I first heard Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang in a 2015 recording of Mozart Concertos. I quickly became hooked on her gorgeous tone and exquisite musicianship and have followed her career with interest ever since. Frang’s playing has an honesty and simplicity that allows everything she plays a fresh perspective, free of artifice and the histrionics that other, maybe more technically gifted players project into the music. 

I knew that as soon as The Prodigal Son returned, at least in Elgarian terms, the Brit press would be gaga over the spoils. Daniel Barenboim, the Son, had a love affair with Elgar symphonies along with the excellent LPO, and the less excellent CBS, as recorder, back in the 70s and 80s. The press loved everything, even the recording quality. The recorded sound was awful. If you collect Columbia vinyl recordings of the time, especially from London and New York, you’ll know what I mean.  

The great German conductor Karl Böhm (1894/1981) came out of the war relatively unscathed. A couple of years banned, courtesy of the Allies' denazification project, and he was free and clear. Much like other German musicians used by the Nazis such as Strauss, Furtwängler and Karajan, Böhm dodged the proverbial bullet. 

Thierry Fischer took over the reins of the Utah Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and since then has made a significant musical mark in the state. By many accounts, the orchestra had been in the doldrums for some time. Installing the Swiss conductor was a very popular decision and by the evidence on this new Reference Recording of Mahler’s 1st Symphony, the orchestra seems to be the beneficiary of an outstanding musician. 

Musically, this is a tall drink of water, but because it's a 45 rpm supercut it runs a TT of only 27 minutes. At $40, this timing may be difficult to swallow. Yet, this new LP from Linn Records is a shining gem and will work for both audiophiles and lovers of great Haydn performances. 

Just because you love singing and have the money and profile to promote your product to the 'nth degree doesn't always make it musically viable. Failures are legion.  Happily, musicality is the one thing that ‘Family Guy’ creator Seth MacFarlane has going for him, and in spades.

I’m in Vivaldi mode. In preparation for some concerts featuring his fabulous Op. 10 Flute Concertos, I researched their provenance. Many of Vivaldi’s hundreds of concertos (including Op. 10) were written for the girls of the Ospedale della Pietà, a combination of orphanage, convent and hospital. I’ll be visiting the Ospedale, now the Metropole Hotel, in Venice in September. 

Atlantic [55:57]

A Head Full of Dreams is Coldplay’s seventh and possibly final album. Lots of rumours. It follows the dreadfully sappy Ghost Stories [2012], written primarily in response to lead singer Chris Martin’s much publicized divorce from gobby actress Gwyneth Paltrow. 

I don’t usually do reviews of discontinued CDs, but this recent gift I received is so brilliant, I thought our readers should have a chance to search for it. The original price of $79.00 will be hard to find. Many Esoteric CDs are going for twice, five times, even ten times the original price. The Solti Ring goes for $1500 and up. Yes, Esoteric remasters are that good.