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Classical Music

Sir Arnold Bax: Symphony No 6, Into the Twilight; Summer Music
Royal Scottish National orchestra, David Lloyd-Jones
Naxos 8.557144 Reviewed by JMH
The Naxos Bax symphonies cycle is now complete. As a body of work, Bax's symphonic output is uneven, but the sixth is a genuine masterpiece, and one of the best symphonies of the 20th century. Written in 1934, mostly in Morar Inverness-Shire, it's a turbulent three-movement score; nervy and moody, with few moments of respite. For some, it reflects the wild beauty of North-West Scotland. For others it captures the restless Zeitgesit of the 1930s - the passing of worlds - also reflected in Walton's near contemporary first symphony. With Bax, the experience has a slightly mystical feel; his music is not as focused and immediate as Walton's. But listening one senses a restless passion just as raw and edgy. Even the slow movement (almost nine minutes long in this performance) feels like an intermezzo between two brooding giants - a troubled dream. David Lloyd-Jones directs an atmospheric performance that captures the music's dreamlike other-worldly qualities and sense of foreboding. But there's no lack of tension or forward momentum. The two fillers are evocative tone poems, played with sensitivity and panache. The recordings are vivid but smooth and nicely spacious; less resonant than the old Chandos/ Thomson set. Those collecting the Naxos/Bax cycle will probably have bought already; those new to Bax should start here.

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 2 "London" / The Lark Ascending
Griffiths / RPO / Previn
Telarc CD-80138 Reviewed by SG
If it had not been for Sir Adrian Boult's exemplary series of Ralph Vaughan Williams' symphonies, recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s, André Previn's recordings of the complete cycle for RCA, made at around the same time, would certainly be more-highly regarded. Unfortunately, most collectors will bypass his releases, making a beeline for the EMI discs, for both the performance and the truly excellent sound, despite Previn providing a number of high-class and sympathetic readings. His "London" Symphony was in many ways the equal, and in a few the superior, of Boult's more highly-prized issue, but since the early 1980s Previn has generally failed to impress, with recordings that are certainly slower, often more lethargic. But here those more deliberate tempos serve the music well, especially in the Second Movement, which is particularly gorgeous. In fact, the whole reading is especially sublime, although Previn is a little over selfindulgent. The results simply demonstrate that this most characteristic of symphonies can tolerate such colourations. A bewitching The Lark Ascending is an attractive bonus, while the engineering is in the demonstration class, permitting the conventional wisdom about Previn's more recent recordings to be ignored, and allowing a firm recommendation.

Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos 1 and 2
Krystian Zimerman (piano), Seji Ozawa, BSO
DG 459 643-2 Reviewed by JMH
DG have been sitting on this release for some time. The first concerto was recorded in 1997 and has marginally better sound than the second concerto, recorded in 2000. At first glance Zimerman is not perhaps a natural idiomatic Rachmaninov player. But apparently he's played both works since the 1970s, and feels a close affinity with the second concerto in particular. He certainly has a big technique and can really encompass the notes without sounding strained. In the sleeve notes he says you don't just play Rachmaninov's concertos, you live them. Yet in many ways his approach is cool rather than hot. He brings a certain lucidity and objectivity to these saturated works, as if trying to play down the Hollywood aspects of the music. The neglected first concerto is a very fine work; tuneful and rhythmically varied - a winning combination of virtuoso brilliance and youthful exuberance. When heard in a performance as accomplished as this, its originality and high quality are fully manifest. The second concerto comes with too much baggage - be it memories of Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson in Brief Encounter or the pop song 'All By Myself'. So it's good to hear the music played cleanly and objectively for once. Apparently there are no plans to record the remaining concertos and Rhapsody - a great pity.

