RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Camille
SAINT-SAËNS
(1835 - 1921) Symphony
#3, Op 78 Organ (1886) [34.44] Berj
Zamkochian, Aeolian-Skinner organ; Bernard
Zighera and Leo Litwin, pianos. Claude
DEBUSSY (1862 - 1918) La Mer
(1905) [22.52] Jacques
IBERT (1890 - 1962) Escales
(1922) [15.21] Ralph Gomberg, oboe 
Boston Symphony Orchestra/ Charles Munch Recorded
in Symphony Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
RCA/BMG 828766-61387-2 [73.04]
A
blockbuster of a recording, the centrepiece
of any collection of French music, organ music,
or hi-fi demonstration sound! ... ... see
Full Review
Giovanni Battista
SAMMARTINI
(1700/01-1775) Il
pianto degli Angeli della Pace, Cantata
sacra per soli, orchestra e basso continuo
J-C 119 (1751) Symphony in E flat major J-C
26 Silvia Mapelli (soprano) Ainhoa Soraluze
(mezzo) Giorgio Tiboni (tenor) Filippo Ravizza
(harpsichord)
Capriccio Italiano Ensemble/Daniele Ferrari
Recorded in Monza, Milan, March 2002
NAXOS 8.557432 [54.09] [JW]
There
are attractive things in the cantata even
if the vocal performances could have been
considerably improved. ... see Full
Review
Franz SCHMIDT (1874-1939)
CD1 Variationen
und Fuge uber ein eigenes Thema [20'16] Praeludium und
Fuge Es-Dur [29'23] Toccata [8'51] CD2 Fantasie
und Fuge D-Dur [22'57] Vier kleine Choralvorspiele:- O
Ewigkeit du Donnerwort [3'13] Was mein Gott will [1'41] O wie selig
seid ihr doch, ihr Frommen [4'13] Nun Danket alle Gott [1'20] Chaconne
[27'46] CD3 Praeludium und Fuge C-Dur [22'58] Fuge
F dur [9'09] Vier kleine Praeludien und Fugen:- Es-Dur
[6'55] c-moll [9'06] G-dur [11'12] D-dur [9'37] CD4
Choralvorspiel zu Joseph Haydn's "Gott
erhalte" [13'00] Der Heiland
ist erstanden [10'35] Praeludium
und Fuge A-dur [11'55] Toccata
und Fuge As-dur [15'55] Andreas
Juffinger, organ rec: Jesus-Christus-Kirche,
Berlin, October 1988 DDD
CAPRICCIO 67 093/96 [4 CDs: 58:40 + 61:53
+ 68:57 + 51:05] [CB]
Juffinger
presents what must have been a mammoth undertaking
with virtuosity and commitment. Unfortunately
his choice of organ is poor. ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Alfred
SCHNITTKE (1934-1998)
Piano Quintet (1972-76) [27’42"]; Piano
Trio (1992) [29’18"] *
Barbican Piano Trio: Gaby Lester (violin),
Robert Max (cello), James Kirby (piano), with
Jan Peter Schmolck (violin on Quintet)
and James Boyd (viola on Quintet).
Recorded 6 August and 23 November 2000 at
St. Georges, Brandon Hill, Bristol. DDD *
BLACK BOX BBM1093 [57’03"] [BH]
An
outstanding addition to the Schnittke canon.
... see Full Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Arnold
SCHOENBERG (1874-1951)
Gurrelieder
(1900-11) Stephen O’Mara (tenor), Melanie
Diener (soprano), Jennifer Lane (mezzo-soprano),
David Wilson-Johnson (bass), Martyn Hill (tenor),
Ernst Haefliger (speaker) Simon Joly Chorale
Philharmonia Orchestra/Robert Craft Rec.
