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Eyvind
ALNĆS (1872-1932) Symphonies 1 & 2 
Latvian Ntl SO/Terje Mikkelsen rec. 2008
STERLING CDS1084-2 [78:14] 
[RB]
Two
full dress romantic-nationalist symphonies ... see Full
Review
William
ALWYN (1905-1985) Overture in the Form of a Serenade
Micaela Haslam (soprano) and the London Chorus Prelude; Blackdown
– A Tone Poem from the Surrey Hills; Peter Pan Suite (Peter
Pan; Tinker Bell; The Lost Boys in Never-Never Land;
Captain Hook); Ad Infinitum – A Satire for Orchestra see VAUGHAN
WILLIAMS
Volkmar
ANDREAE (1879-1962) Flute
quartet,
String Quartets 1 & 2 Lochrian
Ensemble of London; Anna Noakes (flute)
rec. 2008/9 GUILD
GMCD7328 [75.33] [GH]
Worth
exploring and I hope for more to come … see Full
Review
Luke
ANTHONY (b.
1973) Saxophone
Concerto, Far Away, Miss Julie, A Waltz, Get
Carter Tony
Woods (alto and soprano saxophones) Sound Collective/Tom Hammond
rec. 2007 HANDMEDOWNMUSIC
HMDCD101 [56:00] [RB]
I
am glad to have encountered Anthony’s music and want to hear
more ... see Full Review
Daniel-François-Esprit
AUBER (1782-1871):
Fra Diavolo see SAINT-SAENS
Grazyna
BACEWICZ (1909-1969) Concerto for String Orchestra (1948)
[14:54] Sinfonietta (1935) [11:01] Symphony (1946) [21:39]
Music for Strings, Trumpets and Percussion (1958) [19:13] New London
Orchestra/Ronald Corp rec. St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb,
London, 11-12 February 2009. DDD
HYPERION CDA67783 [67:17]
[CT]
Bacewicz’s
centenary year is further celebrated with persuasive accounts
of four major works for strings ... see Full
Review
Flute
Sonatas by the Bach Sons Barthold
Kuijken (flute); Ewald Demeyere (harpsichord)
rec. 2008 ACCENT
ACC24216 [75:56] [CR]
Enjoyable … excellent
playing … see Full Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH
(1685
- 1750) Weihnachtsoratorium (BWV
248)
Veronika Winter (soprano); Weibke Lehmkuhl (contralto); Jan Kobow (tenor);
Markus Flaig (bass) Rheinische Kantorei, Das Kleine Konzert/Hermann
Max rec. 1-3, 14-16 January 2009, Convent Knechtsteden, Germany. DDD
CPO
777 459-2 [73:29 + 63:31]
[JV]
The
playing and singing is first-rate, but the interpretation is too restrained
... see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Johann Sebastian BACH
(1685-1750)
Brandenburg Concertos 1-6
Kati Debretzeni (violin, director) English Baroque Soloists/Sir John
Eliot Gardiner rec. live 2009
SOLI DEO GLORIA SDG707 [41:32 + 50:32] 
[JQ]
Marvel
afresh at the musical skill, imagination and invention ... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Concerto for three keyboards see
Pianistes
Français
Johann
Sebastian BACH
(1685-1750)
Organs, Toccatas and Fantasias - A musical
journey through Bach’s Baroque Europe
Marie-Claire Alain (organs) Bruno Monsaingeon (director) rec. 1990
WARNER MUSIC VISION 
5186552092 [55:00] 
[KM]
Fans
of organ music will greatly appreciate this tour of great organs ...
see Full Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH
(1685-1750)/Leopold STOKOWSKI (1882 - 1977)
Transcriptions - Volume 2 (1929 - 1950)
Various orchestras/Leopold Stokowski rec. 1929-50
NAXOS 8.112019 [77:26]
[BBr]
They
don’t make them like Stokowski any more! … see Full
Review
Carles BAGUER
(1768-1808)
Symphonies 2, 15 & 16, Concerto for two bassoons attrib to Franz
Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809) Symphony
Josep Borras; Charles Cristobal (bassoons) Acadèmia 1750/Farran
James rec. 2008
COLUMNA MÚSICA 1CM0210 [58:39]
[JS]
This
disc has given me great pleasure … see Full
Review
Leonardo
BALADA (b.
