rmo

Ralph Moore

rachmaninov ravel fuga libera

Rachmaninov: Symphony No 3 (Fuga Libera)

The symphony is here given the best possible advocacy and Ravel’s nightmarish La Valse makes the perfect pendant [RMo]

Schubert Mahler Webern Nagano Farao B108116

Schubert, Mahler and Webern: Music for Strings (Farao Classics)

For all the carefully argued and exhaustively justified reasoning behind these transcriptions, I fail to see – or rather hear – the point… [RMo]

Schoenberg: Pelleas und Melisande, Verklärte Nacht (Pentatone)

Alternately delicate and voluptuous orchestral playing and rich sonics underpin the effect of this pairing [RMo]

Bach Corea Borac Hanssler Profil PH24018

Bach: Goldberg Variations & Corea: Children’s Songs (Profil)

Elegance and restraint characterise this cool account, complemented by some interesting bonuses [RMo]

Bizet Carmen Le Conte Pristine PACO217

Bizet: Carmen (Pristine Audio)

An authentically French, operetta-style Carmen of the kind you will not hear today – but over-refined and lacking punch [RMo]

Wagner: Siegfried (Profil)

Superlative singing whose impact is somewhat compromised by the disappointingly cavernous mono sound [RMo]

bruckner symphony reference

Bruckner: Symphony No 7 (Reference Recordings)

A magnificent performance, caught In astonishingly vivid sound, supplemented by an exotic and appealing new work [RMo]

bruckner symphony ncpa

Bruckner: Symphonies Nos 1-3 & 7-9 (NCPA Classics)

Bruckner from Beijing – I am transported by the beauty, conviction and coherence of the playing here [RMo]

Mozart: Don Giovanni (Orfeo)

A re-issue of one of Karajan’s best live Mozart outings with a superb cast, in decent sound [RMo]

Bruckner sym9 C8096

Bruckner: Symphony No 9 (Capriccio)

Poschner’s Bruckner cycle concludes with a typically inconsistent admixture of the very fine and the occasionally disappointing [RMo]

Weber’s Der Freischütz

A survey by Ralph Moore

Bruckner Symphs 7 8 Inbal SWR 19152CD

Bruckner: Symphonies Nos 7 & 8 (SWR Classic)

Flawless performances of Bruckner’s two finest symphonies by a master Brucknerian, in excellent sound [RMo]

Aigul Akhmetshina (mezzo-soprano): Aigul (Decca)

By far the best mezzo-soprano to emerge for a generation [RMo]

Bruckner: Symphony No 3 (Capriccio)

Three strikes and for me Herr Poschner is out … [RMo]

Zemlinsky tragodie PTC5186739

Zemlinsky: Eine florentinische Tragödie (Pentatone)

A gripping performance of a macabre, strangely compelling work [RMo]

Brahms String Quintets Gringolts BIS 2727 SACD

Brahms: String Quintets (BIS)

Highly accomplished playing of two seminal Brahms chamber works in excellent sound [RMo]

Mahler: Symphony No.3 (BIS)

An excellent account, superb sound, but an emotionally cool finale [RMo]

Mozart: Orchestral Works (Dynamic)

A wonderfully played and very varied Mozart programme in extraordinarily vivid sound [RMo]

Schubert qts CDA68423

Schubert: String Quartets (Hyperion)

Vehement, concentrated playing of the highest quality in an attractive pairing [RMo]

strauss furtwangler pristine

Furtwängler conducts R Strauss (Pristine Audio)

Pristine opens up a new depth of sound for these wartime classics [RMo]

Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra

by Ralph Moore

bellini norma pristine

Bellini: Norma (Pristine Audio)

A classic ensemble recording further enhanced by Pristine’s remastering into gloriously full and detailed, if slightly over-reverberant, sound [RMo]

Elgar: Symphony No 1 (Decca)

Barenboim imposes his own conception upon this wonderful symphony [RMo]

Bruckner: Symphony No. 1 (Capriccio)

This brisk, nervy account pales in comparison with Schaller’s steadier, grander recording [RMo]