BRUCE BROUGHTON
Broughton: And on the Sixth Day / String Theory / Concerto for Horn and Orchestra Olivier Stankiewicz (oboe) William VerMeulen (horn) / London Symphony Orchestra, Jonathan Bloxham [ Naxos American Classics / CD - due 21/Jun/2024 ] Although Bruce Broughton is best known for his many film and television scores, over the past five decades he has composed scores for a diverse array of projects from film and TV to concert music and even theme parks. His work has been recognized... |
ROBERTO GERHARD / WILLIAM WALTON / IGOR STRAVINSKY
Gerhard: The Plague / Walton: Facade / Stravinsky: L'Histoire du soldat [The Soldier's Tale] Alec McCowen, Glenda Jackson, Rudolf Nureyev, Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Paul Scofield (narrators) / National Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, etc [ Australian Deutsche Grammophon Eloquence / 2 CD - released 9/Apr/2021 ] A trio of twentieth-century classics, sardonic and timely tales, in long-unavailable Decca/Argo recordings from the 1970s. |
EDWARD ELGAR / MAX BRUCH / ARTHUR BLISS
The Bel Canto Violin Vol 5 Alfredo Campoli (violin) / London Philharmonic Orchestra, Adian Boult, Arthur Bliss [ Decca Australian Eloquence / 2 CD - released 1/Feb/2018 ] One of the most significant violinists in gramophone history, Alfredo Campoli enjoyed tremendous success in the 1930s as a purveyor of light music, both in concerts with his own salon orchestra and on Decca. A series of six 2CD reissues from... |
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto / Sérénade mélancolique / Valse-Scherzo Joshua Bell (violin) Midori (violin) / The Cleveland Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy, London Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin [ Decca Virtuoso / CD - released 23/Apr/2012 ] "Bell's is a masterly performance full of flair, Ashkenazy's contribution adds considerably to the performance." Gramophone |
ALEXANDER BORODIN
Essential Borodin (Includes Symphonies 1-3 & In the Steppes of Central Asia) Borodin Quartet / Nicolai Ghiaurov / London Symphony Orchestra / Suisse Romande Orchestra / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / etc [ Double Decca / 2 CD - released 2/Jun/2004 ] "Ashkenazy's (1st) many delights come richly, thanks not only to the quality of the RPO playing but also to the warm (1992) digital recording." (Penguin Guide) |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Bryn Terfel - Simple Gifts (Incl 'I'll walk beside you' & 'How great thou art') Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone) with Aled Jones (tenor) and John Williams (guitar) / London Voices / London Symphony Orchestra / Barry Wordsworth [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 18/Oct/2005 ] As one of the most acclaimed opera singers of our time, Bryn Terfel dedicates his golden voice to a program that celebrates the simple beauty of melody and song, making the album a must-have for every Terfel fan and a serene and inspiring gift for... |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1 / Piano Concerto No. 2 Clifford Curzon (piano) / London Symphony Orchestra, George Szell / Wiener Philharmoniker, Hans Knappertsbusch [ Decca Heritage Masters / 2 CD - released 20/Apr/2009 ] GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE 100 GREATEST RECORDINGS OF ALL TIME |
HANDEL / SCARLATTI / PREDIERI / CALDARA / STRADELLA / FUX
The Art of the Baroque Trumpet Vol 3 Eklund, Niklas (trumpet) London Baroque, Charles Medlam with Susanne Ryden (soprano) [ Naxos / CD - released 20/Oct/2000 ] The third in the Baroque trumpet series from Naxos |
SIR ANDRZEJ PANUFNIK
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Panufnik: Symphony No 9 / Piano Concerto Ewa Pobłocka (piano) / London Symphony Orchestra, Andrzej Panufnik [ Conifer / CD - released 20/May/1991 ] "These two recordings were made at Panufnik's last recording sessions. He died in October 1991." MusicWeb |
From the National Gallery, London
Exhibition on Screen: Vermeer and music - the Art of Love and Leisure [ Seventh Art Productions DVD / DVD - released 10/Feb/2015 ] Johannes Vermeer is a fascinating painter whose life and works are explored here in amazing detail. Filmed in London's National Gallery, New York's Met and other galleries in the USA and the Netherlands, this stunning film delves into a breath-taking... |
RICHARD WAGNER
George London sings Wagner George London (bass-baritone) / Wiener Philharmoniker, Hans Knappertsbusch & Sir Georg Solti [ Decca SBS Australian Eloquence / CD - released 1/Sep/2013 ] " These are not merely good performances: they have that intense, imaginative re-recreation of the music which lifts them out of that category." (Gramophone) |
JOHN ADAMS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Adams: Violin Concerto / Shaker Loops Gidon Kremer (violin) / London Symphony Orchestra, Kent Nagano, Orchestra of St. Luke's, John Adams [ Nonesuch / CD - released 1/Oct/2019 ] "Kremer plays the concerto like he can't wait to get to the next phrase. "Committed" just begins to describe his playing. His tone - which in the past I've found nervous and a bit steely - warms up considerably for Adams." ClassicalNet |
