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Classical Music

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Decca Legends 466 232-2 Reviewed by JMH
I knew vinyl was doomed when Decca deleted their famous Argo recording of Vivaldi's Seasons in the late '80s. It was the LP equivalent of the Ravens leaving the Tower of London. Released in 1970, the Academy's Seasons was quite simply 'the' version of Vivaldi's masterpiece. No other came close; not for sound, not for performance. That it spent the best part of 20 years in the LP catalogue at full price is a testimony to its popularity. Agreed, by today's standards it sounds a shade lush and over polished; the strings have a lovely burnished sheen and there's a glossy quality to the playing that no longer strikes the ear as authentic. But, for all that, there's nonetheless something beautifully stylish and (dare I say it?) classic about the whole performance. Like a '50s Dior suit, Marriners account has an effortless unselfconscious elegance that is both dated and timeless. There's a freshness and innocence about this Seasons that makes it unique. Though they recorded the Seasons twice more their pioneering Argo set remains the best; a classic account, beautifully recorded. Three solo concertos, from the mid '70s, have been added to fill the disc up. By now the Academy were Big Business, and it shows; the playing is effortlessly polished and slick, but a certain freshness and innocence has gone.

Virtuoso Valentina!
Valentina Lisitsa
Audiofon CD 72055 Reviewed by SG
The perils of buying mail order! I ordered this set thinking it must be a new recording - a follow-up to Tureck's recent DG 2CD set of Bach's Goldberg Variations. Wrong! It's her Stone Age 1953 mono MCA set, (issued on Brunswick in the UK and long since deleted on LP) newly remastered by DG for this release. Musically the playing has worn well, and it strikes the ear as surprisingly modern - no Romantic excesses, just the music played with taste, clarity and respect. It makes one wonder how Tureck would tackle the '48' today - and why DG didn't take the opportunity to make a new recording with her in good modern sound? Unfortunately the engineering on the old set is very dated. The piano tone is pale, flaky and lacking in firmness, and there are patches of break-up during peak passages. Pitch stability is pretty good, though judging by the odd dropout it sounds like the original mastertapes may not have been stored correctly. I've a couple of the original Brunswick LPs in my collection, and found the vinyl piano tone richer and more widely shaded dynamically. A fascinating musical document and well worth hearing. But listeners should sample the quality before paying top price.

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, "Pathetique" / Romeo And Juliet Overture
Kirov Orchestra / Gergiev
Philips 456 580-2 Reviewed by SG
Following Gergiev's disappointing Tchaikovsky 5th with the VPO, this recording, with the Kirov, is an improvement, but still misses the mark. He employs a slow tempo, but manages to produce tension in the right places. He utilises a palate of dark, ominous tones to paint a picture of corrupt passion rather than tragic romance. This is a large and powerful reading, and the Romeo And Juliet is played in the same fashion, making you think that there is some sinister background to the tragedy that finally befalls the two young lovers. Philips' recording is big and dark, to match the performance, and they have used valve equipment to give the recording vinyl-like warmth. The pizzicato strings have a nice tone and feeling. There is a deep, resounding bass, and the sound is full of detail, without being brittle or etched. The whole CD is a little too up-front, although the lower strings and brass, which has plenty of bite, do have some depth. This disc has all the hallmarks of an outstanding recording, but misses the mark. It is just too highly coloured to be regarded as a benchmark performance. For that, look towards Mravinsky or Pletneve

Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 107*; Piano Concerto No.1, Op. 35**
De Rosa*, Lisitsa", Caldwell, Ekaterinburg P.O.
Audiofon CD 72060 Reviewed by SG
These are two dazzling performances of two of Shostakovich's most contrasting concertos. William De Rosa is probably the best known performer here - he was once proclaimed " .... one of the most brilliant cello talents in the world", and you can hear why in this performance of Op. 107. The playing is commanding, with real perception, and glorious tone. Valentina Lisitsa is less well known but produces an exhilarating and dynamic Op. 35, which ranks with the best, while special mention must go to the solo trumpet, played by Viatcheslav Chtchennikov. The conducting of Sarah Caldwell (an opera specialist) is expressive, drawing the Ekaterinburg (formerly Sverdlovsk) Philharmonic to produce soulful and committed playing throughout. Audiofon recordings are designed to give the feeling of a spontaneous, live musical performance, so editing is reduced to a minimum to maintain the musical flow. The idea certainly works here, with no thought going to the occasional wrong notes. There is a good sense of the acoustic, with the soloists placed front centre. A wonderful disc of two marvellous pieces of music, superbly recorded. But if you want this CD move quickly, as Audiofon are, sadly, no more, and supply is limited.
Available from APR - Tel: 01434 220627

