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Alphabetical Listing

PART 4
M-R

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

Elliott Miles McKINLEY (b. 1969) String Quartets 4-6 Martinů Qt rec. 2001-10 NAVONA RECORDS NV5855 [63:39] [MS]

Competent playing of music that will appeal to those who like slightly unsettled wine from the eye-level shelves of the supermarket, and well watered down.

Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911) Symphonies 1-7, Rückert Lieder Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Piano Concerto 3 Eteri Gvazava (soprano) Anna Larsson (contralto) Magdalena Kozena (mezzo) Yuja Wang (piano) Lucerne Festival O/Claudio Abbado rec. 2003-9 EUROARTS 2058574 [4 discs: 610:00] [DBi]

A superb box for those who have resisted the separate issues. Unmissable!

Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911) Symphony 2 Christine Oelze (soprano) Michaela Schuster (mezzo) Gürzenich O Köln/Markus Stenz rec. 2010 OEHMS CLASSICS OC647 [21:42 + 60:35] [DM]

Sense of routine blights this whole enterprise.

Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911) Symphony 3 Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918) La Mer Lucretia West (mezzo) Kölner Domchor, Cologne RSO/Dimitri Mitropoulos rec. 1960 ICA CLASSICS ICAC 5021 [73:45 + 44:30] [JQ]

The first official release of Mitropoulos’s mighty vision of Mahler’s Third.

Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911) Symphonies 4 & 5 Camilla Tilling (soprano)World Orch for Peace/Valery Gergiev rec. 2010 C MAJOR 702608 [153:51] [TP]

This is not everyone’s ideal Mahler, but it is thoroughly enjoyable if you favour ensemble clarity and thrilling execution over deep emotion.

René MAILLARD (b.1931) Surviving after Hiroshima, Concerto Grosso, Concerto da Camera 2 Sarah Jouffroy (mezzo) Royal PO/Dionysios Dervis-Bournias rec. 2009 NAXOS 8.572623 [71:00] [Byz]

Music with a neo-Classical feel to it, recalling Stravinsky in spirit if not in style.

Czesław MAREK (1891-1985) Violin Sonata, Suite de 4 Morceaux, Petite Suite, Canzone Solenelle & Gavotte, Annemarie Marie-Catherine Girod, Jitka Čechová, Ludmila Janowska (piano) Ingolf Turban (violin) Richard Jenkinson (cello) Gabriella dall'Ollio (harp) rec. 1998 GUILD GMCD 7362/3 [48:30 + 47:21]  [Byz]

Marek's post-war descent into relative oblivion is very puzzling. 

Bohuslav MARTINÜ (1890-1959) The Six Symphonies BBC Symphony Orchestra/Jiri Belohlávek rec. 2009 – 2010, ONYX 4061 [3 CDs: 61.47 + 64.14 + 56.06] [DBi][RB]

Authentic performances decently recorded. [DBi] This set shows that his music has all the necessary stamina and allure.[RB]

William MATHIAS (1934-1992) Piano Concertos 1 & 2 Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1972-1958) Fantasy for piano and orchestra Mark Bebbington (piano) Ulster O/George Vass rec. 2011 SOMM SOMMCD 246 [70:46] [RB]

Discoveries but more to the point rewarding revelations that beckon the listener to return.

Teizo MATSUMURA (1929-2007) Symphonies 1 & 2, To the Night of Gethsemane Ikuyo Kamiya (piano) RTÉ Nat SO/Takuo Yuasa rec. 2006 NAXOS 8.570337 [60:50] [Byz]

Enormous, almost overwhelming power.

Dariusz MAZUROWSKI (b.1966) Electronic music Pseudaria, Divertimento Music composed, performed and engineered by Mazurowski rec. 2011 ACTE PREALABLE AP0241 [63:02] [RB]

Atmospheric and richly varied sound assemblages.

Etienne MÉHUL (1763-1817) La Legende de Joseph en Egypte Laurence Dale (tenor) Frédéric Vassar (baritone) Natalie Dessay (soprano) Le Conseil Régional de Picardie et L’Orchestre “Le Sinfonietta”/Claude Bardon DISQUES DOM DOM11012 [96:00] [JS]

Fills an important gap.

Darius MILHAUD (1892-1974) Le boeuf sur le toit, La création du monde Orch de théâtre des Champs Elysées/Darius Milhaud rec. 1956 EDITIONS ANDRÉ CHARLIN SLC17 [31:38] [DC]

The genuine article, but at a price.

Ludwig MINKUS (1826-1917) La Bayadère Altynai Asylmuratova, Irek Mukhamedov, Royal Opera House O/John Lanchbery rec. 1991 ARTHAUS MUSIK 107 257 [123:00] [RMay]

Derek Bailey’s direction is utterly sympathetic to this attractively exotic production. 

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Frederic MOMPOU (1893-1987) Piano Music - Volume 6 Jordi Masó (piano) rec. 2009 NAXOS 8.572142 [64:12] [DM]


Bargain of the Month - nothing else will do.

