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ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD
Korngold: Die tote Stadt (complete opera recorded in 2019) Bayerische Staatsoper / Jonas Kaufmann, Marlis Petersen, Andrej Filonczyk, Jennifer Johnston / Kirill Petrenko (cond) [ BSO Recordings DVD / 2 DVD - released 30/Jul/2021 ] GRAMOPHONE RECORDING OF THE YEAR - WINNER - "There's a depth and emotional intelligence to this staging that disarmed my initial resistance...on every level, a glorious achievement." Gramophone Award WINNER 2022 - Opera |
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FRANCESCO CAVALLI
Ombra mai fu: Francesco Cavalli Opera Arias Philippe Jaroussky (counter-tenor) / Ensemble Artaserse, with Emöke Baráth (soprano) [ Erato / Warner Classics / CD - released 15/Mar/2019 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD NOMINATION 2019 WINNER - Recital |
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SAINT-SAENS / FAURE / BERLIOZ / MASSENET etc
Sandrine Piau - Si j'ai aimé Sandrine Piau (soprano) / Le Concert de la Loge, Julien Chauvin [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 24/May/2019 ] Gramophone Awards 2020 WINNER - Recital BBC Music Award Finalist 2020 |
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ERIK SATIE / JOHN CAGE
Letter(s) to Erik Satie Bertrand Chamayou (piano) [ Erato / CD - released 8/Dec/2023 ] "the challenge with these deceptively simple pieces is to maintain perfect balance, weight, poise and equilibrium in the music throughout, alongside a clear sense of line and unswerving tempo." Gramophone WINNER 2024 - Concept Album |
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ROBERT SCHUMANN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Schumann - Myrthen Christian Gerhaher (baritone), Camilla Tilling (soprano), Gerold Huber (piano) [ Sony Classical / CD - released 18/Oct/2019 ] "Certainly a top choice for this wonderful cycle." Gramophone Awards 2020 Short List - Solo Vocal |
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HUGO WOLF
Wolf: Italienisches Liederbuch Diana Damrau (soprano), Jonas Kaufmann (tenor), Helmut Deutsch (piano) [ Erato / Warner Classics / CD - released 11/Jan/2019 ] "We're presented with a welcome alternation of moods which beautifully showcase these musicians' enormous expressive versatility." BBC Music Choral & Song Choice April 2019 |
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EUGENE YSAYE
Ysaÿe: Six Sonatas for solo violin Op. 27 Hilary Hahn (violin) [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 4/Aug/2023 ] "...her imagination and her ability to present the music as freshminted inclines me towards her recording as the finest currently available.' - Gramophone Award WINNER 2024 - RECORDING OF THE YEAR |
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ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD
Korngold: Die tote Stadt (complete opera recorded in 2019) (Blu-ray) Bayerische Staatsoper / Jonas Kaufmann, Marlis Petersen, Andrej Filonczyk, Jennifer Johnston / Kirill Petrenko (cond) [ BSO Recordings Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 30/Jul/2021 ] "There's a depth and emotional intelligence to this staging that disarmed my initial resistance...on every level, a glorious achievement." Gramophone Award Finalist 2022 - Opera |
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LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations Mitsuko Uchida (piano) [ Decca / CD - released 8/Apr/2022 ] 'If her performance comes across as a breathtakingly extravagant display of intellect and imagination, that's because this is what Beethoven's music is.' Gramophone Award WINNER 2022 - Piano |
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EDWARD ELGAR
Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius Nicky Spence, Anna Stéphany, Andrew Foster-Williams /Angel of the Agony), Polish National Youth Choir, Gabrieli, Paul McCreesh [ Signum Records / 2 CD - released 26/Apr/2024 ] "Even if you are a dyed-in-the-wool Elgarian with special loyalties to a particular interpretation, this CD is brimful of edifying delights and surprises worthy of repeated listening." Gramophone Award Finalist 2024 - Choral |
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GEORGE BENJAMIN
Benjamin: Written on Skin (complete opera recorded in 2013) BLU-RAY Royal Opera House / Christopher Purves, Barbara Hannigan, Bejun Mehta, Victoria Simmonds / George Benjamin (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Aug/2014 ] GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE AWARD WINNER 2014 - Contemporary |
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BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Britten: Peter Grimes (complete opera) Stuart Skelton; Erin Wall; Roderick Williams; Susan Bickley; Hanna Husáhr / Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner [ Chandos SACD / 2 Hybrid SACD - released 4/Sep/2020 ] GRAMOPHONE Award WINNER 2021 - Opera |
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TAVERNER / CORNYSH / ANONYMOUS / HENRY VIII
Western Wind: Music by John Taverner & Court Music for Henry VIII Taverner Choir & Players, Andrew Parrott [ Avie / CD - released 1/Mar/2016 ] "Parrott is perhaps more persuasive in conveying its pacing...the sound recording successively juggles a wide range of distributions, from harpsichord to choir, with no apparent discontinuity." (Gramophone Award WINNER 2016 - Early Music) |
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J. S. BACH
