IRR Outstanding

 

Selected recordings are highlighted with the accolade IRR OUTSTANDING. The identification of such recordings has been made by individual reviewers. The selected release is illustrated in the review with a reproduction of the sleeve and the IRR OUTSTANDING logo.

 

 

Outstanding in the April 2012 edition

 

Beethoven New
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, ‘Choral’.
Rebecca von Lipinski (soprano); Anna Grevelius (mezzo); Peter Wedd (tenor); Roderick Williams (baritone) CBSO Chorus; Manchester Camerata/Douglas Boyd.
Avie AV2245 (medium price, 1 hour 5 minutes). German texts and English translations included. Website www.avie-records.com  Producer Andrew Keener. Engineers Simon Eadon, Dave Rowell. Date January 2011.

 

Brahms New CD/SACD
Symphonies – No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68; No. 2 in D, Op. 73; No. 3 in F, Op. 90; No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98. Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Op. 56a. Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80. Tragic Overture, Op. 81.
Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra/Andrew Manze.
CPO 777 720-2 (medium price, three discs, 3 hours 31 minutes). Website www.cpo.de. Producer Lennart Dehn. Engineer Torbjörn Samuelsson. Dates 2009, 2010.
 

Chisholm New
Piano Concertos – No. 1, ‘Piobaireachd’; No. 2, ‘Hindustani’.
Danny Driver (piano); BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Rory Macdonald.
Hyperion CDA67880 (full price, 1 hour 9 minutes). Website www.hyperion-records.co.uk  Producer Andrew Keener. Engineers Simon Eadon, Dave Rowell. Dates June 8th and 8th, 2011.
 

 

Gubaidulina New
String Quartets – No. 1; No. 2; No. 3; No. 4. Reflections on the theme B-A-C-H.
Stamic Quartet (Jindrich Pazdera, Josef Kekula, violins; Jan Paruska, viola; Petr Hejny, cello).
Supraphon SU4078-2 (full price, 1 hour 3 minutes). Website www.supraphon.com. Producer Michal Macourek. Engineer Jan Lzicar. Dates June and August 2011.

 

Petits-Fours: Favourite Encores New
Debussy Beau soir. Dvorák Humoresque, B197 (Op. 101) – No. 7 in G flat^b. Elgar Chanson de nuit, Op. 15 No. 1. Chanson de matin, Op. 15 No. 2^a. La capricieuse, Op. 17. Falla Siete Canciones populares españolas – No. 5, Nana; No. 7, Polo. Godowsky Triakontameron – No. 11, Alt-Wien. Kreisler Caprice viennois, Op. 2^a. Mendelssohn Sech Gesänge, Op. 34 – No. 2, Auf Flügeln des Gesanges. Prokofiev The Love for Three Oranges, Op. 33 – March. Ravel Sonata for Violin and Piano (1923-27) – No. 2, Blues. Valses Nobles et sentimentales – Valse No. 6. Sarasate Spanische Tänze, Op. 23 – No. 1, Playera; No. 2, Zapateado. Schumann Kinderszenen, Op. 15^b – No. 1, Von fremden Ländern und Menschen; No. 2, Curiose Geschichte; No. 7, Träumerei. Album für die Jugend, Op. 68 – No. 30, Sehr langsam. Shostakovich Five Duets for Two Violins and Piano (compiled/arr. Levon Atovmian) – No. 1, Prelude. Suite for Variety Orchestra – No. 7, Waltz II^b (all arr. by members of the Brodsky Quartet).
Brodsky Quartet (Daniel Rowland, Ian Belton, violins; Paul Cassidy, viola; Jacqueline Thomas, cello) with ^aRobert Smissen (viola); ^bPhilip Edward Fisher (piano).
Chandos CHAN10708 (full price, 1 hour 6 minutes). Website www.chandos.net  Producer Jeremy Hayes. Engineer Jonathan Cooper. Dates September 7th and 8th, 2011.

