Blogger Musical (Beautiful Classical Music)

Verano en Cavancha, Iquique - Chile (my city)

2012-01-27T01:05:00.002-03:00

Avison: Trio Sonatas Opus 1, Keyboard Sonatas Opus 8

2012-01-27T00:27:00.001-03:00

“Avison's 'Six sonatas for two violins and a bass' Op. 1 are attractive Italianate 'church' sonatas… The playing is committed and, with five sonatas in the minor mode, often impassioned. The recording sound is excellent.” --BBC Music Magazine

"… Played here with relish and charm by the four members of the Avison Ensemble. It characterizes so much of what I feel about this release; essentially, that the rediscovery of this composer and his music in recent years has been long overdue. … Ideal sound. That little set of variations at the end of Avison's Op, 8 is just the icing on the cake of a most desirable release." --International Record Review

2009 marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Charles Avison, and The Avison Ensemble plan to record and release all of the remaining orchestral works of Charles Avison, and those of some of his associates and contemporaries, such as John Garth, whose disc of Cello Concertos is our biggest selling title on catalogue (DDA25059).

This release features Six Sonatas for two violins and a bass (Opus 1), coupled with Six Sonatas for harpsichord (Opus 8) – accompanied by two violins and violoncello. All pieces here are première recordings. Comprised of some of Europe's leading musicians and soloists, the Avison Ensemble performs works from the baroque and early classical periods. The Ensemble is unique in having its own composer, along with a substantial repertoire of his music, as yet unperformed in modern times. Miraculously they have added to this repertoire with the recent acquisition of two of Avison’s original workbooks, which contain many unpublished works by Avison and other 18th century composers.

The Ensemble have chosen to perform on period instruments in order to recreate as closely as possible the distinctive 'sound world' that Charles Avison would have known.

2 CD · MP3 320 · 211 MB

The Film Music of Nino Rota (on Piano)

2012-01-26T12:40:00.000-03:00

This recording of the film music of Nino Rota contains transcriptions for the piano made by the composer, as played to friends. Not only does it include the great international successes such as The Godfather, Romeo and Juliet, Otto e mezzo, Giulietta degli spiriti, The Taming of the Shrew and Il Gattopardo (The Leopard), but it also includes unpublished soundtracks, in particular those written for films mistakenly considered ‘minor’ such as Fanciulle di lusso (Luxury Girls), Fantasmi a Roma (Ghosts in Rome) and Quel bandit sono io (Her Favourite husband).

Also included are the musical masterpieces he wrote for British films, The Legend of the Glass Mountain and Obsession. Rota had a special fondness for these, and it was largely through them that he achieved international star status in the forties, well before his outstandingly successful collaboration with Fellini. Such was the success of the score for The Glass Mountain that it was broadcast in its entirety at scheduled times, with the famous love scene as recorded here played on the piano by Nino Rota himself. To Rota it was the theme that was dearest to him of all.

MP3 320 · 123 MB

Bach Sinfonia

2012-01-25T01:54:00.002-03:00

“Although it might seem a strange idea to make a CD of the orchestral introductions to Bach’s cantatas, there is sufficient variety of mood – from celebratory to contemplative – to make the programme work as a sequence...the where-have-I-heard-that-before element is part of the disc’s attraction, and the superb Accademia Bizantina makes the music live and breathe.” --The Telegraph, 20th October 2011 ****

“this is a wonderful recital, carefully chosen and assembled, and beautifully played...there are movements highlighting the group’s fine oboists, bassoonists, violinists, trumpeters and, slightly less impressively, horn players. Their style is brisk and energised in the faster music and deeply expressive and spacious in the slower.” --Sunday Times, 27th November 2011

Accademia Bizantina are now firmly established among the best period performance ensembles of our time, with their director, Ottavio Dantone, in demand in the opera house and concert hall alike.

For their latest recording, they explore the wealth of fine instrumental music in Bach’s glorious Cantatas.

A thoroughly listenable collection of Sinfonias, Sonatas and Concerti from Bach’s Cantatas – all given the unique flavor of Accademia Bizantina’s characterful period style.

MP3 320 · 157 MB

Dvorák, Suk, Smetana, Eben: Czech Choral Music

2012-01-25T01:46:00.003-03:00

The Prague Chamber Choir was founded in 1990 and has appeared throughout the world with leading orchestras, and with distinguished conductors including Zubin Mehta and Alberto Zedda. Tours have taken the choir throughout Germany, France and Italy and to Japan and Australia. It was a guest at the World Exhibition in Seville, and its concerts have been broadcast by, among others, the BBC, Bavarian Radio, ORF and RAI. The choir appears regularly at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, and at Wexford.

MP3 320 · 128 MB

Torelli: Concertos

2012-01-25T01:09:00.001-03:00

Simon Standage and Catherine Weiss are well-matched in the double concertos, from hair-raising momentum to lovely slow-movement dialogue… Crispian Steele-Perkins plays with a rare lightness and delicacy… Apart from the ‘Christmas Concerto’ not a note is otherwise currently available on disc; such undeserved neglect earns this disc a particularly warm welcome. --BBC Music Magazine

For what will hopefully be the first of several, Simon Standage has chosen to mix seven of the concertos from the composer’s Op. 8 set with a concerto and two Sinfonias involving trumpets. The printed set includes concertos for one and two violins with continuo, and Standage is well partnered by Catherine Weiss in the latter. The recording, as we expect from Chandos is exemplary allowing clear representations of both the players and the acoustic they are enjoying. I look forward very much to the next instalment! --Early Music Review

This is another enlightening disc that Baroque enthusiasts will welcome. --Gramophone

MP3 320 · 160 MB

Beethoven · Ravel · BartóK · Say: Violin Sonatas

2012-01-23T18:43:00.002-03:00

“Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Fazil Say share a radical approach, performing each musical gesture in the most vivid way, with smoothness and tonal beauty a secondary consideration. It's undeniably exciting… Daring, and highly individual playing…” --Gramophone

“This is far from being just another recording of the Kreutzer Sonata. Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Fazil Say share a radical approach, performing each musical gesture in the most vivid way, with smoothness and tonal beauty a secondary consideration. It's undeniably exciting, especially the first movement which, after all, is quite a wild piece, but the exaggerated shortness of many staccato notes can be quite disturbing. And in the finale, which, though it shares something of the first Presto's manic quality, has a joyful aspect, Kopatchinskaja's ultra-short, rather splashy bowing of both main themes fails to project their full melodic élan.

Like the Beethoven, the Bartók is a slightly frustrating mixture of the brilliant and the questionable, but in the Ravel the performance's radical edge is more completely successful. The first movement's out-of-key interjections are sharply characterised and drawn together by a powerful sense of line, and the spirit of the Blues movement is captured wholeheartedly, with some unusual piano sounds and spectacular violin- playing. Not surprisingly, Say's own Sonata is also beautifully played. Most imaginatively written for the two instruments and adopting a direct, uncomplicated style, four short movements chart a progression from romantic melancholy through an area of dark, grotesque struggle to an empty, bleak landscape, with a repeat of the gentle first movement as consolation. Daring, and highly individual playing – it's a CD worth investigating.” --The Gramophone Classical Musi Guide 2010

MP3 320 · 149 MB

Spohr: Symphonies Nos 3 & 6

2012-01-23T18:35:00.000-03:00

'Howard Shelley has a strong feeling for the varieties and subtleties of Spohr's symphonic style … [Symphony no 3] The stormy Allegro bursts with energy and Shelley makes the most of a fine Larghetto and of a Scherzo with echoes of Mendelssohn as well as of Beethoven. Spohr's finale is given its full strength with thematic material that receives imaginative handling' --Gramophone

'The C minor Symphony No 3 … has an attractive slow movement, and a scherzo and trio that are woven together with considerable ingenuity. The slow introduction to the Overture from the oratorio The Fall of Babylon is impressive too' --BBC Music Magazine

'Howard Shelley and his admirable Italian players have reached a curious landmark in their continuing exploration of Louis Spohr's symphonies for Hyperion: the 'historical' sixth … It reflects Spohr's Mendelssohnian fascination with earlier music and his complete mastery of form' --The Observer

'These are lively performances of rewarding works by an unjustly neglected master of quintessentially Romantic music' --NewClassics.com

MP3 320 · 139 MB

Classics from the Royal Albert Hall

2012-01-23T18:27:00.003-03:00

Acknowledged as one of the UK’s most prestigious orchestras, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) enjoys an international reputation for bringing audiences worldwide first-class performances and the highest possible standards of music-making across a diverse range of musical repertoire.

This CD presents an enjoyable selection of music by Handel, Elgar, Puccini, Orff, Mozart, Mascagni, Bizet, Rossini, Vaughan Williams.

MP3 320 · 149 MB

Spohr: Symphonies Nos 1 & 2

2012-01-21T00:17:00.001-03:00

'Howard Shelley and his skilled orchestra are attentive to the music's lyrical charm and colourful wind scoring' --Daily Telegraph

'The playing is generous in energy and rhythmic impetus, not to mention elegant, and the lines are beautifully wrought. The performances make as good a case for Spohr’s music as do the annotations' --Fanfare, USA

'The Grand Concert Overture (1819) here receives its first recording. It is sonorous, spirited and beguiling … an enjoyable entrée into the symphonies recorded here as well as signalling the fine performances and sound to be found on this Hyperion release. These works show both ‘muscle’ and lyricism … Spohr’s construction and scoring is of a high order; the music trips lightly and curvaceously. The Second Symphony (1820) begins in dramatic fashion, the ‘introduction’ proving to be integral to the movement as a whole, its unhurried demeanour embracing dignity and lightness.

The movements that follow once again contain ideas that make immediate attraction – a warm-toned Larghetto, a scurrying scherzo and a mercurial finale … There are ten symphonies by Spohr. Maybe Hyperion intends to record the cyclethe label has previously championed Spohr's chamber music)? It would be welcome … His music is genuinely enjoyable and not without novelty and Howard Shelley and this fine orchestra certainly have its measure' --ClassicalSource.com

'The first two symphonies … are well worth an airing, and their finales in particular have a great deal of life … Howard Shelley's direction is highly effective' --Manchester Evening News

'Tout en souplesse, la lecture de Shelley supplante forcément celle d'Alfred Walter, par ses tempos plus amples et plus contrastés. En espérant que d'autres chefs donneront bientôt à ces musiques plus des rythmes et de relief, on trouvera ici une honnête version d'attente donc, accompagnée d'un superbe Caspar David Friedrich en couverture et d'un excellent texte de présentation' --Diapason

MP3 320 · 163 MB

Paganini: Violin Concertos Nos 2 & 5

2012-01-21T00:11:00.000-03:00

Paganini composed 6 numbered concertos; the 6th of 1815 actually pre-dates No.1, which appeared in 1817. The Second concerto became one of his most famous works, and one he performed most frequently. The famous finale known as 'la Campanella' became an instant hit from the premiere in Naples in 1827. Later that year Pope Leo XII created Paganini a Knight of the Golden Spur, and his international stardom continued. His playing unsettled and astonished Liszt that he retreated to his hotel room for two weeks and seriously doubted if he could become as good a pianist as Paganini was violinist.

Schumann claimed that it was hearing Paganini play that jolted him out of his chosen career as a man of letters to become a composer. Paganini encouraged the stories that he had sold his soul to the devil in order to play so fantastically - such spin and hype was good for the box office. It did however result in the church refusing him burial in consecrated ground. Franz Liszt wrote an intensely personal and moving obituary when Paganini died in 1840.

The Fifth concerto is from 1830, and for many years was un-performable as all Paganini left was the solo part and some vague ideas as to scoring. It was reconstructed and scored by Frederico Mompellio who also scored the Sixth concerto in the 1970s from the violin and guitar reduction that had survived. The Fifth contains all the pyrotechnics expected of a concerto by Paganini, but the slow movement is an especially moving and unadorned Andante.

Paganini refused to publish any of his concertos, thus preserving control over them at a time when there was no copyright law. The first two concertos were first published in the 1850s, over 10 years after his death.

MP3 320 · 153 MB

Mozart: Great Piano Concertos

2012-01-21T00:04:00.000-03:00

Andras Schiff's Mozart cycle with the Camerta Academica des Mozarteums Salzburg and Sándor Végh was recorded between 1987 and 1993 and quickly came to be recognised as one of the finest cycles to be recorded during the digital era and using modern instruments.

This 2-CD set focuses on the last 4 concertos with the addition of No.16 (K451) and provides an excellent selection of concertos drawn from the complete cycle.

As well as a useful catalogue item and strong addition to the DOUBLE DECCA catalogue, this set also acts as a superb reminder of Andras Schiff's wonderful Mozart interpretations as he approaches his 50th birthday on 21st December 2003.

2 CD · MP3 320 · 325 MB

Bax: Nonet & other chamber music

2012-01-19T02:11:00.000-03:00

GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICE / CRITICS' CHOICE

'How marvellous it is after all these years to be able to welcome a truly first-rate modern recording of Bax's Nonet. What a bewitching creation it is … This treasurable Hyperion release will certainly figure in my 'Critics' Choice' list at the end of the year … Music-making of exquisite poise and remarkable perception' --Gramophone

'This collection serves Bax admirably and contains some real discoveries' --BBC Music Magazine

'C'est ici la quintessence de la magie baxienne' --Diapason, France

'Lovers of Bax's lushly romantic, turbulently Celtic symphonies and tone poems will find much that is alluring in this selection ... Moments of sweeping rhapsody abound throughout the disc. Seriously smitten Baxians will be thrilled by this new CD' --Classic CD

MP3 320 · 158 MB

Olivier Baumont · St Petersburg Recital

2012-01-19T02:06:00.000-03:00

“Lightweight early Classical music by native Russian composers and Italian visitors. Worth hearing for its arcane repertoire, English Shudi and Broadwood harpsichords.” --BBC Music Magazine

"Full marks to Olivier Baumont, … For whose spirited championship of this rare repertoire we should be most grateful. A revelatory disc." --Lionel Salter, Gramophone

French harpsichordist Olivier Baumont has distinguished himself as a performer and scholar, specializing in French Baroque repertoire. He took up the harpsichord without learning piano first, sharing his family's love for French history of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He studied with Kenneth Gilbert and Huguette Dreyfus and worked with Gustav Leonhardt in his master classes in Cologne. He was awarded first prize in harpsichord (1981) and in chamber music (1982) at the Paris Conservatory and won the Concours de Solistes de Radio France in 1982.

He frequently performs at music festivals in Europe, England, and the United States, and has toured widely. Since 1992, he has directed the Festival Couperin at Chaumes-en-Brie. In September, 2001, Baumont became professor of harpsichord at the Paris Conservatory. He is the author of a biography of François Couperin, has edited harpsichord works by Michel Corrette and Jacques Duphly, and has contributed scholarly articles to numerous musicological journals.

MP3 320 · 110 MB

Rota: Cello Concertos Nos 1 & 2

2012-01-19T01:58:00.006-03:00

‘Rota remains largely unrecorded, so it’s good to be able to offer an enthusiastic welcome to world premiere accounts of his two cello concertos… these concertos create a powerful impression.’ --BBC Music Magazine

MP3 320 · 107 MB

Rimsky-Korsakov · Sheherazade, Etc.

