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SHOSTAKOVICH: The Golden Age Op. 22 (Complete Ballet). The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Jose Serebrier (conductor). Naxos 8.570217-18 (2CDs). (143' 42").

Of the dozens of Shostakovich discs I have reviewed in his centenary year, this is the one I would unhesitatingly commend to you. Over the years, and on many labels, the Royal Scottish National have added superb discs to the CD catalogue, but this is surely the best, the playing oozing with outgoing virtuosity, various soloists revelling in a pure show of technical brilliance. After its initial group of performances in Leningrad, political pressures kept The Golden Age from the stage, and this - according to Naxos - is the first time on disc that we have the original ballet. Many sections will be immediately recognisable, the Polka being one of the composer's most frequently played pieces, while many sections were reused in his Ballet Suites. The whole work shows the composer in his most approachable mood, the abundance of melodic invention fighting to find space. Why the story, which is actively Socialist, gained such disapproval is surprising today, but maybe Shostakovich's tongue-in-cheek fun with its rather jazzy American connotations was too much for party activists to accept. Surely it is now time to place a new scenario to such a witty and colourful score. In Serebrier it has found its ideal exponent, the music shaped with a sense of fun as he revels in the sheer exuberance of the score. The inner detail obtained, even in the most densely scored passages, is a triumph of balance, Serebrier so persuasive in those passages that we all know, particularly the section popularly called the Tahiti Trot. He has a fabulous recording team to complement the playing, and it would surprise me if it does not steal major awards.

BERNSTEIN: Dybbuk - Ballet. Fancy Free - Ballet. Mel Ulrich (baritone), Mark Risinger (bass), Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Mogrelia (conductor). Naxos 8.559280. (74' 09").

I don't understood why Bernstein's ballet, Dybbuk, has never become part of the standard dance repertoire. Though it has Stravinsky ballet overtones in the persistent and pungent rhythms, its melodic content - with which the score abounds - is purely American and often recalls the dances from West Side Story. Shortly after its premiere in 1974 the composer recorded the two concert suites with the New York Philharmonic and later the full ballet with the New York City Ballet Orchestra. In essence they were very similar though the ballet orchestra was the more sharply edged in the jazzy rhythms. Andrew Mogrelia continues in that ballet mode, both older recordings missing the Nashville's inner clarity, while their percussion is equally colourful. I particularly enjoy the fantasy of the Alchemy Variations, rather more creepy than with the composer. The more outgoing Fancy Free is also played complete, the Nashville revelling in the bright sounds and hitting home those tight rhythms, the rather sad moments capturing that bitter-sweet element of the ballet. Throughout the playing is excellent, Mogrelia using tempos ideal for dancing, keeping vitality without ever rushing. Outstanding and a new front runner.

VIVALDI: Concertos, Op. 8, Nos. 1-6: Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons); Concerto No. 5 in E flat major; ‘La tempesta di mare’; Concerto No. 6 in C major, ‘Il piacere’. Cho-Liang Lin (violin), Sejong, Anthony Newman (harpsichord and portatif organ). Naxos 8.557920. (55' 11").

Even with the mass of recordings of The Four Seasons already in the catalogue, this one to my ears is right among the most desirable, arguably the best, and without a shadow of doubt the most elegant you will ever hear. For those who have become jaded and ultimately bored by over-exposure to the work, this is life regenerating and rekindled my love of the work. Often a little mischievous in choice of tempo, and at times just lingering over a phrase as if the performers were sampling their own beauty. Cho-Liang Lin needs no introduction, his discs on the Sony label having long placed him among the great string players of our time. Spotless intonation and with a whimsical turn of phrase, it seems as if he has taken a totally new look at the score for this recording. His virtuosity is spellbinding, some of the fast sections being taken at a tempo few others would attempt, and such moments as the finale of the second concerto (Summer) conveying sheer exhilaration. Of the remaining eight concertos that make up opus 8, Lin has chosen the outgoing 'The Storm at Sea' and 'The Pleasure', with the storm offering him a further opportunity for brilliance. He has with him Sejong, a group founded in New York in 1995 from young players already enjoying major solo careers. The eminent Adele Anthony leads the ensemble, the playing so neat and imaginative both in dynamics, phrasing and tonal shading. Of course it helps when the group's sponsor has loaned their great instruments, including Guarneri, Stradivari and Goffriller to name but a few. There will certainly be those who prefer and take the 'period' instrument performance as a badge of honour to 'authenticity', and they will gladly point to Sejong's well padded sound of the Largo from Winter. Yet we will never know the real sound in Vivaldi's day, and I will settle for the beauty of this disc in the most refined and perfectly sculptured sound.

ELGAR: The Music Makers Op. 69. Sea Pictures, Op. 37. Sarah Connolly (mezzo), Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Simon Wright (conductor). Naxos 8.557710. (62' 44").

