Schumann: Violin concertos, etc - REVIEW

Schumann: Violin concertos; Phantasie

Baiba Skride (violin); Danish National SO, John Storgards

Orfeo C854131A

From the opening tutti of the D minor concerto, Skride and Storgards unite to give a powerful, richly romantic view of Schumann's works for violin and orchestra.  Skride plays with impressive depth of tone and beauty of sound and, if Anthony Marwood's Hyperion disc of the same works is marginally to be preferred, it is encouraging that a musician as talented as her is moved to make such a strong case for these neglected works. 

*****

Mozart, Rachmaninov, Ravel etc: works for two pianos - REVIEW

Mozart, Rachmaninov, Ravel etc: works for two pianos

Martha Argerich, Gabriele Baldocci

Dynamic CDS7663

Recorded live in Livorno in 2008, this programme of 'Argerich's two-piano Greatest Hits' finds her and her young Italian colleague in mercurial form.  Mozart's D major sonata and Milhaud'sScaramouche fizzle, while an especially kaleidoscopic La valse is truly terrifying.  It is only in Rachmaninov's first suite that one misses the alchemy of Argerich's partnership with Nelson Freire.  The recording is somewhat harsh and overloads occasionally, but this is an exciting snapshot of what must have been an extraordinary evening.

****

Elgar: Cello Concerto; Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations; etc - REVIEW

Elgar: Cello Concerto; Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations; etc

Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello); BBC SO, Jiri Belohlavek

Harmonia Mundi HMC902148

Queyras' lack of sentimentality and sense of drive in the Elgar are very welcome, as is the urgent and ripely idiomatic contribution from an orchestra currently at the top of its game.  The Tchaikovsky has great poise and zest, and as a bonus we are treated to two short pieces by Dvorak - Silent Woodsand the Rondo - which could scarcely have been done better.  We are not short of recordings of any of these works, but nevertheless this disc is worth investigating.

*****

Schubert: Quartet in G, D.887, etc - REVIEW

Schubert: Quartet in G, D.887; Quartettsatz, D.703

Wihan Quartet

Nimbus Alliance NI6221

This refined Czech ensemble gives a finely-nuanced, warmly expressive reading of Schubert's final masterpiece in the genre.  If their earlier disc, the traditional coupling of the Rosamunde and Death and the Maiden quartets may have been a touch too restrained for some listeners, here there is no want of fire or volatility.  With demonstration quality sound, and a welcome coupling, this performance deserves to be heard.

*****

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies nos.5 & 7 - REVIEW

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies nos.5 & 7

LPO, Bernard Haitink

LPO 0072 (2 CDs)

Haitink recorded all nine of Vaughan Williams' symphonies for EMI, finding warmth and spaciousness without sacrificing energy when needed: No.5 had an almost Brucknerian sweep, and no.7 was more cogently symphonic than is often the case.  As the performances under review were given at the time of their respective studio recordings, they are essentially similar although in significantly murkier sound and, in the case of no.5, marred by a restless, bronchial December audience.

***

F & L Couperin, Marchand, etc: Harpsichord works - REVIEW

F & L Couperin, Marchand, etc: Harpsichord works

John Kitchen

Delphian DCD34109

Vividly alert to the widest range of styles and moods, Kitchen's survey of music from the age of Louis XIV is a delight from start to finish.  The 1755 Baillon instrument from the collection at Edinburgh University sounds superb, especially in the dashing dance movements, and the Delphian recording is typically clear and warm. Kitchen intersperses substantial suites by Louis Marchand, Elizabeth Jacquet de la Guerre and Francois Couperin with imaginatively chosen shorter works in a generous programme that will suit any listener looking for a varied single disc of this repertoire.

*****

Britten: War Requiem - REVIEW

Britten: War Requiem

Galina Vishnevskaya, Peter Pears, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; choirs; Melos Ensemble; LSO, Benjamin Britten

Decca 4785433 (2 CDs & blu-ray audio)

Decca have done Britten, and one of their genuinely iconic recordings, proud.  Newly-remastered, this fifty year-old recording sounds as if it were made yesterday.  The work fits handily onto a single CD, with the invaluable rehearsal extracts taking up the second disc.  Best of all is an audio blu-ray of the performance which, for those with the set-up, provides studio-quality of blistering power and definition.  It is touching that such an important, moving document has been restored to such a level.

*****