Reviews
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Hamlet at Glyndebourne
One of the major cultural events of the summer was the world premiere of Brett Dean’s Hamlet, directed by NeilRead More -
Dreams and Fancies: Walton,Berkeley, Dowland, Arnold and Britten
Sean Shibe (g) Delphian DCD34193 ***** Still in his mid-twenties, Shibe has already secured a formidable reputation in both concertRead More -
Nenov: Piano Concerto; Ballade for piano & orchestra
Ivo Varbanov (pf), Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Emil Tabakov Hyperion CDA68205 **** Condemned to professional and posthumous obscurity by theRead More -
André Cluytens: Complete orchestral and concerto recordings
Erato 9029588669 (65CD) ***** While the postie will rue its purchase, this economically priced mammoth collection is self-recommending, even ifRead More -
Kathleen Ferrier Remembered: Songs by Brahms, Schubert, Rubbra, etc
Kathleen Ferrier (c), Bruno Walter, Gerald Moore & Frederick Stone (pfs) Somm SOMM264 ***** This generous selection of broadcast recordings,Read More -
Perfido!: Concert arias by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven
Sophie Bevan (s); The Mozartists, Ian Page Signum Classics SIGCD485 ***** This generous and thoughtfully chosen sequence of arias beginsRead More -
Bartók: The String Quartets
Heath Quartet Harmonia Mundi HMM90766162 (2CD) ***** Recorded at the same time as its acclaimed Wigmore Hall cycle and followingRead More -
First Drop: Choral works by Skempton, Volans, Reich, etc
Ars Nova Copenhagen, Paul Hillier Cantaloupe CA21127 ***** EDITOR’S CHOICE Ranging from the ravishingly beautiful (Skempton’s Rise up my love),Read More -
Mahler: Symphony no. 8
Soloists & Choirs; Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly Accentus ACC20390 (DVD), ACC10390 (Blu-ray) ***** Tempi here are broadly similar toRead More -
Brahms, Schubert & Schumann: Complete 1950s solo studio recordings
Walter Gieseking (pf) APR APR7042 (4CD) ***** There is some remarkable playing here. If this Franco-German musician was better knownRead More -
Toscanini: Musician of Conscience
Harvey Sachs Liveright Publishing Company Hardback, £29.99 ***** EDITOR’S CHOICE Now that the age of the autocratic conductor is pastRead More -
Recollections from My Life: An Autobiography by A B Marx
Translated by Stephen Thomson Moore, introduction and notes by R J Arnold Pendragon Press, Hardback, £52 *** Remembered, if atRead More -
Power of three: guitar books
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Book review: Schoenberg’s Models for Beginners in Composition
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Review: Disco Pigs
Five stars Darkly funny and deeply unsettling, this is a fantastic example of fringe theatre. Pig and Runt wereRead More -
Kurtág: Complete works for ensemble and choir
Asko/Schoenberg, Netherlands Radio Choir, Reinbert de Leeuw ECM New Series 4812883 (3 CD) ***** EDITOR’S CHOICE These works are well-representedRead More -
Brahms: Violin concerto, Piano concerto no 1; Schumann: Piano quartet
Frank Peter Zimmermann (vn), Emanuel Ax (pf); Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink RCO RCO17001 (2 hybrid-SACD) ***** In a marketRead More -
Prokofiev: Piano concertos nos 1 & 3; Overture on Hebrew Themes
Simon Trpčeski (pf); Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko Onyx ONYX4140 ***** Trpčeski’s approach here is a winning combination ofRead More -
Schumann: Fantasy, Op 17; Liszt: Sonata in B minor
Sándor Falvai (pf) Celestial Harmonies CH133122 ***** Little known in the UK, this veteran Hungarian pianist has made relatively fewRead More -
Adams & Korngold*: Violin concertos
Ilya Gringolts (vn); Copenhagen Phil, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Julien Salemkour* Orchid Classics ORC100066 **** Hot on the heels of Tamsin Waley-Cohen’sRead More
