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RECORDING
OF THE MONTH James
MacMILLAN
(b. 1959) The
Sacrifice 
Christopher
Purves (baritone) Lisa Milne (soprano) Welsh National Opera Ch & O/Anthony
Negus rec. 2007
CHANDOS CHAN 10572(2) [55:01 + 76:05] [JQ]
An
enthralling, sometimes draining and always compelling experience. ...
see Full Review
James
MacMILLAN (b.
1959) Seven
Last Words from the Cross, Christus Vincit, Nemo
te Condemnavit, ... here in hiding ... Dmitri
Ens/Graham Ross
rec. 2008 NAXOS
8.570719 [70:37] [JQ]
Superb
accounts of eloquent and moving contemporary religious music ...
see Full Review
Gustav
MAHLER (1860-1911) 4 Movements Totenfeier, Symphony
No. 10 Adagio, Blumine, ‘What the wild flowers tell me' (arr. Britten)
Frankfurt
RSO/Paavo Järvi rec. 2007/8
VIRGIN CLASSICS 2165762 [70:16]
[JQ]
Not
a disc to set the pulse racing ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911) Symphony
1 Mikhail GLINKA (1804-1857) Ruslan
and Ludmila Overture London
PO/Klaus Tennstedt
rec. 1990/1 BBC
LEGENDS
BBCL4266-2 [70:41] [DM]
A
deeply penetrating, once-in-a-lifetime performance, and it goes straight
to the top of my list of recommendations ... see Full
Review
Igor
MARKEVITCH (1912 – 1983)
Complete Orchestral Works - Volume 3 Cantique d’Amour,
L’envol d’Icare, Concerto Grosso Arnhem
PO/Christopher Lyndon–Gee rec. 1995/6. DDD NAXOS
8.572153 [54:51] [BBr]
This
disk is essential for allowing us to get to know a major composer
... see Full Review
Frank
MARTIN (1890-1974) Mass
for Double Choir Zoltan KODÁLY (1882-1967) Missa
Brevis Francis POULENC (1899-1963) Litanies à la
Vierge Noire Max
Hanft (organ) Bavarian Radio Chorus/Peter Dijkstra
rec. 2007/8 BR
KLASSIK
403571900500 [67:05] [WH]
Extremely
beautiful performances compromised by an over-expressive interpretative
viewpoint … see Full Review
Bohuslav
MARTINU
(1890-1959) Symphony No. 5, Symphony No. 6 Fantaisies
Symphoniques
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra/Jirí Belohlávek rec. 2007/2009
SUPRAPHON SU 4007-2 [58:29]
[DC]
Best
ever? Certainly close ... see Full Review
Bohuslav
MARTINU
(1890-1959) Marionettes Book I H137 (1924) [12:569] Marionettes
Book II H116 (1918) [13:56] Marionettes Book III H92 (1914) [10:00]
8 Preludes, H181 (1929) [18:49] Les ritournelles H227 (1932)
[12:20]
Paul Kaspar (piano) rec. 2009
TUDOR 7148 [68:34]
[JW]
For
those with a burnished, less extrovert appreciation of Martinu ... see
Full Review
Pietro
MASCAGNI (1863-1945) L'amico
Fritz Roberto
Alagna (tenor) Kobus; Angela Gheorghiu (soprano) Ch & O
Deutsche Oper Berlin/Alberto Veronesi rec. 2008 DEUTSCHE
GRAMMOPHON DG 477 8358 [61.13 + 29.19] [CF]
A
tuneful, pleasant work with some sublime moments ... see Full
Review
Joyaux
Romantiques André MATHIEU (1929
- 1968) Piano
Concertino 2 Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-
1975) Piano Concerto 1 Felix MENDELSSOHN (1809
- 1847) Violin and Piano Concerto André Lefèvre
(piano),
David Lefèvre (violin), Paul Archibald (trumpet), London Mozart Players/Matthias
Bamert
rec. 2009 ANALEKTA
AN29283 [77:16] [BBr]
Well
played but lacking charm, and/or excitement ... see Full
Review
Johann
MATTHESON (1681
- 1764) Der
