Sir Thomas Allen Great Operatic
Arias Vol. 2
Works by Mozart, Verdi & Weill 
Sir Thomas Allen (baritone) Philharmonia O/David Parry rec. 2007
CHANDOS OPERA IN ENGLISH CHAN3155 [76.23] 
[RJF]
This
collection does full justice to the finest lyric baritone Britain
has produced since the Second World War ... see Full
Review
Victoria
de los Angeles - Spanish Songs
Victoria de los Angeles (soprano) Gerald Moore
(piano) Renata Tarragó (guitar) rec
1949, 1950, 1951, 1953 ADD
NIMBUS PRIMA VOCE NI 7947 [79.22]
[M M-B]
A
good and enjoyable historical document of
the more popular side of one of the greatest
sopranos of the post-war period ... see Full
Review
Baroque Europe Amarillis
rec. 1998-2003 AMBROISIE
AM143 [4
CDs] 
[JV]
Interesting
repertoire, but inconsistent performances and debatable scoring
make it impossible to recommend this set ... see Full
Review
The
Battle of Killiecrankie Music
by James
OSWALD (1711-1769),
Alexander MUNRO (fl.1732)
and Hamish
MOORE
La Nef/Sylvain Bergeron rec. 2007
ATMA CLASSIQUE ACD22510 [62.47][GH] 
Very
enjoyable ... well worth investigating and as I am off to Scotland I
shall take it with me ... see Full
Review
The
Essential Julian Bream
rec. 1959-90 BMG-RCA
RED SEAL 88697 214422 [67:29 + 77:01]
[JW]
All
pretty much self-selecting classics from the Bream canon ... see Full
Review
The
British Double Bass Includes Gordon
JACOB (1895-1984) A Little Concerto for Double Bass
and Orchestra Elizabeth
MACONCHY (1907-1994) Music for Double Bass and Piano Thomas
PITFIELD (1903-1999) Sonatina Lennox BERKELEY (1903-1989) Introduction
and Allegro David ELLIS (b. 1933) Sonata
for Unaccompanied Double Bass Alan BUSH (1900-1995) Meditation
and Scherzo John McCABE (b. 1939) Pueblo
for Solo Double Bass Elisabeth LUTYENS (1906-1983) The
Tides of Time Leon Bosch (double
bass)
Sung-Suk Kang (piano); I Musicanti MERIDIAN
CDE84550 [79:13] [JW]
Full
marks to all involved in this enterprise. Bosch should be encouraged
in his quest ... see Full Review
The
Essential Montserrat Caballé
Montserrat Caballé (soprano)
BMG-RCA RED SEAL 88697214402 [73.46 + 75.30][RJF]
Caballé’s superb singing skills across the
diverse repertoire she encompassed ... see Full
Review
Maria
Callas: Puccini Heroines & Lyric
Arias Philharmonia
O/Tullio Serafin
rec. 1954 NAXOS 8.111275 [69.13] [RH]
Don’t
be put off. If you can get beyond the infamous wobble there is
much else in here as well ... see Full
Review
The Essential José
Carreras
José Carreras (tenor) rec. 1983 – 1999
SONY CLASSICAL 88697214412 [76:19 + 65:03][GF]
Mainly for Carreras fans ... see Full
Review
Cinema
Classics 2007 – Classical Music Made Famous In
Films
Various orchestras and conductors
NAXOS 8.556834 [70:56][SA]
I
cannot think of a better, cheaper and more accessible way to introduce
some fabulous music to the masses ... see Full
Review
The
Concert Français Ensemble
Battistin rec. 2004-6
ABC CLASSICS 4766181 [66:43]
The Concert Spirituel Sara
Macliver (soprano); Ensemble Battistin rec. 2004-6
ABC CLASSICS 4766182 [56:51][JV]
Interesting
programmes with fine music which is hardly known ... see Full
Review
Concert
Gems for Violoncello
Ashley Sandor Sidon (cello) rec. 2007
MSR CLASSICS MS1247 [67:58][JW]
A
sensitive, accomplished player but a greater sense of involvement and
colour is needed ... see Full Review
Courbet:
les musiques
Various composers and artists
NAÏVE V5118 [77:00 + 70:18][GPu]
A
disappointingly pointless miscellany of bits and pieces which neither
