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Camille
SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921) Piano Concerto 4 Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Piano Concerto 
Alfred Cortot (piano) ?Orchestra/Charles Munch, LSO/Landon Ronald rec.
1925-1935
ST-LAURENT STUDIO YSL 78-002 [61:35] 
[JW]
This
company operates on a minimum intervention policy. The Saint-Saëns has
a good sound spectrum but numerous ticks, clicks and audible side joins.
Camille
SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921)
Complete
works for cello
Luigi Piovano (cello) O del Teatro Marrucino/Piero Bellugi rec. 2003
ELOQUENTIA
EL1024 [76:06 + 68:42] 
[MC]
Skill
and commitment and with abundant artistry and eminent sympathy.
Camille
SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921)
Piano Concerto 2 Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY
(1840-1893) Symphony 4
Yefim Bronfman (piano) Berlin PO/Kurt Sanderling rec. 1992
EUROARTS 2057638 
[83:00] [JW]
I
enjoyed this very much indeed.
Giuseppe
SAMMARTINI (1695-1750) Concertos
Donatalla Bianchi (harpsichord) Paolo Ferrigato (flute) Franceso Quaranta
(oboe) I Musici Ambrosiana/Paolo Suppa rec. 1998
DYNAMIC DM8003 [62:24] [GPu]
A
pleasant sampler of Giuseppe Sammartini.
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Pablo SARASATE
(1844-1908)
Works for violin ands orchestra Vol. 3
Tianwa Yang (violin) Navarra SO/Ernest Martínez Izquierdo rec. 2009,
NAXOS
8.572275 [58:45] 
[BR]
Tianwa
Yang’s best Sarasate yet, which is really saying something. Absolutely
fantastic.
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Domenico SCARLATTI
(1685-1757) Complete Keyboard Sonatas - Volume 1
Carlo Grante (piano) rec. 2009
MUSIC & ARTS CD1236 [6 CDs: 392:15]
[JW]
Profoundly
impressive.
Domenico
SCARLATTI (1685-1757) Sonatas see
Cziffra
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Heinrich SCHEIDEMANN
(c.1595-1663) Magnificat settings for organ
Karin Nelson (organ) rec. 2010
INTIM MUSIK IMCD116 [53:34 + 62:42]
[Byz]
An
outstanding disc in every regard.
Florent
SCHMITT (1870-1958) Three Rhapsodies see
Rhapsodies for Two Pianos
Franz
SCHUBERT (1798-1828) Overture Die Zauberharfe,
Incidental Music to Rosamunde
Serena Malfi (alto) Schweizer Kammerchor Musikkollegium Winterthur/Douglas
Boyd rec. 2010
MUSIKPRODUKTION DABRINGHAUS UND GRIMM 
MDG
901 1633-6 [58:15]
[GD]
Elegant
writing beautifully presented.
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) String Quartet 15 Alban
BERG (1885-1935) String Quartet
Kuss Qt rec. 2010
ONYX 4066 [73:55]
[MC]
I
thoroughly enjoyed this captivating and splendidly played release.
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797 – 1828) Winterreise
Thomas Bauer (baritone) Jos van Immerseel (piano) rec. 2009
ZIG-ZAG TERRITOIRES ZZT 101 102 [71:00]
[GF]
A
disc to be snapped up and at once and then savoured during many listening
sessions.
Franz
SCHUBERT
(1797-1828) Unfinished
Symphony Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Symphony 3
Staatskapelle Dresden/Sir Colin Davis rec. 1992
PROFIL EDITION PH08043 [67:21]
[JQ]
An
exceptionally satisfying disc.
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Symphony 8, Rosamunde overture
see PROKOFIEV
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Violin Sonata see Glass
Heart
Ervin
SCHULHOFF (1894-1942) String Quartet 1 Kurt
WEILL (1900-1950) String Quartet Paul
HINDEMITH (1895-1963) String Quartet
Brandis Qt rec. 1992
NIMBUS NI 5410 [60:24] 
[JW]
There’s
a great deal to like about these performances.
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Three Romances see
Romantic Works for Violin
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-56) Piano Trio 1 see BEETHOVEN
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Kinderszenen see
BRAHMS
Ittai
SHAPIRA
(b.1973) Concierto
Latino
Ittai Shapira (violin) London Serenata/Krzysztof Chorzelski rec. 2010
CHAMPS
HILL RECORDS CHRCD 020 [26:04] 
[Byz]
For
anyone giving this review only ten seconds before they make up their
mind: this is an unmissable CD.