The Colosseum, Watford, England, 16-20 October
2001 DDD Previously released on Koch International
Classics
NAXOS 8.557518-19 [66.48 + 51.00]
The
opening sequence: among the highlights ...
has probably never sounded better than it
does here. Pacing and shaping are beautifully
judged ... played supremely well. [TB]
Clarity and majesty and a huge sense of occasion
... see Full Review
[BH]
Robert
SCHUMANN
(1810-1856) Adagio
and Allegro Op.70 (1849) Fantasiestücke
Op.73 (1849) Romanzen Op.94 (1894) Sonata
in A minor Op.105 (1851) Märchenbilder
Op.113 (1851)
Tabea Zimmermann (viola) Hartmut Höll
(piano) Recorded Sandhausen, January 2001
and February 2003
CAPRICCIO 67 123 [62.03]
An
accomplished recital – poetic and reflective,
lissom and alert ... see Full
Review
Robert SCHUMANN
(1810-1856)The
Songs of Schumann Volume 9 Liederalbum
für die Jugend Op. 79 with piano
pieces from Klavieralbum für die Jugend
Op. 68
Felicity Lott (soprano) Ann Murray (mezzo)
Graham Johnson (piano) Rec. 20-22 January
2004 (venue unspecified)
HYPERION CDJ33109 [78.55] [TB]
There
are few if any more sensitive singers than
Lott and Murray, whose performances are idiomatic
and scrupulously prepared. Each singer maintains
a fresh and eager approach ... see Full
Review
Heinrich SCHUTZ (1585-1672)
Complete Choral works: Box 2 Cantiones
Sacrae for four voices (1625) [CD1: 55:05 + CD2: 54:11] Kleine
geistiche Concerte, (1636) [CD3: 40:50 + CD4: 33:14] Primo libro
de Madrigali (1611) [CD5: 55:42]
Alma Mikolajczyk; Kira Boreczko (sop); Maciej Gocman; Luca Dellacasa
(alto); Paolo Borgonov (ten); Matteo Bellotto; Garrick Comeaux; Walter
Testolin (bass) Basso Continuo: Nicola Dal Maso (violine in sol); Alessandro
Orsaria (organ); Matteo Messori (spinet; organ) Capella Augustana/Matteo
Messori Rec. Chiesa arcipretale di bedonia (Parma) March-May 2004 (CDs
1-4); Seminary of Piacenza January 2004 (CD 5)
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 92440 [5 CDs: 55:05 + 54:11 + 40:50 + 33:14 +
55:42] [GH]
For
the student or the Schutz enthusiast this
set is genuinely worth investing in. If you
are a completist you will want it anyway.
... see Full Review
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH
(1906-75) Violin
Sonata, Op. 134 (1969) Viola Sonata, Op. 147 (1975)
Levon Ambartsumian (violin/viola); Anatoly Sheludyakov (piano) Rec.
Hugh Hodgson Hall, University of Georgia Performing Arts Centre, Athens,
Georgia, USA, April 2003
PHOENIX USA PHCD 155 [59'51"] [PL]
lacks
the necessary dynamic and emotional range
... neither artist plays with believable conviction.
... see
Full Review
Jean SIBELIUS
(1865-1956) Symphony
No 2 in D major, Op 43 Finlandia, Op
26
The Cleveland Orchestra/Yoel Levi recorded
in the Masonic Auditorium, Cleveland, Ohio,
2 April 1984
TELARC CD-80095 [48'51"] [PL]
Sound:
second to none in the catalogue. Levi: one
of that rare breed who give you what the composer
wrote without any intrusive ‘interpretation’.
... see Full
Review
Jean SIBELIUS
(1865-1957) Symphony
No.3 in C major, op.52 (1907) [29:57] Symphony
No.5 in E flat major, op.82 (1919) [33:49]
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra/Leif Segerstam
Recorded at the Finlandia Hall, Helsinki,
3 June 2003
ONDINE ODE 1035-2 [63:57] [GPJ]
A
disappointment. Though certain movements work
well, Segerstam overplays the contrasts, highlights
instrumentation too much, and makes at least
one disastrous misjudgement. ... see Full
Review
Valentin
SILVESTROV (b.