Frederic MOMPOU (1893-1987) Cançons and Danses Marisa Martins (mezzo) Mac McClure (piano) rec. 2009 COLUMNA MÚSICA 1CM0241 [65:49] [JW]

A most idiomatic pairing in this repertoire and fortunately well recorded. Columna Música is a good label, producing fine recordings that are apt to be overlooked.

Robert MORAN (b. 1937) Trinity Requiem; Seven Sounds Unseen; Notturno in Weiss; Requiem for a Requiem Trinity Choir, Trinity Wall Street/Robert Ridgell, Musica Sacra/Richard Westenburg, The Esoterics/Eric Banks rec. 2010 INNOVA 244 [68:08] [DC]

Hauntingly beautiful.

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Piano Concerti 6, 8 & 9 Angela Hewitt (piano) Orchestra da Camera di Mantova/Carlo Fabiano rec. 2010 HYPERION CDA67840 [75:23] [DC]

A very exciting prospect indeed.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-91) Piano Concertos 20 & 27 Mitsuko Uchida (piano and director) Cleveland O rec. 2010 DECCA 4782596 [65:46] [PBW]

An outstanding CD by one of the greatest Mozart players of our time, beautifully recorded.

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Violin Concerti 2, 3 & 5 Vadim Repin (violin) Wiener Kammerorch/Yehudi Menuhin rec. 1997 WARNER APEX 2564 67301-7 [75:41] [LW]

Fine accounts of these concertos at budget price.

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Symphonies 35 & 36; Piano Concerto 22; Horn Concerto 1 Radek Baborak (horn) Berlin PO/Daniel Barenboim (piano, conductor) rec. 2006 EUROARTS 2020208 [116:08] [TP]

This is a very enjoyable release and well worth snapping up at its discounted price.

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Oboe Concerto (arr. clarinet) Carl Maria von WEBER (1786-1826) Clarinet Concerto 1 Bernhard Henrik CRUSELL (1775-1836) Clarinet Concerto 1 Stephan Siegenthaler (clarinet) Cappella Istropolitana/Kaspar Zehnder rec. 2010 SHEVA COLLECTION SH040 [63:06] [BR]

Siegenthaler, once a medical entrepreneur, is still an accomplished clarinetist, and has created his own “new” Mozart concerto.

The Great Mass - A ballet by Uwe Scholz Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Great Mass in C minor, Adagio and Fugue in C minor, Ave verum corpus György KURTÁG (b. 1926) Játékok, Bach Transcriptions Thomas JAHN (b. 1940) Orte und Zeiten, Tempi e Luoghi Arvo PäRT (b. 1935) Credo Leipzig Ballet Ch of Leipzig Op/Stefan Bilz Gewandhausorch Leipzig/Balázs Kocsár rec. 2005 EUROARTS 2054604 [130:00] [MMB]

I was captivated by this, totally absorbed by the congenial combination of music and movement.

Yoshinao NAKADA (1923-2000) Songs Waleria Przelaskowska-Rokita (mezzo) Witold Woloszynski (piano) rec. 2010. DDD ACTE PREALABLE AP0214 [62:08] [Byz]

A combination of good intonation and worldly-wise expressiveness amounts to an attractive recital.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Pehr Henrik NORDGREN (1944-2008) Concerto for Saxophone Quartet Arvo PÄRT (b. 1935) Fratres Áskell MÁSSON (b. 1953) Quatrain Kalevi AHO (b. 1949) In Memoriam Pehr Henrik Nordgren John Storgårds (violin) Raschčr Saxophone Qt, Lapland CO/John Storgårds rec. 2010 ALBA ABCD 322 [64:06] [DM]

Sheer, unalloyed pleasure.

Jacques OFFENBACH (1819-1880) The Tales of Hoffmann Roberto Alagna (tenor) Natalie Dessay (soprano) Sumi Jo (soprano) Ch & O Opéra National de Lyon/Kent Nagano rec. 1994-6 ERATO OPERA COLLECTION 2564 67266-5 [3 CDs: 172:13] [ST]

Not perfect but still immensely enjoyable. 

Georges ONSLOW (1784-1853) String Quintet, String Quartet Gérard Jarry, Yvon Caracilly (violins) Serge Collot, Bruno Pasquier (violas) Michel Tournus (cello) rec. 1972 EDITIONS ANDRÉ CHARLIN CCV1002 [46:00] [JW]

A splendid restoration and well worth your time. 

Krzysztof PENDERECKI (b.1933) Symphony 4 Polish Sinfonia Iuventus O/Krzysztof Penderecki rec. 2010 DUX 0822 [30:48] [MS]

A convincing and broad yet focused account of Penderecki's descriptive and emotionally rich fourth symphony appears to compete successfully with that from the Naxos cycle.

Francisco de PEŃALOSA (c.1470 – 1528) Missa Ave Maria peregrina, Sacris solemniis, Missa Nunca fue pena mayor Choir of Westminster Cath/James O’Donnell rec. 1992 HYPERION HELIOS CDH55326 [66.30] [RH]

Vibrant and involving performances. This disc is intensely seductive.

