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John
ADAMS (b.1947) Gnarly Buttons see American
Clarinet
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Thomas ADÈS (b.
1971) Tevot, Violin Concerto, Three Studies
from Couperin, Powder Her Face 
Berlin
PO/Sir
Simon
Rattle, Anthony Marwood, CO Europe/Thomas Adès
rec. 2007/9 EMI
CLASSICS
4578132 [66:43] [LW]
An
important disc of remarkable contemporary music … see Full
Review
Hugo
ALFVÉN (1872-1960) Swedish Rhapsody 1 see
SIBELIUS
George
ANTHEIL (1900-1959)
His
Carnegie Hall Concert of 1927 A Jazz Symphony (original
version, 1925) [12:32] with Ivan Davis (pianist) Sonata for violin,
piano and drum No. 2 (1923) [8:06] Charles Castleman (violin); Randall
Hodgkinson (piano) String Quartet No. 1 (1924) [12:59] The Mendelssohn
String Quartet (Ida Levin (violin); Nicolas Mann (violin); Katherine
Murdock (viola); Marcy Rosen (cello)) Ballet Mécanique (original
version 1925) [26:55] Rex Lawson (pianolist), Leslie Amper, David Close,
Stephen Harlos, Randall Hodgkinson, Joseph Joubert, Morey Ritt (piano),
Jim Baker, Andy Bowman, David Carey, Cliff Hardison, Steve Little, Mark
Sherman (xylophone), Gordon Gottlieb, Sue Evans and Alan Raff (percussion)
The
New Palais Royale Orchestra and Percussion Ensemble/Maurice Peress rec.
1990, DDD
NIMBUS NI 2567 [60:46]
[RB]
A
dazzling conflagration of machine-age, ragtime, avant-garde and sentimentality.
... see Full Review
Hans
Erich APOSTEL (1901-1972) String
Quartets, Six Epigrams, 18 Variations on an Original Theme, Interviews
and conversations (in German) DoelenKwartet
rec. 2009 CYBELE
3SACD
KiG 002 
[3
CDs: 64:14 + 74:33 + 60:42] [DC]
A
virtually untrodden path from the Second Viennese School ... see Full
Review
Thomas
ARNE (1710-1778) Artaxerxes Catherine
Bott, Philippa Hyde (sop.), Patricia Spence (mezzo), Christopher
Robson (c-ten.), Ian Partridge, Richard Edgar-Wilson (ten.),
Charles Gibbs (bass), Chorus/Colin Campbell, Parley of Instruments/Roy
Goodman, rec. 1995 HYPERION
DYAD CDD22073 [72:26 + 67:50] [EM]
A
seminal recording of one of the most important operas composed
in the eighteenth century … should be in every opera lover’s collection. … see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Malcolm
ARNOLD (1921 - 2006) Viola Sonata see English
Viola Sonatas
Johann
Christoph Friedrich BACH (1732-1795) The
Sons of Bach - Vol. III Sinfonias,
Concerto
Grosso Christine
Schornsheim (fortepiano) Freiburger Barockorchester/Gottfried von der Goltz
rec. 2009 CARUS
83.306 [77.35] [GH]
Will
add considerably to your musical knowledge and enjoyment ... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH
(1685
- 1750) St Matthew Passion 
Ex Cathedra Choir and Baroque Orchestra/Jeffrey Skidmore rec. live 10
April 2009, Symphony Hall, Birmingham, UK. DDD
ORCHID CLASSICS ORC 100007 [79:58 + 77:45] 
[JV]
The
English text and Bach's music are a mismatch and the performance has
hardly anything going for it ... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) The
Bach Cantata Pilgrimage - Volume 2: Cantatas for
the Second & Third Sundays after Trinity Monteverdi
Ch; English Baroque Soloists/Sir John Eliot Gardiner
rec. 2000 SOLI
DEO GLORIA SDG 165 [73:11
+ 73:43] [JQ]
Another
impressive addition to this important series ... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH
(1685-1750) Cantatas Christine
Schäfer (soprano); Julia Kleiter (soprano); Bernarda Fink (alto); Werner
Güra (tenor); Kurt Streit (tenor); Christian Gerhaher (baritone); Gerald
Finlay (bass); Anton Scharinger (bass);
Arnold Schoenberg Choir; Concentus Musicus Wien/Nikolas Harnoncourt
rec. 2006/7 DDD
DEUTSCHE HARMONIA MUNDI 88697602662 [63:33]
[GD]
If
