January 2025
Ataúlfo Argenta (conductor) Berlioz & Rodrigo (Gramola)
Two contrasting, classic recordings from 1957 by a sadly short-lived conductor [RMo]
Alla Polacca! (Polskie Radio)
Polish rarities from Józef Elsner and his pupils given spirited performances [RCh]
Sublimation (Harmonia Mundi)
A wealth of beautiful melodies and fascinating rhythms, played with technical acuity and sensitivity [GF]
Gipps: Orchestral Works Volume 3 (Chandos)
A further opportunity to get to know her fine music [PH]
Toscanini – The 1948 Brahms Cycle Vol. 3 (Pristine Audio)
It’s swings and roundabouts between this and the Philharmonia cycle [SV]
Sergio Fiorentino (piano) The Complete SAGA Album Collection (Rhine Classics)
Fiorentino’s complete Saga recordings of 1958-60 heard in excellent remasterings [JW]
Beethoven: String Quartet, op. 131
by Alan George
Shostakovich: String Quartet 5
by Alan George
Shostakovich: String Quartet 4
by Alan George
Amorous in Music (Et’cetera)
(Déjà Review) Plenty of variety here and quite some historical frisson as well [JW]
Vine: The Piano Music 1990-2006 (Tall Poppies)
(Déjà Review) An impressive, irreversible strength to the works on this disc [DC]
Busoni: Fantasia Contrappuntistica, Sonatinas, Bach transcriptions (Chandos)
Busoni’s great Fantasia in its two piano version is the climax of this rewarding disc [SB]
Trio Contrasti: Epochs & Cultures in Dialogue (Oehms Classics)
Interesting repertoire, excellent playing [SA]
Opus V: Keyboard works by Mozart and J C Bach (Ars Produktion)
One of the best recordings of Mozart’s concertos [JV]
Smetana: Má vlast and other Symphonic Works (Supraphon)
Smetana’s dynamism brought out by a conductor of clarity and subtlety [JW]
Schubert: Symphony No 9 (BR Klassik)
Bernstein advocates will surely want this meritorious recording [MC]
Sorcellerie: Works for piano duo (Alpha Classics)
There’s plenty of magic in the playing here [RCh]
Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras Nos 7-9 (BIS)
(Déjà Review) This developing series is a triumph for the São Paulo Symphony, Roberto Minczuk and the BIS engineers [DH]
Stravinsky: The Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring (Deux-Elles)
(Déjà Review) Exciting recordings that throw new light on the originals, and absorbing in their own right [GPu]
Donizetti: Il diluvio universale (Dynamic)
A strong cast is sabotaged by a pointless production which is visually distracting in the extreme [MP]
Americascapes 2 – Walker, Crumb & Revueltas (Ondine)
A wonderful programme of orchestral brilliance [PRJ]
Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos 6 & 9 (Signum Classics)
Fine performances of two idiosyncratic, even eccentric, Shostakovich symphonies [WH]
Constantin Silvestri (conductor): Debussy, Ravel & Falla (ICA Classics)
Dramatic Franco-Iberian precision from an unexpectedly potent 1960s partnership [JW]
Holst: Fide et Litiris (EM Records)
A fascinating recording, including previously unknown works by Holst, performed and recorded at the school for which they were composed [GPJ]
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Featured Naxos review |
Featured Naxos review |
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