NEW
& RECENT ARTICLES
In conversation with Riccardo Chailly by Michael Cookson
Carl Goldmark - In Memory of the Composer and his Work
Download News 2014/8 by
Kirk McElhearn, Geoffrey Molyneux & Brian Wilson
MWI
Recommends - Bach's concerto for 2 violins & Prokofiev's piano concerto 3
NOTICES
[New] Julian Lloyd-Webber's last filmed performance - available to watch free
[New] A Dream Of Germany: Music’s War-torn World 1914 - four concerts of music related to WWI on October 5 in London - see here for the Press Release (pdf)
Press release from EM Records about a new release Irish Idylls: piano music by Stanford, Bax & Rosenthal
London performances of Stanislaw Moniuszko's opera Halka in October - details here.
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Boughton's Immortal Hour - nine performances celebrating its centenary in London - details here
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Monday: Other reviews (nostalgia, books, other music), Wednesday: MWI
Recommends, Friday: Articles.
Live performance reviews posted daily at Seen
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LATEST REVIEWS
Thursday July 31st
Frederic CHOPIN (1810-1849) Complete Works for Piano and Orchestra - Oleg Marshev
(piano) South Denmark Philharmonic/David Porcelijn rec. 2010 DANACORD
DACOCD701-702 [70:03 + 66:03] [JF] A splendid release that
will be a major success for both Danacord and Marshev.
Christopher GUNNING (b. 1944) Symphonies 6 & 7, Night Voyage - Royal
PO/Christopher Gunning rec. 2014 DISCOVERY DMV112 [62:56]
[RB] Dramatic and full of inventively communicated incident.
Siobhan LAMB (b. 1963) Through the Mirror, My Little
Wife - Suoni Ens/Siobhan Lamb PROPRIUS PRCD 2074 [40:45] [NB] Fusing contemporary classical disciplines with the freedom
of jazz.
Dmitri
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) Symphony 14 - Gal James (soprano)
Alexander Vinogradov (bass) Royal Liverpool PO/Vasily Petrenko rec.
2013 NAXOS 8.573132 [49:36] [MC] Haitink now has a
fierce competitor whose fine advocacy deserves attention.
Richard
STRAUSS (1864-1949) Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Macbeth, Don Quixote - Frank-Michael Guthmann
(cello) Johannes Lüthy (viola) SWR SO Baden-Baden und Freiburg/François-Xavier
Roth rec. 2012/13 HÄNSSLER CLASSIC CD 93.304 [74:19]
[SV] Roth takes nothing for granted and I like the results.
RECORDING OF THE MONTH Tomaso Antonio VITALI (1663-1745) & Giovanni Battista VITALI (1632-1692) Ciaconna -
Clematis/Stéphanie de Failly (violin)
rec. 2011/12 RICERCAR RIC326 [62:15] [DJB] An outstanding release in all respects.
Do Not Go Gentle / Spaces In A Space Bingham Qt
rec. 2012/13 PRIMA FACIE PFCD32/33 [71.04 & 29.38] [PCG] A collection of works for string quartet written by various British composers over the course of the last twenty years.
Fantaisies d’opéra Works by Liszt, Marschner, Wagner & Wieniawski -
Léo Marillier (violin)
Alexandre Lory (piano)
rec. 2013/14 FORGOTTEN RECORDS FR 24M [65:13] [JW] Reservations about the recording but well judged playing with vivacity, sparkle and virtuosity.
Wednesday July 30th
Johannes
BRAHMS (1833-1897) Violin Sonatas
1 & 3 BRAHMS/DIETRICH/SCHUMANN F.A.E.
Sonata - Jana Vonášková-Nováková
(violin) Irina Kondratenko (piano) rec. 2013 SUPRAPHON SU 4170-2 [74:41]
[JW] Fine things here
but not quite enough for wholehearted praise.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Anton
BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony 9 - Lucerne Fest O/Claudio Abbado rec.
2013 DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 479 3441 [63:07] [JQ] A magnificent
Bruckner Ninth from Claudio Abbado’s last
concerts.
Jacques
LOUSSIER (b. 1934) Violin concertos 1 & 2 Ignacy Jan PADEREWSKI (1860-1941) Violin sonata - Adam Kostecki (violin) Piotr
Iwicki (percussion) Gunther Hauer (piano) Polish Philharmonic
CO/Adam Kostecki rec. 2004/11 NAXOS 8.573200 [65:14] [RB] The Loussiers have pretty much nothing in common with the
Paderewski but so what.