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH
(1906-1975)
String Quartets 4, 11 & 14
Hagen Qt rec. 1993/4
NEWTON CLASSICS 8802056 [70:48]
[WH]
Magnificent
performances from the nineties of three challenging Shostakovich Quartets.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH
(1906-1975)
Piano Trios 1 & 2, Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok
Susan Gritton (soprano) Florestan Trio rec. 2010
HYPERION CDA67834 [61:53]
[LW]
A
superb disc of Shostakovich’s piano trios and Blok songs by the
Florestan Trio and guest.
Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH
(1906-1975)
String Quartet 10 Mieczyslaw WEINBERG
(1919-1996) Piano Quintet,
Kopelman Qt, Elizaveta Kopelman (piano)
NIMBUS NI5865 [66:10]
[BW]
Worth
having for the Weinberg but the Shostakovich is not quite up to the
standard of the earlier Kopelman Quartet recordings.
Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH
(1906-1975)
Violin Concertos 1 & 2
Arabella Steinbacher (violin) Bavarian RSO/Andris Nelsons rec.2006
ORFEO C687061A [73:17]
[MC]
This
impressive and beautifully recorded release deserves considerable praise.
Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) Cello sonata see RACHMANINOV
Jean
SIBELIUS
(1865-1957)
The Sibelius Edition - Volume 12: Symphonies
Lahti SO/Osmo Vänskä, Jaakko Kuusisto rec 1996-2010
BIS-CD-1933-35 [5 CDs: 80:44 + 71:00 + 67:32 + 50:26 + 49:32] [RB]
In
the Sibelius symphony stakes Vänskä demonstrates an imaginatively
healthy approach.
Jean
SIBELIUS
(1865-1957) Sibelius:
Unconventional Tone Poet Symphonies Nos. 1-5, 7, Pohjola‘s
Daughter; En Saga; Karelia Suite; songs; Pelléas et Mélisande; Finlandia;
Swanwhite; Lemminkainen‘s Return; The Bard; Violin Concerto; The Oceanides;
The Tempest: Prelude; Festivo; The Swan of Tuonela; Valse Triste
various rec. 1933-1996. mono ADD, stereo DDD Full contents listing at
end of review
MEMBRAN 233314 [10 CDs: c. 474:00]
[RB]
Very
inexpensive … a pleasing and stimulating variety. Sibelians young and
old will find this worth well more than the insignificant outlay demanded.
Great value.
Jean
SIBELIUS (1865-1957) Humoresques see
DEBUSSY
Kaikhosru
Shapurji SORABJI (1892-1988) Symphonia brevis
(Symphony 5 for solo piano)
Donna Amato (piano)
ALTARUS AIR-CD-9064(2) [66:35 + 47:52]
[RB]
Makes
for demanding listening but the rewards keep coming. You hear more and
are drawn in further every time you listen to this huge canvas.
Jeffrey
STADELMAN (b.1976)
Pity Paid, Kinderszenen, Mr. Natural, Starry Wisdom
Movses Pogossian (violin) Slee Sinf/Magnus Märtensson rec. 2001-2005
DDD
CENTAUR CRC2934 [58:53]
[CR]
Interesting
disc providing a good introduction to Stadelman’s works.
Bernardo
STORACE (fl.1664) Selections from the 1664 Collection
Selva di varie compositioni Ciaccona, Variations on La
Monica, Passagagli sopra A la mi re, Capriccio sopra il passo e
mezzo, Altro passo e mezzo
Naoko Akutagawa (harpsichord) rec. 2009
NAXOS 8.572209 [63:37]
[JF]
I
cannot imagine any enthusiast of Italian harpsichord music in general
or Bernardo Storace in particular wishing to be without this recording.
Richard
STRAUSS
(1864 – 1949) Elektra
Linda
Watson (soprano) Jane Henschel (soprano) René Kollo (tenor) Philharmonia
Ch Wien, Münchner PO/Christian Thielemann
OPUS ARTE OA
1046 D [126:00]
[GF]
I
will, without doubt, return to this again for pleasure – well, pleasure
is not really the proper word for Elektra, but you see what I mean –
and that’s recommendation enough.
Richard
STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Eine Alpensinfonie
Royal Concertgebouw O/Bernard Haitink rec. 1985
NEWTON CLASSICS 8802054 [49:27]
[GA]
An
Alpine symphony of great narrative grip and superlative playing.
