rmo
Ralph Moore
Sibelius: Violin Concerto (Alpha Classics)
A really impressive, beautifully balanced partnership resulting in a memorable account of Sibelius’ wonderful concerto paired with a superb Lemminkäinen Suite [RMo]
Bach: Goldberg Variations (Genuin)
A strange reading, alternately irritating and delightful, marred by occasional self-conscious idiosyncrasies [RMo]
French Orchestral Favourites (Chandos)
70 minutes of bon-bons beautifully played and well contrasted [RMo]
Wagner: Das Rheingold (Pristine Audio)
A fine performance in excellent sound for the provenance, well enhanced, but with attendant flaws and failings [RMo]
Wagner: Orchestral music from Der Ring (Sony Classical)
Extraordinarily vibrant orchestral extracts from Wagner’s greatest works by an orchestra and conductor at their peak {RMo]
Brahms: Symphony No.2 (IMP Classics)
A beautifully played Brahms Second, full of light, shade and delicacy [RMo]
Tchaikovsky: Shakespearean Works (Deutsche Grammophon)
(Déjà Review) A real mixed bag hopelessly compromised by the best-known item but still desirable for the accounts of the lesser-known music [RMo]
Bruckner: Symphony No 7 (Pristine Audio)
Despite its improved sound, except as a historic document this remains superfluous in the light of competitive recordings from Karajan himself [RMo]
Inessa Galante: a retrospective of some of her recordings
by Ralph Moore
Mahler: Symphony No 1 (Le Palais des Dégustateurs)
An erratic, unsettling account of a symphony which needs steadier, more coherent governance [RMo]
The recordings of Ewa Podleś
A survey by Ralph Moore
Brahms: Symphonies No.3-4 (Pristine Audio)
Romantic, free-flowing accounts somewhat compromised by indifferent sound and playing [RMo]
Shostakovich: Symphony No 2 & 5 (Chandos)
Storgårds’ more detached interpretative stance to both symphonies is valid and consistent but might be too cool for some tastes [RMo]
Gustav Mahler: Symphony 1, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Pristine Audio)
A highly satisfying and logical pairing, well-remastered and showcasing both Boult’s and Thebom’s eminence in Mahler [RMo]
Bizet: Carmen (Château de Versailles Spectacles)
Two decent principal singers adrift in a sea of poor voices – a dispiriting issue [RMo]
Cilèa’s L’Arlesiana – A survey of the recordings
by Ralph Moore
Dvořák: Slavonic Dances (Chandos)
A rather charmless, heavy-handed take on Dvořák’s famous two sets of dances [RMo]
Verdi: La traviata (ICA Classics)
(Déjà Review) An enormously subtle creation enshrined for posterity [RMo]
Strauss: Four Last Songs (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) A magnificent souvenir of perhaps the greatest Strauss soprano ever [RMo]
Puccini: La fanciulla del West (Walhall)
Tebaldi’s best Minnie, well-partnered, too – but in mono [RMo]
Giordano’s Fedora – A survey of the recordings
by Ralph Moore
Smetana, Dvořák & Suk: Bohemian Legacy (Challenge Classics)
A trio of Bohemian chamber works played with energy and passion [RMo]
Puccini: Orchestral Music (Chandos)
A succession of Romantic, richly scored melodies, exhibiting typically seductive Puccinian tropes [RMo]
Massenet: Songs With Orchestra – II (Bru Zane)
A charming anthology of mélodies featuring four fresh, young voices in beguilingly varied orchestral arrangements [RMo]
