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Alphabetical Listing

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RECORDING OF THE MONTH Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Symphony 9 Amanda Roocroft (soprano) Fiona Janes (mezzo) John Mark Ainsley (tenor) Neal Davies (bass) The New Company; O of The Age of Enlightenment/Sir Charles Mackerras rec. 1994 SIGNUM CLASSICS SIGCD 254 [63:50] [JQ]

An excellent account of the Ninth, which forms an invaluable supplement to Sir Charles’s superb cycle of the symphonies on Hyperion.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Joseph CANTELOUBE (1879-1957) Songs of the Auvergne (1923-1935): Netania Davrath (soprano) Orchestra/Pierre de la Roche rec. 1963/6 ALTO ALC 1151 [77:24] [RB]

One of the crowning glories of the analogue era. Do not miss out on this.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Frédéric CHOPIN (1810-1849) Piano Pieces Yevgeny SUDBIN (1980-) Ŕ la minute (paraphrase of Chopin’s “Minute” Waltz) [4:38] Yevgeny Sudbin (piano) rec. 2009, 2010, 2011, BIS SACD 1838 [69:44] [BR]

A clear viewpoint on Chopin, intelligently expressed; this may well be a classic.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH François COUPERIN (1668-1733) Exultent superi - Motets Choisis Soloists of the Choir of New College Oxford Collegium Novum/Edward Higginbottom rec. 2011 NOVUM NCR 1384 [61:55]  [MC]

Quite stunning in all respects! 

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Pelléas et Mélisande John Tomlinson (bass) Sarah Walker (mezzo) Robert Dean (baritone) Ch & O English National Opera/Mark Elder rec. 1981 CHANDOS CHAN 3177(3) [3 CDs: 54:24 + 36:10 + 64:15] [JS]

An important and distinguished addition to the Chandos Opera in English series.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Sofia GUBAIDULINA (b. 1931) In tempus praesens, Glorious Percussion Vadim Gluzman (violin); Glorious Percussion, Lucerne SO/Jonathan Nott rec. 2008/11 BIS-CD-1752 [71:29] [LW]

A real winner of a CD.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH  Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Die Zauberflöte Ileana Cotrubas, Peter Schreier, Christian Boesch, Martti Talvela, Edita Gruberova, Vienna PO/James Levine rec. 1982 ARTHAUS MUSIK 107199 [2 DVDs: 189:00] [RJF]

A top recommendation. They do not do productions like this any more I regret to say.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Amilcare PONCHIELLI (1834-1886) La Gioconda Deborah Voigt (soprano) Richard Margison (tenor) Ch & O/Corps de Ballet of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona/Daniele Callegari rec. 2005 ARTHAUS MUSIK DVD 107291 [2 DVDs: 174:00] [RJF]

Rarely performed nowadays, Ponchielli’s best known opera is unlikely to get a better-staged, sung and danced performance than it does here.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Gioachino ROSSINI (1792-1868) Il Barbiere di Sivilglia Rolando Panerai (baritone) Teresa Berganza (mezzo) Luigi Alva (tenor) Covent Garden Ch & O/Carlo Maria Giulini rec. 1960 ICA ICAC 5046 [66:42 + 62:24] [JS]

Pure gold; a performance that takes wing and which captures the listener in its spell whatever its sonic or other limitations.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Alec ROTH (b. 1948) Earthrise, Hymn to Gaia, Shared Ground, Ponticelli Philippe Honoré (violin) Ex Cathedra/Jeffrey Skidmore rec. 2011 SIGNUM CLASSICS SIGCD270 [42:30 + 49:00] [JQ]

Important and stimulating music - all recorded for the first time - in excellent and committed performances. 

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Dances to a Black Pipe Aaron COPLAND (1900-1990) Clarinet Concerto Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Hungarian Dances Nos. 12, 13, 1 and 21 (arr. Göran Fröst) Witold LUTOSLAWSKI (1913-1994) Dance Preludes Anders HILLBORG (1954-) Peacock Tales Fredrik HÖGBERG (1971-) Dancing with Silent Purpose Martin Fröst (clarinet) Australian Ch O/Richard Tognetti rec. 2011 BIS SACD 1863 [81:31] [BR]

This is a real treat: the incomparable Martin Fröst does jazz, klezmer, tango, and techno.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Emanuel Ensemble Works for flute, cello & piano by Kapustin, Gaubert, Schumann, Borne, Farrenc & Piazzolla rec. 2010/11 CHAMPS HILL RECORDS CHRCD023 [75:37] [BR]

You’ve probably never heard much of this music, and you’re sure to love all of it.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Italia Antonio VIVALDI (1678 - 1741) Violin concertos, Nulla in mundo pax sincera Giuseppe TARTINI (1692 - 1770) Violin concerto, Violin sonata Nicola Benedetti (violin) Scottish CO/Christian Curnyn rec. 2010 DECCA 476 4342 [76:54] [DC]

Molto molto bene, giocare di nuovo …  

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Surrexit Christus - Vespers and Procession on Easter Sunday in the Notre Dame in Paris in the 13th Century Ensemble Grégorien de Notre Dame de Paris/Sylvain Dieudonné rec. 2009 HORTUS 073 [71:17] [JV]

In every respect a winner.

 

 

 


 

 


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]

[Last month's reviews] [Earlier reviews]

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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