A freshly thought through, energetically executed Berlioz disc; a lovely album that contains excellent performances of underperformed and unfamiliar repertoire that deserves to be heard and championed; a fine, sometimes inspired account of Respighi.
Harmonia Mundi
Classical CD Reviews: François-Xavier Roth conducts Mahler 3 and Benjamin Zander conducts Mahler 9
Benjamin Zander conducts a conspicuously fine Mahler Nine; François-Xavier Roth’s new account of Mahler’s Symphony no. 3 proffers nothing particularly special.
Classical CD Reviews: Colin Davis’s “Berlioz Odyssey,” “Bernard Haitink: Portrait,” and “The Age of Revolutions”
Anniversaries are both the bane and the lifeblood of the classical music industry as, for better or worse, three new box sets remind.
Classical Music CD Reviews: Michael Gordon’s “The Unchanging Sea” and Alban Berg’s “Wozzeck”
Michael Gordon’s score for The Unchanging Sea works better as soundtrack than a concert work; Harmonia mundi releases a DVD of William Kentridge’s powerful staging of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck.
Classical CD Reviews: Paul Lewis Plays Weber and Schubert, Steven Isserlis and Olli Mustonen Serve Shostakovich
Two highly recommended recordings by well-known artists performing some rather off-the-beaten-path repertoire.
Classical CD Reviews: Shades of Debussy at 100
An impressive collection of nine new releases (seven of which are reviewed here). While some might not displace the classic recordings of Debussy already out there, this gathering offers some welcome and fresh interpretive contrasts.
Classical Music CD Review: American Romantics, Mozart Sonatas for Fortepiano & Violi, & Brahms Cello Sonatas
American String Quartet’s disc features the premiere recording of Robert Sirota’s String Quartet no. 2, American Pilgrimage.
Classical CD Reviews: Jansons’ “Resurrection” Symphony, Harding’s Mahler Five, and Steinbacher’s Strauss
Two Mahler symphony entries: one is above average, the other a disappointment. Violinist Arabella Steinbacher delivers a first-rate and strongly recommended disc.
Classical CD Reviews: Mendelssohn music for Cello and Piano, Neave Trio’s French Moments, Schubert’s Octet, and Nelsons’ Shostakovich
Four new albums: the standouts include the finest Andris Nelsons/BSO Shostakovich collaboration to date and the Neave Trio’s wonderful new French Moments.
Classical CD Reviews: Gardner’s Elgar, Francois-Xavier Roth’s Ravel, and Orchestral Music by Ruggles, Stucky, and Harbison
Strong discs from Edward Gardner and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Francois-Xavier Roth and his Paris-based period-instrument ensemble Les Siècles, and the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic, an ad-hoc summer orchestra comprised of some of the U.S.’s finest conservatory musicians.