Luigi
CHERUBINI Sei
Sonate per Cimbalo (Six sonatas for keyboard)
Lya De Barberiis (fortepiano) Recordings made in Luglio 1977
WARNER FONIT 8573 87491-2 [64.53] [PW]
The
repertoire, the performance, and the recording are all likely to provoke
reaction of one sort or another. … see Full
Review
Domenico
CIMAROSA (1749-1801)Overtures,
volume 1 Voldomiro, La Baronessa Stramba, La stravaganze
del conte, Il matrimonio segreto, L’infidelta fedele,
Il ritorno di Don Calendrino, Il falegname, Cleopatra,
Il convito, La vergine del sole, Il credulo, L’impresario
in angustie. Nicolaus
Esterhazy Sinfonia/Alessandro Amoretti Recorded at Phoenix Studio, Hungary
(6-9 April 2000) Marco
Polo 8.225181 [69:06] [AAS]
The
music is bright, fluent and expertly crafted, and the excellent Nicolaus
Esterhazy Sinfonia plays with sparkling elegance in recordings of spacious
clarity. … see Full Review
Samuel COLERIDGE-TAYLOR (1875-1912)
-
Piano Quintet in G minor Op. 1 (1893) [27.47] - Fantasiestücke
for String Quartet Op. 5 (1895) [21.07] Hugo
WOLF (1860-1903) - Italian Serenade (1887) [7.20]
Live-A-Music: Andrew
Berridge (violin), Tony Burrage (violin/Director), Joanna Lacey (viola),
Michael Parratt (cello), John Pearce (piano) - rec live Liverpool Philharmonic
Hall, 7 Nov 2001 - Special Limited Edition First Recording
LIVE-A-MUSIC 2001 [56.41] [RB]
We
owe it to Live-a-Music that the two Coleridge-Taylor works are presented
with such eager and driving confidence. This is an example of real music
making aided by the edge that only a live performance can give. ...
see Full Review
Peter
DICKINSON (b. 1934) A Feature
Review: Three Dickinson CDs on ALBANY Concertos
for Piano, Organ; Outcry
ALBANY TROY 360 [77.35] Song Cycles
ALBANY TROY 365 [60.06] Rags,
Blues and Parodies ALBANY
TROY 369 [62.36] [RB]
A
multi-faceted composer too little known whose music is by no means unapproachable.
He is extremely sensitive to words and mood but his pellucidly orchestrated
concertos should not be overlooked. … see Full
Review
Gaetano
DONIZETTI
(1797-1848) Lucia di Lammermoor
- Opera in three acts, Libretto by Salvatore Cammarano, after Sir Walter
Scott's novel The Australian
Opera Chorus, The Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra, Conducted by Richard
Bonynge, Stage Production by John Copley - Cast: Joan Sutherland, Richard
Greager, Malcolm Donnelly, Clifford Grant, Robin Donald - Recorded:
Sydney 1986 ARTHAUS
Sel. No. 100 242 PAL [2 CDs 145.00] [DL]
A
competent and often enjoyable 1986 Australian production with some visual
drawbacks. This is Joan Sutherland in the twilight of her career but
still showing more than a hint of what made her ‘La Stupenda’. … see
Full Review
Henri
DUTILLEUX (b.
1916) Métabolesa. The Shadows
of Timeb. Symphony No. 2, ‘Le Double’c.
bTimothée Collardot, bAude Guirai, bSarah
Lecolle (children’s voices); Toulouse Capitole Orchestra/Michel Plasson.
