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BIZET / VERDI / MASSENET / RIMSKY-KORSAKOV / SAINT-SAENS / etc
Anita Rachvelishvili Anita Rachvelishvili (mezzo-soprano) / Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Giacomo Sagripanti [ Sony Classics / CD - released 19/May/2018 ] "This is a must-have CD for not just all lovers of great vocalism, but for anyone who relishes a singing actress in the first flush of her youthful triumph." Opera Now Five Stars |
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W. A. MOZART / JOSEF HAYDN / CHRISTOPH WILLIBALD GLUCK
Classic Vienna: Mozart - Haydn - Gluck Lena Belkina (mezzo) / ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Andrea Sanguineti [ RCA / Sony Classics / CD - released 20/Aug/2017 ] Mezzo-soprano Lena Belkina's first album garnered high praise: "She sings Desdemona's 'Willow Song' from Rossini's Otello with lyrical intensity... Nacqui all'affanno e al pianto" from La Cenerentola is sharp-witted and brilliant", opined Das... |
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LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven for Three: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 5 Leonidas Kavakos (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Emanuel Ax (piano) [ Sony Classics / CD - released 4/Mar/2022 ] "I wasn't expecting to be absolutely bowled over by Colin Matthews's arrangement of the Fifth Symphony, but I was - and still am...Matthews has done a most impressive job." Gramophone |
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W. A. MOZART / SOLER / TRAEFTA / PAISELLO
Mozart+ Olga Peretyatko (soprano) / Sinfonieorchester Basel, Ivor Bolton [ Sony Classics / CD - released 10/Feb/2019 ] After the success of the award winning album Russian Lights (2017), internationally acclaimed soprano, Olga Peretyatko, returns with her stunning new album Mozart+ Mozart+ is a selection of some of Mozart's most beautiful concert and opera arias... |
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MORRICONE / BONFA / PREVIN / BERNSTEIN / LEGRAND / etc
Itzhak Perlman - Cinema Serenade Itzhak Perlman (violin) / Pittsburg Symphjony Orchestra, John Williams [ Sony Classics / CD - released 8/Sep/2017 ] "...This disc contains arrangements of film scores for violin and orchestra. Perlman's playing is lovely, as always; the arrangements are pleasant and well played..." American Record Guide |
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ROBERT SCHUMANN
Sol Gabetta - Schumann Sol Gabetta (cello), Bertrand Chamayou (piano), Kammerorchester Basel, Giovanni Antonini [ Sony Classics / CD - released 25/Mar/2019 ] "The microphones focus intently on Gabetta's Guadagnini in the Concerto, intimately capturing the instrument's rich, throaty tone…Chamayou is beautifully responsive in the chamber works." Gramophone |
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FELIX MENDELSSOHN / WIDMANN / HOLLIGER / COLL / RIHM
Sol Gabetta - Mendelssohn Sol Gabetta (cello), Bertrand Chamayou (piano) [ Sony Classics / 2 CD - released 19/Jan/2024 ] "We're privileged with a fine tribute not only to Mendelssohn and those inspired by his example, but to two exceptional players on top form." Gramophone Award Finalist 2024 - Chamber |
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Al Di Meola
Original Album Classics (5CD) [ Sony / 5 CD - released 25/Oct/2010 ] This excellent box set includes five albums, recorded between 1976 and 1981 and released on the Columbia label, by the great US guitarist / composer Al Di Meola: "Land Of The Midnight Sun", "Elegant Gypsy", "Casino", "Splendido Hotel" and "Electric.. |
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TCHAIKOVSKY / RACHMANINOV / TOSTI / DUPARC / FALLA
Anita Rachvelishvili - Elegie Anita Rachvelishvili (mezzo-soprano) Vincenzo Scalera (piano) [ Sony Classics / CD - released 16/Jul/2021 ] "Élégie" is the second Sony release from Anita Rachvelishvili, showcasing her in the song repertoire to which she has a special connection despite being best known as a star of the world's greatest opera houses. |
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BIZET / RACHMANINOV / LISZT / PROKOFIEV / MOZART / etc
