FIELD
(1782-1837) Piano Music, Volume 2:
Nocturnes and Sonatas. 
Benjamin Frith (piano).
Naxos 8.550762
[CC] The
Sonata Op. 1 No. 3 in C minor logically appears on this second volume, in
a most successful performance.This piece alone justifies the modest outlay
for this disc.
GLANVILLE-HICKS
(1912-1990) Nausicaa (1961) Scenes
from the opera in three acts
Teresa Stratas; Athens Symphony Orchestra and Chorus/ Crlos
Surinach COMPOSERS RECORDINGS
INC CRI CD 695 [60.00] [RB]
Operatic buffs need
this disc in their collection as do Stratas collectors. We can only hope
that Glanville-Hicks' still unperformed opera Sappho (written for Callas)
will attract the attention of a conductor and funding
body.
GLINKA
A Life for the Tsar - Suite, Valse-Fantasie, Kamarinskaya,
Capriccio Brillante,
Souvenir d'une nuit d'ete a Madrid
Armenian Philharmonic
Orchestra conducted by Loris Tjeknavorian recorded 21 / 22 July 1999, Aram
Khatchaturian Hall, Yerevan, Armenia (DDD).
ASV CD DCA 1075 [70.39]
[JP]
A colourful, excellently
recorded disc dedicated to the works of Glinka. They are played for all they
are worth on this ASV disc - wonderful stuff.
GRANADOS
(1867-1916) Piano Music, Volume 3.
Preludio en re mayor. Danza lenta. Escenas románticas. Barcarola.
Caprichio español. Libro de horas. Paisaje. Allegro appassionato.
Allegro de concierto.
Douglas Riva (piano).
Naxos 8.554628 [DDD] [67'02] [CC]
A mixed disc. Some
beautifully spun sonorities vie with missed opportunities. The recording
is adequate.
HALFFTER
Orchestral Works. Habanera, Cavatina,
Al Amancer for violin and orchestra,
Esquisses Symphoniques, Sinfonietta in D.
Philharmonic
Orchestra of Gran Canaria, Adrian Leaper.
ASV CD DCA 1078 (DDD)
[64.22] [DW]
Halffter's music
is attractive, tonal and easy-going but lacks a vital ingredient, the ability
to say something completely new. It is pleasant music but offers nothing
of any real purport to remember.
HARTMANN
Symphonies 1 - 8.
Bamberg Symphony Orchestra
I Ingio Metzmacher. EMI
Classics. CDS5569112 . 3 CD set [DW]
This is wonderful music
of intellectual and emotional intensity. Very, very special...... Music for
which no adjectives exist and, even if they did, they would not
suffice.
HAYDN
Symphonies 88 and 89 plus Sinfonia Concertante for violin,
cello, oboe and
bassoon
Lucy van Dael (violin), Wouter Muller (cello), Ku Ebbinge (oboe) and Danny
Bond (bassoon).Orchestra of the 18th Century - Franz
Bruggen Philips 462 602-2
[61.52] [JP]
Good, stylish, but a
little earthbound performances of three of Haydn's mature symphonic works,
in a first issue of a ten year old recording at full
price.
HOLBORNE
'The Teares of the Muses'
Pavans, Galliards & Almaines
Hesperion
XXI Jordi Savall. Alia
Vox AV9813 66m DDD.
HOLST
(1874-1934) Savitri (1908) 31.20
Dream City a song cycle (orch Colin Matthews) (1929)
26.30 Felicity Palmer
(mezzo/Savitri) Philip Langridge (ten/Satyavan) Stephen Varcoe (bar/Death)
Patrizia Kwella (sop) (in song cycle) Richard Hickox Singers City of London
Sinfonia/Richard Hickox.
HYPERION Helios CDH55042 [57.49] [RB]
The bargain range catalogue
is not what it was. It is so much better.
A strong recommendation.
Well worth your fiver. Compelling for the songs.
