RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Joseph CANTELOUBE
(1879-1957) Songs
of the Auvergne (1923-1935): 
Netania Davrath (soprano) Orchestra/Pierre de la Roche rec. 1963/1966.
ADD
ALTO ALC 1151 [77:24] 
[RB]
One
of the crowning glories of the analogue era. Do not miss out on this.
Jean
CARTAN (1906-1932)
String Quartets 1 & 2, Introduction and Allegro, Sonatine
Ensemble Stanislas, Quatuor Stanislas rec. 2010/1
TIMPANI 1C1187 [60:53] [Byz]
What
a loss to music Cartan's untimely death was.
Fryderyk
CHOPIN (1810-1849) Piano Concerto 1
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Concerto 4
Claudio Arrau (piano) Cologne Radio SO/Otto Klemperer, Christoph von
Dohnányi rec. 1954/59
ICA CLASSICS ICAC 5045 [76:37] [JW]
The
Klemperer-led Chopin makes this a very special acquisition for Arrau
collectors.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Frédéric CHOPIN
(1810-1849)
Piano Pieces Yevgeny SUDBIN
(1980-) À la minute (paraphrase of Chopin’s “Minute” Waltz) [4:38]
Yevgeny
Sudbin (piano) rec. 2009, 2010, 2011,
BIS SACD 1838 [69:44] [BR]
A
clear viewpoint on Chopin, intelligently expressed; this may well be
a classic.
Frederic
CHOPIN (1810-1849) Piano Concerto 2, Polonaise 6
Arthur Rubinstein (piano) Israel PO/Zubin Mehta rec. 1968
IDÉALE AUDIENCE 
3079638 [91:00] [JW]
This
Rubinstein film is, for me, unmissable.
Fryderyk
CHOPIN (1810-1849) Piano Sonata 3, Etudes see BEETHOVEN
William
CORKINE (fl.
1610-1617) Each
Lovely Grace - The Second Booke of Ayres (1612)
Cantar alla Viola (Nadine Balbeisi (soprano); Fernando Marín (viola
da gamba, lyra-viol)) rec. 2011, DDD
NIMBUS NI6173 [76:45] 
[JW]
Corkine’s
music has been well realised.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH François
COUPERIN (1668-1733)
Exultent superi - Motets Choisis
Soloists of the Choir of New College Oxford Collegium Novum/Edward Higginbottom
rec. 2011
NOVUM NCR 1384 [61:55] [MC]
Quite
stunning in all respects!
Claude
DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Violin Sonata Maurice
RAVEL (1875-1937) Violin Sonata; Ma Mère l’Oye; Sonatine
Michèle
Auclair (violin), Jacqueline Bonneau, Geneviève Joy, Marie-Therese Fourneau
(piano) rec. 1955-57
FORGOTTEN RECORDS FR552 [54:38] 
[JW]
For
admirers of French chamber playing in the 1950s, this is a winning disc.
Claude
DEBUSSY
(1862-1918) The
Solo Piano Works
Noriko Ogawa (piano) (all works) Singapore Symphony Orchestra/Lan Shui
(in Fantaisie) rec. 2000-2011 6 CDs for the price of 2 See full
track list at foot of review
BIS CD 1955/56 [6 CDs: 7:14:36]
[CH]
At
such a tempting price, and with many works not included in older cycles,
an obvious best buy for your complete Debussy piano music.
Claude
DEBUSSY
(1862-1918) Complete
Works for Piano
Walter Gieseking (piano) no. recording dates or locations provided Track
details at foot of review
REGIS RRC 4010 [4 CDs: 4:09:03]
[CH]
Gieseking
remains unassailable in ten pieces and is very fine in most of the rest.
He is not really on top of the Etudes and disappoints in some of the
single pieces.
Claude
DEBUSSY (1862-1918)
Pelléas
et Mélisande (sung in English) [154:49] Arkel – John Tomlinson
(bass); Geneviève – Sarah Walker (mezzo); Pelléas – Robert Dean (baritone);
Golaud – Neil Howlett (baritone); Mélisande – Eilene Hannan (soprano);
Yniold – Rosanne Brackenridge (soprano); Doctor and Shepherd – Sean
Rea (bass)
Chorus & Orchestra of English National Opera/Mark Elder
rec. 1981 English text included
CHANDOS CHAN 3177(3) [3 CDs: 54:24 + 36:10 + 64:15]
[JS]
An
important and distinguished addition to the Chandos Opera in English
series.
Léo
DELIBES (1836-1891) Coppélia
Dorothee Gilbert, Mathias Heymann, José Martinez, Fabrice Bourgeois,
Ballet of the Opera National de Paris, Orchestre Colonne/Koen Kessels
rec. 2011
OPUS ARTE OA1061 D [113:00]
[RW]
A
fleet-footed production in which the dancing is delightful.
