Get our latest articles via RSS:

View our RSS feed using Rocketinfo:

Read our latest Reissue CD Reviews

Reissue CD Reviews articles now available via RSS:

Clara Haskil, piano = Works of MOZART, BEETHOVEN, SCHUMANN - with RIAS Sym. Orch./Ferenc Fricsay - Audite (2 CDs) Published on June 30, 2009 Haskil’s ability to make a singing tone of the keyboard embodied her especial gift, which few have equaled or surpassed.


Michael Rabin Collection, Vol. 2 = Violin Works of BRAHMS, WIENIAWSKI, BRUCH, MENDELSSOHN, KREISLER, SAINT-SAENS, CRESTON, MASSENET, YSAYE, MILHAUD, others - Doremi (3 discs) Published on June 30, 2009 A second volume of rare and historic collaborations and solo work from Michael Rabin, the tragic American talent whom we lost much too early in a meteoric career, warrants our attention.

Three Violinists play BACH = Violin Concertos Nos. 1 in A Minor & 2 in E Major; Double Concerto in D Minor; Concerto for Violin and Oboe - Devy Erlih, violin/Henri Merckel, violin/Reinhold Barchet, violin/ Pro Arte Ch. Orch./Kurt Redel - Opus Kura Published on June 29, 2009 Quietly restored, devotional Bach, recommended to the adventurous who look backward for sweeter sounds.

GOUE: Troisieme Quatour; Sonate pour violon et piano - Quatour Loewenguth/Alfred Loewenguth, violin/Francoise Doreau, piano - Azur Classical Published on June 27, 2009 A post-Romantic voice heavily indebted to the formalism of Franck and D‘Indy, with modal inclinations and strong, melodic aspirations.

Mordecai Shehori, piano, plays SCHUMANN and LISZT--The Poet an the Visionary = SCHUMANN: Arabeske in C Major; Widmung (arr. Liszt); Sonata in G Minor; LISZT: Harmonies du Soir; Saint Francis of Assisi Sermon of the Birds; Ballade No. 2 - Cembal d'amore Published on June 27, 2009 Shehori’s projects the dualisms that pervade these two Romantics’ perspectives of the artist and his response to worlds both natural and interior.

Guido Cantelli : The Complete Concert of His 30th Appearance with the NBC Symphony Orchestra = SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, “Unfinished”; BRITTEN: Sinfonia da Requiem; WAGNER: Rienzi Overture - NBC Symphony Orchestra/Guido Cantelli - Pristine Published on June 25, 2009 Noted for his tenacious energy and direct, chiseled style, Cantelli brings poignant, fervent drama to the scores he presents.

Stokowski = HOVHANESS: Symphony No. 1, “Exile Symphony”; MILHAUD: Symphony No. 1; COPLAND: Symphony No. 2 “Short Symphony”; SEREBRIER: Symphony No. 1 - NBC Symphony Orchestra/ Houston Symphony Orchestra (Serebrier)/Leopold Stokowski - Guild Published on June 24, 2009 Every performance of “first” symphonies here (excepting the Copland) marks a World, United States, or New York premier.

NIKOLAI MIASKOVSKY: Intégrale des symphonies (Complete Symphonies & other works) - Eugeny Svetlanov cond. State Symphonic Orchestra of the Russian Federation or Symphony Orchestra of the USSR - Warner Music/Rhino #35 (16 CD boxed set) Published on June 24, 2009 An amazing collection; is Miaskovsky’s time coming - as did Mahler’s and Bruckner’s?

Josef Suk, violin = DVORAK: Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 53; BEETHOVEN: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 - Josef Suk, violin/BBC Symphony Orchestra/ Sir Malcolm Sargent - BBC Legends Published on June 23, 2009 The audience hysteria at the concert's end testifies that this rendition remains a defining moment in their collective experience.

BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 - Artur Rubinstein, piano/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Thomas Beecham - Pristine Audio Published on June 22, 2009 A happy meeting of two, distinctly individual performers who found a common ground in the G Major Concerto.

Paul Robeson: The Complete EMI Sessions, 1928-1939 - EMI boxed set (7 CDs) Published on June 22, 2009 “You don’t have to do anything but sing”

Emmanuel Feuermann, cello = BLOCH: Schelomo - Philadelphia Orchestra / Leopold Stokowski; R. STRAUSS: Don Quixote - Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy - Pristine Classical Published on June 21, 2009 The two works are coupled together on this new release from Pristine Classical, both superbly transferred by Mark Obert-Thorn.

