MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger




Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

Alphabetical Listing

Recommendations

Click 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]
[last 5 days] [Recommended recordings]


Superbudget £5.99 or less Budget £6-7.99 Medium £8-10.99 Full price £11+ Download


RECORDINGS OF THE MONTH

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Carl Philipp Emanuel BACH (1714-1788) Hamburger Quartalsmusiken Nun danket alle Gott, Herr lehr uns tun, Siehe! Ich begehre deiner Befehle, Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe Himlische Cantorey, Les Amis de Philippe/Ludger Rémy rec. 2009 CPO 777 594-2 [48:03 + 51:27] [JV]

Compelling performances of first-rate sacred cantatas by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Missa Solemnis Krassimira Stoyanova (soprano) Elina Garanca (mezzo) Michael Schade (tenor) Franz-Josef Selig (bass) Sächischer Staatsopernchor, Dresden Staatskapelle/Christian Thielemann rec. 2010 UNITEL CLASSICA 705408 [90:00] [ST]

An undeniably big-boned approach. A performance of real stature.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Arthur BLISS (1891-1975) Sonata for Piano and Violin* [11:00] Henry WALFORD DAVIES (1869-1941) Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano* (1893 rev 1895) [21:56] York BOWEN (1884-1961) Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 112 [20:10] Rupert Luck (violin); Matthew Rickard (piano) rec. 2010 *world première recordings EM RECORDS EMR CD001 [53:06] [RB]

This is magnificent impassioned music-making in works of real and dazzling substance. We must hope to hear much more of Luck and Rickard.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Walter BRAUNFELS (1882-1954) Die Vögel Désirée Rancatore (soprano) Brandon Jovanovich (tenor) Los Angeles Opera Ch & O/James Conlon rec. 2009, ARTHAUS MUSIK 101530 101529 [138:54] [RC]

A superb recording that merits the highest praise!

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony 5 Berlin PO/Wilhelm Furtwängler rec. live, 1942 PRISTINE AUDIO XR PASC 255 [69:33] [MC]

Spacious and eminently noble … quite splendid playing.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Antonín DVOŘÁK (1841–1904) String Quartets 12 & 13 Pavel Haas Qt rec. 2010 SUPRAPHON SU40382 [63:08] [BR]

Just right to these ears.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Hans-Leo HASSLER (1564-1612) Sacred and secular music Currende/Erik Van Nevel, rec. 1999-2000 ET'CETERA KTC1409 [75:14 + 67:11] [JV]

This production underlines Hassler's importance and the variety and quality of his output.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809) Missa Sanctae Caeciliae Lucia Popp (soprano) Doris Soffel (contralto) Horst Laubenthal (tenor) Kurt Moll (bass) Bavarian RSO & Ch/Rafael Kubelik rec. 1982 ARTHAUS MUSIK 101533 [73:00] [DBi]

A great performance of great music in a beautiful German abbey.

RECORD OF THE MONTH Rued LANGGAARD (1893-1952) Music of the Spheres Danish Ntl Ch, Vocal Ensemble & SO/Thomas Dausgaard rec. 2009-10 DACAPO 6.220535 [71:53] [DM]

A real cracker. Absolutely not to be missed.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911) Symphony 5 Lucerne Fest O/Claudio Abbado rec. 2004 EUROARTS 2054074 [74:00] [DBi]

An essential purchase that places itself firmly with the top few of a long list of Mahler Fives.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Claudio MONTEVERDI (1567-1643) Vespers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Exultent caeli O of Age of Enlightenment/Robert Howarth rec. 2010 SIGNUM SIGCD237 [49:08 + 47:59] [JS]

In a word: magnificent.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Piano Concerto 2 Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937) Piano Concerto Anna Vinnitskaya (piano) Deutsches SO Berlin/Gilbert Varga rec. 2010 NAÏVE V5238 [54:30] [GD]

I can't wait to hear some more. 

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Piano Concerto 2 Franz LISZT (1811-1886) Liebestraum 3, Mephisto 1, Hungarian Rhapsody 2 Nobuyuki Tsujii (piano) Deutsches SO Berlin/Yutaka Sado rec. 2007/8 CHALLENGE CLASSICS CC72371 [59:50] [MC]

Tsujii is a force to be reckoned with. 

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Gioachino ROSSINI (1792-1868) Petite Messe Solennelle Gewandhaus Ch & O/Riccardo Chailly rec. 2008 EUROARTS 2057428 [85:00] [RJF]

This performance not only elevates this rarely heard work to stand alongside the composer’s better-known Stabat Mater, but also the great Mass by his fellow Italian opera composer, Verdi.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Johann Christoph ROTHE (1653-1700) St Matthew Passion Cantus Thuringia, Capella Thuringia/Bernhard Klapprott rec. 2009 CPO 777 554-2 [63:05 + 34:07] [JV]

This St Matthew Passion is a major discovery - the performance fully explores its expressive qualities.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Domenico SCARLATTI (1685-1757) Keyboard Sonatas Alexandre Tharaud (piano) rec. 2010 VIRGIN CLASSICS 6420160 [70.45] [RBe]

Absolutely superb … a glorious addition to the Scarlatti discography.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Erwin SCHULHOFF (1894-1942) Suite, Sonatas 1 & 2, Sonata for solo violin Tanja Becker-Bender (violin) Markus Becker (piano) rec. 2010 HYPERION CDA67833 [67:10] [DC]

Can only be described in superlatives. 