Recorded in the Halle-aux-Grains, Toulouse on abJanuary 3rd-6th,
2001, cJune 28th-30th, 1998. DDD
EMI CDC5 57143-2 [71.16] [CC]
The
fine cohesive forces and undeniable emotive power of these pieces should
surely serve to guarantee them a lasting place in the repertoire ...
the more one listens, the more there is to discover. … see
Full Review
John
FIELD (1782-1837)
Piano
concertos Nos. 5 and 6
Benjamin Frith, piano Northern Sinfonia/David Haslam; Recorded in the
Jubilee Theatre, Nicholas Hospital, Newcastle, UK, January 1997
NAXOS 8.554221 [57.22] [RBr]
These
two concertos have all the fragrance and filigree detail of the five
that Field wrote during his brief creative life, and gain in beauty
through Benjamin Frith’s excellent playing. … see
Full Review
John FIELD (1782-1837)
Nocturnes
1-15 - Roberte Mamou, piano - No recording date or location given
PAVANE ADW 7110-2 [64.08] [PQ]
For
those who have yet to discover Field’s charm, there is no reason for
them to start with this disc. … see Full
Review
César
FRANCK ‡
Symphonic Variations for piano and orchestra* , ‡ Symphonic Poem Les
Djinns (op 54)* , ‡‡ Piano Concerto no 2 in B minor †
* François-Joël Thiollier (piano), † Martijn van den Hoek
(piano) with the Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra/Roberto Benzi ‡ Recorded
in the Musis Sacrum, Arnhem (June 1995); ‡‡ same location (July 1997)
NAXOS 8.553472 [58:58]
[AAS]
Filled
out with thoroughly attractive accounts of the Symphonic Variations
and Les Djinns, this disc is certainly worth a fiver or so. … see Full
Review
Christoph
Willibald GLUCK (1714-1787)
Iphigénie en Tauride Susan
Graham (soprano): Iphigénie - Paul Groves (tenor): Pylade - Thomas
Hampson (baritone): Oreste - Philippe Rouillon (bass): Thoas - Walter
Zeh (bass): Minister -
Olga Schalaeva (soprano): Priestess - Astrid Hofer (soprano): Priestess
- Patrick Arnaud (tenor): Scythian - Elena Nebera (soprano): Greek woman
- Vienna State Opera Concert Society Chorus
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra/Ivor Bolton - Rec 2 August 2000, Residenzhof,
Salzburg ORFEO C 563
012 I [2CDs: 104.54] [TB]
A
somewhat romanticised, interpreted vision. The music is strong enough
to respond to varying interpretations, and this is one option. … see
Full Review
Gérard
GRISEY (1946 – 1998) Quatre
chants pour franchir le seuil (1997/8)
Catherine Dubosc (soprano); Klangforum Wien; Sylvain Cambreling Recorded:
WDR Funkhaus, October 2000
KAIROS 0012252KAI [41:34] [HC]
I
warmly recommend the present release. Catherine Dubosc and Klangforum
Wien superbly rise to the occasion and deliver a carefully prepared,
committed reading which, I hope, will earn the piece and its composer
many new friends. … … see Full Review
Georg
Friedrich HAENDEL
(1685-1759) Esther
, Oboe Sonata in G minor, HWV 404 [105.20]
Anthony Robson (oboe) Lynda
Russell (sop) Nancy Argenta (sop) Michael Chance (alto) Thomas Randle,
Mark Padmore, Matthew Vine, Simon Berridge (ten) Michael George, Robert
Evans, Simon Birchall (basses). Choir and Orchestra of The Sixteen,
Harry Christophers Rec: St Judes on the Hill, May 1995
REGIS RRC 2025 2CDs [150.20] [KM]
Yet
another fine Handel oratorio at a budget price from Regis. Handel fans
should snap this one up right away. … see Full
Review
Georg Friedrich HAENDEL
(1685-1759) -
Italian Cantatas - Il delirio amoroso "Da quel giorno fatale" HWV 99
- La Lucrezia "O Numi eterni", Cantata HWV 145 - Il consiglio "Tra le
fiamme", Cantata HWV 170
Magdalena Kozená, mezzo-soprano - Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc
Minkowski - Rec: 12/1999 - Paris, Maison de la Radio, Studio 104
ARCHIV 469 065-2 [67.37] [KM]
A
fine recording, that shows just how much of a wonderful voice Magdalena
Kozená has. The music is beautiful, and some of the arias are
among the finest that Handel ever wrote. … see Full
Review
Asger
Hamerik
(1843-1923) Symphony
No. 5 in G minor Op.36 (Symphonie sérieuse) (1889-91)
Symphony No.6 in G major (Symphonie Spirituelle) Op.38 (1897)
Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Dausgaard– conductor Recorded at the Helsingborg Concert Hall
on 15th December 1997, 11th –12th June
1998 and 25th –26th May 2000.
