GRAMOPHONE Review: Bernstein Symphonies No. 1 ‘Jeremiah’ & No. 2 ‘The Age of Anxiety’ – Anna Larsson, Roland Pöntinen, Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra/Lindberg
Whenever I listen to the First Symphony I am mindful of how dramatically Bernstein started as he meant to go on – a symphony, a ballet (Fancy Free) and a Broadway musical (On the Town) all feverishly…
GRAMOPHONE Review: Bernstein Mass – Vojtěch Dik, etc., ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra/Russell Davies
It is a truth universally acknowledged that I think this to be a masterpiece – perhaps Bernstein’s most significant, and certainly his most creatively virtuosic, work. But it is also his most challenging stylistically and for a…
GRAMOPHONE: From Where I Sit – June 2020
I want to reopen the debate on Beethoven and the voice. And particularly with regard to Fidelio which I caught at the Royal Opera House in the wake of a lively public encounter with Antonio Pappano at…
GRAMOPHONE Review: Brahms / Schoenberg Violin Concertos – Jack Liebeck, BBC Symphony Orchestra/Gourlay
The beauty of this coupling lies with the way in which two such highly distinctive works impact upon each other. The Brahms feels more radical for the proximity of the Schoenberg; the Schoenberg feels more romantic for…
GRAMOPHONE Review: Korngold Violin Concerto / String Sextet – Andrew Haveron, Sinfonia of London Chamber Ensemble, RTÉ Concert Orchestra/Wilson
Andrew Haveron joins very select, indeed mighty, company – from Heifetz to Mutter and beyond – in the Korngold Concerto. But his collaboration with John Wilson in the nursing and shaping of strings lines from the concert…
GRAMOPHONE Review: Bruckner Symphony No. 6 – Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra/Dausgaard
The word ‘chivalrous’ invariably comes to mind with the opening measures of Bruckner Sixth. Knights errant galloping towards new adventures, colourful pennants flying with that first brassy tutti. There’s also more than a hint of Wagner’s Die…
GRAMOPHONE Review: Malloy Octet – Original Cast Recording
It will probably come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the weird and wonderful work of Dave Molloy that this so-called ‘Chamber Choir Musical’ is an extraordinary confection. I listened to it on the same day…
GRAMOPHONE Review: Copland Billy The Kid Suite / Dvořák Symphony No. 9 ‘From the New World – National Symphony Orchestra, Washington DC/Noseda
A brand new label showcasing both the National Symphony Orchestra and their home – the Kennedy Center – in Washington DC offers two familiar postcards ‘From the New World’ in performances that should but don’t stand out…
GRAMOPHONE Review: Mahler Symphony No. 4 – Carolyn Sampson, Minnesota Orchestra/Vänskä
Let me say straight away that Vanska is temperamentally far better suited to the pristine, child-like world of the Fourth Symphony than he was to the epic Second. There are many aspects of this excellent performance (and…
GRAMOPHONE: From Where I Sit – March 2020
A great deal has already been written about Beethoven this year. There will be more. Allow me to add to it. I have a vivid memory – a particular concert that took place on 9 June 1981…