Those who lived through the Janet Baker era will instinctively recall her benchmark recording of Elgar's Sea Pictures. Since then British music has been enriched by a new age of very exciting young mezzos, Sarah Connolly having already received critical acclaim in the concert hall and on the opera stage. Vocally she very much follows in Baker's footsteps, her Sea Pictures immaculately sung, pure of intonation, and with crystal clear diction. Above all she knows her way around the song cycle with the voice positively colouring the text, and plays on our emotions in those moments laden with Elgar's penchant for nostalgia, and suitably exciting when climatic moments take the singer to the top of her range. She is partnered by Simon Wright, a conductor best known in the north of England as an outstanding choral coach, a fact that here rubs off on the Bournemouth's admirable singers. His approach to The Music Makers is restrained and affectionate, while his impeccable credentials as an Elgarian are never in doubt. If at times he avoids the tear-laden intensity we often hear in this piece, the clarity of his chorus is to be much admired. Sound quality is open textured and well-balanced between voices and orchestra. There are alternative discs with this coupling, but this newcomer would be my preferred choice. 

RACHMANINOV: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45. Suite No. 2, Op. 17.  Suite No. 1 ‘Fantaisie-tableaux’, Op. 5. Peter Donohoe, Martin Roscoe (piano duo). Naxos 8.557062. (77' 42").

Bring together two of the UK's leading solo pianists and you have a remarkable outcome, Rachmaninov's two-piano arrangement of the orchestral work, Symphonic Dances, drawing playing that sparkles in the some of the most clean duo playing I have ever heard on disc. But the albums excellence comes in the Suites for two pianos where their combined virtuosity is placed so much at the service of the composer, and only when each work is finished do you fully realise the technical expertise that has gone into the performance. At times the tempos are daringly fast, while the dynamic balance between the two players is always justly weighted. The crisp articulation is quite phenomenal in those hair-raising passages that fly into the upper octaves, with safety thrown to the wind. Indeed I could go on and on eulogising about a disc that you should dash out and buy. The sound quality is among the most realistic piano sounds I have heard on disc. 

SCHOENBERG: Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 16. Cello Concerto (After G.M. Monn). BRAHMS orch. SCHOENBERG: Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25. Fred Sherry (cello), London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Robert Craft (conductor). Naxos 8.557524. (76' 56").

Continuing Robert Craft's invaluable series of the music of Arnold Schoenberg takes us to the very differing periods of his creative life. You sometimes wonder if in later life he questioned his creation of the Second Viennese School of composition, when you realise he later returned to editing and working on his early post-Romantic scores and added such works as the lyric Cello Concerto. At the centre of his atonal period came the Five Pieces from 1909, the accompanying booklet giving a wonderful insight into his own thoughts on the score. Craft does rub off a few of the corners we have in early recordings of the score, when conductors seemed intent on making it 'modern'. The result is a quite approachable score superbly detailed by the London Symphony. The Cello Concerto came twenty-three years later and was a free adaptation of music by the early 18th century composer, Georg Matthias Monn. Lyrical and attractive, its three movements start in the style of Monn's era, but soon assume a more modern mood, the solo writing technically difficult. Fred Sherry certainly found it so, though he obviously enjoyed playing the piece. Five years afterwards, in 1937, Schoenberg completed a free arrangement for orchestra of the Brahms Piano Quartet. The outcome is a very joyous realisation, in the finale moving totally away from the orchestra Brahms had used. Though not that often played in the concert hall it has had a number of very good recordings, this from the Philharmonia among the best. Originating from the Koch label, the recordings made over six years were very well put together.

GINASTERA: Panambí. Estancia (Complete Ballets). Luis Gaeta (narrator/bass-baritone), London Symphony Orchestra, Gisele Ben-Dor (conductor). Naxos 8.557582. (72' 32")

Towards the end of the 1950's I received a review copy of the latest sonic spectacular from Everest Records introducing me to the Argentinean composer, Alberto Ginastera, and more particularly to the pungent colours of his ballets, Panambi and Estancia. Like the present disc they were played by the London Symphony who were at the time enjoying their golden era. I played the disc over and over again, besotted by the mix of high impact rhythms, potent melodic invention and infectious jazzy influences. Numbered as his first opus Panambi was completed in 1937, and has its backdrop a story of magicians, warriors and a love in country life in Argentina. Using a large battery of percussion, it is a mood that returns in Estancia dating from 1941, a picture of life on a cattle ranch and a spin-off from Copland's Rodeo (Ginastera having attended Copland's master classes). The two works were to establish him as the leading South American composer of his generation, though in later life he was to take on a much more radically modern style. The present performances date from 1997 and misleadingly claim to be world premieres of the ballets, though the conductor has, in fact, compromised that by going back to the ballet suite for moments when she feels the composer improved on the ballet scores. The performance is full of primary colours and scintillating orchestral virtuosity with high impact brass and percussion. Good once again to hear this unforgettable music, and at a price that should make it more widely available.

RAVEL: Daphnis et Chloe (Complete Ballet). Bordeaux Opera Chorus, Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Laurent Petitgirard (conductor). Naxos 8.570075. (59' 16").

