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BEST OF THE YEAR CDs of 1997
JEHAN ALAIN: Organ Works Vol. 1 - Eric Lebrun (Naxos 8.553632)
BACH: Brandenburg Concertos (6) - Il Giardino Armonico/Giovanni Antonini (Teldec 4509-98442-2)(2)
C.P.E. BACH: The Keyboard Concertos, Vol. 3 - Miklós Spányi, harpsi./Concerto Armonico/Szüts & Spányi (BIS CD-767)
BARBER: Violin Concerto; Piano Concerto; Souvenirs - Robert McDuffie, v./Jon Kimura Parker, p./Atlanta Sym./Yoel Levi (Telarc CD-80441)
BRAHMS: The Four Symphonies; Var. On a Theme by Haydn; Academic Festival Ov. - Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Sir Charles Mackerras (Telarc CD-80450) (3)
BRAHMS: Sonatas for Viola and Piano Nos. 1 & 2 - Kim Kashkashian, viola/Robert Levin, p. (ECM 1630)
BRITTEN: Sym. For Cello and Orchestra; WALTON: Cello Concerto - Julian Lloyd Webber, c./Academy of St. Martin in the Fields/Sir Neville Marriner (Philips 454 442-2)
BRITTEN: Cello Suites 1 - 3 - Tim Hugh, c. ((Naxos 8.553663)
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Major - Berlin Philharmonic/Günter Wand (Red Seal 09026-68503-2)
FERRUCCIO BUSONI: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2; Four Bagatelles - Per Enoksson, v./Kathryn Stott, p. (BIS CD-784)
GEORGE WHITEFIELD CHADWICK: Suite symphonique; Aphrodite; Elegy - Czech State Philharmonic, Brno/José Serebrier (Reference Recordings RR-74CD)
JOHN CORIGLIANO: String Quartet; HAYDN: Quartet in D, Op. 76, No. 5 - Cleveland Quartet (Telarc CD-80415)
GEORGE ENESCU: Sym. No. 2; Romanian Rhapsody - BBC Philharmonic/Gennady Rozhdestvensky (Chandos CHAN 9537)
FRANCK: Piano Music - Stephen Hough, p. (Hyperion CDA66918)
GLAZUNOV: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7 - Moscow Sym./Alexander Anissimov (Naxos 8.553769)
BERTHOLD GOLDSCHMIDT: The Goldschmidt Album - City of Birmingham Sym./Rattle; Berlin Comic Opera Sym./Kreizberg; Montreal Sym./Dutoit; Berlin Radio Sym./Goldschmidt (London 452 599-2)
GOUNOD: Three Quartets - Quatuor Danel (Auvidis/Valois V 4798)
ALEXANDER GRECHANINOV: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2 - The Bekova Sisters (Chandos CHAN 9461)
HANDEL: Concerti Grossi Op. 6 - Orpheus Ch. Orchestra (DGG 447 733-2) (3)
BERNARD HERRMANN: The Film Scores - Los Angeles Philharmonic/Esa-Pekka Salonen (Sony Classical SK 62700)
HENRY H. HUSS: Piano Concerto in B; ERNEST SCHILLING: Suite Fantastique - Ian Hobson, p./BBC Scottish Sym./Martyn Brabbins (Hyperion CDA66949)
KHACHATURIAN: Spartacus Suites 1, 2 & 3 - St. Petersburg State Sym./André Anichanov (Naxos 8.550801)
UUNO KLAMI: Sym. No. 1; King Lear Ov. - Tampere Philharmonic/Tuomas Ollila (Ondine ODE 854-2)
GYÖRGY LIGETI: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1 - Fredrik Ullén, p. (BIS CD-783)
RUBEN LILJEFORS: Piano Concerto in F Minor; Sym. In E Flat Major - Irène Mannheimer, p./Gävleborg Sym. Orch./Mats Liljefors (Sterling CDS-1017-2)
LISZT: Transcendental Etudes - Kemal Gekic, p. (JVC 6505-2)
MAHLER: Das Klagende Lied - Soloists/San Francisco Symphony Sym. & Chorus/Michael Tilson Thomas (Red Seal 09026-68599 2)
MONTEVERDI: Vespers of 1610 - Soloists/Boston Baroque/Martin Pearlman (Telarc 2CD-80453) (2)
GEORG MUFFAT: Armonico tributo Concerti grossi - Ensemble 415/Chiara Banchini & Jesper Christensen (Harmonia mundi HMC 901581)