Schubert: String Quartet G major D887; Quartet Movement C minor D703
Auryn Quartet
TACET S Reviewed by JMH
Completed in 1826, a couple of years before his untimely death, Schubert's final string quartet D887 inhabits an intense, shadowy, tortured world. Knowing he hadn't long to live, it's tempting to think Schubert poured all his pain and suffering into the piece; perhaps the bleakest of all his instrumental works. Maybe - maybe not. Just the same, it's a powerful piece of remarkable originality. The long first movement is racked with the deepest melancholy and anguish, while the slow movement (a kind of dead march) veers between bitterness and anger before finally resolving in calm acceptance. The shadowy skittish Scherzo anticipates Mendelsohnn, while the finale is simply one of the greatest Schubert wrote; tremendous impetus and power, driving the work to a demonic conclusion. Demons also inhabit the strange Quartet Movement - with it's wildly contrasted themes. The Auryn quartet have all the technique needed to play this difficult music, and they attack it with great determination and the right kind of controlled passion. Comfortable it isn't - but then this isn't comfortable music. Tacet's recording, made using old valve microphones, sounds clear, focussed, and detailed, with excellent attack and dynamic range. Good sound then, but buy this disc for the music - it's some of Schubert's greatest.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Sainte Colombe: Concerts a deux violes esgales
Savall / Kuijken
Astree Auvidis ES 9933 Reviewed by SG
Sainte Colombe, a French composer of the late 17th-century, was virtually unknown until the Alain Comeau film Taus les matins du monde. He was a bass violist virtuoso, being credited with adding the seventh string to the bass viol of the French baroque, and also the teacher of the greatest French violist of them all, Marin Marais. The music is simple but moving, being suggestive of a Gaelic Vivaldi, and although the two players should not be too taxed they show great harmony with Sainte Colombe's work. Savall and Kuijken are evenly matched in both tone and ability, giving the music a beautiful flow. These are pieces of contrast, of light and shade, often being lively yet at other times melancholy and mysterious. Recorded in 1992, this CD is a good representation of what all recorded, authentic, chamber music should sound like. The two instruments are realistically captured in the recording environment. Microphones seem to have been kept at a reasonable distance, capturing both the lovely acoustics of the room, and the beautiful tone and details in the wooden resonance of the instruments. Heartily recommended to all with even the slightest interest in the music of the baroque.

Mahler / Berg: Symphony No. 4 / Seven Early Songs
Bonney / Chailly, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Decca 466 720-2 Reviewed by SG
Chailly is a great Mahlerian. I have heard him performing Mahler, both on CD and live, and, at the present, I know of no better conductor of this exalted music. From the opening notes one knows that this is a skilful reading of one of Mahler's most accessible symphonies. Having said that there are some weaknesses. With Chailly, every sound is animated. It is a brilliant performance with impressive playing by the Concertgebouw, but the problem lies with Barbara Bonney's singing. Let me first say that she has a beautiful voice, it is just that she does not sound entirely at ease singing Dos Himmlische Leben, making the music sound constricted. Listening to the Berg pieces seems to confirm this, as Bonney captures every note perfectly, and is altogether more comfortable. The production is very good, with nice hall atmosphere, but is not perfect. The sound is a fraction bright. Every detail is there, but it does not sound real. A live orchestra has more body, power, and depth. Probably not a first choice, but if you have already got a recording of Mahler's 4th, or if you want the Berg Songs, do not let me put you off purchasing a very admirable CD.