1933) La
Muerte de Colón Jon
Garrison (tenor), Judith Jenkins (soprano) Carnegie Mellon Phil & Repertory
Ch/Robert Page
rec. 2005 NAXOS
8.660193-4 [50:10
+ 44:15] [GF]
Fresh,
rhythmically incisive and suggestive ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Béla BARTÓK (1881-1945) Boulez
conducts Bartók Chicago
SO, Berlin PO/Pierre Boulez
rec. 1991-2008 DEUTSCHE
GRAMMOPHON
477 8125 [8
CDs: 9:05:10] [GH]
A
good addition to your Bartók collection … some performances
will be difficult to improve on ... see Full
Review
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano Concerto 3 see
Pianistes
Français
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN
(1770-1827) String Quartets
Live:
DVD 1: F, Op. 18 No. 1 (1798-1800); F, Op. 14 No. 1 (arr. of
piano sonata Op. 14 No. 1, 1798-99); F, Op. 59 No. 1, “Razumovsky” (1806);
G, Op. 18 No. 2 (1798-1800); E flat, Op. 74, “Harp” (1809); C sharp
minor, Op. 131 (1826). DVD 2: B flat, Op. 18 No. 6 (1798-1800);
Op. 130 in B flat, Op. 130 (1825-26, includes Grosse Fuge, Op. 133)
Wihan
String Quartet (Leoš Cepický, Jan Schulmeister (violins); Jirí Žigmund
(viola); Aleš Kasprík (cello)). rec. live, Convent of St Agnes, Prague,
October 2007 – March 2008. Includes bonus short documentary about the
Wihan Quartet [30:00].
NIMBUS ALLIANCE NI 6107
[2 DVDs: 179:58 + 104:31] 
[CC]
A
wonderful document of a significant segment of the core quartet repertoire
... see Full Review
This DVD
is FREE if you purchase the complete
Beethoven Quartets on CD - see special
offer
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN
(1770-1827)
String Quartets: No. 7-11
Wihan Qt rec. 2007/8
NIMBUS ALLIANCE NI 6109 [3 CDs: 54:04 + 65:26 + 51:47]
[CC]
Accounts
that are ever stimulating and searching. Enthusiasm and a questing,
fresh approach that should not be undervalued. Most rewarding. ... see
Full Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Ludwig van
BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Complete
String Quartets Borodin
Qt
rec. 2003-6 CHANDOS CHAN10553(8) [8
CDs: 551:10] [DC]
Excellence
and depth: real transcendent Beethoven, almost all of the time.
... see Full Review
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN
(1770-1827) Septet in E flat major, Op. 20
(1800) [40:34] Serenade in D major, Op. 25 (1801)
[24:32] Ensemble 360
rec. 28-31 May 2007, Potton Hall, Suffolk
NIMBUS ALLIANCE NI6112 [65:06]
[TB]
Playing
a high order and splendidly clear and detailed recording … see Full
Review
Ivan
BELLOCQ
Obsession
Ivan Bellocq (flute) Jean-Marc Fessard (clarinet) rec.2008
DUX 0693 [76:19]
[CR]
Bellocq’s
music is worthy of exploration … see Full
Review
Charles-Auguste
de BÉRIOT (1802-1870) Solo
Violin Music - Volume 1 Twelve Scènes, Nine Studies,
Prélude ou Improvisation Bella
Hristova (violin) rec. 2009 NAXOS
8.572267 [68:02] [JW]
A
welcome entrant ... see Full Review
Irving BERLIN
(1888-1989) Annie
Get Your Gun (1946)
Ambrosian Chorus & London Sinfoniertta/John McGlinn rec. 30 June
& 1-3 July 1990, No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London. Song texts not
included
EMI AMERICAN CLASSICS 6 95226 2 [79:00]
[DM]
Seventy-nine
minutes of pure, unadulterated pleasure. Not to be missed. ... see
Full Review
Hector BERLIOZ (1803
– 1869) Les Nuits d’été, L’Enfance
du Christ (excerpt): L’adieu des bergers, The Shepherds’
Farewell to the Holy Family
Leontyne Price (soprano) Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Fritz Reiner (Op.
