MOZART PIANO TRIOS - Signum SIGCD081 (£12)

Piano Trio in C, K548
Piano Trio in E, K542
Piano Trio in G, K564
Triosatz in D, K442
Diana Ambache, piano;
Gabrielle Lester, violin;
Judith Herbert, cello
Sound Clips - click what you want to hear:
K548 (opening),
K542 (Andante: excerpt),
K564 (Allegretto),
Triosatz, K442 (ending).
Issued in the Anniversary year 2006, Mozart's Piano Trios are a delightful addition to the Ambache recordings. The music dates from the late 1780s, and was written for sale to the enthusiastic amateur market in 18th century Vienna; they include his richness of melody and expressive harmony. Each Trio's character is coloured by his choice of key: celebratory C major, intimate E major, warm G major, and energetic D major.
"The star of the CD - if that's quite the right word for a chamber ensemble - is Diana Ambache. Her piano playing is exemplary, both technically and musically; her interpretations are soulful or delicate where appropriate."
Roderick Swanston, CD Review, BBC Radio 3
MARION BAUER - Naxos 8.559253 (£6)
A Lament on an African Theme, Op 20a
Concertino for Oboe, Clarinet and Strings, Op 32b
Trio Sonata No 1, for Flute, Cello and Piano, Op 40
Symphonic Suite for Strings, Op 33
Duo for Oboe and Clarinet
American Youth Concerto, Op 36
Diana Ambache, piano; Jeremy Polmear, oboe
Eli Eban, clarinet; Jonathan Snowdon, flute
Gabrielle Lester, violin; Ruth Ehrlich, violin
Jonathan Barritt, viola; Judith Herbert, cello
Sound Clips - click what you want to hear:
Lament (opening),
Dup for Oboe and Clarinet (Dance),
Symphonic Suite (Fugue),
American Youth Concerto (Andante excerpt).
Marion Bauer (1882-1955) was the first in a distinguished line of American composers to study with Nadia Boulanger. She was also particularly influencial as a music critic, teacher and author of a seminal book on modern music Twentieth Century Music. The range of atmosphere in the music on this recording shows her versatility and interest in exploring a variety of styles. The Lament and Symphonic Suite are powerful in their expression of deep emotion. By contrast, the Duo and Trio are lighter in manner; and the Concerto is a celebration of Americana, including a Cakewalk, a Blues and a Hoe down in the Finale.
"All the performances sound both committed and played with genuine affection. The recording itself is crisp and detailed."
Mark Morris, Music web
"The music here is melodic, charming, concise, folksy, and very accessible; it is certainly expertly crafted and without pretence. The committed performances are lucidly and vividly recorded."
Colin Anderson, Fanfare
LOUISE TALMA - Naxos 8.559236 (£6)
The Ambient Air
Lament
7 Episodes
Variations on 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird
Conversations for Flute & Piano
Soundshots for Piano
Full Circle for Chamber Orchestra
Diana Ambache, piano; Gabrielle Lester, violin
Martin Outram, viola; Judith Herbert, cello
Daniel Pailthorpe, flute; Jeremy Polmear, oboe
Paul Sperry, tenor; David Juritz, human metronome
Sound Clips - click what you want to hear:
Ambient Air (Driving Rain),
Lament (excerpt),
Soundshots (Skipping),
Full Circle (excerpt).
Louise Talma (1906-96) was a multiple award winner and the foremost American Neo-classical composer. She wrote a substantial body of music in a wide range of genres. Talma's music shows a keen intellectual mind; she also engages the listener at a visceral level and she entertains them with her originality and quirkiness. She frequently combines motor energy (sometimes associated with Stravinsky) with a melancholy expression, and often creates moment of extraordinary beauty, such as in the 'lullaby' in 7 Episodes. Her music is quite unique, and includes a lightness of touch, perhaps from her time in Paris as a student of Nadia Boulanger. Her slow music is exceptionally expressive.
"This CD is a real discovery. All but one of the pieces was written by Talma in her 70's and 80's. The ensembles are intricate and carefully wrought. Talma writes especially beautifully for the flute. The soloists on this disc are all virtuosi. Not the slightest allowance has to be made for its budget price. The sound is beautiful too."
