Contents – May 2010
‘This remarkable piece is stripped of its veneer and laid bare
before us in all its unsettling majesty and humility.’
Sir Roger Norrington’s recording of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, reviewed on page 75
LETTERS
Mahler experiences shared; Klemperer getting political; feeling gloomy with Sibelius
8
EDITOR’S CHOICE
The best new recordings of the month, from Boris Berezovsky to Paavo Järvi
12
SOUNDB I T E S
FOR THE RECORD
Music news – seeking the new Dudamel; a quartet star takes to the podium
14
INTERVIEW
On the shores of Lake Maggiore, conductor Gianandrea Noseda discusses a wonderful early Rachmaninov rarity
19
DIARY
A fond farewell from Frederica von Stade as
she ends one of the truly great singing careers
20
ONE TO WATCH
Rising clarinet star Sarah Williamson, a new leading light for Somm Records
21
PHILIP KENNICOTT
Why one has to hear Rafał Blechacz play live as well as on record to get the full picture
22
RECORDINGS ON TRIAL
Herbert von Karajan’s Parsifal may be iconic, but is it really any good?
24
BIOGRAPHY OF AN INSTRUMENT
Recreation of a legend – the Golden Lyre of
Ur survived for centuries and has been reborn
26
2 GRAMOPHONE MAY 2010
MUSICAL JOURNEYS
How Japan is mad for classical music;
an Istanbul orchestra flies the flag for the European Capital of Culture
121
PICK OF THE MUSICAL MONTH
Ronald Brautigam plays Beethoven in Poole; the fabulous Philadelphians visit Shanghai; Daniel Barenboim conducts Das Rheingold at La Scala
125
AUDIO AND VISUAL
A refined new amplifier from Quad; and is this the time to make the jump to Blu-ray?
128
MY MUSIC
The celebrated rock keyboardist
Rick Wakeman on his passion for Prokofiev
146
Berg’s Violin Concerto, dedicated to his “angel” (above) – the best recording is revealed
60
www.gramophone.co.uk
F EAT U R E S
COVER STORY
Branded a flop at an early stage of her career, Joyce DiDonato reveals the process of
reinvention that turned her into today’s most thrilling Rossini mezzo-soprano
30
FESTIVE MUSIC
Your definitive, 24-page guide to the music festivals around the world that you won’t want to miss this summer
36
THE COLLECTION
Berg’s Violin Concerto left Benjamin Britten
“shattered” – Arnold Whittall searches for the finest recording of this searing work
60
Check out our unmissable festivals guide
ENCOR E
36
PHOTOGRAPHY: VI BOTTARO, LEBRECHT MUS IC & ARTS/LEBRECHT MUS IC & ARTS
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