Our Choices The BBC Music Magazine team’s current favourites
Oliver Condy Editor The televised category finals of BBC Young Musician took place in Cardiff just before coronavirus struck, so we were able to enjoy them a few weeks back on BBC Four. The standard seems to get better each competition with performances of Bach, Ravel, Liszt and Beethoven that any concert hall would be proud to host. It’s simply staggering that musicians so young can present such mature interpretations. Jeremy Pound Deputy editor
Reading this month’s Composer of the Month on Lehár (see p54) nudged me into exploring his music a little more deeply. However, rather than pitch into the operettas, I have instead been investigating the Radio-philharmonie Hannover des NDR’S disc of his symphonic works. And delightful it is too. Lehár’s genius as a tunesmith can be heard in works such as his Violin Concertino and Il Guado, as can that gorgeously rich orchestration that makes his stage works such a compelling listen. Alice Pearson Cover CD editor A ‘lockdown video’ of pianist Louis Schwizgebel lying flat out doing leg exercises while reaching out above his head to play Bach reminded me of the virtuoso pianistcomposer Albéniz, who performed similar stunts. Albéniz’s most significant compositional achievement, the sparkling piano suite Iberia, is a great listen, particularly while doing your daily exercises. Michael Beek Reviews editor Youtube has become go-to for live entertainment of late, but I was delighted to discover I had forgotten to watch the 2019 Hollywood in Vienna concert. So, wine and popcorn in hand, I enjoyed the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra perform a programme dedicated to composer Gabriel Yared. Tenor Ramón Vargas’s performance of a piece from the score for Possession was a highlight among many.
Freya Parr Editorial assistant
My listening during self-isolation has oscillated between hardcore Japanese punk and Baroque choral music. But I’ve found a happy medium in Memory Game, Bang on a Can All-stars’ new album of works by Meredith Monk. Its rapidly unfolding narrative is thick with textural development, delivered in remarkable recording quality. It’s been a helpful friend while I’ve been staring at the same wall for weeks…