November 2024
Monteverdi: L’Orfeo (Château de Versailles)
L’Orfeo with a difference, especially in instrumental colour and dramatic projection [RWe]
News of Great Joy: Christmas from St John’s College, Oxford (Resonus)
An enjoyable, thoughtfully prepared Christmas album [JQ]
Songs from the North of Ireland (Delphian)
Wholesome songs from two Ulsterwomen of lyric, and folkloric, gifts [JW]
Paris est une fête (Fuga Libera)
Paris, Pelléas, Party – a winning trio in this sparkling collection [RCh]
Puccini: Messa di Gloria (BR Klassik)
A good account of some of Puccini’s youthful works which is not necessarily an improvement on Pappano’s rival version [RMo]
Dvořák: Cello Concerto (Sony Classical)
A moving and timely disc, Dvořák’s matchless concerto stands alongside short works by Ukrainian composers [WH]
Vaughan Williams: Film Music, Vol 1 (Chandos)
(Déjà Review) Thrilling, evocative performances captured in the best Chandos sound. Especially important for presenting the full score of Scott of the Antarctic [IL]
Berg, Janáček & Hartmann: Violin Concertos (Apex)
(Déjà Review) One of the stronger Warner Apex CDs. By all means buy it to play straight through and enjoy the stimulation of the juxtaposition of the music of these three composers [CC]
Reimagining the Classics: Part 1
by David Barker
Shura Cherkassky (piano) The Ambassador Auditorium Recitals 1981-9 (First Hand Records)
A desirable collection that captures the Cherkassky magic [SG]
Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos 2 & 3 (Orchid Classics)
This is one of the finest Prokofiev piano discs issued in recent times [RCu]
Next Generation Mozart Soloists Vol 10 (Alpha Classics)
A showcase for the superb ‘Next Generation Mozart soloists’, a little flawed by the use of a hackneyed 19th century version of the Sinfonia concertante [MG]
The Madrigal Reimagined (Resonus Classics)
A model of creative programming and performance [JV]
Delvincourt: Chamber Music Vol 2 (Ciar Classics)
Two intriguing scores which bookend the composer’s compositional life [SG]
Bowen & Walton: Viola Concertos (SWR Music)
A near-hit and a miss; a good Bowen Concerto and an ordinary Walton [JW]
Nelson Freire (piano) Schumann: Carnaval, Papillons, Kinderszenen (Decca)
Freire enthusiasts should love the performances, sound deficiencies or not [DS]
Schulhoff: Chamber works Vol 2 (Supraphon)
Repeated listening to these Schulhoff scores offers revelatory rewards [MC]
Doráti: Piano Concerto; Seiber: Suites (Hänssler Classic)
An all-Hungarian disc of real pleasures – Doráti’s approachable Concerto and Seiber’s orchestral music in splendid performances [JW]
Young: Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror (Warner Classics)
A brand-new score for a creepy classic silent movie that really pulls out all the stops [PHa]
Hynninen: Ratsut (Alba)
Colourful extended harp fare from Finland, a slightly underwhelming follow-up to Hynninen’s marvellous Otilia album [RHa]
Lloyd: Works for Brass (Lyrita)
A super disc [JQ]
Mozart: Requiem (Harmonia Mundi)
Pichon’s inventive programming and superb musicianship make this recording stand out in a crowded field [SSc]
The Memory Garden – Guitar Music from England (Deux-Elles)
A great programme of solo guitar music by English composers, played with a special sensitivity and depth [KT]
Mussorgsky: Symphonic Transcriptions (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) Whatever superlatives you hear about this disc I urge you to believe them [MC]
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