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DARIUS MILHAUD
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Milhaud: Le Carnaval d'Aix / Le boeuf sur le toit / la creation du monde / Concertos Claude Helffer (piano) Frederique Cambreling (harp) / Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de l'Opera de Lyon [ Warner Classics Erato / 2 CD - released 16/Nov/1998 ] Distinctively French, yet cosmopolitan in his personal and artistic horizons, Darius Milhaud (1892-1974) was adventurous, prominent, and prolific. A pupil of Dukas and d'Indy, he became a member of Les Six and a distinguished teacher in the USA and... |
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CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI
Monteverdi: L'Incoronazione di Poppea (complete opera recorded in 2012) Le Concert d'Astrée / Sonya Yoncheva (Poppée), Max Emanuel Cencic (Néron), Ann Hallenberg (Octavie), Tim Mead (Othon), Paul Whelan / Emmanuelle Haim [ Erato / Warner Classics DVD / 2 DVD - released 14/Jun/2013 ] "[Haim leads with] a fine sensitivity towards the urgent, tensile springiness of the melodic lines; and a superb handling of the instrumental forces" (BBC Music) |
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FAURE
Requiem / Pelléas et Mélisande Daniel Fuchs, Gilles Cachemaille, Mathias Usbeck, Robert Thuillier / Suisse Romande Orchestra, Armin Jordan [ Warner Classics The Erato Story / CD - released 10/Apr/2014 ] "This recording has flair and a robust honesty that is immediately captivating. Mathias Usbeck is tender and expressive in the 'Pie Jesu', even if not flawless. The baritone Gilles Cachemaille shows admirable control." (Archiv Music) |
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J. S. BACH
Bach: Christmas Oratorio, BWV248 Barbara Schlick, Michael Chance, Howard Crook, Peter Kooy / Collegium Vocale, Philippe Herreweghe [ Erato Veritas / 2 CD - released 1/Oct/2012 ] Classic recording now reissued at a special price |
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JACK HEGGIE
Heggie: Great Scott (complete opera recorded in 2015) Dallas Opera / Joyce DiDonato, Ailyn Perez, Frederica von Stade, Anthony Roth Costanzo / Patrick Summers (cond) [ Erato / Warner Classics DVD / DVD - released 12/Mar/2021 ] WQXR, the USA's leading classical music radio station, welcomed as a "deeply moving and musically brilliant work" that "should enter the standard repertory just as Heggie's two previous masterpieces - Dead Man Walking and Moby-Dick - already have". |
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MOZART / BEETHOVEN / BRAHMS / SCHUBERT / etc
Lili Kraus: The Complete Parlophone, Ducretet- Thomson & Discophiles Français recordings [1933-1958] Lili Kraus (piano), with Willi Boskovsky (violin) Gilbert Coursier (horn) Francois Etienne (clarinet) [ Erato / Warner Classics / 31 CD Box Set - released 1/Feb/2015 ] While the outstanding reputation of the Hungarian-born pianist Lili Kraus was built on a comparatively narrow repertoire of Viennese classics (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert), her experience as a musician and as a human being was of... |
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FRANCOIS COUPERIN
Couperin: Trois Lecons De Tenebres pour le Mercredi Saint / 4 Versets du Motet Sophie Daneman, Patricia Petibon / Les Arts Florissants, William Christie [ Erato / CD - released 28/Feb/1997 ] "Singing, accompaniment and recording are all that could be desired. The accompaniment is, appropriately, the lightest possible." MusicWeb |
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J. S. BACH
Bach: Goldberg Variations Daniel Barenboim, piano [ Erato / Warner Classics / CD - released 20/Jan/2017 ] "This excellent set gives the best of two worlds: Bach and Beethoven. Daniel Barenboim's interpretations of these two variation sets are very good, even though he is more at home with the Beethoven than the Bach." MusicWeb |
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FRANZ SCHUBERT
Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 21 in B flat / Impromptus D 935 Daniel Barenboim (piano) [ Warner Classics The Erato Story / CD - released 10/Apr/2014 ] Barenboim at the piano performs some greatSchubert recorded live in Vienna! |
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J. S. BACH
Bach: Goldberg Variations David Fray (piano) [ Erato Classics / CD - released 26/Nov/2021 ] David Fray adds a landmark of the solo keyboard repertoire to his Bach discography: the Goldberg Variations. "The Goldberg Variations are a real test," he says. "They are the work of a lifetime, perhaps a work about life itself." |
