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BARTOK: The Miraculous Mandarin, Op.19. Dance Suite. Hungarian Pictures. Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Marin Alsop (conductor). Naxos 8.557433. (62' 12").

Make no mistake, the Bournemouth Symphony with their Music Director, Marin Alsop, is more than a match for the world's most famous virtuoso orchestras, a fact stamped all over this new release. It is a refreshing view of The Miraculous Mandarin, the opening sections simply creating the scene for the final agonising story of the girl selling herself to the Mandarin. Dynamics are kept well in check to ensure maximum impact is not dissipated until the story is well advanced, and when finally unleashed the BSO's brass department is stunning, cutting through the texture to thrilling effect. Even here Alsop never brutalises the score, remembering that below the surface there is a story of compassion. The ballet is performed complete, including the optional chorus in the final section. Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra has held pole position in a catalogue bulging with outstanding performances, though I guess their place is now questioned. Alsop continues with a relaxed view that is very much in keeping with the Dance Suite, and is colourful in the five movements that make up the Hungarian Pictures. I am listening to this meticulously detailed recording in standard CD, and there are versions in SACD and DVD-A (6.110088, 5.110088).

HAYDN: Die Schopfung. Sun Hae Im (soprano), Jan Kobow (tenor), Hanno Muller-Brachmann (bass), VokalEnsemble, Koln, Capella Augustina, Andreas Spering (conductor). Naxos 8.557380-81 (2CDs). (104' 18").

This is far removed from the brand of period authenticity that supposedly takes us back to Haydn's day, the Cologne choir very much of the 21st century, singing with a passion and fervour that brings unbounded happiness to Haydn's musical picture of the earth's Creation. The opening scene of chaos is well handled, the luminous C major chord eventually flooding the world with light. From therein the solo singers are most enjoyable, treating the work in an operatic mode, their storytelling having an almost child-like enthusiasm, diction throughout being excellent. With two outstanding male singers, it may be a bit churlish to pick out the soprano, Sun Hae Im, but her silvery voice brings such radiant happiness to the score. All three use vibrato quite liberally, phrases thoughtfully shaped, and pitching exemplary. Spering keeps the score moving with considerable urgency, his orchestra responding with mighty powerful playing at the appropriate moments. I like the quality of the recording that captures the natural balance of a concert hall performance, yet as we hear in the final fugue, the inner detail is always immaculate. So it is a long way from John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir's brand of Haydn in their highly regarded recording, and a million miles from the slimmed down forces of Bruno Weil and Tafelmusik, but I guess this is going to please a lot of people brought up on a 20th century choral tradition. There is also a surround-sound version on 6.110073-74.

CHADWICK: Symphony No.2 in B flat major. Symphonic Sketches. National Radio Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Theodore Kuchar (conductor). Naxos 8.559213. (65' 45").

This is the most important disc of music by George Whitefield Chadwick in the CD catalogue. It is the third to be released on the Naxos label, and, being greedy, we can only hope for more. Born in Massachusetts in 1854 to a deeply religious family, he was only allowed to play the organ and already in his mid-teens before he had inclinations towards composition, eventually arriving in Germany where he became a pupil of Reinecke and Rheinberger. At twenty-six Chadwick returned to Boston, having caused interest in his music in Europe. He was to become an influential musical figure in the States, though his prolific output was essentially wedded to his Germanic education. The Second Symphony was composed over the period 1883-5, and was unusual in its use of a Negro melody in its scherzo. The four Symphonic Sketches, completed in 1904, have that colourful orchestration that guaranteed its use by the great American orchestras of the time, the opening movement, Jubilee, being particularly attractive. It's light textures contrast with the serious aspects of the symphony, though both fall easily and pleasingly on the ear, and are more attractive than many works in the standard orchestral repertoire. Neither could hope for more effective performances, the Ukraine orchestra having that quality of total familiarity that offers secure and incisive playing. The sound quality is of a very high standard, and, as we have said so many times before, at this price Naxos is giving it away.

BRITTEN: Piano Concerto in D major, Op.13. Piano Concerto - Original slow movement. Paul Bunyan - Overture (arr. Matthews). Johnson over Jordan - Incidental Music (arr. Hindmarsh). Joanna MacGregor (piano), English Chamber Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Steuart Bedford (conductor). Naxos 8.557197. (63' 41").

