Superbudget £5.99 or less 
Budget £6-7.99 
Medium £8-10.99 
Full price £11+
Download
Maria’s
Song Works by Sinikka Langeland & Johann Sebastian
Bach 
Sinikka Langeland (voice, kantele), Lars Anders Tomter (viola), Kĺre
Nordstoga (organ), rec. 2008
ECM RECORDS ECM 2127 (2717097) [72:11] 
[DC]
Spirited,
and spiritual.
Masters
of Chopin
Ignace Tiegerman, Ignaz Friedman, Severin Eisenberger, Egyptian Radio
O/Oreste Campisi, Cairo SO/José Ferriz, Cincinnati Conservatory O/Alexander
von Kreisler
ARBITER 158 [4 CDs: 302:02] 
[JW]
Clearly
a labour of love … teeming with insight and rich rewards.
¡Mexico!
Rolando Villazón (tenor) Bolívar Soloists rec. 2010
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 4779234 [61:35] 
[RB]
Villazón
smooches it up in vibrant and gripping style.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Milo
Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976) Cello sonata Frank
BRIDGE (1879-1941) Cello sonata Mark-Anthony
TURNAGE (b.1960) Milo, Sleep On
Guy Johnston (cello) Kathryn Stott (piano) rec. 2009
ORCHID CLASSICS ORC100010 [64:17]
[EM]
A
disc I would recommend to anyone looking for excellent versions of any
of these works.
Benno
Moiseiwitsch Great Pianists Vol. 13: Chopin Recordings Vol. 3
Benno
Moiseiwitsch (piano) rec. 1939-52
NAXOS HISTORICAL 8.110770 [59:16] 
[JW]
Given
the repertoire and the superior transfers, no lover of the Russian pianist’s
bewitching art should neglect at least some of this first-class series.
Pierre
Monteux in Boston - A Treasury of Concert Performances 1951-58
Boston
SO/Pierre Monteux, rec. 1951-58
WEST HILL RADIO ARCHIVES WHRA 6022 [8 CDs: 554:13]
[JQ]
Monteux’s
many admirers will find this set a mandatory purchase and one that will
give them hours of pleasure.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH
Moonflowers, Baby!
Works
by Hindemith, Honegger, Milhaud, Francaix, Vaughan Willaims & Kupferman
Jonathan Cohler (clarinet) Judith Gordon (piano) rec. 1993
CRYSTAL RECORDS CD733 [62:12]
[OL]
Sensitive,
subtle, beautiful, refined.
Lydia
Mordkovitch pays tribute to David Oistrakh Pietro
Antonio LOCATELLI (1695-1764)
Sonata, Caprice Eugene YSAYE
(1858-1931) Sonata Ernest
CHAUSSON (1855-1899) Počme Dimitri
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
Violin Sonata Sergei RACHMANINOFF
(1873-1943) Daisies
Lydia Mordkovitch (violin) rec. 1986-2008
CHANDOS CLASSICS CHAN10612X [79:46]
[RB]
A
delightfully potent experience.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Musica
Sacra Hungarica
Budapesti Monteverdi Kórus/Éva Kollár rec. 2010
CARUS 2.151/99 [68:22]
[WH]
A
fascinating and lovely collection from a distinguished German publishing
house.
Neapolitan
Flute Concertos by
de Majo, Rava, Prota, Jommelli & Palella
Auser Musici/Carlo Ipata (transverse flute) rec. 2008
HYPERION CDA67784 [58:51]
[JV]
One
hour of good musical entertainment, in infectious performances.
A
New Heaven
The Sixteen/Harry Christophers rec. 2008
UCJ MUSIC 179 5732 [72:04]
[EM]
Of
the many discs of English anthems I’ve been lucky enough to hear and
review, few have been quite as good as this.
The
Nightingale and the Butterfly
Pamela Thorby (recorders), Elizabeth Kenny (archlute, theorbo, guitar)
rec. 2009
LINN RECORDS CKD341 
[76:41] [JvV]
An
interesting and entertaining recital.
