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Adolphe
ADAM (1803-1856)
Giselle 
Alina Cojocaru, Johan Kobborg, The Royal Ballet Royal Opera House O/Boris
Gruzin rec. 2006 OPUS
ARTE OA0993D [112.00] [MM-B] 
A
delightful example of how to stage a romantic ballet ... see Full
Review
John
ADDISON (1920–1998)
Divertimento for brass quintet see MAW
Kalevi
AHO (b. 1949) Symphony No. 9, for
trombone and orchestra (1993-94) see
Arabenne
Mikahil
ARKADIEV (b.1958) Sonata
brevis,
Eine Kleine Zaubermusik see MUSSORGSKY
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Magnificat Antonio
VIVALDI (1678-1741) Gloria
Academy and Choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields/Neville
Marriner rec. 1990
EMI CLASSICS 2081252 [55:19][JW] 
Engaging,
enjoyable; modern instruments employed with
crispness and bite ... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Cantatas -
Vol. 39 Bach
Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki rec. 2007
BIS BISSACD1641 
[72:42][PB]
Another
satisfying offering in this landmark project ... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Cantatas, Vol. 40 Lobe
den Herren, den Machtigen Konig der Ehren, BWV137, Tue
Rechnung! Donnerwort, BWV168, Gott der Herr ist Son
und Schild BWV79, Ihr, die ihr euch von Christo nennet,
BWV164 Yukari
Nonoshita (soprano); Robin Blaze (counter-tenor); Makoto Sakurada
(tenor); Peter Kooij (bass) Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki
rec. 2007 BIS
BIS-SACD-1671 [57:22]
[PB]
One
of Suzuki’s finest yet ... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Actus Tragicus
Amsterdam Baroque
Orchestra and Choir/Ton Koopman rec. 1994
CHALLENGE CLASSICS CC72289 [61:01][TB] 
Koopman
in performances well judged and sensitively drawn ... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Stokowski
Transcriptions
Philadelphia Orchestra/Leopold Stokowski rec. 1927-1929
NAXOS HISTORICAL 8.111297 [75:33][IL]
An
essential purchase for all Stokowski fans
... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685–1750) Cantata
BWV11 & arias from Passions and Mass George
Frideric HANDEL (1685–1759) Arias from Samson,
Messiah & Judas Maccabeus Kathleen
Ferrier (contralto)
London PO/Sir Adrian Boult
rec. 1949/52 NAXOS HISTORICAL
8.111295 [73.49] [RH]
Profoundly
moving performances, strong musicality and emotional truth ...
see Full Review
Judith BAILEY
(b.
1941) Instrumental music
String Quartet Op. 31, Clarinet Quintet for
B flat clarinet and string quartet Op. 47,
The Towers of San Gimignano for solo
piano Op. 51, Egloshayle Nightingale Trio
for violin, viola and cello Op. 59, Aquamarine
Waltz for cello and piano Op. 65, Microminiature
No. 1 for violin, cello and piano Op.
