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Camille
SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921) Danse macabre see
LISZT
Antonio
SALIERI (1750-1825)
La Veneziana Concerto for oboe, violin and cello, Concerto
for flute and oboe, Symphony 
Lajos Lencsés (oboe) János Bálint (flute) Béla
Bánfalvi (violin) Károly Botvay (cello) Budapest Strings/Béla
Bánfalvi rec. 1994
CAPRICCIO 5087 [53:21]
[BW]
Short
value but well worth hearing.
Florent
SCHMITT (1870-1958) Piano Music Ombres,
Mirages, La Tragédie de Salomé
Vincent Larderet (piano) rec. 2009
NAXOS 8.572194 [76:45]
[JZ]
Persuasive
interpretations of these challenging works.
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Piano Trios 1 & 2, Arpeggione
Sonata, Fantaisie
Trio Dali rec. 2011
FUGA LIBERA FUG584 [56:23 + 49:50] [GA]
Trio
Dali plays the Schubert piano trios with considerable zest and refinement
complemented by fine accounts of the Arpeggione sonata and the C major
Fantaisie.
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Klavierstücke, Allegretto, Impromptus,
Valses Nobles
William Youn (piano) rec. 2011
ARS PRODUKTION 38 093 
[67:34] [DC]
Beautiful
sound, but depth of sonority isn’t everything.
Franz
SCHUBERT
(1797-1828) Symphonies 4, 8 & 9 see Giulini
in America
Camillo
SCHUMANN (1872-1946)
Cello sonatas 1 & 2, Konzertstücke
Maria Kliegel (cello) Francesco Piemontesi (piano) rec. 2009
NAXOS 8.572314 [63:07]
[WK]
Little-known,
but attractive music by a 20th century disciple of Brahms.
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Complete Works for Violin and Orchestra
Ulf Wallin (violin) Robert-Schumann-Philharmonie/Frank Beerman rec.
2009
BIS BISSACD1775
[72:30]
[GD]
Ulf
Wallin clearly relishes these challenges. Here's hoping he can inspire
future generations of violinists to take them up.
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Piano Quartet, Liederkreis,
Fantasiestücke
London Bridge Ensemble rec. 2009
SONIMAGE SON11001 [68:24]
[OL]
The
interpretations of the three works are very consistent and will appeal
to those who like their Schumann hot and juicy.
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Fünf Stücke im Volkston, Adagio
und Allegro, Fantasiestücke, Märchenbilder Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Suite 3
Martin Ostertag (cello) Kalle Randalu (piano) rec. 2009-10
MUSIKPRODUKTION DABRINGHAUS UND GRIMM GOLD MDG 3041648-2 [70:30]
[GA]
This
disc is a useful collection of Schumann’s chamber music for cello, and
Ostertag and Randalu offer performances that are sensitive and unaffected.
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Scenes from Goethe’s Faust
Warsaw
Boys’ Ch, Warsaw PO & Ch/Antoni Wit rec. 2009
NAXOS 8.572430-31 [73:06 + 43:36] [WK]
A
committed and dramatic performance of one of Schumann’s greatest choral
works.
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Etudes after Paganini see
BRAHMS
Adrien
François SERVAIS (1807-1866) Souvenir de Spa,
Fantaisie et Variations brillantes, Grande Fantaisie, Cello Concerto
Wen-Sinn
Yang (cello) Munich Radio O/Terje Mikkelsen rec. 2009
CPO 777 542-2 [70:10]
[JW]
Sensitive
and with a gift for thoughtful repose amid the fireworks.
Dmitry
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
Symphonies 1 & 3
Royal Liverpool PhO & Ch/Vasily Petrenko rec. 2010
NAXOS 8.572396 [64:33]
[JQ]
Another
impressive instalment in Vasily Petrenko’s Shostakovich cycle.
Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
Violin Concerto 1 see Echoes
of Time
Jean
SIBELIUS
(1865-1957)
Symphony No. 2, Symphony No. 5
Henri Sigfridsson (piano) rec. 2010/11
ONDINE ODE 1179-2 [77:15]
[DC]
All
in all, a magnificent success.
Jean
SIBELIUS (1865-1957)
Symphonies 2 & 5 (piano transcriptions)
Henri Sigfridsson (piano) rec. 2010/1
ONDINE ODE 1179-2 [77:05]
[BR]
Without
orchestra, the Sibelius symphonies fail. That’s testament to the
genius of the composer’s scoring, but it’s bad news for
this CD.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Jean SIBELIUS
(1865-1957) The Sibelius Edition - Vol. 13: Miscellaneous Works
BIS
BIS-CD-1936-38 [4 CDs + DVD: 285:12] [RB]
The
valedictory volume to a momentous 21st century monument to music.
Jean SIBELIUS (1865-1957)
String Quartet see SMETANA
Roberto
SIERRA (b.1953) Piano Trios 1-3
Trio Arbós rec. 2009
NAXOS 8.559611 [53.05]
[GH]
I
enjoyed meeting this composer and his music more than I had been expecting.
Bedřich
SMETANA (1824-1884) String
Quartets 1 & 2
Jean SIBELIUS (1865-1957)
String Quartet
Dante Qt rec. 2010
HYPERION CDA67845 [77:56]
[LW]
A
well-filled disc and the performances of these quartets are as good
as any.
John
Philip SOUSA (1854-1932)
Music for Wind Band – Vol. 9
Sarah Oving (violin) Royal Norwegian Navy Band/Keith Brion rec. 2008
NAXOS
8.559396 [57:31]
[JS]
Enough
here to attract those who are collecting the series even if it would
not be a good choice for anyone wanting just one disc from the cycle.
Carl
STAMITZ (1745-1801) Viola Concerto 1 Franz
HOFFMEISTER (1754-1812) Viola Concertos in D & B flat
Victoria
Chiang (viola) Baltimore CO/Markand Thakar rec. 2009
NAXOS 8.572162 [64:00]
[Byz]
Hoffmeister
the bringer of melodic cheer, not tear. Stamitz more virtuosic, imaginative,
darker and even visceral.
Johann
STRAUSS (1825–1899) Der Carneval in Rom
Isabella
Ma-Zach, Michael Heim, Marcus Günzel, Staatsoperette Dresden/Ernst Theis
rec. 2008
CPO 777 405-2 [35:15 + 60:32]
[GF]
Splendid…
the story may be slender but the music is anything but.
Johann
STRAUSS II (1825-1899) Die Göttin der Vernunft
Veronika Groiss (soprano) Isabella Ma-Zach (soprano) Slovak Sinfonietta,
Žilina/Christian Pollack rec. 1993-1999 & 2009
NAXOS 8.660280-81 [71:20 + 54:12] [GF]
All
lovers of Viennese operetta should lend their ear to this issue.
Igor
STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) Concerto for piano and wind instruments
Fryderyk CHOPIN (1810-1849) Piano Concerto
2 Noel
Mewton-Wood (piano) Netherlands PO, Zurich RO/Walter Goehr rec. 1948/52
PRISTINE
AUDIO PASC 284 [51:23]
[CH]
Mewton-Wood
is a pianist who demands investigation, especially for one of the finest
performances on disc of the Chopin. But which transfer should you go
for?
Franz
von SUPPÉ (1819-1895) Missa Dalmatica
Lords of the Chords; Jens Wollenschläger (organ) rec. 2010
CARUS 83.455 [48:45] [JS]
One
of those discs whose inherent quality more than makes up for any lack
of quantity. This music is certainly much more than a mere curiosity.
