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RECORDINGS
OF THE MONTH
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Adolphe ADAM (1803-1856) Giselle Laëtitia
Pujol, Nicolas Le Riche, Marie-Agnès Gillot, Wilfried Romoli,
Corps de Ballet de L'Opéra National de Paris L'Opéra National
de Paris O/Paul Connelly rec. 2006 TDK
DVWW-BLGISP [111:00] [RW]
Treats
everything with traditional elegance and is imaginatively recorded
... see Full Review
RECORDING OF THE MONTH Isaac
ALBÉNIZ (1860-1909) Ibéria; Navarra; Suite
Española
Alicia de Larrocha (piano) rec. 1986
DECCA 4780388 [64:12 + 61:11][TB]
A
notable addition to the catalogue ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Johannes BRAHMS
(1833-1897) Begräbnisgesang; Schicksalslied;
Symphony No. 1 Felix MENDELSSOHN
(1809-1847) Mitten wir im Leben sind
The Monteverdi Choir; Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique/Sir John
Eliot Gardiner rec. 2007
SOLI DEO GLORIA SDG702 [75:11][JQ]
This
new Brahms symphony cycle has been launched auspiciously ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Benjamin BRITTEN
(1913-1976) Piano
Concerto in D Major Op.13 (1938) [32:27] (CD includes original version
of the third movement) [09:10] Young Apollo Op.16 for piano,
string quartet and string orchestra (1939) [6:56] Diversions
for piano (left hand) and orchestra Op.21 (1940) [22:26]
Steven Osborne (piano) BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Ilan Volkov rec.
Henry Wood Hall, Glasgow, 21-23 September 2007
HYPERION CDA67625 [71:16]
[JF]
A
fine introduction to some of the composer’s earlier scores ...
see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Joe CUTLER (b.1968)
Bartlebooth etc.
BBC Concert Orchestra/Charles Hazlewood rec. 1996-2008
NMC D134 [75:56][TH]
Superbly
crafted and brilliantly performed throughout ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH E.T.A. HOFFMANN
(1776-1822) Quintet for Harp and String Quartet; Sonatas for
Fortepiano in A & F minor; Grand Trio
Nasumi Nagasawa (single action pedal harp); Beni Araki (fortepiano);
Hoffmeister Quartet; Trio Margaux rec. 2006-7
PROFIL
EDITION GÜNTER HÄNSSLER PH07063 [69:00][MSJ]
Persuasive
advocates for Hoffmann’s forgotten musical genius ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Pierre Danican PHILIDOR
(1681-1731) Suittes pour hautbois
L'Assemblée des Honnestes Curieux rec. 2007
ZIGZAG TERRITOIRES ZZT080203 [65:09][JV]
Suites
by a member of the Philidor family in brilliant and exciting performances
... see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Richard
WAGNER
(1813-1883) Tannhäuser
(Paris Version) Spas Wenkoff (tenor) – Tannhäuser
Gwyneth Jones (soprano) – Venus/Elisabeth
Bernd Weikl (baritone) – Wolfram von Eschenbach
Orchestra and Chorus of the Bayreuth Festival/Colin
Davis rec. live, Bayreuth Festival, July 1978
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 073 4446 [2
DVDs, 64:24 + 123:43]
[ST]
Essential
for anyone interested in the power of the
theatre ... see
Full Review
BARGAINS
OF THE MONTH
BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Edvard
Hagerup GRIEG (1843–1907) The
Complete Orchestral Music
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra/Ole Kristian Ruud rec. 2002-2005
BIS BISCD1740/42 [8 CDs: 70:09 + 74:36 + 77:38 + 53:29 + 60:01 +
70:50 + 59:15 + 71:05 (8:25:15)][DC]
Best
ever orchestral Grieg in a bargain box ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN OF
THE MONTH Franz
SCHUBERT (1797 – 1828) Romantic Poets - Volume 4 Florian
Boesch (baritone); Burkhard Kehring (piano) rec. Radiostudio
Zurich, DRS Zurich, Switzerland, 16-19 November 2006. Sung texts
and English translations can be found at www.naxos.com/libretti/570067.htm NAXOS
8.570067 [58:47] [GF]
Some
unknown masterpieces and a superb new Lieder singer ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906–1975) Symphonies
1 & 7 Chicago
SO/Leonard Bernstein rec. live 1988 DEUTSCHE
GRAMMOPHON 477 7587 [66:43 + 53:11] [BBr]
Passion
and searing, white hot, insight and intensity ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Janet Baker – The
Beloved Mezzo various
orchestras conducted by Sir Adrian Boult, Sir John Barbirolli,
André Previn, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Charles Mackerras, Raymond
Leppard, Yehudi Menuhin and Sir Neville Marriner; Robert Spencer
(lute), Martin Isepp (harpsichord), Gerald Moore and Geoffrey
Parsons (piano)
rec. 1964-86 EMI CLASSICS ICON
2080872 [5
CDs: 379:40] [GF]
Marvellous
music in marvellous readings ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH
Dennis Brain – The Horn Player
Includes Mozart, Strauss and Hindemith concertos
rec. various locations 1943-47
EMI CLASSICS ICON 2060102 [4 CDs: 76:42 + 76:58 + 75:21 + 77:03]
[JS]
Irresistible
for its sheer musical pleasure ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH
Jascha Heifetz - Violin
Virtuoso
Erich Wolfgang KORNGOLD (1897-1957) Violin ConcertoEdouard LALO (1823-1892)Symphonie Espagnole George GERSHWIN (1898-1937) Preludes 1-3,Porgy and Bess
Suite Kurt WEILL (1900-1950) Moderato assai Arthur BENJAMIN (1893-1960) Jamaican Rumba
Jascha Heifetz (violin) Los Angeles PO/Alfred Wallenstein; RCA Victor
SO/William Steinberg; Emanuel Bay (piano) rec. 1944-53
REGIS RRC1296 [74:04] [RM]
Hard
to see how this utterly committed recording could be bettered ...
see Full Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Discover Classical
Music of the 20th Century by David McCleery ISBN:
978-1843792376 Published: 2008 Paperback format 224 pp.
NAXOS BOOKS [MM-B]
An
insightful simple guide to a period of great change in music ... see Full
Review
Click
for alphabetical listings by composer:
[Part
1 New] [Part
2 A-B] [Part
3 C-L]
[Part 4 M-R]
[Part 5 S-Z]
[Part 6 Misc A-L]
[Part 7 Misc M-Z]
[Recommended
recordings]