ALBERIC MAGNARD
Magnard: Cello Sonata Op.20 / Piano Trio Op.18 Camilla Patria (cello) Elena Ballario (piano) Franco Mezzena (violin) Sergio Patria (cello) [ Brilliant Classics / CD - released 12/Apr/2024 ] Albéric Magnard, born in Paris in 1865, was a pupil of Dubois, Guiraud, Massenet and D'Indy at the Paris Conservatoire, and he frequented the circle of César Franck. In 1896 he became a teacher at Paris's Schola Cantorum. |
MEL BONIS / GABRIEL FAURÉ / REYNALDO HAHN / LILI BOULANGER
Le Temps retrouvé Elena Urioste (violin), Tom Poster (piano) [ Chandos / CD - released 23/Feb/2024 ] The three sonatas on this album were all published during the decade 1916 - 26, a musical period to which we often find ourselves drawn, when the world - and the artistic landscape - was changing beyond recognition. |
JEAN-BAPISTE LULLY
Lully: Acis et Galatée Jean-François Lombard, Elena Harsányi, Valeria La Grotta, Francesca Lombardi Mazzulli / Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Federico Maria Sarde [ Naxos / 2 CD - released 20/Oct/2023 ] Jean-Baptiste Lully's unrivalled position at the Sun King's court gave him freedom to produce numerous grand theatre works. Acis et Galatée is acknowledged as one of his masterpieces with its adroit alternation of effects and situations and its... |
BEETHOVEN / SCHUBERT / RACHMANINOV / MENDELSSOHN / TCHAIKOVSKY / BERLIOZ / etc
Lorin Maazel - The Complete deutsche Grammophon Recordings Lorin Maazel (conductor) with Jane Berbie, Jean Giraudeau, Gabriel Bacquier, Placido Domingo, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gidon Kremer, Elena Obraztsova [ Deutsche Grammophon / 39 CD Box Set - released 19/May/2023 ] At the age of 9, he made his conducting debut with the LA Philharmonic, and at 11 Toscanini invited him to conduct the NBC Symphony Orchestra: Lorin Maazel is undoubtedly one of the greatest conductors of his century. His first album with Deutsche... |
JEAN-BAPISTE LULLY
Lully: Acis et Galatée BLU-RAY Maggio Musicale Fiorentino / Sean-Francois Lombard, Elena Harsanyi, Valeria La Grotta, Luigi de Donato / Benjamin Lazar (cond) [ Dynamic Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 19/May/2023 ] "Sardelli (wielding an authentically Lullian staff for certain movements) propels a crisp account - the festival orchestra's first with period instruments." Gramophone Blu-ray of the Month Aug 2023 |
MANOS HADJIDAKIS
Paper Moon - Songs by Manos Hadjidakis Elena Papandreou (guitar) [ BIS SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 3/Feb/2023 ] Regarded as one of the greatest Greek composers and a legend in his native land, Manos Hadjidakis is also one of the best-known internationally thanks to a body of works that touches many musical genres, from concert music to popular songs and scores... |
SAMUEL & AVRIL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR
Coleridge-Taylor: African Suite / Violin Concerto / Nonet in F minor / etc Elena Urioste (violin), Chineke! Orchestra [ Decca / 2 CD - released 30/Sep/2022 ] "..one of the biggest and best collections of his music yet released. At its heart is the heavenly Violin Concerto; Elena Urioste and the orchestra under Kevin John Edusei give a wonderful performance full of fiery spirit and delicacy." BBC Music |
ANTONIO VIVALDI
The New Four Seasons - Vivaldi Recomposed Chineke! Orchestra, Elena Urioste (violin), Max Richter [ Deutsche Gramophone / CD - released 10/Jun/2022 ] When Max Richter's Recomposed first exploded into our collective ears almost a decade ago, a 59-minutes-28-seconds sonic starburst, the effect for so many people was total. We hadn't heard anything like that, ever. |
ANTONIO VIVALDI
The New Four Seasons - Vivaldi Recomposed (LP) Chineke! Orchestra, Elena Urioste (violin), Max Richter [ Deutsche Gramophon / LP - released 10/Jun/2022 ] When Max Richter's Recomposed first exploded into our collective ears almost a decade ago, a 59-minutes-28-seconds sonic starburst, the effect for so many people was total. We hadn't heard anything like that, ever. |
GIOVANNI FILIPPO DREYER
Dreyer: Sacred Music Rossana Bertini (soprano), Elena Cecchi Fedi (soprano), Le Tems Revient"|"Baroque Lumina, Giacomo Bededetti (conductor), Giacomo Granchi [ Brilliant Classics / CD - released 1/Apr/2022 ] World premiere recordings of psalms and hymns by a forgotten luminary of the Florentine Baroque. Giovanni Filippo Dreyer (1703-1772) was born in Florence, Italy. As a castrato soprano he sang in several productions in Rome in 1723, including... |