Naxos has combined two releases that appeared all too briefly on the Collins label, the result being a highly effective release. Joanna MacGregor's account of the Piano Concerto did originally fall in the shadow of Svetislav Richter's version with the composer conducting, though she matches the Russian in the smoochy, bitter-sweet, and at times quirky atmosphere, and in sonic terms enjoys a recording with greater impact. Where MacGregor has the distinct advantage is in the inclusion of Britten's original slow movement, which comes as an additional track, so that you can play his 1938 version or the revised 1945 format with the less demanding Impromptu, by simply swapping tracks. In 1939 Britten wrote incidental music for J.B. Priestley's play Johnson over Jordan, an effective suite compiled in 1988 by Paul Hindmarsh. Its six sections are short, often dramatic, with more than a hint of Shostakovich in content. The London Symphony take over from the ECO to complete the release with the boisterous overture to Britten's quizzical look at American folklore in the opera, Paul Bunyan, the piece played in a full orchestra arrangement by Colin Matthews. An extremely desirable addition to your Britten collection and most strongly recommended.

SCHUMANN (CLARA): Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.7. Piano Trio in G minor, Op.17. Francesco Nicolosi (piano), Rodolfo Bonucci (violin), Andrea Noferini (cello), Alma Mahler Sinfonietta, Stefania Rinaldi (conductor). Naxos 8.557552. (54' 00").

Clara Wieck made her first public appearance aged nine, and three years later was touring as a concert artist, at the same time continuing her piano, singing, violin and composition studies. Into her life came Robert Schumann, a piano student of her father who had was allowed to live with the Wiecks. Seven years later, in 1837, his request to marry Clara caused a bitter struggle, Friedrich Wieck thinking Schumann totally unsuitable. The eventual marriage proved far from perfect, Robert's demanding his wife be silent while he composed, a position made impossible by having 8 children in 14 years. Somehow she managed to continue playing and teaching, and found some time to compose. Following Robert's death Clara returned to the concert stage, touring extensively almost until her death in 1896. As a composer she never had any serious ambitions, though her modest collection of works included the large-scale Piano Concerto, a score that mixed Mozart's classicism with the romanticism of Mendelssohn. It is a tender and beautiful piece, with an attractive Romanze before a charmingly happy. finale. It was composed by the 15-year-old Clara for her concert tours, the Piano Trio coming some ten years later and squeezed into early years of marriage. Her style had considerably matured, the melodic, rhythmic and harmonies being highly attractive, the score equalling much of her husband's output. The performance here flows with a gentle lyricism, yet taking infinite care with dynamic indications. String playing is accurate, intonation dependable, the tonal quality falling happily on the ear. Maybe Francesco Nicolosi could have injected more pace into the concerto, his account characterised with affection rather than brio. The serviceable recording quality of the concerto moves to a higher level in the Trio, the players well balanced.

MAXWELL DAVIES: Naxos Quartets Nos. 3 & 4. Maggini Quartet. Naxos 8.557397. (56' 07").

"Finding the peace and tranquillity in Orkney is one of the most important events in my life," commented Peter Maxwell Davies when I spoke to him recently at his Scottish home. Starting life in the grime of the industrial city of Manchester, he is now established as one of the leading British composers in the 20th century, his seventieth birthday celebrations including this series of ten string quartets being composed for the Naxos record label. If the first two - already released on disc - offer every expectation that they will secure a place among the most important chamber music of the 21st century, the Third takes us to a very different musical world. The opening is a cold and desolate march, leading to the most extended movement, a sad 'In Nomine', much of it in quiet and muted colours. The following Four Inventions and a Hymn continue in the same disconsolate mood, the peace of the final movement punctuated with stabbing pain. The Fourth quartet, subtitled, Children's Games, is in one long movement lasting over half an hour, the moments of recognisable childhood music embedded into a scene that leaves you with unease. Whether Davies intended it, the work seems to have all the concerns and unhappiness that will be embedded in life even before we have outgrown our games. We return to a sad peacefulness for the concluding section. I cannot hide the fact that I find these much harder going than the first two quartets, though the cycle appears to be stylistically moving us forward. With the composer present at the recording we have to take these performances as his own wishes, the obviously fiendishly difficult parts played with total commitment by the Maggini, the challenge to produce so many variants of 'grey' sonorities so remarkably realised. The sound quality is remarkably good.

BUXTEHUDE: Seven Trio Sonatas, Op.1, BuxWV 252-258: Sonata No.1 in F major. Sonata No. 2 in G major. Sonata No. 3 in A minor. Sonata No. 4 in B flat major. Sonata No.5 in C major. Sonata No.6 in D minor. Sonata No.7 in E minor. John Holloway (violin), Jaap ter Linden (viola da gamba), Lars Ulrik Mortensen (cembalo). Naxos 8.557248. (57' 30").

Now here is a most welcome surprise, with the reissue of one of the jewels from Denmark's Dacapo record label, enhancing Naxos's burgeoning Buxtehude catalogue. It appeared on Dacapo for the slender reason that the great German composer lived part of his days in Denmark, though in reality Buxtehude spent his life in the service of the Protestant church in Germany, and become the father of the German organ tradition. Among his immense amount of music were the Seven Trio Sonatas, which together with a second book had the ambitious project of a work in each of the major and minor keys. If that sounds academic, the pieces prove to be a wonderful variety of inventions, strong in melodic content, and with a tremendous sense of vitality in the fast outer movements. Indeed there is such a fresh feel to the music, you may even describe some parts as rather quirky, the instruments used with skill as they blend and contrast. The cembalo part is very much in an accompanying role, and while it is the violin that faces the greater technical challenges, the viola da gamba has many gorgeous moments in the slow movements. Holloway is in splendid form, scintillating in agility and true of intonation. Maybe the recording does sound as if it was made in a large empty church, but the clarity and definition is unimpaired.

