RECORDINGS
OF THE MONTH
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Bela
BARTÓK (1881-1945) Music
for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (1936) (I: Andante tranquillo
[6:51]; II: Allegro [7:38]; III: Adagio [6:12]; IV: Allegro molto
[6:40]) Concerto for Orchestra (1944) (I: Introduzione-Andante
non troppo-Allegro vivace [10:54]; II: Giuco delle coppie- Allegro
vivace [7:15]; III: Elegia –Andante non troppo [8:34]; IV: Intermezzo
interrotto-Allegro [4:38]; V: Finale – Pesante-Presto [9:53]) 
Boston
Symphony Orchestra (Music), NBC Symphony Orchestra (Concerto)/Guido
Cantelli rec. 27 March 1954 (Music); 29 January 1949 (Concerto).
ADD Pristine Audio XR remastering by Andrew Rose June-July 2007 PRISTINE
AUDIO PASC081 [68:36] [SH]
You
must have this CD. It’s the very reference model of the works in
sound so close to real that it’s truly amazing. Simply essential
... see Full Review
RECORDING OF THE MONTH Samuel
COLERIDGE-TAYLOR
(1875-1912) Légende (Concertstück) Op. 14 (1897)
[7:12] Romance in G Op. 39 (1899) [9:35]
Violin Concerto in G minor Op. 80 (1912) [32:53]
Julius HARRISON
(1885-1963) Bredon Hill - a rhapsody
for violin and orchestra (1941) [11:54] Lorraine
McAslan (violin) London Philharmonic Orchestra/Nicholas Braithwaite
rec. Watford
Town Hall, 10-12 January 1994, (Légende,
Concerto, Bredon); 20 January 1994 (Romance).
DDD
LYRITA SRCD.317 [61.37] [RB]
A
real feel-good concerto and a work by Harrison
that deserves to live on in its nostalgia
and pastoral contentment. ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Gerald
FINZI
(1901-1956) A Severn
Rhapsody Op. 3 (1923) [6:14] Nocturne (New
Year Music) Op. 7 (1925) [10:23] Three Soliloquies
for small orchestra from the Suite - Love’s
Labours Lost Op. 28 (1946) [4:33] Romance
for string orchestra Op. 11 (1928) [8:08]
Prelude for string orchestra Op. 25 (1950s)
[5:16] The Fall of the Leaf, Elegy for orchestra
Op. 20 (1950s) [9:14] Introit for small orchestra
and solo violin Op. 6 (1925) [9:48] Eclogue
for piano and string orchestra Op. 10 (1929,
1956) [10:33] Grand Fantasia and Toccata for
piano and orchestra Op. 38 (1928, 1953) [15:14]
Rodney Friend (violin), Peter Katin (piano)
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult
New Philharmonia Orchestra/Vernon Handley
(Eclogue, Fantasia) rec. 1970s. ADD
LYRITA SRCD.239 [79:26] [JW]
Superb
sound caps a mandatory purchase for lovers
of the English muse, and of course for Finzi
lovers in particular ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH George
Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
Alcina
HWV 34: Ah! Mio cor! Schernito sei [10:39]
Hercules HWV 60: Where shall I fly? [06:23]
Agrippina HWV 6: Pensieri, voi mi tormentate
[07:19] Giulio Cesare in Egitto HWV 17:
Cara speme [05:53] Joshua HWV 64: Oh!
Had I Jubal’s lyre [02:29] Ariodante HWV
33: Scherza infida in grembo al drudo [11:30]
Theodora HWV 68: With darkness deep as
is my woe [05:51] Amadigi di Gaula HWV
11: Desterò dall’empia Dite [05:41]
Orlando HWV 31: Ah! Stigie larve! – Già
latra Cerbero – Vaghe pupille [07:37]
Ariodante HWV 33: Dopo notte, atra e funesta
[06:40] Rinaldo HWV 7: Lascia ch’io
pianga [04:58]
Magdalena Kožená (mezzo) Venice Baroque Orchestra/Andrea
Marcon rec. March 2006, Gustav Mahler Saal,
Kulturzentrum Grand Hotel, Toblach
ARCHIV PRODUCTION CD 477 6547 [76:34]
[CH]
Clear
away preconceptions and be prepared for one
of the most extraordinary vocal displays to
have been issued in recent years. ... see
Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Franz
LISZT (1811-1886)
St.