1937) Silent
Songs: A Cycle in Four Parts for Baritone
and Piano (1974-77) [1:46’51"] Four
Songs after Osip Mandelstam for Baritone
and Piano (1982) [13’16"]
* Sergey Yakovenko (baritone) Ilya
Scheps (piano) Valentin Silvestrov (piano
on Four Songs) Recording 1986 in Moscow
ADD
ECM NEW SERIES 9821424[60:00 + 59:19]
[BH]
Those
with an aversion to some of the harsher examples
of contemporary expression might respond to
the quiet, non-abrasive qualities of this
music ... see Full
Review
Kuba STANKIEWICZ
Chopin
Songbook Op.74 CD1Smutna Rzeka
Op.74 No.3 [5.38] Melodia Op.74 No.9 [6.52]
Wiosna Op.74 No.2 [6.34] Piosenka Litewska
Op.74 No.16 [5.38] Precz z moich oczu Op.74
No.6 [6.38] Zyczenie Op.74 No.1 [5.19] Nie
ma czego trzeba Op.74 No.13 [4.55] Dwojaki
koniec Op.74 No.11 [7.32] CD2 Sad
river Op.74 No.3 [5.36] Out of my sight Op.74
No.6 [6.36] A young girl’s wish Op.74 No.1
[5.20] Elegy Op.74 No.9 [6.51] A Lithuanian
song Op.74 No.16 [5.37] Spring song Op.74
No.2 [6.33] Faded and vanished Op.74 No.13
[4.51] The handsome lad Op.74 No.8 [4.33]
Death’s divisions Op.74 No.11 [7.31]
Inga Lewandowska – voice Kuba Stankiewicz
– piano, Keyboards, arrangements Grzegorz
Nagorski – trombone Henryk Miskiewicz – soprano
saxophone Johannes Strasser – bass Lukasz
Zyta – drums Recorded at Polish Radio Studios
S2 and S4, Warsaw in June and July 2003
CD ACCORD ACD 129-2 [49.08 + 53.30] [CC]
Too
much kitsch. This set is obviously for lovers of jazz ... see Full
Review
Johann
STRAUSS I (1804-1849) Edition Vol. 5
Contredanses
op.44 [05:42], Benefice-Walzer op.33 [06:32],
Bayaderen-Galoppe op.52 (Lieblings-Galoppe
no.36) [02:40], Gute Meinung für die Tanzlust
(Waltz) op.34 [06:34], Contratänze op.54 [05:16],
Souvenir de Baden (Helenen-Walzer) op.38 [06:12],
Zampa-Galopp op.62a [02:19], Tivoli Rutsch-Walzer
op.39 [07:26], Montecchi-Galopp op.62b [02:07],
Wiener-Damen-Toilette-Walzer op.40 [07:19],
Der Raub der Sabinerinnen, Charakteristisches
Tongemälde op.43 [10:21], Das Fest der Handwerker
(galopp) [01:31], Tivoli Freudenfest-Tänze
op.45 [08:10]
Slovak
Sinfonietta Žilina/Christian Pollack
Recorded
24th-27th November 2003 at the Fatra
Concert Hall, Žilina, Slovakia
MARCO POLO 8.225281
[72:25][CH]
A
worthy follow-up to previous volumes in the series. ... see Full
Review
Richard STRAUSS
(1864-1949) Also
Sprach Zarathustra (1896) Ein Heldenleben
(1898-9)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Fritz Reiner Recorded
in Orchestra Hall, Chicago in March 1954 SCAD
Surround SACD Stereo and CD Audio
BMG
RCA 82876 61389 2 [75:40]
[IL
& GL]
Even
if you have this classic recording don’t hesitate
to obtain this upgrade -sensational listening.
... see Full
Review
also
Richard STRAUSS
(1864 - 1949) Also
Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 (1896) [31.53]
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40, (1898) [43.39]
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Fritz Reiner Recorded
at Orchestra Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA,
March 6-8, 1954 ADD Notes in English, Deutsch,
Français. Restored to 2.0 stereo utilising
the DSD system by Soundmirror, Inc. Hybrid
SACD playable on CD players and SACD players.