68, Microminiature No. 2 for violin,
viola and cello Op. 70, Visions of Hildegard
for B flat clarinet, violin, cello and
piano Op. 72, Light for violin, viola
and piano Op. 76
Davey Chamber Ensemble (Juliet Davey, Prunella
Sedgwick (violins); Lucy White (viola); Catherine
Wilmers (cello); Jane Plessner (clarinet);
Nicola Grunberg (piano)) rec. Michael Tippett
Centre, Bath Spa University, 19-21 December
2007
METIER MSVCD92101 [77:24]
[JW]
A
fine and stimulating conspectus ... see Full
Review
Bela
BARTÓK (1881-1945) Music
for violin and piano
Elise Bĺtnes (violin); Hĺvard
Gimse (piano) rec. 2005
SIMAX PSC1174 [71:24][KS]
Superb
performances of wonderfully romantic and passionate
music ... see Full
Review
Arnold BAX
(1883 -1953) The Piano
Music Iris
Loveridge (piano) rec. 1959-1963. mono ADD
LYRITA REAM 3113 [3CDs 3:44:55]
[JF]
Technical
brilliance, interpretive skill, spirit and
inspiration ... see Full
Review
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Symphonies
Nos. 5 & 6
Staatskapelle Dresden/Herbert Blomstedt rec. 1977
BERLIN CLASSICS SCHÄTZE DER KLASSIK 0014232BC [78:55][TP] 
Generous,
comfortable beautiful music-making – perhaps
too beautiful for some ... see Full
Review
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) String
Trios Anne-Sophie
Mutter (violin); Bruno Giuranna (viola); Mstislav Rostropovich (cello)
rec. 1988 DEUTSCHE
GRAMMOPHON 4777430 [66:24 + 73:12][MC]
A
most rewarding and invigorating experience ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Ludwig van
BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Complete Works
for Solo Piano Vol. 6
Ronald Brautigam (fortepiano) rec. 2007
BIS BISSACD1573
[73:04][TH]
Familiar
music re-invented as new before your very
ears ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Ludwig van
BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano
Sonatas - Volume 4 Nos 5-7, 15, 19, 20, 29 & 30-32 Paul
Lewis (piano)
rec. 2008 (?) HARMONIA MUNDI
HMC901909-11 
[3
CDs: 59:30 + 60:30 + 64:13] [DJB]
A
triumphant completion of a Beethoven cycle for the ages … see Full
Review
Vincenzo
BELLINI (1801-1835) La
straniera Patrizia
Ciofi (soprano) Mark Stone, (baritone) Darío Schmunck (tenor)
Geoffrey Mitchell Choir,
London PO/David Parry OPERA
RARA ORC38 [61.56
+ 69.58] [RJF]
A
warm welcome for this first studio recording of Bellini’s fourth
opera ... see Full Review
Alban
BERG (1885–1935) Sieben frühe Lieder see Richard
STRAUSS
Luciano
BERIO (1925–2003) Chemins
IV, Fourteen Duos, RécitPierre
BOULEZ (b. 1925) Dialogue de l’ombre doubleAnton
WEBERN (1883 – 1945) Quartett Vincent
David (saxophones); Ensemble Quaerendo Invenietis/Renaud Déjardin
(Chemins, Recit) rec. 2007 AEON
AECD0860 [56:32] [HC]
An
agreeably varied release … first rate playing and musicality ...
see Full Review
Charles-Auguste
de BÉRIOT (1802-1870)
Violin Concertos Nos. 2, 3 & 5
Philippe Quint (violin); Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra/Kirk Trevor
rec. 2006
NAXOS 8.570360 [70:56][JW]
Fireworks
and songful concertos ... see Full Review
Charles-Auguste
de BÉRIOT
(1802-1870) Piano
Trio No.1 Op.58 (1847) [17:58] Grand Trio Op.64 (published 1850) [22:50]
Trio Op.4 [11:57] Nocturne Plaintes de jeune fille [Piano Trio
Op.34] (1841) [9:04] Kuniko
Nagata (violin); Mark Drobinsky (cello); Hirotoshi Kasai (piano) rec.
no details given TALENT
DOM 2911 127 [62:44]
[JW]
Big-boned
and assertive ... see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Howard BLAKE (b.
1938) Piano
Concerto, op.412 (1990) [25:52] Diversions, op.337 (1984) [20:45] Toccata
– A Celebration of the Orchestra, op.386 (1988) [21:44]
Howard Blake (piano), Robert Cohen (cello) Philharmonia Orchestra/Sir
David Willcocks (Concerto), Howard Blake (Diversions and Toccata) rec.
