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Jean
ABSIL (1893 – 1974) Flemish Rhapsody, op.4 see Flemish
Rhapsodies
Anton
ARENSKY (1861–1906) Violin
Concerto Sergey TANEYEV (1856–1915) Suite de Concert 
Ilya
Gringolts (violin) BBC Scottish SO/Ilan Volkov
rec. 2008 HYPERION CDA67642 [60:18] 
[MC]
Gringolts
plays with a marvellous tone ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Richard ARNELL
(b.1917) Violin Concerto see CREITH
Juan
Crisóstomo de ARRIAGA (1806-1826)
String Quartets Nos. 1-3
Prima Vista Quartet rec. 2006
DUX 0577 [76:37][JW]
Convincing
and highly effective, clearly affectionate ... see Full
Review
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
The Bach Cantata Pilgrimage - Volume 20: Cantatas
for Septuagesima & Sexagesima: BWV18, 84, 92, 126,
144 & 181 Monteverdi
Ch, English Baroque Soloists/Sir John Eliot Gardiner rec. 2000
SOLI DEO GLORIA SDG153 [53:18 + 42:07] 
[JQ]
Gardiner’s
cantata cycle continues its impressive progress ... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH
(1685-1750)
Brandenburg Concertos 1-6, Orchestral Suites 1-4
Busch Chamber Players/Adolf Busch rec. 1935/6
EMI CLASSICS GREAT RECORDINGS OF THE CENTURY 2126992 [3 CDs: 59:56
+ 66:40 + 62:09] 
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Brandenburg Concertos 1-6 Academy
of Ancient Music/Richard Egarr
rec. 2008 HARMONIA MUNDI 807461.62 
[44:04
+ 52:16] [JFL]
Historically
informed recordings from the noughties and the thirties ... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) English
Suites Nos. 2 & 3; Italian Concerto etc. Friedrich
GULDA (1930-2000) Prelude und Fuge
Friedrich Gulda (piano) rec. 1955-70
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 4778020 [71:48][JFL]
Does
not quite live up to its promise ... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) The
Well Tempered Clavier Book II Craig
Sheppard (piano) rec. 2008 ROMÉO
RECORDS 7269-70 [73:24 + 79:45] [JW]
A
sense of rightness and unselfconscious warmth ... see Full
Review
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Partita No. 2 in D minor
see Essentials
Edward
BAIRSTOW (1874-1946) Evening Song see Romantic
and Virtuoso Works for Organ,
Vol.3
Mily
Alexeyevich BALAKIREV (1837-1910) Piano
Concertos 1 & 2, Grande Fantaisie on Russian Folksongs Anastasia
Seifetdinova (piano) Russian PO/Dmitry Yablonsky
rec. 2006 NAXOS 8.570396 [69:27] 
[DM]
The
Grande Fantaisie alone makes this a good buy ... see Full
Review
Michael
William BALFE (1808-1870) Falstaff Marcel
Vanaud, Majella Cullagh, National Chamber Ch Ireland
RTÉ Concert O/Marco Zambelli
rec. 2008 RTÉ LYRIC FM CD119 [75:52
+ 67:27] [EM]
Quite
frankly, up there with Rossini ... see Full
Review
Vytautas BARKAUSKAS
(b. 1931) Sun
for symphony orchestra op. 69 (1983, 1995) [8:41] Concerto for viola
and chamber orchestra Op. 63 (1981) [24:09] Symphony No. 5 Op. 81 (1986)
[34:50] Konzertstück für Orchester No. 2 op. 103 (1994, 1996)
[8:15] Yuri Bashmet (viola)
Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra/Robertas Šervenikas; Juozas Domarkas
rec. 2001, 2007 DDD
AVIE AV 2163 [75:55]
[RB]
Tough
originality from Barkauskas ... see Full
Review
Béla
BARTÓK (1881–1945) First Rhapsody see Europa
Béla
BARTÓK (1881-1945)
Sonata for Solo Violin see Essentials
Arnold
BAX (1883-1953) Symphonic
Variations,
Concertante for Piano (Left Hand) Ashley
Wass (piano) Bournemouth SO/James Judd
rec. 2008 NAXOS 8.570774 [68:11] [RB]
A
fine disc including rarely recorded Bax ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Amy BEACH (1867-1944) Piano
Music Vol. 2: The Turn of the Century Includes Variations
on Balkan Themes, Children’s Album, Eskimos Kirsten
Johnson (piano)
rec. 2007/8 GUILD GMCD7329 [60:48] [DM]
Heart-warming,
grace and character. A hidden gem ... see Full
Review
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Symphony
No. 3; Leonore Overtures Nos. 1 & 3
Philharmonia Orchestra/Otto Klemperer
rec. 1954-5
NAXOS HISTORICAL 8.111303 [71:33][JW]
Power,
weighty architecture and care over delineation of wind choirs ... see
Full Review
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano
Concertos 3 & 4 Clara
Haskil (piano) Boston SO/Charles Munch, Studio-Orchester Beromunster/Erich
Schmid rec. 1956/9 TAHRA
TAH634 [69:49] [JW]
Adds
something important … worthy of note ... see Full
Review
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Late String Quartets
Wihan Quartet rec. 2007/8 DDD
NIMBUS ALLIANCE NI6100-2 [3 CDs: 74:45 + 46:49 + 70:32]
[PW]
Technically
highly assured performances which communicate Beethoven’s vision well
… see Full Review
Vincenzo
