Mahler: Symphony no.1
Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Edo de Waart
RFP A-List 004
Another day, another orchestra own-label. And very welcome this is too, on the strength of a superbly paced, artfully controlled Mahler performance from chief conductor de Waart. His experience shows throughout: tempi are well judged, corners turned with care, making this warmly recorded version a cogent alternative to the flashier Concertgebouw Bernstein (DG and RCO Live)
****
Beethoven: Quartet in F minor, Op.95; Mozart: Quartet in E flat, K.428, etc
Chiaroscuro Quartet
Aparte AP051
Vibrant, searching performances from this exciting young period-instrument quartet. If Alina Ibragimova is the best-known of the four, her colleagues yield nothing to her in virtuosity or insight, and the ensemble playing is little short of remarkable: the Beethoven second movement has rarely sounded so haunting, the Mozart finale so exuberant.
*****
Martinu: Early orchestral works, vol.1
Sinfonia Varsovia, Ian Hobson
Toccata Classics TOCC0156
Anyone familiar with Martinu's spiky, refreshing soundworld will need no encouragement to explore what promises to be an ongoing treasure trove. The main work is the delightful, tuneful so-called Little Dance Suite (its four movements come in at a little under 45min!), which calls to mind Shostakovich's pastiches. But the shorter works are all interesting and approachable, especially when as well-played and naturally recorded as here.
*****
Piano Trios by Fartein Valen, Ketil Hvoslef and Klaus Egge
Valen Trio
Lawo Classics LWC1037 (hybrid-SACD)
Valen is the best-known of these three generations of Norwegian composers - Glenn Gould was an enthusiastic champion - and his early trio is a cogently-argued that brings to mind Schoenberg and Reger. Egge was better known during his lifetime as a writer and critic, but his exuberant piece, written on the largest scale, is both enthralling and approachable. Surprisingly, the trio by the youngest of the three, Hvoslef, comes first on the disc: written for the excellent players heard here, it is sparse and direct.
****
Rossini: Petite messe solennelle
Soloists; Coro e Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Roma, Antonio Pappano
EMI 4167422 (2CD)
The Santa Cecilia chorus are the stars of the show, here - the challenges Rossini throws in their path in this delightful work pose them no problems, and they respond with peerless diction, tone and unanimity. With alert accompaniment from Pappano's players and excellent solo contributions (Sara Mingardo is noteworthy), this makes an operatic-feel alternative to Chailly's filmed Leipzig performance (EuroArts, 2011)
*****
Song of Paradise: piano music by Reginald King
Mark Bebbington
SOMM SOMMCD0125
Bebbington invests these often delightful miniatures with great charm in a beautifully recorded, generous collection. While many ears will find King's piano music at the very light end of 'light music' (this reviewer was reminded strongly of Ivor Novello), there is much to enjoy here if not necessarily in one sitting.
****
Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Trio in B flat 'Archduke'
Storioni Trio; Netherlands SO, Jan Willem de Vriend
Challenge Classics CC72579 (hybrid-SACD)
A generous and sensible coupling forming a pendant to de Vriend's ongoing period-instrument Beethoven cycle. The 1815 Lagrasse fortepiano is wonderfully gutsy, and if the balance often favours the orchestra it is a realistic concert soundscape. The young soloists play with impressive verve and, in the beautifully-judged Largo, great poise. The trio is perhaps not quite at the same level: if the slow movement is again very impressive, faster passages are sometimes rushed.
****
Wolf: Italienisches Liederbuch
Joan Rodgers, Roderick Williams; Roger Vignoles
Champs Hill CHRCD054
Vividly characterising each subtly different take on love (or the lack thereof), Rodgers and Williams are here caught in excellent voice. Moreover the order of the songs on this well-recorded disc is imaginative, weaving an engrossing narrative from the innocence of Auch kleine Dinge to the raunch of Ich hab in Penna. Vignoles is of course these great artists' collaborator par excellence.
*****
