VARIOUS COMPOSERS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Be My Love: A Tribute to Mario Lanza Joseph Calleja (tenor) / BBC Concert Orchestra, Steven Mercurio [ Decca Music Group / CD - released 23/Aug/2012 ] "It's an unashamedly populist collection, Calleja rolling the Rs of "Granada" and "Arrivederci, Roma" with obvious relish in arrangements replete with castanets and trilling mandolins." (The Independent) |
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER / ALAN AYCKBOURN
Webber: By Jeeves Malcolm Sinclair & Steven Pacey / Original London Cast [ Really Useful Records / CD - released 7/Jun/1996 ] By Jeeves is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics and book by Alan Ayckbourn. It is based on the series of novels and short stories by P. G. Wodehouse that centre around the character of Bertie Wooster and his valet, Jeeves. |
ANTONIN DVORAK
Dvorak: Cello Concertos Steven Isserlis (cello) / Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Daniel Harding [ Hyperion / CD - released 10/Sep/2013 ] Editor's Choice Gramophone Magazine October 2013 |
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Prokofiev: The Collector's Edition Nikolai Lugansky, Martha Argerich, Yefim Bronfman, Michael Beroff, Steven Isserlis, Borodin Quartet, Truks Monk, Andre Previn, Mstislav Rostropovich [ Erato / Warner Classics / 36 CD Box Set - released 31/Mar/2023 ] March 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of death of Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953). A Russian composer, pianist, and conductor, he made a part of his career in "the west", moving to the United States and France after the 1917 Revolution. |
TCHAIKOVSKY / TALBOT / PROKOFIEV / JOHN LANCHBERY
Ballet For Children: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Peter & the Wolf / The Nutcracker / Tales of Beatrix Potter Royal Ballet / Miyako Yoshida, Steven McRae, Victoria Hewitt, Ricardo Cervera, Gary Avis, Edward Watson, Zenaida Yanowsky, etc [ Opus Arte DVD / 4 DVD Box Set - released 15/Dec/2013 ] 'One of the very best seasonal treats for children and adults alike, the Royal Ballet's Nutcracker is a handsome, magical, thoroughly traditional rendering of ETA Hoffmann's immortal if deeply strange story.' Sunday Express on Nutcracker |
PYOTR Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY
Classic Ballets: Swan Lake / Nutcracker / Sleeping Beauty (recorded 2006-2009) Royal Ballet / Marialela Nunez, Thiago Soares, Alina Cojocaru, Federico Bonelli, Miyako Yoshida, Steven McRae / Valery Ovsyanikov, Koen Kessels [ Opus Arte DVD / 3 DVD Box Set - released 1/Oct/2013 ] This special collection brings together three acclaimed Royal Ballet performances of Tchaikovsky's celebrated masterpieces. The tragic and gloriously romantic Swan Lake features compelling dancing from Marianela Nuñez and Thiago Soares, while an... |
SERGEI PROKOFIEV / DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Prokofiev / Shostakovich: Cello Concertos Steven Isserlis (cello) / Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi [ Hyperion / CD - released 1/Apr/2015 ] BBC Music Magazine Awards 2016 Finalist - Concerto |
JOHN TAVENER
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Tavener: The Protecting Veil (complete) / The Last Sleep of the Virgin) Steven Isserlis (cello) / London Symphony Orchestra, Gennadi Rhozdestvensky / Chilingirian Quartet [ Virgin Classics / CD - released 20/Feb/2009 ] "The Isserlis/Rozhdestvensky pioneering version of Tavener's Protecting Veil hardly needs any recommendation from me." (Gramophone) |
EDWARD ELGAR / WILLIAM WALTON
Elgar / Walton: Cello Concertos Steven Isserlis (cello) / Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Daniel Harding [ Hyperion / CD - released 15/Feb/2016 ] "This mesmerising meditation couldn't be in better hands" BBC Music Magazine Instrumental Choice March 2016 |
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH / DMITRY KABALEVSKY
Shostakovich & Kabalevsky: Cello Sonatas (with works by Prokofiev) Steven Isserlis (cello), Olli Mustonen (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 1/Feb/2019 ] "This is an excellent performance, one which I will be enjoying regularly in the years to come. The recorded sound is also excellent as are the booklet notes by Steven Isserlis, who sets the scene well in his essay." Recommended Recording MusicWeb |
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Debussy: Early and late piano pieces Steven Osborne (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 28/Oct/2022 ] A programme which bridges Debussy's first work for piano (the 'Danse bohémienne', from 1880) and his last ('Les soirs illuminés par l'ardeur du charbon', from 1917). Steven Osborne is equally responsive to the very different musical moods of both. |
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Debussy: Études & Pour le piano Steven Osborne (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 3/Nov/2023 ] "Time and again there were details that tickled the ear with their freshness, revealing as if for the first time the anarchic brilliance of Debussy's vision." Gramophone recording of the Month Dec 2023 |
JOHN TAVENER