QUILTER: Complete Folk Song Arrangements. Complete Part-Songs for Women's Voices. Amanda Pitt (soprano), Joanne Thomas (mezzo), Philip Langridge (tenor), David Wilson-Johnson (baritone), David Owen Norris (piano). Naxos 8.557495. (77' 51").

I have taken the heading from the front of the disc sleeve, though you may better recognise a major part of the disc as the sixteen songs published in 1947 as The Arnold Book of Old Songs. Born in 1877, Roger Quilter was musically educated at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt, though he remained quintessentially a British composer. Always happy when working with voices, his salon songs enjoyed tremendous popularity in the UK in the early part of the 20th century, and became part of the singer's standard repertoire. Spending much time helping other musicians, his state of financial security probably robbed him of the incentive to follow up his extremely successful Children's Overture with more light music for orchestra. So we are left with a profusion of highly effective songs, the present invaluable disc containing 36 tracks, a number being recorded for the first time. Quilter collected words and music from many sources for the Book of Old Songs, with such well-known pieces as Drink to me only, Charlie is my Darling, My Lady Greensleeves and The Ash Grove. I particularly enjoyed the songs for female voices, and if you want a sampler try the duet To a harebell (track 12). Of course, Langridge and Wilson-Johnson are old hands in this field of music, just a bit tight at the top of their respective ranges, but their familiarity with the idiom is indispensable. David Owen Norris has been a champion of British song for many years, his accompaniments so in keeping with the composer, and always sympathetic to the voice. A lovely disc and a recording quality that is outstanding.

BOLCOM: Songs of Innocence & Songs of Experience. Measha Brueggergosman, Ilona Davidson (sopranos), Joan Morris (mezzo), Nathan Lee Graham (baritones), Thomas Young (tenor), University of Michigan School of Music Symphony Orchestra, University Musical Society, Leonard Slatkin (conductor). Naxos 8.559216-18 (3CDs). (137' 11").

Issued in the United States last September, we remember the 1970's when the world rediscovered piano rags, and the record charts were buzzing with top selling releases. Among the performers was a new boy on the scene, pianist William Bolcom, playing the rags of Scott Joplin and a number of his own creation. Born in Seattle in 1938, Bolcom's background was in serious music, student days spent in Paris with Milhaud and Messiaen as his mentors. There followed teaching posts at a number of Universities in the United States, including New York and Washington, while writing a very substantial number of works covering a broad spectrum of genres. The Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience have spanned twenty-five years of his life and are intended to show the two contrary states of the human soul. They appear in nine volumes, the nonsense verse we hear in the days of Innocence moving to satire, comedy and religion in the days of Experience. Bolcom has employed a very diverse range of styles, from the conventional classics of the early 20th century to rock and reggae. That in turn requires a spectrum of performers, the heading showing only the major participants from a long list of soloists involved. As a sample try track 12 of the second disc, which comes from the third section of Songs of Experience, a funny but biting satire on attitudes to religion. In many guises the musicians of the University of Michigan acquit themselves well under their distinguished conductor. The engineers have used an 'all in one' approach to the many idioms which are covered along the way, a sensible solution or you could soon get wrapped up in gimmicks. Also released in DVD-A format on 5.110083-84.

KIRCHNER: Duo for Violin and Piano. 'Flutings' from Lily. Piano Trio. Piano Sonata. Triptych for solo cello. Contiuum. Naxos 8.559195. (64' 54").

If you want to come to terms with the way American music is heading, you have to take on the challenge of hearing such composers as Kirchner, and at the Naxos price this makes an excellent starting point. Leon Kirchner was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1919 and established a major career as a pianist and conductor, his time allotted to composition being somewhat curtailed. A student of Schoenberg and Sessions, it is the Second Viennese School of composers who have provided the starting point for his music, though he has remained a very personal voice. His compositions have latterly concentrated on contemporary opera, an extract from his 1977 opera, Lily, included on this disc. The remaining tracks come from his mid-career in the 1940's and 50's, moments of tonality embedded in music that is otherwise atonal. I suppose as a quick and rough guide to stylistic content, you would have to think of Berg with just a hint of Hindemith. It certainly needs effort by the listener to come to terms with his idiom, and maybe it is best to take the easy route by starting with track 2, the pleasant 'Flutings' for solo flute. Elsewhere the works make considerable demands on the performers, both in terms of agility and complexity of texture. Continuum's piano trio give a highly detailed account of a fiendishly difficult work, with Garrick Ohlsson's performance of the Piano Sonata capturing the density of the score with superb adroitness, and while a piano's recorded tone is a very personal matter, this one is not to my taste. Otherwise the recording quality is very acceptable.

