GABRIEL FAURE
Faure: Requiem & other works BLU-RAY Chen Reiss (soprano), Matthias Goerne (baritone) & Philippe Aïche (violin solo) / Choir of the Orchestre de Paris & Orchestre de Paris, Paavo Järvi [ EuroArts BLU-RAY / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Feb/2014 ] ""The expert choir's native French vowel sounds are a joy in themselves, [and] Eric Picard gives a mesmerising account of the haunting cello Elegie....Unmissable." (International Record Review) |
VARIOUS FRENCH COMPOSERS
Gautier Capucon - Destination Paris Gautier Capucon (cello), Jérôme Ducros (piano & harpsichord) / Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Maîtrise de Radio France, Lionel Bringuier [ Erato Classics / CD - released 10/Nov/2023 ] A concept album of laidback repertoire from popular film melodies to French chansons to classical pieces - including "La Foule" by Édith Piaf, the main theme from Summer of '42 by Michel Legrand, "Beau soir" by Debussy, Sicilienne by Fauré, and "Chi... |
BIZET / CHABRIER / TCHAIKOVSKY / IBERT / DELIBES / POULENC / etc
Roger Desormiere - The Decca Recordings National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire de Paris, Roger Desormiere, with Janine Micheau, soprano [ Decca Australian Eloquence / 4 CD Box Set - released 5/Jun/2020 ] A landmark tribute to Roger Désormière, a great French conductor of the mid-twentieth century, including many recordings new to CD. |
IGOR STRAVINSKY / CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Stravinsky: Petrushka / Debussy: Jeux & Prélude à l'Après-midi d'un faune Orchestre de Paris, Klaus Mäkelä [ Decca / CD - released 29/Mar/2024 ] "The headline feature of this terrific Petrushka is characterisation. It's a performance full of animation and incident and from the Orchestre de Paris and their impressive line-up of wind soloists a dancer's sensibility." Gramophone Editor's Choice |
JEAN SIBELIUS
Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1-7 Orchestre de Paris, Paavo Järvi [ Sony / RCA Red Seal / 3 CD Box Set - released 10/Feb/2019 ] "From the clarinet solo that opens No 1 to the unforgettable C major scale launching No 7, intensity and idiomatic intelligence abound. No 7 is magnificent, and aptly follows No 6 (they're related) in this achronological sequence." Sunday Times |
IGOR STRAVINSKY / PETER EOTVOS
Stravinsky: Le Sacre du printemps / Eötvös: "Alhambra" Concerto Pablo Heras-Casado, Isabelle Faust, Orchestre de Paris [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 25/Jun/2021 ] More than a century after the historic scandal of its premiere at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, The Rite of Spring has established itself as one of the 'musts' of the modern orchestral repertory. And if the source of the telluric forces generated... |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: La Traviata (Complete opera recorded in 2014) BLU-RAY Paris Opera / Diana Damrau, Francesco Demuro, Ludovic Tézier / Francesco Ivan Ciampa (cond) [ Erato / Warner Classics Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 4/Sep/2015 ] "Violetta is played by Diana Damrau, a soprano of matchless intelligence. Technically, she is perfectly at ease in a role that has sometimes been described as demanding too much of one singer." Guardian |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 - 9 (Recorded live from the Opéra Bastille and the Palais Garnier, Paris 2014-15) BLU-RAY Ricarda Merbeth, Daniela Sindram, Robert Dean Smitm, Günther Groissböck / Paris National Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Philippe Jordan [ Arthaus Blu-Ray / 3 Blu-ray Box Set - released 20/Sep/2016 ] "A seasoned Beethovenian will likely conclude that a lot of care and thought went into the interpretations as well." Classical-Net |
LEOS JANACEK
Janacek: The Cunning Little Vixen (complete opera recorded in 1995) BLU-RAY Théâtre Musical de Paris - Châtelet / Thomas Allen, Eva Jenis, Hannah Minutillo , Ivan Kusnjer / Charles Mackerras (cond) [ Arthaus Legendary Performances BLU-RAY / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Mar/2016 ] This enchanting production by Nicholas Hytner, sung in the original Czech, is conducted by Charles Mackerras, a master of the best Janáček style. Through myriad shifts of scene, the episodic story is presented in brightly coloured sets and costumes... |
Various Artists incls Gray Bartlett, The Keil Isles, The Tornados, The Invaders, Bob Paris Combo, etc
Themes From Beyond An Empty Coffee Lounge [ Frenzy / CD - released 23/Jul/2021 ] Volume 1 of this series is titled 'Themes From An Empty Coffee Lounge' and is thematically compiled to reflect the post Beatles (1963-1964) instrumental guitar sound of Kiwi music, after all it was something we did well. |
