Salvatore
Accardo (violin)
- 70th birthday tribute 
DYNAMIC CDS 715/1-9 [9 CDs: 538:29] [JW]
An
attractive, wholly merited salute to Accardo.
Bellissimo
Arias and scenes from operas by Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Cilea
and Verdi
rec. 1992-2009
DYNAMIC CDS 704 [73:00] [GF]
I’ll
keep this disc close to my CD player.
A
Tribute to Erling Blöndal Bengtsson The Live Icelandic Recordings
1973-79
Erling Blöndal Bengtsson (cello) Iceland SO/Jean-Pierre Jacquillat;
Árni Kristjánsson (piano) rec.1973-79
DANACORD DACOCD724 [63:27] [JWh]
A
fine tribute to a great cellist.
Orchestral
Realisations by Luciano Berio
Michael Collins (clarinet) Roderick Williams (baritone) Bergen PO/Edward
Gardner rec. 2011
CHANDOS CHSA5101 
[73:33] [DC]
Who’s
afraid of Luciano Berio?
Berlin
Philharmonic Orchestra - European Concert 1999
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Exsultate
jubilate Fryderyk CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Piano Concerto 2 Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Symphony 1
Christine Schäfer (soprano) Emanuel Ax (piano) Berlin PO/Bernard
Haitink rec. 1999
ARTHAUS MUSIK 107160 
[95.00] [JW]
I’m
not sure of the target audience for this release.
British
Light Music Premieres - Vol. 6
Royal Ballet Sinfonia/Gavin Sutherland rec. 2006-10
DUTTON EPOCH CDLX 7283 [77.48] [GH]
Delightful.
Call
Me Flott
Felicity Lott (soprano) Graham Johnson (piano) rec. 2008/09
CHAMPS HILL RECORDS CHRCD003 [74:57] [Byz]
Another
day, another fine recital by Lott and Johnson.
A
Choral Tapestry
Voces8 rec. 2011
SIGNUM RECORDS SIGCD283 [62.28] [RH]
Puzzling,
frustrating and mesmerising.
Carlo
Colombara - The Art of the Bass Arias by Bizet, Verdi &
Mussorgsky
Orch della Svizzera Italiana/György G. Ráth; Bulgarian Natl SO/Vladimir
Ghiaurov; Prague Tchaikovsky O/Fabrizio Milani rec. 2003-2006
NAXOS DVD
2110612 [68.28] [RJF]
A
varied issue but well worth investigating.
Converging
Cultures - Music for Wind Bands Joaquin TURINA (1882-1949)
La Procession del Rocio (transcr. Alfred Reed) Leonard BERNSTEIN
(1918-1990) Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
(transcr. Paul Lavender) James BONNEY (b.1974) Chaos
Theory Roger NIXON (1921-2009) Fiesta del Pacifico
CHANG SU KOH (b.1970) Korean Dances Fred Hamilton
(electric guitar) Lone Star Wind Orch/Eugene Migliaro Corporon rec.
2010-2011 NAXOS 8.572837 [72:24] [JWh]
Amazing
polished playing but a rather mixed bag.
José
van Dam - Recital at La Monnaie / De Munt Hugo
WOLF (1860 – 1903) Johannes
BRAHMS (1833 – 1897) Henri DUPARC
(1848 – 1933) Jacques IBERT (1890 – 1962) Francis POULENC
(1899 – 1963)
José van Dam (bass-baritone), Maciej Pikulski (piano)
rec. 1997 Texts enclosed but no translations
CYPRES ARCHIVE CYP8604 [72:37] [GF]
I
urge admirers of this great artist or lovers of art songs in general
to give this recital a try.
EndBeginning
Antoine BRUMEL (c.1460-c.1515)
Missa pro defunctis Thomas CRECQUILLON
(c.1505-57) Lamentationes Jeremiæ Jacobus
CLEMENS NON PAPA (c.1510-c.1555) Tristitia obsedit
me - Infelix ego Jackson HILL (b.1942)
Ma fin est mon commencement
New York Polyphony rec. 2011
BIS BIS-SACD-1949
[67:58] [DC]
Thoughtful
and beautifully performed.
Europa
Konzert from Lisbon 2003 Maurice
RAVEL (1875-1937) Le Tombeau de Couperin Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Piano Concerto 20 Béla
BARTÓK (1881-1945) Concerto for Orchestra Claude
DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Fętes
Maria Joăo Pires (piano) Berlin PO/Pierre Boulez rec. 2003
EUROARTS 2020218 [100:00
+ 19:00] [WH]
Some
fine things here, some less compelling, but all beautifully filmed in
a stunning building.
Fellini,
Jazz & Co Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) Jazz suite 2
Nino ROTA (1911-1979) La Strada
Ottorino RESPIGHI (1879-1936) Fountains of Rome,
Pines of Rome
Berlin PO/Riccardo Chailly rec. 2011
EUROARTS
2058408 [105:00] [NB]
Not
a DVD by which the orchestra would ultimately wish to be judged.
Kathleen
Ferrier - The Complete EMI Recordings
rec.
1944-51
EMI CLASSICS 9562842 [3 CDs: 189:36] [RMo]
There
are gems here.