Rafal Blechacz New
Debussy Pour le piano. Estampes. 
L’Isle joyeuse.
Szymanowski Piano Sonata No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8. Prelude and Fugue in C sharp minor.
Rafaπ Blechacz (piano).
DG 477 9548 (full price, 1 hour 2 minutes). Website www.deutschegrammophon.com  Producers Arend Prohmann, Matthias Spindler. Engineer Rainer Maillard. Date January 2011.

Song cycles New CD/SACD
Britten Serenade, Op. 31^a. Nocturne, Op. 60.
Finzi Dies natalis, Op. 8.
Mark Padmore (tenor); ^aStephen Bell (horn); Britten Sinfonia/Jacqueline Shave (violin). 
Harmonia Mundi USA HMU807552 (full price, 1 hour 18 minutes). English texts and French/German translations included. Website www.harmoniamundi.com  Producer Robina G. Young. Engineer Brad Michel. Date February 2011.

 

Cavalli Reissue
Vespro della Beata Vergine (from Musiche sacre, Venice, 1656).
Barbara Borden, Emily van Evera (sopranos); Rodrigo del Pozo (high tenor); Markus Brutscher, Mark Padmore, Gerd Türk (tenors); Harry van der Kamp, Peter Zimpel (basses); Concerto Palatino/Bruce Dickey, Charles Toet.
Glossa GCD922509 (medium price, two discs, two hours). From Harmonia Mundi HMC905219/.20. Latin texts and English/French/German translations included. Website www.glossamusic.com  Producer Pere Casulleras. Date November 1994.
 

Reliquie di Roma: Lamentarium New
Marazzoli Cadute erano al fine^ab. Già celebrato havea la regina^b. 
Mazzocchi Piangete occhi, piangete^ab.
Pasqualini Perchè dolce Bambinoa.
Rossi Oratorio per la Settimana Santa – conclusionab. Passacaglia del Seigneur Louigi. Peccantem me quotidie. Pender non prima vide^a. Spargete sospiri.
^aNadine Balbeisi (soprano); ^bTheodora Baka (mezzo); Atalante (Paulina van Laarhoven, Annalisa Pappano, Nora Roll, violas da gamba; Siobhán Armstrong, arpa doppia; Elizabeth Kenny, Andrew Maginley, chitarrones; Kristian Bezuidenhout, harpsichord)/Erin Headley (viola da gamba/lirone).
Destino Classics NI6152 (full price, 1 hour 7 minutes). Italian/Latin texts and English translations included. Website www.wyastone.co.uk/nrl. Producer/ Engineer John Hadden. Dates November 27th-30th, 2010.

 

 

Outstanding in the March 2012 edition
 

Nørgård New
Helle Nacht^a. Borderlines^a. Spaces in Timeb.
^aPeter Herresthal (violin); Stavangar Symphony Orchestra/Rolf Gupta with bIda Mo (piano).
BIS CD1872 (full price, 1 hour 8 minutes). Website www.bis.se  Producer Martin Nagorni. Engineer Fabian Frank. Date August 2010.

 

 

Ó’Riada New
Overture Olynthiac^a. The Banks of Sulán^a. Nomoi^a – No. 1, ‘Hercules Dux Ferrariae’; No. 4^c. Mise Éire – Orchestral Suite^b. Mná na hÉireann (orch. Noel Kelehan)^bd. Seoladh na nGamhan^a.
^dSeán Ó Sé (voice); ^cCathal Breslin (piano); ^aRTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, 
^bRTÉ Concert Orchestra/Robert Houlihan, ^dProinnsías Ó Duinn.
RTÉ lyric fm CD136 (full price, 1 hour 8 minutes). Website www.rte.ie/lyricfm. Producer Gary Cole. Engineer Anton Timoney. Dates ^dJune 24th, 1999, ^bNovember 10th-12th, 2004, ^aMay 30th-June 2nd, 2011.  

