Andrè Schuen – Mozart
This album combines celebrated Mozart opera arias with songs. Andrè Schuen, featured on a few lieder albums with long-time partner Daniel Heide, rejoins forces with Heide on several tracks in this new release. Schuen’s deep, controlled voice brings authority to the more dramatic arias while retaining the sensitivity and intimacy characteristic of his lieder work. This approach is well-supported by the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg and conductor Roberto González-Monjas, who proves to be an adept opera conductor.
Notable tracks include a fine rendition of Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen from Die Zauberflöte (track 7), featuring soprano Nikola Hillebrand, which achieves a seemingly effortless and magical simplicity. Hillebrand is also an excellent partner in the duet Là ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni (track 19), where Schuen delivers a convincing, unforced lead, providing dramatic weight with a stable vocal foundation—an approach that avoids the hectic interpretations sometimes heard in this role. Komm, liebe Zither, komm (K. 351/367b, track 16), though its attribution to Mozart remains uncertain, receives a sensitive accompaniment from Avi Avital on mandolin. This is a strong showcase of Andrè Schuen’s capabilities as a dramatic opera singer, making one anticipate future projects.
Chopin – Nocturnes – Marie François
In her personal booklet note, pianist Marie François recounts her month-long stay in Warsaw dedicated to studying all 21 Chopin Nocturnes. Her profound respect and serious engagement with this music are evident throughout the recording. These works demand a nuanced sensitivity to hand balance, pedal work, phrasing, and rhythmic flexibility—all expertly managed by François, resulting in performances that sound naturally engaged with an unforced expression. Furthermore, her choice of a Yamaha CFX grand piano allows for intricate tone coloring, which François fully explores. The superb recording, engineered by Steven Maes, is also available in Dolby Atmos.
Editor’s note: A CD version of this album will be released on September 5, 2025.
Bach, Telemann, Albinoni – Concerti – Ensemble Masques
While the two Bach Violin Concertos are the most familiar works in this collection (performed here by Sophie Gent), the album is equally compelling for the two works by Albinoni (from his Sinfonie e Concerti a cinque, Op. 2) and the Viola Concerto by Telemann, the latter featuring Kathleen Kajioka as soloist. The one-per-part Ensemble Masques under Olivier Fortin performs with a refined Baroque style, allowing for moments of lightness in the dance-inspired movements. Slow movements are particularly affecting, characterized by the ensemble’s sensitive phrasing and balance. Such successful performances, where every element aligns, transcend the group’s modest size and emphasizes the enduring quality of the music itself.
Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 6 (‘Pathétique’), Souvenir de Florence – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Domingo Hindoyan
This album presents a case where the “fill-up” piece may overshadow the more renowned work. Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence, originally for string sextet, is performed here in an arrangement for string orchestra. It highlights the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s impressive string section, along with memorable solo contributions from violinist Eva Thorarinsdottir and cellist Jonathan Aasgaard. The intricate polyphony in the fast movements is rendered with notable transparency and sharp attack, while Hindoyan encourages driven energy in the final bars of the first movement. In the Adagio, the ensemble plays warmly without being overly sentimental, enhanced by added glissandos. An all-around excellent rendition of Souvenir de Florence.
The Pathétique Symphony has been previously recorded by this orchestra on the same label under Vasily Petrenko. The new interpretation, while recognizable as the same ensemble, offers a somewhat lighter and more transparent sound, bringing the woodwinds forward compared to Petrenko’s more blended orchestral balance. This clarity is further enhanced by detailed recording engineering, revealing often-hidden voices within the orchestration. While a good Pathétique, the Souvenir de Florence remains the album’s highlight.
Villa-Lobos The Complete Solo Guitar Works – Franz Halász
Franz Halász presents the complete original solo guitar music of Villa-Lobos, fittingly contained on a single CD. The included etudes, demanding exceptional technical command of the classical guitar, are approached not merely as technical showcases but as opportunities to explore the instrument’s (and the guitarist’s) capabilities in a wide range of sound colors and dynamics. In the Suite populaire brésilienne, Halász brings an added charm to his playing, respecting the score while naturally integrating popular dance and folk elements. Chôros No. 1 (track 19) stands out for its careful voicing. Only a few guitarists have undertaken a complete recording of this repertoire, and it is doubtful whether any have served the music more effectively than Halász does here.
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