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J. S. BACH
Bach: Keyboard Concertos BWV 1052, 1055, 1056 & 1058 (LP) David Fray (piano) [ Erato Classics Vinyl / 2 CD - released 26/Aug/2022 ] 'Fray's debut is marked by an imaginative collation, Bach and Boulez, played with vibrant imagination. He pushes the boundaries but resists the merely quirky. Impeccable technique allows him to speak from the heart with deceptive ease.' BBC Music... |
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J. S. BACH / RAMEAU / SCARLATTI / COUPERIN / HANDEL / ROYER
Baroque Encores David Fray (piano) [ Erato Classics / CD - released 12/Dec/2025 ] David Fray stands out as one of today's most distinctive French pianists, widely acclaimed for his profound interpretations of Bach. This new album draws its core from L'Enfant oublié (2023), a theatrical project co-created with actress and director... |
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FREDERIC CHOPIN
David Fray plays Chopin David Fray (piano) [ Erato / Warner Classics / CD - released 1/Mar/2017 ] "Fray uses plenty of pedal, but one is struck by his bright, clean sound, and by the way he lets each piece unfold; the ornamentation is leisurely and pellucid, every note in every arpeggiation fastidiously placed, and his singing line is a delight" |
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J. S. BACH
Bach: Keyboard Concertos BWV 1052, 1055, 1056 & 1058 David Fray (piano) [ Erato Classics / CD - released 12/Dec/2008 ] 'Fray's debut is marked by an imaginative collation, Bach and Boulez, played with vibrant imagination. He pushes the boundaries but resists the merely quirky. Impeccable technique allows him to speak from the heart with deceptive ease.' BBC Music... |
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J. S. BACH
Swing, Sing & Think: David Fray records Bach - a film by Bruno Monsaingeon David Fray (piano) [ Erato DVD / DVD - released 1/Jun/2015 ] This absorbing 95-minute documentary about the young French pianist David Fray is directed by Bruno Monsaingeon, the distinguished filmmaker whose previous collaborations with Virgin Classics include DVDs with Piotr Anderszewski and Valery Sokolov,... |
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J. S. BACH
Bach: Keyboard Concertos for 2, 3 & 4 Pianos David Fray (piano) with Emmanuel Christien, Audrey Vigoreux, Jacques Rouvier / Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse [ Erato Classics / CD - released 20/Nov/2018 ] "Repeated listening is essential; again and again with true delight. Highly recommended." Nicholas Butler/Marbecks |
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SCHUBERT
Fantaisie David Fray (piano) with Jacques Rouvier (piano) [ Erato / Warner Classics / CD - released 10/Feb/2015 ] "Recorded in the excellent acoustic of Église Notre Dame du Liban, Paris the sound is vividly clear, being clear, cool and crisp. This is a mightily impressive release with Fray and his partner Rouvier creating a wide range of colour in what are pass |
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FRANCIS POULENC
Georges Pretre plays Francois Poulenc Denise Duval, Barbara Hendricks (soprano), Maurice Durufle (organ), Gabriel Tacchino (piano) / Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire, Georges Pretre [ Erato / 7 CD Box Set - released 13/Sep/2024 ] Composer Francis Poulenc, who celebrated the 125th anniversary of his birth in 2024, placed his deepest trust in conductor Georges Prêtre. |
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FRANCIS POULENC
Poulenc: Dialogues des Carmelites (Complete opera) Denise Duval, Regine Crespin / Choeurs et Orchestre du Theatre National de l'Opera de Paris / Pierre Dervaux [ Warner Erato Home of Opera / 2 CD - released 20/May/2016 ] 'A classic and irreplaceable recording. It is evident that the singers were inspired by the piece to give of their considerable best and Pierre Dervaux's conducting of the work is both inspired and inspiriting.' (Gramophone) |
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RICHARD STRAUSS
Strauss, (R.): Lieder Diana Damrau (soprano) / Munchner Philharmoniker. Christian Thielemann [ Erato Classics / CD - released 1/Apr/2011 ] "Always there is delicacy and an absolute respect for the silky legato that Strauss demands from his soloist. Damrau finds drama in these songs too." (International Record Review) |