THE BEST CLASSICAL MUSIC CDs

THE BEST CLASSICAL MUSIC CDs OF THE YEAR

From the Desk of Esther Cohen-Hamilton

Maw: Odyssey; Dance Scenes: City of Birmingham Symphony/ Rattle/ Philharmonia/ Harding. Rating: . Two CDs.

Now that the absurd hype surrounding the premiere of Nicholas Maw's opera Sophie's Choice at Covent Garden last December has evaporated, we can get back to appreciating what a good composer Maw can be with this timely reissue of his greatest orchestral achievement. At 95 minutes, Odyssey is quite possibly the longest unbroken span of orchestral music ever written. More importantly, though, it is a wonderful demonstration of Maw's powers of organisation and thematic integration, and of the natural expressiveness of his musical language. Maw could have been described as a neo-Romantic long before the term was invented, but as the 1985 Odyssey and the far slighter Dance Scenes show, his style is totally without contrivance; this is the music of a composer who has taken the threads of early 20th-century modernism to a very different endpoint from that of most of his contemporaries. -A. Clemint.

Respighi: La Boutique Fantasque, etc: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/ Noseda. Rating:
Ottorino Respighi was among the greatest of orchestrators, and here he sumptuously transforms other composers' music. His sparkling arrangements of Rossini's late inspirations, the Sins of Old Age, which make up the ballet La Boutique Fantasque, here inspire an exhilarating performance from Gianandrea Noseda and the BBC Philharmonic. La Pentola Magica, The Magic Pot, is a ballet score that remained unpublished until after the composer's death. It draws on rare Russian sources in a gentle sequence of 10 brief movements, again beautifully orchestrated. The Prelude and Fugue in D, the most spectacular item, is an exuberant realisation of Bach's organ original, pulling out all the orchestral stops in a resounding display. A great recording. Ed. Greinfeld.

Mahler: Symphony No 6: London Symphony/ Jansons. Rating: . Two CDs.
It is only a couple of months since Mariss Jansons's recordings of Mahler's First and Ninth Symphonies, recorded in concert with the Oslo Philharmonic, were released on the Simax label, revealing the conductor to be an instinctive and highly committed Mahlerian. This version of the Sixth, taken from performances with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican last November, reinforces that impression. His account of Mahler's most uncompromisingly tragic work has sweep and scope, and it is superbly played. Tempos tend to be fast, and textures relatively light, as if Jansons had noted that the Sixth is the most classical of Mahler's symphonies; in placing the Andante before the Scherzo, he follows Mahler's second thoughts rather then the original conception. A bit more weight in some of the climaxes, more anguish wrung out of some of the melodic lines, would have made the performance even more impressive. As it is, at bargain price, the discs come highly recommended. -A. Clemint.

Martha Argerich and Friends Play Chamber Music by Brahms and Mendelssohn. RATING:
When it comes to sheer dynamic artistry there are few to excel the pianist Martha Argerich. She lights up her performances with her spellbinding virtuosity and, more important, her fervour, brilliance and thoroughbred musicianship. In Brahms's sonata for two pianos, she is partnered by the Russian virtuoso Lilya Zilberstein — and a formidable pair they make. First composed as a string quartet, this powerful work was converted into a two-piano sonata at the prompting of Clara Schumann, who then made more criticisms so that it finally emerged as the Piano Quintet. But the sonata version has its own validity; and in a performance such as this, when its profusion of ideas is governed by a sense of musical architecture, it is a rewarding experience. So is Mendelssohn's D minor Trio, Op 49, in which Argerich is joined by the brothers Renaud and Gautier Capuçon (violin and cello). What a lovely work this is and how we undervalue Mendelssohn. It is clear that Argerich inspired her younger colleagues to emulate her delight in the music, notably in the intimacy of the Andante and the quicksilver Scherzo. These performances were recorded at last summer's Lugano Festival and the disc is dedicated to the memory of Jürg "Abdul" Grand, founder-director of the Argerich project at the festival, whose humour and hospitality will also be sadly missed by visitors to the EMI office in Salzburg.-M. McKennedy.