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In 1947, when I was in college, my career as a record buff was just beginning. I loved Wagner, but recordings of anything but short excerpts were scarce because of […]

Wagner: Gotterdammerung Norbert Schmittberg (Siegfried), Catherine Foster (Brunnhilde), Mario Hoff (Gunther), Thomas Mowes (Alberich), Renatus Meszar (Hagen), Nadine Weissmann (Gutrune, 2nd Norn, Waltraute); Weimar/ Carl St Clair Arthaus 101 359 [...]

I had never heard very much of Swarowsky's work on records, and what I was familiar with I didn't much like. Mr Vroon suggested that a brief review of his […]

The problem with the Brahms symphonies is one of building toward a glorious final climax - not loud and brassy, necessarily, but one that in the most natural way imaginable […]

The problem with the Brahms symphonies is one of building toward a glorious final climax - not loud and brassy, necessarily, but one that in the most natural way imaginable […]

None of the recorded Rings now available is anywhere near perfect, so there's always room for another, even though the field is now getting crowded. As recently as 1965, there […]

WAGNER: The Rhinegold Norman Bailey (Wotan), Emile Belcourt (Loge), Katherine Pring (Fricka), Anne Collins (Erda), Derek Hammond-Stroud (Alberich), Gregory Dempsey (Mime), Valerie Masterson (Woglinde); English National Opera/ Reginald Goodall Chandos […]

TIESSEN: Symphony 2; Hamlet Suite; Prelude to a Revolutionary Drama; Salambo excerpts Berlin Radio Symphony/Israel Yinon Koch Schwann 31490--76 minutes Heinz Tiessen (1887-1971) was born in Konigsberg, East Prussia, and […]

SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto; Introductions & Allegros, opp 92+134 Lausanne Chamber Orchestra/ Christian Zacharias-MD+G 340 1033-62 minutes These performances are clean, clearly articulated, and impeccably played, by the orchestra and by […]

SHOSTAKOVICH: Cello Sonatas; Piano Concerto 1; see PROKOFIEFF SIBELIUS: Kullervo Lilli Paaskivi, mz; Raimo Laukka, bar; Helsinki University Chorus; Lahti Symphony/Osmo Vanska--BIS 1215-81 minutes Osmo Vanska and the Lahti Symphony, […]

Jan Panenka, Prague Symphony & Radio Chorus/Vaclav Smetacek--Supraphon 3540 [3CD] 184 min Jan Panenka (1922-99) was probably best known here as the pianist of the Suk Trio. The recordings in […]

FRANCK: Symphonic Variations; SAINT-SAENS: Concerto 4; Waltz-Etude; RAVEL: Left-Hand Concerto London Philharmonic/ Landon Ronald; Paris Conservatory Orchestra/ Charles Munch Naxos 110613--60 minutes Alfred Cortot (1877-1952) was one of the most […]

Marjorie Lawrence (Brunnhilde), Irene Jessner (Sieglinde), Rise Stevens (Fricka), Rene Maison (Siegmund), Emanuel List (Hunding), Herbert Janssen (Wotan); Buenos Aires/ Erich Kleiber Gebhardt 28 [3CD] 183 minutes This recording was […]

Christel Goltz (Salome), Julius Patzak (Herod), Margareta Kenney (Herodias), Hans Braun (Jochanaan); Vienna Philharmonic/ Clemens Krauss Testament 1186--73 minutes Clemens Krauss was an excellent conductor, one of the best. I […]

Elgar, Bridge, Vaughan Williams, Ireland, Delius, Warlock, Wood, Bush Northern Philharmonia/ David Lloyd-Jones Naxos 555068--69 minutes This program contains one or two familiar items, such as Elgar's Sospiri and Delius's […]

Stuttgart Radio Symphony/ Georges Pretre Hanssler 93012-60 minutes Juxtaposed with Clemens Krauss and Karl Bohm, with whom comparisons are obviously inevitable, this release is somewhat less than overwhelming. The SWR […]

STOYANOV: Piano Sonata; see VLADIGEROV STRAUSS: Alpine Symphony; Don Juan; Rosenkavalier Waltzes; Also Sprach Zarathustra; Festival Prelude; Till Eulenspiegel; Dance of Seven Veils; Em Heldenleben; Death & Transfiguration Staatskapelle Dresden, […]

Francesca da Rimini; Romeo & Juliet John Ogdon, Philbarmonia Orchestra/ John Barbirolli--Dutton 1019--76 minutes Sir John Barbirolli's early work on records, before WW II, reflects his employment as EMI's house […]

Anthony Marwood, BBC Scottish Orchestra/ Martyn Brabbins--Hyperion 67208--67 minutes Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) was a friend, pupil, and protege of Joseph Joachim, the famous violinist and composer known for advising […]

BBC Scottish Symphony/ Osmo Vanska Hyperion 67200-63 minutes Osmo Vanska's recordings of Sibelius with the Lahti Symphony on BIS have been welcomed by critics--and by me. He now ventures further […]

