CHARLES GOUNOD
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Gounod: Symphonies 1 & 2, Faust Ballet Music Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Conducted by Sir Neville Marriner [ Philips / CD - released 1/Dec/1998 ] Recorded: 1997 Recording Venue: Henry Wood Hall, London |
W. A. MOZART
Alicia de Larrocha Plays Mozart Alicia de Larrocha (piano), André Previn (piano) / English Chamber Orchestra, The Orchestra of St. Luke's, Sir Colin Davis [ Sony / RCA Classical Masters / 6 CD Box Set - released 13/Mar/2020 ] "...this is a profound reading with many subtleties of touch and altogether a more weighty approach, especially evident in the slow movement. K491 is predictably dramatic. Marriner's orchestra is excellent." classical-music |
PYOTR Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (complete opera) Bernd Weik, Teresa Kubiak, Stuart Burrows / Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Sir Georg Solti [ Decca Music Group Limited DVD / DVD - released 16/Aug/2004 ] Director Petr Weigl is celebrated for his sumptuous opera films, using magnificent natural settings and casting photogenic actors in the principal roles. |
BIRGIT NILSSON
La Nilsson (arias and songs by Wagner, Weber, Beethoven, Gounod, etc) Birgit Nilsson (soprano) / Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Sir Edward Downes (with Ake Leven, organ) [ Decca ABC Australian Eloquence / CD - released 1/Sep/2008 ] One of the greatest soprano legends of all time, Nilsson's 1963 Decca recital with Sir Edward Downes of popular opera arias by Wagner, Weber, Beethoven, et.al. has never been fully issued. Here it is on CD - issued complete for the first time and in... |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Handel: Opera and Oratorio Arias (Judas Maccabaeus, Dettingen Te Deum, Serse +) Bryn Terfel (baritone) / Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 19/Jun/2000 ] "The singing here incorporates a good deal of embellishment, some of it of Sir Charles Mackerras's devising. He is an excellent conductor for Terfel, sharing with him an appreciation of the zest in Handel." Gramophone |
GUSTAV MAHLER
Mahler: Symphony No. 7 Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti [ Decca Ovation / CD - released 20/Nov/1992 ] "This magnificent performance stresses above all the marvellously original scoring without losing a compelling overall grasp." (Gramophone) |
GUSTAV MAHLER
Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen / Kindertotenlieder / 5 Lieder Christa Ludwig (mezzo) / Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer, Andre Vandernoot, Sir Adrian Boult (conds) [ Warner Classics Redline / CD - released 15/Oct/2018 ] "This disc is a classic, make no mistake." ArkivMusic.com |
CHOPIN / BALAKIREV / RACHMANINOV / DOHNANYI / etc
Cyril Smith: The Complete Solo Recordings HMV & Columbia recordings Cyril Smith (piano) with Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent [ APR / 3 CD - released 10/Aug/2015 ] We tend to remember Cyril Smith (1909-1974) these days as the pianist who overcame the misfortune of a paralysing stroke to form a hugely successful duo for three hands with his wife, pianist Phyllis Sellick. Before then though, he had conquered the... |
SIR ARTHUR BLISS
Bliss: Mary of Magdala Dame Sarah Connolly (Mezzo-soprano), James Platt (Bass), BBC Symphony Chorus, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 1/Nov/2019 ] Bliss composed The Enchantress in 1951, the year of his sixtieth birthday, for Kathleen Ferrier. The text is a free adaptation of the Second Idyll of Theocritus, made by Henry Reed, and well suited to Bliss's love of classical Greek... |
CARISSIMI / VIVALDI / GLUCK / CALDARA / HANDEL / etc
Arie Antiche: songs and arias Dmitri Hvorostovsky (baritone) Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Sir Neville Marriner [ SBS Australian Eloquence / CD - released 1/Sep/2005 ] The sequence of Italian operas on this recording take us from the birth of opera at the end of the sixteenth century to the first flowerings of the Classical period nearly 200 years later. The extraordinary power and agility of Dmitri Hvorostovsky's... |
