Johannes
BRAHMS
(1833-1897) Fantasien
Op.116 (1892) Capriccio [2.28]; Intermezzo [4.26]; Capriccio [3.32];
Intermezzo [4.37]; Intermezzo [2.47]; Intermezzo [3.40]; Capriccio
[2.13] Intermezzi Op.117 (1892) No.1 [4.42]; No.2 [4.05]; No.3
[6.10] Klavierstücke Op.118 (1893) Intermezzo [1.52]; Intermezzo
[6.18]; Ballade [3.25]; Intermezzo [2.44]; Romanze [3.53]; Intermezzo
[5.06] Klavierstücke Op.119 (1893) Intermezzo [3.36]; Intermezzo
[5.11]; Intermezzo [1.32]; Rhapsodie [4.22] 
Elena Kuschnerova (piano) Recorded Studios 1 and 2, Bavarian Radio,
2002-04 ARS PRODUKTION
38 436 [77.00][JW]
A
most worthwhile survey ... It has the strength of its convictions
... see Full Review
Frederic CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op 23 (1835-36) [10:09] Ballade No. 2 in
F major, Op 38 (1836-39) [8:10] Ballade No. 3 in A flat major, Op.
47 (1840-41) [8:00] Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52 (1842) [11:36]
Impromptu No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 29 (1837) [4:57] Impromptu No.
2 in F sharp major, Op. 36 (1839) [6:23] Impromptu No. 3 in G flat
major, Op. 51 (1842) [5:38] Fantaisie-Impromptu in C sharp minor,
Op. 66 (1834) [5:49] Bolero, Op. 19 (1833) [8:39]
Eugene Mursky (piano) rec. SWR Kammermusik Studio, Villa Berg, 13-14
August, 17 September 2004. DDD
HÄNSSLER PH04065 [69:24][TO]
Scrupulously
detailed Ballades that too often turn cold and stiff. ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Aaron
COPLAND (1900-1990) Old American Songs
(orchestral version): * First Set: 1 The Boatmen’s Dance
(Minstrel Song) [3:04]; 2 The Dodger (Campaign Song) [2:15]; 3 Long
Time Ago (Ballad) [3:04]; 4 Simple Gifts (Shaker Song) [1:36]; 5 I
Bought Me A Cat (Children’s Song) [2:10]; Second Set: 6
The Little Horses (Lullaby) [2:49]; 7 Zion’s Walls (Revivalist
Song) [1:56]; 8 The Golden Willow Tree (Anglo-American Ballad) [3:37];
9 At The River (Hymn Tune) [2:52] 10 Ching-A-Ring Chaw (Minstrel Song)
[1:33]; 11 Down A Country Lane [2:51] Eight Poems of Emily Dickinson
**: 12 Nature, The Gentlest Mother [3:55]; 13 There Came A Wind Like
A Bugle [1:32]; 14 The World Feels Dusty [1:55]; 15 Heart, We Will
Forget Him! [2:26]; 16 Dear March, Come In! [2:04]; 17 Sleep Is Supposed
To Be [2:43]; 18 Going To Heaven! [2:50] 19 The Chariot [3:08] Billy
the Kid (selection): 20 Waltz - Molto moderato [3:51]; 21
Prairie Night – Molto moderato [4:42]; 22 Celebration Dance –
Allegro [2:15]
Thomas Hampson (bar)* Dawn Upshaw (sop) ** Saint Paul Chamber
Orchestra/Hugo Wolff Recorded in the Ordway Music Theatre, St Paul,
Minnesota, in September 1992 (Old American, Orchestral Pieces); September
1993 (Eight Poems)
WARNER APEX 2564 62089-2 [59:08][SA]
A
great disc ... see Full
Review
Georg Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
Destero
dall empia dite (Amadigi) (1715) M’hai resa infelice (Deidamia) (1741)
Piagero la sorte mia (Giulio Cesare) (1724) Scherza in mar (Lotario)
(1729) Ombre piante; Se’l mio duol (Rodelinda) (1725) Tutta raccolta
ancor (Scipione) (1726) Orrida a gl’occi miei (Ariodante) (1735) Ah.
