Alto finally releasing a worthy version of this cornerstone of the repertoire. When it was first released the Sunday Times was rapturous; "a magnificent Ninth, done with total commitment under Haitink's inspiring leadership... with splendid chorus and soloists in full cry, and orchestra in blazing form"the slow third movement... moves along at a pace few conductors would have employed fifty years ago. Yet it never sounds hurried, and the dramatic brass interruptions towards it's close have an appropriately apocalyptic ring. The extraordinarily vivid recording, in which the basses are caught to stupendous effect - especially in their passages of recitative... before welcoming the 'Ode to Joy' theme - adds hugely to the effect." (BBC Music magazine)

'Colin Davis leads a superb quartet of soloists and brings out all the humanity and tenderness of the music with his customary skill. The LSO Chorus responds brilliantly.' (Classic FM). 'Colin Davis who meets the work on it's own particular ground with such imagination and style in this version. The great fugal perorations are crisper under Davis - more Haydnesque, you might say.' (Gramophone). BBC Radio 3 CD of the Week. 'This has impressed everyone... a feeling of immediacy and drama tempered with vision and maturity.' (BBC). 'Feel the warmth of Finley's opening bass solo, marvel at the open throats of the LSO Chorus.' (The Times).

dark and intense Eroica, with urgent allegros... The LSO responds with bite and refinement. Excellent bargain (Penguin 3 stars) "Fiery, noble, and imposing was how I described Wyn Morris' earlier recording... and this remake has those qualities and even finer playing and modern recording. [I had dubbed Morris our Celtic Furtwangler, a phrase that later appeared in adverts!]... but the fact remains, Morris knows his Beethoven and conducts it (like Burton speaking Shakespeare) with an ardour and love of tonal splendour that is close to that old revered school of German interpretation: closer than anything we are likely to get nowadays" (Gramophone)

Édouard Herriot once said, "In Beethoven, everything comes from within. His model is not the rule of the schoolroom." This is particularly true of the late sonatas, which contain elements of both an intimate journal (Romain Rolland saw in Op.101 "a day in the inner life" of Beethoven) and total experimentation (the variations of Op.109) before attaining the mystical serenity of the very last sonata, Op.111. Here is Nikolai Lugansky's powerful vision of this pianistic Everest.

This release, part of harmonia mundi's series celebrating the Beethoven year, pairs the composer's iconic and much-loved Symphony No.5 with the far less well-known Symphony In 17 Parts by Francois-Joseph Gossec. The dramatic power and intensity of Beethoven stands in sharp contrast to to the cheerful and gallant music of Gossec. Les Siècles, led by François-Xavier Roth, apply their usual virtuosity and keen insight to both works in performances that are sure to delight.

 

REVIEW:

 

It is hard to recall a more relentlessly driven performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony than this newcomer...especially in the outer movements. It is not that it sets any new land-speed records, though it is certainly brisk. Rather, Roth elicits a consistent and persistent sense of forward momentum that, allied to a willingness to accentuate the coarser aspects of the period instruments, places this symphony as an irruption of the Classical era rather than a blueprint for musical Romanticism.

 

– BBC Music Magazine

 

 

This release is a survey of Ravel's solo piano music, a bold statement from the French rising star of the piano. It includes not only the oft-performed works such as Le tombeau de Couperin, and the Pavane pour une infante defunte but also lesser-known gems such as the pieces written in the styles of Borodin and Chabrier respectively, and the early Serenade grotesque. The album is a tour de force and promises to be a major landmark in his discography. Bertrand Chamayou, hometown: Paris, was born in Toulouse in 1981. Despite his youth, Chamayou is firmly established as a highly-respected artist and is much in demand. He is the only artist to win France's prestigious Victories de la Musique on three occasions. At 20, he was a prize-winner at the international Long-Thibuad Competition, returning there in 2012 as a member of the jury. He has serious approach and has achieved success with his solo albums as well as his recent recital album with cellist Sol Gabetaa.

The great "Eroica" variations are the centerpiece of this program, which ends with two amusingly anglophile tributes, and contains some surprisingly under-appreciated Beethoven. This is an indispensable pendant to Angela Hewitt's ongoing survey of his piano sonatas.

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Vol.7 The latest installment of Angela Hewitt's much-lauded Beethoven cycle is bookended by the great 'Tempest' and Op.109 sonatas. The performances are as usual complemented by Angela's own booklet notes which provide real insight into how she approaches these masterworks.