I haven't heard Elizabeth Watts before and, on a new CD of Bach cantatas and solo cantata arias her voice sounds quite beautiful. She is billed as a soprano, but on this CD comes over more as an alto or, at best, a mezzo soprano. This seems to be the problem with the chosen pitch of A = 415 Hz, where everything comes over a bit murky and even the normally exuberant trumpet in "Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen" sounds here a bit like an emasculated trombone. At this pitch, most of the orchestral detail, so important in Bach, recedes into the undergrowth. Slower arias are taken very slowly, and much of the CD reminds me of what things used to sound like when I inadvertently played a 45 rpm disk at 33 rpm. Let us hope to hear Ms Watts at a more acceptable pitch and with a more alert conductor than Harry Bicket.

It was interesting re-listening to Jascha Heifetz's 1952 recordings of the Bach solo sonatas and partitas (new transfer by my friends at Pristine Audio). For the first time for ages, Heifetz's violin at last sounds like Heifetz's violin (which was not the case with the RCA / BMG transfers). There was a lot of warmth in Heifetz's sound. These new Pristine transfers are the ones I will keep, and the old set can go to a charity shop.

Listening to all six works during a 24 hour period can often be a challenge, with monochrome and monotone violin playing from many contestants. No challenge with Heifetz: the range of bowings, colours and dynamics he produces means that all six works are a pleasure to hear, one after another. 1952 was not a great vintage period for American recording technology, but in their new re-incarnation the Heifetz recordings are perfectly acceptable (the first sonata, for some reason, sounds slightly lower recording quality than the other five works). The Bach unaccompanieds are a highly competitive area, but these Heifetz recordings now join Lara St.John, Oscar Shumsky and Nathan Milstein in my personal pantheon. Probably Heifetz beats Milstein now; he is just even more interesting to listen to.

I bought -- and listened to -- a Mahler symphony! No one can say I have not been faithful to Gustav Mahler since around 1956 when I bought my first Mahler pieces (fourth symphony, and Kindertotenlieder). The new acquisition was Mahler's fifth symphony, I work I got to know first as a teenager by studying the full score I loaned from a public library; the new CD has Valery Gergiev conducting the LSO (very fine recording, and orchestral playing).

But, alas: Mahler is not for me (except for a few isolated bits). I find too much of the music banal and superficial. Mahler was a great orchestrator, but so many of the bits I like (usually involving small forces of harp, pianissimo violins, woodwind, etc) seem to turn up in all the works. Set beside two other Austrians who happened to write nine symphonies -- Schubert and Bruckner -- Mahler is revealed as not being in their league. There is no profundity, no spiritual element, in Mahler's works. Flashy; yes. Well-written; yes. But no greatness and often noisy (Stürmisch bewegt, mit größter Vehemenz for the second movement tempo indication says it all). I remember a concert in London where I last heard Mahler's fifth and finding the sheer noise level thoroughly disagreeable.

Added to the fact that the two plaice I had bought turned out to be scrawny and unsatisfactory, and I didn't enjoy the rosé wine I had with them; it was not a great evening! Back to Schubert and Bruckner.

After over 70 years, the six Bach suites played by Pablo Casals still stand as Number One choice for these works. There is a zest and humanity in Casals' playing that defies comparison with anyone else. Like the playing of Fritz Kreisler, Casals is simply hors concours.
One can happily forget "historically informed", or "authentic". This is simply Bach played by a supreme instrumentalist who loved these works.

This blog is becoming a bit of a Pristine Audio fan club site. However, the new Pristine transfer of these six suites puts any previous reincarnations to shame. It sounds as if Pablo is playing away in the corner of my lounge. No other versions of these suites are required.

One of the world's great dishes: squid comme chez moi. Around 1 kilo of fresh squid. Olive oil. Flat-leaf parsley. Garlic. Black pepper. Salt. Cayenne pepper. Freshly squeezed lemon juice. A suitable pan. A good rosé wine to go with it. Good bread. Not cheap. Not instant. But absolutely delicious. As a dessert: a plate of good Normandy cheeses.

