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William ALWYN (1905-1985)
Orchestral Music 
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/David Lloyd-Jones rec. 2007
NAXOS 8.570704 [68:24][JW] 
Fine-sounding,
idiomatic performances ... see Full Review
William
ALWYN (1905-1985) Piano Music Volume
2 Ashley Wass
(piano) rec. 2007 NAXOS
8.570464 [72:21][JW]
These
little pieces should certainly have a life in the concert stage ...
see Full Review
William Alwyn (1905-1985)
String Quartets 1-3, Novelette
Maggini Quartet rec. 2007
NAXOS 8.570560 [68:53] [JF]
A
must for all Alwyn enthusiasts ... see Full
Review
Charming
style and character … Andersen loved beautiful melodies ... see Full
Review
Joachim
ANDERSEN (1847-1909)
Complete Recordings - Vol. 7: Works for Flute and Piano Includes
Gavotte, Quatre Morceaux, Opern-Transcriptionen,
La Resignation et Polonaise, Fantasies Nationales - Swedish,
Trois Morceaux, Canzone e Erinnerung, Moto Perpetuo
Thomas Jensen (flute),
Frode Stengaard (piano) rec. 2000-7
DANACORD DACOCD666 [78:19] [CR] 
Their
playing gives life to the music and is highly entertaining ...
see Full Review
Leroy
ANDERSON (1908-1975) Orchestral Music
Vol. 5 BBC
Concert Orchestra/Leonard Slatkin rec. 2007
NAXOS 8.559382 [52:16][JW]
One
can’t fault this and the performances are top notch ... see Full
Review
John
ANTILL
(1904–1986) An Outback Overture, Corroboree
New Zealand SO/James
Judd rec. 2006 NAXOS
8.570241 [49:06] [HC]
A
fine score played with commitment and obvious relish ... see Full
Review
Craig
ARMSTRONG (b.
1959) Immer, One Minute,
Memory Takes My Hand
Clio Gould (violin); Lucy Crowe (soprano) Apollo Voices/Stephen
Betteridge BBC SO/Garry Walker rec. 2007/8
VIRGIN CLASSICS 5190322 [71:38] [BBr]
A
strong voice with much to say ... see Full
Review
Johann Sebastian BACH
(1685-1750) Cantatas
- Vol. 6
La Petite Bande/Sigiswald Kuijken rec.
2007
ACCENT ACC25306 
[55:59][JV]
Kuijken's
approach deserves praise but the performances don't fully explore the
music ... see Full Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Weihnachtskantaten (Christmas
Cantatas)Wie
schön leuchtet der Morgenstern BWV 1 (1725) [21:32] Nun
komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV 61 (1714) [15:45] Dazu ist
erscheinen der Sohn Gottes BWV 40* (1723) [16:26] Arleen
Auger (soprano); *Ortrun Wenkel (contralto); Peter Schreier (tenor);
Siegfried Lorenz (bass) Thomanerchor Leipzig; Neues Bachisches
Collegium Musicum/Hans-Joachim Rotzch rec. dates and venues not
specified BERLIN
CLASSICS BASICS 0149262BC [53:42] [JQ]
Well-turned
performances under one of Bach’s successors in Leipzig ... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685–1750) Cantata
BWV11 and other arias George Frideric
HANDEL (1685–1759) Arias from Samson,
Messiah & Judas Maccabeus Kathleen
Ferrier (contralto) Cantata Singers London PO/Sir Adrian Boult Jacques O/Reginald
Jacques
rec. 1949-52 NAXOS HISTORICAL
8.111295 [73.49]
[JW]
Ferrier
completists will note a firm step forward ... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Christmas
Oratorio Elly
Ameling, Dame Janet Baker, Robert Tear, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau,
Choir of King’s College Cambridge, ASMF/Sir Philip Ledger
rec. 1976 EMI
CLASSICS GEMINI 2176252 [77:46 + 76:38] [JQ]
A
performance that will give much pleasure ... see Full
Review
Amy
BEACH (1867-1944) Piano
Music Vol.1: The Early Works Kirsten
Johnson (piano) rec. 2007 GUILD
GMCD7317 [65:32] [SA]
Charming
