NEW & RECENT ARTICLES

[New] National discographies: Mid-year update by Mike Herman

[New] Beulah: At the 2016 Proms by Brian Wilson

ASV returns: Hispanic steps - A survey by Rob Barnett

An interview with Gabriel Jackson by John Quinn

Joubert opera to receive its first professional performance - A preview by Rob Barnett

An interview with conductor Christopher Seaman by Geoffrey Newman

Download News 2016/8 by Brian Wilson

An interview with tenor Piotr Beczała by Michael Cookson

Listening Room Report by John Quinn

MWI Recommends: Film scores.

NOTICES

Stanford's Much Ado About Nothing to be performed in Leeds, August 4 - details here.

MusicWeb International is now selling the CRD catalogue at advantageous prices. There are nearly 200 titles from £10 post-free world-wide. See here for details.

In order to persuade more of you to make a donation to MusicWeb International we are giving away CDs - click the Donate button top right for more details.

Publishing schedule
Monday: Other reviews (nostalgia, books, other music); Wednesday: MWI Recommends; Friday: Articles.
Live performance reviews posted daily at Seen and Heard
Jazz reviews posted weekly

Shopping on-line? Help us by doing it through the MusicWeb sales page.

---

LATEST REVIEWS

Friday July 29th

Hans ABRAHAMSEN (b. 1952) Works for Wind Quintet - Ens MidtVest rec. 2014/15 DACAPO 8.226090 [51:18] [LW] Abrahamsen’s early works for wind quintet in fine accounts by Ensemble MidtVest.

Aaron COPLAND (1900-1990) Quiet City, Symphony 3, Appalachian Spring - Boston SO/Serge Koussevitzky rec. 1945/46 PRISTINE AUDIO PASC458 [73:09] [JW] This valuable restoration succeeds in establishing an early interpretative benchmark for the Third Symphony.

Johann Caspar Ferdinand FISCHER (1656-1746) Works for keyboard - Elisabeth Joyé (harpsichord, organ) rec. 2014-2015 ENCELADE ECL1402 [66:44] [JV] A perfect introduction to the keyboard works of Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer.

York HÖLLER (b. 1944) Works for String Quartet - Minguet Qt rec. 2011 NEOS 11518 [70:12] [SG] An interesting discovery. Worth investigating.

Hans HUBER (1852-1921) Symphonies 1-8 - Stuttgart PO/Jörg-Peter Weigle rec. 2001/02 STERLING CDS5000-2 [5 CDs: 335:55] [RB] No monuments to heaven-searing conflict or vertiginous tragedy. Huber's symphonies attest to a beaming smiling muse.

Gioacchino ROSSINI (1792-1868) Mosè - Ruggero Raimondi (bass), O & Ch Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano/Francesco Quattrocchi rec. 2015 C MAJOR Blu-ray 735404 [100:50] [MC] This semi-staged performance is nowhere near ideal but it contains some wonderful music and the surroundings of the Duomo are magnificent.

Igor STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) Pulcinella Suite, Apollon Musagète & Concerto in D - Tapiola Sinf/Masaaki Suzuki rec. 2015 BIS BIS-2211 SACD [64:55] Lausanne CO/Joshua Weilerstein rec. 2015 MDG 9401955-6 SACD [65:36] [DHu] Not quite Tweedledum and Tweedledee, but identical Stravinsky programmes in good but not great performances.

Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958) Film Music - RTÉ Concert O/Andrew Penny rec. 1993 NAXOS FILM MUSIC CLASSICS 8.573658 [67:39] [RB] There are tangs and flavours you will not have heard before in Vaughan Williams.

RECORDING OF THE MONTH Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741) Laudate! - Johannette Zomer (soprano) Tulipa Consort rec. 2015 CHANNEL CLASSICS CCS38216 [71:40] [MR] An outstanding début disc from a singer-led ensemble.

Martha Argerich & Friends Live from Lugano rec. 2015 WARNER CLASSICS 2564 628549 [3 CDs: 218:37] [RK] The best pieces are really outstanding, with many performances to treasure.

