Classical

The latest releases reviewed.

TAVENER: SONG FOR ATHENE; DHYANA; LALISHRI; VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: THE LARK ASCENDING Nicola Benedetti (violin), London Philharmonic Orchestra/Andrew Litton Deutsche Grammophon 476 6198 ****

Nicola Benedetti included some John Tavener on her 2005 debut album. Her latest includes two new works, the substantial Lalishri, inspired by the 14th-century Hindu saint and poet Lalla Yogishwari, and the compact Dhyana, as well as an arrangement of the Song for Athene that touched the hearts of millions at Princess Diana's funeral service. Benedetti has the ability to dwell in the moment, which is essential for Tavener's music, as well as a command of the kind of super-saturated ecstasy that Steven Isserlis captured so well on cello in The Protecting Veil. What's new in Lalishri is Tavener's willingness to engage with the virtuoso conventions that he has mostly eschewed. www.deutschegrammophon.com MICHAEL DERVAN

HAYDN: THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF OUR SAVIOUR ON THE CROSS Francisco Rojas (reader), Le Concert des Nations/Jordi Savall Alia Vox AVSA 9854 ****

The seven slow meditations that constitute Haydn's Seven Last Words are best known through the muted colours of the arrangement for string quartet. The oratorio version comes a distant second, and the original scoring for orchestra is even less well known. Jordi Savall's new period instruments recording of the original wisely avoids trying to fit the music into conventional moulds. This hour of slow, mostly spare orchestral writing effectively makes rules of its own - its phrases are not weighted, its movement not paced like most 18th-century music. Savall's soft-grained textures, his patience with the virtual absence of grand effects, make for an absorbing experience. www.uk.hmboutique.com MICHAEL DERVAN

DIVINE HYMNS Les Arts Florissants/William Christie Virgin Classics 395 1442 ***

This collection of 17th-century sacred music focuses on works conceived for domestic use. The selection is dominated by one of England's greatest composers, Henry Purcell. The longest work, at just under 10 minutes, is his Saul and the Witch of Endor, and the representation of William Croft, John Blow and Pelham Humfrey extends to the latter's deeply touching Hymn to God the Father. Tenor Paul Agnew's handling of the Hymn stands as a good marker for the strengths and weaknesses of the collection as a whole, with beauty of delivery given precedence over the expressive communication of the words. Soprano Hannah Morrison evokes the manner of Emma Kirkby with sometimes haunting results, yet the music-making rarely penetrates the heart as it should in this finely wrought music. www.virginclassics.com MICHAEL DERVAN

GRIEG: PIANO CONCERTO; BALLADE; 6 LYRIC PIECES Leif Ove Andsnes, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Mariss Jansons EMI Classics 394 3992 ****

2007 marks the centenary of the death of Edvard Grieg, and this special-priced EMI collection brings together recordings old and new of Norway's most famous composer by Norway's most famous pianist. Leif Ove Andsnes's 2002 recording of the Piano Concerto has a kind of artless-seeming freedom that makes the music sound fresh at every turn, and the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic under Mariss Jansons is all luxury. The selection of Lyric Pieces was recorded a year earlier on the composer's own Model B Steinway piano. The extended, 20-minute Ballade was recorded specially for the disc. Andsnes's imaginative approach presents this rarely heard and interpretatively problematic piece in a most favourable light. www.emiclassics.com MICHAEL DERVAN