Something
Almost Being Said
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Partitas 1 & 2
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Impromptus
Simone
Dinnerstein (piano) rec. 2011
SONY CLASSICAL 88697 998242 [74:38] [OL]
Expressive,
emotional readings.
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Organ Trio Sonatas
Florilegium
rec. 2007
CHANNEL CLASSICS 
CCSSA27012 [75:53] [DC]
An
involving approach which works superbly, almost the whole time.
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Johannes
Passion
John Mark Ainsley (tenor) Stephen Richardson (bass) Catherine Bott (soprano)
King’s College Ch Cambridge, The Brandenburg Consort/Stephen Cleobury
rec. 1995
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94316 [CDs: 138.12 + DVD 114.46] [DMcC]
Excellent
performances, well packaged.
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1759)
Secular Cantatas Vol. 2 BWV134a & 208
Joanne Lunn (soprano) Sophie Junker (soprano) Damien Guillon (alto)
Makoto Sakurada (tenor) Roderick Williams (bass) Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki
Suzuki rec. 2011
BIS BIS-SACD-1971
[74:40] [HPR]
Sophisticated
playing from very able performers.
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Harpsichord Concertos
Retrospect Ens/Matthew Halls (harpsichord) rec. 2011
LINN RECORDS CKD410
[64:24] [DC]
Very
good indeed.
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685
- 1750) Concertos for solo harpsichord, Prelude and fugue
Elizabeth Farr (harpsichord) rec. 2008
NAXOS 8.572006-07 [76:26 + 74:09] Johann Sebastian
BACH (1685 - 1750) Six Concertos after Vivaldi,
Italian Concerto
Olivier Baumont (harpsichord) rec. 1999
ERATO 2564 68966-5 [60:40] [JV]
Both
recordings have shortcomings, but Baumont's - although not complete
- is to be preferred.
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685 - 1750) Italian Concertos
Matthias
Havinga (organ) rec. 2010
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94203 [74:56] [JV]
A
very fine debut of this young Dutch organist.
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685
- 1750) Brandenburg Concertos 1-6
La Petite Bande/Sigiswald Kuijken rec. 2009
ACCENT ACC24224 [51:31 + 45:20] [JFL]
The
most chamber-music like of Kuijken’s Brandenburgs yet.
Wilhelm
Friedemann BACH (1710-1784)
Lasset uns ablegan die Werke der Finsternis [29.49] Es
ist eine Stimme eines Predigers in der Wuste [23.52] Dies ist
der Tag [32.35] Erzittert und fallet [26.41]
Barbara Schlick (soprano), Claudia Schubert (alto), Wilfried Jochens
(tenor), Stephan Schreckenberger (bass) Rheinische Kantorei, Das Kleine
Konzert/Hermann Max rec. 1991,
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94256 [53.56 + 59.40] [EM-L]
Interesting
music, entirely new to most listeners, and reasonably convincing performances.
Samuel
BARBER (1910-1981)
Despite and Still
Melissa Fogarty (soprano) Marc Peloquin (piano) rec. 2011
AUREOLE RECORDS 101 [48:45] [PB-W]
Overshadowed
by the alternatives.
Samuel
BARBER (1910-1981) Agnus Dei; The Lovers;
Easter Chorale; Songs
Conspirare Company of Voices rec. 2011
HARMONIA MUNDI HMU 807522
[79:44] [JQ]
An
important disc for all devotees of Samuel Barber’s music.
