Classical Editor: Rob Barnett             Founder Len Mullenger: Len@musicweb-international.com


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PART 4
M to R

[Part 1 New]  [Part 2 A-B] [Part 3 C-L]
[Part 4 M-R]  [Part 5 S-Y] [Part 6 Misc]   
           


ALPHABETICAL LISTING

MACDOWELL Piano Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 15, Piano Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 22, Hexentanz (Witches Dance), Op. 17, No. 2, Romance for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 35 Stephen Prutsman (piano), Aisling Drury Byrne (cello), National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland/Arthur Fagenrecorded 13-14/9/99, in the National Concert Hall, Dublin. DDD NAXOS 8.559049 [56.12] [JP]

Another first class issue well played and recorded by all concerned, with exemplary notes included at rock bottom price.

MACDOWELL Suite No. 1, Op. 42, Suite No. 2, Op. 48 "Indian", Hamlet and Ophelia, Op. 22. Ulster Orchestra/Takuo Yuasa recorded 2-4/12/99, in the Ulster Hall, Belfast. DDD NAXOS 8.559075 [63.50] [JP]

I can thoroughly recommend this issue to the collector, but do not be mislead - this is not American music as we know it today

MAHLER Symphony No.1 in D minor (including "Blumine") Badische Staatskapelle/Gunter Neuhold Bella Musica - Antes Edition BM-CD 31.9042 [61.09] [TD]

A good recording of the First Symphony, lively and sensitive in all the right places. More desirable versions are available showing even greater insight, but there are some full-priced versions that suffer by comparison.

MAHLER Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" Gabriele Maria Ronge (Soprano) Delores Ziegler (Alto) Chor des NDR; Chor des Bremer Theaters, Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Bremen/Gunter Neuhold BELLA MUSICA - ANTES EDITION BM-CD 14.9004 [83.11] [TD]

Not a Mahler Second to go among the immortals, but one with just enough virtues to be worth investigating all the same.

Gustav MAHLER Symphony No.4 in G major Anny Schlemm (Soprano) Staatskapelle Dresden/Leopold Ludwig BERLIN CLASSICS BC 2119-6 [50.51] [TD]

An interesting recording of Mahler's most popular symphony from an era prior to the Mahler boom and from behind the Iron Curtain.

MAHLER Symphony No.5 in C sharp minor Philharmonia Orchestra/Benjamin Zander TELARC 2CD-80569 [68.11] Includes a free bonus CD containing a 78-minute illustrated talk by the conductor. [TD]

This is one of the finest recordings of Mahler's Fifth now before us. Superbly interpreted, played and recorded.

MAHLER Symphony No. 9 in D, Des Knaben Wunderhorn* Jessye Norman* (Soprano), John Shirley-Quirk* (Baritone), Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra/Bernard Haitink PHILIPS 50 464 714 [TD][SF]

One of the greatest recordings of Mahler's Ninth Symphony, remastered and rightly restored to the catalogue. Philips has done a fine job with this reissue.

Gian Francesco MALIPIERO (1882-1973) Sette invenzioni (7 inventions), Quattro invenzioni (4 inventions), Symphonic fragments from the opera Il finto Arlecchino, Vivaldiana Veneto Philharmonic Orchestra/Peter Maag NAXOS 8.555515 [63:03] [IL] [AB]

Music to savour played with wit and style [IL] Naxos is to be thanked for making available at an affordable price a collection of some of the orchestral music of this well regarded composer. Most of the music is written in a neo-classical style and has very enjoyable moments. {AB].

Wilhelm MIDDELSCHULTE Organ Works. Toccata on Ein Feste Burg, Contrapuntal symphony, Two Studies Vater unser im Himmelreiche, Chromatic fantasy and fugue, Perpetuum Mobile, Chaconne Jurgen Sonnetheil, organ of Gerald Woehl, Cuxhaven. CPO 999 739-2 (DDD) [64.17] [DW]

Don't buy this record as a curiosity. Buy it for the music's sake.

