Jascha
Horenstein - a CD Discography by Donald Clarke
Sir Malcolm Arnold at 80
by Hubert Culot
ENCYCLOPAEDIA
of Popular Music now on-line (nearly 4000 pages)
DICTIONARY of
Classical composers now complete
THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC Reflections of
a music publisher by Ernst Roth
Contemporary
British Music
(1945-1970) by Francis Routh complete on-line book
Arthur Butterworth
Writes: The Loquacious Conductor
Diatribes and Digressions:
It
maybe Hi-Fi but is it music? by David Dyer
Musings on
Carmen by David Dyer
Algernon
ASHTON works list
MALCOLM
ARNOLD – THE SYMPHONIES: A comparative review (Part One)
Paul Conway
GOLDBERG
MAGAZINE A
quarterly magazine of early music
If you enjoy
the sort of articles Arthur Butterworth and others write and feel you
would like to write one yourself I would be willing to open a Public
Forum where they could be presented. email
Len
On-Line help sites: How do I do this, Where do I find this. Some
free, some not
Did
you know you could help sponsor
a new recording for as little as £10 - a symphony for £25?
Read on such
as this one now reviewed here: GRAHAM
WHETTAM
Sinfonia Intrepida
BBCSO/Sir Charles Mackerras.
Redcliffe Recordings RR016 (44' 11'') [PC]
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HOFFNUNG
for CHRISTMAS? an ideal Christmas
present for yourself or your friends |
ENTER
|
The
Hoffnung little books
The
Maestro, Symphony Orchestra, Music Festival,Companion to Music,
Musical Chairs, Acoustics
Get
SIX for the price of FIVE
£7.69
each or 6 books £36 .79 incl P&P
|
Recording of the Hoffnung Music Festivals:
CDs
The Hoffnung Music Festival Concert 1956,The Hoffnung Interplanetary
Music Festival 1958,The Hoffnung Astronautical Music Festival 1961
A Last Encore
cassette
BBC recordings of Speech Day, Oxford Union, December 1958 "Life
begins at 38" with the famous Bricklayer story and the hotelier
offering French widows in every bedroom.
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If
you wish to flip between this page and the latest reviews use the button
marked "Return to previous page" to get back to here
LATEST
CD REVIEWS (last two days)
There are 230 FULL-LENGTH CD reviews for December on the
next five pages - our biggest monthly review number yet.
(The December Gramophone has only approx80 and International
Record Review approx100)
[Part 1 New] [Part
2 A-B] [Part 3 C-L]
[Part 4 M-R] [Part
5 S-Y] [Part 6 Misc]
BOOK REVIEW
Beecham Stories New
Expanded edition of the best selling classic -
Anecdotes, sayings and impressions of Sir Thomas Beecham
compiled by Harold Atkins and Archie Newman with a Foreword by Yehudi
Menuhin
Robson Books hardback 90 pages £10:95 ISBN 1-86105-393-2
Always guaranteed to raise a smile.
Frank
Bridge – radical and conservative
By Anthony Payne
Thames Publishing. Paperback.
106 pages $12:50 ISBN 0 905210 25 5 [IL]
This
is an erudite appreciation of the music of a too long neglected and
overshadowed British composer. ... see Full
Review
GOLDBERG
MAGAZINE
A
quarterly magazine of early music
120 pages.
60 FF, £6.50, $12.50, 1,250 PTA. http://www.goldberg-magazine.com
Lovers
of early and baroque music would certainly do well to check out this
magazine, to learn more about the music they listen to, and to have
an attractively produced magazine to read every three months.
THE
PENGUIN GUIDE TO COMPACT DISCS: The Guide
To Excellence In Recorded Music 2002
Edition Edited by Ivan
March Reviews by: Ivan March; Edward Greenfield; Robert Layton 1566pp
ISBN 0-14-051-497£20.00
Published Nov 22nd [RB]
An
ideal Christmas present for the dedicated classical CD collector or
someone you might like to become a dedicated collector. Beginners in
this field could hardly have a better companion.
