Recent Reviews

Work Title	Composer	Performer	Label	Rating
BACH, J.S.: The Art of Fugue BWV 1080	BACH; J.S.	Masaaki Suzuki (harpsichord); Masato Suzuki (harpsichord)	BIS	8 / 10
MOZART, WOLFGANG AMADEUS: Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major K. 331; Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor K. 310; Fantasia in C minor K. 475; Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor K. 457	MOZART; WOLFGANG AMADEUS	Yundi (piano)	Warner Classics	5 / 9
J.S. BACH - Chromatic Fantasie & Fugue BWV 903; Fantasie & Fugue BWV 904; Fantasie (& Fugue-Fragment)BWV 906; Fantasie BWV 917; Fantasie BWV 918; Preludium BWV 921; Fantasie BWV 922; Fantasie & Fugue BWV 944; Fuge BWV 950; Prelude & Fugue BWV 923/BWV 951; Capriccio BWV 993; Capriccio BWV 992	BACH; J.S.	Masaaki Suzuki (harpsichord)	BIS	10 / 10
GABRIEL FAURÉ - Requiem; Pelléas et Mélisande; Cantique de Jean Racine; Shylock	FAURÉ; GABRIEL	Henri Legay (tenor) Bernard Demigny (baritone) Françoise Ogéas (soprano) Inghelbrecht; Désiré-Emile : Choeurs et Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Francaise	Testament	Insiders Only
MOZART, WOLFGANG AMADEUS: The Piano Concertos	MOZART; WOLFGANG AMADEUS	Annerose Schmidt (piano) Dresden Philharmonic, Kurt Masur	Berlin Classics	9 / 7
RACHMANINOV, SERGEI: Suite No. 1 for Two Pianos Op. 5; Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos Op. 17; Symphonic Dances for Two Pianos Op 45; Symphony No. 2 in E minor Op. 27: III. Adagio (transcribed for two pianos by Daniil Trifonov)	RACHMANINOV; SERGEI	Daniil Trifonov & Sergei Babayan (piano)	Deutsche Grammophon	8 / 9
Songs by Debussy, Fauré, & Schubert	DEBUSSY; CLAUDE FAURÉ; GABRIEL SCHUBERT; FRANZ	Neven, Henk (baritone) Eijsackers, Hans (piano)	Onyx	Insiders Only
GABRIEL FAURÉ - Requiem Op. 48 LEONARD BERNSTEIN - Chichester Psalms	BERNSTEIN; LEONARD FAURÉ; GABRIEL	Aled Jones (treble) Stephen Roberts (baritone) John Birch (organ) Hickox; Richard : London Symphony Orchestra,Royal Philharmonic Orchestra	Griffin	9 / 9
RILEY, TERRY: In C	RILEY; TERRY	Maya Beiser (cello, vocals); Shane Shanahan (drums); Matt Kilmer (drums)	Islandia Music Records	9 / 9
IVES, CHARLES: Three Places in New England; Orchestral Set No. 2 RUGGLES, CARL: Sun-treader; Men and Mountains CRAWFORD, RUTH: Andante for strings	CRAWFORD; RUTH IVES; CHARLES RUGGLES; CARL	Dohnanyi, Christoph von (Cleveland Orchestra)	Decca	Insiders Only
WALTER PISTON - Symphony No. 2 CARL RUGGLES - Sun-treader CHARLES IVES - Three Places in New England	IVES; CHARLES PISTON; WALTER RUGGLES; CARL	Tilson Thomas; Michael : Boston Symphony Orchestra	Deutsche Grammophon	Insiders Only
BRAHMS, JOHANNES: Sonatas for Violin and Piano (complete)	BRAHMS; JOHANNES	Daniel Kurganov (violin); Constantine Finehouse (piano)	Hänssler Classic	10 / 10
MIKHAIL GLINKA - Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture LEONARD BERNSTEIN - Candide Overture NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV - Flight of the Bumblebee ANTONIN DVORÁK - Carnival Overture BEDRICH SMETANA - Bartered Bride Overture	BERNSTEIN; LEONARD DVORÁK; ANTONIN GLINKA; MIKHAIL RIMSKY-KORSAKOV; NIKOLAI SMETANA; BEDRICH	Celibidache; Sergiu : Munich Philharmonic	EMI	Insiders Only