Pyotr
Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY
(1840-1893) Symphony 5, Francesca da Rimini
Russian
National Orchestra/Mikhail Pletnev rec.2010,
PENTATONE PTC 5186 385 [71:18]
[BR]
I
own thirteen recordings of this symphony, and this one is the thirteenth-best.
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY
(1840-1893)
The Queen of Spades
Misha Didyk (tenor) Ludovic Tézier (baritone) Ewa Podleś
(alto) Ch & O Gran Teatre del Liceu/Michael Boder rec. 2010
OPUS ARTE OA1050D 
[2 DVDs: 180:00]
[ST]
Tells
the story so compellingly with singing and playing being excellent from
everyone.
Pyotr
Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Secular Choruses
The
Moscow Academy of Choral Singing/Victor Popov; Tamara Kravtchenko (piano)
rec. 1997
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94210 [54:11] [NB]
None
of the music here is life-changing but it is beautifully crafted and,
the final track excepted, convincingly performed.
Pyotr
Ilich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Variations on a Rococo Theme
(arr. dble bass) see BOTTESINI
Pyotr
Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Symphony 6 see BRAHMS
Ian
VENABLES
(b. 1955) Piano
Quintet, Three Pieces, Elegy, Soliloquy, Poem
Mark Bebbington (piano) Graham J. Lloyd (piano) Coull Qtet rec. 2009
SOMM
SOMMCD0101 [64:28] [DJ, RB]
This
impressive disc deserves the widest possible exposure.
Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901) Il Trovatore see
Domingo
Tomás
Luis de VICTORIA (1548-1611) Requiem
Alonso LOBO (1555-1617) Lamentations
Tenebrae/Nigel Short rec. 2010
SIGNUM CLASSICS SIGCD248 [79:04] [JQ]
Vivid,
committed performances of some masterpieces of Iberian polyphony.
Salvatore
DI VITTORIO (b.1967)
*Overtura Respighiana (2008) [5:38] *Sinfonia no.2 'Lost Innocence'
(1997/2000) [14:20] Ave Maria, for female chorus (1995/1998) [7:46]
*Sinfonia no.1 'Isolation', for string orchestra (1994/1999) [20:24]
Sonata no.1, for solo clarinet (1995/1998) [8:44]
Benjamin Baron (clarinet) Respighi Choir *Chamber Orchestra of New York
'Ottorino Respighi'/Salvatore Di Vittorio rec. 2010. DDD
NAXOS 8.572333 [56:52]
[Byz]
Di
Vittorio’s music has an affinity with that of Respighi.
Richard
WAGNER (1813-1883)
Parsifal
Poul Elming (tenor) Linda Watson (soprano) Ch & O Bayreuth Festival/Giuseppe
Sinopoli rec. 1998
UNITEL/C MAJOR 705908
[113:21 + 165:08]
[ST]
Diaphanous
transparency shimmering in mid-air but overall far too static a production.
Richard
WAGNER (1813-1881) Siegfried
Christian Franz (tenor) Peter Galliard (tenor) Philharmoniker Hamburg/Simone
Young rec. 2009
OEHMS CLASSICS OC 927 [4 CDs: 240:06] [GD]
Serviceable
but not exceptional.
Richard
WAGNER (1813-1883) Wesendonck-Lieder see
MAHLER
Richard
WAGNER (1813-1883) Lohengrin see
Domingo
William
Vincent WALLACE (1812-1865)
Opera Fantasies and Paraphrases
Rosemary Tuck and Richard Bonynge (pianos) rec. 2009
NAXOS 8.572774 [78:15]
[RW]
Engaging
listening.
Carl
Maria von WEBER
(1786-1826) Overtures
Tapiola Sinfonietta/Jean-Jacques Kantorow rec. 2006/9
BIS-SACD-1760
[67:35]
[JS]
A
very distinguished collection which avoids any hint of the routine.
Hugo
WOLF (1860-1903) 3 Mörike-Lieder see
MAHLER
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for alphabetical listings by composer:
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1 New] [Part
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