throws light on the great French painter nor, conversely, suggests that
the music of his time is much illuminated by implied analogies with
his work … see Full Review
Don Quixote in Spanish Music
Joaquin RODRIGO
(1901-1999) Ausencias de
Dulcinea Jose Garcia ROMAN (b.1945) La resurreccion
de Don Quijote Francesco
Asenjo BARBIERI (1823-1894) Don Quijote
Jorge Fernandez GUERRA (b.1952) Tres
momentos de Don Quichotte Gerardo
GOMBAU (1906-1971) Don
Quijote velando las armas
Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid/Jose
Ramon Encinar rec. 2005
NAXOS 8.570260 [66:12][IB]
A
very enthusiastic welcome and a fascinating
companion disc to DG’s “Quijotes”. Go and
buy ... see Full
Review
Duos for Violin
and Cello Zoltan
KODALY (1882-1967)
Duo
for violin and cello Op.7 (1914) [26:29] Justus
Johann Friedrich DOTZAUER (1783-1860)
Duo for violin and cello Op.124 (1830s)
[12:05] Reinhold
GLIERE (1875-1956) Huit morceaux
Op.39 (1909): No.1 Prelude [2:28]; No.3 Berceuse
[2:32]; No.4 Canzonetta [1:36]; No.7 Scherzo
[2:52] Niccolò
PAGANINI (1782-1840) Duetto No.1
for violin and cello (c.1801-04) [8:35] Adrien
Francois SERVAIS (1807-1866) and Joseph
GHYS (1801-1848) Variations brillantes
sur 'God save the King' Op.38 (c.1835) [10:51]
Rudens Turku (violin) Wen-Sinn Yang (cello)
rec. St Dunstan’s Church, Mayfield, Sussex,
June 2007
AVIE AV 2124 [68:09]
[JW]
Kodaly,
the strongest meat and around it satellites
of virtuosity and sentiment ... see Full
Review
Fantasy
Bohuslav MARTINŮ
(1890–1959) Sonatina for two violins and piano Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906–1975) (arr. Lev Atovmyan) Three Violin
Duets Darius MILHAUD (1892–1974)
Sonata for two violins and piano Isang
YUN (1917–1995) Sonatina for two violins, Pezzo Fantastioso
Angela & Jennifer
Chun (violins), Nelson Padgett (piano) rec. 1998
HARMONIA MUNDI HMU907444 [59:45]
[BBr]
A
real mixed bag recital but it works despite the disparity of musical
language and styles ... see Full
Review
Flute - Greatest
Works
Various composers and artists rec. 1975-1995
BERLIN CLASSICS 0012872BC [72:00 + 70:48][CR]
An
interesting introduction to the flute’s repertoire ... see Full
Review
Flute Music
Emmanuel Pahud,
Juliette Hurel (flute) Eric Lesage, Hélène Couvert (piano) rec. 1993-2001
NAÏVE V5128 [4 CDs:
245:00]
[CR]
Unusual
repertoire showing many aspects of the flute
… excellent and highly enjoyable playing ...
see Full Review
From Jewish
Life –
Music for Cello and Orchestra Ernest
BLOCH (1880-1959) Schelomo
– Hebraic Rhapsody (1916) [21:45] Prayer –
from the suite From Jewish Life (1924)
arr. cello & strings; orch. Jonathan Aasgaard
[4:56] David DIAMOND
(1915-2005) Kaddish for cello and orchestra
[11:13] Gerard SCHWARZ
(b.1947) In Memoriam for cello and string
orchestra (2005) [8:33] Max
BRUCH (1838-1920) Kol Nidrei –
Adagio on Hebrew Melodies Op.47 for cello
and orchestra (1880) [11:18]
Jonathan Aasgaard (cello) Royal Liverpool
Philharmonic Orchestra/Gerard Schwarz rec.
Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, 31 October 2005
AVIE AV2149 [58:10]
[JW]
Gravitas
and eloquence in performances of stature ...
see Full
Review
Great
Movie Themes Royal
Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Carl Davis
NAXOS 8.570505 [70:22][SA]
Many
delights ... see Full Review
Guitar Music of Chile
- José Antonio Escobar Music by Javier
CONTRERAS (b. 1983), Horacio SALINAS (b. 1951), Antonio RESTUCCI
(b. 1956), Juan Antonio SÁNCHEZ (b.
