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Camille
SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921) Havanaise, Introduction
et Rondo Capriccioso see Campoli
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Alessandro
SCARLATTI (1660-1725) Davidis
pugna et victoria (The Fight of David and his Victory) 
Roberta
Invernizzi (soprano) Academia Montis Regalis/Alessandro De Marchi
rec. 2009 HYPERION
CDA67714 [64:50] 
[BW]
As
dramatic as any early opera and a performance to do it full justice
... see Full Review
Philipp
Ludwig SCHARWENKA (1847-1917) Wald-
und Berggeister, Dramatische Phantasie, Zwei Polnische
Volkstänze Altenburg-Gera
PO/Eric Solén
rec. 2008 STERLING
CDS1079-2 [56:59] [RB]
Fine
and quiet as well as restless and bustlingly sanguine ... see Full
Review
Arnold
SCHOENBERG (1874-1951)
10 Waltzes for string orchestra see
Beethoven
Franz
SCHUBERT
(1797 - 1828)
Symphony No. 5 in B♭, D 485 (1816) [25:18] Symphony No. 9 in C,
Great, D944 (1825) [49:15] Polish Sinfonia Juventus Orchestra/Jerzy
Semkow rec. 17-20 December 2008, Pomeranian Philharmonic Concert Hall,
Bydgoszcz. DDD
CD ACCORD ACD 146-2 [74:48]
[BBr]
There’s
no heart to these performances…see Full
Review
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Piano
sonatas 20 & 21 David
Levine (piano) rec. 1992 VIRGIN
CLASSICS 6995382 [79:03] 
[BW]
Even
in this lower price-range the competition is too strong ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Winterreise Mark
Padmore (tenor); Paul Lewis (piano)
rec. 2008 HARMONIA
MUNDI
HMU907484 [74:18] [JQ]
This
deserves to be ranked alongside the very best ... see Full
Review
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Dichterliebe see BRAHMS
Bright
SHENG (b.1955) Red
Silk Dance, Tibetan Swing, The Phoenix, H’un Bright
Sheng (piano), Shana Blake Hill (soprano) Seattle Symphony/Gerard
Schwarz rec. 2004-7 NAXOS
8.559610 [70:46] 
[GP]
Slightly
hit-and-miss, but often exciting and colourful … see Full
Review
Jean
SIBELIUS
(1865-1957) The
Sibelius Edition - Volume 9 - Chamber Music II Pieces for string
duos and trios, cello and piano, piano quintet, kantele, brass ensemble
Jyrki
Lasonpalo (violin); Laura Vikman (violin); Jaakko Kuusisto (violin);
Nobuko Imai (viola); Anna Kreetta Gribajcevic (viola); Torleif Thedéen
(cello); Taneli Turunen (cello); Joel Laakso (cello); Eero Munter (double-bass);
Suvi Lehtonen-Gräsbeck (kantele); Lasse Pöysti (narrator);
Monica Groop (mezzo); Roland Pöntinen (piano); Folke Gräsbeck
(piano) rec. 1996-2009
BIS-CD-1924-26 [5 CDs: 420:03] 
[RB]
Discoveries
abound … liberated delight amid the scholarship ... see Full
Review
Louis
SPOHR (1784-1859) Double
String Quartets 1 & 2 Forde
Ensemble rec. 2008 NAXOS
8.570963 [51:22] [BW]
Attractive
... but try Spohr’s Octet and Nonet first ... see Full
Review
Charles
Villiers STANFORD
(1852-1924) Piano
Music - Land of Sunset Glories
Christopher Howell (piano) rec. 28-29 July 2008, Studio L’Eremo,
Lessona, Italy. DDD
SHEVA 019 [63:36]
[JW]
Desirable
... see Full Review
Wilhelm
STENHAMMAR (1871-1927) Piano
Concertos 1 & 2 Seta
Tanyel (piano) Helsingborg SO/Andrew Manze rec. 2008 The Romantic
Piano Concerto Vol. 49 HYPERION
CDA67750 [75:16] [RB]
Two
leonine concertos of the Scandinavian romantic persuasion ... see Full
Review
Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949) Don Quixote see BLOCH
Karol
SZYMANOWSKI (1882-1937) The
Complete Music for Violin and Piano Alina
Ibragimova
(violin); Cédric Tiberghien (piano) rec. 2008 HYPERION
CDA67703 [76:15] [RB]
A
natural and inspired choice ... see Full
Review
Thomas TALLIS (1505-1585)
The
Best Of Tallis: O sacrum convivium [4:49]; Audivi vocem [3:51];
Lamentations (Set I) [8:25]; Discomfort them, O Lord [6:36]; Loquebantur
variis linguis [3:49]; Lamentations (Set II) [12:29]; Videte miraculum
[13:21]; Mass For Four Voices - Sanctus [2:48]; I call and cry to thee,
O Lord [4:13]; Salvator mundi [3:58]; Spem in alium [12:16]
Oxford Camerata/Jeremy Summerly rec. no information provided. DDD
NAXOS 8.556842 [77:40]
[CR]
Impressive