Wilhelm Furtwängler and the Berlin Philharmonic playing Beethoven's fifth symphony (1944, fill-up on Pristine Audio CD with the violin concerto played by Röhn). The first LP I ever bought at the tender age of 14 was Erich Kleiber conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Beethoven's fifth symphony. I don't like the work! I found the Furtwängler performance inflated, grandiose and banal. Maybe it would sound better with an orchestra of 12 players. But, for whatever reason, like so much of Beethoven's orchestral music -- apart from isolated movements -- it is no longer my cup of tea.

Since its arrival in 1955, the first Shostakovich violin concerto has established itself as the most often played in concert and most often recorded violin concerto of the last 50 years; if one excludes the Sibelius concerto, it may even be the most played and recorded of the last 100 years. It seems to me that every version that comes along I herald yet again as “the best”. I have 40 recordings of the work; and no less than 10 have my rare “AAA” rating. A strange state of affairs.

Well, it was nine AAAs; but the latest recording to thunder through my letter box – Lisa Batiashvili with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen on DG – makes it ten, and Batiashvili joins Julia Fischer, Leila Josefowicz, Sergei Khachatryan, Alexei Michlin (for the violin playing), Stoika Milanova, Vadim Repin (several versions) and Maxim Vengerov at the crowded top of the tree.

I have been a loyal Batiashvili fan for the past ten or eleven years. Her sound and playing are highly distinctive (a rare thing with modern violinists). Difficult to describe, but there has always been a nobility about her playing, with an extremely well executed vibrato, a way of concentrating on every note and every phrase, and a contralto sound that often alternates between clarinet and oboe. Her actual sound often reminds me of Gioconda de Vito. Her performance here of the Shostakovich first concerto deserves classic status, helped greatly by a first-rate recording, good recording balance and first-class partnership with the orchestra and conductor. The noble violin rides above the storm.

The CD has some attractive and out-of-the way fill-ups, and the two pieces for violin and piano with Hélène Grimaud remind us how much better things are when duos are played with real pianists, and not with Emanuel Bay look-alikes.

17 January 1944 in the Alte Philharmonie in Berlin Erich Röhn stood up to play the Beethoven violin concerto, with Furtwängler conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. The concert was recorded on tape and, just over 67 years later, it remains probably the classic yardstick performance of the Beethoven concerto. Serene, classical, traditional; and, one senses, true to the inner spirit of Beethoven's work. The rejuvenated sound from Pristine Audio is little short of miraculous; we seem to be listening to one of the better recordings of the 1960s. I have over 60 recordings of Beethoven's only violin concerto; but this performance is almost certainly at the top of the list (thanks to Röhn, Furtwängler and the unknown German radio engineers). Soon afterwards, the Alte Philharmonie vanished in a bombing raid. Fortunately, this performance lives on and on and on.

Now, Mr Rose; please turn your attention to rescuing Adolf Busch's recordings from the 1930s of Beethoven, Bach and Scbubert.

Friends have lauded Alexei Michlin and his performance of the first Shostakovich violin concerto (13 June 1963, Queen Elisabeth Competition, Brussels). But I have sat on my CD copy for months. Yet another unknown Russian. However, having listened to it this evening, I have to say I have never heard anyone play the solo part better. No one. An amazing performance. As is the wont with these kinds of recordings, the Belgian orchestra under André Cluytens just thrums away in the background. No matter; this is a disc for admirers of Alexei Michlin. Superb.

I bought the new release of Bach's Weihnachts-Oratorium mainly out of curiosity. How dare a company in 2011 issue a Bach oratorio played by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Dresden Kammerchor, conducted by Riccardo Chailly?

Well, actually, the release proves there is hope for Bach performance in the 21st century. The lessons of the Central European tradition have been well learned. The lessons of the "original instrument" lot have been listened to, and absorbed. The choir numbers around 20 voices (absolutely ideal, in my book; nicht wahr, Herr Bach?) The orchestra is, more accurately, "members of the Gewandhausorchester". Tempi are somewhat brisk, for my taste, but better that than the other way around. The five solo singers are well balanced. The two hours go quickly and pleasantly. To repeat: there is hope for Bach performances in the 21st century after the excesses of the early 20th century and the late 20th century. With these six cantatas, common-sense and musical taste seem to have returned to the scene.