HOVHANESS
(1911-00) Symphony No. 3 (1956)
27.56 Mystery of the Holy Martyrs (1976) 38.11
Michael Long (guitar)
KBS SO/Vakhtang Jordania rec June 1996, Seoul, Korea
SOUNDSET RECORDINGS
SR1004 [65.51] [RB]
Soundset are not exactly
(or even vaguely) a company with a profile in the catalogue. In the circumstances
it is all the more important that this disc is documented.
Music: sincere and of a gently ecstatic inclination. A true Baedecker of
Hovhaness's palette; in the symphony conveying a stronger sense of linear
development than in many of the less obscure symphonies. In the Martyrs it
communictaes as a great tapestry of devotional serenity.
HOVHANESS
(b. 1911) Armenian Rhapsody No. 1
(1944) 5.45 Armenian Rhapsody No. 2 (1944) 7.47
Armenian Rhapsody No. 3 (1944) 5.42 Symphony No. 38
(1978) 19.09 Concerto No. 10 for piano, trumpet and strings
(1988) 22.11 Hinako
Fujihara (coloratura soprano) in symphony Martin Berkofsky (piano) in concerto
Chris Butler (trumpet) Seattle SO/Gerard Schwarz (composer in Symphony) rec
(concerto and rhapsodies) Seattle, June 1996; (symphony) Seattle, May 1992
KOCH-SCHWANN 3-7422-2H1
[60.32] [RB]
This is music about which
there is nothing of the parade ground, no circus and nothing
kitsch.
JOSQUIN DES
PREZ
Sixteenth century lute
settings Jacob
Heringman - Renaissance Lute
Discipline Global Mobile DGM0006 [AD]
Jacob Heringmans
authentic sound and playing style suits this music
perfectly.
KERNIS
Before Sleep and Dreams (1990) Air (1995)
Meditation (in memory of John Lennon) (1981) The Four
Seasons of Futurist Cuisine (1991)
Evelyne Luest (piano)
Composer (piano - Meditation) Andrea Schultz (violin) Michael Finckel (cello)
Luest, Finckel, Schultz, Evan Spritzer (narrator and clarinet) - in Four
Seasons PHOENIX PHCD 143
[65.26]
Kernis's reputation as
a post-modernist not just in touch with sweet romanticism but in immersed
communion with it is already secure....after hearing various violin sonatas
by Benjamin Lees and Leon Kirchner I discovered this music with a sense of
relief. It acts as benediction.
KHACHATURYAN
(1903-1978) Film Music
Pepo (1934) Undying Flame (1956) Secret
Mission (1950) Admiral Ushakov (1953) Prisoner
217 (1945) Armenian
PO/Loris Tjeknavorian
rec 22-23 Oct 1995, Yerevan, Armenia
ASV CD DCA 966 [66.35]
[RB]
A neon bright collection
of garish rare Russian film music played and recorded with style to
match.
KHACHATURYAN
(1903-1978) Lermontov Suite (1944)
Russian Fantasy (1944) Ode in Memory of Lenin
(1948) Greeting Overture (1958) Festive
Poem (1950) Armenian
PO/Loris Tjeknavorian rec 28 Oct - 2 Nov 1994, Yerevan, Armenia
ASV CD DCA 966 [66.06]
[RB]
Vivid Russian music making
- pleasurable if not always wildly inspired. Brightly recorded. Well
annotated.
KOCH
(b.1910) Lappland-Metamorfoser
(1957) 12.49 Impulsi (1964) 11.35
Echi (1965) 13.03 Ritmi (1966) 11.43
Oxberg-Variationer (1956) 17.26
Stockholm PO/Stig Westerberg
rec Stockholm Concert Hall, Jan-Sept 1977; 26 May 1960 (Oxberg)
SWEDISH SOCIETY DISCOFIL SCD 1024
[66.36][RB]
Clean, sharply delineated,
folksy without kitsch and strongly rhythmic, von Koch's music has made small
impact internationally. Time for reassessment.....The music 'feels' big and
is often marked out by dance fragments stamping and flickering. The woodwind
writing is notable for carrying the front-line interest. Too, however, Von
Koch employs the percussion to dramatic effect as well as for colour.