throughout … an excellent way to explore his output … see
Full Review
Pyotr
Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Francesca
da Rimini (transc. Karl Klindworth) Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Sonata op. 2 No. 2 Sergei
RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Etudes-Tableaux Dennis
Plutalov (piano) rec. 2004-7 SHEVA
COLLECTION 017 [59:37][JW]
Strong
and sinewy power ... see Full
Review
Pyotr
Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Symphony
5,
Serenade, Capriccio Italien Berlin
State Opera O/Leo Blech
rec. 1928-30 PRISTINE
AUDIO PASC 181 [57:25] 
[RMAY]
A
fascinating disc on several levels ... see Full
Review
Pyotr Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY
(1840-1893) Symphony No 1 in G minor,
Op 13, “Winter Daydreams” [41:35] Symphony No 6 in B minor, Op 74, “Pathétique”
[46:44]
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Vladimir Jurowski rec. 2008,
LPO 0039 [41:35 + 46:44]
[BR]
A
revelatory First, and a fine Sixth too … see Full
Review
Peter
Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Symphony
3,
1812 Overture, Hamlet London
PO/Adrian Boult
rec. 1952 RETROSPECTIVE
93185 [78:36] [JW]
An
authoritative trio of performances ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Georg
Philipp TELEMANN
(1681 - 1767) Christmas
Cantatas Christoph BERNHARD (1629-1692)
Fürchtet euch nicht*
Mária Zádori (soprano), Judit Németh (mezzo),
Gábor
Kállay (tenor), Klaus Mertens (baritone); Capella Savaria/Pál
Németh rec. 1983-91
HUNGAROTON HCD 32611 [66:45]
[JV]
First-rate
music in excellent performances - a perfect disc ... see Full
Review
Daniel
TOSI (b.1953) Horizons
Chimériques Dominique
Regef (vielle) La Camerata de France/Daniel Tosi rec. live, 2008 SOLSTICE
SOCD255 [65:09] [DC]
Fascinating,
but not without flaws ... see Full Review
Joaquin
TURINA
(1882 - 1949) La
oración del torero, op.34 (1925) [8:14] Edouard
LALO (1823 - 1892) String Quartet in E♭, op.45 (1856
- 1884) [26:20] Maurice RAVEL (1875
- 1937) String Quartet in F (1903) [29:53]
Sacconi Quartet (Ben Hancox, Hannah Dawson (violins); Robin Ashwell
(viola); Cara Berridge (cello)) rec. 21-22 August 2007 (Lalo) and 3-4
December 2008, The Music Room, Champs Hill, Sussex, DDD
SACCONI RECORDS [64:30]
[BBr]
Don’t
wait for Christmas, you need this now…see Full
Review
Giuseppe VERDI
(1813-1901) Requiem
(1874) [84:19]
Anja Harteros (soprano); Sonia Ganassi (mezzo); Rolando Villazon (tenor);
René Pape (bass) Coro e Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale
di Santa Cecilia/Antonio Pappano rec. in concert, 8-13 January 2009,
Sala Santa Cecilia, Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome
EMI CLASSICS 698936 2 [47:29 + 37:50]
[ST][JB]
Turn
to this version with confidence ... see Full
Review
Ralph
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958) Four
Hymns, Merciless Beauty, Four Poems, Ten Blake Songs, On Wenlock
Edge Peter WARLOCK (1894-1930) Capriol
Suite, Serenade,
The Curlew & other songs Ian
Partridge
(tenor)
Dame Janet Baker (mezzo) Music Group of London, King’s College Cambridge
Ch/Sir David Willcocks
rec. 1960-80 EMI
CLASSICS
BRITISH COMPOSERS 9689392 [69:46 + 69:49] [RB]
A
RVW disc without blemish and a mixed yet provocative Warlock ...
see Full Review
Peter
WARLOCK (1894-1930) Collected
78rpm recordings - from the John Bishop collection rec. 1934-51 DIVINE
ART
DDH27811 [65.52
+ 78.15] 
[RB]
Rare
historic Warlock including some fine recordings ... see Full
Review
Peter
WARLOCK (1894-1930) Capriol
Suite, Serenade,
The Curlew & other songs see VAUGHAN
WILLIAMS
Mieczyslaw
WEINBERG (1919-1996) String Quartets
- Vol. 2 Quatuor
Danel rec. 2006 CPO
777392-2 [64:05] [JW]
Weinberg
managed with assurance and complete appreciation ... see Full
Review
John
R. WILLIAMSON
(b.1929)
Music for Piano - volumes 1, 2, 3
Murray McLachlan (piano)
DIVINE ARTS DIVERSIONS DDV24143-45
[DHJ]
Powerful
music in committed performances … see Full
Review
Peter
von WINTER (1754-1825) Flute Concertos 1 & 2 see German
Flute Concertos
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