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Piano Transcriptions Arcadi Volodos (piano) [ Sony Classics / CD - released 2/Feb/1997 ] 'Sony's sound is superlative and this delectable recital makes one long for more substantial as well as glittering fare from a pianist who, as his producer puts it, "never loosens the reins of his guiding intellect".' Gramophone |
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JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Lieder Album Christian Gerhaher (baritone), Gerold Huber (piano) [ Sony Classics / CD - released 16/May/2025 ] For their latest album, recorded live at the Reitstadel in Neumarkt, Christian Gerhaher and his long-time duo-partner, Gerold Huber, have revisited the songs of the great Romantic composer Johannes Brahms (1833-1897). Yet it is not their first time:... |
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RICHARD WAGNER
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Wagner: Orchestral Music from Der Ring des Nibelungen, Die Meistersinger, Tristan und Isolde Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell [ Sony Essential Classics / CD - released 3/Jun/1992 ] Wagner: Ring Excerpts by Szell - The Greatest Recordings EVER! - Television reviewer Dave Hurwitz |
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Dean Martin
Original Album Classics [ Sony / 5 CD - released 20/Mar/2015 ] DREAM WITH DEAN (1964) EVERYBODY LOVES SOMEBODY (1964) THE DOOR IS STILL OPEN TO MY HEART (1964) HOUSTON (1965) THE DEAN MARTIN TV SHOW (1966) |
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SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Prokofiev: Symphony No.5 / Scythian Suite Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Tugan Sokhiev [ Sony Classics / CD - released 12/Aug/2016 ] "This much sought-after maestro takes the first movement broadly enough to lend credence to what might seem mere ideological posturing...There are a few tank-like manoeuvres en route...but everything works in context." - Gramophone |
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Edgar Winter
Original Album Classics [ Sony / 5 CD - released 1/Aug/2011 ] Including the albums Entrance White Trash Roadwork They Only Come Out at Night Together |
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CESAR FRANCK
Franck: Franch Plays Franck Elisabet Franch (flute), Albert Guinovart (piano) [ Sony Classics / CD - released 5/Aug/2022 ] Elisabet Franch debut album FRANCH PLAYS FRANCK, is a tribute that the acclaimed Catalan flutist dedicates to the composer César Franck, precisely in the year in which the bicentennial of the author's birth is commemorated. |
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ARNOLD SCHOENBERG / FRANZ LISZT
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Schoenberg/Liszt: Piano Concertos Emanuel Ax (piano) The Philharmonia, Esa-Pekka Salonen [ Sony Classics / CD - released 20/Aug/1993 ] Emanuel Ax has been classed among the master pianists ever since his victory at the inaugural Arthur Rubinstein Competition in 1974. His long association with RCA/Sony began the very next year, with a spellbinding disc of Chopin and Liszt... |
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J. S. BACH
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Bach: Keyboard Concertos Nos. 1-7 BWV1052-1058 Igor Kipnis (harpsichord) / London Strings, Sir Neville Marriner, with Janet Craxton (oboe) [ Sony Essential Classics / 2 CD Box Set - released 1/Dec/1993 ] Original recordings from 1971 |
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ANTONIN DVORAK
The Dvorak Album Jan Vogler (cello). Chad Hoopes (violin), Matthew Lipman (viola), Juho Pohjonen (Piano), Tiffany Poon (piano), Kevin Zhu (violin) [ Sony Classics / CD - released 23/Aug/2022 ] "The choice of pieces here gives us a nice array of Dvořák chamber repertoire...selections like the Dumky are well-worth the listen." TheClassicReview |
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WOLFGANG RIHM / JOHANNES BRAHMS / JOHN HARBISON
