John
ADAMS (b. 1947) A Short Ride in a Fast Machine
see San
Francisco Symphony at 100
Carl
Philipp Emanuel BACH (1714-1788)
The Solo Keyboard Music Vol. 24 
Miklós Spányi (clavichord) rec. 2011
BIS CD-1764 [72:14] [KM]
Another
attractive recording of C.P.E. Bach’s solo keyboard music on clavichord.
Carl
Philipp Emanuel BACH (1714 - 1788) Songs
Julian Redlin (bass) Jörn Boysen (harpsichord) rec. 2011
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94309 [55:59] [JV]
The
main interest of this disc is that it brings the solo songs by Carl
Philipp Emanuel Bach to the attention of those who are not familiar
with them.
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Brandenburg Concerto
5, Concerto for piano, flute and violin Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Violin Sonata 9
Celiny Chailley-Richez (piano) Jean-Pierre Rampal (flute) Christian
Ferras (violin) O l’Association des Concerts de Chambre de Paris/George
Enescu (conductor & violin) rec. 1950-52
FORGOTTEN RECORDS FR171 [78:31] [JW]
Enshrines
a conception of grandeur and a very personal sense of melancholy.
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
French Suites 1-6, Toccata, Partita 2
Andrea Bacchetti (piano) rec. 2011
SONY CLASSICAL 88691965102 [70:26 + 63:10] [DC]
Refreshingly
honest and spiritually enhancing.
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Trio Sonatas see
HÄNDEL
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Concerto for Two Violins
see MENDELSSOHN
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Partita 2 see
BEETHOVEN
Wilhelm
Friedmann BACH (1710-1784)
Six Duos for two flutes
Gudrún Birgisdóttir and Martial Nardeau (flutes) rec. 2011
ACTE PRÉALABLE AP0251 [68:48] [JW]
Refined
lyricism and elevated counterpoint.
Tony
BANKS (b.1950) SIX Pieces for Orchestra
Prague PO/Paul Englishby rec. 2011
NAXOS 8.572986 [51:48] [OL]
An
enjoyable journey.
Samuel
BARBER (1910-1981) Violin Concerto, Adagio for Strings see
KHACHATURIAN
Béla
BARTÓK (1881-1945) Complete works for violin
- Vol.2: Sonata for violin; 44 Duos for two violins
Antal Zalai, Valery Oistrakh (violin) rec. 2011
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 9270 [80:08] [SA]
These
duos are superb in the enjoyment they give.
Giovanni
Battista BASSANI (1647-1716) Sinfonie
Ensemble StilModerno rec. 2011
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94259 [43:23 + 38:25] [GPu]
Beautiful
music, of real depth, very well played and recorded.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Giovanni
BASSANO (c.1558 - 1617) Amor Sacro - Amor Profano
Monika
Mauch (soprano) Capricornus Ens Stuttgart/Henning Wiegraebe rec. 2010
COVIELLO
CLASSICS COV 21108 [71:55] [JV]
A
disc with fascinating repertoire, brilliantly sung and played.