Cristobal de MORALES Missa Si bona suscepimus  Phillippe Verdelot Si bona suscepimus  Thomas Crequillon Andreas Christi   The Tallis Scholars/Peter Phillips Gimell CDGIM 033 [56 mins] [PGW]

A satisfying sequence of early 16 C. choral music. The calm, euphonious and perfectly tuned singing of The Tallis Scholars is expertly recorded and the documentation is thorough, as always with Gimell

José VIANNA DA MOTTA Piano Music: Sonata in B major (1885); Cenas portuguesas, Op. 9; Ballada, Op. 16; Ceaas portuguesas, Op. 18; Barcarola, Op. 1, No. 1; Barcarola, Op. 1, No. 2; Adeus, minha terra Op. 15, No.2 Sequeira Costa, piano Marco Polo 8.225116 DDD [73.41] [AB]

A real find: attractive music with good tunes in a style like Chopin with an Iberian accent and Lisztian technique; beautifully played and well recorded.

NIELSEN Orchestral Works Volume 2 Symphony no 3 (Sinfonia Espansiva) op 27 Silken Shoe on golden last (tenor & orchestra) Lower your head, O flower (soprano & orchestra) Overture Helios op 17 Paraphrase on Nearer my God to thee Eva Hess-Thayson (soprano) and Jan Lund (tenor) Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Douglas Bostock Recorded in Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, January 2000 CLASSICO CLASSCD 297 [66:27] [AS]

No Nielsen devotee should miss these accounts of the symphony and Helios - superbly played and recorded.

NIELSEN Orchestral Works Volume 3: Symphony no 4 (The Inextinguishable) op 29 Incidental music to Cupid and the Poet Genre Picture, Ariel's Song and Christmas at Home (tenor & orchestra) Symphonic Rhapsody Jan Lund (tenor) Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Douglas Bostock Recorded in Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, August 2000 CLASSICO CLASSCD 298 [63:54] [AS]

Highly recommended. I can't wait for Bostock's account of Nielsen's Fifth!

Carl ORFF (1895-1982) Carmina Burana Edita Gruberova (soprano) John Aler (tenor) Thomas Hampson (baritone) Shin Yu-Kai Choir Knabenchor des Staats-und Domchores Berlin Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Seiji Ozawa PHILIPS 494 725-2 (50 Great Recordings series) [60.20] [GP-J]

The ultimate recording of this work was Jochum's DG of the late 60s. Nonetheless, this Philips version takes some beating, and must be up there among the very finest recordings of the work.

PONCE  Guitar Music Variations on "Folia de España" and Fugue, Twenty-four Preludes, Theme, Variations and Finale, Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Variations on a Theme of Cabezón Stephen Marchionda (guitar) ASV CD QS 6249 [AD]

Plenty on this CD to satisfy the listener. Stephen Marchionda has just the right approach to convey the nuances of Ponce's personal style.

Geoffrey POOLE  Septembral Chamber music by Geoffrey Poole Joanna Porter and Geoffrey Poole (pianos); Gemini; Lindsay Quartet; Jinny Show (oboe); Anne-Marie Hastings (piano) METIER MSV CD92061 [HC]

Poole is a very interesting composer with a strong power of communication. "A maverick perhaps, but a rewarding, intriguing one".

Anthony POWERS  Fast Colours; Double Sonata; In Sunlight; Quintet; Another part of the Island   Psappha/Nicholas Kok (conductor) Metier Sound & Vision - MSVCD92038 [72 mins] (PGW)

Powers is a renowned craftsman who operates in 'enriched tonality' and is a determined contrapuntist, as befits a Nadia Boulanger pupil - - this first CD devoted entirely to his music will give a great deal of pleasure.

Giacomo PUCCINI DG Panorama 469 175-2 [2 CDs: 74.01, 76.33] [CH]

A rather mixed Puccini primer but a pleasure to be reminded of the beauties of Serafin's Bohème, and also to be alerted to Karajan's seriously underestimated Turandot. Rather unimaginative to have used so much Sinopoli material.

