NEW & RECENT ARTICLES
“Untouchable” and ”Most
Recommendable” Opera Recordings - a very personal guide by Ralph
Moore
Second Thoughts and Short Reviews:
Summer 2019/2 by Brian Wilson, Johan van Veen and Simon Thompson
What is the meaning behind the Castellucci production of Salome?
- an interpretation by Len
Mullenger
Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été - a survey by Ralph Moore
A
portrait of the pianist Adolph
Hallis by William Snedden
Wagner’s Der
fliegende Holländer - a survey by Ralph Moore
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Live performance reviews posted daily at
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Friday August 30th
John Luther ADAMS (b. 1953)
Become Desert -
Seattle SO/Ludovic Morlot
rec. 2018 CANTALOUPE CA21148 CD/DVD [40:22] [RHa] Monumental music, thrillingly played, concealing a terrifying message.
Louis ANDRIESSEN (b. 1939)
Chamber Music At Orlando rec. 2018 ETCETERA KTC1657 [69:55]
[DC]
Excellent live performances of rare repertoire.
Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896)
Symphony No.3
-
Frankfurt Radio SO/Paavo Järvi rec. 2014 RCA SICC-10278 SACD [51:54]
[RMo] One of the fastest performances on record, but does not sound rushed.
Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924)
Tosca - Laila Andersson-Palme (soprano) Rolf Björling (tenor)
Ch & O Royal Swedish Opera/Carlo Felice Cillario
rec. 1984 STERLING CDA1837/1838-2 [42:42 + 68:12]
[GF]
A valuable document of the event.
Frank
Merrick (piano) & Henry Holst (violin) rec. 1950s-60s
NIMBUS NI8826 [4 CDs: 278 mins] [JF]
Essential listening to all who are interested in 20th century music and its performance history.
Messe du Roi Soleil Chœur et Ensemble Marguerite Louise/Gaétan Jarry (organ) rec. 2018 CHÂTEAU DE VERSAILLES SPECTACLES CVS008
[53:11] Les Grandes Eaux de Versailles: Musique des Fętes Royales
2019
Sampler CHÂTEAU DE VERSAILLES SPECTACLES CVS700
[68:27]
[BW] The ‘Messe du Roi Soleil’ is very worthwhile, but the sampler is too
bitty – save your money for some of the complete recordings included.
Songs & Sonnets From the reign of Queen Victoria
-
Belinda Williams (mezzo)
Mark Wilde (tenor)
David Owen Norris (piano) rec. 2016 EM RECORDS EMRCD054 [65:55]
[MBu]
Delicious!
Thursday August 29th
Perttu HAAPANEN (b. 1972)
Choral works - Helsinki Chamber Choir, Nils Schweckendiek rec. 2016
BIS BIS-2452
[65:06] [MR]
Vocal antics aside, there is not much else to commend in this extremely peculiar display of quasi-musical experimentation.
Jean-Baptiste LULLY (1632-1687)
Dies Irć, De Profundis,
Te Deum - Chœur de Chambre de Namur;
Millennium O; Cappella Mediterranea/Leonardo García Alarcón
rec. 2018 ALPHA 444 [82:50]
[BW] Now my prime recommendation for this glorious music.
Pietro MASCAGNI (1863-1945)
Cavalleria rusticana - Alexia Voulgaridou (soprano) Angelo Villari (tenor)
O & Ch del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino/Valerio Galli
rec. 2019 DYNAMIC CDS7843 [72:36] [GF] A lot to offer, in particular the singing of Voulgaridou and Villari.
Olivier MESSIAEN (1908-1992) Méditations sur le mystčre de la Sainte Trinité
- Tom Winpenny (organ) rec. 2018 NAXOS 8.573979
[73:47]
[DM] Winpenpenny’s finest Messiaen yet; superb sound, too.
Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924)
Madama Butterfly - Olga Busuioc (soprano) Joshua Guerrero
(tenor)
Glyndebourne Ch,
London PO/Omer Meir Welber
rec. 2016 OPUS ARTE OABD7166D Blu-ray [151 mins]
[DBi] A performance on Blu-ray video that deserves to be in everyone's collection.
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Works for Solo Piano Vol. 4 -
Barry Douglas (piano) rec. 2018 CHANDOS CHAN20086 [68.40]
[RBe] Uneven performances which do not show Douglas at his best.