Organ
Duo - Music for Four Hands Includes
John Philip SOUSA (1854-1932)
The Stars and Stripes Forever Paul Lindsley
THOMAS (b. 1929) Preludes Samuel
WESLEY (1766-1837) Duet for Organ Johann
Christoph KELLNER (1736-1803) Fugue, Quartetto Adolph
Friedrich HESSE (1809-1863) Fantasy Antonín
DVOŘÁK (1841-1904) Slavonic Dance Gustav
MERKEL (1827-1885) Sonata
Jaana Jokimies and Irina Lampén (organ - four hands) rec. 2008
FUGA
9287 [56:07]
[DM]
Another
Fuga must for organ buffs and audiophiles.
Güher
and Süher Pekinel - Live in Concert
Güher & Süher Pekinel (pianos), English CO/Sir Colin Davis, Zürich
CO/Muhai Tang, rec. 2006-7
ARTHAUS 101349 [88:00 + 42:00 extras] 
[CC]
This
is very much a value for money DVD. Throughout the experience, one is
continually impressed by the Pekinels’ love of this music.
Miklós
Perényi Recital at the Wigmore Hall Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Suite 3 Benjamin
BRITTEN (1913-1976) Cello Sonata Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Cello Sonata 2
Miklós Perényi (cello), Dénes Várjon (pno), rec. 2009
WIGMORE HALL LIVE WHLIVE0035 [74:28]
[GD]
A
recording of a live event that makes you really wish you'd been there.
The
Very Best of Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar (sitar) Yehudi Menuhin and friends rec. 1960-80
EMI CLASSICS 6294552 [73:54 + 75:42]
[RB]
Could
hardly be bettered as an introduction to Shankar's mastery.
Restoration
Music from Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey Ch/James O Donnell, Robert Quinney (organ) rec. 2009
HYPERION
CDA67792 [70.06]
[EM]
A
lovely programme; pleasing sound and balance, and some exquisite music-making.
St
Petersburg Chamber works by Shostakovich, Glinka,
Glazunov & Balakirev
London Conchord Ens rec. 2009
ORCHID ORC100009 [71:57]
[OL]
Four
diverse and attractive off-the-road chamber works in brilliant performances.
La
saveur des dissonances
Jean-Pierre Rolland (organ) rec. 2009
HORTUS 072 [69:03]
[JV]
An
interesting concept fails to convince because of the inappropriate tuning
of the organ.
A
Felix Slatkin Compendium
Concert Arts SO/Felix Slatkin rec. 1955-9
PRISTINE AUDIO PASC218 [74:46 + 60:23]
[JW]
Showcases
Slatkin and his top-notch collaborators with verve, aided by the rich
acoustic.
The
Spirits of England and France -
Vol. 4
Missa Caput and the story of the Salve regina Missa Caput,
Fifteenth Century Carols
Gothic Voices/Christopher Page rec. 1996
HYPERION HELIOS CDH55284 [68:02]
[JW]
This
disc is like holding the page itself in your own hand.
Summertime
Felicity Lott (soprano) Graham Johnson (piano) rec. 2000
CHAMPS HILL RECORDS CHRCD008 [74:35]
Perfect
execution of a good idea, with glorious singing and superlative accompaniment.
Virtuoso
Works for Solo Cello by Bottermund,
Klengel, Ysaye, Cassado & Kodaly
Wen-Sinn Yang (cello) rec. 2009
AVIE AV2160 [79:47]
[JW]
A
well constructed programme mixing canonic and deeply serious works with
more frivolous virtuoso-orientated finger-busters.
The
Wandering Bassoon Works
by Mozart, Woolfenden, Schreck, Weber & Kreisler
Meyrick Alexander (bassoon) Catherine Milledge (piano)
MERIDIAN CDE84582 [66:53]
[JS]
Even
if you think that you can do without a bassoon recital disc this well
varied and entertaining programme by two excellent musicians should
make you think again.
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Fritz
Wunderlich - A Poet among Tenors
EMI CLASSICS ICON 6295252 [6 CDs: 533:27]
[RMo]
I
urge every lover of the tenor to buy this set
Yo
m’enamorí d’un aire
Reval’s Troubadours, rec. 2010
EMEC E-090 [73:57] [GPu]
A
disappointing and excessively miscellaneous ‘sampler’.
BOOK REVIEWS
Havergal
Brian on Music Volume Two: European and American Music in
his time Edited
by Malcolm MacDonald Hardback - 458 pages Publisher: Toccata Press [NB]
A
triumph.
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]
[last 5 days] [Recommended
recordings]
Error processing SSI file