Berlioz trans. Liszt: Harold en Italie - REVIEW

Berlioz trans. Liszt: Harold en Italie; etc

Philip Dukes (viola), Piers Lane (piano)

Naxos 8.573011

Liszt cleverly condenses Berlioz's epic soundscape, with the result that orchestral textures are clarified and sharply delineated (especially when in the powerful hands of Piers Lane).  The viola is inevitably on a more equal footing with its accompaniment, and it is startling to hear details that fall by the wayside in even the best orchestral performance.  Dukes makes a passionate advocate, with a big sound and a relish for felicitous detail, and if Kurt Roger's Hindemith-like sonata makes for an odd coupling for the Berlioz, Liszt's haunting Romance oubliee is a delightful sorbet between them.

****

Theodore Dubois: Piano Concerto no.2, Suite, etc - REVIEW

Theodore Dubois: Piano Concerto no.2, Suite, etc

Cedric Tiberghien (piano); BBC Scottish SO, Andrew Manze

Hyperion CDA 67931

Hyperion's ambitious Romantic Piano Concerto series reaches its sixtieth issue with a disc dedicated to a figure - academic, administrator, organist - now thought of as a fringe figure in the history of French music.  He was a hugely prolific composer and, if much on the disc reminds the listener of Saint-Saens (who he succeeded as organist of the Madeleine), there is a romantic warmth underpinning the skittishness.  Tiberghien plays with fizzling technique and total commitment, especially in the Second Concerto which really ought to be heard more often.  Magnifique!

*****

Bartok, Prokofiev, Hindemith: Sonatas for solo violin - REVIEW

Bartok, Prokofiev, Hindemith: Sonatas for solo violin

Ning Feng (violin)

Channel Classics CCSSA34413 (hybrid SACD)

A generous collection of some of the key 20th century works for solo violin.  This is the second solo disc from this assured Chinese player, presenting a more logical, more satisfying programme than its rather bitty predecessor.  He plays a modern instrument, securing a singing tone and overcoming most technical difficulties with ease.  If no performance on the current disc is quite a first choice, this is nevertheless a convenient way to acquire fine performances of important repertoire in excellent sound.

****

Schubert: Sonata in G, D.894; Wanderer Fantasy - REVIEW

Schubert: Sonata in G, D.894; Wanderer Fantasy

Tristan Pfaff (piano)

Aparte AP065

Pfaff presents a young man's view of the big, reflective G major sonata: tempi are swift, perhaps too swift some times; he makes the most of the astonishing outbursts in the Andante, and the Allegretto is suitably song-like.  He seems more comfortable, however, in the out-and-out virtuosity of the 'Wanderer' Fantasy; he draws a rich sound from his instrument (no information is given; the booklet contains no notes, merely the Wanderer poem!) and impresses with a very wide tonal palette.

****

Judith Bingham: Choral Music - REVIEW

Judith Bingham: Choral Music

Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens

Hyperion CDA 67909

Writing fluently and with a fine ear for text and balance, Bingham has produced a steady flow of choral works over the last ten years, many receiving their first outing on this well-recorded disc.  There are many striking textures, such as the 'Lamb of God' section of what is the composer's third Missa brevis, but these all seem to spring up organically, giving the impression that nothing is done merely for effect.  The Wells boys, men and - in one piece - girls acquit themselves with distinction.

*****

Mahler/Stein: Symphony no.4 - REVIEW

Mahler/Stein: Symphony no.4*; Debussy/Sachs: Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faun

Sonia Grane (soprano)*; Royal Academy of Music Soloists Ensemble, Trevor Pinnock

Erwin Stein's chamber version of Mahler's Fourth is not the stranger to concert hall or disc it once was; his arrangement is a miracle of clarity and economy.  The Academy's young musicians do it full justice, and are rewarded with recorded sound that is both warm and natural.  The arrangement of Debussy's Prelude, assumed to be by Schoenberg-pupil Benno Sachs, takes us further from the established version, relying heavily on the piano to 'fill out' the sound; but it is hard to imagine a better account of it on record.

*****

"14": works for violin & piano - REVIEW

"14": Works for violin & piano by Paganini, Tartini, Wieniawski, etc

David Garrett (violin), Alexander Markovich (piano)

DG 4790933

A very curious release.  At a time when David Garrett is, Kennedy-like, trying to reinvent himself as a 'rock star' violinist, this programme sits oddly with his carefully marketed 'maverick' image.  Recorded eighteen years ago by fresh-faced, teenage Garrett, there is a great deal of lovely playing here, if without the last word in imagination.  But the intervening years have seen the 'Prodigy Fiddler' field become much more competitive, and one wonders just why this disc is released now after nearly twenty years. 

***

Donizetti: Caterina Cornaro - REVIEW

Donizetti: Caterina Cornaro

Carmen Giannattasio, Colin Lee, etc; BBC Singers & SO, David Parry

Opera Rara ORC48 (2CD)

Yet another hugely welcome discovery from this most enterprising of labels.  Donizetti's score bristles with tuneful highlights, the young leads are excellent, and Parry holds everything together with panache and the lightest possible touch.  Collectors may know an off-air recording featuring Caballe and Carreras; personal affection for those artists aside, this modern recording comfortably outshines it.

*****