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American Choral Premieres
of Music by Alan
HOVHANESS (1911-2000), Egon COHEN
(b. 1984), Paul NICHOLSON (b. 1963), Paul
FRENCH (b. 1959), Easley BLACKWOOD
(b. 1933), Robert KREUTZ (1922-1966), William
FERRIS (1937-2000), William C. WHITE
(b. 1983), George ROCHBERG (1918-2005)
William Ferris Chorale/Paul
French 2007-8 CEDILLE
CDR90000109 [64:10][WH] 
Well
sung, but not all of these modern sacred works are successful … see
Full Review
American
Classics
George GERSHWIN
(1898 - 1937) An American in Paris Aaron
COPLAND (1900 - 1990) Billy the Kid suite Leonard
BERNSTEIN (1918 - 1990) Symphonic Dances from West
Side Story Royal PO/John
Baltimore rec. 2006
RPO 019 [68:44]
[BBr]
For
sheer enjoyment this is well worth the outlay ... see Full
Review
The
Art of the Viola Paul
HINDEMITH (1895-1963) Viola
Sonata Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Duo Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Märchenerzählungen George
Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759) Passacaglia Benjamin
BRITTEN (1913-1976) Lachrymae Heinrich
Koll (viola) Madoka Inui (piano); Peter Schmidl (clarinet);
Alexandra Koll (violin); Milan Karanovic (cello) rec. 2004 NAXOS
8.557606 [65:01] 
[JW]
Fluent
and elegant, and very pleasing ... see Full
Review
The
Art of Saxophone
Aleksandr GLAZUNOV (1865-1936)
Concerto for alto saxophone Claude DEBUSSY
(1862-1918) Rhapsodie Jacques IBERT
(1890-1962) Concertino da camera [12:06] Darius
MILHAUD (1892-1974) Scaramouche, La création
du monde Heitor VILLA-LOBOS (1887-1959)
Fantasia
Mario Marzi (saxophone) Milano Giuseppe Verdi SO/Hansjörg Schellenberger
rec. 2004 ARTS MUSIC
47748-8 
[76:50] [DM]
First-rate
performances and sound. A feast for all sax fans ... see Full
Review
Ave
Maria – 19th Century Romantic Sacred
Music from Menorca
Lluís Sintes (baritone); Tomé Olives (organ) rec. 2008
COLUMNA MÚSICA 1CM0218 [47:02][NB]
A
miserly 47 minutes of modest music enthusiastically performed ... see
Full Review
Martina Bačová - Elegant
Provocation
Otmar MÁCHA Elegy
for violin and piano Leoš JANÁČEK
Violin Sonata George ENESCU
Violin Sonata No.2 in F minor Op.6 Béla
BARTÓK (1881-1945)
Romanian Folk Dances arranged by Zoltan Székely
Martina Bačová (violin) Alexandr Starý (piano) rec.
December 2008, Kulturní dům Teplice
ARCO DIVA UP 0107-2 131 [55:05]
[JW]
A
fine conspectus played with assurance and style ... see Full
Review
Katharina
Wagner’s Baptism Of Fire: The
Road To Her Debut In Bayreuth (Katharina Wagners Feuertaufe)
(2007) A Film
by Dagmar Krauss ARTHAUS
MUSIK 101478 
[82:00][GD]
Radicalism
and ambition are her personality traits ... see Full
Review
Bells
for Stokowski Tielman
SUSATO (- c. 1561) Selections from "The Danserye"
Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958)
English Folk Song Suite David DEL TREDICI
(b. 1937) In Wartime Michael DAUGHERTY
(b. 1954) Bells for Stokowski
University of Texas Wind Ensemble/Jerry Junkin rec. 2003
REFERENCE RECORDINGS RR-104 [64:49]
[BM]
Straightforward
and persuasive interpretations … see Full
Review
The
Idil Biret Edition Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano Sonatas Nos. 23,
28 & 31 Idil Biret (piano) rec.
