New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 11th April 2025
Ruth Gipps: Orchestral Works, Vol. 4
Charlie Lovell-Jones (violin), Bill Anderson (double-bassoon), BBC Philharmonic, Rumon Gamba
The fourth instalment in Gamba's Gipps series sees the BBC Philharmonic revel in the sweeping colours of her fifth symphony (with a final movement conceived as a wordless orchestral Mass, and still showing signs of the silent words in its rhythms). Charlie Lovell-Jones presents a dazzling account of the Violin Concerto Op. 24 - echoes here of Hindemith, Barber, Walton and more - and soloist Bill Anderson struts his stuff in the lugubriously beautiful single-movement 'Leviathan' for contrabassoon and orchestra.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Michael Daugherty: Blue Electra
Anne Akiko Meyers (violin), Elissa Johnston (soprano), Albany Symphony Orchestra, David Alan Miller
Meyers takes centre stage in the titular violin concerto inspired by the story of trailblazing pilot Amelia Earhart; human flight remains the theme for the two other works (all three premieres), with the ill-fated final flight of Buddy Holly the focus of the agile 'Last Dance at the Surf' and the Apollo 11 landings the subject matter of 'To the New World' - featuring archive audio recordings from the 1960s and embracing the spirit of Adams's 'Short Ride in a Fast Machine' (though a much faster machine, and a much longer ride...)
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
It seems incredible that Benedetti - with nearly a dozen hugely successful albums to her name - had not hitherto recorded Beethoven's legendary concerto; now at last the wait is over. Joined by the Aurora Orchestra under Nicholas Collon, she brings the liveliness of the album's cover (a blurry mid-action shot full of energy) to the music, as well as presenting cadenzas she's devised herself in collaboration with Petr Limonov.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Indomita
Eleonora Buratto (soprano), Orchestra e Coro dell'Opera Carlo Felice Genova, Sesto Quatrini
Inspired by the Italian repertoire that she so deeply loves, this début from Eleonora Buratto combines scenes and arias from five operas by Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi to paint miniature portraits of five heroines - all facing different trials and tribulations but united by the 'indomitable' spirit that gives the album its name. The bold writing that these evocations of delirium and madness draw from the composers allows her astonishingly agile voice to shine.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
The conclusion of Suzuki's Well-Tempered Clavier - using the same double-manualled instrument as in the first half for extra options of sonic colour. Gramophone praised it in simple, straightforward terms for its clarity and natural feeling, and that's exactly the impression that Suzuki conjures - no histrionics, no narcissistic over-interpretation, just a direct communication of Bach's inexhaustible polyphonic gift, breathed into life with subtle touches of rubato.
Available Formats: 2 SACDs, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Northern Light: Echoes From 17th-Century Scandinavia
Lucile Richardot (mezzo), Sébastien Daucé, Ensemble Correspondances
Richardot and Daucé send us a series of postcards from Stockholm in this album, presenting music that percolated along the Hanseatic trading routes of Northern Europe. Charles XI of Sweden seems to have deliberately leaned into his court's place as a higgledy-piggledy musical melting-pot of styles, with French, Italian and German idioms (and musicians) all rubbing shoulders. Particular highlights are Franz Tunder's exultant work written to acclaim the new king, and Fischer's extensive lament on his death.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
A third album of Bach from San Francisco's Cantata Collective, featuring two of Bach's most lively and upbeat choral works - the Easter Oratorio, cleverly forged from musical elements in some of his existing works and representing one of his earliest collaborations with the librettist Picander, and the grandiose Magnificat (here in its revised D major key, allowing the trumpets to truly shine) written in his very first year at the Thomaskirche against a backdrop of considerable upheaval.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV
The cellist's self-titled 'collection of nine contemporary songs without words for cello and synthesizer' straddles stylistic boundaries - neoclassical and ambient, yet with a distinct undercurrent of Romantic lyricism. The nine tracks have evocative yet not overly descriptive titles; one can read into such names as 'Sphere', 'Unsaid' or 'Rise' as much or as little as one wishes. Fans of Max Richter, or of the ambient band Marconi Union, will not want to miss Gregson's artistic statement of self.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Les Étoiles Invisibles, 19th-Century French Music for Flute and Piano by Women Composers
Baldo-Corona Duo
From Lili Boulanger's nervous, excitable spring morning to a collaborative effort between Louise Farrenc and her flautist husband Aristide, and from Augusta Holmès's enchanting pieces (including a Gigue with more than a passing resemblance to a square-dance!) to Clémence de Grandval's inventive five-movement suite, these works by French Romantic women composers are an hour of wonderful rediscoveries and fresh additions to the flute repertoire.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Couperin & Lalande: Leçons de Ténèbres
Paco Garcia (tenor), Étienne Bazola (baritone), Ensemble Les Surprises, Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas
The Office of Tenebrae is a deep well of profoundly moving music, using the descent into darkness that precedes the festival of Easter as the inspiration for works of grief and lamentation. This new all-male recording of works by Couperin and Lalande for this time of year combines the elegance of the French Baroque with the solemnity of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. It's also a treasure-trove for fans of the super-high light tenor 'haute-contre' voice, here in the form of Paco Garcia.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
David Smith - Head of Digital
