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[New] National Discography updates by Mike
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American
Symphonies ~ Asian
Symphonies
[New] Discovering
Richard Rodney Bennett’s Calendar
by John France
Piano Trio Survey: Joseph
Haydn Discography & Review Index
by David Barker
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LATEST REVIEWS
Friday
June 23rd
Hector
BERLIOZ (1803-1869) Symphonie
Fantastique - La Chambre Philharmonique/Emmanuel
Krivine rec. 2014 ALPHA 714 DVD
[125:05] Concertgebouw O/Bernard Haitink
rec. 1979 ARTHAUS MUSIK 109166 DVD
[59:00] [MG] Krivine for a well-oiled
stylishness and precision, Haitink for more
evident emotion and excitement.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Symphony
No. 1 - Leipzig Gewandhaus O/Franz Konwitschny
rec. 1962 BERLIN CLASSICS
0300839BC [48:04] [RWM]
A great performance without great sound.
Ernst
Helmuth FLAMMER (b. 1949) String
Quartets Nos 4 & 5 - Jade Qt rec. 2016
NEOS 11618 SACD [74:53] [SSi]
A good bold CD of contemporary string quartets,
but not for the faint-hearted.
Charles
IVES (1874-1954) Orchestral
Set No.2, Symphonies Nos 3 & 4 - Jean-Efflam
Bavouzet (piano) Melbourne SO & Ch/Sir
Andrew Davis rec. 2014-2016 CHANDOS
CHSA5174 SACD [71.04] [SB]
Convincing performances of some of Ives’s
most ambitious works.
Zoltán
KODÁLY (1882-1967) Duo, Serenade
Ernő DOHNÁNYI (1877-1960)
Serenade - Simon Smith, Clare Hayes (violins)
Paul Silverthorne (viola) Katherine Jenkinson
(cello) rec. 2013 RESONUS CLASSICS
RES10181 [70:19] [OL] Very English
readings of very Hungarian music.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Jean-Baptise
LULLY (1635-1688)
Armide - Marie-Adeline Henry, Antonio
Figueroa, Ch Chambre de Namur, Les Talens
Lyrique/Christophe Rousset rec. 2015
APARTE AP135 [2 CDs: 147:16] [ST]
Another feather in Rousset’s cap,
but also a very welcome addition to our
musical knowledge.
Maurice
RAVEL (1875-1937) L’heure
espagnole Emmanuel CHABRIER
(1841-1894) Espańa -
Munich RSO/Asher Fisch rec. 2016
BR KLASSIK 900317 [56.11] [MC]
No reason to hesitate with this impressive
live recording.
George
Malcolm (harpsichord) The
World of George Malcolm - rec. 1959-69
ELOQUENCE 482 5181
[75:19] [JW] Malcolm’s broad repertoire
brought to the fore in a captivating selection
of items.
Gervase
de Peyer (clarinet) Works by Weber,
Schmitt, Debussy, Horovitz, Benjamin &
Martinu - Cyril Preedy (piano) rec. 1960
ELOQUENCE 482 2851
[45:59] [JW] Just tribute to a great
clarinettist.
Set
upon the Rood rec. 2016
DELPHIAN DCD34154 [68.20]
In Praise of Saint Columba Ch
Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge/Geoffrey
Wheeler rec. 2013 DELPHIAN DCD34137 [76.15]
[JQ] Two fascinating and complementary
programmes of music from the Celtic age
and our own time, expertly performed.
Thursday
June 22nd
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685 - 1750)
Bach Mirrored: Parallel Preludes, Fantasias
& Fugues - Maurizio Croci (harpsichord,
organ) rec. 2016 FRA BERNARDO FB1611911
[66:04] [JV] A most interesting and
musically compelling recital.
Alberto
CURCI (1886-1973) Violin Concertos
1-3, Suite italiana in stile antico - Franco
Gulli (violin) Studio O/Franco Capuana rec.
