MUSIC WEEK OCTOBER 26 1985 Edited by NICOLAS SOAMES CD
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MUSIC WEEK OCTOBER 26 1985 Edited by NICOLAS SOAMES CD REVIEWS Opera CDs in the latest Gramophone CD catalogue, it is very much available, and has been Sibelius ideals so for some time. With Mackerras pro- 5 • Violin Concerto. Sibelius/Sime, Sind- ving himself yet again to be one of the ing. Perlman, Pittsburgh SO. Previn. great Janacek interpreters, this is a EMI CDC 7471672. thrilling and idiomatic performance, autumn drive It is curious that out of the four ex- though with just 40 minutes of music, isting CD versions of this popular con- offers rather short measure. Once certo, two should come from EMI again, this is the kind of work which, THE EXPANSION of the CD opera catalogue is one of the most the Kremer/Muti performance, and with its strident, not to say harsh col- important aspects of the autumn release schedules from the majors. this one. The coupling of Kremer's ours, really benefits from the CD More than a dozen operas will come into stock during October and recording is Schumann's Violin Con- medium. November for the expected heavy Christmas demand. V certo, and, on the face of it, is a better There is a concentration on Verdi at Deutsche Grammophon for the choice than Sinding's small Suite FremA p@iisii autumn, notably the first CD of Don Carlos, with Ricciarelli, Domingo, ALFRED BRENDEL which is more in the nature of an Terrani, and Raimondi conducted by Abbado (CD 415 3162 4CDs); and, encore piece. But Perlman's immense Symphony on B Flat/Soir de Fete/ from back catalogue, Kleiber's recording from 1977 of La Traviata with following in the UK will mean greater Two Scenes, The Tempest, Chausson Mozart boxed sales and there is little question that L'Orchestra Symphonique de la RTBF, Cotrubas and Domingo (CD 415 1322), both coming in November. This his romantic temperament and warm Jose Serebrier. Chandos CHAN 8369. month also sees Domingo featuring on an EMI recording, in Verdi's tone makes him an ideal interpreter This CD investigates one of the smal- Ernani, conducted by Muli (CDS 7470838 3CDs). The final Verdi produc- for Sibelius' Concerto, while Sinding's ler avenues of the late 19th century tion is Rigoletto with Renalo Bruson and Edith Gruberova (415 5922 for Cliristiiigis Suite is a perfect vehicle for his show- French orchestral repertoire, for, un- 2CDs). manship. like his near-contemporary, Debussy, Two lesser-known operas appear on CD through DG in November. TWO RECENTLY completed re- Chausson did not live long enough to The 1977 live recording made by Boehm in Vienna of Strauss' psycholo- cordings of Mozart's Piano Con- mature into the 20th century. certos — one played by Alfred Slort bit His Symphony is a comparatively gical opera Die Frau Ohne Schatten with Nisson, Rysanek (415 4722 Brendel on Philips and the much- early work and in the opening bars 3CDs) will be of interest. And Rossini's II Viaggio a Reims receives its acclaimed series by Murray Pera- spedMSiiir shows the shadows of Wagner, premiere recording with Ricciarelli, Valentini and Araiza conducted by hia on CBS — are issued in box though even in the same movement Abbado (415 4982). set format in time for the Christ- Symphony No 4, Charles Ives. LPO, reveals distinctive French orchestral November is a very important month operatically for EMI, both on CD mas market. Serebrier. Chandos CHAN 8397. colours to be exploited so superbly by and the conventional formats. The Callas/Serafm recording of Bellini's This must be the shortest CD in exist- Debussy later on. Norma should result in some of the best CD opera sales (CDS 7473048), The Brendel set, made with ence. With a medium that can take in The coupling with the later work, and it is worth noting that Puccini's Tosca (Callas/De Sabata EX Neville Marriner and the excess of 70 minutes comfortably, to Soir de Fete, and the lighter music for Academy-of-Sl-Martin-in-the- ask a consumer to pay over £10 for 32 the Tempest scenes give a good cross- 2900395/5) and Puccini's Manon Lescaut (Callas/Serafin EX 2900413/5) Fields — has been a lengthy pro- minutes of music is surely asking too section of Chausson's orchestral work and Bellini's La Sonnambula (Callas/Votto EX 2905413/5) all herald ject covering well over a decade. much. — the first to be available on CD. further EMI Callas CD plans. These are all digitally re-mastered record- The box set, containing 13 LPs However, this is the only recording ings. (412 856 1) or nine cassettes (412 of one of the most exciting and spec- A further EMI opera release, though not yet on CD comes in Novem- tacular of all American works, and one iesfl Ifagpeff ber — Offenbach's La Belle Helene with a French