David Saemann, Amazon.com
AMY BEACH CHAMBER MUSIC 2 - Chandos Chan 10162 (£14)
Quartet for Strings, Op 89
Violin Sonata, Op 34
Pastorale, Op 151
Dreaming, Op 15 No 3
Gabrielle Lester, violin; Ruth Ehrlich, violin
Martin Outram, viola; Judith Herbert, cello
Diana Ambache, piano; Helen Keen, flute
Jeremy Polmear, oboe; Joan-Enric Lluna, clarinet
Timothy Brown, horn; Brian Sewell, bassoon
Sound Clips - click what you want to hear:
String Quartet (excerpt),
Sonata (end of Finale),
Pastorale (excerpt),
Dreaming (excerpt).
This CD has been awarded a Rosette in the Penguin Guide to CDs.
This is the Ambache's second CD of Beach chamber music, and it follows from the success of the first. The Quartet in One Movement reflects Beach's interest in ethnic music by using three Innuit songs. One of the great Romantic works for violin and piano, the Sonata is written in on a large canvas, in characteristically passionate mode. The sombre opening movement is followed by a scintillating Scherzo. The Largo is a great brooding tragic arc, and the Finale is in bravura style. The two miniatures are charming in contrasting ways - the Pastorale (for Wind Quintet) as an evocation of peace in the New Hampshire Woods, and Dreaming (for cello and piano) as an exquisite song without words.
"Bravo to the Ambache for resuscitating these pieces; the String Quartet is particularly worth hearing in this sympathetic performance"
Jessica Duchen, Classic fm Magazine
"The disc is thoroughly recommended for the group's perceptive and idiomatic approach to this delicate and enchanting music. ... a sparkling reading of the Violin Sonata, with beatifully measured lyrical lines. The dancing Scherzo is lithe and lovely, the Largo crafted with much sensitivity, and the bravura finale is rich with interest."
Catherine Nelson, The Strad
"The two attractive rarities are a bonus: the Pastorale is impeccably performed; and Dreaming is ravishingly played by Judith Herbert.
Anthony Burton, BBC Music Magazine
"First class performances and recording, and worth having for the String Quartet, one of Beach's most memorable works.
RESPIGHI CHAMBER MUSIC - Chandos Chan 9962 (£14)
Piano Quintet in F minor (1902)
String Quartet in D minor (1909)
Six Pieces for violin and piano (1901-5)
Marcia Crayford, violin
Ruth Ehrlich, violin
Martin Outram, viola
Judith Herbert, cello
Diana Ambache, piano
These pieces all date from the first decade of the 20th Century, well before
The Fountains of Rome, and already show Respighi's consummate technical skill
combined with late Romantic intensity. Listen, for example, to the opening of the
Piano Quintet.
The D minor string Quartet keeps up this intensity,
and is a huge piece, lasting more than half an hour. The density of the string writing
also means that finding rests in which to turn the pages is quite difficult, and extra music stands are required!
Here is the opening of the Quartet's third movement.
After all that excitement, the Six Pieces for Violin and Piano come as a refreshing antidote.
They truly are little gems, with simple, affecting violin lines underpinned
by piano writing that is much more subtle than it first appears. Here is the start of the Berceuse - the first piece.
"The Ambache, an eminent group of five on this disc, play it all superbly well, the crowning duo of Ambache and Crayford in the beautiful Six Pieces rounding off a highly enjoyable feast of unfamiliar music." Christopher Fifield, Music Web
"Wonderful playing from the Ambache. You can sense the players' enjoyment of Respighi's rich textures, and technically they are completely reliable. The recorded sound is first-rate. This one is a very definite winner, and I recommend it highly." Fanfare
"I found these performances most enjoyable, and the recordings are excellent." Gramophone
This CD has received a five star rating for both performance and recording in the March 2002 issue of the BBC Music Magazine
ROMANTIC WOMEN COMPOSERS - AMB6004 (£10)
This CD is not available in the shops
Clara Schumann (1819-96) Konzertsatz in F minor
Ambache Chamber Orchestra, Diana Ambache (piano)
Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-47) Piano Trio in D minor, Op 11
Sophie Langdon (violin), Susan Dorey (cello), Diana Ambache (piano)
Louise Farrenc (1804-75) Clarinet Trio in E flat, Op 44
Joan Enric Lluna (clarinet), Naomi Butterworth (cello),
Diana Ambache (piano)
Marie Grandval (1830-1907), Romance and Gavotte
Jeremy Polmear (oboe), Naomi Butterworth (cello), Diana Ambache (piano)
Sound Clips - click what you want to hear:
Schumann (start)
, Mendelssohn (start)
, Grandval Romance (middle)
This was issued to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Clara Schumann's death in May 1996, as the cover CD with the BBC Music Magazine. There are no reviews, as far as we know. However, one woman in the BBC office said "it's the best CD we've done", and it's a nice thought. Maybe she was expressing her delight at discovering that classical music by women could be so accomplished, and so enjoyable. For more details, click
here. It is only available from us.