Bach: Goldberg Variations Beatrice Rana (piano) [ Warner Classics / CD - released 1/Mar/2017 ] "Her detailing is one of the aspects that makes this performance so compelling, be it the bringing out of a new line in the repeat, subtle changes in phrasing, a touch of pedal - examples are to be found in every single variation." Gramophone |
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DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Shostakovich: Symphony No 10 / Passacaglia from 'Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk' Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons [ Deutsche Grammophon Shostakovich Under Stalin's Shadow / CD - released 12/Sep/2015 ] "Powerful and beautifully crafted, this recording - the first from the relationship between DG and the Boston Symphony under Nelsons - is a hugely impressive sign of just what this ensemble/maestro partnership may go on to achieve." Gramophone WINNER |
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WILLIAM BYRD
Byrd Edition Vol 10: Laudibus in sanctis The Cardinall's Musick / Andrew Carwood [ Hyperion / CD - released 23/Nov/2006 ] 'If, according to Burney, the Mannheim orchestra of 1772 was 'an army of Generals', the Cardinall's Musick of 2006 is surely 'an exaltation of larks'... Performances of exquisite perfection' (International Record Review) |
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ROBERT SCHUMANN
Schumann: Piano Trios (Nos 1 & 2) The Florestan Trio [ Hyperion 30 / CD - released 1/Oct/2010 ] GRAMOPHONE CRITICS' CHOICE CLASSIC CD 100 GREATEST DISCS OF THE DECADE |
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GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Agrippina (complete opera) Joyce DiDonato, Elsa Benoit, Biagio Pizzuti, Franco Fagioli, Andrea Mastroni, Jakub Józef OrliĆski / l Pomo d'Oro, Maxim Emelyanychev [ Erato Classics / 3 CD - released 31/Jan/2020 ] "With DiDonato nonpareil in the title-role and a uniformly strong cast, this now becomes a first choice for Handel's Venetian masterpiece." Gramophone Awards 2020 WINNER - Opera |
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MAURICE RAVEL
Ravel: The Piano Concertos / Valses nobles et sentimentales (orchestral version) Krystian Zimerman (piano) Cleveland Orchestra / London Symphony / Pierre Boulez [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 20/Jul/2001 ] 1999 Gramophone Award Winner: Concerto - A Penguin Stereo Guide Rosette recording |
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LEOPOLD GODOWSKY
Godowsky: The Complete Studies on Chopin's Etudes Marc-Andre Hamelin (piano) [ Hyperion / 2 CD - released 12/Jun/2000 ] "It is quite stunning, an extraordinary schievement even by Hamelin's own standards. No one with an interest in the piano should pass this by." Rosette (Highest Rating) - Penguin Stereo Guide |
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THOMAS ADES
Adès Conducts Adès Mark Stone (baritone), Kirill Gerstein (piano), Christianne Stotijn (mezzo-soprano), Boston Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Adès [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 28/Feb/2020 ] "...for proof that Adès does what he does with mind-boggling brilliance, look no further." Gramophone Awards 2020 WINNER - Contemporary |
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MOZART / MEHUL / OFFENBACH / LEONCAVALLO / LEHAR / WAGNER / RAVEL / etc
Michael Spyres - BariTenor Michael Spyres (baritone/tenor) / Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg, Marko Letonja, Choeur d'hommes de l'Opéra national du Rhine [ Erato Classics / CD - released 1/Oct/2021 ] "The range of roles is astonishing, but then so are these performances...Spyres really is a tenor - and a baritone, it seems - who has the operatic world at his feet." Gramophone Award WINNER 2022 - Vocal & Ensemble |
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LEOS JANACEK
Janácek: The diary of one who disappeared & other works Nicky Spence (tenor), Julius Drake (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 28/Jun/2019 ] "Not only does Spence's voice offer a rare mix of steely strength and velvety tenderness but his bright, vibrant timbre communicates a touching, wide-eyed sense of ardent longing, tinged with melancholy." Gramophone Awards 2020 WINNER - Solo Vocal |
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J. S. BACH
Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier - Book II [excerpts] Piotr Anderszewski (piano) [ Erato / Warner Classics / CD - released 29/Jan/2021 ] GRAMOPHONE Award WINNER 2021 - Piano |
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BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Britten: Sacred and Profane Polyphony, Stephen Layton [ Hyperion Helios / CD - released 20/Feb/2013 ] "The programme is delightful and the choir excellent… this has to be one of the strongest winners of the choral award in recent years" (Gramophone) |
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W. A. MOZART
Mozart: String Quintets K.515 & 516 Quatuor Ébène, with Antoine Tamestit (viola) [ Erato / CD - released 17/Mar/2023 ] "While it's always dangerous to nominate an outright 'winner' in this inexhaustible music, the Ébène are second to none in colour and vitality, and unrivalled in their lyrical tenderness. For me they become a new benchmark." Gramophone Award Finalist |
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HENRI DUTILLEUX / ARNOLD SCHOENBERG / RAPHAEL MERLIN