THE
NEW PENGUIN OPERA GUIDE
Edited by Amanda Holden
Publ. Penguin Music, 2001 ISBN 0 140 29312 4 ISBN US 0 140 51475 9 1142pp
£30.00 [RB]
This
book now joins the elite ranks of opera books. On the same shelf you
will find Kobbé and the Operatic Grove. As a single volume opera
encyclopedia it is peerless. At £30.00 this will be money exceptionally
well spent.
The
Walled-In Garden – The songs of Roger Quilter
By Trevor Hold. 64
pages; Paperback. Thames Publishing 1978 and 1996. £7:50 ISBN
0 905210 99 9 [IL]
A
much-needed and balanced assessment of Roger Quilter’s art. ...see Full
Review
William
Walton: A Bio-Bibliography
by Carolyn J Smith. Bio-Bibliographies in Music
Number 18. 247pp. $68.50. ISBN 0-37-25391-9. I988. Greenwood Press,
Westport, Connecticut 06881.
Despite
its age this is still a very useful addition to the Walton bookshelf
SCORE REVIEWS
RECORDINGS
OF THE MONTH
Granville BANTOCK
(1868-1946)
The
Song of Songs - Prelude (1926) Omar Khayyam - Prelude and
Camel Caravan (1906) Caristiona (1920) Processional (1893)
Thalaba the Destroyer - symphonic poem (1899)
RPO/Vernon Handley
rec 20-21 Feb 2001, Walthamstow Assembly Halls, London - DDD
HYPERION CDA 67250 [76.50] [RB]
Hyperion
should take a deep bow for this latest Bantock salvo which is remarkably
strong meat especially in the case of Thalaba and Caristiona.
DELIUS
Song of Summer. A
film by Ken Russell. Written
by Ken Russell and Eric Fenby and based on the book Delius as I knew
him by Eric Fenby. Produced and directed by Ken Russell. Starring Max
Adrian as Frederick Delius, Maureen Pryor as Jelka Delius, and Christopher
Gable as Eric Fenby. Black and white. 72 minutes. British Film Institute.
DVD version: BFIVD518
£19.99 (with director's biography and commentary). Video version:
VHS BFIV101 £12.99.
No-one
interested in Delius should be without a copy of Song of Summer. It
has not dated at all and it repays repeated viewing and remains a fine
tribute to Eric Fenby's sacrifice and self-less devotion.
Joseph
HAYDN
(1732-1809) The
Haydn Project [141.29] CD1 1. String Quartet No. 23 in
F minor, Op. 20/5, H. 3/35 2. String Quartet No. 30 in E flat major
"Joke" Op. 33/2, H. 3/38 3. String Quartet No. 43 in G major, Op. 54/1,
H. 3/58 4. String Quartet No. 53 in D major "Lark" Op. 64/5, H. 3/63
CD2
1. String Quartet No. 59 in G minor "Rider"/"Horseman" Op. 74/3,
H. 3/74
2. String Quartet No. 61 in D minor "Fifths"/"The Bell"/"The Donkey"
Op. 76/2, H. 3/76 3. String Quartet No. 66 in G major "Lobkowitz" Op.
77/1, H. 3/81 Emerson
Quartet Eugene Drucker, violin Philip Setzer, violin Lawrence Dutton,
viola
David Finckel, cello Rec.: LeFrak Concert Hall, Queens College, NY,
2000-01 DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON
471 327-2 [141.29] [KM]
A
magnificent recording, which deserves the utmost attention. While it
is unlikely that the Emerson Quartet will record a complete set of Haydn’s
quartets, one must hope that they will add more of them to their discography.
This is a real gem. ...see Full Review
Graham
WHETTAM (b.1927)
Concerto Drammatico; Sinfonia contra timore
Martin Rummel (vlc); Sinfonia da Camera, Urbana, Illinois/Ian Hobson;
Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra/Günter Blumhagen (British Orchestral
Music Vol 2) REDCLIFFE
RECORDINGS RR 017 [60.00]
These
pieces are gloomy and harsh. Whettam’s is a striking musical world.
