Brief notes

This month’s selection of short reviews features songs, symphonies and suites

Alfvén Symphony No. 2 etc Deutsches Symphonie-orchester Berlin/łukasz Borowicz CPO 555 3542 Alfvén’s soundworld is largely lateromantic, though there’s also oodles of Mendelssohn-like good humour in his lovely Second Symphony. The folky Swedish Rhapsody No. 3 may remind some of Grieg. ( JP) ★★★★

Bartók • Eötvös • Ligeti • Veress Works for Solo Violin/viola

Nurit Stark (violin, viola) BIS BIS-2416 Israeli violinist

Nurit Stark brings together works by four composers of the same pedagogical lineage. Her violin tone is pure, but never pale, admirably capturing the otherworldly eeriness of Bartók’s Solo Sonata. If her viola playing doesn’t quite reach that same charisma in the Ligeti, it’s a small criticism. (CS) ★★★★

Beethoven Complete Works for Cello and Piano

Sung-won Yang (cello), Enrico Pace (piano) Decca DD41229

Everything about this two-disc set screams quality, from the handsome packaging to the pitch-perfect performance. This repertoire is well-trodden, with a few other notable recordings of late, but it’s easy to be won over by Yang and Pace’s super-polished presentation. (MB) ★★★★

Derek Bermel Intonations – Music for Clarinet and Strings

Derek Bermel (clarinet), JACK Quartet et al Naxos 8.559912

This showcase of music for different forms and instrument combinations is united by Bermel’s musical curiosity and creative showmanship. Elements of folk and blues permeate traditional classical forms in masterful ways, resulting in a joyous listen. Characterful.

(MB) ★★★★★

Franck String Quartet in D; Piano Quintet in F minor

Eliot Quartett et al Genuin GEN22784 Marking Franck’s 200th anniversary, the Eliot Quartett, alongside pianist Dmitry Ablogin, is never less than tasteful in the Belgian composer’s chamber works. Though Lalo described the Piano Quintet as ‘an explosion’, the ensemble is curiously buttoned up, however, rarely allowing passion to boil over. (CS) ★★★

Guerra-peixe Symphonic Suites Nos 1 & 2; Roda de Amigos

Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra/neil Thomson et al Naxos 8.573925

Naxos’s ‘Music of Brazil’ series gathers pace with this album of folk- and cinemainfluenced works by 20th-century composer César Guerra-peixe. The suites’ rhythmic flamboyance is expertly brought to life by the Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra, which under conductor Neil Thomson is both energetic and disciplined. (CS) ★★★★

Thomas Hyde Symphony, Op. 20 BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/ Geoffrey Paterson Resonus RES10288 Why shouldn’t a symphony be 20 minutes long and have ten movements? Hyde goes his own way with regards to form, creates a thrilling orchestral soundworld and spins an engaging musical narrative in the process. There’s much to enjoy in this live premiere recording. (MB) ★★★★

E Mayer Symphonies Nos 3 & 6 Philharmonisches Orchester Bremerhaven/marc Niemann

Hänssler HC22016

Mayer’s lively Sixth is full of both charm and wit – check out the mousey squeaks in the finale, for instance. The ‘Military’ Third, meanwhile, wears its nickname lightly, but is a similarly engaging listen throughout. (JP) ★★★★

Pettersson Symphony No. 15 etc Ellen Nisbeth (viola); Norrköping Symphony Orchestra BIS BIS-2480 Allan Pettersson’s Symphony No. 15 of 1978, written two years before he died, is a tense, terse half-hour work in one movement. It’s paired here with his dense Viola Concerto that he worked on in 1979 but left, some argue, without its finishing touches. Ellen Nisbeth is the excellent soloist. (RF) ★★★

Rachmaninov

Suites for Two Pianos

Marianna Shirinyan, Dominik Wizjan (piano) Orchid Classics ORC100191 These two rarely performed suites are a treat – the first, delicate and lyrical, dating from early in Rachmaninov’s career; and the second, robust and forthright, from eight years later. Established duo partners Shirinyan and Wizjan exchange passages seamlessly, with a united approach to tone and diction. (CS) ★★★★

