Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Piano Trios – Anne-Sophie Mutter, Daniel Muller-Schott, Andre Previn (2006/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:01:17 minutes | 1,1 GB  | Genre: Classical
Studio Master, Official Digital Download  | Source: Q0buz | @ Deutsche Grammophon
Recorded: Baden-Baden, Festspielhaus, 05/2005

In 2006, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birth plus the 30th anniversary of Anne-Sophie Mutter’s public debut, Deutsche Grammophon released new recordings of the German violinist in all the Austrian composer’s major works featuring her instrument. To celebrate Mutter’s undeniable beauty, each body of works was released with a different photograph of Mutter on the cover: the set of concertos had Mutter poured into a stunning bottle green mermaid gown, the set of sonatas had Mutter wrapped in a shimmering golden yellow strapless gown, and this set of the piano trios has Mutter’s wonderfully made-up face and marvelously coifed hair in close-up. And just as no one but a blind man would deny Mutter’s beauty, no one but a deaf man would deny Mutter’s standing as one of the great violinists of her age with flawless intonation, faultless technique, a sensual tone, and a warmly romantic interpretive style. Of course, some might say that a warmly romantic interpretive style is out of place in the transcendently elegant works of Mozart. Others might point out that Mutter plays with impeccable taste and consummate control in these three late piano trios, but even they might concede that her performances are perhaps too sweet and possibly too ardent for the sublimely graceful Mozart. Cellist Daniel Müller-Schott and pianist André Previn are united behind Mutter and their performance is as one with Mutter in style and approach. For some, this disc will be a lovely addition to their Mutter collection. For others, the classic recording by the Beaux Arts Trio may seem closer to the classical style of the music. DG’s sound is very flattering to Mutter, but puts Müller-Schott and Previn a bit too far in the background. –AllMusic Review by James Leonard

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Claudio Monteverdi – Vespro della Beata Vergine – L’Arpeggiata, Christina Pluhar (2011)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:14:57 minutes | 693 MB  | Genre: Classical, Choral
Studio Master, Official Digital Download  | Source: Q0buz | @ EMI Records Ltd./Virgin Classics
Recorded: 15-22 April 2010 at the Metz Arsenal

It’s not easy to pinpoint precisely what makes Christina Pluhar and L’Arpeggiata’s performances of Baroque music, particularly Monteverdi, so extraordinary and distinctive, even in a time — the early 21st century — when (pardon the oxymoron) exceptionally fine recordings of this repertoire are the rule rather than the exception. One element may be the inventiveness of her realizations of the continuo part. Composers of the early Baroque generally wrote only a bass line for the accompaniment, an indication of the harmony, and occasionally a specification as to what instruments should be used, leaving the choice of the actual notes to be played, and usually, which instruments to the discretion of the performer. On this recording, for example, Pluhar uses at various times Baroque harp, psaltery (a hammered dulcimer), two small organs, violas da gamba, archlutes, and theorbos to create fresh, richly textured, and varied accompaniments, and the figures they play are imaginative and nuanced. A second element may be her choice of vocalists. Pluhar tends to use singers who are not international stars but who have voices with great character and individuality but are also team players, able to blend with the group. Perhaps her distinctiveness is a result of her uncanny affinity for music of this era, of which this recording of Monteverdi’s Vespro della beata vergine is further evidence; the performance practically shimmers with energy and vitality. Although at 75 minutes, it is 15 minutes shorter than the usual performance of the piece, it unfolds not with any sense of hurry, but with a lively momentum that feels entirely natural. The purity, warmth, and fervor of the vocal performances is outstanding throughout. Each of the 12 singers is featured as a soloist or in a small ensemble, and the singing is so consistently gorgeous that it seems unfair to single out individuals, but tenors Emiliano Gonzalez-Toro, Markus Brutscher, and Jan van Elsacker in “Duo Seraphim,” and sopranos Núria Rial and Raquel Andueza in “Pulchra es” particularly stick in the memory. Virgin Classics’ sound is, as usual, immaculate, balanced, and the resonance is ideal: spacious, but still intimate. Highly recommended. –AllMusic Review by Stephen Eddins

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Gustav Holst – The Planets, Op. 32 – Buzz Ensemble, Melanie Barney (2011)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 55:18 minutes | 916 MB  | Genre: Classical
Studio Master, Official Digital Download  | Source: ProStudioMasters | @ Fidelio Musique
Recorded at L’église Saintviateur, D’Outremont, Montréal, Québec, Canada, 22, 23, 25 & 26 March 2009

The Planets is such a durable work that it shouldn’t be a surprise that it can thrive in a variety of arrangements. This version for brass quintet and organ, by Montreal composer and arranger Enrico O. Dastous, is especially felicitous. The organ’s timbral variety makes it a natural for Holst’s colorful score (and there have been some fine arrangements for organ solo) and the addition of brass, which prominently figure in the original orchestration, makes this a terrific instrumentation for an arrangement of the piece. Dastous’ version is notable for its restraint; with a combination of instruments that could be potentially used for bombast, he judiciously deploys them with close attention to Holst’s original, so when he does pull out all the stops — both literally and figuratively — the effect is hugely impressive. A great deal of credit goes to the performers, organist Mélanie Barney and the wonderfully named brass quintet Buzz Ensemble, who play with finesse, but who can also cut loose in the big moments. The music was recorded in Montreal’s Saint-Viateur d’Outremont Church, whose organ is versatile and powerful, and whose acoustics are conducive to music of this grandeur. The engineers also deserve acknowledgment for the naturalness of the sound; all the instruments sound marvelous and full, and the balance is superb. True fans of The Planets are likely to be delighted with this fabulous version of the piece, and the disc should also appeal to fans of music for brass and organ. –AllMusic Review by Stephen Eddins