With so many superb recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe already in the CD catalogue, including those that have attained legendary status, this newcomer has a massive mountain to claim to get to the top of the pecking order. It does start out with the advantage of an orchestra that retains some of those quintessential French orchestral qualities with wide-vibrato horns, creamy woodwind and shimmering strings. Laurent Petitgirard's performance sees the ballet in impressionistic terms with lightning flashes of brilliant colours, though there is never any lack of urgency in the more animated scenes of the ballet. He does indulge in moments where he savours beauty with the use of expansive tempos, the quiet and seductive moments particularly sensuous in the wide range of hues and whispered phrases. There are times when I just wish Petitgirard had thrown caution to the wind, previous recordings this orchestra showing they have the virtuosity to respond. I don't know the size of the opera chorus but at the cataclysmic ending they sound limited in number. Having set the volume to my normal level I was deafened a few minutes into the score. So start just above audibility to sample the disc's dynamic delights.

PETITGIRARD: Les Douze Gardiens du Temple. Poeme pour grand orchestre a cordes. Euphonia. Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Ljubljana Radio Symphony Orchestra, Laurent Petitgirard (conductor). Naxos 8.570138. (67' 03").

Born in 1950, Laurent Petitgirard has become the most prolific French composer of film scores with over 150 presently to his name. Yet he leads a triple life with a very busy career as a conductor taking him around the world and complementing his film scores is the third part of his career which is producing a sizeable output for the concert stage. Dip into this disc at any point and you will warm to the exotically scored music with its roots - however far distant - in the colours of the French Impressionists. In his programme notes the composer explains that The Twelve Guards of the Temple relates to the twelve notes of the musical scale over which the score stands guard. Dating from 2004 it is an extensive tone-poem lasting almost half an hour and explores the esoteric quality of a large orchestra. Scored for strings the Poem is an abstract piece setting out to create the feeling of time passing, and is in contrast to the detailed story of the ballet, Euphonia. In three sections it takes us to the futuristic musical city where the jealous composer sets out to destroy the woman who spurned him and her lovers. Here you feel the composer's affiliation to films as the music moves forward with fluidity but without musical structure, the final section both highly charged and noisy. I just wish Petitgirard's music would remain more conclusively in my memory bank. The playing by both orchestras - the Ljubljana performs the ballet - is highly committed and explores to the full Petitgirard's primary colours in recordings of high quality.

SOLER: Sonata in C major (without Rubio number); No. 130 in G minor; No. 121; No. 63 in F major; No. 67; No. 125 in C minor; No. 44, No.107 in F major; No. 79 in F sharp minor. Gilbert Rowland (harpsichord). Naxos 8.557937 (77' 55").

Gilbert Rowland's traversal of the complete Soler sonatas is fast becoming one of the major cornerstones in the recorded harpsichord repertoire. Antonio Soler was born in 1729, his musical gifts evident at a young age. In his mature years he was active as an organist, harpsichordist and quite prolific composer, much of his music being for the Spanish Royal family. He had studied with Scarlatti, and it was to be a reflection of his mentor's sonatas that were to bring Soler lasting fame. Many came as an extension to his writing on the theory of composition, and also for the purpose of teaching his pupil, Prince Gabriel. Detail of his life is rather sparse, mainly due to his cloistered existence in a religious community where his personal life was not documented. Much of his music was obviously lost, but there remain 149 catalogued sonatas, the present disc opening with a work that avoided Rubio's numbering. In this vast project we have now reached the twelfth volume, Rowland choosing not to issue them in numerical order so as to mix the many single movement sonatas with the more elaborate scores that extend to three or more movements. His approach is often punchy, dramatic and outgoing, though he is always happy to charm our ears in the more reflective pieces. As a sample of the music and a taste of the clear, lucid, agile and clean cut playing you need go no further than the first track's C major sonata. Rowland has at his disposal a magnificent instrument and the recording quality is all you could wish for. An essential purchase.

BAX: Violin Sonata No.1 in E major. Violin Sonata No.3. Laurence Jackson (violin), Ashley Wass (piano). Naxos 8.557540 (76' 03").

Seventeen years separated the first and third sonatas, the first coming from Arnold Bax when he was twenty-seven, which places it as a student work in the context of his slow development as a composer. It had come at a time when Bax had fallen madly in love with Natalie Skarginska, the passionate nature of the work reflecting his feelings at the time. He was to finally revisit the score in 1945 having dispensed with the original second and third movements as early as 1915. Here Naxos has given us both the original thoughts and the final version, and I must confess to enjoying the ardour of his earlier version. Certainly the third sonata was a more mature score, his thoughts distilled into just two movements and with a very folksy Irish feel to the finale. There is certainly no doubting their place among the finest English chamber music of the early 20th century. The playing of Ashley Wass and Laurence Jackson, who at the time was the leader of the Maggini Quartet, is in every way outstanding, and certainly brush aside the two alternative recordings already available. The sound quality is equally fine and I hope the duo will now add the Second Sonata.

