Gramophone Choices, Gramophone Editor's Choices - March 2020

'[Grosvenor’s] lines are full of poetry but they unfold with utter naturalness. Chan follows his every gesture unerringly – there’s no doubting the musical chemistry at play here…Grosvenor has also been blessed with a very fine instrument and a fabulous recording. It’s the kind of disc that makes you rethink these works and appreciate them all over again. And let’s hope that this is the start of a wonderful recording partnership with Elim Chan.'

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'I never get the sense he uses his technique to dazzle; rather, he always seems to keep lyricism to the fore…Lozakovich plays the Canzonetta with the utmost tenderness, practically clinging to the melody for dear life…Spivakov elicits thrillingly articulate playing from the Moscow-based orchestra in the Concerto and provides aptly atmospheric support in the miniatures…the entire album is hugely enjoyable and offers ample proof that the violinist, still in his teens, is no mere flash in the pan.'

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'What a gorgeous disc!...Anyone who thinks that the new generation of super-quartets are merely about virtuoso brilliance should hear the myriad shades of russet and gold that the Albion Quartet find in these two enchanting works. This, surely, is how Dvořák’s chamber music is supposed to sound: luminous, playful (there’s a real kick to his dotted dance-rhythms), and simultaneously generous and touchingly intimate.…I know it’s early, but I can already see this being my pick of the year.'

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'The Leonore Trio have made something of a habit of exploring the byways of the trio repertoire but none is more worthwhile than this disc. You might anticipate that the keyboard would tend to dominate, given that Litolff was such a prodigious pianist, but that is absolutely not the case…Throughout the Leonore combine finesse with a palpable sense of enjoyment that is entirely engaging.'

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'The seasoned pairing of Isabelle Faust and Alexander Melnikov promises to match all comers in style and fantasy. From the puckish opening Allegro of K376…you’re aware of an eager creative partnership, with Faust and Melnikov delightedly seconding and undercutting each other… True spontaneity is elusive in the recording studio. Faust and Melnikov give the illusion, at least, that they are responding to and recreating the music on the spot. Roll on Vol 3.'

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'It is difficult to imagine a more impressive location for these four substantial organ works by Canadian composers of the past 100 years...Here is as stirring a performance as you could wish for, greatly enhanced by an outstanding recording from Delphian that encompasses the vast dynamic and pitch range of the Coventry organ superbly...Rachel Mahon has done Canadian organ music proud in this outstanding recording.'

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'Müller-Schott ends this formidable unaccompanied recital with Pablo Casals’s Song of the Birds, played with the intense focus, the sense of line and the gleaming purity of tone that characterises the whole disc…Müller-Schott’s ability to inflect a single line of music makes even works such as Prokofiev’s slightly dubious reconstructed Sonata and his own entertainingly eclectic Cadenza repay re-listening. He certainly has something to say.'

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'Contributing to the discerning unity of vision and character of this performance is how the instruments sit embedded at the heart of the vocal sound…This is indeed one of the most thoughtful, affecting and powerful St John Passions in recent years. It reveals the mature mastery of Herreweghe at his most perspicacious and consistent, with Collegium Vocale Gent paving the way with gold.'

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'The second Harmonia Mundi album from Les Cris de Paris is so much more than a selection box: it blends ‘transcendentally inspired secular music and sacred music embodied in theatrical fashion’, exploring commonality between sacred and secular genres… This disc is a fine evocation of Baroque passions in every sense and one that keeps giving beyond the first few hearings. Absolutely not to be missed. '

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'Benoit is a delectable Poppea, both knowing and sympathetic…Orliński sings with rounded tone and a sure feeling for Handelian line…Emelyanychev’s direction of his responsive band combines fizzing theatrical energy with due regard for the opera’s more reflective moments. With DiDonato nonpareil in the title-role and a uniformly strong cast, this now becomes a first choice for Handel’s Venetian masterpiece.'

Available Formats: 3 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

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'It’s perhaps inevitable that in an openair venue such as Bregenz – essentially arena opera with an audience of 7000 – the emphasis has to be on a spectacular production. But it would be wrong to overshadow the singers here, who do an amazing job under such physically demanding conditions. Vladimir Stoyanov is excellent as Rigoletto, his oaky baritone not unlike the great Leo Nucci… A most enjoyable production and performance, even if clowns do give you the heebie-jeebies.'

Available Format: DVD Video

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Sound format: PCM Stereo, DTS-HD MA 5.1

Picture format: 1080i 16:9

Available Format: Blu-ray

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