you liked Harnoncourt’s original recordings of cantatas 140, 61 and
29, you’ll like these ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Motets Bach
Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki rec. 2009 BIS
BISSACD1841 [75:28]
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Motets Domkantorei
St. Pölten; Cappella Nova Graz Solamente Naturali Bratislava/Otto
Kargl rec. 2008 ORF
3052 [56:00] [MC]
Suzuki
provides immaculate performances of the Bach Motets on BIS; Kargl
directs splendid performances of the Motets on ORF ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) St
Matthew Passion Thomas
Quasthoff (bass) Thomanerchor Leipzig; Tölzer Knabenchor Gewandhaus
O/Riccardo Chailly
rec. 2009 DECCA
478
2194 [80:31 +
79:39] [DC]
Blows
away a few cobwebs - very high quality.... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Complete sonatas and partitas for solo violin
Oscar Shumsky (violin) rec. 1979, UK? ADD
NIMBUS NI2557 [72:48 + 74:19]
[MS]
A
dependable and highly competent account of the Sonatas and Partitas
… see Full Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH
(1685-1750)
Six Suites for Solo Cello
Pablo Casals (cello) rec. 1936-9
EMI CLASSICS MASTERS 9659212 [56:46 + 72.34]
[RMo]
Historical
and aesthetic claims to be on the shelves of any moderately serious
collector ... see Full Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH
(1685-1750)
Orchestral Transcriptions (many arr. Eugene Ormandy)
Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy
PRISTINE AUDIO PASC 211 [79:52]
A
decade’s worth of Ormandy’s investigation of the hyphenated world of
Bach arrangements. ... see Full Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Voices
of Bach - Works for oboe, choir and orchestra Trinity
Baroque/Julius Podger The English Concert/Albrecht Mayer (oboe)
rec. 2009 DECCA
478 1517 [65:20] [ST]
A
good one to try, then, but go into it with your eyes open ... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Goldberg Variations Joanna
MacGregor (pno), rec. 2007 WARNER
CLASSICS & JAZZ 2564 68393-3 [61:04] [DC]
Enjoyable
and fascinating, but not definitive. ... see Full
Review
J.
S. BACH (1685 – 1750) Prelude & Fugue "St. Anne"
see BUSONI
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685 - 1750) Cantata see
ZELENKA
Leonardo
BALADA (b. 1933) Cristóbal Colón José Carreras,
Montserrat Caballé, Ch & O Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona/Theo
Alcántara, rec. 1989 NAXOS
8.660237-38 [64:52 + 47:45] [GP]
Some
striking music in an interesting, if flawed, work … see Full
Review
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770–1827) Symphony No. 9 in
D minor Choral Op.125 (1825)
Barbara Bonney (soprano); Birgit Remmert (alto); Kurt Streit (tenor);
Thomas Hampson (baritone) City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus/Simon Halsey;
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Simon Rattle rec. 2002
EMI CLASSICS 9 65924 2 [69:57]
[GD]
Personally,
I’d sooner listen to this than Karajan or Furtwängler…
see Full Review
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano Ctos
4 & 5 Till
Fellner (pno) Montréal SO/Kent Nagano, rec. 2008 ECM
NEW SERIES 2114 [72:40] [DC]
Utterly
convincing ... see Full
Review
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770
- 1827) Egmont -
incidental music, Ah! perfido Madeleine
Pierard (soprano) New Zealand SO/James Judd
rec. 2003/7 NAXOS
8.557264 [55:15] [GF]
Those
curious for some not too often heard music by Beethoven can safely
invest in this well played disc ... see Full
Review
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770 - 1827) The
Premiere Recordings Symphonies
3 & 5 New
Queen’s Hall O/Henry Wood, Odeon SO/Friedrich Kark rec.
