Fault From No.21

An enchanting programme of Russian music for string quartet from the acclaimed Kuss Quartet. The multiple-composer 'Variations on a Russian folk song' has composers such as Scriabin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Glazunov and Lyadov rub shoulders with lesser-known names such as Vitols, Blumenfeld, Ewald, Winkler, Sokolov and Artsybuschev – each composer contributing a variation.

You might guess from the disc’s title (“Loneliness”), not to mention from the cover art, that isn't going to be the most cheerful of recitals; but in fact it isn't the least bit morose. Matthias Goerne has used his time with Harmonia Mundi to show that he is one of the most distinguished baritones singing Schubert today (review), and here he gives us his first Schumann recital, which proves to be every bit as distinguished; perhaps even more so, because since recording the Schubert series Goerne’s voice has darkened into an instrument that is even better suited for exploring the world of Schumann’s melancholy.

This 52-disc (no, that is not a typo) comp, ABC of the Blues: The Ultimate Collection from the Delta to the Big Cities, may just indeed live up to its name. There are 98 artists represented , performing 1,040 tracks. The music begins at the beginning (though the set is not sequenced chronologically) with Charlie Patton, Son House, and Robert Johnson, and moves all the way through the vintage Chicago years of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, with stops along the way in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, New York, and all points in between. Certainly, some of these artists are considered more rhythm & blues than purely blues artists: the inclusion of music by Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Bo Diddley, and others makes that clear.

No Quarter is basically divided into three kinds of performances. The duo plays with a core seven-piece band, the London Metropolitan Orchestra, and Egyptian musicians at LWT Studios in London; on location with the band in Snowdonia, Wales; and on location with local musicians in Marrakech, Morocco. The exotic instrumentation provides a fresh coat of sonic paint on familiar songs, although the selections are not exclusively radio-hammered "greatest hits." Due to the Unplugged theme, it was natural to focus on material from the acoustic-heavy Led Zeppelin III. Four songs are performed from the album, and the highlight overall is a brilliant new version of "Gallows Pole" that arguably surpasses the original; given its harrowing theme, it crackles with appropriate emotional urgency…

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