BBC Music Magazine Choices,
BBC Music Magazine - May 2019 Choices
An Ysaÿe-themed recital from regular collaborators Alina Ibragimova and Cédric Tiberghien on Hyperion takes the honours this month – including sonatas written for the Belgian violinist-composer by Vierne and Franck as well as his own Shakespeare-inspired Poème élégiaque and a hypnotic little nocturne by the young Lili Boulanger, the album was one of our Recordings of the Week in March and impressed Katherine with its ‘radical and refreshing’ approach to one of the best-known of all nineteenth-century violin sonatas.
Two suitably effervescent celebrations of Offenbach in his bicentenary year (courtesy of coloratura soprano Jodie Devos and French cellist Edgar Moreau) also make the cut, as does Laurence Cummings’s incisive, dramatic account of Handel’s Judas Maccabeus, recorded at the Göttingen Festival last May.
Recording of the Month
'This is simply superb in every way…Ibragimova and Cédric Tiberghien are typically outstanding throughout, playing with exceptional control without ever forsaking spontaneity…Make no mistake, this performance of the Franck is among the finest on disc, its frequent intimacy providing a distinctive perspective. The timbral range of both players is exceptional.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Orchestral Choice
'For someone who had such a long career as a period-instrument violinist, Manze’s interpretations with the NDR Radiophilharmonie (of which he is now principal conductor) are surprisingly Romantic – and none the worse for that. To make the two most famous among all 18th-century symphonies sound so fresh is no mean feat. I enjoyed these performances immensely.'
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Concerto Choice
Offenbach & Gulda: Cello Concertos
Edgar Moreau (cello), Orchestra Les Forces Majeures, Raphaël Merlin
'Moreau is evidently a cellist of exceptional gifts with a vibrant directness of delivery, absolute security of tone and intonation in all registers and a concentrated intentness in his playing that rivets the attention…He’s vividly supported by Raphaël Merlin’s recently founded young orchestral collective Les Forces Majeures, recorded with a real presence.'
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Chamber Choice
Rachmaninov & Myaskovsky: Sonatas for Cello and Piano
Bruno Philippe (cello) & Jérôme Ducros (piano)
'It’s difficult to understand why Nikolai Myaskovsky’s First Cello Sonata remains so neglected…Philippe inflects the music with great fervour, strongly supported by Jérôme Ducros’s impressive mastery of the demanding piano part and an admirably balanced recording. Philippe Ducros are just as compelling in the much better-known Rachmaninov Sonata…All in all, an outstanding release.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Instrumental Choice
'Cooper describes [the Diabellis] as ‘a wonderful journey…I am instantly in a good mood when practising or performing this piece.’ And that is what overwhelmingly comes over in her superb recording…Cooper never goes for effect per se: her goal is purely expressiveness. Für Elise comes like a thoughtful coda.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Choral & Song Choice
Handel: Judas Maccabaeus
Kenneth Tarver, Deanna Breiwick, Sophie Harmsen, Owen Willetts, Joao Fernandes; NDR Chor & FestspielOrchester Göttingen, Laurence Cummings
'This is one of the best Judas Maccabeus performances ever…To my ear, no choir has done justice to the intricacy of Handel’s writing like the NDR Chor does. Incisive, sensitive and saturated with colour, the choir’s sound moves effortlessly between intentionally nasty and utterly gorgeous…Handel’s work is among his most brilliant, and Cummings does it full justice.'
Available Format: 2 CDs
Opera Choice
'This is a marriage made in musical heaven with the young Dutch soprano Jodie Devos reminding us just how gifted Jacques Offenbach was as a composer…She’s a gravity-defying coloratura soprano who would have thrilled the composer; and she’s certainly not the proverbial canary…Metaphorically, you’re on your feet before Devos is effortlessly stretching up to her final top notes.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Jazz Choice
'Marsalis’s method when planning a set for his quartet is to have everyone bring their ideas along and see what excites. In the studio he emphasises melody and rhythmic drive over harmony, resulting in music that has clarity and drive, but with everyone free to play in the cracks…With this line-up something of a rarity in jazz today, it’s rather wonderful to be reminded of how the classic horn-led quartet can still really smash it.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