MOZART CHAMBER MUSIC - Oboe Classics CC2007 (£12)
Oboe Quartet in F, K370
"Glass Harmonica" Quintet, K617
Adagio for cor anglais and strings, K580a
Sonata in F, K376/K374d
Quintet for winds & piano in E flat, K452
Diana Ambache (piano) Helen Keen (flute)
Sophie Langdon (violin) Jeremy Polmear (oboe/cor anglais)
Martin Outram (viola) Joan-Enric Lluna (clarinet)
Susan Dorey (cello) Susan Dent (horn)
Brian Sewell (bassoon)
Sound Clips - click what you want to hear:
Oboe Quartet (start),
Quintet K452, finale: cadenza,
Adagio K580a (start),
Glass Harmonica allegro (start),
Sonata slow movement (start)
The CD includes all Mozart's chamber music featuring a solo oboe plus some fine arrangements, including the F major Sonata, originally for violin, here sympathetically adapted to the oboe. This is the Ambache's second recording of the Quintet K452.
Double Reed News, a UK magazine for oboe and bassoon enthusiasts, commented:
"An attractive and delightful CD..... the Oboe Quartet presents Jeremy Polmear's admirable musicianship and agile technique in excellent balance. The first movement communicates his obvious pleasure in performing this marvellous music... The delightful ensemble work in the Glass Harmonica Quintet K617 leads to the disc's finale, a realisation of Mozart's sketch K580a... the music seems ideally suited to this medium and to the persuasively mellifluous tones of Jeremy Polmear's cor anglais. By the final
repeat of the main cantabile melody he seems to have found even more sensitivity with which to bring these fine performances to a restful close." Clive Fairbairn
"This CD is a joyous example of first class music making by a team of musicians whose delight in the music is matched by their involvement with their instruments." Denby Richards, Musical Opinion
"A must for oboe-philes; a rare treat for Mozartians. Jeremy Polmear's beguiling performance of the Sonata, with Diana Ambache, is entirely persuasive; plus there's an ebullient Quartet and sprightly Quintet." Anthony Holden, Observer
AMY BEACH CHAMBER MUSIC - Chandos Chan 9752 (£14)
Piano Quintet in F sharp minor, Op 67
Theme and Variations for Flute and String Quartet, Op 80
Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano, Op 150
Helen Keen, flute
Elizabeth Layton, violin
Ruth Ehrlich, violin
Martin Outram, viola
Naomi Butterworth, cello
Diana Ambache, piano
This CD has been awarded a Rosette in the Penguin Guide to CDs.
Sound Clips - click what you want to hear:
Piano Quintet (start)
, Flute Quintet, Variation IV (complete)
, Piano Trio ( a bleeding chunk from the slow movt).
"The Chandos version from Diana Ambache and her group is even richer (than the Roscoe/Endellion recording), more passionately involving, amd the coupling with two other fine chamber works is more apt. These are marvellously performances of three highly rewarding works, superbly recorded." Rosette in Penguin Guide to CDs
"Amy Beach's Piano Quintet of 1908 is a fine piece by any standards,
expertly written in a late Romantic idiom owing most to Brahms
and Dvorak, and distinguished by some memorable melodic writing,
especially in the deeply felt slow movement. The members of the
Ambache...meet its demands with technical command and passionate
fervour...a well-rounded portrait of a significant figure, which,
with a clear recording in a warm church acoustic, makes enjoyable
listening from beginning to end" Anthony Burton, BBC Music Magazine
"...her quintet is given a rich and brooding performance by the
Ambache. The Trio, a later work (1939), is delicately played,
exposing Beach's lyrical writing with great refinement." Tarik O'Regan, Observer
"Flautist Helen Keen has a refreshingly focused and steady tone, and the string players are perfectly attuned to Beach's mixture of headiness and firm control. Most treasurable of all is the glowing, searching and unfailingly sensitive playing of the ensemble's leader, Diana Ambache." Brian Hunt, The Mail on Sunday For this last review complete - a description not only of the CD but of Amy Beach, and of women composers in general - click here.