I've always had mixed feelings about the music of Richard Strauss and have never taken to his orchestral music, nor to the operas except for Rosenkavalier. His vocal music for soprano is another matter, and the collection of 24 Lieder for soprano and orchestra sung by Diana Damrau is unalloyed delight -- especially when accompanied by the Munich Philharmonic (conducted by Christan Thielemann, an all-Bavarian Strauss celebration). All one can say about Damrau is: she is just so exactly right singing this music. Her technique is exemplary, her sound beautiful, her diction superb, her feeling for the music innate. Another gold disc.

More Heifetz this evening, with Mark Obert-Thorn's transfers from LP of some of the Los Angeles re-makes from the 1950s -- Lalo, Wieniawski, Chausson, Ravel, Tchaikovsky. The transfers are excellent in terms of Heifetz's sensuous sound (one can readily appreciate why one American critic referred to his playing as "silk underwear music"). Naxos is the usual excellent value.

In my view, no one comes close to Heifetz's playing in any of these works. Having said that, the Heifetz recordings would be my first choice for none of them. Too much Heifetz, not enough orchestra, not enough composer.

Staying with the happy note: the Waitrose supermarket turns out to sell veal chops! My supermarket allegiance has just changed all over again. My two chops made a superb meal on Saturday evening. And I picked up 12 more bottles of Monsieur Guigal's excellent 2006 Côtes du Rhône (Majestic Wine).

There is often a subtle, but real, link between nationality or geography and the performer of a given piece of music. The subject is fraught with contradictions, however, and few generalisations have seemed so tenuous or fragile.

Thus, I admired greatly the Wiener Oktett recordings of Schubert and Mendelssohn last week because, to me, they sounded so right. In the same way, I admire Schnabel, Erdmann, Ney, Kempff, Backhaus and Fischer in the piano music of Schubert and Beethoven ... because they sound right. As do Gilels, Kogan and Rostropovich in the Tchaikovsky piano trio. As do Furtwängler (especially), Knappertsbusch et al in Bruckner. Grumiaux, Ferras et al in Franco-Belgian music. Sammons in the Elgar violin concerto. The Busch Quartet and Chamber Orchestra in the music of Bach, Beethoven and Schubert. The Russians -- Oistrakh, Kogan, Vengerov, Repin, and others -- in the Shostakovich violin concerto. Klemperer in Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner and Wagner; Russians performing Russian music; Austro-Germans performing German music; Franco-Belgians performing French music; even the English performing English music (often helped by near-neighbours such as Bernard Haitink, Janine Jansen and Simone Lamsma). Not to mention Czechs in Czech music ... and so on.

Exceptions, of course, prove the rule. My favourite players for the Bach unaccompanied sonatas and partitas this year are Lara St. John (Canadian), Nathan Milstein (Russian) and Oscar Shumsky (American). For the Shostakovich violin concerto, I favour Leila Josefowicz (Canadian) and maybe at the moment Julia Fischer (German). For the Paganini violin concerto, Leonid Kogan (Russian). However, on the other hand, my main preferences for recordings of the Beethoven violin concerto are, in random order: Erich Röhn, Wolfgang Scheiderhan, Adolf Busch, and Georg Kulenkampff. And, after all, if players are confined to the composers of their home regions, it does not leave American, Japanese and Chinese artists much to play in the way of great music. Imagine Hilary Hahn sentenced to a life of playing George Gershwin, Charles Ives, Samuel Barber and Leonard Bernstein!
The link between "Homeland" and instinctive empathy is a somewhat mystical one. My ears, however, tell me that it is often a very real link even when language is set aside (as in Lieder and opera, native language speakers usually have a very real head-start over the competition). And, yes, the Chinese Tianwa Yang does seem to have a certain empathy with the music of the Spaniard Sarasate. As do the Finns and Nordics in the music of Sibelius.

Suffering from a kind of mini-flu, I spent the weekend listening to Schubert, mainly centred on some CDs of Robert Goldsand I had received, plus a re-issue of the famous Wiener Oktett recordings from the early 1950s (Octet, Trout, plus the Mendelssohn Octet). Goldsand turns out to be a good, classical pianist from the Austrian school. I liked his playing, but when I put on Edwin Fischer playing the Schubert Impromptus immediately after Goldsand, I noticed the difference. Fischer just sounded "right" and natural, and less contrived; his tempi also sounded "correct" (whatever that might mean).

