rmo
Ralph Moore
Klaus Tennstedt (conductor): The Complete Warner Classics Edition (Warner Classics)
A seminal collection of recordings of the staple Romantic repertoire by a great conductor [RMo]
Wagner: Orchestral Music (Sony Classical)
Another splendid vintage collection of Wagner overtures from two great pairs of American orchestras and conductors [RMo]
Mahler: Symphony No 9 (Deutsche Grammophon)
Sheer beauty of sound coupled with high drama in a stunning live performance [RMo]
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1 (Philharmonia Records)
Rouvali puts his mark on this symphony in a splendidly daring and arresting manner [RMo]
Mahler: Symphonies 1 to 9 (Pentatone)
A very mixed bag; several symphonies are superb, especially in terms of orchestral playing and sound engineering, but several fall short [RMo]
Schubert: Irrlichter (BIS)
An intrinsically beautiful voice delivers as fine a Schubert recital as we have heard in many a year [RMo]
Beethoven: Symphonies 1 & 2 (High Definition Tape Transfers)
Brilliant, driven performances from an orchestra and conductor in top form, in extraordinarily good sound for its vintage [RMo]
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]