"From Vaughan Williams’ Attic" = VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Selections include The Wasps Overture, Old King Cole, Serenade to Music, Scott of the Antarctic & others - VW & others conduct - Dutton Published on June 20, 2009 Rare recordings, literally rescued from a damp attic belonging to the composer.

Fritz Busch Conducts = DVORAK: Carnival Overture, Op. 92; BRAHMS: Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53; CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 21; BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 - Guild Published on June 19, 2009 The “essential” Fritz Busch emerges in Beethoven’s resounding Fifth Symphony, a colossus of a rendition on a par with the best of Erich Kleiber.

Sir Adrian Boult Conducts = VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; Symphony No. 6 in E Minor; HADLEY: One Morning in Spring; BAX: Mediterranean; BERG: Lyric Suite - BBC Legends Published on June 19, 2009 Diverse pieces from three distinct programs given by Sir Adrian Boult that alter our perception of Boult as “merely” an exponent of British music.

GUSTAV MAHLER: The Complete Symphonies Nos. 1 - 9 with Adagio of No. 10 & Das Lied von der Erde + “Gustav Mahler Remembered” - Soloists/New York Philharmonic/Israel Philharmonic (Das Lied)/ Leonard Bernstein - Sony Classical (12 CDs) Published on June 19, 2009 The set of Mahler Symphony recordings that moved the composer from cult status to mainstream.

FURTWÄNGLER - The Complete RIAS Recordings – Live recordings from 1947-1954 - Yehudi Menuhin/ Gerhard Taschner/ Berlin Philharmonic/ Wilhelm Furtwängler - Audite (12 CDs + bonus CD) Published on June 18, 2009 Comparison of many of these performances with the same on other issues in my collection confirms that the results of access to the master tapes has paid dividends in these cases.

SERGEY PROKOFIEV - The 5 Piano Concertos: No. 1 in D Flat Major; No. 2, Op. 16 in G minor; No. 3 in C Major; No. 4 in B Flat Major; No. 5 in G Major - Boris Berman, piano/ Horacio Gutiérrez, piano/Royal Concertgebouw /Neeme Jarvi - Chandos (2 CDs) Published on June 17, 2009 A fine mid-price collection of all the Prokofiev piano concertos.

TCHAIKOVSKY: The Sleeping Beauty Ballet, Op. 66; The Nutcracker: Suite No. 1, Op. 71a; Suite No. 2 (arr. Fistoulari) - Paris Conservatory Orchestra/Anatole Fistoulari - Opus Kura Published on June 17, 2009 The Sleeping Beauty’s pageantry and delicate scoring obviously appeal to Fistoulari.

The Russian Piano Tradition: Lev Oborin = BEETHOVEN: Ecossaises; Sonata in A Major; CHOPIN: 3 Etudes, Op. 25; Mazurka in G, Op. 50, No. 1; Sonata No. 3 in B Minor; LISZT: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp Minor; TCHAIKOVSKY: The Months (excerpt) - APR Published on June 14, 2009 Among the most versatile, catholic, and consistent of performing keyboard artists, Lev Oborin (1907-1974) was the complete musician.

BORIS TISCHENKO: Dante Symphony No. 1, “Among the Live”; No. 2, “Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here” - St. Petersburg Philharmonic/ conductors: Yuri Kochnev (No. 1), Nikolai Alexeev (No. 2) – Northern Flowers Published on June 13, 2009 The sound is that of the old Melodiya LPs, excessively treble-heavy and completely lacking any bass presence.

ARTHUR BUTTERWORTH: Symphonies No. 1 & No. 4; Viola Concerto; Composer talking about his life and work – Sarah-Jane Bradley, viola/ Royal Scottish National Orchestra/ Arthur Butterworth, conductor/ Halle Orchestra/ John Barbirolli, conductor – Dutton Published on June 13, 2009 This is a very underrated composer with good things to say, and we should be grateful for another addition to what is a small catalog on record.

SCHUBERT par Furtwaengler: Rosamunde: Entr’acte No. 3 in E-flat Major; Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944 “Great” - Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Ninth Symphony)/ Wilhelm Furtwaengler - Tahra Published on June 12, 2009 From this tormented period in history a musical marriage of heaven and hell.

Enrico Mainardi, cello, Vol. I = Works of BRAHMS, BOCCHERINI, VIVALDI, MARCELLO, HINDEMITH, MELIPIERO, PIZZETTI, R. STRAUSS - Doremi (3 CDs) Published on June 12, 2009 Mainardi’s easy, suave grace made him a romantic artist with a sensitive and polished approach to the works he championed.

