Contents
GRAMOPHONE
LETTERS
6
Ring things and surround sound dreams EDITOR’S CHOICE 10 The best new recordings of the month
SOUNDBITES FOR THE RECORD
12
Contract signings and Donald Runnicles in Scotland – the latest classical news MY TOP 10 17 A wish-list: ten recordings from the LP era that really should be on CD INTERVIEW 19 Fabio Luisi on his Strauss mission with the Dresden Staatskapelle DIARY 21 Joanna MacGregor goes on tour to Mexico with the Britten Sinfonia PHILIP KENNICOTT 23 Where is the gadget that will enhance the classical listening experience? SIMON CALLOW 24 Music in films is a threat to the truly innocent ear REVIEW OF THE DECADE 26 James Inverne and James Jolly look back over 10 years of music NORTH AMERICA SPOTLIGHT A1 (North American edition only) A look at musical life in Montreal
FEATURES COVER STORY
36
The Award-winning Pavel Haas Quartet lead the vanguard of young string quartets THE SERIOUS COMEDIAN 42 Why there’s more to Sir Arthur Sullivan than patter songs and pathos RE-WRITING BRAHMS 46 Dejan Lazíc recasts Brahms’s Violin Concerto for piano and orchestra EDUCATION FOCUS 48 Choirs, recorders and a school report, plus a directory of choral courses THE COLLECTION 58 Fabrice Fitch listens to recordings of Tallis’s magnificent Spem in alium
COVER LARRY FORD CONTENTS MARCO BORGGREVE, REG WILSON/EMI ARCHIVES COVER CD SHUTTERSTOCK
REVIEWS ORCHESTRAL
66
Bernard Haitink conducts Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony; Harry Blech and the London Mozart Players recalled ORCHESTRAL ROUND-UP 73 Previn and Ermler conduct Tchaikovsky CHAMBER 74 Christian Lindberg goes for Baroque INSTRUMENTAL 78 Well-Tempered Woodward VOCAL 84 More Schubert from Matthias Goerne; The Prince Consort sing Ned Rorem OPERA 92 A Bayreuth Dutchman conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch DVD 94 Peer Gynt, plus Daugherty’s Jackie O and a Royal Philharmonic history DVD ROUND-UP 97 A selection of ballet on film REPLAY 98 Vibrant violinists and festival treats BOOKS 102 Havergal Brian’s writings, Britten’s diaries and a social history of opera
SOUNDWAVES TUNE SURFING
104
Hyperion joins the download revolution
MUSICAL JOURNEYS SEEN AND HEARD 107 Leipzig and Berlin mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall LIVE MUSIC 111 The best concerts from around the world
HIGH-FIDELITY AUDIO AND VISUAL
The beginning of the end for CD?
112
FINALE MY MUSIC
130
Financier Leopold de Rothschild SUBSCRIPTIONS 30 CLASSIFIEDS 120 NEW RELEASES 124 REVIEWS INDEX 128
36ThePavel Haas Quartet: young chamber champions
58 The Collection – which Spem?
112 The Denon AVR-1910
130 Leopold de Rothschild www.gramophone.co.uk
GRAMOPHONE FEBRUARY 2010 3
