Brief Notes
Our collection of 25 further reviews includes songs, symphonies and sonatas
Brahms Symphony No. 3, etc Swedish Chamber Orchestra/thomas Dausgaard et al
BIS-2319 (hybrid CD/SACD) mins
If some of the rubato and tempos in the Third Symphony don’t always feel natural, the sound and phrasing is always stylish. There’s beauty in Anna Larsson’s Alto Rhapsody, although she sounds off-colour in the songs. (RF) ★★★
Handel Nine Suites
Scipione Sangiovanni (piano)
Piano Classics PCL10143
★andel’s masterful suites shine in this well-articulated, controlled performance. I could have done with a little more crispness, and a greater distance between piano and mic. (OC) ★★★
John Ireland Orchestral Works Royal Scottish National Orchestra/ Martin Yates Dutton CDLX 7353 Ireland’s gorgeous Downland Suite is coupled here with his lesser-known incidental music to Julius Caesar and his soundtrack for the film The Overlanders. Stirring performances (OC) ★★★★
Ives Sonatas
Liana Gourdjia (violon) et al
Printemps des Arts de Monte Carlo PRI024 Ives’s characterful chamber works delivered with flair here. The Sonata
No. 3 is a standout thanks to its joyous referencing of ragtime modes. (MB) ★★★
Alfred Janson Choral works Norwegian Soloists’ Choir/
Grete Pedersen BIS-2341
Whether spikily satirical or mournfully melodic, the Norwegian composer Alfred Janson is a superb word-setter, though his quirkier elements may irritate some. The performances are terrific. (JP) ★★★★
E Mayer Symphony No. 4, etc Neubrandenburg Philharmonic/stefan Malzew et al Capriccio C5339
A welcome disc of works by the German Romantic composer Emilie Mayer (1812-83).
The performances are robust; the symphony a discovery. (RF) ★★★
Philip Sawyers Concertos
English Symphony Orchestra/kenneth Woods et al Nimbus Alliance NI 6374 Sawyers’s thrilling orchestral music truly captivates, aided and abetted by pitch-perfect soloists Alexander Sitkovetsky (violin) and Simon Desbruslais (trumpet) and the ESO. (MB) ★★★★
Schubert Piano Sonatas Nos 19-21 Alexander Lonquich (piano)
Alpha Classics ALPHA 433
Lonquich’s hearty serving of late Schubert is one to return to. The German pianist approaches these expansive sonatas with great perceptiveness and feeling. (RF) ★★★★
Schubert Winterreise
Tomasz Konieczny (bass-baritone) et al National Institute Frederic Chopin NIFCCD 058
This is Schubert, but not as you know it. For one thing, it’s in Polish. Poettranslator Stanis aw Bara czak has done the honours with updated texts. Then, there’s the unexpected raw drama of bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny’s performance. (RF) ★★★
Stenhammar Symphony No. 2 Antwerp Symphony Orchestra/ Christian Lindberg BIS 2329
Pure post-romantic Scandi loveliness – great tunes, lush orchestrations and a fun fugue. What more could you want of a dull January day? The Antwerps are on form. (OC) ★★★★
Weinberg Symphony No. 13, etc Siberian State Symphony Orchestra/ Vladimir Lande Naxos 8.573879 Symphony No. 13, memorialising Weinberg’s mother, is so bleak that it’s quite the shock when the perky Serenade begins. Fervent performances add to the composer’s growing posthumous reputation. (RF) ★★★★
A Hundred Years of Piano Miniatures Piano Works
Duncan Honeybourne (piano)
Grand Piano GP789
A lovely idea, and there are some gems here, but I’m not sure that most of these miniatures are ‘keepers’. ★oneybourne gives each his best shot but with sometimes quite percussive results. (OC) ★★
Anima Sacra Baroque Arias
