Gramophone Choices,
Gramophone Editor's Choices - October 2024
In case you missed it, Presto's David Smith spoke to Calidore violinist Ryan Meehan last March about how the project was born out of the lockdowns of 2020/21, the influence of the Alban Berg Quartet on their approach to Beethoven, and what the ensemble learned from such intensive immersion in the work of a single composer.
Recording of the Month
'What cannot be denied is the sophistication and sheer polish - in tuning, rhythm and ensemble - of the Calidore's Beethoven...Beethoven-playing of rare vividness and technical aplomb.'
Available Formats: 3 CDs, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Editor's Choices
'When it comes to explosively vibrant album-opening chords, it takes some doing to top the Red-Bull-meets-fireworks-show shot of musical adrenalin served up each time by Adrian Chandler and La Serenissima.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
'An essential and authentic document…by a musical master who should be much more widely celebrated for what he brings to today’s fractured cultural landscape.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV
'Most strikingly, these performances are marked by an impressive spirit of exchange. The three players have different temperaments – and it’s clear, as you listen, that they’ve not erased their personalities.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Taneyev: Violin Sonata & Piano Quintet, Op. 30
Boris Brovtsyn (violin), Eldar Nebolsin (piano), Spectrum Concerts Berlin
'With glorious string-playing – in tune, polished, well matched and well balanced – this is a performance that rivals Pletnev’s Award-winner…A disc to warm the cockles of a Taneyev fan’s heart.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
'The overwhelming impression is of a cellist playing as comes naturally, with his very personal, timeless (albeit period-aware) response to the music…It’s a tough field of competition for this repertoire, but this is distinctive and exceptionally finely done.'
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
'From the outset, it is clear that Piboule’s identification with Fauré’s every expressive and rhetorical gesture is complete…surely Piboule’s affinity and depth of understanding qualify her as an eloquent champion.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Brahms Songbook, Vol. 2
Dame Sarah Connolly (mezzo), Hanno Müller-Brachmann (baritone), Malcolm Martineau (piano)
'Martineau’s playing is ever alive to details, always impeccably articulated and beautifully voiced, and his two singers bring a real authority to what they sing.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
'Broadly speaking, his singers lean into dissonance without a hint of surprise and thus Gesualdo’s harmonic eccentricities are soothed by understatement and impeccable ensemble singing.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
'A Schöne Müllerin that combines tonal beauty, immediacy of characterisation and an enriching sense of spontaneous improvisation. This performance simply feels right, and I suspect [Prégardien’s] father Christoph might agree.'
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Mozart: Don Giovanni
Robert Gleadow (Don Giovanni), Riccardo Novaro (Leporello), Florie Valiquette (Donna Anna), Arianna Vendittelli (Donna Elvira), Enguerrand de Hys (Don Ottavio), Éléonore Pancrazi (Zerlina), Jean-Gabriel Saint-Martin (Masetto), Nicolas Certenais (Commendatore) Orchestre de l'Opéra Royal, Gaétan Jarry
'Jarry, a wonderful conductor, gets the mix of titanic fire and deep humanity bang on…This is one of the most compelling, complete and detailed interpretations of Don Giovanni that I’ve seen in ages. Very highly recommended.'
Available Format: Blu-ray + DVD Video
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
