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Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra / Four Orchestral Pieces / Hungarian Peasant Songs.
LPO / Botstein
Telarc CD-80564 Reviewed by SG
No recording of the Concerto for Orchestra has come close to Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's outstanding release for RCA, from the 1950s. Botstein directs a respectful performance here, but never quite manages to achieve Reiner's natural precision, with a lack of enthusiasm, especially in the Giuoco Delle Coppie, making it sound a little over-full. This impassionate approach also appears in the Elegia, although to a lesser extent. The quicker movements are handled better, but Botstein still frustratingly tries to slow things down, except in the Intermezzo Interrotto, which is taken too fast. The Finale is handled, after a slow start, with concentrated assurance. The Four Orchestral Pieces, with their more ardent, shadowy qualities, suit Botstein better, bringing out Bartok's influences of Debussy and Hungarian funeral music. Obviously, this Hungarian influence is strongest in the Hungarian Peasant Songs, where Botstein reveals their dance-like qualities well. The recording, made in Walthamstow Town Hall, is up to Telarc's usual high standards, being clear and detailed, yet warm, and it is good to hear the left/right split of the first and second violins. While this CD is generally satisfactory, with some formidable competition it cannot be regarded as a first choice.

English String Miniatures, Volume 3
Royal Ballet Sinfonia / Lloyd-Jones
Naxos 8.555069 Reviewed by SG
With the success of Hyperion's Light Music Classics series, Naxos have followed suit with these English String Miniatures. With this third volume, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, under David Lloyd-Jones - an excellent exponent of British Music - give us first-rate performances of this collection of comparatively obscure, but highly entertaining works. The only really familiar personalities are those of Gerald Finzi, whose sublime Romance is one of the highlights on the disc, and Gustav Hoist, whose Brook Green Suite is one of the few familiar pieces. Less well known are An 18th Century Scherzo, by Haydn Wood, and William Blezard's Duetto, which includes some deft pizzicato work. Bruce Montgomery, who is better known for supplying the music to all the "Doctor" and early "Carry On" films, composed the vibrant, yet enthralling, Concertino for String Orchestra which closes the CD. The sound of the Orchestra is very good, with vivid, yet natural, warm timbres and an impressive depth to the acoustic, which brings out playing of poignancy and charm, directed by the intuitive baton of Lloyd-Jones. Although this release includes lightweight music that is relatively unknown, it has plenty of charm, is always entertaining and is of course excellent value for money.

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No 5
New Philharmonia, Sir John Barbirolli
EMI 5 66910-2 Reviewed by JMH
Barbirolli's EMI Mahler 5 was my introduction to the work - way back in 1970. I still remember buying the LPs; the experience - music, performance, sound - was overwhelming. It was easily the best orchestral recording I'd ever heard, and despite the passage of thirty years remains among EMI's finest achievements technically. The performance is very weighty and serious, almost dogged in places, with measured tempi and great concern over nuances of phrasing and balance. It sounds as though the conductor had rehearsed the work very thoroughly, making sure every detail was in place. The first two movements and finale are very disciplined, but the scherzo is less polished - ensemble and intonation could both be tighter. Recordings and performances of Mahler 5 were comparatively rare then, and doubtless the New Philharmonic were tackling a work they'd played infrequently -possibly never. But for the most part they play with the utmost precision and power. No question; Barbirolli's Mahler 5 set the standard for recordings of this work for decades to come, both musically and technically, and hearing it again confirms its reputation as a classic performance. For this new CD transfer, EMI have improved the sound, resulting in greater impact and transparency. Tape noise is lower too, and there's slightly more hall ambience (Watford town hall) compared to the previous Studio CD issue. A disc that should be in every Mahler collection!

Gustav Mahler: Kindertotenlieder; 5 Ruckert lieder
Janet Baker, Halle and New Philharmonia, Sir John Barbirolli
EMI 5 66981-2 Reviewed by JMH
The artistic collaboration between the two JBs, Janet Baker and John Barbirolli, was a very close one, and the performances on this disc bear testimony to their shared perfectionism and care over subtle detail. The account of Kindertotenlieder remains among the most deeply felt and moving ever committed to disc -rightly enjoying classic status among collectors. The interpretation is a painstaking one that strives above all to communicate the brooding sombre intensity of Ruckert's words and Mahlers music in a manner that's intimate and personal rather than public. There's something distressingly vulnerable about Janet Baker's voice that makes her Kindertotenlieder unbearably sad. The 5 Ruckert lieder, originally coupled with Sir John's famous account of Mahler 5, and the Lieder eines fahrendon Gesellen show Dame Janet at her most sensitive and intense. Again, there's a delicate vulnerable quality to the voice, despite its dynamic range and power qualities which suit music and text beautifully. As a bonus, EMI have included the Halle recording of lch bin der Welt abbanden gekommen (from the 5 Ruckert songs) that was left off the previous fullprice CD transfer. Barbirolli so loved this particular recording, he asked for it to be played at his funeral. Remastering has improved the sound quality of these late 60's recordings, increasing presence and tonal body, while lowering tape noise.

