April 2024
Massenet: Le Cid (Sony Classical)
This version of Massenet’s opera is somewhat marred by the coarse recording, but there are a few thrills to be encountered nonetheless [MP]
Oboe Concertos at the Court of Thurn und Taxis (Accent)
Thurn und Taxis’ star oboist Palestrini has found his peer in Xenia Löffler [JV]
R Strauss & Hindemith: Horn Concertos (EMI Classics)
(Déjà Review) One of the greatest instrumentalists of the 20th century in some of its juiciest music – it’s a disc you can’t really afford to miss [GPJ]
Lindberg: Cello Concerto (Sony Classical)
(Déjà Review) These dedicated performances by artists enjoying a long association with Lindberg’s music cannot be bettered, and are superbly recorded [HC]
Smith: Dark Flower (Redshift)
The magnificent quintet which gives this exceptional release its title is a must; the couplings are hardly less compelling [RHa]
Anna Lipiak (piano) Female Power (Private release)
An exploratory and attractive programme let down by the piano sound [RCh]
Humour and Classical Music: Peter Schickele
by David Barker
Ravel, Berkeley & Pounds (Chandos)
A crisp interpretation of Ravel’s reverie that highlights its sui generis brilliance against his Boulangerist successors [NC]
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (Warner Classics)
Beautiful sonorities throughout but the conductor’s approach is an emotional letdown and hampers the stellar cast [MP]
L Couperin: Keyboard Works (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) An affirmative and joyful way with Couperin [JW]
Bizet: Carmen (Opus Arte)
An altogether outstanding record of a thrilling event [TH]
Brown: 24 Preludes & Fugues (Lyrita)
Ample rewards for a serious piano music lover [SA]
The King’s Playlist – recital (Linn)
A promising debut: a portrait of musical life at Louis XIV’s court [JV]
Sonic Alchemy (Sono Luminus)
An absorbing, rewarding programme, despite reservations about a couple of the performances [PT]
The Brodsky Album (IBS Classical)
A niche issue which disappoints on a number of levels [RHa]
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos 1-10 (Naxos)
Enormous presence and clarity … a great deal to enjoy … no serious collector will want to be without this set [TH]
Canat de Chizy: Chamber music (Aeon)
(Déjà Review) Robust, joyfully dancing music-making of great energy and very often great beauty [HC]
Franck: Les Béatitudes (Fuga Libera)
A fine performance of this ambitious but uneven work, but note the skimpy documentation [SB]
Schubert: Symphony No 9 (Deutsche Grammophon)
Bernstein in genial mood directing a luscious-sounding Concertgebouworkest [RMo]
Stravinsky: The Nightingale (Sony Classical)
Stravinsky’s own recording is a flawed yet pleasurable account of this little opera [MP]
Tellefsen & Kalkbrenner: Piano Concertos (Hyperion)
A fine disc that shows there are still many engaging concertos to be discovered [RCh]
Barchet: Chamber Works (Hänssler Classic)
(Déjà Review) Full marks to Hänssler for giving enduring life to this most attractive and expert craftsman [JW]
Beethoven: Symphony No 5 & 7 (Elatus)
(Déjà Review) The real Leningrad Phil of the Soviet era, superbly drilled and directed [JP]
Mozart: Piano Concertos – Vol. 9 (Chandos)
Bavouzet and Takács-Nagy are unsurpassed in sensitively conveying Mozart’s varieties of mood, but K415’s finale is diminished by a plethora of eingangs and a rescoring [MG]
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