Symphonic Archive
Streams and Podcasts for 26 November 2017
This week’s Music Treasury will feature Paul Paray, the distinguished French conductor, organist, and composer. Paray’s long life (over nine decades and through two world wars) saw him active in Europe and the United States, as well as Israel, with premier orchestras in New York, Detroit, San Francisco, Boston, Monte-Carlo, and others. Paray conducted the […]
BRAHMS: Violin Con. & Con. for Violin & Cello – Julia Fischer & others – PentaTone
Classic Yakov Kreizberg performances of Brahms from 2007 feature the truly-gifted Julia Fischer. BRAHMS: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77; Concerto in a minor for Violin, Cello and Orchestra, Op. 102 – Julia Fischer, violin/ Daniel Mueller-Schott, cello/ Netherlands Philharmonic Orch./ Yakov Kreizberg – PentaTone multichannel SACD PTC 5186 592, 72:59 (4/24/07) [Distr. by […]
BARBER: Adagio for Strings – BRUCKNER: String Quintet in F Major – Konzerthaus Kammerorch., Berlin- Cugate Classics
BARBER: Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 – BRUCKNER: String Quintet in F Major – Konzerthaus Kammerorchester, Berlin- Cugate Classics CG013- two multichannel SACDs (5.0), 50:26 [Distr. by Naxos] (10/14/16) *****: A lovely paring of moving works for strings by Barber and Bruckner. Back in 2004 the BBC asked its radio listeners to vote for the […]
Erik Then-Bergh – The Complete Electrola and Deutsche Grammophone Recordings, 1938-1958 = Works of HANDEL, BEETHOVEN, BACH, SCHUMANN, CHOPIN & REGER – APR (2-CDs)
Mark Obert-Thorn and Appian Records restore Erik Then-Bergh to prominence. Erik Then-Bergh – The Complete Electrola and Deutsche Grammophone Recordings, 1938-1958 = HANDEL: Suite No. 4 in e minor; BACH (arr. BUSONI): Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in d, BWV 1004; BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101; Bagatelles, Op. 33: Nos. […]
MOZART: Serenade in B-flat Major; “Gran Partita”; Serenade in E-flat Major – EU Ch. Orch./ Santiago Mantas – Divine Art
Conductor Mantas and his European Union Chamber Orch. Wind Octet do honor to Mozart. MOZART: Serenade in B-flat Major, K. 361 “Gran Partita”; Serenade in E-flat Major, K. 375 – European Union Ch. Orch./ Santiago Mantas – Divine Art dda 25136, 77:21 [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Of all the recorded music in rather generous collections […]
TCHAIKOVSKY: The Nutcracker, Op. 71 – Suite from the Ballet – Philharmonia Orch./ Efrem Kurtz – Hi-Q Records
The 1958 classic Nutcracker excerpts assume a new audiophile guise in this issue from Hi-Q Records. TCHAIKOVSKY: The Nutcracker, Op. 71 – Suite from the Ballet – Philharmonia Orch./ Efrem Kurtz – Hi-Q Records xrcd24 HIQXRCD51, 60:00 (6/24/16) [Distr. by Warner Classics] ****: The Nutcracker – Suite From The Ballet is performed by the Philharmonia […]
Beecham, ABC Blue Network Concerts, Vol. 3 = MOZART: Symphony No. 31; HANDEL: Piano Concerto in A Major; CHABRIER: Espana – Betty Humby, p./ Blue Network Sym. Orch./ Sir Thomas Beecham – Pristine Audio
The third of the Blue Network concerts by Beecham restores the sense of musical festivity and stylistic brilliance. Beecham – The ABC Blue Network Concerts, Vol. 3 = MOZART: Symphony No. 31 in D Major, K. 297; HANDEL: Piano Concerto in A Major; CHABRIER: Espana – Betty Humby, p./ Blue Network Sym. Orch./ Sir Thomas […]
PROKOFIEV: Sym. No. 5 in B-flt Major – Royal Concertgebouw Orch. / Mariss Jansons – RCO Live
Chief Conductor Mariss Jansons leads his Concertgebouw Orchestra in a spirited, sonorous reading of the Prokofiev Fifth. PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, Op. 100 – Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/ Mariss Jansons – RCO Live multichannel SACD 16002, 43:06 [Distr. by Naxos] (4/29/16) ****: Recorded live at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam 17-21 September 2014, the Prokofiev […]
FRITZ BRUN: Vol. 5 – Piano Concerto, Divertimento, Variations – Adriano cond. – Guild
Volume 5 of the Fritz Brun survey – three virtuosic keyboard combinations with orchestra.
