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Alphabetical Listing

PART 4
M-R

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

George Alexander MacFARREN (1813-1887) Robin Hood Victorian Opera Ch & O/Ronald Corp rec. 2010 NAXOS 8.660306-07 [78:36 + 79:57] [IL]

Much to enjoy in this revival.

Elizabeth MACONCHY (1907-1994) Orchestral Music The Land, Concertino for piano and chamber orchestra, Music for Woodwind and Brass, Symphony for Double String Orchestra Clelia Iruzun (piano) BBC Scottish SO/Odaline de la Martinez rec. 2009 LORELT LNT 133 [64:05] [RB]

The Maconchy orchestral collection of choice.

MC MAGUIRE Nothing Left To Destroy Benjamin Bowman (violin) Douglas Stewart (flute) INNOVA 813 [62:14] [DC]

Fascinating sonic canvases.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911) Symphony 1 Pittsburgh SO/Manfred Honeck rec. 2008 EXTON EXCL-00026 [57:59] [MC]

Manfred Honeck is on course to be a great Mahlerian. 

Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911) Symphonies Nos. 1-9, 10 (Adagio) Utah SO/Maurice Abravanel rec. 1963-1974 MUSICAL CONCEPTS MC 182 [10 CDs: c. 634:00] [DM]

Compelling and marvellous in parts … I’m pleased I’ve heard these pioneering performances at last.

Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911) Symphony 9 WDR SO Köln/Jukka-Pekka Saraste rec. 2009 PROFIL EDITION PH10035 [79:49] [JQ]

A decent performance of Mahler’s Ninth but several rival versions offer more.

Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911) Das Lied von der Erde Jane Henschel (mezzo) Gregory Kunde (tenor) Houston SO/Hans Graf rec. 2009 NAXOS 8.572498 [62:46] [RM]

Suffers from being a perfect illustration of how the best is the enemy of the good – or at least, the satisfactory.

Gian Francesco MALIPIERO (1882-1973) Impressioni dal vero (I, II & III) Pause del silenzio (I & II) Orch Sinf di Roma/Francesco La Vecchia rec. 2009-2010 NAXOS 8.572409 [79:53] [NB]

A compellingly rewarding introduction to this strikingly individual composer’s works.

Benedetto MARCELLO (1686-1739) Sonatas III, V, VII, IX & X Andrea Bacchetti (piano) rec. 2010 RCA/SONY MUSIC 88697814662 [55:26]

Fine and rare.

Czeslaw MAREK (1891-1985) Piano Works Marie-Catherine Girod (piano) rec. 1998 GUILD GMCD 7364/5 [74:37 + 74:40] [Byz]

Sustained sparkle and insight, a poetic pianism to match Marek.

Carlo MARTELLI (b.1935) Symphony see JOUBERT

Bohuslav MARTINU (1890-1959) Cello Concerto 1 Paul HINDEMITH (1895-1963) Cello Concerto Arthur HONEGGER (1892-1955) Cello Concerto Johannes Moser (cello) Deutsche Radio Phil/Christoph Poppen rec. 2010 HäNSSLER CLASSIC CD 93.276 [63:15] [MC]

Plenty of worth to discover here.

Bohuslav MARTINŮ (1890-1959) Flute Sonatas, Madrigal Sonata, Trio Agata Igras-Sawicka (flute) Bartłomiel Nizioł (violin) Marcin Zdunik (cello) Mariusz Rutkowski (piano) rec. 2010 DUX 0768 [62:16] [SA]

Will give boundless enjoyment to any lover of Martinů’s music and I would urge any who are unsure to try it too - they will also find musical gems here. 


RECORDING OF THE MONTH

Bohuslav MARTINŮ (1890-1959) Sextet see JANÁČEK

Giuseppe MARTUCCI (1856-1909) Complete Orchestral Music - vol. 3 Piano Concerto 1, La canzone dei ricordi Gesualdo Coggi (piano) Silvia Pasini (mezzo) Roma SO/Francesco La Vecchia rec. 2007/8 NAXOS 8.570931 [67:53] [SV]

This issue can be recommended as it stands - I just wish the singing was better.

Felix MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY (1809-1847) Sonatas Op. 65/1-6 Jan Lehtola (organ) rec. 2009 ALBA ABCD 324 [65:34] [DM]

Quite simply, a recital to relish.

