HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS - Bachianas Brasileras Nos. 1, 2, 5 & 9

Heitor Villa-Lobos was one of the foremost figures of Brazilian classical music of the early 20th century. His mostly self-taught writing style merges rhythmic ideas of Stravinsky with baroque dances, French theory and 18th century counterpoint. He was also a strong nationalist who found common ground between Brazilian folk music and the classical tradition, a technique which would eventually generate his well-loved series Bachianas Brasileras. This 1956 recording features four of the nine J.S. Bach-inspired classics, conducted by Villa-Lobos himself. It also contains arguably the best recording of his famous Bachianas, No. 5 for soprano and 8 cellos.

BELA BARTOK - 44 duos for two violins

One cannot ignore Bartok's remarkable contribution to educational music for young musicians. Coincidentally he was also one of the 20th century's great ethno-musicologists. His '44 duos for two violins' was written in 1931 as primarily educational compositions and are based around the peasant folk melodies of his native Hungary. Rich in Bartok's characteristic harmonic invention the '44 duos'  also produce an astonishing range of texture and timbre, rhythmic vitality and subtle melodic contour. An intimate look at the compositional devices and detailed skill made famous in his larger works.  

BACH/WEBERN - ricercar

Seperated by 200 years of musical development--from the late Baroque to the 20th century's second Viennese school--this coupling may at first seem odd. However, both styles arose from their fluency in contrapuntal invention and motivic control. The repertoire includes two ricercar from Bach's "Musical Offering", a early cantata (BWV 4), Webern's 1905 string quartet and his stunning "Five Movements for String Quartet op5" (written when he was 22!). The Hilliard Ensemble, Muncheber Kammerorchest, and Christoph Poppen highlight tremendously the connections between these two composers.  

DANIEL HOPE - East Meets West

I saw Daniel Hope perform Beethoven's Violin Concerto with the Koln Symphony about a year and a half ago and it was an event. I had not seen a classical violinist play with such precise recklessness in a long time. I bought this album at the concert and it remains a favourite of mine. The mixture of Indian ragas, Romanian folk dances, and Ravel rhapsodies could have proven an awkward stab at cross-genre appeal, but Hope and his accompanists make it work through sheer will and talent. An eclectic listen that retains a strong unity of themes despite its diverse repetoire.

OSVALDO GOLIJOV - Oceana

The well-traveled Golijov's latest speaks of his varied heritage (covering Argentina, Isreal and Eastern Europe). The titular song cycle mixes swelling choral refrains, Reichian passages and even a Tropicalia break. Tying it all together is Brazilian vocalist Luciana Souza, whose introspection counters the choir's full-force gales well. After this unpredictable piece, we settle into calmer, yet still deep waters. Both the plantive "Tenebrae" and the sublime "Three Songs" (featuring Kronos Quartet and soprano Dawn Upshaw respectively) convey Golijov's wanderlust with subtle conviction.

CHRISTOPHER DELAURENTI - Favorite Intermissions

Christopher DeLaurenti is a Seattle-based composer who has turned in one of the more unlikely field recordings in recent memory. Using a leather vest embedded with small mics, cables and a Mini-disc, he secretly recorded the intermission practicing and improvising of classical musicians. After seven years and over 50 hours of recording, he has culled the cream of the crop and produced Favorite Intermissions. Raising questions about the history of the avant-garde, this disc is a peculiar and engaging listen, giving us the rare chance to hear these musicians autonomous and relaxed.

ANTON BRUCKNER/SIMON RATTLE - Symphony No. 4

The Wagnerian magnificence of Bruckner's Symphony No. 7 was a revelatory discovery for me last year so I decided to explore some of his earlier symphonies.  Symphony No. 4  took the composer seven years(!) to complete and what a struggle it must have been.  It contains everything I love about Bruckner, slow quiet moments and massive wall-of-sound climaxes.