Celebrating The Piano

Vintage recordings by pianist Claudio Arrau on the latest BBC Music magazine free cover disc, presumably to tie in with Radio 3's piano season. Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata and Les Adieux Sonata plus Schumann's Carnaval. All of which I have on other recordings but as time goes on the frequency with which the magazine cover disc features works new to me is likely to decrease.

Classically Civilised

Haydn : Symphonies Nos 76, 77, 78 Performers : The Hanover Band directed by Roy Goodman Relatively early period instrument recording of Haydn but fine sound and playing.

Bohemian... No I Won't Say It !

Dvorak : Piano Quintet, piano quartet. Performers : Schubert Ensemble. Chamber music making out of the top drawer.

A Left Field Take On English Pastoral

Saltash Bells : John Surman soprano, tenor and baritone saxophones, bass and contra bass clarinets, harmonica , synthesizer. Mostly very fine, only occasionally veering a bit too close to ambient and only occasionally the synth tinklings sounding a bit dated.

A World In A Grain Of Sand

The English Song Series 22. Britten : Songs and Proverbs of William Blake, Tit for Tat, Folk Songs. Performers : Roderick Williams baritone, Iain Burnside piano.

Is it All Pastoral ?

British Clarinet Sonatas Volume 1. Performers : Michael Collins clarinet and Michael McHale piano. Sonatas by Ireland, Stanford, Bliss, Bax and Howells. Pre WW1 to post WW2 development.

An English Shostakovich ?

Malcolm Arnold Symphonies 5 and 6. Performers : London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Hickox. Encouraged to buy this by the recent BBC Music cover disc of the 1st symphony, am inclined to think of Arnold as an English Shostakovich.

Mass In Summation

J S Bach : Mass in B Minor. Performers : Collegium Vocale Gent directed bu Philippe Herreweghe. Soloists : Dorothee Mields soprano, Hana Blazokove soprano, Damien Guillon countertenor, Thomas Hobbs tenor, Peter Kooij bass. Sublime.

Galway Girl

Steve Earle : Transcendental Blues. A good solid Steve Earle album, made essential for those who know the city by the bay for the inclusion of the town's national anthem, Galway Girl. A few exotic pschedelic Indian touches alongside the expected bluegrass / country / rock mix and some powerful songs.

20th Anniversary Fanfare

BBC Music magazine 20th anniversary issue free cover disc. Featuring a specially commissioned fanfare by Mark-Anthony Turnage which also began the Prom season on the first night but otherwise nothing obviously celebratory. Turnage : Canon Fever : BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Gourlay Dvorak : Carnival Overture : BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michal Dworzynski Dvorak : Symphony No 9 : BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Donald Runnicles