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Camille
SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921) Havanaise, Introduction
et Rondo Capriccioso see Campoli
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Alessandro
SCARLATTI (1660-1725) Davidis
pugna et victoria (The Fight of David and his Victory) 
Roberta
Invernizzi (soprano) Academia Montis Regalis/Alessandro De Marchi
rec. 2009 HYPERION
CDA67714 [64:50] 
[BW]
As
dramatic as any early opera and a performance to do it full justice
... see Full Review
Philipp
Ludwig SCHARWENKA (1847-1917) Wald-
und Berggeister, Dramatische Phantasie, Zwei Polnische
Volkstänze Altenburg-Gera
PO/Eric Solén
rec. 2008 STERLING
CDS1079-2 [56:59] [RB]
Fine
and quiet as well as restless and bustlingly sanguine ... see Full
Review
Albert
SCHNELZER (b. 1972) Predatory
Dances Tobias
Ringborg (violin) Claes Gunnarsson (cello) Per Lundberg (piano)
Staffan
Mårtensson (clarinet) Susanna Andersson (soprano) Francisca Skoogh (piano)
rec. 2007 DAPHNE
1031 [66:33] [GD]
Remarkable
clarity and mastery of rhythm ... see Full
Review
Arnold
SCHOENBERG (1874-1951)
10 Waltzes for string orchestra see
BEETHOVEN
Franz
SCHUBERT
(1797 - 1828)
Symphonies 5 & 9 Polish Sinfonia Juventus Orchestra/Jerzy
Semkow rec. 17-20 December 2008, Pomeranian Philharmonic Concert Hall,
Bydgoszcz. DDD
CD ACCORD ACD 146-2 [74:48]
[BBr]
There’s
no heart to these performances…see Full
Review
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Piano
sonatas 20 & 21 David
Levine (piano) rec. 1992 VIRGIN
CLASSICS 6995382 [79:03] 
[BW]
Even
in this lower price-range the competition is too strong ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Winterreise Mark
Padmore (tenor); Paul Lewis (piano)
rec. 2008 HARMONIA
MUNDI
HMU907484 [74:18] [JQ]
This
deserves to be ranked alongside the very best ... see Full
Review
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Schwanengesang Ian
Bostridge (tenor), Antonio Pappano (piano)
rec. 2008 EMI
CLASSICS
2426392 [60:51] 
[CR]
Unsentimental
but nevertheless expressive ... see Full
Review
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Winterreise, Piano
Sonata (D840) Peter
Schreier (tenor) Sviatoslav Richter (piano) rec. 1979/85 DECCA
THE ORIGINALS 478 1714 [56:52 + 65:51] 
[JQ]
Contains
insights and thought-provoking details at every turn ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH William SCHUMAN (1910-1992) Symphony
6, Prayer in a Time of War, New England Triptych Seattle
Symphony/Gerard Schwarz rec. 1990-2008 NAXOS
AMERICAN CLASSICS 8.559625 [60:51] 
[RB]
A
Schuman symphonic cycle becomes more than a pipe-dream. Stunning
and totally committed playing ... see Full
Review
Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Dichterliebe see BRAHMS
Bright
SHENG (b.1955) Red
Silk Dance, Tibetan Swing, The Phoenix, H’un Bright
Sheng (piano), Shana Blake Hill (soprano) Seattle Symphony/Gerard
Schwarz rec. 2004-7 NAXOS
8.559610 [70:46] [GP]
Slightly
hit-and-miss, but often exciting and colourful … see Full
Review
Jean
SIBELIUS
(1865-1957) The
Sibelius Edition - Volume 9 - Chamber Music II Pieces for string
duos and trios, cello and piano, piano quintet, kantele, brass ensemble
Jyrki
Lasonpalo (violin); Laura Vikman (violin); Jaakko Kuusisto (violin);
Nobuko Imai (viola); Anna Kreetta Gribajcevic (viola); Torleif Thedéen
(cello); Taneli Turunen (cello); Joel Laakso (cello); Eero Munter (double-bass);
Suvi Lehtonen-Gräsbeck (kantele); Lasse Pöysti (narrator);