HENRYK WIENIAWSKI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Wieniawski: Violin Concertos Nos 1 & 2 / Legende op. 17 (with Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen) Gil Shaham (violin) / London Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence Foster [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 14/Apr/2006 ] 1001 Classical recordings you must hear before you die (1851-1900) - "He is a marvellous violinist with a beautiful tone." (TP 1001 Classical) |
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Prokofiev: Violin Concertos Nos 1 & 2 / Sonata for Solo Violin in D minor Gil Shaham (violin) / London Symphony Orchestra, Andre Previn [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 20/Nov/2001 ] |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Classic Hauser Deluxe [CD + DVD 'Alone, Together - From Croatia'] Hauser, London Symphony Orchestra [ Sony Classical / 2 CD/DVD - released 7/Feb/2020 ] Hauser, the dynamic young cellist who rocketed to fame as half of the genre-busting worldwide musical sensation 2Cellos, re-releases his first solo album, now with a DVD. |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Classic Hauser Hauser, London Symphony Orchestra [ Sony Classical / CD - released 7/Feb/2020 ] This stunning album includes beautiful performances of some of the most iconic classical works including Tchaikovsky's masterpiece 'Swan Lake', Puccini's incredibly emotional aria 'Nessun Dorma' and Barber's remarkable 'Adagio for Strings'. |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Classic Hauser II Hauser, London Symphony Orchestra [ Sony Classical / CD - released 19/Apr/2024 ] Global cello sensation HAUSER brings his artistry and passion to a new selection of classical music's greatest melodies with the release of his new album Classic II, a follow-up to the worldwide success of 2020's Classic. For the new album, which... |
JOSEPH HAYDN
Haydn: String Quartets Opp 42, 77 & Seven Last Words The London Haydn Quartet [ Hyperion / 2 CD - released 9/Jun/2023 ] Haydn's 'Seven Last Words' (heard here in the composer's own arrangement for string quartet) is simply sublime, and a fitting testimonial to the composer's deep, enduring faith. It provides an apt and generous coupling for the two magnificent Op 77... |
EDWARD ELGAR
Elgar: Cello Concerto / Sea Pictures / Overture: Cockaigne Jacqueline Du Pre (cello) Dame Janet Baker (mezzo) / London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli [ Warner Classics Original Jacket Reissues / CD - released 22/Aug/2015 ] GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE 100 GREATEST RECORDINGS OF ALL TIME |
MAURICE RAVEL
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Ravel: Sheherazade (with lieder by Chausson, Duparc, Schumann & Brahms) [recorded in 1967] Janet Baker (mezzo-soprano) / New Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli, London Symphony Orchestra, Andre Previn, & Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (ba [ Warner Classics Original Jacket Reissues / 2 CD - released 10/Feb/1999 ] A classic recording of Ravel's Shéhérazade, evoking a wealth of moods and sensations. Janet Baker, an irresistible storyteller, is accompanied on her journey by Sir John Barbirolli, conducting the New Philharmonia with sensitivity and imagination |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Brahms: A German Requiem / Symphony No 4 / Schicksalslied Jessye Norman (soprano) Jorma Hynninen (mezzo) / London Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra Klaus Tennstedt [ EMI Double Forte / 2 CD - released 5/Dec/1996 ] "Generally fine, spacious recording which matches the spaciousness of the interpretation." (Penguin Guide) |
JOE HISAISHI
Dream Songs - The Essential Joe Hisaishi Joe Hisaishi (piano, work arranger, melodica) / London Symphony Orchestra / New Japan Philharmonic World Dream Orchestra [ Decca / 2 CD - released 21/Feb/2020 ] Joe Hisaishi, the acclaimed Japanese composer behind some of the world's best-loved animé films, has released his new album, Dream Songs: The Essential Joe Hisaishi in which he celebrates his diverse and distinguished catalogue of compositions |
GERALD FINZI
Finzi: In Years Defaced / Prelude Op 25 / Romance Op 11 / Concerto for Small Orchestra John Mark Ainsley (tenor) Tasmin Little (violin) / City of London Sinfonia, Hickox [ Chandos Classics / CD - released 12/Feb/2001 ] GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE: Editor's Choice (May 2001) |
RICHARD RODGERS / OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II
Rodgers: Carousel John Raitt & Jan Clayton / Original Broadway & London Cast recordings recorded in 1945 & 1950 [ Prism Leisure / CD - released 1/Jun/2000 ] Carousel is the second musical by the team of Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics). The 1945 work was adapted from Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline. The story... |
JOHN RUTTER
The Very Best of John Rutter Cambridge Singers and the City of London Sinfonia, John Rutter [ Decca Music Group / CD - released 5/May/2011 ] No composer alive today more completely embodies the Anglo-Saxon choral tradition than John Rutter, whose compositions and arrangements have enjoyed endless success around the world. |
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS / HERBERT HOWELLS / FREDERICK DELIUS / SIR EDWARD ELGAR
