August 2010
The 20 greatest pianists
Today's top players name the best performers ever heard on disc
Playing fast
We meet Dominic Piers Smith, Formula 1 car designer… and concert pianist
Philip Glass
Nick Shave looks at the work of the leading US minimalist in Composer of the Month
Schumann's Piano Concerto
Jessica Duchen names the best recordings of this Romantic masterpiece
On Sale Date:
05/07/2010
Issue Number:
11 
On the Cover Disc
Simon Trpčeski stars as the soloist in Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, the Russian composer's last composition for piano and orchestra. Sir Andrew Davis conducts. Your free cover CD also includes Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 3, performed by the BBC Philharmonic under Gianandrea Noseda.
This issue's BBC Music choices
RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Pushkin Romances
Dmitri Hvorostovsky (baritone)
'Hvorostovsky, passionate and forceful, brings these songs to life'
CHAMBER
Martinu: Cello Sonatas Nos 1-3
Paul Watkins (cello), Huw Watkins (piano)
'Paul and Huw Watkins capture the pungency and depth of Martinu'
CHORAL & SONG
Poulenc: Figure Humaine
Tenebrae/Nigel Short
'Tenebrae is equal to every challenge and conveys Poulenc's sense of fragility'
INSTRUMENTAL
Dutilleux: Piano pieces
Robert Levin and Ya-Fei Chuang (piano)
'Robert Levin gives us a powerful account of Dutilleux's majestic Sonata'
JAZZ
Weather Report
Live in Germany 1971
'This early telecast by Weather Report is an excellent and important find'
ORCHESTRAL
Panufnik: Orchestral works
Polish Radio SO/Lukasz Borowicz
'This first volume of a new series is an ideal introduction to Panufnik's work'
OPERA
Handel: arias
Max Emanuel Cencic (countertenor)
'A comprehensive summation of Handel's Italian-opera genius'
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Classical Music Competition Guide
The most exciting classical music competitions.
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We present forthcoming seasons from a variety of companies
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For beginner, amateur or professional musicians.
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A wide range of classical music festivals to suit all tastes.
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This month's BBC Music choices
RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Beethoven: String Trios, Op. 9 Nos 1-3
Trio Zimmermann
'The playing is dazzling, combining warmth and clarity'
CHAMBER
The Father, the Son and the Godfather: Trio Sonatas by JS Bach, CPE Bach, Telemann
'Compelling soloists with virtuosity and insight to burn'
CHORAL & SONG
Stimme der Sehnsucht: Songs by Mahler, Strauss, Pfitzner
Christianne Stotijn
'Stotijn takes the imaginative high ground from the start'
DVD
Pergolesi: Adriano in Siria
Marina Comparato, Lucia Cirill, Annamaria dell'Oste etc; Accademia Bizantina/ Ottavio Dantone
'Realised with vibrant, breathtaking musicianship'
INSTRUMENTAL
Mozart: Keyboard Music
Kristian Bezuidenhout
'Bezuidenhout brings out all the drama and intensity'
JAZZ
Michel Portal: Baïlador
Michel Portal, Ambrose Akinmusire, Bojan Z, Lionel Loueke, Scott Colley, Jack DeJohnette
'Portal confirms himself as one of the most impressive bass clarinet and soprano sax players'
ORCHESTRAL
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15
Royal Concertgebouw/ Bernard Haitink
'The Concertgebouw delivers sensationally taut playing'
OPERA
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Albert Dohmen, Georg Zeppenfeld etc; Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra & Choir/ Marek Janowski
'This Meistersinger is imbued with incessant vitality and energy'