FROBERGER: Suite Nos. 20 & 30. Keyboard Works Book 2 - Three Toccatas. Partita auff die Mayerin. Tombeau fait a Paris sur la mort de Monsieur Blancheroche. Keyboard Works, Book 6 - Three Toccatas. Lamento sopra la dolorosa perdita della Real Maesta di Ferdinando IV Re de Romini. Sergio Vartolo (harpsichord). Naxos 8.557472-73 (2CDs). (111' 59").

Born in Germany early in 1616, our knowledge of Johann Jacob Froberger is often supposition; second-hand information and quite a lot of legend, the latter created by Froberger. It would seem he travelled extensively through Western Europe as an organist and harpsichordist, ending his days in France as a forgotten man. How much of his output survived him is pure speculation, only one group of works being published in his lifetime. When his music became more generally available, after his death in 1667, musicians realised his true value, elevating him to one of the figures on which the German keyboard tradition was created. There is a minor problem here, as his manuscripts may have contained works by others copied for his tours, and certainly part of his output was arrangements of other composer's works. That he was way ahead of his time is apparent from this disc, an ability to create memorable melody and catchy dance tunes being his major attribute. His reputation rests on the Thirty Suites, seemingly composed through much of the second half of his life, the content assembled from dances that alternate fast and slow. Though they do not offer a challenge to modern performing technique, they need an ebb and flow to move them away from a strict metric approach. His Toccatas, featured in Four Books of Keyboard works, were also impressive, though here he could not divorce himself from the love of dance. The two discs offer a survey of his output, including probably his finest score, the Partita auff die Mayerin, Froberger's only work that uses variations on a theme. Sergio Vartolo's performances take few liberties, preferring to play the printed page with minimal personal intervention. He has a large and fine sounding instrument at his disposal, tuned to the intervals between notes that were appropriate to the 17th century, which to modern ears produce some crunchy harmonies. The sound has that close-up punchy quality now preferred in harpsichord recordings, and involves some mechanical noises.

LISZT: Deux Polonaises, S223. Ballade No.1 in D flat major, S170. Ballade No.2 in B minor, S171. Album d'un voyageur, S156 - Book 1: Au bord d'une source; Book 3 - Trois Morceaux Suisses. Jean Dube (piano). Naxos 8.557364. (74' 26").

Continuing Naxos's Liszt Edition with a group of works inspired by Chopin, opening with two very different Polish dances, the first 'melancolique' and the second of a more happy nature. Chopin had been largely responsible for developing the Ballade, though Liszt's first essay in that genre was less successful, the D flat major being rather too fanciful. The greater strength of the Second - a work that lasts almost fifteen minutes - reflects more of Chopin's style. Opening ominously in the left hand, the mood soon passes to a lyrical passage, this juxtaposition of unease and tranquillity characterising an immensely difficult work that eventually ends in peace. More capricious right hand embellishments return in Au bord d'une source, before the most substantial score on the disc - book 3 of Album d'un voyageur. Each is a miniature tone poem that Liszt was to use as the basis for his series of works under the title, Annees de pelerinage. They are interesting sketches, the virtuoso demands of the final Ranz des chevres obviously used by Liszt to stagger his audiences. Here we have Jean Dube, a new name to me, but one endowed with all of the necessary technical fireworks, his right hand dazzling in the fast passages. Rather earnest in the big and dramatic gestures, he sees in the quieter passages as a place for those rhythmic liberties on which Liszt performances often thrive. The sound quality is superb.

REGER: Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op.60. Organ Pieces, Op.65 Nos. 7-12. Chorale Fantasia on 'Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme' Op.52, No.2. Stefan Frank (organ). Naxos 8.557186. (76' 12").

It was in the rather unusual circumstances of helping his father rebuild a discarded church organ that Max Reger was given the incentive to become an organist. The music of Bach and Wagner - an unlikely partnership - was his early interest, the two combined to bring a strict academic and romantic quality to much of his music. Though he was prodigious in his output, he was to suffer poor health for much of his short life, dying at the early age of 43. His catalogue includes some highly effective orchestral and chamber music, though today he is probably best remembered for his organ works, most of which were for his own performance. Among organists they represent the peak of composition in the late-Romantic era, their challenge to the soloist immense. The Second Sonata, dating from 1901, must count among his finest works in the genre, the big imposing score in four movements concluding with a mighty fugue. The six pieces come from a set of twelve completed in 1902, inspiration here somewhat fitful, though the joyful scherzo and final fugue are among his finest creations. The Choral Fantasia is a big exhibition piece for the soloist and finds Stefan Frank revelling in those big dramatic moments that seem to require four hands. In the Rieger-Sauer organ at Germany's Fulda Cathedral - a particularly fine example if Rieger craftsmanship - he has a mighty beast of an instrument that can whisper beautifully yet open out as thrillingly as any you will hear. The church has quite a long reverberation time, but the engineer has obtained total clarity. One of the best organ discs I have heard recently.

