CD Review - Choral Music Recordings/Furtwangler/Player Piano

Andrew McGregor presents the summer edition of the programme devoted to all that's new in the world of recorded music. Including tracks from: 09.05 am “More Divine than Human” FAWKYNER: Gaude rosa sine spina; CORNYSH: Salve regina; LAMBE: Magnificat; DAVY: In honore summe matris; BROWNE: Stabat mater Choir of Christ Church Cathedral Oxford, Stephen Darlington (director) Avie AV2167 (CD) HOWELLS: Requiem; WHITACRE: 2 of the Three Songs of Faith; GRANTHAM: We remember them; PIZZETTI: Requiem; PAULUS: The road home; GILKYSON: Requiem Conspirare, Company of Voices, Craig Hella Johnson (director) Harmonia Mundi HMU 807518 (Hybrid SACD) TAVENER: Requiem; Mahashakti; Eternal memory Ruth Palmer (violin), Josephine Knight (cello), Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano), Andrew Kennedy (tenor), Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko (conductor) EMI Classics 2351342 (CD) 10.05 am “Furtwangler: The Complete RIAS Recordings” The complete recordings made by RIAS with Furtwangler from 1947 to 1954, accompanied by a bonus CD with previously unreleased live recordings of Furtwangler talking on music. Works by: Beethoven; Bach; Mendelssohn; Schubert; Brahms; Bruckner; Schumann; Fortner; Wagner; Handel; Hindemith; Gluck; Weber; Blacher; Strauss Yehudi Menuhin, Gerhard Taschner (violin), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Wilhelm Furtwangler (conductor) Audite 21403 (12 CDs + 1 bonus CD, Budget Price) More details can be found on the Audite website: http://www.audite.de/sc.php?cd=21403 11.05 am “Player Piano 4: Original Compositions” STRAVINSKY: Etude for pianola; HINDEMITH: Toccata; HAASS: Fugue in C; Intermezzo; TOCH: Studie IV; 3 Original pieces for electric Welte-Mignon piano; MUNCH: 6 polyphonic studies; LOPATNIKOFF: Scherzo; CASELLA: 3 Pieces for pianola; MALIPIERO: 3 Improvisations for pianola; DUCHAMP: The bride stripped bare…; ANTHEIL: Mecanique No.1; Ballet mecanique Bosendorfer piano with Ampico player piano mechanism MDG 64514042 (CD) DUCHAMP: Musical erratum; lectures and conversations Player piano realised by Mats Persson and Kristine Scholz LTM CD2504 (CD) NANCARROW: Studies for player piano 1750 Arch Records recordings of Nancarrow’s player pianos Other Minds OM 1012/15-2 (4 CDs, Mid Price) “Player Piano 5: Nancarrow V.3” NANCARROW: Studies for player piano(s) Nos.33-37; 40a-41c Bosendorfer and Fischer pianos with Ampico player piano mechanism MDG 645 14052 (CD) “The Virtuoso Pianolist” STRAVINSKY: Les Noces (arr composer); arrangements by Rex Lawson of works by LUTOSLAWSKI, RACHMANINOV, HANDEL, WIDOR and SULLIVAN arr MACKERRAS: Pineapple Poll (suite) Rex Lawson (pianolist) Other Minds OM 1001-2 (CD) 11.30 am TCHAIKOVSKY: Swan Lake*; arr STRAVINSKY: The Sleeping Beauty**; STRAVINSKY: Le chant du Rossignol*** Christian Ostertag (violin)**, SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Yuri Ahronovich*, Hiroshi Wakasugi**, Ernest Bour (conductor)*** Hanssler Classic CD 93234 (CD) STRAVINSKY: The Rake’s Progress Jayne West (Anne Trulove), Jon Garrison (Tom Rakewell), Arthur Woodley (Father Trulove), John Cheek (Nick Shadow), Shirley Love (Mother Goose), Wendy White (Baba the Turk), Melvin Lowery (Sellem), Jeffrey Johnson (Keeper), Gregg Smith Singers, Orchestra of St Luke’s, Robert Craft (conductor) Naxos 8660272-73 (2 CDs, Budget Price) STRAVINSKY: Scherzo fantastique; The Firebird (complete ballet) BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Thierry Fischer (conductor) Signum Classics SIGCD 165 (CD) BOISMORTIER: Daphnis et Chloe Gaelle Mechaly (Chloe), Marie-Louise Duthoit (Nymph), Francois-Nicolas Geslot (Daphnis), Till Fechner (Saphir), Alain Buet (Dryas), Renaud Delaigue (Agenor), Arno Guillou (Pan), Le Concert Spirituel, Herve Niquet (conductor) Glossa GCD 921618 (2 CDs)