BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Best of Britten (Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Peter Grimes Interludes, Variations on a theme by Frank Bridge) Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields / English Chamber Orchestra / Royal Concertgebouw [ Decca SBS Australian Eloquence / CD - released 16/Apr/2002 ] "The bargain-price gems from Eloquence continue with this marvellous selection... first-rate performances and quality sound. Highly recommended." - The Age |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Chamber Music [incls 'Quintet for Piano and Winds in E flat, K452'] András Schiff, Andre Previn (piano), Heinz Holliger (oboe), Elmar Schmid (clarinet) / Musikverein Quartet [ Australian Decca SBS Eloquence / CD - released 20/Oct/2014 ] "The wind players are excellent and blend well, while the overall ensemble displays a fine unity. The balance places the piano more backwardly than usual, but no detail of Schiff's playing is lost." (Gramophone on the Quintet) |
W. A. MOZART
Horn Concertos & other works Barry Tuckwell (horn & conductor) / English Chamber Orchestra, with Sheila Armstrong (soprano) [ SBS Decca Australian Eloquence / 2 CD - released 1/Sep/2013 ] "This is a double celebration: of Mozart and of Barry Tuckwell's artistry … A superlative box." (Hi-Fi News) |
MAURICE RAVEL
Ravel: String Quartet / Piano Trio / Introduction et Allegro Beaux Arts Trio / Carmirelli Quartet / Chamber Music Society of Amsterdam / Eduard van Beinum [ Decca ABC Australian Eloquence / CD - released 1/Mar/2006 ] 'this new Beaux Arts performance, even more than their previous one, is most sensitive to the music's ebb and flow, acutely aware of its inventive new combinations of sounds ... the new Beaux Arts recording now becomes the prime recommendation'... |
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Debussy: Chamber Music (Incls Violin Sonata, Cello Sonata, Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp, etc) Boston Symphony Chamber Players [ Deutsche Grammophon Australian Eloquence / CD - released 27/Jul/2005 ] 'remarkably transparent [Prelude] ... an attractive collection' (Penguin Guide to CDs) |
RALF YUSUF GAWLICK
Ralf Yusuf Gawlick: O Lungo Drom - An oratorio for soprano, baritone and chamber ensemble Clara Meloni (soprano) Christoph Filler (baritone) / Alban Berg Ensemble Wien [ Decca Australian Eloquence / CD - released 22/Mar/2024 ] This large-scale work, scored for a chamber ensemble including soprano, baritone, flute, clarinet, cimbalom, piano and string quartet, integrates texts from all around the world into an oratorio to create a Lied of the scattered Sinti and Roma. |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Concerto for 2 & 3 Pianos / Piano Concerto in D minor, KV 466 Daniel Barenboim, Andras Schiff, Sir Georg Solti (pianos) / English Chamber Orchestra [ Decca ABC Australian Eloquence / CD - released 10/Feb/2006 ] 'The finale, a kind of rondo-minuet, is delightful, with energetic keyboard work that nevertheless dances' [Concerto for 3 Pianos] Gramophone |
RUSSIAN FOLK SONGS
Russian Folk Songs: Songs with orchestra & songs with choir Dmitri Hvorostovsky (baritone) / Ossipov Russian Folk Orchestra / St.Petersburg Chamber Choir [ ABC Australin Philips Eloquence / 2 CD - released 1/Jul/2008 ] This double CD set returns two popular CDs to the catalogue - Hvorostovsky performing songs with orchestra and with choir. Winner of the Cardiff Singer of the World, he has gone on to give great performances in operas by Verdi and is unequalled in... |
JOSEPH HAYDN
Haydn: Symphonies Nos 44 - 49 [includes 'The Farewell'] English Chamber Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim [ Deutache Grammophon Australian Eloquence / 2 CD - released 21/Aug/2020 ] "These performances are crisp and bright, and the attendant clarity is achieved with seeming ease… Highly recommended.' Fanfare, November 1981 |
RAMEAU / CHARPENTIER / GRETRY
Raymond Leppard conducts Rameau & Charpentier English Chamber Orchestra, Raymond Leppard [ Decca SBS Australian Eloquence / CD - released 1/Feb/2011 ] 'Performances are excellent … Leppard splendidly catches the sense of wilfulness and quirky brilliance which lends his music its special colour' [Rameau] Gramophone |