1910/22 HISTORIC
RECORDINGS HRCD0001 & HRCD0010 [52:20] [JW]
Very
decent sounding transfers of very rare historic material ... see Full
Review
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Sonatas see Perspectives
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) String Quartet see
Virtuoso
Quartet
Carl
Michael BELLMAN (1740 –
1795) Songs
Martin Best (tenor, cyster, guitar) rec. Wyastone Leys, Monmouth, 14-15
June 1982
NIMBUS NI 5174 [45:01]
[GF]
Best
is certainly as strong an advocate for Bellmann in English as it is
possible to find ... see Full Review
BARGAIN OF THE MONTH
Lennox BERKELEY (1903 - 1989) Viola Sonata see
English Viola
Sonatas
Keeping
Score Hector
BERLIOZ (1803–1869) Symphonie Fantastique,
Documentary
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra/Michael Tilson Thomas
SFS MEDIA 8 21936-0022-9-2 [116:00] 
[ST]
As
an educational venture it deserves to do well… see Full
Review
Vincenzo
BELLINI
(1801–1835) La
Sonnambula Melodrama in two acts (1831)
Amina - Natalie Dessay (soprano); Elvino - Juan Diego Florez (tenor)
Orchestra and Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, New York/Evelino Pido
rec. March 2009
DECCA DVD VIDEO 074 3357 DH [138:00 + bonus]
[RJF]
Wonderful
performance from the main soloists and from the chorus, orchestra and
conductor. Pity about the production see Full
Review
Hector
BERLIOZ (1803-1869) Les
Troyens Marisa
Ferrer (mezzo) BBC Theatre Cho, Royal PO/Sir Thomas Beecham
rec. 1947 SOMM
BEECHAM26-8 [3
CDs:
79:40 + 75:30 + 73:54] [JS]
No
enthusiast for Les Troyens should be without this set … see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Howard BLAKE
(b.1938) The Passion of Mary, Four Songs of
the Nativity,
London Voices,
Royal PO/Howard Blake rec. 2009
NAXOS 8.572453 [76:25]
[BB]
Far
too good to miss … see Full Review
Sir
Arthur BLISS
(1891-1975)
Meditations on a Theme by John Blow (1955) [33:46] Metamorphic
Variations (1972) [38:49]
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/David Lloyd-Jones rec. 11-12 May 2009
The Concert Hall, The Lighthouse, Poole, Dorset. DDD
NAXOS 8.572316 [72:36]
[JF]
Demanding,
searching and ultimately moving. ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH York BOWEN (1884-1961)
Piano Works - Vol. 4 Partita, Suite Mignonne, Third Suite, Three
Sketches, Sonatina, Three Novelettes, Polonaise, A Whim
Joop Celis (pno), rec. 2009
CHANDOS CHAN10593 [79:35]
[JF]
A
fantastic CD ... see Full Review
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Piano Concerto 3 (after Violin Concerto) Two Rhapsodies, Scherzo
Dejan
Lazic (piano) Atlanta Symphony Orchestra/Robert Spano rec. 2009,
CHANNEL CLASSICS CD
CCS SA 29410 [66:10]
[JZ]
Made persuasive by its idiomatic writing for piano … see Full
Review
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Pno Concerto 3, 2 Rhapsodies, Scherzo
Dejan
Lazić (pno), Atlanta SO/Robert Spano, rec. 2009
CHANNEL CLASSICS CCSSA29410 [66:10]
[RMay]
Pleasurable
surprise and sheer enjoyment ... see Full
Review
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Symphony 1, Haydn Variations
Budapest Festival O/ Iván Fischer rec. 2009
CHANNEL CLASSICS CCSSA28309
[67:28] [LW]
Though
well played I cannot recommend this performance of Brahms First …
see Full Review
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Romances from Ludwig Tieck’s ‘Die schöne Magelone’ Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Lieder
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone) *Sviatoslav Richter (piano); Benjamin
Britten (piano) rec. 1965/72
BBC LEGENDS BBCL 4255-2 [76:17]
A
superb lieder disc; definitely one for the connoisseur. ... see Full
Review
Benjamin
BRITTEN
(1913-1976) Four
Sea Interludes from the opera Peter Grimes, op. 33a (1945)
[15:40] Suite on English Folk Tunes, ‘A time there was …’,
op. 90 (1974) [14:23] The Courtly Dances from the opera Gloriana,
op. 53a (1953) [9:59] The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra,
op. 34 (1947) [16:42]
English Symphony Orchestra/William Boughton rec. Symphony Hall, Birmingham,
11-12 April 1991. DDD
NIMBUS NI 5295 [57:43]
[MG]
Performances
and recording of a high standard … see Full
Review
Anton
BRUCKNER (1824–1896) Symphony No. 4 in E flat Major
(1874)
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Sylvain Cambreling rec.
