Gramophone Choices,
Gramophone Editor's Choices - July 2014
Topping the list for July are Edward Gardner and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, going from strength to strength in their ongoing collaboration on Chandos - following an acclaimed Polish Music series and discs of Britten and Bartok, their new recording of two of Walton's best-known orchestral works takes pride of place this month.
A great month, too, for violist Maxim Rysanov, who features on two of the July 'Choices' - the long-awaited second instalment of his Bach Cello Suites (in Simon Rowland-Jones's transcriptions) and clarinettist Martin Fröst's star-studded recording of the Brahms Quintet.
Taking the DVD laurels is a 2012 production of Rossini's Otello from Zurich, starring John Osborn in the title-role and Cecilia Bartoli as his wronged wife in a production that was hailed as 'unqualified success...with superb casting that no house could better' in Opera Today.
Here's the list in full, with a snippet of the review for each title. To read the full reviews as well as loads of other interesting features are articles every month be sure to check out Gramophone Subscriptions Packages.
Recording of the Month
'Fast establishing himself as a major interpreter of British repertoire, Edward Gardner’s intense performance of Walton’s Symphony No 1 is matched by the commitment and insight of Tasmin Little in the Violin Concerto.'
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Editor's Choices
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 18 & 22
Ronald Brautigam, Die Kölner Akademie, Michael Alexander Willens
'Wit, panache and delightful collisions between woodwind and fortepiano distinguish Brautigam’s latest Mozart.'
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC
'A strikingly vibrant and expressive partnership. The collaborative spirit shown by Kavakos and Wang has you gripped from the word go.'
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'Bach, Rysanov and the viola – it’s like hearing these remarkable but familiar works afresh, and a fascinating and musically beautiful experience.'
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC
'Superb soloists working together as a hugely impressive ensemble make this a very fine Brahms Quintet indeed (the disc also includes a reissue of Fröst’s recording of the Clarinet Trio).'
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC
Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan and Till Eulenspiegel
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons
'A brilliant addition to the Strauss anniversary-year releases and an important record of the orchestra’s fruitful relationship with their Latvian director.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
'A delightful portrait of an 18th-century artist: exquisite singing throughout from one of today’s most characterful sopranos.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'Excellent ensemble singing, and distinctive voices exploring every angle of these unfamiliar but instantly engaging secular songs from the Renaissance.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Mussorgsky/Ravel Pictures at an Exhibition & Ravel Ma Mère L'oye
Anima Eterna Brugge, Jos Van Immerseel
'Immerseel’s commitment to informed exploration reaps rewards once more – the performance’s expression and colour together create a beguiling sound world.'
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Weinberg & Britten: Violin Concertos
Linus Roth, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Mihkel Kütson
'Linus Roth has complete command over this sometimes urgent, sometimes lyrical material in Weinberg’s Concerto.'
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
DVD/Blu-ray of the Month
Re-issue of the Month
'Dedicated pianophiles need not hesitate. For others, the Liszt, Saint-Saens and Grieg recordings are essential listening.'
Available Formats: 4 CDs, MP3, FLAC
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
