August 2024
Prokofiev: Piano Concerti (Danacord)
(Déjà Review) This fine addition to the discography could well be your first choice [JF]
French Opera Overtures (Chandos)
A mixed bag of goodies, distinctive and well worth a listen [RMay]
Johnson: Preludes & Fugues (Divine Art)
Anything but desiccated; technically highly skilled and in places very moving [JPu]
Mignone: Concertos and Concertinos (Naxos)
Attractive and interesting works here receive idiomatic and exciting performances [NB]
Monteverdi: Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (Sony Classical)
An audio treasure trove of fine performances, in an orchestration contrary to modern period performance dictates [MP]
Mozart: Don Giovanni (Orfeo)
A re-issue of one of Karajan’s best live Mozart outings with a superb cast, in decent sound [RMo]
Madetoja: Intimate Garden (Alba)
(Déjà Review) Played by a fine advocate well attuned to the music and its endearingly soft melancholia [RB]
Mozart: Concertos (Warner Classics)
(Déjà Review) Definitely one to own – it’s not often that “new” Mozart pieces become available [JR]
Rossini: Ermione (Naxos)
A happy release due to Fogliani’s impressive conducting, although there are a few reservations about the singing [MP]
Leach: Diary of the Bee – Chamber Works (Divine Art)
Lyrical music largely inspired by the wildlife and countryside of the Scottish Lowlands [EJW]
Palestrina: Volume 9 (Coro)
Palestrina can sound a bit academic, but not here [JV]
Bruckner: Symphony No 9 (Capriccio)
Poschner’s Bruckner cycle concludes with a typically inconsistent admixture of the very fine and the occasionally disappointing [RMo]
Tippett: A Child of Our Time (Chandos)
A fitting memorial to a magnificent musician [ST]
Goldmark & Mendelssohn: String Quartets (Hänssler Classic)
(Déjà Review) Wonderfully poised & stylish accounts [CF]
Donizetti: La Favorite (Apex)
(Déjà Review) A bargain price introduction to an opera that has all the virtues of Donizetti’s melodic invention [RJF]
Willem Mengelberg – Beethoven Recordings 1940-42 (The Willem Mengelberg Society)
Marvellous performances in significantly improved sound [PSt]
Paris, La Belle Époque (Bridge Records)
Playing of the highest quality in an intriguing and very rewarding programme [GPu]
Dvořák: Symphonies Nos 7-9 & Overtures (Pentatone)
Very well played and recorded but lacking individuality and character [NB]
Vivaldi: Double Concertos (Signum Classics)
Impressive and irresistible performances of double concertos by Vivaldi [JV]
Puccini: Madama Butterfly (Pristine Audio)
A classic if not definitive recording, in superb sound [MBu]
Nørgård: Symphony No 6 and Terrains Vagues (Chandos)
(Déjà Review) Committed and recommendable performances of these far from easy works, with wholehearted support from an orchestra in top form [HC]
Mahler: Symphony No 6 (Berlin Classics)
(Déjà Review) One of the very best recordings of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony available [TD]
Weber’s Der Freischütz
A survey by Ralph Moore
Stanfordian Thoughts 28. Shamus O’Brien in North America
by Christopher Howell
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Featured Naxos review |
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