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Kaija
SAARIAHO (b.
1952) Notes
on Light, Orion, Mirage Karita
Mattila (soprano) Anssi Karttunen (cello) O de Paris/Christoph Eschenbach
rec. live, 2008 ONDINE
ODE1130-2 [63:06] [HC]
Refined,
subtle and often quite beautiful ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Camille SAINT-SAËNS
(1835-1921) Complete Works for Cello and Orchestra
Johannes Moser
(cello); Radio Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR/Fabrice Bollon rec.
2007 HÄNSSLER CLASSIC
CD93.222 [69:16][MC]
A
fruitful emotional encounter with Saint-Saëns ... see Full
Review
Alessandro
SCARLATTI (1660–1725) Messa per il Santissimo Natale
see PERGOLESI
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Giacinto
SCELSI
(1905-1988) Preludi,
Serie I-IV: Serie I [21:05]; Serie II [17:49]; Serie III [18:40]; Serie
IV [13:46] Alessandra
Ammara (piano) rec. 30 September – 1 October 2008, Chiesa di S. Apollinaire,
Monticello de Lonigo, Vicenza, Italy
ARTS 47721-8
[73 :10]
[DC]
Enigmatic,
fascinating, and a technically outstanding achievement all round. ...
see Full Review
Franz
SCHMIDT (1874-1939) Symphonies
Nos. 1-4 Detroit
Symphony Orchestra & Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Neeme Järvi rec.
1989-96 CHANDOS CHAN9568(4)
[4 CDs: 44:51 + 46:55 + 42:19 + 42:12][RB]
Sumptuous,
vernal energy and weightiness of tone ... see Full Review
Alfred
SCHNITTKE
(1934-1998)
Five Aphorisms, Piano Sonata 3Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1 -
Prelude and Fugue in C sharp minor, French Suite 5
Svetlana Ponomarëva (piano) rec. 2008
MV PRODUCTIONS [No number] [52:42] [JW]
Not
an obvious conjunction but it works fruitfully ... see Full
Review
Paul SCHOENFELD (b.
1947) Café Music see American
Trios
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Symphony
9 Berlin PO/Sir Simon Rattle rec.
2005 EMI CLASSICS 2285332 [57.43] [GH]
A
journey after which life can never be quite the same again ... see Full
Review
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Symphonies
Nos. 3 & 4; Overtures: Manfred; Hermann und Dorothea
Swedish Chamber
Orchestra/Thomas Dausgaard rec. 2006-7
BIS-SACD-1619
[76:30][DC]
An
attractive prospect ... see Full
Review
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810–1856)
Genoveva
Juliane Banse, Shawn Mathey, Zurich Opera House Ch & O/Nikolaus
Harnoncourt rec. live, 2008
ARTHAUS MUSIC 101327
[146:00] [GF]
Quirky
production but excellent singing ... see Full
Review
Gerard SCHWARZ (b. 1947) In Memoriam see
HEGGIE
Alexander
SCRIABIN (1872-1915) Mazurkas, 2 Poèmes, 5 Preludes, Vers
la flamme see Marshev
Kazimierz
SEROCKI (1922-1981) Romantic
Concerto Tadeusz BAIRD (1928-1981) Piano
Concerto Jan KRENZ (b.
1926) Piano concertino Adam Wodnicki (piano) Polish
Ntl RSO/Tadeusz Wojciechowski, Jerzy Swoboda rec. 1999-2001 DUX 0651 [64:27]
[RB]
Excitingly
recorded … should appeal to the adventurous ... see Full
Review
Rodion
SHCHEDRIN (b. 1932)
The Ancient Melodies of Russian folk-songs (2007) [17.53] Cello
Sonata (1996) [34.24] In the style of Albeniz (1959) [4.36]
Quadrille from the opera ‘Nicht nur liebe’ (Not love alone)
(1961) arr. Grigory Singer [6.57]
Raphael Wallfisch (cello); Rodion Shchedrin (piano) rec. Wyastone Leys,
25 May 2007. DDD NIMBUS
NI 5831 [63.53]
[GH]
The
Cello Sonata - a stunning work ... see Full
Review
Jean
SIBELIUS (1865-1957) Symphonies
Nos. 1 & 7 etc.
Helsinki City Symphony Orchestra/Leopold Stokowski rec. 1953
GUILD GHCD2341 [78:55][CH]
Poor
sound and a Seventh that is sui generis ... see Full
Review
Jean
SIBELIUS (1865-1957) Night Ride
and Sunrise etc.