Dvorak: Symphony No. 8 in G
LSO / Davis
LSO 0002 Reviewed by SG
This is a compelling performance of Dvorak's 8th: Recorded live in October 1999, in the Barbican Hall, this is not the kind of performance that comes along everyday. Davis is an intelligent conductor, and here he gives an articulate reading. The first movement can sometimes sound a little disconnected, but not here, with the melodies being cleverly integrated. But it is the slow movement, which stands out, capturing a darkness that gives it the kind of emotion rarely found. This impression is extended into the third before an excellent finale. Performance wise, this is the Dvorak 8th to have - even better than Kertesz's. I have heard the wonderful ISO in the Barbican Hall on a number of occasions, and so I know their sound pretty well. Here Tony Faulkner captures it beautifully. The hall and orchestra are laid out before you, slightly behind the speakers. There is just enough warmth, but with plenty of the orchestral details which bring the recording of a live performance to life. This CD contains a truly great performance, well recorded, and even though it contains fewer than 40 minutes of music, it is priced low enough to be a bargain.
Available from the Barbican Tel: 020 7638 8891

Bruckner: Symphony No 5 (Shalk edition)
Leon Botstein, LPO
Telarc CD-6059 Reviewed by JMH
Bruckner's symphonies were misunderstood by most of his contemporaries, so friends and colleagues sought to make his music acceptable and 'popular' by re-orchestrating it and introducing cuts. In today's respectful times, where the composer's original intentions are deemed sacrosanct, such meddling now seems barbarous. So what a surprise to see a new recording of a Bruckner symphony in one of these 'corrupt' editions! Franz Schalk was an important late 19th century conductor, but history has judged him harshly because of his wholesale reworking of Bruckner's 5th symphony. It was his version that was published ahead of Bruckner's own, and recorded by Hans Knappertsbusch for Decca. Yet far from being apologetic, Telarc's copious liner notes make out a positive case for Shalk. And on the evidence of this highly committed and exciting performance from Leon Botstein and the LPO, they've got a point. Bruckner's deep spirituality and heavenly spaciousness are replaced by something altogether more cogent and gripping; Bruckner, steetwise with attitude! In modern terms, this is Shalk's remix, and it works brilliantly. The extra brass in the coda of the finale sound thrilling really lifting the listener emotionally with a glorious blaze of sound. Clean, powerful, dynamic sound. A fascinating disc, especially for collectors.

Bruckner: Symphony No 9
Dresden Staatskapelle, Giuseppe Sinopoli
DG 457 587-2 Reviewed by JMH
Opinions divide regarding Sinopoli's Bruckner. He was to record all 9 symphonies for DG, but record company cuts mean the cycle will not be completed. This account of the 9th symphony, recorded during live performances, is powerful and highly intelligent. As so often with Sinopoli, you hear things obscured in other recordings, such is the clarity and balancing of forces. It's an interpretation based solely on what's in the score - by turns thrilling and challenging - with a broad muscular line that gives the music a secular modern feel. The 9th is Bruckner's most anguished score. He looks into the abyss (like Mahler in his 9th symphony), but without resolving the uncertainties and doubts he sees there. That the work remained unfinished at Bruckner's death (the finale was never completed) is partly to blame for the work's ambivalence. Given this, Sinopoli plays the work with remarkable clarity of vision, bringing a keen far-sighted objectivity to music that can sound unbearably fraught and painful. Not that the performance lacks passion or fire; on the contrary, the Staatskapelle play with gripping intensity throughout. Rather, Sinopoli's eyes are set to a distant horizon as he makes us aware time and again of how remarkable the music is, and how modern too. DO's recording sounds sonorous, full, and highly detailed, with some bonecrunching climaxes, and forward balances.

Berlioz: 7 Overtures
Dresden Staatskapelle, Sir Colin Davis
RCA 09026 68790-2 Reviewed by JMH
One suspects that the Staatskapelle rarely get much opportunity to perform Berlioz, but under the watch- ful and experienced Colin Davis they play with incredible vigour and panache, bringing to the music all the thrill and excitement of a new discovery. Moreover, the atmosphere of each piece is captured well -from the mysterious foreboding of Les Francs Juge, to the extrovert upbeat brilliance . of Le Corsaire, with its almost jazzy wind writing. Nor do the tricky cross rhythms in Benvenuto Cellini faze the players, who phrase the music with great relish and the utmost panache. Listening, one gets the sense of a great conductor and orchestra revelling in the music and enjoying every minute. There's always been an aristocratic noble quality to the sound of this orchestra; the brass in particular have a special warmth and sonority that creates a unique ambience. This suits Berlioz, ensuring that the brass do not blare even in the loudest climaxes. It lends dignity to music that could otherwise sound vulgar and forced. RCA's recording sounds beautifully spacious and open, without being too distant. The top-end sounds very sweet, ensuring that brass and strings never harden tonally, even during the most vigorous climaxes. Perspectives are natural too, with a nice terracing of dynamics and a proper sense of distance between the front and back of the orchestra.

