NEW & RECENT ARTICLES

Composer Dobrinka Tabakova in Conversation with Rob Barnett

Download News 2015/3 by Brian Wilson, Dan Morgan & Geoffrey Molyneux

National Discographies: Central European & Balkan Concertos M-R by Mike Herman

David Jennings' Sonatina No. 2 by John France

An interview with cellist Leonard Elchenbroich by Margarida Mota-Bull

Raphael Wallfisch on Nimbus - discography & review links

An A to Z of the Piano Trio Repertoire by David Barker: "B" Composers Part 1

MWI Recommends - Stravinsky The Firebird & Verdi Aida.

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Publishing schedule
Monday: Other reviews (nostalgia, books, other music); Wednesday: MWI Recommends; Friday: Articles.
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LATEST REVIEWS

Tuesday March 31st

Gregorio ALLEGRI (1582-1652) Opere inedite dai manoscritti della Collectio Altaemps - Musica Flexanima Ens/Fabrizio Bigotti rec. 2011 TACTUS TC550007 [74:06] [JV] A most interesting disc which should contribute to the creation of a more differentiated picture of Allegri as a composer.

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) St Mark Passion - Gudrun Sidonie Otto (soprano) Terry Wey (alto) Daniel Johannsen (tenor) Knabenkantorei Basel/Capriccio Barock O/Markus Teutschbein rec. 2014 RONDEAU PRODUCTION ROP6090/1 [2 CDs: 114:00] [ST] Diverting as this is, I won’t be rushing back to it.

Wilhelm Friedemann BACH (1710-1784) Keyboard works - Anthony Spiri (piano) rec. 2004/11 OEHMS CLASSICS OC431 [58:58] [SSi] A good disc of W.F. Bach’s keyboard music, but not the best.

Frank BRIDGE (1879-1941) Phantasy Piano Quartet, Cello Sonata, Folksong arrangements, Violin Sonata - The Nash Ens rec. 2012 HYPERION CDA68003 [79:41] [DJB] A cross-section of Bridge’s range of styles, brilliantly performed.

Alexander Ernst FESCA (1820-1849) Piano Trios 2 & 5 - Trio Paian rec. 2012 CPO 777862-2 [65:54] [PRB] Fesca’s gift for melody rather than seriously academic formal construction makes these trios so appealing.

Zdeněk FIBICH (1850-1900) Orchestral Music Vol. 4 - Czech Ntl SO/Marek Štilec rec. 2013 NAXOS 8.573310 [66:00] [SV] Fibich has long held a place on my short list of Great Neglected Composers.

Reinhard KEISER (1674-1739) Markuspassion - Thomas E. Bauer (bass) Jan Kobow (tenor) Ens Jacques Moderne, Gli Incogniti/Joël Suhubiette & Amandine Beyer rec. 2014 MIRARE MIR254 [76:21] [BW] Lovers of the Bach Passions should appreciate this recording, which is preferable to the only rival version.

Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Variations on a theme of Corelli, Vocalise, Symphonic Dances - Jeremy Filsell (organ) rec. 2012 SIGNUM RECORDS SIGCD324 [76:43] [DC] Rachmaninov meets the mighty Dobson Op. 76.

Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937) Le Tombeau de Couperin, Jeux d’eau, Sonatine, Pavane pour une infant défunte, Gaspard de la nuit - Kathryn Stott (piano) rec. 1990 ALTO ALC1279 [71:56] [JW] Truly atmospheric, very communicatively done, visceral in its tension.

Johann Strauss Gala Andrea Rost (soprano) José Carreras (tenor) Vienna PO/Zubin Mehta rec. 1999 ARTHAUS MUSIK Blu-ray Disc 108174 [114:00] [RMay] Music for dancing rather than for listening to at length in a single uninterrupted sitting.

Monday March 30th

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano Concerto 4 & cadenzas - Jerome Lowenthal (piano) rec. 2007 LP CLASSICS 1008A/B [76:14 + 73:05] [GA] The concerto recording is fine, but it is the collection of cadenzas that give this disc its special appeal.

Arthur BENJAMIN (1893-1960) Violin Concerto E.J. MOERAN (1894-1950) Violin Concerto Arnold BAX (1833-1953) Violin Concerto William WALTON (1902-1983) Cello Concerto - Derek Collier, Alfredo Campoli, André Gertler (violin), Gregor Piatigorsky (cello) Sir Malcolm Sargent rec. 1957-61 LYRITA RECORD EDITION REAM.2114 [57:03 + 62:24] [DC] Uniquely valuable historic BBC recordings.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Carl NIELSEN (1865-1931) Symphonies 2 & 6 - Royal Stockholm PO/Sakari Oramo rec. 2014 4 BIS BIS-2128 SACD [64:34] [DM] A feisty, unfettered Second and a benchmark Sixth; a triumph for all concerned.

Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) String Quartet 2 Igor STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) Three Pieces, Concertino Jerome KERN (1885-1945) Arrangements - Gordon String Qt rec. 1942-53 FORGOTTEN RECORDS FR1046 [63:46] [JW] I’ve always enjoyed the playing of the Gordon Quartet.

Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Songs - Viktoriya Dodoka (soprano), Iola Shelley (piano) ATOLL ACD106 [60:52] [RWe] Dodoka sounds born to these songs.

Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Fantaisie - David Fray, Jacques Rouvier (piano) rec. 2014 ERATO 2564 616699 [78:59] [ST] Fray takes another step forwards as a poet of the piano and establishing him as a serious voice in the Schubertian world.

Georg Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767) Quatuors Parisiens - Les Ombres rec. 2013 MIRARE MIR255 [55:48] [JV] Those who don't need a complete recording of the Paris Quartets should seriously consider this disc.

Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741) Le quattro stagioni, Concerto for 4 violins, Violin concerto - Australian CO/Richard Tognetti (violin) rec. 2014 BIS BIS-2103 SACD [67:37] [DC] One to treasure.

Piotr Beczala (tenor) Slavic Opera Arias - Polish Radio SO/Łukasz Borowicz rec. 2009 ORFEO C814101A [79:38] [MC] A wonderful talent ... Opera lovers will surely savour this collection.

Easter from King's Ch King’s College, Cambridge/Stephen Cleoburyry rec. 2013 KING’S COLLEGE KGS0009 DVD [73:05] [JQ] A DVD that marks the Easter season very well despite rather safe programme planning.

Friday March 27th

Carl Philipp Emanuel BACH (1714-1788) Solo Keyboard Music Vol. 29 - Miklós Spányi (clavichord) rec. 2013 BIS BIS-2046 [75:30] [SSi] A worthy addition to the growing catalogue of CPE Bach recordings, one to savour.

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Violin Concertos - Fredrik From, Peter Spissky, Bjarte Eike, Manfredo Kraemer (violin) Antoine Torunczyk (oboe) Concerto Copenhagen/Lars Ulrik Mortensen rec. 2011 CPO 777904-2 [55:10] [DC] Gorgeous sonorities, well worth considering.

Hector BERLIOZ (1803-1869) La Damnation de Faust - Stuart Burrows, Edith Mathis, Donald McIntyre, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Boston SO/Seiji Ozawa rec. 1973 PENTATONE PTC5186212 SACD [122.10] [DBi] This is as good as it gets especially for surround listeners. Whether you own another recording or not, this one should be heard.

Arrigo BOITO (1842-1918) Mefistofele - Ildar Abdrazakov, Ramón Vargas, Patricia Racette, San Francisco Opera/Nicola Luisotti rec. 2013 EUROARTS 2059678 [2 DVDs: 145:00] [WK] Overall a convincing contender.

Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony 9 - Aarhus SO/John Gibbons rec. 2014 DANACORD DACOCD754 [80:31] [JF] I was impressed and moved.

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Serenade 11; 4 Divertimenti - Scottish Chamber Orchestra Wind Soloists rec. 2014 LINN RECORDS CKD479 SACD [67:08] [ST] Exceptionally genial ... I enjoyed this immensely.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873–1943) All-night Vigil - Phoenix Chorale; Kansas City Chorale/Charles Bruffy rec. 2014 CHANDOS CHSA5148 SACD [75:34] [JQ] A very beautiful and inspired reading.

Kaija SAARIAHO (b.1952) Quatre instants, Terra memoria, Émilie Suite - Karen Vourc’h (soprano) Strasbourg PO/Marko Letonja rec. 2013/2014 ONDINE ODE1255-2 [71:13] [SB] Atmospheric works from a leading Finnish composer.

Les Ballets Russes Vol. 3 Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune Florent SCHMITT (1870-1958) La Tragédie de Salomé Igor STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) Pétrouchka - SWR SO Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Sylvain Cambreling rec. 2002/07 HÄNSSLER CLASSIC CD93.223 [75:41] [SFV] Plenty of character, both musical and pictorial but ...

Johanna Martzy (violin) Collection Vol. 3 rec. 1957-69 DOREMI DHR-8034/5 [70:29 + 71:00] [JW] Martzy in excellent form ... she plays with aristocratic command.

Thursday March 26th

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Goldberg Variations - Konstantin Lifschitz (piano) rec. 1994 DENON CO78961 [79:01] [RMo] A gloriously extrovert and communicative interpretation.

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Symphonies 5 & 9 - Anna Tomowa-Sintow (soprano) Agnes Baltsa (mezzo) Rene Kollo (tenor) Jose Van Dam (baritone) Berlin PO/Herbert von Karajan rec. 1966/77 EUROARTS Blu-ray 2072724 [98:00 + 21:00] [ST] Any of his Fifths is preferable to this one but this Ninth is worth investigating.

Hector BERLIOZ (1803-1869) Symphonie fantastique - Philharmonia Zurich/Fabio Luisi rec. 2013 PHILHARMONIA RECORDS PHR0101 [55:27] [JQ] Not a Symphonie Fantastique that stands out from the crowd in any way.