Vallet: Le Secret des Muses
Paul O'Dette
Harmonia Mundi HMU 907300 Reviewed by SG
Nicholas Vallet's compositions are seldom-heard today. This may have something to do with the fact that early in his career he turned his back on the fame and glamour of the early 17th Century French court, preferring a life as a freelance composer and musician, as well as music and dance teacher, in Holland. His work displays a particular brilliance, and spans a number of styles from French dances and elaborately written variations to skilfully arrange contrapuntal psalmsettings and arrangements of Elizabethan songs - no doubt inspired by the three expatriate Englishmen with whom Vallet formed a quartet. Most importantly for today's lutenists, Vallet's compositions and arrangements include carefully detailed notes on technique and fingering. Paul O'Dette's technique is always clean and clear, and here he carefully allows any articulation to come to the fore. He is always tasteful with his ornamentation, never relying on overly flamboyant or tasteless virtuosity to win over his audience. These are simply performances by a modern master that entice the listener into the music, entertaining with pure musicianship, allowing us to follow the composer's ideas more easily, and therefore drawing our attention to the work of an almost entirely forgotten past master.

Ludwig Van Beethoven: Piano Concertos 1 and 2; Rondo in B flat major
Berezovsky (piano). Swedish Ch. orch. Dausgaard
Simax PSC 1181 Reviewed by JMH
It's such a pity the young Beethoven 'died' so early! Although many of his greatest works were written in the so-called middle period, the early pieces - like his first two piano concertos - have a freshness and exuberance that's so refreshing and exciting. For years these two concertos suffered by comparison with the greater more monumental third, fourth and fifth concertos.
Agreed, the two earlier works lack profundity and real Beethovenian weight. But there's a genuine sense of fun and engaging high spirits. Speaking personally, I particularly like the second concerto; it's a work I can listen to again and again with real enjoyment. The present performances offer the transparent lean textures we expect from period
instruments. Strings play without vibrato, and dynamic contrasts are crisp and strongly contrasted, with keen fast tempi. What's missing is that unpleasant thinness of tone - especially from the soloist. The weak clattery forte-piano is unable to match Beethoven's vivid orchestral dynamics; hence the disappointing nature of many otherwise good performances on original forces. Here you've got the best of both worlds; an orchestral sound that's crisp and lucid, and piano tone that's light and sharp but not thin. Best of all, everyone sounds as if they're enjoying the music.

Rossini: Sonate a quattro
Ensemble Explorations
Harmonia Mundi HMC 901776 Reviewed by SG
Gioacchino Rossini was only twelve years of age when he composed his six Sonate a quattro (legend has it, during a three day period) in 1804. While they were composed for two violins, cello and double bass, these works are ideally suited for performances with additional instrumentation, but it is still rather refreshing to hear them as
originally conceived, as is the case here. This more concise approach also manages to reveal more of the humour, often masked by lush orchestration.
In fact the Ensemble Explorations are without peer, exhibiting a youthful swagger throughout but nowhere more than in the opening Moderato of Sonate No. 1, where they imbue a certain carefree expressiveness through spirited playing and light-hearted interplay. Their attention to detail is exemplary, utilizing contrast to emphasise vigour, rather than breakneck tempos that can destroy Rossini’s more subtle moments. This is all beautifully captured by the Harmonia Mundi engineers, who manage to reveal every individual sonority while never loosing the wonderful illusion of a group performance. With only four of the set included on this CD, I now wait with baited breathe for the promised follow-up disc.

Liszt: Harmonies poétiques et religieuses
Steven Osbourne
Hyperion CDA67445 Reviewed by SG
Like so many of his piano cycles, Liszt’s spiritually inspired Harmonies poétiques et religieuses underwent a number of changes during its composition, before being published in its definitive form in 1853. Pieces were revised, others discarded, over a sixteen-year period, and two others disappeared until 1981. While Liszt thought highly of the published works, often performing them for friends, long after his concert performances had been abandoned, only two, Funérallies and the luminous meditation of Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude, remain
among the popular repertoire. This complete performance lasts just too long for a single CD, so Hyperion have spread the cycle over two, but charged no extra for the second disc. Steven Osbourne’s playing is full of sensitivity and displays tremendous affection for this music. His approach is straightforward, exhibiting a certain serenity and a particular variety of texture and colour. The pieces derived from vocal works reveal sustained eloquence, while those requiring particular virtuosity benefit from Osbourne’s controlled drama. With such a masterful release, it now remains to be seen as to whether it is enough to create a new audience for the complete cycle in the concert hall.

