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A discography
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to a full national discography of Eastern European concertos
The Technology
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Records by Dave Billinge
The
rebellious violinist Michael Cookson interviews Victoria Mullova
Algernon Ashton - England's
forgotten composer by Patrick Webb
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LATEST REVIEWS
Friday
June 28th
Béla BARTÓK
(1881-1945) 44 Duos - Jan Talich, Agnès Pyka (violins) rec.
2012 INDESENS INDE049 [48:56] [TB] Talich
and Pyka deliver accuracy of articulation and intonation in these characterful
performances.
Ernst
von DOHNÁNYI (1877-1960) Violin Sonata; Four Rhapsodies;
Piano Concerto 2 - Ernst von Dohnányi (piano) Albert Spalding
(violin) Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Adrian Boult rec. 1951/56 PRISTINE
AUDIO PASC 381 [69:57] [JW] These performances
demarcate how Dohnányi wanted these works to go.
Johann GRABBE
(1585- 1655) Madrigals and Instrumental Works - Weser-Renaissance/Manfred
Cordes rec. 2011 CPO 777 662-2 [77.34] [GH] Attractive
- an important and quite rare madrigal collection.
George Frideric
HANDEL (1685-1759) The Alchymist; Apollo e Dafne
Nicola Wemyss (soprano) Tom Sol (baritone) Michael Borgstede (harpsichord)
Musica ad Rhenum/Jed Wentz rec. 2006 BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94600
[58:10] [JV] Dramatic and exciting performances.
Ejnar
KANDING (b. 1965) Frank BRETSCHNEIDER (b. 1956) A Different
Kind of Tension; Auxiliary Blue; Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms
- Contemporánea rec. 2012 DACAPO 8.226540 [53:11] [DC]
Stimulating new music with plenty of subtle
oomph.
Giovanni
Battista PERGOLESI (1710-1736) L'Olimpiade Raúl
Giménez, Lyubov Petrova, Yetzabel Arias Fernández, Academia
Montis Regalis/Alessandro De Marchi rec. 2011 ARTHAUS MUSIK 108064
[170:00] [DBi] Another success from the 2011
Festival of the Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini.
Ignaz Joseph PLEYEL
(1757-1831) Partitas for Winds - Amphion Wind Octet rec. 2012 ACCENT
ACC 24276 [68:24] [BR] This 1700s wind
music may not be unforgettable, but it’s always enjoyable. Diverting
it was meant to be, and diverting it is.
Robert SCHUMANN
(1810-1856) Piano Trios 1 & 2 - Rhodes Piano Trio rec. 2012
CHAMPS HILL RECORDS CHRCD052 [58:23] [SG] Compelling
performances and an auspicious start to a promising recording career.
Les
Ballets Russes
- Volume 9 Darius MILHAUD (1892-1974) Le train
bleu Domenico SCARLATTI (1685-1757) - Vincenzo TOMMASINI(1878-1950)
Les femmes de bonne humeur Henri SAUGUET (1892-1974) La
chatte - Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslauten/Robert
Reimer rec. 2011-12 HÄNSSLER CLASSIC CD 93.296 [74:01] [JW]
Orchestral energy and colour will keep admirers
of these composers happy.
Wie einst in
schöner’n Tagen - Salonmusik der Belle Epoque
- Cathy Berberian (soprano); Bruno Canino (piano); Wolfgang Boettcher
(cello); Karlheinz Zöller (flute) rec. 1976 EMI CLASSICS 9123152
[79:50] [JS] Offers intimate and sophisticated
pleasure - a rarity for which I am very grateful.
Thursday June 27th
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Lera AUERBACH
(b.1973) 24 Preludes, Cello sonata, Postlude - Ani Aznavoorian (cello);
Lera Auerbach (piano) rec. 2012 CEDILLE CDR90000137 [74:59] [BR]
Authoritative performances of essential new
music. This cello goes up to 11.
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN
(1770-1827) Symphonies 4-6, Grosse Fuge - Philharmonia
O/Otto Klemperer rec. 1956/59 PRISTINE AUDIO PASC369 [76:12 +
64:56] [DD] Excellent transfers of treasured
performances … deserving a place in the collection of all Beethoven
lovers.
