There are a few recordings among this past month’s reviews showing the range of the art song genre. A notable one is tenor Piotr Beczala (pictured) singing Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky romances. Little known, mid-20th century, mezzo-soprano Inez Matthews is rediscovered in recordings of Schubert Lieder made in the 1950s. Baritone Roderick Williams and soprano Carolyn Sampson present Sounds and Sweet Airs: A Shakespeare Songbook, with all the sung texts either by Shakespeare himself or inspired by his plays. What will inspire you?
Anna Agafia, Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, Joachim Gustafsson – August Enna: Violin Concerto; Symphony No. 2
Emőke Baráth, Philippe Jaroussky, Václav Luks – Il Boemo [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]
Baroque Ensemble of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra – The Trondheim Concertos
Rachel Barton Pine – Dependent Arising
Piotr Beczala, Helmut Deutsch – Romances: Rachmaninoff & Tchaikovsky
Pieter-Jan Belder – William Byrd: My Ladye Nevells Booke
Simon Callaghan, BBC NOW, Stephen Bell, George Vass – British Piano Concertos: Addison, Jacob, Rubbra
Chelys Consort of Viols, Helen Charlston – The Honour of William Byrd
Federico Colli, Francesca Dego, Laura van der Heijden, Timothy Ridout – Mozart: The Piano Quartets
Sarah Connolly, Joseph Middleton – Mahler: Rückert-Lieder; Kindertotenlieder; Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Constanze Quartet – Emilie Mayer: String Quartets, Vol. 1
Cupertinos, Luís Toscano – Filipe de Magalhães: Masses Veni Domine & Vere Dominus Est
The Curious Bards – Indiscretion
Philippa Davies, Pumeza Matshikiza, Robin O’Neill, English Chamber Orchestra – A Celebration of Paul Reade
Reinbert de Leeuw, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Edo de Waart – Reinbert de Leeuw: Der nächtliche Wanderer; Abschied
Stéphanie d’Oustrac, Le Poème Harmonique, Vincent Dumestre – Mon Amant de Saint-Jean
Werner Ehrhardt, L’Arte del Mondo – Schmittbaur: Symphonies
Isabelle Faust, Il giardino armónico, Giovanni Antonini – Pietro Antonio Locatelli: Il Virtuoso, il Poeta
Fine Arts Quartet, Gisele Witkowski, Fabio Witkowski – George Enescu: Early Chamber Music
Ádám Fischer, Danish National Chamber Orchestra – Haydn: Late Symphones, Vol. 1 – Nos. 93-95
Rumon Gamba, Oulu Symphony Orchestra – Overtures from Finland
Thomas Gropper, Arcis-Vocalisten München, L’Arpa Festante – Carl Loewe: Jan Hus Oratorium, Op. 82
Emmanuelle Haïm, Le Concert d’Astrée – Campra: Messe De Requiem; Mondonville: In Exitu Israël; Rameau: In Convertendo Dominus
Bernard Haitink, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra – Bruckner: Symphonie Nr. 4
Marc-André Hamelin – Gabriel Fauré: Nocturnes & Barcarolles
Helsinki Chamber Choir, Nils Schweckendiek – Reconnaissance: Kaija Saariaho Choral Music
Manfred Honeck, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra – Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5; Schulhoff: Five Pieces
Owain Arwel Hughes, BBC National Orchestra & Chorus of Wales – Arwel Hughes: Dewi Sant
Dick Hyman – Scott Joplin: The Complete Works for Piano
Noé Inui, Zoi Tsokanou, Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra – Topos: 20th-Century Greek Orchestral Music
Paavo Järvi, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich – Bruckner: Symphony No. 8
Thorsten Johanns, Oliver Triendl, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Ivan Repusic – Gunnar de Frumerie: Clarinet Concerto; Piano Concertino; Musica per Nove; Suite
Olaf Katzer, Ensemble Adapter – Reiko Füting: Mechthild
Konstantin Krimmel, Daniel Heide – Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin
Mihkel Kütson, Niederrheinischen Sinfoniker – Vasily Kalinnikov: Le Cèdre et le Palmier; Symphony No. 1; Serenade for Strings; Intermezzo No. 1 & No.2
Inez Matthews – Inez Matthews sings Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin; Winterreise
Albrecht Mayer, Berliner Barock Solisten – Bach Generations
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, SDR Symphony Orchestra, Antoine de Bavier – W.A. Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 15 & No. 20
Riccardo Muti, Elizabeth Deshong, Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Contemporary American Composers
Thomas Oliemans, Malcolm Martineau – Brahms Songbook, Vol. 1: Romanzen aus Magelone, Regenlie-Zyklus
Bruce O’Neil, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields – Transclassical Concertos
ORA Singers, Suzi Digby – Sanctissima
Alice Sara Ott – Beethoven
Martin Owen, BBC Philharmonic, John Wilson – Martin Owen Plays Strauss, Schumann, Weber
Liya Petrova, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Duncan Ward, Adam Laloum – Momentum 1 – Walton: Violin Concerto; Respighi: Violin Sonata
Raphaël Pichon, Pygmalion – Claudio Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine
La Rêveuse, Florence Bolton, Benjamin Perrot – London circa 1740: Handel’s Musicians
Carolyn Sampson, Roderick Williams, Joseph Middleton – Sounds and Sweet Airs: A Shakespeare Songbook
Jordi Savall, Orpheus 21, Hesperion XXI – Oriente Lux: Dialogue des âmes
Anna Shelest, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi – Anton Rubinstein: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2; Pièces Caractéristiques
Aziz Shokhakimov, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg – Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5; Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
Silesian Quartet, Karolina Stalmachowska, Pitor Salajczyk – Joachim Mendelson, Grazyna Bacewicz: Chamber Works
State Choir Latvija, Māris Sirmais – Credo
Marek Štilec, Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice – Wranitzky: Orchestral Works, Vol. 6
Matthew Strauss, Svet Stoyanov, Houston Symphony, Robert Spano – Jennifer Higdon: Duo Duel; Concerto for Orchestra
Masaaki Suzuki – Masaaki Suzuki plays Bach Organ Works, Vol. 4 – Orgelbuchlein (I)
Tan Dun – Tan Dun: Buddha Passion
Telegraph Quartet – Divergent Paths: Schoenberg & Ravel
La Tempète, Simon-Pierre Bestion – Bach Minimaliste
Trio Dichter – An Invitation at the Schumanns’
Various Artists – Hensel Lieder
Viano Quartet – Portraits
Ulf Wallin, Daniel Vlashi Lukaçi, Sueye Park, German Tcakulov – Allan Pettersson: Concerto for Violin & String Quartet; String Trio & Works for Violin and Piano
John Wilson, Nathaniel Hackmann, Sierra Boggess, Sinfonia of London – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Antoni Wit, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz – Zygmunt Noskowski: Symphony No. 1; Symphony No. 2 ‘Elegiac’
Haochen Zhang – Franz Liszt: Transcendental Études
