CONTENTS
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EDITOR’S CHOICE
The 12 most highly recommended recordings of the month
7
FOR THE RECORD
The latest classical music news
8
RATTLE IN LONDON
Sir Simon Rattle, recently named the LSO’s new Music Director, talks to Geoffrey Norris about his bold plans for the orchestra’s future
10
MUSIC INSPIRED BY SCIENCE 14 Sarah Kirkup reports on an adventurous project which finds London’s Science Museum, Aurora and NMC collaborating around new music
RECORDING OF THE MONTH 36 Sensational Rachmaninov from Daniil Trifonov
ORCHESTRAL
38
Barenboim and Dudamel in the Brahms concertos; Glass’s new symphony; Maazel’s final Mahler; more Prokofiev symphonies from Karabits
CHAMBER
54
The Jerusalem Quartet kicks off a Beethoven cycle; Emma Johnson in Brahms and Zemlinsky; rare Wagner arrangements; Argerich’s ‘Carte blanche’
INSTRUMENTAL
66
Organist Iveta Apkalna in Bach and Glass; a new set of Liszt’s studies; avant-garde solo bassoon; Toccata Classics rarities; Feltsman’s Schumann
VOCAL
80
Birtwistle’s songs; The Sixteen’s Palestrina; Bostridge’s Schubert; Poulenc songs on Signum; ‘Joyce and Tony’ live from the Wigmore Hall
REISSUES
90
Late Böhm released on DG; a magnificent set of the Beaux Arts Trio’s complete Philips recordings
AIDA RETURNS TO THE STUDIO 18 Sir Antonio Pappano has recorded Verdi’s Aida under studio conditions in Rome – Hugo Shirley went along to see how it all came together SEASON PREVIEW 22 Plan your listening for the 2015-16 season GRAMOPHONE AWARDS 2015 32 12 categories, 36 recordings…we reveal the shortlist ahead of the results on August 27
THE MUSICIAN & THE SCORE 52 Marin Alsop on Bernstein’s Kaddish Symphony
ICONS
64
Tully Potter celebrates the artistry of violinist Itzhak Perlman on the eve of his 70th birthday
CONTEMPORARY COMPOSERS 78 Arnold Whittall explores the music of oboist, conductor and composer Heinz Holliger
CLASSICS RECONSIDERED 106 The merits of the classic 1961 RCA recording of Mendelssohn’s Octet from Heifetz and friends
THE SPECIALIST’S GUIDE 108 Alexandra Coghlan on folksong in British music
OPERA
92
Glyndebourne’s Rosenkavalier; Fierrabras from the Salzburg Festival; Albinoni arias; new Wagner stagings from Mannheim and Bayreuth
REPLAY
102
A major new Irmgard Seefried retrospective on Eloquence; discovering Patrice Fontanarosa
BOOKS
Conversations with digital-age composers; Christian Thielemann’s ‘Life with Wagner’
104
GRAMOPHONE COLLECTION 110 Jed Distler listens to the host of available versions of Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations and picks the best recording of this piano masterpiece
PLAYLISTS
A trio of listening guides for streamed music
116
PERFORMANCES & EVENTS 119 The best classical music concerts worldwide
HIGH FIDELITY
121
Reviewing the Novafidelity X40 network server
LETTERS & OBITUARIES 131 NEW RELEASES 134 REVIEWS INDEX 136 MY MUSIC 138 Labour politician Ed Balls on playing Schumann
4 GRAMOPHONE SEPTEMBER 2015
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