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Alphabetical Listing

PART 2
A-B

Click for alphabetical listings by composer:
[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]
[Recommended recordings]

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William ALWYN 
(1905-1985)
Orchestral Music Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/David Lloyd-Jones rec. 2007 NAXOS 8.570704 [68:24][JW]

Fine-sounding, idiomatic performances ... see Full Review

William ALWYN (1905-1985) Piano Music Volume 2 Ashley Wass (piano) rec. 2007 NAXOS 8.570464 [72:21][JW]

These little pieces should certainly have a life in the concert stage ... see Full Review

William Alwyn (1905-1985) String Quartets 1-3, Novelette Maggini Quartet rec. 2007 NAXOS 8.570560 [68:53] [JF]

A must for all Alwyn enthusiasts ... see Full Review

Joachim ANDERSEN (1847-1909) Complete Recordings - Vol 6: Works for Flute and Piano Includes Fantaisies Nationales - Danish, Russian, Morceux, Opern-Transcriptionen - Die Zauberflöte, Der Weisse Dame Thomas Jensen (flute), Frode Stengaard (piano) rec. 2000-7 DANACORD DACOCD661 [77:32] [CR]

Charming style and character … Andersen loved beautiful melodies ... see Full Review

Joachim ANDERSEN (1847-1909) Complete Recordings - Vol. 7: Works for Flute and Piano Includes Gavotte, Quatre Morceaux, Opern-Transcriptionen, La Resignation et Polonaise, Fantasies Nationales - Swedish, Trois Morceaux, Canzone e Erinnerung, Moto Perpetuo Thomas Jensen (flute), Frode Stengaard (piano) rec. 2000-7 DANACORD DACOCD666 [78:19] [CR]

Their playing gives life to the music and is highly entertaining ... see Full Review

Leroy ANDERSON (1908-1975) Orchestral Music Vol. 5 BBC Concert Orchestra/Leonard Slatkin rec. 2007 NAXOS 8.559382 [52:16][JW]

One can’t fault this and the performances are top notch ... see Full Review

John ANTILL (1904–1986) An Outback Overture, Corroboree New Zealand SO/James Judd rec. 2006 NAXOS 8.570241 [49:06] [HC]

A fine score played with commitment and obvious relish ... see Full Review

Craig ARMSTRONG (b. 1959) Immer, One Minute, Memory Takes My Hand Clio Gould (violin); Lucy Crowe (soprano) Apollo Voices/Stephen Betteridge BBC SO/Garry Walker rec. 2007/8 VIRGIN CLASSICS 5190322 [71:38] [BBr]

A strong voice with much to say ... see Full Review

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Cantatas - Vol. 6 La Petite Bande/Sigiswald Kuijken rec. 2007 ACCENT ACC25306 [55:59][JV]

Kuijken's approach deserves praise but the performances don't fully explore the music ... see Full Review

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Weihnachtskantaten (Christmas Cantatas)Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern BWV 1 (1725) [21:32] Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV 61 (1714) [15:45] Dazu ist erscheinen der Sohn Gottes BWV 40* (1723) [16:26] Arleen Auger (soprano); *Ortrun Wenkel (contralto); Peter Schreier (tenor); Siegfried Lorenz (bass) Thomanerchor Leipzig; Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum/Hans-Joachim Rotzch rec. dates and venues not specified BERLIN CLASSICS BASICS 0149262BC [53:42] [JQ]

Well-turned performances under one of Bach’s successors in Leipzig ... see Full Review

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685–1750) Cantata BWV11 and other arias George Frideric HANDEL (1685–1759) Arias from Samson, Messiah & Judas Maccabeus Kathleen Ferrier (contralto) Cantata Singers London PO/Sir Adrian Boult Jacques O/Reginald Jacques rec. 1949-52 NAXOS HISTORICAL 8.111295 [73.49] [JW]

Ferrier completists will note a firm step forward ... see Full Review

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Christmas Oratorio Elly Ameling, Dame Janet Baker, Robert Tear, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Choir of King’s College Cambridge, ASMF/Sir Philip Ledger rec. 1976 EMI CLASSICS GEMINI 2176252 [77:46 + 76:38] [JQ]

A performance that will give much pleasure ... see Full Review

Amy BEACH (1867-1944) Piano Music Vol.1: The Early Works Kirsten Johnson (piano) rec. 2007 GUILD GMCD7317 [65:32] [SA]

Charming miniatures which show a good deal of promise of greater things ... see Full Review

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770–1827) Symphonies Nos. 3, 6 & 7; Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 5; Violin Concerto etc. Claudio Arrau (piano), Clara Haskil (piano), Jascha Heifetz (violin), Zino Francescatti (violin); Boston Symphony Orchestra/Charles Münch rec. 1954-9 WEST HILL RADIO ARCHIVES WHRA6014 [5 CDs: 75:29 + 73:55 + 56:36 + 52:54 + 57:25][BBr]

