORDINGS RR-2103 [65.08+59.40]
Tangy,
spectacular and heartfelt … devastating value for money [RB] ...
A fine introduction to Janáček’s orchestral music
and at budget price [LW]
Johann
Gottlieb JANITSCH (1708 - 1763) Darmstadt Sinfoniae:
Sinfonias in E flat, G, B flat, G, & F
Antichi Strumenti/Laura Toffetti (violin) Tobias Bonz (cello) rec. 2009
CYPRES
CYP1658 [55:27]
[JV]
Good
performances of Janitsch's symphonies, but the adaptations of the scoring
are regrettable.
James
P JOHNSON
(1894-1955) The
Symphonic Music:
Leslie Stifelman (piano); Chris Gekker (trumpet); Lawrence Feldman (clarinet);
James Pugh (trombone); Concordia O/Marin Alsop rec. 1992/4
NIMBUS NI2745 [70:27]
[RB]
James
Johnson's symphonic music is laid bare with exemplary style.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Vasily KALINNIKOV
(1866-1901) Symphony
No. 1 in G minor (1894-1895) [37:37] Symphony No. 2 in A major
(1895-1897) [39:02]
Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra/Kees Bakels rec. 2000, DDD
BIS-CD-1155 [77:29]
[DM]
A
very special disc indeed.
Toivo
KUULA (1883-1918) Songs and Orchestral Music
Susan Gritton (soprano) BBC Concert O/Martin Brabbins rec. 2011
DUTTON EPOCH INTERNATIONAL CDLX 7272 [73:22] [RB]
A
most impressive disc. Glorious.
Edouard
LALO (1823-1892) Symphonie espagnole see
Harty
Constant
LAMBERT
(1905-1951) The Rio Grande, Aubade Héroïque,
Summer’s Last Will and Testament
Sally Burgess (mezzo), William Shimell (baritone), Jack Gibbons
(piano) Leeds Festival & Opera North Ch, English Northern Phil/David
Lloyd-Jones rec. 1991
HYPERION CDH 55388 [75:13]
The
thrill of discovery awaits [DC] ... Poignant expression from an introverted
occluded persona with outbursts of sinister jazzy dynamism and touching
melodic content. [RB]
Margaret
Ruthven LANG (1867-1972) Songs of Love Gained and
Lost, Songs for Lovers of Children, Nonsense Rhymes and
Pictures, Parting Words and Songs
Donald George (tenor) Lucy Mauro (piano) rec. 2009
DELOS DE 3407 [48.26]
[MMB]
An
immensely enjoyable journey of discovery.
Orlande
de LASSUS (1530/32 – 1594) Prophetiae Sibyllarum,
Magnificat Quant’in mille anni il ciel, Missa amor ecco colei
Brabant Ens/Stephen Rice rec. 2010
HYPERION CDA67887 [74:14]
[RMo]
Devotees
of the period will welcome the austere, otherworldly beauty of this
music.
Ferenc
LISZT (1811-1886) Via Crucis, Die Seligkeiten, Nun
danket alle Gott
Debreceni Kodály Ch/Zoltán Pad rec. 2010
HUNGAROTON CLASSIC HCD 32685 [65:28]
[RB]
Vibrantly
sung discoveries.
Witold
LUTOSLAWSKI
(1913-1994) Preludes and Fugue for 13 solo strings (1972) [35:41]
Double Concerto for Oboe, Harp and Chamber Orchestra (1980) [20:15]
Nicholas
Daniel (oboe), Lucy Wakeford (harp) NFM Wroclaw Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum/Nicholas
Daniel NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra/Ernst Kovacic
rec. 2008/9
CD ACCORD Digipack ACD 166-2 [56:09]
[DC]
Gold
standard.
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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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