D'India: Libro Primo de Madrigali, 1606
La Venexiana
Glossy GCD 920908 Reviewed by SG
Sigismondo D'India was a contemporary of Monteverdi, and if this recording is anything to go by, an equal of the better-known composer. These Madrigali possess astonishing, contemporary harmonies that have the capacity to move the listener. They undulate in waves of delightfully intertwined melodies and phrasing that are so splendidly vibrant they convey lyrically, lucid feelings of adoration and desire, grief and lamentation. The seven voices of La Venexiana sing with astonishing diligence, producing sounds of articulation and purity. Each madrigal is superbly executed with the distinct voices seamlessly matched. There is a complete lack of vibrato, giving the performance a great intensity, and the performers are able to unpeel layers of sound, becoming in turn fervently vibrant in each specific line of replicated song, producing waves of music that sweep over the listener and subconsciously carry them away. The recording is superb, possessing absolute clarity with just enough acoustic presence to create a vivid atmosphere and space around and between the performers. This beautiful disc is unreservedly recommended, possessing some of the most gracefully sung madrigals on disc, and demands repeated listening so that reading the text does not distract from this overwhelming listening experience.

Jean Sibelius: Symphonies 2 and 4
CBSO, Sakari Oramo
Erato 8573-85776-2 Reviewed by JMH
How remarkable, given the present economic climate, to see a French label release a CD of Sibelius symphonies. It must be a first! Sakari Oramo gives crisp lucid accounts of both works, emphasising clarity of texture and emotional coolness, rather than taking a more subjective romantic approach. The Second symphony gets a performance of bracing directness that highlights the music's clean linear outlines. But - where's the passion? Where's the drama? Emotionally, the temperature remains low, and there's a certain lack of involvement despite committed playing from the orchestra. Similarly, the darkly scored Fourth is played with little sense of mystery or atmosphere; one doesn't feel tensions rising, or the music growing and building towards climaxes. What's missing is any impression of meaning behind the notes - it's as though the music meant nothing in itself. The recording doesn't help, being bright and sharply defined, but rather glassy and lacking in warmth or atmosphere. Although 24bit, it has the thinness of tone and high frequency glare that gave early digital recordings a bad name. With a total playing time of 80 minutes, the disc certainly offers outstanding value in terms of quantity. But the quality of both performances is disappointing, despite some impressive moments. If, however, you like cool objective Sibelius, don't hesitate...

Mahler: Symphony No. 4 (with discussion disc)
Tilling / Philharmonia O. / Zander
Telarc 2CD-80555 Reviewed by SG
While this is a frank performance, it reveals the views of Benjamin Zander more than the composer. Despite the Philharmonia playing with their usual freshness and zeal, there is the constant feeling that they are being reined back, in the name of accuracy. Every nuance of the score is heard, but the underlying theme seems to be that this is a lesson on the structure of the work, rather than a performance to entertain and enthral, lacking the comprehensive vivacity and enchantment prevalent in performances by Klemperer, Chailly or Gatti. Zanders engaging and instructive discussion disc adds to the performance's analytical feel. Camilla Tilling is excellent in the Dos Himmlische Leben, singing with rare beauty and sublime angelic tone, but this youthful charm is hampered by somewhat dark orchestral textures and a slightly slow tempo. The sound matches the performance well, with a detailed and dynamic quality that clearly exposes every accent. But it does not come across as cold as, or systematic as Zanders direction, with Sony's DSD system supplying natural warmth. While there is much to recommend this disc, Zander's lack of appreciation for the overall identity of this symphony means it is not a first choice.