Thursday July 28th

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Coriolan, Piano Concerto 4, Symphonies 3 & 7 - Wilhelm Backhaus (piano) Vienna PO/Hans Knappertsbusch rec. 1954/62 ORFEO C901162B [72:39 + 66:33] [RMo] If you can tolerate the poor recorded sound and the audiences’ coughing, there are epic performances to be heard here.

Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Symphony 4 Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Symphony 1 Karol SZYMANOWSKI (1882-1937) Symphony 4 - Jan Ekier (piano) Warsaw PO/Witold Rowicki rec. 1967 ORCHESTRAL CONCERT CDS CD15/2016 [71:46] [SV] Recommended as a document of the orchestra and the conductor, and specifically for the Szymanowski.

Frédéric CHOPIN (1810-1849) Preludes, Ballades & Impromptus - Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy (piano) rec. 2011/15 BRILLIANT CLASSICS 95210 [95:55] [BR] An extremely well-played, if short, program by one of the Brilliant label’s best pianists.

Ulvi Cemal ERKİN (1906-1972) Symphony 2, Violin Concerto, Köçekçe - James Buswell (violin) Istanbul State SO/Theodore Kuchar rec. 2014 NAXOS 8.572831 [67:59] [MW] Strong rhythms and enjoyable music, well-performed.

Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809) & Carl Philipp Emanuel BACH (1714-1788) Cello Concertos Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Horn Concerto (arr. cello) - Valentin Radutiu (cello) Munich CO/Stephan Frucht rec. 2015 HÄNSSLER CLASSIC HC16038 [68:38] [DJB] Undoubtedly a talented soloist, but this doesn’t show him to advantage.

Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924) La Fanciulla del West - Renata Tebaldi (soprano) Ch & O Accademia di Santa Cecilia/Franco Capuana rec. 1958 ALTO ALC2028 [132.08] [PCG] Though it is not without its flaws, it is good that this economically priced transfer has now joined many other gems from the same period in the Alto catalogue.

Zygmunt STOJOWSKI (1869-1946) Violin Concerto, Romanze Henryk WIENIAWSKI (1835-1880) Fantaisie brillante - Bartłomiej Nizioł (violin) BBC Scottish SO/Łukasz Borowicz rec. 2015 HYPERION CDA68102 [55:54] [RB] A nice apportionment of showy dazzle, confidently ardent melody and staunch determination.

Germaine Lubin (soprano) The Complete Recordings rec. 1927/38 MARSTON 52070-2 [74:44 + 67:49] [SG] I can see why many regard Lubin as the greatest French dramatic soprano of the twentieth century.

Towards Verklärte Nacht Gabriella Sborgi (mezzo-soprano) O Camera di Mantova Sextet/Alessandro Maria Carnelli rec. 2015 BRILLIANT CLASSICS 95288 [63:44] [RMo] I cannot recommend the performance of the main work over established, classic recordings, but it remains a fascinating and educative enterprise.

A Tribute To The Mighty Handful Russian Guitar Qt rec. 2014 DELOS DE3518 [64:38] [RMay] Entertaining takes on familiar and lesser-known music rearranged for the Russian guitar.

Wednesday July 27th

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Clavierübung Part III - James Johnstone (organ) rec. 2012 METRONOME METCD1094 [2 CDs: 107:26] [MR] Much intelligent stylistic thought is evident here, but doesn’t solve the problems of presenting the Clavierübung III entire.

Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) & Max REGER (1873-1916) Clarinet Quintets - Sharon Kam (clarinet) Isabelle van Keulen, Ulrike-Anima Mathé (violins) Volker Jacobsen (viola) Gustav Rivinius (cello) rec. 2014/15 BERLIN CLASSICS 0300643BC [74:48] [BR] An excellent, and surprisingly rare, coupling.

Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896) 'Study' Symphony - Philharmonie Festiva/Gerd Schaller rec. 2015 HÄNSSLER PROFIL PH15004 [43.23] [RMo] More intriguing than memorable, especially for the Bruckner completist.

