rmo
Ralph Moore
Aureliano Pertile (tenor) Disques Columbia (Malibran-Music)
A compilation demonstrating the versatility and musicality of Toscanini’s favourite tenor [RMo]
Verdi: Falstaff (Pristine Audio)
Pristine revitalises another indispensable gramophone classic but the improvement over the RCA issue is only marginal [RMo]
Spontini: La Vestale (Bru Zane)
Far from ideal, but on balance the best of the French versions and its appeal is enhanced by excellent sound and conducting [RMo]
Leoncavallo’s Zazà
A survey by Ralph Moore
Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (Pentatone)
In no way does this new recording displace its illustrious predecessors except in terms of the clarity of its digital sound [RMo]
Mahler: Symphony No. 3 (Oehms Classics)
Another fine but essentially redundant issue in this Mahler series [RMo]
Handel: Water & Fire (Pentatone)
Handel’s grand outdoor showpieces reduced in scale to intimate chamber works [RMo]
Refice: Cecilia (Dynamic)
Excellent orchestral playing, choral singing and conducting compromised by sub-par solo voices and thus a missed opportunity [RMo]
Schubert: Stimme der Liebe (SOMM Recordings)
A charming anthology collected in tribute to a master interpreter of Schubert Lieder [RMo]
Bellini’s I puritani
A survey by Ralph Moore
Anton Bruckner: Eleven Symphonies (Bruckner Society of America)
A highly informative and accessible guide through the thickets of Bruckner scholarship [RMo]
Handel: Serse (Linn)
Highlights the variety of Handel’s invention and showcases a superb lead singer [RMo]
Byrd: Mass for Five Voices (Hyperion)
A refined, intimate, impeccably sung and recorded collection of Byrd at his most reserved and doleful [RMo]
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde – An Orchestral Passion (Oehms Classics)
A brisk and brusque compendium of the main Tristan themes for the impatient, would-be Wagnerian [RMo]
Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Works (Chandos)
Strikingly vivid and thrilling accounts of some of Tchaikovsky’s most atmospheric narrative tone poems [RMo]
Rossini: Elisabetta regina d’Inghilterra (Opera Rara)
An interesting alternative to the older Philips set, with another excellent cast [RMo]
Bruckner: Symphony 9 for 2 Pianos (High Definition Tape Transfers)
A highly successful transcription embracing a wide variety of moods and colours [RMo]
Farrenc: Symphonies (Erato)
Stimulating, approachable and highly varied music [RMo]
La Divina Maria Callas in all her roles (Warner Classics)
A magnificent and comprehensive testament to the supremacy of the greatest singing actress of the 20C [RMo]
Three Harder-to-find Rossini Operas
by Ralph Moore
Sibelius: Symphonies (Musical Concepts)
An attractive bargain set; crisp playing and intelligent conducting embrace the whole gamut of moods in these wonderful symphonies [RMo]
Holst: The Planets (RCA)
A typically virtuosic recording from a great American partnership [RMo]
Mercadante: Messa solenne (Dynamic)
An intriguing revival of music which makes grand gestures but mostly remains oddly bland and uninvolving [RMo]
Schubert: Symphonies – Unfinished & The Great (Pentatone)
Virtuoso playing and an excellent recording but Janowski’s tempi are not invariably well judged [RMo]
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