London Symphony Orchestra – Alto CD

Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 5

amuletts — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 00:35:37 +0000

Alto returns Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra’s critically acclaimed recordings of Jean Sibelius’ Symphonies Nos 2 & 5 to international availability. Hailed as Gramophone Magazine and Classic FM discs of the month upon initial release, Sir Colin Davis is a strong advocate for the music of Jean Sibelius. Davis was once quoted as saying, “conducting Sibelius is like looking at oneself in the mirror. I look in the mirror and see the pitilessness of life, yet I find the strength to go on. Sibelius was happy when he was in company, depressed when he was alone. I am the same’.

Each of Sibelius’s seven numbered symphonies possesses a quite different character, a fact that has led his followers to assert that he is the finest symphonist since Beethoven. These two renditions have been brought back to life in these newly remastered editions from Paul Arden-Taylor.

“Davis reminds us now just how great he is in Sibelius with a marvellous new recording of the Second … the strength of this performance, where a patient (and more involving) build-up leads to a shattering finale. Davis loves Sibelius, and the orchestra clearly love playing it for him. Listening to a Sibelius performance of this calibre, there’s no other composer one would rather hear.” —Gramophone, Album of the Month (Symphony No. 2)

Album of the Month, Classic FM (Symphony No. 5)

Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43

I. Allegretto
II. Tempo andante, ma rubato
III. Vivacissimo
IV. Allegro moderato

Symphony No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 82 (1919 Version)

I. Tempo molto moderato
II. Andante mosso
III. Allegro molto

South American Orchestral Gems Villa-Lobos – Ginastera – Chavez

amuletts — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 00:02:49 +0000

Villa-Lobos etc] “Good to have a recommendable version of his engaging tone picture … performance is excellent and recordings vivid” [Chavez] “Carries the authority of the composer’s direction … A valuable issue” (Penguin Guide 3*)

Heitor Villa-Lobos

[1] Uirapurú 14:07

[2] Modinha (Bachianas Brasileiras No.1) 8:02

[3] The Little Train of the Caipira (Bachianas Brasileiras No.2) 4:34

Alberto Ginastera – Suite from Estancia [11:50]

[4] The Land Workers 2:45

[5] Wheat Dance 3:40

[6] The Cattlemen 1:47

[7] Final Dance: Malambo 3:37

Alberto Ginastera – Suite from Panambi [12:32]

[8] Moonlight on the Parana 5:30

[9] Invocation of the Powerful Spirits 1:13

[10] Lament of the Maidens 2:28

[11] Rondo of the Maidens – Dance of the Warriors 3:20

Carlos Chávez – Symphony No.4 “Sinfonia Romantica” [21:27]

[12] Allegro 7:05

[13] Molto Lento 5:15

[14] Finale: Vivo non troppo mosso 9:07

1-2: Stadium Symphony Orchestra New York (NYPO) / Leopold Stokowski

3-11: London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Eugene Goossens

12-14: Stadium Symphony Orchestra of New York / Carlos Chávez

Jerome Moross: Symphony: Last Judgement; Variations on a Waltz for Orchestra; Biguine: A Tall Story

amuletts — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 23:48:57 +0000

‘Dominating my Critics’ Choice for 1993 are Koch ‘s outstanding discs of concert works by esteemed film composers … Although the disc of Moross world premieres is especially exciting, both are distinguished not only by superb sound but also by wonderfully bold and intuitive performances that capture the distinctive style of each composer” (Gramophone) “his music’s apparent simplicity and accessibility- is often quite sophisticated … this should not surprise us once we recognize counterpoint is basically the science of composition with melody; and the wellsprings of melody flowed for few composers more abundantly than for Moross” (Christopher Palmer)

Symphony No. 1 (1943) [20:07] (John Alley, piano, 2nd mvt.)

1. Theme & Variation 4:27 2. Sonata-Scherzo 7:06

3. Invention 5:12 4. Fugue 3:21

The Last Judgement (1953) [23:06]

5. I. The Resurrection of Eve: Poco allegretto 2:03

6. II. Eve is refused admittance into Heaven: Agitato ma non troppo 1:13

7. III. Adam charges Eve with the Original Sin: Allegro marcato 1:08

8. IV. Adam’s Story (a) Adam and Eve in Eden: Andante con moto 2:18

9. V. Adam’s Story (b) Adam and Eve and the Benefactor: Allegretto 1:30

10. VI. Adam’s Story (c) Eve and the Benefactor: Allegro moderato 4:45

11. VII. Eve’s Denial: Allegro ma non troppo 1:17

12. VIII. The Exorcising of the Evil One: Allegro molto 2:33

13. IX. Eve’s Story: Allegro moderato e marcato 4:47

14. X. The Beatification of Eve: Andante con moto 1:28

Variations on a Waltz for Orchestra (1946/66) [14:17]