miniatures which show a good deal of promise of greater things
... see Full Review
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770–1827)
Symphonies Nos. 3, 6 & 7; Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 5; Violin
Concerto etc. Claudio
Arrau (piano), Clara Haskil (piano), Jascha Heifetz (violin), Zino
Francescatti (violin); Boston Symphony Orchestra/Charles Münch
rec. 1954-9 WEST HILL
RADIO ARCHIVES WHRA6014 [5 CDs: 75:29 + 73:55 + 56:36 + 52:54 +
57:25][BBr] 
A
living document of great interpretations and performances ... see Full
Review
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Symphonies
Nos. 2 & 7
Minnesota Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä rec. 2008
BIS BISSACD1816
[75:49][DC]
Top
notch Beethoven – full of weight; free of nonsense ... see Full
Review
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770–1827)
Symphonies 1-9 + Overtures
Berlin Philharmonic/Herbert von Karajan rec. 1975-7 (symphonies) 1965/9
(overtures) DEUTSCHE
GRAMMOPHON 477 7578 [6 CDs: 374:09]
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Symphonies 1-9 Staatskapelle
Dresden/Herbert Blomstedt rec. 1975-80, BERLIN
CLASSICS 0184442BC [5 CDs: 369:36]
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Symphonies 1-9 Moscow
Radio Tchaikovsky SO/Vladimir Fedoseyev rec. live, 2004-6 RELIEF
CR991089 [5 CDs: 335:55] [JFL]
Karajan
and Blomstedt turned more joy than chore. Fedoseyev more duty ...
see Full Review
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano
Sonatas 29 ("Hammerklavier") & 32 Carl
Maria von WEBER (1786-1826) Aufforderung zum
Tanze (Invitation to the Dance) Yvonne
Lefébure (piano)
rec. 1961-73 SOLSTICE SOCD238 [61:18]
[JW]
A
tremendous artist but this will not do ... see Full
Review
Derivative
but delightful. A wonderful romantic wallow ... see Full
Review
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) String
Quartets, Op. 51/1 & 67 Takács
Quartet
rec. 2008 HYPERION CDA67552 [65:04]
[LW]
The
Takács do full justice to this music ... see Full
Review
Johannes
BRAHMS
(1770-1897) CD
1 Violin Sonata No.1 in G, op.78 (1806) [24:54]; Violin Sonata No.2
in A, op.100 (1806) [19:09]; Violin Sonata No.3 in D minor, op.108 (1806)
[20:46] CD 2 Viola Sonata No.1 in F minor, op.120/1 (1806) [20:58];
Violin Sonata No.2 in Eb, op.120/2 (1806) [18:12]
Oscar Schumsky (violin and viola); Leonid Hambro (piano) Recording details
not given (c1991) DDD Reissued from the MusicMasters catalogue
NIMBUS NI 2513/4 [64:47 + 39:07]
[BBr]
None
of the sparkle or bite one would expect ... see Full
Review
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Piano
Sonata 2, Eight Piano Pieces, Three Intermezzi Libor
Novacek (piano) rec. 2008 LANDOR
LAN285 [75.48] [GH]
A
disc worth investigating ... see Full
Review
Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976) Folksong
Arrangements see SCHUBERT
Benjamin
BRITTEN (1913-1976) Cello Symphony see SHOSTAKOVICH
Anton
BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphonies
1-9 Berliner
Philharmoniker/Herbert von Karajan rec. 1975-81 DEUTSCHE
GRAMMPHON 477 7580 [9 CDs: 579:14] [JQ] 
An
appropriate and very worthy centennial tribute to Karajan ... see Full
Review
Britta
BYSTRÖM
(b. 1977) Persuasion; The Baron in the Trees;
Avskedsvariationer; En Studie in Rött; Sera; Aria Västerås
Sinfonietta/Hannu Koivula rec. 2007
PHONO SUECIA PSCD174 [74:14][HC]
I
wish I could receive discs such as this every week ... see Full
Review
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