Ildebrando PIZZETTI (1880-1968) String Quartets 1 & 2 Lajtha Qt rec. 1995 NAXOS 8.570876 [65:25] [NB]

One is grateful of the opportunity to hear such rare but interesting repertoire whilst at the same time realizing that it has more to offer than the current performance might suggest.

Ildebrando PIZZETTI (1880-1968) String Quartets 1 & 2 Lajtha Quartet rec. 1995 NAXOS 8.570876 [65:25] [RB]

Two grown-up and opulently complex melodic string quartets.

Serge PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Romeo and Juliet suite Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Romeo and Juliet ] BBC Welsh SO/Tadaki Otaka rec. 1991 NIMBUS NI 5306 [61:00] [RB]

A good intelligent pairing, steady of pulse, grippingly recorded and totally committed.

Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Piano Concerto 3 see MAHLER

Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924) Madama Butterfly Renata Tebaldi (soprano); Fiorenza Cossotto (mezzo); Lidia Nerozzi (mezzo); Carol Bergonzi (tenor); Enzo Sordello (baritone); Ch & OAccademia di Santa Cecilia Roma/Tullio Serafin ALTO ALC2015 [2CDs: 143:57] [JS]

For anyone whose preference is for the main part to be sung with a warm, mature, voice this would be very much worth considering.

Roger QUILTER (1877-1953) The Complete Piano Music David Owen Norris (piano) rec. 2004 complete track-list at end of reviews EM RECORDS EMR CD002 [47:00] [NB][RB]

Simply charming. [NB] Suave, lovingly polished and weighted, surefooted and not short on sentiment. [RB]

Serge RACHMANINOFF (1873-1943) Caprice bohémien, Op. 12 (1892-94) [17:55] Prince Rostislav (1891) [14:41] Symphony No 3 in A minor, Op. 44 (1935-36) [40:50] BBC Philharmonic/Gianandrea Noseda rec. 2010 DDD CHANDOS CHAN 10677 [73:49] [JQ]

A splendid disc.

Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Preludes and Melodies Alessio Bax (piano) rec. 2010 SIGNUM CLASSICS SIGCD264 [77.06] [RBe]

A glorious recital.

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH David RAKSIN (1912-2004) Laura, Forever Amber & The Bad and the Beautiful Suites New PO/David Raksin rec. 1975 SONY RCA RED SEAL 88967 812682 [46:58] [IL]

Glorious film music. Not to be missed. 

Alan RAWSTHORNE (1905-1971) Piano Concerto 2 Edmund RUBBRA (1901-1986) Piano Concerto Denis Matthews (piano) BBC SO/Sir Malcolm Sargent rec. 1958 FORGOTTEN RECORDS FR403 [55:27] [WH]

Two fascinating English piano concertos from the 1950s in highly accomplished performances and more than acceptable sound for the period.

Ottorino RESPIGHI (1879-1936) Aria for strings, Violin Concerto, Suite for Strings, Rossiniana: Suite for orchestra Laura Marzadori (violin) Ch O of New York “Ottorini Respighi”/Salvatore Di Vittorio rec. 2010 NAXOS 8.572332 [77:32] [CH]

Mainly for Respighi completists.

Ottorino RESPIGHI (1879-1936) Trittico Botticelliano, Three Chorales of J.S. Bach, The Pines of Rome Beethoven O Bonn/Stefan Blunier rec. live, 2010 MUSIKPRODUKTION DABRINGHAUS UND GRIMM 93716776 [56:00] [WK]

Variable performances of three Respighi works, two well-known and one a rarity. 

Ottorino RESPIGHI (1879-1936) Poema autunnale Josef SUK (1874-1935) Fantasy Ernest CHAUSSON (1855-1899) Počme Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958) The Lark Ascending Julia Fischer (violin) Monte-Carlo PO/Yakov Kreizberg rec. 2010 DECCA 478 2684 [69:59] [OL]

The entire disc radiates purity.

Josef Gabriel RHEINBERGER (1839–1901) Klavierwerke Jürg Hanselmann (piano) Sandra Hanselman-Kästli (piano) rec. 1990-2004 CARUS 83.365 [10 CDs: 11:10:00] [DC]

A feast for piano buffs.

Giaochino ROSSINI (1792-1868) Guillaume Tell Gerald Finley, John Osborn, Malin Byström, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Ch & O Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia/Antonio Pappano rec. 2010 EMI CLASSICS 0288262 [3 CDs: 208:15] [GD]

Pappano gives us a warts-and-all concert performance.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Ludomir ROZYCKI (1883-1953) Ballade, Piano Concerto 1 Krystyna Makowska-Lawrynowicz, Polish Radio and TV SO in Cracow/Szymon Kawalla; Andrzej Straszynski rec. 1984/90 ACTE PREALABLE AP0217 [42:11] [RB]

I liked this music a great deal and hope that there will be much more Rozycki.

Edmund RUBBRA (1901-1986) Piano Concerto see RAWSTHORNE


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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