Oct 29, 2023 | Outstanding [category w.e.f. January 2021], Recording Reviews
This musical Advent Calendar of a release avoids slushiness and sentimentalism, boasts many fine melodies dressed in sympathetic arrangements and brought to life by choirs and orchestra partnering the glorious voice of Lise Davidsen who sings without artifice, her...
Oct 26, 2023 | Outstanding [category w.e.f. January 2021], Recording Reviews
The shortlist for recommendable recordings of Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra just got an entry longer with this impressive Lille performance, very well played, with personality, and recorded (July 2022), a rendition of atmosphere, compelling characterisation (a...
Oct 21, 2023 | Outstanding [category w.e.f. January 2021], Recording Reviews
Born 1909 in Łódź, she died sixty years later in Warsaw, Grażyna Bacewicz’s music has become of current interest and will go beyond it. This excellent release, not least in terms of production values (Brian Pidgeon) and audiophile sound (Ralph Couzens) –...
Oct 19, 2023 | Outstanding [category w.e.f. January 2021], Recording Reviews
Music by two Hungarian composers, and folk-music-collecting friends, performed in Romania conducted by Los Angeles-born (to Romanian parents) Lawrence Foster, makes for an excellent collection, very well recorded at Radio Cluj in May 2022. Kodály’s Budavári Te...
Oct 19, 2023 | Recording Reviews
The opera Interludes are atmospheric and somewhat edgy (appropriately) if a little contained, especially ‘Sunday Morning’ and ‘Storm’, neither of which ignite enough. The sound is good (September 2022 at Blackheath Halls) and in just balance...
Oct 13, 2023 | Outstanding [category w.e.f. January 2021], Recording Reviews
Captured in excellent sound, April & May 2021, in the twelve Études d’exécution transcendante Francesco Piemontesi offers amazing playing – embracing vivid characterisation and the sensitive etching of music that takes a pianist to Olympian virtuoso...