2012-01-17T19:40:00.002-03:00

Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sheherazade is a colorful and powerful score, and many conductors have done it well, but this one goes over and beyond. Each phrase grabs you. The orchestra is technically and emotionally superb. This is a real sonic feast for the ears—spectacular, explosive, electrifying! The pairing is equally vivid and expressive. This is a proof that the great names of the past still can be beaten! --MusicWeb International

Gerard Schwarz and his Seattle forces turn in an absolutely terrific Sheherazade: voluptuous, exotic, with a nice flexibility of pulse, but also very exciting. You can tell this will be a fine performance from the very first bar: firm and strong, with the brass giving the theme a menacing growl, followed by Maria Larionoff’s bewitching solo violin representing the protagonist herself. Only the finale, while admirably fleet and precise, lacks a touch of cinematic sparkle, but when everything else goes so well this is a minor point. The two inner movements in particular have a crispness and flow that are very welcome, and (these days) somewhat unusual.

The Tsar Saltan Suite is just plain spectacular—as colorful and brilliant as you could imagine. Its central movement, “The Tsarina in a Barrel at Sea”, is particularly gripping: the strings really dig, the accompaniment throbs, and the entire movement has an emotional impact that most performances barely begin to suggest. Through it all the orchestra plays with one hundred percent commitment, and the sonics, just a shade dry, offer maximum clarity. This is the first disc in a projected series, and if it maintains this standard it will be a high point in the extensive Schwarz/Seattle discography. --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com, February 2011

MP3 320 · 143 MB

Brioschi · Sei Sinfonie

2012-01-17T19:36:00.002-03:00

The unique symphonic language of Antonio Brioschi is an appealing hybrid of baroque and classical musical idioms integrated in a subtle and coherent manner. Brioschi's attractive simphonies are expressive dynamic, and sophisticated works of art.

The can surely be said to herald the classical Symphonic spirit. (Dr. Sarah Mandel-Yehuda)

MP3 320 · 128 MB

The Classical Clarinet

2012-01-17T19:18:00.002-03:00

The clarinet is perhaps the most versatile of the wind instruments: its character can change from smooth velvety purring to outrageous blurting, in the widest possible dynamic range. This set offers a wide selection of original works for clarinet and piano, by Mendelssohn, Von Weber, Schumann, Genzmer, Poulenc, Martinu, Stravinsky, Berg and others.

Beautifully played by Henk de Graaf, solo clarinettist of the famous Rotterdam Philharmonic, and pianist Daniel Wayenberg.

2 CD · MP3 320 · 330 MB

Saint-Saëns: Music for Violin

2012-01-15T01:45:00.000-03:00

'listen to this wonderful new disc from Philippe Graffin and Pascal Devoyon. From the turbulent emotions of the opening to the furiously driven moto perpetuo of the ultimately triumphant conclusion, they hold the listener spellbound ... There is no doubt about the sheer pleasure which Graffin and Devoyon find in this music, with a performance enducing a wit and heartwarming intimacy that also extend to the smaller works ... Strongly recommended’ --BBC Music Magazine

'Fresh from the extraordinary success of his Saint-Saëns concertos, Philippe Graffin proves even more alluring in the French master's chamber music. This spellbinding performance had me lost in rapt concentration. The rarities that make up the rest of the disc are also sheer delight. A wonderful recording in every way.' --Classic CD

‘Graffin is one of the most elegant violinists of the younger generation, his performances of Saint-Saëns having that rare thistledown quality that creates a remarkable crystalline beauty ... In passages of more substance, he is equally persuasive, despatching technical difficulties with consummate ease ... In Devoyon, he has a partner that matches his radiant readings, the clarity of articulation complementing Graffin’s silvery tone’ --Yorkshire Post

‘Philippe Graffin is the sensitive violinist who often conveys a sense of rapture in this music. Pascal Devoyon is a splendid partner in this welcome recording’ --MDC Classical Express

MP3 320 · 154 MB

Yundi Li · Romantic Piano Pieces

2012-01-15T01:38:00.002-03:00

He is a musician and pianist of phenomenal gifts and his artistic integrity would seem to be unimpaired. Of Horowitzian virtuosity, but without the excesses, he is both refined and electrifying. Facially active (he is given to little smiles) and physically demonstrative, though not extravagantly, his rather bland charisma with the audience is palpable. --Record Review, London

Works by Chopin, Schumann, Wang, Moszkowski

MP3 320 · 51 MB

Romantic French Music for Guitar and Orchestra

2012-01-15T01:21:00.000-03:00

"If you enjoy beautifully refined, exquisitely crafted composition, and if you enjoy the guitar in company of a relaxed orchestra, then go for this disc" --Classical Guitar Magazine

Garcia has always been a characterful guitarist; his musical intelligence and perception are to be treasured in an age where bland fluency seems to carry off the major prizes.' - Classical Guitar

MP3 320 · 124 MB

Beethoven: complete works for piano and orchestra

2012-01-14T01:52:00.001-03:00

Gramophone Magazine: Editor's Choice - January 2012

"...This is the most comprehensive set of Beethoven’s music for piano and orchestra available, in performances that are vital, deeply considered and immensely satisfying." --International Record Review, December 2011

“Howard Shelley is both soloist and conductor in this sensational new recording of Beethoven’s complete piano concertos.” ***** ‘Disc of the Month’ Classic FM Magazine, December 2011

The piano remained the main instrument of Beethoven throughout his life, and this download represents his entire and sizeable output for piano and orchestra, starting with the early Piano Concerto in E flat, WoO 4 – a work of tremendous energy and great technical demands, which Beethoven wrote when he was just twelve years old – and ending with Piano Concerto No. 5, the only one that, due to his developing deafness, Beethoven never performed himself in concert.

Howard Shelley was awarded an OBE for services to classical music in the 2009 New Year Honours. Here he conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North from the piano. Shelley has recorded extensively for Chandos over the years, and he has combined the role of solo pianist and conductor on numerous occasions, most recently with the Orchestra of Opera North in piano concertos by Schumann, Saint-Saëns, and Grieg (CHAN 10509), but also with the London Mozart Players, with whom he has recorded works by Cramer, Hummel, Mendelssohn, and Mozart. All his recordings have received superb reviews.

Beethoven wrote the Triple Concerto in 1803 during a lull in the composition of his opera Fidelio. Works for violin, cello, and piano were fairly common at the time – but combining them with orchestra was, as Beethoven himself observed, something entirely new, and no other concerto of this kind from this period is known today.

In this work, Howard Shelley is joined by the violinist and exclusive Chandos artist Tasmin Little, who won the Critics’ Choice Award at this year’s Classic BRITS, and by the cellist Tim Hugh, of whom The Times said: ‘Mr Hugh is much more than just a Cellist, he is a musician with a compelling insight into the creative urge behind the notes.’

4 CD · MP3 320 · 688 MB

Anne Sophie von Otter · In My Element

2012-01-14T00:50:00.000-03:00

Anne Sofie von Otter is 'in her element' everywhere! This unique 2-CD set (twofer) surveys her boundless artistry in opera and song - ranging from Dowland, Monteverdi, Purcell to Mahler, Weill and Costello.

“Smart, sophisticated and opinionated, Anne Sofie von Otter has become a star by doing exactly what she wants” --Opera News

Works by Andersson/Ulvaeus · Bizet · Brahms · Chaminade · Costello · Downland · Grieg · Haas · Handel · Mahler · Monteverdi · Mozart · Offenbach · Purcell · Schubert · Schumann · R. Strauss · Weill

2 CD · MP3 320 · 325 MB

Mozart: Horn Concertos Nos. 1-4

2012-01-14T00:34:00.000-03:00

“Allegrini’s [sound] is a marvel – mellifluous, supple and ripe...Fluency and expressive grace are equal partners here. Abbado is ever-ready with a pertinent orchestral comment, an apt emphasis or a perfectly tailored phrase. Allegrini radiates the music’s joy, lyrical allure and poise...A hugely enjoyable disc.” --The Telegraph, 18th August 2011

“[Allegrini] is certainly a suave instrumentalist, while once again Abbado conducts with a wonderfully light touch. The orchestra and Allegrini all play modern instruments, but there's a period sensibility about the way the textures are balanced and the phrasing shaped.” --The Guardian, 18th August 2011 ****

“ In tune with Claudio Abbado’s bracing “new-old” approach to Mozart — sparing use of string vibrato, astringent, wind-dominated textures — Allegrini’s slightly rougher-edged way with this famous music could hardly be less like Brain’s suave cantabile. Especially in the “hunting call” allegro finales, the two Italians bring a rude, rollicking alfresco quality” Sunday Times, 21st August 2011 ****

“[Allegrini's] tone is full but flexible, sustained but lyrical, and he manages to impart a certain wistfulness to even the jolliest rondos...The orchestra...throughout, is a model of sophistication.” The Observer, 21st August 2011

MP3 320 · 113 MB

Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 · Dvorak: Piano Quintet No. 2

2012-01-12T18:58:00.000-03:00

Although I anticipated some fine performances on this new set, I never dreamt that I would be so impressed with Luisada’s Chopin playing. To begin with, Luisada possesses pinpoint articulation; no matter how softly he plays, each note rings out with conviction. Second, each of his Chopin performances exhibits a strong sense of improvisation, as he gives me the impression that he’s thinking out his strategy as he plays. Third, Luisada is a rich-sounding pianist with gorgeous sonority.

...Naturally, Chopin’s Concerto can’t possibly have the same degree of power in its chamber version, but offsetting benefits of intimacy and insight into the human condition are abundant as are the work’s rapture, urgency, and tension. This is an outstanding performance that surpasses the fine recording of the work by the Yggdrasil Quartet on BIS with Fumiko Shiraga on piano. --Don Satz, MusicWeb International

MP3 320 · 169 MB

Farinelli: The Composer

2012-01-11T18:30:00.000-03:00

The legendary castrato Farinelli, real name Carlo Broschi, was also a composer, and this absorbing CD features some of his rarely recorded arias and recitatives performed by the highly-rated male soprano Jörg Waschinski. The ensemble Salzburger Hofmusik is directed by Wolfgang Brunner.

Farinelli was not only a star among the castratos of the 18th century, but also a composer. Singers of the 18th century were taught composition and improvisation, and Carlo Broschi, alias Farinelli, received an excellent education in the Neapolitan school “Nicolo Porporas”. This album brings together a fascinating selection of his vocal pieces including several arias and recitatives.

The Berlin-born singer Jörg Waschinski won the international Johann-Heinrich-Schmelzer competition in 1996 and received the special award at the national competition for singing in Berlin. The magazine Opernwelt elected him as best young singer in the season 1999/2000 and in the following year he was chosen as best singer overall. Waschinski is accompanied on the disc by “Salzburger Hofmusik“, an ensemble which varies in size from a trio to an orchestra. On this album the ensemble plays, as they often do, on historical instruments.

MP3 320 · 148 MB

Menotti: Violin Concerto, Etc.

2012-01-10T17:32:00.000-03:00

“Gian-Carlo Menotti's lyrical Violin Concerto, one of his most popular instrumental works, is here neatly coupled with premiere recordings of three cantatas written in the last 20 years, products of his active old age in his seventies and eighties. Hickox draws from the Festival Orchestra warmly persuasive readings of works which may be unashamedly eclectic, but are powerfully convincing in such committed performances.

The young American violinist, Jennifer Koh, is the excellent soloist. The first movement with its sequence of flowing melodies could easily seem to meander, but Koh and Hickox give it a clear shape, with each new idea emerging seductively. The slow movement, played with hushed dedication, has a tender poignancy here; an intrusive brass motif leads to the central cadenza, technically demanding but not showy. The vigorous finale features a jaunty main theme and ends with virtuoso fireworks, rounding off a piece that deserves resurrecting in the concert-hall too.

The two Spanish language cantatas were written respectively in 1982 and 1991 for the Catholic University in Washington. Menotti confesses to having lost his religious faith, and perhaps understandably here writes sensuous music closer to Puccini's opera, Suor Angelica, than to any religious model. Julia Melinek is the vibrant soloist in the St Teresa setting, with her marked vibrato well-controlled. Stephen Roberts, the responsive soloist in the St John of the Cross setting, is caught less happily, his voice ill focused.

The Death of Orpheus, to an English text by Menotti himself, is even more dramatic, based on the legend of Orpheus being killed by Thracian women in a bacchanalian frenzy. Orpheus's song emerges as a broad diatonic melody, with choral writing of Delian sensuousness and the tenor's part with Britten-like echoes. Jamie MacDougall is the expressive soloist, with the chorus fresh and incisive in all three cantatas.” --The Gramophone Classical Music Guide 2010

MP3 320 · 131 MB

Stokowski Transcriptions: Mussorgsky · Tchaikovsky

2012-01-09T18:42:00.002-03:00

Gramophone, Recording of the month. Penguin Guide, Rosette Winner

“…outstanding performances by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, brilliantly recorded in sound if anything even more spectacular and more cleanly focused than that on the discs from Chandos and DG.” --Gramophone

“Serebrier's own imposing, heavyweight style yields different results to the volatile Knussen… but it's always absorbing. Something of the Stokowski sound is filtered through the refined texturing of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and further enhanced by the spacious concert-hall acoustic.” --BBC Music Magazine

“Stokowski's orchestrations, as flamboyant and full of flair as his interpretations as a conductor, have increasingly been accepted and welcomed on disc, a good sign that rigidly purist attitudes have nowadays softened. This Naxos collection of Stokowski's arrangements offers outstanding performances by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, brilliantly recorded.

Few would claim that Stokowski's arrangement of Pictures at an Exhibition matches, let alone outshines, that of Ravel. But with its weighty brass it is certainly more Russian. In fact – one of the most serious shortcomings – Stokowski omits two of the movements, 'Tuileries' and the 'Market Place at Limoges' on the grounds that they are too French. Yet Serebrier's new performance makes it very convincing with speeds well chosen and the brass wonderfully incisive.

The atmospheric qualities of the Boris Godunov Symphonic Synthesis come over superbly too, starting with a hauntingly rarefied bassoon solo, even if the recording catches the clicking of the keys. The mystery of the chimes in the Coronation scene as well as the Death scene are more evocatively handled. If A Night on the Bare Mountain finds the Naxos recording rather less immediate than in the other items, the weight of the arrangement comes over well, and the Khovanshchina Entr'acte has impressive weight and clarity.

The extra items also weigh in Serebrier's favour: an arrangement of a Tchaikovsky song that explores an astonishingly wide emotional range within a tiny span and the jolly Humoresque, a piano piece that Stravinsky memorably used in his ballet The Fairy's Kiss. Finally, a baldly effective piece, attributed to Stokowski himself, based not just on a Christmas hymn but on Ippolitov-Ivanov's In a Manger.”

