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CHARLES GOUNOD
The Gounod Edition: Operas, Choral Works, Symphonies Placido Domingo, Regine Crespin, Alfredo Kraus, Nicolai Gedda, Mirella Freni, Marilyn Horne, Rolando Villazon, etc [ Warner Classics / 15 CD Box Set - released 25/Jun/2018 ] "Anyone wanting a share in these darling old steeds at a tempting price will be amply satisfied." Opera |
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KRZYSZTOF PENDERECKI
Penderecki: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1 (Threnody, De Natura Sonoris, Symphony No. 3, Flourescences) Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (Katowice) / Antoni Wit, conductor [ Naxos / CD - released 20/May/2003 ] "The performances are remarkably fine, the three earlier pieces at least as eloquent as the symphony; the recording is both clear and ample." - International Record Review |
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GUSTAV MAHLER
Mahler: Complete Symphonies Lynda Russell (soprano) / Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, Warsaw Boys' Choir, Antoni Wit, Michael H [ Naxos / 15 CD Box Set - released 10/May/2017 ] "The excellent quality of the Katowice Orchestra of Polish Radio is impressively demonstrated...it stands comparison with any rival" Penguin Guide on No 6 |
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VIRGIL THOMSON
The Plow that Broke the Plains / The River Post-Classical Ensemble / Angel Gil-Ordonez [ Naxos American Classics / CD - released 25/Nov/2007 ] 'If you just want the music - this disc is as authoritative as it gets. With a warm, detailed recording and informative notes by Joseph Horowitz this is a very desirable issue indeed." (MusicWeb Jan 2008) |
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TRADITIONAL
Medieval Christmas Pro Cantione Antiqua / Mark Brown, with English Medieval Wind Ensemble [ ALTO / CD - released 10/Dec/2010 ] "A spicy Christmas feast, from a time when classic and folk music mixed. There was little difference in the popular music of the church or the tavern! Often more Chaucer than Christian… A lively record to sit back and enjoy! The attraction of the... |
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SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1, 'Classical' / Symphony No. 5 National Symphony Orchestra Of Ukraine / Theodore Kuchar [ Naxos / CD - released 9/Sep/1997 ] Sergey Prokofiev belongs to the generation of Russian musicians who completed their studies before the Communist Revolution of 1917. His early education had been at home, where he had tuition from Glière, before entering the St. Petersburg... |
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HENRY PURCELL
Purcell: Complete Chamber Music Rémy Baudet (violin), Sayuri Yamagata (violin), Elisabeth Ingenhousz (violin) Rainer Zipperling (viola da gamba), Johannes Boer (viola da gamba), etc [ Brilliant Classics / 7 CD Box Set - released 10/Mar/2008 ] A rare treat: no less than 7 CDs with instrumental chamber music by Henry Purcell. In spite of his past and present international fame too little attention has been paid to this part of his oeuvre. |
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J. S. BACH
Bach: St Matthew Passion Julian Prégardien, Stéphane Degout, Sabine Devieilhe, Hana Blažiková, Tim Mead / Pygmalion, Raphaël Pichon [ Harmonia Mundi / 3 CD Box Set - released 29/Apr/2022 ] "With its glowing inner vitality and penetrating observations, this is a Passion that makes a very definite statement about what this work can communicate in our times." Gramophone Award WINNER 2022 - Choral |
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DEBUSSY / BEETHOVEN / PROKOFIEV / SCHUMANN / MOZART / BRAHMS / etc
Quartetto Italiano: Prima la musica - The Complete Warner Recordings Quartetto Italiano [ Warner Classics / 14 CD Box Set - released 11/Jun/2021 ] "The finest string quartet, unquestionably, that our century has known." In 1951, when the Quartetto Italiano first visited the USA, composer Virgil Thomson's was enthused: "Perfection is the only word to describe this playing." |
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CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Claude Debussy: The Complete Works Quatuor Ebene, Martha Argerich, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Samson François, Renaud Capuçon, Natalie Dessay, André Cluytens, François-Xavier Roth, etc [ Warner Classics / 33 CD Box Set - released 13/Feb/2018 ] This 33-CD set, comprising outstanding recordings selected by Debussy experts, exemplifies the depth and breadth of the Warner Classics catalogue and the label's commitment to producing comprehensive landmark editions of the highest quality. |