GILBERT & SULLIVAN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: The World of Gilbert & Sullivan D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Isidore Godfrey, Royston Nash, Sir Malcolm Sargent [ Decca / CD - released 14/Jul/1990 ] "If you are looking for a CD to cheer you up on a dull day this Decca (recording) will serve admirably." Rosette Recording. Penguin Stereo Guide. |
SIR ARTHUR BLISS
Sir Arthur Bliss: the Decca Originals Eileen Joyce (piano) Alfredo Campoli (violin) Griller Quartet (string quartet), Colin Hampton (cello), Philip Burton (viola) / Sir Arthur Bliss, Muir [ Decca Australian Eloquence / 2 CD - released 19/Jun/2020 ] "This is a convenient, well-transferred compilation of some of the finest performances of music by a still-underrated composer. Bliss's version of the Colour Symphony is better paced than many of its successors." BBC Music |
RICHARD STRAUSS / ALBAN BERG / MAURICE RAVEL / IGOR STRAVINSKY
Easter Festival Baden-Baden (recorded in 2018) BLU-RAY Elina Garanca (mezzo), Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle [ EuroArts Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 30/Nov/2018 ] At this concert performance from the Easter Festival in Baden-Baden, the Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle and the Latvian mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča performed music from the early 20th century. |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Violin Concertos 3 & 4 Francesa Dego (violin), Francesca Leonardi (piano), Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Sir Roger Norrington (conductor) [ Chandos / CD - released 21/Sep/2021 ] "These performances capture the very essence of Mozart's Salzburg style best, setting up, meticulously matching and weaving in and out of the solo line with captivating suppleness and alertness." Five Stars BBC Music Recording of the Month Nov 21 |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Violin Concertos, Vol. 2 Francesca Dego (violin) / Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Sir Roger Norrington [ Chandos / CD - released 14/Oct/2022 ] Following their critically acclaimed first volume of Mozart's violin concertos (CHAN 20234), Francesca Dego and Sir Roger Norrington complete the set, once again with outstanding support from a reduced Royal Scottish National Orchestra. |
RICHARD WAGNER
George London sings Wagner George London (bass-baritone) / Wiener Philharmoniker, Hans Knappertsbusch & Sir Georg Solti [ Decca SBS Australian Eloquence / CD - released 1/Sep/2013 ] " These are not merely good performances: they have that intense, imaginative re-recreation of the music which lifts them out of that category." (Gramophone) |
C. P. E. BACH / J. C. BACH / THOMAS ARNE
Arne, CPE Bach & JC Bach: Harpsichord Concertos George Malcolm (harpsichord) / Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner [ Decca Australian Eloquence / CD - released 16/Sep/2017 ] There were many worlds in George Malcolm's (1917-1997) universe - organist, harpsichordist, pianist, composer, choral director and conductor - and this one demonstrates his unique skill as a solo performer who, throughout his career, more than any... |
EDWARD ELGAR
Elgar: Cello Concerto / Sea Pictures / Overture: Cockaigne Jacqueline Du Pre (cello) Dame Janet Baker (mezzo) / London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli [ Warner Classics Original Jacket Reissues / CD - released 22/Aug/2015 ] GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE 100 GREATEST RECORDINGS OF ALL TIME |
MAURICE RAVEL
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Ravel: Sheherazade (with lieder by Chausson, Duparc, Schumann & Brahms) [recorded in 1967] Janet Baker (mezzo-soprano) / New Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli, London Symphony Orchestra, Andre Previn, & Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (ba [ Warner Classics Original Jacket Reissues / 2 CD - released 10/Feb/1999 ] A classic recording of Ravel's Shéhérazade, evoking a wealth of moods and sensations. Janet Baker, an irresistible storyteller, is accompanied on her journey by Sir John Barbirolli, conducting the New Philharmonia with sensitivity and imagination |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: La Traviata (complete opera recorded in 1962) Joan Sutherland, Carlo Bergonzi, Robert Merill / Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino / Sir John Pritchard [ Decca Australian Eloquence / 2 CD - released 15/Mar/2012 ] "Sutherland's performance puts lovely things in the listener's way at every stage" (Gramophone) |
