RECORDING
OF THE MONTH John
ADAMS (b.
1947) Short
Ride in a Fast Machine (1986) [4’05"] The
Wound Dresser* (1988) [19’19"] Shaker Loops
(1978, rev. 1983) [25’28"] Ferrucio
BUSONI (1866-1924)
arr. ADAMS
Berceuse élégiaque (1991) [9’27]
*Nathan Gunn (baritone) Bournemouth Symphony
Orchestra/Marin Alsop Recorded at the Lighthouse
Poole Centre for Arts, UK, 10 – 11 June 2003.
DDD
NAXOS AMERICAN CLASSICS 8.559031 [58’20"]
[JQ]
Excellent
performances in good recorded sound .... an
ideal very inexpensive introduction to one
of the most stimulating composers currently
before the public. Well-nigh ideal. Urgently
recommended. ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Toward
the Unknown Region Malcolm
ARNOLD – A Story of Survival - A Film
by Tony PALMER Ratio
16:9. Widescreen. All regions.
Isolde
Films ISO 001 [133:00]also
available as VHS [CT]
A
remarkably honest and moving portrait of Malcolm
Arnold’s extraordinary and often tragic life.
... see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Piano
Quartet No. 1 in G minor op.25 (1861) Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-56) Fantasiestucke
for piano, violin and cello op.88 (1842)
Martha Argerich (piano) Gidon Kremer (violin)
Yuri Bashmet (viola) Mischa Maisky (cello)
Recording: Teldec Studio, Berlin. February
2002
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON DG 463 700-2 [58:17]
[MC]
Really
great performances with the Brahms undoubtedly
a ‘classic’. An indispensable release! ...
see Full
Review
DISC
OF THE MONTH Peter
MAXWELL DAVIES (b.
1934) Naxos
Quartets: No. 1 (2002) [29’35]; No. 2
(2003) [53’05].
Maggini Quartet (Laurence Jackson, David Angel,
violins; Martin Outram, viola; Michal Kaznowski,
cello). Rec. Potton Hall, Suffolk, on September
30th-October 2nd, 2003.
DDD
NAXOS 8.557396 [72’39] [CC]
A
superb, vitally important disc. Naxos is to
be congratulated on their foresight in aiding
the creation of a cycle of quartets that promises
so much. ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Sergei
RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
Concerto
for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in f-sharp minor,
Op. 1 [26:02] Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
No. 2 in g minor, Op. 40 [24:35] Rhapsody
on a Theme of Paganini, op. 43 [23:44] Concerto
for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in c minor,
Op. 18 [32:26] Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
No. 3 in d minor, Op. 30 [38:23] Stephen Hough
(piano)
Dallas Symphony Orchestra/Andrew Litton
Recorded live in concerts at the Eugene McDermott
Concert Hall, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony
Center, Dallas TX in May 2004. DDD
HYPERION CDA67501/2 [74:41 + 70:54] [KS]
A
must have. A revelation. Get it. ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Richard
STRAUSS
(1864-1949)
Vier letzte Lieder* [20’44"]; Capriccio:
Closing Scene* [20’09"] Maurice
RAVEL (1875-1937) Schéhérazade**
[15’04"] Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Le nozze
di Figaro: "Porgi, amor, qualche ristoro"
*** [3’36"]; "E Susanna non vien!
– Dove sono i bei momenti*** [6’43"]
Elisabeth Söderström (soprano)
*Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Antal Dorati
**BBC Symphony Orchestra/Pierre Boulez ***Royal
Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir John
Pritchard Recorded: *Royal Festival Hall,
London, 3 October 1976; **Royal Albert Hall,
London, 3 August 1971; *** Royal Albert Hall,
London, 20 August 1960 ADD
BBC LEGENDS BBCL 4153-2 [67’46"]
[JQ]
Treasurable
... vividly recalls one of the greatest soprano
voices of the second half of the last century.
The recorded sound is very good in the Strauss
... see Full
Review
SURPRISE
RECORDING OF THE MONTH Kurt
WEILL (1900-1950)
The
Seven Deadly Sins [35:19] Alabama Song
[2:55] The Ballade of Sexual Dependency/Die
Ballade der Sexuellen Hörigkeit [2:37]
Bilbao Song [5:04] Pirate Jenny/Seeräuber
Jenny [4:34] Bertolt Brecht, lyrics
Marianne Faithfull, voice Vienna Radio Symphony
Orchestra/Dennis Russell Davies Recorded at
Konzerthaus, Vienna on 5 June, 1997 and at
Großer Sendesaal, Radiokulturhaus, Vienna
on 9 February, 1998. DDD
BMG CLASSICS 82876 60872 2 [50:46] [PG]
This
album crosses boundaries and can easily be
recommended to fans of rock sensibilities,
jazz tonalities or musical theatre and operetta.
... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Sara
Mingardo (contralto)
Arie, Madrigali e Cantate Tarquinio
MERULA (c.1595-1665) Hor
ch’è tempo di morire [8:51] Giovanni
SALVATORE (1600-c.1688) Allor che
Tirsi udia [8:33] Giacomo
CARISSIMI (1605-1674) Deh, memoria,
e che più chiedi [7:22] Claudio
MONTEVERDI (1567-1643) Vorrei baciarti*
(from 7th Book of Madrigals) [5:28] Francesco
CAVALLI (1602-1676) Erme e solinghe
cime (from La Calisto) [6:44] Claudio
MONTEVERDI (1567-1643) Se i languidi
miei sguardi (from 7th Book of Madrigals)
[7:14] Giovanni LEGRENZI
(1626-1690) Costei ch’in mezzo
al volto scritt’ha il mio cor [4:52] Gorge
Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759) Lungi
da me pensier [11:45] Antonio
VIVALDI (1678-1741) Pianti, sospiri
e dimandar mercede RV 676 [10:20]
Sara Mingardo (contralto), Monica Bacelli
(mezzo-soprano)* Concerto Italiano/Rinaldo
Alessandrini Recorded January 2004, Sala Accademica
del PIMS, Rome
NAIVE/OPUS111 OP 30395 [71:40] [CH]
Fascinating
and thrilling; anyone at all interested in
baroque music should give this a hearing.
... see Full Review
BARGAINS
OF THE MONTH
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Béla
BARTÓK (1881-1945)
Rhapsody,
Op. 1 (1904) [22’45]. Etudes, Op. 18/Sz72
(1918) [11’13]. Suite, Op. 14/Sz62
(1916) [10’34] Sonatina, Sz55 (1915)
[4’36]. Out of Doors, Sz81 (1926) [16’41].
Allegro barbaro, Sz49 (1911) [3’02]
Andreas Bach (piano) Rec. August 22nd-25th,
2003 in Studio 2 of the Bavarian Radio. DDD
OEHMS CLASSICS OC348 [68’58] [CC]
Enthusiastically
recommended. Bach is a most musical pianist
whose understanding of the Bartókian
idiom should be sampled. Currently available
at a bargain price from Crotchet... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH André
JOLIVET (1905
– 1974) The Erato Recordings Cello Concerto
No.1 (1962)a Cello Concerto No.2
(1967)b Suite en concert (1965)a
Harp Concerto (1952)c Trumpet Concerto
No.1 (1948)d Trumpet Concerto No.2
(1954)d Ondes Martenot Concerto
(1947)e Heptade (1970)d
Arioso barocco (1968)d Flute Concerto
No.1 (1949)f Suite en concert (1965/6)f
Chant de Linos (1944)g Six Incantations
(1936/7)f Sérénade
avec hautbois principal (1944)g
Cinq Danses rituelles (1939, orchestrated
1940/1) Bassoon Concerto (1954)h
Suite liturgique (1942)i Poèmes
intimes (1944)j
Lily Laskine (harp)c; Jeanne Loriod
(ondes Martenot)e; Colette Herzog
(soprano)i; André Navarra
(cello)a; Mstislav Rostropovich
(cello)b; Maurice André
(trumpet)d; Jean-Pierre Rampal
(flute)f; Maurice Allard (bassoon)h;
Maîtrise de l’ORTF, Jacques Jouineaui;
Quintette Marie-Claire Jametg;
Orchestre de l’association des Concerts Lamoureux;
Orchestre National de l’ORTF; Orchestre Philharmonique
de l’ORTF; Orchestre Jean-François
Paillard; Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourgj;
André Jolivet, Alain Lombardj
Recorded: ORTF Studios, Paris, December 1968-January
1969 (Cello Concerto No.1, Cinq Danses),
November 1967 (Harp Concerto, Ondes Martenot
Concerto); and Eglise du Liban, Paris,
May 1966 and April 1967 (flute works), and
September 1967 (Bassoon Concerto).
No further information concerning the other
works
WARNER ERATO 2564 61320-2 [78:04 + 71:32
+ 76:48 + 71:58] [HC]
May
be safely recommended to those who want to
investigate Jolivet, in excellent performances
and at quite approachable expense. ... see
Full Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Franz
LISZT
(1811-1886) Beethoven’s
Symphony No 9 (Piano Transcription) S464/R128
(1863-5)
Konstantin Scherbakov (piano) Rec. Potton
Hall, Suffolk in June 2003 DDD
NAXOS 8.557366 [63:05] [PCW]
Each
time I have listened to it I have marvelled
at Beethoven’s music, Liszt’s conception for
the piano, and Scherbakov’s musicianship and
virtuosity. ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Bohuslav
MARTINŮ (1890-1959)
Symphony
No.6 ‘Fantaisies symphoniques’ (1951-3)
Three Frescoes of Piero della Francesca
(1954-5) Orchestral suite ‘Julietta’
(1937)
Symphony Orchestra St.Gallen/Jiři Kout
Recorded at the Tonhalle St.Gallen, Switzerland,
June 2003 (Symphony, Julietta) and
March 2004 (Frescoes)
ARTE NOVA 82876 57740-2 [63’17] [TH]
Recording:
rich and full ... A super-budget winner. ...
see Full Review
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