15. Waltz: Allegretto 1:16 16. Variation 1: Allegro molto 1:02

17. Variation 2: Con brio 1:11 18. Variation 3: Grazioso 1:31

19. Variation 4: Presto 1:19 20. Variation 5: Andante 2:25

21. Variation 6: Allegro ma non troppo 0:37

22. Variation 7: Allegro leggiero 0:57

23. Variation 8: Allegretto cantabile 2:31

24. Variation 9: Vivace 1:23

25. Biguine (1935) (with N.Z.S.O) 4:43

26. A Tall Story for Orchestra (1938) (with N.Z.S.O) 9:00

Great Anthems & Choruses

amuletts — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 23:47:04 +0000

(Hickox) “fine digital collections sung with fervour and discipline … zestfully infectious … shaped beautifully … brass resonantly sonorous … fully in the demonstration bracket” (Penguin Guide)

01. O Fortuna (Carmina Burana – Orff) 2:48

02. Les Voici (Carmen – Bizet) 4:00

03. A Deux Cuartos (Carmen – Bizet) 2:04

04. Anvil Chorus (Il Trovatore – Verdi) 2:57

05. Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves (Nabucco – Verdi) 5:18

06. Soldiers’ Chorus (Faust – Gounod) 3:00

07. Gli arredi festivi (Nabucco – Verdi) 4:40

08. Grand March (Aida – Verdi) 4:14

09. Polovtsian Dances (extract) (Prince Igor – Borodin) 3:45

10. Zadok the Priest (Handel) 2:58

11. See the Conquering Hero (Judas Maccabeus – Handel) 2:52

12. Hallelujah (Messiah – Handel) 3:38

13. Lacrimosa (Requiem – Mozart) 2:57

14. Shepherds’ Farewell (L’Enfance du Christ -Berlioz) 4:33

15. Lord of the Dance (S.Carter) 3:04

16. Myfanwy (J.Parry) 2:50

17. Linden Lea (Vaughan Williams) 2:03

18. All Thro’ the Night (Trad./E.Jones) 2:36

19. The Long Day Closes (A.Sullivan) 3:49

20. Nkosi Sikele’le Afrika (E.Sotonga) 3:10

21. Ode to Joy (extract) (Symphony 9 – Beethoven) 8:35

Berlioz: L’Enfance du Christ

amuletts — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 23:46:18 +0000

Financial Times’ Disc of the Year; New York Times’ CDs of the Year
“Performance: ***** Recording: ***** ‘Beuron, probably today’s finest lyric tenor, gives the performance an essential idiomatic core in his narration … [Tenebrae are] dramatically alert and glowing as stained glass, the angelic messages skin-pricklingly ethereal.” (BBC Music Magazine) “[Sir Colin’s] revisitation of this truly classic score is utterly and totally compelling.’ (International Record Review)

Disc 1 [41:04]

1. Part I, Le Songe d’Hérode: Prologue – 1:53

2. Scene 1 – Marche Nocturne 8:25

3. Scenes 2 & 3 – Toujours Ce Rêve! 8:49

4. Scene 4 – Les Sages de Judée 3:33

5. Scene 4 – Les Devins Font Des Évolutions 1:27

6. Scene 4 – La Voix Dit Vrai, Seigneur 4:11

7. Scene 5 – O Mon Cher Fils 8:20

8. Scene 6 – Joseph! Marie! 4:22

Disc 2 [55:28]

1. Part II, La Fuite en Égypte: Ouverture 6:25

2. L’adieu des Bergers a la Sainte Famille (The Shepherds’ Farewell) 4:32

3. Le Repos de la Sainte Famille (The Holy Family At Rest) 6:39

4. Part III, L’Arrivée à Saïs: Depuis Trois Jours 3:33

5. Scene 1 – Dans Cette Ville Immense 5:25

6. Scene 2 – Entrez, Pauvres Hébreux 7:36

7. Scene 2 – Trio for Two Flutes and Harp 6:23

8. Scene 2 – Vous Pleurez, Jeune Mère 4:27

9. Epilogue – Ce Fut Ainsi Que Par un Infidèle 3:08

10. Epilogue – O Mon Âme 7:16

Berlioz: Grande Messe des Morts / ‘Requiem’

amuletts — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 23:45:56 +0000

Grammy Nomination 2014; Gramophone Magazine’s Editor’s Choice; MusicWeb International’s Recording of the Month: ‘[Davis’] last-ever Berlioz recording, demonstrates yet again his unique empathy with and understanding of Berlioz’s music as well as his authority in conducting it.’
Classical Source: ‘Those two concerts in Saint Paul’s were colossal events. I attended the first and have rarely been so moved by the magnificence of stately music superbly rendered … and captured here with remarkable fidelity.’ The Arts Desk: ‘This is an essential purchase – a first-rate reading of a religious work combining entertainment and spiritual uplift.’

