Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 4; Capriccio Italien, RPO/ Gatti
(Harmonia Mundi)
Karlowicz: Returning Waves; A Sorrowful Tale; Episode at a Masquerade, BBC Philharmonic/ Noseda
Mieczyslaw Karlowicz (1876-1909) is regarded as the leading composer of Polish post-Romanticism. His music was strongly influenced by Wagner and Tchaikovsky, though you may find that a little of it goes a long way. He spent most of his short … Continue reading
Roberto Alagna sings Luis Mariano, Alagna/ Paris Symphonic Orchestra/ Cassar
As crossover albums go, this is better than most. It forms Roberto Alagna’s tribute to one of his heroes, the tenor Luis Mariano, star of films, musicals and operettas, and a hugely popular singer of standards in 1950s France. In … Continue reading
Mozart: Mass in C Minor, Piau/ Sollied/ Agnew/ Caton/ Accentus/ La Chambre Philharmonique/ Krivine
Iconoclastic Franco-Russian conductor Emmanuel Krivine has been under-represented on disc, so the appearance of his new recording of Mozart’s Mass in C Minor is something of an event. It won’t, however, be to all tastes. In place of the sumptuous … Continue reading
Schubert: Die Schöne Müllerin, Quasthoff/ Zeyen
We’ve become so used to high tenors and light-ish baritones in Die Schöne Müllerin that to hear Schubert’s song cycle sung by dark-voiced bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff comes as a bit of a shock. The mood is one of implacable tragedy … Continue reading