RICHARD WAGNER
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen (recorded live in 1957) Hans Hotter, Birgit Nilsson, Otakar Kraus, Wolfgang Wingassen, Peter Klein / Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Rudolf Kempe [ Testament / 13 CD Box Set - released 20/Feb/2018 ] "The glory here is Birgit Nilsson's gleaming Brünnhilde, already 39 years old, but sounding youthful, touching and tireless. The set is a reminder of the strengths of the company at this period, with Joan Sutherland leading the Rhinemaidens." Sunday |
RICHARD WAGNER
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Wagner: The Great Operas - From the Bayreuth Festival Theo Adam, Gerd Nienstedt, James King, Leonie Rysanek, Wolfgang Windgassen, Erwin Wohlfahrt, Birgit Nilsson, Victoria de los Angeles, Christa Ludwig [ Decca / 33 CD Box Set - released 15/Feb/2016 ] As part of the Wagner year 2013 celebrations Decca Classics released a limited edition re-press of the successful 2008 set of Wagner Operas recorded live at the Bayreuth Festival. Stock is very limited. |
ALWYN / BRITTEN / BUTTERWORTH / FINZI / IRELAND / VAUGHAN WILLIAMS / etc
English Song Collection Various Artists including Philip Langridge, Frank Lloyd, Felicity Lott, Christopher Maltman, Andrew Matthews-Owen, Ivan McCready, Thomas Allen, etc [ Naxos / 25 CD Box Set - released 21/May/2021 ] "Keenly priced, this set will surely provide many hours of listening pleasure." Gramophone |
BEETHOVEN / SIBELIUS / HAYDN / DEBUSSY / BERNSTEIN
Leonard Bernstein Vol 1 Various orchestras conducted by Leonard Bernstein, with James Taylor, Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin), Peter Serkin, Emanuel Ax (pianos), Yo-Yo Ma (cello) [ C Major DVD / 6 DVD Box Set - released 20/Sep/2017 ] A box set celebrating Leonard Bernstein's upcoming 100th birthday including concerts with the Wiener Philharmoniker and the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia as well as the prizewinning documentary Leonard Bernstein: Larger than... |
EDWARD ELGAR
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Elgar: The Collector's Edition: The Masterpieces (30 CDs at a special price) Vernon Handley / Adrian Boult / Sir John Barbirolli / Janet Baker / Robert Tear / Charles Groves / Jacqueline du Pre / etc [ EMI Classics / 30 CD Box Set - released 1/Jan/2009 ] Elgar is the quintessential English composer. He is loved as our Shakespeare of music, and we turn to him at times of solemn remembrance and national rejoicing. This edition, released to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth,... |
GLUCK / SACCHINI / RAMEAU / BERLIOZ / CHERUBINI / MEHUL / MEYERBEER / LECLAIR / etc
Veronique Gens - Tragediennes Vols 1 - 3 Veronique Gens (soprano) / Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset (director) [ Erato Classics / 3 CD Box Set - released 16/Oct/2018 ] "Wonderful surprises by little-known composers from Campra to Méhul and with Gens at the top of her game taking every point with matchless musicianship" Five Stars BBC |
BIZET / VILLA LOBOS / DEBUSSY / RAVEL / ROSSINI / PUCCINI / etc
Victoria de los Angeles - The Warner Classics Edition Victoria de los Angeles (soprano) with Nicolai Gedda, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Alicia de Larrocha, Gerald Moore, Sir John Barbirolli, Sir Thomas Beecham [ Warner Classics / 59 CD Box Set - released 20/Oct/2023 ] A singer who inspired the greatest admiration and affection, Victoria de los Ángeles was, in the words of Opera magazine, "one of the supreme vocal artists of the 20th century". |
PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: Complete Piano Works Viktoria Postnikova (piano), with Gennady Rozhdestvensky (piano) [ Warner Classics / 7 CD Box Set - released 5/Mar/2018 ] "A highly desirable library acquisition for all Tchaikovskians and serious lovers of the piano repertoire,' was Gramophone's verdict on this collection. "In every cycle of shorter pieces there are items to be treasured." Viktoria Postnikova, a... |
SERGEI RACHMANINOV
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos / Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini / Piano Sonata 2 Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano) / London Symphony Orchestra / Andre Previn [ Decca Trio / 3 CD - released 29/Nov/2002 ] These recordings quickly established themselves as reference recordings at the time of their original release and have been a part of the Decca catalogue ever since. |
SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Rachmaninov: Complete Works for Piano Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano) with André Previn (piano), with Vovka Ashkenazy (piano), Dody Ashkenazy (piano), Alastair Mackie (trumpet), Royal Concertge [ Decca / 11 CD Box Set - released 3/Feb/2014 ] "Perhaps the 1980s digital cycle of the concertos, with Bernard Haitink conducting, is not as instinctively sharp in its musical responses as Ashkenazy's earlier cycle with Previn, but his performances of the other major works would be hard to match... |
JOHANN STRAUSS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Strauss, (J.): Die Fledermaus (complete operetta) Werner Hollweg, Edita Gruberova, Christian Boesch, Barbara Bonney / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt [ Teldec / 2 CD Box Set - released 4/May/2009 ] "..the cast is strong too, with Marjana Lipovtek's Orlovsky particularly impressive...he men, including Josef Protschka as Alfred, are very good and so are the lively Netherlands Opera Chorus and the Concertgebouw Orchestra." (Gramophone) |
ANTON BRUCKNER
Bruckner: The Nine Symphonies Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Georg Solti, Horst Stein, Karl Böhm, Lorin Maazel, Claudio Abbado [ Decca Australian Eloquence / 9 CD Box Set - released 22/Mar/2024 ] The Vienna Philharmonic's distinguished Bruckner tradition, documented through a series of superb Decca recordings from the 1960s and 70s on a Limited Edition 9-CD box set, with Original Jackets. |
BACH / BEETHOVEN / BRAHMS / COUPERIN / HANDEL / RAMEAU / SCHUMANN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE - Wilhelm Kempff: Complete 1950s Solo Recordings Wilhelm Kempff (piano) [ DG Original Masters / 5 CD - released 21/Jul/2003 ] "A free spirit liberated in the studio - these Kempff performances are beyond price." (Gramophone Awards Issue 2003) |
BACH / SCHUMANN / SCHUBERT / LISZT / MOZART / BEETHOVEN / etc
Wilhelm Kempff - The Decca Legacy Wilhelm Kempff (piano) with Pablo Casals, Paul Grümmer (cellos) Georg Kulenkampff (violin) [ Decca Australian Eloquence / 13 CD Box Set - released 18/Apr/2022 ] The Decca legacy of WILHELM KEMPFF, one of the last century's greatest keyboard poets. |
SCHUBERT / BRUCKNER / DUKAS / R. STRAUSS / STRAVINSKY / DVORAK
The complete RCA Victor Recordings William Steinberg & Boston Symphony Orchestra [ Sony Classics / 4 CD Box Set - released 5/Apr/2024 ] Including "vital and inspiring performances", here are 4 CD's containing William Steinberg conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which includes some of his "best entries in his discography, and the finest recordings of the works." Mendelssohn's... |
SCHUBERT / SCHUMANN / BEETHOVEN / KRENEK / BRAHMS / DUPARC / RAVEL / etc
Wolfgang Holzmair - The Philips Recitals Wolfgang Holzmair (baritone) Imogen Cooper, Gérard Wyss, Peter Stamm (piano) / San Francisco Symphony Orchestra [ Decca Austrailian Eloquence / 13 CD Box Set - released 11/Mar/2022 ] From Haydn to Eisler: the collected Philips recordings of WOLFGANG HOLZMAIR, a supreme art-song interpreter, including many long-deleted albums. |
HECTOR BERLIOZ
Pierre Boulez conducts Berlioz (Incls 'Symphonie fantastique & Les Nuits d'ete) Yvonne Minton (mezzo-soprano) Stuart Burrows (tenor) / New York Philharmonic, London Symphony, BBC Symphony, Pierre Boulez [ Sony Classics / 4 CD Box Set - released 13/Mar/2020 ] Sony Classical is now making available all of their Berlioz recordings conducted by Pierre Boulez. All at a very attractive price. The recordings have all been remastered and remixed, and the box set is available at budget price. |
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF
Rachmaninoff: Complete Piano Music Zlata Chochieva, Lukas Geniušas, Alexander Gavrylyuk, Nikolai Lugansky, Alexander Ghindin, Elisa Tomellini [ Brilliant Classics / 8 CD Box Set - released 12/Mar/2021 ] This 8-CD set contains the works for piano solo by Sergei Rachmaninoff, 20-th century romantic, one of the greatest pianists of all time himself. |
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Prokofiev: Cinderella (complete ballet recorded in 2003) Zurich Ballet / Karine Seneca / Stanislav Jermakov / Marine Castel / Jozef Varga / Vladimir Fedoseyev (cond) [ Bel Air Classiques / DVD - released 1/Dec/2008 ] G - Heinz Spoerli's Zurich Ballet Cinderella production, filmed as a musical from Hollywood, turned out to be a huge success at its premiere and must rank as one of the most 'dancerly' stagings Prokofiev's popular ballet has ever received. |
ELGAR / DVORAK / HAYDN / BOCCHERINI / SAINT-SAENS / etc
Jacqueline du Pré: 5 Legendary Recordings Jacqueline du Pré (cello) with Herbert Downes (viola), Daniel Barenboim (conductor), Janet Baker (mezzo) [ Warner Classics LP / 5 LP - released 22/Nov/2017 ] Providing a treasurable memento of jacqueline's art, this is a newly-assembled 5 LP collection of masterworks for cello and orchestra from three centuries. |