In a review which compared the duo favourably to Steven Isserlis and Olli Mustonen (who recorded Sonata No. 1 to great acclaim ten years ago), Peter J Rabinowitz remarked that 'Vlček and Linnik, like expert white-water rafting guides, somehow manage to keep sight of their ultimate destination without minimising the local pleasures of the music’s constant twists'.
Recording of the Month
Bohuslav Martinů: The Complete Works for Cello and Piano
Vilém Vlček (cello), Denis Linnik (piano)
‘These are interpretations with an unyielding grip, evident both in the urgency of the outer movements and the profundity in between...May we hear more from these talented musicians.’
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Editor's Choices
Ernest Bloch: Schelomo, Hebraic Rhapsody & Suite For Viola and Orchestra
Parry Karp (cello), BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Kenneth Woods
'Karp and conductor Kenneth Woods are attentive to detail, clarity and colour. There’s also no lack of expressive intensity when required, and I would rate this alongside the recordings by Steven Isserlis and Raphael Wallfisch among the very best of recent versions.'
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Edward Gardner conducts Britten
Nicky Spence (tenor), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner
'Rarely since Britten’s own classic Decca recording have I heard a performance of the Sinfonia da Requiem bristling with such visceral energy and structural inevitably as this new account from Edward Gardner and the LPO.'
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Ligeti: Violin Concerto, Concert Românesc & Piano Concerto
Isabelle Faust (violin), Jean-Frédéric Neuburger (piano), Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth
'No memorable performance of such a startling score should be deemed effortless, but this one has the riveting atmosphere of a manic yet fiercely constrained improvisation...the result is a stunning drama.'
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Works, Vol. 3
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Alpesh Chauhan
'Chauhan clearly delights in the sound worlds that Tchaikovsky creates for the orchestra, showing off every group of instruments and highlighting countermelodies, knowing that he can rely on the expertise of the Chandos sound engineers.'
Available Formats: SACD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Just Biber
Rachel Podger (violin), Brecon Baroque
'Podger and her gang serve up kaleidoscopically imaginative pleasure after pleasure here. Her preludes come with especial composed-as-it-goes freedom, often with a really mercurial otherworldliness to her phrasing and metre.'
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Schubert: Piano Sonata in A major D959 & Moments Musicaux
Steven Osborne (piano)
'The Moments musicaux speak with a morning freshness throughout, each imbued with its own unmistakably individual identity...All this is accomplished without a trace of sentimentality and a gorgeous singing sound throughout.'
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Clérambault: Te Deum & Histoire de la femme adultère
Lisandro Abadie (bass-baritone), Guy Cutting (tenor), Samuel Namotte (baritone), Gwendoline Blondeel (soprano); A Nocte Temporis, Chœur de Chambre de Namur, Reinoud Van Mechelen
'The Namur Chamber Choir and A Nocte Temporis produce swaying charm, melodious ease, stylistic finesse and ceremonial splendour in the Te Deum à grand choeur... These exquisite performances shed important new light on Clérambault’s sacred and devotional output.'
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Gabriel Jackson: Choral Works
The Choir of Canterbury Cathedral, David Newsholme
'Is there another composer currently writing Anglican liturgical music as prolifically, and with such reliable invention and appeal, as Gabriel Jackson? Piece after piece here feels like a contemporary classic and – better yet – the singers sound like they’re having a ball performing them.'
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Visiting Rachmaninoff
Alexander Melnikov (piano), Julia Lezhneva (soprano)
'Melnikov is very animated in the Chopin Variations, a propulsive, sometimes restless account...I’ve always associated Lezhneva primarily with Baroque and bel canto repertoire, where her cut-glass soprano sparkles. Her Rachmaninov is quite the revelation.'
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Reissue/Archive Issue of the Month
Sir Arthur Bliss: The Composer Conducts
A 50th anniversary tribute
'Here’s a splendid tribute to Arthur Bliss (1891-1975) marking the 50th anniversary of his death. It also serves as a most welcome reminder of his considerable interpretative acumen on the podium.'
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