Jakub Józef Orli ski Erato 90295633745 The Polish countertenor gives a lithe and affecting performance on this debut album, a collection of largely unrecorded sacred Baroque arias. Il Pomo Doro flutter and fizz. (MB) ★★★★★
Confidence Arias by Gounod, Bizet, Delibes, Duparc et al
Julien Behr (tenor) et al
Alpha ALPHA 401
Lesser-known French Romantic repertoire is brought to shimmering light thanks to Behr’s honeyed vocals and the luxuriant accompaniment (MB) ★★★★★
Dreams of Freedom Works by Stravinsky, Part, Mozart et al Carion Wind Quintet
Odradek ODRCD373
A typical set of classic wind quintet repertoire here, with precise playing throughout. It occasionally feels a little too buttoned-up, and could do with a touch more gusto. (FP) ★★★
Gershwin Reimagined Rhapsody in Blue, I Got Rhythm, etc
Shelly Berg (piano); RPO/JOSÉ Serebrier Decca Gold 481 7407
Gershwin, but with arrangements and jazz noodlings thrown in for good measure. Rhapsody in Blue is a plodder, but the disc picks up thereafter. (JP) ★★★
The Kapustin Project Works by Kapustin, Rzewski et al
Roman Rofalski (piano)
Sony 19075875 102
A dynamic tribute to composer Nicolai Kapustin, combining virtuoso playing with jazz improv. It’s more jazz than classical, but an exciting disc nonetheless. (FP) ★★★
Made in Poland Works by Szymanowski et al
NFM Leopoldinum Chamber Orchestra et al DUX 1298
A superb selection of 20th- and 21stcentury works by Polish composers, performed with vigour. The improvised works are particularly impressive. (FP) ★★★★
Piano Odyssey Songs by Wakeman, Bowie, et al Rick Wakeman (piano), et al Sony 190758678924 Pop classics are presented in a piano-and-stringorchestra guise, with Rick Wakeman in quintessentially twiddly-widdly form as soloist. ( JP) ★★★
Revive Baroque Arrangements for Saxophone Quartet
Ferio Saxophone Quartet
Chandos CHAN 10999
Iain Farrington’s excellently crafted arrangements of largely familiar works by the likes of Purcell and ★andel are performed here with panache by this superversatile group. (JP) ★★★★
Romantic Music for Oboe, Bassoon and Organ Works by Verdi, Molbe, Lalliet et al
Trio Andrea Palladio
Brilliant Classics 95788
Don’t expect blood and thunder here.
For all the ‘Romantic’ of the title, the emotional range runs from sprightly to charmingly lyrical. The organ occasionally sounds a little recessed. (JP) ★★★
Sacrum Convivium Works by Duruflé, Machaut et al
Vox Clamantis/jaan-eik Tulve Mirare MIR 366
A pleasant selection of French music from over 2000 years, ranging from Gregorian chant to 20th-century motets. A tidy interpretation from Vox Clamantis, with a delicate top line. (FP) ★★★★
Timeless Works by Debussy, Martinů, Boyle et al
Bridget Bolliger (flute) et al
Austrian Gramophone AG0013
A beautiful selection of flute works by early 20th-century composers and a well-matched world premiere. Bolliger’s tone is sensitive and shimmering. (FP) ★★★★
Virtuoso Organ Duets Works by Ravel, Paulus, Stravinsky et al
The Oxbridge Organ Duo
Regent REGCD500
The Firebird may be the mainstay here (and terrifically played), but Bolero wins with its use of just about every solo stop of the Blackburn Cathedral organ. Intriguing and fun. (OC) ★★★★★
Waterlines
Works by Christopher Trapani Talea Ensemble, et al New Focus FCR 200 Delta blues meets avant-garde in works inspired by ideas of home in the aftermath of ★urricane Katrina. Cognitive Consonance offers the most vivid sonorities. (MB) ★★★ Reviewers: Michael Beek (MB), Oliver Condy (OC), Rebecca Franks (RF), Freya Parr (FP), Jeremy Pound ( JP)