RCA/BMG
- LIVING STEREO - 82876-61389-2 [75.40]
[PSh]
If
you love Zarathustra, this is the one absolutely
indispensable recording of it to own; the
Heldenleben is good, too ... see Full
Review
Richard
STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Der
Rosenkavalier - opera in three
acts The Feldmarschallin, Princess Werdenberg
- Maria Reining (soprano) Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau
- Kurt Boehme (baritone) Octavian - Lisa della
Casa (soprano) Herr von Faninal – Alfred Poell
(baritone) Sophie, his daughter - Hilde Gueden
(soprano) Marianne, Sophie’s duenna – Judith
Hellwig (soprano) Valzacchi, an intriguer
– Laszlo Szemere (tenor) Annina, his partner
– Sieglinde Wagner (contralto) The Major-Domo
to the Feldmarschallin –Georg Müller
(tenor) An Attorney – Oscar Czerwenka (bass)
An Italian Singer – Karl Terkal (tenor) Police
Inspector – Franz Bierbach (bass) Innkeeper
and Faninal’s Major-Domo – August Jaresch
(tenor)
Chorus of the Vienna State Opera Vienna Philharmonic
Orchestra/Clemens Krauss Recorded live
at the Salzburg Festival, 1953 Trio
to the end of Act III - with Viorica Ursuleac
Tiana Lemnitz Erna Berger Georg Hann Berlin
State Opera Orchestra/Clemens Krauss Recorded
1936 on 78s
GUILD HISTORICAL GHCD 2293/95 [3 CDs:
68.07 + 57.01 + 74.18] [JW]
You
will need a studio recording or two but for
sheer theatrical frisson this Salzburg performance
should not be overlooked ... see Full
Review
Franz von SUPPÉ (1819-1895)
Overtures: The
Beautiful Galatea (1865) [6.22] Pique
Dame (1864) [7.28] Light Cavalry (1866)
[6.26] Poet and Peasant (1846) [9.24]
Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna (1844)
[7.32] Boccaccio (1879) [6.48] Daniel-François
AUBER (1782-1871) Overtures: The
Bronze Horse (1835) [6.49] Fra Diavolo
(1830) [7.31] Masaniello, or La muette
de Portici (1828) [6.26]
Detroit Symphony Orchestra/Paul Paray Rec
29 Nov 1959 (Suppé), Cass Technical
High School, Detroit; 4 April 1959 (Auber),
Old Orchestra Hall, Detroit
MERCURY
LIVING PRESENCE SACD 470 638-2 [65.44]
[TB]
Extraordinarily
vivid and immediate results. Performances
have real élan and spirit, with both
corporate and individual contributions of
a high virtuosity ... see Full
Review
Giuseppe
TARTINI
(1692-1770) Violin
Concerto in D minor D45* Violin Concerto in
G major Violin Concerto in E minor D56 Cello
Concerto in A major Violin Sonata in A major
Op.1 No.1 Violin Sonata in G major Op.1 No.10
Violin Sonata in F major Op.1 No.12 Violin
Sonata in C major Op.2 No.6 Violin Sonata
in G minor The Devil’s Trill
Pierre Amoyal (violin) except Piero Toso
(violin)* Severino Zannerini (cello) I soloisti
Veneti Claudio Scimone Pierre Amoyal (violin)
Susan Moses (cello) Edoardo Farina (harpsichord)
- Sonatas Recorded Villa Simes, 1976 (Concertos)
and Église Notre-Dame des Roses, Grisy-Suines
1977 (Sonatas)
WARNER APEX 2564 61693-2 [66.08 + 66.43]
[JW]
Of
value to hear an essentially modern minded
fiddler playing with a quasi-authentic set
... see Full
Review
Giuseppe TARTINI
(1692-1770) Violin
Sonatas Le Sonate del Tasso Sonata
XV in G major Sonata XVII in D major Sonata
XIX in D major Sonata XII in G major
Jean Estournet (violin) Thérèse
Pollet (cello) Hans Ludwig Hirsch (harpsichord
and organ) Recorded Villa Emo, Fanzolo Veneto,
1986
ARTS 47298-2 [49.15] [JW]
Some
aspects of the editorship and style may jar
but Tartini’s less well-known sonatas will
draw sympathetic listeners. ... see Full
Review
Boris
TCHAIKOVSKY (1925
– 1996) Sinfonietta
(1953) Chamber Symphony (1967) Six Etudes
(1976)a Prelude The Bells
(1996)
Ludmilla Golub (organ)a Musica
Viva Chamber Orchestra/ Alexander Rudin Recorded:
Small Hall, Moscow Conservatory (Six Etudes)
and Mosfilm Ton-Studios, Moscow, October 2003,
December 2003 and January 2004
HYPERION CDA 67413 [69:49] [HC]
Excellent,
meticulously prepared readings, warmly recorded
... see Full
Review
Boris TCHAIKOVSKY
(1925
– 1996) Chamber
Symphony (1967) Signs of the Zodiac (1974)a
Four Preludes (1984) Clarinet Concerto (1957)b
Margarita Miroshnikova (soprano)a;
Adil Feodorov (clarinet)b St. Petersburg
Chamber Orchestra/Edward Serov Recorded: Capella
Concert Hall, St. Petersburg, 1985 and 1978
(Signs of the Zodiac)
NORTHERN FLOWERS NF/PMA 9918 [69:06] [HC]
Interesting
light on a much neglected, but distinguished
composer whose achievement is worth considering
and deserves wider exposure. ... see Full
Review
Peter Ilyich
TCHAIKOVSKY (1840
– 1893) Symphony
No. 6 in B Minor, Op.74 Pathetique
(1893)
Boston Symphony Orchestra/Pierre Monteux.