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Romanus Weichlein – Opus 1, 1695 – Ensemble Masques (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:00:56 minutes | 1,22 GB  | Genre: Classical
Studio Master, Official Digital Download  | Source: Q0buz | Digital Booklet | @ Alpha Productions / Outhere Music
Recorded: 5 to 8 september 2014 at the church OF of laval en brie, France

After a first disc devoted to Schmelzer, enthusiastically hailed by the critics (‘Editor’s Choice’ Gramophone, ‘Choc’ of Classica), the ensemble Masques, conducted by Olivier Fortin, returns to Alpha with a programme combining works by Muffat, Kerll and Pachelbel along with those of a composer who has remained largely unknown and totally forgotten: Romanus Weichlein (1652–1706).
Benedictine monk, prefect and official composer of the Benedictine abbey of Säben, Romanus Weichlein left several collections of sonatas and masses as well as large chaconnes, magnificent works in the tradition of his compatriots Biber, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, Pavel Josef Vejvanovský and Georg Muffat.
In this new programme, Masques presents both ensemble pieces and others for solo or two harpsichords (the second harpsichord being played by Skip Sempé ), always featuring the expressiveness, eloquence and profound interpretation for which it is known.

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Jean Sibelius – Symphonies Nos. 6 & 7 – Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Robert Spano (2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:10:21 minutes | 1,37 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks | Digital Booklet | @ ASO Media
Recorded: Woodruff Performing Arts Center, Symphony Hall, Atlanta, Georgia, 14-15 January 2013

Fans of the great Finnish composer Jean Sibelius have reason to rejoice this holiday season with the Grammy® Award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
„Robert Spano and Atlanta already have delivered a very impressive version of the Kullervo Symphony for Telarc–a work that the conductor championed during his tenure in Brooklyn as well–and this new disc from the orchestra’s house label confirms his credentials as a convincing Sibelius interpreter. This is particularly true of the tricky Sixth Symphony, an elusive work that has confounded many of the composer’s strongest proponents. Spano sets a perfect tempo for the opening movement, sufficient to capture the tranquility of the opening while allowing the quicker main section to move smartly forward. Technically the entire movement proceeds in a single tempo, but this has proven almost impossible to convey in practice. Spano manages to do it, even to the point of making the coda sound natural and less inconclusive than usual.
The slow movement poses few interpretive problems, but I also applaud Spano’s moderate pacing of the scherzo, which allows so much ear-catching detail and rhythmic interplay to come across clearly. The finale also presents major challenges of pacing (even Berglund never seemed comfortable with it), and Spano solves them as well as anyone, particularly in the culminating passage for strings toward the end–so beautifully played and balanced between the melody and its chugging accompaniment. It’s just about as fine a performance as we’re likely to hear.
The Seventh, too, has an inevitability about it that’s very powerful. The whole, single movement grows organically from the opening string chorale in this performance, with particularly well executed transitions between sections. The lengthy pastorale interlude never turns static, as it often can in those places where Sibelius pauses meditatively, while the closing pages bring the right feeling of culmination with just a touch of open-endedness (a function of Spano’s timing of the very last chord).
I had concerns about the length of Tapiola: nearly 20 minutes. Sibelius preferred a quicker tempo, but such is the clarity of texture and accuracy of rhythm that it never actually sounds slow. My only quibble is that the storm at the end really needs greater intensity and a less metronomic quality to the string figurations, but otherwise the performance is very evocative and atmospheric (that swift central bit, with rapid violin figurations and tiny woodwind and timpani fanfares, is especially magical).
There are a couple of moments–the approach to the recapitulation in the first movement of the Sixth, for example–where a bit more definition of the orchestra’s lower end would have been ideal, but the sonics are otherwise quite impressive. The producer, Elaine Martone, was responsible for many of the orchestra’s prior Telarc recordings, and she knows what she’s doing. These were not “in concert” sessions, apparently, but good, old fashioned, “studio” recordings, and so much the better. Putting Sibelius’ last three major concert works together on a single disc was a great idea, too. All in all, a treat for Sibelians.“ –David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

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Sebastien Llinares – Soliloque (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 01:06:00 minutes | 1,07 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks | @ Paraty Productions
Recorded: November 2013 at Château de Chabenet.

Sébastien Llinares performs the works of Henri Sauguet and Pierre Wissmer, where the heart seems to beat beneath fingers conquered by this music, “there”: a black and white photograph of France’s harmonic terroirs – danced steps from the musical heritage of the provinces that shaped us – elegantly draped in melismatic creases by Chanel, signed Dior, Lanvin or Jean Patou… Here the eye listens to a 21st century French music-painting, a natural balance between Henri Sauguet’s melodic harmonies and the discontinuous continuity of Pierre Wissmer’s rhythmic counterpoint.

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