THIERRY PECOU
L'Oiseau Innumerable Alexandre Tharaud (piano) / Ensemble Orchestral de Paris / Andrea Quinn [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 1/Jun/2008 ] "..the perfect starting point for an adventurous new listener" (William Dart NZ Herald) |
PIERRE de la RUE
De La Rue: Mass of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Ars Antiqua de Paris, Michel Sanvoisin [ Naxos Early Music / CD - released 3/Jul/2000 ] "The 'deserve-to-be-better-known' group of composers is a large one, populated by countless rather tiresome strugglers. But Pierre de la Rue (d 1518) is a genuine exception. His breathtaking music was mainly composed for a string of... |
Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris, Hugo Marchand, Amandine Albisson, Matthias Heymann, Mathieu Ganio, Léonore Baulac, Germain Louvet, Dorothée Gilbert, Paul
Opéra de Paris: A Very Special Season (a Film By Priscilla Pizzato) BLU-RAY [ BelAir classiques Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 27/May/2022 ] The Paris Opera Ballet is one of the most active dance companies in the world. The dancers, used to practicing 5 to 7 hours a day, develop themselves by working with coaches and choreographers. |
DVORAK / DEBUSSY / RAVEL / TCHAIKOVSKY / RACHMANINOV
The Sound of Herbert von Karajan Alexis Weissenberg (piano) / Berliner Philharmoniker [Berlin Philharmonic], Orchestre de Paris, Herbert von Karajan [ Warner Classics / 3 CD - released 1/Jan/2018 ] Herbert von Karajan is recognised as one of the greatest conductors of the last century and during his career he produced a vast discography of what are still considered some of the greatest recordings ever made. |
Bunk Johnson Band, George Lewis New Orleans Band, Wilbur de Paris, Kid Ory Creole Jazz Band, Louis Armstrong All Stars, etc
Very Best of: Dixieland New Orleans [ Alto / CD - released 9/Mar/2018 ] "78 minutes of well-mastered vintage classic tracks chosen by experts - a great romp!" |
HENRI DUTILLEUX
Duilleux: Symphonie No. 1 / Métaboles / Sur un Même Accord Christian Tetzlaff (violin) / Orchestre de Paris, Paavo Järvi [ Erato / Warner Classics / CD - released 20/Feb/2015 ] This recording is the first in a series featuring the Orchestre de Paris and its Music Director Paavo Järvi. The programme offers three works by Henri Dutilleux, widely considered the most important French composer of the second half of the 20th... |
LAVAILLAT
La Petite Danseuse De Degas (from The Opéra Garnier, Paris 2010) BLU-RAY Clairemarie Osta / Dorothée Gilbert / Mathieu Ganio / Corps De Ballet & Orchestre De L'Opéra National De Paris / Koen Kessels [ ArtHaus Musik Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 8/Aug/2011 ] "An inspired and visually ravishing creation. This ballet deserves to go from success to success." (recording of the Month MusicWeb Aug 2011) |
THEODORE GOUVY
Gouvy: Cantate, Oeuvres Symphoniques et Musique de Chambre Clémentine Margaine (mezzo-soprano), Emmanuelle Swiercz (piano) & Tedi Papavrami (violin) / Trio Arcadis, Quatuor Cambini-Paris, Quatuor Parisii, etc [ Bru Zane Ediciones Singulares / 3 CD Box Set - released 20/Nov/2015 ] 1 Book + 3 CDs Each volume in the "Portraits" series is devoted to a French composer who has now largely been forgotten; it presents a panorama of his works, performed by many artists from various backgrounds. Torn between France and Germany... |
BELA BARTOK
Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra / Viola Concerto Daniel Benyamini (viola) / Boston Symphony / Orchestre de Paris [ SBS Deutsche Grammophon Eloquence / CD - released 1/Apr/2010 ] 'the committed performance here by soloist and conductor shows the concerto in the best possible light; and the slow movement is really touching' Gramophone [Viola Concerto] |
BERLIOZ / RAVEL / FAURE
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: David Daniels recital David Daniels (counter-tenor) / Ensemble Orchestral de Paris / John Nelson [ Virgin Classics / CD - released 27/May/2004 ] This disc features the world premiere recording of Berlioz's Les Nuits D'été sung by a countertenor. The decision to record this work was David Daniels' own, and comes from his desire to stretch the boundaries of the countertenor repertoire. |
HERSANT / SAINT-SAENS / CHAMINADE / FAURE / POULENC / MOZART
Emmanuel Pahud - Mozart & Flute in Paris Emmanuel Pahud (flute), François Leleux (oboe), Anneleen Lenaerts (harp) / Orchestre de chambre de Paris [ Warner Classics / 2 CD - released 23/Jul/2021 ] "[Philippe Hersant's Dreamtime supplies] some of the most instantly beguiling and exciting bars of music I've heard open a disc in some time." Gramophone Editor's Choice October 2021 |