Recorded 26 January 1955 in Symphony Hall,
Boston, U.S.A. DDD SACD BMG-RCA
LIVING STEREO 82876 613972-2 [44’14"]
[JPh]
A
very fine issue, but measly on playing time
and value for money ... see Full
Review
Georg
Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767)
Six Trios 1718 Trio
I for oboe, violin and bc in B flat (TWV 42, B1) [07:35] Trio II for
recorder, violin and bc in a minor (TWV 42, a1) [09:49] Trio III for
transverse flute, violin and bc in G (TWV 42, G1) [09:58] Trio IV for
2 violins and bc in D (TWV 42, D1) [07:48] Trio V for violin, viola
da gamba and bc in g minor (TWV 42, g1) [10:15] Trio VI for violin,
cello and bc in F (TWV 42, F1) [06:52]
Camerata Köln Recorded September 2002, January 2003, Studio
of the Deutschlandfunk, Cologne, Germany. DDD
CPO 999 957-2 [52:42] [JV]
An
excellent recording released at the ensemble's
25th anniversary - congratulations and many
happy returns! ... see Full
Review
Georg Philipp TELEMANN (1681
- 1767) Musique de Table (Tafelmusik) Productions I, II, III
(1733) [258.33] Crispian
Steele-Perkins, trumpet; Michael Schmidt-Casdorff, flute; Ricardo Kanji,
flute and recorder; Anette Pape, Ku Ebbinge, oboes; Whilhelm Bruns,
Christoph Moinian, horns; Jacques Ogg, harpsichord. Lucy van Dael, Sirkka-Liisa
Kaakinen, Sajuri Yamagata, Gustavo Zazrba, violins; Staas Sierstra,
viola; Riche van der Meer, cello; Anthony Woodrow, violone; Camerata
of the 18th Century, Konrad Hünteler flute and conductor; Recorded
at Kirche an der Märtmannstraße, Dortmund-ApIerbeck, Germany,
1993. Notes in English, Français, Deutsch. Photo of the artists
MDG GOLD 311 0580-2
[4 CDs: 67.35 + 58.48 + 61.00 + 71.10][PSh]
The
best available recording of all the Telemann you’ll ever need, enough
to keep you busy for a long time, maybe ... see Full
Review
Ralph
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
(1872-1958) Symphony
No. 4 in F minor (1935) Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1 in E minor (1906) Flos
Campi – Suite for viola, chorus and orchestra* (1925)
Paul Silverthorne* (viola) Bournemouth Symphony Chorus* and Orchestra/Paul
Daniel Rec. The Lighthouse, Poole, March 2003. DDD
NAXOS 8.557276 [62:34] [PCW]
The
impact factor of this recording is right at
the top of the scale. Allied to tremendously
well-played and committed orchestral performance
is sound quality of stunning immediacy. ...