Richard
STRAUSS (1864-1949) Capriccio Prelude see
BRUCKNER
Igor
Fyodorovich STRAVINSKY
(1882-1971)
Symphony in Three Movements, Danses concertantes [20:35]
St. Petersburg State Academic SO/Alexander Titov rec. 2010 (Wartime
Music - Vol. 15)
NORTHERN FLOWERS NF/PMA 9995 [47:21]
[DC]
Too
many meaty chunks of amateurish mediocrity.
Josef
SUK (1874-1935) Four Pieces see
Romantic Works for Violin
Jan
Pieterszoon SWEELINCK
(1562-1621) Keyboard Works - Vol. 2
Robert Woolley (harpsichord, virginal) rec. 2006
CHANDOS CHAN 0758 [63:37]
Music for Harpsichord
Glen Wilson (harpsichord) rec. 2008
NAXOS 8.570894 [77:28]
[JV]
Two
discs with keyboard works by Sweelinck with contrasting interpretations
- on balance Robert Woolley's recording is to be preferred.
RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Thomas TALLIS (c.1505-1585)
Motets see Cantiones
Sacrae 1575
Karen
TANAKA (b.1961) Crystalline
Signe Bakke (piano) rec. 2008/10
2L 074
[51:24] [Byz]
Playing
time aside, a superb release.
Aleksander
TANSMAN (1897-1986)
Clarinet Concerto, Concertino for clarinet & oboe, Six Movements
Jean-Marc
Fessard (clarinet) Laurent Decker (oboe) Silesian CO/Mirosław Jacek
Błaszczyk rec. 2009
NAXOS 8.572402 [62:19]
[Byz]
A
quality disc for a quality composer.
Peter
I. TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Trio Victor
KISSINE (b.1953) Zerkalo
Gidon Kremer (violin) Giedre Dirvanauskaite (cello) Khatia Buniatishvili
(piano) rec. 2010
ECM RECORDS ECM NEW SERIES 2202 [71:17]
[DC]
Fine
and fascinating, but not an easy first choice.
Pyotr
TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
The Nutcracker Act 2 see GLINKA
Pyotr
TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Swan Lake see
Stokowski
Pyotr
TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Symphony 4 see
SAINT-SAËNS
Georg
Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767) Telemann Edition
BRILLIANT
CLASSICS 94104 [29 CDs + CD-ROM: c. 29:00:00] [JZ]
It
is difficult not to recommend the Telemann Edition enthusiastically
for the quality of the selections and of the performances.
Georg
Philipp TELEMANN (1681 - 1767) Kapitänsmusik
1738: Oratorio & Serenata
Soloists, Rheinische Kantorei, Das Kleine Konzert/Hermann Max rec. 2007
CPO
777 386-2 [67:30 + 60:48]
[JV]
Telemann
impresses once again with this Kapitänsmusik - the various
characters are perfectly portrayed.
Ernst
TOCH (1887-1964)
Die Chinesische Flöte, Five Pieces, Egon and Emilie,
Wind quartet
Maria Karb, Britta Ströher (soprano) Mutare Ens/Gerhard Müller-Hornbach
rec. 1999-2007
CPO 777092-2 [65:16]
[Byz]
Subtle,
sometimes mesmerising, quasi-oriental music.
Will
TODD (b.
1970) Evensong in Blue
St Martin-in-the-Fields Ch, Will Todd Ens/Andrew Earis rec. 2011
SMITF CD02 [61:12]
[JQ]
Worth
investigation by those who like the use of jazz in liturgical music.
Knut
VAAGE (b.
1961) Hokkaidos hagar, Kyklop, Chaconne
Einar Røttingen (piano) Gro Sandvik (flute) Turid Kniejski (harp)
Bergen PO/Ingar Bergby, Eivind Aadland, Ole Kristian Ruud rec. 2000-9
AURORA
ACD 5072 [64:41] [HC]
Vaage’s
music is well worth investigating especially in such fine performances.
RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
Overture The Sicilian Vespers
see BRAHMS
Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901) La Traviata
Renée Fleming, Joseph Calleja, Thomas Hampson, Royal Opera Ch and Orch/Antonio
Pappano rec. 2009
OPUS ARTE OA
1040 D [154:00] [IL]
Renée
Fleming triumphs but this Covent Garden production is less than perfect.
