COMPOSERS: Tippett
LABELS: EMI
WORKS: String Quartet No. 1; Piano Concerto; Piano Sonata No. 1; Piano Sonata No. 2; Concerto for Double String Orchestra
PERFORMER: John Ogdon (piano), Yehudi Menuhin & Robert Masters (violins), Derek Simpson (cello) Edinburgh Quartet; Bath Festival Orchestra/Michael Tippett; Philharmonia Orchestra/Colin Davis; Moscow CO/Rudolf Barshai
CATALOGUE NO: CMS 7 63522 2 ADD (2 discs) (1963-67)
This anthology is a mixed bag. It is worth obtaining for John Ogdon’s account of the lyrical Piano Concerto, with the Philharmonia under Colin Davis in incandescent form. Barshai’s account of the Concerto for Double String Orchestra, too, has an engaging sweep and muscularity. But the Fantasia Concertante and the First String Quartet are dogged by ragged and dated recordings and, as performances too, are better served elsewhere (particularly on Decca’s mid-price reissues). Matthew Rye
Tippett: String Quartet No. 1; Piano Concerto; Piano Sonata No. 1; Piano Sonata No. 2; Concerto for Double String Orchestra
This anthology is a mixed bag. It is worth obtaining for John Ogdon’s account of the lyrical Piano Concerto, with the Philharmonia under Colin Davis in incandescent form. Barshai’s account of the Concerto for Double String Orchestra, too, has an engaging sweep and muscularity. But the Fantasia Concertante and the First String Quartet are dogged by ragged and dated recordings and, as performances too, are better served elsewhere (particularly on Decca’s mid-price reissues). Matthew Rye
Our rating
5
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:36 pm