crudel (Rinaldo) (1711) Sommi dei; Barbaro, partiro (Radamisto) (1720)
Emma Bell (soprano)
Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Richard Egarr Recorded 8–10 September 2004,
Usher Hall, Edinburgh
LINN CKD 252 
[51.24][RH]
I
will treasure this disc as a record of a fine singer at a wonderful
peak in her career but I can’t get rid of the feeling that the engineers
could have made her sound even better. ... see Full
Review
Paul Le FLEM (1881-1954)
Works for solo piano: Avril (1910) [5:51]; Vieux calvaire
(1910) [6:23]; Sept prières enfantines (1911) [11:47];
Par grèves (1910) [7:59]; Par landes (1907) [5:55];
Chant des Genêts (1911) [11:42] Violin Sonata (1905)
[29:05]
Marie-Catherine Girod (piano) Annick Roussin (violin) rec. La Clé
d'Ut, 10-12 Nov 1992. AAD Collection Musiques Françaises
ACCORD 476 160 9 [78:42][RB]
Melancholy,
heroic, sombrely optimistic ... echoes with the sound of bells and
the beautiful magnificence of marine landscapes - in wind, rain and
sunshine. I cannot overstate the high quality of this music. ... see
Full Review
Franz LEHÁR (1870-1948)
Das
Land des Lächelns (1929) Romantic operetta in two parts. Libretto
by Herzer, Lohner-Beda and Leon
Sou-Chong: René Kollo (tenor) Lisa: Birgit Pitsch-Sarata (sop) Graf
Ferdinand von Lichtenfels: Fred Liewehr (bar) Mi: Dagmar Koller (sop)
Graf Gustav von Pottenstein: Heinz Zednik (bass) Lin-Po: Herbert Prokipa
Korean Court Ballet Südfunkchor Stuttgart and Radioorchester Stuttgart/Wolfgang
Ebert Musical arrangement by Bert Grund Staged and Directed by Arthur
Maria Rabenalt rec. soundtrack August, September 1973, filmed September,
October 1973. DVD.
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON UNITEL 0040 073 4056 
[100:00][ED]
A
curiosity despite Kollo’s contribution. ... see Full
Review
Karol RATHAUS (1895-1954)
Symphony No. 2 Op. 7 (1923) [33:59] Symphony No. 3 Op. 50 (1942-43)
[42:56]
Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt/Israel Yinon rec. Carl
Philipp Emanuel Bach-Konzerthalle, Frankfurt (Oder), 24-27 June, 8-9
July 2002. DDD
CPO 777 031-2 [77:28][RB]
Moderately
attractive music in a tough idiom requiring some persistence. ...
see Full Review
Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
(1844-1908) Sadko - opera-bylina in
seven tableaux (1898)
Sadko - Georgy Nelepp (ten) Volkhova - Elisabeta Shumskaya (sop) Lyubava
- Valentina Davidova (mezzo) Nezhata - E Antonova (alto) The Sea King
- S Krasovsky (bass) Duda - S Koltypin (bass) Sopel - A Peregudov
(ten) First City Elder - T Chernyakov (ten) Second City Elder - S
Nikolau (bass) Viking Merchant - Mark Reizen (bass) Venetian Merchant
- Ivan Kozlovsky (ten) Apparition - Pavel Lisitsian Minstrels, Jesters,
Soothsayers, Wandering Pilgrims Bolshoi Theatre Chorus and Orchestra/Nikolai
Golovanov rec. 1950, USSR, from Melodiya D-01480-87. AAD. mono
PREISER 90655 [52:17 + 54:36 + 59:51][RB]
Music-making
of real allure ... a fine example in historic sound of one of Rimsky's
supernatural operas ... see Full
Review
Xaver SCHARWENKA
(1850-1924) Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor,
Op. 32 (1873) [28.05] Anton RUBINSTEIN
(1829-1894) Piano Concerto No. 4 in D minor, Op. 70 (1864) [31.23]