Antonio
VIVALDI
(1678-1741) Vespro
A San Marco
Soloists and Chœur de Chambre de Namur; Les Agremens/Leonardo Garcia
Alarcón rec. 2010
AMBRONAY AMY029 [69:52 + 47:56]
[MS]
Not
a wholly original collection of Psalm settings by Vivaldi to evoke a
Venetian Vespro; but convincing and well-performed.
Eight
Seasons Antonio
VIVALDI (1678-1741) Le Quattro Stagioni Astor
PIAZZOLLA (1921-1992) Las Cuatros Estaciones Porteñas
Jonathan
Morton (violin)/Scottish Ens rec. 2010
SIGNUM SIGCD231 [68:34]
[BR]
Not
my taste, but that’s not their fault; the excitement of live performance.
Antonio
VIVALDI (1677
- 1741) Sonate a tre
Accademia del Ricercare rec. 2004/2010
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94173 [64:29]
[JV]
Should
appeal to Vivaldi lovers and recorder aficionados alike.
Antonio
VIVALDI (1678-1741) Concerto grosso see
Toscanini
Richard
WAGNER (1813-1883)
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Theo Adam (baritone) Geraint Evans (baritone) René Kollo (tenor)
Peter Schreier (tenor) Helen Donath (soprano) Staatsoper Dresden &
Leipzig Radio Ch, Dresden Staatskapelle/Herbert von Karajan rec. 1970
EMI
CLASSICS 6407882 [4 CDs: 265:42 + CD ROM]
[WH]
A
fresh, young-sounding Meistersinger from Dresden, with Karajan at his
finest.
Richard
WAGNER (1813-1883) Arias
René Pape (bass) Placido Domingo (tenor) Staatsoper Unter den Linden
Ch, Staatskapelle Berlin/Daniel Barenboim rec. 2010
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 477 6617 [63:10] [RMo]
Great,
brazen voices rang out across the years and I asked myself whether Pape
was really in their company. The answer is clear: not really.
Henry
WALFORD DAVIES
(1869-1941)
Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano see BLISS
Sir
William WALTON
(1902-1983)
Symphony No. 1 in B flat minor (1932-35)* [44:15] Siesta (1926)
[5:21] Symphony No. 2 (1956-60) [28:27]
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Martyn Brabbins rec. 2010 DDD
HYPERION CDA67794 [78:05]
[JQ][RB]
A
splendid disc, pairing Walton’s two symphonies in excellent performances
[JQ] A typically class act.[RB]
Carl
Maria von WEBER (1786-1826) Invitation to the Dance
see Invitation
to the Dance
Anton
WEBERN (1883-1945) Fünf Sätze,
Sechs Bagatellen see BEETHOVEN
Kurt
WEILL
(1900-1950)
String Quartet (1923) see SCHULHOFF
Mieczysław
WEINBERG
(1919-1996)
Symphony 3, The Golden Key Suite 4
Gothenburg SO/Thord Svedlund rec. 2009/10
CHANDOS CHSA5089
[49:41] [Byz][RB]
If
you enjoy Russian music of the mid and first half of the last century
then you need to hear this. It's by no means garish poster material;
its depth and accessible grip may surprise.
Ian
WILSON (b.1964)
Man-o’-War, An angel serves a small breakfast, Winter finding, Licht/ung
Rebecca
Hirsch (violin) RTÉ Ntl SO/David Porcelijn, Gerhard Markson rec. 2006/7
RTÉ
LYRIC FM CD126 [60:52]
[HC]
A
fine cross-section of Ian Wilson’s recent orchestral works.
Stefan
WOLPE (1902-1972)
Music of Stefan Wolpe - Volume 6
David Holzman (piano) rec. 2008-10
BRIDGE 9344 [73:21]
[MS]
A
special and splendid collection of the piano music of Stefan Wolpe played
to perfection by the leading living interpreter of his keyboard music.
Eugène
YSAŸE (1858-1931) Les Neiges D’Antan, Berceuse see
Romantic Works for Violin
Wojciech
Ziemowit ZYCH (b.1976)
Symphony 1, Bass Clarinet Concerto, Stirrings of the Will
Michał Górczyński (bass clarinet) Podlasie Opera and
Philharmonic O, Białystok/Prezemysław Fiugajski rec. 2007
DUX
0722 [72:09] [CR]
Enticing
music evincing a clear understanding of orchestration and a rich variety
of textures and colours.
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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