rmo

Ralph Moore

Arensky sy1 CHAN10086

Arensky: Symphony 1 (Chandos)

Varied, energetic, colourful music by a composer who never found a distinctive, individual voice before his premature death [RMo]

LeTempsSuspendu BeethovenSchubert BRecords

Le Temps suspendu: Beethoven & Schubert (B Records)

Superlative, daringly innovative accounts of two Romantic chamber music masterpieces [RMo]

brahms symphonies 3 and 4 bis

Brahms: Symphonies 3 and 4 (BIS)

A lovely pairing of Brahms’ last two symphonies, elegantly and fluidly played, in ideal sound [RMo]

Brahms RAbbado BRKlassik

Brahms: 21 Hungarian Dances (BR Klassik)

A hugely enjoyable and wholly satisfying account of some wonderfully uplifting music [RMo]

Donizetti lucie 866057879

Donizetti: Lucie de Lammermoor (Naxos)

A thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully sung outing for this rarely heard version of Donizetti’s masterpiece [RMo]

Leoncavallo Piagliacci Orfeo

Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (Orfeo)

Hardly a Pagliacci to stir the blood; there is much better to be had in terms of both singing and sound [RMo]

strauss salome chandos

Strauss: Salome (Chandos)

A thoroughly disappointing recording, poorly sung, indifferently conducted and afflicted by problems in the recorded balance [RMo]

Puccini: Tosca (Pristine Audio)

Much here is vivid and compelling, especially with Pristine’s enhanced sound, but for me de Sabata prevails [RMo]

Puccini: Le Villi (BR Klassik)

As satisfying an account of the youthful Puccini’s first success as one could wish to encounter [RMo]

Ravel daphnis 2173262823

Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé (Warner Classics)

A delicate, subtle, very Gallic account, beautifully engineered [RMo]

Gary Bertini’s (almost) complete Mahler symphonies

by Ralph Moore

Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (Decca)

A fine Dutchman whose focus is firmly centred upon Lise Davidsen’s radiant Senta [RMo]

Verdi aida PACO224 1

Verdi: Il trovatore (Pristine Audio)

Pristine elevates the sonic experience of hearing two great artists in their Met debuts [RMo]

The less-well-known operas of Richard Strauss

by Ralph Moore

mahler symphony 5 swr music

Mahler: Symphony 5 (SWR Music)

A pacier, more refined Mahler Fifth, beautifully balanced but rather too restrained in parts [RMo]

Strauss: Don Juan, Ein Heldenleben (Gramola)

On the evidence of flabby playing and murky sound, the conductor should stick to Bruckner [RMo]

Bach Keyboard Concertos Warner

Bach: Keyboard Concertos (Warner Classics)

Spectacularly virtuosic playing of some of Bach’s most joyously inventive music [RMo]

Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (Opera Rara)

This must now become first choice for the original version [RMo]

Lovro von Matačić (conductor) (Supraphon)

A tribute to a great and versatile conductor containing some superb and some less successful performances [RMo]

Bruckner: Symphony No 9 (Hallé)

A performance of two halves: the first subject to vagaries in tempo which impede coherence, but the second triumphant [RMo]

Mozart krips 4758473

Mozart: The Great Symphonies 21-41 (Decca)

Classic accounts from a Mozart specialist, full of life and spirit [RMo]

Samsara – Schumann & Fauré (Alpha Classics)

An absorbing and enterprising programme, impeccably performed by a stellar partnership [RMo]

Bruckner sym8 PH25002

Bruckner: Symphony 8 (Profil)

Gerd Schaller is determined to exploit the mighty instrument’s full potential to maximum effect [RMo]

Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On (Signum Classics)

A highly successful, satisfying anthology recital by a vocal ensemble at the top of its game [RMo]