May 2024
Shostakovich: String Quartets (Signum Classics)
The Carduccis’ Shostakovich: control and catharsis [NC]
Jacqueline Delman (soprano) More from my archives (Oak Grove)
A valuable documentation of Delman’s versatility, musically, repertoire-wise and linguistically [GF]
Rodrigo: Orchestral Works v4 (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) Amongst the most atmospheric and delicious works that I have experienced in some time [KS]
Mendelssohn: Octet & Sextet (Delos)
(Déjà Review) A real winner in terms of repertoire, performance, interpretation, sound quality and sheer enjoyment [MC]
Wagner: Götterdämmerung (Pristine Audio)
The culmination of a great Ring cycle has a place among the best: scintillating singing, playing and conducting [RMo]
Bertin: Fausto (Bru Zane)
The first-ever Faust opera based on Goethe – and from a feminine perspective [PCG]
Bruckner: From the Archives, Volume 1 (SOMM Ariadne)
The auspicious launch of what promises to be a Bruckner series of uncommon interest [JQ]
Tchaikovsky, Korngold: String Sextets (Hyperion)
Two delightful string sextets, expertly played [SB]
Elisabeth Schumann (soprano): Elisabeth Schumann’s Swan Song (Parnassus)
Late recordings, issued in their entirety for the first time, do not show the much loved soprano at her best [PT]
Kabeláč: Complete Chamber Music (Capriccio)
An important set from a composer who had much to say, and said it without any compromise [HC]
Piston: Symphony No. 4, Capriccio, Three New England Sketches (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) A must-buy featuring some truly outstanding 20th century American music [NH]
Mozart: Arias, Symphony No. 38 (Opus Arte)
(Déjà Review) Excellent performances of these great works [PSh]
Bach JS: Sonatas and Partitas (BIS)
Dazzling virtuosity, sometimes at the expense of the music [ZT]
Beethoven: String Quartets Vol 1 (Chandos)
A very promising beginning to the Doric’s Beethoven cycle, marked by excellent engineering, superb emotion, and precise attention to detail [MZ]
Bruckner: Symphony No 4 (Profil)
A magnificent account of the last version of Bruckner’s most approachable symphony, beautifully played in ideal recorded sound [RMo]
Sacred Treasures of Venice (Hyperion)
A fine young male choir in known and little-known repertoire [GH]
Seither: Lauschgut. Works for (Inside) Piano (Kairos)
Seither’s piano oeuvre is conceptually consistent and superbly executed here, but it’s patently not for everyone [RH]
Tarkiainen: Midnight Sun Variations (Ondine)
A fine survey of Tarkiainen’s recent work, and a great introduction to her attractive sound world [HC]
Elgar: Enigma Variations (Hallé)
(Déjà Review) A radiant account of Enigma [CF]
Jongen: Cello Concerto & Impressions d’Ardennes (Cyprès)
(Déjà Review) Cyprès have done a sterling job kicking over the predictable traces [RB]
The Queen’s Masque (Coviello Classics)
The music can’t fail to entertain, but the performances are not really satisfying [JV]
JS Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1 (BIS)
Excellent and compelling [SG]
Center: Instrumental & Chamber Music Vol 3
The final instalment of Christopher Guild’s imaginative survey of Center’s piano music [JF]
Bruckner: Symphony 7 (Capriccio)
A patchy account, hobbled by a particularly egregious bit of tinkering with the codas of the first movement and the finale [RMo]
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