The Music of Charles Dickens and His Time
The Seven Dials Band; Warner Classics 66145-1

Dickens: The Fine Old English Gentleman (3:26)
Wilson: The David Copperfield Polkas (4:43)
Beuler/Clinton: Shiverand Shakery, the Man that Couldn’t Get Warm (3:37)
Traditional: Sir Roger de Coverley (3:15)

This release is a lively and entertaining collection of Victorian songs and tunes which are all associated with the life and work of Charles Dickens, whose 200th birthday is celebrated in 2012. The disc includes everything from parlour ballads to cockney ditties. Of special interest are several of Dickens’s own songs which have never, to our knowledge, been recorded before.

Beethoven: Symphony #9
Manchester Camerata / Douglas Boyd; Avie AV-2245

Beethoven: Symphony #9 in D minor, Op 125, Choral: 1^st movement (14:38)

Manchester Camerata concludes its acclaimed Beethoven cycle with the composer’s final Symphony, the Ninth. Like the previous releases in this cycle, these live recordings capture the spirit and freshness of these works as well as the energy of the chamber orchestra under Douglas Boyd, the ensemble’s Music Director for 10 years.

Britten & Shostakovich Cello Concertos
Johannes Moser, cello; WDR Symphony Orchestra (Cologne) / Pietari Inkinen; Hänssler Classic 98.643

Shostakovich: Cello Concerto #1 in E-flat major, Op 107 (27:50)

The charismatic young cellist Johannes Moser performs two concertos of the mid-20th century: Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto #1 and Britten’s Cello Symphony. Both works were originally composed for the great Mstislav Rostropovich, who was the teacher of Moser’s own teacher, David Geringas.

Louis Lortie plays Chopin, Volume 2
Louis Lortie, piano; Chandos CHAN-10714

Chopin: Nocturne in F major, Op 15, #1; Ballade #2 in F major, Op 38 (6:57)

Chandos presents Volume 2 in its series of solo piano works by Chopin, played by the French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie, who is recognized as one of the finest interpreters of Chopin today. He first recorded the Etudes for Chandos more than twenty years ago; the disc was named as one of the ’50 great performances by superlative pianists’ by BBC Music.

Haintink conducts Ravel
John Alldis Choir, London Philharmonic Orchestra / Bernard Haitink; London Philharmonic Orchestra LPO-0059

Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé: Part III (16:32)

Maurice Ravel considered his 1912 ballet score among his most important works, describing it as a ‘choreographic symphony.’ In this live 1979 recording, Bernard Haitink conjures a sensuous and atmospheric performance from the London Philharmonic Orchestra and John Alldis Choir.

Mendelssohn: The Piano Trios
Wu Han, piano; Philip Setzer, violin; David Finckel, cello; Artist Led 11102-2

Mendelssohn: Piano Trio #1 in D minor, Op 49 (28:30)

Cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han were named Musical America’s 2012 Musicians of the Year. On the latest disc from their own label, Artist Led, they’re joined by violinist Philip Setzer of the Emerson Quartet to perform Mendelssohn’s Piano Trios.

End Beginning
New York Polyphony; BIS Records SACD-1949

Crecquillon: Lamentationes Jeremiæ (13:33)

Captured in the superb acoustics of a 14th-century church in Sweden, “End Beginning” offers rare and never-before-recorded masterpieces of the Franco-Flemish Renaissance. New York Polyphony presents music by Crecquillon, Brumel, Clemens non Papa and Desprez, as well as a new work written for them by American composer Jackson Hill.

Cordero: Caribbean Concertos
Pepe Romero, guitar; I Solisti di Zagreb; Naxos 8.572707

Cordero: Concierto Festivo (24:31)

Puerto Rican composer and guitarist Ernesto Cordero dedicated his Concierto Festivo to celebrated soloist Pepe Romero, who describes the work as having ‘divine inspiration’. These works derive their warmth of expression and rhythmic influence from the composer’s native Caribbean island, and the two violin concertos ĺnsula and Concertino Tropical both contain descriptive elements from landscape and nature.

Los Pájaros Perdidos: The South American Project
Soloists, L’Arpeggiata / Christina Pluhar; Virgin Classics 50999 07095023

Juan Bautista Plaza: El curruchá (Joropo) (2:39)
Trad, Venezuela: Caballo viejo (Pasaje) & Alma llanera (Joropo) (4:58); Pajarillo verde (2:33)
Luis Mariano Rivera: La cocoroba (Joropo oriental) (2:25)

A fusion of musical styles and techniques is a trademark of L’Arpeggiata. This new collection of South American music takes its name from a piece by Ástor Piazzolla. Echoes from the pre-Columbian era, African rhythms and the styles and structures of the European Baroque all enrich this survey of music from the 17th century to the present day.