This companion box to last year’s excellent Westminster Chamber Music set is far less consistent in quality, and contains more recordings from the small but adventurous Westminster Company of the 1950s and 60s. While containing many items of interest and some fascinating performances, sound quality or standards of execution often relegate these versions to secondary status.  For example, Hermann Scherchen was a galvanising conductor whose wide repertoire included Beethoven, Mahler, Glière’s Symphony No 3 (Ilya Muromets) and Bach’s B Minor Mass, all represented here, but he is often let down by the loose ensemble and less-than-uniform intonation of the Vienna Opera Orchestra. They are best in Haydn Symphonies. A disc featuring the London Symphony Orchestra of 1962 (with Marriner among the violins) establishes Pierre Monteux’s conception of Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet with no problems. Monteux makes the later scenes with Friar Laurence (David Ward) unusually convincing, but the Vienna orchestra is sloppy in the accompanying Symphonie Fantastique under René Liebowitz. The Royal Philharmonic is in another class altogether, playing Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, Symphony No 4 and Violin Concerto for Artur Rodzinski. They had to be: Rodzinski reputedly conducted with a loaded pistol at his side.  We’re on stronger ground with solo…

Hoang Pham is a young pianist of Vietnamese background who studied in Australia and subsequently the US. He now has an international career, appearing frequently in America and Europe. In 2013 he gave a series of recitals in Melbourne, one of which is preserved in this live recording.  Pham’s program is formidable: Beethoven’s Pathétique, Scriabin’s Poème and Sonata No 9 (Black Mass), Bach’s Partita No 2 and, last but not least, Liszt’s Petrarch Sonnet and Dante Sonata from the Second Year of Pilgrimage (Italy).  At first I thought one of the less often played Beethoven sonatas would have been a smarter choice, however, this is a fresh and first-rate performance of the Pathétique. The drama of the first movement is well paced, the cantabile of the second movement affecting, and the finale exhilarating. The contrasting works by Scriabin are possibly the highlight of the recital. Pham presents the composer’s rigorous, highly chromatic late Sonata with great clarity of line.  He is clearly a pianist who relishes the Romantic tradition, once again emphasising the lyrical side of Liszt’s Petrarch Sonnet (a piano transcription of an earlier song) and plunging fearlessly into the pianistic rhetoric of the Dante Sonata. If this piece…

In his native China, Yundi is as close to a pop star as a classical musician can get, with millions of Twitter followers, screaming fans, and sold-out tours. On hearing this fresh and sometimes even inspired performance of the venerable old Emperor Concerto, it’s easy to understand the fuss. Of course having Daniel Harding conduct the Berlin Philharmonic is a huge bonus, his tempi generally quick but never sounding rushed, and with the whole thing having a sense of excitement. But from the moment Yundi himself enters with that famous theme, it’s clear that this is a young soloist who really has the goods, oddly enough, without affectation or mannerism – just lovely clear, musical insight and a singing, legato line. And then there’s the slow movement, which really is so rapt in mood and played with such poetic lyricism that you not only start falling in love with it all over again but even consider comparing Yundi’s spell-binding performance with that of the greats. The coupling, though, is rather unusual, Schumann’s solo-piano Fantasie in C Major, presumably there for a good reason but it’s one that’s not immediately apparent. Good enough in itself, Schumann’s three-movement classic, which originated in…

The writer first connected with English folk songs – but wishes he’d started violin lessons a little earlier.

Having previously recorded Beethoven’s complete violin sonatas with Corey Cerovsek, as well as some fairly uncompromising 20th-century works, including pieces by Boulez, Bartók and Rautavaara, Paavali Jumpanen has released a two-disc set of Beethoven’s piano sonatas. He’s chosen some of the very earliest works in the Op 2 set, as well as the Sonata in A Major, Op 101, and he concludes with the monumental Hammerklavier. Jumpanen’s approach to these pieces is highly convincing; in the early sonatas, he reminds us that they were dedicated to Haydn through a thoroughly Classical reading of the works. However, there’s an intensity behind the elegance that’s refreshing. It’s clear that Jumppanen realises that Beethoven was already pushing the boundaries of the Classical style, showing a firm understanding of the works’ progressive nature. The Sonata in F Minor begins with an arpeggiated melody highly reminiscent of Haydn himself, but it’s only a short time before the storm clouds gather. Take for example, the passionate last movement, which is full of gestures that signify what was to come for Beethoven’s stylistic development – we hear crashing bass chords paired with rapid-fire scalic passages. The Sonata in A is a more restrained work, and it’s worthwhile…

There’s something so inviting about this second installment in Leif Ove Andsnes’ Beethoven Piano Concertos cycle, as if the pianist/director and ever-so-sympatico Mahler Chamber Orchestra are offering a sparklingly restored heritage hotel, blazing fireplace and all, to the cold and weary musical traveller.  The engaging moods of Beethoven’s Concertos can claim some credit in themselves, but just as in the critically acclaimed previous recording of One and Three by the same players, it’s the lack of hang-ups and a maximum of good-vibes that makes you want to be best friends with these performances, right from the opening ritornello of No. Two that takes off with a smile on its face.  Andsnes himself then brings all the enthusiasm and attention to detail of the perfect dinner-host. And it’s a well-balanced meal being served up, always lyrical, with the slow movements in particular achieving an extraordinary balance between lightness of touch, profundity of meaning, depth of emotion and sheer take-your-breath-away beauty.  In the outer movements, the melodies extend the view toward the musical horizons, and yet every moment in its own right seems so filled with musical detail, the diversity of instrumental colours and the shifting points of focus constantly prompting the…

Having been placed in the top three of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Sean Chen’s debut CD comes with certain expectations. Although the works he has chosen for this live performance cover well-trodden ground, his powerful technique and highly musical phrasing ensure that even familiar works such as Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata sound bold and fresh-faced. I was particularly taken with his recording of Brahms’ Variations on an Original Theme. It’s a work I’ve heard several times before, and I have to confess that I’ve never been very taken with it. However, Chen’s performance brings out the lightness that is so often missing – there are some wonderfully delicate moments, and his phrasings are remarkably natural. Although an unusual choice for a concert closer (why venture into the 20th century for only a few minutes after over an hour of lush romantic writing?), Bartók’s Etudes close the CD with a wonderfully acidic bite. Perhaps it’s because this is a live recording, but the more bass-heavy passages in the Beethoven and Brahms become rather smudged at times. If you prefer your Romantic music to be cleanly delineated, this may a concern. That being said, there’s an irresistible sense of thrust and drive in the faster movements…

Equal respect given to composers old and new, from a variety of genres and nations, in a remarkable orchestral performance. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Chief Conductor David Robertson will head a seven-city Chinese musical odyssey in June. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Ji Won Kim in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto headlines orchestra’s season opening concert.

Given the period instruments this may not be the definite recording of Beethoven’s intimate music for cello, but it’s certainly up there with the likes of Fournier and Rostropovich.

Ray Chen wins hearts and minds with Shostakovich while Matheuz has a few idiosyncratic ideas on offer.