OFFENBACH: Concerto militair in G Major; Andante; LALO: Concerto in D Minor - Ofra Harnoy, c./Bournemouth Sym./Antonio de Almeida (Red Seal 09026-68420-2)
OTTO OLSSON: Sym. In G Minor for large orchestra - Gävleborg Sym./Mats Liljefors (Sterling CDS-1020-2)
PROKOFIEV: Sinfonia Concertante for Cello and Orchestra; MIASKOVSKY: Cello Concerto - Mischa Maisky, c./Russian National Orch./Mikhail Pletnev (DGG 449 821-2)
SCHOENBERG: "Schoenberg in Hollywood" - German Sym. Orch. Of Berlin/Berlin Radio Sym./John Mauceri (London 448 619-2)
SCHUMANN: Sonata for Piano No. 1 in F Sharp Minor; Kresileriana - Murray Perahia, p. (Sony Classical SK 62786)
SHOSTAKOVICH: Ballet Suites Nos. 1 & 3; Suites Nos. 1 & 2 for Jazz Orch. - Frankfurt Radio Sym./Dmitri Kataenko (Red Seal 09026-68304-2)
LEO SOWERBY: Tone Poems of Leo Sowerby - Czech Nat. Sym./Paul Freeman (Cedille CDR 90000 033)
WILHELM STENHAMMAR: Sym. No. 2; Excelsior! - Royal Scottish Nat. Orch./Petter Sundkvist (Naxos 8.553888)
JOHAN SVENDSEN: Norsk kunstner karneval & 5 other works - Trondheim Sym./Ole Kristian Ruud (Virgin 7243 5 45128 2 7)
TCHAIKOVSKY: Swan Lake Ballet (complete) - Marinsky Theatre Orch., St. Petersburg/Victor Fedotov (JVC JVCC-6500-2) (2)
TCHAIKOVSKY: The Three Piano Sonatas - Leslie Howard (Hyperion CDA66939)
TELEMANN: 12 Paris Quartets - Barthold, Wieland & Sigiswald Kuijken/Gustav Leonhardt (Vivarte S3K 63115) (3)
CHARLES TOURNEMIRE: Sym. No. 7 "Les Danses de la Vie" - Moscow Sym./Antonia de Almeida (Marco Polo 8.223877-8) (2)
VILLA-LOBOS: Bachianas Brasileiras Nos. 4, 5, 7 & 9 & Chôros No. 10 - BBC Singers/New World Symphony/Michael Tilson Thomas (Red Seal 09026-68538-2) [cont. other side]
VON WEBER: Chamber Music of Carl Maria von Weber - Ch. Music Society of Lincoln Center/David Shifrin, clarinet & director (Delos DE 3194)
DAG WIRÉN: Serenade for Strings; Cello Concerto; Divertimento; Piano Concerto - Widlund, p./Rondin, c./Swedish Ch. Orch./Petri Sakari (Caprice CAP 21513)
ALEXANDER VON ZEMLINSKY: The Mermaid, symphonic poem; Sinfonietta - Gürzenich Orch./Kölner Philharmonic/James Conlon (EMI 7243 5 55515 2 8)
COLLECTIONS:
"The American Album" - PISTON: Sonatina; COPLAND: Sonata; Nocturne; IVES: Sonata No. 4; BAKER: Blues - Anne Akiklo Myers, violin/André-Michel Schub, piano (Red Seal 09026-68114-2)
"Earquake" - [The loudest classical music!] Works of HANSON, KHACHATURIAN, GINASTERA, IBERT, BOLCOM, RESPIGHI, PAUTAVAARA, LEIFS, NIELSEN, PROKOFIEV, SHOSTAKOVICH ETC. - Helsinki Philharmonic/Leif Segerstam (Ondine ODE 894-2)
"Earwitness Transcriptions" - Highlights of radio series of restored piano roll performances by historic composers and pianists of the past, incl. Rubinstein, Prokofiev, Busoni, Horowitz, Cortot, Grainger, Grieg, Hofmann (Earwitness 2-CD set, distr. by Madrigal Audio Laboratories, Box 781, Middletown, CT 06457)
"The Five Sacred Trees" - WILLIAMS: The Five Sacred Trees; TAKEMITSU: Tree Line; HOVHANESS: Mysterious Mountain; TOBIAS PICKER: Old and Lost Rivers - Judith LeClair, bassoon/London Sym./John Williams (Sony Classical SK 62729)
"Música Armorial" - String Quintets from Northeastern Brazil - Quinteto da Paraíba (Nimbus NI 5483)
"Les petits nerveux" - FRANÇAIX: Les petits nerveux; POULENC: Sextet; Trio; ST.-SAENS: Caprice; Tarantella; ROUSSEL: Divertissement - Hexagon (Piano and winds group) (Bridge 9079)