SCHUMANN: Liederkreis, Op. 24. Dichterliebe, Op.48. Der arme Peter, Op.53 No.3. Belsazar, Op.57. Thomas Bauer (baritone), Uta Hielscher (piano). Naxos 8.557075. (62' 33").

The year of 1840 was to be Robert Schumann's burst of creative energy that saw many of his finest songs, including all the works in Naxos's first edition of a detailed survey of his music in this genre. Often expressing heartache, the song cycles were set against a background of litigation by Friedrich Wieck, who was seeking to prevent his daughter, Clara, from marrying the young Schumann. Those dreadfully confused feelings surface in the disturbed character we find in Dichterliebe, and, to a lesser extent, in the earlier of the two Liederkreis. In recent years we have passed through a phase where the vocal textures of these works have been of paramount importance, and one thinks on disc of such beautiful performances as those of Fischer-Dieskau and Schreier. Thomas Bauer takes a different stance, emphasising drama and words, even if, at times, he and his pianist become unusually pungent. The haunting moments and those of reflection are there, but never allowed to overtake the anguish expressed in vivid terms. That involves some moments when Bauer's voice coarsens, a fact I don't mind in the slightest within the context of the words. Equally you may be surprised by the positive role of Uta Hielscher, much of the music emerging as a duet, a feature helped by a recorded balance that ideally captures both performers. Choice among more than forty recordings of Dichterliebe is no easy thing, but Bauer's is one you certainly should hear.

LEYENDECKER: Symphony No.3. Violin Concerto. Roland Greutter (violin), North German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Johannes Kalitzke (conductor). Naxos 8.557427. (57' 41").

With the advance copy arriving bereft of notes on the composer, it is time for another enjoyable 'innocent ear' review. The slow opening movement of the symphony, redolent in an austere atonality suggests a mid-European composer working in that period when composers were besotted by the legacy of Alban Berg. Strange twitterings take us through a central movement that hardly lives up to its marking of Presto Volante. The final Luminoso is an extended essay in quiet and slow moving sonorities, and in stark contrast with the activity of the Violin Concerto's opening Allegro. This concerto is cutting edge atonality probably dating from the late 20th century, the solo part exceedingly difficult. Some relief comes in the slow movement, before another outburst in the finale. You have to be wedded to music post-Lutoslawski to be attuned to the work, the orchestral part complex in rhythmic structure; the music flying around the violin. Well, the notes have now arrived and they tell me that at least I did get Ulrich Leyendecker's place of birth roughly correct. He was born in Germany in 1946, and has spent much of his life teaching in leading music academies, at the same time creating a large catalogue of works in various genres. The Third Symphony was completed in 1991 and first performed in 1994, this recording taking place the following day. The Violin Concerto was premiered two years later, and that performance is included on this disc. Roland Greutter is obviously a fine fiddle player, for the concerto requires nothing less. The engineers had made good sense of the wide dynamic range, textural clarity well captured, and for those looking where music may be heading, this disc - with its low price tag - is fascinating.

GURIDI: Sinfonia Pirenaica. Espatadantza. Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, Juan Jose Mena (conductor). Naxos 8.557631. (53' 03").

Having been born in 1886 to a family heavily involved in music, it came as no great surprise to find the young Jesus Guridi displaying his talents as a composer and a virtuoso exponent of the keyboard. He was sent to study in Paris where his composition mentor was d'Indy, the Frenchman's love of exotic orchestral colours becoming the characteristic of Guridi's compositions. For a time he combined a career as organist and choirmaster in Bilbao, but gained international attention with a much-acclaimed opera, Amaya, first performed in 1920. He appears happy either working in light music or the more substantial framework of the Sinfonia Pirenaica, a score completed in the mid-1940's. It has folk music as its inspiration, the three movements programmatic and of engaging content. Dynamic and often dramatic, the second movement Presto is full of extravagant colours, the finale teeming with vitality. The folksy Espatadantza, complete with choral finale, makes a short and brilliant conclusion. Maybe Guridi was not the most profound composer of his era, but he gives uncomplicated delights. The Bilbao orchestra greatly impresses, and Naxos is making it obvious that the neglect of Spanish ensembles has been a loss to the recording industry. They play the Sinfonia with vigour and high quality musicianship, and I particularly like the warm and generous quality of the strings. Well-balanced sound completes a most welcome release.