liebreiche und geduldige David Nicky
Kennedy (soprano) Christian Hilz (bass) Kölner Akademie/Michael
Alexander Willens rec. 2007 CPO
777 360-2 [60:50] [JV]
Not
one of the most interesting vocal works of the early 18th century -
its qualities are not fully explored in this recording, though ... see
Full Review
Felix
MENDELSSOHN
(1809-1847)
Sonata for Violin and Piano in F major (1838) [23:16] Concerto for Violin,
Piano and Strings (1823) [36:09]
Rudens Turku (violin); Oliver Schnyder (piano) Capella Istropolitana/Ariel
Zuckermann rec. 2008,
AVIE AV2170 [59:33]
Felix MENDELSSOHN
(1809-1847) Piano Trio in C minor Op 66 [30:28]Piano
Trio in D minor [29:15]
The Benvenue Fortepiano Trio (Eric Zivian (fortepiano); Monica Huggett
(violin); Tanya Tomkins (cello)) rec. 2009,
AVIE AV2187 [59:43]
Brings
these two neglected works to very real life. … see Full
Review
Felix
MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) Mendelssohn
Edition 4 - Incidental Music, Sacred and Secular Choral Music Rundfunkchor
Leipzig, Leipzig Gewandhaus O/Kurt Masur Gulbenkian Ch & O/Michel
Corboz rec. 1979-1990 WARNER
CLASSICS 2564 692676 [5 CDs: 312:10] [CF]
A
set of unfamiliar works ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Felix MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY (1809-1847) Symphonies
3 & 5 Bergen
PO/Andrew Litton rec. 2007 BIS
BIS-SACD-1604 
[70:15] [DC]
‘Perfect’ symphonic
Mendelssohn.... see Full
Review
Felix
MENDELSSOHN (1809
- 1847) Violin and Piano Concerto see MATHIEU
Olivier
MESSIAEN (1908
- 1992) Poèmes
pour Mi, Les offrandes oubliées, Un sourire Anne
Schwanewilms (soprano) O Ntl de Lyon/Jun Märkl rec. 2008 NAXOS
8.572174 [52.48] [RH]
Ideally
placed to enable people to experiment and try the repertoire … see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Olivier MESSIAEN (1908-1992) Trois
Mélodies, Harawi Hetna
Regitze Bruun (soprano) Kristoffer Hyldig (piano) rec.
2009 NAXOS
8.572189 [65:19] [DC]
An
assault on the senses, but not to be missed … see Full
Review
Darius
MILHAUD (1892
- 1974) Alissa, L'amour
chante, Poèmes juifs Carole
Farley (soprano) John Constable (piano) rec. 1992 NAXOS
8.572298 [71.28] [RH]
This
disc is worth a try but you may long for a different type of performance
... see Full Review
Ludwig
MINKUS (1826-1917) Don Quixote, Paquita see DELIBES
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Wolfgang Amadeus
MOZART (1756-1791) Clarinet
Quintet,
String Quartet 15 Nicola
Boud (basset clarinet) EDDING Qt rec. 2009 ET'CETERA
KTC1401 [61:47] [OL]
Gives
me all the music in the best way I can imagine ... see Full
Review
Wolfgang
MOZART (1756-1791) Piano Concerto 12 see HAYDN
Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Symphony 36,
Overtures see STRAUSS
Modest
MUSSORGSKY (1839-1881) St John’s Night on the Bald
Mountain, rev. Rimsky-Korsakov and arr. Arnaud and Perez [9:55];
Pictures at an Exhibition, arr. Arnaud see RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
Andrzej
NIKODEMONICZ
(b.1925) Works
for violin and piano (1947-56)
Katarzyna Duda (violin) Agnieszka Schulz-Brzyska (piano) rec. December
2008, Witold Lutoslawski Concert Studio of Polish Radio in Warsaw
DUX 0705 [53:41]
[JW]
Works
