Mar. 31, 2020
While you are stuck at home, whether you are working or just trying to stay calm in these unusual circumstances, here's a little assignment for you: compare and contrast some of the new recordings we reviewed last month. There are some interesting candidates, such as the two albums by violinist Isabelle Faust -- one of Mozart sonatas, one of Schoenberg's Violin Concerto; two releases of the Chopin concertos, one by Yundi Li, the other by Benjamin Grosevenor; and two new recordings of the Grieg violin sonatas -- by Elena Urioste and by Eldbjørg Hemsing -- released on the same day. Of course, there is much more to sample. Stay well!
Thomas Adès, Boston Symphony Orchestra - Adès conducts Adès
Alexander Armstrong, Tom Hammond, Orchestra of the Swan - Not Now, Bernard and Other Stories
Dimitri Ashkenazy - Brahms & Khoury: Clarinet Quintets
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet - Mozart: Piano Concertos, Vol. 5
Joby Burgess - Eric Whitacre: Marimba Quartets
Riccardo Chailly, Filarmonica della Scala - Cherubini Discoveries
Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe - Johann Sebastian Bach: Johannes-Passion, BWV 245
Federico Colli - Domenico Scarlatti: Sonatas, Vol. 2
Diana Damrau, Mariss Jansons, Helmut Deutsch - Richard Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder; Lieder
Dennis Russel Davies, Vojtech Dyk, Wiener Singakademie - Leonard Bernstein: Mass
De Profundis, Eamonn Dougan - Juan Esquivel: Missa Hortus Conclusus; Magnificat; Marian Antiphons; Motets
Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov - Mozart: Sonatas for Fortepiano & Violin, Vol. 2
Isabelle Faust, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Harding - Schoenberg: Violin Concerto; Verklärte Nacht
Thierry Fischer, Utah Symphony - Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique; Rêverie et caprice; La mort d'Ophélie; Sara la baigneuse
Bernhard Forck, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin - Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 'Pastoral'
Sarah Fox, Kathryn Rudge, William Vann - Parry: Judith
Stephen Fry, Debbie Wiseman - Mythos Suite
Johnny Gandelsman - J.S. Bach: Complete Cello Suites Transcribed for Violin
John Eliot Gardiner, London Symphony Orchestra - Schumann: Symphonies Nos 1 & 3
Edward Gardner, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra - Schubert, Vol. 2: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 6; Overtures in the Italian Style
Gesualdo Six, Owain Park - Fading
Benjamin Grosvenor, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Elim Chan - Chopin: Piano Concertos
Franz Hauk, Simon Mayr Chorus, Concerto de Bassus - Johann Simon Mayr: Mass in E flat major
Eldbjørg Hemsing, Simon Trpceski - Grieg: The Violin Sonatas
Daniel Hope - Belle Époque
William Howard - Howard Skempton: Preludes and Fugues; Nocturnes; Reflections; Images
Hungarian Radio Choir, Andor Izsák - Louis Lewandowski: Eighteen Liturgical Psalms
Neeme Järvi, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra - Artur Kapp, Mihkel Lüdig, Artur Lemba: Orchestral Works
Julia Kleiter, Julius Drake - Liszt: The Complete Songs, Vol. 6
Will Liverman, Jonathan King - Whither Must I Wander
Julien Martineau, Vanessa Benelli Mosell - Beethoven: Suites
Jean Muller, Solistes Européens Luxembourg, Christoph König - Farrenc: Symphony No. 1; Overtures; Grand Variations on a Theme by Count Gallenberg
Gianandrea Noseda, National Symphony Orchestra - Dvorák: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"; Copland: Billy the Kid
Krzysztof Penderecki, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Radovan Vlatkovic, Njadbulo Madlala - Penderecki: Horn and Violin Concertos
Vasily Petrenko, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra - Richard Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64; Tod und Verklärung, Op. 24
Daniel-Ben Pienaar - The Long 17th Century: A Cornucopia of Early Keyboard Music
Maurizio Pollini - Beethoven: The Last Three Sonatas, Opp. 109-111
Jonathan Powell - Sorabji: Sequentia Cyclica - Super Dies Irae ex Missa Pro Defunctis
Christoph Prégardien, Winfried Toll, Camerata Vocale Freiburg, Kammerorchester Basel - Der Einsiedler
Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra - Sibelius: Symphony No. 2; King Christian II
Sandbox Percussion - And That One Too
Lauren Scott - Beyond the Horizon
Leif Segerstam, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra - Beethoven: Die Ruinen von Athen
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers - The Call of Rome
Christoph Spering, Chorus Musicus Köln, Das Neue Orchester - Bach: Praise Cantatas BWV 26, 41, 95, 115, 137, 140
Choir of St John's College, Cambridge, Andrew Nethsingha - Ash Wednesday
Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan - Bach: St. Matthew Passion
Masaaki Suzuki - Bach: Toccatas
Stefanos Tsialis, Athens State Orchestra - Skalkottas: The Neoclassical Skalkottas
Elena Urioste, Tom Poster - To the Spring: Grieg - The Violin Sonatas
Utopia Chamber Choir, Andrew Lawrence-King - Piae Cantiones