  

 

Ruders Volume 7. New
Symphony No. 4, ‘An Organ Symphony’^a. Trio Transcendentale^b. Songs and Rhapsodies^c.
^cFrode Andersen (accordion); ^aFlemming Dreisig, ^bNicholas Wearne (organs); ^cAthelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen (Karen Skriver Zarganis, flutes/piccolo; Andreas Fosdal, oboe/cor anglais; Anna Klett, clarinets; Thomas Ekman, horn; Signe Haugland, bassoon); ^aOdense Symphony Orchestra/Robert Minczuk.
Bridge BRIDGE9375 (full price, 1 hour 1 minute). Website www.bridge records.com  Producer David Starobin. Engineer Viggo Mangor. Dates June 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th, 2011.

 

 

Medtner New
Stimmungsbilder, Op. 1. Trois Improvisations, Op. 2. Quatre Morceaux, Op. 4. Drei Arabesken, Op. 7. Drei Dithyramben, Op. 10. Drei Novellen, Op. 17. Vier lyrische Fragmente, Op. 23. Trois Morceaux, Op. 31. Drei Hymnen an die Arbeit, Op. 49. Theme and Variations in C sharp minor, Op. 55. Zwei Elegien, Op. 59. Étude in C minor.

Hamish Milne (piano).

Hyperion CDA67851/2 (medium price, two discs, 2 hours 38 minutes). Website www.hyperion-records. co.uk  Producer Jeremy Hayes. Engineer Ben Connellan. Dates September 20th-22nd, 2010, March 10th-12th, 2011.

 

 

 

Josquin Desprez New
Missa ‘Ave maris stella’. Alma redemptoris mater/Ave regina caelorum a 4. Ave Maria a 4. Benedicta es, caelorum regina a 6. Illibata Dei virgo nutrix a 5. Salve regina a 5. Virgo prudentissima a 4. Virgo salutiferi a 5.
Weser-Renaissance Bremen/Manfred Cordes.
CPO777 590-2 (full price, 1 hour 8 minutes). Latin texts and English/German translation included. Website www.cpo.de. Producer Renate Wolter-Seevers. Engineer Burkhard Schmilgun. Dates January 8th-10th, 2010..

 

 

G. Gabrieli

Sacrae Symphoniae – Canzon septimi toni a 8. In Ecclesiis a 14. Monteverdi Gloria in excelsis Deo a 7, SV258. C. Pallavicino Confitebor tibi Domine. Peranda Fasciculus myrrhae. Praetorius Christ ist erstanden, Hallelujah. Schütz Vasto mar nel cui seno, SWV19. Ich danke dem Herrn, SWV34. Es steh Gott auf, SWV356. Jauchzet dem Herrn alle Welt, SWV493.
Amarcord; Cappella Sagittariana Dresden/Norbert Schuster.
Raumklang RKap10110 (full price, 1 hour 8 minutes). German/Latin texts and English/German translations included. Website www.raumklang.de. Producer/Engineer Michael Silberhorn. Dates October 25th-28th, 2010.

 

 

Outstanding in the February 2012 edition

Music for a Time of War New CD/SACD
Adams The Wound-Dresser^ab.
Britten Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20.
Ives The Unanswered Question^c.
Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 4 in F minor.
^aSanford Sylvan (baritone); ^bJun Iwasaki (violin); ^cJeffrey Work (trumpet); Oregon Symphony/Carlos Kalmar.
PentaTone Classics PTC5186 393 (full price, 1 hour 18 minutes). English texts included. Website www.pentatonemusic. com  Producer Blanton Alspaugh. Engineers John Newton, Jesse Lewis. Dates Live performances in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, Oregon on May 7th and 8th, 2011.

 

Britten New
Violin Concerto, Op. 15^a. Double Concerto in B minor^ab. Lachrymae, Op. 48a^b.
^aAnthony Marwood (violin); ^bLawrence Power (viola); BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Ilan Volkov.
Hyperion CDA67801 (full price, 1 hour 4 minutes). Website www.hyperion-records.co.uk  Producer Andrew Keener. Engineers Simon Eadon, Dave Rowell. Dates January 12th and 13th, 2011. 
  