Johannes Brahms: Symphony No 2, Double Concerto
Gordan Nikolitch (violin) Tim Hugh (cello), Bernard Haitink, LSO
LSO Live LSO00043 Reviewed by JMH
Although it's common to record Brahms' double concerto with big-name soloists, it's just as viable to use the orchestra's first-chair players; indeed, Toscanini did just that. For this new LSO Live recording, Bernard Haitink chooses the LSO's leader Gordan Nikolitch and principal cello Tim Hugh. Their playing is warmer and more intimate
than we're used to from established soloists, but none the worse for that. The performance is a very lyrical one; sensitively shaped and beautifully 'sung' from first note to last. Intonation is near perfect, and the two soloists need fear no comparisons - regardless of how illustrious the competition. There's a chamber music feel to the performances. Which is not meant to imply the playing is in any way small-scale or lacking in breadth. The big moments have real presence and attack. Likewise the symphony is lyrical and intimate. Tempi are spacious, giving the music a nice broad unhurried feel. Brahms is not among the easiest composers to record; neither is the Barbican hall an ideal recording venue. Here, the results are pretty good. The sound is not especially rich or spacious, but clarity is good. This is the first in a projected live Brahms cycle from Haitink and the LSO. On the basis of this first release it's going to be a worthwhile venture!

Hahn: Piano Quartet No. 3 / Violin Sonata and other chamber music
Room-Music
Hyperion CDA67391 Reviewed by SG
While Venezuelan composer Reynaldo Hahn had, by the age of six, entertained at the salon of Napoleon III's cousin, and at eleven entered the Paris Conservatoire, where he was taught by Massenet, he was also a lover of literature, and became a friend of Marcel Proust. Like the writer, his work harks back to a bygone era, with the Sonata in C major, composed in the 1920's, hinting at the styles of Franck and Fauré, whom Hahn thought of as the last great composer. The Nocturne and the Romance, both earlier pieces for the violin and piano, are similarly pensive and
tender, as is the Soliloque et Forlane. There is also a sensitive performance of the Third Piano Quartet, where Hahn's lyrical qualities combine with his natural ability for utilizing timbre. The epitome of this recording is the composer's
arrangement for cello and piano of his song Si Mes Vers avaient des ailes, written when he was thirteen. While small-scaled and rather restrained, this music is perfectly formed, and is beautifully played throughout by the members of Room-Music, who have come together to recapture some delightful music that is simply a Remembrance of Things Past.

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No 9
Sir John Barbirolli, Berlin Philharmonic orchestra
EMI CDM 5 67925-2 Reviewed by JMH
The Berlin Philharmonic had played virtually no Mahler when Sir John Barbirolli conducted the ninth symphony in concert with them in January 1963.
The response was so overwhelming that the orchestra asked to record the work with Sir John - and this occurred a year later. Given his high standing with the Berliners, it's curious that no more recordings followed. Indeed, when Barbirolli recorded the Brahms symphonies in 1968, the Vienna Philharmonic was chosen - an orchestra Barbirolli
had not previously conducted, and with whom he did not get on. One can understand why. The fastidious Berliners would have admired Barbirolli's fanatical attention to detail. Apparently, during the first movement, the cello section asked Sir John to solve a difficult fingering problem. He stepped down from the podium, and taking the first 'cellist's instrument, played the passage in question with the 'cello section, leaving the players immensely impressed and deepening their respect and admiration for JB. By the same token, can you imagine the Vienna Philharmonic welcoming someone coming from Britian to show THEM how to play Brahms! Newly re-mastered for this release, Barbirolli's Mahler 9 remains one of the finest performances on record. It's surprisngly fast, demonstrating the way in which performances of this work have broadened in the past thirty or so years.