see Full Review
Giuseppe
VERDI
(1813 – 1901) I
Lombardi - Dramma lirico in four acts
Oronte … José Carreras (tenor) Giselda
… Ghena Dimitrova (soprano) Pagano … Silvano
Carroli (bass) Arvino … Carlo Bini (tenor)
Luisa Vannini, Luigi Roni, Gianfranco Manganotti,
Giovanni Foiani and Laura Bocca
Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala, Milan/Gianandrea
Gavazzeni Recorded: 1984, La Scala, Milan
DVD
NVC ARTS 0927-44927-2 [127 mins] [RM]
An
enjoyable. (Christmas) gift for the opera
lover who has everything. ... see Full
Review
Giuseppe
VERDI
(1813-1901) Rigoletto
Duke of Mantua – Gino Sarri (tenor)
Rigoletto – Ivan Petrov (baritone) Gilda –
Orlandina Orlandini (soprano) Sparafucile
– Mario Frosini (bass) Maddalena – Lidia Melani
(mezzo soprano) Count Monterone – Edio Peruzzi
(bass) Marullo – Giulio Mastrangelo (baritone)
Giovanna – Rina Benucci (soprano)
Chorus of the Teatro Communale, Florence Orchestra
of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino/Erasmo Ghiglia
Recorded 1951 Plus arias sung by Ivan Petrov
ROSSINI
Il Barbiere di Siviglia; Largo al factotum
BELLINI
I Puritani; Ah! Per sempre Gaetano
DONIZETTI La Favorita; Vien, Leonora
Giuseppe
VERDI
Macbeth; Pieta, rispetto amore LEONCAVALLO
I Pagliacci; Si può The Orchestra of
the Maggio Fiorentino/Erasmo Ghiglia Recorded
1951
PREISER 20017 [67.36 + 67.48] [JW]
I
would urge caution here to all but inveterate
Verdians. Petrov enthusiasts will want it
but the recording problems are such that this
is really for specialist interest only. ...
see Full
Review
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
Simon Boccanegra
(1857) Giancarlo Pasquetto (baritone) Simon
Boccanegra; Elena Prokina (soprano) Maria;
Peter Sidhom (bass-baritone) Paolo Albiani;
Daniel Borowski (bass) Pietro; Alastair Miles
(bass) Jacopo Fiesco; David Rendall (tenor)
Gabriele Adorno; Yvonne Patrick (soprano)
Amelia’s Maid; Kevin Sharp (tenor) A Captain
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Mark Elder.
Director: Peter Hall. Rec. Glyndebourne Festival
Opera in July 1998.
WARNER MUSIC VISION/NVC ARTS 3984-23025-2
[143’00] [CC]
Boccanegra
- a remarkable piece of music; a remarkable
piece of theatre … all credit to Elder and
his forces for giving it a performance of
such conviction. ... see Full
Review
Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901)
La
Traviata, Melodrama in three acts.
Text by Francesco Maria Piave. (Sung in Russian)
First Performed 6 March 1858. Teatro La Fenice,
Venice Violetta Valery, Yelizaveta Shumskaya
(sop); Alfredo Germont, Ivan Kozlovsky (ten);
Giorgio Germont, Pavel Lisitsian (bar); Flora
Bervoix, Yelena Gribova (mezzo); Gastone,
Y Filin (ten); Barone Douphol, Anatoli Yakhontov
(bar)
USSR State Symphony Orcestra/Alexander
Orlov. Recorded 1947 Appendix: Pavel
Lisitsian (bar) Verdi
Arias Il Trovatore, Il
balen Un ballo in maschera,
Alla vita che t’arride Un ballo in Maschera,
Eri tu? Aida, Ciel!
Mio padre (with Natalia Sokolova, sop)
GUILD HISTORICAL - THE RUSSIAN LEGACY SERIES
- GHCD 2305-6 [65.09+70.14] [RF]
Kozlovsky
has an agreeable light, slightly nasal, tenor
voice but this is only for collectors interested
in the vocal traditions of Russia. Others
can be assured that they are missing no fantastic
vocal or interpretative revelations. ... see
Full Review
Giuseppe
VERDI (1813-1901).
Il
Trovatore - opera in four acts (1853).
