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Classical Editor: Rob
Barnett
Music Webmaster
Len Mullenger:
Len@musicweb-international.com
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Classical Editor: Rob
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Music Webmaster |
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Current
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PART 5 [Part 1] [Part 2]
[Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5]
ADDINSELL Warsaw Concerto LISZT Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1, CHOPIN
Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise, GERSHWIN Concerto in F (2nd Movement), RACHMANINOV: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Finale). Various soloists orchestras and conductors. DG Classikon 469-590-2 64m DDD. [GF]A useful compilation of romantically tuned slow movements from various keyboard concertos but nothing else.
AN AMERICAN PANORAMA Leonard BERNSTEIN (1918-1990) On the Waterfront - Suite. Roy HARRIS (1898-1979) Symphony No. 3 (1937). Aaron COPLAND (1900-1990) Billy the Kid.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra/Eduardo Mata.
Three archetypically American scores, each bearing the individual stamp of its creator, add up to a winner of a programme: on paper, at least..... This thoughtfully programmed disc is recommendable mainly, therefore, for the Harris with the Bernstein coming a close second. A recording which carried more body and, yes, guts, would have made all the difference.
Jussi Björling Romantic Songs
If you buy only one recording this month, I unhesitatingly recommend it should be this one. 'Music' and 'Now take my heart' are still ringing in my ears; songs to die for.
CATALAN STRING QUARTETS Josep SOLER String Quartet No 1 (1974) Miquel ROGER String Quartet No 2 (1994) Albert SARDA String Quartet (1978) Josep SOLER String Quartet No 5 (1994)
All this music is wonderfully played and recorded in a Loughton church with ideal acoustics for the purpose; the Kreutzers leave you in no doubt of their commitment and conviction....I enjoyed them all
CLASSIC ELLINGTON
What a magnificent Album, who says jazz and classics don't mix, this is pure delight from start to finish!
Danish Romantic A Capella Christian BARNEKOW (1837 - 1913) Seks sange, op 17 (six songs) [17.35] Frederik RUNG (1854 - 1914) Fünf-und sechsstimmige Lieder (Five and Six-part Songs) [10.52] Julius BECHGAARD (1843 - 1917) Seks firstemmige sange (Six Four-part Songs) [11.41]
Otto MALLING (1848 - 1915) Tre sange, op.83 (Three Somgs) [8.21]Disappointing. Lovely singing - pity about the songs.
FEASIBILITY STUDIES: Flute3. Thea MUSGRAVE Voices from the Ancient World. Gordon McPHERSON Three Minute Philosophy. Edward McGUIRE Celtic Knotwork. Django BATES Bird Tableau.
This is not a specialist disc for flautists: rather, it is a delightful, multi-faceted outing into some of the side-roads of contemporary music. Why not take a trip?
Furtwängler
Beethoven - Leonore Overture No 3 Pfitzner - Symphonie in C major Brahms - Symphony No 4
Beethoven - Symphony No 9Of these two discs it is probably the performance of Beethoven's Ninth which will be of most interest to Furtwängler collectors .........The performance of Brahms' Fourth Symphony.....is one of the greatest recordings of it and is essential listening.
From the Heart of Finland Kuula; Merikanto; Melartin; Kilpinen
Any reservations are swept away by the joy of hearing a marvellous voice in perfect health. ... the singing as presented to us is flawless, with a sense that Mattila is revelling in her gifts and in bestowing them upon her native composers. ..it is a CD to give unalloyed, if simple, pleasure, and a must for young singers who would like to extend their repertoires in that direction.