Martland: Horses of Instruction
The Steve Martland Band
Black Box BBM1033 Reviewed by SG
For those unfamiliar with the "classical" music of Steve Martland, this release may be shocking, with influences coming from his various backgrounds in classical, jazz, rock, and studio music, producing sounds that are predominantly high impact, but with moments of beauty, and occasionally tenderness. This is complex music of intensity and power, with irregular variations that can leave his audiences stunned from the corporeal and emotive experiences of a performance. The Steve Martland Band comprises eleven players, containing rhythm section of guitar, bass and drums, alongside a brass section of saxophones, trumpet and trombone, with piano, percussion and violin. Being Martland's own band, the ensemble understands and relates to these works perfectly, continually driving the music forward with playing of virtuosity, with bold and direct results, producing extreme opinions of either esteem or irritation. The studio recording is direct and punchy, providing impact to match the performance. This is orchestral music's "new wave" that puts two fingers up at the classical establishment. While this music will not be to everyone's taste, this CD succeeds in creating much of the incredible energy and enthusiasm of Martland's live performances, and so is an indispensable guide to both his band and his compositions.

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 15
Cincinnati Symphony O., Lopez-Cobos
Telarc CD-80572 Reviewed by SG
While the pairing of Shostakovich's first and last symphonies with Telarc's usual admirable sound looks especially generous, Lopez-Cobos directs a somewhat uninspiring performance. There is a certain amount of wit and passion missing from the First, with the youthful vigour and satire of this "graduation piece" absent from the opening movement. The second movement lacks some of the mystery from its central section, and while the Lento is nicely sorrowful and tragic, the Finale requires more of the dramatics that should be instilled by the changing moods and tempos. The Fifteenth fails to fully penetrate the uncertainties of mortality to expose the images of infancy, optimism and satire that lie beneath the surface. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra play well enough but never seem allowed to entirely convey their abilities. The engineering is excellent, with plenty of depth of tone and impact, but there is a slight lack of width to the soundstage during the First Symphony that gives a slightly constricted ambience to the violins. For great Shostakovich, interpretations by Russian conductors remain a first choice, with fine performances by Berglund, Haitink, Previn and a few others also recommended. On this evidence, Lopez-Cobos cannot be added to this list.

Stravinsky: Rite of Spring; Petrouchka Firebird; Orpheus*
Royal Concertgebouw; LSO*, Sir Colin Davis
Philips 464 744-2 Reviewed by JMH
Huge dynamic range. Massive forces. There's little to touch Stravinsky's Rite of Spring when you want to test hi-fi systems to their absolute limit. And frighten the neighbours. By today's standards, Sir Colin's 1977 Philips account no longer amazes with its sheer impact; there are later digital recordings which offer fatter bass and more sheer brute force. Yet Davis' version is still among the most powerful ever recorded. There's a controlled ferocity that threatens to boil over at any moment, and the impression of titanic forces just held in check creates a palpable sense of tension and drama. The recording is powerful and clean, with an impressive sense of scale that has rarely been bettered. Petrouchka was taped a year later, and receives a racy witty balletic performance with great care taken over detail -for example the delicious terracing of trumpet dynamics in the final tableaux (track 20). Firebird completed the cycle, and (at the time) set new standards (technically) for recordings of this score. As with the other works, there are no tricks or gimmicks -just the music sensitively played and crisply phrased. Davis once said how lucky he was to have recorded the three great Stravinsky ballets with such a crack orchestra, and it's true; the playing is excellent. But performances as good as this don't happen by accident, and the conductor's direction is inspired.

Telemann: Chamber Music for Recorders, Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord
Passacaglia
Linn CKD 170 Reviewed by SG
Much of the music on this release may be familiar, with some works having long been fashionable in both concert and the recording studio. Two pieces the Trio Sonata in C major and Sonata in D major belong to Telemann's innovative fortnightly periodical Der Gertreue Music-Meister, with the beautiful sonata for Viola da Gamba having an especially enthralling opening. The Trio Sonata in B flat major and Trio Sonata in F major come from the composers last published work, the fine chamber anthology Essercizii Musici, while the remaining works are less well-known. Passacaglia play with much enthusiasm and charm, supplying disciplined tempi and some pleasant textural effects. But there is also an occasional lack of sparkle in some of the slower movements, where there can be a hint of heaviness. Elsewhere the ensemble's infectious and sensitive phrasing gives the performance some critical energy. Sound-wise, this disc is pretty good, with a nice, pleasing tone and generally good ambience, but there is a lack of separation and space between the players, and an occasional sense of closely mica instruments. While this is pleasant sounding and entertaining CD, it lacks some of the excitement of the very best releases.