of warm melodic grace ... see Full
Review
Joaquín
NIN
(1879 – 1949) The
Piano Music
Martin Jones (piano) rec. 2007 NIMBUS
NI 5851 [67:15]
[BBr]
Very
enjoyable … see Full Review
Guillaume-Gabriel
NIVERS (1632 - 1714)
Messe du 6e ton, Processional pour l'abbaye royale de Chelles
[10.28]; Fête de Sainte-Scholastique, Graduale Romano-Monasticum
see CORRETTE
Pehr
Henrik NORDGREN (1944-2008) Symphonies 7 & 8, Summer
Music Turku
PO/Juha Kangas rec. 2007/8 ALBA
ABCD 288 [60:55] [CR]
Contemporary
music speaking to a wide audience. An interesting and often thought-provoking
musical journey … see Full
Review
Pehr
Henrik NORDGREN
(1944 – 2008) Lamentations Symphony for Strings,
Concerto for Strings, The Whole World Will Lament, Oboe Concerto
Anni Haapaniemi (oboe); Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra/Juha Kangas
rec.2008/9
ALBA ABCD
294 [67:32]
[HC]
This
very fine release perfectly illustrates Nordgren’s long association
with the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra and its conductor … see Full
Review
Hans
OTTE
(1926-2007) Stundenbuch (Book of Hours)
– forty-eight pieces for piano for two hands, in four volumes (1991-98)
[57:06]
Roger Woodward (piano) rec. 2006
CELESTIAL HARMONIES 13259 [57:06]
[DC]
For
an expression of poetry in music, this is hard to beat. … see
Full Review
Juan
Gutiérrez de PADILLA (c. 1590-1664) Lamentations for
Maundy Thursday see
VICTORIA
Niccolò
PAGANINI (1782
– 1840) The Paganini Caprices arranged for String Quartet (arr.
William ZINN) 24 Caprices [75:56]
Wihan Quartet rec.2009
NIMBUS ALLIANCE NI 6113 [75:56]
[NB]
It
all makes for a rather unrelenting musical experience. ... see Full
Review
Gabriel
PIERNÉ (1863-1937) Variations libres et finale see French
Flute Chamber Music
Francis
POULENC (1899-1963) Litanies à la
Vierge Noire see MARTIN
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Serge
PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Violin
Concerto 1 see SIBELIUS
Giacomo
PUCCINI
(1858-1924) Turandot
(1924) [120:00] Maria Guleghina (soprano) - Turandot Marco Berti
(tenor) - Calaf
Orchestra Comunitat Valenciana/Zubin Mehta Includes a bonus track ‘The
Making of Turandot’ [36:00]
DVD UNITEL CLASSICA 700308 [156:00]
[AS]
Allowing
for a few small quibbles nothing mars the great enjoyment I had watching
this performance. ... see Full
Review
Henry
PURCELL
(1659 - 1695)
Dido and Aeneas
Della Jones (mezzo) Peter Harvey (baritone) St. James's Singers &
Baroque Players/Ivor Bolton rec. 1989
DAS ALTE WERK 2564 69856-9 [58.17]
[RH]
A
good, solidly intelligent and musical account ... see Full
Review
Henry
PURCELL (1659-1695) Dido
and Aeneas Richard WAGNER (1813-1883) Götterdämmerung:
Act III, Scene 3 Kirsten
Flagstad, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Mermaid Singers and Orchestra/Geraint
Jones, Philharmonia O/Wilhelm Furtwängler rec. 1948/52 NIMBUS
RECORDS PRIMA VOCE NI7956 [76.35] [EM]
Fascinating
to hear such singers as Flagstad and Schwarzkopf in these roles
... see Full Review
Deon
Nielsen PRICE Yellow
Jade Banquet, Epitaphs for Fallen Heroes, America
Themes, Gateways, States of Mind, Dancing
on the Brink of the World Ntl
SO Ukraine/Berkeley A. Price; John McLaughlin Williams rec.