TCHAIKOVSKY / ALBÉNIZ / CHABRIER / de FALLA / DVORAK / GRANADOS / etc
Enrique Jorda - Decca Recordings 1950-51 Enrique Jorda conducting L'Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire de Paris & New Symphony Orchestra of London, with Clifford Curzon [ Decca Australian Eloquence / 2 CD - released 9/Apr/2021 ] A new collection of Decca's legendary 'ffrr' recordings from the early 1950s, made by an underrated Spanish master of orchestral colour in London and Paris. Includes several items new to CD. |
RACHMANINOV / MASSENET / POPPER / SAINT-SAENS / JOPLIN / etc
Intuition Gautier Capucon (cello) Jerome Ducros (piano) / Orchestre de chamber de Paris, Douglas Boyd [ Erato Classics / CD - released 10/Feb/2018 ] Intuition, a captivating album of short pieces for solo cello with piano or orchestra, has been conceived by Gautier Capuçon to "reflect the story of my life and follow the various stages in my emotional development". It brings together much-loved... |
VARIOUS FRENCH COMPOSERS
Gautier Capucon - Destination Paris [LP] Gautier Capucon (cello), Jérôme Ducros (piano & harpsichord) / Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Maîtrise de Radio France, Lionel Bringuier [ Erato Classics / LP - released 10/Nov/2023 ] A concept album of laidback repertoire from popular film melodies to French chansons to classical pieces - including "La Foule" by Édith Piaf, the main theme from Summer of '42 by Michel Legrand, "Beau soir" by Debussy, Sicilienne by Fauré, and "Chi... |
GEORGES BIZET
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Bizet: Les Pecheurs des Perles [The Pearl Fishers] (Complete Opera recorded in 1963) Ileana Cotrubas, Alain Vanzo, Guillermo Sarabia, Roger Soyer / Choeur & Orchestre du Theatre National de 'Opera de Paris / Georges Pretre [ EMI Classics For Pleasure / 2 CD - released 10/Feb/1990 ] 1001 Classical recordings you must hear before you die - "The well-recorded CfP set is valuable principally because it has Cotrubas at her best, a most appealing Leila and worth the bargain price of the discs on her own account." (Gramophone) |
SARASATE / SAINT-SAENS / LALO / CHAUSSON / RAVEL / BERLIOZ
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Itzhak Perlman: Greatest Hits (Incls Saraste - Carmen Fantasy) Itzhak Perlman (violin) / New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta / Orchestre de Paris, Daniel Barenboim [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 30/Oct/1993 ] Born in Israel in 1945, Itzhak Perlman completed his initial training at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv. He came to New York and soon was propelled into the international arena with an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1958. (Wiki) |
VERDI / BELLINI / DONIZETTI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Joan Sutherland: Verdi / Bellini / Donizetti Joan Sutherland (soprano), Orchestre de la Societe des concerts du Conservatoire, Paris, Nello Santi [ Decca Opera Gala / CD - released 10/Oct/1982 ] Original recordings from 1959 and 1960 |
Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo & Luciano Pavarotti / Orchestre de Paris, James Levine
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: The Three Tenors - Paris 1998 [ Decca Records / CD - released 5/Jun/1998 ] This album was recorded at a Three Tenors concert on 10 July 1998 during celebrations for the FIFA World Cup. The concert took place in front of the Eiffel Tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. The Orchestre de Paris accompanied the singers. |
FELIX MENDELSSOHN
Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos / Capriccio Brillant Lars Vogt (piano/conductor), Orchestre Chambre de Paris [ Ondine / CD - released 11/Mar/2022 ] This new release is pianist-conductor Lars Vogt's debut album together with the Orchestre de chambre de Paris. Lars Vogt started his tenure as the new Music Director of the orchestra on 1 July 2020. |
GLINKA / BORODIN / MUSSORGSKY / PROKOFIEV
Ansermet In Russia (recorded 1952-54) L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Ernest Ansermet [ Decca SBS Australian Eloquence / CD - released 10/Oct/2018 ] Russian music was always a fundamental part of Ansermet's vast repertoire. Of course, he spent seven years as conductor with the famous Ballets Russes during a particularly glorious period for the company. Formed in 1907 by Serge Diaghilev, the... |
BELLINI / DONIZETTI / GOUNOD