MP3 320 · 170 MB

Opera Intermezzi

2012-01-08T01:34:00.002-03:00

Karajan's collection of "Opera Intermezzi" is a real pleasure: fine-spun strings, verismo drama, and space to appreciate the delicate beauty of these gems, from Verdi to Mascagni. --BBC Music Magazine

“The conductor shows his mastery of phrase and idiom immediately in the opening La Traviata Prelude which is beautifully done, and the same poise gives distinction to the famous Cavalleria Rusticana Intermezzo and indeed the Puccini items. Where high drama is called for, as in the music of the verismo school, Karajan rises to the occasion and one can hear the resin sizzle as those Berlin string bows bite.” --Stereo Record Guide

MP3 320 · 112 MB

J.S. Bach: Concerts avec plusieurs instruments VI

2012-01-07T00:11:00.001-03:00

This final volume in a complete set, begun ten years ago by Alpha, presents the last of the major works composed for large instrumental forces by J. S. Bach. It includes the pastoral colours of the horns and oboes in the First Brandenburg Concerto BWV 1046, his Harpsichord Concerto in A major BWV 1053, the fine Orchestral Suite no. 4 in D major BWV 1069, and finally, bringing the set to a close, the marvellous Concerto for four harpsichords in A minor BWV 1065.

This series has become a reference for these works by Bach, and each volume has received the highest distinctions both in France and abroad.

MP3 320 · 134 MB

Les Héroïnes Romantiques

2012-01-07T00:09:00.004-03:00

“Though many of these arias were written with a mezzo-soprano range in mind, their dark shades are generally a good match for Gens's sultry voice...Rousset directs throughout with bracing energy: rhythms are razor-sharp, orchestral colours vivid. His period orchestra never overwhelms the soloist, so Gens's every word cuts through with thrilling, and often chilling, drama. Virgin's recording sound is clean and detailed. In short, intense but compelling listening.” --BBC Music Magazine *****

“she tackles roles usually assigned to mezzo-sopranos, such as Fidès in Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète, Didon in Berlioz’s Les Troyens and Massenet’s Hérodiade, but her shining soprano is especially gorgeous in the rarities...Rousset’s period band supplies luxury support.” --The Sunday Times

“Her focused timbre brings piercing clarity to a raft of rarities...[in the Don Carlos aria] the superb open, pure brass and wind of Les talens lyriques under Christophe Rousset make one yearn for this whole opera on old instruments.” --The Guardian

MP3 320 · 148 MB

Howells: Orchestral Works

2012-01-07T00:07:00.001-03:00

…one can only marvel that so accomplished and imaginative a writer for the orchestra should have let any of [these works] be buried' Helped by rich, atmospheric sound, Richard Hickox draws performances both brilliant and warmly persuasive from the LSO. --Gramophone ‘Editor’s Choice’

I must say that this set is a wonderful addition to my British music collection – primarily new works that are very worthwhile. The playing and recording are first rate, and the notes are helpful. --American Record Guide

This fascinating collection is completed by a superb rendition by Lydia Mordkovitch of the Three Dances, Op. 7, and a rapt Yvonne Kenny in the song-cycle ‘In Green Ways. Beautifully rich Chandos sound as always. --Gramophone

Richard Hickox and the LSO are ardent and communicative advocates of all this fine music. A highly recommendable disc, very well recorded indeed. --The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs

You think Herbert Howells, you think Hymnus Paradisi. And then you wonder why a composer working on that kind of scale with that kind of reach, brilliance, vision, made almost no impression in the sphere of purely orchestral music. And then you listen to these relatively early scores and wonder turns to disbelief. Here is something more than just another West Country composer singing the landscape. --The Independent

2 CDs · MP3 320 · 263 MB

Vivaldi: The French Connection 2

2012-01-05T00:23:00.002-03:00

“Chandler counts further success with a second volume of concertos whose gallicisms range from patrons to genuine style-imprints, to the provenance of the original manuscript paper...La Serenissima remain buoyant and sweet, eschewing the taut, opaque sound of many of today's Baroque orchestras, and embracing something more relaxed and open, helped by a pleasing bloom.” --Gramophone Magazine, October 2011

“Chandler's tight control gives freedom not constriction. The ensemble is spotless even on the whipping string flourishes of Paris Concerto No. 2 Every detail has meaning.” --Classic FM Magazine

“Chandler has put together a fascinating programme among which are some rarities including two 'world premiere recordings'...Katy Bircher and Chandler himself are the respective soloists [in RV431a] and their warm-sounding, eloquently stylish playing is a constant delight.” --BBC Music Magazine *****

“Another intriguing, excellently packaged and delivered volume in Chandler’s Vivaldi series. He is as much scholar as performer, and his notes offer useful background about the musical exchanges between France and Italy...The playing is beautifully articulated, with first-class work from the soloists.” --Sunday Times ****

MP3 320 · 168 MB

Pierné: La Musique De Chambre Vol 2

2012-01-05T00:13:00.005-03:00

Where Volume 1 of Timpani’s Pierné chamber works intégral presented him largely as a purveyor of superior salon fare and “master of charms” second only to Fauré, this second and final volume provides the shadow of so much gaiety, allure, and fluff in the extensive Cello Sonata and, above all, the Piano Trio, which, taken with the Piano Quintet heard in Volume 1, comprise a musical anatomy of melancholy—chronic (the single movement Cello Sonata playing for over 20 minutes, the Trio’s first movement for 19), depressive (major key turnarounds laced with wry wistfulness), and obsessive (the Quintet’s final zortziko movement, the Trio’s 3+3+2 rhythmic ostinato Scherzando). There is no Beethovenian fist-shaking, nor other histrionics, but darkness conveyed with a deft, light touch and astonishing invention that keep one’s attention—once you’ve put aside expectations of the usual crisis and overcoming program—consistently on the stretch.

If ever you’ve been in the grip of depression, these scarcely known works will seem oddly familiar, a traversal of that peculiar country of the soul. And the bonbons are more substantial—and more extensive—than those in Volume 1. Beside the brief Caprice and Expansion, both for cello and piano, or the winning Impromptu-Caprice for harp, the Variations libres et final, for flute, harp, and strings, the Introduction et variations sur un thème populaire for saxophone quartet, or the pithy Trois Pièces en trio, afford equal measures of substance and delight. And with the Voyage au pays de Tendre—all episodic charm, wholly delectable—we meet the graciously urbane Pierné one last time.

For completeness, the “Flute Sonata”—the composer’s transcription, almost certainly at his publisher’s insistence, of the popular Violin Sonata—is included, though the temptation to hustle it to avoid breaking the line by taking breath makes for a choppy, chirpy tilt, its sinuous melodic flair compelled to hop and skip rather than soar and sing. The upshot is similar to Philippe Koch’s slashing way with the violin part in Volume 1 (Timpani 1110, Fanfare 30:6), to which one may well prefer the warmer, more lyrically relaxed account of Gaëtane Prouvost, with Laurent Cabasso (Inetgral Classic 221.153) in an ingratiating all-Pierné program. Christian Ivaldi’s piano swaddles, and occasionally swamps, flutist Markus Brönnimann’s thin silver—it is revealing to turn back to Jean-Pierre Rampal’s even more peremptory 1973 reading with Pierre Barbizet, whose lighter touch and sparing use of the sustaining pedal made for both a transparent accompaniment and a genuine partnership.

A perhaps too searching go at the Cello Sonata by Mats Lidström, with Bengt Forsberg (Hyperion 66979, Fanfare 22:1), is persuasively overtopped by Ivaldi and Aleksandr Khramouchin. And, unless I’ve missed something, this Liang/Khramouchin/Ivaldi performance of the Piano Trio is the first since the 1988 disc premiere go at it by Béla Bánfalvi, Katalin Vass, and Norbert Szelecsényi (long gone Marco Polo 8.223189, Fanfare 14:1)—both superb performances animating every bar of a work which must seem, at first blush, overlong, while rendering the score’s tricky rhythmic quirks with expressive point. The remaining performances are, without exception, winning. As in Volume 1, sound is so immediately upfront that one hears the players’ fingerwork, but also well balanced, closely detailed, and gutsy. The twin open-out sleeve encloses another booklet featuring companionable, extensive, and richly informed annotations by Jacques Tchamkerten. Rarely does such an intégral succeed so well. Here is Pierné—pithy and sweet—entering the Pantheon in which Saint-Saëns, Franck, Fauré, Magnard, Debussy, and Ravel have their niches. A gaping gap indispensably filled. Recommended with enthusiasm and admiration. --FANFARE: Adrian Corleonis

2 CDs · MP3 320 · 310 MB

Handel: The Recorder Sonatas

2012-01-05T00:06:00.005-03:00

Handel’s sonatas for recorder were composed in the years 1724–6. What is remarkable is that he found the time to concentrate on such work at a time when his operas were in great demand in London: this is the period of Scipione and Agrippina. The young composer was the toast of the town, and had become a naturalised Englishman having followed his old employer the Elector of Hanover, Georg to London. Georg became King George I, and Georg Frideric Handel became George Frederick Handel. It will come as no surprise that the sonatas contain a lot of ‘operatic’ material, from Handel’s own operas, and those of his contemporaries such as Georg Muffat.

Many of the most popular arias from Handel’s operas had been published in transcriptions for recorder and keyboard – the ancestors of the operatic paraphrases by Liszt and Henselt in the 19th century. Although they can be considered as domestic music, the keyboard parts are quite virtuosic (Handel was an excellent harpsichordist), and the composer’s markings are detailed lending credence to the view that these works were also used as exercises. Handel enthusiasts will find much that is familiar in these works, sprightly fast movements and operatic larghettos, the latter no doubt influenced by the operatic workload Handel faced at the time.

New recordings from 2008

‘Bosgraaf ’s virtuosity is stunning, as is his artistry’ Gramophone review for Bosgraaf ’s 3CD set of music by van Eyck

Franceso Corti studied with Bob van Asperen, and has worked with Marc Minkowski and Jordi Savall

MP3 320 · 122 MB

Russian Fantasy

2012-01-03T00:53:00.001-03:00

Following their album of French music for two pianos, father and son Vladimir and Vovka Ashkenazy revel in their musical heritage with this dazzling programme by the great composers of Russia, with Rachmaninov's two-piano Suite No.1 at its heart.

Three of the works have been arranged by Vovka Ashkenazy himself, including Mussorgsky's Night On The Bald Mountain and the album's virtuosic finale - Borodin's Polovtsian Dances from his opera Prince Igor. His two-piano arrangement of Glinka's lilting Valse-fantaisie is itself based on Sergei Lyapunov's arrangement for four hands.

The two works originally written for two pianos are Rachmaninov's poetic Suite no 1, Op. 5 "Fantaisie Tableaux" (which the young composer dedicated to another giant of Russian music - Piotr Tchaikovsky) and the Fantasy in A minor by Rachmaninov's contemporary at the Moscow Conservatoire, Mikhail Scriabin.

For this album Vovka Ashkenazy has arranged Mussorgsky´s Night on the Bald Mountain, Glinka´s Valse-fantaisie in B minor (after Liapunov´s arrangement for piano four hands) and Borodin´s Polovtsian Dances for two pianos.

MP3 320 · 139 MB

Clara & Robert Schumann: Violin Concerto · Sonata No.2 · 3 Romances for violin and piano, Op.22

2012-01-03T00:42:00.002-03:00

"First-class all the way." --Fanfare

'...it is deeply moving to hear a fine violinist like Philippe Graffin throw his heart and soul into something that was once reserved for cellists' --American Record Guide

Another rarity comes on Philippe Graffin's ONYX disc, which couples the Second Violin Sonata with a violin arrangement of the Cello Concerto made by Schumann for Joachim. Once again this is an odd 'hybrid' concerto, the violin rarely being allowed to rise into the singing upper reaches of its range in a work that seems to be beloved of cellists but barely anybody else. Graffin brings a Gallic sweetness to the sonata. --Gramophone

Schumann never heard his own cello concert - cello virtuosos were a much rarer breed in his time than now - so his arrangement for violin may have been something of a desperate remedy. Most of it works well enough, especially if you don't know the original, and there are one or two gains. The violin-cello dialogues in the slow movement take on a feminine-masculine quality where the cello version sounded entirely male.

Violinist Philippe Graffin makes a very appealing case for it...

...Clara Schumann's Three Romances are much more than salon sweatmeats and Graffin and Claire Desert play them elegantly and with feeling.

And Robert's own second sonata is played with a fine blend of strength and fragility.

So, if Graffin feels like recording the genuine Schumann violin concerto some day... --BBC Music Magazine, Performance**** Sound ****

MP3 320 · 135 MB

Duetti da Camera

2012-01-03T00:26:00.003-03:00

“Each singer brings his own individual vocal and expresive qualities to the fore in a solo cantata: Jaroussky is sweetly beguiling in Francesco Mancini's 'Quanto mai saro piu bello'...whereas Cencic's theatrical talent for gutsier declamatory coloratura takes centre stage in Porpora's 'Ecco che il primo albore'. The intuitive duet-singing works charmingly, not least becuase the adaptable Cencic sings intimately and softly in order to match Jaroussky's gentler timbre.” --Gramophone

Two star countertenors, Philippe Jaroussky and Max Emanuel Cencic, join William Christie and Les Arts Florissants, for a programme of chamber-scale duets and arias by Italian composers of the early 18th century. As Jaroussky says, these are “duets of great beauty, where the two voices entwine in a way that is sometimes very sophisticated, but also very sensual.”

The contrasting and complementary talents of two star countertenors, Philippe Jaroussky and Max Emanuel Cencic, come to the fore in this programme of chamber-scale duets and arias by Italian composers of the early 18th century: Porpora, Mancini, Bononcini, Marcello, Conti and Alessandro Scarlatti. Two instrumental items by Corelli are also included in this richly filled programme, based on concerts presented by Jaroussky, Cencic and Les Arts Florissants under William Christie’s direction in France and Spain in early 2011.

Both countertenors are virtuosic performers, but Jaroussky is especially famed for the gracefulness of his vocalism, whether in brilliant castrato arias or his Virgin Classics album of belle époque song, Opium, while Cencic favours a more assertive and athletic style, which served him well in his breathtaking recital of Rossini arias for Virgin Classics.

MP3 320 · 163 MB

Weiss: Lute Concerti

2011-12-31T21:43:00.005-03:00

'Stone's playing is agile and confident, his sound round and full. These characteristics are essential to project the instrument's small voice in a concerto. The players of Tempesta di Mare supply a lovely, understated accompaniment that is historically informed but without any ornamental gimmickry.' --American Record Review

'The flautist Gwyn Roberts (soloist in two of the concertos for flute with solo lute accompaniment) deserves a special mention, as does Stone himself.' --Gramophone

'Clearly a lot of work has gone into the reconstructions and they not only convince, they delight. --International Record Review

'[Richard] Stone has lots of technique and shines in the soloist's role. Even greater, arguably, is his successful realisation of the orchestral parts. It may sound a highly dubious idea, but in fact it is not at all in principle out of order to reconstruct an orchestral score from a soloist's part, because many of the ideas will be transferable, and the basic harmonic and structural design is already present. To these ears, the orchestral writing is entirely convincing and the players tuck into it with gusto and panache, the buzzy string sound and the woody tone of the baroque flute recorded in a spacious and expressive acoustic.' --Classical Guitar Magazine

'Clearly a lot of work has gone into the reconstructions and they not only convince, they delight. --International Record Review

Tempestas team spoke the music like a native language. --The American Journal of Classical Guitar

Tempesta di Mare offers superb support… --American Record Guide

… compulsive listening… --BBC Music Magazine

MP3 320 · 162 MB

The Best of Eroica Trio

2011-12-31T21:36:00.001-03:00

One of the most sought-after trios in the world, the Eroica Trio thrills audiences with flawless technical virtuosity, irresistible enthusiasm and sensual elegance. Whether playing the great standards of the piano trio repertoire or daring...

