Classical CDs
Classical CDs Weekly: Beethoven, Martinů, MompouSaturday, 13 February 2016
Beethoven: Symphonies 4 & 5 Concentus Musicus Wien/Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Sony)Nikolaus Harnoncourt announced his retirement in December, so this live recording from May 2015 is presumably among his last. Harnoncourt has recorded plenty of... Read more... |
Classical CDs Weekly: Montanari, Sibelius, Stephen KovacevichSaturday, 31 October 2015
Montanari: Violin Concertos Johannes Pramsohler (violin and director), Ensemble Diderot (Audax Records)Versatile baroque violinist Johannes Pramsohler’s latest act of musical exhumation introduces us to one Antonio Maria Montanari, a violinist... Read more... |
Classical CDs Weekly: Dvořák, Toivo Kuula, MozartSaturday, 24 October 2015
Dvořák, Suk, Janáček: Violin Concertos Josef Špaček (violin), Czech Philharmonic Orchestra/Jiří Bělohlávek (Supraphon)Josef Suk's expansive single movement Fantasy in G minor is a big-boned, lovable work; it's a surprise to learn that Suk complained... Read more... |
Classical CDs Weekly: Nielsen, Aurora Orchestra, Matthew GeeSaturday, 12 September 2015
Nielsen: Violin Concerto, Flute Concerto, Clarinet Concerto Nikolaj Znaider (violin), Robert Langevin (flute), Anthony McGill (clarinet), New York Philharmonic/Alan Gilbert(Dacapo)Nielsen's Violin Concerto opens with a crash and a growling pedal... Read more... |
Classical CDs Weekly: Hugi Guðmundsson, Schubert, Les SièclesSaturday, 29 August 2015
Hugi Guðmundsson: Calm of the Deep The Hamrahlíd Choir/Þorgerður Ingólfsdóttir, Nordic Affect/Guðni Franzson (Smekkleysa)Calm of the Deep introduces us to contemporary Icelandic composer Hugi Guðmundsson. Who sees his music as “a dialogue between... Read more... |
Classical CDs Weekly: Dubois, Grieg, MartinůSaturday, 20 June 2015
Théodore Dubois: Musique Sacrée et Symphonique, Musique de chambre (Ediciones Singulare)Théodore Dubois is the sort of figure whose grave you'd expect to stumble upon in Père Lachaise Cemetery. For decades he was a senior figure in French... Read more... |
Classical CDs Weekly: Bach, Mozart, PoulencSaturday, 17 January 2015
Bach: St John Passion Berliner Philharmoniker, Members of the Rudfunkchors Berlin, Soloists/Sir Simon Rattle, with staging by Peter Sellars (Berliner Philharmoniker)You'd happily settle for an audio recording of Sir Simon Rattle's version of... Read more... |
Classical CDs Weekly: Bruckner, Unsuk Chin, DvořákSaturday, 30 August 2014
Bruckner: Symphony no 2 Wiener Symphoniker/Carlo Maria Giulini (Wiener Symphoniker)No apologies for reviewing a reissue, as this disc is fabulous. Originally a 1974 EMI recording, it's now released on the Wiener Symphoniker's own label. Carlo... Read more... |
Classical CDs Weekly: Brahms, Elgar, Tobias HumeSaturday, 21 June 2014
Brahms: The Violin Sonatas Corey Cerovsek (violin), Paavali Jumppanen (piano) (Milanollo)Listening to Brahms's chamber music in hefty doses is good for the soul. The symphonies and concertos are weighty, rich creations – magnificent in their... Read more... |
Classical CDs Weekly: Britten, Debussy, Schumann, WeinbergSaturday, 24 May 2014
Britten, Weinberg: Violin Concertos Linus Roth, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/Mihkel Kütson (Challenge Classics)“I am a pupil of Shostakovich. Although I have never had lessons from him, I count myself as his pupil, as his flesh and... Read more... |
Classical CDs Weekly: Mahler, New Year's Day Concert, Bjarte EikeSaturday, 08 February 2014
Mahler: Symphonies 1-3 Philharmonia Orchestra/Lorin Maazel (Signum)These are expansive, weighty performances, but they work. Mostly. Listening to this first instalment of Lorin Maazel's latest Mahler cycle is an occasionally frustrating... Read more... |
Classical CDs Weekly: Prokofiev, Dame Janet Baker, Henning KraggerudSaturday, 02 November 2013
Prokofiev: Works for piano 1908-1938 Roger Woodward (Celestial Harmonies)You don't often hear this music articulated with such steely power and intensity. Recently I've spent too much time listening to Prokofiev's more romantically-inclined... Read more... |