2003
GLOR CLASSICS GC09231 [62:37]
[GD]
Tight
control combined with a keen sense of the dramatic… see Full
Review
Anton
BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony 6
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden & Freiburg/Sylvain Cambreling,
rec. 1998
GLOR CLASSICS GC09241 [52:45]
[GD]
A
distinctive and passionate Sixth ... see Full
Review
Anton
BRUCKNER
(1824-1896) Symphony No.9 in D Minor (1894)
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Sylvain Cambreling rec.
Konzerthaus, Freiburg, 12-13 November 2005. DDD
GLOR CLASSICS GC09251 [60:08] [GD]
Not
the best Bruckner 9 on the market but has its moments, ... see Full
Review
Gavin
BRYARS
(b.1943)
Epilogue from Wonderlawn (1994) [7:49] Eight Irish Madrigals (2004)
[26:49] The Church Closest to the Sea (2007) [15:18]
Susan Hamilton (soprano); Nicholas Mulroy (tenor); Rick Standley (double-bass);
Mr McFall’s Chamber rec. 12-13 January 2009, St Mary’s Parsdih Church,
Haddington. DDD
DELPHIAN DCD 34058 [50:02]
[BBr]
Bryars
at his very best … see Full Review
Gavin
BRYARS (b. 1943) Three Canadian Songs, Violin Concerto,
The Porazzi Fragment, By The Vaar
Holly Cole (voice); Gwen Hoebig (violin); Gavin Bryars (double-bass
solo) CBC Radio Orchestra/Owen Underhill
GB RECORDS BCGBCD12 [73:42]
[DC]
Slow'n
low ... see Full Review
Gavin
BRYARS (b.1943)
I Send You This Cadmium Red, The Island Chapel
John Christie and John Berger (speakers) Roger Heaton (clarinets), James
Woodrow (electric guitar), Bill Hawkes (viola), Gavin Bryars (double-bass,
electric keyboard). Melanie Pappenheim (voice) Sophie Harris (cello)
rec. 1997/2002
GB RECORDS BCGBCD06 [61:21]
[DC]
Filled
with food for the imagination … see Full
Review
Geoffrey
BURGON (b. 1941) Ghosts of the Dance, Merciless
Beauty, Cello Concerto Sarah
Connolly (mezzo), Philip Dukes (viola), Josephine Knight (cello),
City of London Sinfonia/Rumon Gamba, rec. 2009 CHANDOS
CHAN10592 [62:43] [RB]
Coast
around the boundaries of night, sleep and dream … most beautifully
and lovingly recorded ... see Full
Review
Ferruccio
BUSONI (1866 – 1924) Piano Music - Volume 5 6
Études, 6 Stücke, 10 Variationen uber ein Präludium von Chopin J.
S. BACH (1685 – 1750) Prelude & Fugue "St. Anne"
Wolf
Harden (pno), rec. 2007
NAXOS 8.570891 [73:28]
[BBr]
Too
good to miss … see Full Review
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