Brahms, Rihm, Harbison: Double Concertos Jan Vogler (violoncello). Mira Wang (violin) / Royal Scottish National Orchestra [ Sony Classics / CD - released 20/Jun/2018 ] The cellist Jan Vogler, who lives in New York and Dresden, has recorded three Double concertos for violin, cello and orchestra with his wife, the outstanding violinist Mira Wang, with the renowned Royal Scottish National Orchestra under direction of... |
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JOHANNES BRAHMS
For the Love of Brahms Joshua Bell (violin) & Steven Isserlis (cello) Jeremy Denk (piano) / Academy of St Martin in the Fields [ Sony Classics / CD - released 16/Oct/2016 ] "[Bell and Isserlis] are distinct musical personalities yet they work together extremely well in Brahms's interpretatively perilous Double Concerto - Bell's sweet-toned ardour is at once anchored and buoyed by Isserlis's gruffer, more ruminative styl |
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SERGEI PROKOFIEV / BELA BARTOK
Prokofiev / Bartok: Piano Concertos [CD plus DVD documentary] Lang Lang (piano) / Berlin Philharmonic, Simon Rattle [ Sony Classics / 2 CD/DVD - released 1/Dec/2013 ] "this is a performance [of the Prokofiev] that glides by, impeccably beautiful and fleet, yet a trifle short of character. Still, Lang Lang's easy virtuosity is delicious; so is the absence of keyboard thumping...[the Bartok] offers genuine bite, whe |
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LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven for Three: Symphony No. 6 "Pastorale" / Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor Leonidas Kavakos (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Emanuel Ax (piano) [ Sony Classics / CD - released 20/Jan/2023 ] "Kavakos, Ma and Ax play with profound sensitivity throughout, and the symphony's many magical moments lose next to nothing in translation." Gramophone |
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ROBERT SCHUMANN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Schumann; Piano Concerto. Op. 54 / Konzertstuck, Op. 92 & Op. 134 Murray perahia (piano / Berlin Philharmonic, Claudio Abbado [ Sony Classics / CD - released 2/Feb/1997 ] Often described as "a musician's musician", Murray Perahia "has a magic touch and his electric spontaneity is naturally caught in the studio," wrote the Penguin Guide. "In the works of Schumann … this quality of concentration is enormously valuable,... |
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Nina Hagen
Original Album Classics (3CD) [ Sony / 3 CD - released 9/Jan/2012 ] Nina Hagen Band (1978), Nunsexmonkrock (1982) & Fearless (1983). |
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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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BELLINI / DELIBES / ROSSINI / GOUNOD / DONIZETTI
A Journey: Pretty Yende Pretty Yende (soprano) / Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Marco Armiliato, with Kate Aldrich (mezzo-soprano) [ Sony Classics / CD - released 1/Dec/2016 ] "On this basis of this disc, I can imagine Pretty Yende will soon be in demand all over the world." BBC Music Opera Choice Dec 2016 |
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GUSTAV MAHLER
Mahler: The Complete Symphonies / Das Lied von der Erde [12 CD set] René Kollo (tenor), Christa Ludwig (mezzo-soprano) / New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein [ Sony Classics / 12 CD Box Set - released 13/Mar/2020 ] "All performances are remastered from the original tapes with a plausible claim that they have never sounded better. Such vigour and transparence! Such joyous heartbreak! And 48 minutes of Mahler reminiscences to boot." The Sunday Times |
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Santana
Santatna - 3 Original Album Classics: Illuminations / Oneness: Silver Dreams - Golden Reality / The Swing Of Delight [ Sony / 3 CD - released 28/Mar/2011 ] Three classic Santana albums at a very special price |
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BRIDGE / BUTTERWORTH / SOMMERVELL / VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
Songs of War Simon Keenlyside (baritone) & Malcolm Martineau (piano) [ Sony Classics / CD - released 1/Oct/2012 ] "One can imagine a more poignant account of the ghostly voices in 'Is my team ploughing?' but 'The lads in their hundreds' is all the more moving for Keenlyside's robustness" (Gramophone 2012 AWARD WINNER: Solo vocal) |