DACAPO 8.224161 [68.16] [JF]
This
CD is to be highly recommended. The slow movement of the Fifth Symphony
alone repays the cost of this CD many times. A fine addition to the
Symphonic Catalogue of Danish, Scandinavian and European music. … see
Full Review
Reynaldo
HAHN
(1875-1947) Violin Concerto Piano Concerto Suite Hongroise
Denis Clavier (violin) Angéline Pondepeyre (piano) Philharmonie
de Lorraine/Fernand Quattrocchi Recorded in Metz, France in 1997
MAGUELONE MAG 111.106 [73:56] [IL]
A
truly enchanting album calculated to chase away the winter blues. It
is incredible to believe that these are premier recordings of Hahn’s
Violin Concerto and the Suite Hongroise, both are so effulgently melodic.
… see Full Review
George
Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
Deborah
Deborah, Elizabeth Scholl (soprano) Jael, Natacha Ducret (soprano) Barak,
Lawrence Zazzo (countertenor) Sisera, Ewa Wolak (contralto) Herald,
Knut Schoch (tenor) Abinoam, Jelle S. Draijer (baritone) Junge Kantorei;
Barokorchester Frankfurt/Joachim Carlos Martini Recorded live May 1999
in the Kloster Eberbach, Germany
NAXOS 8.554785.87 3 CDs [162:24] [RBr]
Live
performance.A hollow acoustic totally unsympathetic to the soloists,
at times to an almost painful degree, and not improved by a serious
imbalance in the ensemble in several places. Not a performance to be
praised unreservedly. … see Full Review
John HARBISON (b.
1938) - The Rewaking (1991) - String Quartet No. 3 (1993)
- Fantasia on a Ground (1993) - Thanks Victor (1994)
The Lydian String Quartet - Dominique LaBelle (soprano) - Recorded 1997-98,
at the Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. disc 2
is devoted to interviews with the composer.
MUSICA OMNIA MO 0110 2-Disc Set; disc 1 [ 50.00] disc 2 [ 39.51]
[TH]
John
Harbison is one of America’s most prominent and popular contemporary
composers. … see Full Review
Josef Matthias HAUER (1883-1959)
- Fifteen Zwölftonspiele. Ensemble
Avantgarde Recorded in
Leipzig on November 29th-December 1st, 2000. [DDD]
DABRINGHAUS UND GRIMM - SZENE MDG613 1060-2 [49.23] [CC]
It
would be a heart-warming thought indeed if, in these cash-strapped times
for the recording industry, enlightened companies the like of Dabringhaus
und Grimm could continue where this disc left off and provide more Hauer
discs. They would, indeed, be most welcome. … see Full
Review
Joseph
HAYDN (1732-1809)
Violin
Sonata in G major, Hob.XV:32 Claude DEBUSSY
(1862-1918) Violin Sonata Franz SCHUBERT
(1797-1828) Violin Sonata in A major, D574 Fantasy for violin and
piano in C major, D934
Yehudi Menuhin (violin), Benjamin Britten (piano) Rec 16 June 1957,
Blythburgh Church (Schubert Fantasy); 27 June 1959, Aldeburgh Church
(remainder) BBC LEGENDS
BBCL4083-2 [68.57] [TB]
Menuhin
and Britten never made commercial recordings together, which makes this
BBC Legends issue all the more interesting. … see Full
Review
Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809)
Sonata in C minor, Hob.XVI/20, Sonata in F major, Hob.XVI/23, Sonata
in A flat major, Hob.XVI/46
Etienne Rappe (piano) Rec 1988, Théâtre du Résidence
Palace, Brussels PAVANE
ADW 7206 [56.00] [TB]
Performances