Music for Strings John Wilson, Sinfonia Of London [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 3/Feb/2023 ] "I expect it has been said before, but the Sinfonia of London belongs in the Formula 1 class of orchestras, and in this repertoire sits in pole position." Gramophone Award Finalist 2023 - Orchestral |
Joji Hirota With The London Metropolitan Orchestra
Japanese Folk Songs [ Arc / CD - released 1/Aug/2013 ] |
BACH / BUSONI / CHOPIN / LISZT / RACHMANINOV / STRAUSS / etc
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Jorge Bolet I Jorge Bolet (piano) / London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra [ Philips / BMG / 2 CD - released 1/Jun/2000 ] "The first volume of Bolet is a tour de force. Its centerpiece was the Carnegie Hall recital from 1974, and few live recordings match that one for animal excitement." ClassicalNet |
BEETHOVEN / DOHNANYI / RAVEL / PROKOFIEV / etc
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Julius Katchen II Julius Katchen (piano), London Symphony Orchestra, István Kertész, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Adrian Boult [ Philips / Decca / 2 CD - released 20/Jan/2018 ] Julius Katchen's career ended prematurely when cancer claimed him at age 42. |
JOHANNES BRAHMS / ROBERT SCHUMANN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Brahms: Piano Concertos 1 & 2 / Schumann: Piano Concerto; Fantasie in C Op 17 Julius Katchen (piano) / London Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Monteux & Janos Ferencsis. Israel Philharmonic. Istvan Kertesz [ Decca The Art of Julius Katchen / 2 CD - released 12/Mar/2004 ] "An exciting account of the solo piano part [of Brahms' Piano Concerto No.2], here combining tremendous drive with the kind of ruminating delicacy Brahms so often calls for." Penguin Guide To Compact Discs |
KARL JENKINS
Jenkins: The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace National Youth Choir of Great Britain, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Karl Jenkins [ Decca / CD - released 25/May/2019 ] The result of a special millennial commission from the Royal Armouries and the latest in a six century old tradition of "Armed Man" masses that take the fifteenth century French song "L'Homme Armé" as their starting point. |
OLIVER DAVIS
Davs: Flight Kerenza Peacock (violin) Huw Watkins (piano) / London Symphony Orchestra, Paul Bateman [ Signum / CD - released 15/Apr/2015 ] Flight is the stunning new album of works from British composer Oliver Davis (b.1972), composed for and in collaboration with violinist Kerenza Peacock. Flight captures the spirit of movement and energy present in many of Davis's compositions, which... |
CILEA / PUCCINI / CHARPENTIER / MASSENET / R. STRAUSS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Kiri Te Kanawa: Diva Kiri te Kanawa (soprano) / London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Staatskapelle Dresden [ EMI Classics / CD - released 17/Oct/1996 ] The best of Kiri in one package! |
SIDNEY JONES
The Geisha (Complete operetta) Lillian Watson / Sarah Walker / Harry Nicoll / Richard Suart / Christopher Maltman / New London Light Opera Chorus and Orchestra / Ronald Corp [ Hyperion Helios / CD - released 12/Feb/2006 ] 'The recording that has given me the most joy during the year. A work I have waited fully 40 years to find on LP or CD' (Gramophone) |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN / RICHARD WAGNER / GIUSEPPE VERDI
Lise Davidsen: Beethoven - Wagner - Verdi Lise Davidsen (soprano) / London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder [ Decca / CD - released 16/Apr/2021 ] GRAMOPHONE Award Nomination 2021 - Voice & Ensemble |
TONY BANKS
Banks: Seven - A Suite for Orchestra Tony Banks / London Philharmonic Orchestra / Mike Dixon (conductor) [ Naxos / CD - released 26/Oct/2005 ] "Banks has a genuine melodic gift... The LPO under Mike Dixon play sympathetically and often ardently, and the woodwind relish Simon Hale's many piquant touches of colour." - Ivan March, Gramophone, 05/04 |
IGOR STRAVINSKY
Stravinsky: The Firebird - Complete Ballet (LP) London Symphony Orchestra, Antal Doráti [ Mercury / LP - released 25/Feb/2022 ] Revolutionary in its time, 'The Firebird' is a story in musical textures and dynamics perfectly suited to the Mercury technique. Dorati and The LSO present each nuance in perfect scale and balance. |
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade / Capriccio espagnol London Symphony Orchestra, Igor Markevitch, with Erich Gruenberg, solo violin (Scheherazade) [ Decca Australian Eloquence / CD - released 14/Jun/2019 ] "This is, quite simply, one of the best-played and recorded accounts of Scheherazade ever made, right from the opening moment when the LSO brass uncompromisingly blast out Sultan Schahriar's ominously threatening theme" MusicWeb |
BRITTEN / AUBER / BURGMULLER / DRIGO / MASSENET / ROSSINI / etc
The Art of the Prima Ballerina [2 CD set] London Symphony Orchestra, National Philharmonic / Richard Bonynge [ Decca Australian Eloquence / 2 CD - released 15/Dec/2013 ] "[Bonynge] has a nice sense of rubato, and plenty of verve when this is called for. … The recording is extremely vivid" Gramophone Magazine |