Elizabeth (The Legend of Saint Elizabeth)
- oratorio for soloists, chorus and orchestra,
S2 (1857-62) Kolos Kováts - Hermann,
Landgrave of Thüringen (bass) Erzsébet
Komlóssy - Countess Sophie, his wife
(mezzo) Sándor Sólyom-Nagy -
Landgrave Ludwig, their son (baritone) Éva
Andor - Elizabeth, his fiancée, later
his wife (soprano) József Gregor -
Frederick II of Hohenstaufen (bass) Lajos
Miller - Hungarian magnate (baritone) György
Bordás - the Seneschall (baritone)
Dušan Turinič - the child Ludwig (contralto)
Eugenia Kraičirová - the child Elizabeth
(soprano)
Bratislava Radio Children’s Chorus Slovak
Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra/János
Ferencsik rec. 14-17 July 1973, Reduta Concert
Hall, Bratislava, Slovak Republic. AAD Sung
in German with full English texts and essay
HUNGAROTON CLASSIC HCD 11650-51 [69:48
+ 68:41] [MC]
A
remarkable performance and recording fully
deserving its return to the catalogue ...
see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Francis POTT (b.
1957) The Cloud of Unknowing (2006)
[88:46] James
Gilchrist (tenor) Jeremy Filsell (organ) Vasari Singers/Jeremy
Backhouse rec. Tonbridge School, UK, 16-18 February 2007. DDD
Texts included SIGNUM
CLASSICS SIGCD105 [45:28
+ 43:18] [JQ]
I
listened, enthralled, to this major addition to the choral repertoire
... see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Giacomo PUCCINI (1858–1924) Tosca (1900) Fiorenza
Cedolins (soprano) – Floria Tosca; Marcelo Alvarez (tenor) – Mario
Cavaradossi; Ruggero Raimondi (bass-baritone) – Il barone Scarpia;
Marco Spotti (bass) – Cesare Angelotti; Fabio Previati (baritone) – Il
sagrestano; Enrico Facini (tenor) – Spoletta; Giuliano Pelizon
(Baritone) – Sciarrone; Angelo Nardinocchi (baritone) – Un carceriere;
Ottavia Dorrucci (treble) – Un pastorello; Orchestra e Coro dell’Arena
di Verona, Coro di voci bianche ”A.Li.Ve.”/Daniel Oren; rec.
live, Arena di Verona, July 2006 Directed for Stage, Set, Costumes
and Lighting Design by Hugo de Ana; Directed for TV and Video
by Loreena Kaufmann Sound formats: DD 5.1; DST 5.1; LPCM Stereo;
Picture Format 16:9 TDK
DVWW-OPTOV 
[119:00]
[GF]
I
don’t know what’s coming up during the remaining
months but I feel quite certain that this
will be my opera DVD of 2007 ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901)
Luisa Miller - tragic melodrama
in three acts (1849) Count Walter, local landowner
– Raffaele Arié (bass); Rodolfo, Count
Walter’s son – Luciano Pavarotti (tenor);
Frederica, Duchess of Ostheim and Walter’s
niece – Cristina Angelakova (mezzo); Wurm,
Count Walter’s steward – Ferruccio Mazzoli
(bass); Miller, a retired soldier – Matteo
Manuguerra (baritone); Luisa, Miller’s daughter
– Gilda Cruz Roma (soprano)
Chorus and Orchestra Sinfonica RAI di Torino/Peter
Maag rec. live, RAI auditorium, Turin. 6 December
1974. ADD
ARTS MUSIC - ARTS ARCHIVES 43088-2 [57.07
+ 79.40] [RJF]
This
excellent live performance features Pavarotti
at the height of his vocal powers, surrounded
by a good cast and with a sympathetic Verdian
on the rostrum. The live occasion frisson
draws the best from all concerned. ... see
Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901) Stiffelio - opera
in three acts (1849) Stiffelio,
A Protestant minister of the Gospel – Placido Domingo (tenor);
Lina, Stiffelio’s wife caught in adultery – Sharon Sweet (soprano);
Stankar, an elderly officer and Lina’s father – Vladimir Chernov
(baritone); Jorg, an elderly minister – Paul Plishka (bass);
Raffaele, a nobleman – Peter Riberi (tenor); Dototea, Lina’s
cousin – Margaret Lallimore (mezzo) Metropolitan Opera Chorus
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra/James Levine. Stage director: Giancarlo
Del Monaco; Set and costume design by Michael Scott; Video director:
Brian Large rec. live, Metropolitan Opera, New York, November
1993 Picture format: NTSC/Colour/4:3 Sound formats: PCM Stereo.
DTS 5.1. DOLBY digital 5.1 Menu language: English. Subtitles:
Italian (original language), English, German, French, Spanish,
Chinese. DEUTSCHE
GRAMMOPHON 0734288 [116:00]
[RJF]
Long
thought lost, this superb dramatic opera is given in naturalistic
sets. With an outstanding performance by Domingo celebrating his
25th anniversary at the Met, it is a must buy for Verdi
enthusiasts ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Richard WAGNER (1813-1883) Symphonic
Syntheses by Leopold Stokowski (1882-1977): Das
Rheingold (1853-4): ‘Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla’ (ed. by Stokowski)
[8:11] Tristan und Isolde (1857-9): ‘Prelude to Act I’; ‘Liebesnacht’; ‘Liebestod’ [36:33]
Parsifal (1878-82): Symphonic Synthesis from Act III [15:51] Die
Walküre (1854-6) ‘Magic Fire Music’* and ‘Ride of the Valkyries’+ (arr.* ed.+
Stokowski) [13:53]
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra /José Serebrier rec.
