All Reviews articles – Page 200
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ArticleAlwyn: String Quartets nos.1–3, Novelette
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Maggini Quartet Composer: AlwynWilliam Alwyn (1905–85) was one of the great English masters of the last century. His vast output ranged from five symphonies to various concertante pieces, song cycles, operas, some 60 film scores and music for nearly ...
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ArticleMy Favourites. Bruch: Violin Concerto no.1 in G minor op.26. Bach: Partita no.1 in B minor BWV1002, Chaconne from Partita no.2 in D minor BWV1004
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Ayako Yonetani (violin) Slovak State Philharmonic of Ko?sice, Zbyn?k Müller (conductor)Composer: Bruch, Bach Born in Japan, Ayako Yonetani won the country’s national competition at the age of nine, and later moved to the US to complete her studies with ...
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ArticlePaganini: Violin Concertos nos.1 & 2
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Jean-Jacques Kantorow (violin) Bernard Thomas Orchestra, Bernard Thomas (conductor)Composer: PaganiniThe origins of Paganini’s works in the achievements of his forebears are often overlooked, given the predominance of his reputation as a mysterious and even unearthly figure. From today’s perspective, his concertos fit ...
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ArticleShostakovich: Cello Concerto no.2 in G major op.126. Britten: Cello Symphony op.68
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Jamie Walton (cello) Philharmonia Orchestra, Alexander Briger (conductor)Composer: Shostakovich, Britten This second in a projected series of three discs by these artists, each pairing an English and a Russian 20th-century concerto, brings together two masterworks inspired ...
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ArticlePatriots. Grieg: Violin Sonatas in G major op.13 & in F major op.8. Ives: Violin Sonatas no.2 & no.4 ‘Children’s Day at the Camp Meeting’
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Anne Yarrow (violin) Caspar Dechmann (piano) Composer: Grieg, IvesPlaying of real power and passion from Anne Yarrow unfortunately does not disguise the sloppy tuning that mars this disc, in particular the two Grieg sonatas, ranging from notes here and there ...
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ArticleVivaldi: Cello Concertos vol.2: in C major RV399, in C minor RV401, in D major RV403, in B minor RV408, in F major RV411, in G minor RV417 & in A minor RV422
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Christophe Coin (cello) Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini (conductor)Composer: Vivaldi Vivaldi’s rhythmically punchy and harmonically direct style always sits well with period-performance ensembles, of which Il Giardino Armonico is a particularly imaginative example. The group’s timbre is ‘nutty’ and ...
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ArticleBrahms: Piano Quartets in G minor op.25 & in C minor op.60
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Nash Ensemble Composer: BrahmsThis is one of the finest CDs of the past year. I felt respectful towards the Nash’s Mozart piano quartets but in Brahms these players are in their element. Anchored by gigantic virtuosity from Ian ...
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ArticleIn recital. Waxman: Carmen Fantasy. Tchaikovsky: Valse–Scherzo op.34, Méditation from Souvenir d’un lieu cher op.42. Szymanowski: Mythes op.30. Chausson: Poème op.25. Stravinsky: Suite italienne
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Mayuko Kamio (violin) Vadim Gladkov (piano) Composer: Waxman, Tchaikovsky, Szymanowski, Chausson, StravinskyStill only 22, Mayuko Kamio made her concert debut in her native Japen at the age of ten, and as a teenager she won a ...
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ArticleGnattali: Waltz. Santoro: String Quartet no.3. Guarnieri: String Quartet no.3. Villa-Lobos: String Quartet no.6
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Radamés Gnattali Quartet Composer: Gnattali, Santoro, Guarnieri, Villa-LobosThe music of four 20th-century Brazilian composers comes vividly to life in this recording by the Radamés Gnattali Quartet. This is playing of real energy, laced with a poignant touch of nostalgia: ...
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ArticleGrieg: Holberg Suite op.40. Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik K525. Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings op.48
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Moscow Soloists, Yuri Bashmet (conductor) Composer: Grieg, Mozart, TchaikovskyDespite its obvious merits, I cannot issue a compulsory purchase order for this disc. At least one colleague has raved about it but I am left with a rather chilly ...