'round Midnight Quatuor Ébène, with Antoine Tamestit (viola) and Nicolas Altstaedt (cello) [ Erato Classics / CD - released 15/Oct/2021 ] "With sound of unsparing immediacy and Merlin's typically provocative notes, this release testifies to the Ébène's ambition and, moreover, its attainment." Gramophone Award WINNER 2022 - Chamber |
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FELIX & FANNY MENDELSSOHN
Play Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn Quatuor Ebene [ Virgin Classics / CD - released 1/May/2013 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD WINNER 2013: Chamber |
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CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS
Saint-Saens: Piano Concertos Nos 1-5 / Africa Fantasie for piano and orchestra Stephen Hough (piano) / City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo [ Hyperion Romantic Piano Concertos Vol 27 / 2 CD - released 16/Sep/2001 ] 1001 Classical recordings you must hear before you die (1851-1900) -- "This seems to me a spiffing set and pleasurable discoveries and rediscoveries await." (Gramophone) |
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J. S. BACH
Bach: The Cello Suites Steven Isserlis (cello) [ Hyperion / 2 CD - released 26/May/2007 ] GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE AWARD WINNER 2007 'Isserlis asserts the music's dance roots, whether through his thrusting accents or by sweeping through with a winning lilt … Just listen to Isserlis, Bach and your heart, and the music that never dies' (Times) |
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MUSSORGSKY
Pictures at an Exhibition (piano version) [with piano pieces by Prokofiev] Steven Osborne (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 1/Feb/2013 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD WINNER 2013: Instrumental |
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LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Late Quartets Opus 95, 127, 130-133, 135 Takacs Quartet [ Decca Records / 3 CD Box Set - released 12/Dec/2004 ] "Excellent recordings too: sonorous, and with well-judged sense of four-voices-in-one. It doesn't feel all risky to say that this is probably the finest modern set of these great quartets." (BBC) |
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RACHMANINOV / SCRIABIN / LIGETI / PROKOFIEV
Yuja Wang - The Berlin Recital Yuja Wang (piano) [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 20/Jun/2019 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD WINNER 2019 - Instrumental |
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J. S. BACH
Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier Books 1 & 2 Andras Schiff (piano) [ ECM New Series / 4 CD Box Set - released 20/Sep/2012 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD FINALIST 2013: Instrumental |
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FROBERGER / CASPAR / COUPERIN / MUFFAT / etc
Pour passer la Melancolie Andreas Staier (anon. French harpsichord, late 17th century, Joseph Collesse, 1749, restored by Laurent Soumagnac 2000-4) [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 20/Feb/2013 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD WINNER 2013: Baroque Instrumental |
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JEAN SIBELIUS
Sibelius: Tapiola / En Saga / Eight Songs Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo-soprano) / Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hannu Lintu (conductor) [ Ondine SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 24/Aug/2017 ] "Lintu's Tapiola does indeed settle into one of the finest performances on record, reconciling the obvious with the mysterious...Again, [En Saga] is a superb performance: rich down below, perky up top, full of delectable solos" Gramophone |
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SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Rachmaninov: Dissonance Asmik Grigorian (soprano), Lukas Geniušas (piano) [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 8/Apr/2022 ] "Grigorian is utterly compelling throughout. Even on disc, without the visuals, you can hear how Grigorian lives and breathes each song...Pianist Lukas Geniušas is an equal partner dramatically." Gramophone Award WINNER 2022 - Song |
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JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
J.S. Bach: St Matthew Passion Benjamin Bruns, Christian Immler, Carolyn Sampson, Damien Guillon, etc / Bach Collegium Japan chorus & orchestra / Masaaki Suzuki [ BIS SACD / 2 Hybrid SACD - released 7/Feb/2020 ] "The musicians convey it with infectious zeal...Generic early music politesse is relegated to the shadows" Gramophone Awards 2020 WINNER - Choral |
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DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Shostakovich: Quartet No. 3 / Piano Quintet Belcea Quartet, Piotr Anderszewski (piano) [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 20/Apr/2018 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD NOMINATION 2019 - Chamber |
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CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI
Monteverdi: Selva morale e spirituale (complete) Cantus Calln / Junghanel [ Harmonia Mundi Heritage / 3 CD - released 20/Aug/2015 ] Gramophone Award Winner 2002: Baroque vocal - "This set is a remarkable achievement. Anybody at all interested in Monteverdi's music will want to own it." |