ejw
Jim Westhead
Leach: Diary of the Bee – Chamber Works (Divine Art)
Lyrical music largely inspired by the wildlife and countryside of the Scottish Lowlands [EJW]
Mahler: Symphony No 2 ‘Resurrection’ (BIS)
A beautifully recorded and performed ‘Resurrection’ Symphony, with a limitation in the chorus [EJW]
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 and Elegiac Ode (Lyrita)
Stanford’s two fine choral works, composed when there was public appetite for such performances [JWe]
Reinecke & Sauer: Piano Concertos (Hyperion)
A welcome addition to Hyperion’s Romantic Piano Concerto series, containing three widely contrasting works [EJW]
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: Orchestral & Instrumental works (Naxos)
Fine, memorable music by the Italian composer who completed Puccini’s last opera [EJW]
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: Symphony No 6 (BR Klassik)
Sir Simon Rattle and his new orchestra’s Mahler Sixth in top-flight performance and recording [EJW]
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: Symphony No 8 (BIS)
Vänskä’s performance of Symphony of a Thousand; a rave review [EJW]
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]
Leiviskä: Symphony No 1 & Piano Concerto (Hänssler Classic)
Late-romantic works by a neglected Finnish composer in committed, well-recorded performances [EJW]
Jonas Kaufmann (tenor): The Sound of Movies (Sony Classical)
A most enjoyable selection of songs from the movies, with some unusual items [EJW]
Humperdinck: Königskinder (Naxos)
An enjoyable production of Humperdinck’s King’s Children, beautifully performed in effective modern staging [EJW]
Schreker: Der Schatzgräber (Naxos)
A musically and emotionally intense opera by a composer at the peak of his career [EJW]
Respighi: Roman Trilogy (Ondine)
An outstanding performance and recording of these orchestral showpieces [EJW]
The English Tenor (Divine Art)
An enjoyable recital by a newcomer to the field of English Art Song [EJW]
Enna: Violin Concerto, Symphony No.2 (Dacapo)
Fine performances of mildly enjoyable works may win the composer new admirers [EJW]
Atterberg: Aladin (cpo)
A decent performance of Atterberg’s last opera, a tuneful rendition of a fairy tale in an exotic musical setting [EJW]
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