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Classical Editor: Rob Barnett Music Webmaster Len Mullenger: Len@musicweb-international.com
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Current
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PART 2 |
[Part 1 New]
[Part 2 A-B] [Part
3 C-L] [Part 4 M-R] [Part 5 S-Y] [Part 6 Misc] |
ADOLPHE ADAM La Jolie Fille de Gand (complete ballet)
Queensland Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Andrew Mogrelia) (recorded 26 February & 1 March, 1996)
This is aworld premiere recording.The Queensland Orchestra tackles this undemanding score with spirit and style (it possesses an outstanding principal oboe) and the sound is bright if at times a touch over-reverberant.
Isaac Albéniz (rev. José de Eusebio) Merlin Opera in three acts, Part One of the trilogy King Arthur by Francis Burdett Money Coutts, Lord Latymer.
Cast: Merlin - Carlos Álvarez; King Arthur - Plácido Domingo; Morgan le Fay - Jane Henschel; Nivian - Ana María Martinez; Archbishop of Canterbury - Carlos Chausson; Mordred - Christopher Maltman; with Javier Franco, Felipe Bou, José López Ferrero, Javier Roldán, Ángel Rodríguez. Monks of the Monastery of Alfonso X "El Sabio", Coro Nacional de España, Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid, Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid, C. José de Eusebio.
Albéniz's opera "Merlin" is that rare thing, an unperformed and virtually unknown work of genuine power.[CW]
I must say I would love to see it. It is the perfect CD opera, and especially on the first disc this is a recording one will constantly dip into. Do try it.[LF]
ALBINONI Concert à cinque, opus 5
The musical judgements of the best, beautifully balanced keyboard continuo and string orchestra. An outstanding issue.
ATTERBERG Symphonies No 3 in D major, Op 10 and No 6 in C major, Op 31.
This is one of those couplings which prompt one to wonder why no one had done it before, for these two symphonies must be among the Swedish composer Kurt Atterberg's (1887-1974) most approachable and memorable works, and together they make a lovely programme.
BACH (1685-1750) Brandenburg Concertos Concerto no. 4 in G major BWV 1049, Concerto no 5 in D major BWV 1050, Concerto in A minor BWV 1044, Concerto in F major BWV 1057.
I would not expect this disc to prompt dedicated Bach enthusiasts to discard their treasured recordings of these works. However, it has much to commend in the spirit of the playing which conveys a refreshing sense of youthfulness and vigour.
BACH: Violin Concerto in A minor, Violin Concerto in E major, Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor, Concerto for Violin & Oboe in C minorKennedy and his colleagues pay splendid treatment to Bach in this fine compilation
BACH COMPLETE ORCHESTRAL WORKS Overtures (Suites) nos 1 - 4
This disc is a real winner in every respect.
BACH and the French Clavecinists.GASPARD DE LA ROUX Pieces in F from Pieces de Clavecin 1705 LOUIS MARCHAND Pieces in D minor from Pieces de Clavecin 1669 J. S. BACH Suite in A minor with Prelude (English Suite no. 2)
Andrew Appel has great energy and verve and avoids all the fussiness that one sadly associates with early music. I really do like his style and that is some accolade when I have to admit that this music is not that interesting.
BACH: Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of Fugue)
Take courage, and listen - the rewards are considerable
BACH: Christmas Cantatas BWV36: Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV132: Wege, bereitet die Bahn! BWV61: Nun komm, der heiden Heiland, Instrumental Suite after BWV699 & 659
These Advent cantatas are deserving of a wider recognition, and this disc serves them well.
BACH Keyboard Music Capriccios: in E major BWV993; in B flat major BWV992; Chromatic Fantasia & Fugue in D minor BWV903 Fantasias: in C minor BWV906; in G minor BWV917; in C minor BWV918; in A minor BWV 922: Fantasias & Fugues: in A minor BWV 904; in A minor BWV944; Fugue on a theme of Albinoni BWV950; Prelude in C minor BWV921; Prelude on a theme of Albinoni BWV923; Prelude & Fugue in A minor BWV551
Tame the fierceness and the music can shine through, although that fierceness to some extent applies to the performances too
BACH TRANSCRIPTIONS by Barbirolli · Coates · Damrosch · Elgar · Gui · Horenstein · Kleiber · Klemperer · Koussevitzky · Melichar · Mitropoulos · Ormandy · Reiner · Sargent · Schmidt-Isserstedt · Stock · Stokowski · Toscanini · Wood Recorded 1926-1946 (Transferred by Mark Obert-Thorn)Bach varied, surprising, satisfying and, thank heavens, suffused with a non-PC approach
BACH (1685-1750) SIX SUITES FOR VIOLONCELLO SOLO 1007-1012, transcribed for guitar
This is the first recording I have heard of all the Bach cello suites played on the guitar and along with similar transcriptions of the Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin present great music for guitarists wishing to perform Bach as alternatives to the much played lute suites. A disc well worth exploring
BACH Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord CD1: No. 1 in B minor, BWV1014 No. 2 in A major, BWV1015 No. 3 in E major, BWV1016 No. 4 in C minor, BWV1017 CD2: No. 5 in F minor, BWV1018
No. 6 in G major, BWV1019 No. 6 (alternative movements)Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach described these six sonatas for violin and harpsichord as 'among the best compositions of my dear departed father'....These performances match those high expectations
BANTOCK (1868-1946) Cello Sonata in B minor (1940) [27.00] Cello Sonata in F sharp minor (1944) [18.16] Sonata in G minor for solo cello (1924) [10.38] Hamabdil and Pibroch for cello and harp [5.35, 6.36] Elegiac Poem (1900) [6.06]
A further and diverting 'building block' towards the unfolding Bantock discography. Recording, documentation and performance excellent.