PROKOFIEV: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19; Chout Suite, Op. 21a; GLAZUNOV: Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 82 - Joseph Sivo, violin/ Suisse Romande Orchestra/ Horst Stein; London Symphony Orchestra/Claudio Abbado (Chout) - HDTT Published on June 10, 2009 Highly recommended to audiophiles who like their sounds tart and spicy.

Toscanini conducts MOZART = Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major; Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K. 201 - Rudolf Serkin, piano/New York Philharmonic/NBC Symphony Orchestra (K. 201)/Arturo Toscanini - Pristine Audio Published on June 08, 2009 The finished product reveals little of the painful re-birth of this marvelous document.

MAHLER: Symphony No. 2 in C Minor “Resurrection”; CONSTANT: 24 Preludes for Orchestra - Berthe Montmart, soprano/Oralia Dominguez, mezzo-soprano/Choeur de la RTF/Orchestre National de la RTF/Leonard Bernstein - Radio France Published on June 07, 2009 Bernstein’s inflamed reading of the C Minor Symphony comes close to what Willem Mengelberg would have achieved in this inspired music.

ROSSINI: Stabat Mater - Maria Stader, soprano/Marianna Radev, alto/Ernst Haefliger, tenor/Kim Borg, bass/RIAS Chamber Choir and Children’s Choir/Berlin Women’s Choir/RIAS Symphony Orchestra/Ferenc Fricsay - Audite Published on June 07, 2009 This receives a reverent, if mannered, performance from one of the few German-tradition conductors to approach it in the days after World War II.

NIELSEN: Symphony No. 3 “Sinfonia Espansiva,” Op. 27; Symphony No. 6 “Sinfonia Semplice”; Moderen--Incidental Music - Ruth Gueldbaek, sop./Erik Sjoberg, bar./Danish State Radio-Symphony Orchestra/John Frandsen/Thomas Jensen (Sym. No. 6) - Dutton Published on June 06, 2009 Let us bask in the Thomas Jensen inscription of the most enigmatic of the Nielsen symphonies, the 6th.

BOHUSLAV MARTINU: Concerto No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra; Concerto No. 2 for Violin and Orchestra; Rhapsody-Concerto for Viola and Orchestra - Josef Suk, violin/Czech Philharmonic Orchestra/ Vaclav Neumann - Supraphon Published on June 02, 2009 Suk has all the lyrical ammunition he needs to make these showstopper pieces required staples for audiophiles.

RAVEL: String Quartet in F Major; DEBUSSY: String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10 - Budapest String Quartet - Pristine Audio Published on June 02, 2009 This pairing of French masters by the illustrious Budapest String Quartet has existed in every recorded medium.

Alfred Hertz and The San Francisco Sym.: Complete Recordings, Vol. I = BEETHOVEN: Leonore Overture No. 3 in C; SCHUBERT: Rosamunde: Entr’acte; Marche Militaire; WEBER: Der Freischuetz Overture; MENDELSSOHN: A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Sel. - Pristine Audio Published on June 02, 2009 These eight cuts display the high polish Hertz had achieved with his ensemble, given his penchant for some Romantic, rhetorical devices in matters in portamento and rubato.

Wilhelm Furtwaengler: The Early Recordings, Vol. 3 = Works of WEBER, MENDELSSOHN, BERLIOZ Published on May 29, 2009 Performances of mettle and verve, meticulously restored.

TCHAIKOVSKY: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor; GRIEG: Piano Concerto in A Minor - Nelson Freire, piano/ Munich Philharmonic Orchestra/Rudolf Kempe - HDTT Published on May 26, 2009 Among the Best of the Year--hie thee to a copy!

MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major, K. 482; CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 21 - Mindru Katz, piano/BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra/Yuval Zaliouk - Cembal d’amour Published on May 26, 2009 A “rescue mission” on the part of Mordecai Shehori resuscitates two vital Mindru Katz collaborations.

BRAHMS: Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra in A Minor, Op. 102 - John Corigliano, violin/Leonard Rose, cello/New York Philharmonic Orchestra/Bruno Walter - Pristine Audio Published on May 25, 2009 The Walter after-burners are on full this day.

