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Tuesday August 22nd 157 reviews completed so far this month

Today's reviews (pdf) Reviews from the last week Download surveys This month's reviews Last month's reviews

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Georges BIZET (1838-1875) Les Pêcheurs de Perles - Mariusz Kwiezien (baritone) Diana Damrau (soprano) Metropolitan Opera Ch & O/Gianadrea Noseda rec. 2016 ERATO 9029589360 Blu-ray [120 mins] [PCG] A quite simply marvellous re-imagining of Bizet’s beautifully perfumed score.

Nicolaus BRUHNS (1665-1697) Complete Cantatas - Harmonices Mundi/Claudio Astronio rec. 2015 BRILLIANT CLASSICS 95138 [2 CDs: 139:06] [JV] A very respectable and in many ways enjoyable production.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Frédéric CHOPIN (1810-1849) Late Works - Maurizio Pollini (piano) rec. 2015/16 DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 479 6127 [54:37] [MG] Pollini’s masterful playing is generally faster, smoother and more varied than that of his younger contemporaries.

Joseph HAYDN (1732–1809) String Quartets Vol. 6 - Amadeus String Qt rec. 1950-69 AUDITE 21.426 [5 CDs: 313:23] [JW] A box of high importance to admirers of this august group.

Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) Concertos - Lukas Geniušas, Dmitry Masleyev (piano) Sergey Dogadin, Pavel Milyukov (violin) Alexander Buzlov, Alexander Ramm (cello) Tatarstan Ntl SO/Alexander Sladkovsky rec. 2016 MELODIYA MELCD1002465 [3 CDs: 176:31] [NB] Simply superb - bravo to all involved!

Igor STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) The Firebird Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976) Sinfonia da Requiem Staatskapelle Dresden/Rudolf Kempe rec. 1976 BERLIN CLASSICS 0300890BC [39.37] [MC] Collectors should snap up this excellent album without delay.

Sir William WALTON (1902-1983) & Sir Edward ELGAR (1857-1934) Cello Concertos Ina BOYLE (1889-1967) Elegy - Nadège Rochat (cello) Staatskapelle Weimar/Paul Meyer rec. 2016 ARS PRODUKTION ARS 38.221 SACD [62:40] [RB] Cosily cocooned readings that envelop the listener without blunting the treble range.

Azerbaijani Music Nargiz Aliyarova (piano) rec. 2016 ET'CETERA KTC1556 [69:10] [RB] Be rewarded by this advocacy of Azerbaijan's scarcely known concert music.

Interactions Works by Lutosławski, Stravinsky & Valen - Gunnar Flagstad (violin) Bård Monsen (piano) rec. 2016 2L 2L237 SACD & Blu-Ray [53:00] [DD] Stimulating works, well played and recorded ... price and format restricts full appeal.

Many Are The Wonders ORA/Suzy Digby rec. 2016 HARMONIA MUNDI HMM905284 [70:25] [JQ] Another stimulating and successful juxtaposition of polyphonic and contemporary music by ORA.

NEW & RECENT ARTICLES

[New] Second Thoughts and Short Reviews: Summer 2017 Part 2 by Brian Wilson and Dan Morgan

George Frederick Bristow – America’s First Great Classical Composer by Andrew Hartman

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MusicWeb - The International Web Site - Founder: Len Mullenger [UK], Founding Editor: Rob Barnett [UK], Regular Reviewers (April 2016): Steve Arloff [UK], Stephen Barber [UK], Terry Barfoot [UK], David Barker [New Zealand], Rob Barnett [UK], Nick Barnard [UK], Dave Billinge [UK], Philip Borg-Wheeler [UK], Marc Bridle [UK], Colin Clarke [UK], Dominy Clements [Netherlands], Michael Cookson [UK], Hubert Culot [Belgium], Robert Farr [UK], Göran Forsling [Sweden], John France [UK], Paul C Godfrey [UK], Stephen Greenbank [UK], Michael Greenhalgh [UK], Nigel Harris [UK], William Hedley [France], Gary Higginson [UK], Christopher Howell [Italy], Des Hutchinson [Australia], Neil Horner [UK], Richard Kraus [USA], William Kreindler [USA], Ian Lace [UK], Oleg Ledeniov [USA], Jens Laursen [USA], Em Marshall-Luck [UK], Bruce McCollum [USA], Rob Maynard [UK], Ralph Moore [UK], Dan Morgan [UK], Margarida Mota-Bull [UK], Gwyn Parry-Jones [UK], Tully Potter [UK], Glyn Pursglove [UK], John Quinn [UK], Brian Reinhart [USA], Marc Rochester [UK], Curtis Rogers [UK], Stuart Sillitoe [UK], Bob Stevenson [UK], Simon Thompson [UK], Steve Vasta [USA], Johan van Veen [Netherlands], Raymond Walker [UK], Jonathan Welsh [UK], Roy Westbrook [UK], John Whitmore [UK], Michael Wilkinson [UK], Brian Wilson [UK], Jonathan Woolf [UK] Leslie Wright [USA]. A complete list of contributors can be seen here

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