that certainly capture the spirit of Haydn. Rappe plays a splendid Fazioli
instrument. Phrasing beautifully shaped. Recorded sound pleasing, too,
in a natural acoustic. … see Full Review
Wim
HENDERICKX (born
1962)-
Raga I (1994/6)a -Raga II "Tombeau" (1995)
- Raga III (1995)b
Gert François (percussion)a; Leo De Neve (viola)b;
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Flanders; Grant Llewellyn - Recorded:
De Blauwe Zaal, deSingel, Antwerp, July 1998
MEGADISC MDC 7833 [64:10] [HC]
Henderickx
is one of the most endearing composers of his generation. … see Full
Review
Gustav HOLST
(1874-1934) A
Choral Fantasia (1930) [18.17] First Choral Symphony (1925)
[49.03] Lynne Dawson
(sop) John Birch (organ)
Guildford Choral Society Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Hilary Davan Wetton
rec Guildford Cathedral (Fantasia) and Henry Wood Hall, London, 21,
22, 28 March 1993
HYPERION HELIOS CDH55104 [RB]
While
the Ode is austere the Symphony is a cherishable choral work in celebration
of words and music. A bargain. ...see Full
Review
Engelbert
HUMPERDINCK (1854-1921)
Hänsel
und Gretel Fairy Tale Opera in Three Acts
The Orchestra of the Zurich Opera House conducted by Franz Welser-Möst
Recorded in Zurich in 1999
TDK DVD Video DV-OPHUG
[105 mins approx.]
This
might not be a totally satisfying experience for the ear, but it is
certainly a visual treat. An imaginative and colourful production clearly
aimed at entrancing a young audience. … see Full
Review
Niccolò
JOMMELLI
La
Passione di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo (1749) Parte Prima
CD 1 - 1. Overture, 2. Recit: Dove son! Dove corro?, 3. Aria:
Giacché mi tremi in seno, 4. Recit: Ma qual dolente
stuolo, 5. Chorus: Quanto costa il tuo delitto 6. Recit:
Maddalena, Giovanni, 7. Aria: Vorrei dirti il mio dolore,
8. Recit: O più di noi felice, 9. Aria: Torbido
mar che freme, 10. Recit: O barbari! O crudeli, 11. Recit:
Altri gli svelle, 12. Aria: Come, vista di pene si fiere,
13. Recit: E la Madre frattanto 14. Aria: Potea
quel pianto, 15. Recit: Come inventar potea, 16. Aria:
Tu nel duol felice sei, 17. Recit: Dopo un pegno sì
grande, 18. Duet: Vi sento, o Dio, vi sento, 19. Chorus:
Di qual sangue mortale Parte Seconda CD 2 - 1. Recit:
Ed insepolto ancora, 2. Aria: Retornerà tra voi,
3. Recit: Qual terribil vendetta, 4. Aria: All’
idea de’ tuoi perigli, 5. Recit: Pur dovrebbe in tal giorno,
6. Aria: Dovunque il guardo io giro, 7. Recit: Giovanni,
anchio lo so, 8. Aria: A’ passi erranti, 9. Recit:
Non senza guida, 10. Aria: Se a librarsi in mezzo all’onde,
11. Recit: Ah dal felice marmo, 12. Chorus: Santa
speme - Anke Herrmann - Maddalena (soprano) - Debora Bernesi - Giovanni
(mezzo soprano) - Jeffrey Francis - Pietro (tenor) - Maurizio Picconi
- Guiseppe d’Arimatea (baritone) - Ensemble Eufonia and Ensemble vocale
Sigismondo D’India - Coro dei seguaci di Cristo - Berliner Barock Akademie
(Midori Seiler - leader)
Conducted by Alessandro
de Marchi - Recordings made in the Oratorio dell’Immacoletta, Palermo
- 31 March to 4 April 1996
K617 K617063 [CD 1 Parte Prima 79.04; CD 2 Parte Seconda 46.30]
[PW]
Convincing
interpretation and excellent performance, a work well worth rediscovering.