"Piano in Hollywood" - Classic Movie Concertos by ADDINSELL, WILDMAN, ROZSA, BATH, GERSHWIN, STEVENS, & WARD - Santiago Rodriguez, p./Fairfax Sym./William Hudson (Élan CD 82268)
"Ports of Call" - Works of CHABRIER, SIBELIUS, IBERT, ALVÉN. BORODIN, SMETANA & TCHAIKOVSKY - Minnesota Orch./Eiji Oue (Reference Recordings RR-80CD)
"Rítmicas" - Tambuco Percussion Ensemble, with Camerata de las Américas/Enrique Arturo Diemecke (Dorian DOR-90245)
REISSUES:
BEETHOVEN: The Middle Quartets - The Fine Arts Quartet (Everest EVC 9053/55) (3) [and the other two volumes of the Beethoven Quartets, plus all the rest of the Everest series of reissues]
BERLIOZ: Complete Orchestral Works - London Sym./Royal Concertgebouw Orch./Royal Opera House Orch./Sir Colin Davis (Philips 456 143-2) (6 Cds)
"The Hollywood String Quartet" - RAVEL: Intro. & Allegro; DEBUSSY: Danses sacrée et profane; TURINA: Bullfighter's Prayer; VILLA-LOBOS: Quartet No. 6; CRESTON: Quartet Op. 8 (Testament SBT 1053) [and entire series of Hollywood String Quartet reissues on this label]
MAHLER: Sym. No. 1 in D Major "Titan;" RACHMANINOFF: The Isle of the Dead - Minneapolis Sym./Dimitri Mitropoulos (Sony Classical Masterworks Heritage MHK 62342) [and entire continuing Masterworks Heritage series]
"The Romeros - The Royal Family of the Spanish Guitar" - Works of GRANADOS, TORROBA, ALBENIZ, SOR, TARREGA, VILLA-LOBOS, MILAN, BACH, DOWLAND etc. - Celedonio, Celin, Pepe & Angel Romero, guitars (Mercury Living Presence 434 385-2) [and all of continuing Living Presence series]
SCHOENBERG: Transfigured Night; VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Fantasia on a Theme of Tallis; WAGNER: Siegried Idyll - Sym. Of the Air/Leopold Stokowski (Bridge 9074)
SCHUBERT: Trout Quintet; Death and the Maiden Quartet - Fine Arts Q (Boston Skyline BSD 145) [and entire series of this label's "From the Vault" reissues]
SCRIABIN: The Complete Piano Sonatas - Ruth Laredo, p. (Nonesuch 73035-2) (2) [originally on Connoisseur Society]
"Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" - Music of RODGERS, GOULD, BERNSTEIN, FALLA, COPLAND, GINASTERA, SHOSTAKOVICH & KHACHATURIAN - Boston Pops/Arthur Fiedler (RCA Living Stereo 090236-68550-2) [and most of the rest of the entire Living Stereo reissue series]
"The Stokowski Stereo Collection" - All of his stereo recordings (incl. several in surround sound) for Victor from 1954-1975, incl. BACH transcriptions; MAHLER: Sym. No. 2; BEETHOVEN: Sym. No. 3; BRAHMS: Sym. No. 4; DVORAK: "New World" Sym.; KHACHATURIAN: Sym. No. 3; TCHAIKOVSKY: Sym. No. 6; RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherazade; CANTELOUBE: Songs of the Auvergne; HANDEL: Royal Fireworks and Water Music Suites; PROKOFIEV: Romeo & Juliet Suite; MENOTTI: Sebastian Suite; WAGNER for Orch. & others plus rehearsal recordings. (RCA Gold Seal 09026-68443-2 - 14 CD Set)
[NOTE: This list should be regarded with no more reverence than any "Best Of Anything" list; it is the very personal and sometimes even accidental sum of what most struck the ears of this program producer during 1997. As with audio components, Let Your Ears be Your Guide in these or any additions to your collection! We do not sell any of the above but we do offer binaural CDs for headphone experiences - visit our web site at THE BINAURAL SOURCE.
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