Recording of the month

Weinberg Symphonies Nos 2 & 21

CBSO / Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla

(DG) 

Last month’s issue profiled Birmingham’s latest musical star – and this recording offers further proof that in Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla the CBSO and DG have found a very special talent indeed. 

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Gounod Symphonies Nos 1 & 2

Iceland Symphony Orchestra / Yan Pascal Tortelier

(Chandos)

These works are rarely recorded – or indeed, performed – which makes this coupling, full of wit, charm and fine playing, all the more valuable. 

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Saint-Saëns Piano Concertos Nos 3-5

Alexandre Kantorow pf Tapiola Sinfonietta / Jean-Jacques Kantorow

(BIS)

There’s tough catalogue competition for these works, but this virtuoso’s fabulous performances more than make the case for a new addition. 

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Beethoven Cello Sonatas

Leonard Elschenbroich vc Alexei Grynyuk pf 

(Onyx)

Imaginative and inventive throughout, alive to textural detail, Leonard Elschenbroich and Alexei Grynyuk offer an engaging and beautifully played exploration of these sonatas.

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Reich ‘Live at Fondation Louis Vuitton’

Colin Currie; Steve Reich; Synergy Vocals; Colin Currie Group 

(Colin Currie Records) 

Colin Currie is at the summit of percussion performance today, and an interpreter of great instinct of the music of Steve Reich.

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JS Bach ‘Bach to the Future’

Olivier Latry org 

(La Dolce Volta)

Given the devastating fire in April there’s an added poignancy to this astonishing sonic spectacular from Paris’s Notre-Dame, by an organist clearly in love with both the repertoire and the instrument. 

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Schubert Piano Sonatas Nos 19 & 20; Impromptus; Klavierstücke

Sir András Schiff pf 

(ECM New Series)

There’s a profound and moving intimacy to these Schubert performances, stemming both from the fortepiano and András Schiff’s interpretations themselves.

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Chausson Poème de l’amour et de la mer. Symphony

Véronique Gens sop Lille National Orchestra / Alexandre Bloch

(Alpha)

Véronique Gens brings her characteristic poetic elegance to these beautiful performances of Chausson.

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Strauss. Wagner Four Last Songs, etc

Lise Davidsen sop Philharmonia Orchestra / Esa-Pekka Salonen 

(Decca)

When we named Lise Davidsen our Young Artist of the Year we praised her already rich soprano voice: this programme feels perfectly chosen for her Decca debut.

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‘An English coronation, 1902–1953’

Gabrieli Consort & Players / Paul McCreesh

(Signum)

A fascinating project, which brilliantly showcases the sort of thing the English choral tradition does best: stirring music performed with a great sense of occasion.

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Audio Editor Andrew Everard writes: Rich, lush and simply glorious, this set of music from royal events of the first half of the 20th century benefits from the 88.2kHz/24bit high resolution treatment: it makes the atmosphere all the more dramatic, enhances the powerful dynamics and gives excellent insight into both scoring and performances. It’s a delight from start to finish.

DVD/blu-ray

Handel/Leo Rinaldo

Sols; Orchestra La Scintilla / Fabio Luisi

(Dynamic)

Handel’s Rinaldo – though not as we know it. This film of a Neapolitan reworking is an intriguing and fascinating addition to the opera catalogue. 

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Reissue/archive

‘Toscanini conducts Richard Strauss’

NBC SO / Toscanini pf 

(Pristine Audio)

A new transfer of fine Strauss performances from Toscanini, courtesy of Pristine Audio. 

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