Franck / Schumann / Brahms: Sonatas for Cello and Piano
Wispelwey / Giacometti
Channel Classics CCS 18698 Reviewed by SG
With a number of great cellists in the past four decades, from Jacqueline Du Pré and Pierre Fournier to Yo-Yo Ma and Mischa Maisky, Pieter Wispelwey may not be top of many lists, but has certainly made people sit up and take note. Here he has produced three performances of the utmost efficiency, ensuring one re-listens before making
any firm judgement. The Brahms Sonata's opening Vivace ma non troppo sounds too fast, but Wispelwey produces such luminous textures Paolo Giacometti still has time to shape the musical colours. In Schumann's Adagio and Allegro (originally for horn and piano), the introduction remains elegant and lyrical, but no horn player could ever produce the intoxicating tempos of this performance. But the best example is the opening Sonata in A major by César Franck, with its wonderfully serene opening of consummate simplicity, but closer examination shows that there are also rich harmonies and eloquent moments, before building to an profound climax. Perhaps Wispelwey and Giacometti lack a touch of the great sensuality of Maisky and Argerich, but they produce tremendous variety of feeling and texture, especially in the closing Allegretto poco moderato, resulting in a most balanced and no less
entertaining release.

George Frederic Handel: Messiah
Sutherland; Torangeau; Krenn, Krausse, Ambrosian singers, Bonynge, ECO
Decca 467 475-2 Reviewed by JMH
In its LP format, this was the first recording of Messiah I ever owned. I bought it when it originally came out in 1970, and retain a certain affection for the performance to this day. Back then, almost a quarter of a century ago, Bonynge's approach - reduced forces, lively tempi, lots of ornaments - was considered 'authentic'. No one would dream of making such claims today. Indeed, some of the conductor's embellishments sound positively funny and very dated - a long way from what we now think of as historically accurate. The other minus point is that three of the four soloists are not native English speakers - The men aren't too bad, the women are less good. But the chorus
is good, and sing with full-blooded commitment.
Being the first recording of Messiah I owned, by and large I 'learnt' the work from listening to it; I still mentally hear Bonynge's abundance of trills and fussy encrustations when I hear other versions! It warped my appreciation of the music.
So it's a set recommended to experienced Messiah collectors (and anyone wanting a laugh) rather than those coming to the work for the first time. The recording has transferred well to CD, sounding slightly brighter and more forward than the LPs.