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BELLINI / MERCADANTE / DONIZETTI / VERDI / etc
Bel Canto from Monteverdi to Verdi Simone Kermes (soprano) / Concerto Köln, Christoph-Mathias Mueller [ Sony Classics / CD - released 15/Nov/2013 ] With her new album Simone Kermes presents her dedication to bel canto. Despite the title the Baroque soprano hasn't suddenly switched from one voice type to another but is simply following her own interpretation of this term, arguing that bel canto... |
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ARENA / BONONCINI / GIACOMELLI / HASSE / VINCI / etc
Rival Queens Simone Kermes (soprano) & Vivica Genaux (mezzo-soprano) / Cappella Gabetta, Andres Gabetta [ Sony Classics / CD - released 15/Sep/2014 ] The Album explores the artistic legacies of the two legendary singers (Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni) and the heights of inspiration to which their rivalry moved the leading composers of their era. A thrilling recording, in which Simone... |
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EDWARD ELGAR / BOHUSLAV MARTINU
Sol Gabetta Live (Elgar & Martinu Cello Concertos) Sol Gabetta (cello) / Berliner Philharmoniker. Sir Simon Rattle & Krzystof Urbanski [ Sony Classics / CD - released 8/Feb/2018 ] "This is superb cello-playing and Krzysztof Urbański directs a vital and sensitive accompaniment." Gramophone |
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STRADELLA / MONTEVERDI / MARIN / DIAZ / STROZZI / DOWLAND / etc
Sonya Yoncheva - Rebirth Sonya Yoncheva (soprano) / Cappella Mediterranea, Leonardo García Alarcón [ Sony Classics / CD - released 12/Mar/2021 ] With Rebirth Sonya Yoncheva introduces her listeners to the contemporary message and the timeless quality of Baroque music. |
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Stevie Ray Vaughan
Original Album Classics (3CD) [ Sony / 3 CD - released 1/Apr/2013 ] Includes the following albums: Texas Flood, Couldn't Stand The Weather and Soul To Soul. |
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Tony Bennett
The Classics [ Sony / CD - released 8/Nov/2013 ] With over a half century of hits to his name, Tony Bennett's career is a master class on the popular standard. 'The Classics' showcases 20 iconic recordings taken from his Greatest Hits, Duets, Duets II and Viva Duets albums. |
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ANTONIO VIVALDI
Hommage à Vivaldi: Sacred works Vivica Genaux (mezzo-soprano) / Bach Consort Wien, Rubén Dubrovsky [ Sony Classics / CD - released 20/Aug/2018 ] "[The voice] is slightly hard-toned although always nimble as she gambols through two "tempest" motets, including the thrilling In turbato mare irato, and the quieter drama of Nisi Dominus. Ideally, the recording's sound balance should be a little... |
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FRANZ SCHMIDT
Schmidt: Symphony No. 2 (with Richard Strauss: Dreaming by the Fireside) Wiener Philharmoniker [Vienna Philharmonic], Semyon Bychkov [ Sony Classics / CD - released 10/Aug/2017 ] "this is down on my list of the best discs of 2017 already, and it will take some toppling from first place" BBC Music Magazine Recording of the Month, July 2017 ***** |
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LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Beethoven: The Sonatas for Cello and Piano Yo-Yo Ma (cello) Emanuel Ax (piano) [ Sony Classics / 2 CD Box Set - released 25/Jun/1987 ] Grammy Awards 29th Awards (1986) Best Chamber Music Recording [for sonata no 4 & variation] |
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L. & N. BOULANGER / SAINT-SAENS / FAURE / VIARDOT-GARCIA
Merci Yo-Yo Ma (cello) Kathryn Stott (piano) [ Sony Classics / CD - released 25/Oct/2024 ] Merci is a deeply personal expression of gratitude, a celebration of the powerful relationships that keep music alive. This effervescent recording is rooted in the compositions of Gabriel Fauré, whom Kathryn Stott calls her "musical soulmate," and... |