Robin MILFORD (1903-1959) Suite for oboe and string orchestra see British Composers Premiere Collections - Volume 2

Robin MILFORD (1903-1959) Fantasia for String Quartet see Pipings and Blowings

Michel Pignolet de MONTÉCLAIR (1667-1737) Cantates à voix seule Emma Kirkby (soprano) London Baroque rec. 2010 BIS CD-1865 [70:11] [JV]

Nobody who likes French baroque music should miss this disc.

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Symphonies 38 & 39 Royal Concertgebouw O/Nikolaus Harnoncourt rec. 1981/1984 WARNER APEX 2564 67302-4 [68:28] [LR]

This disc is for diehard Harnoncourt fans only.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Horn Concertos 1-4 Alessio Allegrini (horn) Orchestra Mozart/Claudio Abbado rec. 2005-7 DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 477 8083 [53:20] [MG]

Glorious horn playing with alert, sensitive orchestral backing. 

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Don Giovanni Nicolai Ghiaurov (bass) Alfredo Kraus (tenor) Gundula Janowitz (soprano) Sena Jurinac (soprano) RAI SO & Ch Rome/Carlo Maria Giulini rec. 1970 OPERA D’ORO GRAND TIER OPD 7080 [3 CDs: 166:53] [RMo]

The Karajan account emerges as the clear winner.

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Complete Piano Sonatas Maria João Pires (piano) rec. 1974 BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94271 [5 CDs: 324:34] [RMo]

This super-bargain set represents a compelling buy.

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Sinfonia Concertante see Konoye

Modest MUSSORGSKY (1839-1881) Piano music (Russian Piano Music Vol 8) Anthony Goldstone (piano) rec. 2011 DIVINE ART DDA25100 [78:15] [NB]

For a single disc survey I find it hard to believe the disc under consideration here will be easily beaten.

Modest MUSSORGSKY (1839-1881) A Night on the Bare Mountain see Konoye

Conlon NANCARROW (1912-1997) Prelude and Blues, Three Canons for Ursula, Studies see CAGE

Carl NIELSEN (1865-1931) Violin Concerto see SIBELIUS

Pavel Zemek NOVÁK (b.1957) Preludes and Fugues William Howard (piano) rec. 2009 CHAMPS HILL RECORDS CHRCD 016 [76:16] [Byz]

May or may not be one of the finest contemporary works for piano but for sheer scale of invention at least it must go on the shortlist.

Carl ORFF (1895-1982)/Claudio MONTEVERDI (1567–1643) Orpheus, Klage der Ariadne Orpheus Ch München, Münchner RSO/Ulf Schirmer rec. 2010 CPO 777 656-2 [72:31] [NB]

Music that is both memorable and moving.

Niccolò PAGANINI (1782-1840) 24 Caprices Op.1 for solo violin Alberto Bologni (violin) rec. 2010, SHEVA COLLECTION SH044 [75:04] [DC]

Puts the competition into perspective.

Hubert PARRY (1848-1918) Symphony no.1 in G (1882) [45:22] From Death to Life (1914) [18:34] English Symphony Orchestra/William Boughton rec.1991. DDD NIMBUS NI 5296 [70:33] [Byz]

A colourful, vital, optimistic, dramatic and poignant symphony and a dark and operatically intense tone poem.

Robert PARSONS (c.1535-1572) Sacred Music The Cardinall’s Musick/Andrew Carwood rec. 2010 HYPERION CDA67874 [70:07] [JQ]

A marvellous recital of music by Robert Parsons. Something of an ear-opener

Krzysztof PENDERECKI (b.1933) String Trio, String Quartets 1-3, Clarinet quartet Arkadiusz Adamski (clarinet) DAFÔ Qt rec. 2010 DUX 0770 [62:20]  [Byz]

A bit of the Polish master to suit all tastes, from avant-garde astringency to the more recognisably traditional works from the 1980s. 

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH William PERRY (b. 1930) Music for Great Films of the Silent Era RTÉ Ntl SO/Paul Phillips rec. 2010 NAXOS 8.572567 [78:41] [IL]

A glorious, joyous, tuneful celebration of the days of Silent Cinema.

Cole PORTER (1891-1964) Anything Goes Kim Criswell, Cris Groenendaal, Frederica von Stade, Jack Gilford, Bruce Hubbard, Ambrosian Ch, London SO/John McGlinn rec. 1988 EMI AMERICAN CLASSICS 9489442 [74:22] [DM]

Really, so much fun shouldn’t come this cheap.

Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Piano sonatas 2 & 7, Visions Fugitives (Russian Piano Music Vol 7) Sergei Dukachev (piano) rec. 2000-5 DIVINE ART DDA25096 [61:42] [AM]

A good selection of Prokofiev’s remarkable piano music, but scrappy performances and poor production make this uncompetitive.

Serge PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) The Sun Shines over our Motherland RSFSR Russian Chorus, Boys Ch of Moscow Ch School, Moscow PO/Kirill Kondrashin rec. 1965 HIGH DEFINITION TAPE TRANSFER HDCD229 [43:30] [RB]

By no means subtle but it is not irredeemable and may yet surprise you if you let it.

Giacomo PUCCINI (1858 - 1924) Arias & songs Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano) Roger Vignoles (piano) l’Opera National de Lyon O/Kent Nagano rec. 1996 WARNER APEX 2564 673914 [63.24] [RH]

If Te Kanawa appeals do try this. 

Roger QUILTER (1877-1953) The Complete Piano Music David Owen Norris (piano) rec. 2004 complete track-list at end of reviews EM RECORDS EMR CD002 [47:00] [JF]

David Owen Norris is a great advocate for this music and presents it with enthusiasm and sympathy.

Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Preludes; Elegie; Variations on a Theme of Corelli Vassily Primakov (Piano) rec. 2011 BRIDGE 9348 [77.07] [RBe]

A very good recital although there may be scope for Primakov to let himself go more in the composer’s more extrovert virtuoso passage-work.

Sergey RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Songs see GLINKA

Phillip RAMEY (b.1939) Piano Music - Volume Three: 1960-2010 Stephen Gosling (piano) rec. 2010. DDD TOCCATA CLASSICS TOCC 0114 [78:19] [Byz]

Commends itself at the very least to all students and admirers of 20th century piano music.

Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937) Daphnis et Chloé Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune Rundfunkchor Berlin, Monte-Carlo PO/Yakov Kreizberg rec. 2010 OPMC CLASSICS 002 [67:57] [BR]

A very good album, very French; if only we could ask the late Kreizberg for more.

Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937) La Valse, Daphnis et Chloé Suite 2 Gabriel FAURÉ (1845-1924) Pavane George GERSHWIN (1898-1937) Songs Dianne Reeves (vocals) Berlin PO/Simon Rattle rec. 2003 EUROARTS 2053648 [91:00] [IL]

Glorious Ravel but does Gershwin have to be so buttoned up?

Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937) Valses nobles et sentimentales, Alborada del gracioso, Pavane pour une infante défunte see Ives

Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937) Mother Goose, La Valse see DEBUSSY

Einojuhani RAUTAVAARA (b. 1928) Lost Landscapes; Summer Thoughts; April Lines; Notturno e Danza; Variétude; Dithyrambos; Pelimannit Pekka Kuusisto (violin) Paavali Jumppanen (piano) rec. 2010 ONDINE ODE 1177-2 [70:31] [RB]

Fresh, lucid and singing with joy and a faint overlay of sorrow

Ottorino RESPIGHI (1879-1936) Concerto Gregoriano see CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO

Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844-1908) Le Coq d’Or Albert Schagidullin, Ilya Levinsky, Mariinsky Theatre Ch, Paris O/Kent Nagano rec. 2002 ARTHAUS MUSIK 107 387 [108:00] [RMay]

With its appealing score and striking visuals there is, in truth, a great deal to enjoy on this DVD.

Nicolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844-1908) Capriccio espagnol, Overtures Seattle SO/Gerard Schwarz rec. 2010/11 NAXOS 8.572788 [66:45] [JZ]

Exemplary performances of these overtures and other popular pieces ... admirable.

Jan Jacub RYBA (1765-1815) Czech Christmas Mass, Song of Praise for the Festival of the Birth of Christ Jan Václav Antonín STAMITZ (1717-1757) Sinfonia pastorale Václav PICHL (1741-1805) Sinfonia pastorlis Anna Hlavenková (soprano); Sylva Čmugrová (alto); Jan Ondrejka (tenor); Roman Janál (bass); Pavel Černý (organ/harpsichord); Czech Boy’s Choir Boni Pueri/Pavel Horák; Czech Chamber PO Pardubice/Marek Štryncl rec. 2011. DDD ARCODIVA UP 0142-2131 [72.12] [GH]

Charming. It’s all quite seasonal in its happy disposition.

 


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]


 



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