New Formats

Myra Taylor - My Night To Dream
Analogue Productions APO 2017 SA Reviewed by RP
Although now well into her eighties the Forties dance band legend Myra Taylor is still at home when effortlessly recreating that bouncy and good-natured swing of 'Take It Easy Greasy' as she is with the beautifully delivered and slow burning number, 'Still Blue Water'. Resonant vocals, expressive, rich and big on projection, can in a moment switch between the improvisational skating on 'Lady Be Good' and in the next instance gently caress your ears with a song like 'This Is A Night To Dream' that has a delicious tenderness and intimacy about it. Beautifully sung and sympathetically played blues and jazz standards like these don't come around too often. And with this tight six-piece band (including guitarist Sonny Kenner, bassist Gerald Spaits and Eddie Saunders on tenor sax) you just know that they will flesh out either an endearing ballad or hip banging melody with an appropriate dash of instrumental colour and rhythmic integrity. Taylor simply couldn't wish for better support both here and with the technical expertise on offer at Chad Kassem's Kansas City Blue Heaven Studios. This vibrant and lively church acoustic, together with her closely miked voice, has immediacy and plenty of fine detail that radiates throughout all twelve tracks.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Harry Big Daddy Hypolite - Louisiana Country Boy
Analogue Productions APO 2016 SA Reviewed by RP
Harry Hypolite is an old fashioned and big-hearted blues man steeped in the legacy of Muddy Waters and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. Half a dozen of his self penned and autobiographical songs jockey for position alongside the Creole sung and delightfully observed Clifton Chenier tracks like 'Colinda', 'Hog For You Baby' and a plaintive 'You Used To Call Me'. They encapsulate that sweat drenched and callus-ridden existence of the field hand toiling away amongst the rows of cotton, sugar cane and okra around Lafayette, St. Martinville and New Iberia in the 1930s. His open and syncopated acoustic and electric guitar licks are as steamy and brooding as the Louisiana swamps that serve as an ever present back drop to those rich and fulsome vocals which so memorably capture an essence of poverty, hard luck and heartache. However this is a recording that does not quite match up to the depth and intensity of these emotions. Unusually for this format it wraps each of the performers who include Jimmy D. Lane (electric & dobro guitars), Bruce Cahoon (drums), Big John Amaro (Hammond B3) and Louri Villeri (bass) in a light gauze. I'd expect much more instrumental detail and precision from an SACD.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Jimmie Lee Robinson - All My Life
Analogue Productions APO 2011 SA Reviewed by RP
Jimmie Lee Robinson at only seventy-three years of age is one of the younger crusty old personalities who in the twilight of their careers have graced the live direct-to-two-track Analogue Productions recording sessions. All My Life is a worthy tribute to the Chicago Maxwell Street tradition of rhythm and blues. It’s a stand up front porch acoustic style that has Robinson’s spurs jangling in time with the beat, his humming of the tune between lyrics and generally beguiling the listener with every bold and richly coloured improvisation. Meanwhile Madison Slim’s weeping harmonica again breaks your heart with almost every other note and then there’s an acoustic and dobro guitar playing Jimmy D. Lane who dove tails in perfectly with his peers. Alongside Jimmie Lee’s title track and a pensive ‘The Girl I Love’ are those forthright and foot tapping Willie Dixon songs, ‘I’m Ready’ and ‘Too Late’, as well as that mournful beauty of the Muddy Waters penned,
‘Forty Days And Forty Nights’. Throw down classic performances of Jimmy Reed and Chester Burnett numbers like ‘The Sun Is Shining’ and ‘I’ll Be Around’ and this superbly recorded Chicago blues just eats you up inside.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Aimee Mann - Bachelor No.2
Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2025 Reviewed by RP
Sonically, Bachelor No.2 has always been the strongest of the Aimee Mann solo releases and Mo-Fi have improved that sense of surrounding space and depth in a beguiling and pleasantly detailed transfer. Musically, it grabs you with those tuneful, melodic and catchy hooks in songs like ‘Red Vines’, ‘Satellite’ and ‘You Do’ that are shaped by her beautifully languid and lilting vocal style. Here, she hypnotically lulls and then leads you willingly towards an insight on love, inequity or disaffection before delivering a delicate but tell tale lift of the voice for that special moment of emphasis. This comes as she closes out the lyric before wooing us once again with harmonies or a subtlety exposed refrain. Her intelligent song craft remains a far cry from the banal bludgeoning approach favoured by many pop contemporaries. Aimee is a rare and enigmatic iron fist within the seductively tender velvet glove and that is made patently clear from the plaintive opening track, ‘How Am I Different’. Rhetorical, determined, feisty and self-assured lyrics like "And just one question before I pack - when you f**k it up later, do I get my money back?" flow freely between the questioning title refrain.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Jay McShann - What A Wonderful World
Groove Note GRV 1005-3 Reviewed by RP
Kansas City band leader and pianist Jay McShann has down the years worked with some legendary musicians including Charlie Parker, Walter Brown and Jimmy Witherspoon. Here, he is joined by a quartet of players in Sonny Kenner (guitar), Ahmad Alaadeen (tenor sax), Gerald Spait (bass) and Todd Strait (drums) who tastefully pay
homage to the city’s Sunset Club and Pete Johnson’s ivories on ‘Piney Brown Blues’, ‘Cherry Red’ and ‘Just For You’. McShann’s voice is not the usual deliberately robust and broken biscuit sounding kind you tend to expect from ancient blues men. Instead he sings with a nasal lightness and delicacy that suits intimate material like Witherspoon’s ‘Rain Is Such A Lonesome Sound’, ‘Blue Monday’ and ‘Gee Baby Ain’t I Good To You’. The tempo and mood has the feel of a club gig.
Witty and good-natured interplay amongst the band strikes an up beat and infectious chord within us-one which is a distinct departure from that moaning, mournful country blues laments heard on stoops across the South. The recording has excellent instrument separation. It allows their individual characteristics, the shape, detail, presence and weight to be naturally recreated in a vibrant and sympathetically warm acoustic.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

