NEW & RECENT ARTICLES
[New]
Second Thoughts & Short Reviews - Spring 2019-2 by Brian Wilson
Debussy's Pelleas et
Melisande - a
survey by Ralph Moore
John Langdon - an obituary by
Kenneth Shenton
Tchaikovsky's Eugene
Onegin - a
survey by Ralph Moore
Romance in The Land of
Heart’s Desire by Ben Janken
Listening Studio Report by
John Quinn
NOTICES
From
Acte Préalable: Zygmunt Noskowski - Complete Songs Vols 1-3;
Otton Mieczyslaw Zukowski - Opera Omnia Secularia vols 1-2; Romuald
Twardowski - In the Night's Stillness
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Publishing schedule
Monday: Other reviews (nostalgia, books, jazz, other music); Friday: Articles
Live performance reviews posted daily at
Seen and Heard
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Tuesday April 30th
Jacques BOYVIN (c1649 - 1706) Suites from the Premier and Second livres d'orgue
- David Ponsford (organ)
rec. 2017 NIMBUS ALLIANCE NI6358 [2 CDs: 158:40]
[JV] Both the playing and the recording are outstanding; no organ aficionado should miss this.
Feruccio
BUSONI (1866-1924) Elegien,
An die Jugend - Carlo Grante (piano) rec.
2013 MUSIC AND ARTS CD-1300
[61:00] [SB] The exploratory Elegies and
the rare An die Jugend in a rewarding recital.
César CUI (1835-1918) Preludes
- Jouni Somero (piano) rec. 2018 FC RECORDS FCRCD-9759 [70:48] SSi] A good recording which is superior to the only other version.
Edvard
GRIEG (1843-1907) Incidental Music
to Peer Gynt, Piano
Concerto - Jean-Efflam
Bavouzet (piano) Bergen PO & Ch/Edward Gardner
rec. 2016/17 CHANDOS CHSA5190 SACD [83:12]
[ST] Stacks up well against lots of fierce
competition.
Jonathan
LESHNOFF (b.1973) Symphony No.
4, Guitar Concerto, Starburst - Jason
Vieaux (guitar) Nashville SO/Giancarlo Guerrero
rec. 2016/18
NAXOS 8.559809 [RB] Blitzes along and does not set out to
be difficult.
Stanislaw RADWAN (b. 1939) Theatre and Film Music
- Beethoven Academy O/Rafał Jacek Delekta rec. 2017 DUX 1535 [61:53] [MW] A most enjoyable introduction to a most accomplished composer, in suitably theatrical performances.
Sir
Charles Villiers STANFORD (1852-1924)
Mass Via Victrix, At the Abbey
Gate - BBC Ntl Ch & O Wales/Adrian
Partington rec. 2018 LYRITA
SRCD382 [79:57] [JQ] After
99 years, Stanford’s Mass Via Victrix
has finally emerged from the shadows in this
splendid and important recording.
Leichte
Muse Von Zemlinsky bis Gershwin
- Ildikó Raimondi (soprano) Junge Philharmonie
Wien/Michael Lessky rec. 2016 GRAMOLA
99173 [53:23] [GF] A truly delicious
disc!
One Note Away Works by
Destenay, Goepfart & Loeffler - Juliette Bausor (flute),
Daniel Bates (oboe),
Matthew Hunt (clarinet),
Adam Newman (viola),
Olga Jegunova (piano) rec. 2017 STONE 5060192780840 [58:43] [JW] A splendidly played, sensitive recital.
Opera Overtures, Choruses and Duets rec. 1959-1993 BRILLIANT CLASSICS 95414 [3 CDs: 184:59] [NH] Best to enjoy it for what it is, rather than fretting too much about what it isn’t.
Monday April 29th
Max BRUCH (1838-1920)
Die Loreley - Michaela Kaune (soprano) Thomas Mohr (tenor)
Prague Philharmonic Ch,
Munich Radio O/Stefan Blunier rec. 2014 CPO 777 005-2 [3 CDs: 143:06]
[JW] There’s no doubting the vitality of the music, the generosity of the writing, and the theatricality of the result.
Sir Edward ELGAR (1857-1934)
Caractacus - Huddersfield Choral Society, O Opera North/Martyn Brabbins rec. 2018
HYPERION CDA68254
[2 CDs: 96:16] [PCG]
A welcome release, but does not supplant the Groves version.
Johann Simon MAYR (1763–1845)
I Cherusci - Markus Schäfer (tenor) Yvonne Prentki (soprano) Simon Mayr
Ch, Concerto de Bassus/Franz Hauk rec. 2016 NAXOS 8.660399-400 [71:38 + 81:24]
[GF] Collectors of this series can invest with confidence in this latest issue.
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Symphonies Vol. 1
-
City of Birmingham SO/Edward Gardner
rec. 2018 CHANDOS CHSA5234 SACD [74:11] [MG] These spirited, state-of-the-art accounts are crowned by the most sensitive and satisfying account of the Unfinished I have ever heard.
Dimitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
Symphony No. 1 Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958) Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
& works Amirov & Kurka - New York P-SO/Leopold Stokowski
rec. 1960/62
GUILD HISTORICAL GHCD2415
[73:06] [SFV]
Enjoyable, but nothing that represents a significant contribution to the discography.
Galina USTVOLSKAYA (1919-2006)
Complete Works for Violin and Piano - Evgeny Sorkin (violin), Natalia Andreeva (piano)
rec. 2018
DIVINE ART DDA25182
[49:19] [RB]
Nothing of glamour or neon.
Mieczyslaw WEINBERG (1919-1966)
Preludes -
Gidon Kremer (violin) rec. 2017 ACCENTUS MUSIC ACC30476 [47:21]
[CC] Kremer’s virtuosity is on full display, and also in absolute resonance with Weinberg’s language.
Blue Hour Works
by Brahms, Mendelssohn & Weber - Andreas Ottensamer (clarinet), Yuja Wang (piano), Berlin
PO/Mariss Jansons rec. 2018
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 4836069
[61:54] [LW]
Ottensamer and Wang’s programme of clarinet and piano works disarms criticism.
Abdel Rahman El Bacha (piano)
Queen Elisabeth Competition rec. 1978 MUSO MU013 [60:16]
[RC] El Bacha’s many fans will want to hear these historic
performances, which catapulted him to international success.
Polish Choral Music Polish Chamber Ch/Jan Łukaszewski
rec. 2018
DUX 1505
[67:25] [SSi]
An intriguing and excellently sung disc of attractive modern Polish choral music.
Other reviews
The Rite of Spring by Gillian Moore
publ. 2019
Head of Zeus [JQ]
An excellent introduction to a truly seminal work in twentieth-century music.
Friday April 26th
Erich
Wolfgang KORNGOLD (1897–1957)
Das Wunder der Heliane - Annemarie Kremer, Ian
Storey, PO Freiburg/Fabrice Bollon rec. 2017
NAXOS 8.660410-12 [3 CDs: 161:33]
[WK] For those new to the opera, this is
the obvious choice.
Josef MYSLIVEČEK (1737-1781) Complete Music for Keyboard
-
Clare Hammond (piano)
Scottish CO/Nicolas McGegan
rec. 2018 BIS SACD BIS2393 [76:18] [CC] Hammond’s Mysliveček is as refreshing as a well-timed sorbet.
Giacomo
PUCCINI (1858-1924)
La
bohème (Pavarotti’s
debut) - O & Ch Teatro Municipale
Reggio Emilia/Francesco Molinari-Pradelli rec.
1961 REVITALIZED CLASSICS [105.00]
[MMB] A curiosity, but a compelling one, as it gives the listener a
measure of the range, beauty and clarity of
Pavarotti’s voice at the beginning of
his career.
Dominique SCHAFER (b. 1967)
Vers une présence réelle -
ens proton bern/Matthias Kuhn rec 2018 KAIROS 0015036KAI [66:05]
[RHa] Absorbing pieces by yet another contemporary figure seemingly known only to the cognoscenti.
Richard STRAUSS (1846-1949)
Also sprach Zarathustra, Ein Heldenleben -
Oslo PO/Vasily Petrenko rec. 2016 LAWO CLASSICS LWC1166 [79.56]
[MC] Beautifully played readings that don’t quite challenge the finest.
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Swan Lake - State Academic SO of Russia "Evgeny Svetlanov"/Vladimir
Jurowski rec. 2017/18 PENTATONE PTC5186640 SACD [2
discs: 151.46] [RC] A spirited and thoroughly idiomatic account.
French Music for Ballet
Works by Sauget, Massenet & Ibert -
Estonian Ntl SO/Neeme Järvi rec. 2018 CHANDOS CHAN20132 [68:19]
[NB] Not the finest disc from this label or conductor that I have heard.
Jascha
Heifetz (violin) Concertos by
Mozart, Prokofiev & Mendelssohn - Boston
SO/Serge Koussevitzky, Bell Telephone O/Donald
Voorhees rec. 1947/1949 PRISTINE AUDIO
PASC558 [68:30] [JW] Nothing
new to the Heifetz discography here, and some
of the transfers are less successful than usual
for this label.
Soir Berceuses (mais pas que…)
-
Eugénie Warnier (soprano) Marine Thoreau La
Salle (piano) Quatuor Les Heures du Jour rec.
2016 MUSO MU027 [60:28] [SSi]
This is a lovely disc, one for all lovers
of art song.
Supersize
Polyphony Works by
Hildegard, Striggio & Tallis - Armonico
Consort/Christopher Monks, Ch Gonville &
Caius College, Cambridge/Geoffrey Webber rec.
2018 SIGNUM CLASSICS SIGCD560
[61:37] [ST] The performances are excellent,
but it’s the structure of the programme
that really makes this disc a winner.
Thursday April 25th
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano Sonatas Nos
30-32 -
Steven Osborne (piano) rec. 2018 HYPERION CDA68219 [65:09]
[CC]
A stunning release, Osborne’s readings will, beyond doubt, move you.