1963/64 FIRST HAND RECORDS FHR53
[72:04] [JW] Gulli is an unflagging
guide to Curci’s undemanding muse.
Niels
W. GADE (1817-1890) Chamber
Works Vol. 3 - Ens MidtVest, Danish String
Qt rec. 2013/15 CPO 555077-2
[55:58] [SSi] An excellent recording
which is, for me, let down by the omission
of the extant music of the third movement
of the F major quartet.
Detlev
GLANERT (b. 1960) Requiem for
Hieronymus Bosch - Netherlands Radio
Ch; Royal Concertgebouw O/Markus Stenz rec.
2016 RCO LIVE RCO17005 SACD [83:09]
[DM] A garden of earthly – and
heavenly - delights; superb singing, playing
and sound.
Orlando
GOUGH (b. 1953) The World
Encompassed - Fretwork, Simon Callow
(narrator) rec. 2016 SIGNUM CLASSICS
SIGCD453 [41:19 + 41:56] [ST] A
fascinating project and a very noble endeavour,
though I must confess that it didn’t
hold me gripped throughout.
Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Symphonies
Nos. 39-41 - Berlin PO/Sir Simon Rattle
rec. 2013 BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER BPHR17032
[88:57] [BW] Mackerras and the SNO remain
my overall recommendation but this digital-only
release would make a very fine adjunct to
it.
Arvo
PÄRT (b. 1935)
Arvo Pärt Live - Hilliard
Ens, Bavarian RCh, Munich RO/Robert King,
Peter Dijkstra, Ulf Schirmer, Marcello Viotti
rec. 2000/2011 BR KLASSIK 900319
[70:08] [MC] A highly desirable collection.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Sergei
RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Piano
Concerto No. 3 Wolfgang Amadeus
MOZART (1756-1791) Piano Concerto
No. 23 - Grigory Sokolov (piano) Mahler
CO/Trevor Pinnock, BBC Philharmonic/Yan
Pascal Tortelier rec. 1995/2005 DEUTSCHE
GRAMMOPHON 479 7015 [71:43
+ DVD: 58:52] [SG] I’m certain
that all, like myself, who follow Sokolov’s
career with interest, will find much to
admire in this absorbing release.
Einojuhani
RAUTAVAARA (1928-2016)
Rubáiyát, Into the Heart of Light, Balada,
Songs from Rasputin - Gerald
Finley (bass-baritone) Mika Pohjonen (tenor)
Helsinki Music Centre Ch, Helsinki PO/John
Storgĺrds rec. 2015 ONDINE ODE12742
[59:29] [JQ] Four rewarding works by
Rautavaara but the exceptional Rubáiyát,
magnificently performed by Gerald Finley,
is alone worth the price of the disc.
Karol
SZYMANOWSKI (1882-1937) Piano
Music - Barbara Karaśkiewicz (piano)
rec. 2016 DIVINE ART DDA25151
[67:05] [JF] A splendid introduction
to the piano music of Karol Szymanowski.
Wednesday
June 21st
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
The Motets - La Petite Bande/Sigiswald Kuijken
rec. 1992 ACCENT ACC24331
[64:51] [ST] Kuijken provides a very
welcome alternative in good sound and excellent
diction.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Complete
Piano Sonatas Eduardo del Pueyo (piano)
rec. 1976-77 PAVANE RECORDS ADW7073/81
[9 CDs: 653:17] [SG] On the basis of
this compelling release, I hope some of
del Pueyo’s deleted discography will
make a comeback to the catalogues. He’s
certainly a pianist worthy of more attention.
Luigi
CHERUBINI (1760-1842) &
Charles-Henri PLANTADE (1764-1839)
Requiems - Le Concert Spirituel/Hervé Niquet
rec. 2016 ALPHA CLASSICS 251
[69:14] [MR] Two fascinating requiems
which not only provide a rare glimpse into
a peculiar moment in French history but
open up an area of the repertory all too
often relegated to the shadows.
