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RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen [Highlights] Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Thomas Stewart, Josephine Veasey, Gundula Janowitz, Jon Vickers, Jess Thomas / Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan [ Deutsche Grammophon SBS Eloquence / 2 CD - released 11/Dec/2013 ] Highlights from Herbert von Karajan's mighty 'Ring' cycle. The disc includes extended highlights from the four 'Ring' operas and allows us to sample Karajan's choice of different singers for the same character in different operas - Fischer-Dieskau's... |
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J. S. BACH
Bach: Christmas Oratorio, BWV248 Dorothee Mields, Damien Guillon, Thomas Hobbs, Peter Kooij / Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [ EuroArts Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 28/Feb/2014 ] "Some of the intimacy derives from the small forces...but it's mainly to do with the relaxed (though never sluggish) tempos...The solo team is outstanding." (BBC Music Magazine, Feb 2014) |
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J. S. BACH
Christmas Oratorio, BWV248 Dorothee Mields, Damien Guillon, Thomas Hobbs, Peter Kooij / Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe [ EuroArts DVD / DVD - released 10/Apr/2014 ] G :- "For Bach´s Brandenburg Concertos we got to Cöthen Palace, and find the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra in a lovely room, standing round in a semi-circle..the sense of pleasure the players radiate is strong." BBC Music Magazine |
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GILBERT and SULLIVAN
Gilbert & Sullivan: Princess Ida (complete operetta rec 1954) plus The Gondoliers (excerpts rec 1931) D'Oyly Carte Opera Company with Donald Adams, George Baker, Leonard Osborn, Peter Pratt, Thomas Round and Victoria Sladen / Isidore Godfrey (conductor [ Naxos Historical Great Operetta Recordings / 2 CD - released 13/Mar/2006 ] The three-act comic opera Princess Ida appeared, chronologically, between Iolanthe (1882) and The Mikado (1885) and was first performed under the baton of the composer, on 5th January 1884 at the 'electrically-lighted' Savoy Theatre. |
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GILBERT and SULLIVAN
Gilbert & sullivan: The Gondoliers (Complete with dialogue) D'Oyly Carte Opera Company with Gillian Knight; Thomas Round; John Reed / New Symphony Orchestra / Godfrey [ Decca Records / 2 CD - released 1/Apr/2003 ] Isidore Godfrey's conducting is vividly alive and Decca provided a large and excellent orchestra. The solo singing throughout is consistently good. Thomas Round sings Take A Pair Of Sparkling Eyes very well indeed. *** Three Stars. Penguin Stereo Guide. |
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W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Die Zauberflote (complete opera recorded in 2014) Dutch National Opera / Maximilian Schmitt, Christina Landshamer, Thomas Oliemans, Brindley Sherratt, Íride Martínez / Marc Albrecht (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 20/May/2015 ] "It is sparkily conducted in light, historically aware tempi by Marc Albrecht, and acted and sung as a tightly worked ensemble piece....Subtle touches ease what we now find chauvinist and racist in the original...Ingenious. Recommended." (Gramophone) |
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W. A. MOZART
Die Zauberflote [The Magic Flue] (completeopera recorded in 2014) BLU-RAY Dutch National Opera / Maximilian Schmitt, Christina Landshamer, Thomas Oliemans, Brindley Sherratt, Íride Martínez / Marc Albrecht (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/May/2015 ] "Subtle touches ease what we now find chauvinist and racist in the original...Ingenious. Recommended." (Gramophone Blu-ray of the Month May 2015) |
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DYLAN THOMAS
Dylan Thomas Reads His Prose & More Poetry Dylan Thomas (narrator) [ Alto / CD - released 4/Oct/2013 ] This CD includes the works Prologue, A Refusal to Mourn the Death of a Child Killed by Fire in London, The Force that Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower…. Laugharne, If I were Tickled by the Rub of Love, etc |
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SCHUBERT
Die Freunde von Salamanka, D326 Edith Mathis, Thomas Moser, Hermann Prey / Austrian Radio Chorus and Symphony Orchestra, Theodor Guschlbauer [ Brilliant Classics Opera Collection / CD - released 20/Feb/2011 ] 'Beautiful singing by Mathis … Hermann Prey in excellent form … lovers of Schubert should not let slip the opportunity of hearing this … it is affectionately directed by Guschlbauer.' Gramophone |
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REINHARD KEISER
Passion Music Eeva Tenkanan, Doerthe Sandmann, Olivia Vermeulen, Knut Schoch / Capella Orlandi Bremen, Thomas Ihlenfeldt [ CPO / CD - released 1/Aug/2010 ] CPO's rediscovery of Church Music from Hamburg (1600-1800) continues with a concert, broadcast live on Deutschlandradio Kultur, featuring rediscovered works by Reinhard Keiser. Only three oratorios by Reinhard Keiser exist in full. Many shorter... |