PURCELL  (1659-1695) The Complete Odes and Welcome Songs The King's Consort/Robert King with soloists. HYPERION CDS44031/8 [9 hrs 5 mins] [PGW]

A bargain box which no collector of English music should pass by. The high standard Purcell maintained throughout his short life never ceases to amaze. There is never a dull moment or routine reading of any of these occasional works from 1680-95.

RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Vespers Op. 37. National Academic Choir of Ukraine/Yevhen Savchuk. Regis RRC1043 [DDD] [62'00] [CC]

This performance of Rachmaninov's Vespers speaks with a beautifully and specifically Russian intensity. That it retails at budget price is really quite astonishing.

RAVEL (1875-1937) Cantates de Rome Alyssa (1903) [25.26] Véronique Gens, Yann Beuron. Ludovic Tézier Alcyone (1902) [25.04] Mireille Delunsch, Béatrice Uria-Monzon, Paul Groves Myrrha (1901) [23.07] Norah Amsellem, Paul Groves, Marc Barrard Orchestra du Capitole de Toulouse/Michel Plasson EMI 7243 5 57032 2 4[74.00] [SJ]

Essential to all Ravelians, and of interest to anyone wallowing in late French narcissism.

REGER Violin Concerto, Op 101. Manfred Scherzer (violin), Dresden State Orchestra/Herbert Blomstedt. BERLIN CLASSICS 0091 242BC. Mid price. (ADD) [57.40] [DW]

A work technically unflawed, thematically sound and logical in its brilliant musical argument. Certainly one of my desert island discs although not necessarily this performance. I will stay with Susanne Lautenbacher.

REGER (1873-1916) Clarinet Quintet in A major Op.146 (1909) String Quartet in Eb major Op. 109 (1915) Wenzel Fuchs (clarinet) Philharmonia Quartett Berlin Rec. 19th-22nd April 1999 Kleiner Sendesaal SFB, Berlin. NAXOS 8.554510 [72.18]

A fine recording of two beautiful works by this underrated composer. The Clarinet Quintet is a retrospective - an excellent introduction to his chamber music.

Nikolai ROSLAVETS (1881-1944) Meditation; Cello Sonata no. 1; Five Preludes for piano; Cello Sonata no. 2; Dance of the White Girls Alexander Ivashkin (cello) Tatyana Larazeva (piano) Rec 12-14 July 2000, Moscow Conservatory CHANDOS CHAN 9881 [56.25] [TB]

This disc, featuring the complete music for cello and piano, confirms Roslavets, much admired by Shostakovich, as a real talent.

ROSSINI Compilation DG Panorama 469 193-2 (2 CDs): [72.18+77.01]

This collection gives the first-time Rossini buyer a very good idea of what the composer is all about.

[Part 1 New]  [Part 2 A-B] [Part 3 C-L]
[Part 4 M-R]  [Part 5 S-Y] [Part 6 Misc] 


Classical Editor: Rob Barnett,  Reviewers: Rob Barnett, Ian Lace, Len Mullenger, and:  Richard Adams, Colin Anderson, Arthur Baker, Grace Barber, Terry Barfoot,  Peter Bates, Marc Bridle, Arthur Butterworth, Colin Clarke, Paul Conway, Gary Dalkin, Andy Daly, Tony Duggan, Harry Downey,  Christopher Fifield, Lewis Foreman, Simon Foster, John France, Julian Hellaby, Christopher Howell, Simon Jenner, Stephen Lloyd,   Kirk McElhearn, Gwyn Parry-Jones, John Phillips, John Quinn, Ailís Ní Ríain, Humphrey Smith, Philip Scowcroft, Adrian Smith, Colin Scott-Sutherland, Andrew Seivewright, Christopher Thomas, Richard Whitehouse, Jonathan Woolf, Peter Grahame Woolf, David Wright. A complete list of contributors can be seen here


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Any opinions expressed in reviews or articles on this site are those of the author and  do not necessarily represent the views of the site owner, Len Mullenger or the Editors.  Reviewers and authors retain copyright in their work unless it has been paid for or commissioned by the site owner.

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