The pick of today’s crop includes a hugely impressive debut on Sony from the young French pianist Adam Laloum, the continuation of Malcolm Martineau’s gorgeous Fauré song series on Signum, the world premiere recording of Michael Nyman’s Fifth String Quartet, and a fabulous all-Gershwin programme from Kirill Gerstein and two special guests – watch out for Katherine’s interview with him about the project next week.
Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Harding
This is Harding’s first Mahler recording with his Swedish forces, though his interpretations with other orchestras have been praised as ‘well up there with the greats’ (BBC Music Magazine on Symphony No. 6 with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks) and ‘powerfully wrought’ (The Guardian on No. 10 with the Wiener Philharmoniker).
Available format: CD
Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
Adam Laloum (piano), Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Kazuki Yamada
The award-winning French pianist goes in at the deep end for his Sony debut with these muscular but lyrical accounts of the two Brahms Concertos; his recent account of the composer's First Cello Sonata (with Victor Julien-Laferrière) won a Diapason d’Or in 2017, and his 2011 recording of selected solo works prompted Fanfare to describe him as ‘a Brahmsian of special insight and sensitivity’.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Rachmaninov: 24 Preludes
Nikolai Lugansky (piano)
Lugansky’s previous Rachmaninov recordings have been feted for their ‘balancing of grand gestures with an immaculate sense of detail’ (The Guardian on Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2) and ‘fleet, assured and world-class fingerwork’ (Gramophone on Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4); here he tackles both sets of Preludes.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
The Gershwin Moment
Kirill Gerstein (piano), Storm Large (vocals), Gary Burton (vibraphone) St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, David Robertson
Gerstein (who completed a Masters in jazz piano before embarking on his mainly classical career) performs the Concerto in F and the original jazz-band version of Rhapsody in Blue, plus a selection of Earl Wild arrangements of Gershwin songs; he’s joined by vocalist Storm Large for Summertime, and his former teacher Gary Burton for Oscar Levant’s Blame it on my Youth.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Nyman: String Quartets Nos. 5 & 4
The Smith Quartet
Nyman wrote both of these works for the Smith Quartet in 2011, and the Fifth String Quartet receives its first recording here; No. 4 (dedicated to Nyman’s teacher Alan Bush) is based on existing material by the composer, whereas No. 5 (subtitled ‘Let’s Not Make A Song And Dance Out Of This’) is entirely original.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Fauré: The Complete Songs Vol. 3
Lorna Anderson, Louise Kemény, Isobel Buchanan, Janis Kelly (sopranos), Sarah Connolly, Ann Murray (mezzos), Iestyn Davies (countertenor), John Chest, William Dazeley (baritones), Malcolm Martineau (piano)
The third volume of Martineau’s beautifully intimate Fauré series includes Clair de lune and Spleen from Ann Murray, Les roses d’Ispahan from Janis Kelly, Au bord de l’eau from Iestyn Davies, and the Vocalise-étude from Sarah Connolly.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Siface: L’amor castrato
Filippo Mineccia (countertenor)
Mineccia pays tribute to the Tuscan-born alto castrato Giovanni Francesco Grossi (aka ‘Siface’), who played a significant role in introducing Italian opera to London after taking on a position in the chapel of James II (which was short-lived because the English climate didn’t agree with him!). Includes music by Alessandro Scarlatti, Stradella, Pasquini Cavalli and Agostino.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 88.2 kHz, 24 bit)
Our dedicated Naxos New Release Brochure returns this week, where you can browse, read about, and listen to excerpts of all the exciting Naxos releases out this month. Highlights include new recordings of Bach's St John Passion and Lassus's St Matthew Passion. The Bernstein centenary celebrations continue here too, with a 9-disc set compiling Marin Alsop's complete Bernstein recordings on Naxos.