  

 

Kinsella New

Symphonies – No. 6^a; No. 7^b. Prelude and Toccata for String Orchestra^c. Cúchulainn and Ferdia: Duel at the Ford^d. 

^bNational Chamber Choir of Ireland; RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra/^acdProinnsías Ó Duinn, ^bGavin Maloney.
RTÉ lyric fm CD134 (full price, 1 hour 17 minutes). Website www.rte.ie/lyricfm. Producer Matthew Dilley. Engineer Anton Timoney. Dates Live performance on ^bFebruary 7th, 2007, studio recordings on ^aMay 27th and ^cOctober 22nd, 2009, ^dApril 26th, 2010

 

 

The Romantic Violin New
Concerto – 11
Reger Violin Concerto in A, Op. 101. Two Romances, Op. 50.
Tanja Becker-Bender (violin); Konzerthausorchester Berlin/Lothar Zagrosek.
Hyperion CDA67892 (full price, 1 hour 15 minutes). Website www.hyperion-records.co.uk  Producer Ludger Böckenhoff. Engineer Stephan Reh. Dates February 23rd-25th, 2011.

 

 

 

Dances to a Black Pipe New CD/SACD
Brahms Hungarian Dances, WoO1 – No. 1 in G minor; No. 12 in D minor; No. 13 in D; No. 21 in E minor (all arr. Göran Fröst). Copland Clarinet Concerto (original and revised codas)^a. G. Fröst Klezmer Dances. Hillborg Peacock Tales^b. Högberg Dancing with Silent Purpose. Lutoslawski Dance Preludes^c. Piazzolla Oblivion^d.
Martin Fröst (clarinet); ^acLucy Reeves (harp); ^cRichard Gleeson, ^cBrian Nixon (percussion); ^abcBenjamin Martin (piano); Australian Chamber Orchestra/Richard Tognetti (^dviolin).
BIS SACD1863 (full price, 1 hour 22 minutes). Website www.bis.se  Producer Hans Kipfer. Engineer Matthias Spitzbarth. Dates May and June 2011.

 

 

Delicias New/Reissue
Spanish delights for piano duo.
Chabrier España. Chaminade La Sévillane, Op. 19. Falla Noches en los jardines de España (arr. A. Bertram). Granados Goyescas – Quejas, ó la maja y el ruiseñor (arr. E. Bartlett/R. Robertson). Lecuona Malagueña (arr. G. H. Nash). Rimsky-Korsakov Capriccio espagnol, Op. 34^a. Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez – Adagio (arr. composer). Saint-Saëns Jota aragonese, Op. 64. Tárrega Gran Vals (arr. Goldstone).
Goldstone and Clemmow (Anthony Goldstone, Caroline Clemmow, piano duet).
Divine Art dda25101 (medium price, 1 hour 15 minutes). ^aFrom Gamut Classics GAMCD521. Website www.divine-art.co.uk. Producer/Engineer Anthony Goldstone. Producer ^aNigel Wilkinson. Engineer ^aKeith Warren. Dates ^a1990, 2011

 

 

Hannes Minnaar New
Rachmaninov Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28.
Ravel Miroirs. Sonatine.
Hannes Minnaar (piano).
Et’Cetera KTC1432 (full price, 1 hour 19 minutes). Website www.etcetera-records.com Producer/Engineer Tom Peeters. Producers Paul Janse, Amienke Wytzes. Date June 2011

 

 

J.-H. Fiocco Petits Motets. New
Beatus vir. Benedicam Dominum. Jubilate Deo. Libera me Domine. Salve Regina.
Scherzi Musicali/Nicolas Achten (baritone/harpsichord/theorbo/archlute).
Musique en Wallonie MEW1054 (full price, 59 minutes). Latin texts and English/Flemish/French texts included. Website www.musiwall.ulg.ac.be. Producer/Engineer Manuel Mohino. Dates October 2nd-4th, 2009.