Concert Hall, Lighthouse, Poole, UK. 10-11 June 2006
NAXOS 8.570293 [74:28][IL]
Ravishing
performances of Stokowski’s sumptuous take on Wagner. This will undoubtedly
figure in my outstanding releases for 2007. Don’t miss it ... see Full
Review
BARGAINS
OF THE MONTH
BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Belá
BARTÓK (1881-1945) Concerto for Orchestra (1945) [38:49]
The Miraculous Mandarin (1919) [31:36]*
Laurenscantorij Rotterdam Choir*, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Riccardo
Chailly rec. May 1995 and May 1997*, Great Hall, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.
DDD DECCA 458 841-2
[70:54][TP]
An
individual and essential Bartók album ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Edward ELGAR (1857-1934) Edward
Elgar - The Collector's Edition The Masterpieces – The
Greatest Artists The symphonies, concertos, orchestral, choral,
chamber and piano music plus CD30: Elgar conducts Elgar see review
for full contents list rec. London,. Liverpool, Manchester, 1963-1990.
(CD30: 1929-1933) ADD/DDD EMI
CLASSICS 5036032 [30
CDs: 1904:17] [RB]
Elgar
in iconic recordings drawn from the EMI vault. A shining bargain
for the Elgar explorer ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Maurice RAVEL
(1875-1937)
CD1 Boléro (1928) [14.56] Shéhérazade: Ouverture de
féerie (1903) [13.47] Rapsodie espagnole (1907) [16.06] Menuet
antique (1909) [6.19] La Valse (1920) [12.35] CD2
Ma Mère l’Oye (1908) [36.44] Le Tombeau de Couperin (1917)
[17.56] Pavane pour une infante défunte (1899) [6.32] Alborada
del gracioso (1905) [7.53] Une Barque sur l’océan (1905)
[7.18] CD3 Daphnis et Chloé (1912) [56.25] Valses nobles
et sentimentales (1911) [16.35]
Marcel Gallègue (trombone) (Boléro) André Sennedat (bassoon)
(Alborada) Michel Garcin-Marrou (horn) (Pavane) Choeurs
du Théâtre National de l’Opéra Orchestre de Paris/Jean Martinon rec.
Salle Wagram, Paris, July–October 1974, DDD
EMI CLASSICS TRIPLE 5008922 [3 CDs: 63:23 + 76.23 + 73.00] [RB]
Fortunate
the collector who chances on this set; delight
and revelation await. At bargain price this
is a gift that will cast its smiling spell
for years to come ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Federico
Moreno TORROBA (1891–1982)
Sonatina
(1965): (1. Allegretto [3:50]; 2. Andante
[3:40]; 3. Allegro [4:01]) 4. Burgalesa
(1928) [2:35] Suite Castellana (1926): (5.
Fandanguillo [2:18]; 6. Arada
[2:59]; 7. Danza [2:26]; 8. Madroños
(1954) [2:49]) Castillos de España:
(9. Alcázar de Segovia [2:53];
10. Alba de Tomes [1:16]; 11. Montemayor
[1:28]; 12. Zafra [2:03]; 13. Manzanares
del Real [1:08]; 14. Sigüenza
[1:47]; 15. Simancas [1:32]; 16. Turégano
[2:20]; 17. Torija [2:45]; 18. Calatrava
[2:51]; 19. Redaba [1:43]; 20. Alcañiz
[1:30]; 21. Javier [2:46]; 22. Olite
[2:11]; 23. Nocturno (1926) [3:33]) Aires
de la Mancha: (24. Jeringonza [1:32];
25. Ya llega el Invierno [1:44]; 26.
Copilla [0:48]; 27. La Pastora
[1:57]; 28. Seguidilla [1:54])
David Russell (guitar) rec. Mechanics Hall,
Worcester, Massachusetts, 11-13 February 1996.
TELARC CD-80451 [65:57] [GF]
For
anyone who wants a cross-section of Federico
Moreno Torroba’s music for guitar in modern
sound, this is a clear first recommendation.
... see Full
Review
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