The Goossens Family. [61.18] J.S.BACH (1685 - 1750) 1.Easter Oratorio. "Sinfonia"a [5.23] Lord J.P.SOMERS-COCKS (1907 - 1998) 2."Three Sketches". Sketch No 1* [2.44] Walter STANTON (1891 - 1978)
3."Chanson Pastorale"* [3.54] Alan RICHARDSON(1904 - 1978) 4."Scherzino"* [1.56] Sir George HENSCHEL (1850 - 1934) 5."Shepherd's Lament"* [5.34] Thomas B. PITFIELD (1903 - 1999) 6."Rondo lirico"* [2.45] Herbert HUGHES (1882 - 1937) 7."Bard of Armagh"* [3.55] Thomas F. DUNHILL (1877 - 1946) 8.Three Short Pieces "Romance"* [2.45] William BOYCE (1711 - 1779) 9."Matelotte"* [2.53] Gerald FINZI (1901 - 1956) 10.Interlude for Oboe and String Quarteta [12.21] Michael KREIN (?) 11.Serenade for Oboe and Two Harps** [4.23] Morgan NICHOLAS (1903 - 1983) 12."Melody" (transcribed by Marie Goosens) ** [3.10] Max SAUNDERS (?)
13."A Cotswold Pastoral"a [5.07] Sir Edward ELGAR (1857 - 1934) 14.Soliloquy for Oboe & Orchestra (orch. Gordon Jacob)b [4.00]A recording to dip into for reminders of one of the great performers heard here in some pleasant trifles.
IRISH COMPOSERS Association of Hugh Lane November Series 1998. IMRO Lyric AIC001 [51.35] [DW]
A Promotional Disc available for those who genuinely want to promote Irish music.
KRONOS QUARTET: 'IN ACCORD' -
What we have here is essentially a Greatest Hits compilation, almost all of which has been released in audio form, drawing on material from six or seven separate CD's and illustrating the remarkable range of the Quartet's skills and preoccupations.
CONSTANT LAMBERT - CONDUCTOR - Vol. 1 WARLOCK Capriol Suite WARLOCK The Curlew RAWSTHORNE Street Corner Overture RAWSTHORNE Symphonic Studies DELIUS On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring DELIUS Hassan - Intermezzo and Serenade DELIUS La Calinda (arr Fenby)
A nice and varied assembly of pieces in historical sound. The only recording of Symphonic Studies. The Warlock Curlew gives us an insight into the sound of that piece within months of the composer's much-lamented death.
Nessun dorma - The art of the tenor. DG 463 783-2 [73.12] [PW]
This is an essential purchase for anyone who cares about the future of recorded music, even those (quite a few) who are not always drawn to vocal CDs. It should lead the way to what can now be expected of the sensational recent developments in recording technology, with its multitude of features which purchasers may come to insist upon as routine in the foreseeable, and hopefully not far distant, future.
David OISTRAKH ARAM KHACHATURYAN Violin Concerto (1938) NIKOLAI MIASKOVSKY Violin Concerto (1940) ARAM KHACHATURYAN Dance in B flat (Oistrakh/Abram Makarov)
Two uninhibited concertos, interpreted with poetry and whiplash technique, in exceptional mono recordings from the 1940s. Oistrakh at his zenith in the subtle and unmissable Miaskovsky.
OPERA GALA
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901) Overtures - La forza del destino; Luisa Miller. Vincenzo BELLINI (1801-35) Norma - Casta Diva; Guerra, guerra. Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949) Die aegyptische Helena - Zweite Brautnacht. Samuel BARBER (1910-81) Anthony and Cleopatra - Give me my robe. Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924) Preludio sinfonico. Tosca - Vissi d'arte. Turandot - In questa reggia.A generous and effectively programmed showcase for the star. Very recommendable indeed.
Pastorale: French Choral Music Debussy: Trois Chansons de Charles d'Orléans; Saint-Saëns: Sérénade d'hiver; Delibes: Les Norwégiennes*; Saint-Saëns: Deux Chansons, op.68; Canteloube: Baïlèro ("Chants d'Auvergne"); L'Amour de moi; Fauré: Madrigal, op.35*; Pavane, p.50*; Ravel: Trois Chansons; Delibes: Les Nymphes des bois*; Saint-Saëns: Hymne au printemps; Massenet: Chansons des bois d'Amaranthe*.
I'm afraid this is a record for those who already have a particular interest in this repertoire rather than the general listener in search of new experiences.