… see Full Review
Alfreds
KALNINS
(1879-1951) Banuta
(1920 rev 1927-33) Opera in four acts - Regina Frinberga (sop) - Banuta,
Karlis Zarins (bar) - Vizuts, Aleksandrs Daskovs - Valgudis, King, Peteris
Gravelis - Daumants, son of the King, Maija Krigena - Maiga, the King's
daughter, Druvis Krikis - Zvantevaitis, leader of warriors, Ivars Krastins
- Burvis, sorcerer, Oskars Bruveris - Zvalgonis, Andris Blaumanis -
Krivs, priest, Karlis Miesnieks - Krivukrivs, High Priest, Valentina
Grinberga - First Priestess, Vera Davidone - Second Priestess, Lauma
Vanaga - Third Priestess
Choir and Symphony Orchestra of Latvian TV and Radio/Aleksandrs Vilumanis
RIGAS SKANU RS010
[CD1 75.06; CD2 75.41] [RB]
If
you can't get enough in the way of romantic nationalist operas then
don't delay. The only downside is the parsimonious tracking. See Full
Review
Serge
KAUFMANN Chant
Concertant* Suite Yiddish+ Selah#
Adamah* Duos for Violins*^ L’Eau retrouvee <
Jean-Pascal Introvigne, baritone < Hubert Chachereau, violin * Cecile
Moreau, violin ^ Phillipe Pennanguer, cello + Marie-Josephe Truys, piano
+ Ad Libitum String Quintet # Orchestre Bernard Calmel conducted by
Bernard Calmel Ensemble Vocal Melodia directed by Evelyne Schwab <
Recorded in the Auditoriom of l’Ecole Nationale de Musique d’Aulnay-sous-Bois
December 1998 PAVANE
ADW 7420 [74.02]
Kaufmann’s
aesthetic is lyrical, songful and specifically "Yiddish" …
see Full Review
Minna
KEAL (1909
– 1999) Cantillation
for Violin and Orchestra Op.4 (1988)1 Wind Quintet
Op.2 (1980)2 String Quartet Op.1 (1978) Symphony
Op.3 (1980/5) Stephen Bryant
(violin)1; BBC Symphony Orchestra; Nicholas Cleobury;
Lontano2; Odaline de la Martinez2;
Archaeus String Quartet Recorded : BBC Maida Vale Studios, London (Cantillation,
Symphony); St Silas Church, Kentish Town (Quintet) and St
Paul’s Church, New Southgate, London (Quartet)
LORELT LNT 110 [67:54] [HC]
These
works repay repeated hearings and deserve to be better known. Recommended
to those willing to explore some neglected by-ways of the 20th
Century British music. … see Full Review
Erich
Wolfgang KORNGOLD (1897-1957)
Music
from the Films: The Sea Hawk (1940), The Private Lives of Elizabeth
and Essex (1939), Captain Blood (1935) & The Prince and the Pauper
(1937). London Symphony
Orchestra, André Previn recorded July 2001, London. Full Price
DG 471 347-2 [67.57]
[MB][IL]
Previn’s
conducting is exciting generating considerable tension throughout, as
one might expect from him, aided by a full and powerful recording by
DG. This is, in short, a superb disc in every way. [MB]
The vitality of Korngold’s exuberant scores tends to be drained. Sound
quality is very good and there is much to enjoy with some music not
included in the RCA Gerhardt series.[IL] … see Full
Review
Constant
LAMBERT
(1905-51) Volume II - Composer Horoscope
- Music from the ballet (1937) Apparitions - Music from the
ballet (1936) Dante Sonata - Music from the ballet (1949) The
Rio Grande (1927) Liverpool Philharmonic (Horoscope: 1, 3,
5) Philharmonia (Horoscope: 2, 4) Philharmonia (Apparitions;
Rio Grande) Sadlers' Wells Orchestra (Dante) Louis Kentner,
piano (Dante) Kyla Greenbaum, piano (Rio); Gladys Ripley
(con) (Rio), Philharmonia Chorus (Rio)
all conducted by Constant Lambert rec 15 May 1945 (Horoscope);
14 Jan 1949 (all Philharmonia); 20 March 1940 (Dante Sonata)
PEARL GEM 0069 [70.24]
[RB]
This
balletic compilation is the natural complement to Pearl's volume I.
