Brahms
Primrose String Quartet: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (Biddulph)
William Primrose’s elite string quartet recordings back after 30 years [JW]
Carl Schuricht (conductor) (Forgotten Records)
Absolutely lovely live performances which must be heard through a veil of crumbly mono sound [RMo]
Janáček, Brahms, Bartók: Violin Sonatas (Alpha)
A varied program by performers who are clearly at one about the music [LP]
Robert Casadesus (piano): Brahms/Falla (Maestro Editions)
Ringingly affirmative Brahms and a good if ordinary de Falla [RB]
Julius Prüwer (conductor) Forgotten Maestro (Pristine Audio)
A welcome restoration of the recordings of a largely overlooked German conductor [JW]
Nelson Freire (piano): The Unreleased Recordings (Decca)
Previously unreleased Nelson Freire recordings enrich the catalogue [JW]
The Brahms Connection (Quartz)
Stunning recorded sound, superlative performances of rare repertoire- an absolute winner! [DMD]
Brahms and Berg: Violin Concertos (Ondine)
Masterly performances of two major concertos by a violinist at the height of his powers with superb and sympathetic orchestral playing in support [SB]
Brahms: Symphonies (Channel)
A variable Brahms cycle, let down by inconsistent conducting decisions and an unfortunate lack of contextual information in the booklet [ST]
Gina Bachauer: Mercury Masters (Eloquence)
Gina Bachauer’s powerful Mercury legacy, collated in its entirety for the first time in a single box [JW]
Julius Prüwer (conductor) Forgotten maestro (Pristine)
A welcome to a neglected conductor from the early electrical recording period in Berlin [GT]
Aaron Rosand (violin) The First Recordings (Biddulph)
Rosand’s first Vox recordings are restored for a new generation [JW]
Jascha Heifetz (violin) New York Concerts (Rhine Classics)
Heifetz fans, of which I’m one, shouldn’t hesitate [SG]
Christian Ferras (violin) (Rhine Classics)
A 5-CD, finely upholstered salute to a great musician [JW]
Van Cliburn in Moscow (RCA)
Fine performances somewhat compromised by indifferent sound [RMo]
Henryk Szeryng (violin) Rediscovered (Rhine)
One of the twentieth century’s greatest violinists, a musical aristocrat with superb polished technique and a phenomenal intellect [SG]
Salon de Budapest (Gramola)
Wit and warmth from the Budapest of operetta and salon [JW]
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