Bataille-Couperin-Lambert-Moulinié Airs de Cour
These twenty-two songs, mainly of 17th 18th C., had to be realised from 'just a vocal line and a bass line, nothing more'. Fouchécourt's voice is cool and elegant, and the embellishment entirely convincing. His sense of discovery extends to the inclusion of 'a wink at the 20th C.' with Marquise by Brassens, to demonstrate continuity of the genre into our own times.
Bax, Bowen, Haydn, Schumann, Chopin, Scriabin, Debussy & Albeniz.
Forget (for the time being) your celebrity virtuosi & the latest whiz-kid, and celebrate the wisdom of maturity. I do not care for its title Echoes from a Golden Era because no allowances for age which that might suggest are called for. Jonson's Traumerei is a marvellous demonstration that virtuosity is not just about speed and power!
BEETHOVEN Diabelli Variations Op. 120
.....Pollini is far more straightforward in his approach and storms through imperiously, without ever relaxing his hold on the listener.
BEETHOVEN Piano Sonatas No.4 Op 7; No. 22 Op 54; No. 23 Op 57 "Appassionata"; No.25 Op 79
Kovacevich's technique is never in question, but one is made aware throughout the CD that the extended thought process, which he doubtless undertook before entering the studio, actually led to the performances becoming somewhat mannered and un-spontaneous.
BEETHOVEN Violin Sonatas: No. 5 Op. 24 "(Spring)" No. 8 Op.30, no. 3, No. 9. Op 47 "(Kreutzer)"
The total effect frankly is rather disappointing. As there have been so many really good discs of these two sonatas - notably the Perlman/Askenazy performance, this disc can only be recommended to those who are particularly interested in the 8th Sonata
BENDIX (1851-1926) Symphony No 1 Mountain Climbing (1882) Symphony No 2 Sounds of Summer from South Russia (1888) Symphony No 3 (1895) Symphony No 4 (1906)
Danacord puts the musical world in their debt by recording this late romantic composer. The Third Symphony is a work of some considerable strength and glowing lyricism.
Sir Richard Rodney BENNETT (b. 1936) Film Music: Murder on the Orient Express; Far from the Madding Crowd; Tender is the Night; Four Weddings and a Funeral; Enchanted April; Lady Caroline Lamb
A delightful album and strongly recommended.
BERNERS (1883-1950) Le Carrosse du Saint-Sacrement (1923) Fanfare (1931) Caprice Péruvien (1938)
An unfamiliar lighter opera that will appeal to anyone who likes Ravel's L'enfant et les Sortilèges or Holst's Wandering Scholar
ERNEST BLOCH (1880-1959) Violin Concerto (1938) * Trois Poemes Juifs ** BELA BARTOK
Rhapsody No. 1 *
** Hartford SO/Fritz Mahler rec 1960This is a very attractive and economical disc made specially so by the Three Poems.
BLOMDAHL (1916-1968) Praeludium and Allegro (1949) [5.43] Violin Concerto (1946) [16.20] Concerto Grosso (1944) [17.55] Concert Overture (1940) [7.12] Symphony No. 2 (1947) [22.00]
A disc packed with substantial pieces by the lean-themed poetic Hindemith of the North.
BLOMDAHL (1916-68) (1) Sisyphos: Dance with Death; Dance of Life (1954) (2) Chamber Concerto (1950) (3) Symphony No 3 Facetter (1950) Trio for clarinet, cello and piano (1955)
A challenging disc of works cross-sectioning Blomdahl's output.
Enjoy this disc. After the Portugalsom CD of the Fourth Symphony this is the one to start with if you decide you would like to try Braga Santos. A natural next step for anyone who loves their Vaughan Williams, Rózsa or Moeran
This disc can certainly be recommended to anyone who wishes to study the musical and personal relationship between the two composers in 1853/54: while Brahms was on the threshold of a successful career, Schumann was about to end his days confined to an asylum.
BRITTEN War Requiem
A marvellous performance of a major classic is available for just a fraction of the cost of its competitors
BRODMANN Musica Sacra Percussion Fantasies
It is too unsettling and even irritating to be background music, to uninteresting to be fully listened to, yet does achieve the apparent aim of creating a sound canvas into which one might become mentally absorbed.
GEOFFREY BURGON (b. 1941) Merciless Beauty (1996) * The Calm (1974) ** A Vision (1991) *** Voices from the Calm (1974) ****
Music of chilly beauty, appositely articulated both at artistic and technical levels. Full texts. Satisfying notes from Terry Barfoot.
[Part 1 New]
[Part 2 A-B] [Part
3 C-L]
[Part 4 M-R] [Part
5 S-Y] [Part 6 Misc]
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, Christopher Fifield, Lewis Foreman, Simon Foster, Christopher Howell, John Phillips, Ailís Ní Ríain, Humphrey Smith, Philip Scowcroft, Colin Scott-Sutherland, Andrew Seivewright, Christopher Thomas, Richard Whitehouse, Peter Grahame Woolf, David Wright. A complete list of contributors can be seen here
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