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Part - Tavener - Gorecki Various artists including Steven Isserlis, Vasari Singers conducted by Jeremy Backhouse, Winchester Cathedral Choir conducted by David Hill. etc [ EMI Classics for Pleasure / Warner Classics / CD - released 2/Feb/2000 ] The perfect introduction to the choral music of these 20th Century composers. |
CHARLES-VALENTIN ALKAN / FREDERIC CHOPIN
Alkan / Chopin: Cello Sonatas Alban Gerhardt (cello) Steven Osborne (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 20/Oct/2008 ] "This is a magnificent performance: the tiny Largo is a particular gem. Pellucidly clean and clear engineering completes a remarkably fine disc that never once deviates from the highest artistic standards on offer today. You'll love it." (10/10... |
MAXIMILIAN STEINBERG
Steinberg: Passion Week (1923) The Clarion Choir, Steven Fox [ Naxos / CD - released 2/Dec/2016 ] Best Choral Performance - Grammy Nomination 2017 |
TRADITIONAL
Transeamus (English Carols and Motets) David James (countertenor), Rogers Covey-Crump, Steven Harrold (tenor), Gordon Jones (baritone) / The Hilliard Ensemble [ ECM Records / CD - released 1/Nov/2014 ] Having recorded more than twenty albums for ECM since the mid-80s, The Hilliard Ensemble caps its discography before retirement (at the end of 2014) with a final release: 'Transeamus', a collection of polyphony - in two, three and four parts - from... |
JOHN DOWLAND
Dowland: Flow My Tears-Lute Songs Dorothy Linell (lute), Steven Rickards (counter-tenor) [ Naxos Early Music / CD - released 10/Nov/2012 ] Originally recorded at Fordham Town Hall, New York City, in March and October, 1995 |
W. A. MOZART
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Mozart: Complete Viola Quintets Vol 1 Guarneri Quartet, with Ida Kavafian & Steven Tenenbom (violas) [ RCA Victor Red Seal / CD - released 1/Jun/1988 ] Recorded live at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
MANCINI / GERSHWIN
Music For Peter Gunn / Gershwin By Grofé Harmonie Ensemble New York, Steven Richman [ Harmonia Mundi with complete catalogue / 2 CD - released 8/Jan/2016 ] "a fascinating and hugely enjoyable disc." (BBC Music) |
TCHAIKOVSKY / ELLINGTON / STRAYHORN
The Nutcracker Suites Harmonie Ensemble New York, Steven Richman [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 26/Oct/2013 ] Reviving the art of "swinging the classics", Steven Richman and the Harmonie Ensemble/New York present two different versions of the beloved Nutcracker Suite side by side on the same album for the first time: the Tchaikovsky original of 1892,... |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
The Player Hauser (cello), Czech National Symphony Orchestra , Steven Mercurio (conductor) [ Masterworks / CD - released 16/Sep/2022 ] Following an incredible 10-year run as half of 2CELLOS, HAUSER is ushering a new era as a solo artist and visual concept creator with The Player, using his innovative musical stylings and irresistible charisma to bring a new wave of cello music to... |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Cello Sonatas Steven Isserlis (cello), Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 31/Oct/2005 ] "In 1984 Steven Isserlis made excellent recordings for Hyperion of the Brahms sonatas with Peter Evans; this time he's added some substantial extra items - the two Suk pieces, wonderfully played, are particularly welcome. The new recording is fuller... |
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 |
MORTON FELDMAN / JOHN CAGE / ERIK SATIE
Rothko Chapel Kim Kashkashian (viola) / Houston Chamber Choir, Robert Simpson, with Sarah Rothenberg (piano) & Steven Schick (percussion) [ ECM New Series / CD - released 25/Oct/2015 ] "The Houston choir's singing is warm and percussionist Steven Schick creates a great sense of space and ritual." The Guardian |
GEORGE GERSHWIN
Gershwin: An American in Paris / Piano Concerto in F Lincoln Mayorga (piano) / Harmonie Ensemble / New York, Steven Richman [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 1/Sep/2016 ] "No Gershwin fan should miss this disc." (Gramophone) |
Little Steven & The Disciples Of Soul
Soulfire Live! [ Blu-ray - released 17/May/2019 ] The SOULFIRE LIVE! Blu-ray video edition will include Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul's complete Cavern Club concert alongside video performances of each song on the 3CD set, exclusive interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage. In addition,... |
Little Steven & The Disciples Of Soul
Summer Of Sorcery [ Universal / CD - released 10/May/2019 ] "My first five albums in the '80s were both very personal, and very political," explains Little Steven aka Steven Van Zandt. "I wanted the new material to be more fictionalized. The way records were when I grew up. Before it was an artform. The... |
LOWELL LIEBERMANN
Liebermann: Frankenstein (complete ballet recorded in 2016) BLU-RAY Royal Ballet, Covent Garden / Federico Bonelli, Laura Morera, Steven McRae / Koen Kessels (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Mar/2017 ] Royal Ballet Principals Federico Bonelli, Laura Morera and Steven McRae dance the lead roles in Liam Scarlett's new ballet, based on the world's most famous work of horror fiction, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. This ambitious theatrical collaboration... |