IANNIS XENAKIS - Sputum; Echinacea; Phlogiston; Chlamydia II	XENAKIS; IANNIS	Boulez; Pierre : Ensemble InterContemporain	Deutsche Grammophon	Insiders Only
EDWARD ELGAR (Ed. Anthony Payne) - Gerontius in Purgatory	ELGAR; EDWARD	Ian Bostridge (tenor) Linda Finnie (mezzo soprano) John Shirly-Quirk (baritone) Hickox; Richard : BBC Midlands Philharmonic	Chandos	Insiders Only
PETE TOWNSHEND - Tommy	TOWNSHEND; PETE	Ben Heppner (tenor) Roger Daltrey (tenor) Tina Turner (alto) Dame Charlotte Church (soprano) Andrea Bocelli (tenor) Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (soprano) Rattle; Simon : Berlin Philharmonic,City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra	EMI	10 / 10
TAVENER, JOHN: GOD (Theos): Part One	TAVENER; JOHN	Minas Tirith (countertenor); Laszlo Meyer-Thorne (untunable organ) The Clerkes of Canterbury Countertenor Choir and Cantors of the Cotswolds	Chandos	Insiders Only
RACHMANINOV, SERGEI: Etudes-Tableaux Op. 39	RACHMANINOV; SERGEI	Yoav Levanon (piano)	Warner Classics	8 / 8
Works by Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, Chopin, Gershwin, Liszt, Mussorgsky, Rachmaninov, Schumann, Johann Strauss Jr., & Richard Strauss		Janis, Byron (piano) Boston Symphony Orchestra/Charles Munch; Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Fritz Reiner; Hugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra	Sony Classical	Insiders Only
LISZT, FRANZ: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2; Encores by Liszt, Schumann, Falla, and Guion	LISZT; FRANZ	Byron Janis (piano) Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Kirill Kondrashin (cond.) Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky (cond.)	Newton Classics	Insiders Only
SCHUBERT, FRANZ: Piano Sonatas D. 958, 959, & 960; Three Klavierstücke D. 946; Allegretto in C minor D. 915	SCHUBERT; FRANZ	Maurizio Pollini (piano)	Deutsche Grammophon	Insiders Only
CHOPIN, FRÉDÉRIC: Barcarolle Op. 60; Mazurkas Op. 59; Polonaise-Fantasie Op. 61; Nocturnes Op. 62; Mazurkas Op. 63; Waltzes Op. 64; Mazurka Op. 68 No. 4	CHOPIN; FRÉDÉRIC	Maurizio Pollini (piano)	Deutsche Grammophon	6 / 8
Various Composers and Works	BEETHOVEN; LUDWIG VAN BOULEZ; PIERRE BRAHMS; JOHANNES CHOPIN; FRÉDÉRIC DEBUSSY; CLAUDE LISZT; FRANZ PROKOFIEV; SERGEI SCHUBERT; FRANZ STRAVINSKY; IGOR WEBERN; ANTON	Maurizio Pollini (piano) Various Conductors and Ensembles	Deutsche Grammophon	Insiders Only
SCHUMANN, ROBERT: Symphonies Nos. 1-4	SCHUMANN; ROBERT	Zinman; David : Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich	Arte Nova Classics	Insiders Only
GUSTAV MAHLER - Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection"	MAHLER; GUSTAV	Anna Larsson (mezzo-soprano) Juliane Banse (soprano) Zinman; David : Schweizer Kammerchor,Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich	RCA	7 / 8
GUSTAV MAHLER - Symphony No. 3	MAHLER; GUSTAV	Birgit Remmert (alto) Zinman; David : Schweizer Kammerchor,Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich,Züricher Sängerknaben	RCA	9 / 9
BEETHOVEN, LUDWIG VAN: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2	BEETHOVEN; LUDWIG VAN	Bronfman, Yefim (piano) Zinman; David : Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich	Arte Nova Classics	Insiders Only
FIELD, JOHN: Eighteen Nocturnes	FIELD; JOHN	Tyler Hay (piano)	Piano Classics	9 / 9
