January 2025
Sibelius String Works – Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra
Sibelius in Miniature—and in Finnish WARNER APEX 09274 06072 (76:23) Here’s a curious thing: some composers write…
Bruno Walter and Goldmark Chamber Works – Graffin
Bruno Walter and Karl Goldmark: Chamber Works Philippe Graffin, violin; Pascal Devoyon, piano Hyperion CDA67220 Hyperion’s engineers…
Beethoven Piano Concerto No 5 Emperor Schnabel
Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73, Emperor Cello Sonata in G…
Rossini: Il Signor Bruschino – Warsaw Chamber Opera
The Young Rossini’s Farsa in Spirited, if Imperfect, Polish Hands Here’s a problem that vexed me throughout…
Beethoven Complete Piano Sonatas by Bilson and Ensemble
Ludwig van Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas Performers: Malcolm Bilson, Tom Beghin, David Breitman, Ursula Dütschler, Zvi Meniker,…
Schreker Orchestral Works – Slovak Philharmonic Under Seipenbusch
# Schreker Without the Shimmer Franz Schreker: Orchestral Works Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra / Edgar Seipenbusch Naxos 8.555246…
Puccini Madama Butterfly – Karajan Film by Ponnelle
Puccini’s Madama Butterfly on Film: The Karajan Paradox Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s 1974 film of Madama Butterfly presents a…
Villa-Lobos Symphony No. 10 – Santa Barbara Forces
# Villa-Lobos’s Tenth: A Monumental Curiosity from Santa Barbara VILLA-LOBOS: Symphony No. 10, “Ameríndia“ Carla Wood (mezzo-soprano),…
Arnold Bax String Quartets 1 and 2 – Maggini Quartet
Sir Arnold Bax String Quartet No. 1 in G major (1918) String Quartet No. 2 in A…
Strauss Ariadne auf Naxos – Sinopoli Dresden
# Sinopoli’s Valedictory Ariadne: evidence of Textural Clarity One hesitates to call any disc a “last testament“—the…
Bartok: The World of Bartok Compilation
Béla Bartók (1881–1945): The World of Béla Bartók Detroit Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati; Vladimir and Vovka Ashkenazy (pianos),…
Bach Organ Works – Hans Helmut Tillmanns
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) Organ Works: Prelude and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 543; Prelude and Fugue…
Genovese Oboe Recital – Boston Symphony Principal
**Genovese: Oboe Recital** Alfred Genovese, oboe; Peter Serkin, piano; Robert Spano, piano; Burton Fine, viola; Harold Wright,…
Shostakovich Symphony No 8 – Jansons and Pittsburgh
Jansons and Pittsburgh in Shostakovich’s Eighth: A Monument to Circumstance This is a strange disc—strange in its…
Schnittke Sacred Choral Works – Holst Singers
Schnittke: Concerto for Mixed Chorus; Voices of Nature; Minnesang** Holst Singers/Stephen Layton Hyperion CDA67297 [64:48] The grotesque…
Vaughan Williams and Gurney: Shropshire Lad Song Cycles
A Shropshire Gathering: Vaughan Williams and Gurney in Hyperion’s Thoughtful Pairing This Hyperion release addresses—though not entirely…
Bach Organ Works by Jonathan Biggers
Johann Sebastian Bach: On The Fritts! Organ Works: “Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C-Minor” BWV 564, Partita…
Bach Christmas Oratorio – Beringer and Münchener Bachsolisten
J.S. Bach. Christmas Oratorio. Juliane Banse (soprano), Cornelia Kallisch (alto), Markus Schäfer (tenor), Robert Swensen (tenor), Thomas…
Wagner Tristan und Isolde – de Sabata La Scala
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde** Grob-Prandl, Lorenz, Cavelti, Bjorling, Nilsson; La Scala Orchestra and Chorus/de Sabata Archipel ARPCD…
Villa-Lobos: Forest of the Amazon – Fleming
Villa-Lobos: Forest of the Amazon** Renée Fleming, soprano; Chorus of the Moscow Physics and Engineering Institute; Moscow…
Casadesus Violin Works by Gearhart and Owings
Casadesus: Violin Sonata no. 1; Violin Sonata no. 2; Suite for Two Violins; Hommage à Chausson Fritz…
Moiseiwitsch Rachmaninov Concertos – Rediscovering a Master
# Moiseiwitsch’s Rachmaninov: A Reproach to Forgetfulness It’s extraordinary now to think of a time when a…
Mengelberg Strauss – Wartime Concertgebouw Recordings
Mengelberg’s Strauss: The Autocrat at Full Throttle These recordings—Ein Heldenleben from 1941, Tod und Verklärung from the…
Rossini Guillaume Tell – Taddei and Rossi 1951
ROSSINI: Guglielmo Tell** Giuseppe Taddei (Guglielmo Tell), Rosanna Carteri (Matilde), Mario Filippeschi (Arnoldo), Giorgio Tozzi (Gualtiero), Plinio…
