Album Reviews

High and mighty indeed. This flawless session from 1958 was one of the finest the great tenorman left on record, and it's good to have it back available. Hawkins is peerless throughout, full of power, passion and invention, not least on the extended Bird of Prey Blues that opens the record. A brilliant ballad reading of My One and Only Love is another highlight. This new reissue adds a complete album's worth of material in which Hawkins is partnered with trumpeter Roy Eldridge, which is well worth having. AV

Lee Konitz: Lee Konitz with Warne Marsh (Poll Winners) 9.99

Konitz remains a musical force to be reckoned with into his 80s, but here is on fine, youthful form in the middle 50s, partnered with a kindred spirit, tenorman Warne Marsh. Both favoured light, airy approaches that made for a beguiling blend of voices and gives the music a cool spaciousness that remains immensely attractive. Both were also harmonically very sophisticated and the performances throughout have a quiet intensity and intelligence that makes for absorbing listening. AV

Alexej Gorlatch: piano. Genuin, (Gen 10174) 13.99

Although only 22, this Ukrainian pianist has won a string of competition prizes. As he opens his account of Mozart's Fantasia in C minor on this debut CD, you almost wonder why. It's tidy and accurate, and Beethoven's Sonata No 28 is similarly well ordered but it's not until he reaches Chopin – the Four Mazurkas, Op 33 and Polonaise in A-flat major – that the recording catches fire. The revelation, however, is Britten's Notturno, shapely, subtly coloured and brilliantly atmospheric. An artist to watch. RC

Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie. LSO Live, (SACD LSO0689) 8.99

On one level, Strauss's Alpine Symphony celebrates the glory of nature; on another, it hymns man's capacity for self-determination. By any reckoning, it is a monumental expression of late romanticism. In lesser hands than those of Bernard Haitink, it can sound episodic, but his talent is to link the first bar with the last to create a concentrated span. Strauss's brilliant orchestration benefits from his purposeful direction and the London Symphony Orchestra rises to every challenge in this excellent live recording. RC