BBC Music Magazine Choices,
BBC Music Magazine - April 2018 Choices
This month's Choices include a second sublime solo recital from violinist Michael Barenboim (who spoke to Katherine recently about the recording, which focuses on virtuosic Italian music for unaccompanied violin from Tartini to Sciarrino), an impressive recording debut from a young British vocal ensemble born out of The Sixteen's Genesis Project, and Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Polina Leschenko's incendiary album of Bartók, Poulenc and Ravel - which was one of our own Recordings of the Week in February.
Recording of the Month
Deux: Music for Violin & Piano by Bartók, Poulenc & Ravel
Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin), Polina Leschenko (piano)
'Simply, this is one of the finest, most musically sensitive recordings to have come my way for some time, and the neat title ‘Deux’ exactly encapsulates the partnership on display…The players spin on a dime in the sudden changes of mood [in the Poulenc], encompassing a bitter sense of humour…I defy anyone not to be bowled over by the sheer variety and depth of playing.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Orchestral Choice
'This present performance, one of the last recordings made by Jiří Bělohlávek, rises high above the ordinary and reinforces his claim to being one of the finest post-war Czech conductors…Throughout there are so many things to admire, but perhaps above all is the orchestral detail which leaps from the score as if newly minted…this is one of the greatest performances of Smetana’s orchestral masterpiece available.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Concerto Choice
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra & Piano Concerto No. 3
Javier Perianes (piano), Münchner Philharmoniker, Pablo Heras-Casado
These new recordings are really splendid, with sensitive and thoughtful playing from the Spanish pianist Javier Perianes, and meticulous conducting from his compatriot Pablo Heras-Casado. The Concerto for Orchestra’s opening Allegro may perhaps be a bit lacking in vigour and energy, but Heras-Casado’s interpretation of the work as a whole is commendably free of showmanship or vulgarity.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Chamber Choice
'Irnberger and Moser play each one with a dedicated sense of inspired fantasy that distils each piece to its purest essence…Perhaps the greatest surprise of all is the set of six expertly-crafted pieces by Amanda Rontgen-Maier…Here, as elsewhere, Irnberger’s sparkling tone and intonational purity combine to captivating effect.'
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Instrumental Choice
'Sublimely controlled, Barenboim throws down the expressive gauntlet with playing as subtle as it is high-voltage and apparently – paradoxically – on the edge of reason. Underpinning the whole is an astonishing rendition of Tartini’s Devil’s Trill Sonata in which Barenboim eschews keyboard accompaniment…In short, this is visionary programming, breathtakingly realised.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Choral & Song
'Exquisite blend quickly emerges as a touchstone for the intense programme…The startling chromaticism and momentum of the Igegneri and Marenzio works shines through to complete this accomplished recital – a reflection not only of Monteverdi, mortality and magnitudes, but of a group that gives some of the best in the business a run for their money.'
Available Format: CD
Opera Choice
Lully: Alceste
Judith Van Wanroij, Edwin Crossley-Mercer, Emiliano Gonzalez Toro; Christophe Rousset, Les Talens Lyriques
'Outstanding among the stylish cast are Judith Van Wanroij as the eponymous heroine, her delivery pliant and lucid, her satin tones persuasively seductive…Rousset draws alert and vital playing from his crack instrumental ensemble Les Talens Lyriques, while his direction of the unfolding drama is responsive but never overblown.'
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
