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Bruch VC1 Gluzman
Quite the finest performance of the Bruch concerto
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The best opera DVD of the year so far [ST]
Mahler Song Cycles
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4CDs + 196 page book
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John S. Bridge A Manchester Musician By Stuart Scott
Musicweb International Recordings of the Year 2011
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90 reviews completed so far this month
Saturday December 10th
Bela BARTÓK (1881-1945) Violin Concerto 2, Violin Sonata 1
Yehudi Menuhin (violin) Philharmonia O/Wilhelm Furtwängler; Adolph Baller (piano) rec.1947/1953
This will give some idea of what the Menuhin fuss was originally about.
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Symphonies 1-9, Overtures: Egmont, Leonore 3
[JQ]
Sensible, thoughtful and thoroughly musical … a good, sound proposition.
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Cello Sonatas 1 & 2
Richly rewarding despite the occasional frailty.
Jean CRAS (1879-1932) Harp quintette, Duo, Deux Impromptus
Music-making that smilingly beckons you in.
Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809) Orfeo ed Euridice
A most worthy undertaking.
Josep MARTÍ I CRISTIÀ (1884-1918) Musica per a piano
Full of melody, poignancy, elegance, Spanish character and imagination, all brought vividly to life by the light-fingered, graceful pianism of Daniel Blanch.
Émile SAURET (1852–1920) Music for violin and piano
While hardly profound statements neither are these vapid effusions.
RECORDING OF THE MONTH Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) New Babylon
It is a great addition to any collector of his music and is superbly played on this disc.
Charles-Marie WIDOR (1844-1937) Piano Concertos 1 & 2, Fantaisie
Not as revelatory as some of the discs in this series.
Homage to Maria Callas Favourite Opera Arias
A sumptuous and very tasteful production.
Friday December 9th
Samuel BARBER (1910-1981) Despite and still and other songs
Intelligence, operatic chops and sensitivity make Fogarty a perfect fit for this serious sequence of Barber songs.
Charles KOECHLIN (1867-1950) Organ music
[67:40]
[DC]
One of the nicest organ recordings I’ve heard.
Franz LISZT (1811-1886) Piano Concertos 1 & 2, Les Préludes, Hungaria
A valuable reissue from Guild Historical that should form part of any serious Liszt collection.
George Alexander MacFARREN (1813–1887) Robin Hood
A great work; possibly the composer’s masterpiece.
Michael NYMAN (1944-) In Concert
101487 [86:00] [KM]
A nice performance of some thirty years of music, mostly from soundtracks.
Michael PRAETORIUS (1571-1621) Christmas Music
From every point of view this is an intriguing and captivating disc.
Sergey PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Peter and the Wolf
If you know some children who enjoy dancing, or if you want to get some children interested in dance for the first time, then this is especially for you.
Pierre RODE (1774-1830) Violin Concertos 3, 4 & 6
Pleasurable violin concertos of the ‘French school’ c. 1800, and the violinist joins in the spirit with his own excellent cadenzas.
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856) String Quartets
Much to admire but I find myself as often disturbed and perplexed as I am charmed.
Jean SIBELIUS (1865-1957) The Tempest, The Bard, Tapiola
Kamu, an elder statesman of Finnish music, sets out his Sibelian wares in splendid new recordings.
Thursday December 8th
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) St Matthew Passion
[JW]
A comprehensively successful set.
Stephen DODGSON (b. 1926) Ode to the Guitar, Legend, The Midst of Life, Stemma, Partita 1, Fantasy-Divisions, Merlin
Outstanding performances of modern guitar music by a composer who really knows and understands the instrument.
Georg Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759) Suites for Solo Harpsichord 1-8
Two very satisfying new sets of the Handel Keyboard Suites, but Hyperion’s 2-for-1 alternative offers strong competition.
RECORDING OF THE MONTH Johann Wilhelm HERTEL (1727 - 1789) Bassoon concertos, Sinfonia
If there is any way to demonstrate that a little-known composer deserves more attention, this is the way to do it.
Bohuslav MARTINŮ (1890-1959) Piano Concertos 1, 2 & 4
Perhaps appealing to those unfamiliar with these concertos.
Peter SCHICKELE (b. 1953) A Year in the Catskills; Gardens; What Did You Do Today at Jeffrey’s House?; Dream Dances; Diversions
Colorful, original, whimsical, and adventuresome, this collection of musical short stories from one of America’s most diverse composers has something to please every ear.
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901) Un ballo in maschera
Significant historical importance, a strong cast even given some faults and decent sound.
BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Heitor VILLA-LOBOS (1887-1959) Complete Guitar Music
An excellent and inexpensive collection.
La Fenice - New Year's Concert 2004
Lacking verve and vitality this is also rather short measure for a New Year’s Day Concert.
Dan Godfrey Encores
Brilliant with an obvious enthusiasm for these ‘lost’ or misplaced works.
Wednesday December 7th
Walter GIESEKING (1895-1956) Music for Flute and piano
[Byz]
More attractive than compelling … worth anyone's consideration as a curiosity.