7) Elsie Morison (soprano); John Cameron (baritone) St. Anthony Singers;
Goldsbrough Orchestra/Sir Colin Davis (Op. 25) rec. 1960/4
HDTT HDCD180 [54:40]
[RMo]
A
glamorous issue for lovers of Berlioz, Price, Reiner and the Romantic
sensibility ... see Full Review
Leonard BERNSTEIN (1918-1990)
Mass
– A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers (1971) [104:01]
Text from the liturgy of the Roman Mass. Additional texts by Stephen
Schwartz and Leonard Bernstein
Jubilant Sykes (baritone), Celebrant; Asher Edward Wulfman (boy soprano)
Morgan State University Choir/Dr. Eric Conway Peabody Children’s Chorus/Doreen
Falby Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/Marin Alsop rec. Joseph Meyerhoff
Symphony Hall, Baltimore, Maryland, 21-22 October 2008. DDD
NAXOS 8.559622-23 [65:11 + 38:50] [LW]
Not
likely to be superseded for the foreseeable future … see Full
Review
Luigi
BOCCHERINI (1743-1805) Symphony,
Cello Concertos,
Octet Stuttgart CO/Johannes Goritzki
(cello)
rec. 2005 CPO 777 113-2 [63:24] [J-PJ]
Delightful … packed
with immediately appealing music by a sadly neglected composer
... see Full Review
York
BOWEN (1884-1961) Orchestral Poem: Eventide see VAUGHAN
WILLIAMS
Johannes
BRAHMS
(1833 – 1897)
Symphony No.2 in D, op.73 (1877) [37:21]
Boston Symphony Orchestra/Charles Münch rec. 1956, Symphony Hall, Boston
Mass, ADD
HIGH DEFINITION TAPE TRANSFERS HDCD 113 [37:21]
[BBr]
So
alive, so full of electricity and there’s a passionate verve in evidence
in almost every bar … see Full Review
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Clarinet sonatas Daniel
KESSNER (b.1946) Dances for Clarinet and Guitar
Richard Lesser, Mitchell Lurie (clarinet) Leona Lurie (piano) Jordan
Charnofsky (piano) rec. 1972/2000
CRYSTAL RECORDS CD301 [56:14] 
[OL]
Glorious
Brahms, attractive Kessner ... see Full Review
Johannes
BRAHMS
(1833-1897)
Clarinet sonatas & trio
Hideaki Aomori (clarinet) Joshua Pierce (piano) Daniel Barrett (cello)
rec. 2008
MSR CLASSICS MS1322 [63:40]
[OL]
This
could be a fine album but I just can't get over this clarinet sound
... See Full Review
Johannes
BRAHMS
(1833-1897)
Violin Sonatas 1-3
Simon Fischer (violin) Raymond Fischer (piano) rec. 2006
BIDDULPH 80228-2 [79:57] 
[JW]
Thought
through but fresh and unforced … to be respected and admired ... see
Full Review
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Songs
see RACHMANINOV
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833 – 1897) Piano Trio No.2 in C major see
SHOSTAKOVICH
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Piano Concerto 2 see
Géza
Anda
Frank
BRIDGE (1879-1941) Adagio see DUPRÉ
Benjamin
BRITTEN
(1913-1976)
Saint Nicolas, Hymn to Saint Cecilia
Anthony Rolfe Johnson (tenor) Corydon Singers, English CO/Matthew Best
rec. 1988
HYPERION HELIOS CDH55378 [60:14]
[WH]
Two
Saints in fine performances, but Cecilia is to be preferred …
see Full Review
Benjamin
BRITTEN (1913-1976) The Young Person's Guide to the
Orchestra, Sinfonia da requiem, Peter Grimes: Four Sea
Interludes and Passacaglia
Kansas City Symphony/Michael Stern rec. 2009
REFERENCE RECORDINGS RR-120 
[71:13] [RB]
A
generous classic Britten collection recorded in stunning sound ... see
Full Review
Benjamin
BRITTEN (1913 -1976) Sinfonia
da Requiem see SCHUBERT
Max
BRUCH (1838-1920)
Arminius
Op.43 (1875) [89.15]
Hans Christoph Begemann (bass) - Arminius Michael Smallwood (tenor)
- Siegmund Ursula Ettlinger (contralto) - Priestess Rheinische Kantorei
Göttingen Symphony Orchestra/Hermann Max rec. 2009,
CPO 777 453-2 [57:04 + 32:11]
[CF]
This
recording is very welcome. ... see Full
Review
Ignaz
BRŰLL (1846-1907) Symphony,
Serenade 1 Belarussian
State SO/Marius Stravinsky
rec. 2007 CAMEO
CLASSICS
CC9027CD [67:06]
Salomon JADASSOHN (1831-1902) Piano Concerto 1,
Symphony 1 Ignaz BRŰLL Macbeth Overture,
Movements from Violin Concerto & Serenade 1, Valentina
Seferinova (piano); Ilya Hoffman (violin) Belarussian State SO/Marius Stravinsky,
Karelia State PO/Denis Vlasenko
rec. 2007/8 CAMEO
CLASSICS
CC9026CD [68:40] [RB]
Deeply
unfamiliar music liberated with great passion ... see Full
Review
Buxtehude/Bach:
Organ Music for Christmas Time Dietrich
BUXTEHUDE (1637-1707) Johann Sebastian
BACH (1685-1750)
Siegbert
Rampe (organ) rec. 2007
MUSIKPRODUKTION DABRINGHAUS UND GRIMM MDG3411551-2 [62:54]
[JV]
As
a portrait of the organ this disc turns out well but these readings
are not uniformly convincing ... 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]
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