Frederick
DELIUS (1862-1934)
A Collection of Rare Historic Recordings
Performers include Sir John Barbirolli, Sir Eugène Goossens, Constant
Lambert, Isobel Baillie and Heddle Nash rec. 1929-55
DANACORD DACOCD717 [76:07] [JW] 
A
great deal to interest and stimulate.
Frederick
DELIUS (1862-1934)
Idylle de Printemps ;North Country Sketches: The
March of Spring see English
Spring
Erno
DOHNÁNYI (1877-1960) Sonata
see Music for Viola
and Piano
Gaetano
DONIZETTI (1797–1848) Marino Faliero
Giorgio Surian (bass) Rachele Stanisci (soprano) Ivan Magri (tenor)
O & Ch Bergamo Musica Festival Gaetano Donizetti/Bruno Cinquegrani
rec. 2008
NAXOS 8.660303-04 [72.40 + 71.44] [MM-B]
I
love Donizetti’s music and enjoyed it here but I found the singing rather
disappointing.
Gaetano
DONIZETTI
(1797-1848) Maria
di Rohan
Krassimira Stoyanova (soprano) José Bros (tenor) Riccardo Simonetti
(baritone) Geoffrey Mitchell Ch, O Age of Enlightenment/Sir Mark Elder
rec. 2009
OPERA RARA ORC 44 [67.39 + 52.29] [RJF]
Another
Donizetti winner from Opera Rara and a must for the bel canto constituency
Gabriel
DUPONT
(1878-1914) Les
Heures Dolentes, La Maison dans les Dunes
Stéphane Lemelin (piano) rec. 2007
ATMA CLASSIQUE ACD2 2544 [53:16 + 41:18] [Byz]
Memorably
colourful and rather beautiful, sometimes almost orchestral in effect.
Antonín
DVORÁK (1841-1904) Symphonies 7 & 8
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR/Sir Roger Norrington rec.
2010
HÄNSSLER CLASSIC CD 93.277 [74:59]
[JS]
Lively
and idiomatic performances of these two great works.
Antonín
DVORÁK (1841-1904) Violin Concerto George
GERSHWIN (1898-1937) An American in Paris
Liza Ferschtman (violin) Netherlands PO Amsterdam/Mario Venzago rec.
2011
CHALLENGE CLASSICS CC72530 
[52:30]
[DC]
Odd
bedfellows.
Antonín
DVOŘÁK
(1841-1904)
String Quartets 11-14, Terzetto
Guarneri Qt rec. 1965-79
NEWTON CLASSICS 8802088 [77:34 + 66:22] [RMo]
The
Guarneri seem very much in sympathy with Dvořák’s
bucolic lyricism.
Peter
EÖTVÖS (b.
1944) Levitation Carl NIELSEN
(1865-1931) Clarinet Concerto Aulis SALLINEN
(b. 1935) Concerto for Clarinet and Viola
Christoffer Sundqvist, Kullervo Kojo (clarinet) Tommi Aalto (viola)
Finnish RSO/Hannu Lintu, Okko Kamu rec. 2009/10
ALBA ABCD 314
[68:11] [WH]
A
very fine performance of the Nielsen Concerto, coupled with two beguiling
contemporary works for clarinet.
Heinrich
Wilhelm ERNST
(1812-1865) Complete music for Violin and Piano - Volume
2
Sherban Lupu (violin) Ian Hobson (piano) rec. October 2010
TOCCATA CLASSICS TOCC 0138 [79:56] [JW]
An exemplary offering.
Gabriel
FAURÉ (1845-1924)
Piano Trio Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937)
Piano Trio
Le Trio de France rec. 1958
FORGOTTEN RECORDS FR 287 [47:06] [JW]
A
truly outstanding ensemble though their tonal projection was never predicated
on beauty of sound for its own sake.
Roger
FISKE (1910-1987) Sonata see The
Thurston Connection
Baldassare
GALUPPI (1706 - 1785) 6 Sonatas for 2 violins and basso
continuo
Accademia dei Solinghi rec. 2010
DYNAMIC CDS 694 [54:95]
[JV]
Music
and performance make this recording well worth investigating.
George
GERSHWIN (1898-1937) An American in Paris see
DVORÁK
Philip
GLASS (b.1936) The Concerto Project - Vol. 4 Double
Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra, Tirol Concerto for
piano and orchestra
Tim Fain (violin) Wendy Sutter (cello) Residente Orkest/The Hague PO/Jurjen
Hempel Stuttgart Chamber O/Dennis Russell Davies (cond & piano)
rec. 2002
ORANGE MOUNTAIN MUSIC OMM0077 [61:19]
[AM]
Strong
performances, but, yet again, mediocre music from Glass.
