Gramophone Choices,
Gramophone Editor's Choices - July 2023
The Times called this Serse 'a spectacular treat for Handel lovers', and while reviewers have universally and deservedly heaped their praises on D’Angelo, the contrasting approaches of Lucy Crowe as a Romilda of 'steadfast purity' and Mary Bevan as a rather more flirtatious Atalanta have also drawn well-earned plaudits – as has the sheer liveliness that Bicket draws from his ensemble.
Recording of the Month
Handel: Serse
Emily D’Angelo (Serse), Lucy Crowe (Romilda), Paula Murrihy (Arsamene), Mary Bevan (Atalanta), Daniela Mack (Amastre), Ariodate (Neal Davies), William Dazeley (Elviro); The English Concert, Harry Bicket
'The superb cast is led by Emily D’Angelo, whose opening aria – beautifully controlled and rich in tone – will not disappoint...this new Serse is surely one of the most charismatic recordings now available.'
Available Formats: 3 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
Editor's Choices
Bacewicz: Concertos for 1 & 2 Pianos, Overture & Music for Strings, Trumpets & Percussion
Peter Jablonski and Elisabeth Brauß (piano), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Nicholas Collon
'Bacewicz’s music certainly thrives on its high metabolic rate, its impatience, even, for which this brilliantly executed new album makes no apology.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Beethoven: Piano Concerto Nos. 1-5
Garrick Ohlsson (piano), Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, Sir Donald Runnicles
'A spacious, unrushed account of these canonic works, forthright and yet deeply personal...This is a bouquet of Beethoven concertos like no other.'
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
'It is the coupling of the Britten Violin Concerto (gratifyingly becoming more and more core repertoire these days) which...sets this disc apart…I can’t recall a better account of the piece than this.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
'Admirers of the Franck will not be disappointed, but ultimately it’s the Martin that makes the disc very special indeed.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
'You can easily imagine the audience’s indulgent end-ofrecital smiles over Das Butterbrot (Litolff possibly, probably not Mozart).'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'Lucas’s three dozen singers are on impressive form, combining tonal beauty with sheer stamina...This splendid new release will take some supplanting.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
Pavel Chesnokov: Sacred Choral Music
St. John's Voices, Cambridge University Chamber Choir, Graham Walker
'To my knowledge, this is the first recording dedicated exclusively to Chesnokov’s work by British singers, and it provides an excellent showcase for his work, in chronological order.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
'It’s a virtuoso account of a piece that takes the spirit of Bach and says something quite new.'
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC
'Chance’s tone is pellucid; notes fall round and clear as water drops...a recording in which Chance stakes serious claim to the title of his generation’s most exciting British countertenor.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
DVD/Blu-ray of the Month
Puccini: Tosca (DVD)
Malin Byström (Tosca), Joshua Guerrero (Cavaradossi), Gevorg Hakobyan (Scarpia); Chorus of Dutch National Opera, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Barrie Kosky, Lorenzo Viotti
'Kosky and Viotto, closely allied in style, find fresh, sometimes truly shocking energy...This must be one of the bloodiest Toscas shown on stage, in a world where the characters’ Christian faith is clearly a personal defence against the horror of the tyranny under which they live.'
Available Format: DVD Video
Reissue/Archive Issue of the Month
'Over the years the Barbirolli Society has treated us to some remarkable recordings but this I think has to be among the very finest of them.'
Available Format: CD
Katherine Cooper - Head of Editorial