KOECHLIN
(1867-1950) Violin Sonata (1916)
32.22 Viola Sonata (1913-15) 32.08
Marie Viaud (violin)/Mireille
Guillaume (piano) Michel Michalakakos (viola)/Martine Gagnepain (piano)
rec 1997 SKARBO SK 1985
[64.28] [RB]
Koechlin confessed to
writing music of an escapist leaning in the violin sonata. The viola sonata
looks the war in the eye for as long as the composer can bear it....This
music is reflective with a heightened consciousness of tragedy and the washing
away of old certainties.
LARSSON
(1908-1986) Violin Concerto
(1952) Violin Concertino (1952) Trombone
Concertino (1955) Double Bass Concertino
(1957) LILLE BROR SODERLUNDH
(1912-1957)
Oboe Concertino (1944)
Leo Berlin (violin) Christer
Torge (trombone) Luigi Ossoinak (double bass) Alf Nilsson (oboe) Stockholm
PO/Stig Westerberg (violin works) Orebro Kammarorkester Lennart Hedwall
(trombone) Filharmonins Kammarensemble (double bass and Soderlundh)
SWEDISH SOCIETY DISCOFIL SCD1056 [73.44] [RB]
The violin concerto
is a work that breathes romance. From its breathing opening ostinato to the
thunderous fantasy of the finale it proclaims its heritage tracing to the
Tchaikovsky, the Sibelius (many reminders) and the concerto by William Walton.
Its gentle dissonances echo Frankel but do not detract from its grown-up
accessibility. A most heart-warming work to be counted with Prokofiev No.
2, the Barber and the Menotti.
YOUNG JO LEE
(b. 1943) Korean Piano Music: Dance Suite;
Five Korean Legends; Variations on a Theme of Schubert; Variations:
"3B" My Kim
(piano) ASV CD DCA 1088
[IL]
My Kim, one of Korea's top
pianists, empathises with this lovely evocative music and brings it vividly
to life with all the sensitivity and delicacy it demands. Clearly a young
lady to watch.
LEMELAND
(b. 1932) Three Concertos for violin and string
orchestra: Concerto Funebre (1992) Concerto Op. 128
(1985) Concerto Op. 148 (1985)
Marie-Annick Nicolas (violin)
Orchestra de Chambre National de Toulouse/Emmanuel Plasson
SKARBO SK3922 [52.05]
[RB]
Lemeland is a powerful
composer and his concentration and that of Nicolas is palpable in the Adagio
espressivo of Op. 128 and the two lentos of Op. 148. The closing pages are
an 'abschied' of telling breathless enchantment....The shortish playing time
doessn't seem to matter when you are engaged with this
music.
LEWKOVITCH
(b 1927) 3 Salmi. Op 9 (1952)
[13.49] Anthems to the Blessed Virgin (1994) [7.26] Tre
madrigali di Torquato Tasso. Op 13 (1955)* [8.27]
Via Stenonis (1987) [8.22]
Appollo's Art - Four English Madrigals (1993) [7.04]
Three Passion Motess - ad honorem Tomàs Luis Da Victoria
(1996) [7.22] Pater Noster (1983) [7.47]
Det Jyske Kammerkor /
The Jutland Chamber Choir Members of the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra/Mogens
Dahl Recorded in Lystrup Church 16/20 Oct 1999 and 14/15 Sept 1996* DDD
Dacapo 8.224152 [60.17]
[HD]
Choral music devotees
may like a "try before you buy" approach.
GYÖRGY
LIGETI (b. 1923) Violin
Concerto. PER NØRGÅRD
(b. 1932) Helle Nacht: Violin Concerto. Sonata, 'The Secret
Melody'. Christina
Åstrand (violin); Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra/Thomas
Dausgaard. Chandos CHAN9830
[DDD] [67'41] [CC]
This is a fascinating,
thought-provoking coupling of two major late twentieth century additions
to the violin repertoire.....Ligeti's Violin Concerto presents a fascinating,
compulsive listening experience....Åstrand is sweet-toned and committed
throughout.