Samuel
BARBER (1910-1981) Knoxville: Summer of 1915,
Capricorn Concerto see
COPLAND
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770 - 1827) Symphonies 5 &
6 Basel
CO/Giovanni Antonini rec 2008-09
SONY MUSIC 88697648162 [69:33]
Symphonies
5 & 6
SWR SO Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Sylvain Cambreling rec. 2003-07
GLOR CLASSICS GC11461 [71:24] [MG]
Cambreling
is good but Antonini has a special rhythmic exultation.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Symphonies 1-9
Staatskapelle Dresden/Herbert Blomstedt rec. 1975-1980
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94289 [5 CDs: 369:08] [BR]
If
you created a graph plotting price against greatness, Blomstedt’s
Beethoven symphonies would fall right in the winner’s corner.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Fidelio
Sena Jurinac, Jon Vickers, Gottlob Frick, Hans Hotter, Covent Garden/Otto
Klemperer rec. 1961
IDIS 6638-9 [77:47 + 63:16] [JS]
Out-pointed
by the Testament version.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Triple concerto Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Double concerto
Devy Erlih (violin) Guy Fallot (cello) Monique Fallot (piano) Southwest
German RSO/Ernest Bour rec. 1956/7
FORGOTTEN RECORDS FR269 [65:48] [JW]
Cogent
readings in good recordings.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)/Franz LISZT
(1811-1886) Symphony 6 Pastoral
Ashley Wass (fortepiano) rec. 2011
ORCHID CLASSICS ORC100024 [51:53] [JS]
Surprise
was for me the main characteristic of this performance.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Complete Piano Sonatas
Wilhelm Backhaus (piano) rec. 1950-54
PRISTINE AUDIO PAKM 051-058 [8 CDs: 9:00:00] [JW]
Sensitively
and successfully transferred these readings are direct and shorn of
artifice.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN
(1770-1827) String
Quartet 15 Luigi BOCCHERINI
(1743-1805) String Quartet Wolfgang Amadeus
MOZART (1756-1791) String Quartet 17
Quartetto Italiano rec. 1965
ICA CLASSICS ICAC 5070 [77:07] [JW]
The
Quartetto Italiano captured live.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Complete Violin
Sonatas
Josef Suk (violin) Jan Panenka (piano) rec. 1966-67
SUPRAPHON SU 4077-2 [4 CDs: 242:07] [JW]
Valuable,
thoughtful and convincing … one of the most outstanding duos of
its time.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Eroica Variations, Sonata
30 see SCHUMANN
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN
(1770-1827)
Romances see MENDELSSOHN
Hector
BERLIOZ (1803-1869) Symphonie Fantastique,
Le corsair
Lyon Ntl O/Leonard Slatkin rec. 2011
NAXOS 8.572886 [70.21] [PCG]
A
very classical performance without much romantic dirt on it.
One of the best performances on disc.
Richard
BLACKFORD (b.
1954) Mirror of Perfection, A Westminster Te Deum, On Another’s
Sorrow, I Know That My Redeemer Liveth, From The Song of Songs, A Lullaby
of the Nativity, I Will Sing To The Lord
Ying Huang (soprano); Bo Skovhus (baritone) Bournemouth Symphony Chorus;
Ballard Lane Preparatory School Choir Bournemouth Sinfonietta/Richard
Blackford Olivia Robinson (soprano); Iain Farrington (organ) BBC Singers/David
Hill rec. 1997and 2012, DDD Original texts and English translations
(Mirror); English texts (anthems) included.
NIMBUS ALLIANCE NI6205 [66:44][JQ]
Accomplished,
accessible choral music that makes an immediate impression on the listener.
Luigi
BOCCHERINI (1743-1805) String Quartet see
BEETHOVEN
Alexander
BORODIN (1833-1887)
String Quartet 2 see Russian
String Quartets
Pierre
BOULEZ (b.
1925) Douze
Notations, Sonates 1-3, Incises
Dimitri Vassilakis (piano) rec. 2011
CYBELE RECORDS KiG004
[3 CDs: 177:57] [DC]
Educational
and striking - a new standard reference for these works.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Symphony 1 Carl
NIELSEN (1865-1931) Symphony 3 Antonín
DVOŘÁK (1841-1904)
Symphony 9 Jean SIBELIUS (1865-1957)
Symphony 5
Danish Ntl SO/Thomas Dausgaard rec. 2009
UNITEL CLASSICA/C MAJOR 710508 
[2 DVDs: 213:52] [DMc]
This
is special music-making.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Lieder
Brigitte Fassbaender (mezzo) Thomas Riebel (viola) Irwin Gage (piano)
ACANTA
233493 [51:29] [ST]
Fassbaender
had something extra special.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Sechs Lieder und Romanzen;
Drei Quartette; Funf Gesang; Zigeunerlieder; Dem
Dunkeln Schoss der Heil’gen Erde
Consortium/Andrew-John Smith; Christopher Glynn (piano) rec. 2007
HYPERION CDA 67775 [66.33] [EML]
Certainly
a disc that I will be returning to again.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Ein deutsches Requiem
Sylvia
McNair, Håkan Hagegård, Westminster SCh, New York PO/Kurt
Masur rec. 1995
WARNER APEX 2564 65941-4 [60:21] [RMo]
A
worthy alternative to the plethora of recordings, constituting something
a little different.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Piano Quartets 1-3
Derek Han (piano) Isabelle Faust (violin) Bruno Giuranna (viola) Alain
Meunier (cello) rec. 1996
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 93040 [71:55 + 43:50] [RMo]
Given
the quality of what is otherwise available this is not really competitive.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Piano Concerto 2
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Piano Concerto
Edwin Fischer, Walter Gieseking (piano) Berlin PO/Wilhelm Furtwängler
rec. 1942
PRISTINE AUDIO PASC347 [77:26] [RB]
For
those days when you would like a few risks and maybe a modicum of bluster.
