Apr. 3, 2024
This month we reviewed three recordings celebrating the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, including a banjo version by Béla Fleck and an inventive medley by Michael Feinstein and Jean-Yves Thibaudet (pictured) that mixes Gershwin's songs with the Rhapsody. Speaking of anniversaries, the Vienna Boys' Choir presented a concert in 2023 -- just now released -- celebrating 525 years of its history. Also notable are a box set of E. Power Biggs reissues, playing historic organ of Europe in the 1960s-'70s, at the height of his renown; Jonathan Cohen leading a winning performance of Handel's favorite oratorio Theodora; and the young choristers of Trinity College Cambridge singing Duruflé and Poulenc.
Louise Alder, Tim Mead, Arcangelo, Jonathan Cohen - Handel: Theodora, HWV 60
Mario Ancillotti, Eliana Grasso - Mel Bonis: Complete Music for Flute & Piano
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Manchester Camerata, Gabor Takács-Nagy - Mozart: Overture to Die Entführung aus dem Serail; Piano Concerto No. 11; Piano Concerto No. 12; Piano Concerto No. 1
Benda Quartet, Trio Casals - Jan Järvlepp: Sonix and other Tonix
Anna Besson, Myriam Rignol, Jean Rondeau - Corelli, Quentin: Flute Sonatas
Simon-Pierre Bestion, La Tempête - Stabat Mater: Scarlatti, Dvorák
E. Power Biggs - Edward Power Biggs plays Historic Organs of Europe
Lucile Boulanger, Simon Pierre, Olivier Fortin - The Golden Hour
Semyon Bychkov, Czech Philharmonic - Smetana: Má Vlast
Can Çakmur - Schubert + Brahms
Renaud Capuçon, Les Siècles - Les Choses de la Vie: Cinema II
Sharon Carty, Benjamin Russell, Finghin Collins - Charles Villiers Stanford: Cushendall - Irish Song Cycles
Alan Choo, Apollo's Fire, Jeannette Sorrell - Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber: Mystery Sonatas
Kevin Cole, National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic, David Alan Miller - Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue; Second Rhapsody; Cuban Overture; Tower: 1920/2019; Stucky: Dreamwaltzes
Francesca Dego, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Dalia Stasevska - Brahms & Busoni: Violin Concertos
Ekmeles - We Live the Opposite Daring
I Fagiolini - Victoria: Tenebrae Responsories
Fine Arts Quartet - Dvorák: String Quartet No. 2; Bagatelles; Rondo in G minor
Alessandro Fisher, Anna Tilbrook - Gardener's World: Flowers in Song
Béla Fleck - Rhapsody in Blue
Edward Gardner, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra - Grieg: Symphonic Dances; Before a Southern Convent; etc.
Marie-Laure Garnier, Léa Hennino, Héloïse Luzzati, Alexandre Pascal - Jeanne Leleu: Une Consecration éclatante Volume 1 : Musique de chambre et mélodies
Daniel Gortler - Grieg: Lyric Pieces
Philippe Graffin, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Marisa Gupta - Rêves: Eugène Ysaÿe - Violin Concerto in E minor, Poeme Concertant
Asmik Grigorian - Laws of Solitude: Richard Strauss
Kenneth Hamilton - Scenes from Childhood: Piano Works by Pedro Faria Gomes
Pablo Heras-Casado, Airam Hernández, Benjamin Alard, Mahler Chamber Orchestra - Stravinsky: Pulcinella Suite; Falla: El retablo de maese Pedro; Harpsichord Concerto
Daniel Hope, Zürcher Kammerorchester - Dance!