BRAHMS: Symphony 1; JOACHIM: Hamlet Overture Oslo Philharmonic/ Mariss Jansons Simax 1206--61 minutes Most of the recent all-digital recordings of Brahms 1 have been pretty uninspired--generally tame, safe, literal, prim, […]

Camerata Transsylvanica/ Erich Bergel BMC 012--53 minutes The music is familiar, the performers and recording producers far less so. The Camerata Transsylvanica is a chamber orchestra formed in 1965 and […]

Idil Biret, Polish Radio Symphony! Antoni Wit Naxos 554088--66 minutes Here is a good, tasteful, well-planned and executed performance of the demanding Brahms D-minor Concerto, but one that is finally […]

Karl Hermann (Parsifal), Hans Reinmar (Amfortas), Ludwig Weber (Gurnemanz); German Opera Berlin/ Hans Knappertsbusch Meistersinger:Act II; Act III excerpts Thea Kempf, Maria Muller (Eva); Henk Noort, Ludwig Suthaus (Walther); Georg […]

Albert Remedios (Siegmund), Margaret Curphey (Sieglinde), Norman Bailey (Wotan), Rita Hunter (Brunnhilde), Clifford Grant (Hunding), Ann Howard (Fricka); English Opera Orchestra/Reginald Goodall--Chandos 3038 [4CD] 249 minutes. The Valkyrie, of course, […]

STRAUSS: Ein Heldenleben; MOZART: Symphony 36 London Symphony/ John Barbirolli BBC 4055--47 minutes Along with Dutton, EMI, and the Barbirolli Society, BBC Records has done a fine job in making […]

James Kreger, vc; Roger Benedict, va; Philharmonia Orchestra/ Djong Victorin Yu Guild 7204--78 minutes I'm not familiar with either soloists or conductor, but they offer capable, well-paced, and conventionally structured […]

Karita Mattila, Violeta Urmana, Thomas Moser, Thomas Quasthoff; Swedish Radio Choir; Berlin Philharmonic/ Claudio Abbado DG 469 000 [5CD] 337 minutes DG's history of Beethoven symphonies in the stereo era […]

BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto 4; Choral Fantasy; BEETHOVEN: Piano Concertos 4+5 Clifford Curzon, Bavarian Radio Orchestra/Rafael Kubelik--Audite 95459--76 minutes DVORAK: String Quintet in G; JANACEK: Mladi Rudolf Serkin, Marlboro Festival Orchestra […]

Czech Philharmonic/ Franz Konwitschny Supraphon 3469-58 minutes Franz Konwitschny (1901-62) was born in Moravia, then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but now part of the Czech Republic. He was educated in […]

Czech Philharmonic/ Franz Konwitschny Supraphon 3467--70 minutes This recording was made in 1952, and though its monaural sound is pretty good, it lacks the clarity and precise imaging and directionality […]

Budapest Symphony/ Gyorgy Lehel, Antal Jancsovics--Hungaroton 1050 (Qualiton) 70 minutes This gathers the overtures to Tannhauser, Parsifal and Die Meistersinger, the Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde, the Ride […]

Halle Orchestra/John Barbirolli EMI 67299 [5CD] 357 minutes I have been pestering EMI to release this great collection for the last 15 years, and now, at last, they have responded […]

Odense Symphony/Jan Wagner Marco Polo 8.224134 (Naxos) 69 minutes Paul von Klenau (1883-1946) was born in Denmark, but spent much of his working life in Germany and Austria. He was […]

Ingeborg Wenglor, Annelies Burmeister, Martin Ritzmann, Rolf Kuhne; Czech Philharmonic/ Paul Kletzki 1, 2, 3, Egmont--Supraphon 3451 [2CD] 117 min 4, 5, 6, Coriolan--Supraphon 3453 [2CD] 118 min 7, 8, […]

WAGNER: Die Walkure, Act I Claire Watson (Sieglinde), Fritz Uhl (Siegmund); Josef Greindi (Hunding); Vienna Philharmonic/ Hans Knappertsbusch Living Stage 347.18 (Qualiton) [2CD] 134 minutes First the good news, then […]

Swedish Radio Orchestra/ Mikko Franck Ondine 953 (Koch) 74 minutes Mikko Franck is a young conductor, in his early 20s, apparently Finnish despite the not-very-Finnish name. Like most good Finnish […]

Tapiola Sinfonietta/ Tuomas Ollila Ondine 952 (Koch) 56 minutes The well-known incidental music to Pelleas and Melisande is in this release coupled with a menu of six relatively unfamiliar pieces […]

Naxos 554432--57 minutes Symphony 1 Naxos 554430--76 minutes Royal Scottish Orchestra/ Georg Tintner In a mathematically logical world Bruckner's F-minor would have borne the number -1, but as this is […]

Ludwig Weber (Daland), Hans-Hermann Nissen, (Dutchman), Margarete Teschemacher (Senta), Torsten Raif (Erik), Karl Ostertag (Steersman), Magda Steack (Mary); Stuttgart Radio/ Carl Leonhardt Tristan & Isolde (Act II): Tatest du's wirklich? […]