September 2023
Ataúlfo Argenta (conductor) (Decca)
Two LPs’ worth of Argenta’s legendary performances in classic Decca sound [PSe]
Bruch: Songs and Dances (cpo)
An ingenious collection of dances, though perhaps not to be played straight through [JW]
Mahler: Symphony No 1 (Pentatone)
A recording in which those who have been following the Bychkov cycle can invest with confidence [JQ]
Champagne! The Sound of Lumbye and His Idols (Dacapo)
An entertaining, historically interesting tribute to Lumbye and his contemporaries, played with precision and admirable elan [GF]
Puccini: Turandot (Pristine Audio)
Not an ‘icon’ perhaps, but unmissable for admirers of Callas and Puccini [WH]
Cooke: String Quartets Vol 1 (Toccata Classics)
The first of two volumes of Cooke’s string quartets augurs well [HC]
N Berg: Song of Songs & Symphony No 4 (Phono Suecia)
(Déjà Review) A warming chance to sample the music of Berg the Swedish romantic [RB]
Bach: Goldberg Variations (Warner Elatus)
(Déjà Review) Excellent interpretations of these great works [KM]
Verdi: Falstaff (Pristine Audio)
Pristine revitalises another indispensable gramophone classic but the improvement over the RCA issue is only marginal [RMo]
Stanfordian Thoughts: 18. Father O’Flynn
by Christopher Howell
Editing Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony
An interview with Dr Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs by Lee Denham
Cowie: Where the Wood Thrush Forever Sings (Métier)
A committed performance of Cowie’s visionary, numinous new composition [JF]
Wagner: Orchestral Selections from Der Ring des Nibelungen (RCA/Sony)
It would be hard to find a more sumptuously played and superbly recorded Wagner disc than this one [MB]
English Orchestral Anthems (Delphian)
I will be returning to this disc often [WK]
Bridge: Orchestral Works (Warner Classics)
(Déjà Review) An authoritative introduction to Bridge’s orchestral music … an ideal place to start [JQ]
Brahms: String Quartets (Hänssler Classic)
(Déjà Review) No lover of fine chamber music should be without this disc [KS]
The Last Epiphany (Challenge Classics)
Thought-provoking juxtaposition of light and shade, of joy and horror, so valuable in the world of today [GF]
Respighi: Gli uccelli, Antiche danze ed arie (BIS)
A stylish, entertaining conclusion to John Neschling’s excellent Respighi series [JQ]
Ichiro Suzuki (guitar): Intimate (IBS Classical)
The intimate guitar at its best [ZT]
Weber, Schumann, Strauss: Horn concerti (Chandos)
A delightful collection [SB]
Tučapský: Concertos (SOMM Recordings)
(Déjà Review) The sort of disc which makes reviewing ‘peripheral’ repertoire a joy [RB]
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (Naxos Historical)
(Déjà Review) Spiritual engagement of the profoundest kind [JW]
Chopin: 24 Preludes, 14 Waltzes (APR)
Expert re-masterings breathe new life into these treasured recordings [SG]
Roth: The Traveller, Earth and Sky (Signum Classics)
A welcome addition to the representation on disc of Alec Roth’s music [JQ]
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