BELLINI (1801–1835) La
sonnambula Maria
Callas, Nicola Monti,
Ch & O La Scala, Milan/Antonino Votto
rec. 1957 NAXOS 8.111284-85 [77:40
+ 65:17] [GF]
Few
other recordings where Callas is so free from blemish ... see Full
Review
Vincenzo
BELLINI (1801–1835) La sonnambula
(highlights)
Natalie Dessay (soprano); Orchestre et Choeurs de l’Opéra de Lyon/Evelino
Pidň rec. 2006 VIRGIN
CLASSICS 2647362 [74:01][ST]
Lack
of support from Dessay’s co-stars lets it down ... see Full
Review
Hector
BERLIOZ (1803-1869) Roméo et
Juliette; Les Nuits d’Été
Philadelphia Orchestra/Riccardo Muti; Janet Baker (mezzo); New Philharmonia
Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli rec. 1969-86
EMI CLASSICS GEMINI 2176402 [59:40 + 67:41][BW]
Good
value, decent performances, but only Baker’s contribution is special
... see Full Review
Hector
BERLIOZ (1803-1869) Love Scene from Romeo and Juliet
see WAGNER
William
Thomas Best (1826-1897) Grande Mouvement
de Danse see English
Piano Works
Hildegard of BINGEN (1098–1179)
Lilium
Stephanie Haas (voice); Chrisoph Haas (tambura, frame drums, aeolian
harp, percussion) rec. 2001
ANIMATO ACD6061 [59.08][RH]
Hildegard’s
music in dialogue with contemporary percussion ... see Full
Review
August
de BOECK (1865 – 1937) Dahomeyan Rhapsody see Flemish
Rhapsodies
Johannes BRAHMS
(1833-1897)
Symphonies 1-4, Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Tragic Overture,
Academic Festival Overture, Nänie, Rhapsody for
Alto, Chorus and Orchestra, Ein deutsches Requiem, Helen Watts
(contralto) [CD3]; Agnes Giebel (soprano), Hermann Prey (baritone) [CD
4] ; Chœur de la Radio Suisse Romande; Chœur Pro Arte de Lausanne
L’Orchestre
de la Suisse Romande/Ernest Ansermet rec. 1963/65/66 ADD. Booklet with
notes but no texts.
Decca Eloquence 480 0448 [4 CDs: 77:32 + 74:26 + 75:44 + 72:28]
[BW]
No
revelations, but no real problems either ... see Full
Review
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Complete Organ Works
Anne Horsch (organ)
rec. 2005-7 CPO 777384-2
[68:22][ST]
Well
done to all involved ... see Full
Review
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Piano
Concerto 2 Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Piano
Concerto Artur
Rubinstein (piano) Torino della RAI SO/André Cluytens, A Scarlatti
di Napoli della RAI O/Franco Caracciolo
rec. 1962/4 ARTS ARCHIVES 43081-2 [69:39] [RB]
Lyrical
grandeur … playful too ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) String
Quartet 1, String Quintet 2 Belcea
Qt, Thomas Kakushka (viola) rec. 2003 EMI
CLASSICS ENCORE 2357122 [62:19] [CC]
Do
not hesitate ... see Full Review
Tomás
BRETÓN (1850-1923) Escenas andaluzas
etc. Orquesta
de la Comunidad de Madrid/Miguel Roa rec. 2004-5
NAXOS 8.572076 [64.14][GH]
An
enjoyable disc well worth the modest financial outlay ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Frank
BRIDGE (1879-1941) Phantasm
see IRELAND
Benjamin
BRITTEN (1913-1976) Double
Concerto for violin and viola, Variations on a theme of Frank
Bridge, Les Illuminations Pieter
Schoeman (violin); Alexander Zemtsov (viola); Sally Matthews
(soprano) London PO/Vladimir Jurowski
rec. 2006/8 LPO LIVE LPO0037 [65:48] [SR]
The
Double Concerto is revealed as a masterpiece ... see Full
Review
Carlo
BROSCHI
or FARINELLI (1705-1782)
Il Quaderno
dell’Imperatrice – arie per soprano di Farinelli dedicate a Maria
Theresa d’Austria (1753) [50:31]
Angelo Manzotti (sopranist/male soprano) Ensemble Isabella Leonardo/Maurizio
Schiavo rec. Chiesa di S.Albino, August 2007
CONCERTO CD 2007 [50:31]
[JW]
Best
to pass by this one. ... see Full Review
Anton
BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony
7 Sinfonia Varsovia/Jerzy
Semkow
rec. 2005 DUX 0668 [65:26] [TB]
A
natural Brucknerian … long-term vision … well worth hearing ...
see Full Review
Fritz
BRUN (1878-1959) Symphony No.8
etc. Studio
Orchester Beromünster/Fritz Brun rec. 1946
GUILD GHCD2351 [79:13][JW]
A
heavyweight contribution to the symphonic literature ... see Full
Review
Michel
BRUSSELMANNS (1886 – 1960) Flemish Rhapsody (1931) see
Flemish Rhapsodies
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH
Arthur
BUTTERWORTH (b. 1923) Symphonies
1 & 4, Viola
Concerto, Talk by composerArthur Butterworth
Royal Scottish Ntl O/Arthur Butterworth, Hallé O/Sir
John Barbirolli rec. 1958/2008 DUTTON
EPOCH CDLX 7212 [70:40 + 73:07]
[RB][PC]
Butterworth’s
music casts a potent spell that looks to the North. ... see Full
Review
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1 New] [Part
2 A-B] [Part 3 C-L]
[Part 4 M-R] [Part
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