March 2023
Poulenc: Piano Works (Danacord Records)
Affectionate, elegant and sophisticated performances [JF]
Janácek, Brahms, Bartók: Violin Sonatas (Alpha Classics)
Two firecracker performers strike a storm of sparks off one another [DMD]
Alkan: Piano Concerto (Naxos)
A recording that romantic era piano fanciers will have to have [RB]
Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier (Nimbus Records)
A recording that romantic era piano fanciers will have to have [PGW]
Tin Pan Alley Epanalepsis
by Alex Segal
Tchaikovsky: Iolanta/Stravinky: Mavra (Bayerische Staatsoper)
A marriage made in hell does no favours to either partner – perhaps we might hope for a divorce? [PCG]
Lovesick (Signum Classics)
Lovely love songs, best taken in small doses for maximum effect [GF]
Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Legends (Forgotten Records)
A strong performance, if sometimes tending towards literalness [PBW]
Vaughan Williams: Live Vol. 4 (SOMM Recordings)
More treasures lovingly restored – but without the revelations of the earlier volumes [NB]
Music for Strings (Chandos)
An absolutely outstanding disc containing some of the best of English string music [EJW]
Mozart’s Idomeneo
A survey by Ralph Moore
Henley: Piano Works (Bridges Records)
Variety, not uniformity: drama, quiet lives and noble protest [RB]
Gomes: Salvator Rosa (Regis)
(Déjà Review) One can but thank Dorset Opera for their enterprise [CF]
Brahms: Symphony 1, Alto Rhapsody (Dutton)
(Déjà Review) A must have for all historical devotees [GFe]
A Tribute to Pauline Viardot (Aparté)
Viotti’s range and diction are to be admired [MC]
Lipkin: Piano Works (Lyrita)
Not especially tough or unforgiving yet exerts a spell that stirs the heart and the mind [RB]
Titelouze: Hymnes de l’église (Aeolus)
A revelation [SG]
Netzel, Sandström, Tarrodi: Piano Concerti (BIS)
A master pianist in music written for (and by) him – a voyage of discovery [WH]
Havergal Brian: Symphonies No. 8, 9, 22, 24 (Heritage)
Brilliant re-masterings of superb, and possibly definitive, recordings [JF]
The Monteverdi Organ (Brilliant Classics)
Groundbreaking from the perspective of performance practice [JV]
The Making of a Medium Vol. 1 (Crystal Records)
(Déjà Review) A fine selection [RB]
Bach: Goldberg Variations (Hyperion)
(Déjà Review) A reference disc for these timeless variations for many years to come [GFe]
Beethoven: Violin Concerto (LSO Live)
A good performance of the concerto, fatally undermined by completely unsuitable cadenzas [JQ]
Enescu: Piano Sonatas (Prospero)
Enescu’s finest piano works in superb performances by a newcomer [SB]
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Featured Naxos review |
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