Antonín DVOŘÁK
(1841-1904) The Four Piano Trios - Gould Piano Trio rec.
2011 CHAMPS HILL CHRCD034 [76:39 + 64:11] [OL] Every
minute was a pleasure.
Franz Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809)
Piano Sonatas Vol. 5 - Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano) rec. 2012 CHANDOS
CHAN 10763 [75:09] [SG] Bavouzet
goes from strength to strength with each successive volume in the series.
Ottorino RESPIGHI
(1879-1936) Complete orchestral music Vol. 3
- Vadim Brodsky (violin) Chiara Bertoglio, Desirée Scuccuglia
(piano) Andrea Noferini (cello) SO di Roma/Francesco La Vecchia rec.
2009/11 BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94394 [70:12 + 72:19] [GA] A
must for Respighi fans, and anyone wanting to explore this currently
neglected composer.
Philip STOPFORD (b.1977)
Do not be afraid and other choral works Luke Bond (organ)
Truro Cathedral Ch/Christopher Gray REGENT REGCD 400 [74.12]
[PCG] With the warning that musical indigestion
may result from continuous listening, the current disc is warmly greeted.
Choreography by Bournonville
Herman Severin LØVENSKIOLD (1815-1870) La sylphide
Flemming Flindt, Lucette Aldous, Ballet Rambert London SO/David Ellenberg
Matthias STREBINGER (1807-1874) Pas de deux from
Flower festival in Genzano Rudolf Nureyev, Merle Park, Royal
Opera House O/Ashley Lawrence rec. 1960-74 ICA CLASSICS ICAD5099
[80:55]
[RMay] The main Flindt/Aldous offering entirely
on its own justifies this worthwhile new release.
British Clarinet Sonatas
Vol. 2 Works by Arnold, Cooke, Gregson, Benjamin & Horovitz
- Michael Collins (clarinet) Michael McHale (piano) rec. 2012 CHANDOS
CHAN 10758 [69:56] [MC] Exquisite playing:
crisp, sure articulation, refined phrasing and agreeable intonation.
Brigitte Fassbaender - The
Great Lieder Recordings EMI ICONS 6829682 [8 CDs: 598:45] [ST]
A compendium of treasures.
French music for harp & ensemble
Works by Ravel, Debussy, Roussel, Guy-Ropartz & Boieldieu
- Osian Ellis, Marie-Claire Jamet (harp) Melos Ens; CO Paul Kuentz
de Paris ALTO ALC 1203 [75:03] [IL] Another,
always welcome reissue of a delightful clutch of French music.
Wednesday 26th June
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Symphony 1 Bohuslav MARTINŮ (1890-1959) Symphony 4 Stuttgart
RSO des SWR/Klaus Tennstedt rec. 1973/76 ICA CLASSICS ICAC 5090
[76:05] [JQ] Two very valuable additions to
the Tennstedt discography.
Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896)
Mass - Lenneke Ruiten (soprano) Iris Vermillion (mezzo) Shawn Mathey
(tenor) Franz Josef Selig (bass) Rundfunkchor Berlin, Suisse Romande
O/Marek Janowski rec. 2012 PENTATONE CLASSICS PTC 5186 501 
[62:13] [MC] With a performance high on vitality
and reverence Bruckner is well served by this impressive recording.
Antonín DVOŘÁK
(1841-1904) Piano Trios 3 & 4 - Trio Solisti rec. 2011 BRIDGE
9393 [70:47] [BR] The kind of delightful
surprise we reviewers wait for.
Sir Edward ELGAR (1857-1934)
The Light of Life - Judith Howarth (soprano) Linda Finnie (contralto)
Arthur Davies (tenor) John Shirley-Quirk (baritone) John Scott (organ)
London SO & Ch/Richard Hickox rec. 1993 CHANDOS CHAN 10726 X
[62:48] [JQ] A fine Hickox recording of an
early, less well-known Elgar oratorio.