A living document of great interpretations and performances ... see Full Review

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7 Minnesota Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä rec. 2008 BIS BISSACD1816 [75:49][DC]

Top notch Beethoven – full of weight; free of nonsense ... see Full Review

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770–1827) Symphonies 1-9 + Overtures Berlin Philharmonic/Herbert von Karajan rec. 1975-7 (symphonies) 1965/9 (overtures) DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 477 7578 [6 CDs: 374:09]
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN
Symphonies 1-9 Staatskapelle Dresden/Herbert Blomstedt rec. 1975-80, BERLIN CLASSICS 0184442BC [5 CDs: 369:36]
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN
Symphonies 1-9 Moscow Radio Tchaikovsky SO/Vladimir Fedoseyev rec. live, 2004-6 RELIEF CR991089 [5 CDs: 335:55] [JFL]

Karajan and Blomstedt turned more joy than chore. Fedoseyev more duty ... see Full Review

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano Sonatas 29 ("Hammerklavier") & 32 Carl Maria von WEBER (1786-1826) Aufforderung zum Tanze (Invitation to the Dance) Yvonne Lefébure (piano) rec. 1961-73 SOLSTICE SOCD238 [61:18] [JW]

A tremendous artist but this will not do ... see Full Review

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano Sonatas Nos 30-32 Glenn Gould (piano) rec. 1956  NAXOS 8.111299 [55:55][JW]

Didactic defiance rather than musical compromise ... see Full Review

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Lieder und Gesänge Ann Murray (mezzo); Roderick Williams (baritone); Iain Burnside (piano) rec. 2008 SIGNUM CLASSICS SIGCD139 [43:33 + 43:33][AS]

The rich and varied world of one of the greatest song writers ... see Full Review

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Egmont Overture see HINDEMITH

Lord BERNERS (1883-1950) The Triumph of Neptune see MOERAN

Heinrich Ignaz Franz VON BIBER (1644-1704) The Rosary Sonatas Elizabeth Wallfisch (violin) Rosanne Hunt (cello) Linda Kent (organ and harpsichord) rec. 2005 ABC CLASSICS 476 6831 [65:46 + 41:25] [JW]

Enjoyable to a degree but reservations ... see Full Review

Hermann BISCHOFF (1868-1936) Symphony 2, Introduktion und Rondo Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz/Werner Andreas Albert rec. 2006 CPO 777206-2 [59:23] [RB]

Without sourness … idealistic, benign and Palladian ... see Full Review

Alexandre Pierre François BOËLY (1785-1858) Sonates et Caprices Christine Schornsheim (table piano, fortepiano) rec. 2007 PHOENIX EDITION 127 [74:24] [JV]

There is more to Boëly than organ music - splendid performances of his piano music ... see Full Review

RECORDING OF THE MONTH York BOWEN (1884-1961) Piano Concertos 3 & 4 Danny Driver, BBC Scottish SO/Martyn Brabbins rec. 2007 HYPERION CDA67659 [60:49] [IL]

Derivative but delightful. A wonderful romantic wallow ... see Full Review

Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) String Quartets, Op. 51/1 & 67 Takács Quartet rec. 2008 HYPERION CDA67552 [65:04] [LW]

The Takács do full justice to this music ... see Full Review

Johannes BRAHMS (1770-1897) CD 1 Violin Sonata No.1 in G, op.78 (1806) [24:54]; Violin Sonata No.2 in A, op.100 (1806) [19:09]; Violin Sonata No.3 in D minor, op.108 (1806) [20:46] CD 2 Viola Sonata No.1 in F minor, op.120/1 (1806) [20:58]; Violin Sonata No.2 in Eb, op.120/2 (1806) [18:12] Oscar Schumsky (violin and viola); Leonid Hambro (piano) Recording details not given (c1991) DDD Reissued from the MusicMasters catalogue NIMBUS NI 2513/4 [64:47 + 39:07] [BBr]

None of the sparkle or bite one would expect ... see Full Review

Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Piano Sonata 2, Eight Piano Pieces, Three Intermezzi Libor Novacek (piano) rec. 2008 LANDOR LAN285 [75.48] [GH]

A disc worth investigating ... see Full Review

Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976) Folksong Arrangements see SCHUBERT

Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976) Cello Symphony see SHOSTAKOVICH

Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphonies 1-9 Berliner Philharmoniker/Herbert von Karajan rec. 1975-81 DEUTSCHE GRAMMPHON 477 7580 [9 CDs: 579:14] [JQ]

An appropriate and very worthy centennial tribute to Karajan ... see Full Review

Britta BYSTRÖM (b. 1977) Persuasion; The Baron in the Trees; Avskedsvariationer; En Studie in Rött; Sera; Aria Västerås Sinfonietta/Hannu Koivula rec. 2007 PHONO SUECIA PSCD174 [74:14][HC]

I wish I could receive discs such as this every week ... see Full Review

 


Click for alphabetical listings by composer:
[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]
[Recommended recordings]


 



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