Bach: English suites 2, 4 and 5
Murray Perahia (piano)
Sony Classical SK 60277 Reviewed by JMH
This disc completes Perahia's set of the English suites for Sony, and if anything, both playing and recording surpass those of the earlier disc. From the first note you know you're in the presence of a master musician: one of supreme technical command who has scrutinised every detail of the music, yet is able to play with freedom and imagination. Tempi remain steady, but rhythms are subtly inflected to keep the pulse of the music flowing and alive. Above all, it's Perahia's balancing of Bach's sometimes complex part writing, his ability to clarify textures and maintain clarity, that one marvels at. Its as though each finger leads a life of its own. Yet perhaps even more wonderful is the fact that technique soon falls into place behind the music and its interpretation. After a while one simply takes the excellence of the playing for granted; all that's left is the music As with the earlier disc, the recordings were made at La Chauxde-Fonds in Switzerland, albeit exactly one year later, but the sound is slightly fuller and more present - as though one were slightly closer to the instrument - giving marginally greater clarity. The piano sounds warm-toned but clear, incisive, and detailed, with a very natural tonal balance and excellent tonal depth. Without being spectacularly 'hi-fi' ifs one of the finest piano recordings I've ever heard.

Audiophile Recordings

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
Stokawski, Stadium Symphony Orchestra
DCC EVEREST LPZ-2016 Reviewed by RP
Unquestionably one of the great Twentieth Century compositions, Dmitri Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony (scored for a full romantic orchestra with piano and celesta) continues to win favour through its lyrical pattern and dynamic contrapuntal style, which culminates in a series of stunning climaxes and that stirring Allegro non troppo fanfare. Stokowski handles this work magnificently. Under his baton the strings (drenched in emotion) dovetail with those soaring brassy moments to heighten a sense of that successful struggle against adversity which remains such a broad thematic preoccupation. The SSO musicianship, too, is of a high standard although there is a certain lack of spit'n' polish, that occasionally allows it to be eclipsed by the spontaneity of the LSO playing for Previn (RCA SB 6651) or intuitive warmth found for Maxim Shostakovich by the USSR SO (EMI ASD 2668) both mid 1960s recordings which have as yet only reappeared as standard CDs. Here, on vinyl, the DCC cut taken form Harry Belock's 1958 original three-track master tapes and the RTI pressing are a revelation. Tape hiss (formerly the blight of Everest LPs) is suppressed and the smallest instrumental details (including extraneous hall noises) are exposed, giving a real "you are there" feeling to proceedings.

Eric Bibb and Needed Time - Spirit and the Blues
Opus 3 LP 19401 Reviewed by SG
Those who read the last issue of Hi-Fi+ will know that I rate the CD of this album high enough to include it as one of my Desert Island Discs. It is a tour de force in the art of this wonderful performer. A mixture of blues, ballads, country, and gospel, all performed to the highest of standards. Every track is compelling and moving. I thought I knew the sound of this album. The CD is good, but this is something else. Everything now seems bigger and more real. I was shocked to hear how much more power there is in Eric's voice on 'I Want Jesus To Walk With Me: Bass is deeper and more natural. Nuances I could not hear before - such as the slap of bass strings - all add to my appreciation of each musician's individual contribution to the music, and those performers play, or sing, between, behind, and around the speakers - a wonderful, in your room, experience. The only negatives concern the cover, which is thin and flimsy. Apparently Opus 3 know, saying that it is down to cost, but if plans on future vinyl releases go ahead, quality should improve. I urge you to buy a copy so that others may follow. You will not be disappointed. The perfect album? Very nearly.