Hugh
WOOD (born
1932) Symphony
Op.21 (1982) Scenes from Comus Op.6 (1962/5)²
Geraldine McGreevy (soprano)²;
Daniel Norman (tenor)²; BBC Symphony Orchestra; Sir Andrew Davis Recorded:
BBC Studio 1, Maida Vale, London, September 1999
NMC D 070 [69:16] [HC]
A
superb release coupling two substantial pieces by a most distinguished
composer whose music is still all too rarely heard. In my Top Ten list
and heartily recommended
Lesley
GARRETT
Travelling Light
Featuring Sir George Martin, Michel Legrand, The Clare Singers, Denyce
Graves, Michael Ball, Bryn Terfel and Evelyn Glennie Orchestra conducted
by Philip Ellis Recorded at Air Studios and Whitfield Street Studios,
London, 2000-2001 EMI
CDC 5 57251 2 [62:11] [SF]
This
is one of those albums that seems to improve on every hearing. If you’re
still not sure then give a copy to your mum or auntie or brother. But
I suspect you will end up regretting not buying one for yourself.
BARGAIN OF THE
MONTH
Johann
Sebastian BACH
(1685-1750)
Bach Edition
Complete works on 160 CDs FULL DETAILS AT FOOT OF REVIEW
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 99697 [approx. 160 hours]
You
owe it to yourself to get this set - at its super-bargain price, even
those recordings you don't like will not cause too much disappointment,
but the quality of the excellent ones is such that you will certainly
be delighted. (Note that the cost of some of the recordings in this
set that have been licensed from other labels would far exceed the total
cost of the entire set.) If only to have the 60 CDs of sacred cantatas,
and to discover what is an incredible collection of moving and memorable
music, this set is worth having. Treat yourself to 160 CDs of Bach,
then, take a few weeks off to enjoy this music. ...see Full
Review
Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART
(1756
- 1791) Mozart Edition Volume 1 Concertos
for Wind Instruments,Violin Concertos BRILLIANT
CLASSICS 99713 7CDs [approx 454 minutes]
This
first volume of Brilliant Classic’s complete Mozart set certainly bodes
well for the other 23 volumes. The performances range from good to excellent,
the sound is almost always fine. ... see Full
Review
Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART
(1756
- 1791)
Mozart Edition vol. 4 Piano Concertos [approx. 11 hours 25 min.]
BRILLIANT
CLASSICS 99720 [approx. 11 hours 25 min.] [KM]
Once
again, Brilliant Classics comes up with a very good set of Mozart’s
works. While not perfect, these performances and recordings are fine.
The budget price is an additional incentive for those interested in
discovering all of Mozart’s works for piano and orchestra. ...see Full
Review
Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART
(1756-1791) Don
Giovanni, opera (1787)
Bo Skovhus (Don Giovanni), Renata Girolami (Leporello), Boaz Daniel
(Masetto), Janusz Monarcha (Commendatore), Torsten Kerl (Don Ottavio),
Adrianne Pieczonka (Donna Anna), Regina Schörg (Elvira), Ildiko
Raimondi (Zerlina)
Hungarian Radio Chorus, Nicolaus Estherházy Sinfonia/Michael
Halász
Rec. Phoenix Studio, Budapest, Nov. 2000
NAXOS 8.660080-82 [CD1 58.31, CD2 58.38, CD3 56.30] [RF]
This
performance and recording stands ahead of many in the catalogue, even
if not supplanting Giulini’s 1959 recording for EMI, which may never
be bettered, but that is at full price. ...
see Full Review
Carl
ORFF
(1895-1982) Carmina
Burana Bo Skovhus
(baritone), Jochen Kowalski (alto), Sumi Jo (soprano) Southend Boys'
Choir London Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra Zubin Mehta (conductor)
Rec 1993, The Maltings, Snape
APEX 09274 13772 (60.27) [TB]
The
extensive percussion is spectacularly well captured. The tam-tam and
timpani can rarely have sounded so thrilling in a recorded performance.
Mehta conducts with consummate control of his massed forces though he
is occasionally a little indulgent with slow tempi.
... see Full Review
[Part 1 New] [Part
2 A-B] [Part 3 C-L]
[Part 4 M-R] [Part
5 S-Y] [Part 6 Misc]
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Disclaimer
Any opinions
expressed in reviews or articles on this site are those of the
author and do not necessarily represent the views of the
site owner, Len Mullenger or the Editors. Reviewers and
authors retain copyright in their work unless it has been paid
for or commissioned by the site owner.
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