Frederick
DELIUS (1862-1934) & Sir
Edward ELGAR (1857-1934) String
Quartets - Villiers Qt rec. 2016 NAXOS
8.573586 [71.24] [MC] A desirable
coupling of English string quartets.
Niels
GADE
(1817-1890)
Piano works - Marianna Shirinyan (piano)
rec. 2016-2017 DACAPO 8.226122
[64:09] [SSi] This is an attractive and
well planned disc that presents the piano
music of Niels Gade at its best.
Michael
HURD (1928-2006) Choral Music
Vol. 1 - Martin Ford (organ) Vasari Singers/Jeremy
Backhouse rec. 2016 LYRITA SRCD363
[70:47] [JQ] The Vasari Singers are
enthusiastic advocates for choral pieces
by Michael Hurd that deserve to be better
known.
Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Symphonies 35, 38 & 41 Anton
BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony No.
4 - NHK SO/Hiroshi Wakasugi rec. 1986/95
KING INTERNATIONAL KKC2108
[73:23 + 75:37] [RMo] Highly satisfying
in its unfussiness and replete with the
Schwung the music demands.
Nikolai
MIASKOVSKY (1881-1950)
Cello Sonatas - Luca Magariello (cello)
Cecilia Novarino (piano) rec. 2015/16 BRILLIANT
CLASSICS 95437 [47:02] [SB] A
fine new version of Miaskovsky’s two
cello sonatas.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Alessandro
SCARLATTI (1660-1725)
Opera omnia per tastiera Vol. V
- Francesco Tasini (organ) rec. 2014 TACTUS
TC661915 [75:37] [JV] A splendid
disc because of the music, the performance
and the organ.
The
Piano at the Ballet Vol. II
Anthony Goldstone (piano) rec. 2016 DIVINE
ART DDA25148 [79:54] [JF] An
outstanding disc that introduces the listener
to a wide conspectus of French ballet music.
Tuesday
June 20th
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Haydn variations,
Alto Rhapsody, Piano Concerto No 1, Requiem
- Clifford Curzon (piano) Hollywood Bowl
O, New York PSO, Rome SO/Bruno Walter rec.
1941-1952 PRISTINE CLASSICS PASC494
[73:41 + 77:56] [PSt] Never less than
interesting and at times provokes questions
about contemporary orthodoxies.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Anton
BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony
No. 4 - Staatskapelle Dresden/Christian
Thielemann rec. 2015 PROFIL PH16064
[73.06] [MC] Unquestionably one of the
finest Bruckner recordings I have heard.
Frédéric
CHOPIN (1810-1849) Piano works
- Naum Grubert (piano) NAVIS CLASSICS
NC17005 [45:31 + 37:23] [SG]
A deeply satisfying and well-conceived programme.
Balys
DVARIONAS (1904-1972) Complete
works for violin & piano - Justina Auškelytė
(violin) Cesare Pezzi (piano) rec. 2016
NAXOS 8.573673 [64:24]
Baltic & Beyond
Works by Dvarionas, Kancheli, Vasks &
Part - Piet Koornhof (violin) Thomas Hecht
(piano) rec. 2015 DELOS PRODUCTIONS
DE3529 [62:28] [SA] Both discs
exemplify all that is best in music from
the Baltic and beyond.
Raul
KOCZALSKI (1885-1948) Chamber
Works Vol. 1 - Monika Dondalska (violin)
Krzysztof Figiel (piano) rec. 2016 ACTE
PRÉALABLE AP0383 [58:41] [SSi]
This is wonderful music; Raul Koczalski
is truly an unjustly neglected composer,
one whose music is for anyone who loves
that of the Romantic movement.
Max
REGER (1873-1916)
Maximum Reger FUGUE
STATE FILMS FSFDVD011 [6 DVDs:
ca 15 hrs] [TPo] A handsome tribute
to Reger.
Salvatore
SCIARRINO (b. 1947) Un’
imagine de Arpocrate, Giorno velato
presso il lago nero - Tamara Stefanovich
(piano) Carolin Widmann (violin) Bavarian
RSO/Susanna Mälkki, Jonathan Nott rec. 2013/14
NEOS 11626 [65:42] [DC]
A contemporary music experience well
worth seeking out.