Pietari Inkinen, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie - Antonín Dvorák: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8
Solomiya Ivakhiv, Steven Beck - Ukrainian Masters: Kosenko, Skoryk, Bortkiewicz - Violin Sonatas
Jonian Ilias Kadesha, CHAARTS Chamber Artists - Suite italienne: Vivaldi, Sollima, Stravinsky
Suyeon Kang, Karolina Errera, Andrei Ionita, Catalin Serban - Mélodies Infinies: Fauré, Enescu - Piano Quartets
Jonas Kaufmann, Ludovic Tezier, Elina Garanča, Philippe Jordan - Wagner: Parsifal
Gidon Kremer, Kremerata Baltica, Vida Mikneviciute - Songs of Fate
Magdalena Kožená, Erin Morley, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski - Handel: Alcina
Katia and Marielle Labèque - Philip Glass: Cocteau Trilogy
Lang Lang - Saint-Saëns
Théotime Langlois de Swarte, Le Consort - Antonio Vivaldi: Concerti per una vita
Anja Linder, Julie Sévilla-Fraysse, Laurent Korcia - Schubert
London Choral Sinfonia, Michael Waldron, Jack Liebeck - Vaughan Williams: Retrospect
Nikolai Lugansky - Richard Wagner
Magnificat, Philip Cave - Orlandus Lassus: The Alchemist, Vol. 1
Amanda Majeski, Simon O'Neill, London Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle - Janácek: Katya Kabanova
Susanna Mälkki, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra - Sibelius: Karelia Suite; Rakastava; Lemminkäinen
La Morra, Theatro dei Cervelli, Francesco Corti - Music in Golden-Age Florence 1250-1750
Nash Ensemble - Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence; Korngold: String Sextet
Gianandrea Noseda, National Symphony Orchestra - Carlos Simon: Tales – A Folklore Symphony
Oculus Ensemble - Julie Cooper: Oculus
Hera Hyesang Park, Orchestra del Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, Jochen Rieder - Breathe
Christian Poltéra, Ronald Brautigam - Brahms: Cello Sonatas; Schumann: Fünf Stücke im Volkston
Tiffany Poon - Diaries: Schumann
Michel Portal, Michel Dalberto - Berg, Brahms, Poulenc, Schumann
Markus Poschner, Bruckner Orchestra Linz - Bruckner: Symphony #1 (1868 Version)
Gabriel Prokofiev, UNLTD Collective - Pastoral 21: Gabriel Prokofiev, Ludwig van Beethoven
Simon Rattle, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks - Mahler: Symphonie Nr. 6
Catherine Redding, Northwest Sinfonia and Choir, Clyde Mitchell - Christopher Tyler Nickel: Requiem
Resurgam, English Cornett & Sackbutt Ensemble, Mark Duley - Thomas Weelkes: Gentleman Extraordinary
Carlo Rizzi, Britten Sinfonia - Donizetti: L'esule di Roma
Carlo Rizzi, Welsh National Opera Orchestra - Puccini: Symphonic Suites Imagined by Carlo Rizzi
Andreas Scholl, Accademia Bizantina, Alessandro Tampieri - Invocazioni Mariane
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers - Masters of Imitation
Baiba Skride, Ivan Vukcevic, Marin Alsop - Benjamin Britten: Violin Concerto; Double Concerto for Violin and Viola
Michael Spyres, Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset - In the Shadows
Andreas Staier - Méditation
Curtis Stewart, Experiential Orchestra, James Blachly - American Counterpoints: Julia Perry & Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson
Marek Štilec, Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra - Eduard Strauss I: A Centenary Celebration, Vol. 3
Masaaki Suzuki - Masaaki Suzuki plays Bach Organ Works, Vol. 5: Orgelbüchlein (II)
David Temple, Crouch End Festival Chorus, London Mozart Players - Felix Mendelssohn: Die erste Walpurgisnacht; Vom Himmel hoch; Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: Hiob; Gartenlkieder
David Temple, Hertfordshire Chorus, London Orchestra da Camera - Karl Jenkins: The Armed Man
Bryn Terfel - Sea Songs
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Michael Feinstein - Gershwin Rhapsody
The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, Stephen Layton - Duruflé: Requiem; Poulenc: Lenten Motets
Trio Con Brio Copenhagen - The Passenger: Weinberg, Schubert
Trio Ernest - Haydn All-Stars
Various Artists - Osnat Netzer: Dot : Line : Sigh
Vienna Boys' Choir - 525th Anniversary Concert
Gregory K. Williams - Shadows: The Unaccompanied Viola Sonatas of Günter Raphael
John Wilson, Sinfonia of London - Maurice Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin; Lennox Berkeley: Divertimento; Adam Pounds: Symphony No. 3
See Siang Wong - Beethoven Trilogy 3: UnHEARD
Dmitry Yablonsky, Laia Martín - Catalan Cello Works