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PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1 'Winter Dreams' / The Tempest Orchestra Of St. Luke's, Pablo Heras-Casado [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 1/Dec/2016 ] "...Heras-Casado has me wondering about a new wave of Tchaikovsky performance: shunning hysteria and crocodile tears, painting pictures, telling stories." Gramophone Recordingof the Month Feb 2017 |
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ANTON BRUCKNER
Bruckner: Symphony No 5 Orchestre des Champs-Elysees, Philippe Herreweghe [ Harmonia Mundi Musique d'abord / CD - released 21/Jul/2017 ] Rarely did the première of a Bruckner symphony arouse such enthusiasm; even if, in this case, the first performance took place nearly 20 years after its composition, the work captivated listeners with its ineffable mystery, one thinks of late... |
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ANONYMOUS / DOMINIQUE PHINOT / ANTOINE BRUMEL / JOHANNES LUPI / WALTER FRYE / etc
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: The Rose, the Lily & the Whortleberry The Orlando Consort [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 5/Feb/2006 ] ""…this gorgeous package is like a CD-sized hardback book, full of beautiful medieval paintings and photographs of surviving gardens. …performances are of the high standard expected from the Orlando Consort." BBC Music Five Stars |
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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... |
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VARIOUS COMPOSERS
French Troubadour Songs Paul Hillier (voice) / Andrew Lawrence-King (harp) [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 30/Jul/2005 ] Discover the rich legacy of songs by the French troubadours - medieval bards who excelled in the art of courtly love. Sung in medieval French, this program brilliantly captures the magical fusion of poetry and melody in love songs noted for their... |
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LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: The Famous Piano Sonatas Paul Lewis (piano) [ Harmonia Mundi / 2 CD - released 10/Jun/2022 ] Paul Lewis's recording of the complete Beethoven piano sonatas at once took its place as one of the great modern sets. To celebrate twenty years of collaboration with the British pianist, harmonia mundi invites you to rediscover some of the finest... |
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MODEST MUSSORGSKY
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (with Schumann - Fantasie Op 17) Paul Lewis (piano) [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 20/Dec/2014 ] In 1870, the architect, sculptor and painter Viktor Hartmann (born in 1834) was invited by Vladimir Stasov, the most influential Russian art critic of his time, to join the 'Group of Five', a St Petersburg-based circle of composers that, in addition... |
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J.S. BACH
Bach: Cantatas for solo bass (BWV 56, 82, 158) Peter Kooy (bass) La Chapelle Royale, Philippe Herreweghe [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 18/Nov/2022 ] These three cantatas for bass solo are based on episodes from the life of Christ (the healing of the lame man, the presentation in the temple, scenes from the Passion) with implications of the benevolence and consolation of death. |
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HENRY PURCELL
Purcell: Funeral Sentences Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Gent [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 9/Aug/2019 ] Camerata Obscura is harmonia mundi's first collection aimed at exploring the connection between photography and music. In collaboration with the National School of Photography in Arles, a foursome of young artists was invited to take a fresh look at... |
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ROBERT SCHUMANN / ALBAN BERG / GYORGY KURTAG
Schumann / Berg / Kurtag: String Quartets Quartet Gerhard [ Harmonia Mundi / Harmonia Nova Series / CD - released 6/Oct/2017 ] "They are very talented performers with an intriguing sense of programming and the disc itself (the whole Harmonia Nova series) is economically priced and well worth your attention." AudAud.com Jan 2018 |
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CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Debussy…et le jazz - Preludes for a quartet Jean-Philippe Collard Neven (piano), Vincent Peirani (accordion), Franck Tortiller (vibraphone), Jacky Terrasson (piano) Quatuor Debussy [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 24/Aug/2018 ] A century after his death on 25 March 1918, many harmonia mundi artists are eager to pay tribute to Claude Debussy, the magician of melody and timbre, the great 'colourist' and father of modern music. |
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ALFRED SCHNITTKE
Schnittke: Penitential Psalms / Three Sacred Hymns RIAS Kammerchor, Hans-Christoph Rademann [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 4/Mar/2016 ] "The demands [of the Penitential Psalms] on intonation and colouristic range are intense. The Berlin-based RIAS Chamber Choir cope admirably with all and with the Russian texts…the three Sacred Hymns are a small but not unattractive bonus" Gramophone |
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BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Britten: Choral Works [Incls 'Hymn to St. Cecilia] RIAS Kammerchor, Justin Doyle [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 25/Jan/2019 ] "Under the British director Justin Doyle, the impeccably drilled (and accented) Berlin RIAS chamber choir bring to these supremely idiomatic pieces a gratifying array of rich colours" The Sunday Times |
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BRUCKNER
Mass in F minor RIAS Kammerchor / Orchestre des Champs-Elysees / Philippe Herreweghe [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 20/Sep/2008 ] "Herreweghe paces the music with regard to the long line as well as to short term detail, and passages such as the 'Et Resurrexit' blaze with fervour, yet even more telling are the hallowed 'Benedictus' or the wonderfully-conceived 'Et Incarnatus'"... |
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TRADITIONAL
Stille Nacht - German Christmas Carols RIAS Kammerchor / Uwe Gronostay [ Harmonia Mundi Gold / CD - released 20/Sep/2009 ] "a very classy alternative to Carols from Kings." The Independent on Sunday |
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BRAHMS / BRUCH / BRUCKNER / POULENC / PRAETORIUS / etc
Christmas! Noël! Weihnachten! RIAS-Kammerchor, Hans-Christoph Rademann [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 16/Nov/2013 ] "The sound, from the Jesus-Christus Kirche in Berlin, is an ideal match of choir and venue. If you're looking for a Christmas program that honors the traditional yet is far from ordinary, don't miss this. Highly recommended." 10/10 ClassicsToday |
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JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Secular Choral Songs RIAS-Kammerchor / Marcus Creed (director) [ Harmonia Mundi Gold / 2 CD - released 1/Jun/2010 ] "These are wonderful performances--well-blended, secure in intonation, full of light and shade." - American Record Guide |
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J. S. BACH
Bach: The French Suites Richard Egarr (harpsicord) [ Harmonia Mundi / 2 CD - released 20/Aug/2016 ] "a zest and expressive range that's a constant delight, Bach, reinvigorated and in rude health … the sound is very well captured, you're immersed in Bach and Egarr." (CDReview) |
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MARC-ANTOINE CHARPENTIER
Charpentier: La Descente D'orphee Aux Enfers Robert Getchell, Caroline Weynants, Caroline Dangin-Bardot, Violaine Le Chenadec / Ensemble Correspondances, Sébastien Daucé [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 25/Aug/2017 ] "Throughout, the writing is rich, unusual yet immediate. Orpheus's journey through the underworld in search of Eurydice is memorably expressive" The Observer |