Barbizet, Bruckner and other delights
We also take in a set of Villa-lobos symphonies and an Opera Gala
Pianist Pierre Barbizet brought great character and integrity to his performances, perhaps most notably with the violinist Christian Ferras. That pairing looms large in The Complete Erato & HMV Recordings (Erato 9029518762), a 14disc set which shines a light on the Chilean-born musician’s recordings made from the 1960s-80s. Other partners include fellow pianists Samson François and Jean Hubeau, while Barbizet makes rare solo appearances on two discs of Chabrier. Original jacket artwork is a welcome addition, with at least two CD premieres.
Mystery still surrounds Villa-lobos’s Symphony No. 5, which has never been found. So in Villa-lobos – Complete Symphonies (Naxos 8.506039) we have 11 of a potential 12 works, gathered together from recordings released from 2012-17. Who better to bring the Brazilian composer’s music to vivid life than the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra under one of the country’s most lauded conductors, Isaac Karabtchevsky? Villa-lobos’s stylistic evolution is charted in these works, performed with vital energy and deep insight.
Yet more lavish is Anton Bruckner: The Symphonies, The Story, The Film (Arthaus Musik 109400). Across six DVDS (and four Blu-ray discs) you can enjoy performances of all nine symphonies by the Munich Phil and Valery Gergiev, as filmed at the 2017-19 Bruckner Festivals. That would be worthwhile enough, but there’s much more as this set includes Reiner E Moritz’s documentary The Making of a Giant, a hardback book called On Becoming a Genius and a bonus performance by organist Martin Haselböck.
Another sumptuous offering comes with Opera Gala (Eloquence 484 1398), a 20-disc collection which takes in a staggering 28 operas. This colourful selection box is comprised of some of Decca’s great highlights albums, plus artist showcases and one-act operas, and it’s a real who’s who and what’s what of opera. Rare Baroque turns from Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge are featured alongside performances by Marilyn Horne and Regina Resnik, with works from the pens of everyone from Adolphe Adam to Richard Wagner via Bizet, Gounod and Strauss.