Frederick DELIUS (1862-1934) A Village Romeo and Juliet - John Wakefield (tenor) Elsie Morison (soprano) Sadler’s Wells Ch & O/Meredith Davies rec. 1962 PRISTINE AUDIO PACO132 [66.49 + 52.11] [PCG] A real sense of magic in this performance which is most attractive.

Aram KHACHATURIAN (1903-1978) & Einojuhani RAUTAVAARA (b. 1928) Flute Concertos - Sharon Bezaly (flute) Sao Paulo SO/Enrique Diemecke; Lahti SO/Dima Slobodeniouk rec. 2010/14 BIS BIS-1849 [79:10] [BBu] The Khachaturian is more engaging than the two versions of Rautavaara’s ‘Dance of the Winds’.

Leopold KOŽELUCH (1747-1818) Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 6 - Kemp English (fortepiano) rec. 2012 GRAND PIANO GP647 [54:22] [PRB] This musical snapshot of Koželuch’s ongoing development in terms of his piano sonatas would again grace any collection.

Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) The Complete Symphonies - State Academic SO/Evgeny Svetlanov rec. 1967 MELODIYA MELCD1002157 [5 CDs: 314:41] [RB] Vivid, risk-taking music-making. Svetlanov in the 1960s is no perpetrator of Stepford Wives-style risk-averse Tchaikovsky.

Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741) ‘La Cetra’ concertos - Gianpiero Zanocco (violin), L'Arte dell'Arco/Federico Guglielmo (baroque violin) rec. 2014 BRILLIANT CLASSICS 95046 [53.24 + 52.37] [MC] A fine recording, which bears comparison with the best alternatives

El aire se serena Music from the Courts and Cathedrals of 16th-Century Spain - Seldom Sene rec. 2015 BRILLIANT CLASSICS 95304 [67:52] [JV] A disc to treasure.

Portuguese Music for Cello & Orchestra Works by Braga Santos Costa, Freitas Branco & Lopes-Graça - Bruno Borralhinho (cello), Gulbenkian O/Pedro Neves rec. 2015 NAXOS 8.573461 [65:09] [JF] A thought-provoking CD of unfamiliar music.

Tuesday July 26th

Antonín DVOŘÁK (1841-1904) Piano Trios 3 & 4 - Busch Trio rec. 2015 ALPHA 238 [76:38] [CSe] Fine performances, somewhat let down by the recording balance.

Hans GÁL (1890-1987) Piano Concerto Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Piano Concerto 22 - Sarah Beth Briggs (piano/conductor) Royal Northern Sinf/Kenneth Woods/Bradley Creswick rec. 2016 AVIE AV2358 [68:51] [BSt] Top class playing in both Gal and Mozart.

Philip GLASS (b. 1937) Glassworlds Vol. 4: The Hours, Notes on a Scandal, Music in Fifths - Nicolas Horvath (piano) rec. 2014 GRAND PIANO GP692 [61:10] [DJB] If you like the lyrical side of Philip Glass, this should appeal.

Henrik HELLSTENIUS (b.1963) Like Objects in a Dark Room, In Memoriam Ørjan MATRE (b.1979) Violin Concerto, preSage - Peter Herresthal (violin) Stavanger SO/Rolf Gupta rec. 2014/15 BIS BIS-2152 SACD [74:20] [RB] Pointillist and testing rather than long-limbed and neo-romantic.

HILDEGARD of Bingen (1098 -1179) O Eterne Deus - Karen R. Clark (director/contralto) Shira Kammen (vielle/ medieval harp) Vajra Voices rec. 2015 MUSIC & ARTS CD1291 [MW] [50.22] Belongs with the very best Hildegard collections.

Herbert HOWELLS (1892-1983) Cello Concerto, 2 Pieces for Small Orchestra Ronald CORP (b. 1951) Cello Concerto - Alice Neary (cello) Royal Scottish Ntl O/Ronald Corp rec. 2014 DUTTON EPOCH CDLX7317 [72:29] [JQ] Self-recommending to all Howells enthusiasts with Ronald Corp’s concerto as a most welcome bonus.