Popular selections from their six recordings have been specially programmed for this album, a truly wonderful musical survey of the trio's work on record.

MP3 320 · 163 MB

Paganini: 24 Caprices

2011-12-31T21:26:00.001-03:00

“Ehnes has recorded the Caprices before, in 1995, at the age of 19. Since then his view of the music hasn’t changed a great deal… There's the same daring, bold approach, relying on exceptional technique to deliver an inner vision of each piece… what has changed is that Ehnes's technique has got even better, the intonation more precise, the bow control more sensitive. And the new recording adds an extra degree of clarity so that the playing makes a more vivid impact. Even a solitary listener will feel the desire to applaud the Presto section of No 11, with its jaunty rhythms and extraordinary leaps, or the quick staccato scales at the end of No 21.” --Gramophone

“…Ehnes has returned to these coruscating 'finger-breakers' (as Ricci once described them), playing with the same glowing tonal finesse as before, but with a new lyrical intensity… Beguilingly played and expertly engineered, this deserves a place on anyone's shortlist of the Caprices.” --BBC Music Magazine

MP3 320 · 176 MB

Johan Helmich Roman: Solo Concertos

2011-12-31T21:19:00.001-03:00

"Our Roman set out as a great musician and returned greater still." On his return from England, "the Swedish virtuoso" inaugurated a series of public concerts in Stockholm, the first of their in Sweden. He himself was presumably the soloist in some of the solo concertos presented in this recording.

MP3 320 · 157 MB

Pierné: La Musique De Chambre Vol 1

2011-12-31T20:59:00.000-03:00

Thanks to the efforts of the Timpani label, the music of French conductor and composer Gabriel Pierné is being recorded with consistent high quality and thorough coverage, particularly in this series of his chamber works. Pierné's music dates from the late Romantic and early modern eras, a period spanning roughly 50 years between the belle epoque and World War II. As one might imagine, Pierné's works have several features in common with those of his teachers, Franck and Massenet, and to a lesser extent, some traits shared with his contemporaries, Fauré and Debussy; in short, his oeuvre is perhaps closest in attitude and approach to the music of Camille Saint-Saëns.

Listening to this double-disc package of Pierné's compositions for various combinations of instruments, whether in sonata form or as single-movement character pieces, one is struck by his graceful melodies, effervescent timbres, and lively rhythms, rather than by any formal matters or developmental procedures; and his music is often infused with the charming languor that is most associated with the fin de siècle. This poignant, perfumed style dominates Disc 1, especially in the Sonata for violin and piano (1900), but it is contrasted by the darker hues and brooding intensity of the Piano Quintet (1916-1917), which points to a more impressionistic phase. Disc 2 is filled with several delightful preludes and short pieces for woodwinds, but the major pieces are the Sonata da camera for flute, cello and piano (1926), and the ballet Giration (1933), which, while equally appealing in color and melody, have more substantial and satisfying forms.

The performances by soloists from the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra are led by Christian Ivaldi, in many instances from the piano; and these musicians demonstrate a genuine fondness for this light music, as well as a kind of virtuosity that is always high-spirited and effortless. Timpani's audio quality is exceptional, with bright sonorities and a warm resonance that make these performances especially inviting. --allmusic

Like a skillfully varied box of the finest chocolates, Pierné’s chamber music offers a series of exquisite surprises.Sound is so immediately upfront that one hears the players’ fingerwork, but also well balanced, closely detailed, and gutsy. --Fanfare

2 CDs · MP3 320 · 302 MB

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos 1-6

2011-12-28T17:11:00.003-03:00

“Here Claudio Abbado is gambolling among the Brandenburg Concertos in this straightforward TV-style concert film, recorded in the classic 19th-century opera house at Reggio Emilia during an Italian tour in spring 2007. The orchestra is at first glance a curious gathering, mixing 'Baroque' players such as violinist Giuliano Carmignola and harpsichordist Ottavio Dantone with 'modern' names such as trumpeter Reinhold Friedrich and 'un-Baroque' recorder-player Michala Petri. Furthermore, a look round the instruments reveals mostly modern models, some hybrids (for instance Jacques Zoon's wooden, multi-keyed flute) and a sprinkling of Baroque bows. Mind you, most younger players these days are well versed in Baroque style whatever they play on, and the tenor of these performances is firmly consistent with current ideas of what Baroque music ought to sound like.” --Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Conducting J. S. Bach isn’t Abbado’s usual activity. But he buckles to it with joy, humanity and an Italianate slant that turns these cornerstone suites into outpourings of instrumental song. The players are the all-star Orchestra Mozart, with Giuliano Carmignola the demon lead fiddler, caught live in 2007.” The Times, 12th March 2011 ****

“The excitement is palpable, reflected in smiling glances between the players, bodies swaying through musical suspensions, a sense of uninhibited joy… The playing is stylish throughout: ornaments are apt, all the more telling for their restraint; trills are paced to match mood, languid in slow movements, sparkling in allegros.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2009

“Does the world need another set of Brandenburgs? Yes, when they are as freshly minted and as adventurously sonorous as this marvellous set...Abbado leads supple, imaginative readings; a great deal of the strong character is provided by his leader, violinist Giuliano Carmignola, and there is a brilliant harpsichord solo from Ottavio Dantone in the fifth concerto.” The Observer, 13th March 2011

“This new recording of the Brandenburg Concertos exhibits all the virtues that one associates with Claudio Abbado: clarity, lucidity, balance, a sense of proportion, and, above all, an indefinable yet audible 'oneness' with the music. Dionysus is present in these performances, but he subsumed within their underlying Apollonian quality.” International Record Review, April 2011

“the audio-only experience draws out a super-contented gestural world which had only intermittently communicated itself before...The hallmark of this set is the ambition to create lithe, beautiful and elegant statements in which witty, sophisticated dialogues are carried off within a heady textural landscape...The Fifth spins like a happy top...These are life-affirming live performances...which glide effortlessly on to the high table.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2011

2 CDs · MP3 320 · 191 MB

Recital At Ravinia: Brahms, Handel, Debussy, Mozart, Etc.

2011-12-28T16:44:00.002-03:00

“She truly was one of the great singers of our time… what we hear now reaffirms it. The performance of the Lucretia cantata alone would be sufficient. …Hunt Lieberson brings nobility to the full range of emotions and … an extraordinary sense of identifications with the suffering woman. The voice itself was a noble instrument: warm, full-bodied and seamless in its passage over the vocal registers.” --Gramophone

“Recorded at the Ravinia Festival two years before her death, this recital of ecstatic, grave and elegant love songs is a testament to the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson’s interpretive intelligence...Hunt Lieberson’s intoxicating mezzo slides through several centuries of musical styles…” --The Independent on Sunday

“Peter Serkin brings special qualities to the Brahms group… while his delicacy in Debussy's Trois Chansons de Bilitis is magical. Lorraine Hunt Lieberson equals him in her musical insight and in her complete security of approach to her own instrument. Her huge potential range of dynamics allows her to shape each song individually, while her poised understating of Pierre Louÿ's Debussyan texts makes them infinitely suggestive.” --BBC Music Magazine

“This heart-rending recording commemorates one of the few truly great singers ofour time – the American mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson who died from breast cancer in 2006 at the age of 52. Like Kathleen Ferrier, whose fate she shared, Hunt Lieberson's voice has a distinctive viola-ish timbre which made it peculiarly suited to the expression of deep and melancholy emotion. In this overwhelmingly intense live recital, sensitively accompanied by Peter Serkin, she sings Brahms and Mozart lieder, Handel's dramatic cantata Lucrezia, Debussy's Chansons de Bilitis, and an almost unbearably moving account of the spiritual Deep River. It's hard to listen without weeping.” --The Daily Telegraph

MP3 320 · 162 MB

Remembrance: Schoenberg, Bernstein, Bloch, Zeisl

2011-12-28T16:17:00.000-03:00

“John Neschling draws convincing performances from his São Paolo forces. Stephen Bronk narrates the Schoenberg clearly; Sharon Bezaly and Vadim Gluzman are eloquent instrumental soloists. …Rodrigo Esteves is a completely convincing cantorial baritone.” --BBC Music Magazine

"The Sala São Paolo opened in 1999; judging from this disc, it is a spectacular success. Highly recommended!" --Fanfare

Schoenberg and Bernstein are not usually thought of as compositional bedfellows, but they had several things in common: a strong Jewish spirit appears intermittently in their œuvres, and some of their loveliest music is among the least known. Both thoughts come into play here. Kol nidre is the Jewish prayer of atonement for Yom Kippur; Schoenberg set it in 1938 for a Los Angeles synagogue. A tonal work (in G Minor) with lush, golden post-Romantic scoring in the Korngold-Zemlinsky mold, it contains some of Schoenberg’s most beautiful music. Following an extended orchestral introduction, the “rabbi-narrator”—speaking in English, with no specified pitches—explains the prayer, as the orchestra illustrates it; then the chorus joins in responses. Kol nidre has been recorded by the usual suspects: Boulez, Gielen, and Craft. All are excellent, but none can match the sheer beauty of this performance and its recorded sound. The orchestra is superb, and Sala São Paolo has a warm, thrilling ambience reminiscent of the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, which BIS has captured gloriously. Even if you fear the name Schoenberg, you must hear—and wallow in—this audiophile triumph.

Bernstein’s Halil, (1981) is a “Nocturne for flute with piccolo, alto flute, percussion, harp, and strings.” A rhapsodic work, it alternates quiet, calm passages with excited outbursts reminiscent of his theater works; the solo flute plays almost continuously. Composed as a tribute to a young Israeli flutist killed in the 1973 war, it also serves as a virtuoso showpiece for his instrument. Halil has been recorded by the masters: Rampal, Stoltzman, and Dwyer; Bezaly’s performance is in that class, and BIS shows off the colors of her 24-carat flute.

Bloch’s Baal shem (Three Pictures of Hasidic Life) was written for violin and piano and later orchestrated. It has become one of his more popular pieces, primarily as a vehicle for the violinist. Which is surprising, as it is a serious, mostly solemn work with little sense of the virtuosic. Most recordings (including Szigeti, Stern, and Wicks) have been of the piano original; among famous violinists, the only current recording of the orchestral version is by Joshua Bell. Gluzman plays the “ex-Leopold Auer” Stradivarius, but the dark music does not allow for much tonal brilliance. Composed, like Schelomo, in Bloch’s “Jewish” style, the three-movement Baal shem is less dramatic and has more atmosphere than coherent structure.

The piece by Eric Zeisl (1905–1959) has some effective and moving passages, including an upbeat final chorus, but it is rather shapeless. The problem may lie in its joint cross-purposes: commissioned as a setting of the 92nd Psalm for use in the synagogue, it was composed at the end of World War II, when the composer learned of the death of his father. Thus the celebration of and praise to God took on the solemn character of a Requiem.

Schoenberg and Bernstein are the winners here—the conductor is a grandnephew of the former and studied with the latter. It should come as no surprise that a city of 20 million has a fine symphony orchestra, but I don’t remember encountering it since the days of Eleazar de Carvalho. The Sala São Paolo opened in 1999; judging from this disc, it is a spectacular success. Highly recommended! --FANFARE: James H. North

MP3 320 · 138 MB

Nielsen: Clarinet & Flute Concertos · Wind Quintet

2011-12-28T16:04:00.002-03:00

“…these are very fine performances, and the Quintet makes what should be the perfect coupling.” --BBC Music Magazine

“Pahud’s musicianship is unassailable; and star power is star power” --The Time

“This is a very fine disc. Recommended.” --ClassicsToday.com

This is a very fine disc. Carl Nielsen's ferociously difficult Clarinet Concerto presents no serious technical challenges to Sabine Meyer, who plays it with beautiful tone and a remarkable lightness of touch. Indeed, in the work's angrier moments, where a touch of stridency wouldn't be amiss, she sometimes sounds perhaps too light; but just how raucous you want the soloist to sound in this work will be very much a matter of personal taste. I had the same reservations regarding Martin Fröst's undeniably excellent recent BIS recording, and for this reason Olle Schill (also BIS) remains my version of reference. One thing is certain: Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic accompany magnificently, and the equally soloistic snare drum part never has been so subtly or accurately played.

Rattle and Co. are also on their best behavior in the Flute Concerto. Emmanuel Pahud has such a big tone that it really wasn't necessary to balance him more closely than Meyer, but beyond that his playing is outstanding, with the humorous bits of bass trombone mischief nicely caught. It almost goes without saying that the Berlin Philharmonic winds will give a thoroughly musical, at times captivating reading of Nielsen's Wind Quintet. As with Meyer in the concerto, the technical quality of the playing can't be faulted, but at times, particularly in the opening movement, it can sound almost too smooth. Nielsen's music can take a bit of roughness around the edges, if it comes in the form of a higher degree of individual character from the players.

That said, you'd have to be crazy not to acknowledge the high standard of achievement everywhere evident in this very recommendable disc, and it's great to see this music getting the attention it deserves outside of Scandinavia. Recommended. --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

MP3 320 · 155 MB

Shostakovich · Symphony No. 9 · Piano Concerto No. 1, Etc.

2011-12-26T20:14:00.002-03:00

This CD centres on the lighter side of Shostakovich – or, more accurately, his lighter sides, since the styles range from the pointed neo-Classical wit of the Ninth Symphony to the Keystone Kops mayhem of the First Piano Concerto to the more genial light-music parody of the score to the cinematic comedy The Adventures of Korzinkina. --International Record Review

But the Two Choruses, Op. 124, Shostakovich’s contribution to a collaborative cantata celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Revolution, are portents of greater choral outpourings to come in the 13th Symphony and the Execution of Stepan Razin. And the brief, 9-minute suite of music from the 1940 film The Adventures of Korzinkina, the composer’s Op. 59, leaves one wanting more. Perhaps when he’s done with the symphonies, Polyansky can bring us more of that under-explored corner of Shostakovich’s output. --American Record Guide

MP3 320 · 144 MB

Jenkins · Fantasy Suites for violin and viola da gamba

2011-12-26T20:06:00.000-03:00

“Jenkins is probably the finest English composer for instruments of the mid-seventeenth century” --Gramophone

This CD presents the music of Seventeenth Century English composer John Jenkins. Jenkins was a prolific composer who had a long career, spanning the time from Byrd and Purcell. He lived to see great changes in English music and is noted for developing the consort fantasia for viols. The Hamburger Ratsmusik, an ensemble that has won repeated praise from the press for its excellent knowledge of baroque style, performs the Fantasy Suites for violin and viola da gamba.

This is an outstanding disc which makes Jenkins shine and sheds light on the unique talent of this English master of the 17th century.

John Jenkins is one of the most remarkable English composers of the 17th century. He reached the exceptional age of 86 which means that he experienced the many trials and tribulations in politics and society including the Commonwealth and the Restoration. He also saw the aesthetics change from the late Elizabethan era to the period we call 'baroque'. And these changes left their mark on his oeuvre.

He left over 800 compositions, but that is practically all we know about him. No portrait, very little biographical detail - he didn't even make efforts to get his music printed. Apart from pieces which were included in contemporary collections his music was not printed before the 20th century. From what was written about him one gets the impression he was a very modest character. His pupil Roger North wrote: "Mr Jenkins was a very gentile and well bred gentleman, and was allways not onely welcome, but greatly valued by the familys wherever he had taught and convers't. He was constantly complaisant in every thing desired of him ..."