Virgil Thomson: Symphonies 2, 3 and 'On A Hymn Tune' Pilgrims and Pioneers
Sedares, NZSO
Naxos 8.559022 Reviewed by RG
Thomson, an inspirational yet demanding pillar of American 20th Century classical music has been little recognised on this side of the Atlantic, which is a great crime for there is something quintessentially appealing and uplifting about much of his music. His best known works are the Plough That Broke The Plains and the Suite from The River (offered on a wonderful Stokowski reissue from Analogue Productions, and an essential purchase). This recent issue in the Naxos American Classics series allows you to venture further into his repertoire, containing three short symphonies (only the 3rd makes it past the 20 minute mark) and another piece of incidental music, this time from the World's Fair film Pilgrims and Pioneers. There are no great surprises here, just more of the same joyously skittish orchestral music that typifies The Plough. Thomson isn't afraid of orchestral forces but uses them sparingly and thus to great effect. The result is moments of great delicacy balanced against huge orchestral sweeps, the transitions often occurring with breathtaking speed and dynamism. It makes for a heady and accessible brew with almost universal appeal. Only the Poe-faced could fail to enjoy this. The recording isn't quite to the standard of some of Naxos' recent English music efforts, but with music like this it's almost beside the point.

Mott The Hoople
All The Young Dudes / Mott
Absolute Analogue / Columbia 65184 / 69038 Reviewed by RG
There are two reasons for re-pressing albums on 180g vinyl. The most common is to make something collectable more accessible, a laudable aim when originals are changing hands for well in excess of a hundred pounds, but one that has unfortunately led to a scatter gun approach to the output of certain favoured labels. The stream of new releases has diluted the quality and reputation of the results. The second reason is to represent musically important discs that were poorly served by their original pressings, and that, in some ways more commendable aim, is the case here, with Absolute Analogue's long awaited re-release of these two Mott albums. Mott The Hoople? Well, yes. It's easy to forget just how influential they were until you play these albums, then it all comes flooding back. Released in 1972, Dudes is unmistakably Bowieesqe, with Ziggy providing not just the title track but the production as well, while Mick Ronson turns up as string arranger. It's none the worse for that, although the high points for me are the first and last tracks. The opener is a glorious cover of Lou Reed's 'Sweet Jane', unrecognisably upbeat and full of an unlikely hope, but it is 'Sea Diver' that really points the way to things to come. Freed of Bowie's impressive but all too obvious directorial influence, Mott really sees the band stretching their wings. Hunter and Ralphs are at there creative best mixing the multi-faceted instrumentation to varied textural effect. From the familiar opening chords of 'All the Way from Memphis', on through 'Ballad of Mott' to the closing notes of 'I Wish I was your Mother' with its Mandolin and shades of Alex Harvey, Mott is a stylistic roller coaster, a cascade of musical invention. Sax insertions from Andy Mackay help to underline an instrumental line-up that's different for every track. Holding it all together is Hunter's sardonic lead vocal, never more effective than in the straight ahead four-bar rocker 'Drivin' Sister' with its abrupt down change and violent coda. It's a surprising and surprisingly enduring cocktail that wears it's artistic heart firmly on its sleeve (even down to the reproduction of D.H.Lawrence's 'A Sane Revolution' on the back of the beautifully reproduced original UK sleeve, complete with acetate fold out). In fact the impressive sleeve on Mott is a perfect metaphor for the care and attention to detail that's gone into this project. These are all analogue pressings from the original two-track masters, beautifully cut by Ray Staff, and pressed at RTI. Both records come with a booklet containing details of the recording and production along with extensive comments from the band. Neither of these records started out as an audiophile darling or particularly wonderful production, but this is the best you're ever going to hear them.
Contact: Absolute Analogue, PO Box 30429, London NW6-7GY Tel/Fax. (44)(0)208-459-8113
E-mail. Absolute_Analogue@email.msn.com

