RECORDINGS
OF THE MONTH
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH William BYRD (1539/40-1623)
Second Service & Consort Anthems 
The Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford/Bill Ives. rec. 2006
HARMONIA MUNDI USA HMU907440 [71:05][MG]
This
CD excels in many ways; most of all in the revelation that this is music
of feeling ... see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Leo DELIBES
(1836-1891)
Sylvia
Darcey Bussell, Roberto Bolle, Royal Ballet O (Royal Opera House)/Graham
Bond rec. 2005 OPUS
ARTE OA0986D 
[IL]
A
beautiful production of this charming ballet
with a wonderfully melodic score by Delibes
... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Edvard
GRIEG (1843-1907)
Violin Sonata 1 JEAN SIBELIUS (1865-1957)
Humoresques Edward ELGAR (1857-1934)
Sospiri, Violin Sonata
Isabelle van Keulen (violin) Ronald Brautigam
(piano) rec. 2006
CHALLENGE CLASSICS CC72171 [MC]
Grieg,
Elgar and Sibelius given the finest interpretative
service ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH George
Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759) Giulio
Cesare in Egitto Andreas
Scholl, Inger Dam-Jensen, Concerto Copenhagen/Lars Ulrik Mortensen
rec. 2005 HARMONIA
MUNDI HMD990 9008.09 [BW]
Probably
the best DVD version and one of the best in any format ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Wild
about Liszt
Franz
LISZT (1811-1896)
Recitals:
Liszt the Poet, Liszt the Transcriber, Liszt
the Virtuoso; TV appearances,
Audio tracks
Earl Wild (piano)
IVORY CLASSICS
77777 [JW]
Wild’s
playing is cut from legendary cloth ... astonishing
accuracy, bravura and poetry ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Concertos for two and three pianos
Alexei Lubimov, Ronald Brautigam, Manfred
Huss (fortepianos) Haydn Sinfonietta Wien/Manfred
Huss rec. 2006
BIS SACD1618 
[MM-B]
A
delight from begin to end ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Wolfgang
Amadeus MOZART (1756–1791) Don Giovanni
RIAS Kammerchor, Freiburger Barockorchester/René
Jacobs rec. 2006
HARMONIA MUNDI HMC 901964-66 [3 CDs: 60:39 + 52:31 + 57:36][GF]
Wholly
engrossing - this eternal masterpiece with swathes of cobweb blown away
... see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Robert SCHUMANN
(1810-1856)
Piano concerto (documentary & performance)
Martha Argerich, Gewandhaus O Leipzig/Riccardo Chailly rec. live 2006
EUROARTS 2056068
[MM-B]
A
great recording of an equally great performance
... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Alexander
SCRIABIN (1872-1915) Complete
Solo Piano Works Maria
Lettberg rec. 2004-2007 CAPRICCIO
49586 [DC]
Very
high quality indeed, in every regard ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Graham WHETTAM (1927-2007) String
Quartets Nos. 1 & 4; Oboe Quartet No. 2
Jenny-Lee Keetley (oboe); Carducci Quartet rec. 2007
CARDUCCI CLASSICS CSQ5847 [63:55][RB]
A
gripping voice in the annals of British music - mysteriously ignored
... see Full Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Jonas
Kaufmann - Romantic Arias
Jonas Kaufmann (tenor); Prague Philharmonic Orchestra/Marco Armiliato
rec. 2007 DECCA 4759966
[65:09][GF]
Judging
from this debut recital Kaufmann is well equipped to be among the world’s
lead tenors – and he will stay there. ... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH Quijotes
Jacques IBERT (1890-1962) Quatre Chansons de
Don Quichotte Manuel
de FALLA (1876-1946) El
retablo de Maese Pedro
Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937) Don
Quichotte à Dulcinée Jesus
GURIDI (1886-1961)
Una aventura de Don Quijote
Carlos Alvarez (baritone); Orquesta de la Comunidad
de Madrid/Jose Ramon Encinar rec. 2005
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 4763094 [55:38][IB]
A
distinguished and enjoyable disc. Enterprise,
imagination not restricted to the independents
... see Full
Review
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH
Premieres
and Encores Henry
Hugo PIERSON (1815-1873) Macbeth
Alan RAWSTHORNE
(1905-1971) Fantasy Overture. Cortèges
David MORGAN
(1933-1988) Contrasts Francis
CHAGRIN (1905-1972) Concert Overture:
Helter Skelter Peter
WARLOCK (1894-1930) Serenade
for Strings Malcolm
ARNOLD (1921-2006) Comedy Overture:
Beckus the Dandipratt rec. 1976-1978,
LYRITA SRCD.318 [79.22] [JF]
Attractive
and interesting … ‘must have’ CD ... see Full
Review
RECORDING OF THE MONTH Symphonic
Brass
Black Dyke Band/Nicholas Childs rec. 2007
NAXOS 8.570726 [77:07][MC]
I
can see significant interest and many converts to brass band music being
generated by this disc from the Black Dyke Band ... see Full
Review
BARGAINS
OF THE MONTH
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Guillaume DUFAY (c.1397-1474) Music
for Saint Anthony of Padua Binchois
Consort/Andrew Kirkman rec. 1996 HYPERION
HELIOS CDH55271 [BW]
Superlative
performances, well recorded, of attractive music: another excellent
Helios reissue ... see Full Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Joseph HAYDN (1732–1809) Symphonies
- Volume 32 Nos 9-12 Sinfonia
Finlandia/Patrick Gallois rec. 2005 NAXOS
8.557771 [GF]
There
is an energy and rhythmic vitality here that is completely irresistible
... see Full Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Jean-Marie LECLAIR (1697-1764) Complete
Flute Chamber Works Fenwick
Smith (flute), John Gibbons
(harpsichord)
rec. 2003-5 NAXOS 8.557440-41 [CR]
Some
of the finest playing I have heard ... see Full
Review
BARGAIN
OF THE MONTH Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Piano
Concertos 1-4, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Preludes,
Opp.23 & 32 Agustin
Anievas, New PO/Moshe Atzmon, Aldo Ceccato, Rafael Frühbeck de
Burgos rec. 1967-73 EMI
CLASSICS 5008712 [MC]
The
splendid playing of Agustin Anievas admirably serves the music
of Rachmaninov ... see Full Review
BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Music
for the Lion-Hearted King - Music to mark the 800th anniversary
of the Coronation of King Richard I of England in Westminster Abbey,
3 September 1189
Gothic Voices rec. 1988
HYPERION HELIOS CDH55292 [60:13][BW]
Yet
another highly attractive reissue from Hyperion – perhaps the best yet
of these Gothic Voices CDs ... see Full
Review
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