DVORAK: Piano Concerto in g minor; SCHUBERT: Fantasy for Piano in C Major, “Wanderer” – Sviatoslav Richter, p./ Bavarian State Orch./ Carlos Kleiber – Warner Classics
Classic renditions by Richter of Dvorak and Schubert constitute “required listening” for anyone who appreciates this keyboard titan.
RACHMANINOV: Piano Sonata No. 1 in d minor; Var. on a Theme of Corelli – Jin Hwa Lee, p. – Blue Griffin
For one hour, the potent bravura keyboard style of Rachmaninov has a natural acolyte in Jin Hwa Lee.
SIBELIUS: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7 – BBC National Orch. of Wales/ Thomas Sondergard – Linn
Two Sibelius gems superbly played and recorded.
A MusiCares Tribute To Paul McCartney, Blu-ray (2015)
Well past sixty-four, the music community still needs McCartney!
MAHLER: Symphony No. 3 in d; Symphony No. 5 – Marjana Lipovsek, mezzo-sop./ Vienna Children’s Chorus/ Women of the Vienna Chorus/ Bavarian State Orch./ Zubin Mehta – Farao Classics Blu-ray
Almost a very long home run. And definitely worth the $28 price!
Nicolai Golovanov conducts TCHAIKOVSKY = Moscouw Cantata; Voyevoda; Overture Solennelle, The Tempest – Praga Digitals mono
Selected music of Peter Tchaikovsky finds an illustrious interpreter in Nicolai Golovanov, whose original inscriptions gain a new, vivid life in these Praga restorations.
Fireworks – Barbara Nissman, piano = D. SCARLATTI: 3 Sonatas; BRAHMS: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor; DEBUSSY: Masques; La fille aux cheveux de lin; La soiree dans Grenade; Feux d’artifice; LISZT: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 – Barbara Nissman, p. – Three Oranges
A potent entry from Barbara Nissman’s new label, the aptly named disc shimmers and flames with digital bravura and imaginative sensibility.
RACHMANINOFF: Prelude in C-sharp Minor; Piano Concerto No. 2; Symphony No. 3 – Cyril Smith, p./ London Sym. Orch. (Prelude)/ Liverpool Philharmonic Orch. (Concerto)/ BBC Sym. Orch./ Sir Malcolm Sargent – Guild
Sir Malcolm Sargent’s renditions of Rachmaninoff hold up well, given the generous spirit of his commitment.
STRAVINSKY: Le Rossignol – complete opera; DELAGE: Quatre poems hindous; Berceuse phoque – Janine Micheau/ Genevieve Moizan/ Jean Giraudeau/ Lucien Lovano/ Michel Roux/ Bernard Cottret/ Christiane Gayraud/ Martha Angelici, sop. (Delage)/ Chorus and Orch. of the French Nat. Radio/ Andre Cluytens – Testament
An enchanted hour of Russian and French “Eastern exoticism” awaits us in these classic renditions by Andre Cluytens.
REZNICEK: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 – Robert-Schumann-Philharmonie/ Frank Beermann – CPO
For the musically curious, these two symphonies of Reznicek reveal a master of color but melodically indebted to many contemporaries.
“The American Masters” Works by SAMUEL BARBER, JOHN CORIGLIANO, MASON BATES [TrackList follows] – Anne Akiko Meyers, violin/ London Sym. Orch./ Leonard Slatkin – Entertainment One
American contemporary music linking three generations of composers – well played and beautifully recorded.
WEINBERG: Symphony No. 18; Trumpet Concerto – Balio, trumpet/ St. Petersburg Chamber Choir/ St. Petersburg State Sym. Orch./ Vladimir Lande – Naxos
Weinberg beautifully recorded and performed with passion.
PHILIP GLASS: Symphony No. 1 “Low” – Sinfonieorchester Basel/Dennis Russell Davies – Orange Mt.
Vibrant new recording of this important early work.