HAMILTON HARTY - Piano Concerto; A Comedy Overture; Fantasy Scenes	HARTY; HAMILTON	Peter Donohoe (piano) Yuasa; Takuo : Ulster Orchestra	Naxos	9 / 9
JOHN FIELD - Piano Concerto No. 5 in C major "L'incendie par l'Orage"; Piano Concerto No. 6 in C major	FIELD; JOHN	Benjamin Frith (piano) Haslam; David : Northern Sinfonia	Naxos	10 / 8
Various Composers and Works	CHABRIER; EMMANUEL FAURÉ; GABRIEL SCHUBERT; FRANZ WEILL; KURT	Various Singers and Instrumentalists; Steven Blier (piano)	NYFOS Records	10 / 7
SAMUEL BARBER: Motetto; Twelfth night; Easter chorale; Heaven-haven; Let down the bars, O death; The virgin martyrs; A stopwatch and an ordnance map; To be sung on the water; Reincarnations; Agnus Dei; Sure on this shining night; Happy birthday, Sam Barber	BARBER; SAMUEL	Banks; Eric : The Esoterics	Terpsichore Records	Insiders Only
SAMUEL BARBER - Choral Music: includes A Stopwatch and an Ordnance Map Op. 15; Twelfth Night Op. 42 No. 1; To be sung on the water Op. 42 No. 2; Agnus Dei (Adagio for Strings Op. 11); Let Down the Bars, O Death Op. 8 No. 2; Heaven-haven Op. 13 No. 1; Sure on this shining night Op. 13 No. 3; God's Grandeur; others	BARBER; SAMUEL	Len Vorster (piano) Ben Dickson (timpani) Lawrence; Douglas : Choir of Ormond College,University of Melbourne	Naxos	7 / 7
BRAHMS, JOHANNES: Intermezzi Op. 117; Intermezzi Op. 118 Nos. 1 & 2; Intermezzo in E minor Op. 119 No. 2; Waltzes Op. 39 (selections) FAURÉ, GABRIEL: Nocturnes Nos. 3 & 4; Prelude Op. 103 No. 3	BRAHMS; JOHANNES FAURÉ; GABRIEL	Clara Sverner (piano)	Azul Music	3 / 8
BACH, J.S.: Sonata BWV 1001; Partita BWV 1002; Sonata BWV 1003	BACH; J.S.	Faust, Isabelle (violin)	Harmonia Mundi	9 / 9
BARTÓK, BELA: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2	BARTÓK; BELA	Faust, Isabelle (violin) Harding, Daniel (Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra)	Harmonia Mundi	10 / 10
PETER ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY - Violin Concerto; Sérénade mélancolique; Valse-Scherzo; Souvenir d'un lieu cher	TCHAIKOVSKY; PIOTR ILYICH	Julia Fischer (violin) Kreizberg; Yakov : Russian National Orchestra	PentaTone	Insiders Only
J.S. BACH - Concerto for two violins in D minor BWV 1043; Violin concerto in A minor BWV 1041; Violin concerto in E major BWV 1042; Concerto for oboe & violin in C minor BWV 1060	BACH; J.S.	Julia Fischer (violin) Alexander Sitkovetsky (violin) Andrey Rubtsov (oboe) Academy of St. Martin in the Fields	Decca	10 / 10
Works by Fischer, Fux, Froberger, Couperin, Staier, & J.S. Bach	BACH; J.S. COUPERIN; LOUIS FROBERGER; JOHANN JAKOB FUX; JOHANN JOSEPH JOHANN CASPAR FERDINAND FISCHER STAIER; ANDREAS	Andreas Staier (harpsichord)	Alpha	9 / 9
MENDELSSOHN, FELIX: Songs Without Words (selections) ALKAN, CHARLES VALENTIN: 25 Préludes Op. 31: No. 8 “La chanson de la folle au bord de la mer"	ALKAN; CHARLES VALENTIN MENDELSSOHN; FELIX	Igor Levit (piano)	Sony Classical	10 / 10
AARON COPLAND: Violin Sonata (1942-43); CHARLES IVES: Largo for violin, clarinet, & piano; LEONARD BERNSTEIN: Piano Trio (1937); ELLIOTT CARTER: Elegy for viola & piano; SAMUEL BARBER: String Quartet in B minor Op. 11	BARBER; SAMUEL BERNSTEIN; LEONARD CARTER; ELLIOTT COPLAND; AARON IVES; CHARLES	James Ehnes (violin) Members of the Seattle Chamber Music Society	Onyx	10 / 10
