Gramophone Choices,
Gramophone Editor's Choices - April 2018
Towering accounts of Rachmaninov’s The Bells and Symphonic Dances from Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus take pride of place this month, with three of Katherine’s recent favourites also making an appearance – Ádám Fischer’s fresh and lyrical Mahler 1 with the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker on Avi Music, Martin Helmchen’s witty and buoyant Diabelli Variations on Alpha, and an arresting debut album from Persian-Austrian cellist Kian Soltani on Deutsche Grammophon.
And if you missed it last week, you can read Katherine's exclusive interview with this month's cover-star Robin Ticciati here.
Recording of the Month
Rachmaninov: The Bells & Symphonic Dances
Symphonieorchester und Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Mariss Jansons
'This superlative performance…is one of those stratospherically accomplished, ‘cosmic’ ones that Jansons says he is always trying to attain… Jansons has Rachmaninov in his very soul; but he is also able to capitalise on his remarkable ear for colour, clarity and atmosphere, coupled with his distinctive energy and probing depth of emotional understanding.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Editor's Choices
'This is a terrific account of Mahler’s fledgling symphony – full of the rashness and impetuosity of youth and the wild imaginings that go hand in hand with it… There is an extraordinary kinship and telepathy between Fischer and his Düsseldorf orchestra… This is shaping up to be the most idiomatic and exciting cycle of Mahler symphonies since Kubelík and Bernstein.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'The clarity of the orchestral sound, especially in the pointillistic orchestration of the Fifth, is compelling (the Scherzo in particular, whose tempo Manze gives an extra injection of adrenalin)…[The Scherzo of the Sixth] this is virtuoso stuff, splendidly handled by conductor and orchestra…Any lover of Vaughan Williams as a symphonist will find this recording exceptionally rewarding.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'Marais himself would have immediately recognised and appreciated Florence Bolton’s artistry and commitment to his music. These are sublimely unfettered performances, perfectly judged and yet remarkably improvisatory in spirit. Her sense of timing is ravishing, her close musical rapport with Perrot and colleagues is magical… This exceptional recording will surely rank among my contenders for recording of the year.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'They play the two fragile early sonatas with charm, simplicity…and an impish sense of fun…As to the mature sonatas…it’s hard to imagine more delightful or discerning performances. Ibragimova, with her astonishingly varied tonal palette, and Tiberghien combine the wisdom of long experience with a spontaneous joy in music that is so often opera buffa by other means.'
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'The overriding impression is of a watertight musical partnership, one’s attention divided equally between cellist and pianist….[Soltani] has all the qualities needed to win consistent critical acclaim, namely innate musicality, a yielding, svelte tone, an agile bowing arm and a skilful deployment of varied vibrato. Listening to him is a great pleasure.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'Helmchen’s commanding pianism and perceptive musicianship hold their own in a competitive catalogue…[he] imbues the music’s question-and-answer trajectory [in Variations 13] with a sense of surprise and comic timing that I have not heard since Charles Rosen’s classic recording… While Variation 14 is on the slow side, Helmchen’s sustaining power and rapt concentration take your breath away.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'Aimard’s interpretations are anything but tame. His dynamic range is formidable, his voicing of chords scrupulously faithful, his clarity unimpeachable. It’s hard to imagine the textures having greater impact or precision, or the continuity and discontinuity being projected with greater concentration…Not a single sound emerges with indifference.'
Available Formats: 3 SACDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'I don’t know of an orchestral performance of [Petrouchka] that evokes the title character with greater sympathy and pathos than Melnikov achieves… Nor can I think of recorded performances of either Liszt’s or Stravinsky’s benchmark creations more compelling than these…Melnikov’s prevalent richness of detail, unforced but precise rhetoric and exquisite sense of colour are skilfully captured by the engineers.'
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Venezia Millenaria (Venice 700-1797)
Le Concert des Nations - Hespèrion XXI, La Capella Reial de Catalunya - Panagiotis, Neochoritis, Jordi Savall
'The characterful instrumental playing of Savall and his colleagues is reflected throughout in the vocal numbers, where colour and drama are prized above beauty, singers captured as though overheard by an anthropologist rather than engineered by a producer. The effect is wonderfully immediate – a snapshot not just of a city but of a spirit of music-making that Savall has pioneered.'
Available Formats: 2 SACDs + Book, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
DVD of the Month
'A beguilingly dolorous musical experience… Pygmalion’s elegantly sensual orchestral playing and choral singing are sensational from start to finish. Five soloists sing with impeccable gracefulness and fluency… There is vitality in Pygmalion’s broadly emotive phrasing, thrilling harmonic tensions in choral climaxes, and a sculpted expression of refined catharsis.'
Available Format: Blu-ray + DVD Video
Reissue of the Month
'Bolet was one of the finest of all Liszt players… One’s spirits lift even before the ‘play’ button is pressed…The Wagner-Liszt Tannhäuser Overture was one of Bolet’s specialities. This astonishing studio recording…was made in October 1973. The command of structure, the judicious pacing and unleashing of those final torrential octaves under the main theme send shivers up the spine.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
