Today’s stand-out releases include two recordings of neglected English choral works of the twentieth century: Arthur Bliss’s cantata The Beatitudes (1961) and a collection of Elgar’s small-scale sacred and secular works for choir, written between 1888 and 1914. There’s also Haydn from Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra, two cello recitals with an autobiographical slant, and the conclusion of Malcolm Martineau’s wonderful Debussy mélodie series on Hyperion, with soprano Lucy Crowe taking the lion’s share of the songs.
Sir Arthur Bliss: The Beatitudes
BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Sir Andrew Davis
Following the success of his Morning Heroes and Hymn to Apollo (shortlisted for a Gramophone Award in 2015), Davis and the BBC forces turn to Bliss’s The Beatitudes, which received its premiere alongside Britten’s War Requiem at the consecration of Coventry Cathedral in 1962.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Journey to Mozart
Daniel Hope (violin), Zurich Chamber Orchestra
The British violinist's new album sets Mozart's Third Violin Concerto and Adagio K261 (plus a new arrangement of the Rondo Alla Turca for violin, strings and chamber orchestra) in the context of works by composers with a personal connection to Mozart, including Haydn, Gluck, Mysliveček and Johann Peter Salomon.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Intuition
Gautier Capuçon (cello), Jérôme Ducros (piano), Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Douglas Boyd
Gautier Capuçon’s new album also has a deeply personal slant, focusing on pieces which have played a significant role in four distinct stages in his life, Including music by Massenet, Elgar, Piazzolla and Giovanni Sollima; watch out for Katherine’s interview with him over the next few weeks.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Home
Kian Soltani (cello), Aaron Pilsan (piano)
The cellist and West-Eastern Divan Orchestra alumnus explores the concept of home in relation to his Iranian and Austrian roots, with music by Schubert and Schumann sitting alongside Reza Vali’s Persian Folk Songs and Soltani’s own Persian Fire Dance.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Debussy Songs Volume 4
Lucy Crowe (soprano), Malcolm Martineau (piano)
In advance of the the 150th anniversary of Debussy’s death this August, Martineau’s series of the complete songs comes to a luminous close with this recital from one of the UK’s pre-eminent lyric sopranos, ranging from the 1881 Tragedie to the composer’s swan-song Noël des enfants qui n’ont plus de maisons from 1915.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Elgar: Music for Chorus & Orchestra
Brighton Festival Chorus & BBC Concert Orchestra, Barry Wordsworth
Elgar’s oratorios and secular part-songs have rather eclipsed his small-scale sacred choral works, though the seeds of masterpieces such as The Dream of Gerontius can be seen in this collection of rarities, from the early Ecce Sacerdos Magnus (1888) to Give unto the Lord of 1914. Also includes Scenes for Bavarian Highlands and Spanish Serenade.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