VINTAGE BROADWAY: Selections from Can Can, Funny Girl, Me and Juliet, Finian's Rainbow, Kiss Me Kate, Flower Drum Song. Silk Stockings. Richard Hayman and his Orchestra. Naxos 8.555025. (66' 33").

The lineage of Richard Hayman's orchestra seems shrouded in mystery, but this reissue of recordings dating back to the early 1990's give us a sizeable sampler of the delights to be enjoyed in three of Cole Porter's great Broadway successes, Can Can, Kiss Me Kate and Silk Stockings. Richard Rodgers' tuneful Me and Juliet and Flower Drum Song string together a series of pleasing melodies; Jule Styne's Funny Girl also gets a brief look in, with Burton Lane's Finian's Rainbow allowed a few minutes. Hayman caters for those who enjoy music's comfort zone, happy to let pleasing music drift over them, his Broadway arrangements using the resources of a symphony orchestra with a large string section to bring a sumptuous atmosphere. Maybe Finian's Rainbow needed more verve, and Kiss Me Kate strangely omits the work's big show-stopping opening number. The sound quality is far better than most show discs enjoy.

BACH: Concerto for two violins and strings in D minor, BWV 1043. Violin Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052. Violin Concerto in G minor, BWV 1056. Harpsichord Concerto in F minor - Arioso. TARTINI (arr. Pente/Szigeti):Violin Concerto in D minor, D43. Joseph Szigeti (violin) Carl Flesch (violin), New Friends of Music Orchestra, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Walter Goehr, Fritz Stiedry, George Szell (conductors). Naxos Historical 8.110979. (67' 17")

Joseph Szigeti was born in Hungary in 1892, and though incorrect training in the formative years left him throughout life with a flawed bowing technique, he was to become one of the most admired violinists of his time. He had for a short period became a pupil of the great violin pedagogue, Jeno Hubay, who described him as one of his finest pupils, though Szigeti decided at the age of 16 to teach himself. The First World War restricted his concerts to Switzerland and Germany, an invitation to visit the United States in the mid-1920's attracting him to make his career there. Deciding to avoid confrontation with the many great virtuosos already established on the North American concert circuit, he concentrated on the less fashionable Baroque and Contemporary repertoire. He did spend time researching Bach, and though he could not divorce himself from his liberal vibrato, the performances on this disc were uncommonly informed at a time when Bach was being musically abused. Above all Szigeti had a perfection of intonation that placed him in the centre of every note. Tartini, Bach's Double and the Arioso recordings date from 1937, though they seem much older, and if Bach's D minor with the New Friends of Music sounds rather boxy it shows Szigeti at his best. It is difficult to believe that he became involved with George Szell's portentous conducting of the G minor concerto, though by 1954 Szigeti's playing had also severely deteriorated.

HAYDN: Minuet in C. Cello Concerto in D major - Adagio. GRANADOS: Spanish Dance. GOLTERMANN: Concerto in A minor - Cantilena. MENDELSSOHN: Spring Song. BOCCHERINI: Cello Sonata No. 6 - Allegro. WAGNER: Abendstern. SCHUMANN: Abendlied. Traumerei. MOZART: Clarinet Quintet - Larghetto. KREISLER: Chanson Louis XIII and Pavane. SAINT-SAENS: Allegro Appassionato. Carnival of the Animals - The Swan. HANDEL: Largo. RUBINSTEIN: Melody in F. LISZT: Liebestraum. Thine Eyes so Blue. BACH: Suite No.3 - Air. Pablo Casals (cello), Orchestra, Charles Albert Baker, Walter Golde (piano). Naxos Historical 8.110986. (77' 11").

In the early days of recording the world came to know its great musicians by their 'lollypops', each fitting comfortably onto one side of a disc. The great Pablo Casals was largely confined in the studio to these popular melodies when he was young and technically superb, only to be suffering a decline in technique by the time recordings had reached a quality that could really do him justice. But beggars cannot be choosers and we must accept the primitive sound of the late 1910's to enjoy his musicianship. Casals had come to international attention at the age of twenty-three, though by then he had already packed into his early years far more than most people achieve in their lifetime. He was very much a musician of the people, never afraid of courting popularity so as to take the instrument to new levels of public awareness. Many of the transcriptions are rather free in their adaptation, but would have delighted the market for which they were intended. His left hand is suitably adroit in Granados's Spanish Dance and could make the instrument sing eloquently as we hear in Mozart's Larghetto; Saint-Saens' The Swan flows quickly and never more beautifully. There is not much that Naxos can do with the original pressings, save for cleaning up the sound, which they have admirable achieved.