When after the Restoration he became part of the Private Musick at court he was paid until his death, even though he wasn't able to play any more due to his age - another sign of the high respect he enjoyed.

This disc gives a nice overview of the change in style which can be traced in his oeuvre. The programme contains four so-called 'Fantasy-suites', a modern term for a fantasy which is followed by two shorter movements. The Suites Nos. 11 and 17 are from a collection of 17, in which the opening fantasy is followed by an almain and an ayr. These pieces are rooted in the consort music of the renaissance era. It is nevertheless remarkable that the treble part is written for the violin rather than the treble viol. At the time these suites were probably written the violin was a new and still relatively unknown instrument in England. He must have known the violin from his childhood as in this parents' household there were "Seven Vialls and Violyns". John Jenkins was the first composer in England to write for the violin.

The other two suites are stylistically different as they make use of the diminution technique which had become very popular on the continent and was used in England in particular by Christopher Simpson. The parts for the violin and the viola da gamba have become considerably more virtuosic and are treated in a more individualistic way. The whole range of the viola da gamba is explored up to its limit. In addition, whereas the organ part in the early suites was written out, here the bass consists of a genuine basso continuo part.

Also late compositions are the Aria in A and the Sonata in d minor/D. The Aria is a beautiful melodious piece showing Jenkins' "lyrical inventiveness" as Andrew Ashbee describes one of the composer's features in his article in New Grove.

This disc also contains two pieces for the 'lyra viol'. The first is the Divisions in A with basso continuo, which according to Simone Eckert are putting even Christopher Simpson in the shade. I don't know about that but it is certainly right to bracket them together.

The four pieces in A are written for viola da gamba solo, and come from a manuscript called "ms Goëss" which is preserved in Ebenthal in Austria. It is very likely this manuscript was put together by Dietrich Steffkin, a close friend of Jenkins, who had worked in England but lived in the Netherlands during the Commonwealth period and not only collected music but also sent Jenkins the newest music from the continent. The manuscript contains a number of pieces by both Jenkins and Steffkin.

As one may gather from this description of the programme this disc is highly interesting and contains a good variety of styles and compositional genres. And thanks to the interpretation by the Hamburger Ratsmusik it is also a very entertaining and captivating disc. The four players are all excellent musicians who impress with their impeccable technique. They have also captured the spirit and the style of Jenkins' music very well. I know some older recordings of English 17th-century music by German musicians which were too rigid and too stiff, but nothing of that is noticeable here. The interpreters play with great vitality and rhythmic precision. The sound of the violin and the viola da gamba is brilliant and the balance within the ensemble is also very good.

Simone Eckert has written lucid programme notes in German. Unfortunately the English translation is not always correct and sometimes misses the mark.

This is an outstanding disc which makes Jenkins shine and sheds light on the unique talent of this English master of the 17th century. And as he left more than 800 compositions there is definitely still a lot of work to do. -- Johan van Veen, MusicWeb International

MP3 320 · 132 MB

Ginastera · Estancia · Concerto For Harp, Etc.

2011-12-26T19:44:00.006-03:00

This light and lively production best serves the coolly elegant Variaciones concertantes and the Harp Concerto, whose magical sonorities are particularly complemented by the transparent recording and chamber deployment of the Orquesta Cuidad de Granada. Both works also enjoy outstanding solo work from harpist Magdalena Barrera and the ensemble's various first-desk players. In fact, there is no better performance available of the Harp Concerto, a piece that successfully inhabits a world between Ginastera's early folk-inspired music and his later expressionist style.

As to the Overture to Creole Faust and the Estancia Dances, many listeners doubtless will enjoy conductor Josep Pons' lively tempos and snappy rhythms. Indeed, the final Malambo from Estancia seldom has sounded so secure in its play with compound meter. Still, there's no denying the fact that the music isn't as pulse-pounding as it can be. For example, the recent Bridge recording of these two works from Odense remains unequalled for barbaric splendor and coloristic detail, albeit at a slightly slower pace.

Nevertheless, there's too much beautiful playing for this disc not to be perfectly enjoyable on its own terms, and if Pons chooses to emphasize the music's polish and grace, that's just as much a part of Ginastera's Latin heritage as his more savage side. In short, these performances may not be to everyone's taste, but they have character as well as a real point of view. They stand out from the crowd in a positive way, and in the long run that's what matters most. Fans of the composer will welcome this opportunity to broaden their idea of how his music can sound. [12/13/2003] --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

MP3 320 · 155 MB

Pizzetti · Orchestral Music

2011-12-26T19:19:00.000-03:00

CLASSIC CD 'CHOICE'

'The four orchestral works on this magnificently-performed and brilliantly-recorded release show off Pizzetti’s sumptuous blend of romantic-impressionistic harmony with modally-inflected melody to its richest and most cinematic … If orchestral splendor is the music lover’s chocolate, this disc is a five-pound box of opera creams. Yum' --American Record Guide

'Brilliantly colourful performances - no better way of winning converts to Pizzetti' --Gramophone

One of the most gorgeous recordings of orchestral music I have heard in the last year’ --Crisis, USA

'Strongly recommended' --Hi-Fi News & Record Review

'This excellent and impeccably played survey reveals a talent well worth investigating' --The Scotsman

MP3 320 · 165 MB

Mahler · Des Knaben Wunderhorn

2011-12-24T20:00:00.004-03:00

This is Anne Sofie von Otter at her most hallowed, and Quasthoff is as quietly witty in the fables as he is harrowing in the military doom-songs. Unsurpassable.

Sound: 5 (Out of 5); Performance: 5 (Out of 5) --BBC Music Magazine

Even without the enticement of two of the world’s most perceptive Lieder singers and the razor-sharp support of Abbado, there would be one very compelling reason for choosing this collection of songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn (The Youth’s Magic Horn) even above the intriguingly matched team of Norman, Shirley-Quirk and Haitink. Mahler selected texts from the polished-up folk anthology which mostly deal with the here-and-now tragicomedies of soldiers and country girls, reserving the collection’s rare moments of religious balm to light the way in the Second, Third and Fourth Symphonies. By ending with ‘Urlicht’ out of the context of the Resurrection Symphony, Abbado’s sequence suggests that something lies beyond the temporary consolations of soldier-spectres and the terror of death. And this is, after all, Anne Sofie von Otter at her most hallowed, following Quasthoff in burnished tragic-heroic mode, sounding for all the world like a young Norman Bailey in the focused despair he shares so well with Abbado.

From the first, rhythmically crisp trumpet fanfares, so skilfully imitated by Berlin woodwind later on, you know you are in the most vivid of hands. Abbado is right to trust the varied tone colours of his two singers to carry the many boy-girl dialogues single-handedly in each song, as Mahler always intended (and contrary to the practice of most other contenders). Von Otter plays the wench with just a hint of Strauss’s Octavian disguised as Mariandel, and none of the archness of a Schwarzkopf, while the desperation of ‘Das irdische Leben’ is carefully graded. And Quasthoff is as quietly witty in pointing up the rhythms and phrases of the fables as he is harrowing in the military doom-songs. Unsurpassable.

MP3 320 · 124 MB

Hasse · Sonatas and Trio Sonatas

2011-12-24T19:51:00.003-03:00

The delightful instrumental works by Hasse on this recording are performed by one of Europe's premiere period instrument ensembles. Epoca Barocca has performed with many of the biggest names in Early Music. Its strength lies in its flexible line-up which allows it to perform unusual works scored for a variety of instrumental combinations.

'In his compositions the intention of pleasing the ear and of satisfying the intellect is evident, leaving to the vain and the pedantic everything that strikes, stupifies and puzzles.' This was the comment of Charles Burney about Johann Adolf Hasse after they had met in September 1773 in Vienna. Hasse was a prolific composer whose music dominated the European stages for almost half a century, before being challenged by the followers of the new style brought in by Gluck and Calzabigi.

His posthumous reputation was not helped by the fact that the major part of his instrumental works was lost when his publishers' house in Leipzig was bombarded during the Seven Years War. Ironically, the man who ordered the bombardment was none other than Frederick II, the same monarch who had commissioned many of Hasse's works.

MP3 320 · 38 MB

The Romantic Cello · Chopin · Rachmaninov

2011-12-24T19:39:00.003-03:00

“Charles Owen has an admirably light touch, playing with great sensitivity whenever there's a danger of piano domination but is able to adopt a formidable presence in virtuoso passages… Natalie Clein is such a communicative player that we feel compelled to follow her line. Her tone is generally warm and expressive, but capable of receding to a chilly senza vibrato - as for the second subject of the Chopin finale - or rising to considerable intensity. ...whenever the cello is given long, sustained melodies - as in the trios of both Scherzos, and the second theme of the Rachmaninov finale - the effect is quite glorious.” --Gramophone

MP3 320 · 179 MB

Telemann · Opera Arias

2011-12-22T23:57:00.000-03:00

Nuria Rial is one of the leading baroque soloists and is famous for her shining, crystal clear and beautiful voice. In this album she sings, with the world famous Kammerorchester Basel, nine rarely recorded German arias by Georg Philip Telemann. They are taken from rarely performed operas by this underestimated baroque composer: "Emma and Eginhard", "Der geduldige Socrates" and "Germanicus". The aria "Komm, oh Schlaf" from the opera "Germanicus" is a world premier recording, the scores only being found a couple of years ago in Frankfurt. The disc also includes two violin concertos from which the Overtures to “Emma und Eginhard” and “Der geduldige Socrates” are taken.

“[In 'Come, o sleep, and let my cares'] the gentle, courtly tone so effortlessly sustained by Rial is elevated by the use of two flutes amid a glowing orchestral arrangement. The delightful feathery fluting of concertante recorder likewise helps animate the emotional quandary of "Hope gives me comfort"” --The Daily Telegraph

MP3 320 · 126 MB

Fandango

2011-12-22T23:55:00.000-03:00

Classical guitar virtuoso teams up with Melbourne’s hottest string quartet in a display of passion and style for which they are both renowned.

Schaupp and the Flinders do the composers proud, the well-judged tonal and timbral balance as much as the cleanly expressive interpretations ensuring that, frozen/suspended as they are, these performances will withstand repeated listenings. --Limelight Magazine

MP3 320 · 164 MB

Two Romantic Violin Concertos · Fiorillo · Viotti

2011-12-22T23:54:00.000-03:00

'A welcome reissue of a fine disc coupling a pair of delightful concertos, in performances of delectable poise and refinement. Recommended' --International Record Review

'One is at home with this music right from the start' --Fanfare, USA

MP3 320 · 98 MB

Dyson · Violin Concerto · Children's Suite

2011-12-20T16:16:00.003-03:00

Editor's choice --Gramophone, September 1995

ROSETTE RECORDING Penguin Stereo Guide

'Here is a CD that I recommend with all possible enthusiasm…' --Gramophone

'Lydia Mordkovitch's playing is wonderfully polished and her feeling for Dyson's line and phrasing is intelligently musical.' --The Strad on Dyson's Violin Concerto

MP3 320 · 133 MB

Ucellini · Violin Sonatas

2011-12-20T15:06:00.004-03:00

"indispensable à la connaisance de ce répertoire." --Diapason

"Un régal." --Monde de la Musique

The engineers of the Aeolus label have brought out every detail of van Dael's masterful playing. --allmusic.com

Lucy van Dael, one of the most highly regarded Barqoue violinists in the world, and her prominent continuo players present an exciting part of the history of the violin sonata: The sonatas for violin by the 17th-century vituoso Marco Uccellini, who was active in Modena and Parma.

In the 17th century, the exceptional violinist Uccellini exerted a formative influence on the young genre of the violin sonata through his treatment of embellishments, his use of “affetti,” and his development of virtuoso violin techniques. The result is a highly imaginative, indeed "fantastic” music that has an almost improvisational character.

The four musicians, who are all veterans of the illustrious Dutch early music scene, take up the challenge. Lucy van Dael’s Amati violin produces amazing timbres in this repertoire. Different combinations of harpsichord, organ, lute, and cello are to be heard on the continuo part.

The recording made in the famous Doopsgezindekerk, Haarlem, dispensed with spot microphones, as usual with AEOLUS, resulting in a full, vivid sound.

MP3 320 · 133 MB

Dances of Death

2011-12-20T14:53:00.009-03:00

Superlative performances from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paray. The sound quality is also superb for its era.

This collection just might have the most off-putting title of all time. It’s also inappropriate, as one of the five selections, the Invitation to the Dance,Paul Paray and the Detroit Symphony play 'Dances of Death' (yech!) is all carefree froth and has nothing whatever to do with the grim reaper; in the contrary,

it’s a delightful depiction of a breezy, whirlwind dance without even a hint of impending doom and the liner notes don’t pretend otherwise. In any event, Paray consistently places his musical emphasis on the lyrical dance element of these pieces rather than on the darker stuff, and generally slights the diabolic energy to which most other conductors give equal measure and which forms much of their appeal – the Danse Macabre sounds playful and disarming and the Strauss, with its demonic overtones, emerges far more bright and sprightly than we are accustomed.

The Schmitt is a relative rarity in which Paray’s lyricism nicely complements the composer’s own darker and more dramatic 1930 EMI recording. Given Paray’s interpretive bent, perhaps the producer’s penchant for a melodramatic title would have been better served by "Life in the Shadows of Death."

MP3 320 · 135 MB

Pavaniglia · Dances & Madrigals from 17th-Century Italy

2011-12-20T14:43:00.002-03:00

The spirit of improvisation fairly bubbles in this imaginative selection of madrigals courtly dances by Monterverdi, Gesualdo and Rossi for Renaissance violin band. Includes 3 further sets of dances from Il Scolaro by Gasparo Zanetti.

"Sublime" --Billboard

"This particular Noyse is a very pretty one indeed" --Stereophile

MP3 320 · 156 MB

bachCage

2011-12-17T17:38:00.000-03:00

A young musician and composer causing a stir, not only on the club scene, but also in classical concert venues is probably a world-first. Tristano's idiosyncratic and very personal handling of his musical pioneers, Bach and Cage. Perhaps Tristano is one of the first representatives of a new generation of musicians who no longer belong to a specific school.

This generation also takes advantage of the fact that practically the whole repertoire of all music ever recorded is available on the Internet. The most diverse kinds of music stand alongside each other, taken out of their typical context and available in some would say, a more democratic form. Tristano makes use of this, stamping his mark on the world of music and providing a fresh and unique sound, unlike anything that has been heard before.

MP3 320 · 131 MB

Vivaldi · Virtuoso Cantatas

2011-12-17T17:10:00.000-03:00

“Young French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky… negotiates even the most taxing display pieces with effortless agility. Yet he is more than a mere showman: he shapes the music with subtle nuances and expressive gestures and demonstrates a mature musical sensitivity throughout. There's some bucolic playing, too, from Ensemble Artaserse, captured with resonant detail on this recording.” --BBC Music Magazine ****

“The countertenor Philippe Jaroussky soars as effortlessly as a bird, with no sense of strain: perhaps – for we can never know for certain – this is how the great castrati of the 18th century sounded. He was certainly convincing in the soprano role of Nero in the Euroarts DVD of Handel's Agrippina.