David Honeyboy Edwards - Shake 'Em On Down
Analogue Productions APO 2010 SA Reviewed by RP
A succession of grizzled old blues men have passed through the Blue Heaven Studio doors and all without exception have proved worthy of audiophile treatment be it on SACD or 180g LP. Edwards, a magical and quite vigorous guitarist, is another of those who has the Mississippi Delta running through their octogenarian veins.
Rhythmic playing of classic material, including Charlie Patton’s ‘High Water Everywhere’ and the Roosevelt Sykes penned track, ‘West Memphis Blues’, sends out an unmistakably authentic message to all those younger pretenders like the Eric Bibbs and Keb Mos who can’t really hope to match these earthy and tightly grained life experiences which inform his every chord. Allied to this are those weathered and emotional charged vocals and a pair of willing sidemen in Memphis Slim (harmonica) and Jimmy D. Lane (guitar). They spar and then lock horns for ‘Bullfrog Blues’, ‘Pony Blues’ and ‘Drop Down Mama’ as the icy slide and country walking bass lines from the man dog it out with them in these traditionally testing and quite superb displays of musicianship, camaraderie and good humour.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Henry Townsend - My Story
Analogue Productions APO 2014 SA Reviewed by RP
My Story, recorded in the fall of 1999 shortly before Townsend’s 90th birthday, is a venerable and ruminative retrospective by that legendary Kansas City piano and guitar playing lyricist whom in his time partnered the likes of Roosevelt Sykes and Walter Davis. Robust piano notes, occasional guitar licks and a thoughtful and carefully executed vocal line works through these timeless laments and universal tales of loneliness, lost love and rural
poverty which have been a staple diet for blues men since Henry began recording back in the twenties. Themes that were so innovative all those years ago still prickle with gritty and irreplaceable observations until during tracks like ‘Screaming And Crying’, ‘Goodbye’ and ‘No Fuss And Fight’ you find that they’ve thoroughly worked their way under your skin. It proves that Townsend is no dinosaur. Slick long-term sideman Ron Edwards with that fingerpicking style of his goes on to deliver a series of gentle almost melancholic counters, ones which provide a sympathetic instrumental adhesive in these songs. The closing ‘Repentance Blues’ where Jimmy D. Lane’s dobro can again be heard is both a reflection upon the way you lead your life and a growing sense of mortality. It is a nicely framed and tender meeting of old world blues and that new generation of musicians keeping their flame alight.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Hans Ruckers: The Musical legacy
Jos van Immerseel (Harpsichord and Virginals)
North West Records Reviewed by RG
As well as the major re-issue programmes slowly starting to gain momentum on the new, hi-bit formats, the other real foothold secured by SACD and DVD-A is in the area of new audiophile recordings. Small labels, thanks in part to the technical generosity of the major combatants, have access to the very latest recording technology, expensive toys that would generally be well beyond their budget.
This disc from North West is an example of this emergent trend, although it uses a dCS/Nagra recording chain.Its audiophile credentials are ensured by the combination of purist miking and an eclectic (though in this case remarkably accessible) repertoire. Celebrating the contribution and legacy of the Antwerp school of keyboard construction, Immerseel plays contemporary pieces on three different instruments spanning the 16th to 18th
centuries. The playing is clean and crystal clear in style, perhaps lacking a little emotional investment, but suits the astonishing focus and transparency of the DSD master. The instruments are presented with impressive solidity and sonority, devoid of the jangly glassiness which they so often provoke on CD. With sensibly chosen and nicely varied repertoire, expert execution and a recording that really demonstrates and exploits the benefits of the technology employed, this disc is a tour de force. Beautiful, beguiling and impressive in equal measure.
Supplier: www.northwestrecords.com