STRAUSS: Four Lieder, Op. 27 - Morgan; Cacilie. Six Lieder, Op.17 - Standchen. BEETHOVEN: Adelaide, Op. 46. SCHUBERT: An Sylvia, D891. Schwanengesang, D957 - Standchen. An die Leier, D737. Die Allmacht, D852. Wanderers Nachtlied, D768. Die schone Mullerin, D795 - Die bose Farbe. Die Forelle, D550. SIBELIUS: Svarta rosor, Op.36 No.1. Sav, Sav, susa, Op.36 No.4. GRIEG: En svane, Op. 25 No.2. En Drom Op.48 No.6. BRAHMS: Die Mainacht, Op. 43 No.2. SJOBERG: Tonerna. LISZT: Es muss ein Wunderbares sein, S314. WOLF: Voborgenheit. TOSTI: Ideale. RACHMANINOV: Lilaca, Op.21 No.5. Jussi Bjorling (tenor), Harry Ebert, Friedrich Schauwecker (piano). Naxos Historical 8.110789. (77' 35").

The Swedish tenor, Jussi Bjorling, built his career largely as an opera singer, becoming a member of the Royal Swedish Opera at the age of 19. Though he avoided the Italian opera houses where he feared his velvet smooth voice and lightweight style would not find favour, he was idolised in North America and Northern Europe, and was still in his twenties when he made sensational debuts in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and London. A true tenor with ringing high notes, clarity of articulation and excellent breath control, his lieder recordings did not always reach the high expectations such a voice would engender. The present disc collects together recordings made between 1939 and 1952, when he was at the height of his stage career. Maybe his tonal quality was not ideal for the Strauss songs that he recorded twice, both included on this disc, but was well attuned to Sibelius and Grieg to which he brought a heroic stance. The Schubert songs expose unsteadiness in his voice, particularly in the lower register, a shortcoming masked in his opera characterisations. He rises to the big voice needed for Sjoberg's Tonerna, and throughout he is never sparing in his dynamic range. Accompaniments are reliable if not particularly inspired, and the transfers to CD are highly successful.

SONGS OF THE BRITISH ISLES: Ma bonny lad. The fidgety bairn. (arr. Whittaker): The Keel Row; Blow the wind southerly. (arr. Vaughan Williams): Ca'the yowes. (arr. Hughes): I have a bonnet trimmed with blue; Down by the Sally Gardens; The lover's curse; I know where I'm going; I will walk with my love; The stuttering lovers; Kitty, my love. (arr. Sharp): My boy Willie. (arr. Warlock): Willow, willow. (arr. Britten): O Waly, Waly; Come you not from Newcastle. (arr. Quilter): Ye banks and braes; Now sleeps the crimson petal; Over the mountains; Drink to me only with thine eyes; Fair house of joy; To Daisies. (arr. Grew): Have you seen but a whyte lillie growe. STANFORD: The fairy lough; A soft day. PARRY: Love is a bable. VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Silent noon. BRIDGE: Go not, happy day. WARLOCK: Sleep; Pretty ringtime. Kathleen Ferrier (contralto), Phyllis Spurr, John Newmark, Frederick Stone (piano). Naxos Historical 8.111081. (74' 46").

A friend of Kathleen Ferrier dared her to enter the contralto section of the 1936 Carlisle Music Competitive Festival, where Ferrier had travelled to compete in the piano class. So she entered Roger Quilter's arrangement of To Daisies, and not only won the class, but was given the outstanding singer of the Festival award. It was that chance event that persuaded the young girl to take some singing lessons, and so began her glittering career. Hindsight is a wonderful gift, and those critics who were less than enthusiastic when these recordings first appeared on the Decca label, must have gone long ago into hiding. The disc covers all that Ferrier recorded in this genre during her short life, the disc having become part of the treasures of British song. Ferrier thinned down her voice to provide the frequent light humour, though I always find sadness in her voice that brings poignancy to her performances. Attached at the end of the disc is a BBC broadcast from June 5, 1952 that also appeared on Decca. It contained a group of songs by British composers, microphone placement creating a nice vocal sound at the expense of diction. Accompaniments are reliable, Frederick Stone on the BBC disc the most expressive. I remember the 'wow' that occurred on my pressing of To Daisies, and the Naxos restoration team have found the same problem. There is also some background 'rumble', the curse of early LP pressings; otherwise the sound is attractive, and you will want the disc to treasure Ferrier's singing.

PORTER: Kiss Me Kate. Lets Face It. Original Broadway Casts and Studio Recordings. Naxos Musicals 8.120788. (74' 29").

The disc arrived for review just after I had seen the London production of Kiss Me Kate that had opened at the Victoria Palace Theatre in 2001, an absolutely humdinger of a performance that sizzles with vitality and makes the original 1949 Broadway version sound a bit pedestrian. But this is how Cole Porter must have imagined his fabulous musical, making the disc indispensable. Few composers have packed into one show so many hit tunes, Wunderbar, I Hate Men, Too Darn Hot, Always True to You in Your Fashion, So in Love, From this Moment On, being just a few that went into the world of evergreen standards. This disc of excerpts gives us just the bare bones of the show performed by 'operatic' voices, the recording placing them well forward. Though made into a film in 1949, Let's Face It never made it into the list of great musicals, few of its 'big' numbers being widely known, I hate you darling a mighty strange number. None of the recordings were technically earth shattering when they were first issued, Naxos now doing their usual miraculous restoration process.

