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Making of A Medium Vol. 18: Music
from Down Under
Peter SCULTHORPE (b.1929)
Baltimore Songlines Barry CONYNGHAM (b.1944)
Playground Douglas KNEHANS (b.1957)
rive Richard MILLS (b.1949) Four Miniatures
Christopher MARSHALL (b.1956) Three
Aspects of Spring Verdehr
Trio rec. 2008 CRYSTAL
RECORDS CD948 [67:22]
[JW]
Admirers
of Australiana should not fear to explore ... see Full
Review
David Martinez (guitar)
Domenico SCARLATTI (1685-1757) Sonatas
Giulio REGONDI (1822-1872) Introduction
et Caprice J. S. BACH (1685-1750)
Prelude, Fugue and Allegro Dionisio AGUADO
(1784-1849) Andante and Rondo 3 Regino
SAINZ de la MAZA Danzas Cervantinas Paco
de LUCIA (b. 1947)
Tarantas Francisco TARREGA (1852-1909)
Recuerdos de la Alhambra & Lagrima
rec. 2005 NAXOS 8.557808
[68:19]
[ZT]
A
relatively unrecognized and undiscovered treasure ... see Full
Review
Medíterranea
- Music by Guiraut RIQUIER,
Ghirardello da FIRENZE,
ANONYMOUS
and
Beatriz de DIA
Alla Francesca En Trio rec. 2007
ZIG-ZAG TERRITOIRES ZZT090402 [63:14][GPu]
Full
of beautiful things beautifully performed ...
see Full Review
Metamorphose(n)
Franz LISZT
(1811-1886) Réminiscences de Norma Leopold
GODOWSKY (1870-1938) The Gardens of Buitenzorg Ignaz
FRIEDMAN (1882-1948) Voices of Spring Ferrucio
BUSONI (1866-1924) Chamber Fantasy on Carmen Moritz
MOSZKOWSKI (1854-1925) Paraphrase of the Venusberg Bacchanale
from Tannhäuser Joseph
Moog (piano) rec. 2008
CLAVES 50-2905 [57:42]
[JW]
Audacious
and well recorded ... see Full Review
Mewton-Wood plays Twentieth Century Piano Concertos Arthur
BLISS (1891-1975) Piano Concerto (1938-39) [37.36] Igor
STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) Concerto for piano and wind instruments
(1924) [20.06] Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
Concerto for piano, trumpet and strings Op. 35 (1933) [21.08]
Noel Mewton-Wood (piano) Harry Sevenstern (trumpet) (Shostakovich);
Utrecht Symphony Orchestra (Bliss); Residentie Orchestra, The Hague
(Stravinsky); Concert Hall Symphony Orchestra Walter Goehr (conductor)
rec. 1952 (Bliss, Stravinsky); 1953 (Shostakovich). mono. ADD
BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY HISTORIC BMS101CDH [79.00] [BBr]
This
is a must-have…see Full Review
Mortuus
est Philippus Rex: Music for
the life and death of the Spanish King Westminster
Cathedral Ch/James O’Donnell
rec. 1998 HYPERION
HELIOS CDH55248 [65:54] [BW]
A
relaxing and spiritual experience ... see Full
Review
The Musicians'
Table - The Perfection
of Music - Masterpieces of the French Baroque V Music by
Pierre-Danican PHILIDOR (1681-1731),
Joseph Bodin DE BOISMORTIER (1689-1755),
Louis-Gabriel GUILLEMAIN (1705-1770)
and Jean-Féry REBEL (1666-1747)
Ensemble Battistin rec. 2005-6
ABC CLASSICS 4766996 [49:49][JV]
Lively
and engaging performances ... see Full
Review
Music
of Tribute: Volume 5 - J S Bach J.S.
BACH (1685
-1750) Preludes and fugues Henri DUTILLEUX
(b.1916) Hommage à Bach (Au gré des
ondes) Arthur HONEGGER (1892 - 1955)
Prelude, Arioso and Fughetta sur le nom de Bach Leopold
GODOWSKY (1870 - 1938)
Prelude and Fugue (B.A.C.H.) for the left hand alone Francis
POULENC (1899 - 1963) Valse - Improvisation sur le nom de
Bach Heitor VILLA-LOBOS
(1887 - 1959) Bachianas Brasileiras No.4 Béla
BARTÓK (1881
- 1945) Hommage à J.S.B. (Mikrokosmos Vol III) György
KURTÁG (b. 1926) Hommage à J.S.B. (Jàtékok
(Games) Vol 3) Terry RILEY (b. 1935)
G Song Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906 - 1975)
Prelude and Fugue No.24 in D minor, op.87
Beatrice Berthold (piano) rec. 2005, DDD
LABOR RECORDS LAB 7079 [76:44]
[BBr]
Berthold
really cares for this music…see Full
Review
My
Favorite Things - Virtuoso
encores and transcriptions for solo piano
Stephen Hough (piano)
rec. 1987, Theresa L. Kaufman Concert Hall, 92nd Street, New York City,
USA. DDD NIMBUS NI
2540 [63:07]
[JW]
Convinces
in the broad sweep but in the detail he can come up short ... see Full
Review
Joseph Nolan: The
Organ of Saint Sulpice Music by Léon
BOËLLMANN (1862-1897), Edward ELGAR (1857-1934),
George THALBEN-BALL (1896-1987)
and Franz LISZT (1811-1886)
Joseph Nolan (organ)
rec. 2007 SIGNUM CLASSICS
SIGCD167 [72:41][MC]
An
excellent organ recital on the remarkable organ of Saint Sulpice ...
