RECORDINGS OF THE MONTH

Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809) Symphony in D major, No.104 ‘London’ (1795) [28:40] - Symphony in G major, No.94 ‘Surprise’ (1791) [23:54] - Overture: ‘Acide e Galatea’, in D major [06:17] Heidelberger Sinfoniker/Thomas Fey - Recorded at the Burgerhaus Morlenbach, no dates given. DDD HÄNSSLER CLASSIC CD 98.340 [58:51] [MC]

This stellar release surpasses all other versions … the benchmark recording of the symphonies against which all others will now be judged. … see Full Review

Alistair HINTON (b.1950) String Quintet (1969- 1977) Sarah Leonard (soprano) Jagdish Mistry (violin) Marcus Barcham-Stevens (violin) Levine Andrade (viola) Michael Stirling ('cello) Corrado Canonici (double bass) rec 1999, UK ALTARUS AIR-CD-9066(3) [3CDs: 41.23+62.45+65.14] [CSS]

A gloriously uninhibited declaration of a young composer's musical philosophy … an experience from which one cannot come away unmoved. … see Full Review

William MATHIAS (1934 – 1992) Missa Brevis Op.64 (1973)^a Rex Gloriae Op.83 (1981) Except the Lord Build the House Op.89 No.2 (1982)^a Angelus Op.90 No.5 (1983)^b Veni Sancte Spiritus Op.96 (1985)^a The Doctrine of Wisdom (1989)^a Yr Arglwydd Yw Fy Mugail (1989)^b Alleluia (1991)^a Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (1992)^a Gloriae Dei Cantores; James E. Jordan, Jr. (organ)^a; David Chalmers (piano)^b; Elizabeth Patterson (conductor) Recorded: Methuen Memorial Music Hall, Methuen, Mass. (no dates, published 1998) GLORIAE DEI CANTORES GDCD 026 [74:36] [HC]

Idiomatic and eminently singable, memorable melodies, dancing and capricious rhythms … brilliant … see Full Review

 

Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741) Violin Concertos - Concerto for violin, strings and basso continuo, in F major, Op. 4, No.9, RV 284, ‘La Stravaganza’ - Concerto for violin, strings and basso continuo, in G major, Op. 4, No.12, RV 298, ‘La Stravaganza’ - Concerto for violin, strings and basso continuo, in G minor, Op. 9, No. 3, RV 334, ‘La Cetra’ - Concerto for violin, strings and basso continuo, in E major, Op. 9, No. 4, RV 263a, ‘La Cetra’ - Concerto for violin, strings and basso continuo, in D minor, Op. 9, No. 8, RV 238, ‘La Cetra’ - Concerto for violin, strings and basso continuo, in A major, Op. 9, No. 2, RV 345, ‘La Cetra’ Ensemble La Partita/Sulamit Haecki (violin) - Recorded April-May 1996, Kirche, Zurich-Altstetten, Schweiz. DDD HÄNSSLER CLASSIC CD 94.006 [65:07] [MC]

A marvellous release … with playing of this calibre I would have loved to have heard the remaining concertos in the sets … see Full Review

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH

Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony No. 6 in A major (1879-81 [54’09"] Symphony No. 7 in E major (1881-84) [60’36"] Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink Recorded in Amsterdam in November 1966 (Symphony No. 7) and December 1970 (Symphony No. 6) PHILIPS DUO 473 301-2 [114’45"] [JQ]

Highly distinguished performances … fine playing captured in excellent, spacious, natural sound. … one of the finest Brucknerians of our age … see Full Review

 

André CAPLET (1878-1925) Épiphanie (1923) [20.24] Edouard LALO (1823-1892) Cello Concerto (1876) [25.13] Gabriel FAURÉ (1845-1924) Élégie (1879) [6.46] Xavier Phillips (cello) Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie/Emmanuel Plasson Rec. April 1999, Angelika-Kauffmann-Saal, Schwarzenberg, Vorarlberg, Austria EMI Début series EMI CLASSICS 5 73503 2 [52.51] [RB]

An outstanding disc made so not merely by Xavier Phillips’ brilliance of execution but by the imaginatively volatile Caplet. Do not miss it. … see Full Review

Einojuhani RAUTAVAARA (born 1928) Symphony No. 7 Angel of Light (1994) - Angels and Visitations (1978) Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Hannu Koivula - Recorded 6-7 April 2001, Henry Wood Hall, Glasgow NAXOS 8.555814 [56.02] [TB]

At once romantic and intellectual, mystical and constructivist … see Full Review

Wilhelm Furtwängler 1944 -1954 Ludwig Van BEETHOVEN (1770-1837) Overture ‘Leonora’ no.3 , op.72a (1806) recorded Vienna 1944 Symphony no.7 in A, op.92 (1813) recorded Berlin 1953 Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Symphony no.8 in B minor, "Unfinished"(1822) recorded Berlin 1952 Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Overture "Manfred", op.115 (1848) recorded Berlin 1949 Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, op.56a (1873) recorded Berlin 1950 Symphony no.2 in D (1877) recorded Vienna 1945 Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony no.8 in C minor (1887) Vienna 1944 Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949) "Don Juan", op.20 (1888) Berlin 1947 Peter TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Symphony no.6 in B minor "Pathétique", op.74 (1893) recorded Cairo April 1951 Paul HINDEMITH (1895-1963) Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber (1943) recorded September 1947 César FRANCK (1822-1890) Symphony in D minor (1888) recorded Vienna 1945 Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937) Rapsodie espagnole (1907) recorded Walheim 1951 Richard WAGNER (1813-1883)"The Mastersingers" - Prelude to Act 1 (1867) recorded Berlin 1949 "Tannhäuser" – Overture (1845) recorded Rome 1951 "Tristan and Isolde" – Prelude and Isolde’s Love-Death (1859) recorded Berlin 1954 "Twilight of the Gods" – Siegfried’s Funeral March (1874) recorded Berlin 1949 "Parsifal" – Good Friday Spell (1882) recorded Alexandria 1951 Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic/Wilhelm Furtwängler Recorded at various venues between June 1944 and April 1954 DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON Original Masters 474 030-2 [78:35+72:18+77:00+67:09+77:58+61:38] [GPJ]

Inexorable power and passion … darkly impressive … a treasure-trove … see Full Review

 

 

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[Detailed listing (last two days)]
[Part 1 New]  [Part 2 A-B] [Part 3 C-L]
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[Part 6 Misc A-L]  [Part 7 Misc M-Z]

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