Beethoven
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos 1-9 (Brilliant Classics)
(Déjà Review) A masterly and visionary cycle offered at a ridiculously low price [NH]
Beethoven: Violin Concerto (Forgotten Records)
A performance of exquisite refinement [SG]
Christine Brewer (soprano) Great Operatic Arias (Chandos)
(Déjà Review) Chandos’s faith in Brewer has been justified, completely and utterly [CC]
Willem Mengelberg – Beethoven Recordings 1940-42 (The Willem Mengelberg Society)
Marvellous performances in significantly improved sound [PSt]
Pierre Monteux (conductor): Live (SOMM Recordings)
A handsome tribute to ‘Le Maître’ sixty years after his death [JQ]
Beethoven: String Quartets, Op 18 Nos 1 and 4 (Naïve)
(Déjà Review) Quatuor Mosaïques are an astonishing ensemble who deserve the utmost praise for these magnificent performances [MC]
Jorge Bolet (piano) His earliest recordings (APR)
Bolet at his sparkling best back in the catalogue [RCh]
Beethoven: Symphony No 9 (Music & Arts)
(Déjà Review) Harshly recorded, but for some Toscanini enthusiasts it is the greatest of his preserved Ninths [CH]
Budapest Quartet: Early Recordings Vol 2 (Pristine Audio)
Finally, volume 2 appears and it’s well worth the wait [JW]
Leopold Stokowski (conductor) BBC Legends Recordings 1963-74 (ICA Classics)
A collection of Stokowski’s live performances from the end of his career is inevitably something of a mixed bag [PCG]
Beethoven: The Mahler Re-Orchestrations (Capriccio)
Beethoven’s genius emerges triumphantly – which is exactly as Mahler intended [NB]
Pina Carmirelli (violin) Concert Tours (Meloclassic)
A significant discographical addition [SG]
Beethoven: Symphony No 3; Schubert: Symphony No 9 (ICA Classics)
Boult in spirited form in his twilight years: no let-up in authority from the doyen of British conductors [JW]
Olga Samaroff & Frank La Forge (piano): The Complete Recordings (APR)
Highly enjoyable playing by two pioneers of American pianism [RCh]
Isolde Menges (violin) (Biddulph)
A great artist’s important legacy restored, including first recordings of Beethoven, Bach and Vaughan Williams [JW]
Beethoven: The String Quartets (Candle Row Press)
A lively introduction to this music written with humour, erudition and enthusiasm [DMD]
Beethoven & Dean: Piano Concertos (Orchid Classics)
A refreshing and compelling pairing of two piano concertos [WH]
Beethoven & Brahms: Symphonies (RCO Live)
One of the finest orchestral discs to have come my way for a very long time [JQ]
Radu Lupu (piano): Live Vol. 1 (Doremi)
Some welcome additions to the pianist’s discography [SG]
Beethoven: Symphonies 5 & 6 (Hänssler Classic)
Expect to be surprised, moved and possibly irritated [CC]
Beethoven: Symphony No 3 (Channel Classics)
Fischer balances the suavely light and the resiliently heroic [MG]
475 Jahre Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden (Profil)
Many first-class performances to celebrate the 475th anniversary of the Staatskapelle Dresden [MC]
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 1 & Piano Sonata No 14 (Deutsche Grammophon)
Overall, this is an unsatisfying and disappointing CD [PBW]
Featured Naxos review |