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OLIVER KNUSSEN
Symphonies 2 & 3 / Coursing / Ophelia Dances / Trumpets Elaine Barry / Linda Hirst / Nash Ensemble / Philharmonia Orchestra / Michael Tilson Thomas / London Sinfonietta / Oliver Knussen [ NMC Records / CD - released 20/Feb/2012 ] Two of Knussen's major works of the 1970s - Symphony No.2, a song cycle on texts of Georg Trakl and Sylvia Plath, and Symphony No. 3, a symphonic poem about Shakespeare's Ophelia - are coupled with Coursing, Ophelia Dances and other works. |
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FRANZ SCHREKER
Schreker: Der Ferne Klang (Complete Opera) Elena Grigorrescu, Thomas Harper / Hagen Opera Chorus, Hagen Philharmonic Orchestra, Michael Halasz [ Naxos Opera Classics / 2 CD - released 12/Jan/2008 ] 1001 Classical recordings you must hear before you die (1901-1950) - "Naxos has included a detailed synopsis matching the CDs tracks. The solid performance gives a good idea of the work's visionary strengths and its prolix weaknesses." - San... |
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J. S. BACH
Cantatas: Recreation for the Soul Elin Manahan Thomas, Daniel Taylor, James Gilchrist / Magdalena Consort, Peter Harvey [ Channel Classics SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 20/May/2015 ] "The four voices are fairly matched with each other, less so with their instrumental colleagues, and Harvey leads unfailingly elegant interpretations. At each turn, however, they yield to the textual and expressive detail of The Bach Players." Gramop |
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J. S. BACH
Bach: Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn' ihn BWV1127 Elin Manahan Thomas / English Baroque Soloists / John Eliot Gardiner [ Soli Deo Gloria / CD - released 10/Oct/2005 ] Premiere recording of a newly discovered aria by Bach, unearthed in a library in June 2005 |
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GABRIEL FAURE
Faure: Requiem (with Mozart-Ave verum corpus, K618, etc) Elin Manahan Thomas, Roderick Williams, Ruth Massey, Mark Dobell / The Sixteen / Academy of St Martin in the Fields / Harry Christophers [ Coro Live / CD - released 1/Apr/2008 ] The result of a brand new collaboration between two of the finest modern day exponents of classical music, this exquisite disc brings fresh life to Fauré's peerless Requiem and injects imaginative invention and poetic phrasing into two of Mozart's... |
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JOHN BRUNNING
Brunning: Swan Songs Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano), Daniel Grimwood (piano) [ Signum / CD - released 9/Nov/2019 ] Composer, musician and broadcaster John Brunning is perhaps best known for his choral work Pie Jesu. The piece was initially recorded by the vocal group 'All Angels', and there has since been around a dozen recordings including an acapella... |
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DOWLAND / CAMPIAN / HUMFREY / PURCELL
Ravish'd with Sacred Extasies Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano) David Miller (lute & theorbo) [ Coro / CD - released 10/Nov/2010 ] "If you think of lute songs as secular repertory, think again...Elin Manahan Thomas and lutenist David Miller illuminate this music's subtleties, infusing their reading with warmth and intimacy...this is a lovely contribution to recorded lute song."... |
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EDWARD ELGAR
Elgar: Starlight Express, Op. 78 Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano), Roderick Williams (baritone) & Simon Callow (narrator) / Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis [ Chandos SACD / 2 Hybrid SACD - released 1/Nov/2012 ] "Davis secures absolutely first-rate results from the Scottish CO. Elin Manahan Thomas's light and slivery soprano could hardly be more suited to the parts of the Laugher and Jane-Anne, while Roderick Williams is in glorious voice throughout."... |
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BACH / HANDEL / TELEMANN / SCARLATTI
Let The Bright Seraphim Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano) / The Armonico Consort, Christopher Monks [ Signum Records / CD - released 1/Nov/2012 ] "The tone is immediately set by Crispian Steele-Perkins' trilling trumpet on Bach's "Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen", which also features quite thrilling counterpoints between him and soprano Elin Manahan Thomas" (The Independent) |
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ARTHUR SULLIVAN
Sullivan: The Beauty Stone (complete opera) Elin Manahan Thomas, Toby Spence, Rebecca Evans, Alan Opie, Stephen Gadd, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Richard Suart / BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Rory [ Chandos Classics / 2 CD - released 15/Nov/2013 ] "It has never been recorded by professional singers before, and Rory Macdonald seems to have prepared with academic scrupulousness...it's very strongly cast, too, but there's no sense of an important rediscovery here." (Guardian) |