CHARLES IVES - Songs; Sets for Orchestra (16 songs for voice & piano; Sets 1-3 for Orchestra; Set for Theatre Orchestra; Set No. 5--The Other Side of Pioneering; Set No. 6--From the Side Hill; Set No. 7--Water Colors)	IVES; CHARLES	Susan Narucki (soprano) Sanford Sylvan (baritone) Alan Feinberg (piano) Bernas; Richard : London Voices,Music Projects/London	Decca	10 / 10
PROKOFIEV, SERGEI: Piano Sonata No. 4 in C major Op. 29; Symphony No. 5: Scherzo (transcribed by Nikita Mndoyants); Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat major Op. 84 MNDOYANTS, NIKITA: Nocturne	MNDOYANTS; NIKITA PROKOFIEV; SERGEI	Nikita Mndoyants (piano)	Aparte	9 / 9
Music by Bartók, Berlioz, Ravel, Takemitsu, Mahler, Bach, Poulenc, Rimsky-Korsakov, R. Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Prokofiev, and Bernstein	BACH; J.S. BARTÓK; BELA BERLIOZ; HECTOR MAHLER; GUSTAV POULENC; FRANCIS RIMSKY-KORSAKOV; NIKOLAI STRAUSS; RICHARD TAKEMITSU; TORU TCHAIKOVSKY; PIOTR ILYICH	Various Vocal Soloists Ozawa; Seiji : Berlin Philharmonic,Boston Symphony Orchestra,Saito Kinen Orchestra,San Francisco Symphony,Vienna Philharmonic	Decca	Insiders Only
CARL ORFF - Carmina Burana	ORFF; CARL	Evelyn Mandac (soprano) Stanley Kolk (tenor) Sherrill Milnes (baritone) David Vernier (enthusiastic student chorister) Ozawa; Seiji : Boston Symphony Orchestra,New England Conservatory Chorus	RCA	9 / 9
TORU TAKEMITSU - November Steps, for orchestra with shakuhachi and biwa; Eclipse, for shakuhachi and biwa; Viola Concerto "A String Around Autumn"	TAKEMITSU; TORU	Katsuya Yokoyama (shakuhachi) Kinshi Tsuruta (biwa) Nobuko Imai (viola) Ozawa; Seiji : Saito Kinen Orchestra	Philips	10 / 9
PETER SCHICKELE - String Quartet No. 1 "American Dreams"; Quintet No. 1 for Piano & Strings; String Quartet No. 5 "A Year in the Country"	SCHICKELE; PETER	Peter Schickele (piano) Audubon Quartet	Centaur	10 / 10
PETER SCHICKELE - Concerto for Clarinet & Orchestra MICHAEL DAUGHERTY - Tell My Fortune, for Chamber Orchestra DAVID NOON - ProMusica Sempre! Op. 173 SAMUEL BARBER - Knoxville: Summer of 1915	BARBER; SAMUEL DAUGHERTY; MICHAEL NOON; DAVID SCHICKELE; PETER	Robert Spring (clarinet) Carmen Pelton (soprano) Russell; Timothy : ProMusica Chamber Orchestra	Summit Records	8 / 9
PETER SCHICKELE - Serenade for Three for clarinet, violin, & piano; Quartet for clarinet, violin, cello, & piano; Monocrome III for nine clarinets; Octet for clarinet, bassoon, French horn, string quartet, & bass	SCHICKELE; PETER	Naomi Drucker (clarinet) The American Chamber Ensemble	Elysium	9 / 9
SGAMBATI, GIOVANNI: Sinfonia festiva (‘Ouverture de fête’); Piano Concerto in G minor Op. 15	SGAMBATI; GIOVANNI	Massimiliano Damerini (piano) Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma, Francesco La Vecchia	Naxos	8 / 8

These were the 50 most recent reviews. If you would like to see more, please use the search form on the homepage.

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Much has justifiably been written regarding Seiji Ozawa’s extraordinary abilities and achievements as a conductor, and similarly about his generosity, graciousness, and sense of humor
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