W.A. MOZART
Symphonies Nos. 28, 33, 36 (Linz), 38 (Prague) / Divertimenti Nos. 10 & 11 English Chamber Orchestra / Sir Colin Davis [ Decca Australian Eloquence / CD - released 1/Dec/2006 ] Sir Colin Davis and the English Chamber Orchestra made several Mozart recordings for L'Oiseau-Lyre. All five symphonies and both Divertimenti he recorded are collected here on a 2CD set (the Concertone is issued this month too). Crisp and tender,... |
HAYDN / MOZART / HUMMEL
Haydn, Mozart, Hummel: Oboe Concertos Ernest Rombout (oboe) / Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra [ Decca ABC Australian Eloquence / CD - released 10/Jul/2005 ] These peerless recordings of Oboe Concertos are despatched with beautiful clarity by Ernest Rombout both playing the oboe and directing the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra. |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Don Giovanni (Highlights from the complete opera) Gabriel Bacquier, Joan Sutherland, Pilar Lorengar, Marilyn Horne / English Chamber Orchestra, Richard Bonynge [ Decca Australian Eloquence / CD - released 15/Feb/2014 ] This is one of the most successful and stylish of Don Giovanni recordings. Having sung Donna Anna in her early (Giulini) recording, Sutherland here is, if anything, even more spine-tingling in this role. Bonynge and the English Chamber Orchestra,... |
C. P. E. BACH / J. S. BACH / GEORGE MALCOLM
Bach: Music for Four Harpsichords George Malcolm, Valda Aveling, Geoffrey Parsons, Simon Preston (harpsichords) / English Chamber Orchestra, Raymond Leppard [ Decca Australian Eloquence / CD - released 16/Mar/2017 ] "This [is a] very attractive disc … these pieces cry out for stereo and I'm glad that the engineers haven't hesitated to make maximum use of directional effect. … I warmly recommend this enjoyable record (Gramophone) |
VARIOUS
The Panpipes of Zamfir Gheorghe Zamfir (panpipe), Orchester Harry van Hoof, English Chamber Orchestra, James Judd [ Decca Australian Eloquence / CD - released 1/Jan/2019 ] Being born in Romania and surrounded from childhood by folk melodies and fiery popular dance music certainly helps in forming an inspired musician, provided the talent is there. In the case of the exceptionally gifted Gheorghe Zamfir, who was born to... |
PIZZETTI
La Pisanella - Suite / Concerto de l'estate (with works by Respighi and Rota) I Musici / L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande / Lamberto Gardelli / Argo Chamber Orchestra / Laszlo Heltay [ Decca Australian Eloquence / CD - released 24/Aug/2006 ] Appearing on CD for the first time, Lamberto Gardelli's Pizzetti recording has been one of the most venerated in the Decca catalogue, not only because the music is comparatively rare, but because the recording is true state-of-the-art. |
GLUCK
Gluck: Opera Arias Janet Baker (mezzo) / English Chamber Orchestra, Raymond Leppard. [ SBS Decca Australian Eloquence / CD - released 19/Feb/2006 ] "this is in general a thrillingly sung recital of music which, apart from the two arias on which I have concentrated, is not particularly well-known." (MusicWeb Feb 2006) |
ANTONIO VIVALDI
Vivaldi: Great Sacred Works (Incls Stabat Mater & Nisi Dominus) Jochen Kowalski (counter-tenor) Nico van der Meel (tenor) / Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra / Vittorio Negri [ ABC Eloquence / CD - released 8/Jul/2005 ] One could be forgiven for being surprised that sacred music does not account for a more substantial proportion of Vivaldi's life's work, especially in view of his having been ordained a priest. The music on this disc, however, presents the 'other'... |
SHOSTAKOVICH / PROKOFIEV / SEIBER
Shostakovich / Prokofiev / Seiber: Chamber Music Melos Ensemble of London, with Peter Pears (narrator) & the Dorian Singers [ Decca ABC Eloquence / CD - released 20/May/2010 ] "(Shostakovich) We all know that the Melos Ensemble is a virtuoso group, but I have never heard them give a clearer demonstration of sheer musicality than this." (Gramophone) |
MOZART / WEBER / BRAHMS
Chamber Music Melos Ensemble of London [ Decca ABC Eloquence / CD - released 20/May/2010 ] "(Mozart) ...a very satisfying performance of the Mozart Clarinet Trio... warranting the very strongest recommendation." Gramophone. |