Georg MUFFAT (1653-1704) Missa in labore requies - St. Florianer Sängerknaben, Ars Antiqua Austria/Gunar Letzbor rec. 2013 PAN CLASSICS
PC10301 [47:25] [JV] This Mass makes one regret that Muffat didn't compose more sacred music.
Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937) Piano Concertos 1 & 2, Pavane pour une
infante défunte, La Valse - Yakov Zak, Alexander
Slobodyanik (piano) USSR Academic State SO/Yevgeny Svetlanov, Vladimir
Verbitsky rec. 1959-82 MELODIYA MEL CD 1002160 [60:50] [DM] The concertos are a treat; routine fillers though.
Joaquín
RODRIGO (1901-1999) Concierto
de Aranjuez, Invocación y danza, Fantasía
para un gentilhombre - Miloš Karadaglić
(guitar) London PO/Yannick Nézet-Séguin
rec. 2013 DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 481 0652 [60:06] [LW] Everything
is first-class about this production: wonderful
performances, recorded with real presence.
Beyond
the Eastern Wind Works by Gorecki,
Part & Vasks - Collegium Vocale/Michael
Deltchev Louise Boll (organ) rec. 2013-2014 DANACORD DACOCD750 [54:05]
[JF] A beautiful CD
with hugely attractive music, performed with
distinction and obvious attention to detail.
Myung-Whun Chung
(piano) Works by Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Schubert, Schumann & Tchaikovsky rec. 2013 ECM NEW SERIES 2342 [54:55] [GM] A very attractive and well-recorded collection.
Tuesday July 29th
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Schübler
& Leipzig Chorales - Kåre Nordstoga
(organ) rec. 2012 LAWO CLASSICS LWC1056 [2CDs: 70:30 + 60:23] [DC] Gorgeous
and spacious, but more immersion than involvement.
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Overtures
- O des Concerts Lamoureux/Igor Markevitch rec.
1958 ISTITUTO DISCOGRAFICO ITALIANO
IDIS 6580 [55:35] [SV] Fleet, linear, lean and generally crisp.
Leoš
JANÁČEK (1854-1928) Complete Works for Piano - Martino Tirimo (piano) rec. 2003 HERITAGE
HTGCD 264/5 [50:45 + 60:47] [JWh] A lovely set.
Felix
MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) Complete works for
piano and orchestra - Oleg Marshev,
Anne Mette Stæhr (piano) South Denmark PO/David
Porcelijn rec. 2011-2012 DANACORD DACOCD
734-736 [4 CDs: 243:43] [RB] Apportioned
across a couple of evenings you will find much
to enjoy as you discover works that in the majority
of cases you may not have heard before.
MORITZ,
Landgrave of Hesse (1572-1632) Sacred and Secular
Works - Weser-Renaissance Bremen/Manfred
Cordes rec. 2010 CPO 777 661-2 [71:13] [JV] Idiomatic
and compelling interpretations of compositions
by a German 'uomo universale'
of the late Renaissance.
Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873–1943) The Complete Preludes -
Peter Katin (piano)
rec. 1971 SOMM SOMMCD0110 [79:10] [JQ] A welcome tribute to a highly distinguished pianist.
Joseph-Guy
ROPARTZ (1864-1955) Complete Sonatas Vol.
1 - Nicolas Dautricourt (violin) Juliette
Hurel (flute) Raphaël Pidoux (cello) François
Kerdoncuff (piano) rec. 2012-2013 TIMPANI
1C1214 [70:13] [SG] A
splendid case is made for these works.
Franz
SCHUBERT (1797–1828) - Violin
Sonatas, Rondo - Sara
Trickey (violin) Daniel Tong (piano) Callino
Qt rec. 2013 CHAMPS HILL RECORDS CHRCD080 [69:55] [CF] The music
on this CD makes for seventy minutes of sheer
delight.
Monday July 28th
Kalevi AHO (b. 1949) Horn concerto, Theremin concerto
- Annu Salminen (horn) Carolina Eyck
(theremin) Lapland CO/John Storgårds rec. 2012 BIS BIS-2036 SACD [58:28] [DM] The horn
concerto is a deeply impressive construct; though clever, the theremin
concerto is comparatively lightweight.
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) A Bach Recital - Penelope Thwaites (piano) rec. 2013 LIR CLASSICS LIR027 [59:37] [JW] With a most attractive recording, this release merits warmest
admiration.
George
BENJAMIN (b.1960) Written
on Skin - Christopher Purves (baritone)
Barbara Hannigan (soprano) Bejun Mehta (counter-tenor)
Royal Op House O/George Benjamin rec. 2013 OPUS
ARTE DVD OA1125D [90:00 + 8.00] [DCh] A great opera with
a gripping story, original and compelling music
and superb performances.