Talk Talk - The Colour Of Spring
EMI 7243 591452 2 Reviewed by RG
Tick… Ticky… Tick… Whump, Whump, Thud… Tick… Ticky… As soon as that opening percussion motif reaches the speakers, hi-fi retailers from the mideighties will be scattering for cover! Beautifully recorded it was catchy to the point of extreme irritation, but Talk Talk’s finest hour was captured for posterity on analogue tape, making it a primo candidate for transfer to SACD.
Of course, its popularity as a dem record speaks volumes about the recording quality, which is well above and beyond the mainstream pop norm. Crisp dynamics and an open, immediate sound transfer beautifully to the SACD format, giving it plenty to work with. EMI haven’t managed to match the warmth and weight of MoFi’s transfers, the current standard setters for re-issues on the format, but the musical results are impressive nonetheless. The CD
layer easily betters my original copy, sonically and musically, but is still readily eclipsed by the focus, detail and easy flow of the hi-bit option. Running it in the Krell SACD Standard leaves you in no doubt as to where the technological advantage lies.
Once you get over the familiarity of the done to death singles, there’s some stand-up music on this album, individual enough to survive the intervening 15 years without dating to the point of nostalgia (or comedy). It’s nice to see some musically valid material fighting its way to the front of the re-issue queue. More please!

Audiophile Recordings

Bruch and Beethoven: Violin Concertos
Rafael Kubelik, Philharmonia Orchestra, Ida Haendel, Violin
Testament SBT 1083 Reviewed by RP
Both the Bruch Concerto recorded in October 1948 and the Beethoven fiddle that was also taped at the No.1 Studio Abbey Road in September 1949 are historical recordings which first appeared as HMV 78rpm releases. These sessions engineered by Douglas Larter and Robert Beckett respectively were supervised and produced by the great Walter Legge. Despite their age the transfers have delivered an acceptable sound quality although there is some minor distortion on the Beethoven tapes which couldn't be remedied by Paul Baily who digitally remastered these works for Testament. The musicianship is sumptuous - the Philharmonia was Britain's finest orchestra at that time - and in Rafael Kubelik they had a conductor whose warmth and quietly observed directions have subtly shaped and informed these performances. Throughout each Concerto the orchestral playing has authority and possesses an attractively rich ambience. Haendel's youthful freedom delivers two enchanting readings. Spacious and sweet for the Beethoven, where she tastefully and intelligently develops the poetic and serene nature of his vision, and in the Bruch her opulent tone and lively technique conveys the heartfelt melodies with its expressive phrasing and emotional intensity. Certainly this is a strong and very likeable interpretation of a work that stylistically lies midway between the Violin Concertos of Mendelssohn and Brahms.