LOUISE FARRENC CHAMBER MUSIC - AMB 6003 (£8)
This CD was originally issued in 1995, and is not available in the shops
Sextet for Piano and Wind in C minor, Op 40
Nonet for Strings and Wind in E flat, Op 38
Trio for Flute, Cello and Piano in E minor, Op 45
Diana Ambache, piano
Sophie Langdon, violin
Martin Outram, viola
Susan Dorey, cello (Nonet), Naomi Butterworth, cello (Trio)
Lynda Houghton, double bass
Helen Keen, flute
Jeremy Polmear, oboe
Joan Enric Lluna, clarinet
Mark Paine, horn
Brian Sewell, bassoon
You can download and hear the first minute of the Nonet Scherzo by clicking
here.
"A single year younger than Berlioz, who had some good words for her,
Louise Farrenc lived through busy times in Paris... everything she
writes in these three wind works is beautifully textured, with
a range of colour and variety of timbre... She is an unfailingly
inventive composer, and one of great wit and charm. These qualities
are very much appreciated by the players here, who clearly enjoy
the considerable challenges which she can set them... Farrenc is a
very sympathetic composer, whose music can give great pleasure in
a way that excites intelligent interest without making very serious
demands... The recording is suitably lively and colourful." John Warrack, Gramophone
BEETHOVEN CHAMBER MUSIC - AMB 6002 (£8)
This CD was originally issued by Carlton Classics, now reissued by us, and is not available in the shops
Quintet for Piano and Winds, Op 16
Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano, Op 11
Sonata for Horn and Piano, Op 17
Diana Ambache, piano
Jeremy Polmear, oboe
Joy Farrall, clarinet
Stephen Stirling, horn
Neil Levesley, bassoon
Naomi Butterworth, cello
You can download and hear the first minute of the Horn Sonata by
clicking here.
As far as we know this CD has not been reviewed, so we will have
to blow our own trumpet, and Beethoven's. For here is some of his
best chamber music outside the string quartets. The trumpet is
not featured, but the horn most certainly is, in a Sonata of great
nobility and beauty, with a recording to capture the warm sound of
Stephen Stirling's horn [you can visit Stephen's own website by clicking
here]. The horn features, too, in the slow movement
of the Quintet - remarkable music, with piano alternating
with the wind choir, and individual voices joining up in a
continuous stream of melody. In the outer movements Beethoven is
sunny, confident and full of invention, with beautiful writing for
all the instruments. This is also true of the Trio, and the music
has a strong opening and another beautiful slow movement.
In the final set of variations on an operatic theme Beethoven
dazzles us with inexhaustible creative inventiveness and - yes - sense
of fun. The recording was made in 1993 in the warm acoustic of St
Michael's Church, Highgate, north London.
MOZART PIANO CONCERTOS 8 and 9, CONCERT RONDO K386 - AMB 6001 (£8)
This CD was originally issued by Pickwick, now reissued by us, and is not available in the shops
Piano Concerto No 9 in E flat, K271
Piano Concerto No 8 in C, K246
Concert Rondo in A, K386
Diana Ambache, piano/director
Ambache Chamber Orchestra
Leader Adrian Levine
Sound Clips - click what you want to hear:
No 9, 2nd Movt (piano entry)
, No 8, 1st Movt (piano entry)
It is a great pleasure for us to get this CD back in action; it was originally issued on the
Pickwick label, and disappeared when Pickwick did. It contains two of
Mozart's earliest Piano Concertos plus a bonus, and was recorded in the
rich acoustic of Rosslyn Hill Chapel, London.
Piano Concerto No 9 is a remarkable work. The first movement has a
symphonic sweep that carries you through in its rich complexity; the
second movement is an apparently simple outpouring of emotion; and the
third just bubbles with energy, with a gentle minuet sitting improbably
inside it.