Magnus LINDBERG
Aura, Engine*
BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta*/Oliver Knussen
DG 463 184-2 [51'22"] [CA] [PW]
[LM]
This is music with a
wide appeal with something to say and crosses boundaries saying it.
LISZT
(1811-86) Complete Piano Music, Volume 14.
Bunte Reihe, S484/R149.
Valerie Tryon (piano).
Naxos 8.553507 [DDD]
[72'09] [CC]
....That Liszt can hold
the attention for nearly an hour and a quarter is all the more astonishing
given the standard of David's music: the booklet notes state that, 'His music
does not astonish, nor does it leave a lasting impression'. This hits the
nail squarely on the head...There are some real surprises here
...
LUENING
(1900-1996) The songs (30) of Otto Luening
written between 1917 and 1993
Judith Bettina (sop)
James Goldsworthy (piano) Susan Palma-Nidel (flute) rec Sept 1999, NYC
COMPOSERS RECORDINGS INC
CRI CD 840 48.34 [RB]
The songs be reckoned
alongside those of Benjamin Britten, or, yet more directly, with Arthur Bliss's
Seven American Poems. The songs set classic texts by Goethe, Hesse, Shelley,
Blake, Joyce, Byron and Emily Dickinson. The Goethe and Hesse poems are set
to the original German texts.
MACMILLAN,
James. Tryst for orchestra, Adam's Rib for
brass quintet (world premiere) , They saw that
the stone had been rolled away, I (A Meditation on Iona) (world
premiere recording).
Scottish Chamber Orchestra,
Joseph Swenson BIS-CD-1019
(DDD) [58.43] [DW]
In Tryst, the composer
shows again his excellent gift for orchestral sonority and how he can
successfully bridge the gap between the traditional and the modern. Adam's
Rib is a work lacking coherence for this musician and stunted by the absence
of a natural flow. The composer's religious faith is behind They saw that
the stone had been rolled away. I is another good piece. Stark it may be
but powerful it certainly is.
MAHLER
Symphony No.2 in C minor "Resurrection"
Ileana Cotrubas (Soprano) Christa
Ludwig (Contralto) Vienna State Opera Chorus,Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Zubin Mehta Decca
Legends 466 992-2 [81.11] [TD]
His Second is a
contender in a very crowded market not least for this re-issue being at medium
price on a single disc....The placing of Mahler's directional effects - offstage
horn calls and band music - is brilliantly done in this movement with great
care taken to create an aural stage between our speakers that adds lustre
to Mehta's performance.
MAHLER
Symphony No.2 in C minor "The
Resurrection" György
KURTAG
Stele op 33 for large orchestra Arnold
SCHÖNBERG Kol Nidre op 39* for speaker, choir
and orchestra
James Johnson (Speaker)* Juliane Banse (Soprano) Cornelia Kallisch
(Alto) EuropaChorAkademie SWR Radio-Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und
Freiberg Conducted by Michael Gielen
Hänssler Classic CD
93.001 [107.28]
For consistency of vision
and for delivering his very modernist and individual view of Maher's Second
Gielen has to be congratulated, even though this may not be most people's
idea of how this work should be played. Ultimately it's just too cool and
detached to endear itself. But if you are looking for an alternative to the
more conventional conductor-involved ones, Gielen is your
man.
MAHLER
Symphony No.5 in c sharp minor
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Andrew Litton
Dorian DOR-90193 [71.00] [TD]
This is a lacklustre,
dull and pedestrian recording that should have been quietly forgotten about
and from which no one emerges with much distinction.
DVD
Review
MAHLER
Symphony No 5 in C sharp minor
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim
Arthaus Musik 100 032, 75 minutes.
[MB]
Daniel Barenboim is not
the most natural of Mahler conductors, but this Chicago performance, caught
on camera during the orchestra's visit to Cologne, is actually very fine.
