BBC Music Magazine Choices,
BBC Music Magazine - April 2022 Choices
Elisabeth Leonskaja's recording of the complete Mozart piano sonatas on Warner is first among equals in the April issue, with David Nice declaring it 'an honour and a pleasure' to experience these works with 'the wisest of all living pianists' as guide.
Editor's Choices include Hungarian soprano Emöke Baráth's all-Handel programme Dualità (with countertenor Philippe Jaroussky making an assured recording debut as a conductor), The Gesualdo Six's recording of their namesake's Tenebrae Responsories and Tallis's Lamentations of Jeremiah, and the second instalment of Azica Records's excellent Uncovered series, featuring chamber works by Florence Price from the Catalyst Quartet and pianist Michelle Cann.
Recording of the Month
'Leonskaja always treads the tightrope between prettiness and excessive emphases...Perfection? For me, it’s a yes. Can we have the Haydn and even the Beethoven sonatas complete from Leonskaja in good time, please?'
Available Formats: 6 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Orchestral Choice
'Puccini’s youthful inspiration sounds most effective here [in the four excerpts from the Messa di Gloria], elegantly sung and played with scaled-back forces, making you wish you could experience the entire work performed with such devoted intimacy.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Concerto Choice
Mozart & Strauss: Oboe Concertos
Cristina Gómez Godoy (oboe), West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim
'Godoy’s tone has an exceptional purity and beauty, without a trace of narcissism, and her musicianship is as gifted as it gets...the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra’s contribution is state-of-the-art, responding to Barenboim’s direction with a special class of supportive alertness.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Opera Choice
'She provides a sonic feast: rich bottom-register timbre, brilliant yet voluptuous top notes and a pure core that energises even her longest lines...Crossing to the podium is a rare move for a vocal virtuoso, and Jaroussky sets a high bar for his very full conducting and singing schedule this year.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Choral & Song Choice
'Park’s direction of the music is sensitive and alert variegated...Words and polyphonic strands are lucid, and while The Gesualdo Six can build up intense and resonant climaxes, their voices are never forced...In sum, these are accounts of haunting beauty – warmly recommended.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
Chamber Choice
'Beautifully performed by the Catalyst Quartet, joined by pianist Michelle Cann for the Quintet in Aminor (c. 1935) and possibly unfinished Quintet for Piano and Strings (date unknown), the works reveal Price’s distinctive Romantic sensibility coming alive in chamber music richly expressive of Black folkloric musical traditions.'
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Instrumental Choice
'There’s a sense of Bacewicz’s compositional imagination really taking wing in these pieces, and Jablonski commits to her vision. The First Sonata feels full of ambition, and Jablonski draws out all of its rhythmic and emotional complexity.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Screen Choice
Morricone: Cinema Suites for Violin and Orchestra
Marco Serino (violin), Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano e Trento, Andrea Morricone
'There’s an air of great respect and humility in the performances, conducted by Morricone’s son, Andrea, while the music bears all the hallmarks of the man himself. Themes from the likes Cinema Paradiso, The Mission and Once Upon a Time in America are rich in emotional colour and unforgettable melodies.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
