BBC Music Magazine Choices,
BBC Music Magazine - December 2023 Choices
A quartet of orchestral works by Bulgarian-British composer Dobrinka Tabakova (who was The Hallé's Artist in Residence for the 2022/23 season) takes the laurels in next month's issue, with reviewer Kate Wakeling admiring the 'scintillating orchestral textures' on display in Orpheus' Comet and Maxim Rysanov's 'terrifically full-bodied' performance of the Viola Concerto which Tabakova composed for him in 2004.
The album was released on The Hallé's own label last month; you can read David's recent interview with conductor Delyana Lazarova (who hails from the same neighbourhood in Bulgaria as Tabakova) about why 'all of these pieces are so easy to connect to' here.
Recording of the Month
Dobrinka Tabakova: Orpheus' Comet, Earth Suite & Concertos
Maxim Rysanov (viola), Guy Johnston (cello), Hallé Orchestra, Delyana Lazarova
'Complex but richly communicative, her compositions demonstrate this blend [of mind and heart] to a tee...Beautifully performed and recorded, this is a first-rate release, offering a timely showcase of this exceptionally talented composer.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Orchestral Choice
Mozart: Paris & Haffner Symphonies & Oboe Concerto
Xenia Löffler (oboe), Akademie Fur Alte Musik Berlin, Bernhard Forck
'The excellent period instrument Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin treat [the Paris Symphony] with due sophistication and restraint...The Akademie’s great clarity in this recording gives a frequently exhilarating sense of the finesse in Mozart’s musical architecture.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Concerto Choice
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1
Alice Sara Ott (piano), Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Karina Canellakis
'The clarity and realism of the recording in the concerto are what first impress...Of course, such an achievement would be meaningless if the performance was not at the same level, but the orchestral tutti combines energy and sensitivity, before Ott enters in an almost improvisatory fashion, then takes off with delicacy and rhythmic wit.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
Opera Choice
'He adopts a nuanced approach to characterisation, bringing a vocally distinctive tone to each role. His Cavaradossi is as languid and heroic as you could wish for; his Luigi edgy and sombre; his Ruggero youthful. But it is in the role of Des Grieux that he particularly captivates.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Choral & Song Choice
'The creative and attentively researched programme knits together musical and textual threads into a fast-moving sequence...Orliński carries off the programme with great élan: his bell-like voice is warm, focused and as limber as his famous break-dancing. Il Pomo d’Oro offers sinewy, high-octane playing and richly textured continuo realisations.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Chamber Choice
'The performers are 100 per cent in agreement with Fauré – and with each other. It is a delight beyond words, in this culture where authorship is increasingly going for so little, to find such skill, intelligence and respect for the composer...Altogether a superb recording.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
Instrumental Choice
'Wherever you turn in this double album, it ’s clear that Hewitt has approached this second volume of Mozart piano sonatas, part of a complete set, with her customary meticulous style.'
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