Arnold
BAX (1883-1953) Clarinet sonata see
British Clarinet Sonatas
Vol. 1
RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Amy BEACH (1867-1944) Theme and
Variations see American
Flute Quintets
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Diabelli Variations
Andreas
Staier (fortepiano) rec. 2010
HARMONIA MUNDI HMC902091 [67:00] [KM]
The
Diabelli Variations as they were heard in Beethoven’s time. An
infectious recording that bubbles over with joy.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
The Piano Sonatas
HJ Lim (piano) rec. 2011
EMI CLASSICS 464952 2 [8 CDs] [BR]
Barring
the unforeseen, the worst recording of the year. An extraordinary train-wreck
good for mockery and drinking games. The Adam Sandler of Beethoven sonata
cycles.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano
sonata 21
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Partita 2 Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Impromptus
Reiko Fujisawa (piano) rec. 2011
QUARTZ QTZ 2094 [73:18] [CH]
Don’t
let the anonymously excellent Bach and Beethoven cause you to miss some
remarkable Schubert.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Fidelio
Christa Ludwig, James King, Walter Berry, Ch & O of the Deutsche
Oper, Berlin/Arthur Rother rec. 1962-1963
ARTHAUS MUSIK 
101597
[124:00] [RJF]
A
dramatically cohesive house production from yesteryear with an excellent
cast in a production without gimmicks.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano Trios Op.70
Risto Lauriala (piano) Tero Latvala (violin) Marko Ylönen (cello)
rec. 2010
ALBA ABCD340 
[64:19]
[DC]
Highly
competitive - beautifully paced and refined of expression.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Fidelio
Rose Bampton, Herbert Janssen, Jan Peerce, NBC Ch & O/Arturo Toscanini
rec. 1944/5
PRISTINE AUDIO PACO 077 [57:33 + 53:36] [RMo]
Wholly
convincing. A tour de force.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Trios - Vol. 1
Gould Piano Trio rec. 2011
SOMM SOMMCD0114 [78:26] [JW]
A
fine start to this new series.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) The late string quartets
Cypress
String Qt rec. 2012
CYPRESS STRING QUARTET CSQBC012 [3 CDs: 204:01] [GA]
Integrity
of approach, beautiful playing and well considered interpretations.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Sonatas Vol. 3: The Final Trilogy
Martin Roscoe (piano) rec. 2009
DEUX-ELLES DXL1163 [74:00] [CH]
A
very good disc but beware comparisons.
RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano Sonata 17 see
Nobuyuki Tsujii
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Violin Sonata 9 see
BACH
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770–1827)
String Quartet No.10 in E flat major, Op 74 Harp see
Mozart
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano sonatas see
Arrau
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Bagatelles see SCHUBERT
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Vincenzo
BELLINI (1801-1835)
I Puritani
Mariola Cantarer, John Osborn, Scott Hendricks, Riccardo Zanellato,
Fredrika Brillembourg, De Nederlandse Opera Ch, Netherlands Philharmonic
Orchestra/Giuliano Carella rec. 2009
OPUS ARTE OA1091D
[173:00 + 10:00 (bonus)] [ST]
Two
thumbs up for this Puritani.
František
BENDA (1709-1786) Four Violin Concertos
Prague Philharmonia/Ivan Ženatý (violin) rec. 2011/12
SUPRAPHON SU 4064-2 [72:26] [JW]
Highly
accomplished and highly polished and well presented here.
Lennox
BERKELEY (1903-1989)
Serenade for strings Michael BERKELEY
(b. 1948) Coronach Michael
TIPPETT (1905-1998) Fantasia concertante on a
theme of Corelli, Little music for strings
English String O/William Boughton rec. 1991
NIMBUS NI7082 [50.55] [PCG]
Very
much overtaken by later issues though the performances and recordings
themselves are excellent.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Hector BERLIOZ
(1803
– 1869) Herminie, Les Nuits d’été,
Maurice RAVEL (1875 – 1937)
Shéhérazade
Véronique Gens (soprano) Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire/John
Axelrod rec. 2000, 2009, 2010 Sung texts with English translations enclosed
ONDINE
OD 1200-2 [65:55] [GF]
Véronique
Gens must now be added to the top duo of Crespin and Baker.
Hector
BERLIOZ (1803-1869) Le Corsaire Overture
see SAINT-SAËNS
Leonard
BERNSTEIN (1919 - 1990) Chichester Psalms
see Music
for Choir and Harp
Georges
BIZET (1838-1875)
Carmen - Opera in 4 Acts (1875) Carmen - Magdalena Kožená
(mezzo); Don José - Jonas Kaufmann (tenor); Chorus and Children’s Choir
of the State Opera Unter den Linden
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle rec. 2012,
EMI CLASSICS 4 40285 2 [71.41+78.08] [MC]
A
highly desirable Carmen.
