— Albert Roussel, Symphony No. 3 and Bacchus et Ariane, Stéphane Denève conducting the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (Naxos) [vibrant from the first chord]
— Ives, Second Symphony and Robert Browning Overture (critical editions), Kenneth Schermerhorn conducting the Nashville Symphony (Naxos) [for more on the edition go here]
— Elgar and Barber, Cello Concertos, Anne Gastinel and Justin Brown conducting the City of Birmingham Symphony (Naïve)
— Mahler, Symphony No. 3, Bernard Haitink conducting the Chicago Symphony (CSO Resound)
— Domenico Scarlatti, Sonatas, Yevgeny Sudbin (BIS)
— Donnacha Dennehy, Elastic Harmonic (NMC)
Reading: Rob Sheffield's Love Is A Mix Tape, Lawrence Kramer's Why Classical Music Still Matters.
Note: A reader asks whether these Playlist selections are recommendations. I believe Steve Smith, the originator of the Playlist concept, once gave a good answer to this question, but I can't seem to find it. The idea is that these discs have snagged my attention for one reason or another, but I'm not necessarily placing them in the must-buy category; I'd need to listen a few more times before making that always risky assessment. However, Denève's disc is a surefire proposition, particularly if you don't know Roussel's neoclassical masterpiece. Sudbin, whose recent Frick Collection recital I missed, seems to be a major artist in the making; the 2004 Scarlatti disc is alive with virtuosity, intelligence, and wit. And the Chicago Mahler Third is gloriously played throughout, though I sometimes wanted more flexibility of tempo and vividness of characterization from Haitink. The out-of-print Jascha Horenstein on Unicorn remains my favorite [copies available in the UK]; Abbado and the Berlin are also terrific.