FALLA / GRANADOS / DEBUSSY / ALBENIZ / RAVEL
Falla: Noches en los jardines de Espana [Nights in the Gardens of Spain] (recorded in 2010) BLU-RAY Joaquín Achúcarro (piano) / Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle [ EuroArts Blu-Ray / DVD - released 20/Sep/2011 ] "There is something special with Achucarro. Very few musicians can extract this kind of sound from the piano" Sir Simon Rattle |
RICHARD WAGNER
The Flagstad Recitals Vol 3: Opera Arias / Wesendonk-Lieder (with Mahler - Kindertotenlieder, etc) Kirsten Flagstad (soprano) / Vienna Philharmonic / Sir Georg Solti / Hans Knappertsbusch / Sir Adrian Boult [ Decca ABC Eloquence / 2 CD - released 12/Dec/2009 ] "The recorded sound is excellent and at Eloquence price this should be attractive for all lovers of great singing" (MusicWeb Jan 2010) |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN / RICHARD WAGNER / GIUSEPPE VERDI
Lise Davidsen: Beethoven - Wagner - Verdi Lise Davidsen (soprano) / London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder [ Decca / CD - released 16/Apr/2021 ] GRAMOPHONE Award Nomination 2021 - Voice & Ensemble |
BELA BARTOK / LUCIANO BERIO / MAURICE RAVEL / XAVIER MONTSALVATGE
Kozená: Folk Songs Magdalena Kožená (mezzo-soprano), Czech Philharmonic, Sir Simon Rattle [ Pentatone / CD - released 16/Feb/2024 ] Magdalena Kozena's fourth Pentatone album Folk Songs brings together folk-inspired song cycles from across the globe. Ranging from Berio's Folk Songs to sets by Bartok, Ravel and Montsalvatge, this collection provides a kaleidoscope of... |
W. A. MOZART
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Mozart: Operatic Arias Magdalena Kozena (soprano) / Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment / Sir Simon Rattle [ Archiv / Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 6/Sep/2006 ] "Here is a singer with both a rich, colourful and 'alive'-sounding voice and the musical intelligence to use that gift." Recording of the Month - Gramophone Magazine (September 2006) |
EDWARD GRIEG / ROBERT SCHUMANN
Grieg / Schumann: Piano Concertos (Rec 1989) Murray Perahia (piano) / Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis [ Sony Classical Masters / CD - released 20/May/2011 ] "Murray Perahia's 1987 Schumann and Grieg concertos with Colin Davis remain the most recommendable digitally recorded pairing of these war-horses, and they bloom even more via Sony's Expanded Edition remastering." (ClassicsToday) |
ARTHUR SULLIVAN
Sullivan: Pineapple Poll / Henry VII / Victoria and Merrie England Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royston Nash [ Decca Australian Eloquence / CD - released 1/Nov/2010 ] "its glowing ambience casts a pleasing bloom over the spirited and elegantly polished playing of the Philharmonia Orchestra. Mackerras conducts with great warmth" Penguin Guide (Pineapple Poll) |
GILBERT and SULLIVAN
G & S: The Yeomen of the Guard / Trial by Jury (Complete operettas) Richard Suart / Felicity Palmer / Welsh National Opera / Sir Charles Mackerras [ Telarc Records / 2 CD Box Set - released 12/Nov/2000 ] Two all-time G & S favourites recorded in Telarc's 20-bit digital sound. |
EDWARD ELGAR
Elgar: Falstaff / Orchestral Songs / Grania and Diarmid Roderick Williams (baritone) / BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 20/Jan/2018 ] "All told, a terrific anthology, and absolutely not to missed." Gramophone Editor's Choice January 2018 |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Verdi: La Traviata (Complete opera recorded in 1994) Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Frank Lopardo, Angela Gheorghiu, Leo Nucci / Sir Georg Solti (cond) [ Decca Classics DVD / DVD - released 1/Jan/2017 ] "The singing is glorious, and this is one of the DVDs that should be the cornerstone in any collection. A superb stage spectacle." Penguin Guide Rosette Winner |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Siegfried