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HANDEL
Handel: Messiah Rachel Redmond (soprano), Damien Guillon (counter tenor) Nicholas Mulroy (tenor), Capella Reial de Catalunya, Concert des Nations, Jordi Savall [ Alia Vox / 2 CD - released 6/Dec/2019 ] All the wonderfully diverse features of Baroque expression and vocal and instrumental declamation are present in Handel's Messiah. It is a sublime musical meditation which transcends simple narrative, going beyond the reality of Jesus to the mystery... |
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SERGEI RACHMANINOV
The Best Of Rachmaninov Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Gyorgy Lehel (conductor), Ireland National Symphony Orchestra [ Naxos / CD - released 1/Oct/1999 ] |
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BRAHMS / BEETHOVEN / SCHUBERT / SCHUMANN
The Complete Decca Solo Recordings (special price 10 CD set) Radu Lupu (piano) [ Complete Decca Recordings / 10 CD Box Set - released 1/Aug/2012 ] "This is playing of quite exceptional insight and naturalness...and this set as a whole is well worth seeking out." (Penguin Guide) |
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RAVI SHANKAR
Shankar: Sitar Concerto (LP) Ravi Shankar (sitar), London Symphony Orchestra, Andre Previn [ Warner Classics / LP - released 4/Nov/2022 ] This album features Ravi Shankar's first Concerto for sitar, commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra in 1970. The work was premiered at London's Royal Festival Hall on 28 January 1971 and sets a sitar recital of four ragas (including one by... |
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ALBENIZ / BIZET / BONOLIS / CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO / de FALLA
Carmen - A ballet in two acts BLU-RAY Rebecca Bianchi, Amar Ramasar / Corpo di Ballo & Orchestra of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Louis Lohraseb (conductor) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 10/Oct/2020 ] Choreographer Jiří Bubeníček's Carmen celebrates the incredible inspiration of Bizet's timeless music in a completely new two-act ballet that also includes music by Albéniz, Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Falla, orchestrated and adapted by Gabriele Bonolis.... |
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ALBENIZ / BIZET / BONOLIS / CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO / de FALLA
Carmen - A ballet in two acts Rebecca Bianchi, Amar Ramasar / Corpo di Ballo & Orchestra of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Louis Lohraseb (conductor) [ Naxos DVD / DVD - released 10/Oct/2020 ] Choreographer Jiří Bubeníček's Carmen celebrates the incredible inspiration of Bizet's timeless music in a completely new two-act ballet that also includes music by Albéniz, Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Falla, orchestrated and adapted by Gabriele Bonolis |
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LYELL CRESSWELL
Cresswell: Music For String Quartet Red Note Ensemble [ Delphian / CD - released 20/Apr/2018 ] "The virtuosity of the Red Note Ensemble's playing makes for a warm recommendation, not least for those still to encounter Cresswell's distinctive sound world." Gramophone |
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REINHARD KEISER
Keiser: Croesus René Jacobs [ Harmonia Mundi / 3 CD - released 30/Aug/2019 ] Keiser is one of the most astonishing early German composers to have been brought to light in recent years. The composer of a good sixty operas, all of them for the Hamburg Opera, during his lifetime he was regarded as 'the greatest and most... |
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WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail / Die Zauberflöte René Jacobs, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, RIAS Kammerchor Berlin [ Harmonia Mundi / 5 CD Box Set - released 10/Mar/2023 ] The alpha and omega of Mozart! With Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1782), probably his first absolute masterpiece, and Die Zauberflöte (1791 - the year of his death), René Jacobs penetrates to the heart of Mozartian singspiel. Featuring singers, a... |
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J. S. BACH / MARC-ANTOINE CHARPENTIER / ARCANGELO CORELLI / etc
A Baroque Christmas (Limited Edition) Akademie fur Alte Berlin, RIAS Kammerchor, René Jacobs / Ensemble 415,Chiara Banchini / Ensemble Correspondances, Sébastien Daucé [ Harmonia Mundi / 4 CD Box Set - released 4/Oct/2019 ] Ranging from unaffected simplicity to elaborate polyphony, the composers of the 17th and 18th centuries left us some of the most sublime pages of sacred music intended to tell the story of the Nativity. The extraordinary musical legacy produced as a... |