Moritz MOSZKOWSKI (1854-1925) Piano Concerto Adolf SCHULZ-EVLER (1852-1905) Russian Rhapsody - Ludmil Angelov (piano) Rzeszow PO/Vladimir Kiradjiev rec. 2015 HYPERION CDA68109 [65:04] [JWe] Will certainly be played over and over again.

Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Cantatas - New Philharmonia O & Ch, St Petersburg/Aleksander Titov rec. 1997 CUGATE CLASSICS CGC006 [65:14] [RB] All three Soviet cantatas here decently documented and ardently performed and recorded.

Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Lieder - Florian Boesch (baritone) Malcolm Martineau (piano) rec. 2015 ONYX 4149 [74:08] [RMo] I enjoyed much of this recital despite some concerns.

Georg TELEMANN (1681-1767) The Grand Concertos for Mixed Instruments Vol. 3 - La Stagione Frankfurt/Michael Schneider rec. 2013/14 CPO 777 891-2 [63:09] [MR] A very satisfying listening experience.

Monday July 25th

Daniel-François-Esprit AUBER (1782-1871) Overtures Vol. 1 - Cannes O/Wolfgang Dörner rec. 2015 NAXOS 8.573553 [63:54] [RMay] Based on what is presented here, Auber's overtures don't seem to have been individually distinctive.

Frédéric CHOPIN (1810-1849) Études - Alessandro Deljavan (piano) rec. 2015 BRILLIANT CLASSICS 95207 [70:23] [BR] Strikingly individual interpretation, but that is not necessarily a compliment.

Edward ELGAR (1857-1934) Violin Concerto Josef HAYDN (1732-1809) Concerto for violin & piano - Igor Oistrakh (violin) Natalia Zertsalova (keyboard) Moscow State Philharmonic SO/Valentin Zhuk rec. 1984/85 MELODIYA MELCD1002384 [68:00] [SG] Idiomatic Elgar and high-spirited Haydn.

Carlisle FLOYD (b. 1926) Wuthering Heights - Georgia Jarman (soprano) Kelly Markgraf (baritone), Milwaukee SO/Joseph Mechavich rec. 2015 REFERENCE RECORDINGS FR-721 SACD [69:51 + 69:52] [RB] A princely production. Everything is fluently treated; nothing is in the least tentative.

Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) The Bells, Spring, Vocalise - Galina Pisarenko (soprano) Alexei Maslennikov (tenor) Sergei Yakovenko (baritone) Yurlov Russian Ch, USSR SO/Evgeni Svetlanov rec. 1973/84 ALTO ALC1314 [69:25] [JQ] Still a compellingly attractive purchase.

Erik SATIE (1866-1925) Piano Music Vol. 1 - Noriko Ogawa (piano) rec. 2015 BIS BIS-2215 SACD [78:02] [DM] At once piquant and palate cleansing; Ogawa at her considerable best.

Johan WAGENAAR (1862–1941) Symphonic Poems Vol. 1 - Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie/Antony Hermus rec. 2008 CPO 777 479-2 [50:16] [RB] Worth hearing. Not everything here is admirable but there's enough to justify the outlay.

Lily Afshar (guitar) Musica da Camera - Works by Paganini, Piazzolla & Uspensky ARCHER RECORDS ARR-31957 [50:17] [OL] A great showcase for the artistry of the guitarist, but the CD as a whole doesn’t stand up well to repeated listening.

Italian works for oboe & piano Luciano Franca (oboe) Filippo Pantieri (pianoforte storico) rec. 2012 TACTUS TC850002 [69:16] [PRB] If you like the sound of a finely-played oboe, music that is both easy on the ear as well as unfamiliar in the main, then there is much to enjoy here.

WH Squire (cello) Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1894) Clarinet Trio Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Piano Trio - Haydn P Draper (clarinet), Arthur Catterall (violin), Hamilton Harty, William Murdoch (piano) rec. 1924-28 PRISTINE AUDIO PACM101 [77:24] [JW] These restorations have done Squire proud.

Other reviews
The Essential Colin Wilson Read by the author rec. 1986 NIMBUS NI5124 [67.36] [PCG] Those of us who love musical adventure will also find it gratifying to have our pleasure given a philosophical justification.