Special edition

String quartets these days seem to be polarised between those devoted to the core repertoire of the 18th and 19th centuries and those anxious to prove the perceivedly elitist medium's relevance to our fractured, democratic modern world by promoting music of 'cutting edge' relevance (for which read the fashionably and ephemerally chic).

Messiaen's music can appear both engagingly naive and rigorously complex. It declares its influences openly (birdsong, plainsong, Indian rhythmic patterns, Indonesian percussion, to name just a few) and frequently attempts to envisage spiritual matters of staggering magnitude. The source of Messiaen's creative impulse was no secret; steered indefatigably by his belief in a creator, and the doctrines of Roman Catholicism, he aimed through music to empathise with creation in all its colours and vibrancy (Messiaen's synaesthesia is. discussed in Tuning Up this month).

The Opus 111 recording label already has an established reputation in the field of Italian Baroque music and now it launches a new venture, Close Encounters with Early Music. This modestly priced series will explore repertoire from France, Italy, Spain, Flanders, Byzantium and Russia. Already some 18 discs have been issued, the latest of which are reviewed here.

The Opus 111 recording label already has an established reputation in the field of Italian Baroque music and now it launches a new venture, Close Encounters with Early Music. This modestly priced series will explore repertoire from France, Italy, Spain, Flanders, Byzantium and Russia. Already some 18 discs have been issued, the latest of which are reviewed here.

Strange (and undisclosed) circumstances brought Karl Richter, a Protestant pastor's son from eastern Germany, via the hallowed training grounds of the Dresden Kreuzkirche and St Thomas's Leipzig, to be Cantor of St Mark's Church, Munich, in the heart of Catholic Bavaria, in 1951. A similar paradox presents Richter as a seminal expert in Baroque music performance just too early to be influenced by 'authenticist' discoveries. It might be concluded that, as a man and as a musician, he was twice homeless.

Strange (and undisclosed) circumstances brought Karl Richter, a Protestant pastor's son from eastern Germany, via the hallowed training grounds of the Dresden Kreuzkirche and St Thomas's Leipzig, to be Cantor of St Mark's Church, Munich, in the heart of Catholic Bavaria, in 1951. A similar paradox presents Richter as a seminal expert in Baroque music performance just too early to be influenced by 'authenticist' discoveries. It might be concluded that, as a man and as a musician, he was twice homeless.

Strange (and undisclosed) circumstances brought Karl Richter, a Protestant pastor's son from eastern Germany, via the hallowed training grounds of the Dresden Kreuzkirche and St Thomas's Leipzig, to be Cantor of St Mark's Church, Munich, in the heart of Catholic Bavaria, in 1951. A similar paradox presents Richter as a seminal expert in Baroque music performance just too early to be influenced by 'authenticist' discoveries. It might be concluded that, as a man and as a musician, he was twice homeless.

John Eliot Gardiner has proved himself a doughty champion of the later French Baroque, cultivating credible performing methods and unearthing undeservedly neglected repertoire. These nine CDs offer both rich musical rewards and an insight into developing approaches to interpretation. The earliest repertoire in the set is the volume of Francois Couperin's 'apotheoses' of Lully and Corelli, a sensual and programmatic feast in which this charmingly didactic composer attempts to reconcile the best of French and Italian taste.

These two sets complement one another nicely. Melodiya presents mostly studio recordings made before Richter's first appearance in the West in 1960; the Praga set consists of live performances from Prague and its environs, more than half of which date from 1965-88. Most of the Melodiya recordings have been staples of the Richter discography for decades, many of them rightly being seen as among his best work. By contrast, none of these Praga performances was in general circulation before 1993, and only two Chopin nocturnes and the Brahms Variations, Op.

These two sets complement one another nicely. Melodiya presents mostly studio recordings made before Richter's first appearance in the West in 1960; the Praga set consists of live performances from Prague and its environs, more than half of which date from 1965-88. Most of the Melodiya recordings have been staples of the Richter discography for decades, many of them rightly being seen as among his best work. By contrast, none of these Praga performances was in general circulation before 1993, and only two Chopin nocturnes and the Brahms Variations, Op.

These two sets complement one another nicely. Melodiya presents mostly studio recordings made before Richter's first appearance in the West in 1960; the Praga set consists of live performances from Prague and its environs, more than half of which date from 1965-88. Most of the Melodiya recordings have been staples of the Richter discography for decades, many of them rightly being seen as among his best work. By contrast, none of these Praga performances was in general circulation before 1993, and only two Chopin nocturnes and the Brahms Variations, Op.

These two sets complement one another nicely. Melodiya presents mostly studio recordings made before Richter's first appearance in the West in 1960; the Praga set consists of live performances from Prague and its environs, more than half of which date from 1965-88. Most of the Melodiya recordings have been staples of the Richter discography for decades, many of them rightly being seen as among his best work. By contrast, none of these Praga performances was in general circulation before 1993, and only two Chopin nocturnes and the Brahms Variations, Op.