Marc-André Hamelin (piano) BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Michael
Stern rec. 18-19 February 2005, Caird Hall, Dundee
HYPERION CDA 67508 [59.41][TB]
Both
concertos rate as worthy of our attention more than a century on,
even though they are not as firmly positioned in the repertory as
they used to be. ... see Full
Review
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
Don Carlo (Four act version) (1867)
Jerome Hines (bass) - Filippo II; Eleanor Steber (soprano) - Elisabetta;
Richard Tucker (tenor) - Don Carlo; Blanche Thebom (mezzo-soprano)
- Eboli; Ettore Bastianini (baritone) - Rodrigo; Nicola Moscona (bass)
- L’Inquisitore; Vilma Georgiou (soprano) - Tebaldo; Charles
Anthony (tenor) - Lerma; Gabor Carelli (tenor) - Un araldo; Louis
Sgarro (bass) - Un frate; Shakeh Vartenissian (soprano) - Una voce
dal Cielo Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus/Kurt Adler Live
recording from the Metropolitan Opera, New York, 5 March 1955
ANDROMEDA ANDRCD 5018 [75:25 + 78:06][GF]
I
can’t think that this will ever be someone’s first choice of Don Carlo,
but admirers of Ettore Bastianini should definitely search it out
and there is enough of good singing elsewhere too to make it a fairly
attractive proposition. ... see Full
Review
Friday
Béla
BARTÓK (1881-1945)
Piano
Music vol. 4 - for children (gyermekeknek) BB53, Sz.42 (revised
1943) Vol. 1 Based on Hungarian Folk tunes [37:07] Vol. 2 Based on
Slovakian Folk tunes [39:12]
Jenö Jandó (piano) Recorded at the Phoenix Studio, Budapest,
Hungary, 24-27 September, 2002.
NAXOS 8.555998 [76:19] [SA]
I
can’t single out any single piece from the
29 on this disc – I can say I never tired
of them after at least six hearings. ...
see Full
Review
Hector
BERLIOZ (1803-1869)
Grande
Symphonie funèbre et triomphale, Op. 15 [34’30"] La
Mort de Cléopâtre* [23’08"] Overture Benvenuto
Cellini, Op. 23*** [10’23"] Overture Le Carnaval romain,
Op. 9*** [9’15"] Overture Les Francs-Juges, Op. 3***[13’17"]
Overture Le Corsaire, op. 21*** [8’31"] Les Troyens,
excerpts**: Chasse royale et orage [14’10"]; Ballet
[4’41"]; Marche troyenne [5’20"]
Chorale Populaire de Paris Musique des Gardiens de la Paix/Désiré
Dondeyne *Nadine Denize (mezzo-soprano) * **Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique
de Radio France/Gilbert Amy *** Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg/Alain
Lombard Recorded: Notre-Dame, Paris, 1958; * and ** Studios of Radio
France, Paris, 1980; *** Strasbourg, 1980 ADD
WARNER APEX 2564 62183-2 [57’45" +65’51"] [JQ]
Useful
and enjoyable. If you wish to explore some
of the French master’s less frequently heard
works this is a good and inexpensive anthology.
... see
Full Review
Louis
GLASS
(1864-1936) String
Sextet Op. 15 in G major (1892) [32:46] Piano Quintet Op. 22 in C
major (1896) [38:03]
Christina Bjørkøe (piano) Copenhagen Classic rec. Danmarks
Radio, Radio House, Concert Hall, 9-10 Oct 1999 (op. 15); 23-25 Mar
2003 (op. 22). CPO
777 062-2 [70:47] [RB]
Neither
work touches the heights of the Fifth Symphony
but this is honest music which retains the
capacity to charm and move. ... see Full
Review
Alexander
GLAZUNOV
(1865-1936) String
Quartet No. 3 in G major op. 26 (1886) [27:45] String Quartet No.