Little is known about the background to these cantatas. Each is in the familiar form of two dacapo arias, separated and sometimes preceded by a recitative. The themes are equally familiar, generally concerned with the inconstancy or inaccessibility of the beloved, with reference to the storms, bright dawns and shipwrecks of opera seria. Alla caccia dell'alme describes 'barbarous Cloris' hunting souls and hearts, with predictable consequences for the victim. And there is a delightful surprise: no horn depicting the chase, of course: instead, here and elsewhere, we have the jolly bassoon of Jérémie Papasergio on the bass line.

In fact the composition of the continuo group varies within each cantata and even during a movement: the 'A' section of the first aria in Pianti, sospiri e dimandar mercede features bassoon and lute, the 'B' section cello and harpsichord. This is justified by the quality of the playing but to switch from harpsichord to organ in the same piece seems to me fussy.

Philippe Jaroussky is sweet-toned and, as well as singing the divisions with wonderful control, he shows care for the meaning of the words. The aria from Tito Manlio, which really was written for contralto, finds him duetting with the cello obbligato of Emilia Gliozzi – superb!” --The Gramophone Classical Music Guide 2010

MP3 320 · 150 MB

Ernst · Music for Violin & Orchestra

2011-12-17T16:51:00.002-03:00

Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst was in his day considered by no less an authority than Joseph Joachim to be the greatest living violinist, although he is now almost forgotten. He was compared favourably with Paganini, whose style he emulated and with whom he played in concert, and for most of his adult life gave concerts all over Europe, playing his own and other virtuoso concertos and chamber music. The award-winning soloist on this recording, Ilya Grubert, plays a 1740 Guarnieri violin once owned by Henryk Wieniawski.

Ernst’s violin music is virtuosically written, as might be expected from a famous violinist. It does not have the individual profile the music by Wieniawski and Vieuxtemps (similar 19th-century virtuosos) has, but it is far from unpleasant listening, especially when as well played as it is by Ilya Grubert, with Dmitry Yablonsky leading the Russian Philharmonic. Major works are the Concerto in F-sharp minor, the even longer Concertino in D. --Paul Turok, Turok’s Choice, June 2007

MP3 320 · 150 MB

Auerbach · Shostakovich · Music for Violin and Piano

2011-12-15T17:28:00.002-03:00

“Vadim Gluzman and Angela Yoffe, an impressive well matched husband-and-wife team, give a powerful account of the 1968 Shostakovich Sonata. This performance rises to its demands - extremes of tone and virtuoso intensity - the central Allegretto projecting an atmosphere of glittering ferocity. The Jazz Suite No 1 of 1934... takes us back to a very different Shostakovich: the wit may be sardonic but the mood remains light-hearted and upbeat. The Sonata, Auerbach's response to the events of 9/11, is on a far grander scale, with big, even melodramatic gestures. It's a well made piece, imaginatively cast for the two instruments and with some beautiful, inspiring moments...” --Gramophone

“…the centre of gravity of this recital is a magnificently eloquent and understanding performance of Shostakovich's Violin Sonata, which as the years pass comes to seem one of the greatest of his late works. …Gluzman and Yoffe infuse the music with an expressive glow that transcends its innate austerity.” --BBC Music Magazine *****

MP3 320 · 148 MB

Favourite Choruses

2011-12-15T17:14:00.002-03:00

All your favourite opera choruses in one CD.

Includes chorus(es) by various composers. Conductors: Sir John Barbirolli, Sir Charles Mackerras, Daniel Barenboim, Otto Klemperer, Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Muti.

MP3 320 · 155 MB · 2001

Glass, Tavener & Nyman, arranged for saxophone

2011-12-13T18:45:00.002-03:00

“Often derided as the saccharine sister of the saxophone family, Dickson's impressive playing bears witness to the instrument's hidden depth, breadth and versatility. Highly recommended.” --Gramophone

“Amy Dickson plays superbly, with great feeling and a less sterile tone than you expect from classical saxophonists.” --BBC Music Magazine ****

For her second recording for RCA Red Seal, Australian saxophonist Amy Dickson has chosen three modern classical works in the minimalist genre. The first is an arrangement for soprano saxophone Amy has made herself of Philip Glass’s Violin Concerto, the second is Amy’s arrangement of John Tavener’s The Protecting Veil, and the third piece is Michael Nyman’s concerto in one movement Where The Bee Dances.

Amy is the cover feature for Muso Magazine’s February 2010 issue, and will be interviewed in the February 2010 issue of Classic FM magazine. She will be interviewed on Classic FM radio and BBC Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’ programme during the first week of February 2010. Great media coverage is expected of this innovative and radio-friendly recording which demonstrates Amy’s commitment to increasing the range of repertoire available for her instrument. She is also getting interest from the media due to having recently been signed as a brand ambassador for Armani, she will be dressed by the design company for her future concerts and appearances. She will also be acting as an ambassador for the Princes Trust from 2010.

MP3 320 · 126 MB

The Classical Age in Finland · Violin Concertos

2011-12-13T18:38:00.004-03:00

"A fascinating programme of Finnish works from the last decades of the 18th century." --Gramophone

As shown on this new Ondine CD (and as you might expect) the music composed during the Classical age in Finland was stylistically identical to that composed on the continent. And while the featured composers Ferling, Byström, Lithander, and Tulindberg never studied abroad, their music is clearly informed by the traditions of the Mannheim school and its subsequent refinements of Mozart and Haydn. For listeners who delight in discovering obscurities and who have an affinity for music of this period, waste not a moment. Every one of the premiere recordings offered here is inspired, expertly crafted, and at times playfully inventive.

Violinist Kreeta-Maria Kentala's fiddling in the final movement of Ferling's Violin Concerto features cadenzas derivative of folk tunes in the tradition of Biber. Bystrom's bizarre minute-long Quadrille sounds like an abbreviated if not lopsided pastiche on Handel's Arrival of the Queen of Sheba. As an interlude, this varied program also features two short but lovely arias composed by Fredrik Lithander that (according to the notes) originally were meant to precede one of his "heavy, long, and solemn" speeches.

The young (23) Finnish baritone Herman Wallén shines here: his vocal timbre bears a remarkable resemblance to a youthful Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Ondine would do well next time to allow Wallén's stunning voice to be heard more than the few minutes he's afforded here. The concluding concerto by Finland's first composer of repute, Erik Tulindberg, is a straightforward though stylish piece, reminiscent of the efforts of his more well known contemporaries such as Franz Richter and Carl Stamitz. The Sixth Floor Orchestra, conductor Jukka Rautasalo, and all soloists perform with great passion and conviction that could not be bettered. Ondine's production is equally exemplary, as are the informative and entertaining notes by Fabian Dahlström. Recommended! --John Greene, ClassicsToday.com

MP3 320 · 146 MB

Schubert: Lieder With Orchestra

2011-12-13T18:31:00.002-03:00

[Otter] 'Die Forelle' is deftly timed and coloured, 'Geheimes' shyly conspiratorial, 'Gretchen' perfectly judged in its mounting ecstatic agitation. Quasthoff, with his warm, noble baritone, is just as compelling, with an impulsive 'An Schwager Kronos' and an extraordinarily tender, mesmeric performance of 'Memmon'. --BBC Music Magazine

Thomas Quasthoff . . . sings these orchestral versions as straightforwardly, effectively, and communicatively as he does piano accompanied Schubert. . . . An Silvia is charming and well shaped; Im Abendrot is a standout-beautifully, simply, and compellingly projected [Otter]. . . . The recorded sound is very good . . . the subtleties of color and dynamics of which this extraordinary singer is capable . . . The orchestral playing is very fine, the conducting very much to the point. --Fanfare

This is a fascinating selection of Lieder (songs with piano) orchestrated by Brahms, Berlioz and Britten, among others. It's an ear-opener: Berlioz's "Erlkönig" sounds like the opening of Wagner's "Walkyrie". Anne Sofie von Otter und Thomas Quasthoff bring panache to the project . . . --Classic FM

It was fashionable in the 19th century to make orchestral arrangements of Schubert's songs. These ranged from the faithful to the fancifully elaborate, and both extremes are represented on this fascinating survey, beautifully delivered by mezzo Anne Sofie von Otter and baritone Thomas Quasthoff, and accompanied with wonderful musicality by Claudio Abbado and the COE. --The Guardian

MP3 320 · 159 MB

Highlights ASM35

2011-12-11T13:54:00.004-03:00

To mark her highly publicised performance at the 2011 Classic Brits, DG are releasing this stunning 2CD set of some of her very best recordings. Arranged chronologically, the compilation’s sequence offers a comprehensive look at Anne Sophie Mutter’s Deutsche Grammophon career — from her Mozart debut in 1978 to her Brahms Sonatas in 2010, with all of her musical partners.

A bonus prelude to the published tracklisting is a special treat: the 11-year-old Anne-Sophie Mutter playing a solo movement by Prokofiev at a music competition in 1974 – a first release ever.

The track-list includes many of Ms. Mutter’s favourite recordings — ranging from Vivaldi and Bach to Lutosławski and Bernstein — including movements from all of the great concertos in between.

2 CD · MP3 320 · 322 MB

Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV988 for solo Harp

2011-12-10T17:33:00.004-03:00

“Finch's… bold tone suits the haughty French Ouverture, she's fearless in the most taxing figurations and profoundly expressive in the meditative Variation 25.” --BBC Music Magazine ****

“…there's colour and drama aplenty - witness the grandeur and sweeping tirades of Variation 17.” --Gramophone

“She adroitly side-steps what would seem to be the harp's principal shortcomings compared to a keyboard – the absence of a sustaining pedal and the lack of a damping device – with a nimbleness that quietly cossets and coaxes with its straightforward hand-for-hand transcription.” --BBC

“Bach's Goldberg Variations have been arranged for everything from string orchestra to accordion with varying degrees of success – but never (complete, at any rate) for the harp. Suddenly we have two very different interpretations on that instrument released simultaneously.

Blassel's is an exquisite reading: the Aria is played almost with a surfeit of warmth and delicacy, as if to impress the potential of its material upon the listener from the outset so as to allow a fuller savouring of the ensuing variations – which are all, without exception, played with a great feeling for overall architecture and interior expressiveness that recalls Hewitt and Tureck in equal measure.

Welsh harpist Catrin Finch observes most of the repeats; tempi are generally on the brisk side; tonal and dynamic variation is minimal but telling when it occurs. Blassel observes no repeats (thus leaving room on the disc for the 14 Goldberg Canons, which Blassel performs with his former teacher Fabrice Pierre); tempi are generally measured, especially in the canonic variations; tonal and dynamic variation is maximal, as is the variety of articulation.

Perhaps it's to do with the differences between the instruments – Finch's modern harp is bright and thickly resonant; Blassel's 1904 Erard delicate and muted – but Finch's playing is more extrovert and forthright (although sometimes, as in Var 25, disappointingly prosaic), Blassel's more introvert and nuanced (you'll never hear a more magically delicate account of Var 28).
Either way, both versions have much to recommend them.” --The Gramophone Classical Music Guide

MP3 320 · 141 MB

La Spagna: Danzas del Renacimiento Español

2011-12-10T17:05:00.002-03:00

La Capella de Ministrers y su fundador, el violagambista y director valenciano Carles Magraner, celebran por todo lo alto los veinte años de andadura de un conjunto que es hoy ya una referencia inexcusable en el mundo de la música antigua. Y lo hacen mediante una exposición fotográfica que se acaba de inaugurar en Valencia y dos lanzamientos discográficos: un recopilatorio de su trayectoria, que lleva el inspirado título de Tempus Fugit y una absoluta novedad, el album La Spagna, recorrido por el universo de las danzas del Renacimiento español.

Si las polcas son polacas, las pavanas (o paduanas) de Padua, y hoy en día las "sevillanas" han pasado metonímicamente a caracterizar la típica música española (la typical, al menos), esa función identitaria la cumplió antaño la melodía de la Spagna, cantus firmus de muchas obras polifónicas y célula rítmico-melódica de otras tantas instrumentales, junto con la célebre Romanesca, a las que se vino a sumar pronto los Canarios.

A estos aires se dedica este nuevo registro de Carles Magraner, en este año en que su Capella de Ministrers celebra su XX aniversario. Buena forma de consignar progresos, 27 años después de que el Atrium Musicae de Gregorio Paniagua dedicase otro disco construido con semejante motivo. Quienes echen de menos a Gaspar Sanz entenderán su ausencia viendo la selección que se ofrece: músicas desde finales del siglo XV (Cancionero de Palacio, sin la Alta de Francisco de la Torre) a 1612 (Praetorius), de artistas hispanos e italianos como Ortiz, Milán, Cabezón o Narváez, entre los primeros, y Dalza, Negri, Caroso, Capirola, Barbetta y Spinacino entre los últimos.

Si en su día estas piezas fueron estilizadas para adaptarlas al idiomatismo de laúdes, teclas o vihuelas se procede aquí sensu contrario, desestilizando, para devolverlas a su función primigenia: la base para danzar, con gran despliegue de color en sus instrumentaciones para dar la variedad necesaria a un disco de generoso minutaje, en las versiones frescas y elegantes de la Capella, con bellas disminuciones, y detalles sorprendentes, como el cornetto en los Canarios de Negri y Caroso. Hay versiones sobrias, otras majestuosas y con pompa, o templadas y contenidas con, para mi gusto, excesiva percusión en ciertas piezas. Pero fuera de toda duda: mucha Capella de Ministrers en sus 27 cortes. --Josemi Lorenzo Arribas

MP3 320 · 154 MB

Rossini: Overtures · Bizet: Preludes And Ballet Music

2011-12-10T16:57:00.000-03:00

"Fricsay is an easy recommendation for those not minding fast overall speeds. The orchestral playing is well up to the chosen tempi, the recording is first-rate and the whole effect exhilarating." [Rossini Overtures] Penguin Guide, 1966

MP3 320 · 173 MB

Rachmaninoff · The Bells · Spring · Three Russian Songs

2011-12-09T00:02:00.002-03:00

“The Mariinsky's strongest suit is probably its distinctly Russian tone...Alas, the dramatic engagement one might have expected from an opera chorus is here virtually nonexistent...The Bells itself is beautifully played, but with rather literal fidelity to the score. This approach works well enough in the funereal final movement with its echoes of Isle of the Dead. Noseda's avoidance of rubato, though, rather misses the poetry of the golden bells.” --BBC Music Magazine, December 2011 ***

This is the seventh and final volume in our acclaimed Rachmaninoff series, which has been performed by the BBC Philharmonic under Gianandrea Noseda. They are joined in this recording by the Chorus of the Mariinsky Theatre and the soloists Svetla Vassileva, Misha Didyk, and Alexei Tanovitski. The disc was recorded live at this year’s Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

Rachmaninoff composed his ‘choral symphony’ The Bells in 1913. It takes its inspiration from poems by Edgar Allan Poe in a Russian translation by the poet Konstantin Balmont. The first movement, evoking the chimes of silver bells on a winter sleigh ride, is unusually cheerful for both the composer and author, while ‘Wedding Bells’ blends the yearning of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde with a darker and more ominous undercurrent that carries through to the end. Of this Proms performance, The Guardian wrote: ‘The soloists soared, the choir bloomed, and Noseda powered the orchestra through thrilling climaxes to the funereal closing bars.’