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 1
Strauss: Burleske
Janis, Refiner, CSO
Classic Records / RCA LSC - 2127 Reviewed by RP
For a lover of rarely heard and recorded works Classic's remaster of the short, one movement concerto Burleske must be a priceless addition to the catalogue. Written when Richard Strauss was only twenty-one, and before his great Germanic repertoire overwhelmed audiences, this sardonic commentary upon those spectacular concertos penned by the likes of Franz Liszt reflects a youthful, witty and brilliant mind at play. Most, however, will focus on an equally virtuoso performance of the First Piano Concerto where Byron Janis, Fritz Refiner and the incomparable Chicago Symphony musicians once again prove that these scores flaw through their veins. The soloist's fabulous technique and wilful impetuosity (especially during the second movement finale) will draw most attention. It is a stunning combination that has sometimes been unfairly accused of lacking genuine expressiveness. Needless to say I like the headstrong approach adopted by Janis. This Concerto was one of only a few early compositions to survive Rachmaninov's exacting gaze and, although he later extensively revised it, enough evidence of his own ardent, boyish spontaneity certainly remains to substantiate an interpretation of this nature. Sonically a sumptuous, solid and notably well-proportioned (in relation to the orchestra) piano, should win over any waiverers.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2
Boult / LPO
Classic Records / RCA Victorola VICS 1139 Reviewed by RP
Even by 1965, when this English recording for RCA was first released, Sergei Rachmaninovs Symphonies still did not enjoy anywhere near the international popularity that they possess today. Back then, outside of the Soviet Union and those excellent Yevgeny Svetlanou Melodiya performances, there was to my mind few truly great versions of the Second Symphony. Here, however, Sir Adrian Boult's disciplined, sweeping and richly melodic (if slightly cut) reading is an interpretively serviceable one. Although I would not place it at the very top of the Rachmaninov re-issue list (a position comfortably held by Andre Previn and the LSO's Testament ASO 2889 LP) this does remain a solid and well-rounded account in most departments. Our conductor, as previously alluded to, marshalled his troops to communicate the composers' wide-ranging emotional lyricism. Accomplished London Philharmonic playing convinces without unnecessarily drawing attention to itself - special mention should be given for a slow movement which in lesser hands can often feel indulgent and over romanticised. Technically, Classic have advanced the overall sonic stature of this recording. Top end strings (which previously tended towards raggedness) are tidier and better organised, but I sense that the treatment of the lower bass ultimately makes too much of a concession to the "Hi-Fi" audience.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.5
Mravinsky/LPO
Speakers Corner / DGG SLPM 138658 Reviewed by RP
Eugen Mravinsky's awesome Leningrad readings of the later Tchaikovsky Symphonies - are renditions of distinction which during the past forty years have rarely been out of the catalogue. An acutely prophetic and doom-laden work (even the waltz-like third movement closes with an unexpected return to that powerfully impassioned and dominating principle "motto" theme) is brought to life throughout a truly vital and extremely energetic interpretation that, importantly, does not overlook softer lyrical moments like a first movement recapitulation given by the bassoon. Even while a notion of tremendous foreboding permeates nearly every facet of this score, Mravinsky still successfully adapts some remarkable speeds. Few have injected such a sense of pace and urgency in a tempestuous finale without compromising the composer's greater vision. As a performance its only shortcoming is an unsteady horn solo in the slow movement. As a record it has never sounded better. Tulip label originals, with their absence of fine instrumental detail and opaque sound, detracted from the overall effect. Speakers Corner have reversed that trend to revive the recording's full potential through a clean-cut, resonant and weightier remaster which has much improved presence.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Knappertsbusch Conducts Wagner
Knappertsbusch, MPO
Speakers Corner / Westminster WST - 17032 Reviewed by RP
The New York founded Westminster label is an interesting departure from those Decca and Deutsche Grammophon releases previously chosen by Speakers Corner's Kai Seemann for his reissue classical music catalogue. Undoubtedly, the Westminsters will receive greater attention in America and Japan, where original LPs are more highly prized than in the U.K. Nor does it seem likely that this particular repertoire of overtures (Tannhauser) and preludes (Die Meistersinger, Parsifal, Tristan and Isolde) will inspire a sudden groundswell of enthusiasm either. Which is not to say that these Hans Knappertsbusch/Munich Philharmonic performances are not engaging they are terrific accounts - but one has to ask, why Wagner? Would the prospect of a grandly scaled setting for these operatic orchestrations have anything to do with it? A rhetorical question because, yes, I think that these scores and the new "up and at 'em" remaster of this studio recording should give most systems a thorough work out. Sleeve notes that include two-track, dynamic, frequency and technical data, together with a disposition of performers, all seem to support this theory. However, that is not the philosophy to boldly explore repertoire which was envisaged at the label's inception, and espoused in an excellent history of Westminster that comes with the album.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

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