Camille
SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921)
Symphony 3 Hector BERLIOZ (1803-1869)
Le Corsaire Overture Edvard GRIEG
(1843-1907) An Old Norwegian Romance with Variations
Vincent d’INDY (1851-1931)
La Forêt Enchantée 
Denis Vaughan (organ) Royal PO, BBC SO/Sir Thomas Beecham rec. 1951-55
SOMM
BEECHAM32 [76:11] [JW]
More
riches from Somm’s Beecham archive, more novelties, more excitement,
and more brio.
Domenico
SCARLATTI (1685-1757)
Sonatas see Gilels
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) String Quartet 10, Quartettsatz
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) String
Quartet 2
Borodin Qt rec. 2010
ICA CLASSICS ICAD5044 
[83:28] [JW]
Warm
and malleable playing the sonority of which is loyally captured.
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Klavierstücke; Ländler
and German Dances; Lieder transcriptions; Piano Sonata 21
Cyprien Katsaris (piano) rec. 1993
PIANO 21 P21 042-A [57:51 + 55:36] [JW]
Another
mandatory acquisition for Katsaris collectors.
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
String Quartets 13-15
Artemis Qt rec. 2009
VIRGIN CLASSICS 6025122 [78:23 + 51:35] [MC]
Gripping
and responsive.
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1827) Piano Sonata 16, Moments musicaux,
Impromptus Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Bagatelles
Sviatoslav Richter (piano) rec. 1957-61
REGIS RRC1390 [72:01] [RMo]
An
astounding range of moods and pianistic skills.
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Symphony 5 see
MOZART
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Impromptus see
BEETHOVEN
Erwin
SCHULHOFF (1894-1942) String Quartet No. 1 see KAMINSKI
Ervin
SCHULHOFF (1894-1942) Concerto doppio for Flute, Piano
and Chamber Orchestra see
Concertos
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Humoreske, Fantasiestucke
Emanuel
Ax (piano) rec. 1981
NEWTON CLASSICS 8802084 [55.29] [RBe]
Rewardingly
excellent playing.
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Symphonies 1 & 3
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen/Paavo Järvi
SONY RCA RED SEAL 88697 96431 2 
[62:31] [CH]
If
you are uneasy with the idea that Schumann is a great composer, here’s
a chance to discover his mediocrity. Poor Schumann ... poor us.
RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Piano Concerto see
TCHAIKOVSKY
Ravi
SHANKAR (b.1920) Symphony
Anoushka Shankar (sitar) London SO/David Murphy rec. 2010
LPO-0060 [40:52] [DC]
Superb
event, but the piece remains a conflict of confluences.
Martin
SHAW (1875-1958) The Airmen & other
songs
Sophie Bevan (soprano) Andrew Kennedy (tenor) Roderick Williams (baritone)
Iain Burnside (piano) rec. 2011
DELPHIAN DCD34105 [77:35] [JQ]
This
disc can be heartily recommended to all who love English song.
Howard
SHORE (b.1946)
The Lord of the Rings Symphony
Kaitlyn Lusk (vocalist)21st Century SO & Ch/Ludwig Wicki
rec. 2011
HOWE RECORDS HWR 1005 [45.32 + 70:25][IL]
Powerful,
colourful and noisy.
Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
String Quartets 1, 3 & 8
Ludwig Qt rec. 2011
CALLIOPE CAL1102 [70:17] [OL]
Powerful
and faithful performances.
Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH (1907-1975) Symphony 11
West German RSO Cologne/Semyon Bychkov rec. 2001
AVIE AV2062
[59:11] [DM]
A
travesty; avoid.
Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) Symphony 10
Prague SO/Václav Smetáček rec. 1968
ORCHESTRAL CONCERT CDs CD14/2011 [47:23] [JQ]
A
decent but not compelling account of Shostakovich’s masterpiece.
Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
Symphony 15
Royal Concertgebouw I/Bernard Haitink rec. 2010
RCO LIVE RCO11003
[47:11] [JQ]
Haitink
offers a deep and impressive view of Shostakovich’s last symphony.
Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) Symphonies 2 & 15
Royal
Liverpool Philharmonic O & Ch/Vasily Petrenko rec. 2010/11
NAXOS 8.572708 [67:03] [WK]
Another
fine entry in the new Naxos Shostakovich cycle with an especially good
performance of the Fifteenth Symphony.
Dmitry
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) Symphony 9 see
Kubelík
Charles
Villiers STANFORD (1852-1924) Clarinet sonata see
British Clarinet Sonatas
Vol. 1
Max
STEINER (1888-1971)
Adventures of Don Juan (orch. Murray Cutter) (1948)
[81:21] Arsenic and Old Lace (orch. Hugo Friedhofer)
(1941/44) [30:53]
Moscow Symphony Orchestra/William Stromberg rec.2011.
TRIBUTE TFC-1009 [59:57 + 52:17][IL]
Two
memorable scores - a generous double treat for Max Steiner fans
Karlheinz
STOCKHAUSEN (1928-2007) Tierkreis; With interpolation
of material by Machaut, des Molins, Ciconia, Pykini, da Bologna, de
Cluny and anonymous composers
Capilla Flamenca; Het Collectief rec. 2010
ETCETERA KTC 4042 [76:11] [Byz]
While
questions linger this is atmospheric music.
Johann
STRAUSS II (1825-1899)
La Chauve-souris (ballet after Die Fledermaus) Choreography
by Roland Petit
Allesandra Ferri, Massimo Murru, Ballet & O Teatro alla Scala/Kevin
Rhodes rec. 2003
ARTHAUS MUSIK 107 265
[93:00] [RMay]
Minor
Petit, then: Petit-lite.
Alexandre
TANSMAN (1897-1986) Concertino, Stele in memoriam
Igor Stravinsky, Pièce Concertante, Élégie to the
memory of Darius Milhaud
Christian Seibert (piano) Brandenburg State O/Howard Griffiths rec.
2009
CPO 777 449-2 [53:22] [JW]
Fine
performances and recordings ensure considerable pleasure.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Pyotr Ilyich
TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Piano Concerto 1 Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Piano Concerto
Van Cliburn (piano) RCA SO/Kyrill Kondrashin, Chicago SO/Fritz Reiner
rec. 1958/60
REGIS RRC1391 [65:27] [SA]
This
is a brilliant historical record of Van Cliburn’s prowess and
one to be treasured.
Pyotr
Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Symphony 6 Maurice
RAVEL (1875-1937) Pavane pour une Infante Défunte
Gioachino ROSSINI (1792-1868)
La Gazza Ladra - Overture
Philharmonia O/Guido Cantelli rec. 1952
PRISTINE AUDIO PASC269 [58:13] [JQ]
A
wonderful collection of performances by a great conductor.
Pyotr
Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Romeo and Juliet, Symphony 5
Philharmonia O, Teatro alla Scala O/Guido Cantelli rec. 1951
PRISTINE AUDIO PASC316 [62:32] [JQ]
Self-recommending
to all admirers of Guido Cantelli.
Georg
Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767) Sonatas see
HÄNDEL
Barbara
THOMPSON (b.1944)
Perpetual Motion
Apollo Saxophone Orchestra
rec. 3-5 January 2012, Royal Northern College of Music. DDD
NIMBUS ALLIANCE NI6200 [52:06] [OL]
The
Apollo Saxophone Orchestra demonstrates the great diversity of saxophone
sound in these original and attractive works.
Michael
TIPPETT (1905-1998) Fantasia concertante on a
theme of Corelli, Little music for strings see BERKELEY
RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Joan TOWER (b.1938) Rising see
American
Flute Quintets
Viktor
ULLMAN (1898-1944) String Quartet No. 3, Op. 46 see
KAMINSKI
Anton
URSPRUCH (1850-1907), Ludwig
THUILLE (1861-1907) & Erich J.WOLFF
(1874-1913) Songs
Rebecca Broberg (soprano) Ulrich Urban (piano) rec. 2010
THOROFON CTH2585 [74:25] [JW]
Three
Austro-German contemporaries share a recital.