SPOHR: String Quartet No.24 in G major Op.82 No.2. String Quartet No.25 in A minor Op.82 No.3. Concertino String Quartet. Marco Polo 8.225306. (55' 12")

Marco Polo set out on this expedition to circumvent the String Quartets of Louis Spohr way back in the 1980' s, the task now having passed the halfway mark. Having become the most highly regarded German violinist in the early 19th century, Spohr is purported to have trained over two hundred violinists. It was no doubt an exaggeration, but points to his influence in the development of following generation of German string players. That fact also made his chamber music the feared territory of quartet leaders who come face to face with parts of concerto proportions. Maybe it is music that was already out of date when it was written, Spohr having a desire to be a Romantic while restricting himself to a very formal structure. He was to compose so much music that his detractors would cite them as having too little inspiration spread over too many works. That may at times be true, but at his most inspired his music is highly pleasing, the second of the opus 82, composed in 1828, being pure joy. Both works on the disc are in four movements and of substantial length, Spohr often dashing the music around the whole quartet, and at times the four voices seem to be going their own separate way. Maybe dated, but what craftsmanship. My feelings go out to Yaroslav Krasnikov, those moments where intonation is a problem would tax the great virtuoso violinists. The bottom line of the review has to be one of considerable pleasure in the playing of this Russian quartet, the clear recording unravelling the many complex strands to make good sense of the music.

CHINESE MUSIC MEETS WESTERN EARS

Each month I will be reviewing two discs from the large catalogue of Chinese music that is available wherever you find Naxos and Marco Polo discs. In the Western world you may have to place an order with your retailer.

IN PRAISE OF THE YIMENG: Shanghai Ballet Orchestra, Lin Yousheng (conductor). Yellow River 82023. (62' 44").

In Praise of the Yimeng came from that era when the Cultural Revolution had dictated that operas should in future depict the struggles of the people in a style of music that would appeal to the masses. They held up as models six operas and two ballets, though music of a distinctive Western influence did slip through the net, this ballet being one of that group. Of course it told the usual story of the brave Chinese people fighting the evil that surrounded them, the final scene being the predictable return of the armed villagers just in time to rescue their brave womenfolk from a dreadful end. The present disc contains a series of highlights from the introduction and four scenes depicting the struggle, laced with some love music to balance out the story. It relies heavily on the style of music we would find in popular Russian symphonic music, with just a hint of Hollywood. There are moments of that curious - to Western ears - string intonation we find in Chinese orchestras, but the Shanghai Ballet ensemble is very capable, the woodwind soloists of particular high quality. The 1992 sound is good, and for those interested in this period of Chinese music it is a mandatory purchase.

TRAD (arr. Guotai): Deep Night. (arr. Kejian): Singing the Night Among Fishing Boats. (arr. Wenping): Happy Spring Evening. (arr. Deren): Peaceful Recreation. HUIRAN (arr. Xiaogu): Dance of the Yi Tribe. GUANREN/SHENGLONG (arr. Wenping): Fisherman's Song of the East China Sea. CHANGYUAN (arr. Guotai): Fighting Against Typhoon. Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Henry Shek (conductor). Marco Polo 8.225902. (52' 58").

I was settling down to enjoy some relaxing music in Deep Night only to discover the story to be a bloodthirsty one of the young girl slitting her throat rather than see her loved one's defeat in battle. Thankfully from therein the music is in a happier mode, the highly popular Singing the Night Among Fishing Boats here arranged for erhu and orchestra, the soloist, Wang Guowai, seducing the ear with caressing sounds. Elsewhere the formula is much the same, using traditional Chinese instruments as soloists against an orchestral backdrop that could well have been the work of American film composers creating mood music. Rippling harps, smooth and creamy flute and sumptuous strings colour the gentle Happy Spring Evening, and, as with so many Chinese titles that seem to have something lost in translation, Peaceful Recreation is joyous and anything but peaceful. Fighting Against Typhoon has - as you would expect - its full share of wind effects and a virtuoso piece for the zheng. A few of the soloist's names are shown in the booklet, the rest are anonymous, Yang Wei's brilliant pipa solo in Dance of the Yi Tribe, being one suitably selected for mention. If the disc may be rightly described as a 'soft landing' into Chinese music, I would commend it as a way for Western ears to come to know traditional instruments without having to leave the safety net of a symphonic sound. One of China's most internationally celebrated conductors, Henry Shek, obtains reliable playing from the Shanghai orchestra, the 1995 sound quality well defined.