MAHLER
Symphony No.7 in E minor
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester
Saarbrücken
Conducted by Hans Zender CPO
999 478-2 [78.40] [TD]
A superb performance
full of fascinating things. One which is excellently played and recorded
and deserves to be considered alongside the very best versions such as those
by Bernstein, Horenstein, Gielen, Scherchen and Abbado. Zender's Mahler Seventh
is that good and I recommend it enthusiastically.
MAHLER
Symphony No. 9 Franz
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 8 Unfinished
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Carlo Maria Guilini recorded 1977, Medinah Temple, Chicago (Mahler)
and 1978, Orchestra Hall, Chicago, (Schubert).
DGG Originals 463 609-2 (2
discs nas) [115.43] [JP]
A welcome return to the
catalogue of this version of Mahler's 9th Symphony, now coupled
with Schubert's 8th, magnificently performed and
recorded.
MAHLER
Das Lied Von Der
Erde Waltraud Meier
(Mezzo-soprano), Ben Heppner (Tenor)Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Conducted
by Lorin Maazel RCA Red Seal
74321 67957 2 [62.30] [TD]
Maazel's is a well recorded,
played and sung account of Mahler's late masterpiece and you can certainly
do worse. But you can also do a whole lot better and at a lower price.
MARTINU
String Quartet No. 1 (1918) String Quartet No. 2 (1925) Tri jezdci
(Three Horsemen)
Martinu Quartet - Lubomir
Havlak, Petr Macecek,(violins) Jan Jisa (viola) and Jitka Vlasankova (cello)
recorded 23-25/6/97,(Quartet No. 1) and 18-19/2 1997 (remainder) in the Marinek
Studio Prague. DDD Naxos
8.553782 [71.41]
An excellent, well performed
disc of two of Martinu's String Quartets in an excellent recording at budget
price. Roll on Volume Two.
MASSENET,
Jules.
WERTHER. A Lyric drama in four acts and
five scenes after Goethe.
Sung in English in the translation by Norman
Tucker. Recorded live by the
BBC at the London Coliseum on 13 December 1977.English National Opera Orchestra
and Chorus conducted by Sir Charles
Mackerras. CHANDOS CHAN3033
(2 CDs) [DW]
The real star of this
version is the silent contributor. Of course, I mean Sir Charles Mackerras.
John Brecknock has a lyric, clear voice reminiscent of the finest British
tenor of them all, Wilfred Brown. A truly great and moving experience. Not
to be missed despite some flaws one expects from a live
performance.
MONDONVILLE
Venite exultemus, Regna terrae, In decachordo psalterio,
De profundis, Benefac Domine.
Gillian Fisher, Charles Daniels,
Stephen Varcoe, Choir of New College Oxford London Baroque Edward Higginbottom
conductor/harpsichord
Hyperion Helios CDH55038
61m DDD. [GF]
These are straightforward
compositions written just preceding the French Revolution. They breathe the
celebratory pomp and pageantry evident in the grand courts of the French
kings
MOZART
(1756 - 1791) Symphony No 41 in C Major,
K551. "Jupiter" [36.11] Symphony No 39 in E Flat Major. K543.
[29.54] Si mostra la sorte. K209* [ 4.19 ] Per pieta,
non ricercare, K420* [ 6.54 ]
English Chamber Orchestra Peter
Pears (tenor)* Benjamin Britten.
Recorded Blythburgh Church, Suffolk. 14 June 1966 (K551) BBC Studios June
10 1962 (K543, K209, K420) ADD K551 STEREO Rest of disc MONO
DECCA 466 820 - 2
[77.24]
This is a long way short of
what we would expect from Britten and Mozart. The non-specialist collector
should look elsewhere for versions of this pairing of two of the last three
great Symphonies.
MOZART
(1756 - 1791) Piano Concerto No 12 in
A Major [25.01] Joseph HAYDN
(1732 - 1809)
Symphony No 55 in E Flat Major "Schoolmaster" [21.47]
Symphony No 45 in F Sharp Minor "Farewell" [24.14]
Benjamin Britten (pno) Aldeburgh
festival Orchestra Directed / Conducted Benjamin Britten Recorded Jubilee
Hall, Aldeburgh June 1956 (Live concert) ADD MONO
Decca 458 869-2
[71.52][HD]
The only reason not to
buy this is the recording quality. Sample first - then
buy!