2007 CAMBRIA
CD1170 [66:01] [RB]
This
music is intriguing – rich and strange indeed. ... see Full
Review
Sergei
RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14 (1915) [6:38] Symphony No. 2 in
E minor, Op. 27 (1908) [54:05]
Detroit Symphony Orchestra/Leonard Slatkin rec. 2009. DDD
NAXOS 8.572458 [60:43]
[LW]
A
new benchmark for Rachmaninov’s Second Symhony … see Full
Review
Sergei
RACHMANINOV
(1873 – 1943) Liturgy
of St. John Chrysostom Op.31 (1910) [95:11]
Kansas City Chorale/Charles Bruffy Father Andre Papkov (Protodeacon);
David Adams (Celebrant); Todd E. Berry (Second Celebrant); rec.1995
NIMBUS
NI 5497/8 [41:26 + 53:45]
[NB]
For
those with an interest in sacred music or just choral singing of the
very highest order this is a most beautiful if not essential recording
... see Full Review
Maurice
RAVEL (1875-1937) L’Enfant
et les Sortilges, L'Heure Espagnole London
PO/Simon Rattle, Sian Edwards WARNER
MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT 
50-51865-4314-2-8 [100:00] [DM]
A
most attractive pairing ... see Full
Review
François
REBEL (1701–1775) & François
FRANCOEUR (1698–1787) Zélindor, roi des Sylphes; La
Trophée Jean-Paul
Fouchecourt (tenor) Opera Lafayette Ch & O/Ryan Brown rec.
2007 NAXOS
8.660224 [61.36] [RH]
Successfully
evokes the charm and shallowness of Louis XV's Versailles ... see Full
Review
Ottorino
RESPIGHI
(1879–1936)
Belkis, Queen of ShebaPaul HINDEMITH
(1895–1963) Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by
Carl Maria von Weber Florent SCHMITT
(1870–1958) The Tragedy of Salome
Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra/Sascha Goetzel rec.2009. DDD
ONYX4048
[77.32]
[RB] + blind review from [NB]
Imaginative
choice of repertoire, spectacular recording and the promise, I hope,
of more to come. ... see Full
Review
Julius
REUBKE (1834-1858) Complete
Works for Piano and Organ Paolo
Marzocchi (piano) Luca Scandali (organ)
rec. 2008 CPO
777 467-2 [76:04] [RC]
Big-boned,
muscular performances ... see Full
Review
Orchestre
Russe Nikolai
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844-1908) Sadko, arr. Arnaud
and Perez [10:39]; The Snow Maiden: Dance of the Tumblers [3:40]
Modest MUSSORGSKY (1839-1881)
St John’s Night on the Bald Mountain, rev. Rimsky-Korsakov and
arr. Arnaud and Perez [9:55]; Pictures at an Exhibition, arr.
Arnaud [30:21] Ensemble
Carpe Diem rec. 2008,
HORTUS 070 [54:26]
[BR]
Arrangements
which have more than just curiosity value … see Full
Review
Christopher
ROBERTS Remote
Stories, The Channel, Travelling Alone, Last
Cicada Singing Christopher
Roberts (Qin)
rec. 2008/9 COLD
BLUE
MUSIC CB0034 [27.51] [RH]
For
those inclined to explore - do try this evocative disc … see Full
Review
Joaquin
RODRIGO (1901-1999) Concierto como un Divertimento see
ROMANTIC CELLO CONCERTOS
Kurt
ROGER (1895-1966) Chamber Music Robert
Plane (clarinet), Emily Beynon (flute), Mia Cooper, Lucy Gould
(violin), David Adams (viola), Alice Neary (cello), Benjamin
Frith (piano), rec. 2009 NAXOS
8.572238 [75:28] [CR]
Demonstrates
the breadth of Roger’s talents as a composer and effectively conveys
the emotional content of his works ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Ned
ROREM (b.
1923) On
An Echoing Road The
Prince Consort rec. 2009 LINN
RECORDS
CKD342 [56:38] [JQ]
An
exceptionally fine single-disc introduction to Ned Rorem’s
songs ... see Full Review
Gioacchino
ROSSINI (1792-1868) Péchés
de vieillesse Vol. 3 Alessandro
Marangoni (piano) rec. 2008 NAXOS
8.572315 [65:28] [JS]
Not
a dud item here … the performances are convincing and enjoyable … see Full
Review
Albert
ROUSSEL (1869-1937) Sérénade see French
Flute Chamber Music
Jesús
RUEDA (b.
1961) Piano
Music Piano Sonatas 1 & 2,
24 Interludes Ananda
Sukarlan (piano)
rec. 2007 NAXOS
8.572075 [62:56] [JW]
Wistful
and refractory; ebullient and assertive ... see Full
Review
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