Max
BRUCH (1838-1920) String
Quintets, String Octet - Nash Ens rec.
2016 HYPERION CDA68168
[62:48] [BSt] This new Hyperion disc
provides the most appropriate coupling
of these late works, and I shall return
to it with much pleasure.
Frédéric
CHOPIN (1810-1849) Works
for piano and orchestra - Jan Lisiecki
(piano) NDR Elbphilharmonie O/Kryzysztof
Urbański rec. 2016 DEUTSCHE
GRAMMOPHON 4796824 [64:43] [SB]
Splendid new versions of Chopin’s
shorter concertante works.
Geoffrey
HANSON (b. 1939) Odyssey
- London Ripieno Society/Geoffrey Hanson;
London Mozart Players/Geoffrey Simon rec.
2016 CALA CACD77026 [74:00]
[JW] This is an excellent if belated
showcase for Hanson’s compositional
talents.
Felix
MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) A
Midsummer Night’s Dream - Monteverdi
Ch, London SO/Sir John Eliot Gardiner
rec. 2016 LSO LIVE LSO0795 SACD/BD-A
[55:09] [JQ] An enchanting experience
in both the audio and video options.
Sergei
PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Cinderella,
4 Pieces Kirill ZABOROV (b. 1970)
Apparitions - Jenny Lin (piano)
rec. 2015 STEINWAY & SONS STNS
30055 [62:56] [DM] Intelligent
and imaginative music-making, coupled
with first-rate sound; a few grumbles,
though.
Giacomo
PUCCINI (1858-1924)
Complete Songs for Soprano
& Piano - Krassimira Stoyanova (soprano)
Maria Prinz (piano) rec. 2016 NAXOS
8.573501 [46:39] [GF] A valuable
collection of rarely heard songs excellently
sung by Krassimira Stoyanova.
Joachim
RAFF (1822-1882)
Orchestral Works - Tobias Ringborg (violin)
Tra Nguyen (piano) SO Norrlands Opera/Roland
Kluttig, Andrea Quinn rec. 2007/9 STERLING
CDS 1075/85/89-2 [76.52 &
77.46 & 79.52] [EML] I can applaud
Sterling for its intentions rather more
than for the finished product.
Kazimierz
SEROCKI (1922-1981) Piano
works - Adam Kośmieja (piano) rec.
2015 DUX 1284 [48:46]
[DC] Well worth acquiring.
Jan
ZACH (1713-1773) Requiem
solemne, Vesperae de Beata Virgine
- Musica Florea Collegium Floreum/Marek
Štryncl rec. 2016 SUPRAPHON
SU4209-2 [57:48] [JW] Excellent
performances of worthwhile sacred works
by a lesser-known Bohemian composer.
Samuel
Barber: Absolute Beauty
A film by H. Paul Moon ZEN VIOLENCE
FILMS DVD [130:00] [RB] A rewarding
documentary moving things along yet staying
still long enough to inform, surprise and
please.
Tuesday
May 16th
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Keyboard works - Rafał Blechacz (piano)
rec. 2012-15 DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON
4795534 [65:54] [SG] This will
probably go to the top of my list of Recordings
of the Year.
Carl
CZERNY (1791-1857) Piano Concertos,
Rondo Brillant - Tasmanian SO/Howard Shelley
(piano) rec. 2015 HYPERION CDA68138
[73:09] [BSt] Czerny has real limitations
as a composer,
but it is difficult to imagine
a very much better performance or recording
of this kind of music than is to be found
on the present disc.
Gaetano
DONIZETTI (1797-1848)
Roberto Devereux - Mariella
Devia (soprano) Mansoo Kim (baritone) O
& Ch Teatro Carlo Felice/Francesco Lanzilotta
rec. 2016 DYNAMIC CDS7755.02
[64:27 + 66:24] [GF] I can admire Mariella
Devia for her wholehearted intensity, but
for a more solid performance go for the
Naxos.
Balys
DVARIONAS (1904-1972) Complete
Works For Violin & Piano - Justina Auškelyté
(violin) Cesare Pezzi (piano) rec. 2016
NAXOS 8.573673 [64:24]
[RB] Winning miniatures - some emotionally
complex, some less so.
John
JOUBERT (b.1927) Complete Organ
Music - Tom Winpenny (organ) rec. 2016 TOCCATA
CLASSICS TOCC0398 [58.39] [GH]
A very useful and fascinating release
especially for anyone with an interest in
modern organ music.
Claudio
MONTEVERDI (1567-1643)
Madrigali & Selva morale - Les
Arts Florissants/William Christie rec. 1908-1992
HARMONIA MUNDI HMX2908772.75
[4 CDs: 223:42] [SSi] A wonderful set,
one which brought back many a happy memory
and one that will bring many hours of enjoyment
in the future.
Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Le Nozze Di Figaro - Huang
Ying (soprano) Li Ao (bass-baritone) O &
Ch China Ntl Centre Arts/Lü Jia rec. 2014
ACCENTUS ACC20207 [2 DVDs:
193 mins] [RJF] In a highly competitive
marketplace this performance is a non-starter.
Arnold
SCHOENBERG (1874-1951) Chamber
Symphonies Nos 1 & 2, 5 Pieces for Orchestra
-Matteo Fossi, Marco Gaggini (pianos) rec.
2016 BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94957
[59:17] [DC] A surprisingly good disc
for Schoenberg fans to explore.
Karol
SZYMANOWSKI (1882-1937) Concert
Overture, Slopiewnie, Symphony No.4, Nocturne
& Tarantella - Marisol Montalvo (soprano)
Ewa Kupiec (piano) Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie
Rheinland-Pfalz/Karl-Heinz Steffens rec.
2016 CAPRICCIO C5280 [61:44]
[MR] Despite poor sound and notes, this
is a disc which all who have yet to experience
the exotic wonders of Szymanowski’s
music should hear.
Guillaume
Le Dréau (organ) Works by Faure,
Delvincourt, Rabaud, Emmanuel, Roger-Ducasse
& Schmitt rec. 2016 FORGOTTEN
RECORDS FR37LD [65:55] [JW] A
well programmed disc of French repertoire.
Monday
May 15th
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN
(1770-1827) Symphony No. 3 (transcr.
Liszt), Bagatelles - Gabriele Baldocci (piano)
rec. 2015 DYNAMIC CDS7771
[71:52] [DC] Excellent performances
and an interpretation for long-term listening.
Arthur
HONEGGER (1892-1955) Le
Roi David - Lucie Chartin (soprano)
Thomas Walker (tenor) Ens Vocal de Lausanne,
O Suisse Romande/Daniel Reuss rec. 2016
MIRARE MIR318 [71:37] [JQ] A
recording and performance that do full justice
to Honegger’s highly original and
very communicative score.
Hans
HUBER (1852-1921) Symphonies
1-8 - Stuttgart PO/Jörg-Peter Weigle
rec. 2001/02 STERLING CDS5000-2 [5
CDs: 335:55] [JW] Full marks all round.
László
LAJTHA (1892-1963) Symphonies
Nos 3 & 4, Suite No.2 - Pécs SO/Nicolás
Pasquet rec. 1995 NAXOS 8.573645
[74.15] [BSt] We are unlikely to see
better alternative versions of the symphonies
for a while so this bargain-price disc can
be welcomed, in spite of my continuing reservations.
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Einsamkeit
- Matthias Goerne (baritone) Markus Hinterhäuser
(piano)
rec. 2015 HARMONIA MUNDI HMM902243
[51:13] [ST] A remarkably successful
and intimate experience.
John
SHEPPARD (c1515-1559) The Collected
Vernacular Works Vol. 2 - Academia Musica
Ch/Aryan O. Arji rec. 2013/14 PRIORY
RECORDS PRCD1108 [77:00] [JV] Despite
some reservations I commend anyone interested
in English renaissance polyphony to investigate
this disc.
Boris
TISHCHENKO (1939-2010) Symphony
No. 5, Concerto for Flute & Piano -
Valentin Zverev (flute) Alexey Nasedkin
(piano) USSR Radio & Television O/Maxim
Shostakovich, USSR State O/Edward Serov
rec. 1978 NORTHERN FLOWERS NF/PMA99111
[77:48] [CC] Wonderfully interesting
music.
Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901) Un Ballo
in maschera – Piotr Beczała,
George Petean, Anja Harteros, Bavarian State
O/Zubin Mehta rec. 2016 C MAJOR
739504 Blu-ray [149.11] [MC] Compellingly
performed with Piotr Beczała in masterly
form.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Wanda
Luzzato (violin) Unreleased
Recordings - rec. 1955/79 RHINE
CLASSICS RH-002 [8 CDs: 510:00]
[SG] Valuable recorded documents from
the Wanda Luzzato Archive. I would encourage
all violin afficionados to explore this
compelling collection.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH The
Masque of Moments Theatre
of the Ayre/Elizabeth Kenny, Salisbury Cathedral
Ch, Lay Clerks rec. 2015 LINN CKD542
[68:18] [GH] This beautifully recorded
disc will no doubt be one of my highlights
of 2017.
Other reviews
John
IRELAND (1879-1962) Green Ways,
Piano Sonata, Chelsea Reach, Ballade - Richard
Masters (piano) Youtube [49:22]
[JF] Masters controls the turmoil, intensity
and tentative repose well.