MOZART:
Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K.525 (1)
Serenade in D, K.320 - "Posthorn" (2)
Serenade in D, K.239 - "Serenata Notturna" (2)
Vienna State Opera Orchestra/Sir
Adrian Boult (1)
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra/Victor Desarzens (2)
MCA MCD 80105
[73:41] [CH]
A disc that allows us
to hear Sir Adrian Boult in Mozart
MOZART
(1756-1791) Piano Duets, Volume 1. Sonatas - C,
K521; D, K381; C, K19d.
Andante with Five Variations in G, K501. Fantasia in F minor for Mechanical
Organ, K608. Jenö
Jándo, Zsuzsa Kollár (piano
duet). Naxos 8.553518
[DDD] [68'58] [CC]
Doubts creep in during
the D major Sonata, K381, however. Accents seem forced, the Andante is faceless
and the finale is over-heavy.
MOZART
'Idomeneo'
Richard Lewis,
Leopold Simoneau, Sena Jurinac, Lucille Udovick.
Glyndebourne Festival Chorus and Orchestra John Pritchard.
EMI Double Forte CZS5
73848-2. [GF]
It is a delight to see
this once famous set available once again as the Glyndebourne magic of the
Fifties has rarely been surpassed.
MUFFAT
(1653-1704) Organ Works, Volume 1:
Apparatus musico-organistus (1690), Part 1 - Toccatas
1-8. Martin Haselböck
(organ). Naxos 8.553917
[DDD] [54'31] [CC]
..... there is a heady
mix of Italianate emotionalism, French sensibilité and German discipline
that is most appealing.
NIELSEN
(1865-1931) Complete Concertos:
Violin Concerto, Op. 33/FS61; Clarinet
Concerto Op. 57/FS129; Flute Concerto, FS119.
Jonathan Carney (violin); Kevin
Banks (clarinet); Gareth Davies (flute); Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Kees
Bakels. Naxos 8.554189
[DDD] [78'59]
These performances (the
only such coupling at super-budget price) are guaranteed to provide pleasure.
The three Naxos soloists each capture the essence of their respective concertos
and the orchestra throughout is idiomatically supportive, with particularly
characterful woodwind contributions.
Ludolf
NIELSEN Symphony No. 3 in C Major, Op.
22, Hjortholm, Tone Picture, Op. 53
Bamberg Symphony Orchestra
- Frank Cramer recorded 19-23/7/99, in the Sinfonie an der Regnitz,Bamberg.
DDD Dacapo
8.224098 [67.20] [JP]
World premiere recordings
of two rarely played orchestral works by a forgotten Danish composer overshadowed
by his well known namesake.
Maurice
OHANA
Livre des prodiges; Anneau de Tamarit; Synaxis
Orchestre Philharmonique du
Luxembourg/ArturoTamayo with Anssi Kartunen (cello) & other soloists
timpani 1C1056 [66.10]
[PW]
Recommended
unreservedly.
PARRY
Piano Trio in E minor. Piano
Quartet in A flat.
Deakin Piano Trio
with Yuko Lnoue (viola). Premiere
Recording. Meridan CDE 84248 (DDD) (61.31) Volume 1.
Piano Trio no 3 in G ; Piano Trio no. 2 in B minor.
Deakin
Piano Trio. Premiere
Recording.Meridian CDE 842555 (DDD)
(61.44) Volume 2.[DW]
...the unprejudiced
listener can easily see and hear that his music is sincere. It is never
overloaded. Its message is direct and. therefore, all the more
enjoyable.
PFITZNER
(1869-1949) Violin Sonata
(1918) 28.45 Piano Trio (1896)
41.13 Benjamin Schmid (violin)
Clemens Hagen (cello) Claudius Tanski (piano) rec 1-4 June 1999, Wuppertal
MDG GOLD MDG 312 0934-2
[69.58] [RB]
Here the MD&G 'regulars'
turn back the dust-cloths on two thumpingly confident works. A recommendable
disc for those wishing to open out their Pfitzner collection.
