CD Review - Annual Critics' Round-Up

CD Review Andrew McGrgeor with what's new in the world of classical music recordings including: 09.05am RAVEL: Daphnis et Chloe; Bolero; Pavane London Symphony Chorus and Orchestra / Valery Gergiev (conductor) LSO Live LSO0693 (Hybrid SACD) RAVEL: Piano Concerto for left hand; Piano Concerto in G; Miroirs Pierre-Laurent Aimard (piano) / The Cleveland Orchestra / Pierre Boulez (conductor) DG 477 8770 (CD) RAVEL: Piano Concerto for left hand; Piano Concerto in G; DEBUSSY: Fantaisie; MASSENET: Deux Impromputs etc. Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano) / BBC S O / Yan Pascal Tortelier (conductor) 09.30am Critics’ Pick of the Year 2010 Andrew is joined by Rob Cowan, Hilary Finch and Jeremy Summerly to discuss some favourite releases of 2010. With extracts from the following discs: MOZART: Die Zauberflote Daniel Behle (Tamino) / Marlis Petersen (Pamina) / Daniel Schmutzhard (Papageno) / Sunhae Im (Papagena) / Anna-Kristiina Kaappola (Konigin der Nacht) / Marcos Fink (Sarastro) / Kurt Azesberger (Monostatos) / RIAS Kammerchor & Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin / Rene Jacobs (conductor) Harmonia Mundi HMC902068/70 (3 CDs) WOLF: Italian Songbook Christoph Pregardien (tenor) / Julia Kleiter (soprano) / Hilko Dumno (piano) Challenge Classics CC72378 (Hybrid SACD) ELGAR: Violin Concerto Nikolaj Znaider (violin) / Dresden Staatskapelle / Sir Colin Davis (conductor) RCA 88697605882 (CD) PALESTRINA: Missa Tu es Petrus; Missa te Deum Laudamus; VICTORIA: Te Deum Laudamus Choir of Westminster Cathedral / Martin Baker (Master of Music) Hyperion CDA67785 (CD) BRITTEN: String Quartets Nos 2 & 3; 3 Divertimenti Elias String Quartet Sonimage SON 10903 (CD) The Busch-Serkin Duo: public performances and broadcasts from 1939-1950 of works by Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Schumann and Busch Adolf Busch (violin) / Rudolf Serkin (piano) Music & Arts CD1244 (4 CDs) “Great Strauss Scenes” STRAUSS: Scenes from Elektra, Capriccio, Die Frau ohne Schatten & Salome Christine Brewer (soprano) / Eric Owens (bass-baritone) / Atlanta S O / Donald Runnicles (conductor) Telarc REL 31755 02 (CD) “Le Royaume Oublie” (The Forgotten Kingdom) Hesperion XXI / La Capella Reial de Catalunya / Jordi Savall (director) Alia Vox AVSA9873 A/C (3 Hybrid SACDs) DAVID BRIGGS: Messe pour Notre-Dame etc. Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge / David Briggs (organ) / Stephen Layton (conductor) Hyperion CDA67808 (CD) POULENC: Figure Humaine; Mass in G etc. Tenebrae / Nigel Short (director) Signum SIGCD197 (CD) SCHUBERT: Die Winterreise Werner Gura (tenor) / Christoph Berner (1872 piano) Harmonia Mundi HMC 902066 (CD) SHOSTAKOVICH: The Preludes and Fugues Alexander Melnikov (piano) Harmonia Mundi HMC 902019.20 (2 CDs + bonus DVD) BACH: Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin BWV 1001-1006 Sergey Khachatryan (violin) Naïve V5181 (2 CDs) MARTIN: Golgotha Judith Gauthier (soprano), Marianne Beate Kielland (alto), Adrian Thompson (tenor), Mattijs van de Woerd (baritone), Konstantin Wolff (bass) / Capella Amsterdam / Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir / Estonian National S O / Daniel Reuss (conductor) Harmonia Mundi HMC 902056.57 (2 CDs) “Argerich Plays Chopin” CHOPIN: Piano Sonata No.3; Ballade No.1; 3 Mazurkas Op.59 etc. Martha Argerich (piano) DG 477 7557 (CD) “Ceremony and Devotion” Works by Byrd, Sheppard and Tallis The Sixteen / Harry Christophers (conductor) Coro COR16077 (CD) MAHLER: Songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn; Symphony No.10 – Adagio Magdalena Kozena (mezzo-soprano), Christian Gerhaher (baritone) / The Cleveland Orchestra / Pierre Boulez (conductor) DG 477 9060 (CD) BRUCKNER: 10 Symphonies Bavarian RSO / Lorin Maazel (conductor) BR Klassik 900711 (11 CDs) WAGNER: Gotterdammerung Katarina Dalayman (Brunnhilde), Lars Cleveman (Siegfried), Arttila Jun (Hagen), Andrew Shore (Alberich), Peter Coleman-Wright (Gunther), Nancy Gustafson (Gustafson), Susan Bickley (Waltraute), Ceri Williams, Yvonne Howard, Miranda Keys (Norns), Katherine Broderick, Madeleine Shaw, Leah-Marian Jones (Rhinemaidens) / BBC Symphony Chorus / London Symphony Chorus / Royal Opera Chorus / Halle Choir and Orchestra / Sir Mark Elder (conductor) Halle CDHLD7525 (5 CDs) 11.50am Disc of the Week BEETHOVEN: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 6 “Pastoral” Budapest Festival Orchestra / Ivan Fischer (conductor) Channel Classics CCSSA 30710 (Hybrid SACD)