ejw

Jim Westhead

Lehár: Symphonic Works, Piano Sonatas & 39 Lieder (cpo)

This very well-produced collection will appeal to those who enjoy Lehár’s operettas [EJW]

MacDowell: Orchestral Works Volume 1 (Chandos)

A finely played piano concerto and orchestral works by a most highly regarded North American composer of his generation [EJW]

Puccini: Turandot (Pristine Audio)

A most worthwhile remastering of this classic Turandot, with sonic improvements throughout [EJW]

Britten Prince of the Pagodas Halle CDHLD7565

Britten: The Prince of the Pagodas (Hallé)

The first recording of Britten’s complete balletic masterpiece in over 30 years [EJW]

Bendix syms 8224742

Bendix: Symphonies nos 1 & 3 (Dacapo)

Performances that challenge the only other available recording [EJW]

Mahler: Symphony No 3 (BIS)

A sonic feast allows a persuasive vision of Mahler’s Third Symphony to shine forth [EJW]

Brahms: Reimagined Orchestrations (Reference Recordings)

Schoenberg’s orchestration of Brahms’s Piano Quartet in a very well recorded, lovely performance, and two surprises [EJW]

Leach bee DDX21104

Leach: Diary of the Bee – Chamber Works (Divine Art)

Lyrical music largely inspired by the wildlife and countryside of the Scottish Lowlands [EJW]

Mahler Symph 2 Vanska BIS 22296

Mahler: Symphony No 2 ‘Resurrection’ (BIS)

A beautifully recorded and performed ‘Resurrection’ Symphony, with a limitation in the chorus [EJW]

Mahler Symph 1 Vanska BIS 2346SACD

Mahler: Symphony No 1 (BIS)

A superb if sometimes controversial performance of Mahler’s First Symphony, a showcase for Minnesota Orchestra [EJW]

Stanford Te Deum Lyrita SRCD43512

Stanford: Te Deum and Elegiac Ode (Lyrita)

Stanford’s two fine choral works, composed when there was public appetite for such performances [JWe]

Reinecke Sauer CDA68429

Reinecke & Sauer: Piano Concertos (Hyperion)

A welcome addition to Hyperion’s Romantic Piano Concerto series, containing three widely contrasting works [EJW]

Cilea Gloria Dynamic Blu-ray DYN 58004

Cilea: Gloria (Dynamic)

A fine production of a neglected work, not quite Adriana Lecouvreur melodically, but a feast for admirers of Italian opera [EJW]

Henselt, Bronsart: Piano Concerti (BIS)

Unequivocally first-rate, brilliant in every respect – for the lover of 19th-century piano concertos [EJW]

Alfano romantica 8574533

Alfano: Orchestral & Instrumental works (Naxos)

Fine, memorable music by the Italian composer who completed Puccini’s last opera [EJW]

Price choice ALC1482

Leontyne Price (soprano) Personal Choice (Alto)

One of the most glorious female voices of the 20th century, in a selection from famous recordings [EJW]

Mahler Symph 6 Rattle BR Klassik 900217

Mahler: Symphony No 6 (BR Klassik)

Sir Simon Rattle and his new orchestra’s Mahler Sixth in top-flight performance and recording [EJW]

Cav Pag Bjorling Pristine Audio XR PACO209

Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana & Leoncavallo: I Pagliacci (Pristine Audio)

Remarkable sonic restoration, almost recreation, and a must for Verismo opera lovers [EJW]

Rózsa: Overture to a Symphony Concert, Hungarian Serenade, Tripartita (Capriccio)

If you like this programme, you will like these performances [EJW]

Paderewski: Manru (cpo)

A most welcome recording of a neglected opera [EJW]

Mahler Symph 8 Vanska BIS 2496SACD

Mahler: Symphony No 8 (BIS)

Vänskä’s performance of Symphony of a Thousand; a rave review [EJW]

rachmaninov symphony red note

Rachmaninov: Symphony 1 (Red Note)

An interesting, well-presented performance on a budget issue [EJW]

Garūta: Apple Tree (Skani)

Beautifully performed and recorded Latvian choral songs, influenced by folk music [EJW]

Leiviska Symph 1 PC Hanssler HC23050

Leiviskä: Symphony No 1 & Piano Concerto (Hänssler Classic)

Late-romantic works by a neglected Finnish composer in committed, well-recorded performances [EJW]