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SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Rachmaninov: Orchestral Works (Incls Symphonies, Concertos & The Isle of the Dead) St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra & Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Mariss Jansons, with Mikhail Rudy (piano) [ Warner classics / 5 CD Box Set - released 10/Nov/2014 ] 1001 Classical recordings you must hear before you die (1901-1950) "Mariss Jansons is among the most respected musicians of his generation. He is a human dynamo, tireless in his pursuit of the highest musical standards." - David Gutman |
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LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 3 "Eroica", 4 & 5 (2 LP) Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim [ Warner Classics / 2 LP - released 27/Jun/2025 ] "This fine 1999 set of Beethoven's symphonies offers a near-ideal balance of expressive warmth, moment-to-moment imagination and wide musical vision." ClassicFM |
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FREDERIC CHOPIN
Chopin: The Complete Waltzes (LP) Stephen Hough [ Hyperion / LP - released 13/Sep/2024 ] Stephen Hough has a unique affinity for the music of Chopin, whose music has always been a central part of his repertoire. His earlier Chopin recordings for Hyperion garnered huge critical acclaim. Hough's name has become synonymous with pianistic... |
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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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STEVE REICH
Phases - A Nonesuch Retrospective Steve Reich and Musicians / Kronos Quartet / Theatre of Voices / Pat Metheny [ Nonesuch / 5 CD Box Set - released 31/Oct/2006 ] Pioneer of US minimalism Steve Reich is 70 this year and to celebrate Nonesuch has released a bargain-priced 5 CD set of his greatest works including definitive recordings of "Music for 18 Musicians", "Different Trains" and "Drumming". |
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HECTOR BERLIOZ
Hector Berlioz - The Complete Works Véronique Gens, Renaud Capuçon, Jose van Dam, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, René Schirrer, Jessye Norman, John Aler, Laurent Naouri, Nicolas Rivenq, etc [ Erato / Warner / Philips / 27 CD Box Set - released 6/Feb/2018 ] This, the first-ever complete Berlioz edition, comprises carefully selected recordings and even includes works completely new to the catalogue. |
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GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Theodora (Complete Oratorio) Susan Gritton, Susan Bickley, Robin Blaze, Paul Agnew / Gabrieli Consort, Paul McCreesh [ Archiv / 3 CD Box Set - released 14/Aug/2000 ] 1001 Classical recordings to hear before you die (1700-1760) - 2001 GRAMOPHONE AWARD FINALIST - Baroque Vocal |
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JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Piano Concerto No.2 in B flat, op.83 (with Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 23 "Appasionata") Sviatoslav Richter (piano) / Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Erich Leinsdorf (Recorded 1960 & 1988) [ Sony Classical Originals / CD - released 1/Aug/2011 ] "This is a legendary, visionary statement about the music, to be heard on its own terms." - MusicWeb Sept 2004 |
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SVIATOSLAV RICHTER
Icon: Sviator Richter - The Master Pianist (Complete EMI Recordings, 1961-1980) Sviatoslav Richter (piano) with with Oleg Kagaan (violin) David Oistrakh (violin) and others [ Warner Classics / EMI Icon / 14 CD Box Set - released 1/Feb/2011 ] 'Idiosyncratic, plain-speaking, heroic, reserved, lyrical, virtuosic and perhaps above all profoundly enigmatic, Sviatoslav Richter remains one of the greatest recreative artists of all time.' (Bryce Morrison) |
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GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Messiah... The 250th Anniversary Performance recorded in 1992 Sylvia McNair, Anne Sofie von Otter, Jerry Hadley, Michael Chance and Robert Lloyd / Academy & Chorus of St Martin in the Fields / Neville Marriner [ Philips / DVD - released 23/Aug/2004 ] G :- This famous 1992 performance of Handel's great masterpiece was filmed at the Point Theatre, Dublin, on the 250th anniversary of the work's premiere, which took place in Dublin on 13 April 1742. |
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DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues Tatiana Nikolayeva (piano) [ Hyperion / 3 CD Box Set - released 10/May/2005 ] 'The recording is clear and atmospheric, and the playing has power, grandeur, character, intellectual clarity and unforced intensity' - Gramophone |
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PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOSVKY
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 (LP) Teatro alla Scala, Guido Cantelli [ Warner Classics Vinyl / LP - released 1/Jun/2020 ] The very first 12" Long Play record issued by The Gramophone Company (EMI) on His Master's Voice (ALP 1001) in October 1952 - previously issued on 78RPM in 1951. The 27th April 2020 marked Guido Cantelli's centenary. |
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PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOSVKY
Versailles - Alexandre Tharaud (LP) Teatro alla Scala, Guido Cantelli [ Warner Classics Vinyl / LP - released 1/Jun/2020 ] "Even for aficionados of this repertoire there are surprises to be had." Gramophone |
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JOHANN JOHANNSSON
Jóhannsson: Drone Mass (LP) Theatre of Voices, American Contemporary Music Ensemble, Paul Hillier [ Deutsche Grammophon / LP - released 20/May/2022 ] The previously unrecorded Drone Mass was described by its composer, the late Jóhann Jóhannsson, as "a contemporary oratorio". Written for voices, string quartet and electronics, it was commissioned and premiered by the American Contemporary Music... |
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VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Aranjuez (LP) Thibaut Garcia (guitar) [ Erato / LP - released 2/Oct/2020 ] Expressing his own cultural identity, guitarist Thibaut Garcia combines Rodrigo's archetypally Spanish Concierto de Aranjuez with a declaration of l'esprit français: Alexandre Tansman's neoclassical Musique de cour, inspired by the court of Louis... |
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RODRIGO / ALBENIZ / BARRIOS / COSTE / GIULIANI / VILLA-LOBOS / etc
Panorama de la guitare: The world of classical guitar music Turibio Santos, Oscar Caceres, Graciela Pomponio, Maria Luisa Anido, Leo Brouwer, Konrad Ragossnig, Barbara Polasek, Angel Romero, etc [ Erato / Warner Classics / 25 CD Box Set - released 10/Apr/2018 ] A treasury of the classical guitar: as a solo and concerto instrument, and as a partner to other instruments, in music from Europe and Latin America that spans five centuries. Most of these recordings are making their first appearance on CD. |
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JAN LADISLAV DUSSEK
Dussek: Piano Concertos Opp. 3, 14 & 49 Ulster Orchestra, Howard Shelley (piano & conductor) [ Hyperion The Classical Piano Concerto Vol 5 / CD - released 31/Aug/2018 ] "Dussek wrote little orchestral music beyond his concertos but the sympathetic collaboration of the Ulster orchestra showcases the increasing subtlety and sophistication of his handling of the orchestra." Gramophone |
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Vangelis
O.S.T. - Alexander [ Sony Classical / CD - released 8/Nov/2004 ] |
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VARIOUS
100 Best Carols [6 CD set] Various Artists includes Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Kiri te Kanawa, Roberto Alagna, Thomas Hampson, Barbara Hendricks, Hermann Prey, etc [ Warner Classics / 6 CD Box Set - released 12/Nov/2007 ] This 6-CD set contains all the best-loved carols that gladden and enrich the Christmas season, performed by outstanding choirs, ensembles and soloists from all over the world. |
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BEATLES
Classical Beatles [2 CD set] Göran Söllscher, Kaori Muraji (guitars) / Peter Rostal, Paul Schaefer (pianos) / Frank Chacksfield & his Orchestra / etc [ Decca Music Group / 2 CD - released 6/Oct/2011 ] 45 tracks of the most imaginative classical arrangements of Beatles music. The first CD consists of arrangements for classical guitar, the second CD features orchestral arrangements. |