Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Andrew McGregor with Sarah Lenton and Katy Hamilton

With Andrew McGregor. Including Building a Library.

with Andrew McGregor

0930
Building a Library: Sarah Lenton considers the available recordings of Donizetti's evergreen comic opera, L'elisir d'amore or The Elixir of Love. It is one of the few Donizetti operas that has never been out of the repertoire since its first performance and that is largely because of the seemingly endless stream of melodies as well as an unusually well-crafted libretto from Felice Romani. The recordings spotlight the best of bel canto singing from the last few decades with singers such as Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras, just to stick with the tenors. In fact the hit aria "Una furtiva lagrima" is a perfect demonstration of Donizetti's uncanny knack of writing effectively for the tenor voice.

1045
Andrew talks to Katy Hamilton about a fascinating group of new chamber music releases including music by Reger from Trio Lirico, the little-known Georg Witte from the Mozart Piano Quartet, and Dvorak and Tchaikovsky from the Escher Quartet.

1145
Andrew chooses an outstanding new release as his Disc of the Week.

3 hours, 12 minutes

Music Played

  • Gaetano Donizetti

    L' Elisir D'Amore - Opera In 2 Acts

    Singer: Roberto Alagna. Ensemble: Orchestre Et Choeur De L'Op茅ra National De Lyon. Conductor: Evelino Pid貌.
    • Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore.
    • Decca.
    • 10.
  • Igor Stravinsky

    Funeral Song Op.5 For Orchestra

    Orchestra: Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Conductor: Riccardo Chailly.
    • Stravinsky: Chant Fun猫bre & Le Sacre du printemps.
    • Decca.
    • 1.
  • Franz Schubert

    Winterreise, D. 911: 1. Gute Nacht

    Performer: Mark Padmore. Performer: Kristian Bezuidenhout.
    • Schubert: Winterreise.
    • harmonia mundi.
    • 101.
  • Dmitry Shostakovich

    Symphony No. 6 In B Minor Op.54

    Performer: Estonian Festival Orchestra. Conductor: Paavo J盲rvi.
    • Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6 & Sinfonietta.
    • Alpha.
    • 3.
  • Ralph Vaughan Williams

    Iphigenia In Tauris - Incidental Music

    Singer: Heather Lowe. Ensemble: The Joyful Company of Singers. Orchestra: Britten Sinfonia.
    • Vaughan Williams: Beyond my Dream.
    • Albion Records.
    • 5.
  • Cheryl Frances-Hoad

    Invocatio For String Quartet

    Ensemble: Wihan Quartet.
    • Elegy for Pamela.
    • Nimbus.
    • 2.
  • Thomas Tallis

    Se lord and behold

    Choir: Alamire. Ensemble: Fretwork. Director: David Skinner.
    • Thomas Tallis, Queen Katherine Parr & Songs of Reformation.
    • Obsidian.
    • 13.
  • David Briggs

    Le Tombeau de Durufl茅: Ecce lignum crucis/Christus vincit

    • Midnight at St. Etienne du Mont.
    • Signum Classics.
    • 17-18.
  • Jean鈥怋aptiste Lully

    Alceste, LWV 50, Act II (complete)

    Performer: Ambroisine Br茅. Performer: Etienne Bazola. Orchestra: Les Talens Lyriques. Conductor: Christophe Rousset.
    • Lully: Alceste.
    • 础辫补谤迟茅.
    • 11-19.

Record Review

9.00 am

STRAVINSKY: CHANT FUN脠BRE & LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS

IGOR STRAVINSKY:

Chant Fun猫bre

Fireworks, Op. 4

Scherzo Fantastique, Op. 3

Faun And Shepherdess for voice and orchestra, Op.2

The Rite of Spring

Sophie Koch (mezzo), Lucerne Festival Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly

Decca 4832562

SCHUBERT: WINTERREISE D911

FRANZ SCHUBERT:

Winterreise

Mark Padmore (tenor), Kristian Bezuidenhout (fortepiano)

Harmonia Mundi: HMM902264

SHOSTAKOVICH: SYMPHONY NO. 6 & SINFONIETTA

SHOSTAKOVICH:

Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54

String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110 (Arr. A. Stasevich for String Orchestra & Timpani)

Estonian Festival Orchestra, Paavo J盲rvi

Alpha ALPHA389

9.30am 鈥 Building a Library

Composer: DONIZETTI

Piece: L鈥檈lisir d鈥檃more

Reviewer: Sarah Lenton

Recommended Recording:

Ileana Cotrubas (Adina), Pl谩cido Domingo (Nemorino),
Geraint Evans (Dulcamara), Ingvar Wixell (Belcore),
Lillian Watson (Giannetta).

Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House鈥 Covent Garden.

Sir John Pritchard

Sony 88697446442 (2 CDs)

Other Recommended Recordings:

Angela Gheorghiu (Adina), Roberto Alagna (Nemorino),
Simone Alaimo (Dulcamara), Roberto Scaltriti (Belcore),

Elena Dan (Giannetta)

Orchestre et Choeur de L'Op茅ra National de Lyon.