2001
IBA 8.571258 [69:57]
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) transc. Franz LISZT (1811-1886) Symphonies
Nos. 7 & 8 Idil Biret (piano) rec. 1986
IBA 8.571259 [76:40]
Edvard GRIEG (1843-1907) Piano Concerto
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Piano Concerto
Idil Biret (piano); Bilkent
Symphony Orchestra/Antoni Wit rec. 2006
IBA
8.571270 [65:00][JS]
A
freshness about these performances - very attractive ... see Full
Review
Boréalis
En Salon: 19th Century French
Music for Winds Claude-Paul TAFFANEL
(1844-1908) Quintette pour instruments à Vent Adolphe
Édouard Marie DESLANDRES (1840-1911) Trois Pièces
en Quintette André Georges Louis ONSLOW
(1784-1853) Quintette Charles Édouard
LEFEBVRE (1843-1917) Suite
Borealis Wind Qnt rec. 2007
MSR CLASSICS MS1250 [69.27] 
[SP]
Character,
energy and great ensemble playing ... see Full
Review
Celebrating
20 Years Together
Australian
CO/Richard Tognetti (violin, director)
ABC CLASSICS 476 3304 [69:15 + 66:40] 
[NB]
Only
for Australian Chamber Orchestra aficionados ... see Full
Review
Cherkassky plays
Felix MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847),
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828), Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) and Peter Ilyich
TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Shura Cherkassky (piano) rec. 1970
BBC LEGENDS BBCL42542 [76:50][PPLL] 
Noble,
approachable, and warm-blooded ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Dance
of the Three Legged Elephants
Matthew
Barley (cello); Julian Joseph (piano) SIGNUM
CLASSICS SIGCD171 [72:24]
[BW]
Beguiles
and overwhelms - don’t miss it ... see Full
Review
Decentred Works
by John Cage & Michael Pisaro Tom
Chant (saxophones & bass clarinet) Angharad Davies (violin & objects)
Benedict Drew (electronics & objects) John Edwards (double
bass) rec. 2009 ANOTHER
TIMBRE AT18 [69:07] [DC]
Interesting,
but saddled in places with emperor’s clothes syndrome ...
see Full Review
Dreams
of Andalusia
Jewish, Arabic & Christian Songs of medieval
Spain Joglaresa rec.
2000 METRONOME METCD1062
[64:10] [GPu]
An
exhilarating and inventive sampling of the music of medieval Andalusia
… see Full Review
The Edison Legacy Volume 1 - Unpublished
Treasures of the Edison Archive rec. 1910-20
MARSTON 52042-2 [79:43 + 77:07]
[JW]
The
historic vocal market enriched tremendously ... see Full
Review
RECORDING OF THE MONTH James
Ehnes in Recital Music by
Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937), Claude
DEBUSSY (1862-1918), Camille
SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921), Henryk
WIENIAWSKI (1835-1880) and Pablo
de SARASATE (1844-1908)
James Ehnes (violin); Wendy Chen, Eduard Laurel
(piano) rec. 1999 & 2003
CBC RECORDS MVCD1177-2 [68:17 + 65:34][KS]
Peerless
playing … will please and astound ... see Full
Review
English
18th-century Keyboard Concertos by George
Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759), Thomas
ROSEINGRAVE (1688-1766), Thomas
CHILCOT (c1700-1766), James
NARES (1715-1783), Philip
HAYES (1738-1797) and James
HOOK (1746-1827) The
Parley of Instruments/Paul Nicholson (organ, harpsichord, fortepiano)
rec. 1993 HYPERION
HELIOS CDH55341 [76:06][JV]
A
good recording despite the largely speculative reconstructions
... see Full Review
Costas
Fotopoulos – Piano Music Sergei
RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) and Costas
FOTOPOULOS (born 1974)
Costas Fotopoulos (piano) rec. 2008
JCL RECORDS JCL514 [62:45][GD]
The
ideal way to make a recording debut ... see Full
Review
European
Brass Band Championships 2009 Cory Band/Dr.
