March 2013

Informed by our unrivalled panel of critics, we choose the month’s must-hear recordings hoice

JS BACH St John Passion, BWV245 Matthew Brook bar Christus Nicholas Mulroy ten Evangelist Joanne Lunn sop Clare Wilkinson contr Robert Davies bar University of Glasgow Chapel Choir / James Grossmith; Dunedin Consort / John Butt Linn CKD419

Recording of the Month ‘Naturalness and emotional honesty are what emerge from this tight-knit and perfectly paced ensemble Passion’

LINDSAY KEMP’S REVIEW IS ON PAGE 42

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HAYDN Symphonies Nos 6 8 La Petite Bande / Sigiswald Kuijken Accent ACC24272 ‘From sunrise to storm, these players (seven strings, seven wind – petite indeed) are minutely responsive to the drama in these symphonic vignettes.’

REVIEW ON PAGE 46

SAINT SAËNS. TCHAIKOVSKY Cello Works Stéphane Tétreault vc Quebec Symphony Orchestra / Fabien Gabel Analekta AN2 9881 ‘The solo playing is astonishingly mature not merely in its technical attributes but also in its warmth, brilliance and subtlety of colour.’

REVIEW ON PAGE 51

4 GRAMOPHONE MARCH 2013

SZYMANOWSKI Symphonies Nos 2 & 4. Concert Overture, Op 12 Louis Lortie pf BBC Symphony Orchestra / Edward Gardner Chandos CHSA5115 ‘The changing face and manner of this most fascinating and accomplished of composers is richly chronicled here.’

REVIEW ON PAGE 52

FAURÉ Piano Quintets – No 1, Op 89; No 2, Op 115 Eric Le Sage pf Ebène Quartet Alpha ALPHA602 ‘Everywhere the pacing sounds utterly natural: Le Sage and the Ebène are the most persuasive guides through sometimes daunting terrain.’

REVIEW ON PAGE 59

BRITTEN Solo Cello Suites Philip Higham vc Delphian DCD34125 ‘There is no doubting the plain virtuosity of these works and despite his appreciation of their contextual importance, Higham still manages to revel in the glorious sound they invite the cello to make.’

REVIEW ON PAGE 64

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