RECORDING OF THE MONTH RECORDING OF THE MONTH BARGAIN OF THE MONTH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS A London Symphony Oboe Concerto £11 post free World-wide RACHMANINOV Elegy, Preludes, Piano concerto 3 £12 post free World-wide CHAUSSON, DEBUSSY RACHMANINOV TRios 2CDs £16 post free World-wide

AVALABILITY MGB Records (Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund) http://www.musikszene-schweiz.ch http://www.musiques-suisses.ch/

Musica Riservata Jia GUOPING (b.1963) Schweben über grenzenlosern Feld (2002) Hans Ulrich LEHMAN (b. 1937) Minuties (1998) Rudolf KELTERBORN (b.1931) Invention (1998) Alfred ZIMMERLIN (b.1955) Anderer Ort (1998) Nadir VASSENA (b. 1970) Formulae (1997) Lukas LANGLOTZ (b. 1971) Facetten (1997) Urban MÄDDER (b. 1955) En suite (1997) Peter WETTSTEIN (b. 1939) Sieben Miniaturen (1974) Wang PENG (b. 1976) Yàna (2001) Heinrich Keller (flute) Brigitta Steinbrecher (harpsichord/piano) rec. 1975-2003, Radiostudio Zürich. MGB MUSIKSZENE SCHWEIZ MGB CTS-M 85 [77.18]

This collection by the dedicated and highly virtuosic duo that is Musica Riservata features modernistic music for flute and keyboard. All but the Guoping and the Peng are with piano; the rest are with harpsichord. Collectors committed in depth to the modern flute literature will find this an essential purchase. More general interest is likely to be limited. The Guoping, Kelterborn, Lehman and Wettstein are alive with skittering activity and flights of shrapnel-like fragmentation. These are not essays in lyrical continuity or the long sung line. Contrast this with Zimmerlin's Bachian arioso. This is flavoured with only the deftest momentary dissonance until the 'evil genius' of the harpsichord starts to cast its devastating spell at 1.37. That spell carries over into the Vassena which is as ascetically extreme as the title suggests. The Langlotz is full of a Crumb-like delicacy and faery fantasy across its eight micro-movements. The Langlotz, Zimmerlin and Mädder pieces are the most refreshing items here although even here your tastes need to be hardy enough not to be put off by the apparatus of avant-garde ivory towers. The four movement Mädder suite blends Crumb's pointillism with Ravel and Oriental and minimalist repetitive gestures (trs.17 and 19). Wettstein's Seven Miniatures betrays its 1975 analogue origins with a distinct iron oxide hiss. It is the only track from that era - the rest being 1990s (or later) digital. The Peng item is in keeping with the avant-garderie of the other tracks but with a fruitily voluptuous swooping role for the flute fading into dissonant decay. One for modernist flute enthusiasts. Superbly played, recorded and annotated. Rob Barnett   Advertising Rates Visitor stats MusicWeb International has over 40,000 Classical CD reviews on offer Discs received Having a problem Donating? Gerard Hoffnung Concerts & The Bricklayer Story MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues: Prices include postage There will be NO VAT Rises [Acte Préalable £13.50] [Arcodiva £12.00] [Avie from £6.25] [British Music Society £12.00] [CDACCORD from £13.50 ] [ClassicO £12.50] [Hallé from £11] [Heritage £10] [Hortus £14.99 ] [Lyrita ONLY £11.75 ] [Nimbus Special prices] [Northern Flowers £13.50] [REDCLIFFE £11 ] [Sheva £11] [Tactus £11.50 ] [Talent from £12.00 ] [Toccata Classics £10.50 ] Musicweb Special Offers Monthly Best Buys   New Releases New Releases   MusicWeb sells the Polish catalogue CDAccord £10.50 post free W-W MusicWeb sells the Arcodiva catalogue £12.00 post free W-W £11.75 post-free world- wide     Google Ads - for information about privacy matters, click here.  Amazon Musicweb International is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

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