Clair de Lune: Orchestral Favourites
New SO London/Raymond Agoult, National PO/Douglas Gamley rec. 1957-74
ELOQUENCE 482 7339
[66:17 + 74:18] [RMay]
Raymond Agoult’s admired recordings make a welcome return to the catalogue.
Antal Doráti (conductor)
Works by Blomdahl, Rosenberg, Berwald, Pettersson - Erik Saedén (baritone), Stockholm PO/Antal Doráti rec. 1967
DORÁTI EDITION ADE079
[76:21] [JW]
Good to have the Pettersson finally available on CD.
Wednesday August 28th
Ernst BACHRICH (1892-1942) Piano
works -
Alexander Breitenbach (piano)
Lola Rubio (violin)
Anna Christin Sayn (soprano) rec. 2018 EDA EDA44 [70:04] [JW]
The dedicated performers prove to be fine exponents of the different and difficult demands of the music.
Philip GLASS (b. 1937)
Soundtracks Vol. II - Michael Riesman (piano)
Chase Spruill (violin) rec. 2008-18 ORANGE MOUNTAIN MUSIC OMM0139 [73:09]
[SSi] An enjoyable disc that no self-respecting Philip Glass fan will want to be without.
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Horn Concertos
-
Felix Klieser (horn)
Camerata Salzburg rec. 2018 BERLIN CLASSICS 0301188BC [52:31]
[MR] Polished, pristine performances delivered with extraordinary fluency and flawless precision by the truly remarkable Felix Klieser.
Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Piano Concerto
No. 2 Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1841-1893)
Piano Concerto No.
1 -
Haochen Zhang (piano)
Lahti SO/Dima Slobodeniouk rec. 2018 BIS BIS2381 SACD
[66:29] [RBe]
Soloist and orchestra excel.
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
Symphonies
- Dresdner Philharmonie/Michael Sanderling rec. 2015–19 SONY CLASSICAL 19075872462 [11 CDs: 718:11]
[MC]
Michael Sanderling and the Dresdner Philharmonie have put heart and soul into this Shostakovich cycle - if I had to choose a single set it would be this.
Alexander VEPRIK (1899-1958)
Orchestral works - BBC Ntl O Wales/Christoph-Mathias Mueller
rec. 2019 MDG 901 2133-6 SACD [74:51]
[SG]
A revelation, which I hope will win over many followers.
Kristian Benedikt (tenor) Tenore di forza
- Lithuanian Ntl SO & Opera Ch/Modestas Pitrenas
rec. 2018 DELOS DE3571 [68:10]
[GF] Really good dramatic tenors are still in short supply - Benedikt is a valuable addition to that supply.
Erling Blöndal Bengtsson (cello)
The Danish Recordings 1966-2002
-
Claus Myrup (viola) Royal Danish O/Stanislaw Skrowaczewski DANACORD DACOCD844 [69:13 + 76:27]
[JF]
Danacord continues its tribute to this fine cellist.
Anita Cerquetti (soprano)
Recital - Maggio Musicale Fiorentino/Gianandrea Gavazzeni
rec. 1956/7 ELOQUENCE 4828601 [53:02] [PSt]
One wonders sadly what a Cerquetti recital recorded at the age of 46 might have been like, but there is plenty here to enjoy.
Bernard Haitink (conductor) The
Early Years: Vols 1 & 2 - Concertgebouw O rec. 1958-63 BEULAH 1PS51/2PS51
[65:32 & 69:24]
[BW] While not essential purchases, these downloads offer an interesting
sidelight on the early part of Haitink’s career.
Tuesday August 27th
Gaetano DONIZETTI
(1797-1848)
Il castello di Kenilworth
- Jessica Pratt, Carmela Remigio (soprano) O &
Ch Donizetti Opera/Riccardo Frizza rec. 2018
DYNAMIC CDS7834.02 [73:17 + 57:22]
[GF] Admirers of Donizetti – and we are many – should definitively give it a listen.
Antonín DVORÁK (1841-1904) Piano Trio
No. 3,
Piano Quintet - Czech Trio,
Ondříček Quartet, Jan Heřman (piano)
rec. 1941/51 FORGOTTEN RECORDS FR1626 [69:50]
[JW] Historically valuable and interpretatively convincing.
Philip GLASS (b. 1937) 50 Years of the Philip Glass Ensemble rec. 1971-75 ORANGE MOUNTAIN MUSIC OMM0136 [61:39 + 74:11] [DC] The Philip Glass time-capsule.