Georges
BIZET (1838-1875) Carmen Giacomo
PUCCINI (1858-1924) Tosca Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901) Aida
Verona Arena Ch & O/Alain Lombard, Daniel Oren, Nello Santi rec.
1992-2006
ARTHAUS 107 520
[6 DVDs: 415.00] [PCG]
A
rather oddly assorted box.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Ernest
BLOCH (1880 - 1959) Schelomo; From Jewish
Life; Voice in the Wilderness Max BRUCH
(1838 - 1920) Kol Nidrei
Natalie Clein (cello) BBC Scottish SO/Ilan Volkov rec. 2011
HYPERION CDA67910 [61:30] [HC]
Superb
readings and recording of Bloch's output for cello and orchestra, a
must-have for all his admirers.
Ernest
BLOCH (1880-1959) Concertino for Flute, Viola and
String Orchestra see Concertos
Thomas-Louis
BOURGEOIS (1676-1750) Cantatas
Carolyn Sampson (soprano) Le Concert Lorrain/Anne-Catherine Bucher rec.
2011
CARUS 83.374 [72:38] [JW]
Bourgeois
is adept at scenic and descriptive writing.
George
Frederick BOYLE (1886-1948) The Virtuoso Piano
Music
Timothy Young (piano) rec. 2010
MELBA CD MR301137 [64.07] [GH]
Astonishing
to think that for almost all of us this music will be utterly unknown.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Schicksalslied, Alt-Rhapsodie,
Warum ist das Licht gegeben, Begräbnisgesang, Gesang der Parzen
Ann
Hallenberg (mezzo) Collegium Vocale Gent, Champs-Élysées
O/Philippe Herreweghe rec. 2011
PHI LPH 003 [56:48] [TB]
All
these compositions are masterpieces. The Collegium Vocale could hardly
be bettered.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Works for solo piano - Vol. 1: Handel variations, Rhapsodies, Intermezzi,
Capriccios
Barry Douglas (piano) rec. 2011
CHANDOS CHAN10716 [77.38] [RBe]
Superb
playing from a great pianist … marks a welcome return to the solo
piano repertoire.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Symphony 1, Haydn Variations, Hungarian
Dances
Vienna PO/Wilhelm Furtwängler rec. 1949/52
PRISTINE AUDIO PASC340 [75:06] Symphony 2, Double Concerto
Willi
Boskovsky (violin) and Emanuel Brabec (cello) Berlin PO, Vienna PO/Wilhelm
Furtwängler rec. 1952
PRISTINE AUDIO PASC341 [75:57] Symphony 3, Violin Concerto
Yehudi
Menuhin (violin) Lucerne Festival O, Berlin PO/Wilhelm Furtwängler
rec. 1949/54
PRISTINE AUDIO PASC342 [76:24] Symphony 4 Haydn Variations
Berlin
PO/Wilhelm Furtwängler rec. 1943
PRISTINE AUDIO PASC344 [60:30] [RMo]
I
had been hoping that Andrew Rose would be turning his attention to these
classic performances and the results are very gratifying.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897)
A German Requiem
Mari Ann Häggander (soprano) Siegfried Lorenz (baritone) Leipzig
Radio Ch & SO/Herbert Kegel rec. 1985
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94353 [71.42] [PCG]
Not
overwhelmingly great but nevertheless very good.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Violin Concerto Fritz
KREISLER (1875-1962) Recitative and Scherzo
Christian Joseph Saccon (violin) MAV Budapest SO/Michele Santorsola
rec. 2012
AUD 115
[81:30] [JW]
Captures
the art of this fine player.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) String Quartet 2 see SCHUBERT
Frank
BRIDGE (1879-1941) Phantasie in C minor see British
Piano Trios
Havergal
BRIAN (1876-1972)
The Complete Songbook Vol.1
Mark Stone (baritone), Jonathan Stone (violin), Sholto Kynoch (piano)
rec. 2011
STONE RECORDS 5060192780154 [68.40] [EM-L]
I
just wish I could have something more positive to say.