RAWSTHORNE: String Quartets Nos. 1 - 3. Theme and Variations. Maggini Quartet. Naxos 8.570136. (60' 09").

Though we have in recent times had some very fine new recordings of his orchestral works, Alan Rawsthorne remains obstinately as part of a forgotten era in British music. His career came at the unfortunate period that straddled the Second World War, and he seemed unwilling or unable to move his style to meet a changing cultural time. Coming late in life to music, he was already thirty-three when in 1938 he had his first composition to receive recognition. The years following the war were highly productive, many works being for the film industry, and at the same time he was writing a substantial body of orchestral works, all greeted at the time with false optimism, subsequent performances being few and far between. His relatively early death at the age of 66 left no one to champion music that quickly disappeared from public view. The three quartets spanned twenty-six years, his thoughts distilled into quite brief and thoughtfully sculptured works, the Third from 1965 especially economical in its use of notes, never throwing one away. I do not pretend they will instantly lodge in your memory the scores gaining much on revisiting. Opening the disc is the Theme and Variations for two violins, its 1937 date placing it among his early output and certainly helped in securing the music industry's attention. It would be difficult to imagine better performances of the four works, the Maggini seemingly unlocking the door that takes them to an inner sanctum of English music few have been allowed to enter. Sound of similar high quality.

PANUFNIK: Old Polish Suite. Concerto in Modo Antico. Jagiellonian Triptych. Divertimento after Janiewicz. Hommage a Chopin. Igor Cechoco, (trumpet), Hanna Turonek, (flute), Polish Chamber Orchestra, Mariusz Smolij Orchestra, Daniel Spalding (conductor). Naxos 8.570032. (57' 58"). 

One of the tragedies of 20th century music has been the absence of Andrzej Panufnik in our concert programmes, his symphonic music among the most exciting and interesting of the time. Born in Poland in 1914, he was already a major pianist, conductor and composer while still in his 20's, but was to see all of his compositions destroyed in 1944 as the Second World War drew to a close. Eventually making his home in England, the birthplace of his mother, it was here that his major output was put together. At heart he remained in his motherland and took much inspiration for his music from there, including the works on this disc. He was seldom happy with his original thoughts and continually revised his scores, the final version of these pieces dating from the 1950's and 60's. Though dressed up in modern garb, they are all heavily impregnated with period connotations, at times a little too much for their own good. It will be the lively dance movements of the Old Polish Suite that will beguile your ears, though to sample the disc go to track 10 - the opening of the Divertimento - where old English pastiche seems to have strayed into the score. The exception to this look back at yesteryear comes in the tribute to Chopin, five short sections of infinite charm. The playing throughout is both elegant and pleasing, with some very nimble violins, Spalding capturing the mood of each piece. In Igor Cechoco the Concerto in modo antico has a very good trumpet soloist. Sound quality is pleasing.

BEETHOVEN: String Trio in E flat major, Op. 3. Serenade (String Trio) in D major, Op. 8. Attila Falvay (violin), Janos Fejervari (viola), Gyorgy Eder (cello). Naxos 8.557895. (66' 44").

The first of two volumes of Beethoven’s String Trios brings to the Naxos catalogue three members of the label's 'resident' Kodaly Quartet. As we have come to expect from that outstanding ensemble there is nothing fussy in their approach to the Beethoven trios, and avoids spurious delving below the printed page. As the opus numbers suggest these works come from the young composer, the E flat major probably originating from his teenage years, both scores being unusual in their six-movement shape. The approach here is one of elegant dance music with clarity to each of the three strands uppermost in the concept, a fact that much benefits the viola part. Where Beethoven introduces a sombre note in the music, the texture of the trio is smooth and elegant, while the Minuets in opus 3 are played with a sense of fun. Beethoven gave the violin the bulk of the outwardly brilliant writing, Attila Falvey obviously enjoying the moments of elaborate decoration, though to sample the playing go to track 10 with its many mood swings, the violin and viola duet a sublime moment.  There are many other complete recordings in the catalogue and I would be hard pressed to choose between this and the more expensive disc from the Leopold String Trio, this newcomer having a massive price advantage.

THEODORAKIS: Cretan Concertino. Adagio. SKALKOTTAS: Concertino. ANTONIOU: Concerto Piccolo. ALEXIADIS: Phrygian Litany. TENIDIS: Rhapsody of Pontos. HADJIDAKIS: Mr. Noll. Theodore Kerkezos (saxophones), Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, Myron Michailidis (conductor). Naxos 8.557992. (67' 09").