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra/Pietari Inkinen rec. 2007
NAXOS 8.570763 [64:34][RB]
The
lesser known Sibelius nicely done with atmosphere and hushed tension
... see Full Review
Jean
SIBELIUS (1865-1957) Sibelius
Edition Vol. 6: The Music for Violin and Piano Jaakko
Kuusisto (violin); Nils-Erik Sparf (violin); Madoka Sato (violin);
Bengt Forsberg (piano); Folke Gräsbeck (piano) BIS
BISCD1915-17 [5 CDs:
363:22] [RB]
For
out and out Sibelius fanatics - superbly done though ... see Full
Review
Christophe
SIRODEAU (b.1970)
Musique Vespérale pur Elsa - Sumphônia, Obscur chemin
des étoiles, Artificial Horizon, Cénotaphe, Jeux
d'Ombres, Arlequins en rouge et blanc, Esquisse pour Adramandoni
Pia Segerstam (cello) Montpellier
Ntl O/Leif Segerstam; Jonathan Powell, Christophe Sirodeau (piano) rec.
2006 ALTARUS AIR-CD-9035
[79:59] [RB]
Welcomes
the adventurous traveller ... see Full
Review
Nikos
SKALKOTTAS (1904-1949) Concerto
for Two Violins,
Concertino for Two Pianos, Nocturnal Amusement Thessaloniki
State SO/Vassilis Christopoulos
rec. 2005 BIS BISCD1554 [55:02]
[RB]
Contrasts:
a sensationally dissonant Concerto and a zany populist Nocturne
... see Full Review
Red-blooded
playing and recording ... see Full
Review
Otar
TAKTAKISHVILI (1924-1989) Megrelian Songs see The
Georgian Composers Collection
Sergei
TANEYEV (1856-1915)
CD1 Concert Suite for Violin and Orchestra Op.28 (1909) [44:43] ¹ CD2 Symphony
No.4 in C minor Op.12 (1898) [41:37] Apollo’s
Temple in Delphi [5:56] CD3 Cantata No.2 ‘At the Reading of a
psalm’ Op.36 (1915) [63:37] ² CD4 Alexander
KASTALSKY (1856-1926) Brotherly Prayer for the Dead (1915)
[69:21] Andrei Korsakov
(violin) ¹ Ludmila Belobragina (soprano), Lyubov Aleshchenkova (mezzo
soprano), Evgeni Vladimirov (bass) ² USSR TV and Radio Large Chorus
and Symphony Orchestra/Evgeny Svetlanov rec. Moscow 1977-90
SVET 93-96/4 [4 CDs: 44:43 + 47:16 + 63:37 + 59:21]
[JW]
This
impressive box ... see Full Review
Sergey Ivanovich TANEYEV (1856–1915)
Suite de Concert see RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
Sir
John TAVENER (b. 1944) Piano Music: Zodiacs (1997) [1:55]; Ypakoë (1997)
[13:34]; Palin (1977) [08.42]; Mandoodles (1982) [4:55];
Pratirüpa (2003) [29:42]; In Memory of Two Cats (1986)
[02:11] Ralph
van Raat (piano) rec. Potton Hall, Westleton, Suffold, 7-8 March 2007.
DDD NAXOS 8.570442
[60:59]
[ABo]
Ethereal
and minimal ... see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Boris TCHAIKOVSKY (1925-1996) Complete
String Quartets Ilya
Ioff (violin); Elena Raskova (violin); Lydia Kovalenko (viola);
Alexey Massarsky (cello) rec. 2008 NORTHERN FLOWERS
NF9964-65 [42:12
+ 67:28] [RB]
Translucent
singing melody - a treasury ... see Full
Review
Boris TCHAIKOVSKY
(1925-1996) Piano Quintet, The Last Spring,
Boris Tchaikovsky (piano);
Prokofiev Quartet; Natalia Burnasheva (mezzo); Sergey Bubnov (flute);
Alexander Ivanov (clarinet) rec. 1978/85
REGIS FORUM FRC9111 [66:36] [RB]
Iconic
works in historic, brooding, expressive pioneering versions ... see
Full Review
Pyotr
Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Piano Concerto No. 1
see BRAHMS
Pyotr
Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Piano
Concerto No. 3; Symphony No. 6 etc.
Philip Fowke (piano); Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Andrew Litton rec.