 

 

 

Telemann New
Emma und Eginhard, TVWV21:25 – Violin Concerto in A minor^b; Das Auge starrt, die Lippen beben; Erscheine bald du Irrlicht meiner Sinne; Steckt Mars den Degen ein. Der geduldige Sokrates, TVWV21:9 – Violin Concerto in C^b; Mir schmeichelt die Hoffnung; Mich tröstet die Hoffnung; Meine Tränen werden Wellen^a. Germanicus, TVWVdeest – Komm o Schlaf, und lass mein Leid. Der neumodische Liebhaber Damon, TVWV21:8 – Ach seht mich doch, geliebte Augen. Der unglückliche Alcmeon, TVWVdeest – Ach was für Qual und Schmerz^a. 
Nuria Rial (soprano); ^bJulia Schröder (violin); Kammerorchester Basel. 
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 88697 92256-2 (full price, 1 hour). German texts and English/French/Italian translations included. Website www.sonymasterworks.com  Producer/Engineer Andreas Werner. Producer ^aCharles Suter. Dates October 29th-31st, 2010, ^alive performances at the Martinskirche, Basel on January 18th, 2011.

 

Outstanding in the January 2012 edition
 

Brian
Symphony No. 1 in D minor, ‘The Gothic’.
Susan Gritton (soprano); Christine Rice (mezzo); Peter Auty (tenor); Alastair Miles (bass); David Goode (organ); Bach Choir; BBC National Chorus of Wales; Brighton Festival Chorus; CBSO Youth Chorus; Côr Caerdydd; Eltham College Boys’ Choir; Huddersfield Choral Society; London Symphony Chorus; Southend Boys’ and Girls’ Choirs; BBC National Orchestra of Wales; BBC Concert Orchestra/Martyn Brabbins. 
Hyperion CDA67971/2 (medium price, two discs, 1 hour 55 minutes). Latin texts and English translations included. Website www.hyperion-records.co.uk  Producer Huw Thomas. Engineer Tim Thorne. Date Live performance at the Royal Albert Hall, London on July 17th, 2011.

 

Vivaldi Volume 2.
Bassoon Concertos – C, RV470; C, RV472; E flat, RV483; F, RV490; G minor, RV496; A minor, RV499; B flat, RV504.
Sergio Azzolini (bassoon); L’Aura Soave Cremona/Diego Cantalupi (archlute/Baroque guitar/lute/theorbo).
Naïve OP30518 (full price, 1 hour 17 minutes). Website www.naiveclassique.com  Producer/ Engineer Fabio Framba. Date April 201.

 

 

Pictures
Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition.
Janácek 1.X.1905, ‘From the Street, 1 October 1905’. 
Prokofiev Piano Sonata No. 7 in B flat, Op. 83.
Fazil Say (piano).
Naïve V5199 (full price, one CD and one DVD, 1 hour 6 minutes and 1 hour 20 minutes). DVD bonus includes Fazil Say in conversation. Website www.naiveclassique.com  NTSC. Region 0. DVD Producer Jean-Pierre Loisil. Audio Producer Laure-Casenave Péré. Video/Audio Engineer Thomas Dapello. Dates 2011. DVD filmed at a live performance at the MC2, Grenoble in February 2011.

 

Vivaldi
Concerto for Strings and Basso continuo in D minor, RV129, ‘Madrigalesco’. Concerto for Flute, Strings and Basso continuo in D minor, RV431a, ‘Il Gran Mogol’^b. Concerto for Violin, Cello,Strings and Basso continuo in B flat, RV547^cd. Laudate pueri, RV601^ab. Nulla in mundo pax, RV630^a.
^aElin Manahan Thomas (soprano); Bojan Cicic (^dviolin); ^cJennifer Morsches (cello); Florilegium/Ashley Solomon (^bflute).
Channel Classics CCSSA32311 (full price, 59 minutes). Italian/Latin texts and English translations included. Website www.channelclassics.com  Producer/Engineer C. Jared Sacks. Producer AshleySolomon. Dates April 4th-6th, 2011.

