Gramophone Choices,
Gramophone Editor's Choices - June 2015
A fair few serial award-winners make reappearances this month: Iván Fischer's superb Mahler series with the Budapest Festival Orchestra has already garnered several Editor's Choices (for Nos. 2 and 4, which was also a finalist in both the BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone Awards) and their Ninth Symphony continues in the same vein, whilst Phantasm (who also have form for their discs of John Ward and Byrd) return with a disc of William Lawes, and Paul McCreesh and his Gabrieli Consort follow the success of their much-praised recordings of Elijah, the Berlioz Grande Messe des Morts and Britten War Requiem with an account of Handel's L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato that mixes 'finesse and hedonistic delight'. (You can read David's interview with Paul McCreesh about the project here).
Recording of the Month
'This is something special and I urge everyone interested in the discography of Schubert’s piano music to hear it...I like above all the way he conveys Schubert’s wonderful instinct for the sound of the instrument.'
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Editor's Choices
The airy acoustic of the Chapel coupled with the fine Harrison & Harrison (mostly) organ help to define a peculiarly and uniquely English sound. These are especially suited to the repertoire on this fine disc...This is King’s playing to its considerable strengths at all levels.'
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'everything snaps into focus: sceptics might even claim that it’s as if Mahler’s black-and-white classic had been colourised...Fischer gives us the edginess of Bernstein without his tendency to wallow.'
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
'David Watkin’s profound musicianship...is more than enough to accelerate this recording of Bach’s Cello Suites to the top of the tiny league of ‘definitive’ recordings...a performance that is able to be completely original in its voice at the same time as never producing a phrase that jars in its unsubtlety'
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC
'Phantasm’s playing brims with imaginative fantasy and dance-like momentum, although from time to time Lawes’s unpredictable liberties with irregular phrase lengths would not have suited actual dancers.'
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'Within all four works there’s often a note of poignant nostalgia as the composer casts a backwards look to his Bohemian roots...Rysanov plays it with great expression...The BBC SO under Bělohlavek sound well in the Barbican acoustic.'
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC
'a beautifully formed recital shining different lights on a central theme. It is distinguished by Coote’s thorough absorption in the stylistic character of each song, conveying their individual sentiments and sensitivities with her rich, liquid mezzo and relishing the colouristic potential of the poetic texts.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'Ovenden sings with rounded, mellifluous tone and audible delight in Milton’s imagery...As ever in Handel, McCreesh paces and colours the music with an acute feeling for its specific tinta...Handel lovers can hardly fail to enjoy the mingled finesse and hedonistic delight of this new recording.'
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'There is indeed little that these players cannot project in terms of multifaceted lyricism, colour and dramatic presence, and this is matched by the very best in modern brass programming...Wim Van Hasselt and Jorgen van Rijen appear to find a golden thread to weave through remarkably diverse musical traditions.'
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
DVD/Blu-ray of the Month
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