1990, DDD reissue SONY
CLASSICS 88697376972 [68:21]
[BBr]
Once
heard, you’ll not want to be without this
marvellous music ... see Full
Review
Howard BLAKE (b
1938) Violin
Sonata, op.586 (1973 – 2007) [23:41] Penillion, op.571 (1975/2005)
[9:32] Piano Quartet, op.179 (1974) [27:14] Jazz Dances, op.520a
(1976/2008) [13:48] Madeleine
Mitchell (violin), Jack Rothstein (violin), Kenneth Essex (viola), Peter
Willison (cello), Howard Blake (piano) rec. 9 1974, (Quartet), 2008
DDD NAXOS 8.572083 [74:15]
[BBr]
We
deserve to hear more of this endlessly fascinating
composer ... see Full
Review
Pierre
BOULEZ (b. 1925) Dialogue de l’ombre double see BERIO
Giovanni
BOTTESINI (1821-1889) Concertino
for double-bass and strings etc.
Thomas Martin (double-bass); London Symphony Orchestra/Franco Petracchi
rec. 1994 NAXOS 8.570398
[62:24][BW]
Nothing
to dislike but very little that is memorable ... see Full
Review
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Symphonies Nos. 1-4
etc. London
Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult rec. 1954
NAXOS CLASSICAL ARCHIVES 9.80228-31
[56:43+49:24+48:44+56:40][CH]
A
great Brahms First … playing of extraordinary fervour ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Violin Concerto Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Violin
Concerto Ilya
Kaler (violin); Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Pietari Inkinen rec.
2007 NAXOS 8.570321
[72:13][TP]
Another
wonderful disc from Ilya Kaler ... see Full
Review
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) The Complete Chamber Music Various
artists HYPERION
CDS44331/42 [12 CDs: 805:15][JFL]
This
Hyperion set is my pick among the bunch ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Piano Quintet see SCHUMANN
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Piano Quartet 3 see VASKS
Tomás
BRETÓN (1850-1923) Piano Trio;
Four Spanish Pieces
LOM Piano Trio rec. 2006-7
NAXOS 8.570713 [53.26][GH]
Not
earth-shattering but extremely civilized ... see Full
Review
Benjamin
BRITTEN (1913-1976) Peter Grimes
The Metropolitan
Opera Orchestra and Chorus/Donald Runnicles rec. 2008
EMI CLASSICS 2174149 
[168:31][ST]
Very
successful though buy it for what you hear rather than what you see
... see Full Review
Benjamin
BRITTEN (1913-1976)
Billy Budd (1951)
Ian Bostridge, Nathan Gunn, Jonathan Lemalu, London SO & Ch/Daniel
Harding rec. 2007 VIRGIN
CLASSICS 5190392 [3 CDs: 23:00 + 63:01 + 79:41] [JF]
Sheer
brilliance … an essential recording ... see Full
Review
Max BRUCH
(1838-1920) Violin Concerto No. 1 Niccolň
PAGANINI (1782-1840) Violin Concerto No. 1
Alexandra Soumm (violin); Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz/Georg
Mark rec. 2007 CLAVES
502808 [61:43][JW]
A
serious entrant … Romantic affiliations and technical armoury ... see
Full Review
Anton BRUCKNER
(1824-1896) Symphony
No. 5
Orchestre National de France/Lovro von Matacic rec.
1979
NAĎVE V5000 [77:07][SV]
Not
basic library choice but the occasional insights are worth studying
... see Full Review
Norbert
BURGMÜLLER
(1810-1836) Symphony 1
Hugo STAEHLE (1826-1848) Symphony 1
Staatstheaters Kassel O/Marc Piollet rec. 2001
STERLING CDS1046-2 [74:25] [SV]
Are
we so jaded that we can't appreciate such well-crafted, expressive
music ... see Full Review
Antoine
BUSNOIS (c.
1430-1492) Missa L’homme armé, Gaude
celestas domina, Anima mea liqufactor Petrus de DOMARTO (fl. 1450) Missa Spiritus almus Jean PULLOIS (d. 1478) Flos de spina The
Binchois Consort/Andrew Kirkman rec. 2001 HYPERION
HELIOS CDH55288 [79.07]
[GH]
Wonderfully
expressive and superbly prepared ... see Full
Review
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for alphabetical listings by composer:
[Part
1 New] [Part
2 A-B] [Part 3 C-L]
[Part 4 M-R] [Part
5 S-Z]
[Part 6 Misc A-L] [Part
7 Misc M-Z]
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