First Performed 19th January 1853, Apollo
Theatre Rome Manrico, Franco Bonisolli (ten);
Leonora, Raina Kabaivanska (sop); Di Luna,
Giorgio Zancanaro (bar); Azucena, Viorica
Cortez (mezzo); Ferrando, Giancarlo Luccardi
(bass); Ines, Gisela Pohl (sop); Ruiz, Johannes
Bier (ten) Chorus
of the Staatsoper Berlin. Orchestra of the
Staatskapelle Berlin/Bruno Bartoletti Studio
recording 1975, Berlin
ARTS MUSIC - ARTS ARCHIVES 43045-2 [68.36+62.54]
[RJF]
With
RCA-Leontyne Price at mid-price and DG-Bergonzi
at bargain price, this issue will struggle
to find a niche in the market. Despite that
Viorica Cortez’s singing will appeal to many
Verdians ... see Full
Review
Antonio Vivaldi
(1678-1741) Dixit
Dominus RV595 [22:08] Nulla in mundo
pax sincera RV 630 [14:00] Jubilate,
o amoeni chori RV639 and Gloria RV 588
[32:09] (Pieces are undated but c. 1713-1719)
Jane Archibald, soprano; Michele de Boer,
soprano; Anita Krause, mezzo; Nils Brown,
tenor; Peter Mahon, counter-tenor; Giles Tomkins,
bass
Aradia Ensemble and Chorus/Kevin Mallon Recorded
on 15th -20th September
2003 at Grace Church on the Hill, Toronto,
Canada. Super
Audio CD (SACD) NAXOS 6.110064 [68:18]
[JF]
A
great CD with three lesser known Vivaldi masterworks.
But do not confuse with the more popular versions
of the Dixit and the Gloria. ... see Full
Review
Antonio VIVALDI
(1678-1741) Suonata
a Quattro al Sepolcro, RV 130 [3.34] In
Furore iustissimae irae, RV 626 [14.01]
Concerto a Quattro Op. 12, No, 3 RV124
Concerto a Quattro, RV 129 "Madrigalesco"
[4.14] Laudate pueri, Dominum, RV 601
[24.32] Sinfonia al Santo Sepolcro RV 169
[3.15]
Catherine Bott (soprano), The Purcell
Quartet Recorded at St. Bartholomew’s Church,
Orford 4-6 March 1996. DDD
CHANDOS CHACONNE CHAN 0714 X [56.11]
[EM]
A
combination of wonderful music and exquisite
music-making that I definitely recommend.
... see Full
Review
Richard WAGNER
(1813-1883) The
Flying Dutchman John
Tomlinson (bass – The Dutchman); Eric Halfvarson
(bass - Daland); Nina Stemme (soprano – Senta);
Kim Begley (tenor - Eric); Patricia Bardon
(mezzo-soprano – Mary)
The Geoffrey Mitchell Choir London Philharmonic
Orchestra/David Parry Rec. Blackheath Halls,
London, 6-11 January 2004. DDD
CHANDOS OPERA IN ENGLISH CHAN 3119(2) [64.36
+ 77.27] [EM]
Emotionally
charged ... capturing the nervous tension
in what is an exuberant and passionate performance.
... see Full
Review
Carl Maria von WEBER
(1786-1826)
Concertino
in E flat, J109 Op 26 (1811) [9.16] Clarinet
Concerto #1 in f, J114 Op 73 (1811) [21.02]
Clarinet Concerto #2 in Eb, J118 Op
74 (1811) [22.16] Clarinet Quintet in Bb,
J182 Op 34 (1815) [5.46]
Sabine Meyer, clarinet Staatskapelle Dresden/Herbert
Blomstedt (concertos) Württembergisches
Kammerorchester, Heilbron/Jörg Faerber
(quintet and concertino) Recorded at the Lukaskirche,
Dresden, Germany, September 1985 (concertos)
Recorded at Kirche auf der Karlshöhe,
Ludwigsburg, Germany, November 1984 Notes
in English, Deutsch, Français. 8-page
catalogue of EMI GROTC recordings.
EMI CLASSICS GREAT RECORDINGS OF THE CENTURY
7243 5 67988 2 3 [78.36] [PSh]
Stupendous
clarinet playing, a must for students and
Weber fans … see
Full Review
Carl Maria von
WEBER (1786-1826)
- completed
by Gustav Mahler
(1860-1911) Die drei Pintos,
(The Three Pintos) - comic opera in three
acts First presented on 20 January 1888, Leipzig.