Though the two major works by Theodorakis and Skalkottas are in arrangements for saxophone by Yannis Samprovalakis, the virtuoso playing of Theodore Kerkezos has seemingly colonised the music for his instrument. The Cretan Concerto started out life as a Sonatina for violin and piano, the arranger having moved the solo line to the sax and made a very characteristic orchestral arrangement. He has given the same makeover to Nikos Skalkottas's Concertino for oboe and piano. The remaining tracks are original saxophone works, the whole package introducing us to Greek music in the 20th century, the album being dedicated to world premier recordings. Much looks to the Orient for its influences, the general texture edging towards light music. There is much that calls for the mind-blowing dexterity of Kerkezos' fingers, the mercurial finale to the Theodorakis Concertino being a moment of sheer brio. My favourite track comes with the composer's sad Adagio, gorgeously played by Kerkezos. I also much enjoyed Vassilis Tenidis's folk inspired Rhapsody of Pontos, the disc's notes informing that Kerkezos went to live in Pontos to absorb and understand how to play their native music. Western ears will find it strangely fascinating. Orchestral playing would appear to keenly reflect the nature of the music, and the recording is very good. At this price it is well worth exploring.    

STAMITZ: Orchestral Quartet in C major, Op. 14 No 1. Orchestral Quartet in F major, Op. 14 No 4. Concertante Quartet in G major, Op. 14 No.2. Concertante Quartet in B flat major, Op. 14 No.5. New Zealand Symphony Chamber Orchestra, Donald Armstrong (conductor). Naxos 8.557671. (66' 55").

Born in Germany in 1745, Carl Philip Stamitz received early tuition from his father, the leader of the Mannheim Court Orchestra, the most prestigious ensemble of its day. Sadly his father was to die tragically young, and Carl then relied on members of the orchestra for his musical education. At the age of 25 he went to live in Paris, and found the high-ranking position as court composer to Duke Louis of Noailles. His output soon became prolific, and as a violinist was hailed as a virtuoso performer. He was to find considerable success in London and Vienna, but his absence from Paris was not greeted with approval, and on his return found his appointment had been terminated. Much of his remaining life was nomadic, often directing and playing his compositions, though how many works he composed is unclear, the fact that his scores had to be sold after his death to pay enormous debts fragmenting the collection. The six opus 14 quartets were published in Paris in 1776, and though here played in string ensemble version, only two were described as 'orchestral' quartets by the composer, the 'concertante' quartets obviously intended for just four string players. The remaining two left it open for the leading part to be played by flute, oboe, clarinet or violin. Stamitz was dead eight years before Joseph Haydn, and if he could never quite find melodic invention to rival Haydn, his craftsmanship was certainly comparable, and his emancipation of the cello certainly predates similar moves elsewhere. Even in the slow movements there is busyness, while his writing for the leading violin demands virtuoso treatment. It is clear Stamitz was at his most persuasive in the fast movements, and the New Zealand players respond with considerable vitality, Donald Armstrong keeping the music moving forward at quite brisk tempos. The recording is a model of good balance and inner clarity.

GARRETT: Psalm CXXVI. Psalm XCIII. GOSS: Psalm CXXVII. HOWELLS: O, Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem (Psalm CXXII). Psalm CXXI. SMART: Psalm LXV. MATHIAS: Let the People Praise Thee, O God (Psalm LXVII). CROFT: Burial Sentences. EDISON: Psalm CXXXVII. BAIRSTOW: Psalm CXIV. CHILCOTT: My Prayer (Psalm CII). LARKIN: Psalm CXI. WESLEY: Psalm XLII. PARRY: I Was Glad (Psalm CXII). Choir of St John’s, Elora, Matthew Larkin, (organ), Noel Edison, (director). Naxos 8.557781. (60' 31").

A straightforward performance of a series of Psalm settings and Anthems sung with distinction and that smooth and perfectly shaped tone we have come to expect from the Elora choir. Diction is good, intonation flawless and the recorded sound has a nice church acoustic without blurring the tone. I particularly commend this lovely account of William Mathias's Let the People Praise Thee, O God, composed for the glittering British Royal Wedding in 1981. Surely it is time that Mathias's vast output was looked at by the record industry - maybe Naxos. Most of the settings come from the UK, and it is a sad reflection on religion in that country that nowadays you would have to attend a major cathedral to hear the singing of psalms. Maybe I was Glad just needed another degree up the scale of pomp in the performance, my only adverse comment coming from the booming bass organ notes. So if the programme attracts do dash out and buy it.

PERSICHETTI: Flower Songs. IVES:  Psalm 90. CORIGLIANO: Fern Hill. FOSS: Behold, I Build an House. COPLAND:  In the Beginning. Susanne Mentzer (mezzo), The University of Texas Chamber Singers and Chamber  Orchestra, James Morrow (conductor). Naxos 8.559299. (72' 11").

A splendid anthology of 20th century American choral music combining familiar composers with those yet to become internationally recognised, though the most interesting must be the Philadelphia-born Vincent Persichetti. His musical studies included composition with Roy Harris and conducting with Fritz Reiner, he later joined the group of Americans who have been unmoved by trendy modern music. Persichetti has remained tonally based, as we hear in the seven contrasting Flower Songs, which move from the happiness of Spouting Violets to sadness in The Rose is Dying, all perfectly characterised without overstatement. Often described as an 'eclectic's eclectic' the German-born Lucas Foss is here at his most approachable, while John Corigliano offers a miniature song-cycle for soloist and chorus. Ives and Copland are in religious mode and very enjoyable. Diction falls far short of perfect, but the sound of the Texas Chamber Singers is right up there among the most attractive that you will encounter, while their orchestra is admirable. Not a great deal for Susanne Mentzer, but she has a nicely shaped and focused voice. The sound quality is warm and may have helped to smooth off the diction.