Robert Childs, Brass Band Oberösterreich/Hannes Buchegger,
Brass Band Treize Etioles/James Gourlay,
Eikanger-Bjørsvik Musikklag/Bjarte Engeset, Grimethorpe Colliery Band/Allan
Withington
rec. live 2009 WORLD OF BRASS
WOB138 [2
DVDs: 116:20 + 91:00] [SP]
A
showcase of the event ... see Full
Review
From
the Vaults of Westminster Cathedral - A procession
of Chant and Polyphony
Choir of Westminster Cathedral/Martin
Baker rec. 2007 HYPERION
CDA67707 [77.45][RH]
Imaginative
and attractive ... see Full Review
Alfred Herz The Complete San Francisco Recordings
Vol. 1 Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Leonore Overture 3
Carl Maria von WEBER (1786-1826)
Der Freischütz overture Felix MENDELSSOHN
(1809-1847) A Midsummer Night’s Dream
San Francisco SO/Alfred
Herz rec. 1927-28 PRISTINE
AUDIO PASC163 [58:59]
[JW]
Revelatory
... see Full Review
Hommage à Cochereau David BRIGGS (b.
1962) Improvisation sur ‘Alouette, gentille alouette’ Thierry
ESCAICH (b. 1965) Suite improvisée Loïc
MALLIÉ (b. 1947) Suite improvisée sur
le nom de Pierre Cochereau George C.
BAKER (b. 1951) Ricercar on ‘Nun komm, der
Heiden Heiland’, Berceuse-Paraphrase, Toccata-Gigue
on the Sussex Carol George
Baker, David Briggs, Thierry Eschaich, Loïc Mallié (organ)
rec. 2008/9 SOLSTICE
SOCD252 [71:25] [DM]
A
must for all lovers of the improviser’s art ... see Full
Review
Hiccup - RTÉ
lyric fm COMMISSIONS 2002-2008 Works by Bernard Geary, David Fennessy,
Rhona Clarke, Elaine Agnew, Gavin Bryars, Fergus Johnston, Andreja Malir,
Jürgen Simpson, Marian Ingoldsby, Greg Caffrey, Siobhán
Cleary and Fergal Carroll
RTÉ LYRIC FM CD123 [75:04] Free
There
is much to enjoy here ... see Full
Review
Hypnos Music
by Philippe SCHOELLER (b.1957), Pierre HAMON (b.1956), Guillaume
de MACHAUT (1300-1377) and Mario LAVISTA (b.1943) Pierre
Hamon (flutes) rec. 2007 ZIG-ZAG
TERRITOIRES ZZT090101 [61:15][CR]
Far
from stereotypical … full of soulful melodies and wonderful variety ...
see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Italian music in the
Low Countries by ANONYMOUS
(early 18th-Century) and Francesco
MANCINI (1672-1737)
Currende/Erik van Nevel rec. 2009
ET’CETERA KTC4031 [79:42][BW]
A
delight from beginning to end: more, please ... see Full
Review
In
This Hid Clearing … Wind
Band Music by Gordon JACOB
(1895-1984), Jack STAMP (b. 1954), Aaron COPLAND
(1900-1990), Percy GRAINGER
(1882-1961), Percy GRAINGER
(1882-1961) and George
GERSHWIN (1898-1937)
University of Missouri Wind Ensemble/Thomas
O’Neal rec. 2007
NAXOS 8.572108 [68:01][BM]
A
strange program ... see Full Review
Jerusalem:
Vision of Peace
Gothic
Voices/Christopher Page rec. 1998
HYPERION CDA67039 [71:49]
[BW]
A
treasure of the back catalogue ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Lamentations Tomás
Luis de VICTORIA (c. 1548-1611) Lectio Don
Carlos GESUALDO (c. 1561-1613) Responsorium Robert
WHITE (c. 1538-1574) Lectio Giovanni
Pierluigi da PALESTRINA (1525/26-1594) Lectio Nordic
Voices rec. 2009 CHANDOS
CHACONNE CHAN0763 [68:30] [DC]
Transcends
category and criticism ... see Full
Review
Let’s
Come To An Arrangement Andrew
Wilson (organ) rec. 2009 REGENT
REGCD325 [73:54][ST]
A
very successful disc ... see Full
Review
Lyrita
Fiftieth Anniversary boxed sets - 50 legendary recordings Set
1: William Alwyn-John Ireland; Set 2: Gordon Jacob - William
Wordsworth LYRITA
SRCD.2337, SRCD.2338 (4CD sets) [RB]
Lyrita’s
resplendent achievement more than sampled ... see Full
Review
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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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