Peteris
VASKS (b. 1946) Plainscapes
Latvian Radio Choir/Sigvards Klava rec. 2011
ONDINE ODE 1194-2 [71:28] [DM]
Low-key
writing of substance and strength; superbly sung.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901) Requiem Gioachino
ROSSINI (1792-1868) Overtures
Galina Vishnevskaya, Nina Isakova, Vladimir Ivanovsky, Ivan Petrov,
State Acad Ch, Moscow PO, Ntl O de l’ORTF/Igor Markevitch rec.
1957-60
ICA CLASSICS ICAC5068 [65:51 + 70:18] [JS]
This
set was a real discovery for me.
Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901)
Falstaff
Zürich Opera Ch & O/Daniele Gatti rec. 2011
UNITEL CLASSICA/C MAJOR 
711204 [126:00] [RJF]
As
so often these days, a well-sung performance is marred by idiosyncrasies,
even confusion, in sets, costume and production.
Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901) La forza del destino
Galina
Gorchakova, Gregam Grigorian, Nikolai Putilin, The Kirov Chorus and
Orchestra/Valery Gergiev rec. 1998
ARTHAUS MUSIK 100079 [160:00]
[RJF]
Despite
minor limitations this production and performance should have a place
in every Verdi collection.
Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901) Joanna d'Arc
Nikolay Dorozhkin (tenor) Anna Lichorowicz (soprano) Marek Pasko (bass)
Ch & O Wroclaw Opera/Ewa Michnik rec. 2011
DUX 0846-7 [63.16 + 41.09] [RJF]
Idiomatic
conducting, but mediocre soloists. This live performance only fills
the gap of a modern recording for enthusiasts.
Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901) Aida see
BIZET
Richard
WAGNER (1813-1883)
Die Walküre
The Hallé/Sir Mark Elder rec. 2011
HALLÉ CDHLD7531 [5 CDs: 247:57] [DH]
...
is this super-special for posterity?
Richard WAGNER (1813-1883) Götterdämmerung,
Siegfried, Die Walkure (excerpts) see BRUCKNER
Carl
Maria von WEBER (1786-1826)
Clarinet quintet, Aufforderung zum Tanze, Flute trio
Van Swieten Society rec. 2008
QUINTONE Q09001 [60:50] [JV]
This
disc deserves an enthusiastic welcome.
Karl
WEIGL (1881-1949)
Fantasies,
Isle of the Dead, Pictures and Tales, Dance of the Furies
Joseph Banowetz (piano) rec. 2009
NAXOS 8.572423 [78.49] [EM-L]
Disappointing:
some colourful and really lovely piano works let down by performances
that lack conviction, imagination and passion.
Mieczyslaw
WEINBERG (1919-1996)
String Quartets Vol. 6 Quartets 2, 12 & 17
Quatuor Danel rec. 2008-9
CPO 777 587-2 [74:51] [SA]
Clearly,
committing his music to disc is a continual source of joy.
László
WEINER (1916-1944) Concerto for Flute, Viola, Piano
and String Orchestra see Concertos
Christian
WESTERHOFF (1763-1806)
Clarinet Concerto, Concerto for Clarinet & Bassoon, Symphony
Sebastian Manz (clarinet) Albrecht Holder (bassoon) Osnabrück SO/Hermann
Bäumer rec. 2010
CPO 777 598-2 [63:09] [BR]
An
easy choice for anybody who likes music from the era of Weber and young
Schubert.
Henryk
WIENIAWSKI (1835-1880) Violin Concerto 2 see
MENDELSSOHN
Hye-jin
YOON (b.?1971)
Thinking Being Irresistibly Burnt
Jeong Ga Ak Hoe (Hyun Soo Kim (daegeum); Seung Ah Lee (gayageum); Chae
Young Son (geomungo); Seung Hee Lee (haegeum); Gyung Tae Do (janggu);
Hyang Hee Lee (piri); Gang Sam Lee and Ji Eun Kim (vocals); Sun Young
Hwang (yanggeum) rec. 2008. DDD
AKDANGEBAN (Korea) ADCD 606 [76:49] [Byz]
Real
Korean music at no risk to sanity and very little expense.
Antonio
ZACARA da Teramo (c1350/60-1413 or later) Spinato
intorno al cor
Currentes/Jostein Gundersen rec. 2010
LAWO CLASSICS LWC 1026 [54:10] [JV]
Captivating
performances of music by one of the most intriguing composers of around
1400.
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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