1980 CLASSICS FOR PLEASURE
2283752 [69:43][IL]
Tchaikovsky’s
Third Piano Concerto is more than just a curio ... see Full
Review
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY
(1840-1893)
Violin Concerto, Souvenir d’un lieu cher
Janine Jansen (violin) Mahler CO/Daniel Harding rec. 2008
DECCA 478 0651 [52:34] [DC]
A
breath of fresh air ... see Full
Review
Georg
Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767)
Twelve Fantasias for Flute
Jed Wentz (baroque flute) No recording dates or locations are given
on the disc. BRILLIANT
CLASSICS 93440 [53:44]
[KS]
Bold
and daring, delightful music. A most winsome outing indeed. ... see
Full Review
Charles TOURNEMIRE
(1870-1939) L’orgue mystique Vol.1
Office Nr. 29 Office Nr.13 Office Nr.42 Office Nr.51
Sandro R. Müller (organ) Alexander Schuke-Orgel, Alte Reformierte Kirche,
Wuppertal-Elberfeld rec. 1994
CYBELE CD 050.101 [73:40]
Charles TOURNEMIRE (1870-1939)
L’orgue mystique Vol.2 Office Nr. 8 Office Nr.22 Office
Nr.3 Sandro R. Müller
(organ) Alexander Schuke-Orgel, Alte Reformierte Kirche, Wuppertal-Elberfeld
rec. 1994 CYBELE
CD 050.102 [67:55]
[DC]
More
approachable than you might expect ... a major project ... see
Full Review
Donald Francis TOVEY (1875-1940)
Chamber Music - Volume 1 Piano Trio in B minor op.1 (1900) Piano
Trio in C minor op.8 Style Tragique (1908)
London Piano Trio rec. 2007,
TOCCATA TOCC 0068 [65:06]
[RB]
A mature originality of ideas nestling in a Brahmsian manner... see
Full Review
Sulkan
TSINTSADZE (1925-1992) Four Miniatures see The
Georgian Composers Collection
Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901) Nabucco
Tokyo Opera Singers; Tokyo Symphony Orchestra/Daniel
Oren rec. 1998
NAÏVE V5158 [70:05 + 53:15][JS]
I
had expected to enjoy this greatly but was disappointed ... see Full
Review
Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901) La Traviata
Bavarian State Opera
Orchestra and Chorus/Zubin Mehta 2006
FARAO CLASSICS S108070
[71.01 + 50.14][RJF]
A
rather ordinary effort ... see Full
Review
Antonio
VIVALDI (1678-1741) Concerti per
violoncello II
Christophe Coin (cello); Il Giardino Armonico/Giovanni Antonini rec.
2007 NAÏVE OP30457 [60:18][BW]
A
fine successor to the first volume ... see Full
Review
Antonio
VIVALDI (1678–1741) Violin Concertos
Daniel Hope (violin);
Chamber Orchestra of Europe rec. 2008
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 4777463 [57.44][RH]
An
interesting dialogue between modern ways and period practice … see Full
Review
Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741) Gloria,
RV 589 see BACH
Georg Christoph WAGENSEIL
(1715-1777) Concerts choisis
Echo du Danube/Alexander Weimann rec. 2008
ACCENT ACC24186 [69:01][TB]
A
disc that will give pleasure but is unlikely to become a firm favourite
... see Full Review
Richard
WAGNER (1813–1883)
Tristan und Isolde
Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau/Golo Berg rec. 2007
ARTHAUS MUSIC 101325
[2 DVDs: 224:00][GF]
A
very likeable performance ... see Full
Review
Richard
WAGNER (1813–1883)
Götterdämmerung
Wolfgang Windgassen, Hans Hotter, Gustav Neidlinger, Martha Mödl, Ch
& O Bayreuther Festspiele/Joseph Keilberth rec. live 1955
TESTAMENT SBT4 1433 [4 CDs: 261:58] [DH]
Mödl
is the key reason for investing in this set ... see Full
Review
Richard
WAGNER (1813–1883)
Der Ring des Nibelungen (Highlights)
Bavarian RSO/Bernard
Haitink rec. 1988-91
CLASSICS FOR PLEASURE 2283772 [72:39] [ST]
Richard
WAGNER (1813-1883)
Siegfried’s Rhine Journey; Prelude to Act I and Death of Isolde from Tristan und Isolde see BEETHOVEN
Sir Henry WALFORD DAVIES (1869-1941)
Violin Sonata No. 2 see
HOLBROOKE
Gareth
WALTERS (b. 1928) Song-Cycles
and Chamber Music: Cân y galon (Song of the Heart)
for soprano and string quartet (1970) Little Suite
for Flute and Harp (1960s) Violin Sonata (1989-96) Berceuse
for harp (1965) Poésies du soir for mezzo and chamber
orchestra (1961) Carolyn
Foulkes (soprano) Wendy Dawn Thompson (mezzo) Adam Summerhayes (violin)
Nicola Elmer (piano) Adam Walker (flute) London Concertante/Gregory
Rose rec. 2006. TOCCATA
TOCC0090 [68:40]
[RB]
Sensuous
Gallic warmth …. lyrical countryside indulgence ... see Full
Review
William WALTON (1902-1983) Viola
Concerto see BRITTEN
Mieczyslaw
WEINBERG
(Moise VAINBERG) (1919-1996)
Symphonies - Vol. 3 Symphonies 14 & 16
National Polish RSO Katowice/Gabriel Chmura rec. 2006
CHANDOS CHAN10334 [63.42] [RB]
Two
gaunt and chilly symphonies ... see Full
Review
Hugo
WOLF (1860-1930) Edition
Fischer-Dieskau - Volume II Spanisches Liederbuch
(Weltlich & Geistlich) Gesänge Des Harfners, Cophtische
Lieder Dietrich
Fischer-Dieskau (baritone); Hertha Klust, Walther Welsch, Rudolf
Wille (piano)
rec. 1948-53 AUDITE 95.600 [53:37]
[KMc]
Excellent
- more impetuous than in his peak years ... see Full
Review
Ellen Taaffe ZWI LLICH (b. 1939) Piano Trio see American
Trios
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