Une
fęte baroque! Music by Rameau, Lully, Purcell & Handel
Le Concert d’Astrée/Emmanuelle Haďm rec. 2011
VIRGIN CLASSICS 7307992 [75:33 + 78:38] [BW]
With
such a large roll-call of distinguished soloists so ably supported by
choir, orchestra and above all Haďm herself, this is well worth having.
Fire
& Roses - Madrigali
Con Anima Chamber Ch/Paul Mealor rec. 2010
DIVINE ART DDA 25094 [74:04] [PCG]
Singing
that is always perfectly tuned and beautifully recorded.
My
First Ballet Album
NAXOS 8.578205 [73:32] [Byz]
Probably
interesting enough to keep children entertained.
The
Flute King Music from the Court of Frederick the Great
Emmanuel
Pahud (flute) Trevor Pinnock (harpsichord) Jonathan Manson (cello) Matthew
Truscott (violin) Kammerakademie Potsdam rec. 2011
EMI CLASSICS 0842202 [67:56 + 78:29] [CR]
Hard
to find fault with this.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH French
Impressions Camille SAINT-SAËNS
(1835-1921) Violin Sonata 1 César FRANCK
(1822-1890) Violin Sonata Maurice RAVEL
(1875-1937) Violin Sonata
Joshua Bell (violin) Jeremy Denk (piano) rec. 2010
SONY CLASSICAL 88697891822 [67:19] [LW]
Winning
accounts of French violin/piano sonatas warmly recorded.
Das
ist meine Freude Soprano cantatas from the Grossfahner
Collection
Maria Jonas (soprano) Chursächsische Capelle Leipzig rec. 2003
CPO 777 5462 [77:20] [JW]
Polished
and effective performances.
French
Violin Sonatas César FRANCK
(1822-1890) Violin Sonata in A major, (1886) [26:48] Gabriel
FAURÉ (1845-1924) Violin Sonata no. 1 in A major,
Op. 13 (1876) [22:06]
Berceuse, Op. 16 [3:16] Claude DEBUSSY
(1862-1918) Violin Sonata in G minor (1916-1917) [11:37] Minstrels,
from Preludes Book 1 (arr. Hartmann) [2:07]
Jacques Thibaud (violin), Alfred Cortot (piano) rec. 1927-1931, various
venues. ADD
PRISTINE PACM 080 [65:54] [GA]
Played
with tremendous assurance and the transfers are very fine.
From
the Heart
The King’s Singers rec. 2009
SIGNUM CLASSICS SIGCD177 [20:29] [EM-L]
A
sadly uninspiring disc.
Les
Grâces Françoises -
Music of the French Baroque by Bernier, Couperin, Marais, Duphly
& Montéclair
Les Grâces rec. 2010
MSR CLASSICS MS 1396 [76:45] [JV]
The
cantatas are the main attraction of this disc, even though the performances
are not top-notch.
Hot
& Spicy
Chili con Cello rec. 2011
GLM MUSIC FM157-2 [49:20] [OL]
100%
interesting but some people may be allergic to this kind of voice.
Gidon
Kremer Edition Lockenhaus Works by Messiaen, Stravinsky, Shostakovich
and Strauss
ECM New Series 476 4509 [2190-94] [5 CDs: 56:51 + 60:31 + 53:55
+ 59:45 + 53:04] [JW]
A
top class team.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Gulfstream
Chamber works by Larsen, Lieuwen, Schickele & Copland
enhake; Corinne Stillwell (violin) Pamela Ryan (viola) rec. 2010
NAXOS
8.559692 [55:01] [BR]
Four
excellent, brief chamber in a sort of tasting menu of delights from
the past 75 years.
Tine
Thing Helseth — Storyteller
Tine Thing Helseth (trumpet) Jonathan Aasgaard (cello) šHĺvard
Gimse (piano) ˛ Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Eivind Aadland
rec. 2011,
EMI CLASSICS 0 88328 2 [66:54] [JW]
T.T.
Helseth certainly tells her stories nicely.
Peter
Katin 50 years of music-making
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Rondo Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Moonlight Sonata Franz SCHUBERT
(1797-1828) Impromptus Claude DEBUSSY
(1862-1918) Suite Bergamasque Fryderyk
CHOPIN (1810-1849) Polonaise-Fantasie
rec. 1948-87
DIVINE ART RP001 [73:06] Fryderyk CHOPIN
(1810-1849) Piano Sonata 3, Waltzes, Nocturne, Fantasie, Andante
Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante
rec. 1976-2006
DIVINE ART RP002 [74:39] Fryderyk CHOPIN
(1810-1849) Piano Sonata 3, Scherzo, Mazurka 14, Andante Spianato
and Grande Polonaise Brillante
rec. 1967
ORCHESTRAL CONCERT CDs CD11/2010 [75:28] [JW]
A
feast for Katin admirers in these three very contrasting discs.
Lamentazione
Works by Scarlatti, Lotti, Legrenzi, Caldara & Leo
Les Arts Florissants/Paul Agnew rec. 2010
VIRGIN CLASSICS 0709072 [56:20] [JW]
Laments
have seldom been in better hands, or voices.
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