 

Patricia Petibon
Melancolia.
Bacri Melodías de la melancolía, Op. 119. Calleja/Barrera Emigrantes – Adiós Granada^a. Falla La vida breve – ¡Vivan los que rien!. Giménez La tempranica – La tarántula é un bicho mú malo (Zapateado). Granados Doce Tonadillas en un estilo antiguo – No. 6, El mirar de la maja; No. 10, La maja dolorosa II, ‘Ay majo de mi vida’ (both orch. Rafael Ferrer). Montsalvatge Cinco Canciones negras – No. 4, Canción de cuna; No. 5, Canto negro. Moreno Torroba La marchenera – Petenera. Nin Veinte Cantos populares españoles – Book 2, No. 8, El vito^a. Serrano La canción del olvido – Marinela, Marinela. Turina Poema en forma de canciones, Op. 19 – No. 3, Cantares. Villa-Lobos Bachianas brasileiras No. 5, A390 – Ária (Cantilena). Traditional Ogundé uareré^b. 
Patricia Petitbon (soprano); ^aDaniel Manzanas (guitar); ^abJoël Grare (percussion); ^bSusan Manoff (piano); Orquesta Nacional de España/Josep Pons.
DG 477 9447 (57 minutes). Spanish texts and English/French/German translations included. Website www.deutschegrammophon.com  Producer Arend Prohmann. Engineers Ulrich Vette, Mark Buecker. Date September 2010.

 

 

Pergolesi Adriano in Siria. 
Marina Comparato (soprano) Adriano; Lucia Cirillo (mezzo) Emirena; Annamaria dell’Oste (mezzo) Farnaspe; Nicole Heaston (soprano) Sabina; Stefano Ferrari (baritone) Osroa; Francesca Lombardi (soprano) Aquilio Tribuno. Livietta e Tracollo.
Monica Bacelli (soprano) Livietta; Carlo Lepore (bass) Tracollo; Accademia Bizantina/Ottavio Dantone (harpsichord).
Opus Arte OABD7098D/also available as DVD OA1065D (one Blu-ray/two DVDs, 3 hours 8 minutes). Bonus, Ottavio Dantone on Adriano in Siria (12 minutes). Subtitles in English/French/German/Italian/Spanish. Website www.opusarte.com. High Definition. 16:9 Anamorphic. DVD 9. Region 0. LPCM 2.0. DTS-HDMaster Audio Digital Surround. Stage Director Ignacio García. Video Director Tiziano Mancini. DVD Producer Johannes Müller. Dates Live performances at the Teatro G.B. Pergolesi, Jesi on June 8th and 12th, 2010.

 

 

Arias for Anna De Amicis
J. C. Bach Zanaida, T241 – Tortorella abbandonata; Mentre volgo intorno il piede. Borghi Il trionfo di Clelia – Tanto avezza alle sventure. Cafaro Antigono – E fra tante tempeste … Se balena. Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice, Wq30 – Qual vita è questa mai … Che fiero momento. Jommelli Armida abbandonata – Miser’Armida … Odio, furor, dispetto. Mozart Lucio Silla, K135 – Vanne, t’affretta … Ah se il crudel; In un istante … Parto, m’affretto; Sposo … mia vita … Frà i pensier; Dalla sponda tenebrosa. Myslive∂ek Romolo ed Ersilia – Sorprender mi vorresti; Basta così vincesti.
Teodora Gheorghiu (soprano); Les Talens Lyriques/Christophe Rousset.
Aparté AP021 (full price, 1 hour 17 minutes). Italian texts and French/English translations included. Website www.aparte.fr. Producer Nicolas Bartholomée. Engineers Koichiro Hattori, Emilie Ruby. Date November 2010.

|top|