Barry Forshaw
WALTON: VIOLIN CONCERTO/SUITE FROM TROILUS AND CRESSIDA, PORTSMOUTH POINT. Charlie Lovell-Jones, Sinfonia of London, John Wilson/Chandos SACD
This new reading of Walton’s exquisite violin concerto from Charlie Lovell-Jones and the Sinfonia of London under John Wilson has immense presence, and is delivered in typically impressive Chandos SACD sound. This performance has the authority of such matchless performances as that by Tasmin Little, and boasts total command. Similarly, Wilson’s recording of the suite from Walton’s opera Troilus and Cressida is at a stroke, the definitive setting down of the piece. A lively reading of the Portsmouth Point overture rounds out a top-notch issue.
RAVEL: DAPHNIS ET CHLOÉ, London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Antonio Pappano/LSO Live SACD
Recorded live in concert at the Barbican in 2024, the LSO and Chief Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano deliver a remarkable performance of Ravel’s masterpiece. Certain pieces of music are particularly lucky in terms of recorded performances, and over the years there have been many highly competitive readings of Ravel’s sumptuous ballet. Recorded sound of quite resplendent quality finesses this warm performances of Daphnis. Whether or not you have earlier performances in your collection (such as the impressive SACDs conducted by Gergiev, Haitink or John Wilson), this splendid new version demands your attention.
BEETHOVEN: PIANO SONATA NO. 29, ‘HAMMERKLAVIER’, LISZT: PIANO SONATA IN B MINOR, Haochen Zhang, piano/BIS SACD
Of the many recordings that Beethoven’s dramatic ‘Hammerklavier’ sonata has enjoyed over the years, few are as rich in nuance, nimbleness and sheer musical acumen as Haochen Zhang’s new reading, which must now count as among the definitive takes. Similarly, Liszt’s, epic Piano Sonata in B Minor is set down in a powerful reading. A highly collectable disc in excellent BIS surround sound.
RICHARD STRAUSS: ARABELLA, Soloists, Doris Soffel, Deutsche Oper Berlin/Naxos Blu-ray
There was a time when recordings of Richard Strauss’s less familiar operas were thin on the ground; a variety of choices for Der Rosenkavalier, of course, but trying to track down more esoteric fare was largely fruitless. The beautiful late opera Arabella may not have enjoyed as many first-rate performances as the better-known Der Rosenkavalier, but it remains a showcase for the most mellifluous of soprano voices – such as Sara Jubiak, who here delivers a strong performance. The production – with the opera’s sound technicians at times moving around the stage with the singers – will not be to every taste, but those happy to tackle something other than a conventional Arabella will find this a seductive performance.
RACHMANINOV: VARIATIONS, Teodor Doré/DAG Klassical
Pianist Teodor Doré’s new recording is, according to his label, an attempt to envision how Rachmaninov’s music might be heard today, delving into historical parallels and exploring themes of loss and identity. Doré’s variations are based on transcriptions of several preludes and romances for piano, violin, cello, academic vocals and – strangely –Sufi traditional vocals. The work has received an official endorsement from the Rachmaninov estate, in the person of Alexandra Conus Rachmaninov, great-granddaughter of the composer. Dore’s pianism is impeccable, and anyone having an interest in the music of one of the great Russian masters might profitably pay attention to this intriguing issue.
SHOSTAKOVICH: SYMPHONY NO 11, London Symphony Orchestra, Gianandrea Noseda/LSO Live SACD
This latest album in the much-acclaimed cycle of Shostakovich’s complete symphonies with LSO Principal Guest Conductor Gianandrea Noseda, is well up to the standard of its predecessors. The cycle is proving to be remarkably consistent, both in terms of committed and exhilarating performances and the characteristically widespread Chandos surround sound. The 11th is perhaps a difficult nut to crack, but Gianandrea Noseda has the full measure of this demanding score. Over the years, many recordings have done considerable justice to these dynamic masterworks of the modern orchestral repertoire, but for some time, the readings by Noseda and the LSO have been proving to be among the finest complete sets of the Shostakovich symphonies now on the market.
SCHUBERT: SYMPHONY NO.9 “GREAT”/ORCHESTRAL SONGS, Mary Beven, soprano, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardener/Chandos SACD
Characteristically warm and affectionate readings by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra of one of Schubert’s best-loved symphonic scores, conveyed here with the insight that has become Edward Gardener’s trademark. The couplings are unusual – rather than another Schubert symphony, we are given a selection of Schubert’s songs — but in orchestral rather than piano versions, and the soprano Mary Bevan does perfect justice to these jewels of the lieder repertoire.
ROZSA: ORCHESTRAL WORKS: Sinfonia Concertante, etc. Gregor Buhl/Capriccio
This is an immensely enjoyable disc and a reminder – if that were needed – of the composer Miklós Rósza’s skills in the classical field as opposed to his matchless film scores. Aficionados of the music of the multi-talented Hungarian (if they are the enterprising sort) will have tracked down most of the music featured on this CD, nearly all of which has been available at some time or other. But splendid though some of the past performances of these pieces were, the sheer exuberance and command of orchestral colour channelled into these readings is admirable.
LOEILLET: SIX SUITES FOR HARPSICHORD, María Banasziewicz-Bryla/WIENIAWSKI and PADEREWSKI, Prelude Classics
While aficionados of the classical repertoire are happy to revisit familiar music with unabated enthusiasm, there comes a time when a taste for the less visited asserts itself. This tempting new disc may well tickle jaded palates, such as the keyboard work of a composer who will not be known to many. The sheer invention of the pieces here successfully overcomes the limitations of the more restricted palette of the harpsichord, and presents a sound picture as rich as that of a modern concert grand. Playing by María Banasziewicz-Bryla is nonpareil.
On the same label, there is also welcome disc of string quartets works by WIENIAWSKI and PADEREWSKI which similarly throws a spotlight on less visited repertoire.
HANDEL: JEPHTHA, Soloists, Music of the Baroque Chorus and Orchestra, Jane Glover/Reference Recordings
There was a time when admirers of Handel would find it difficult to access anything other than a few oratorios and operas; Messiah reigned supreme. Things have changed in recent years as this splendid performance of the composer’s dramatic Jephtha proves – and apart from anything else, the chance to hear the piece under Jane Glover is an opportunity is not be missed; no-one has more authority than the legendary Glover in bringing out every aspect of Handel’s glorious score, particularly with the top-notch batch of soloists she is working with here. In a recording that is both lucid and wide-ranging, Jephtha has never sounded better.
SHOSTAKOVICH: STRING QUARTETS 2, 7, 10, Jerusalem Quartet/BIS SACD
The auguries for this being one of the best modern takes on Shostakovich’s monumental quartets – as may be heard on this new disc from BIS. This is an entry in what will clearly be a very competitive sequence. The disc, in the ear-catching Super Audio CD medium, supplies dynamic readings of the works which (along with the quartets of Bartok) are the cornerstone of the twentieth century quartet repertoire. Nigh-definitive performances abound – but the Jerusalem quartet are non-pareil.
SHOSTAKOVICH: FILM MUSIC EDITION, various orchestra and conductors/Capriccio
More Shostakovich: a particular pleasure here is provided with much neglected film music by Shostakovich, alongside familiar scores such as music for the Soviet film of Hamlet. The sound and performances do not disappoint, and boast a wide-ranging sound stage.