STRAVINSKY: Firebird Suite. DEBUSSY: The Afternoon of a Faun. MUSSORGSKY: A Night on Bare Mountain
Tomita
DUTTON EPOCH SACD CDSNL 8558 TT: 49 min.
BUY NOW FROM DUTTON EPOCH

BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C, Op. 15. Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat, Op. 19. Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op 37. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G, Op. 58. Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat, Op. 55 "Emperor."
Ribakd Brautigam, fortepiano. Die Kölner Akademis / Michael Alexandr Willens, cond.
BIS SACD 2274 (2 disks) TT: 146:13
BUY NOW FROM ARKIVMUSIC

Music of Francisco de Peñalosa, Pedro de Escobar, and Francisco Guerrero.
New York Polyphony. Geoffrey Williams, counter-tenor. Steven Caldicott, tenor. Christoopher Dylan Herbert, baritone. Craig Phillips, bass.
BIS SACD 2407 TT: 56:41
BUY NOW FROM ARKIVMUSIC

The Tomita SACD is an often grotesque treatment of the music it is supposed to represent. This site mentioned a previous Tomita SACD of Ravel (REVIEW). Both disks show the electronic expertise of the famous Japanese musician/technician, and the result is an abomination for purists, although surely a showdase for multi-media audio. These recordings made in the late '70's, were a treat for audiophiles. Now we can experience them un multi-channel. If you love music, beware of these Tomita agbberations.

Distingiuished piaist Ronald Brautigam, has made numerous recording highlyh praised recordings, most recently a disk of Beethoven variations (REVIEW). Now he continues his Beethoven cycle with this superb set of all five piano concertos performed on the fortepiano. Several years ago he recorded them with the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra directed by Andrew Parrott. These new recordings offer offer perfect accompoaniments from period music specialists Die Kölner Akademie directed by Michael Alexander Willems. Brautigam and this conductor and orchestra aleadyhave recorded all of Mozart's piano concertos. These vital new performances of Beethoven's concertos are outstanding, and with today's technology it is possible to get all five on just two disks, the first containing concertos 1, 2 and 5 with a playing time of 88 min. July 2017 (concertos 1 and 3) and July 2018 (concertos 2, 4 and 5) in at the Deutschlandfunk Kammermusiksaal. Engineerins is perfectly balanced and natural. This is essential in any Beethoven collectio.

The fine New York Polyphony ensemble, founded in 2006, consists of Geoffrey Williams, counter-tenor; Steven Caldicott, tenor; Christoopher Dylan Herbert, baritone, and bassCraig Phillips, bass. Thus far they have made four recordings of their chosen repertory for BIS. Here now is this SACD of Spanish Renaissance music. It focuses on misic by two principal composers of the era,Francisco de Peñalosa, Pedro de Escobar, and also includes wo brief works by Francisco guerrero. Profuse program notes by Ivan Moody are a plus. Recordings were made June2018 at the Princeton Abbey in New Jersey, and the multi-channel sound is effective Complete texts and translations are provided. Playing time of this disk is less than an hour. Easily more music could have bn inluded.

R.E.B. (November 2019)

(NEXT SURROUND SOUND REVIEW)