SCHUBERT: Geist der Liebe, D233. Das Finden, D219. Alles um Liebe, D241. Huldigung, D240. Die Erscheinung D229. Die Tauschung, D230. Der Abend, D221

Die Mondacht , D238. Nachtgesang, D314. Abends unter der Linde I, D236. Abends unter der Linde II, D235. Das Sehnen, D231. Luisens Antwort, D319. An Rosa I, D315. An Rosa II, D316. An die utergehende Sonne, D457. Die Sterne, D313. Idens Nachrgesang, D227. Von Ida, D228. Idens Schwanenlied, D317. Schwangesang, D318. Lydia Teuscher (soprano), Marcus Ullmann (tenor), Thomas Bauer (baritone), Ulrich Eisenlohr (fortepiano). Naxos 8.557373. (61' 04").

Continuing the strangely titled series 'Poets of Sensibility' as part of Naxos's complete Schubert songs, we have the composer's setting of poems by Ludwig Kosegarten. Essentially the texts are more happy than the majority that attracted Schubert, the contrasting moods here coming from the use of three voices, the silvery soprano, Lydia Teuscher, contrasting well with the dark baritone of Thomas Bauer. Marcus Ullmann comes from that group of tenors much loved in Germany where the sound seems to come from the head rather than the chest. Between them they ideally characterise the words as with all the releases in this Naxos cycle. If you want to sample before you buy, go to tracks 5 and 6 to hear the tenor and soprano and take the excellent singing of Bauer for granted. Truth to tell, I don't think Kosegarten really inspired Schubert, the piano accompaniments often no more than a dutiful backdrop. Still in the thoughtful hands of Ulrich Eisenlohr he provides a nicely balanced partnership in sound of first class quality.

MARTINU: Huit preludes, H.181. Fenetre sur le jardin, H.270. Fables, H.138. Trois esquisses, H.160. Le Noel, H.167. Esquisses de Danses, H.220. Foxtrot, H.126. Giorgio Koukl (piano). Naxos 8.557914. (57' 10").

Born the son of the village watchman in East Bohemia, Bohuslav Martinu's early life was spent with his family living in the church tower. That required climbing 193 steps, and there, cut off from the outside world, he so mastered the violin that his first solo concert came at the age of 15. That life also bred a dislike for formal musical education, and he originally earned a living as a violinist in the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, staying with them long enough to realise the music he had so far written was of little value. Though he tried a period with Suk, and later with Roussel in Paris, he became a largely self-taught composer producing a vast range of music. Probably too much for his own good, and though many recordings of his music are greatly admired they enjoy a short shelf life. So it is good to find Naxos beginning a cycle of his piano works that show his style passing through the many phases that make Martinu a confusing musical figure. We open in Paris with the Eight Preludes dating from 1929, the jazzy influence of the opening Blues digressing into music where the pungency of Stravinsky is in evidence, before ending with a saucy Foxtrot. It sets the general scene for music that is often quirky, frequently in dance mode and of a light and attractive nature. Girogio Koukl was born in Prague in 1953 and studied there at the State Music School and Conservatory. Moving to Switzerland in 1968 to continue his studies at the Zurich Conservatory, he was to make his home in that country and leads a busy concert life as pianist and harpsichordist. I much enjoyed his playing with the energetic sections wonderfully clean and agile. Try track 20, the Charleston from the Trois Esquisses, to sample his virtuosity and Martinu's sense of fun. He is also at home in the pieces of beauty, Le Noel being particularly pleasing.

CIARDI (arr. Fabbriciani): Gran Concerto in D major for flute and orchestra Op. 129.  L’Eco dell’Arno, Op. 34. Il Carnevale di Venezia, Op. 22. CIARDI: Le Rossignol du Nord, Op.45. Un sospiro del cuore. La Smorfiosetta. Di chi. Piccola fantasia su due Stornelli napoletani. Roberto Fabbriciani (flute), Massimiliano Damerini (piano), Orchestra Sinfonica del Friuli Venezia Giulia, Stefan Fraas (conductor). Naxos 8.557857. (63' 24").