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ArticleBeethoven: String Quartets in E flat major op.74 & F minor op.95
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Tokyo Quartet Composer: BeethovenThis is the third instalment in the Tokyo Quartet’s complete Beethoven quartet cycle, and heady stuff it is. The op.74 Quartet is often seen as a gentle work, coming amid the might and severity ...
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ArticleSaariaho: Notes on Light*, Orion, Mirage†
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Anssi Karttunen (cello)* Karita Mattila (soprano)† Orchestre de Paris, Christoph Eschenbach (conductor) Composer: SaariahoThe music of the respected Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (b.1952) is precise and passionate, full of evanescent textures that suddenly dissipate or burst into ...
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ArticleDebussy: String Quartet in G minor op.10. Ravel: String Quartet in F major
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Australian QuartetComposer: Debussy, Ravel The pairing of the Debussy and Ravel string quartets is a conventional one; nonetheless, conventions are sometimes well founded and few could doubt the propriety of this famous match.The Australian Quartet was formed in 1985, ...
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ArticlePenderecki: Concerto grosso no.1 for three cellos & orchestra; Largo for cello & orchestra*; Sonata for cello & orchestra†
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Ivan Monighetti (cello)† Arto Noras (cello)* Rafal Kwiatkowski (cello) Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra, Antoni Wit (conductor)Composer: Penderecki Penderecki’s output is something of a stylistic anomaly. The Polish composer is best-known for his seminal 1960 work for strings, Threnody ...
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ArticleBartók: Violin Concerto no.1, Viola Concerto, Concerto for Two Pianos & Percussion
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Gidon Kremer (violin) Yuri Bashmet (viola) Tamara Stefanovich (piano) Pierre-Laurent Aimard (piano) Nigel Thomas (percussion) Neil Percy (percussion) Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Boulez (conductor) Composer: BartókPierre Boulez, completing his Bartók cycle with this CD, could hardly ...
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ArticleBax: Piano Trio in B flat major. Bernstein: Piano Trio op.2. Beethoven: Piano Trio in D major op.70 no.1 ‘Ghost’
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Ensemble AvalonComposer: Bax, Bernstein, Beethoven Rarely has Bax’s deeply personal, post-Romantic idiom been captured with such ravishing sensitivity as by this remarkable Irish ensemble. Composed in the mid-1940s, the three-movement Piano Trio is not a work ...
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ArticleBeethoven: Complete works for piano and violin vol. 1: Violin Sonatas op.12 no.1, op.23 & op.30 no.2
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Franco Mezzena (violin) Stefano Giavazzi (piano)Composer: Beethoven That Franco Mezzena and Stefano Giavazzi give assured and mostly very clean performances of these seminal works is only to be expected, given their credentials. Mezzena, a pupil of Salvatore Accardo, is ...
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ArticleBrahms: Piano Quartets in G minor op.25, in A major op.26 & in C minor op.60
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Renaud Capuçon (violin) Gérard Caussé (viola) Gautier Capuçon (cello) Nicholas Angelich (piano)Composer: BrahmsGiven the line-up of artists, these discs appear to have all the makings of unqualified success. However, although the strongly projected readings display striking virtuosity, the end musical product does ...
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ArticleRimsky-Korsakov: Fantasy on Russian Themes op.33. Taneyev: Suite de concert op.28
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Lydia Mordkovitch (violin) Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Järvi (conductor) Composer: Rimsky-Korsakov, TaneyevIf there is anyone who could rescue these two chips off the Russian nationalist block from total oblivion it is Lydia Mordkovitch, especially working with ...
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ArticleGrieg: Cello Sonata in A minor op.36, Lyric Pieces (selection, arr. Bertrand & Amoyel), Allegretto in E major, Intermezzo in A minor
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Emmanuelle Bertrand (cello) Pascal Amoyel (piano)Composer: Grieg Emmanuelle Bertrand and Pascal Amoyel present an almost ideal performance of Grieg’s Cello Sonata. Supported by a wonderfully vivid recording, they elicit a totally compelling narrative in the first movement. The ensuing Andante ...