Umberto
GIORDANO (1867-1948) Andrea Chénier
Héctor
Sandaval (tenor) Scott Hendricks (baritone) Norma Fantini (soprano)
Prague Philharmonic & Bregenz Festival Ch, Vienna SO/Ulf Schirmer
rec. 2011
UNITEL CLASSICA/C MAJOR 708004 
[130:00] [RJF]
This
verismo piece can accommodate the vagaries of this idiosyncratic venue
and it gets a good staging and performance.
Edvard
GRIEG (1843 - 1907) Holberg Suite; Piano Sonata; Lyric
Pieces
Findlay Cockrell (piano) rec. 1994
FINDLAY RECORDINGS FC-01 [59:42] [JW]
Good
finger clarity, fine rhythm, robustly energetic and very communicative.
Edvard
GRIEG (1843-1907) Elegiac Melodies, Melodies for String
Orchestra, From Holberg’s Time, Lyric Pieces,Nordic Melodies,
Lyric Suite
Malmö SO/Bjarte Engeset rec. 2006/09
NAXOS 8.572403 [71:02] [BR]
This
hits the spot. You can never have too much Grieg string music, can you?
Edvard
GRIEG (1843-1907) Piano Concerto see TCHAIKOVSKY
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Sofia
GUBAIDULINA (b. 1931) In tempus praesens, Glorious
Percussion
Vadim Gluzman (violin) Glorious Percussion Lucerne SO/Jonathan Nott
rec. 2008/11
BIS-CD-1752 [71:29]
[LW]
A
real winner of a CD.
Sofia
GUBAIDULINA (b.1931) Fachwerk; Silenzio
Geir
Draugsvoll (bayan) Anders Loguin (percussion) Geir Inge Lotsberg (violin)
Trondheim SO/Øyvind Gimse (cello) rec. 2011
NAXOS 8.572772 [55:54]
[Byz]
Fundamentally
tonally inclined … marvellously nuanced.
Iain
HAMILTON (1922-2000) Three Nocturnes, Op. 6 see The
Thurston Connection
George
Frideric HANDEL (1685 - 1759) Jephtha
Elisabeth Rapp (soprano) Marianne Beate Kielland (mezzo) James Gilchrist
(tenor) Zebul Collegium Vocale Gent/Stavanger SO/Fabio Biondi rec. 2008
BIS-CD-1864
[80:34 + 78:14]
[JV]
A
pretty good performance but no real competition for recordings on period
instruments.
Georg
Friederich HANDEL (1685 - 1759) Eight Great Suites
HWV426–433
Lisa Smirnova (piano) rec. 2007-2009
ECM NEW SERIES ECM 2213/14 [46:48 + 58:29] [DC]
Almost
no competition as a complete set.
George
Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
German Arias, Gloria
Dorothea Craxton (soprano) Fredrik From (violin) Kjeld Lybeccker
Steffenson (cello) Leif Meyer (harpsichord, organ) rec. 2010
NAXOS 8.572587 [65:52]
[CH]
Historically
Informed Practice at its most ravishingly lovely, and occasionally at
its ugliest. Dorothea Craxton is obviously one to watch.
Jonathan
HARVEY (b.1939) Bird Concerto with Pianosong, Ricercare
una melodia, Other Presences
Hideki Nagano (piano) Gareth Hulse (oboe) Paul Archibald (trumpet) Tim
Gill (cello) London Sinf/David Atherton rec. 2009
NMC D177 [54:05] [GD]
Approachable
textures … terrifyingly ambitious electro-acoustic ambitions.
Wim
HENDERICKX (b.
1962) Tejas (2009) [37:00] Skriet (1993) [5:45]
Le visioni di paura (1990) [11:20] Variations (1988)
[13:20]
Royal Flemish Philharmonic/Martyn Brabbins rec. 2010
ROYAL FLEMISH PHILHARMONIC RFP 003 [67:32] [HC]
A
most welcome and generously filled composer's portrait with often
quite beautiful works splendid performed and recorded.
Victor
HERBERT (1859-1924) Serenade for string orchestra, 7
Pieces for cello and string orchestra, Three Pieces
Maximilian Hornung (cello) SW German Chamber O Pforzheim/Sebastian Tewinkel
rec. 2008-2009
CPO 777 576-2 [54:07]
[Byz]
There
is an undeniable charm to his music, and warmth and melody in abundance.
Joseph
HOLBROOKE (1878-1958)
Violin Sonata Granville BANTOCK
(1868-1946) Viola Sonata
Rupert Marshall-Luck (violin and viola); Matthew Rickard (piano) rec.
