June 2023
Philips & Dering: Motets (Linn)
Welcome contribution to the acquaintance of the sacred oeuvre of Philips and Dering [JV]
Beethoven: Piano Concertos (Reference Recordings)
Characterful performances captured in phenomenal sound [SG]
Shostakovich: Hamlet (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) That very rare bird indeed – an original film score that can stand on its own [PSe]
Mendelssohn-Hensel: Lieder (First Hand Records)
With seventeen never-before-recorded songs, this issue is a valuable addition to the growing discography of Fanny Hensel [GF]
Lauro: Guitar Music (Brilliant Classics)
Superior original guitar music; very credible performances [ZT]
Leighton: Every Living Creature (SOMM Recordings)
Valuable premiere recordings of beautiful music in impressive performances [NB]
Mazzoli: Dark with Excessive Bright (BIS)
Music that fascinates but has no place for ingratiation or meeting the general listener half-way [RB]
Nordheim: The Tempest (Lawo Classics)
Speaks directly and pleasurably to the composer’s creative impulse [RB]
Schubert: Symphonies – Unfinished & The Great (Pentatone)
Virtuoso playing and an excellent recording but Janowski’s tempi are not invariably well judged [RMo]
Vásquez: The Complete Impresiones For Piano (Toccata Classics)
Sumptuous Romantic melancholia from Mexico, best in small doses [NC]
Mompou: Complete Piano Works (Brilliant Classics)
(Déjà Review) A chance to admire Mompou the composer-pianist in his maturity and playing that gets to the heart of the matter [JW]
Manchester Beethoven Studies (Manchester University Press)
A variegated ocean of writing by and for the worlds of deep dive enthusiasts and academics [RB]
The First Songs of Travel (Albion)
A historical release that wears its age lightly – excellent restoration and attractive singing of well-chosen repertoire [NB]
Strauss: Complete Music for Wind Instruments (Capriccio)
Precious jewels, delightfully played [ST]
Novák: Orchestral Works Vol. 2 (Naxos)
Dewy-eyed, romantic and uncloyingly amorous [RB]
Monterverdi: L’Orfeo Château de Versailles
An excellent production of a much-recorded opera that vies with the best [GF]
Bruckner: Symphony 3 (RCA)
As fine a performance of the 1889 version of Bruckner’s Third Symphony as you could wish from a great partnership [RMo]
Hofmann: Complete Piano Chamber Music (Hänssler Classic)
Full of melodies that please, but do not linger in the memory [DJB]
Dvořák: Quintets (MDG)
(Déjà Review) Hugely impressive performances from first note to last [MC]
Impromptus (Naïve)
Margain is very much at home in this music, and is its ideal exponent [SG]
Nuit à Venise (Alpha Classics)
The concept of this programme lacks consistency and the performances are uneven [JV]
Muffat: Suites for Harpsichord Vol 3 (Naxos)
A splendid conclusion to Naoko Akutagawa’s outstanding Gottlieb Muffat series [GPu]
Eileen Farrell (soprano) Sings Verdi (Sony Classical)
Stunning singing from a great dramatic soprano who might have done more but chose otherwise [RMo]
Liebestod (Accentus Music)
A parcel of bleeding chunks that don’t quite add up [DMD]
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