see Full Review
Northern
Winds Louis APPLEBAUM (1918-2000)
High Spirits Michael COLGRASS
(b.1932) Dream Dancer Henry KUCHARZYK
(b.1953) Some Assembly Required Gary
KULESHA (b.1954) Ensembles Henry
FREEDMAN (1922-12005) Laurentian Moods Olivier
MESSIAEN (1908-1992) Oiseaux exotiques
Toronto Wind Orchestra/Tony Gomes rec. 2007
NAXOS 8.572248 [70:28]
[JW]
Good
things here - and not just for Canucks ... see Full
Review
Organ
Era Volume 14: Cavaillé-Coll à Paris Kalevi
Kiviniemi (organ)
rec. 2008 FUGA 9282 [77:00] [DM]
Awesome
sonics and virtuoso playing - a must for organ buffs ... see Full
Review
Pearl
Fishers Duet - World-Famous Operatic Duets by
BELLINI; BIZET; DONIZETTI; PUCCINI; VERDI
Various singers and orchestras Full listing at end of review
rec. 1955-1992. ADD/DDD; Booklet English; sung texts not enclosed
DECCA ELOQUENCE 480 2614 [79.48]
[MMB]
This compilation delighted me ... see Full
Review
Piano40
Brian CHAPPLE (b. 1945)
Burlesque Rory BOYLE (b. 1951) All
blether Richard NYE (b. 1967) 8
'Til Late Charles CAMILLERI (1931
- 2009) Divertimento 1 Andrew PEGGIE
Octo-Paganini John PAYNTER (b. 1931)
Ouverture d'Urgence Cecilia MacDOWALL
(b. 1951) Piano Forty
Piano40 rec. 2002 REGENT
REGCD194 [56:32]
[HC]
Hugely
entertaining - a nice selection of works played with zest
see Full
Review
Recital
at Ravinia Lorraine
Hunt Lieberson (mezzo) Peter Serkin (piano) rec. live, 2004 HARMONIA
MUNDI HMU907500 [76:39] [WH]
A
beautiful recital from a singer whose career was cut tragically
short ... see Full Review
Remembrance Arnold
SCHOENBERG (1874-1951) Kol
Nidre Leonard BERNSTEIN (1918-1990)
Halil Ernest BLOCH (1880-1959)
Baal Shem Eric ZEISL (1905-1959)
Requiem Ebraico
Stephen Bronk (speaker); Sharon Bezaly (flute); Vadim Gluzman (violin);
Gabriella Pace (soprano); Luisa Francesconi (mezzo); Rodrigo Esteves
(baritone) São Paulo SO & Ch/John Neschling rec. 2007
BIS BISCD1650 [63:04]
[NB]
Demonstration
quality … superb performances of rare but valuable repertoire
... see Full Review
The
Russian Double Bass Works
by Rubinstein, Rachmaninov, Koussevitsky, Glière, Glinka &
Shostakovich Leon Bosch
(double-bass) Sung-Suk Kang (piano) rec. 2009
MERIDIAN CDE84564 [64:18]
[JW]
Bosch
is in the grand line of bass virtuosi ... see Full
Review
Russian Romantic Piano Sergey
BORTKIEWICZ (1877-1952) Piano Sonata 2
Nikolay MEDTNER (1880-1951) Meditation,
Fairy Tale Anatol LIADOV (1855-1914)
Preludes Alexander SCRIABIN (1872-1915)
Fantasy Fritz KREISLER (1875-1962)
Liebesleid, Liebesfreud Sergey RACHMANINOFF
(1873-1943) Vocalise Sergey LIAPUNOV
(1859-1924) Lesghinka
Nadejda Vlaeva (piano) rec. 2007
MUSIC & ARTS CD-1224 [77:02]
[CH]
Highly
gifted
exquisite playing and a boldly sweeping Bortkiewicz
sonata ... see Full
Review
Max Rostal
(violin) Béla
BARTÓK (1881-1945) Violin Concerto No. 2 Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Violin Sonata No. 9 Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Scherzo from F.A.E. Sonata
Max Rostal (violin); London Symphony Orchestra/Malcolm Sargent; Franz
Osborn (piano) rec. 1949-51
RETROSPECTIVE 8400 [78:21][JW]
Intellect
and tonal roughness versus rich tone ... see Full
Review
The
Sacred Flame
The Cambridge Singers, La Nuova Musica/John
Rutter rec. 2009 COLLEGIUM
COLCD 134 [78:26]
[EM]
Radiant
performances ... see Full Review
Sacred Hearts, Secret Music ANONYMOUS
Cantabant sancti canticum novum [1:31] Giovanni
Pierluigi da PALESTRINA (1525-1594) Surge illuminare Ierusalem
(Motettorum liber tertius, 1575) [2:33] ANONYMOUS Beata
Agnes in medio flammarum [1:27] Amo Christum, in cuius thalamum
introivi [3:09] Agnes, beatæ Virginis [2:48] PALESTRINA
Missa Veni Sponsa Christi (Missarum liber nonus, 1599)
[21:58] ANONYMOUS Sequenza in onore Sant’Agnese
[1:29] Cipriano da RORE (1515-1565)
Magnificat sexti toni (1554) [8:21] ANONYMOUS Stans
beata Agnes in medio flammarum [1:03] PALESTRINAAlma
redemptoris mater [4:55] Lamentations for Holy Saturday (Book 3,
Lectiones I-III) (1560s?) [26:02] da RORE
Regina cæli lætare (1551) [3:46]
Musica Secreta; Celestial Sirens/Deborah Roberts and Laurie Stras rec.