Rolando Villazón - Mozartissimo
Villiers Quartet - William Alwyn: String Quartets Nos. 6, 7, 8 & 9
Jory Vinikour - Bach: Harpsichord Works
WDR Chamber Players - Brahms: String Sextets
Shai Wosner - Schubert: Piano Sonatas D845, D894, D958 & D960
Yundi - Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
Thomas Adès, Boston Symphony Orchestra - Adès conducts Adès
Alexander Armstrong, Tom Hammond, Orchestra of the Swan - Not Now, Bernard and Other Stories
Dimitri Ashkenazy - Brahms & Khoury: Clarinet Quintets
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet - Mozart: Piano Concertos, Vol. 5
Joby Burgess - Eric Whitacre: Marimba Quartets
Riccardo Chailly, Filarmonica della Scala - Cherubini Discoveries
Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe - Johann Sebastian Bach: Johannes-Passion, BWV 245
Federico Colli - Domenico Scarlatti: Sonatas, Vol. 2
Diana Damrau, Mariss Jansons, Helmut Deutsch - Richard Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder; Lieder
Dennis Russel Davies, Vojtech Dyk, Wiener Singakademie - Leonard Bernstein: Mass
De Profundis, Eamonn Dougan - Juan Esquivel: Missa Hortus Conclusus; Magnificat; Marian Antiphons; Motets
Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov - Mozart: Sonatas for Fortepiano & Violin, Vol. 2
Isabelle Faust, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Harding - Schoenberg: Violin Concerto; Verklärte Nacht
Thierry Fischer, Utah Symphony - Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique; Rêverie et caprice; La mort d'Ophélie; Sara la baigneuse
Bernhard Forck, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin - Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 'Pastoral'
Sarah Fox, Kathryn Rudge, William Vann - Parry: Judith
Stephen Fry, Debbie Wiseman - Mythos Suite
Johnny Gandelsman - J.S. Bach: Complete Cello Suites Transcribed for Violin
John Eliot Gardiner, London Symphony Orchestra - Schumann: Symphonies Nos 1 & 3
Edward Gardner, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra - Schubert, Vol. 2: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 6; Overtures in the Italian Style
Gesualdo Six, Owain Park - Fading
Benjamin Grosvenor, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Elim Chan - Chopin: Piano Concertos
Franz Hauk, Simon Mayr Chorus, Concerto de Bassus - Johann Simon Mayr: Mass in E flat major
Eldbjørg Hemsing, Simon Trpceski - Grieg: The Violin Sonatas
Daniel Hope - Belle Époque
William Howard - Howard Skempton: Preludes and Fugues; Nocturnes; Reflections; Images
Hungarian Radio Choir, Andor Izsák - Louis Lewandowski: Eighteen Liturgical Psalms
Neeme Järvi, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra - Artur Kapp, Mihkel Lüdig, Artur Lemba: Orchestral Works
Julia Kleiter, Julius Drake - Liszt: The Complete Songs, Vol. 6
Will Liverman, Jonathan King - Whither Must I Wander
Julien Martineau, Vanessa Benelli Mosell - Beethoven: Suites
Jean Muller, Solistes Européens Luxembourg, Christoph König - Farrenc: Symphony No. 1; Overtures; Grand Variations on a Theme by Count Gallenberg
Gianandrea Noseda, National Symphony Orchestra - Dvorák: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"; Copland: Billy the Kid
Krzysztof Penderecki, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Radovan Vlatkovic, Njadbulo Madlala - Penderecki: Horn and Violin Concertos
Vasily Petrenko, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra - Richard Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64; Tod und Verklärung, Op. 24
Daniel-Ben Pienaar - The Long 17th Century: A Cornucopia of Early Keyboard Music
Maurizio Pollini - Beethoven: The Last Three Sonatas, Opp. 109-111
Jonathan Powell - Sorabji: Sequentia Cyclica - Super Dies Irae ex Missa Pro Defunctis
Christoph Prégardien, Winfried Toll, Camerata Vocale Freiburg, Kammerorchester Basel - Der Einsiedler
Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra - Sibelius: Symphony No. 2; King Christian II
Sandbox Percussion - And That One Too
Lauren Scott - Beyond the Horizon
Leif Segerstam, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra - Beethoven: Die Ruinen von Athen
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers - The Call of Rome
Christoph Spering, Chorus Musicus Köln, Das Neue Orchester - Bach: Praise Cantatas BWV 26, 41, 95, 115, 137, 140
Choir of St John's College, Cambridge, Andrew Nethsingha - Ash Wednesday
Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan - Bach: St. Matthew Passion
Masaaki Suzuki - Bach: Toccatas
Stefanos Tsialis, Athens State Orchestra - Skalkottas: The Neoclassical Skalkottas
Elena Urioste, Tom Poster - To the Spring: Grieg - The Violin Sonatas
Utopia Chamber Choir, Andrew Lawrence-King - Piae Cantiones
Rolando Villazón - Mozartissimo
Villiers Quartet - William Alwyn: String Quartets Nos. 6, 7, 8 & 9
Jory Vinikour - Bach: Harpsichord Works
WDR Chamber Players - Brahms: String Sextets
Shai Wosner - Schubert: Piano Sonatas D845, D894, D958 & D960
Yundi - Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2