And the Wiener Oktett in Schubert (and Mendelssohn) also sounded "right". These classic performances will now be the ones I turn to when I want to hear Schubert (which seems to be more and more often these days; I love the restless tonality and modulation in his music).

I have admired the violin playing of Vadim Repin for over twenty years now. But I hesitated a while before buying his new CD (with Nikolai Lugansky). Main obstacle was the Franck sonata, a magnificent work but one of which I already had 48 recordings (including one by Repin and Lugansky from Tokyo, 2004). But I ceded, swayed by the presence of the Janacek sonata and the second Grieg sonata (not the over-played third, thank goodness).

My purchase turned out to be a wise decision. This is a CD with three gold stars and deserves to stay in the catalogues for the next 50 years. To list the virtues:

** The DG engineers have achieved a true recorded balance between piano and violin (no easy thing to do). We do not have a GIANT piano, and a tiny violin. Nor do we have (as prevalent in much of the past) a GIANT violin and a tiny piano. And pianissimos are quiet, fortissimos are loud.

** The players play as a true duo. Often, one is torn between listening in admiration to what Repin is doing with his violin, or Lugansky with his piano. Nota bene, Mr Heifetz, wherever you are.

** Both pianist and violinist are on truly excellent form. This is (almost) a "throw away every other version" record of these three pieces.

A pity the Janacek and the Grieg were not placed with something besides the over-exposed Franck sonata (Lekeu, or Elgar, or Magnard, to list neglected violin and piano sonatas of a similar ilk and period). However: still three gold stars. This goes into my "do not file away" rack.

I have always been ambivalent about the music of Béla Bartok. I recognise the exemplary craftsmanship, and I enjoy many passages and themes in his music. But enjoyment of Bartok is too often cerebral, and I rarely warm to real emotions, feelings or revelations of the man behind the music. I feel the same now having just listened to the two violin concertos (and I know the second, main concerto very well by now). There simply is not the same emotion in the music that one gets, for example, in the twentieth century concertos of Elgar, Shostakovich, Britten or Sibelius.

Nevertheless, the new PentaTone recording is absolutely first rate, with a completely ideal balance between soloist and orchestra (Orchestre de la Suisse Romande conducted by Marek Janowski). The thoroughly capable and admirable soloist is Arabella Steinbacher, a violinist whom I admire more and more (except, as detailed previously, for her Beethoven violin concerto).

Not too many people (I would guess) listen to Glazunov's violin concerto three times within the space of a couple of hours. But I did, today: Oscar Shumsky (1987), Julia Fischer (2004) and Arabella Steinbacher (2006 - off-air). Shumsky was three stars -- serious, beautiful playing, undemonstrative. Fischer was good, but a bit studied and somewhat dictated by head rather than heart. Joint winner with Shumsky (somewhat to my surprise) was Arabella Steinbacher. Technically as good as Shumsky and Fischer, but with a heartfelt commitment to Glazunov's glorious score that was highly welcome. And less dawdling than Fischer.

Of course, still to come in my potential listening pile if I ever find the energy are Jascha Heifetz (two versions), Nathan Milstein (four verions), Riccardo Odnoposoff, David Oistrakh, Michael Rabin, David Nadien, Stoika Milanova, Galina Barinova, Myron Polyakin, Viktor Tretyakov, Vadim Repin, Bronislav Gimpel, Julian Sitkovetsky, Erica Morini, Ida Haendel and Semyon Snitkovsky. If Alexander Glazunov were still alive, he would be mightily pleased at the success of his friendly and likeable little violin concerto

As I've remarked previously, the shuffle-play facility on CD players is not often relevant to classical music. But sometimes it does come into its own, like this evening. Yevgeny Sudbin plays 18 piano sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti (and very good they are, too). Shuffle-play prevents over-familiarisation with the first ten or so. Then on to 19 tracks of Kreisler pieces, played most enjoyably by Ulrike-Anima Mathé, a CD I haven't taken off the shelf for a long time. The music is excellent; no wonder it is still going strong after over a hundred years. And I like Mathé's playing; she understands that Kreisler's music does not respond well to dawdling and over-sentimentalising, and she understands the Viennese dance rhythms that underlie so many of the pieces. A good hour's listening, and another excellent candidate for the shuffle-play (there are no multi-track pieces on either this or the Scarlatti CD).