cast headed by Jessye 856 4) includes 10 completely that, sonically, most benefits from the new recordings. This set is also technical achievements of CD. Brass at Valhalla. Wagner Philip Norman (EX 2701713/5), and with only one other available recording — available on 10 CDs. The dealer Serebrier cannot, I think, match Jones Brass Ensemble, Elgar Lombard on Harmonia Mundi — it should prove an attractive Christmas price for LP/lape is £27.50 and for musically the well-defined lines of Howarth. Decca 414 149-2. record. CD is £54.32. Stokowski's historic performance, but Wagner adapts superbly to brass As should Philips' versions of the two most popular of one-act operas, The Perahia set, made with the that is unlikely to come on the CD for arrangements and brass bands have Mascagni's Cavaleria Rusticana (Domingo/Pretre 416 137) and Leonca- some time, and the sound on this been using his music for decades. The vallo's I Pagliacci (Domingo/Pretre/411 4842). In both cases, the one CD ECO under the pianist's own Chandos CD is verv^clear, compensat- choice here, however, is not just a tour is cheaper than the two LPs or tapes, direction, is available on LP only ing to some extent, for the short of Wagner's Greatesr Hits — although Decca opens two sections in the opera CD catalogue with the award- at present, though CD is envis- length. But would it have been im- with Lohengrin's Bridal Chorus, and aged in the future. The LP dealer possible to add one or two of the Tannhauser's Grand March there is no winning recording of Janacek's Jenufa (414 4832 2CDs) and Boito's price is £23. shorter Ives works — there is more shortage of popular tunes — but more Mefistofele (410 1752 3CDs). Dealers will note that there is than enough material of a musician's choice with less ob- also a 5-LP set of the 10 Piano vious pieces such as the Grosser Fest- Concertos played by Brendel marsch. The music is superbly played which are released for the first String's fh© filing and the sound good. time (412 970; £14.20), on Philips. Concerto for Orchestra/Music for Per- Master hits half century cussion, Strings and Celeste. Bartok. Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Kara- ISPMMH THE MASTER series — a mid-price reissue series — has been brought jan DG 415 3222. up to 50 with a second release, comprising 24 titles. The recording of the Concerto for As with the first release, all the recordings have been digitally Orchestra is nearly 20 years old now, COMPACT remastered — except where they were digital recordings initially — and and although the actual sound itself is feature major EMI artists, including Janet Baker, Menuhin, Barenboim, remarkably good, it must be said that Tennstedt, Previn and others. the playing does occasionally show its Yet 15 of the 24 titles are new compilations especially made for this age — particularly in certain wood- series adding extra works to justify the value-for-money aspect — the wind sections. The excitement and the dealer price is £2.43. spirit of the piece, on the other hand, is faithfully preserved. MM Among the most attractive are Bach's Concertos for violin with Its strongest selling point, however, Perlman and Zukerman and the ECO under Barenboim (EG 2905301) is its coupling with the Music for DIGITAL AUDIO and Mozart's Violin Concerto No 5 and the Sinfonia Concerlante with Strings, a more attractive programme David and Igor Oistrakh and the BPO (EG 2905691). There are cassette than either of its competitors (Solti on covers of all recordings. Decca and Dorali on Phillips). A well- 1 WEST SIDE STORY: filled disc, too. Bernstein DG 415 253 2 DAME JANET BAKER 2 VIOLIN CONCERTO, Elgar; Schubert fi^tasrweQ LPO/Handley/Kennedy isfteix® test fep E&[kl% Winterreise, Schubert. Dietrich EMI CDC 747210 2 iu ^ir@ doyfefes Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore. ^DG EMI IS testing the marketing identity with the work being the 415 1872. 3 KARAJAN FESTIVAL, wSsBii isoErfeMI Four CD versions of Schubert's Anthology: BPO/Karajan power of its early music Reflexe most prominent sales point, greatest song cycle has preceded this series against the personal draw while the other (EL 2553591 and into the CD catalogue, inlcudmg Her- DG 415 304 2 of the early music soprano Emma on cassette) will feature a photo- JACQUELINE DU PRE's recording mann Prey's unusual but captivating 4 FOUR SEASONS, Vivaldi: Kirkby in an unusual experiment. graph of Emma Kirkby on the of Elgar's Cello Concerto, con- recording on Denon. But this is simply Academy Of Ancient The company has marketed the front, and use her immense fol- ducted by Barbirolli, and the con- a classic of the gramophone, a per- Music/Hogwood L'Oiseau same recording — Handel's Nine lowing as the major sales point.