Bach, Beethoven and La Belle Époque
This month’s round-up also features Russian pianist Bella Davidovich
Aside from his duties in Philadelphia, conductor Yannick Nézet-séguin has been making beautiful music with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Beethoven – The Symphonies (DG 486 3050) is the third of their composerfocused recording projects, as recorded in Baden-baden in the summer of 2021. Such a full account by musicians of this calibre is obviously welcome, but this take is notable as it’s the first complete recording of the works based on their new Urtext edition. The Ninth is especially notable as it features a reconstructed contrabassoon part, discovered during extensive research by the Beethoven Archive in Bonn.
Speaking of high-calibre, if you’re a JS Bach fan you won’t want to to miss Isabelle Faust plays Bach (Harmonia Mundi HMX290403240).
The eight-disc collection of Violin Concertos, Sonatas, Partitas and more besides also includes a bonus DVD of a concert the violinist originally streamed from Leipzig’s Thomaskirche in April 2020. The decade’sworth of recordings features fantastic guest talents, from the Akademie für Alte Musik to violist Antoine Tamestit. Sublime.
‘Russia’s best kept secret’ was how pianist Bella Davidovich was once described when she finally undertook recordings in the West for Philips. The Philips Legacy (Eloquence 484 4186) takes in cuts made from 1979-83, after she had been allowed to emigrate to the US. The eight-disc set features original sleeve artwork and fine performances, including Chopin concertos with Neville Marriner and Rachmaninov and Saint-saëns with the Concertgebouw, among other priceless sessions.
Charlotte Sohy – Compositrice de la Belle Époque (La Boîte à Pépites BAP01.03) is the first in a series of new releases from this fledgling French label, seeking to shine light on overlooked women composers. This threedisc collection takes in the complete works of Sohy (1887-1955) whose works included piano, chamber and orchestra pieces. A disc is devoted to each in this lovingly curated and beautifully presented collection.
The decade’s-worth of recordings features fantastic guest talents