rwe
Roy Westbrook
Donizetti: Roberto Devereux (Dynamic)
A fine production of one Donizetti’s strongest operas [RWe]
Berio: Coro; Žuraj: Automatones (BR Klassik)
A contemporary classic, a work possibly destined for that status [RWe]
Rossini: L’inganno felice (cpo)
A good, if not quite the best, account of an early Rossini opera [RWe]
Esther Rayo (soprano): Estrellita (Divine Art)
A very attractive recital of Spanish songs from the first half of the last century [RWe]
Les Divas d’Offenbach (Alpha Classics)
An attractive disc displaying much of Offenbach’s characteristic appeal [RWe]
Gyrowetz: Sinfonia Concertante (CPO)
Now obscure, but once widely celebrated, Gyrowetz is a composer worth hearing [RWe]
Clérambault: Choral music (Château de Versailles Spectacles)
More of Clérambault’s sacred music should be explored if it is of such quality [RWe]
Debussy, Messiaen: L’extase – songs (Pentatone)
A valuable addition to the catalogue of French song [RWe]
R Strauss: Arabella (Naxos)
An excellent film of a good production and performance [RWe]
Nelson Freire (piano) The SWR Recordings (SWR Music)
A varied, satisfying portrait of a very fine pianist [RWe]
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15 (BR Klassik)
An excellent live account directed by a master of this elusive work [RWe]
Rachmaninov: Piano Sonatas 1 & 2 (Naxos)
One for the growing shortlist of the best recordings of the two sonatas [RWe]
Tchaikovsky: String Quartets Vol 2 (Rubicon)
An outstanding account of Tchaikovsky’s superb, if neglected, Third Quartet [RWe]
Busoni: Doktor Faust (Dynamic)
This production does not quite support the opinion that Doktor Faust is one of the great operas [RWe]
So Written to After-Times John McCabe – A Life in Letters (Forsyth Brothers Ltd)
A fine addition to our knowledge of a significant musician, and to the spirit and culture of his profession [RWe]
Shostakovich: Complete symphonies (Capriccio)
One of the leading cycles, in a fine-sounding stereo incarnation [RWe]
Bellini: Norma (Pristine Audio)
By general consensus, the essential Norma recording, now in a superior transfer [RWe]
Puccini: Madama Butterfly (Opus Arte)
This complements but does not replace Opus Arte’s 2018 filmed performance [RWe]
Massenet: Hérodiade (Naxos)
An exciting and well sung account of Massenet’s biblical opera [RWe]
Gluck: Iphigénie en Aulide (Alpha Classics)
A very fine new account of a neglected great opera [RWe]
Schumann, Brahms: Love Songs (C Major)
A Lieder masterclass, seen and heard from the best seat in the Musikverein [RWe]
Schütz: Wehnachtshistorie (Ricercar)
A valuable compilation, in excellent performances and sound [RWe]
Bruckner: The Symphonies (Naxos)
A superb contribution to the anniversary celebrations: original interpretation, fine playing, good sound and outstanding documentation [RWe]
Stravinsky: Chamber Works (Linn)
An attractive and uncommon programme in a satisfying account [RWe]
