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Gustav
MAHLER (1860-1911) Das Lied von der Erde 
Brigitte Fassbaender (mezzo), Thomas Moser (tenor), Cyprien Katsaris
(piano), rec. 1990
WARNER APEX 2564 681627 [60:41] 
[JZ]
A
worthwhile recording of the song-cycle that stands as the culmination
of Mahler’s contributions to the genre.
Felix
MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) Violin Concerto Max
BRUCH (1838-1920) Violin Concerto 1
Ruggiero Ricci (violin) London SO/Pierino Gamba rec. 1957
PRISTINE AUDIO PASC226 [50:40] 
[BW]
Whatever
other versions you have, make room for this splendid reissue.
Felix
MENDELSSOHN
(1809-1847) A Midsummer Night's Dream
Jenny Wollerman (soprano) Pepe Becker † (soprano) Varsity Voices
Nota Bene Ch, New Zealand SO/Judd rec. 2003-9
NAXOS 8.570794 [76.44]
[RMo]
Very
good, but I see little reason to prefer it when the market abounds in
bargain versions of even better musical quality.
Felix
MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847)
Ruy Blas Overture, Symphonies 1 & 4
Bergen PO/Andrew Litton rec. 2007
BIS BIS-SACD-1584 
[67:09] 
[SV]
Generalized
and diffuse playing.
Felix
MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) Piano Trios
Itzhak Perlman (violin); Yo-Yo Ma (cello); Emanuel Ax (piano) rec. 2009
SONY
CLASSICAL 88697 521922 [59:40] 
[BW]
Convincing
in its own terms, but facing strong competition in all price ranges.
Nicolai
MIASKOVSKY (1881-1950)
String Quartets 1 & 13
Renoir Qt rec. 2009
AR RE-SE 2010-1 [52:50]
[JW]
An
intriguingly Gallic slant.
Stanisław
MONIUSZKO (1819-1872) Songs
Jadwiga Rappé (alto); Maja Nosowska (piano) rec. 1986
DUX 0743 [39:06]
[JW]
A
warmly voiced and perceptive singer and poetic pianist.
Claudio
MONTEVERDI (1567-1643) Il Ritorno di Ulisse in
Patria
Les Arts Florissants/William Christie, rec. 2009
DYNAMIC 33641 [2 DVDs: 182:00] 
[BW]
Good,
but I marginally prefer the older Christie recording on a Virgin DVD
Cristóbal
de MORALES (c.1500–1553) Motet, 'O Sacrum Convivium' see
PALESTRINA
Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756 - 1791) Piano Concertos 22 &
23 Daniel
Barenboim (piano) Bavarian RSO/Rafael Kubelík rec. 1970
BR KLASSIK 900709 [59:46]
[JW]
A
congenial coming together of kindred spirits
Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Così fan tutte
Kiri Te Kanawa, Frederica von Stade, l’Opéra du Rhin Ch, Strasbourg
PO/Alain Lombard, rec. 1977
WARNER CLASSICS - ERATO 2564 68230-6 [3 CDs : 61.15 + 56.41 + 61.07]
[RMo]
The
music whispers to us of a transcendent state where all manner of things
shall be well
Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Serenade Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Symphony 5
Peter Rybar (violin) Wintherthur SO/Fritz Busch, rec. 1949
GUILD GHCD 2352 [70:36]
[JW]
For
the Busch collector, given the grainy recordings – perfectly serviceable
but not quite up to 1949 standard.
Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Horn Concertos 1-4, Horn Quintet
David
Pyatt (horn) ASMF/Sir Neville Marriner rec. 1996
WARNER CLASSICS APEX 2564 681619 [69:41]
[BW]
Recording
quality and price give this a slight advantage even over the classic
Dennis Brain recording.
Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Les Amours de
Bastien et Bastienne
Élisabeth Calleo; Michael Slattery; O de l’Opéra
de Rouen/Laurence Equilbey rec. 2007
NAÏVE V5098
[63:00]
[BW]
A
good performance, spoiled for me somewhat by stage ’business’.
Carl
NIELSEN (1865-1931) Complete Organ Works
Rued LANGGAARD (1893-1952) Selected
Organ Works
Friedhelm Flamme (organ) rec. 2008
CPO 777414-2 [67:40]
[DC]
Hard
to love.
Pehr
Henrik NORDGREN (1944 – 2008) String Quartets 10 &
11 Tempera
Qt rec. 2009
ALBA ABCD 308 [48:09]
[HC]
Nordgren’s
final string quartets in superlative performances
Per
NØRGÅRD (b. 1932) Der göttliche Tivoli – Idyllen und
Katastrophen
Hubert Wild, Bernd Gebhardt, Hoptiquaxes/Dorian Keilhack rec. 2008
DACAPO 6.220572-73
[47:52 + 37:14] [DM]
This
bites hard and never lets go. Full of warmth, whimsy and weirdness.
Feliks
NOWOWIEJSKI (1877-1946) Concertos for solo organ –
Vol. 1
Rudolf Innig (organ) rec. 2009
MUSIKPRODUKTION DABRINGHAUS UND GRIMM MDG 31715912 [79:42]
[DM]
No
doubt there are still some gems to be unearthed, but you won’t find
any here
Carl
ORFF (1895
- 1982) Carmina Burana
Agnes Giebel (soprano), Paul Kuén (tenor), Marcel Cordes (baritone)
West German Radio Ch, Cologne Radio O/Wolfgang Sawallisch rec. 1956
PRISTINE
AUDIO PACO044 [57:11]
[BBr]
Will
give lots of pleasure.