In the brooding cantata Spring of 1902, the restlessness and lively use of percussion reflect the composer’s mindset at the time: He was hungry to write music once again after suffering from a three-year bout of writer’s block and depression. The work is based on a poem by Nikolay Nekrasov and describes the return of the Zelyoniy shum, or ‘green rustle’. The poem tells of a husband who, fraught with murderous thoughts towards his unfaithful wife during the winter season, is freed from his frustrations by the return of spring.

The Three Russian Songs are poignant, gem-like time capsules of a Russia now irretrievably lost. They were written in 1926 when Rachmaninoff was living and exhaustively touring as a pianist in America. Vladimir Wilshaw, Rachmaninoff’s old friend from student days, said of this work: ‘Only a man who loves his country could compose this way. Only a man who in his innermost soul is a Russian. Only Rachmaninoff could have composed this!’

MP3 320 · 138 MB

Sibelius · Piano Works

2011-12-09T00:00:00.001-03:00

This newly reissued Warner Apex disc is an excellent representation of the piano music of Sibelius.

Heinonen’s program is a fine one that highlights the more serious and extended piano works of Sibelius. The program includes the Opus 12 Piano Sonata and the piano arrangement of Finlandia. There is also "Kyllikki", a series of three pieces among the more serious of Sibelius’s output.

MP3 320 · 169 MB

Fischer & Stamitz Virtuosi Oboenkonzerte · Forgotten Treasures Vol.7

2011-12-07T15:11:00.003-03:00

All three concertos are claimed as first recordings, which I find no reason to dispute. It is fortunate these works have found such ardent advocates. Ars’s packaging is a bit strange. There is no inner tray; the disc rests on the paper insert, which serves as the back cover of the jewel case. On the other hand, the CD booklet is a model of how such things should be done, with full notes on the composers and the compositions in readable type. This is a very enjoyable release.

The oboe virtuoso and composer Johann Christian Fischer was born in Germany, studied in Italy, and made a career throughout Europe, especially in Germany and in London. He was a member of the Dresden court orchestra, where some of his colleagues were Quantz, Zelenka, Hasse, and Abel. The young Mozart met him in 1765 at the Hague and was impressed by his playing. After a short period of service at the court of Frederick the Great in Berlin, Fischer established himself in London, where his former colleague Abel was established with J. C. Bach as presenters of concerts.

The first concert of the 1768 series featured the Concerto in C recorded here. It was very popular, especially the final Rondeau, on which Mozart, J. C. Bach, and other composers wrote sets of variations. The three concertos recorded here are technically demanding as well as engagingly tuneful. The Concerto in F ends with a set of variations on an Irish tune, Gramachree Molly, that will brighten your day and have you tapping your toes.

Carl Stamitz was the son of the composer Johann Stamitz, who was one of the founders of the Mannheim School. Carl played in the Mannheim Orchestra before moving to Paris, where he was court composer for the Duke of Noailles and where he and his brother Anton performed at the Concerts Spirituel. He spent the last 25 years of his life in precarious circumstances seeking permanent employment. He composed at least 51 symphonies, 38 symphonies concertantes, and 60 concertos.

The Oboe Concerto in B♭ was published as a clarinet concerto, but the oboe version exists in manuscript parts in a copyist’s hand; it may have been the original.

Virtuoso oboist Michael Niesemann has had a wide-ranging career in music from the Baroque era through modern music. He was a member of Musica Antiqua Köln for 10 years and has been principal oboist with John Eliot Gardiner’s two orchestras for 15 years. He has technique to spare for the works presented here. The Kölner Akademie does not limit itself to period practice, but also performs more-recent music on modern instruments. They make a major contribution here, helped by the sensible leadership of Willens, who has been its music director since 1996. --Fanfare

MP3 320 · 165 MB

Boccherini · Divertimenti

2011-12-07T15:01:00.014-03:00

Boccherini was an accomplished cellist and composed many quintets with two cello parts. The four divertimentos on this recording are part of Op.16, written for two violins, obbligato flute, viola, two cellos and ripieno bass.

MP3 320 · 141 MB

Mozart · Flute Quartets

2011-12-07T14:45:00.004-03:00

According to Roger Lustig's well-researched programme notes, Mozart's self-declared dislike for the flute says more about the circumstances surrounding the composition of his works for the instrument than it does about any real hatred for the instrument itself. Furthermore, the performances of the Flute Quartets by James Galway and the Tokyo Quartet, here under review, speak equally eloquently for Mozart's evident care in their composition—this despite Hans Keller's dismissal of them.

The first two quartets, K285 and K285a were written in 1776/7 for the Dutch nobleman Dejean. The playing here is full of Mozartian grace and sensuous melodiousness. At the beginning of the possibly inauthentic C major Quartet, K285b, Galway achieves a delightful liquid quality. The later Quartet, K298 is more substantial and draws playing of haunting intensity from Galway and the Tokyo. The slow tempo of this Quartet's second movement is slower than in the Bennett/Grumiaux version on Philips whose performance has a much more jaunty feel to it. Galway's disc is rounded off with his own arrangement of the Oboe Quartet, K370, whose sumptuous slow movement and elegant finale make this an attractive added bonus. One minor reservation: it is useful to have individual variations separately tracked (K285b.2 and K298.1) but, in the earlier Quartet, there is an annoying click on my disc as the tracks change.

The principal difference between the Galway/ Tokyo and the Bennett/Grumiaux versions reflects the recordings and the circumstances surrounding them. Galway's choice of slower tempos might well have been conditioned, at least in part, by the spacious church acoustic in which it was recorded. The Bennett/Grumiaux was recorded in 1969, but the digital transfer is excellent. These are both fine discs, so choice will be determined by personal taste.' -- Gramophone [6/1993]

MP3 320 · 157 MB

Phenomenal Vengerov!

2011-12-06T00:10:00.005-03:00

Maxim Vengerov is recognised as one of the world’s most exciting violinists. He gave his first recital at the age of five and, after studying with Galina Tourchaninova and Professor Zakhar Bron, he went on to win the First Prize in the Junior Wieniawski Competition when he was ten years old. In 1990, aged fifteen, he won the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition, confirming his reputation as a musician of the very highest order.In May 2000, Maxim Vengerov signed an exclusive contract with EMI Classics. Vengerov’s awards and prizes have included Gramophone Artist of the Year in 2002 and Edison Award winner and Grammy Award winner in 2004 for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (with Orchestra) for the Britten: Violin Concerto/Walton: Viola Concerto.

Maxim Vengerov has appeared with all the major orchestras and eminent conductors, has performed as both soloist and conductor, made his debut on the baroque violin accompanied by Trevor Pinnock, and has also taken up the viola. His extensive concerto, solo and duo recital tours have taken him regularly around the globe. Vengerov toured the Far East and Europe until the end of 2004 with a program of Virtuosi pieces, which was also recorded and released by EMI. The year 2005 was a sabbatical year in which Vengerov studied improvisation with Didier Lockwood and tango dance, and prepared for an explosive new viola concerto written for him by Benjamin Yusupov. The world premiere took place with the NDR Orchestra in Hannover in May 2005. In 2006 Vengerov reassumed his usual concert work with tours worldwide of the Mozart concertos with the UBS Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra and a recital tour with works by Mozart, Beethoven, Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Then he recorded 2 Violin Concertos and the Sinfonia Concertante by Mozart (with viola soloist Lawrence Power).

This 3CD set offers an incredible value for the price of one mid album, with a great panorama of his art. On CD1, the Beethoven Concerto and two Romances, and Kreisler’s favorite encore ‘Liebesleid’ and ‘Liebesfreud’. The second CD contains the French most famous violin concertos: Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole, a piece of bravura with the 3rd violin concerto by Camille Saint-Saëns, and Ravel’s great ‘Tzigane’. Last but not least the 3rd CD celebrates best loved and virtuoso violin works: Meditation de Thaïs, Ave Maria, Hungarian Dances, Vocalise…

3 CDs · MP3 320 · 469 MB

Ravel, Debussy & Massenet · Piano and Orchestral Works

2011-12-03T19:34:00.004-03:00

“the interpretations catch the ear with their blend of subtle phrasing, polish and unanimous zest...A group of charming solo piano miniatures by Massenet complements and at times connects with the styles of Debussy and Ravel, and Bavouzet plays them beautifully.” --Gramophone

“The ebullient French pianist Bavouzet scales the heights in this splendid and generous CD with the BBC Symphony Orchestra...The G major bounces along, though, with reflective asides not forgotten. In the Concerto for Left Hand, Bavouzet winningly balances the grandiose and jazzy.” --The Times ****

“[Bavouzet] turns in a performance of the Fantaisie that illuminates this uneven yet magical work like no other. As to the Ravel concertos, I have no hesitation in saying these are the greatest performances I have ever heard. The G major is a sharp as a razor, achingly lyrical when required and, above all, fun...The 'Left Hand', helped by Tortelier's incisive conducting is simply awe-inspiring.” --Classic FM *****

MP3 320 · 166 MB

Invitation to the Dance

2011-12-03T16:07:00.003-03:00

"This is a quite remarkable collection...all of which illustrates teh unique response Karajan can get from his Berlin players. Some of the Smetana is "outrageous" in stylin...It is stunning, this collection" (Hi-Fi & Record Review, 1972)

MP3 320 · 165 MB

Castello · Picchi: The Floating City

2011-12-03T15:56:00.001-03:00

Sonatas, canzonas and dances by two of Monteverdi's contemporaries

'There is some stunningly exuberant virtuosity on display here. A magnificent, exhilarating disc that goes straight into contention for the Want List. Buy a copy and give yourself a rare and special treat'-- Fanfare

'Dazzling playing' --BBC Music Magazine

'An unusual and rewarding disc' --Classic FM Magazine

MP3 320 · 160 MB

Skalkottas · Orchestral Works

2011-12-03T15:50:00.001-03:00

Nikos Skalkottas was a versatile, inventive, and prolific composer. This CD offers a nice sample of his writing. Two of the works (Mayday spell and the three Greek dances) are tonal. They both employ Greek folk music motives, arranged in a neoclassical form, and orchestrated in the unique and magical way of Skalkottas. Christodoulou's interpretation is somewhat technical, yet still captures the magic of Skalkottas writing. The Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra is an atonal piece, and will certainly satisfy more sceptical listeners. Expertly crafted music from an obscure genius deserving wider recognition.

MP3 320 · 134 MB

Holst · Orchestral Works Vol. 2

2011-12-01T00:18:00.004-03:00

That The Planets occupies a place at the heart of the English musical repertoire is indisputable, yet much of the orchestral output of Gustav Holst is unjustly neglected. Chandos’ series devoted to the composer demonstrates that he was a composer whose inventiveness and originality was not limited to one work. The series was to have been conducted by Richard Hickox, but Hickox sadly died in 2009 after completing Volume 1. This was released to great critical acclaim, Gramophone stating that ‘Richard Hickox’s final project, reviving little-known Holst works, is a triumph’. In this second volume, Sir Andrew Davis, an exclusive Chandos artist, has taken the baton, conducting the BBC Philharmonic in a unique programme: The Planets, Holst’s orchestral tour de force, as well as two comparative rarities in the concert hall, the Japanese Suite and Beni Mora.

"Highly recommended!" --Richard A Kaplan - Fanfare

“…In each work, the playing of the BBC Philharmonic is simply outstanding – as is the excellent SACD sound…” -- Buerkle – American Record Guide

“…This disc is a must have …” --Bruce Surtees - The WholeNote.com

"...the BBC Philharmonic plays well..." --Mike Langhorne - Classicalsource.com

Performance (Beni Mora) *** Performance (Rest) **** Recording **** --Daniel Jaffe - BBC Music Magazine

MP3 320 · 167 MB

Geminiani · Cello Sonatas Op. 5

2011-12-01T00:12:00.000-03:00

Geminiani was a pupil of Corelli, and like his teacher he limited his musical output to a small collection of orchestral and chamber works. In this set of six sonatas for cello and continuo, Geminiani follows the Corellian model in the number (four) and order (slow–fast–slow–fast) of movements—except for the last, which is in three movements. Geminiani’s writing for the solo instrument shows an advance on Corelli in the brilliant figuration in the fast movements. Slow movements can sometimes be a bit perfunctory, lasting less than a minute, though this is not always the case. Geminiani apparently enjoyed working with the sonorities created by two cellos, and in his contrapuntal movements sometimes allows the solo and continuo cellos to cross lines.

Jaap ter Linden, performing on a cello made by Giovanni Grancino in 1703, shows why he has achieved prominence as a solo performer of Baroque music. He handles Geminiani’s elaborate music with ease. His smooth and rounded tone serves the music well. The continuo players provide able accompaniment. The performers are recorded in close perspective in excellent sound.

I am not familiar with any of the competing recordings of this music, but I cannot imagine that anyone looking for an excellent recording of these works would be disappointed with this disc. Brilliant’s low price merely adds to the attraction. Although I would not consider this music to be an essential purchase, it makes for a pleasant listening experience.

FANFARE: Ron Salemi

MP3 320 · 113 MB

Alwyn · Concerto for Oboe, Harp and Strings · Elizabethan Dances · The Innumerable Dance

2011-12-01T00:07:00.001-03:00

William Alwyn's Elizabethan Dances cleverly alternates music evocative of Tudor and modern times, recalling the reigns of both Queen Elizabeths. It's a work that deserves to be popular, as does all of this music. The Concerto for Oboe, Harp, and Strings is wholly lovely, while the shorter works reveal Alwyn's typically high level of craftsmanship, discerning use of orchestral color, and ability to spin out a good tune. Two of the pieces, The Innumerable Dance and Aphrodite in Aulis, are receiving their premiere recordings, but all of the performances are excellent and fully comparable to the best of the (admittedly sparse) competition. If you've been collecting Naxos' excellent Alwyn cycle, you can purchase this latest release without hesitation, particularly as the sound is as warm and vibrant as the interpretations themselves. --ClassicsToday.com

The novelty here is Aphrodite in Aulis, and exquisite miniature creating a delicate vision of its mythological Greek namesake. But there are equally dainty textures in the engaging flimsy Waltz (languidamente) of the Elizabethan Suite (which opens and closes more robustly) and the fragile Poco allegretto fifth movement, a gentle Pavane. Jonathan Small also finds intricate delicacy and charm in the pastorale filigree of the Oboe Concerto, improvisational in feeling, with a wide variety of mood and tempo in its two movements. Eleanor Hudson’s contribution on the harp is much lower in profile.