RACHMANINOV / MESSAGER
Ashton: Rhapsody & The Two Pigeons (Ballet recorded in 2016) BLU-RAY The Royal Ballet / Natalia Osipova & Steven Mcrae, Lauren Cuthbertson, Vadim Muntagirov / Barry Wordsworth (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 16/Nov/2016 ] Two Frederick Ashton ballets in one exquisite evening performance. Principals Natalia Osipova and Steven McRae dance Ashton's Rhapsody, created for the Royal Ballet in 1980 by Mikhail Baryshnikov and Lesley Collier, with spectacular choreography to... |
PYOTR Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71 (recorded at Bregenz Festival, 2009) BLU-RAY Royal Ballet / Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Peter Wright (choreographer) / Miyako Yoshida / Ricardo Cervera / Steven McRae [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 19/Nov/2010 ] 'One of the very best seasonal treats for children and adults alike, the Royal Ballet's Nutcracker is a handsome, magical, thoroughly traditional rendering of ETA Hoffmann's immortal if deeply strange story.' Sunday Express |
JULIUS ISSERLIS
Isserlis: Piano Music Sam Haywood (piano) with Steven Isserlis (cello) [ Hyperion / CD - released 15/Dec/2013 ] "Haywood, fortunately, isn't tempted to make more of these pieces than is wise. He plays them with consummate sensitivity, and has been well recorded. Isserlis seems to have been a charmer and, musically-speaking, a miniaturist and his works reflect |
SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Rachmaninov: Études-tableaux Steven Osborne (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 27/Jul/2018 ] "It instils the works with a certain mystery, captured imaginatively and authoritatively by Steven Osborne. As Rachmaninov said, "a small piece can become as lasting a masterpiece as a large work". Osborne proves his point." Sunday Times |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
British solo cello music Steven Isserlis [ Hyperion / CD - released 1/Oct/2021 ] If Britten's Cello Suite No 3 is the undisputed masterpiece here, the other works are no less deserving of attention, Frank Merrick's 'Suite in the eighteenth-century style' being a particular delight. As ever, Steven Isserlis's booklet notes offer... |
JOHN TAVENER
Tavener: No longer mourn for me & other works for cello Steven Isserlis (cello) / Philharmonia Orchestra, Trinity Boys Choir, Omer Meir Wellber [ Hyperion / CD - released 30/Oct/2020 ] BBC Music Award WINNER - Premier Award 2021 Gramophone Editor's Choice November 2020 |
BENJAMIN BRITTEN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Britten: Cello Symphony (with Frank Bridge - Oration) Steven Isserlis (cello) / City of London Sinfonia, Richard Hickox [ EMI British Composers / CD - released 22/Dec/2007 ] "Two masterly British cello scores, well recorded and in fine performances." (MusicWeb Dec 2007) |
SCHUMANN
Music for cello & piano Steven Isserlis (cello) Danes Varjon (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 20/Apr/2009 ] "The really exciting performance here is Steven Isserlis's transcription of Schumann's valedictory Third Sonata: it's as if he's been preparing all his life to launch into its dark storm." (BBC Music) |
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH / BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Teodor Currentzis conducts The Mahler Chamber Orchestra BLU-RAY Steven Isserlis (cello) / Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Teodor Currentzis [ Euroarts Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 15/Oct/2018 ] The Mahler Chamber Orchestra was Orchestra in Residence at the KlaraFestival 2013 which is known as a modern and international classical music festival far beyond Belgium's borders. The concerts of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra formed one of the... |
MENDELSSOHN / GRIEG / HOUGH
Mendelssohn / Grieg / Hough: Cello Sonatas Steven Isserlis (cello) & Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 20/May/2015 ] Grieg's sole Cello Sonata has long been a favourite of performers and audiences, if not of musical theorists, and here receives an impassioned vote of confidence from Steven Isserlis and Stephen Hough at the head of a programme which takes the... |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Cello Sonatas (with works by Suk and Dvorak) Steven Isserlis (cello) / Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion 30 / CD - released 1/Oct/2010 ] 1001 Classical recordings you must hear before you die (1851-1900) - "His current recording of Brahms's Sonatas with Stephen Hough displaces all others" (BBC Music Recording of the Month Dec 2005) |
MENDELSSOHN / POPPER / FAURE / POULENC / SIBELIUS / BRYARS / BEACH / etc
Children's Cello Steven Isserlis (cello) / Stephen Hough (piano) [ BIS / CD - released 1/Apr/2006 ] "With a household that pulsates to the glorious tones of the cello there's clearly much material for this volume…highlights here include a sumptuous rendition of Faure's Berceuse, and a deliciously piquant pereformance of Poulenc's Serenade" 5 Stars |