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PUCCINI / BOITO / MASCAGNI / MASSENET / LEONCAVALLO / GIORDANO / VERDI
Ermonela Jaho: Anima Rara Ermonela Jaho (soprano), Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, Andrea Battistoni [ Opera Rara / CD - released 25/Sep/2020 ] GRAMOPHONE Award Nomination 2021 - Voice & Ensemble International Classical Music Awards 2021 Winner - Vocal Music |
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ROBERT SCHUMANN
Schumann: Liederkreis, Op. 39 / Lieder und Gesänge aus Wilhelm Meister (with Mahler - Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen) Florian Boesch (baritone) Malcolm Martineau (piano) [ Linn / CD - released 20/Jan/2018 ] "Boesch's flexible and rich-grained baritone blends with the colourful support of Malcolm Martineau at the piano to offer splendidly characterised accounts of the Schumann…It's in the Mahler, though, that Boesch and Martineau reach new heights." BBC |
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LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Violin Concerto & Symphony No. 6 'Pastoral' BLU-RAY Isabelle Faust (violin) / Berliner Philharmoniker, Bernard Haitink [ EuroArts Music Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 22/Sep/2016 ] "Faust makes light of the technical difficulties of Beethoven's sometimes awkwardly-written Violin Concerto." BBC Music Five Stars |
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GERSHWIN / BARBER / BEACH / COLERIGDE-TAYLOR / COPLAND
Isata Kanneh-Mason - Summertime Isata Kanneh-Mason (piano) [ Decca / CD - released 6/Sep/2021 ] "'Summertime' indeed, from a profound and greatly gifted artist who radiates warmth, joy and much-needed musical sunshine." Gramophone Editor's Choice August 2021 |
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LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Beethoven - Triple Concerto / Choral Fantasy Itzhak Perlman (violin) Daniel Barenboim (piano) Yo-Yo Ma (cello) / The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra [ EMI Classics / EuroArts DVD / DVD - released 1/Oct/2015 ] Itzhak Perlman is joined by fellow veteran Daniel Barenboim and Yo-Yo Ma in two great Beethoven works |
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CESAR FRANCK / TORU TAKEMITSU / MAURICE RAVEL / CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Identity: Franck,Takemitsu, Ravel, Debussy Kenji Miura (piano) [ Warner Classics / CD - released 18/Nov/2022 ] The Japanese-born pianist Kenji Miura, winner of the 2019 Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition in Paris, ponders on the issue of identity, combining music of the French school with two pieces by Toru Takemitsu, a Japanese composer strongly influenced by... |
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RAVEL / MESSIAEN / DEBUSSY / VIARDOT etc
French Songs: "Chère Nuit" Louise Alder (soprano), Joseph Middleton (piano) [ Chandos / CD - released 4/Jun/2021 ] 'Here's a peach of a recital disc, wonderfully programmed...At piano and pianissimo, Alder's soprano possesses a lovely range of pastel colours.' Gramophone Editor's Choice June 2021 |
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BRITTEN / RAVEL / RESPIGHI / SCHULHOFF / SHOSTAKOVICH
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Magdalena Kozena: Recital Magdalena Kozena (soprano) Malcolm Martineau (piano) Henschel Quartet [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 10/Mar/2004 ] GRAMOPHONE RECORDING OF THE YEAR FINALIST 2004: Vocal |
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DUPARC / FAURE / CHABRIER / SCHUBERT / SEVERAC / etc
Mary Bevan - Voyages Mary Bevan (soprano), Joseph Middleton (piano) [ Signum / CD - released 10/Aug/2018 ] "purity of tone and discreet yet telling way with words can be by turns unnerving and alluring in the Baudelaire settings… Middleton, as one might expect, is marvellously insightful, playing throughout with weight as well as grace and subtlety" Gramo |
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HANDEL / VIVALDI / BONONCINI / CALDARA etc
Nathalie Stutzmann - Contralto Nathalie Stutzmann (contralto & conductor) / Orfeo 55 [ Erato / Warner Classics / CD - released 15/Jan/2021 ] "Stutzmann's conducting of her Orfeo 55 is of a piece with her singing: full-blooded but invariably stylish and well executed." Opera |
