rb

Rob Barnett

Reade: A Celebration (Signum Classics)

Kindly lyricism … easily assimilated, easily enjoyed [RB]

Palumbo: Woven Lights (BIS)

Impressively virtuosic, but struggles with emotional purchase [RB]

Surinach acrobats BMOP1089

Surinach: Acrobats of God (BMOP Sound)

Light of heart yet with substance and a certain misty-eyed nostalgia [RB]

sagvik quartets nosag

Sagvik: String Quartets (Nosag Records)

Mesmerising modernisms mixed with tenderness along the way [RB]

Dyson: Symphony, Concerto da chiesa (Naxos)

(Déjà Review) Lloyd-Jones makes something very special of the concerto, and the other pieces are really very well done [RB]

The Coronation of their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla (Decca)

Resounds in splendour – a souvenir of a historic point in the story of British Isles [RB]

Berwald Symphonies Goodman Hyperion Dyad CDD22043

Berwald: Symphonies and Overtures (Hyperion)

(Déjà Review) Deeply rewarding lyrical statements [RB]

Divine Art at 30

An interview with label founder Stephen Sutton by Rob Barnett

williams trumpet hooten

Williams: Trumpet Concerto (Private release)

Film and concert genres: brilliance tautly wrought [RB]

argenta-great-conductors-emi-1

Ataúlfo Argenta (conductor) (EMI Classics)

(Déjà Review) Lisztians need to hear Argenta’s Faust; his El Amor Brujo is perhaps the best ever [RB]

Korngold: Sinfonietta, Violin Concerto (Dorian)

(Déjà Review) A classic of recorded sound [RB]

Brahms: Concertos (Sony)

(Déjà Review) Fortunate the listener who learns her/his Brahms through these works [RB]

Leningrad Choral Music (Northern Flowers)

Three surprising and often skilled composers of winningly varied choral music from the city’s Leningrad years [RB]

Salmanov: Works for Choir (Northern Flowers)

Sensitivity to sentiment, dynamically responsive, sung with a passion that does not jeopardise unanimity [RB]

Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Piano Music (SOMM)

(Déjà Review) All credit to Bebbington and Somm for opening this stimulating door [RB]

Iannaccone: Looking Back, Moving On (Navona Records)

Aureate radiance: radiant in calm; radiant in storm [RB]

Beethoven: Piano Concertos 1-5 (Warner Classics)

(Déjà Review) A revelation of what can still be revealed by dedicated musicians [RB]

Alkan piano RCA09026633102

Alkan & Liszt: Piano Works (RCA)

Utterly commanding – refuses to let you do anything other than flinch, succumb, brave it out and celebrate [RB]

harris symphony

M Harris: Symphony

In the mood to be soothed rather than provoked or stirred …. [RB]

Bristow & Fry: Symphonies (Bridge)

Early American romanticism – golden-age verve rather than dutiful museum revival [RB]

golden shore braithwaite

The Golden Shore (Matador Publishing)

A warm welcome is due this exemplary book which has been so well realised [RB]

Power: 29 Songs (Prima Facie)

A serious purveyor of probing singable songs, scalpel-sharp [RB]

Raízes: Portuguese Chamber Music (Naxos)

Relaxed and often light of heart [RB]

2pianos MS1652

20th Century Masterpieces for 2 Pianos & Orchestra Vol. 2 (MSR Classics)

Works brought to our ears with sparkle and emotional lightning undimmed [RB]