It will go some way to satisfy those fascinated by Lambert the musician
and the man. … see Full Review
Guillaume LEKEU (1870-94)
Violin
Sonata (1892) [31.29] Karol SZYMANOWSKI (1883-1937)
Mythes (1915) [6.02] Josef SUK
(1874-1935) Ballade (1900) [9.38] Claude
DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Violin Sonata (1917) [13.22]
Jonathan Morton (violin) Carole Presland (piano) rec Conservatoire Royal
de Liège, Oct 1992 DDD
PAVANE ADW 7280 [61.02] [RB]
Will
we hear more of Morton and Presland? This recital is strongly recommended.
... see Full Review
Anatol
LIADOV (1855
- 1914) Baba-Yaga
(op. 56); Intermezzo (op. 8); Ballade (op. 21b); The Enchanted Lake
(op. 62); Mazurka (op. 19); Nenie (op. 67); Polonaise (op. 49); Polonaise
(op. 55); Kikimora (op. 63); Fragment from the Apocalypse (op. 66);
Slovak Philharmonic
Orchestra/Stephen Gunzenhauser recorded at Concert Hall of Slovak PO,
May 1985 Reissued from Marco Polo 8.220348
NAXOS 8.555242 [58'05] [PS]
Liadov’s
wonderful sounds could have been projected with greater richness and
bloom. The more I listened, the more I liked what I heard. Definitely
worth a try. … see Full Review
Carl
LOEWE (1796-1869)
Lieder,
volume 15: Seven Polish Ballads, Opus 49-51, Saul und Samuel,
Opus 14 No. 1, Saul vor seiner, Opus 5 No. 6, Sanheribs Niederlage,
Opus 13 No. 1, Saul, Opus 14 No. 4, Eliphas' Gesicht, Opus 14 No. 2,
Der Komet, Opus 69 No. 6, Deutsche Barcarole, Opus 103 No. 3,Bauernregel,
Opus 9 No. 3, Der alte König, Opus 116 No. 2,
Urszula Kryger (soprano), Thomas Mohr (baritone) Cord Garben (piano)
Rec 17-19 December 1997, SFB Berlin
CPO 999 412-2 [69.21] [TB]
Loewe
was inspired by many poetic sources, at his best when he is most direct,
laying emphasis on a direct and song-like melodic line. … see Full
Review
Fernando LOPES-GRAÇA
(1906-1994) Paris
1937 for two pianos (1968) Elegia (1953) Piano Sonata No.
4 (1961) Toccata, Andante and Fugato (1991)
Miguel Henriques (piano) Ana Valente (piano) (in Paris 1937 only) rec
St George's Church, Lisboa, Portugal, 29-31 May 2000
STRAUSS-PORTUGALSOM SP4352 [51.50] [RB]
Lopes-Graça
as the percussively stark Stravinskian of the piano. ... see Full
Review
Witold LUTOSLAWSKI (1913-1994)
Preludes
and Fugue for 13 Solo Strings (1972); Three Postludes (1958-60); Mini
Overture (1982); Fanfare for Louisville (1986); Fanfare for CUBE (1987);
Fanfare for the University of Lancaster (1989); Prelude for GMSD (1989);
Polish National Radio
SO/Antoni Wit - recorded at Grzegorg Fitelberg Concert Hall, Katowice,
September 1996 to July 2000
NAXOS 8.555270 [59:10] [PS]
“It’s
music, Jim - but not music as we know it”. This selection of mature
orchestral and ensemble music by Lutoslawski, inventor of extraordinary
sonorities, is played with bags of character and enthusiasm. … 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]