Rachmaninov

Works for Viola and Piano

Mathias Rochat (viola), Erdem Mısırlıoğlu (piano) Prospero PROSP28514 The composer’s G minor Sonata (originally for cello) sits at the heart of this appealing viola and piano collection. Rochat and Mısırlıoğlu enthral in that centrepiece, but bring their warm timbre to a clutch of shorter pieces, too, including the delightful Dreams and Daisies. (MB) ★★★

Stravinsky The Firebird etc Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra Harmonia Mundi HMM905303

In their latest Stravinsky album, Gustavo Gimeno and his Luxembourg orchestra turn to the atmospheric Firebird and neoclassical Apollon musagète. The dark fairytale magic of the ballet is missed, but the lean lines of the second come across well. (RF) ★★★

Wolf-ferrari Suite Veneziana etc Oviedo Filarmonía/friedrich Haider Naxos 8.573583

Conductor Friedrich Haider continues his excellent series of orchestral works by Wolf-ferrari, beginning here with the composer’s colourful portrait of his home city. Wolf-ferrari can do blood and thunder, but largely shows his gentler side here. ( JP) ★★★★

A Concert for Ukraine Works by Barber, Silvestrov, Verdi et al Various Artists DG 485 3278

This is a moving record of the Metropolitan Opera’s concert in solidarity with Ukraine, back in March, when the war was in its early days. A stirring Ukrainian national anthem and Silvestrov’s touching Prayer for Ukraine set the tone, followed by Barber, Verdi, Strauss and Beethoven. (RF) ★★★★

Guéthary Works by Philip Glass, Ravel, Max Richter et al

Aurèle Marthan (piano) et al

Alpha Classics ALPHA 871

A striking selection of seemingly disparate elements, from Ravel to ‘Hotel California’ via film music by Philip Glass and Alberto Iglesias. An eclectic mix, then, but with an overarching feeling of vibrant joie de vivre thanks to Marthan’s sparkling pianism. (MB) ★★★★

Lys Works by Hannah Peel et al Mari Samuelsen (violin) et al

DG 486 2096

Inspired by light in all its forms, Samuelsen’s latest album features 14 works by female composers, from Hildegard of Bingen to Beyoncé. All are new commissions or arrangements, ambient and glowing, without an ugly bump or crevice in sight. It’s attractive stuff, but not designed to challenge. (CS) ★★★

Ref lections Orchestral works by Copland, Gershwin et al

Västerås Sinfonietta/

Simon Crawford-phillips db Productions DBCD203

Sitting between familiar Copland and Gershwin is a set of six ‘Reflections’ on an ancient folk song by six of Sweden’s leading composers. Imaginative and varied, it works a treat, as does the album, whose feel is one of rich orchestral landscape painting. ( JP) ★★★★

Sea Fever Songs by Reger, Beach, Eric Whitacre et al

Lunds Studentsångare

Swedish Society SCD1183

You get all manner of maritime life here, from the calm slumber of Whitacre’s Seal Lullaby to raucous seagulls in /. The admirably versatile all-male choir clearly have a whale of a time, if you’ll forgive the pun. ( JP) ★★★★

Talkin’ about Barbara

Songs and arias by Strozzi, Monteverdi et al

Laila Salome Fischer (mezzo), Magnus Mehl (saxophone); Il Giratempo

Perfect Noise PN 2202

The fusion of Venetian Baroque vocals and jazz saxophone could potentially be exhilarating, but sadly this misses the mark – despite the commitment of mezzo-soprano Laila Salome Fischer and saxophonist Magnus Mehl. These two worlds end up sounding too far apart, and the cringe factor is high. (RF) ★★

Viola à L’ecole de Paris Works by Martinů, Tansman et al

Diyang Mei (viola), Oliver Triendl (piano) Avi-music AVI 8553028

This October, Diyang Mei takes up his seat as first principal viola of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. But first, the top-flight viola player takes us on a trip to Paris, in this lively and unusual recital album showcasing works written by émigré composers in the French capital. (RF) ★★★★ Reviewers: Michael Beek (MB),

Rebecca Franks (RF), Jeremy Pound ( JP), Charlotte Smith (CS)