Günter RAPHAEL
(1903-60) Viola Sonata, Viola Concertino, Trio, Flute Concertino,
Rainer Moog (viola) Erwin Milzkott (flute) Christine Raphael Stiftung
CO/Fuad Ibrahimov, Berlin RSO/Karel Ančerl rec. 1957-2011 QUERSTAND
VKJK1234 [77:54] [JW] Raphael grappling
with the idea of the solo instrument.
Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
(1844-1908) Cantatas - Ch Moscow Academy of Choral Art, Moscow SO/Vladimir
Ziva BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94495 [51.00] [PCG] The
performances are very good and the music deserves to be much better
known.
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Piano Sonata 21, Moments musicaux - Edward Rosser (piano) rec. 2011
CONNOISSEUR SOCIETY CD 4275 [78:12] [BR] For
Schubert connoisseurs, this is a mandatory experience.
Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Violin Sonata César FRANCK (1822-1890) Violin Sonata -
Augustin Dumay (violin) Louis Lortie (piano) rec. 2012 ONYX 4096
[73:10] [SG] Compelling performances in a competitive
playing field.
Alexander ZEMLINSKY (1871-1942)
Der Zwerg Soile Isokoski, David Kuebler, Frankfurter Kantorei,
Gürzenich O Köln/James Conlon rec. 1996 EMI CLASSICS 7258752
[54:52 + 60:42] [RMo] The music is not all
that compelling but it is very atmospheric and has a compelling momentum
and melancholy.
Organum Antiquum
- Earliest Organ Music until J.S. Bach - Helga Schauerte (organ)
rec. 2012 SYRIUS SYR 141459 [71:13] [JV] This
disc will enrich the collection of organ aficionados.
Tuesday June 25th
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Ludwig van
BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Sonatas for Violin and Piano - Leonidas
Kavakos (violin) Enrico Pace (piano) rec. 2011-2012 DECCA 478 3523
[3 CDs: 246:11] [LW] Kavakos and Pace excel
in their cycle of Beethoven sonatas for violin and piano.
Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896)
Symphony 4 - Cleveland O/Franz Welser-Möst rec. 2012 ARTHAUS
MUSIK
108078
101682 [74:00] [DBi] A very good performance
but be aware this is not the Bruckner 4 you know.
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART
(1756-1791) Le Nozze Di Figaro Ileana Cotrubas
(soprano) Knut Skram (baritone) Benjamin Luxon (baritone) Kiri Te Kanawa
(soprano) Glyndebourne Ch/London PO/John Pritchard rec. 1973
ARTHAUS MUSIK
102 301 [179:00] [RJF] The video filming
betrays its age compared to the high definition we now expect, but a
welcome memento of a staging and sets that are matched by excellent
sung and acted portrayals.
Sergey Sergeyevich PROKOFIEV
(1891-1953) Works for Piano 1908-1938 - Roger Woodward (piano) rec.
1991 CELESTIAL HARMONIES 13292-2 [75:48] [DC]
Step beyond the sonatas and discover some remarkable Prokofiev.
Robert SCHUMANN
(1810-1856) Fantasiestücke, Kreisleriana Johannes BRAHMS
(1833-1897) Theme and Variations in D minor - Imogen Cooper (piano)
rec. 2012 CHANDOS CHAN 10755 [75:32] [DC] Deeply
satisfying on very many levels indeed.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Johann STRAUSS
(1825-1899) Waltzes, Polkas and Overtures - Anima Eterna Brugge/Jos
van Immerseel rec. 1999 OUTHERE REWIND REW505 [59:35] [Byz] One
of the finest recordings of Johann Strauss ever made.
Igor STRAVINSKY (1882-1971)
The Rite of Spring, Symphonies of Wind Instruments, Apollon
Musagète Berliner Phil/Sir Simon Rattle rec. 2007-2012 EMI
CLASSICS 723 6112 [75:36] [MC] All in all,
a resounding success.
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY
(1840-1893) Piano Concerto 1 Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Piano Concerto 2 - Geza Anda (piano) Kolner RSO/Sir Georg Solti, Otto
Klemperer rec. 1954/58 ICA CLASSICS ICAC 5092 [77:55] [SG] Two
compelling performances from the Hungarian pianist Geza Anda, and a
must for devotees.
