Gramophone Choices,
Gramophone Editor's Choices - June 2024
Editor's Choices include piano concertos by Adolf von Henselt and Hans Bronsart von Schellendorf from Paul Wee, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Michael Collins on BIS, Rachel Podger and Brecon Baroque's The Muses Restor'd on Channel Classics, Yuja Wang's Vienna Recital on Deutsche Grammophon, and (on DVD/Blu-ray) Tchaikovsky's 1887 opera The Enchantress, with Asmik Grigorian in the title-role.
Recording of the Month
'So far as these sonatas are concerned, Weithaas and Várjon allow you to learn, listen and love as never before.'
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Editor's Choices
'Thrilling stuff, which will leave you breathless with admiration.'
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
'This exploration of post-1660 English music and its influences from Rachel Podger plays out as a veritable cornucopia of musical shapes and languages.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
'Helmchen is drawn to the hybrid capabilities of his instrument, which stimulate fresh insights into how Bach’s Partitas can be played and experienced.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'As Yuja Wang fuses the disparate music into a single, coherent arc, she annihilates any fears of randomness. How does she do it?'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'To say that Ockeghem composed some of the loveliest songs of the 15th century seems almost a cliché. But Scott Metcalfe and his musicians confirm that in spades.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
'Missa Domine a lingua dolosa is based on Padovano’s motet written in the unusual yet expressive Aeolian mode. It’s a low, mellow setting, which clearly inspires the singers of Cinquecento.'
Available Format: CD
'Charted intelligently to exploit contrasts while also drawing connections...the Ricercar Consort’s conceptual miscellany is pretty much perfect.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Wonder Women
Céline Scheen (soprano), Benedetta Mazzucato, Luciana Mancini (mezzos), Vincenzo Capezzuto (alto), L'Arpeggiata, Christina Pluhar
'If you know the larger-than-life Pluhar, this all makes utter sense. Such timbral and textural detail is always a strength of L’Arpeggiata'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
John Adams: Girls of the Golden West
Julia Bullock (Dame Shirley) Ryan McKinny (Clarence) Davone Tines (Ned Peters) Hye Jung Lee (Ah Sing) Daniela Mack (Josef Segovia), Paul Appleby (Joe Cannon) Elliot Madore (Ramón); Los Angeles Philharmonic, John Adams
'The Los Angeles Philharmonic show their deep familiarity with the composer’s language, as do the Los Angeles Master Chorale, expertly marshalled by Grant Gershon.'
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Tchaikovsky: The Enchantress (Blu-ray)
Asmik Grigorian (Nastasya (Kuma)), Iain MacNeil (Prince Nikita), Claudia Mahnke (Princess Yevpraksiya), Alexander Mikhailov (Prince Yuri), Frederic Jost (Mamïrov/Kudma), Zanda Švēde (Nenila); Frankfurter Opern- und Museumorchester, Chor der Oper Frankfurt, F Valentin Uryupin, Vasily Barkhatov
'Come for Grigorian, stay for the staging...Strongly recommended to those who enjoy exploring rare Russian repertoire.'
Available Format: Blu-ray
Bruckner From the Archives, Vol. 1
Bruckner Orchestra, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Akademie Kammerchor, WDR Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Koeckert Quartet, Kurt Wöss, Hans Weisbach, Henry Swoboda, Dean Dixon, Eugen Jochum
'This is the first of six two-disc volumes and if the following five hold to the high standards achieved here...there’ll be considerable cause for excitement among all dedicated Brucknerians.'
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