Evelino Pid貌

Decca 4556912

Katia Ricciarelli (Adina), Jos茅 Carreras (Nemorino),
Domenico Trimarchi (Dulcamara), Leo Nucci (Belcore),
Susanna Rigacci (Giannetta).

Orchestra Sinfonica Della Rai Di Torino; Coro della RAI di Torino.
Claudio Scimone

Philips 4127142

Mary Plazas (Adina), Barry Banks (Nemorino),

Andrew Shore (Dulcamara), Ashley Holland (Belcore).

Philharmonia Orchestra; Geoffrey Mitchell Choir.
David Parry

Chandos Opera in English CHAN3027

10.20am

REGER: STRING TRIOS

MAX REGER:

String Trio in D Minor, Op. 141b
String Trio in A minor, Op. 77b

Piano Quartet in A Minor, Op. 133

Trio Lirico, Detlev Eisinger (piano)

Audite AUDITE97714 (CD)

WITTE: PIANO QUARTET & HORN QUINTET
GEORG HENDRIK WITTE:

Piano Quartet, Op. 5

Horn Quintet, Op. post

Mozart Piano Quartet; Radovan Vlatkovic (horn); Cornelia Gartemann (violin)
MDG MDG9432046 (Hybrid SACD)

DVO艠脕K, TCHAIKOVSKY & BORODIN: STRING QUARTETS

ANTON脥N DVO艠脕K:
String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 'American'

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY:
String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 11

ALEXANDER BORODIN:

String Quartet No. 2 in D major

Escher String Quartet

BIS BIS2280 (Hybrid SACD)

ROMANTIC VIOLA SONATAS

GEORGE ONSLOW:

Cello Sonata in F Major, Op. 16 No. 1 (Version for Viola & Piano)

FELIX MENDELSSOHN:
Viola Sonata in C Minor, MWV Q14

JAN KALLIWODA:

6 Nocturnes, Op. 186

Hiyoli Togawa (viola); Lilit Grigoryan (piano)

Naxos 8573730 (CD)

11.00am 鈥 New Releases

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: BEYOND MY DREAM

RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS:

The Bacchae: Thou Immaculate on High - For His Kingdom It Is There - Where Is the Home for Me

Electra: Onward O Labouring Tread

Electra: O for the Ships of Troy - There Came a Man

Iphigenia in Tauris: Prelude

Iphigenia in Tauris: Dark of the Sea

Iphigenia in Tauris: Bird of the Sea Rocks

Iphigenia in Tauris: O, Fair the Fruits of Leto Blow

Iphigenia in Tauris: Go Forth in Bliss

Heather Lowe (mezzo-soprano)

The Joyful Company of Singers, Britten Sinfonia; Alan Tongue

Albion Records ALBCD033

ELEGY FOR PAMELA

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN:

String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130 - Cavatina

CHERYL FRANCES-HOAD:

Invocatio

MIKA HAASLER:

A Fugue for Pamela

CECILIA MCDOWALL:

To a Nightingale

ROXANNA PANUFNIK:

Votive

FREYA WALEY-COHEN:

Vitae

DAVID KNOTTS:

At the Mid Hour of Night

WILLIAM ZINN:

Kol Nidrei Memorial

Wihan Quartet

Nimbus NI6356

THOMAS TALLIS, QUEEN KATHERINE PARR & SONGS OF REFORMATION

THOMAS TALLIS:

Gaude gloriosa Dei mater

When Jesus Went (Salvator mundi II)

O Lord, give thy holy spirit

Hear the voice and prayer

Purge me, O Lord

Solfing Song

Verily, verily I say unto you

If ye love me

O Lord, in thee is all my trust

Libera (nos, salva nos)

Litany

Fantasia (O sacrum convivium)

Se lord and behold

Alamire with Fretwork, David Skinner (director)

Obsidian Records CD716

MIDNIGHT AT ST. ETIENNE DU MONT

CHARLES TOURNEMIRE:

Improvisation sur le 鈥楾e Deum鈥

LOUIS VIERNE:

Suite No. 3, Op. 54: IV. Fant么mes

Symphonie No. 6, Op. 59: III. Scherzo

Symphonie No.5 in A Minor, Op. 47: V. Final

MAURICE鈥 DURUFL脡:

Suite Op. 5

DAVID BRIGGS:

Le Tombeau de Durufl茅

Joseph Nolan (organ)

Signum SIGCD470

11.45am 鈥 Disc of the Week

鈥奓ULLY: ALCESTE

JEAN-BAPTISTE LULLY:

Alceste, LWV 50

Judith Van Wanroij, Edwin Crossley-Mercer, Emiliano Gonzalez Toro; Les Talens Lyriques Christophe Rousset

Apart茅 AP 164 (2 CDs)

Broadcast

  • Sat 20 Jan 2018 09:00

Composers A to Z

Composers A to Z

Visit the extensive Radio 3 audio archive of programmes about composers and their works.

Browse previous episodes of the Record Review Podcast

Browse previous episodes of the Record Review Podcast

All episodes since 2010, listed alphabetically by composer surname.

Why the music we love as teens stays with us for life

Cognitive neuropyschology can explain why we return to old favourites again and again.