Richard Rodney BENNETT (1936-2012)
Orchestral Works Vol. 3 - Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano),
BBC Scottish SO/John Wilson rec. 2018
CHANDOS CHSA5230 SACD
[64:34] [RB]
Fluttering, delicate, steely, playful and mercurial.
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Violin Concerto,
Double Concerto -
Tianwa Yang (violin),
Gabriel Schwabe (cello),
Deutsches SO Berlin/Antoni Wit rec. 2017 NAXOS 8.573772 [72:25]
[RB] Very fine performances of both works.
Maurice DURUFLÉ (1902-1986) Complete Choral
Works -
Houston Chamber Ch/Robert Simpson, Ken Cowen (organ) rec. 2017 SIGNUM CLASSICS SIGCD571 [68.42]
[GH] Richly luxuriant.
Stanisław MONIUSZKO (1819-1872)
Straszny dwór - Ch & SO Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk/Zygmunt Rychert
rec. 2018
DUX 1500/1
[78:23 + 66:14] [GF]
Worth any opera lover’s acquaintance.
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Piano Concerti Nos 20 & 24 - Denis Matthews (piano),
O Vienna State Opera/Hans Swarowsky rec. 1958
FORGOTTEN RECORDS FR1591
[61:23] [JW]
All concerned are in fine, authoritative form.
Carl REINECKE (1824-1910)
Complete
String Quartets -
Reinhold Qt
rec. 2017/18 CPO 555184-2 [2 CDs: 123:33] [SG] Although they don't reach inspirational heights, these quartets do offer the listener a positive experience.
As You Like It
Patrizio Mazzola (piano) Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz/Kevin Griffiths
rec. 2016/18 ORLANDO RECORDS OR0040 [63:42]
[PRB]
If you’re prepared to give this CD the time, then you should ultimately find it as rewarding as I have.
Deep Within
Music of Arundel and Brighton in Lourdes - Michael Carver (keyboard), Arundel & Brighton Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes/Anne Ward rec. 2017
HERALD HAVPCD404
[77:52] [MW]
An accomplished introduction to interesting and consoling contemporary Catholic music.
Double Trouble David Huang, Bengt Forsberg (piano
4 hands) rec. 2018
DB PRODUCTIONS DBCD189
[65:29] [SSi]
An interesting and delightful recording.
Wednesday April 24th
Ferruccio
BUSONI (1866-1924)
The Late Works - Svetlana Belsky (piano) rec. 2018 RAVELLO
RECORDS RR8007 [54:52]
[SSi] A good choice for those who would
prefer just a single disc selection of Busoni’s
late piano music.
Franz
LISZT (1811-1886) Via Crucis,
Vater unser - Collegium Vocale
Gent/Reinbert de Leeuw (piano), Marnix de Cat
(organ) rec. 2017 ALPHA CLASSICS 390
[50:12] [RHa] Via Crucis is never an easy
listen, but this absorbing account gets close
to Liszt’s expressive and artistic aims.
Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911) Symphony No. 9
-
Essen PO/Tomáš Netopil rec. 2018 OEHMS CLASSICS OC1890 [82:33]
[WH]
A deeply satisfying reading of Mahler’s masterpiece that earns its place in any collection.
Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Piano
Quartets - Joyce Yang (piano) Alexander String
Qt rec. 2017 FOGHORN CLASSICS CD2018 [64:09]
[JW] Technically accomplished and expressively
sensitive.
Zygmunt NOSKOWSKI (1846 – 1909) Complete
Songs Vol. 3 -
Bogumila Tarasiewicz (mezzo-soprano), Karol Schmidt (piano) rec. 2015-18
ACTE PRÉALABLE AP0423 [55:34] [GF] Completion of the series with some very recent discoveries.
Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace ROYER (1703-1755)
Premiere Livre de Pièces de Clavecin - Mie Hayashi (harpsichord) rec.
2018 RESONUS CLASSICS RES10236 [65:11] [JV]
The more lyrical, 'tender' pieces come off best in Hayashi's performances.
John TAVERNER (c.1490-1545)
Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas; Gaude plurimum - Ch of the Queen’s College Oxford,
Contrapunctus/Owen Rees rec. 2018 SIGNUM SIGCD570 [76:16]
[JQ] Taverner’s wonderful music is brought vividly to life in assured and skilled performances.
Isang YUN (1917-1995)
Isang Yun und das Cello - Adele Bitter (cello),
Holher Groschopp (piano) CYBELE RECORDS 4SACD KiG011 [4 SACDs: 315:12]
[DC]
Another valuable volume from this source.
Grand
Tour Cicerone Ens rec. 2018 GENUIN
GEN19648 [72.33] [MW] A
fascinating and enjoyable programme, superbly
and sensitively performed.
Leningrad
String Quartets by Basner,
Okunev, Slonimsky, Chernov & Prigozhin -
Taneyev Qt rec. 1966-73 NORTHERN FLOWERS
NFPMA99129 [71:10] [RB] Clean and
vivid … holding nothing back in advocating
this very unfamiliar music.