Edition Ferenc Fricsay, Vol. VIII = MOZART: Die Entfuehrung aus dem Serail - Anton Dermota, tenor/Sari Barabas, soprano/Rita Streich. soprano/Helmut Krebs, tenor/Josef Greindl, bass/ Ernst Dernberg, speaker/RIAS Kammerchor/RIAS Sym. - Audite Published on May 22, 2009 This Abduction from the Seraglio enjoys that fluid resonance with which we associate the best of Fricsay’s idiosyncratic, generous Mozart style.

Shura Cherkassky, piano = MENDELSSOHN: Andante and Rondo capriccioso in E Major, Op. 14; SCHUBERT: Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 959; SCHUMANN: Carnaval, Op. 9; Der Kontrabandiste, Op. 74, No. 10; TCHAIKOVSKY: Cradle Song in A-flat Minor - BBC Legends Published on May 21, 2009 Ever the Cheshire Cat in music, Cherkassky seems more concerned with touch, left-hand articulation, and dynamic coloration than with logistics and architecture.

"English Rhapsody" = Works of BUTTERWORTH, DELIUS, GRAINGER & TRAD. - Soloists/Halle Orch. & Choir/Sir Mark Elder - Halle Published on May 18, 2009 Butterworth remains a lad who “died in [his] glory and will never be old.”

Mordecai Shehori: The Celebrated New York Concerts, Vol. 4 =Works of HAYDN, SCHUBERT, RACHMANINOV, MOZAFRT LISZT - Cembal d'amour Published on May 18, 2009 This fourth volume by Mordecai Shehori (b. 1946) extends his recorded discography by some important works.

CORELLI: Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op. 6, No. 8 “Christmas”; PACHELBEL: Kanon in D; RICCIOTTI: Concertino No. 2; GLUCK: Chaconne - Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra/Karl Munchinger - HDTT Published on May 18, 2009 Formidable listening, as Munchinger was one of the vanguard conductors of the neo-Baroque movement.

Shura Cherkassky: The Complete HMV Stereo Recordings - Works of BACH, BEETHOVEN, SCHUBERT, CHOPIN, LISZT, GERSHWIN, POULENC, Others - First Hand Records (2 discs) Published on May 12, 2009 A solid set dedicated to a wonderfully impish and singular keyboard artist.

André Previn – An 80th Birthday Celebration – André Previn, conductor and piano Published on May 12, 2009 You can chase André Previn all your life, and never catch up, but BMG has done its fair share with a special tribute to mark the Maestro’s 80th birthday.

The Griller String Quartet and Rubbra Trio Play RUBBRA, HAYDN & MOZART - Dutton Published on May 11, 2009 Edmund Rubbra composed several serious chamber music pieces in the early 1950s, recorded soon after their premiers.

Silvestri Conducts = REZNICEK: Donna Diana Overture; TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 3 in D Major, Op. 29 “Polish”; ELGAR: Enigma Variations, Op. 36 - Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/ Constantin Silvestri - BBC Legend Published on May 10, 2009 This disc exemplifies the vivacious, virtuoso work of Rumanian conductor Constantin Silvestri at the height of his considerable powers.

The Great Pianists, Vol. 9 - Masters of the Piano Roll Series: Wilhelm Backhaus - Dal Segno Published on May 07, 2009 A group of thirteen cuts (rec. 1923-1930) from piano roll sources that exemplify the Backhaus flair in salon and bravura repertory.

ELGAR: Symphony No. 1 in A-flat Major, Op. 55; Falstaff--Symphonic Study in C Minor, Op. 68 - London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Edward Elgar - Naxos Historical Published on May 04, 2009 Elgar had led the London Symphony from 1911-1913, and chose that ensemble for its response to his insight and instinctual enthusiasm.

LENNOX BERKELEY: Piano Sonata in A; 6 Preludes, op. 23; Scherzo in D, op. 32 No. 2; Concert Study No. 2; 4 Concert Studies; ARTHUR BENJAMIN: Pastorale, Arioso, and Finale; Etudes Improvisees; Siciliana – Colin Horsley, Lamar Crowson, piano - Lyrita Published on May 04, 2009 Another excellent British historical release form the Lyrita catalog.

Stokowski Conducts = DVORAK: Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 “From the New World”; SCHUBERT: Rosamunde Overture and Incidental Music, Op. 26; Tyrolean Dances, Op. 33 (arr. Stokowski) - Symphony Orchestra/Leopold Stokowski - Cala Published on May 01, 2009 Digital remastering from Paschal Byrne and Phil Rowlands has me convinced this is a surround-sound CD, so present are the various, instrumental voices in the opening Schubert works.