The Innumerable Dance Overture (inspired by William Blake) is an evocation of spring, and Lloyd-Jones creates the opening sunrise sequence most beautifully; The Magic Island (Prospero’s) is no less hauntingly atmospheric, but more romantic. The jolly Festival March has a rather good tune in the spirit of Elgar, but not quite Elgarian. In short, these are all highly responsive performances, beautifully played by the Liverpool orchestra, and very well recorded with appealing transparency of texture, except for a degree of thickness in the tuttis of the Elizabethan Suite. --Penguin Guide

MP3 320 · 154 MB

Balakirev · Piano Sonata & other works

2011-11-28T21:16:00.001-03:00

'Danny Driver's recordings of York Bowen for Hyperion have enjoyed critical success; here he shows himself a sterling interpreter of Russian repertoire … Driver is most attentive to the musics nuances. The Mazurka second movement is another of contrasts and he captures the dance element perfectly, revelling in sometimes extreme ornamentation … The recording is first class, with great presence' --International Piano

'The three releases by the young British pianist Danny Driver have met with considerable acclaim. It's wonderful to see a talent such as this continuing to address the more obsure pianistic byways, and here Driver has assembled a fabulous array of works from Balakirev's very varied keyboard output … As ever, Hyperion provides recording quality and programme notes which are first class in every way' --International Record Review

MP3 320 · 145 MB

Romantic Music for Cello and Orchestra

2011-11-28T21:07:00.003-03:00

"Vytautas Sondeckis's was born into something of a cello dynasty. His father is a former pupil of Rostropvich, and Vytautas himself studied with David Geringas-one of Rostropovich's most renowned pupils. As such his command of virtuosity and lyrical expressive playing are firmly in place." --The Strad

MP3 320 · 134 MB

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays Gershwin, Ravel, Debussy

2011-11-28T20:49:00.002-03:00

MP3 320 · 142 MB

Saxophone Concertos

2011-11-26T22:09:00.001-03:00

Sugawa’s playing is a marvel in its own right… he seems to have lungs the size of barrage balloons, and breath- and lip-control that produce melodic lines of infinite ductility – and which are moreover as secure at the extremes of his range as in its centre. --International Record Review

Lovers of the saxophone must welcome a CD that offers two stalwart works in such fine interpretations, as well as significantly extending the recorded repertory. --Gramophone

Yoshimatsu’s Albireo Mo de and Toshiyuki Honda’s Concerto du vent are showpieces of Sugawa’s burnished sound… The sinuous athleticism of Ibert’s Concertino da camera and Lars-Erik Larsson’s stunning, bluesy concerto are worthier tests of Sugawa’s virtuosity. --Classic FM Magazine

MP3 320 · 164 MB

Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations · Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante

2011-11-26T22:01:00.003-03:00

“Gautier Capuçon and Valery Gergiev take both works very darkly and seriously. This furrowed-browed approach makes their Symphony-Concerto- …unlike any other. No one manages the first movement's withdrawal into dreams more magically than Gergiev with hushed Mariinsky strings, and Capuçon quickly follows pensive suit.” --BBC Music Magazine

“Even in this crowded field Gautier Capuçon stands out as exceptional, majoring in elegant, pure, singing tone and long lyrical phrasing rather than waspish attack...there are grand and glorious things here” --Gramophone

“Gautier Capuçon’s French sensibility is ideally suited to Tchaikovsky’s nostalgic backward glance to the era of his favourite composer, Mozart. He also digs deep into Prokofiev’s mid-20th-century angst” --The Sunday Times

“Mellifluous tones pour from Gautier Capuçon’s cello, even when he’s partnered by conductor Valery Gergiev, usually a firebrand.” --The Times

“Capuçon [plays] with a blend of impeccable taste, Romantic ardour and technical aplomb...Whether quizzical, rapturous, pensive or demonstrative, Capuçon has full measure of [the music] here in a performance of impressive stature.” --The Daily Telegraph

MP3 320 · 132 MB

Danzi · Bassoon Concertos · Overture in E Flat Major · Forgotten Treasures Vol. 2

2011-11-25T23:29:00.003-03:00

Of the period instruments currently on the scene—and I am generally not a fan—it is the bassoon that holds the most attraction for me. It alone makes me wonder sometimes whether the modern instrument is indeed a step forward, technical wizardry notwithstanding. The period bassoon has a plump, soft, and ultimately comforting tone that even the best of modern instruments cannot really match. Of course, you cannot cut through an orchestra with it, and that was not its role in the days of yesteryear; more to its liking was accompanying the basses and cellos with occasional solo bursts.

But it does have a wonderfully pliant sound, and it’s not hard to understand why composers like Mozart and Franz Danzi found it attractive. Mozart left us one concerto, though there are rumored to be three or four times this many, and Danzi created five, plus a series of three bassoon quartets as well. Danzi, a product of the important Mannheim school, where innovation after innovation was the order of the day and composers were vying with each other to write for its soloists, was a cellist himself who would eventually leave a profound mark on the woodwind world. At age 20, he was already an orchestral soloist, and his career as pedagogue, performer, composer, and conductor was to know few equals.

It is strange that the bassoon concertos have not caught on with the public or even many bassoonists. This is probably due to the fact that the modern instrument can make mincemeat out of Danzi’s once formidable technical challenges for a seven or nine-keyed instrument. Consequently, if the bassoonist finds it trivial, so will the public. But in point of fact, these concertos are terrific vehicles for the most astute of modern players, and should be taken up more frequently. Though the F-Major work is popular for its lyrical Andante, the G-Minor offers many things to a modern listener, and is quite favorable in tone. When played with such an adeptness and lucid facility like that of Jane Gower, the excitement builds from the first bars, no matter which concerto is playing, and she proves herself a fully competent exponent of the period bassoon, and an able interpreter of Danzi’s difficulties.

The Overture in E♭ is a real smoker, punchy and exciting; I wish there were a few more on this album. However, with the excellent surround sound, vivid and very well balanced, this esoteric little surprise becomes an immediate Want List contender; it should contend for a place on your shelves also. --Steven E. Ritter, Fanfare Magazine

MP3 320 · 133 MB

Brahms · Sonatas & Trio

2011-11-25T23:18:00.002-03:00

“Sharon Kam… hardly uses any vibrato, though her phrasing is expressive particularly in the slow movements. The Allegretto grazioso of the F minor Sonata is indeed graceful and the Andante con moto of the E flat Sonata is very gently handled, as are the passages which Brahms marks sostenuto in both sonatas. ...at all times she and the excellent Martin Helmchen work as a true chamber music partnership rather than as soloist and accompanist.” -- Gramophone

This is the third CD of these three works that I have reviewed in the last half year. It’s a logical program: the two sonatas alone take slightly over 40 minutes, and the Trio is the other of Brahms’s clarinet chamber works to feature the piano. Inevitably, however, in such a program, the sublime B-Minor Quintet must sadly be omitted. Of the earlier two issues, I found the MSR recording by the Pierce/Aomori Duo a hopeless mess (in the November/December issue, 33:2), and while I found much to admire in Loren Kitt’s playing on Dorian (September/October 33:1), the music-making simply was not in the same league as the finest recordings of these late Brahms masterpieces.

Enter Sharon Kam, Israeli-born, Juilliard-trained, and possessing a substantial and growing discography. Kam, whose recording of works with orchestra by Weber, Spohr, and others I praised in Fanfare 30:1, addresses three of the four works that stand at the summit of the clarinet repertoire (or, in any event, at one of its two “twin peaks,” along with Mozart’s Quintet and Concerto). Her playing far outshines that of the two predecessors cited above, with a lovely tone that is dark, firm, and pleasingly reedy, in performances that are refreshingly unsentimental and free of any hint of self-indulgence.

The reading of the F-Minor Sonata that begins the disc is perhaps the least compelling: while there are many fine moments, the first movement in particular seems a bit hurried at times; by contrast, the Sostenuto ed espressivo coda seems too slow. While Kam’s sound is attractive throughout, the playing occasionally seems to lack the necessary sense of line.

The E♭-Major Sonata is more convincing. There may be no profound new insights to be had here, but Kam’s is an exemplary, mainstream reading. The young (b. 1982) Helmchen plays perhaps with somewhat less character than the most distinguished pianists to have recorded these sonatas, but he is never less than tasteful, and the recorded balance between clarinet and piano is ideal. On one of my CD players, my copy repeatedly mistracked in the third movement, so it’s advisable to check this track, in the event that this is more than an isolated problem.

The austere A-Minor Trio receives an intimate, subdued reading. Kam plays some lovely pianissimos here, but too often gives the impression of holding back; this performance is perhaps a bit too austere. Jonathan Cohler’s recent version with members of the Claremont Trio is more dynamic and nuanced; Karl Leister’s first recording, with Georg Donderer and Christoph Eschenbach on DG, remains a classic.

As for the sonatas, only a handful of versions remain preferable to Kam’s: Jon Manasse and Jon Nakamatsu on Harmonia Mundi are more probing; Harold Wright and Peter Serkin on Boston Records are more refined and intimate (Wright’s LP versions with Harris Goldsmith, which I believe are slated for reissue on Music & Arts, are even better); and David Shifrin and Carol Rosenberger on Delos are more passionate and dynamic. If these highly personalized versions of these sonatas are not to your taste, Kam and Helmchen will certainly bear repeated hearing. Not the last word on these masterpieces, of course, but certainly recommended.
--FANFARE: Richard A. Kaplan

MP3 320 · 142 MB

Bach · The Two Violin Concertos · Double Concerto · Partita No. 2

2011-11-25T23:06:00.002-03:00

Over the course of more than 30 years of a distinguished career, violinist Gidon Kremer, born in Riga in 1947, has established a worldwide reputation as one of the most original and compelling artists of his generation, praised for his high degree of individualism, his rejection of the well-trodden paths of interpretation, and his search for new possibilities.

MP3 320 · 143 MB

Holst · Orchestral Works Vol. 1

2011-11-24T16:08:00.003-03:00

Yet another reminder of how much we’ll miss Richard Hickox’s advocacy of the great Edwardians… Hickox makes a much better case for them with more spacious and lively conducting, fine playing and a more focussed and animated chorus. -- BBC Music Magazine

Richard Hickox’s final project – reviving little-known Holst works, is a triumph. -- Gramophone

Richard Hickox was a fine Holst conductor, and it was typical of his championship of English music and of his enthusiastically exploring mind that he should have left as one of his last records this collection of such-little known works… This is a fascinating record… -- International Record Review

MP3 320 · 146 MB

Manuel de Falla · Piano Music

2011-11-24T15:43:00.001-03:00

Manuel de Falla is arguably the most authentic Spanish composer of the 20th century. More then his compatriots Albeniz and Granados he captured the raw spirit of the Spanish folk music. His imitation of the Flamenco Canto Jondo hurts the soul, in its open violence ánd tenderness.

De Falla was an excellent pianist and no wonder he wrote extensively for his instrument. His piano writing is full of colouristic effects, highly suggestive in evoking the athmosphere of the Spanish landscape and folklore.

Pianist Benita Meshulam, of Sephardic descent, is specialized in Spanish music, and recorded successfully works of Granados, Albeniz and Montsalvatge.

2 CDs · MP3 320 · 220 MB

Reinecke · Harp Concerto · Symphony No. 3

2011-11-24T15:33:00.002-03:00

Carl Reinecke, who taught Bruch, Grieg, Karg-Elert and Albéniz, was held in great esteem by Liszt and Berlioz. His Harp Concerto is a virtuoso work which can stand comparison with Mozart s Concerto for Flute and Harp. The Symphony No. 3 was acclaimed by contemporary critics as a work with an ornate structure and magnificent instrumentation.

MP3 320 · 131 MB

Música Mexicana

2011-11-24T15:19:00.005-03:00

The music is performed expertly by the Royal Philharmonic, State of Mexico Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonic Orchestra of Mexico City, all conducted by the distinguished Mexican conductor Enrique Batiz and features soloists Henryk Szerying on violin and Jorge Federico Osario on piano. A definitive set that is compelling, different and mesmerizing, this fine collection deserves very serious consideration.

Nationalism in music wasn't the province of just European nations. Other countries around the globe were also part of this modern movement, a development emphasizing and celebrating the culture, people and history of a particular region and country, especially those that were shackled by tyrannical or foreign rule.

The Mexican revolution of 1910 swept away the long dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz and brought about momentous changes to all aspects of Mexican life and society, not least the arts where the rich mix of ancient Aztec, native Indian, colonial Spanish and 19th century European influences provided fertile ground from which a new and distinctively Mexican culture was to spring. In the forefront of those involved in the creation of a new musical voice for Mexico were Manuel Ponce, Carlos ChÃ¡vez and Silvestre Revueltas.

As delightful as it is interesting, this boxed set of eight CDs features the music of Mexico's greatest composers. It is music that is sunny, serious, barbaric, soulful, modern and full of life. Manuel Ponce, who may be considered the father of the Mexican nationalist school, wrote in traditional European genres and his piano and violin concertos are featured as well as his sultry tone poems and popular guitar works.

The music of Carlos ChÃ¡vez includes "Chapultepec," which quotes from the famous march "Zacatecas." ChÃ¡vez was extremely influential in the "Aztec Renaissance" that flourished during his lifetime. He was, like Vaughan Williams and BartÃ³k, a collector and cataloguer of native songs and music.

Revueltas may be considered the polar opposite of ChÃ¡vez, not only in manner but in compositional approach. He composed works that were humorous and were intended to provoke thought. During his short but productive life, he wrote film music, chamber music, songs and other works. Among his orchestral pieces is the symphonic poem "SensemayÃ¡." It is based on a poem that invokes a chant for killing a snake. His most famous work, it is vigorous, rhythmically vital and may remind listeners of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" with its driving energy complete with pounding rhythm and syncopated brass interjections. --Terrence London

8 CDs · MP3 320 · 1.09 GB

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Dohnányi · Orchestral Works

2011-11-18T19:24:00.003-03:00

The BBC Philharmonic clearly enjoy making the acquaintance of this unjustly neglected orchestral showpiece, and deliver both the variations and the ensuing Scherzo, Romance and Rondo with stunning verve. --Classic CD

The BBC Philharmonic play for Bamert with terrific verve, evidently enjoying it to the hilt – as Ive been doing… -- Financial Times ‘Compact Choice’

Howard Shelleys performance is a model of wit and style.--Gramophone

Hungarian composer Ernst von Dohnányi (grandfather of conductor Christoph) not only was a superb composer, but he also had that most unusual of musical qualities: a real sense of humor. This is most evident in the famous Variations on a Nursery Theme, the opening of which is one of the most hilarious "set-ups" in the history of music, but it's equally noticeable in such movements as the "Merry Funeral March" in The Veil of Pierrette Suite, and at several points in the lovely Suite in F-sharp Minor.

All of this music deserves to be performed, recorded, listened to, and loved. It's warm, inviting, exceptionally well crafted, brilliantly scored--in short, it has everything. The humor is just a bonus. Conductor Matthias Bamert proves an excellent tour guide through these appealing musical landscapes, and Howard Shelley's performance of the piano part in the Nursery Variations, while not the last word in wit, never sounds forced or labored. Get to know Dohnányi. He's really worth your time. --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

MP3 320 · 154 MB

Melancolía

2011-11-18T19:16:00.001-03:00

Unique for her dramatic flair, expert musicality, and interpretive powers, soprano Patricia Petibon indulges in her love of Luso-Iberian music. From zarzuela to art song, folk song, the Aria Cantilena of Brazil’s Villa-Lobos, and the traditional Afro-Brazilian Ogundé uareré, Patricia Petibon also samples the new. She includes the world-premiere recording of Nicolas Bacri’s song cycle, which was written in dedication to her.

Patricia Petibon adds spice by teaming up with flamenco musicians for one-of-a-kind performances of the zarzuela hit Adios, Granada and the folk tune El vito. Beloved favorites are not neglected: Petibon’s take on La tarántula, Marinela, Canto negro, and La petenera sparkle with light and life.

MP3 320 · 124 MB