Déjà Reviews
Re-published reviews from the archive
Saint-Saëns: Organ music (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) An excellent opportunity to move beyond the familiar [JF]
Scarlatti: Sonatas (BIS)
(Déjà Review) A pianist to watch out for, and a recording that need not fear critical listening [ED]
Rimsky-Korsakov & Stravinsky: Scheherazade, Song of the Nightingale (Sony Classical)
(Déjà Review) Sumptuous, exciting and wonderfully sensuous [IL]
Raff: String Quartets 6 & 7 (cpo)
(Déjà Review) A talented and wholly convincing composer, able to adapt classical principles and romantic ends [TB}
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano) Mozart & Beethoven (Music & Arts)
A must-hear for Michelangeli fans, and indeed for all lovers of great pianism [CC]
Poulenc, Duruflé & Alain: Organ Works (Apex)
An imaginatively planned programme, performed with dedication and total accomplishment [GPJ]
Brahms: Sextets No 1 & No 2 (EMI Classics)
(Déjà Review) The quite wonderful playing of No 1, in particular, makes this an essential disc [CH]
Myaskovsky: Complete Symphonic Works (Olympia/Alto)
(Déjà Review) A major stride forward in the Myaskovsky revival. Strong and broadly expressed interpretations mostly in modern digital recordings [RB]
Mahler: Symphony 8 (Warner Classics)
(Déjà Review) – A second view: Superbly performed by all concerned and expertly recorded [JQ]
Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine (Naïve)
(Déjà Review) So many details teased out by Alessandrini make this new version very compelling indeed [TH]
Magnard & Fauré: String Quartets (Aeon)
(Déjà Review) Substantial works in immaculate performances [HC]
Mahler: Symphony 8 (Warner Classics)
(Déjà Review) Lean and direct, intent on clarity and sense of direction, but an apparent lack of some grandeur and sense of occasion [TD]
Lauridsen: Choral music (Hyperion)
(Déjà Review) This disc is a must – I hope you enjoy it as much as I have [JPh]
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9, Carnival Overture; Smetana: The Bartered Bride Overture (RCA)
(Déjà Review) Ebullient and powerful and the finale sweeping but not overdone, and with tremendous inner rhythm [JW]
Quatuor Kandinsky: French Piano Quartets (Erato)
(Déjà Review) A sultry recording of surgingly romantic music given the hot-blooded approach [RB]
Chopin: Reminiscences (Linn)
(Déjà Review) It depends on whether you’re a fan of Pizarro, or his personal selection [TH]
Browne: Music from the Eton Choirbook (Gimell)
Near perfect music from the late fifteenth century sung in glorious style [JF]
Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 (RCA)
Harnoncourt’s remarkable vision of this great symphonic master [TB]
Tveitt: A Hundred Hardanger Tunes Suites Nos 2 & 5 (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) Between Engeset and the RSNO, this music is coaxed into shape without effort or artificiality. Highly recommended [GH]
Atterberg: Piano Concerto (cpo)
(Déjà Review) A feast for unashamed romantics. Grand Romantic, heart-on-sleeve stuff, over the top music, delivered in bravura performances [IL]
Donizetti: Elvida (Opera Rara)
(Déjà Review) I strongly recommend all lovers of the composer’s music and the bel canto genre to add it to their collections [RJF]
Bach: Keyboard Works (Hyperion)
(Déjà Review) A significant series, a laudable one, and there’s no lessening in perception in this final volume [JW]
Buxtehude: Complete Organ Works Vol. 2 (Da Capo)
(Déjà Review) Phenomenally relaxed and efficient technique on the most challenging of organs [CB]