Dinos CONSTANTINIDES (b. 1929) Violin Concertos 1-3 - Simos Papanas, Espen Lilleslåtten, Yova Milanov (violin) Louisiana Sinf/Dinos Constantinides, LSU Phil/Carlos Riazuelo rec. 2012/13 MAGNI PUBLICATIONS MP21004 [50:14] [BR] A tantalising if compromised taste of three interesting concertos.

Claude DELVINCOURT (1888-1954) Violin Sonata, String Quartet - Maurice Crut (violin), Lucette Descaves (piano) Parrenin Qt rec. 1955/6 FORGOTTEN RECORDS FR534 [54:26] [JW] Harmonically unsettled and undercutting refined and gentle writing.

Antonín DVOŘÁK (1841-1904) Cello Concerto, Piano Trio 4 - Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello) Alexander Melnikov (piano) Isabelle Faust (violin) Prague Philharmonia/Jiří Bělohlávek HARMONIA MUNDI HMC901867 [69:28] [DJB] It doesn’t matter how many recordings of these works you have, you absolutely need this.

Richard HARVEY (b.1953) Plague and the Moonflower – Ben Kingsley, Ian Holm, Penelope Wilton, Ch New College Oxford/Richard Harvey rec. 1999 ALTUS ALU0001CD [68:32] [JWh] A tuneful romp in spectacular sound.

Franz LISZT (1811-1886) Transcendental Études Frederic CHOPIN (1810-1849) Études - Mélodie Zhao (piano) rec. 2008/11 CLAVES 50-1110/1238 [64:59 & 59:58]  [SG] An amazing achievement for one so young.

Nicole Cabell (soprano) Chanson d'avril Songs by Bizet, Duparc, Liszt & Ravel - Craig Terry (piano) rec. 2013 DELOS DE3450 [65:47] [MC] Cabell is a sheer delight.

War and Peace 1614-1714 La Capella Reial de Catalunya, Le Concert des Nations, Hespèrion XXI/Jordi Savall rec. 1996-2013 ALIA VOX AVSA9908 SACD [75:54 + 77:51] [DBi] A superbly recorded, thought-provoking and beautifully packaged issue well worth the very moderate price.

Wednesday March 25th

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Goldberg Variations - Konstantin Lifschitz (piano) rec. 2012 ORFEO C864141A [80:43] [RMo] Patrician mastery.

Francesco CAVALLI (1602-1676) L’Ormindo - Sandrine Piau (soprano) Les Paladins/Jérôme Correas rec. 2006 PAN CLASSICS PC10330 [55:32 + 75:44] [ST] Not the most thrilling of rides but it's early opera at its beautiful best and this set does it proud.

Félicien DAVID (1810-1876) Le Désert - Accentus, Paris CO/Laurence Equilbey rec. 2014 NAÏVE V5405 [45:01 + 49:12] [ST] An unusual hybrid and well worth exploring.

Peter MAXWELL DAVIES (b.1934) Caroline Mathilde suites, Chat Moss, Ojai Festival overture - BBC PO/Peter Maxwell Davies rec. 1991-95 NAXOS 8.572358 [73:53] [SB] The admirable Naxos Maxwell Davies programme of reissues continues apace.

Olivier MESSIAEN (1908-1992) Quatuor pour la fin du temps, Fantasie, Thème et Variations - Ens Nordlys rec. 2010/13 DANACORD DACOCD756 [66:13] [SG] Beautifully recorded in idiomatic and stylistically compelling performances.

Guido MORINI (b. 1959) Solve et Coagula - Marco Beasley (tenor) Accordone/Guido Morini rec. 2014 ALPHA 537 [68:04] [SSi] An interesting and wonderfully performed ‘eighteenth century’ modern opera.

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Piano Concertos 18 & 23; Audio biography - Martha Argerich, Daniel Barenboim (pianos) Bavarian RSO/Eugen Jochum, Rafael Kubelik rec. 1970/73 BR KLASSIK 900906 [4 CDs: 293:38] [MC] Stunning live performances. I’d be very happy if these were the only recordings I had of each work.

Serge RACHMANINOFF (1873-1943) Piano Sonatas 1 & 2, Preludes - Xiayin Wang (piano) rec. 2013/14 CHANDOS CHAN10816 [65:36] [RWe] Outstanding ... virtually on its own in coupling the two tremendous sonatas and favouring the composer’s revised shorter version of No.2.

Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937) Piano Trio Antonín DVOŘÁK (1841-1904) Piano Trio 4 Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Piano Trio - Daroch Trio rec. 2013 DUX 0758 [79:09] [DJB] Robust and committed performances.

Bach to Parker Thomas Gould (violin) David O’Brien (bass) rec. 2013 CHAMPS HILL RECORDS CHRCD078 [70:16] [JW] Beautifully recorded, unusual and wide-ranging.