It’s certainly not dull.
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Double concerto see BEETHOVEN
Frank
BRIDGE (1879-1941) Orchestral collection
BBC Natl O of Wales/Richard Hickox.
CHANDOS CHAN 10729(6) [6 CDs: 424:44] [DM]
Under-appreciated
music, played with affection and authority; a box of delights.
Frank
BRIDGE
Phantasy in F minor see WALTON
Benjamin
BRITTEN (1913
- 1976) Winter Words, Three Folk Song Arrangements, Seven
Sonnets of Michelangelo, Three Folk Song Arrangements
Nicholas Phan (tenor), Myra Huang (piano) rec. 2009/2010. DDD. Booklet
includes sung texts and English translations for op. 22.
AVIE AV2238 [58:17] [MG]
Enjoyable
performances, freshly sung and played.
Benjamin
BRITTEN (1913-1976)
Lachrymae for viola and piano see
HINDEMITH
Anton
BRUCKNER (1824-1896)
String Quartet in C minor Hans ROTT
(1858-1884) String Quartet
Israel Qt rec. 2008
QUINTONE Q10002 [69:01] [Byz]
Worth
anyone's money, especially for Rott's memorable work.
Anton
BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphonies 2 & 4
NHK SO Tokyo/Otmar Suitner rec. 1970/1981
KING INTERNATIONAL KKC 2009-10 [63:23 + 62:35] [TB]
Otmar
Suitner was an outstanding Bruckner conductor, as these two live performances
from Tokyo testify.
Anton
BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony 2
Northern Sinfonia/Mario Venzago rec. 2011
CPO 777 735-2 [56:30] [TB]
Venzago
finds Bruckner’s lighter style. Hugely satisfying and certainly
does justice to Bruckner’s vision.
Anton
BRUCKNER (1824-1896)
Symphonies
4 & 9 Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Symphony 35
NBC SO, New York P-SO, Philadelphia O/Bruno Walter rec. 1940-48
MUSIC & ARTS CD-1262 [59:10 + 68:22] [JQ]
Performances
which Bruckner enthusiasts and Bruno Walter’s admirers will want
to hear.
Anton
BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony 7, The Triumphant
Return (documentary)
Berlin PO/Sergiu Celibidache rec. 1992
EUROARTS 2011408 [144:00]
[JWh]
A
great documentary and concert from a genius of the podium.
Ferruccio
BUSONI (1866-1924) Eine Lustspielouvertüre,
Gesang vom Reigen der Geister, Rondo Arlecchinesco, Clarinet Concertino,
Divertimento, Tanzwalzer
Giammarco Casani (clarinet) Laura Minguzzi (flute) Gianlucca Terranova
(tenor) Roma SO/Francesco La Vecchia rec. 2008-11
NAXOS 8.572922 [60:38] [JS]
A
useful collection of Busoni’s short pieces.
William
BYRD (1539/40-1623)
Complete Fantasias for Harpsichord
Glen Wilson (harpsichord) rec. 2010
NAXOS 8.572433 [77:30] [JV]
The
quality of music, performance, instrument and programme notes makes
this a splendid release.
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for alphabetical listings by composer:
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1 New] [Part
2 A-B] [Part 3 C-L]
[Part 4 M-R] [Part
5 S-Z]
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