St Mary de Haura, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, UK, 27-29 April 2009.
DDD. Texts and translations included.
DIVINE ART DDA25077 [79:31]
Very good but with reservations about the lack
of male voices ... see Full Review
Hermann Scherchen – Westminster
Archives: Volume 4 Franz LISZT (1811-1886)
Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2 Béla
BARTÓK (1881-1945) Piano Concertos Nos.2 & 3
Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
Piano Concerto No. 2
Edith Farnadi (piano); Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera/Hermann Scherchen
rec. Vienna 1952-3 TAHRA
WEST3007-08 [68:40 + 63:39][JW]
Restorations
worthily returned to the catalogue ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Song of the Stars
Voices of Ascension/Dennis Keene rec.
2007
NAXOS 8.570533 [62:44][GPu]
An
outstanding recording, rare repertoire of real quality, good sound and
excellent performances .... see Full
Review
Nikolai
Tokarev - French Album Music by Jean-Philippe RAMEAU
(1683-1764), Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918),
Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937)
and César FRANCK (1822-1890)
Nikolai Tokarev (piano) rec. 2008
SONY-BMG 88697075832 [56:43][PPLL]
Exceptional
playing … commendable depth of interpretation ... see Full
Review
Triocca:
Trios for Flute, Viola and Harp by Arnold
BAX (1883-1953), Claude DEBUSSY
(1862-1918), Eric SWEENEY (b. 1948),
Georg Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767), Philip
MARTIN (b. 1947) and Hamilton
HARTY (1879-1941)
Triocca rec. 2009 RTÉ
LYRIC FM CD122 [61:09][HC]
A
wonderfully played and agreeably varied programme … see Full
Review
Vento
Chiaro David MASLANKA
(b.1943) Quintet for Winds 3 Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685 - 1750) Italian Concerto Alexander
von ZEMLINSKY (1871 - 1942) Humoreske Francis
POULENC (1899-1963) Novelette Leonard
BERNSTEIN (1918-1990) Overture to Candide
Vento Chiaro rec. 2008
ONGAKU 024-120 [53:19]
[CR]
Precision
and musical excellence ... see Full
Review
Ye
Sacred Muses - Music
from the House of Tudor Flautando
Köln, Franz Vitzthum (counter-tenor); Andrea Cordula
Baur (lute); Katrin Krauss (flute)
rec. 2008 CARUS 83.433 [64:02] [GH]
A
beautifully performed overall view of the musical delights of
the Tudors ... see Full Review
Zodiac
Arnold BAX (1883-1953)
Elegiac Trio William MATTHIAS
(1934-1992) Zodiac Trio Richard Rodney BENNETT
(b.1936) Sonata after Syrinx Jan BACH
(b.1937) Eisteddfod
Aureole Trio rec. 2000
KOCH KIC-CD 7538 [64:25]
[JW]
A
very good niche purchase ... see Full
Review
BOOK
REVIEWS
Erik
Chisholm, Scottish Modernist 1904-1965 ‘Chasing a Restless
Muse’
by John Purser The
Boydell Press, hardback, 283 pages ISBN 978-1-84383-460-1
£50:00
Expensive
but an essential purchase ... see Full
Review
FLUTE:
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY,
[by] RICHARD ADENEY.
Brimstone Press, 2009; ix, 222pp.; ISBN 978-1-906385-20-0. £12.50
(paperback). [GHu]
A
highly recommendable book ... see Full Review
Musical Heroes
a personal view of music and the musical world over sixty years, by
Robert Ponsonby Giles
de la Mare Publishers Limited, 2009; xi, 196pp.; ISBN 978-1-900357-29-6.
£14.99 (paperback).
Affectionate
reminiscences vividly brought to life ... see Full
Review
ANNA SHUTTLEWORTH, edited by TOMAS
STERNER.
Trafford Publishing, 2009;xxiii, 564pp.; ISBN 978-1-4251-8911-2. £21.63
(paperback).
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]
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