1965), Javier CONTRERAS,
Violeta PARRA (1917 – 1967) and
Juan Antonio SÁNCHEZ
José Antonio Escobar (guitar) rec. 2006
NAXOS 8.570341 [70:43][GF]
Guitar
aficionados need to hear Escobar’s absolutely stunning playing of un-hackneyed
music ... see Full Review
Hear
My Words Includes
works by Parry, Mozart, Stanford & Mendelssohn Eton
College Chapel Choir/Ralph Allwood
rec. 2006/7 SIGNUM CLASSICS
SIGCD115 [79:00] [JQ]
This
is a fine and very enjoyable disc ... see Full
Review
Hear,
O Heav’ns:
Chapel Royal Anthems by
John Blow (1649-1708) Henry
Purcell (1659-95)
Matthew Locke (1622-77)and Pelham
Humfrey (?1647-74)
Stephen Farr (organ) Christ Church Cathedral Ch, Oxford/Stephen Darlington
rec. 1995 NIMBUS NI5454
[74:27]
[BW]
A
good cross-section of Restoration anthems in decent performances,
well recorded ... see Full Review
RECORDING OF THE MONTH Heavenly
harmonies Music by Thomas TALLIS (c.1505-1585) and William BYRD (1539/40-1623)
Stile Antico rec. 2007
HARMONIA MUNDI USA HMU807463 
[78:51][MG]
You
won’t find a better demonstration of just how beautiful and powerful
these pieces are … see Full
Review
He
is Risen!
William Neil (John Jay Hopkins Memorial Organ)
MSR CLASSICS MS1165 [60:26][GMH]
Competently
and often robustly performed drawing on a wide range of tonal colours
... see Full Review
Barbara
Hendricks - Mélodies
Barbara Hendricks (soprano) rec. 1989-95
EMI CLASSICS 5046602 [61:30 + 66:30][GF]
A
lot to admire here but beware the limitations
in Hendricks’s armoury of colours ... see
Full
Review
Kaddish Kurt
WEILL (1900-1950)
Berliner Requiem (1928) [21:39];
Arnold SCHOENBERG
(1874-1951) A Survivor from
Warsaw for narrator, male choir and orchestra,
Op. 46 (1947) [7:41]; Leonard
BERNSTEIN (1918-1990) Symphony
No. 3 Kaddish (1963, rev. 1977) [42:39]
Soloists, Berlin Luzerner Sinfonieorchester
(LSO)/John Axelrod rec. 2006
NIMBUS NI 5807 [75:15] [JWi] 
Powerful
and moving ... see Full Review
Herbert
von Karajan: The Legendary Decca Recordings
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Herbert
von Karajan rec. 1959-65
DECCA 4780155 [9 CDs: 76:20 + 74:03 + 74:12 + 72: 20 + 69:18
+ 60:15 + 74:03 + 74:48 + 74:40][EMc]
A
snapshot of the younger Karajan at the height of his powers ... see
Full Review
Das
Lochamer Liederbuch: German
Popular Songs from the 15th Century
Martin Hummel (baritone); Ensemble Dulce Melos rec. 2005
NAXOS 8.557803 [71:20]
[GPu]
An
attractive sound-world is created in these inventive realisations
of some fascinating music from fifteenth-century Nuremberg … see Full
Review
Lost
Music of Early America -
Music of the Moravians
Cyndia Sieden, Sharon Baker (soprano), Martin Pearlman (fortepiano)
Boston Baroque/Martin Pearlman rec. 1997
TELARC CD80482 [65:26 + 21:54]
[JV]
A
fascinating sound document of a religious
tradition which is hardly known ... see Full
Review
Lyrita Classics Michael
BALFE (1808-1870) The Bohemian Girl:
Galop Sir Edward ELGAR (1857-1934)
Variations on an Original Theme ‘Enigma’ Op. 36: X. Dorabella,
Pomp and Circumstance March No. 5 in C Op. 39 Frederick
DELIUS (1862-1934) A Village Romeo and Juliet: The
Walk to the Paradise Garden Percy GRAINGER
(1882-1961) Shepherd’s Hey; The Immovable Do Sir
Hamilton HARTY (1879-1941) An
Irish Symphony: The Fair-Day Peter
WARLOCK (1894-1930) Capriol, Suite for full orchestra
Lord BERNERS (1883-1950) The
Triumph of Neptune: Hornpipe Gustav
HOLST (1874-1934) St. Paul’s Suite for strings Ralph
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958) Fantasia on a theme by Thomas
Tallis rec. 1968-78
LYRITA SRCD336 [72.15]
[JQ]
The
four main works on this disc make it a most
rewarding purchase. ... see Full
Review
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