Dutton Laboratories has been releasing recordings of the chamber music
of relatively obscure British composers over the past 3 or so years.
The ensemble music of composers such as York Bowen, Richard Arnell,
Granville Bantock, Edmund Rubbra, and Joseph Holbrooke may not be of
the masterpiece variety, but each disc issued is highly enjoyable and
exceptionally played.

What prompts me to praise Dutton Laboratories is one of the company's
newest releases devoted to the music of William Hurlstone who died much
too early in his 30th year from pneumonia.  The program consists of
Hurlstone's Piano Quartet in E minor, Piano Trio in G major, and Frank
Bridge's arrangement for viola and piano of the slow movement from
Hurlstone's Sonata for Cello and Piano. These excellent pieces are
performed by the Dussek Piano Trio with James Boyd on viola.

I strongly recommend that readers check out these Dutton recordings to
expand their appreciation of British chamber music from the first half
of the 20th century.  There is much more to this category than the chamber
music of Elgar, Walton, Bliss, etc.  Although the British are a reserved
citizenry, Dutton is sending us a loud and clear message of the wealth
of wonderful music hardly ever heard beyond its shores.

As an aside, I do have a couple of warnings concerning new discs on the
market.  One of them is Emanuel Ax's third disc of Haydn's solo piano
music.  I have not heard this new issue, but the two previous ones largely
miss out on the sparkle, surprise, aristocracy, and rhetorical bent of
Haydn's music.  You will likely read how exceptional Ax plays this music,
but I assure readers that performers such as Brendel and Schiff are much
better propositions than Mr. Ax.  Also, if you can handle Haydn on the
fortepiano, there's a major box set of his keyboard sonatas from Brilliant
Classics that also blows Ax out of the water.

Second, Danacord has issued two more volumes in the traversal of Bach's
organ music played by Hans Tillmanns.  His performances are largely
benign and lacking in power, tension, and incisiveness.  Further, his
use of modern-day organs only exacerbates the unidiomatic nature of the
interpretations.  Although Tillmanns does score some points in the softer
Bach works such as his Chorales, the Prelude/Fugue compositions are
sorely in need of greater vitality and punch.

Don Satz
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