Monica Groop (mezzo); Roland Pöntinen (piano); Folke Gräsbeck
(piano) rec. 1996-2009
BIS-CD-1924-26 [5 CDs: 420:03]
[RB]
Discoveries
abound … liberated delight amid the scholarship ... see Full
Review
Louis
SPOHR (1784-1859) Double
String Quartets 1 & 2 Forde
Ensemble rec. 2008 NAXOS
8.570963 [51:22] [BW]
Attractive
but try Spohr’s Octet and Nonet first ... see Full
Review
Charles
Villiers STANFORD
(1852-1924) Piano
Music - Land of Sunset Glories
Christopher Howell (piano) rec. 28-29 July 2008, Studio L’Eremo,
Lessona, Italy. DDD
SHEVA 019 [63:36]
[JW]
Desirable
... see Full Review
Wilhelm
STENHAMMAR (1871-1927) Piano
Concertos 1 & 2 Seta
Tanyel (piano) Helsingborg SO/Andrew Manze rec. 2008 The Romantic
Piano Concerto Vol. 49 HYPERION
CDA67750 [75:16] [RB]
Two
leonine concertos of the Scandinavian romantic persuasion ... see Full
Review
William
Grant STILL (1895 - 1978) Symphonies
4 & 5, Poem for Orchestra Fort
Smith Symphony/John Jeter rec. 2009 NAXOS
AMERICAN CLASSICS 8.559603 [56:24] [RB]
Revel
in these fine and likeably accessible works ... see Full
Review
Richard
STRAUSS (1864-1949) Le
Bourgeois Gentilhomme Suite, Salome - Dance of the Seven
Veils, Don Juan, Der Rosenkavalier Suite London
SO, Tivoli O/Richard Strauss
rec. 1921-26 PRISTINE
AUDIO
PASC175 [72:38] [JW]
Inevitable
sound issues but a valuable document nonetheless ... see Full
Review
Richard
STRAUSS (1864-1949) Suites: Der
Rosenkavalier, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Josephs-Legende Buffalo
PO/JoAnn Falletta rec. 2008 NAXOS
8.572041 [68:34] [RMay]
Falletta
need fear no comparison with her illustrious predecessors ... see Full
Review
Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949) Don Quixote see BLOCH
Karol
SZYMANOWSKI (1882-1937) The
Complete Music for Violin and Piano Alina
Ibragimova
(violin); Cédric Tiberghien (piano) rec. 2008 HYPERION
CDA67703 [76:15] [RB]
A
natural and inspired choice ... see Full
Review
Thomas TALLIS (1505-1585)
The
Best Of Tallis: O sacrum convivium [4:49]; Audivi vocem [3:51];
Lamentations (Set I) [8:25]; Discomfort them, O Lord [6:36]; Loquebantur
variis linguis [3:49]; Lamentations (Set II) [12:29]; Videte miraculum
[13:21]; Mass For Four Voices - Sanctus [2:48]; I call and cry to thee,
O Lord [4:13]; Salvator mundi [3:58]; Spem in alium [12:16]
Oxford Camerata/Jeremy Summerly rec. no information provided. DDD
NAXOS 8.556842 [77:40]
[CR]
Impressive
throughout … an excellent way to explore his output … see
Full Review
Pyotr
Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Francesca
da Rimini (transc. Karl Klindworth) Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Sonata op. 2 No. 2 Sergei
RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Etudes-Tableaux Dennis
Plutalov (piano) rec. 2004-7 SHEVA
COLLECTION 017 [59:37][JW]
Strong
and sinewy power ... see Full
Review
Pyotr
Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Symphony
5,
Serenade, Capriccio Italien Berlin
State Opera O/Leo Blech
rec. 1928-30 PRISTINE
AUDIO PASC 181 [57:25] [RMAY]
A
fascinating disc on several levels ... see Full
Review
Pyotr Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY
(1840-1893) Symphony No 1 in G minor,
Op 13, “Winter Daydreams” [41:35] Symphony No 6 in B minor, Op 74, “Pathétique”
[46:44]
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Vladimir Jurowski rec. 2008,
LPO 0039 [41:35 + 46:44]
[BR]
A
revelatory First, and a fine Sixth too … see Full
Review
Peter
Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Symphony
3,
1812 Overture, Hamlet London