Simon O'Neill (tenor), Gerhard Siegel, Iain Paterson, Martin Winkler, Hallé, Sir Mark Elder [ Hallé / 4 CD - released 7/Jun/2019 ] The Hallé completes its highly regarded Ring cycle, with the live recording of its acclaimed Bridgewater Hall performance under Sir Mark Elder. "Roaring jubilation and radiant beauty from Elder and the Halle….Elder is a superb Wagnerian, acutely... |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Siegfried Simon O'Neill (Siegfried), Michael Volle (Der Wanderer), Peter Hoare (Mime), Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Sir Simon Rattle [ BR Klassik / 3 CD - released 6/Oct/2023 ] Following the 2015 release of Das Rheingold and of Die Walküre in 2019, BR-KLASSIK is now releasing Siegfried as part of the enthusiastically received Ring cycle under Sir Simon Rattle. |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
MARBECK COLLECTABLE: Verdi: La Traviata (complete opera recorded in 1994) Angela Gheorghiu, Frank Lopardo, Leo Nucci / Royal Opera / Sir Georg Solti [ Decca Classics / 2 CD Box Set - released 25/Oct/2012 ] "... the Decca engineers here offer one of the most vivid and involving versions ever of La Traviata ... Gheorghiu brings heartfelt revelations, using her rich and vibrant, finely shaded soprano with consistent subtlety." Rosette Penguin Guide |
Sir Howard Morrison
How Great Thou Art - The Very Best Of [ Sony / CD - released 30/Oct/2015 ] A brand new career retrospective for one of New Zealand's greatest ever entertainers Sir Howard Morrison. Lovingly curated by his family 'How Great Thou Art: The Very Best Of Sir Howard Morrison' draws content from his entire recording career. |
W. A. MOZART
Sir Colin Davis conducts Mozart Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Sir Colin Davisa, The Orchestra of St. Luke's, Sir Colin Davis [ Sony / RCA Classical Masters / 4 CD Box Set - released 10/Dec/2021 ] "Twelve of Mozart scintillating Overtures are given superlative performances with the justly famous Staatskapelle of Dresden conducted with great panache by Colin Davis on this marvellous CD." classical-music.com |
ROSSINI / SCARLATTI / TURINA / GRANADOS / FALLA / GUERRERO / etc
Brava Berganza! - Rossini: Arias / Canciones Espanolas: Spanish Songs & more Teresa Berganza (soprano) Félix Lavilla (piano) London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Alexander Gibson, Benito Lauret, Gerardo Gombau [ Australian Decca Eloquence / 2 CD - released 1/Apr/2018 ] "I called her performance of [the Falla songs] incomparable, and it still remains so, with her completely idiomatic interpretation, vitality, exemplary enunciation, beautifully clean melismata, and wide range of colour" Gramophone |
BEETHOVEN / MENDELSSOHN / BRUSTAD / GRIEG
Europakonzert 2016 from Røros, Norway - Beethoven: Symph. No 3 / Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto BLU-RAY Vilde Frang (violin) / Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle [ EuroArts Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 10/Apr/2017 ] "[Frang] is predictably fine in the Mendelssohn, technically accomplished and emotionally engaged. And what a joy it must be to play this concerto with the Berliners, whose sensitivity to Mendelssohn's instrumental imaginings is second to none." |
LUDWIG van BEEHOVEN
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6 "Pastorale" Wiener Philharmoniker [Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra], Sir Simon Rattle [ Warner Classics Masters / CD - released 13/Feb/2012 ] "These are not interpretations set in stone, deeply as Rattle has obviously thought them through; and his encouragement of the brilliant VPO woodwind and horn soloists to challenge each other in imagination and individuality adds to the impression of... |
HECTOR BERLIOZ
Berlioz: L'Enfance du Christ Yann Beuron, Karen Cargill, William Dazeley, Matthew Rose & Peter Rose, LSO & Chorus, Sir Colin Davis [ Alto / 2 CD - released 3/Dec/2021 ] Disc of the Year: Financial Times & New York Times "Beuron, probably today's finest lyric tenor, gives the performance an essential idiomatic core in his narration ... [Tenebrae are] dramatically alert and glowing as stained glass, the angelic... |