2011
EM RECORDS EMR CD003 [67:01] [JW]
Fine
news that these two pretty much ignored works have been given some careful
attention.
Gustav
HOLST (1874-1934)
Two Psalms, Nunc Dimittis, I love my love, The
Coming of Christ
Robert Hardy (narrator) Chamber Choir of St Paul’s Girls’ School, City
of London Ch; Holst O/Hilary Davan Wetton rec. 2011
EM RECORDS CD004 [55:54] [NB]
For
dedicated Holstians only.
Arthur
HONEGGER (1892-1955) Pastorale d’été, Symphony
4 Deliciæ Basiliensis, Une cantate de Noël
Christopher Maltman (baritone) London Phil Ch/Neville Creed New London
Children’s Ch/Ronald Corp London PO/Vladimir Jurowski rec. 2007-2009
LPO-0058
[54:35]
[DM]
If
you’re looking for these works – well played and recorded – this is
a good place to start.
Leoš
JANÁČEK (1854-1928) Piano Sonata ‘From the Street’;
On an Overgrown Path; In the Mists
Rudolf Firkušný (piano) rec. 1989
NEWTON CLASSICS 8802091 [68:52] [JW]
As
good as you will ever find in this repertoire.
Kara
KARAYEV (1924-1984) Seven Beauties, In the Path of
Thunder
Moscow Radio & Television SO/Rauf Abdullayev
DELOS DRD 2009 [72:34] [Byz]
Lots
of pleasing melody, catchy rhythms and easy-going tonal harmony.
Viktor
Stepanovych KOSENKO
(1896–1938) Piano Music – Vol. 2: The Complete Piano Sonatas
Natalya Shkoda (piano) rec. 2009 World premiere recordings
CENTAUR RECORDS CRC 3109 [49:44]
[RB]
Confidently
late-romantic essays in which one is often reminded of Rachmaninov.
Lori
LAITMAN (b.1955)
Vedem, Fathers
Angela Niederloh (mezzo) Ross Hauck (tenor) The Northwest Boychoir,
The Music of Remembrance rec. 2010
NAXOS AMERICAN CLASSICS 8.559685 [61:18] [OL]
Like a good book that makes us wiser and more humane.
Margaret
Ruthven LANG (1867-1972)
New
Love Must Rise - Selected Songs of Margaret Ruthven Lang – Volume
II
Donald George (tenor) Lucy Mauro (piano) rec. 2009
DELOS DE 3410 [58.34]
[MMB]
Close
your eyes, lean back and enjoy!
Leonardo
LEO (1694-1744) Cello Concerto in D major see VIVALDI
Franz
LISZT
(1811-1886)
Piano Concertos 1 & 2
Daniel Barenboim (piano) Staatskapelle Berlin/Pierre Boulez
rec. live, 2011,
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 477 9521 [49:49]
[MC]
A
match for any of the competing accounts.
Franz
LISZT (1811 – 1886) Songs and Sonnets
Marcello
Nardis (tenor) Michele Campanella (piano) rec. 2010
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94149 [47:22] [GF]
I
do hope that the fault is with me.
Liszt,
My Piano Hero Franz
LISZT (1811-1886) Hungarian Rhapsodies 6 &
15, Ave Maria (Schubert), Piano Concerto 1
Lang Lang (piano) Vienna PO/Valery Gergiev rec. 2011
SONY CLASSICAL 88697891412 [73:33]
[MB]
Sheer
febrile excitement.
Franz
LISZT
(1811-1886) Lieder
Diana Damrau (soprano) Helmut Deutsch (piano) rec. 2011
VIRGIN CLASSICS 0709282 [76:37]
[MC]
This
release of Liszt Lieder from Diana Damrau on Virgin Classics should
not be missed.
Franz
LISZT (1811-1886) Vallée d’Obermann; Sposalizio;
Les jeux d’eau à la Villa d’Este; Sonnet de Pétrarque;
Isolde’s liebestode
Nikolai Lugansky (piano) rec. 2011
NAÏVE AMBROISIE AM205 [65.00]
[RBe]
Outstandingly
brilliant playing from one of the world’s foremost virtuosos.
Franz
LISZT (1811-1886)
‘Robert la Diable’ & ‘Don Juan’ Réminiscences,
Mephisto Waltzes ‘Faust’ Waltz, Etudes
Earl Wild (piano) rec. 1968-79
PIANO CLASSICS PCLD 0021 [72.13 + 55:03] [JW]
A
strong entry for Wildeans. Prepare to be gloriously singed.
Witold
LUTOSLAWSKI (1913-1994) Concerto for Orchestra see
SIBELIUS
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very different twentieth-century masterpieces, with one brilliant performance
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