MUSIC WEEK MARCH 30 1985

DIGITAL AUDIO THE GREATNAMES Nicolas Soames looks at the latest classical CD releases ARE ON

COMPACT DISCS Compact classics FROMd™] NEW RELEASES INCLUDE ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER gather momentum PLACIDO DOMINGO, SARAH BRIGHTMAN PAUL MILES-KINGSTON, Winchester Cathedral Choir AFTER CONSIDERABLE diffi- and orchestra called Yesterday, during April and May, with some English Chamber Orchestra/LORIN MAAZEL culties in finding a manu- from Bach to the Beatles (610 157). of its finest recordings, including CDC 7471462 facturer with space on the The Melodiya JVC range has digitally re-mastered analogue re- WAGNER The Hying Dutchman presses, Ted Perry's classic- some standard Russian fare, such cordings from the Harveys of Bris- as Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 6 tol English series, and such popu- Van Dam, Vejzovic, Moll, Hofmann, Borris, Moser al Hyperion label is finally produc- with the Moscow Radio Sym- lar issues as Scottish Overtures Chorus of the Vienna State ing its first compact discs: the first played by the SNO under Gibson, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/ four titles are due out towards the phony Orchestra under Fedoseev end of April, and a further dozen (880 002) and Stravinsky's Rite of which includes Land of the Moun- CDS 7470548(3 discs) scheduled for the rest of 1985. Spring with the same artists (880 tain and the Flood, (CHAN 1032); VERDI La Traviata Not surprisingly, two of Hype- 003), but also volumes of piano Elgar's music for Violin and Piano Scotto, Kraus, Bruson, Ambrosian Opera Chorus rion's main-selling musicians fea- music played by Richter, including played by Nigel Kennedy and Pe- Philharmonia Orchestra/ ture on the first titles, the early Schubert's Sonatas No 13 and 14 ter Pettinger (CHAN 8380) and, CDS 7470598 (3 discs) music soprano Emma Kirkby and (880 013), Schumann and from its brass band collection. the clarinettist Thea King. Schubert. Blitz, played by the Black Dyke BEETHOVEN The String Quartets Kirkby sings on two CDs, the The Bellaphon label has some Mills Band (CHN 8370). ALBAN BERG QUARTET Sacred Vocal Music of Claudio unusual items among its classical April also sees a substantial The Early Quartets CDS 7471278 (3 discs) Monteverdi, where she is joined selection, including two volumes back catalogue release from Tel- The Middle Quartets CDS 7471318 (3 discs) by Ian Partridge, , of flamenco on live recordings dec, Conifer Record's imported The Late Quartets CDS 7471358 (4 discs) The Parley of Instruments, (CDLR 44003 and CDLR 44007), German label. There are three directed by Roy Goodman and Pe- and Cascades, works by Joplin Handel box sets, all directed by RACHMANINOV Five Preludes; Four Moments Musicaux; ter Holman (CD A 66021), and one and others played by the Budapest with the Two Etudes; Elegie Op.3 No. 1 of the company's biggest sellers, A Brass Quintet (6900115). Vienna Concentus Musicus: ANDREI GAVRILOV Feather on the Breath of God, by Finally, it is worth noting that Jeptha (2B835499 3CDs) with Eli- CDC 7471242 , with the there is an Ivo Pogorelich CD on zabeth Gale and Paul Esswood; RAVEL Daphris et Chloe - complete ballet directed by Christ- Capriccio to add to the pianist's Alexander's Feast (2A 835671 opher Page (CD A66039). better-known DG recordings — he 2CDs) with Felicity Palmer and London Symphony Orchestra/ANDRE PREVIN Another compact plays Preludes and Mazurkas by Anthony Rolfe Johnson; and Con- CDC 7471232 disc is Handel's Aminta E Fillide, Chopin (10 024). All the Target- certi Grossi Op 3 (2A 835545 with Gillian Fisher, Patrizia Kwella, distributed CDs have a dealer price 2CDs). Among the other relases ,..and many more to follow from and the London Handel Orchestra of £6.90. Incidentally, DG has final- are Harnoncourt's recording of the world's greatest classical catalogue under Denys Darlow (CDA 66118). ly brought out one of its first Monteverdi's Orfeo with Cathy But the largest sales will prob- Pogorelich albums on CD — his Berberian {2A 835020 2CDs). EMI Records Ltd., 20 Manchester Square, London WIA1ES. ATHURN EMI company. ably come from the Clarinet con- performance of Chopin's Piano The Teldec release is part of a certos No 2 By Crusell and Weber, Sonata No 2 sold phenomenally general pattern which will see ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE AVAILABLE played by Thea King and the LSO on its initial release (415 1232). some 60 CD titles issued through- under Alun Francis, (CDA 66088); By far the most active indepen- out 1985, all at a dealer price of as a record it received an immense dent label on the CD front con- £7,20 per disc. boost when the young BBC Com- tinues to be Chandos, which has In May, Conifer switches focus petition clarinettist Emma John- now settled into a regular routine to Telarc, with the first recording son played the Crusell on peak of releasing many of its new re- made by Andre Previn and the time TV. cordings, like PolyGram, simul- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra TELARC The Hyperion CDs have a dealer taneously on all three mediums. since the conductor took over as price of £6.08, and are manufac- music director. It is Tchaikovsky's iliil tured by Sanyo in Japan. Symphony No 5, and was featured With the growing numbers of arch saw a number of during the TV series of The