Bengt Wilhelm HALLBERG (1824-1883)
& Joseph DENTE (1838-1905) Symphonies - Malmö SO/Per Engström; Swedish RSO/Ola Karlsson rec. 1984/92 STERLING CDS1120-2 [55:04] [SSi]
An interesting and most welcome release, with the Dente Symphony being a real find.
Jules MASSENET (1842-1912)
Las vie d’une rose - Sally Silver (soprano)
Christine Tocci (mezzo)
Richard Bonynge (piano) rec. 2017 SOMM RECORDINGS SOMMCD0600 [71:41]
[IL]
Excellent throughout.
Felix MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847)
Octet César FRANCK (1822-1890) Piano Quintet - Medici &
Alberni String Quartets, John Bingham (piano) rec. 1988 NIMBUS NI7108 [67:37] An outstanding performance of the Mendelssohn Octet paired with a sonically compromised Franck Quintet.
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Die schöne Müllerin
- Roderick Williams (baritone) Iain Burnside (piano) rec. 2018 CHANDOS CHAN20113 [65:15] [JQ] A perceptive, deeply considered and poetically sung interpretation.
Richard WAGNER
(1813-1883) Orchestral Music
- MET O, Berlin PO/James Levine
rec. 1991 ELOQUENCE 484 0636 [78:55 + 72:18]
[JF] A perfect selection for those only wanting the orchestral highlights.
Cobbett’s Legacy Berkeley Ens rec. 2015 RESONUS RES10243 [50.44]
[GH] A fascinating disc, well programmed and played with splendid commitment.
Ruggiero Ricci (violin) Discovered Tapes: Sonatas rec. 1952-84
RHINE CLASSICS RH-013 [4 CDs: 285:07]
[SG]
A worthy centenary tribute – a veritable feast.
Monday August 26th
Jeffrey BROOKS (b. 1956)
The Passion - Molly Netter, Lucy Dhegrae, Philippa Thompson (voices),
Bang on a Can All-Stars and Contemporaneous/David Bloom rec. 2018
CANTELOUPE CA21146
[40:31] [RHa]
A disc which utterly satisfies on both aesthetic and emotional levels.
Johann Baptist CRAMER (1771-1858)
Piano Concerti Nos 4
& 5 - London Mozart Players/Howard Shelley (piano) rec. 2018
HYPERION CDA68270
[60:52] [DJB]
Another excursion into the byways for the indefatigable Howard Shelley.
Carl CZERNY (1791-1857)
Die Kunst der Präludierens -
Kolja Lessing (piano) rec. 2016-18 CPO 555 169-2 [58:01 + 58:25]
[DC] Surprise of the month.
George Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
Brockes-Passion - NDR Ch, FestspielOrchester Göttingen/Laurence Cummings rec. 2017
ACCENT ACC26411
[2 CDs: 151:00] [DBi]
A fine new recording of Handel's Brockes Passion that takes top place on the current list.
Max REGER (1873-1916)
Violin Sonatas Op. 42
- Renate Eggebrecht (violin) rec. 2000 TROUBADISC TRO-CD01422 [54:03]
[SSi] A very fine release which all fans of Reger’s music will not want to be without.
Piotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Symphony No. 6
-
Berliner PO/Kirill Petrenko
rec. 2017 BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER BPHR 190261 SACD [44:07]
[RC] An utterly outstanding performance of a great symphony.
Marcin Józef ŻEBROWSKI (fl.1748-1780)
Rorate coeli, Magnificat, Missa Pastoritia -
NFM Ch,
Wrocław Baroque O/Andrzej Kosendiak rec. 2018 CD ACCORD ACD258-2 [59:39]
[JW] A little known Polish composer gets some deserved attention.
Fabiola Kim (violin) 1939: Violin Concertos by Bartók, Hartmann & Walton - Münchner Symphoniker/Kevin John Edusei rec. 2018/19
SOLO MUSICA SM308
[53:15+38:25] [JF]
A splendid introduction to three important works and composers who were active at a time of great crisis.
Wei-Wei Le (violin) Works
by Bruch & Khachaturian -
Pueblo SO/Jacob Chi
rec. 2015/17 BLUE GRIFFIN BGR507 [62:43] [MR] Luscious violin playing from Wei-Wei Le compromised by a poor recording.
Graziella Sciutti (soprano)
A Portrait rec. 1960-1964
ELOQUENCE 482 9637
[59:07] [GF]
A reminder of one of the best lyric sopranos of the 1950s and 1960s.