Following the highly acclaimed first release in their ongoing survey of English composer York Bowen's (1884-1961) concertos (see the newsletter of 30 September 2006), Dutton now gives us another. This one features his second and third piano concertos (he wrote four), each lasting about twenty minutes and in one movement with contiguous fast, slow and fast subsections. Bowen was a remarkable piano virtuoso from a very early age, and these works were showcases for his considerable... Continue

The poise and sensitivity Richard Hickox brings to Sir Edward Elgar's (1857-1934) two completed symphonies make his performances of them required listening. Also, these Chandos releases must qualify as two of the finest sounding orchestral recordings to have yet appeared in the hybrid, CD(2)/SACD(2/5.0), format. Written shortly after the composer turned fifty, the first symphony (1907-08) was dedicated to the great German conductor Hans Richter. It is in four movements, lasting just over three... Continue

This release, containing all of the Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869) orchestral works discovered to date, will be a CLOFO "Best Find" of the year. Anyone who can’t find something to like about it must be on their way to curmudgeondom! There are five -- count them -- five world premiere recordings here. These include Young Henry's Hunt, which was just unearthed in 2003, and the original versions of Grand Tarentelle, Cuban Country Scenes, A Montevideo Symphony and... Continue

This release may not be as esoteric as those usually covered in these pages, but it's been so highly praised, and rightfully so, that it would be negligent not tell you about it. Written when George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) was around thirty, the six concerti grossi (Op. 3, circa 1715-22) are full of variety and some of his most vibrant orchestral works. While the first concerto highlights the wind instruments, the second gives the strings a chance to show off. The third is a flute concerto, except in... Continue

This is the first volume of Hyperion's planned four-disc survey of Bohuslav Martinu's (1890-1959) complete orchestral works featuring at least one solo violin. Most of the pieces that will appear in this series deserve much wider recognition, and we have conductor Christopher Hogwood to thank for this revival. It seems likely he's about to do for Martinu what another one of England’s great conductors, Charles Mackerras, did for Leos Janacek's music. The opening selection on this outstanding... Continue

This outstanding release from "down under" features works by Richard Mills (b. 1949), who’s one of Australia's finest contemporary composers. While all of the selections included here are certainly approachable, this is "No pain, no gain!" music, because it'll require your undivided attention and repeated listening to be fully appreciated. Be assured though, that those making the effort will be amply rewarded. The three concertos on this disc are in single extended movements ingeniously... Continue

The later symphonies of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) are among the most often performed and recorded works ever written. Consequently there are widely varying interpretations of this music ranging the considered conservatism of Otto Klemperer to the high-spirited enthusiasm of Neville Mariner (see the newsletter of 2 March 2006). Josef Krips' renditions fall somewhere in between, and for many of us he strikes just the right balance. Consequently this new release of him conducting Wolfie's last twenty symphonies (there is no thirty-seventh, which is by Michael Haydn with only a fleeting introduction by... Continue

This disc of some little known music by Gabriel Pierne (1863-1937) is one of the greatest French romantic releases to hit the streets in a long time! "L'An Mil," or "The Year 1000," is an extended, three-part combination tone poem and cantata for chorus and orchestra. Composed in 1897, it's a musical representation of the apocalypse that was to occur at the end of the first millennium as predicted in The Book of Revelation. It's first-rate Pierne that owes a great debt to Cesar Franck, who was one... Continue

The violin concerto by German composer Carl Reinecke (1824-1910) receives its world premiere recording here. This is quite surprising because it's certainly right up there with his delightful flute and harp concertos (see the newsletter of 31 August 2006), and one can only wonder why it's languished in obscurity for so long. Written in 1876 and dedicated to the great German violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim, it's in the usual three movements all of which contain some absolutely... Continue

Russian composer Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998) is best known for his concert works, but like Miklos Rozsa (see above) he also wrote movie music. The suites recorded here, which were arranged by conductor Frank Strobel from two of his film scores, are totally captivating. You'll find they stand completely on their own without the need for any celluloid imagery. Both find Schnittke at his most innovative, yet in a listener friendly frame of mind. His polystylistic approach to composing... Continue

British composer Cyril Scott's (1879-1970) music may in many ways remind you of late-romantic German composer Franz Schreker’s. That's because it's equally opulent, richly scored and frequently sounds impressionistic. The Festival Overture (1902-29) is a very good example of this. It originated as an overture to Maurice Maeterlinck's play Princess Maleine, but was revised in 1912 when a chorus was added. Soon thereafter it was performed in Vienna where, interestingly enough, Schreker... Continue

The Naxos DVD of Pare Lorentz's classic documentary films The Plow that Broke the Plains and The River (see the newsletter of 16 January 2007) was so well received that they now gives us a CD devoted just to Virgil Thomson's (1896-1989) scores for them. Anyone interested in American music must have this, and that includes those who got the DVD, because there are cues here that never made it into the films. This is the most extensive version of these scores ever recorded, and even... Continue

Now here's some real action music from one of America's greatest living women composers. There's never an insipid second with Joan Tower (b. 1938) as evidenced by the three hyperactive orchestral delights served up on this release. Not only that, but audiophiles will revel in the spectacular sound captured on this disc. Made in America (c. 2005) is in essence a theme and variations based on America the Beautiful However, it's quite different from any other T&V you’ve probably ever... Continue

Late romantic Belgian composer Jef Van Hoof 's (1886-1959) symphonic music is reminiscent of Alexander Glazunov and Richard Strauss, who as it turns out were his two favorite composers. And like them, he was a melodist of the first order. The third symphony (1944-45) is in four movements and begins with a lovely rocking melody that Glazunov would have been proud to have written. It's subjected to some harmonic transformations and developmental machinations in the style... Continue

Finally here's a modern day recording of some music by a composer who's remained in obscurity far too long! Pancho Vladigerov (1899-1978), who grew up in Bulgaria, studied in Berlin as well as Sofia. Consequently the very colorful, late romantic orchestral pieces presented here show a variety of influences. The program opens with probably his most popular work Vardar (1928), which is a Bulgarian rhapsody named after a river in Macedonia. It opens majestically with a theme somewhat... Continue

This new hybrid release may well turn out to be the audiophile blowout disc of the year. These romantic French works for organ and orchestra recorded in Liverpool Cathedral with an assist from the BBC Philharmonic will certainly test the limits of any sound system. The highs are silky smooth while the lows are of seismic profundity. Those with stereo systems will find the soundstage incredibly wide, but detailed. Multichannel audiences will think they're sitting in the... Continue

Those early music fans who never got these dances when they first appeared on CD several years ago, now have another chance. The program begins with a suite of some of the most popular Renaissance delights ever written. They're drawn from a collection known as Terpsichore (the Greek Muse of dancing and choral song), which consists of over three hundred dance tunes of French origin harmonized and arranged in 1612 by German composer Michael Praetorius... Continue