Mado Robin sings excerpts from Lucia and Mireille Mado Robin (soprano) with L´Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire de Paris, Richard Blareau, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Anatole Fi [ Decca Most Wanted Recitals Vol. 36 / CD - released 1/Aug/2014 ] A star of television and radio in the 1950s, Mado was well known in France. Among her roles were Lakmé, which she recorded for Decca Records in 1952 (with Georges Sébastian conducting), Lucia di Lammermoor, Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann, Gilda in... |
SARASATE / STRAVINSKY / de FALLA / RODRIGO / MILHAUD / DEBUSSY / etc
Les Musiques De Picasso [Picasso and Music] Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Pablo Heras-Casado Ensemble Aedes & Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth Orchestre de Paris, BBC Symphony Orchestra, etc [ Harmonia Mundi / 2 CD - released 17/Jul/2020 ] To coincide with the opening of the Picasso exhibition at the Paris Philharmonie's Museum of Music in April 2020, harmonia mundi invites you to discover a different facet of the artist: Picasso the music lover! As a creator who found a lifelong... |
GEORGES BIZET
Bizet: Carmen (complete opera recorded in 1964) Maria Callas, Nicolai Gedda, Andréa Guiot, Robert Massard, Nadine Sautereau / Orchestre du Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris, Georges Prêtre [ Warner Classics Maria Callas Remastered / 2 CD - released 1/Apr/2015 ] Towards the end of Callas's career, there were many rumours that she was planning to perform Carmen on stage. This was never to be, but Carmen became her penultimate complete recording of an opera - and her only complete recording of a French opera.... |
MICHEL LEGRAND / JACQUES DEMY
Legrand: Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) BLU-RAY Châtelet Theatre, Paris / Marie Oppert, Natalie Dessay, Vincent Niclo, Laurent Naouri / Michel Legrand (cond) [ Warner Erato Classics Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 11/May/2015 ] Recorded live at Paris' Châtelet Theatre in Autumn 2014, this is a magical stage adaptation of Jacques Demy's iconic 1964 film Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg). Michel Legrand conducts a 75-piece symphony orchestra in his own... |
W. A. MOZART / CHOPIN / DEBUSSY / SCHUBERT / DVORAK / etc
Menahem Pressler: The Pianist (recorded live 2011-2014) Menahem Pressler (piano) / Orchestre de Paris, Berlin Philharmonic, Quatuor Ebene [ Euroarts DVD / 4 DVD Box Set - released 24/Sep/2016 ] "the playing is eloquent in its simplicity, and the final reprise of the melody, with the piano doubled by the first violins on their own, is infinitely touching. Pressler is sympathetically accompanied throughout by Paavo Järvi" |
DUTILLEUX / LUTOSLAWSKI
Duilleux / Lutoslawski: Cello Concertos Mstislav Rostropovich (cello) / Orchestre de Paris / Serge Baudo, Witold Lutoslawski [ Warner Classics Original Jacket Reissues / CD - released 21/Aug/2015 ] The two concertos on this disc, by Henri Dutilleux and Witold Lutosławski are both modern classics, reflecting Rostropovich's spirit as they push the boundaries of instrumental possibility while exciting and challenging the audience. |
IGOR STRAVINSKY
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Stravinsky: Le Rossignol / Oedipus Rex (Complete Operas recorded 1999 & 1993) Natalie Dessay, Anthony Rolfe-Johnson, Marjana Lipovsek / l'Opéra National de Paris, James Conlon / London Philharmonic Orchestra, Franz Welser-Most [ EMI The Opera Series / 2 CD Box Set - released 1/May/2010 ] "A fine recording of Stravinsky's colourful ballet, The Nightingale, with Natalie Dessay perfect in the title-role." (Gramophone) |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Pictures of America: Natalie Dessay Natalie Dessay (soprano), Paris Mozart Orchestra, Claire Gibault [ Sony Classical / 2 CD - released 21/Dec/2016 ] Recorded with the Paris Mozart Orchestra and 2 Jazz Musicians, this is Natalie Dessay's exciting first album release for Sony Classical. The album is a journey through music (Great American Song Book, Broadway & Jazz) and Edward Hopper's art. The... |
CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI
Monteverdi: L'Orfeo (Complete Opera recorded in June 2021) Opéra Comique, Paris / Luciana Mancini, Marc Mauillon, Sara Mingardo / A Capella Reial de Catalunya, Le Concert des Nations, Jordi Savall [ Naxos DVD / DVD - released 9/Sep/2022 ] Monteverdi's L'Orfeo was premiered in 1607 and is the oldest opera still performed today. The narrative is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus who, armed only with the weapons of music and love, descends into Hades. |