Sym- CD player owners in the classical significant new titles, phony, and recorded shortly after- field, there is increasing interest in headed by Prokofiev's wards. It will be available on CD NEW from TELARC for MAY material outside the normal pur- I Symphony No 6, cou- 80107 with a dealer price of £7.20. view of the majors, and the past pled with Three Waltzes, which is There is also a follow-up to the few months have seen greater the first of a complete Symphony successful Telarc recording of Star ANDRE PREVIN activity from the distributor Target cycle to be made by the company Tracks, Conifer's top-selling com- Records and its range of import with the Scottish National Orches- pact disc. The new CD is called conducts labels, from Eurodisc and Melo- tra under its new principal conduc- Time Warp, and includes music Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.5 diya JVC to Bellaphon and Capric- tor, Neeme Jarvi (CHAN 8359). from The Menagerie, Also Sprach Rimsky-Korsakov: March from Tsar Saltan cio. On a more popular vein, there is Zarathustra, and the original pilot Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Firstly, however, April is marked Treasures of Operetta, sung in En- music for Star Wars, played by the CD 80107 (also LP DG 80107) by the debut release in the UK of glish, with songs and duets from Cincinnati Pops, conducted by Fidelio CDs. Though a mid-price The Merry Widow, The Arcadians, Erich Kunzel (CD 80106). On a clas- LP/MC label, the CDs will be full Gypsy Princess and many others, sical note, May will also include price with a price tag of around £6, with Marilyn Hill Smith, soprano, the release of Stravinsky's Sym- TIME WARP but have some very interesting Peter Morrison, Baritone, and the phony of Psalms coupled with Music from 2010, Alien, Star Trek (the movie) etc. titles. There is the two Piano Con- Chandos Concert Orchestra. Poulenc's with the Atlanta Cincinnati Pope Orchestra certos by Antoni Salieri played by April sees the continuation of Symphony and Chorus conducted Erich Kunzel Aldo Ciccolini and I Solisti Veneti the commitment to cellist Raphael by Robert Shaw (CD 80105). CD 80106 (a/so LP DG 80106) (FL 3415) — the music of Salieri is Wallfisch, who plays Britten's Meanwhile, Decca is taking the subject of widening interest Symphony for Cello and Orchestra advantage of a relatively quiet following the Amadeus film. on a CD coupled with the Death in April general release to concen- RESPIGHI The Piano Concertos of the Irish Venice Suite with the ECO under trate on some CD back catalogue. PINES OF ROME, THE BIRDS composer John Field, which have Stuart Bedford (CHAN 8363). And There are 10 titles of greatly sold very well as a complete set the only performance on CD of varying character, from Donizetti FOUNTAINS OF ROME with John O'Connell the soloist Poulenc's one-act opera Le Voix Lucia di Lammermoor with Joan Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with The New Irish Chamber Humaine, with Carole Farley, sop- Sutherland in the title role (410 193 Louis Lane Orchestra under Furst, now will rano, and the Adelaide Symphony CDs), a recording which dates CD 80085 (a/so LP DG 80085) come out on individual CDs, the Orchestra conducted by Jose from 1972; Bruckner's Symphony first being Piano Concertos No 6 Serebrier (CHAN 8331). No 4 with the VPO under the late and 7 (FL 3414). Other Fidelio CDs This is one of a number of re- Karl Bohm (411 581); a couple of STRAVINSKY: SYMPHONY OF PSALMS include Vivaldi's Church Music, leases to come from Australia, and L'Oiseau-Lyre Florilegium record- headed by Nisi Dominus with the baton of Serebrier, over the ings of early music, including POULENC: GLORIA Theresa Berganza and the ECO next few months. Handel's Utrecht Te Deum and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus under Ros-Marba. Two other Chandos CDs which Jubilate, with Emma Kirkby lead- Robert Shaw The Eurodisc CDs are domin- should prove of interest are Wolf's ing a good group of soloists, and CD 80105 (a/so LP DG 80105) ated by the success story of the Italian LieclerBoo,k recorded live at the Choir of Christ Church Cathor Ring Cycle by Wagner conducted the Royal Opera House, Covent dral Oxford, under Simon Presion by Janowski, but there is other Garden, with lleana Cotrubas, Tho- (414 413), and the popular cou- Just some of the 23 NEW Compact Discs in the interesting work including Bach's mas Allen and Geoffrey Parsons pling of the Piano Concertos by Conifer May release B minor Mass with Lucia Popp, (CHAN 8383), and, in May, Bax's Grieg and Schumann played by - now over 300 Choice Compact Discs available Carolyn Watkinson and Theo Tone Poems Volume 2. with Into with the LSO under Adam, conducted by Peter the Twilight, In the Faery Hills, The Previn (414 432) which dates from Schreier (2CDs 610 089), Mozart's Tale the Pine Trees Knew and Ros- 1974. Interestingly, the same Flute Concertos with James Gal- catha, with the Ulster Orchestra works appear on another new De- CONILLR RECORDS way and the Lucerne Festival (CHAN 8367). cca CD. this time a new recording Horlon Road. West Drayton. Middx, UB7 8JL Strings (610 130), and Josef Suk Chandos is also introducing an with the Concertgebouw Orches- Trade telesales: 0805-441422 playing arrangements for violin extensive back catalogue CD issue tra under Dorati (411 942).

8 COMPACT DISC SUPPLEMENT