November 2023
Humour and Classical Music: Silent Monks & The Hallelujah Chorus
by David Barker
Through The Night (BIS)
A stimulating medley of the best string music, beautifully executed [RMo]
Schubert: Symphonies Vol. 3 (Chandos)
Excellent playing, woodwinds especially, but Brüggen brings more compelling, dramatic impact [MG]
Composing Myself (Toccata Press)
One of the most important composer autobiographies [GH]
Bach: Goldberg Variations (Deutsche Grammophon)
I’m not sure it is possible to overhype playing as good as this [DMD]
Cherubini: Medea (Warner Classics)
(Déjà Review) The set should be heard for its documentation of an extraordinary musical meeting [CH]
Schumann: Symphony No. 1; Strauss: Sinfonia domestica (Orfeo)
(Déjà Review) Mitropoulos’ readings offer a must-hear, never less than fascinating experience [CC]
Beethoven, Berwald: Septets (BIS)
Two lovely chamber scores for strings and winds [SV]
Lully: Benedictus (Château de Versailles Spectacles)
An impressive testimony of Lully’s skills as a composer of sacred music [JV]
Puccini: Tosca (Pentatone)
An indifferent Scarpia, so this is not a premier choice, but great singing by Melody Moore and Ștefan Pop [GF]
Ekaterina Siurina (soprano): Where Is My Beloved? (Delos)
A stream of imperturbably sedate tone, virtually devoid of characterisation [RMo]
Auerbach: Milking Darkness (Challenge Classics)
Delta Piano Trio continue to excel in Auerbach’s music [LW]
Bach: Goldberg Variations (Simax Classics)
(Déjà Review) One of the most personal and original harpsichord recordings of the Goldbergs to be released in years [KM]
Weyse: Sovedrikken [The Sleeping Draught] (Dacapo)
(Déjà Review) The score is bright, carries warm harmonies and is fast moving with enjoyable themes, and catchy motifs [RW]
Orff: Prometheus (Orfeo)
A very original setting of the Aeschylus tragedy, declaimed and sung in Ancient Greek [RWe]
Whitacre: The Sacred Veil (Acis)
A sincere and deeply felt work, expertly performed [JQ]
Cunningham: Symphonies 5 & 6 (Navona)
Twentieth-century American, with its own set of highs and lows [SV]
Fraser-Simson: Complete Settings of Songs by A.A. Milne (EM Records)
A complete delight [WK]
Korngold: Music for Violin, Cello & Piano (Et’cetera)
Good performances of Korngold’s earliest chamber works [SB]
From Mannheim to Berlin (Challenge Classics)
Cello playing of the highest calibre [JV]
Britten & Veale: Violin Concertos (Chandos)
(Déjà Review) A gorgeous disc that will have you reassessing the Britten and embracing the Veale concerto [RB]
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3 (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) A disc of undoubted historic interest that contains performances of distinction in their own right [JL]
Ronald Stevenson & Friends (Prima Facie)
A wonderful memorial to a great Scottish pianist and composer by his friends in music [GT]
Fauré: Pénélope (Erato)
A subtle, carefully crafted opera, beautifully sung even if in the end it lacks melodic memorability [RMo]
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