John
Philip SOUSA (1854-1932)
A Sousa Celebration - Royal
Scottish Ntl O/Kristjan Järvi rec. 2016
CHANDOS CHSA5182 SACD [68.26]
[ST] So this is great fun, something
to make you reassess Sousa as a composer.
Romanus
WEICHLEIN (1652-1706)
Sonatas Georg MUFFAT
(1653-1704) Passacaglia - Ens Masques/Olivier
Fortin (harpsichord) rec. 2014 ALPHA
212 [61:01] [JV] Weichlein deserves
to be better known and this disc does its
part.
Cifras
Imaginarias Ariel Abramovich,
Jacob Heringman (vilhuelas) rec. 2014 ARCANA
A428 [53.21] [GH] As they say
in restaurants nowadays ... enjoy.
Monday
June 19th
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Die
schöne Magelone, Vier Ernste Gesänge
- Roderick Williams (baritone) Roger Vignoles
(piano) rec. 2014 CHAMPS HILL RECORDS
CHRCD108 [80:37 + 72:57] [JQ]
An admirable Brahms recital, made all the
more attractive by the imaginative presentation
of Die schöne Magelone.
Franz
LISZT (1811-1886) Faust
Symphony - Steve Davislim (tenor) Ch
Sine Nomine, O Wiener Akademie/Martin Haselböck
rec. 2014/16 ALPHA 475
[68:20] [RK] A caring and energetic
performance of Liszt’s Faust Symphony.
Claudio MONTEVERDI (1567-1643) L’Orfeo
- Emanuela Galli (soprano) Mirko Guadagnini
(tenor) La Venexiana/Claudio Cavina rec.
2006 GLOSSA GCD920941 [52:34
+ 62:18] [SSi] A wonderful re-issue;
one of the most important recordings released
to celebrate the 450th anniversary
of the composers birth.
Werner
PIRCHNER (1940-2001) Piano
Trios Nos 1-3 - Eggner Trio rec. 2016
GRAMOLA 99121 [57:07] [DC]
A great place to get off the beaten path
and discover a refreshingly honest voice.
John
Philip SOUSA (1854-1932) Music
for Wind Band Vol. 14 - Central Band of
the RAF/Keith Brion rec. 2012 NAXOS
8.559730 [64:54] [SV] If you
just want to dip into the Naxos Sousa series,
this brightly recorded installment is as
good a place as any to do so.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Richard
WAGNER (1813-1883) Lohengrin
- Klaus Florian Vogt (tenor)
Camilla Nylund (soprano) Netherlands Radio
Ch, Ch of Dutch Ntl Opera, Royal Concertgebouw
O/Sir Mark Elder rec. 2015 RCO LIVE
RCO17002 [3 SACDs: 210:45] [MC]
A Lohengrin to live with and treasure.
Codex
Speciálník Polyphony in
Prague c.1500 - Cappella Mariana/Vojtčch
Semerád rec. 2016 ETCETERA KTC1571
[62.31] [GH] I’m not too sure
how interesting this music really is but
one can hardly fault the performers, the
recording or the presentation.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Walter
Gieseking (piano) The 1950s
Solo Studio Recordings - rec. 1951-56
APR 7402 [4 CDs: 280:05]
[SG] Piano aficionados will find plenty
to savour.
The
King of Instruments A Voice
Reborn - Stephen Cleobury (organ) rec.
2017 KING’S COLLEGE KGS0020
SACD [63:37] [ST] For anyone
who loves the organ, or who loves the sound
of King’s, this disc is pretty much
essential.
Passaggio
A Baroque Alpine Crossing - Georg Kallweit
(violin) Björn Colell (theorbo, chitarrone,
guitar) rec. 2016 ALPHA 540
[66:44] [JV] A compelling programme
which makes one long for more.
