BBC Music Magazine Choices,
BBC Music Magazine - June 2020 Choices
Víkingur Ólafsson's mesmerising recital of Rameau and Debussy on Deutsche Grammophon (the Icelandic pianist's third solo album for the label) is first among equals in the June issue - the disc, which has topped our best-sellers chart by some margin for the past two months, impressed Christopher Dingle with the 'breathtaking precision' and 'dazzling virtuosity' which Ólafsson brings to what he describes as 'a conversation between two composers across two hundred years'.
Other featured albums include conductor and oboist François Leleux's 'fizzing' first recording with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, a second volume of Fauré piano music from Louis Lortie on Chandos, 'intuitive and spontaneous' Vivaldi violin concertos from Le Concert de la Loge and their founder Julien Chauvin, and a 'sumptuous' Die Walküre from Covent Garden, with Nina Stemme in the title-role.
Recording of the Month
'He’s done it again…it is clear from the outset that this is no lazy selection of favourites…His playing never feels self-indulgent of inappropriate…There is never any doubt that this is Ólafsson’s vision of Rameau and Debussy, but it is also clearly rooted in love for each and their intertwining opens the eyes and the ears, highlighting especially that, like Bach, Rameau’s music is fertile ground for pianists.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Orchestral Choice
Bizet: Carmen Suite No. 1, Symphony & Gounod: Petite Symphonie
Scottish Chamber Orchestra, François Leleux
'The SCO have a thrilling way with Bizet…the orchestra hop from an intermezzo that is truly the woodwind calm before the storm, backed by rich playing in the strings…All this finely-sculpted woodwind playing is brought to the fore in Gounod’s somewhat less dramatic and rather pastoral Petite Symphonie…[The Bizet Symphony] bubbles along with infectious delight in the SCO’s hands – I could listen to them playing this all day.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Concerto Choice
'Chauvin and the period instrument ensemble Concert de la Loge, which he founded, explore the myriad subtleties and gestures of the music with infectious vitality. They enliven Vivaldi’s thrilling tonal landscape at every turn with intuitive and spontaneous responses to the music’s often mercurial character. Chauvin negotiates the frequent passages of solo bravura with seeming insouciance…Altogether, this is glorious music-making. Hearty thanks to Chauvin and his musicians.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Chamber Choice
'Strauss’s revision (in 1883) may be masterly, but his first try is impressive. In this persuasive performance by Raphaela Gromes and Julian Riem, the early work bursts into irrepressible life…There are moments in the first version one wouldn’t be without…Beautifully detailed performances combine with a powerful sense of music cherished. Recommended.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Instrumental Choice
'Lortie more than meets the pianistic and musical challenge of Fauré’s unshowy virtuosity, his riding of each dappled ebb and flow of the Barcarolles reflecting a mature mastery. Nor is there just the rarefied Fauré on show, his insouciant charm and playfulness being to the fore and captured perfectly in the Theme and Variations. Lortie picks out delicate shadings in the deceptively unruffled first section of the Ballade with apparent nonchalance, and provides an object lesson in pacing of the Nocturnes.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Choral & Song Choice
Pergolesi: Stabat Mater
Sandrine Piau (soprano), Christopher Lowrey (countertenor), Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset
'Piau finds just the right balance between beauty of sound and fervent expressivity…she’s partnered by the young countertenor Christopher Lowrey, who combines lucid diction with an aptly plangent sound – always beautifully controlled. Though they’re rather different musical personalities, the two singers respond to each other with particular sensitivity and their voices plait together exquisitely. Rousset’s 17-member ensemble produces a suave, full-bodied sound, yet the details are never muddied.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Opera Choice
Wagner: Die Walküre (DVD)
Stuart Skelton (Siegmund), Emily Magee (Sieglinde), Nina Stemme (Brünnhilde), John Lundgren (Wotan), Sarah Connolly (Fricka), Ain Anger (Hunding); Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Antonio Pappano, Keith Warner
'Pappano has always had a special relationship with the Ring’s second part…and the Royal Opera House Orchestra rewards him with some of its most sumptuous playing. The cast in this 2018 staging would have been the envy of every world class opera company…But it’s Nina Stemme, as it should be, who defines this production. Generously voiced, she is essentially a lyric Brünnhilde, most moving when she tells Sieglinde that she is bearing Siegmund’s son.'
Available Format: 2 DVD Videos
Wagner: Die Walküre (Blu-ray)
Stuart Skelton (Siegmund), Emily Magee (Sieglinde), Nina Stemme (Brünnhilde), John Lundgren (Wotan), Sarah Connolly (Fricka), Ain Anger (Hunding); Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Antonio Pappano, Keith Warner
Sound format: LPCM 24-bit stereo and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Available Format: Blu-ray
Historical Choice
'Her artistry in this Helsinki concert is consummate and her memory almost faultless. With a warmly lyrical opening, and a touch responding to the variegated requirements of the score, she makes this long musical journey an intensely beguiling experience. The last note suggests an electric current suddenly switched off.'
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Jazz Choice
'Congregation deftly mixes elements of rock and fusion, with some compositions echoing minimalism…On ‘Disfigured Bass’ there is more than an cursory nod to JS Bach…Whatever the springboard, the improvisations are fluid, compelling and well developed, ranging from funky to impressionistic (such as the opening section of ‘Scandinavian Lullaby’ with its effective use of electronics) and always gripping the attention.'
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
