jw
Jonathan Woolf
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9, Carnival Overture; Smetana: The Bartered Bride Overture (RCA)
(Déjà Review) Ebullient and powerful and the finale sweeping but not overdone, and with tremendous inner rhythm [JW]
Handel: Theodora (Alpha Classics)
A splendidly cohesive musically-rewarding example of integrated casting and performance [JW]
Beethoven: String quartets (Biddulph)
Two late acoustics from the Léner Quartet offer opportunities for contrast with their 1930s remakes [JW]
Joseph Szigeti (violin) Bach, Brahms & Vaughan Williams (Biddulph)
Humble pie time for a reviewer [JW]
Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music (Albion Records)
Another transfer of the 1938 Serenade to Music and miscellaneous songs from the 16 singers [JW]
Annie Fischer (piano) Schumann & Schubert (ICA Classics)
Annie Fischer in Schubert and Schumann: a great pianist in the BBC studios [JW]
Bach: Keyboard Works (Hyperion)
(Déjà Review) A significant series, a laudable one, and there’s no lessening in perception in this final volume [JW]
Bacewicz: Complete Orchestral Works Volume 2 (cpo)
A balanced orchestral portfolio follows Bacewicz from neo-classicism to her late style [JW]
Papandopulo: The Complete String Quartets (cpo)
Folklore and colour, rhythmic variety and classical forms along with contemporary slants [JW]
Path to the Moon Works for cello & piano (Chandos)
Three sonatas and a raft of transcribed songs offer fruitful material for the Chandos pairing [JW]
Howell: Orchestral Works (Signum Classics)
Excellent performances of a raft of previously unheard Dorothy Howell scores though Lamia eclipses them all [JW]
From the Airwaves (MPR)
Lighter fare for clarinet and piano from a fine duo [JW]
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos (Danacord)
A near-complete 1930s Brandenburg Concerto cycle from Berlin and interesting additions [JW]
Pejačević: Chamber music (Brilliant Classics)
A new recording highlights the lyricism and structural strength of Pejačević’s chamber music [JW]
Écoles de Paris – Paris pour École (EDA)
The Foreign Legion conscripted to the School of Paris with vitalising results [JW]
L Bernstein: Jeremiah and Age of Anxiety (Chandos)
(Déjà Review) This disc in excellent sound is a worthy alternative to the composer’s own [JW]
Maliszewski: String Quartets (PSCM Records)
Conventional and a little quirky; a minor composer slowly emerges [JW]
Claudio Arrau (piano) The Early Years (Marston)
(Déjà Review) No Arrau admirer would want to be without it [JW]
Clarke: Viola Sonata, Violin Sonata (Oehms Classics)
Rebecca Clarke’s string sonatas chart her movement from Brahms to modernism [JW]
Stravinsky, Bartok & Martinů (BIS)
A puzzling release in which clarity trumps nuance and warmth [JW]
Moondog: Songs & Symphoniques (Cantaloupe)
Mystic and shaman, master of rounds and lullabies, rebirthed by arrangers and singers [JW]
Blake: Orchestral Works (Somm Recordings)
Blake at his approachable best in orchestral music [JW]
Polish String Quartets (Acte Préalable)
Too much programmatic conformity partially rescued by the engaging Rogowski [JW]
Bonis, Fauré, Hahn: Violin Sonatas (Chandos)
Three contrasting French sonatas offer rewarding virtues [JW]
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Featured Naxos review |
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