Eric Bibb - Another side...
Reviewed by RP
With a famous folk revivalist father, Leon, and an enviable procession of influential musicians including Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Odetta passing through the family home, one could be forgiven for believing that Bibb's entry into the business was a formality. But, like many children in the shadow of high profile parents, Eric needed to discover an individual voice - finally establishing himself as an uncommonly talented blues guitarist Years spent husking, travelling and then touring around Europe eventually lead to a permanent move from his native New York to Stockholm, where an also-ciation with slide man Goran Wennerbrandt culminated in two albums cut for the Swedish Opus 3 label. Spirit Et The Blues (the first of these LPs) is distinctive. A richly attractive and effortless delivery, consciously gentler than those gnarled and often whiskey-soaked voices of great blues men from the past, brings a new perspective to adaptations of classic material like 'Tell 01' Bill', 'Lonsome Valley and 'Meetin' At The Buildin' It also obviously suits Bibb's own style of songwriting. An impressive "live" studio recording (cut at 45rpm into four short sides) it is pleasingly free from overdubs and postproduction mixing. Consequently, these tracks, whether it's a fingerpicking 'When Shall I Be' or negro-spiritual 'Woke Up This Mornin", reveal the inner most instrumental workings as well as those emotional resonances present in Bibb's phrasing. An excellent and deeply honest debut.

Eric Bibb - Roadworks
Hatman 2003 Reviewed by SG
This is an album of live recordings made during Eric's 1999 world tour, both in concert and studio. Many tracks will be familiar to fans, including 'I Want Jesus To Walk With Me' and the beautiful 'For You', but some may not. Eric sings and plays guitar backed by a selection of acoustic instruments. The final track, 'Lazy Afternoon', is a duet with his father, Leon. As usual with Eric's work the music is excellent. The album opens with the traditional Tell 01' Bill', which has appeared on previous Bibb recordings, with other tracks mainly consisting of traditionals and those penned by Eric himself. Highlights include 'Panama Hat', and the traditional blues of 'Goin' Down Slow: The recording of 'Shavin' Talk' in producer and bass player Dave Bronze's bathroom is a nice idea. Sound quality is a bit of a mixed bag - not surprising when the disc was recorded in nine different venues. Natural tones, some good ambience and intimacy, but some instruments sound a little too close and I don't like the unnatural panning of the guitar, in the background on 'Saucer 'n' Cup: For Eric Bibb fans out there this album is a must. But, if you want an introduction to this talented musician, buy his Opus 3 material first.
Supplied by Pentacone Tel/Fax: 01924 445039

Ella Fitzgerald - Sings The Cole Porter Song Book
Speakers Corner Verve MGV4001/2 Reviewed by RG
When Ella recorded this, and the rest of her popular song books, she got the kind of flack from the "jazz establishment" that Dylan was to get for going electric. And yet, looking back, these albums are amongst her best loved, and in many ways, most respected. Free from the stylistic demands of jazz, with its emphasis on technique, she was able to concentrate on, and blossom as an interpreter of lyrics. Cole Porter, dismissed as a lightweight by "serious' musicians has, none the less, provided us with a canon of song, remarkable for its timeless appeal. What maybe wasn't so obvious at the time was the multi-level nature of his work, at once simple on the surface but with a knack for fastening on the essential heart of a matter. Add Ella's stellar interpretation and the results are musically sublime. Four sides containing such gems as 'Anything Goes' , 'Night And Day', 'I've Got You Under My Skin' and 'Let's Do If, all in glorious Verve sound. It sold in droves, but precisely because of its popularity, decent, non-dancetted discs are hard to come by these days, which makes Speakers Corner's re-issue especially welcome. Cleaner, and a little cooler than the original, the sound is excellent. Wonderful. Essential. Brilliant!

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
Cantelli, Philharmonia Orchestra
Testamant EMI ASD 254 Reviewed by RP
Guido Cantelli's interpretation of a brilliantly scored and frequently recorded work has both style and substance enough to recommend it. Flowing and richly textured performances like these sometimes struggle to extract that very last ounce of excitement present within Beethoven's exultant finale but they do, instead, offer a compensatory abundance of warmth, imagination and even-handedness which will have you returning to this particular LP again and again. Moreover, thematically, an element of control does paradoxically seem to galvanise those longheld and loosely ascribed Dionysian motifs which have surrounded the Seventh since its inception in 1812. The recording, though, is not quite your typical early EMI and, while I don't possess an original for direct comparison, I am familiar enough with both its peers and a Seventies re-issue, CFP 103, to know that this re-cut is the likely superior. A warm and full-sounding disc whose ambiance (minus the usual opacity heard on "white labels" like Cluyten's rendition of the Fifth Symphony ASD 267) allows for a far better separation of instruments. As a postscript for all you secondhand enthusiasts, the compelling Colin Davis I RPO release on the bargain EMI HMV label (SXLP20038) should not be overlooked. It's also outstanding.

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