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Marches,
Polkas and Americana
Cincinnati Pops O/Erich Kunzel rec. 1988?
ALTO ALC1108 [73:34]
[RB]
This
bargain-priced yet plush gallimaufry of the lighter Americana works
very well.
Albrecht
Mayer performs French oboe music by Fauré, Saint-Saëns,
Pierné, Pierne & Satie
Albrecht Mayer (oboe) Karina Wisniewska (piano) rec. 2000
TUDOR 7067 [74:07]
[RB]
It
is a shame that this unhackneyed collection of French music for oboe
and piano has been overlooked.
ˇMexico!
Rolando
Villazón (tenor) Bolívar Soloists/Efraín Oscher, rec. 2010
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 477 9234 [65:54]
[GF]
An
interesting disc and much of the repertoire is infectious.
Minimal
Piano Collection, Volume X-XX
Jeroen van Veen & Friends rec. 2008-10
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 9171 [11 CDs]
[DC]
Musical
equivalent of Dr. Who’s ‘Tardis’ - much bigger
from the inside.
My
Songs by Dvorák , Kricka, Martinu & Bartok
Eva Garajová (mezzo) Marian Lapšanský (piano) rec. 2010
ARCODIVA UP 0128-2 131 [67:59]
[GF]
It
is good to have these songs sung as authentically as here.
Ne
me refuse pas
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (alto) Le jeune choeur de Paris, Ntl O de France/Fabien
Gabel rec. 2010
NAÏVE V5201 [78.00]
[RH]
A
fine disc notable not only for some very fine singing but also for an
intelligent and well put together programme.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH North
German Organ Music Vol. 1 Music by Tunder, Peter Hasse,
Buxtehude, Schiefferdecker, Bach & Bruhns
Martin Rost (organ) rec. 2010
MUSIKPRODUKTION DABRINGHAUS UND GRIMM MDG 320 1624-2 [65:52]
[JV]
An
impressive portrait of one of Europe's most glorious historical organs.
North
to South – Music from the Americas
Duo Trekel-Tröster rec. 2010
THOROFON CTH 2571 [59:15]
[DM]
Some
much-needed sunshine on an otherwise grey, late December afternoon.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Organ
Fireworks Vol. 14
Christopher Herrick (Melbourne Town Hall grand organ) rec. 2009
HYPERION CDA67758 [72:16]
[BW]
Another
very successful fireworks display.
The
Art of Gregor Piatigorsky
rec. 1924-55
WEST HILL RADIO ARCHIVES WHRA6032 [6 CDs + DVD: 494:10]
[JW]
Fans
of the cellist must have this box.
Pupils
of Chopin
Hubert Rutkowski (pno) rec. 2009
NAXOS 8.572344 [78:50]
[JW]
If
you fancy hearing Chopin’s compositional lineage distilled through four
of his favourite pupils, there can be no better way to do it than here.
Rare
Transcriptions for Violin and Piano
Philippe Graffin (violin) Pascal Devoyon (piano) Catherine Beynon (harp)
rec. 1999/2001
HYPERION HELIOS CDH55353 [77:06]
[AM]
A
valuable and excellently performed collection of transcriptions and
original works.
Remembrances
from Home
Christina Placilla (viola) Hector Landa (piano) rec. 2008
CENTAUR CRC 3045 [64:43]
[JW]
Agreeably
recorded, this is an attractive disc, and will appeal to viola-fanciers
looking for some off-beat material.
Sviatoslav
Richter in the 1950s - Vol. 6
Sviatoslav Richter (piano) rec. 1949/52
PARNASSUS PACD96025 [71:06]
[JW]
Never
before issued performances.
Russian
Music for Cello and Piano Works by Miaskovsky, Scriabin,
Schnittke, Prokofiev & Rachmaninoff
Wendy Warner (cello) Irina Nuzova (pno) rec. 2008
ÇEDILLE CDR90000 120 [68:55]
[JW]
A
fine recital with the players very properly having their own view about
things.
Santo
- Sacred Songs
Juan Diego Flórez (tenor) Ch & O del Teatro Comunale di Bologna/Michele
Mariotti rec. 2010
DECCA 478 2254 [67.00]
[MM-B]
An
elegant and stylish recital from an accomplished and confident artist.
Yizhak
Schotten’s Tribute to Lionel Tertis and William Primrose
Yizhak Schotten (viola) Katherine Collier (piano) rec. 2009/10
CRYSTAL RECORDS CD630 [59:40]
[JW]
This
is a well-judged and executed dual tribute, finely recorded and annotated.
Semperoper
Volume 1 - Gott! Welch dunkel hier! The
earliest postwar Dresden recordings
rec. 1945-51
HÄNSSLER PROFIL PH10007 [3 CDs: 241:39 + ]
[JW]
Radio
performances of some considerable rarity presented in a superbly documented
way.
Siempre
Nuevo
Matej Freml, Patrick Vacík (guitar) rec.2009,
ARCO DIVA UP0137 2131 [48:26]
[GPu]
A
promising guitar-duo, worth hearing by all who are fond of that combination.
Three
Baroque Tenors
Ian Bostridge (tenor) The English Concert/Bernard Labadie rec. 2009/10
EMI
CLASSICS 6268642 [66.39]
[RH]
The
point of the disc is to explore the range of music written for these
three tenors and as such it works admirably.
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Popular Trumpet
Concertos
Maurice Murphy (trumpet) Consort of London/Robert Haydon Clark
REGIS RRC 1325 [55:16]
[BBr]
This
is without peer.
Trumpet
Concertos by
Haydn, Leopold
Mozart, Neruda & Hummel
Gábor Tarkövi (trumpet) Bamberger Symphoniker/Karl-Heinz Steffens rec.
2009
TUDOR 7169
[54:37]
[RB]
Four
attractive trumpet concertos but the disc is hampered by short playing
time.
A
Viennese Evening
Sophie
Bevan (soprano) Young Musicians SO/James Blair rec. live, 2009
YMSO [76:02] [BBr]
This
is a very pleasant disk.
The
Virtuoso Clarinet
Michael Collins (clarinet) Piers Lane (piano) rec. 2009
CHANDOS CHAN10615 [73:52]
[OL]
Sometimes
I feel that the virtuosity eclipses other aspects of the music, but
for the most part this is an exciting ride.
Fritz
Wunderlich Live on Stage
rec. 1962-6
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 477 9109 [74.20]
[RJF]
Another
Fritz Wunderlich collection, but with the added and worthwhile difference
of live performance of items not otherwise readily available.
BOOK REVIEWS
Listen
to This by Alex Ross; Hardcover, 366 pages, £13
Fourth
Estate 978-0-00-731906-0 [KM]
A
fresh voice that writes about all kinds of music, including classical
music.
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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