PO/Adrian Boult
rec. 1952 RETROSPECTIVE
93185 [78:36] [JW]
An
authoritative trio of performances ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Georg
Philipp TELEMANN
(1681 - 1767) Christmas
Cantatas Christoph BERNHARD (1629-1692)
Fürchtet euch nicht*
Mária Zádori (soprano), Judit Németh (mezzo),
Gábor
Kállay (tenor), Klaus Mertens (baritone); Capella Savaria/Pál
Németh rec. 1983-91
HUNGAROTON HCD 32611 [66:45]
[JV]
First-rate
music in excellent performances - a perfect disc ... see Full
Review
Daniel
TOSI (b.1953) Horizons
Chimériques Dominique
Regef (vielle) La Camerata de France/Daniel Tosi rec. live, 2008 SOLSTICE
SOCD255 [65:09] [DC]
Fascinating,
but not without flaws ... see Full Review
Joaquin
TURINA
(1882 - 1949) La
oración del torero Edouard
LALO (1823 - 1892) String Quartet Maurice
RAVEL (1875
- 1937) String Quartet
Sacconi Quartet (Ben Hancox, Hannah Dawson (violins); Robin Ashwell
(viola); Cara Berridge (cello)) rec. 21-22 August 2007 (Lalo) and
3-4
December 2008, The Music Room, Champs Hill, Sussex, DDD
SACCONI RECORDS [64:30]
[BBr]
Don’t
wait for Christmas, you need this now…see Full
Review
Giuseppe VERDI
(1813-1901) Requiem
(1874) [84:19]
Anja Harteros (soprano); Sonia Ganassi (mezzo); Rolando Villazon (tenor);
René Pape (bass) Coro e Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale
di Santa Cecilia/Antonio Pappano rec. in concert, 8-13 January 2009,
Sala Santa Cecilia, Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome
EMI CLASSICS 698936 2 [47:29 + 37:50]
[ST][JB]
Turn
to this version with confidence ... see Full
Review
Ralph
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958) Four
Hymns, Merciless Beauty, Four Poems, Ten Blake Songs, On Wenlock
Edge Peter WARLOCK (1894-1930) Capriol
Suite, Serenade,
The Curlew & other songs Ian
Partridge
(tenor)
Dame Janet Baker (mezzo) Music Group of London, King’s College Cambridge
Ch/Sir David Willcocks
rec. 1960-80 EMI
CLASSICS
BRITISH COMPOSERS 9689392 [69:46 + 69:49] [RB]
A
RVW disc without blemish and a mixed yet provocative Warlock ...
see Full Review
Georg
Joseph VOGLER (1749-1814) Symphonies,
Ballet Suites 1 & 2, Overtures London
Mozart Players/Matthias Bamert
rec. 2008 CHANDOS
CHAN10504 [67:19] [SV]
It's
good to hear this music, and to hear it so well played … see Full
Review
Richard
WAGNER (1813-1883) Tannhäuser -
Overture and Venusberg Music Frederick DELIUS (1862-1934) The
Walk to the Paradise Garden Edward ELGAR (1857-1934) Variations
on an Original Theme Melbourne
SO/Charles Mackerras rec. live, 2007 ABC
CLASSICS
476 3224 [65:28] [JW]
Enjoyable
but not top-notch ... see Full Review
Peter
WARLOCK (1894-1930) Collected
78rpm recordings - from the John Bishop collection rec. 1934-51 DIVINE
ART
DDH27811 [65.52
+ 78.15] 
[RB]
Rare
historic Warlock including some fine recordings ... see Full
Review
Peter
WARLOCK (1894-1930) Capriol
Suite, Serenade,
The Curlew & other songs see VAUGHAN
WILLIAMS
Mieczyslaw
WEINBERG (1919-1996) String Quartets
- Vol. 2 Quatuor
Danel rec. 2006 CPO
777392-2 [64:05] [JW]
Weinberg
managed with assurance and complete appreciation ... see Full
Review
John
R. WILLIAMSON
(b.1929)
Music for Piano - volumes 1, 2, 3
Murray McLachlan (piano)
DIVINE ARTS DIVERSIONS DDV24143-45
[DHJ]
Powerful
music in committed performances … see Full
Review
Peter
von WINTER (1754-1825) Flute Concertos 1 & 2 see German
Flute Concertos
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1 New] [Part
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