LPO reviews
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 'The Year 1905' (LPO)
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Vladimir Jurowski (LPO)
R Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie; Salome – Dance of the Seven Veils; Die Frau ohne Schatten – excerpts
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Vladimir Jurowski (LPO)
Shankar: Sukanya
Njabulo Madlala, Michel de Souza, Susanna Hurrell, Keel Watson et al; BBC Singers; London Philharmonic Orchestra/David Murphy (LPO label)
London Philharmonic Orchestra and Kurt Masur perform Shostakovich's "Leningrad" Symphony
Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony, once thought something of a ‘problem’ work with its obviously descriptive programme and full-on emotional content, now enjoys the limelight with several excellent modern recordings. Here is perhaps the most convincing account I have heard for those who insist that this Symphony should be considered primarily as a musical structure.
Mozart: Flute Concerto No. 2, etc
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Vladimir Jurowski, et al (LPO)
Mozart: The Magic Flute
Of all repertoire operas, none gains more than The Magic Flute from performance in the language of the audience. Jeremy Sams’s translation is deft yet never self-consciously clever, and the cast (all British except for Elizabeth Vidal’s Gallic Queen of the Night) speak the dialogue so engagingly that it emerges naturally from the musical numbers. Indeed, contrary to the usual feeling with other recordings that the dialogue had been insufficiently trimmed, I actually wished more of it were included.