June 2024
Marwan Abado: Longa Vienna (Gramola)
Middle-Eastern songs and instrumental improvisations, vividly recorded and beautifully presented [GH]
Julius Asal (piano): Scriabin & Scarlatti (Deutsche Grammophon)
Imaginatively constructed, probing and a tribute to sensitivity and outstanding musicianship [SG]
René Benedetti (violin): In Concert (Biddulph)
Suave, stylish, scintillating and virtuosic; René Benedetti in his prime [JW]
Mendelssohn: Complete String Quartets (Cedille)
(Déjà Review) A suitably warm and wonderfully detailed recording matches insight, imagination and colouristic sensibility [JW]
Nystroem: Sinfonia del Mare (Musica Sveciae)
(Déjà Review) Sea music portrayed in a great fusion of romanticism and modernism [JF]
Reicha & Neukomm: Quintets (Brilliant Classics)
Appealing, occasionally quirky Classical quintets [SV]
Sorabji: Toccata Terza (Piano Classics)
A performance of enormous clarity and subtlety [PRJ]
Beethoven & Dean: Piano Concertos (Orchid Classics)
A refreshing and compelling pairing of two piano concertos [WH]
Braunstein: Abbey Road Concerto (Alpha Classics)
The Beatles rub shoulders with Delius and RVW’S The Lark [JW]
Until Night Falls (Genuin)
Interesting programming and some evocative pianism [RCh]
Martinů: Double Concerto (Apex)
Some sound issues, but on a purely artistic level these are pretty compelling performances [TH]
Mahler: Symphony No. 4 (Avie)
More than a curio, this Fourth has an appeal and an impact all of its own [CC]
Roussel: Violin Sonatas and String Trio (Naxos)
Very stylishly played accounts of Roussel’s impressive chamber works [NB]
Pacific Quintet: United (Fuga Libera)
The playing on this outstanding issue is nothing short of spectacularly good [GPJ]
de Visée: Theorbo Solos (BIS)
Music by Louis XIV’s favourite lutenist, played with distinction on a wonderfully resonant, warm instrument [GH]
Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt (conductor): Orchestral Anthology Vol 1 (Forgotten Records)
Schmidt-Isserstedt on light duties, pre-war, in an overture sequence [JW]
Shostakovich: Symphony No 8 (BR Klassik)
An embarrassing discographical postscript to a distinguished career [NC]
Rawsthorne: The Film Music (Chandos)
(Déjà Review) Highly recommended to film music fans and admirers of English 20th Century music, particularly of Alan Rawsthorne [PC] [GSD]
Dvorák: Slavonic Dances (Teldec)
(Déjà Review) Performance and recording superb. Recommended, but Sejna’s Supraphon issue is the genuine article [JP]
Chopin: Piano Works (Pristine Audio)
Fou’s artistry and expressiveness shows no dimunition in these late, live recordings excellently remastered by Pristine [MG]
Stanfordian Thoughts: 24. Stanford and the Irish Choral Society of Chicago
by Christopher Howell
Humour and Classical Music: Morecambe and Wise
by David Barker
Enrico Gatti (violin) Praeconium solitudinis (NovAntiqua)
The performances are superb, but the concept may not appeal to everyone [JV]
Handel: Complete Violin Sonatas (Delphian)
An accomplished partnership presents Handel’s violin sonatas most attractively [MC]
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Featured Naxos review |
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