Gustav HOLST (1874-1934) Two Psalms: ; Nunc Dimittis; I love my love; The Coming of Christ
A dedicated recording of a great Holst rarity, which is very well worth hearing
Josquin des PRÉS (c1440-1521) Missa De beata virgine [38:03] Credo quarti toni (Cambrai Credo) [9:23] Plainchant Ave maris stella, verse I [0:36] Missa Ave maris stella [27:56]
Vital performances that bring Josquin’s music vividly to life.
Sergei RAKHMANINOV (19873-1943) 24 Preludes: Op 3 No.2 [4.46]; Op. 23 Nos. 1-10 [32.59]; Op. 32 Nos. 1-13 [39.12] Marta Deyanova (piano)
Warmth without sultry condensation and drama without uncontrolled blur.
Alexander SKRIABIN (1872-1915) 24 Preludes for Piano, Op. 11 (1896) [28:44] Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) 24 Preludes for Piano, Op. 34 (1933) [26:46]
Another superb reissue from Nimbus, excellently engineered.
Antonio VIVALDI (1678 - 1741) The French Connection 2
An interesting contribution to the growing Vivaldi discography.
Another Night Before Christmas and Scrooge
[JS]
An undemanding, unhackneyed and unexciting collection of Christmas orchestral music.
The Colours of Christmas – JOHN RUTTER Full contents list at end of review
Very good and enjoyable.
Joy to the World
An eminently enjoyable release that will please fans of The King’s Singers and lovers of Christmas music alike.
Naxos Travelogue - Christmas goes Baroque: A Musical Tour of Switzerland, Germany and Belgium Christmas music in the style of Bach, Handel and Vivaldi (arr. Peter Breiner)
Plenty of interesting content, well photographed, complements the musical arrangements of popular Christmas tunes.
Tuesday December 6th
RECORDING OF THE MONTH Hector BERLIOZ (1803-1869)Grande Messe des Morts
First class.
RECORDING OF THE MONTH Erno DOHNÁNYI (1877-1960) Sextet Krzysztof PENDERECKI (1933-) Sextet
Great sound, great under-exposed music, an obviously excellent and good-humored ensemble: this one is a keeper.
César FRANCK (1822-1890) Violin Sonata Gabriel FAURÉ (1845-1924) Violin Sonata 1
Expert transfers show raffiné performances in the best light.
Alexander GLAZUNOV (1865-1936) String Quartet 6, Five Novelettes
Once again I’m taken by the Utrecht approach.
Sofia GUBAIDULINA (b.1931) Fachwerk, Silenzio
Exciting, pleasing and intriguing.
RECORDING OF THE MONTH Witold LUTOSLAWSKI (1913-1994) Silesian Triptych, Paroles Tissées, Les Espaces du Sommeil, Chantefleurs et Chantefables
Magnificent music, superbly performed by an all-British team, and with outstanding Chandos sound and presentation to match.
BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Felix MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY (1809-1847) Incidental music: Antigone, Oedipus, Athalia
Something of an event and unmissable if you are a devoted Mendelssohnian or an impassioned researcher of German romantic theatre music.
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901) Il Trovatore
This is strictly only for lovers of live recordings and first performances by favourite singers.
Central Europe – Works for Cello and Piano Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Arpeggione Sonata Antonín DVORÁK (1841-1904) Rondo, LeoŠ JANÁčEK (1854–1928) Pohádka Bohuslav MARTINů (1890-1959) Variations on a Slovak Theme
Much to enjoy: excellent spirited performances with refreshing ardour and engaging sensitivity.
Flights of Fancy Works by Duparc, Gates, Koechlin, Poulenc and Satie
A warm landscape … comforting stillness. An atmospherically consistent and reflectively assembled anthology.
Monday December 5th
Ragomania William BOLCOM (b.1938) Ragomania, Clarinet concerto, Commedia Clare FISCHER (b.1928) The Duke, Swee’Pee and Me
Cheerful and attractive.
Louis COUPERIN (c.1626-1661) The Complete Harpsichord Works
Harpsichord music by a unique composer, played with grace and subtlety, and with beautiful sound.
César FRANCK (1822-1890) Les Béatitudes
This groundbreaking and astonishingly passionate Béatitudes returns from LP gehenna.
Giovanni GIORGI (d. 1762) Ave Maria a 4, Missa a due Cori tutti piena a 8 & Offertorio In omnem terram a 4
Giorgi's music is a major discovery, and the artists have done him a great favour with these fine performances.
Nicola PORPORA (1686-1768) Cantatas
A fine disc of civilised entertainment which wears its learning and musicality lightly.
BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Nikolay RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844-1908) Capriccio espagnol, Overtures
What I want to know now about Schwarz and his musicians is what exactly are they on?
Gioacchino ROSSINI (1792 - 1868) Il Turco in Italia, L'Italiana in Algeri, Il Cambiale di Matrimonio
Not perfect but lively and involving and certainly worth the low price.
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Manfred
This disc does not give an adequate impression of Manfred’s beauties and complexities.
Synne SKOUEN (b. 1950) Call-Notes
Challenging, innovative and ultimately convincing music with many moments of rare beauty.
Vêpres Monastiques Russes
The singing is excellent, clear and with pure intonation, faultless I would say for a quiet vespers service and with a tangible atmosphere.
