Domenico
SCARLATTI (1679-1744)
La Dirindina, Sinfonias, Sonatas 
Marina Bartoli (soprano) L'Arte dell'Arco/Federico Guglielmo (violin)
rec. 2007
CPO 777 555-2 [63:59] [JV]
The
intermezzo is the main attraction: a nice piece, well sung and played.
Johann
Christian SCHIEFERDECKER (1679-1732)
Cantatas, Concerts
Klaus Mertens (bass) Jan Kobow (tenor) Hamburger Ratsmusik/Simone Eckert
rec. 2012
CARUS 83.398 [62:18] [JW]
Graciousness
and melodic invention … facility and good spirits.
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Octet
Consortium Classicum rec. 1996
MUSIKPRODUKTION DABRINGHAUS UND GRIMM MDG 301 0768-2 [63:41] [MC]
Splendidly
performed.
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Kerner Lieder & songs by Wolf, Korngold & Mahler
Roderick Williams (baritone) Helmut Deutsch (piano) rec. 2011
WIGMORE HALL LIVE WHLIVE0055 [70:32] [JQ]
A
marvellous, deeply satisfying lieder recital.
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Violin Concertos, Phantasie
Anthony Marwood (violin) BBC Scottish SO/Douglas Boyd rec. 2011
HYPERION CDA67847 [69:29][JW]
Three
performances of a consistently high standard.
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Piano Quintet Antonín DVOŘÁK
(1841-1904) Piano Quintet 2
Jonathan Biss (piano) Elias String Qt rec. 2012
ONYX 4092 [70:53] [JS]
Good
to hear such thoroughly prepared and thoughtful performances.
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Liederkreis, Sechs Gedichte aus dem Liederbuch eines Malers
Gerald
Finley (baritone) Julius Drake (piano) rec. 2011/2
HYPERION CDA67944 [64:20] [ST]
Finley
brings a weight and intensity that is all his own.
Le
Martyre de Saint Sebastian Suite, La Mer Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Symphony 4 see
DEBUSSY
Heinrich
SCHÜTZ (1585-1672) Geistliche Gesänge
Dresdner
Kammerchor/Hans-Christoph Rademann rec. 2009
CARUS 83.239 [60:01] [JW]
With
fine performances and well judged recording there can be no reservations.
José
SEREBRIER (b.1938)
Flute Concerto with Tango see Pipe
Dreams - Sharon Bezaly
RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Bedřich SMETANA (1824-1884) String Quartet 2
see Dawn
of Czech Modernism
Louis
SPOHR (1784-1859)
Piano Sonata, Rondoletto George ONSLOW
(1784-1853) Piano Sonata, Six Pièces, Toccata
Howard Shelley (piano) rec. 2011
HYPERION CDA67947 [78:16] [JW]
First
class recording and thoroughly sympathetic performances.
Richard
STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Violin Sonata Ottorino RESPIGHI
(1879-1936) Violin Sonata, Sei pezzi
Tasmin Little (violin); Piers Lane (piano) rec. 2012
CHANDOS CHAN 10749 [65:50][RB]
Flooded
with melodic light … surging with eruptive romance.
Richard
STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Der Rosenkavalier
Renée Fleming, Sophie Koch, Diana Damrau, Jonas Kaufmann, Munich
PO/Christian Thielemann rec. 2009
DECCA 478 1507 [3 CDs: 203:39] [RMo]
The great climaxes still worked their magic and I often forgot my objections.
Richard
STRAUSS (1864-1949) Tod und Verklärung
see CHERUBINI
Maria
SZYMANOWSKA (1789-1831)
Ballads and Romances
Elizabeth Zapolska (mezzo), Bart van Oort (piano) rec. 2011
ACTE PRÉALABLE AP0260 [71:54][JW]
An
interesting impression is left by this disc.
Thomas
TALLIS (1505-1585)
The Complete Works
Chapelle du Roi/Alistair Dixon, Charivari Agréable rec. 1996-2004
BRILLIANT
CLASSICS 94268 [10 CDs: 657:34] [JW]
The
single most important Tallis set now available.
Pyotr
Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) The Sleeping
Beauty (highlights)
Slovak State PO/Andrew Mogrelia rec. 1991
NAXOS 8.572931 [76:59] [JWh]
Still
one of the best recordings available.
Pyotr
Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
The Sleeping Beauty
Bergen PO/Neeme Järvi rec. 2012
CHANDOS CHSA 5113(2) 
[77:14 + 77:56] [DBi] [NB]
This is a great work in a very fine performance
beautifully recorded. [DBi] I am not sure this current issue adds greatly
to our knowledge and appreciation of this great work – finer and
more engaging versions exist elsewhere. [NB]
Pyotr
Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Symphonies 4 & 5
London PO/Vladimir Jurowski rec. 2011
LPO LIVE LPO-0064 [43:17 + 41:30] [ST]
These
don’t stand up to repeated listening on record.
Georg
Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767)
The Autograph Scores
Collegium Musicum 90/Simon Standage rec. 2011
CHANDOS CHAN0787 [79:18] [JV]
Lovers
of Telemann's music should consider this disc although the performances
are less than ideal.