Lisa REIM; Luca VANNESCHI; Pierre COUPRIE; Tony LEUNG; Lars GRAUGAARD; Jean-Luc DARBELLAY; Andreas PFLÜGER; Serban NICHIFOR. Pieces for ensemble (first performances)
This is a new CD is a record of an admirable project conceived for the launch of a new chamber ensemble of variable composition.
RUSSIAN HORN CONCERTOS Reinhold GLIERE (1875-1956) Horn Concerto (1950)
Four Pieces for horn and piano (1908) Alexander GLAZUNOV (1865-1936) Reverie; Serenade; Idyll (1884-1890) Vissarion SHEBALIN (1902-1963) Horn Concertino (1930)A cracking collection for French horn hunters and for anyone wanting to pathfind their way around the peripheral Russian repertoire. Advocacy of the highest order from all concerned.
RUSSIAN IMAGES 2. Works by: Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Arensky, Tanayev, Medtner, Rachmaninov and Mosolov.
Hyperion follow up on their first survey of Russian songs with a second disc that is indeed self-recommending.
Sailing By -- The Music of Ronald BINGE (1910-1979)
Ronald Binge was one of the many talents of 20th Century British Light Music.
SCODANIBBIO Geografia amorosa; 6 studies; Two brilliant pieces, etc
The pleasure is all in the sound and analysis would be gratuitous. Enjoy, if you have open ears
Society of Finnish Composers 50th Anniversary 1995
Veli-Matti Puumala (1965-) Tutta via (1992-93) [4:29] Olli Kortekangas (1955-) Konzertstück for Clarinet, Cello and Orchestra (1992-93) [13:50] Jukka Koskinen (1965-) Ululation (1994) [14:27] Tapio Tuomela (1958-) The Escape Ladder (1988-89) [12:57] Hannu Pohjannoro (1963-) eilisen linnut/the birds of yesterday (1993-94) [7:25] Olli Koskelin (1955-) ...like a planet silently breathing... (1992-93) [10:19] Magnus Lindberg (1958-) Away (1994) [5:23]
Claude Debussy (1862-1918) Rhapsody for Clarinet and Orchestra [8:10] Jukka Tiensuu (1948-) Puro, Clarinet Concerto [18:12] Jouni Kaipainen (1956-) Carpe diem!, Clarinet Concerto, Op. 38* [26:17]
Magnus Lindberg Kinetics; Marea; Joy
TANGOS y algo mas..(Tangos & something more)
How many composers from Argentina do you know?
BOOK REVIEW
ELGAR In the Bavarian Highlands by Peter Greaves Elgar Monographs No. 1; 96 pp Elgar Enterprises. - £5.99
A must-read for the Elgar enthusiast
Elgar The Best Of Me; A Gerontius Centenary Companion; Edited By Geoffrey Hodgkins.Elgar Enterprises - £18.
The entire production reflects the scholarly and affectionate approach adopted by the chief editor and his assistants.
Rudolf Firkusny 1912 - 1994 The Dvorak Society Occasional Publications. No 1.
I recommend the publication without reservation.
Jussi by Anna-Lisa Björling & Andrew Farkas Amadeus Press, 1996; ISBN 1-57467-010-7; Hardback; 456 pages.
....There are many interesting photographs and a bibliography and a chronological listing of Jussi Björling's opera, operetta, and oratorio repertoire. The absence of a discography though is a serious omission. Nevertheless, this is a valuable source of reference.
[Part 1] [Part 2]
[Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5]
Classical Editor: Rob Barnett, Reviewers: Rob Barnett, Ian Lace, Len Mullenger, and: Richard Adams, Colin Anderson, Arthur Baker, Terry Barfoot, Marc Bridle, Arthur Butterworth, Colin Clarke, Paul Conway, Gary Dalkin, Andy Daly, Tony Duggan, Harry Downey, Gerald Fenech, Lewis Foreman, Christopher Howell, John Phillips, Ailís Ní Ríain, Humphrey Smith, Philip Scowcroft, Colin Scott Sutherland, Andrew Seivewright, Richard Whitehouse, Reg Williamson, Peter Grahame Woolf, David Wright. A complete list of contributors can be seen here
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