Ignaz BRÜLL (1846-1907) Romantic Piano Music - Janet Olney (piano)
rec. 2007 CAMEO CLASSICS CC9045CD [49:07] [JW] Played with obvious dedication and affection. Pretty well recorded. Most enjoyable.
Robert ERICKSON (1917-1997) Night Music, Fantasy, East
of the Beach, Auroras - Rose Popper-Keizer (cello) Boston Modern Orchestra
Project/Gil Rose rec. 2008 NEW WORLD RECORDS 80682-2 [69:58] [DC] Sidestep avant-garde ‘isms’ and enter Erickson’s
personal new world.
André
Ernest Modeste GRÉTRY (1741-1813) Guillaume
Tell - Marc Laho (tenor) Anne-Catherine Gillet (soprano) Lionel
Lhote (baritone) Natacha Kowalski (mezzo) O & Ch de l’Opéra
royal de Wallonie/Claudio Scimone rec. 2013 MUSIQUE EN WALLONIE
MEW 1370 [78:51] [JS] A very welcome addition to the catalogue.
Malcolm
WILLIAMSON (1931-2003) The Complete Piano Concertos - Piers
Lane, Howard Shelley (pianos) Tasmanian SO/Howard Shelley HYPERION CDA68011/2 [53:48 + 62:46] [GH] Terrific performances … highly recommendable.
Works for violin and piano by Brahms, Fišer, & Kukal, Martinů & Mozart - Leoš Čepický (violin)
Ivan Klánský (piano)
rec. 2013 NIMBUS ALLIANCE NI6265 [74:31] [JW] If it’s the Czech works you’re after, do not hesitate. The Fišer is a masterpiece.
Other reviews
Borut KRZISNIK (b. 1961) Currents of Time -
Mario Marolt (saxophone) Nino De Gleria (bass) Hugo Sekoranja (piano) Mire Lovric (voice) Borut Krzisnik (guitar, piano, sampler, rhythm machine, tape, noise) Anton Kovac (bass, rhythm machine)
rec. 1990 CLAUDIO RECORDS CC6011-2 [48:02] [DC] Not ‘classical’ but who cares - if it’s good ...
Portrait Gallery - A Life in Classical Music by Edward Greenfield.
Published 2014 Elliott & Thompson [CF] A good read.
Friday July 25th
Ferdinand
DAVID (1810-1873) Twenty Virtuoso Studies, Six Caprices
- Reto Kuppel (violin) rec. 2012/13 NAXOS 8.573048 [75:41] [JWh] Fabulous playing but the Studies are musically hollow.
Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911) Symphony 3, Kindertotenlieder - Kathleen
Ferrier (alto) BBC SO/Sir Adrian Boult; Concertgebouw O/Otto Klemperer
rec. 1947/51 TESTAMENT SBT21422 [57:38 + 72:41] [JQ] The British première of Mahler’s Third: a significant addition
to the Boult discography.
Bora YOON (b. 1980) Sunken Cathedral - Bora Yoon (various instruments)
Sekou Sundiata (poetry & performance) Chris Eddleton (cymbals, metal
percussion) Peter Scherer (percussion) male vocal quartet; Sympho, New
York Polyphony INNOVA 880 [73:15] [DC] Cutting edge
– but memorable?
Sergei ZHUKOV (b.1951) Piano Concerto,
Violin Concerto - Eleonora Bekova (piano) Elvira Bekova (violin)
Karelia State SO/Marius Stravinsky,
Moscow State SO/Konstantin Krimets CAMEO CLASSICS CC9047CD [74:34] [SA] This is a rare disc that deserves to be heard.
Carlos Kleiber
– I
am lost to the world A documentary film by Georg Wübbolt C MAJOR Blu-ray 715304 [58:32] [LW] Essential viewing, but could have been better.
The Masters
of Violin - Vol. 3 Works by Respighi, Dietrich, Schumann & Brahms
- Franco Gulli (violin) Enrica Cavallo (piano) rec. 1986/90 DYNAMIC
CDS7693 [54:45] [JW] Admirers of this duo can invest with confidence.
Malcolm Sargent
- The Great Recordings rec. 1947-1966 WARNER CLASSICS
2564 634121 [18 CDs : 1321:30] This extensive survey of Sir
Malcolm’s EMI/HMV recordings proves good value for money and an
attractive proposition [SG] When Sargent was on-song he was a force
to be reckoned with even if his relationship with orchestras was tempestuous
[RB].