A virtuoso of the flute and piccolo during the mid-part of the 19th century, the name of the Italian-born Cesare Ciardi is now just another entry in music dictionaries, his composition and the role he played in the development of flute playing long forgotten. And so it would probably have remained but for another fine Italian flautist, Roberto Fabbriciani, who has arranged the first three works on this disc for orchestral accompaniment from the existing piano parts. It is known that Ciardi did make a version for orchestra of the Gran Concerto, but that is long lost. Spending much of his life as a touring soloist, the composer eventually arrived in St. Petersburg where he gained considerable popularity. His compositions were intended to display his prowess, his later years seemingly spent as a performing composer. He must have been an extremely nimble exponent, the concerto's finale having the soloist flying all over the range of the instrument. I guess that we (and Ciardi) are indebted to Fabbriciani's imaginative orchestration that adds imaginative touches that were outside the possibilities of the piano part. L'Eco dell'Arno is an exercise in playing a duet with yourself, the dexterity fooling the ear into thinking there are two performers, though it does tend to overstay its inventiveness. Il Carnevale di Venezia is a fun piece that ripples around the instrument in a series of outrageous variations on one of the most famous Italian melodies. Though the pieces with piano continue to exert the soloist's skill, they prove less interesting and generally fall under the heading of 'party showpieces'. Throughout Fabbriciani is stunningly brilliant, the orchestra and pianist doing all that is required.

BACH: Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56. Ich habe genug, BWV 82. Der Friede sei mit dir, BWV 158.  Hanno Muller-Brachmann, (bass-baritone), Collegium Vocale Siegen, Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Helmut Muller-Bruhl (conductor). Naxos 8.557616. (50' 33").

To meet his obligations as a church musician, Bach was frequently composing cantatas at the rate of one per week. That they were often inspired and never less than perfectly constructed was proof of his genius, though some ended up as rather workaday. I don't count those featuring the solo bass-baritone among his best, though they have the sublime sadness pronounced in Ich will den Kreuzstab (I gladly carry the cross) and sheer beauty in sections of Friede sei mit dir. Hanno Muller-Brachmann has that wide vibrato much admired in German performances of Bach, his diction impeccable, and, together with Helmut Muller-Bruhl, shapes the music with affection. Neat and stylistically Baroque, the orchestral playing has a pleasing quality. Well-balanced sound and though there are better at premium price, this is an attractive budget release.

BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9, Op. 125 ‘Choral’. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (soprano), Elisabeth Hongen (mezzo), Hans Hopf (tenor), Otto Edelmann (bass), Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra, Wilhelm Furtwangler (conductor). Naxos Historical 8.111060. (74' 19").

The reopening of the Beyreuth Festival in 1951 for the first time following the Second World War was a very emotional and significant moment in German cultural history. Apart from Wagner operas Wilhelm Furtwangler marked the event by directing a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in the Festspielhaus. The event was recorded but never intended for publication until Furtwangler's widow begged it to be issued following his death. Though he had recorded it more than once previously, it was always considered to be his finest account, yet also his most spacious and idiosyncratic. Whatever the shortcomings - the solo quartet certainly taking time to settle down - this is, above all a deeply moving experience. At times the gigantic musical building blocks that Furtwangler assembles reminds you of Bruckner. The opening movement is purely Teutonic, while the following scherzo is a bumpy journey in terms of flexible tempos. The slow movement is unhurried and has never been more beautiful, and if the finale does not have the cataclysmic opening we expect today, it is generally happy rather than urgent. The chorus does sound in lack of a couple of rehearsals, the solo horn in the third movement a bit nervy, but for a 'live' performance much can be forgiven. The sound is far better than such an unscheduled recording would hold out, and the Naxos transfer is first class.

MOZART: Requiem in D minor, K. 626. Pia Tassinari (soprano), Ebe Stignani (mezzo), Ferruccio Tagliavini (tenor), Italo Tajo (bass), Rome and Turin Orchestras and Choirs of the Italian Broadcasting Authority, Victor de Sabata (conductor). Naxos Historical 8.111064. (56' 12").

Recorded in 1941 by Cetra Records, the great Italian conductor, Victor de Sabata, directed the massive massed forces that were fashionable at the time in a fervent account of Mozart's Requiem. If today it all seems like Mozart seen through the eyes of Verdi, there is no denying the enthusiasm of the performance, the choral forces from Rome and Turin tenacious in their creation of massive waves of sound. The leading operatic singers of the day only add to that Verdi feeling with Ferruccio Tagliavini adding a few sobs to the tenor's role. The two female singers are very fine, Ebe Stignani's rich quality admirable for her role, while Italo Tajo makes a most impressive bass. But it is the presence of the conductor that makes this special, his pacing and affection towards the music undeniable. By the recording standards of the time the sound is good, carrying the weight if not the inner clarity of the performance.

CHOPIN: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35. Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58. Chants Polonaise, Op. 74 (transcribed by Liszt). Grande Polonaise, Op. 22. Polonaise No. 6 in A flat major, Op. 53 ‘Heroic’. Polonaise No. 7 in A flat major, Op. 61 ‘Polonaise-Fantasie’. Alfred Cortot (piano). Naxos Historical 8.111065. (69' 28").