PISTON
(1894-1976)
Symphony No. 6 (1955) 25.34 Concertino for Piano and
Chamber Orchestra (1937) 12.34 Concerto for Orchestra
(1933) 12.48 Concerto for String Quartet, Wind Instruments
and Percussion (1976) 10.00
Moscow Radio SO/Alexander Gauk
(rec 1962) Marjorie Mitchell (piano) Göteborg SO/William Strickland
(rec 1963) Polish National Radio Orchestra/William Strickland (rec 1969)
Emerson Quartet/Juilliard Orchestra/Sixten Ehrling (rec May 1978)
all stereo recordings ADD
CITADEL CTD 88134 [61.55] [RB]
You never hear that
much about Citadel. I am not at all sure why that should be. Their catalogue
is at ease in spanning both classical and film worlds. Much of their classical
side comprises reissues of rare repertoire. The label hosts a high proportion
of 'gold standard' Americana as this and other discs demonstrate.....Strongly
recommended. Citadel and Tom Null have done an invaluable job in collecting
together this Piston 'Reader'.
POULENC
(1899-1963) Complete Chamber Music, Volume Three.
Capriccio d'après Le bal masqué. Sonata for two pianos.
Elégie. L'embarquement pour Cynthère. Sonata for piano duet.
Sonata for two clarinets. Sonata for clarinet and bassoon. Sonata for horn,
trumpet and trombone.
Alexandre Tharaud, François Chaplin (pianos); Ronald Van Spaendonck,
André Moisan (clarinets), Laurent Lefèvre (bassoon); Hervé
Joulain (horn); Guy Touvron (trumpet); Jaques Mauger (trombone).
Naxos 8.553613 [DDD]
[62'24]
Recorded in Poulenc's
centenary year (1999), this disc provides a satisfying balance between well-known
and more obscure works. It's a good idea to have an (almost) all-Gallic line
up of musicians (the clarinettist André Moisan is French-Canadian)
and as a result they feel fully at ease in Poulenc's attractive
vernacular.
PROKOFIEV
(1891-1953) Ivan the Terrible*. Alexander
Nevsky† *Irina Arkhipova
(mezzo-soprano); Anatoly Mokrenko (baritone); Boris Morgunov (narrator),
Ambrosian Chorus and Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Ricardo Muti
† Anna Reynolds (mezzo-soprano)
London Symphony Orchestra and
This is a very clever
idea to package Prokofiev's two major film scores together in this budget
presentation and I urge all adventurous lovers of film music who are unfamiliar
with this music to invest in this 2CD album. However I would add one caveat.
Budget prices often mean sacrifices; and the sweeping marketing policy of
EMI to pare down the notes for their mid-price/budget albums is a grave mistake
as far as this reissue is concerned for no librettos are given.
Chorus conducted by
André Previn.(with Sergei Rachmaninov's The Bells).
Sheila Armstrong (soprano); Robert Tear (tenor); John Shirley-Quirk
(baritone)
London Symphony Chorus; London Symphony Orchestra conducted by André
Previn EMI double forte 2
CDs CZS5 73353 2 [152:23] [IL]
PROTO
Double Bass Music of Frank Proto SONATA 1963 for
Double Bass and Piano [13.04] FOUR ROGUES, a Mystery for Double
Bass & Piano [18.00] Audition 1 / 20 / 87
[1.31]
CADENZA and DANCE [2.41] CAPRICE [4.27]
DUETS for Double Basses [13.24]
John Ebinger (double bass) Roy
Hakes (piano) Recorded Arizona State University 1/ 94 - 6/ 94 DDD
Soundset SR1003
[53.07]
Probably would appeal to a
double-bassist - others may want to hear before
deciding.
[Part 1] [Part
2]
[Part 3] [Part 4]
COMPETITION:
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