Disc 1 [52:56]

[1] I. Requiem et Kyrie 12:14

[2] II. Dies irae 13:38

[3] III. Quid sum miser 3:23

[4] IV. Rex tremendae 6:43

[5] V. Quaerens me 5:10

[6] VI. Lacrymosa 11:46

Disc 2 [41:08]

[1] VII. Offertoire (Domine Jesu Christe) 11:48

[2] VIII. Hostias 3:47

[3] IX. Sanctus 11:27

[4] X. Agnus Dei 14:05

Mahler: Symphony No.7

amuletts — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 23:45:56 +0000

[BBC Music Magazine’s Disc of the Month]: ‘Right from the start, with those dark, dragging rhythms, there’s a sense that something special is afoot here … Gergiev charts the whole labyrinthine course with thrilling assurance [whilst] the virtuosity and sensitivity of the L.S.O – is a continual exhilarating delight.’
’ [The Times]: “This is a terrific, gripping performance from Gergiev and the L.S.O of Mahler’s Seventh, an edge-of-the-seat experience … Gergiev brings an almost palpable darkness, fear and mystery to the three central movements, giving an impression, in the central scherzo, of hot, tormenting laser lights darting in from all angles, and he imbues the outer movements with an almost frenzied momentum.”

Mahler: Symphony No. 7 in E minor

[1] I. Langsam (Adagio) – Allegro con fuoco 20:52
[2] II. Nachtmusik: Allegro moderato 13:48
[3] III. Scherzo: Schattenhaft 9:12
[4] IV. Nachtmusik: Andante amoroso 11:50
[5] V. Rondo-Finale: Allegro ordinario –
Allegro moderato ma energico 16:14

Elgar: Violin Concerto; Piano Concerto; Polonia Crown of India; Civic Fanfare

amuletts — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 23:45:56 +0000

“(Concerto): Hickox unfurls the opening tutti richly, nobley, purposefully … no lack of brilliance, the fireworks are dashingly, tastefully despatched … sudden flashes of Paganinian dazzle”
(others): “The slow movement of the Piano Concerto … with a sympathetic performance from Margaret Fingerhut. Douglas Bostock is persuasive with his Elgarian rubato, which is what matters most.” (Gramophone)
“Polonia is to my mind, one of the finest works Elgar wrote … The nail-biting martial music mixes with spine-tingling Polish themes to reach a gloriously romantic and bombastic conclusion … a splendid reading by Bostock. The disc receives one of Classico’s best recordings to date with painstaking preparation in evidence throughout as his Munich players play with true commitment and dedication” (MusicWeb)

Violin Concerto in B minor, Op.61 (1910) [46:47]

[1] I. Allegro 16:53

[2] II. Andante 11:36

[3] III. Allegro molto 18:17

[4] Piano Concerto, Op.90 (slow mvt) (transcr. P.Young 1956) 6:06

(Margaret Fingerhut, piano)

[5] Polonia, Op.76 (Symphonic Prelude) 1915 12:47

The Crown of India Op.66 (exc) 1912:

[6] March 4:26

[7] Hail Immemorial Ind ! 6:33

(Mette Christina Ostergaard, mezzo)

[8] Civic Fanfare (Hereford, Three Choirs Festival, 1927) 1:22

Dvořák: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8

amuletts — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 23:45:55 +0000

“This beautiful performance deserves to win many new friends for Dvořák’s most Brahmsian symphony. Davis’s love of this music shines out of every bar.” (Gramophone)
“culminating in a towering account of the finale, which unlike many, here emerges as a fully satisfying conclusion”
“More successfully than any other recording, Davis captures the slow movement’s elusive heart of darkness.”

Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, Op. 70 (1884-5) [39:57]

[1] I. Allegro maestoso 11:09

[2] II. Poco Adagio 11:20

[3] III. Scherzo. Vivace 7:40

[4] IV. Finale. Allegro 9:46

Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88 (1889) [39:05]

[5] I. Allegro con brio 10:02

[6] II. Adagio 11:19

[7] III. Allegretto grazioso – Molto Vivace 6:59

[8] IV. Allegro ma non troppo 10:44

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Shepherds’ Farewell / Romeo & Juliet (exc)

amuletts — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 23:45:55 +0000

“Berlioz’s greatest interpreter of modern times recorded it three times, but this most recent version is the most gripping and satisfying, deftly treading a fine line between self-revelation and self-indulgence. The volcanic outpourings of feeling are as intense as they should be, yet in the quieter moments – Davis achieves a wonderfully expressive pianissimo, in which every detail seems to convey meaning’ (Gramophone)

[1] Shepherds’ Farewell (L’Enfance du Christ, Op.25)* 4:33
[2] Romantic Excerpt (Romeo et Juliette, Op.17) 7:20
Scene 1c – “Premiers transports que nul n’oublie!”
Symphonie Fantastique Op.14/H48 [57:10]
[3] I. Rêveries – Passions 15:49
[4] II. Un Bal 6:35
[5] III. Scène aux champs 17:16
[6] IV. Marche au supplice 7:01
[7] V. Songe d’une nuit de sabbat 10:27