Number 8 is perhaps Mozart's most playful piano concerto. Joix de
vivre is everywhere and there are many witty touches. As in
Number 9, Mozart uses his small orchestra of strings, oboes and horns
to telling effect.
The 'bonus' is a single movement Rondo (only recently restored to its
original version) that exudes an engaging warmth.
MOZART PIANO CONCERTOS 17, 19, 21 and 25 - Virgin Classics 5 61445 2
Out of print, sorry
DOUBLE CD Piano Concerto No 21 in C, K467, 'Elvira Madigan'
Piano Concerto No 25 in C, K503
Adagio in B minor, K540
Piano Concerto No 17 in G, K453
Piano Concerto No 19 in F, K397
Fantasia in D minor, K397
Diana Ambache, piano/director
Ambache Chamber Orchestra
(leader Adrian Levine)
Sound Clips - click what you want to hear:
No 17 (final minute)
, No 19 (piano entry)
, No 21 (the Elvira Madigan bit)
, No 25 (817K chunk of 1st Movt)
This double CD is actually a reissue of two separate CDs, which is why the reviews below talk only of pairs of concertos. Numbers 21 and 25 were recorded in 1990 in the gorgeous acoustic of Abbey Road studio 1 (not the Beatles' studio which is number 2, and is terrible for classical music); numbers 17 and 19 were recorded in 1991 in Rosslyn Hill Chapel, north London, though the CD doesn't tell you that. In fact the sleeve is fairly short on information, and the plastic cover is one of those with a fifty-fifty chance of breaking when you first open it. But, look, a delightful cover picture if you like that sort of thing, four lovely concertos plus two bonuses for £10 - who's complaining?
"Diana Ambache's Mozart performances [in concertos 17 & 19] are spirited and single-minded... bright-eyed and impulsive while retaining an intimate and unforced ease of address. The music itself hardly needs special pleading, but it does need high-quality woodwind to make the most of its orchestral colouring. Here the Ambache Chamber Orchestra is in its element. Bassoon [Neil Levesley, Ed] and oboe [Jeremy Polmear] regularly catch the ear, and the flute [Helen Keen] comes into its own in K459...The music making is always fully alive, and the solo Fantasia is a lyrical encore." Robert Maycock, BBC Music Magazine
"The F major, No 19, is especially attractive with clear articulation of the opening motive and delightfully springy rhythms throughout. At any price this would be worth exploring." Simon Trezise, Classic CD
"An enjoyable pairing of those C-major Piano Concertos 21 & 25 with Diana Ambache and eponymous CO: relaxed poise aplenty and beautifully focused Abbey Road sound into the bargain, with the great B-minor Adagio offered as a thoughtful postscript." Andrew Achenbach, Hi-Fi News & Record Review
MOZART PIANO CONCERTOS 14 & 18 - Meridian ECD 84086 (£14)
Piano Concerto No 14 in E flat, K449
Piano Concerto No 18 in B flat, K456
Diana Ambache, piano/director
Ambache Chamber Orchestra
(leader Adrian Levine)
You can download and hear some of the slow movement of Concerto No 18 by clicking
here.
"All true Mozartians will be attracted by Diana Ambache's recording... a well-matched orchestral strength of 27 players; splendid tempi, of the most superbly-judged kind, revealing fully the grand symphonic sweep of these undoubted masterpieces; and orchestral playing that is quite exceptional in modern-day Mozart performances." Music and Musicians
MOZART PIANO AND WIND QUINTET and PIANO QUARTET - Meridian ECD 84115 (£14)
Quintet for Piano and Wind, K452
Quartet for Piano and Strings, K478
Diana Ambache, piano
Jeremy Polmear, oboe
Antony Pay, clarinet
Timothy Brown, horn
Neil Levesley, bassoon
Adrian Levine, violin
Norbert Blume, viola
Andrew Shulman, cello
You can download and hear the first minute of the Piano Quartet by clicking
here.
