New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 19th January 2018
This week’s plum releases include Mark Padmore’s visceral second recording of Winterreise (his companion this time around is a fortepiano rather than a concert grand, and the result is appropriately uncanny and hibernal!), Brahms cello sonatas from Alexandre Tharaud and Jean-Guihen Queyras, and the third exceptional recording of Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 3 in as many months, courtesy of the Jerusalem Quartet. There’s also a delightfully surreal balletic pasticcio on Mozart from La Scala, and an impressive, intelligently-conceived debut album from early music ensemble In Echo, which my colleague David discussed with their artistic director Gawain Glenton in last week’s newsletter.
Jansons (who turned 75 last week) returns as conductor emeritus of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra to resume the Mahler cycle which he began during his 11-year stint as Chief Conductor from 2004-2015. He’s previously recorded the work with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and Oslo Philharmonic, with the latter winning praised for the ‘lithe energy and carefree sweep’ (Financial Times) of his interpretation.
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
Dvořák: String Quintet Op. 97 & String Sextet Op. 48
Veronika Hagen (viola), Gary Hoffman (cello), Jerusalem Quartet
It’s been a great few months on disc for Dvořák’s Third String Quintet, with outstanding accounts from the Pavel Haas Quartet (one of our Top 10 Recordings of 2017) and the Takács Quartet, but the Jerusalem more than holds its own against both recent competition and their own superb reading of the Piano Quintet a decade ago, described as ‘extraordinarily beautiful’ by BBC Music Magazine.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
The French pianist and cellist are long-term collaborators (Gramophone described them as ‘an aristocratic duo’ following the release of their Arpeggione Sonata ten years ago), with a discography that includes Schubert, Debussy, Poulenc, Kurtág and Kodály; here they join forces for Brahms’s two sonatas (one of which they perform at the Wigmore Hall this evening!) and their own transcriptions of six of the Hungarian Dances.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
The debut release from early music ensemble In Echo (‘some of the most thoughtful and virtuosic players around’ – Robert Hollingworth) explores the musical landscape of the Hanseatic League, including works by Antonio Bertali, Antony Holborne and William Brade as well as a newly-commissioned piece by Andrew Keeling. Read our exclusive interview with director Gawain Glenton about the recording here.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Padmore's first recording of Schubert's bleakest song-cycle (with Paul Lewis, in 2009) won a Gramophone Award, and now he revisits the work with fortepianist Kristian Bezuidenhout - a partnership which has been praised by BBC Music Magazine for its 'almost perfect unity of approach' (review of Dichterliebe and Liederkreis Op. 24).
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Moreau and Kadouch present Poulenc’s Cello Sonata and Jules Delsart’s transcription (sanctioned by the composer) of the César Franck Violin Sonata alongside three rarities: Rita Strohl’s ‘Sonate Dramatique’ Titus et Bérénice, Fernand de La Tombelle’s Andante espressivo, and Poulenc’s previously unrecorded Souvenirs from 1944.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Following a widely praised Bach album and distinguished contributions to several recent Rameau and Lully recordings, the classy Belgian high tenor and his ensemble explore four cantatas by Nicolas Clérambault (1676–1749): Apollon, Le jaloux, L'amour guéri par l'amour and Pirâme et Tisbé. Superb advocacy for a composer who’s still relatively under-represented on record.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Mozart: The Lovers' Garden
Roberto Bolle, Nicoletta Manni, Marta Romagna, Claudio Coviello; Teatro alla Scala
Featuring music from the string quartets and quintets and characters from Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte and Die Zauberflöte, this whimsical and sumptuous new ballet from La Scala blends classical and modern choreographic elements and stars some of Italy’s leading dancers.
Available Format: Blu-ray
20 discs of the legendary film-composer conducting his own music (including excerpts from the scores of Return of the Jedi, E.T. and Schindler’s List, the Cello Concerto and the bassoon concerto The Five Sacred Trees), American marches and traditional songs, a Christmas programme with the Boston Pops Orchestra, orchestral arrangements of jazz standards, and music by Copland, Bernstein and Hovhaness.
Available Format: 20 CDs
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