Don Pantaleone, a nobleman from Madrid, Robert
Holzer (bass); Don Gomez, a nobleman from
Madrid, Peter Furlong (ten); Clarissa, Don
Pantaleone's daughter, Barbara Zechmeister
(sop); Laura, Clarissa's maid, Sophie Marilley
(mezzo); Don Gaston Viratos, Former student
from Salamanca, Eric Shaw (ten); Don Pinto,
a country nobleman from Castrilla, Alessandro
Svab (bass); Innkeeper, Stewart Kempster (bass);
Inez, the Innkeeper's daughter, Sinead Campbell
(sop); Ambrosio, Don Gaston's valet, Ales
Jenis (bar)
Wexford Festival Opera Chorus National Philharmonic
Orchestra of Belarus/Paolo Arrivabeni Live
recording of the 2003 Wexford Festival Opera
production Recorded at the Theatre Royal,
Wexford, Ireland, on 22, 25, 28, 31 October
2003
NAXOS 8.660142-43 [39.07+75.15] [RF]
Too
much extraneous noise ... The only people
likely to enjoy this recording are those who
were present at the Wexford performances and
who want a memento of the occasion. ... see
Full Review
Jan Dismas
ZELENKA
(1675-1745) Hipocondrie
à 7 Concertanti in A major (c.1723)
[7.50] Concerto à 8 in A major
(1723) [15.51] Simphonie à 8 Concertanti
in A minor (1723) [23.19] Johann
Georg PISENDEL (1687-1755) Concerto
in D major (c.1730) [12.48] Sonata in C minor
(c.1730) [3.38]
Freiburg Baroque Orchestra/Gottfried von
der Goltz Rec 29 September – 3 October 1994,
Maria Minor Kirche, Utrecht
DEUTSCHE HARMONIA MUNDI 74321 935532 [63.50]
[TB]
With
thorough and well presented documentation,
this disc does good service to two composers
whose music deserves wider recognition. ...
see Full Review
Alexander
ZEMLINSKY (1871-1942)
Der
König Kandaules (1935) [131:21]
Libretto by the composer after the tragedy
by André Gide Reconstruction and completed
instrumentation by Antony
BEAUMONT Robert Brubaker (ten)
– König Kandaules; Wolfgang Schöne
(bar) – Gyges; Mel Ulrich (Bar) – Phedros;
John Nuzzo(ten) – Syphax; Jochen Schmeckenbecher
(bass) – Nicomedes; Randall Jakobsch (bass)–
Pharnaces; Georg Zeppenfeld (bass)– Philebos;
Jürgen Sacher (ten) – Simias; John Dickie
(ten) – Sebas; Almas Svilpa (bass/bar)– Archelaos;
Peter Loehle (bass)– Der Kock; Nina Stemme
(sop) – Nyssia.
Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, Mozarteum
Orchester Salzburg (Bühnenmusik)/Kent
Nagano rec. Live at Salzburg Festival, Kleines
Festspielhaus Salzburg, 28 July 2002. DDD
ANDANTE AN 3070 [70:09 + 61:12]
[CW]
One
of those rare works which offers fresh philosophical
and musical insights on each hearing - gripping,
provocative, outrageous and disturbing by
turns. ... see Full
Review
Bernard ZWEERS
(1854-1924) Symphony
No. 2 in E flat major (1882/3) * Concert Overture
Saskia (1906)● Suite from Incidental
Music for Vondel’s Gijsbrecht van Aemstel†
* Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra/Antoni
Wit Recorded in June 2001and made available
by NPS Radio ● Radio Filharmonisch Orkest
Holland/Jean Fournet Recorded in May 1973
and made available by AVRO Klassiek †Radio
Filharmonisch Orkest Holland/Lucas Vis Recorded
in September 1980 and made available by VPRO
Radio
STERLING CDS-1061-2 [57:26] [IL]
Dull,
uninspired music – a disappointment ... see
Full Review
Detailed listing (last two
days)]
[Part 1 New] [Part 2 A-B] [Part
3 C-L]
[Part 4 M-R]
[Part 5 S-Z]
[Part 6 Misc A-L]
[Part 7 Misc M-Z]
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