Will
TODD (b. 1970) The Call of Wisdom
Tenebrae; English CO/Nigel Short
SIGNUM CLASSICS SIGCD298 [66:46] [JQ]
Will
Todd’s music is well served by Tenebrae but the programme is something
of a mixed bag.
Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901)
La Traviata
Emma Matthews, Gianluca Terranova, Jonathan Summers, Australian Opera
and Ballet O & Ch/Brian Castles-Onion rec. 2012
OPERA AUSTRALIA OPOZ56029DVD 
[141:00] [ST]
Go
into it this once with open eyes and you’ll probably enjoy it.
Heitor
VILLA-LOBOS (1887-1959)
Symphonies 6 & 7
São Paulo SO/Isaac Karabtchevsky rec. 2011
NAXOS 8.573043 [68:18] [DM]
Musically
uneven but still worth hearing; augurs well for the rest of this cycle.
Carl
VINE (b.1954) Pipe Dreams see Pipe
Dreams - Sharon Bezaly
Antonio
VIVALDI (1678-1741)
Recorder Concertos George Frideric HANDEL
(1685-1759) Recorder Sonatas
Piers Adams (recorders) with Musica da Camera in Vivaldi Howard Beach
(harpsichord and organ); David Watkin (cello) in Handel rec. 1988,
RED PRIEST RP008 [56:40 + 59:13] [JW]
Trilling
luminescence … classical poise.
Antonio
VIVALDI (1678-1741)
Concerti con Molti Stromenti
The King's Consort/Robert King rec. 1998
HYPERION HELIOS CDH 55439 [69:13] [Byz]
A
bargain for Vivaldi novices and collectors alike.
Antonio
VIVALDI (1678-1741) Concertos for two violins
Angelo
Cicillini and Luca Venturini (violins) L'Orfeo Ensemble di Spoleto/Fabrizio
Ammetto rec. 2009
TACTUS TC672253 [63:56] [JV]
Three
first recordings and three reconstructions are reasons enough to welcome
this disc.
Richard
WAGNER (1813
- 1883) Götterdämmerung
Kirsten Flagstad, Set Svanholm, Opera Chorus, Oslo PO, Norwegian State
Radio O/Øivin Fjeldstad rec. 1956
NAXOS 8.112066-69 [4 CDs: 260:12] [GF]
Should
be in every serious Wagner lover’s collection for the singing
of Flagstad and Svanholm.
William
Vincent WALLACE (1812-1865)
Celtic Fantasies
Rosemary Tuck (piano) Richard Bonynge (*piano II) rec. 2009. DDD
NAXOS 8.572775 [71:13][Byz]
Craftsmanship
and mellifluousness.
Carl
Maria von WEBER (1786-1826)
Invitation to the Dance (orch. Berlioz) op.65 [10:07] Symphony
No. 1 [23:12] Bassoon Concerto op. 75 [17:12] Symphony No. 2 [17:50]
Karen
Geoghegan (bassoon) BBC Philharmonic/Juanjo Mena rec. 2012
CHANDOS CHAN 10748 [69:11] [RB]
A
doughty entrant in the hardly over-populated Weber catalogue. Enjoyable
stuff.
Mieczyslaw
WEINBERG (1919-1996) Piano Sonatas 4-6
Murray McLachlan (piano) rec. 1996
DIVINE ART DDA25107 [66:46][SA]
A
disc to savour.
Mieczysław
WEINBERG (1919-1996) Rhapsody on Moldavian
Themes, Symphony 6
Glinka Choral College Boys' Choir/Vasily Grachev St Petersburg State
SO/Vladimir Lande rec. 2010
NAXOS 8.572779 [61:01] [Byz]
This
must be the new first choice for Weinberg 6.
Ermanno
WOLF-FERRARI (1876-1948)
Idillio-concertino, Concertino, Suite-concertino
Andrea
Tenaglia (oboe); Willian Moriconi (cor anglais); Giuseppe Ciabocchi
(bassoon) Rome SO/Francesco La Vecchia rec. 2009
NAXOS 8.572921 [77:32] [JWh]
77
minutes of sheer joy. You can’t help but smile so give it a try.
Iannis
XENAKIS (1922-
2001) Zyia, Six Chansons Grècques, Psappha,
Persephassa
Angelica Cathariou (mezzo); Cécile Daroux (flute); Daniel Ciampolini
(percussion); Nikolaos Samaltanos, Dimitri Vassilikis (piano)
SAPHIR LVC1168 [62.14] [GH]
Often
thought-provoking as is the entire disc of music by this most innovative
of minds.
Juliusz
ZAREBSKI (1854-1885) Piano Quintet see
ZELENSKI
Wladyslaw
ZELENSKI (1837-1921)
Piano Quartet in C minor Op 61 (1890s) [36:19] Juliusz
ZAREBSKI (1854-1885) Piano Quintet in G minor Op 34
(1885) [34:47]
Jonathan Plowright (piano) Szymanowski Quartet rec. 2011,
HYPERION CDA67905 [71:06] [RB]
Fluently
lyrical late-romantic delights irresistibly presented in every way.
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