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[20 February 2012]
This month's BBC Music choices
RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Falla: The Three-cornered Hat, Nights in the Gardens of Spain, Homenajes
Raquel Lojendio, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet; BBC Philharmonic/Juanjo Mena
'The level of engagement with the music is exceptional'
CHAMBER
Franck • Debussy • Poulenc: Violin Sonata in A; Cello Sonatas
Anne Gastinel, Claire Désert
'A wonderfully intuitive partnership drawing on subtle soundworlds'
CHORAL & SONG
Mare Nostrum: Dialogues of Christian, Muslim and Jewish music from around the Mediterranean
Montserrat Figueras, Lior Elmaleh; Hespèrion XXI/Jordi Savall
'A lovely tissue of local music with Sephardic and Turkish folk songs'
DVD
Beethoven: Missa Solemnis
Tamara Wilson, Elizabeth DeShong, Nikolai Schukoff, Brindley Sherratt; Chamber Orchestra of Europe; Gulbenkian Choir/John Nelson
'The Gulbenkian Choir is fearless and exults in Beethoven's demands'
INSTRUMENTAL
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos 5, 11, 12 & 26
Jonathan Biss
'A testimony to Biss's seriousness and dedication'
JAZZ
Chick Corea • Eddie Gomez • Paul Motian: Further Explorations
'Three veterans working in a classic format who can still make music that sounds as though it was invented yesterday'
ORCHESTRAL
Berlioz: Harold in Italy, Les nuits d'été, Le Roi de thulé from La Damnation de Faust
Anne Sofie von Otter, Antoine Tamestit, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski
'Marc Minkowski gives an energetic, crisp emphatic reading'
OPERA
Joplin: Treemonisha
Cast includes Anita Johnson, Annmarie Sandy, Edward Pleasant; The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra & Singers/Rick Benjamin
'Worth hearing for the warmth of its numbers inspired by ragtime'