Brahms and Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos
Sergiu Celibidache, LSO, Ida Haendel, Violin
Testament SBT 1038 Reviewed by RP
Ida Haendel's original mono recordings including 78s from the late 1940s and LPs in the1950s are highly collectable and usually come with an appropriately lofty price tag. So I see Testament's transfer of these and the many other desirable performances in their catalogue as no less than a public service. Of course this CD release of those 1953 Abbey Road tapes is not of audiophile quality. But it does wonderfully capture the expansive playing of a mature soloist. One whose secure technique and emotional intensity explored these evergreen Brahms and Tchaikovsky Concertos without all that unnecessarily theatrical show boating which is much favoured by the current crop of young violinists in their more modern and to my mind empty and quite ephemeral accounts. Haendel, who for a violinist has unusually small hands, plays the 1696 Stradivarius that she still uses today. The tone when demanded of it is beguiling, muscular, opulent or astringent and this disc definitely reveals these qualities within a well-focused and beautifully defined presentation. The Brahms can also be considered a rarity because of its Rumanian born conductor, Sergiu Celibidache, who for over forty years refused to make any recordings - preferring instead the uniqueness of live performances played out before an audience. His reading and the direction given here to the LSO communicate both the physicality and deeply spiritual nature of this conductor. It also imparts a very important lesson or two that is now often forgotten. If you instead ask less rather than more from your orchestral players then there is inevitably much greater space for the soloist. Haendel's violin metaphorical breathes deeply and is projected with remarkable clarity because of that particular insight. We hear very little of the conductor of the other Violin Concerto, Sir Eugene Goossens, who was perhaps better known for his interpretation of ballet and opera works. Yet he gives us a polished and secure reading that nicely balances the broad orchestral tapestry with that virtuoso thread work demanded of Haendel. Clearly his affinity and understanding of Tchaikovsky's ballet music has a bearing on the proceedings here as well and Goossens' willingness to allow a seasoned and exceptional campaigner like Ida Haendel to intuitively tease, coax, prise out and manage the complexities of this score is commendable. Along the way she infuses a brilliantly conceived Concerto with her own personality and it's always possible to detect that penchant for expansive phrasing, broad tempi and rhythmic integrity. This is of course the cement which glues a performance together.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon - The Blues Every Which Way
Speakers Corner / Verve V6-3007 Reviewed by RSF
This was a surprise for me because I’m a big Blues fan and had absolutely no idea it even existed. I’ve got Dixon & Slim on several Folkways albums together and was delighted to hear and have this addition to the magic these two great entertainers offer up in a recording session.
Dixon, perhaps more famous for his activities with the double bass, is nonetheless a great Blues man and one of the most prolific blues writers in history. Some of his better-known songs are ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’, written for Muddy Waters; ‘Evil’ for Howlin’ Wolf; and Little Walter’s ‘My Babe’. One of Dixon’s great performances, sadly not on this record, is his ‘Crazy For My Baby’. However, this album does contain, ‘Shaky’ which is an earlier version of his insanely wonderful ‘Nervous’.
Memphis Slim (Peter Chatman) is also a Blues man of the highest caliber. Not only can Slim play the piano like the devil - and boogie-woogie with anybody - he’s also a great singer. These guys are outstanding and not to be missed!
This album was a superb early stereo release by Verve, and Speakers Corner has done us a great service by bringing it out. Wonderful music from start to finish and I guarantee your toes will be tapping all the way. Highly recommended!

Grey De Lisle - Home Wrecker
Hummin' Bird Records Reviewed by RP
Grey De Lisle has all the country singer credentials one could hope for. The girl possesses an observational charm reminiscent of a Nanci Griffith, tonal beauty similar to that of Alison Krause, the lung capacity of a young Dolly Parton and that little something else which is all her own.
It’s deeper and darker than you might expect. In her formative years there was a penchant for the music of gothic bands such as the Cure, and it’s clear in songs with titles like ‘Dead Cat’, ‘Home Wrecker’ and ‘Ferris Wheels And Freakshows’ that Miss De Lisle is daring enough to step well beyond the white picket fence boundaries with their themes. At the same time her home life was governed by the volatility of a drug addicted and then born-again mother. Personally, I find it hard to imagine a worse combination, but although these experiences have inevitably left their marks Grey does not obsessively pick away at the scar tissue beneath them. Instead her songs are full of tense and contrasting images. ‘Beautiful Mistake’ and ‘Twas Her Hunger’ distils these bittersweet moments into a tasty lyrical essence where you can believe her when she says, "I would even give my life to overcome this fear of kissing you."
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Ray Rown and Duke Ellington - This One's For Blanton
Pablo Records / Acoustic Sounds Reviewed by RSF
The great Duke Ellington would pass away in five months, but he’s still on top form here, with his good friend and great double bassist, Ray Brown. However, you’ll have to do some homework to get the lowdown on Jimmy Blanton’s contribution to liberating the double bass from its shackles as just an accompanying instrument. Brown’s
accomplished playing clearly underlines the instrument’s versatility on this justly famous Pablo recording now re-released with glorious 45rpm sound and dynamics. Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman’s superb mastering continues in this second series of releases from Acoustech.
Sides one and two contain hit after hit. ‘Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me’, ’Pitter Panther Patter’ and ’Sophisticated Lady ’are just three of the winners I really enjoyed. The sound of Duke’s piano playing is still strong and vibrant and there’s not much one can offer that hasn’t already been said by others about the great Ray Brown.
Sides three and four contains a ‘Fragmented Suite for Piano and Bass’ in four movements and is a naural treat not only in musical flavor but in sonic terms too. These records are treasures and offer some of the greatest sound you’ll ever hear coming from your system… no matter how large or small. Highest Recommendation.

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