Frank
BRIDGE (1879-1941) Suite for String Orchestra see
BUTTERWORTH
Frank
BRIDGE (1879-1941) An Irish melody, There is
a willow grows aslant a brook see FINZI
Benjamin
BRITTEN (1913-1976)
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Op.34* [16.42] Four
Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op.33a [15.40] Variations
on a theme of Frank Bridge, Op.10 [25.24] Simple Symphony,
Op.4 [16.51]
English Symphony Orchestra/William Boughton rec.1991/1995
NIMBUS NI 7017 [74.36][PCG]
Good
performances and which will give a real sense of the overwhelming greatness
of the music.
Benjamin
BRITTEN (1913-1976) The Young Person's
Guide to the Orchestra see San
Francisco Symphony at 100
Benjamin
BRITTEN (1913-1976) A Ceremony of Carols see
Music
for Choir and Harp
RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Max BRUCH (1838 - 1920) Kol
Nidrei see BLOCH
Anton
BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony 3
SWR SO Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Sylvain Cambreling rec. 2010
GLOR CLASSICS GC10391 [57:12] [TB]
Abundant
subtleties make this a most satisfying experience.
Anton
BRUCKNER (1824
-1896) Symphony 4
Philharmonia O/Christoph von Dohnányi rec. 2008
SIGNUM CLASSICS SIGCD256 [64:19] [JQ]
A
sound and reliable Bruckner Fourth.
Anton
BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony 8
The Cleveland Orchestra/Franz Welser-Möst rec. 2010
ARTHAUS MUSIK 108 069 
[112:00] [DM]
Atrocious;
a gift to Bruckner’s army of detractors.
Anton
BRUCKNER (1824-1896)
Symphonies
3-5 & 7-9 Richard WAGNER (1813-1883)
Götterdämmerung, Siegfried, Die Walkure (excerpts)
Bavarian
State Opera O, Berlin PO, Munich PO, Vienna PO/Hans Knappertsbusch rec.
1944-59
MUSIC & ARTS CD-1256 [6 CDs: 427:15] [JQ]
Knappertsbusch’s
Bruckner performances are more for specialist collectors.
Adolf
BUSCH (1891-1952) Quartettsatz in B minor see KAMINSKI
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Ferruccio BUSONI
(1866-1924)
Eine Lustspielouvertüre, Gesang vom Reigen der Geister, Rondò
arlecchinesco, Clarinet Concertino, Flute Divertimento, Tanzwalzer
Giammarco
Casani (clarinet) Laura Minguzzi (flute) Gianluca Terranova (tenor)
Rome SOFrancesco La Vecchia rec. 2008/11
NAXOS 8.572922 [60:34] [BR]
A
wonderful raft of discoveries from Busoni’s lighter side. Maybe
my favorite album so far in the Naxos Italian Classics series.
George
BUTTERWORTH (1885-1916)
A Shropshire Lad (1911) [10:21] Two English Idylls (1910/11): English
Idyll No. 1 [4:47] English Idyll No. 2 [4:19] The Banks of Green Willow
(1913) [5:58] Charles Hubert Hastings PARRY
(1848-1918) Lady Radnor's Suite (1894) [15:27] Frank
BRIDGE (1879-1941) Suite for String Orchestra (1909/10)
[19:50]
English String Orchestra/William Boughton rec. 1986
NIMBUS NI 5068 [60:40][PCG]
This
disc remains an essential component of any collection of English music.
William
BYRD (c.1540-1623) The Great Service in the
Chapel Royal
Steven Devine (organ) Musica Contexta, The English Cornett and Sackbut
Ens/Simon Ravens rec. 2011
CHANDOS CHAN 0789 [67:24] [DMcC]
I
came away from this experience underwhelmed.
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