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BELLINI / GOUNOD / DONIZETTI / MEYERBEER
Dreams: Pretty Yende Pretty Yende (soprano) / Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Sagripanti [ Sony Classics / CD - released 3/Dec/2017 ] "What a lovely sound Pretty Yende makes! Yende is in the same company as, say, Anna Moffo...She's certainly a great asset to the world of opera." ClassicsToday |
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DVORAK / MOZART / BRITTEN / GOUNOD / VERDI / R. STRAUSS / etc
Renée Fleming - Greatest Moments at the Met Renée Fleming, with Cecilia Bartoli, Susan Graham, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Samuel Ramey, Bryn Terfel & more [ Decca / 2 CD - released 27/Jan/2023 ] This first-ever, specially remastered collection compiles highlights chosen by Renée of her "most magical experiences", captured live on stage in this pinnacle of opera houses. Produced by GRAMMY-winning David Frost, the collection features duets... |
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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 |
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MESSAGER / DEBUSSY / DELIBES / STRAVINSKY / THOMAS / etc
Mirages: opera arias & songs Sabine Devieilhe (soprano) & Alexandre Tharaud (piano) / Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth [ Erato Classics / CD - released 10/Dec/2017 ] Gramophone Award Nomination 2018 - Recital BBC Music Award Finalist 2019 - Vocal |
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BERLIOZ / DUPARC / KOECHLIN / DEBUSSY / RAVEL / BRITTEN
Reflet Sandrine Piau (soprano), Orchestre Victor Hugo, Jean-Francois Verdier [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 15/Mar/2024 ] "It almost goes without saying that the performances are magnificent...Warmly supported by the Orchestre Victor Hugo under Jean-François Verdier and captured in glowing sound, Piau has created another sublime album." 5/5 BBC Music Magazine |
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BYRD / van WILDER / de MONTE / TABAKOVA / CLEMENTS
The Sixteen - A Watchful Gaze The Sixteen, Harry Christophers [ Coro / CD - released 3/Mar/2023 ] "Christophers's juxtapositions are always rewarding, and The Sixteen is on ravishing form. There's an unmannered generosity to the singing whose wide-eyed freshness enables Christophers to keep the counterpoint buoyant and uncongested." BBC Music |
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VERDI / DONIZETTI / PUCCINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Vittorio Grigolo - The Italian Tenor Vittorio Grigolo (tenor) with Danila Rigosa & Maria Cioppi / Coro e Orchestre del Teatro di Parma, Pier Giorgio Morandi [ Sony Classical / CD - released 4/Oct/2010 ] "Now and then there are hints of another great Italian-style tenor, the stylish Alfredo Kraus. It's there in the hushed tone Grigolo adopts for the 'Favorita del re!...Spirto gentil' from La Favorita and Manrico's elegant swagger in 'Di quella pira' |
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BRUNEAU / FRANCK / GODARD / MASSENET / BIZET / etc
Véronique Gens - Visions Véronique Gens (soprano), Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Hervé Niquet [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 23/Jun/2017 ] "Gens and Niquet throw themselves into all this with an engrossing mix of abandon and restraint. Gens's trademark combination of purity of utterance and smoky tone speaks volumes." Gramophone Magazine Editor's Choice, July 2017 |
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JOHN WILLIAMS
Yo-Yo Ma - A Gathering of Friends Yo-Yo Ma (cello) / New York Philharmonic Orchestra, John Williams [ Sony Music / CD - released 20/May/2022 ] The 40-year friendship between two musical titans, John Williams & Yo-Yo Ma, reaches a new peak with 'A Gathering of Friends.' The incredible warmth & brilliance of composer/conductor John Williams is felt throughout this album. |
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Andre Rieu
Happy Together [ Universal / 2 CD/DVD - released 26/Nov/2021 ] A joyful, new album by the King of Waltz, superstar André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra!, featuring all brand new recordings. "Happy Together" is a wonderful and emotional "ode to joy", celebrating the return to life, happiness and love... |