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Humoreske, Studien Fur Den Pedalflugel, Gesänge der Frühe Piotr Anderszewski (piano) rec. 2010 VIRGIN CLASSICS 9486252 [63.31] [RBe]

This is a really wonderful Schumann recital and one of the most moving piano recitals I have ever heard. 

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Piano Concerti 1-3 Viktoria Postnikova (piano) Wiener SO/Gennady Rozhdestvensky rec. 1982 NEWTON CLASSICS 8802027 [56:23 + 49:50] [RB]

Bold as brass, red-blooded, wide-stage and almost luridly exciting in the grandest Decca FFRR tradition.

 

BARGAINS OF THE MONTH

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Leonard BERNSTEIN (1918–1990) Mass Jubilant Sykes (tenor) Morgan State U Ch, Peabody Children’s Ch, Baltimore SO/Marin Alsop rec. 2008 NAXOS 8.559622-23 [64:53 + 38:35] [BR]

An artistic, sonic, historical and musicological milestone.

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Frederic CHOPIN (1810-1849) Piano msuic Leon McCawley (piano) rec. 2010 SOMM SOMMCD0103 [70.27] [RBe]

An outstanding recital.

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Bernard HERRMANN (1911-1975) Film Classics National PO, London PO/Bernard Herrmann rec. 1970-5 DECCA ELOQUENCE 480 3784 [72:04 + 68:11] [RB]

Do not miss this rich sampling of Herrmann’s extraordinarily imaginative and enjoyable film music.

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Felix MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) Sextet Conradin KREUTZER (1780-1849) Grand Septet Franz BERWALD (1796-1868) Grand Septet Alexander BORODIN (1833-1887) Piano Quintet Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844-1908) Piano Quintet Wiener Oktett rec. 1968/72 DECCA ELOQUENCE 480 2397 [63:31 + 77:07] [BR]

Tickets to chamber music heaven.

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Giovanni PACINI (1796-1867) Il convitato di pietra Leonardo Cortellazzi (tenor) Geraldine Chauvet (mezzo) Transylvania State PCh, Cluj Südwestdeutsches CO Pforzheim/Daniele Ferrari rec. live, 2008 NAXOS OPERA CLASSICS 8.660282-83 [44.55 + 47.28] [RJF]

A different take on a well-known story is accompanied by a Pacini’s sure composition and an enjoyable first public performance.

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844-1908) Scheherazade, Tale of Tsar Saltan Seattle SO/Gerard Schwarz rec. 2010 NAXOS 8.572693 [66:37] [BR]

I put the disc on expecting ‘decent.’ But it’s not decent: it’s spectacular!

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Miklos ROZSA (1907-1995) Ben Hur, Quo Vadis, Julius Caesar - filmscores National PO & Ch, Royal PO & Ch/Miklos Rozsa, Bernard Herrmann rec. 1974-77 DECCA ELOQUENCE 480 3790 [47:10 + 52:47] [RB]

Magnificent performances and recordings.

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Symphonies 2 & 3 Large SO Ministry of Culture, Russian Federation/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky rec. 1988-89 ALTO ALC 1103 [78:03] [RB]

Powerhouse performances and recordings to win converts to these wallflowers. Not to be missed.

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Tomás Luis de VICTORIA (1548-1611) The Victoria Collection Tenebrae Responses; Lamentations of Jeremiah; Requiem; Taedet animam meam; Versa est in luctum The Tallis Scholars/Peter Phillips GIMELL GIMBX304 [3 CDs: 177:00] [JQ]

A self-recommending collection of excellent recordings of music by one of the great masters of polyphony.

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Espana Antigua - Spanish Secular Music 1200-1700 Montserrat Figueras (soprano) Hespèrion XX/Jordi Savall VIRGIN CLASSICS 6488012 [8 CDs: 418:54] [GH]

Five hundred years of music, wonderfully played and recorded - a real bible of early Spanish musical art which at the bargain price offered is well worth its weight in gold.

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH The Floating City - Sonatas, canzonas and dances by Cestello & Pichi His Majesty’s Sagbutts & Cornetts rec. 1997 HYPERION HELIOS CDH55320 [GH]

A very fine recording. Not only is the music fascinating but the performances are special. Buy it

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH The Spirits of England and France - Vol. 5 Missa Veterem hominem Gothic Voices/Christopher Page rec. 1996 HYPERION HELIOS CDH55285 [65.23] [GH]

My original impression was not especially favourable but I have become quite excited about the Mass and about the singing - it’s a revelation.

 

 


Click 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]
[last 5 days] [Recommended recordings]


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools




Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.