Kurt WEILL (1900-1950)
Zaubernacht Ania Vegry (soprano) Arte Ensemble rec. 2012 CPO
777 767-2 [58.47] [PCG] Marvellous to be
able, at last, to hear this music in its original form, and in such
a good performance and recording.
The Trio Sonata in 18th-Century
Italy Works by Albinoni, Vivaldi & Locatelli - London
Baroque rec. 2012 BIS BIS-CD-2015 [77:14] [JV] An
interesting and musically entertaining journey through the history of
the Italian trio sonata of the 18th century.
Monday June 24th
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
St. Matthew Passion - Mark Padmore (tenor) Peter Harvey (bass)
Maria Espada (soprano) Ingeborg Danz (mezzo) Netherlands Radio Ch, National
Children’s Ch, Royal Concertgebouw O /Iván Fischer rec.
2012 ARTHAUS MUSIK 101 676
[2 DVDs: 174:00] [JQ] A
fine and well-filmed account of St. Matthew Passion from the Concertgebouw.
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN
(1770-1827) Piano sonatas Vol. 5: Sonatas 29-32 - Daniel Barenboim
(piano) rec. 1983/84 EUROARTS 2066518
[125:00] [SG]
Barenboim brings freshness and sensitivity. His expressive
powers are wondrous.
George GERSHWIN (1898-1937)
Strike Up the Band, Rhapsody in Blue, Catfish Row Orion Weiss
(piano) John Fullam (clarinet) Buffalo PO/JoAnn Falletta rec. 2010/12
NAXOS 8.559750 [54:21] [BR] So disappointing
I’m reconsidering my enthusiasm for the previous volume.
Thomas HAIGH (1769 - c.1808)
6 Concertos for Harpsichord - Barbara Harbach (harpsichord) MSR CLASSICS
MS 1441 [68:04] [JV] When consumed in small
doses these concertos will give much pleasure.
Felix MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847)
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Varsity Voices, Nota Bene, New Zealand
SO/James Judd rec. 2009 NAXOS 8.570794 [76:44] [SV]
The
music is well served … a light touch at a brisk tempo and transparent
sounds ... serene and fulfilling.
Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937)
Le Tombeau de Couperin Alexander SCRIABIN (1872-1915)
Preludes Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Sonata 21 - Alexander Schimpf
(piano) rec. 2012 OEHMS CLASSICS OC 867 [72:58] [BR] It’s
bold to take on three of the great piano composers in your international
CD debut, and it’s rare to meet each of them with such a sympathetic
approach.
Camille SAINT-SAËNS
(1835-1921) Musique de chambre avec vents - Les solistes
de l'Orchestre de Paris et de l'Opéra de Paris, Quatuor Pascal
rec. 1957/76 INDÉSENS RECORDS INDE019 [65:22] [MC]
I’m
puzzled why any discerning record label would release a disc with such
disagreeable sonics that present the players in such a poor light.
Igor STRAVINSKY
(1882-1971) Octet,
L’Histoire du Soldat, Jan Opalach
(narrator) The Eastman Wind Ensemble and Eastman Virtuosi/Mark Davis
Scatterday rec. 2011
AVIE AV2277 [60:52] [DC]
Stravinsky
from under the stairs.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Giuseppe VERDI
(1813-1901) Stiffelio Roberto Aronica (tenor)
Yu Guanqun (soprano) Ch & O Teatro Regio, Parma/Andrea Battistona
rec. 2012 C MAJOR 723104
[127:00 +10:00 bonus] [RJF] Does justice to
this nearly lost dramatic score of personal trials and moral principles.
Concertos and sonatas for
bassoon - Works by Vivaldi, JS & CPE Bach & Handel
Václav Vonášek (bassoon) Barocco sempre
giovane rec. 2011 SUPRAPHON SU4124-2 [46:58] [JW]
Crisp and well recorded - augurs
well for the collaboration with Supraphon.
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