During his lifetime Alfred Cortot was considered the greatest exponent of the music of Fryderyk Chopin, and if posterity has downgraded that to a flawed protagonist who could at times be wilful in his approach, this Naxos series has shown Cortot as an erratic genius. At times he would tear into passages with little regard for accuracy, yet turn to track 7 - the slow movement of the Third Sonata - and ask whether you have ever heard more exquisite Chopin. He does not indulge in a slow tempo for the 'Funeral March' of the Second, but rather dashes through the sonata's brief finale. Another landmark comes in the Third's finale where the runs have the effect of cascading water. For collectors the dates are important as the Second is heard in the 1928 sessions rather than HMV's preferred 1933 recording, while the 1933 version of the Third is making its first CD appearance. The remaining tracks are mostly rarities and surfaces are often noisy, the third of the Three Chant Polonaise coming from a test pressing that was never issued at the time. They have Cortot's bad moments mixed with pure jewels. There is just one more volume in the series to be released.

RAMEAU: Gavotte et Variations. DAQUIN: Le coucou (Premier livre de pieces de clavecin). SCARLATTI arr. TAUSIG: Pastorale and Capriccio. SCHUBERT arr. LISZT: Horch! Horch! der Lerch!, S. 558 No. 9. WEBER: Perpetuum mobile (Sonata No. 1 in C, J. 138: Presto). SCHUMANN: Traumes Wirren (Fantasiestucke, Op.12). SCHUMANN arr. LISZT: Fruhlingsnachte, S.568. BRAHMS: Capriccio in B minor, Op.76 No.2. DELIBES: Passepied (Le Roi s'amuse). MOSKOWSKI: La Jongleuse, Op.52 No.4. RUBINSTEIN: Barcarolle in F minor, Op. 30 No.1. MUSSORGSKY: Gopak (Sorochinsky Fair). SCRIABIN: Nocturne for left hand in D flat, Op. 9 No.2. PALMGREEN: Bird Song. The Sea. Finish Dance, Op.31 No.5. LESCHETIZKY: Arabesque en forme d'Etude, Op.45 No.1. DEBUSSY: Minstrels (Preludes Book 1). Clair de lune (Suite bergamasque). Jardins sous la pluie (Estempes). RAVEL: Jeux d'eau. MENDELSSOHN: Piano Concerto No.1 in G minor, Op.25. Benno Moiseiwitsch (piano), Royal Albert Hall Orchestra, Landon Ronald (conductor). Naxos Historical 8.111116. (79' 35").

Having explored the recordings made in Benno Moiseiwitsch's later life, Naxos now turns its attention to a group of acoustic recordings made in London by the Russian-born pianist over the period 1916-1925. He had come to England with his parents in 1908 at the age of 18, later taking British nationality, and it was there that he made his career. Never flamboyant on stage, he gained a considerable reputation when the English concert circuit was short of major keyboard exponents. His technique never seeking the virtuosity of today’s firebrands, the clarity of his fingers was his great attribute. If he rarely took his audience into the realms of musical revelations, the 'encore' contents of this disc show that he could delight. Try track 17, Leschetizky's seldom heard Arabesque, to enjoy the magical effects he could generate, while his three Debussy pieces shimmer with great beauty. Strangely he was at this point of his career less persuasive in the Brahms and Schubert era. Mendelssohn's concerto sparkles with youthful happiness, and though at that time the sound of the orchestra was primitive, the piano sound is amazingly good. Elsewhere surface noise is much in evidence, though the Naxos people have once again worked wonders. A disc mainly for Moiseiwitsch admirers.

SCOTT: Within the Garden of my Heart. MARSHALL: Dear Love, Remember Me. MASSENET: Manon - Chiudo gli occhi. TRAD: Molly Branigan. A Foggy Dew. The Low Back'd Car. BIMBONI: Sospiri. KENNEDY: Say 'Au Revoir', but not 'Goodbye'. TOURS: Mother O' Mine. RONALD: Down in the Forest. BIZET: Carmen - Votre mere avec moi. CADMAN: I hear a thrush at eve. TOSTI: Goodbye. SILESU: A little love, A little kiss. VERDI: Rigoletto Act 1 - Questa o Quella. MASON: Nearer my God to The. THOMAS: Eileen Allanah. HATTON: Goodbye, Sweetheart, Goodbye. PARKYNS: Le Portraif. LEROUX: Le Nil. SCHUBERT: Ave Maria. MASCAGNI: Ave Maria. John McCormack (tenor) with Lucy Isabelle Marsh, (soprano), Fritz Kreisler (violin). Naxos Historical 8.110331. (78' 07").

The fourth volume in the complete recordings of the Irish-born tenor, John McCormack, focuses on Victorian songs and popular Irish ballads. Born in Ireland in 1884 and at first self-taught, he moved to Italy for further vocal training and at first appeared on the provincial opera stage in Italy. He was later to become a favourite at London's Covent Garden before taking America citizenship where he enjoyed much popularity in opera. I always have reservations about a voice that could never rid itself of its Irish origins, but he proved so popular singing the type of music on this disc, he brought his stage career to an end in his mid-thirties. In this field I turn off, the singing mannered and self-indulgent, yet in the midst of this you find the Manon aria which is so gorgeous you question his musical judgement. I have to accept this release is a compilation of his best selling discs and in the nostalgia market it will be greatly welcomed. Transfers to CD are of high quality, Kreisler adding a sweet-toned solo in the Mascagni.