
William Kapell had a special affinity for Rachmaninov’s music and was able to make commercial recordings of three major works, two of which are included
Marianne Faithfull sounds like (former) East German chanteuse Gisela May, only with a lousier voice. She makes no attempt to characterize the two Annas in
These Beethoven performances were recorded in 1960 during Sviatoslav Richter’s first tour of the United States, and they sound marginally fuller and more vivid here
Michael Tilson Thomas obviously loves these wonderful ballet scores. Trouble is, he loves them to death. There’s poetry aplenty in his readings, but dance and
Michael Tilson Thomas always is worth hearing when he conducts Ives, and this disc is no exception. He recorded Three Places in New England for
As Brahms Symphony cycles go, this one’s a bit of a dud. It begins pretty well, with Colin Davis leading a taut and energetic account
Lorin Maazel’s powerfully rendered Wagner program follows the tradition of Karajan and Tennstedt in exploiting the Berlin Philharmonic’s idiomatic Wagner playing style–mainly the bright, sharply
What is there to say? This is terrific Schumann, the Fourth Symphony especially, which remains one of the most thrilling performances ever. James Levine whips
The Guarneri Quartet’s solid and stable renditions should certainly satisfy those who prefer their Beethoven straight, no chaser. There’s little that’s extroverted and certainly nothing
Renée Fleming’s heady, honeyed tone, free, ringing top, and seemingly effortless fluidity make her ideally suited to Strauss’ Four Last Songs. While she has neither