In his booklet notes to this collection, Schwarzkopf s discographer, the critic John Steane, remembers her recitals thus: 'The programme itself was often a work of art. A topic or theme would be followed, a mood set, or sometimes a challenge issued.' With this in mind, EMI's eclectic eightieth-birthday tribute does the singer a disservice: the packaging is lavish, the booklet fabulously illustrated, but the discs themselves seem randomly compiled and bitty, and do little to celebrate the career of one of the greatest singers this century.

Bruno Walter put it succinctly: 'Kreisler did not play the violin; he became the violin.' Not even Paganini can have forged such a total identity with his instrument. But it is possible to be a first-rate instrumentalist without being a great musician. Kreisler was both, to a degree perhaps never surpassed. One might equally say of him, 'he did not play music, he became the music'. It may sound strange to anyone unfamiliar with his playing, but Kreisler could 'phrase' a single note.

All credit to Ozawa for tackling symphonic Prokofiev in the round, while others like Previn stick to the chosen few (Nos 1, 5, 6 and 7); but only one of these well-intentioned performances makes the right kind of sense. That's the Lieutenant JGje Suite, especially treasurable for giving us the vocal part of die original, sung by Andreas Schmidt: very much in the Fischer-Dieskau tradition and discreetly aided against orchestral glitter in the Troika. It also happens to be an interpretation of engaging sweep, with all embroideries stylishly voiced.

It seems not long ago that I reviewed Marie-Claire Alain's complete survey of Bach's organ works in these pages (February 1995), and comparisons with Decca's new and long-overdue compilation of Peter Hurford's Bach recordings from the Seventies and Eighties show just how wide the net of Bach interpretation is cast among organists. Through his recordings, Hurford largely pioneered the modern-day 'English tradition' of Bach playing, with the emphasis on lively tempi, clear articulation and a restrained use of ornamentation.

Perhaps in anticipation of his seventieth birthday in 1997 or to pre-empt the likely flood of recordings from the enormous Soviet archive that is only now beginning to be tapped, EMI has re-released its back catalogue of material involving Rostropovich. The complete edition comprises 15 CDs issued as five separate items, which are grouped into three categories: Rostropovich as cellist, conductor and accompanist. Ironically, it is in the set of Rostropovich as cellist that the edition's shortcomings are most marked.

Perhaps in anticipation of his seventieth birthday in 1997 or to pre-empt the likely flood of recordings from the enormous Soviet archive that is only now beginning to be tapped, EMI has re-released its back catalogue of material involving Rostropovich. The complete edition comprises 15 CDs issued as five separate items, which are grouped into three categories: Rostropovich as cellist, conductor and accompanist. Ironically, it is in the set of Rostropovich as cellist that the edition's shortcomings are most marked.

Perhaps in anticipation of his seventieth birthday in 1997 or to pre-empt the likely flood of recordings from the enormous Soviet archive that is only now beginning to be tapped, EMI has re-released its back catalogue of material involving Rostropovich. The complete edition comprises 15 CDs issued as five separate items, which are grouped into three categories: Rostropovich as cellist, conductor and accompanist. Ironically, it is in the set of Rostropovich as cellist that the edition's shortcomings are most marked.

Perhaps in anticipation of his seventieth birthday in 1997 or to pre-empt the likely flood of recordings from the enormous Soviet archive that is only now beginning to be tapped, EMI has re-released its back catalogue of material involving Rostropovich. The complete edition comprises 15 CDs issued as five separate items, which are grouped into three categories: Rostropovich as cellist, conductor and accompanist. Ironically, it is in the set of Rostropovich as cellist that the edition's shortcomings are most marked.

Perhaps in anticipation of his seventieth birthday in 1997 or to pre-empt the likely flood of recordings from the enormous Soviet archive that is only now beginning to be tapped, EMI has re-released its back catalogue of material involving Rostropovich. The complete edition comprises 15 CDs issued as five separate items, which are grouped into three categories: Rostropovich as cellist, conductor and accompanist. Ironically, it is in the set of Rostropovich as cellist that the edition's shortcomings are most marked.

Bartok's piano music is absolutely central to the way we think about the modern piano. An exceptional pianist himself, the composer wrote three piano concertos that have become repertoire staples. He also provided irresistible pedagogical works that ensure that a healthy percentage of pianists begin absorbing Bart6k's character and individuality from day one. Yet his solo music, even though there is much of it, is not performed or recorded very often.

In the space of just a quarter of a century - from Mozart's final trilogy to Beethoven's Eighth - the modern symphonic repertoire was born, and the glories of Haydn's London cycle, written between 1791 and 1795, resplendently crown the classical ideal of the form.

This second set of Sony's valuable Isaac Stern retrospective (also a nine-disc box on Sony SX9K 67194, K565) moves from the safe harbours of the first edition's core repertoire into the rewarding but choppy seas of the 20th century. What an indisputable accolade for Stern, therefore, that he meets every test with passion, commitment and all of his accustomed musical integrity.