Giovanni
Pierluigi da PALESTRINA
(1525-1594) Missa
O Sacrum Convivium Cristóbal de MORALES
(c.1500–1553) Motet, 'O Sacrum Convivium'
Christ Church Cathedral Ch, Oxford/Stephen Darlington rec. 1993 DDD
NIMBUS
NI5394 [57:58]
[MS]
A
welcome recording of a splendid, sonorous and somewhat 'relaxed' mass
of Palestrina's. The choir is on top form.
Alla
PAVLOVA (b.1952)
Symphony 6, Thumbelina Suite
Mikhail Shestakov (violin) Tchaikovsky SO/Patrick Baton rec. 2008
NAXOS 8.579003 [65:20]
[NB]
This
music does not speak to me with a voice that is either original or insightful
enough to merit repeated listening.
Elis
PEHKONEN (b.1942) Amor Vincit Omnia see
GIBBS
Peter
PHILIPS (c.1560-1628) Cantiones sacrae 1612
Ch Trinity College Cambridge/Richard Marlow rec. 2002
CHANDOS CHACONNE CHAN0770 [77:55]
[GD]
Elegant,
upbeat and always lively
Franz
POENITZ (1850-1912) Works for Harp
Laura Vinciguerra (harp); Paolo Franceschini (violin); Roberto Petrocchi
(clarinet)
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 9719 [72:58]
[GPu]
Attractive
and unfamiliar salon music affectionately played and well recorded.
Quincy
PORTER
(1897-1966) Complete Viola Works
Eliesha Nelson (viola) Northwest Sinf/John McLaughlin Williams (piano,
violin, harpsichord) Douglas Rioth (harp) rec.2008
DORIAN SONO LUMINUS DSL-90911 [73:47]
[JW][RB]
Porter
espouses lyric verities and melancholy is a component too in an intimate
way. [JW] Nelson lays bare the limpid and singing soul of the Concerto.
[RB]
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Serge
PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Romeo and Juliet Suites 1 &
2 see Nobel Prize
Concert
Giacomo
PUCCINI (1858-1924) La fanciulla del West
Daniela
Dessi; Fabio Armiliato; Lucio Gallo Ch & O Città Lirica/Alberto
Veronesi rec. 2005
ARTHAUS MUSIC 101 393 [138:00]
[GF]
A
fine trio of main characters and should give a lot of pleasure
Giacomo
PUCCINI (1858-1924) La Bohème
Hibla Gerzmava, Teodor Illincai, Royal Opera House Covent Garden Ch
& O/Andris Nelsons rec. 2009
OPUS ARTE OA1027D
[121:00]
[ST]
There
are many Bohèmes available on DVD, but this one is as recommendable
as any
Giacomo
PUCCINI (1858-1924) Manon Lescaut; Tosca; La fanciulla
del West see Domingo
Sergei
RACHMANINOFF (1873-1943) Symphonic Dances Igor
STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) Le Sacre du Printemps
Malcolm Wilson & Philip Martin (two pianos) rec. 2009
SOMM SOMMCD 098 [65:37]
[BBr]
The
pianism is superb.
Jean-Philippe
RAMEAU (1683-1764) Le Temple de la Gloire Suites
1 & 2 André GRÉTRY (1741-1813)
Ballet Music Marc-Antoine CHARPENTIER
(1634-1704) Médée Suite
English CO/Raymond Leppard, rec. 1966
DECCA ELOQUENCE 480 2373 [61:46]
[J-PJ]
Once
more, it is unclear why Eloquence has chosen to release these Decca
recordings
Weronika
RATUSINSKA (b. 1977) Works for Orchestra
Tomasz Strahl (cello) Silesian PSO/Miroslaw Jacek Blaszczyk rec. 2009
DUX
0723 [70:54] [BBr]
A
composer to be reckoned with.
BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Maurice RAVEL
(1875-1937) Piano concerto see Nobel
Prize Concert
Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937)
Piano Concerto see STRAUSS
Maurice
RAVEL (1875-1937) Pavane pour une Infante Défunte see
ROPARTZ
Max
REGER (1873-1916) Variations and Fugue on a Theme of
Hiller, Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Mozart
Berlin PO/Paul van Kempen, Karl Böhm rec. 1951/6
GUILD GHCD2363 [75:04]
[GD]
As
close to the composer's musical world as you are likely to find
Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
(1844–1908) Mlada – Suite see
HOLST
Joseph
Guy ROPARTZ (1864-1955) Prélude, Marine et Chansons
Jean FRANÇAIX (1912-1997) Quintet
1 for flute, harp & string trio Jean-Yves
DANIEL-LESUR (1908-2002) Suite Médiévale Maurice
RAVEL (1875-1937) Pavane pour une Infante Défunte
Canta Libre Chamber Ens rec. 2009
4TAY CD-4033 [39:23]
[RB]
Desperately
short playing time for a CD is offered some redemption by rarity value.
Jakob
ROSENHAIN (1813-1894) Piano Concerto see
TAUBERT
Gioachino
ROSSINI (1792-1868) L’Inganno Felice
Raúl
Giménez, Annick Massis, Le Concert des Tuileries/Mark Minkowski rec.
1996
ERATO 2564 68148-4 [78:11]
[JSh]
Performances
as good as this are always welcome however shoddy the presentation.
Edmund
RUBBRA
(1901-1988)
Symphonies 3 & 4, A Tribute, Overture Resurgam,
Philharmonia O/Norman Del Mar
LYRITA SRCD.202 [72:37]
[SV]
Rubbra
had a fine ear for the interplay of color and texture and his full-throated
deployment of the brass in climaxes is characteristically "English".
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