"I recently wrote with enthusiasm about Antony Pay's playing of Mozart's Clarinet Quintet... the other players are mostly new to me but they all reach the same high quality. Diana Ambache's neat crisp style and polished technique help to make it easier than usual to accept Mozart's unlikely remark that this Quintet was the best work he had ever composed. Few of his slow introductions have the quality of this one, and what follows is equally delightful. The whole work must be as much of a joy to play as it is to hear... The backing is the Quartet in G minor for piano and strings. Here too the playing is polished, stylish and very pleasing... the record is easy to recommend." Roger Fiske, Gramophone
SWEET MELANCHOLY - CD £10, Cassette £7
(all works for oboe and piano unless otherwise stated)
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Six Studies in English Folk-Song (cor anglais & piano)
Benjamin Britten (1913-76)
Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, Op 49 (oboe solo)
Malcolm Arnold (b 1921)
Sonatina, Op 28
Edmund Rubbra (1901-86)
Sonata in C, Op 100
York Bowen (1884-1961)
Sonata, Op 85
Madeleine Dring (1923-77)
Danza Gaya
Sound Clips - click what you want to hear:
Vaughan Williams No 6
, Britten Arethusa (start)
, Arnold (start)
Rubbra (start)
, Bowen (1st Movt complete - 3.23Mb)
, Dring (start)
"This is a recording not only for oboists, though they - amateur or
professional - will have occasion to enjoy such finished performances
in the repertory. There is also an interest in the vein of music-making
that was opened up in English composition by the artistry of Leon
Goossens. Some of the pieces here were written for him (Malcolm Arnold,
with his engaging, haunting Sonatina, and York Bowen); others
were for performers inspired by his playing to take the instrument up.
One such was Joy Boughton... for her Britten wrote his skillfully
fashioned Metamorphoses, yet another tribute to his technical
skill in its drawing of so much music out of a single unaccompanied
line. Another was Evelyn Rothwell, later Lady Barbirolli... who won
from Rubbra a sonata that is less distinctive than some of his music
but is difficult not to accept for its easy lyrical qualities. These
are some English versions of pastoral, as of course are Vaughan
Williams' Six Studies (really for cello, here well suiting the
cor anglais)...there is something to be learnt, and to be enjoyed, in
music as well-crafted as this, as is the sonata by York Bowen.
Jeremy Polmear plays the works with the unaffected enjoyment of their
virtues. He is a sympathetic, musicianly artist, with a sweet,
Goossens-like tone (though - for oboists to note - he plays a Marigaux,
richer-toned than Goossens' elegant Loree). He finishes with a charming
little piece by the talented, lamented Madeleine Dring, who wrote it
for her husband, another superb oboist, Roger Lord." John Warrack,
Gramophone
THE OTHER DONIZETTI - Meridian CDE 84147 (£10)
Instrumental music by Donizetti, together with Fantasies on his
operas by Liszt and Pasculli
(all works for oboe and piano unless otherwise stated)
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
Sonata in F
Waltz in C (piano solo)
Concertino in G (cor anglais and piano)
Il Barcaiolo
Antonio Pasculli (1842-1924)
Concerto on themes from the opera La Favorita
Fantasia on the opera Poliuto
Franz Liszt (1811-86)
Reminisciences de Lucia di Lammermoor (piano solo)
Sound Clips - click what you want to hear:
Sonata 1st movement (middle)
, Concertino (middle)
, La Favorita (near start)
, Liszt (middle)
, Poliuto (middle)
The Other Donizetti refers to the instrumental side of a
composer known mainly for his more than sixty operas, and the recording
celebrates his unfailing melodic gifts. Antonio Pasculli was a
celebrated oboist in his time, and his music allows plenty of
opportunities for virtuosity. However, in both his and Franz Liszt's
contributions there is always respect for the beauty of the melodies.
"This collection shows an essentially lightweight side to the composer,
but is given some substance by the stylish elegance of Jeremy Polmear's
playing. The Sonata in F is an agreeable piece with a fluent
Andante and a catchy finale, and the vignette Il Barcaiolo
is even more engaging. The cor anglais Concertino centres on a
set of variations which are not unlike the fantasias on themes from his
operas by Pasculli. However, these demand the utmost bravura from the
soloist. The La Favorita Concerto has a finale marked Allegro
velocissimo which speaks for itself, and in the Poliuto
Fantasia Jeremy Polmear is made to sound like one of Rimsky-Korsakov's
bumble-bees set loose in the Italian sunshine. Diana Ambache proves a
sympathetic partner and gives a suitably flamboyant account of Liszt's
famous Lucia paraphrase. The artists are well balanced and are
afforded striking naturalness and presence." The Penguin CD Guide
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