To my mind, this is the best recording of Copland's great third symphony. All too often, it sounds fragmented and somewhat incoherent. But trust Yoel Levi always to find the melodic line and reveal the intention of Copland. There is both beauty and drama and the hushed transition to the fourth movement and the famous 'Fanfare of the Common Man' has rarely has as magical an effect as it does in the hands of Levi and his orchestra. The Atlanta Symphony plays gorgeously throughout,with brightly singing American strings, bold brass and some really fine woodwinds. Even if the filler - the Music for the Theatre - is not as substantial as the symphony, it is fine and entertaining music. Highly recommended!

Most of the bands on Magic may not be all that well known. However, it is a wonderful tribute to the tiny giant of heavy metal, Ronnie James Dio. It is difficult to go wrong when you have a group of great musicians with a genuine love for his music. Even though not all songs are equally great, the record is a reminder of how good some of the songs are. Manowar starts the party with a faithful rendition of Heaven and Hell - arguably one of the finest heavy metal songs of all time - and Jack Starr's Burning Starr caps it with the gorgeous Catch the Rainbow. If you're a fan of Dio, this album is a must. If you just like classical heavy metal, odds are that you'll have 45 minutes of pure joy.

Gustav Mahler - so we read in the liner notes - believed that the early death of his friend Hans Rott was one of music's worst losses. Hearing this recording of Rott's only symphony certainly lends credibility to his claim. Written in his early 20s, the symphony reminds one of early Mahler in its ambition, scope and structure. But it is not just being Mahlerian before Mahler. Rott had a voice of his own and different ways of approaching the music. The prominent role of the brass section - perhaps too prominent at times, but Rott couldn't know since he never heard the symphony being performed - sets his orchestration apart from anything else written at the time. The way he quite unusually assigns some of the more romantic and tender music to the brass section works wonderfully well. The filler - a slightly later suite for orchestra - is fine and well-crafted, but not as interesting or entertaining as the symnphony.
Throughout, Järvi and his Frankfurt orchestra play this music with great commitment and again demonstrate why Germany is more than the Berlin Phil. Järvi finds quirky details and beautiful coherence while never letting the music sag. And, as in their recent Brahms recordings, the entire orchestra plays with warmth and precision. This is the recording that finally comes close to realizing what Mahler knew: that his friend Hans was at least as talented as he himself.

Who would have guessed that this turns album turns out to be one of the most interesting in 2010? First, Korngold was arguably the finest composer of movie music ever, but the quality of his symphonic output varied. Most people in his time argued that his musical language was outdated. Second, the Strasbourg Philharmonic is not exactly one of the most recorded orchestras.
But forget all about that. Marc Albrecht leads his Strasbourg forces in an impeccably played and recorded performance of what must be one of the finest symphonies of the mid-20th century. Yes, you can hear Korngold's movie background, but what does that mean? Are the movies creeping into the symphony or is it simply because what we consider classical movie music sounds like Korngold? I tend towards the latter explanation, not least when listening to the second movement and how parts of it remind me of Williams' score to ET. Then again, the first movement is all excitement, the finale ends the symphony on a high note (so to speak), and once you've heard the achingly beautiful third movement, you're not likely to forget that feeling anytime soon.
All in all, this is a very fine recording of a great symphony. The filler - the Much Ado About Nothing suite - is also a finely crafted and entertaining work. If your taste is in any way in this direction, there's no reason to hesitate. Albrecht and the Strasbourg Philharmonic has a winner in this Korngold album.

Not knowing what to expect from Michael Daugherty's Metropolis Symphony may be a good thing. Everyone knows what a Beethoven or Elgar symphony is supposed to sound, so much 'new' music sounds like a series of plings and dissonances. Not this one. The Metropolis symphony is about as entertaining as a comic book, like the Superman stories that inspired it. The symphony is in turns exciting, darkly scary, and oddly moving. It's a major achievement to turn the Superman universe into classical music. Throw in a Nashville Symphony on form and a conductor - Giancarlo Guerrero - who clearly adores the piece, and you're in for an hour of fun. It may not be as inspired as Mozart or as tautly brilliant as Brahms, but less will certainly do.

The Boat That Rocked may sound like yet another goofball comedy, but it is more than that. There definitely is goofing around, but you also sense that the director and the actors share a genuine love of the period. Hoffman echoes his role from Almost Famous and cuts a figure that manages to be both funny and believable, as do the other main characters. But behind all the fun - and there's plenty of truly funny moments - this movie also tells about the time when government first lost its monopoly over radio in Europe. It's a tale of private people with a very 60s cause - to have fun without having to answer to any authority - that director Richard Curtis manages to make both funny, sweet and true. Combine that with a great soundtrack, and you have one of the best comedies in recent years.

I recently heard Hilary Hahn play the Beethoven concerto with the Gothenburg SO and went home to compare that evening with this recording. Going back to the Beethoven of a very young Hilary Hahn confirmed what I had thought since first hearing this disc: This is one of the truly great recordings of the concerto! Expectation hangs high in the air (to paraphrase Shakespeare) from the first five drum taps and the sense of wonder is sustained all through concerto. David Zinman and the Baltimore SO play precisely and provide not only a background but a worthy companion through the entire concerto. And the violin playing? Had the disc had a bit of surface noise and a more narrow dynamic range, I could have been pursuaded into believing that this might be Milstein or another of the violin gods from 50 years ago. Knowing that this is a girl not yet turned 20 will only make one shiver with anticipation of what the future will bring. She plays with a big, sweet-centered tone and impeccable technique that nonetheless always serves only one purpose: the musical argument. Ms. Hahn chooses to play the Kreisler cadenza instead of the more common one by Joachim, and one cannot doubt that it is the right choice. The Larghetto is a beautiful interlude that seems to exist beyond time and when the end is drawing near in that wonder of a rondo finale, played with joy and most dancelike by Hahn and Zinman, I get the urge to start all over again.

The Beethoven is coupled with Bernsteins quasi-concerto. Again, Hahn and Zinman are more than up to the task. The Baltimore SO provides crisp and clear backing for the violinist who in this philosophic piece again belies her age by playing much more mautrely than one would think possible. This recording might even surpass Bernstein's own!

All in all, if you already own a recording of the Beethoven concerto, buy this one anyway. And if you are buying your first recording, be careful. Nothing will ever give you the same thrill as hearing Ms Hahn play this work.

Sir Adrian Boult loved the music of Parry so much, that after his last recording - Parry's fifth symphony - he wrote that he "thought the last word should be with Parry". Throughout the 20th century, the rest of the world nevertheless seemed to neglect the works of this composer, with the exception of Jerusalem. The LPO and Mathias Bamert therefore deserve thanks for this record of two of Parry's symphonies. The Third symphony bears an emotional resemblance with Mendelssohn's Italian and Schumann's Rhenish symphonies with its equally sunny and exuberant mood. It is a genuine delight and a work that leaves you convinced that hte world, after all, is a wonderful place.
It is, however, the Fourth that is the real revelation of this CD. This is the first performance of the work since 1910. On hearing it, one cannot fail to wonder how a work of this caliber could be forgotten for so long. It is simply magnificent! The first movement is full of passion and ends in a coda of such beaty that any composer at any time in history would have been proud of it. On the first heraing, the symphony will continue to amaze you with great tunes and rhythmic subtlety. It ends in a finale of Elgarian nobility. But it was written in 1889 - that is, before Elgar! Buy this CD and revel in it. And if you know any members of symphony orchestras, urge them to add this work to their repertoire. It deserves a place among the best.