5 in D minor op. 70 (1898) [28:45] The Fridays (Les Vendredis
or Pyatnitsy: cycle for string quartet: Prelude and
Fugue (book 1 No. 1) [10:16]; Kuranta (book 2 No. 6) [2:02]
The Shostakovich
Quartet (Andrei Shishlov; Alexander Balashov; Alexander Galkovsky;
Alexander Korchagin) rec. State Radio and TV Committee of the Moscow
Central Recording Studio 1979 (3); 1975 (5); 1974. ADD
REGIS RRC 1211 [69:15] [RB]
I
commend this inexpensive disc to explorers
of the string quartet who already know and
love their Smetana and late Dvorak chamber
music. ... see Full
Review
Reinhold
GLIÈRE (1875-1956)
Symphony
No. 3 in B minor Il’ya Muromets Op. 42 (1911) [93:02] Cello
Concerto Op. 87 (1946-47) [46:26] Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Harold
Farberman (Symphony) Sergei Sudzilovsky (cello)
Russian Cinematic Symphony Orchestra/Sergei Skripka Rec. Dec 1978,
All Saints Church, Tooting, London. DDD (symphony); Mosfilm Studio,
Moscow, July 1986 (concerto). DDD
REGIS RRC 2068 [65:27 + 74:01] [RB]
This
is a real treat for those who like to venture
around the periphery of Russian nationalist
repertoire and like a more spacious approach
to the Symphony. ... see Full
Review
Saburo MOROI (1903
– 1977) Sinfonietta
in B flat For Children Op.24 (1943) [15:46] Two Symphonic Movements
Op.22 (1942) [19:09] Symphony No. 3 Op.25 (1944) [33:20]
National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland/Takuo Yuasa Recorded: National
Concert Hall, Dublin, September 2002
NAXOS 8.557162 [68:15] [HC]
Traditional
... solid, warmly post-romantic and lushly
scored music played with admirable commitment
and conviction. ... see Full
Review
Sergei
RACHMANINOV (1875
- 1945) The Bells, Op. 35 (1912) [35:15]
Spring, Op. 20 (1902) [15:57] Three Russian Songs,
Op.41 [12:04] Alexandrina
Pendachanska Op.35, (soprano) Kaludi Kaludov Op.35, (tenor) Sergei
Leiferkus Opp. 35, 20 (tenor) Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia
Philadelphia Orchestra/Charles Dutoit. rec. Memorial Hall, Philadelphia,
USA, January 1992. DDD
DECCA ELOQUENCE 476 7702 [63:55]. [JPh]
All
of Rachmaninov’s works for choir and orchestra.
A nice idea and the performances are more
than satisfactory and allow us to enjoy
these works at super budget price. ... see
Full Review
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Piano
Sonata in C minor D.958 [31:30] Felix MENDELSSOHN
(1809-1847) Songs without Words, op. 19: 1 [03.33], 2 [02:18],
3 [02:18], 5 [02:45], 6 [03:07] Fryderyk
CHOPIN (1810-1849) Nocturne in B flat minor op. 9/1 [06:27]
Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Images,
Book 1 [15:22], Hommage à Haydn [02:34], L’isle joyeuse [05:55]
Sviatoslav Richter
(piano) Recorded live at Szeged, Hungary in 1972
DOREMI DHR-7766 [76:07] [CH]
Best
left for confirmed Richterites. ... see
Full Review
Richard
WAGNER (1813
– 1883) Lohengrin
(1850) Lauritz Melchior (tenor) – Lohengrin; Astrid Varnay (soprano)
– Elsa of Brabant; Alexander Sved (baritone) – Friedrich von Telramund;
Kerstin Thorborg (mezzo) – Ortrud; Norman Cordon (bass) – Henry the
Fowler, King of Germany; Mack Harrell (baritone) – Herald
Orchestra and Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, New York/Erich Leinsdorf
Recorded at live broadcast on 2nd January 1943 Appendix:
Bridal Chamber Scene (Act III, Scene 2) sung by Lauritz Melchior and
Emmy Bettendorf. Orchestra/Frieder Weissmann Recorded in Berlin 1926
NAXOS 8.110235-37
[3 CDs: 55:05 + 69:49 + 74:26] [GF]
Despite
a glassy string sound this is a thrilling
Lohengrin ... see Full
Review
Ernst
Wilhelm WOLF (1735-1792)
Symphonies:
E flat [16'51]; F [23'51]; C (1786) [17'20]; D [6'54].
Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Weimar/Nicolás Pasquet.
rec. Concert Hall of the Franz Liszt University of Music, Weimar,
4-6 April 2003. DDD
NAXOS 8.557132 [64'56] [CC]
The
world of the Wind Serenade is never too
far away yet Wolf can attain depths of expression
that seem to post-date his period. Recommended.
... see Full
Review
Recordings
of the Month Bargains
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Rafal
Blechacz, 20, has become the first Pole in
30 years to win the Chopin International Piano
Competition. You can buy his disc 
Wars, Dictators and the Gramophone 1898-1945
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