Editor's Choices include 'spontaneous-sounding interpretations' of the Brahms symphonies from Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, a 'delectable disc' of Ruth Gipps's oboe music from Juliana Koch and friends, and 'a most auspicious debut' from mezzo Aigul Akhmetshina on Decca.
Recording of the Month
The Kurt Weill Album
Katharine Mehrling (Anna), Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Joana Mallwitz
'Die sieben Todsünden (‘The Seven Deadly Sins’) is brought off with comparable deftness and élan...This Weill collection, polished but never slick, merits the very strongest recommendation.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Editor's Choices
Johannes Brahms: The Symphonies
Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Yannick Nézet-Séguin
'These are spontaneous-sounding interpretations, sure, but they’re also thoughtful....Indeed, throughout this set, Nézet-Séguin hardly puts a foot wrong, and the COE play their hearts out for him.'
Available formats: 3 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 - Version 1888
Philharmonie Festiva, Gerd Schaller
'I’m inclined to think it’s not only the finest recording of the 1888 version now available but one of the finest recordings of any version of the Fourth Symphony.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Ruth Gipps: Piper of Dreams
Juliana Koch (oboe), Michael McHale (piano), Julian Bliss (clarinet)
'I have nothing but praise for the irreproachable musicianship displayed by Juliana Koch (principal oboe with the LSO), who in turn enjoys sterling support from Michael McHale... All in all, a delectable disc.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Michael Berkeley: Collaborations
Clare Hammond (piano), Madeleine Mitchell, Mahan Esfahani, Alice Coote, Julius Drake, Robert Plane, Rachel Roberts, Chris Hopkins, BBC Singers, Joshua Ryan, Neil Tennant, David Gilmour, Owain Park
'Here’s a marvellously stylish showcase for some eclectic and characteristically communicative repertoire by the seemingly indefatigable Michael Berkeley.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Harmonies of Devotion
Contrapunctus, Owen Rees
'The Steffani is particularly impressive, from its earworm of an opening to the final peroration, with both languor and extroversion in between. The ensemble here is frequently superb. Rees’s singers ornament their lines subtly.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Queen of Hearts
The Gesualdo Six, Owain Park
'All in all this is a treasure trove of works, some little known and rarely performed, in a wide variety of styles and vocal scorings spanning the first half of the 16th century. Beautifully sung and meticulously researched, it will generously repay repeated hearings.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Janáček: The Excursions of Mr. Brouček
Prague National Theatre Orchestra, Jaroslav Kyzlink
'Orchestrally, Supraphon conductor Jaroslav Kyzlink better projects the opera’s more spontaneous, chaotic moments than the BBC Symphony and finds more meaning in the details.'
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
Meyerbeer: Le Prophète
John Osborn (Jean de Leyde), Elizabeth DeShong (Fidès), Mané Galoyan (Berthe), Edwin Crossley-Mercer (Count Oberthal); London Symphony Orchestra, Mediterranean Youth Orchestra, Maîtrise des Bouches-du-Rhône, Lyon Opera Chorus, Sir Mark Elder
'Elder imbues the highly influential score with both fastidious bel canto delicacy and a rock-solid grip of the set pieces...The LSO play with panache throughout.'
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
AIGUL
Aigul Akhmetshina (mezzo), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Daniele Rustioni; with Freddie De Tommaso (tenor), Elisabeth Boudreault (soprano), Kezia Bienek (mezzo)
'She has a superb voice, no question, warm and even in tone, admirably agile, with a full, effortless top, and a tangy lower register...It all adds up to a fine recital, and a most auspicious debut.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Reissue/Archive Issue of the Month
Olga Samaroff & Frank La Forge: The Complete Solo Recordings
Olga Samaroff, Frank La Forge (piano)
'You can still appreciate what a rich and varied piano tone [Samaroff] produced in performances of grace and musicality. When it comes to bravura works, I think you will be astonished.'
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
