RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Ludwig van
BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Symphony 9
Amanda
Roocroft (soprano) Fiona Janes (mezzo) John Mark Ainsley (tenor) Neal
Davies (bass) The New Company; O of The Age of Enlightenment/Sir Charles
Mackerras rec. 1994
SIGNUM CLASSICS SIGCD 254 [63:50] [JQ]
An
excellent account of the Ninth, which forms an invaluable supplement
to Sir Charles’s superb cycle of the symphonies on Hyperion.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Joseph CANTELOUBE
(1879-1957) Songs
of the Auvergne (1923-1935):
Netania Davrath (soprano) Orchestra/Pierre de la Roche rec. 1963/6
ALTO ALC 1151 [77:24] 
[RB]
One
of the crowning glories of the analogue era. Do not miss out on this.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Frédéric CHOPIN
(1810-1849)
Piano Pieces Yevgeny SUDBIN
(1980-) Ŕ 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.
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!
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Claude
DEBUSSY (1862-1918)
Pelléas
et Mélisande John Tomlinson (bass) Sarah Walker (mezzo) Robert
Dean (baritone) Ch & O English National Opera/Mark Elder rec. 1981
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.
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.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Die Zauberflöte
Ileana Cotrubas, Peter Schreier, Christian Boesch, Martti Talvela, Edita
Gruberova, Vienna PO/James Levine rec. 1982
ARTHAUS MUSIK 107199 
[2
DVDs: 189:00] 
[RJF]
A
top recommendation. They do not do productions like this any more I
regret to say.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Amilcare
PONCHIELLI (1834-1886) La Gioconda
Deborah Voigt (soprano) Richard Margison (tenor) Ch & O/Corps de
Ballet of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona/Daniele Callegari rec.
2005
ARTHAUS MUSIK DVD
107291 [2 DVDs: 174:00] [RJF]
Rarely
performed nowadays, Ponchielli’s best known opera is unlikely to get
a better-staged, sung and danced performance than it does here.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Gioachino
ROSSINI (1792-1868) Il Barbiere di Sivilglia
Rolando Panerai (baritone) Teresa Berganza (mezzo) Luigi Alva (tenor)
Covent Garden Ch & O/Carlo Maria Giulini rec. 1960
ICA ICAC 5046 [66:42 + 62:24]
[JS]
Pure
gold; a performance that takes wing and which captures the listener
in its spell whatever its sonic or other limitations.
RECORDING
OF
THE MONTH
Alec ROTH
(b. 1948)
Earthrise, Hymn to Gaia, Shared Ground, Ponticelli
Philippe Honoré (violin) Ex Cathedra/Jeffrey Skidmore rec. 2011
SIGNUM
CLASSICS SIGCD270 [42:30 + 49:00] [JQ]
Important
and stimulating music - all recorded for the first time - in excellent
and committed performances.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Dances
to a Black Pipe Aaron COPLAND
(1900-1990) Clarinet Concerto Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Hungarian Dances Nos. 12, 13, 1
and 21 (arr. Göran Fröst) Witold LUTOSLAWSKI
(1913-1994) Dance Preludes Anders HILLBORG
(1954-) Peacock Tales Fredrik HÖGBERG
(1971-) Dancing with Silent Purpose
Martin Fröst (clarinet) Australian Ch O/Richard Tognetti rec. 2011
BIS SACD 1863 [81:31] [BR]
This
is a real treat: the incomparable Martin Fröst does jazz, klezmer, tango,
and techno.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Emanuel
Ensemble Works for flute, cello & piano by
Kapustin, Gaubert, Schumann, Borne, Farrenc & Piazzolla
rec.
2010/11
CHAMPS HILL RECORDS CHRCD023 [75:37] [BR]
You’ve
probably never heard much of this music, and you’re sure to love all
of it.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH
Italia Antonio
VIVALDI (1678
- 1741) Violin concertos, Nulla in mundo pax sincera Giuseppe
TARTINI (1692 - 1770) Violin concerto, Violin sonata
Nicola
Benedetti (violin) Scottish CO/Christian Curnyn rec. 2010
DECCA 476 4342 [76:54] [DC]
Molto
molto bene, giocare di nuovo …
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Surrexit
Christus - Vespers and Procession on Easter Sunday in the Notre
Dame in Paris in the 13th Century
Ensemble
Grégorien de Notre Dame de Paris/Sylvain Dieudonné rec. 2009
HORTUS 073 [71:17] 
[JV]
In
every respect a winner.
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