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Prokofiev: The Fiery Angel (complete opera recorded in 2021) BLU-RAY Vienna Opera / Ausrine Stundyte, Bo Skovhus, Natascha Petrinsky, Elena Zaremba / Constantin Trinks (cond) [ C Major / Unitel Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 25/Mar/2022 ] "AušrinÄ— StundytÄ— has in recent years made the role of Renate her own; and with the openness and generosity of her soprano, its control of colour, its capacity for tender lyricism with a tragic edge, she is perfect as the suffering heart of the work" |
ATTILIO ARIOSTI
Ariosti: 6 Lessons for Viola d'amore & continuo Mauro Righini (viola d'amore) Elena Bertuzzi (soprano) Ugo Nastrucci (theorbo) Danilo Costantini (organ & Harpsichord) [ Brilliant Classics / CD - released 11/Mar/2022 ] The violinist, organist, composer and librettist Attilio Malachia Ariosti was born in Bologna in 1666. His career took him to Mantua and Venice, the most enlightened musical and artistic centers of northern Italy at the time. |
PAUL SCHOENFELD / FRANK BRIDGE / AMY BEACH / FLORENCE PRICE / AARON COPLAN / etc
From Brighton To Brooklyn Elena Urioste (violin), Tom Poster (piano) [ Chandos / CD - released 7/Feb/2022 ] "…Urioste's playing is nuanced and committed, while Poster impresses with his joyous fantasy, tonal range and versatility." International Piano |
RUGGERO LEONCAVALLO / PIETRO MASCAGNI
Leoncavallo: Pagliacci / Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana (recorded in 2019) BLU-RAY Dutch National Opera / Anita Rachvelishvili, Ailyn Pérez, Rihab Chaieb, Brian Jagde, Roman Burdenko, Elena Zilio / Lorenzo Viotti (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 9/Apr/2021 ] "Anita Rachvelisvili is the undisputed star of Cav. She sings Santuzza as an unashamed mezzo, and her chest voice is thrilling in this music. Brian Jagde's Turridu is rakish and appealing, never a caricature villain, and he sings with electric energy |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Carte postale Elena Harsanyi, Toni Ming Geiger, Victoire Bunel, Gaspard Dehaene, Michael Rakotoarivony, Teodora Oprisor, Fabian Langguth, Camille Lemonnier [ B Records / CD - released 8/Jan/2021 ] Every year, The Orsay-Royaumont Academy welcomes duos of young singers and pianists who work under the artistic aegis of their elders, thus perfecting and honing their passion for art songs and Lieder. Once again, B Records makes the most of this... |
ALEXANDER ZEMLINSKY
Zemlinsky: Der Zwerg (complete opera recorded in 2019) Berlin Deutsche / Elena Tsallagova. Emily Magee, Philipp Jekal, Flurina Stucki / Donald Runnicles (cond) [ Naxos DVD / DVD - released 20/May/2020 ] Based on Oscar Wilde's story The Birthday of the Infanta, Zemlinsky's single-act opera Der Zwerg is the tragic tale of a dwarf who is presented at court, falls in love with the beautiful Donna Clara, but is ultimately forced to see himself as others... |
ALEXANDER ZEMLINSKY
Zemlinsky: Der Zwerg (complete opera recorded in 2019) BLU-RAY Berlin Deutsche / Elena Tsallagova. Emily Magee, Philipp Jekal, Flurina Stucki / Donald Runnicles (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 20/May/2020 ] Based on Oscar Wilde's story The Birthday of the Infanta, Zemlinsky's single-act opera Der Zwerg is the tragic tale of a dwarf who is presented at court, falls in love with the beautiful Donna Clara, but is ultimately forced to see himself as others... |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Tannhauser (complete opera recorded live in 2019) Bayreuth Festival / Stephen Gould, Lise Davidsen, Elena Zhidkova, Markus Eiche / Valery Gergiev (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / 2 DVD - released 15/May/2020 ] "In his Bayreuth debut, Valery Gergiev conducts with such verve that at multiple turns it was like hearing the score anew." Limelight |
EDVARD GREIG
Grieg: The Violin Sonatas Elena Urioste (violin), Tom Poster (piano) [ Orchid / CD - released 20/Mar/2020 ] "Overall, though, this disc is demonstrates the vitality and commitment of the players and I hope Urioste and Poster will consider recording other sonatas such as the Franck of the three Brahms." MusicWeb |
FRANCESCO DURANTE
Durante: Requiem Francesca Cassinari (soprano), Elena Carzaniga (contralto), Roberto Rilievi (tenor), Matteo Bellotto (bass) / Astrarium Consort [ Brilliant Classics / CD - released 10/Mar/2020 ] Francesco Durante (1684-1755) was the most important representative of the Neapolitan School in the first half of the 18-th century, "the greatest harmonist in Italy, that is the world" wrote Jean-Jacques Rousseau |