Canciones Espanolas: songs by Granados, Guridi, Montsalvatge, etc - REVIEW

Canciones Espanolas: songs by Granados, Guridi, Montsalvatge, etc
Sylvia Schwartz (s), Malcolm Martineau (piano)
Hyperion CDA67954
As recommendable a single disc of Spanish song as there currently is. Schwartz shows a wonderful voice, warm responsiveness to the texts and perfectly idiomatic Spanish. The programme is well-chosen, showing variety of mood, style and soundworld: Guridi's Six Catalan Songs have never been done more vibrantly, more movingly on record. Martineau is, as ever, the perfect collaborator.
*****

Concertos by CPE, JC & JS Bach - REVIEW

Concertos by CPE, JC & JS Bach
Anastasia Injushina (piano); Hamberger Camerata, Ralf Gothoni
Ondine ODE1224-2
A fascinating programme - father and two sons - showing how far the concerto moved on in fifty years. Injushina plays with imagination and flair, although she seems slightly at odds with the period-feel accompaniment: with delightful articulation and grace, we should hear more from these classy Hamburg players.
****

Faure, Bizet, Debussy, Ravel: piano duets - REVIEW

Faure, Bizet, Debussy, Ravel: piano duets
Claire Desert & Emmanuel Strosser (piano)
Mirare MIR190
Another welcome release from this most enterprising of labels. Desert and Strosser bring great tenderness and panache to some of the real gems of the French duet repertoire: the Berceuse from Faure's Dolly Suite melts the heart; Bizet's Jeux d'enfants sizzles with life; and Ravel's Ma mere l'Oye is as fine as any on record. Excellent sound.
*****

Mahler: Symphonies nos.1 & 2 - REVIEW

Mahler: Symphonies nos.1 & 2
NHK SO Tokyo, Otmar Suitner
King International KKC2031/2 (2CD)
One of the highlights of this third tranch of releases from the orchestral archive of Japanese broadcaster NHK. Suitner never quite had the reputation outside Germany that he deserved; here, he shows himself to be a master of pacing, phrasing and cumulative effect. If some of the singing lets the project down, these well-recorded 1970s performances are worth hearing for a fresh approach to Mahler.
****

Telemann: Cantata "Die Hoffnung des Wiedersehns" etc - REVIEW

Telemann: Cantata "Die Hoffnung des Wiedersehns" etc
Dorothee Mields (s); L'Orfeo Barockorchester, Michi Gaigg
DHM 88697901822
An unalloyed delight celebrating that most prolific, and underrated, of baroque composers. Mields sings with great poise and beauty of tone, framing the compact, eponymous cantata of lost love with a fascinating selection of arias and concertos. She's matched by vibrant playing from one of Europe's most exciting ensembles, and by a recording that captures everything cleanly and warmly.
*****

Gerhard: String Quartets; Chaconne - REVIEW

Gerhard: String Quartets; Chaconne
Arditti Quartet
aeon AECD1225
These are craggy, uncompromising pieces that nevertheless seem infused by the warmth of both Gerhard the man and his Spanish origins. His ear for colour and instrumental effects mean there is never a dull moment, and these engrossing pieces really do demand to be heard. Engaging performances that show these works at their best.
*****

Wagner: The Ring of the Niberlungen (blu ray) - REVIEW

Wagner: The Ring of the Niberlungen
John Tomlinson, Anne Evans, etc; Bayreuth Festival; Daniel Barenboim
Warner Classics 2564656333 (4 blu-ray discs)
Harry Kupfer's 1991 Bayreuth cycle was a breath of fresh air, with Barenboim dynamic and poised in the pit, and a wonderful cast. Captured here is Tomlinson's finest Wotan; Anne Evans makes a sublimely human Brunnhilde; and Siegfried Jerusalem, here in ringing voice, is both heroic and touching. Don't let the flimsy packaging put you off: filmed in hi-def and excellently recorded in surround sound, this is the most consistently satisfying blu-ray 'Ring'.
*****

Richard Rodney Bennett: Choral Works - REVIEW

Richard Rodney Bennett: Choral Works
NYCoS National Girls Choir, Christopher Bell; Philip Moore & Andrew West (piano)
Signum SIGCD325
Produced before Bennett's death, this forms a moving tribute to a masterly composer. The immediately attractive opener, Letters to Lindbergh, quirkily imagines correspondence the aviator might have received from, among others, Pluto (the cartoon dog!) and The Titanic. His gift for soaring, exciting and grateful vocal lines is shown time and time again, and this young Scottish group repay him in spades. Warmly recommended.
*****

Nielsen: Symphonies nos.2 & 3 - REVIEW

Nielsen: Symphonies nos.2 & 3
LSO, Colin Davis
LSO Live LSO0722 (hybrid SACD)
Davis completes perhaps the most persuasive of recent Nielsen cycles with utterly compelling readings of these two works. He captures the unpredictable, iconoclastic rough-and-tumble, and secures performances that are second to none. Those who have (and indeed have not) been collecting the earlier discs will need no encouragement.
*****