On track: Giving the gift of music

By WILLIAM DART

* Joseph Lin plays Korngold (Naxos 8.557067)

Violinist Joseph Lin won the inaugural Michael Hill Competition in 2001 and this Naxos recording was one of his "rewards". It's a reward too for those who find themselves intrigued by the twilight years of German Romanticism; Korngold's 1912 Violin Sonata out-Strausses Strauss in its juicy chromaticisms and surging climaxes, with a slow movement that hints at many Warner Bros themes to come. Some players might have dipped into a lusher palette for these works, but Lin and pianist Benjamin Loeb keep it sleek and lean, which means that a short piece like Caprice Fantastique has no trouble living up to its title.

* Classical Chrome, Haydn Trios (Concordance CCD04)

This Wellington-based group have gathered together the three charming trios which Haydn wrote for flute, cello and fortepiano. Dating from around 1790, these works show the composer in full and glorious flight, and it is difficult not to pluck images from the aviary to describe the wonderful sounds that Penelope Evison lets fly from her six-keyed flute. Douglas Mews' fortepiano and Euan Murdoch's genuine 18th-century Tyrolean cello add intrigue to the ensemble, making the most of the bright acoustics of Victoria University's Adam Concert Room.

* Saxcess, 10th Anniversary (Saxcess, no catalogue number)

"Have four saxes, will travel" might well be the motto of these musicians, and New Zealand's premier saxophone quartet have been working their way around the country for 10 years, boldly taking Kiwi music to areas where they don't know their Lilburn from their Ligeti. This neatly produced disc (available from saxcess@actrix.gen.nz) celebrates the anniversary, mixing transcriptions (particularly wild in a handful of Renaissance dances) with originals. My favourites are Gareth Farr's twitchy toccata, Bat Cave, and Ross Harris' dark-toned Dance Suite - although the highlight for some might be Saxcess' suave account of Robert Burch's classic Capriccio.

* Murder on the High Seas (Naxos 8.555841)

Forget the lovely Wing and her no-holds-barred assaults on Rodgers and Hammerstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Florence Foster Jenkins did much the same 60 years ago - except the hapless victims were art-songs and arias. Jenkins' 1944 Carnegie Hall recital, lovingly remastered, is the centrepiece of this choice collection of high-class musical dementia, and her fearless deconstruction of Mozart's Queen of the Night Aria is well worth the $14.95 tab. The remaining tracks feature kosher divas and divos floundering on the light side. The funniest? Probably Ezio Pinza, alongside the Sons of the Pioneers, telling us all about The Little Old State of Texas.