ELGAR
Cello Concerto / Pomp and Circumstance Marches Nos. 1-5 / etc Paul Watkins (cello) / BBC Philharmonic, Sir Andrew Davis [ Chandos / CD - released 22/Apr/2012 ] "Watkins plays with consummate artistry, his golden-toned and technically flawless contribution striking a judicious balance between classical poise and unexaggerated depth of feeling...Durable rewards guaranteed" Gramophone Magazine, Editor's Choice... |
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."... |
LEOS JANACEK
Janacek: Kata Kabanova (complete opera) Elisabeth Saderstram, Petr Dvorsky, Nedezda Kniplova, Vladimir Krejcik / Wiener Philharmoniker / Sir Charles Mackerras [ Decca Originals / 2 CD Box Set - released 11/Apr/2006 ] 1001 Classical recordings you must hear before you die (1901-1950) - "... Charles Mackerras's ... long knowledge of the score has flowered into the richest account of it he has yet given ... he draws wonderful playing from the Vienna Philharmonic." |
JANACEK
Jenufa (Complete opera in English) Elizabeth Vaughan; Nigel Robson; Dame Josephine Barstow / Orchestra and Chorus of Welsh National Opera. Sir Charles Mackerras [ Chandos / 2 CD - released 1/May/2004 ] "There are few opera composers whose language seems totally to defy time and remain as startlingly new and potent 100 years on. Janá?ek is one of them and his Jen<=fa of 1904 is as powerful today as it must have been a century ago. In the hands of... |
Elly Ameling / Kathleen Battle / Arleen Auger / Barbara Hendricks / Dawn Upshaw / Marie McLaughlin / Prague Chamber Orchestra / Sir Charles Mackerras
Divine Sopranos (music of Berlioz, Handel, Mahler, Vivaldi, Richard Strauss, etc) [ Telarc Classics / CD - released 11/Aug/2003 ] More than any other singer, the public has always been enticed by the scandals and mysteries that surround the diva. Because of this curiosity and genuine love for the soprano voice, there has always been a strong interest in the recordings. |
JOSEF HAYDN
Haydn: The 'London' Symphonies / The Seasons Elsie Morison, Alexander Young & Michael Langdon / Beecham Choral Society / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham [ Warner Classics Budget Boxes / 6 CD Box Set - released 25/Sep/2013 ] From the outset of his career, Sir Thomas Beecham gained a reputation for his groundbreaking interpretations of the symphonies of Joseph Haydn. This collection brings together Symphonies 93-104 - among them, the 'Surprise' and the 'Miracle' - as well... |
JOSEF HAYDN
Die Jahreszeiten (The Seasons) Elsie Morison (soprano) Alexander Young, Michael Langdon / Beecham Choral Society / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Sir Thomas Beecham [ EMI Gemini / 2 CD - released 12/Nov/2004 ] In 1798 Haydn's oratorio Die Schöpfung (The Creation) received its première; such was the enthusiasm that a sequel was duly requested. The subject was to be the four seasons of the year rather than the seven days of creation - which still allowed the... |
SIR ARTHUR BLISS
Bliss: the Beautitudes Emily Birsan (soprano), Ben Johnson (tenor), Sir Andrew Davis [ Chandos SACD / SACD - released 23/Feb/2018 ] Excelling in recordings of Delius, Elgar, and Holst, Sir Andrew Davis here presents a spirited programme of works by Sir Arthur Bliss. It follows a recording of Morning Heroes that made the top recommendations of 2015; likewise recorded in... |
HANDEL / CHARPENTIER / BARBER / RACHMANINOV / BRITTEN / MOZART / BEETHOVEN
Sacred Treasures Emma Kirkby, Veronique Gens, Janet Baker, Barbara Hendricks, Andrew Parrott, Riccardo Muti, Richard Hickox, Georges Prêtre, Michel Plasson, Sir Simon [ Erato / Warner Classics / 3 CD Box Set - released 24/Dec/2016 ] Three CDs of some of the greatest sacred choral and vocal works of the last three centuries. |
W.A. MOZART
Symphonies Nos. 28, 33, 36 (Linz), 38 (Prague) / Divertimenti Nos. 10 & 11 English Chamber Orchestra / Sir Colin Davis [ Decca Australian Eloquence / CD - released 1/Dec/2006 ] Sir Colin Davis and the English Chamber Orchestra made several Mozart recordings for L'Oiseau-Lyre. All five symphonies and both Divertimenti he recorded are collected here on a 2CD set (the Concertone is issued this month too). Crisp and tender,... |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Xerxes [Serse] (opera recorded 1988) English National Opera / Ann Murray, Lesley Garrett, Valerie Masterson / Sir Charles Mackerras [ Arthaus Musik DVD / DVD - released 7/Aug/2011 ] "a landmark in the reassessment of Handel's genius...Mackerras understood Handel's music intimately...Murray's Xerxes is unfailingly elegant, whether serenading a plant in the shadow of Roubiliac's statue of Handel, or pausing over a demitasse." |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Horn Concertos & Concert Rondo in E-flat Eric Ruske (horn) / Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Sir Charles Mackerras [ Telarc Classics / CD - released 12/Feb/2005 ] "The Young American horn player, Eric Ruske, is..very pleasing, producing a fine golden sound throughout. The recording captures Ruske's tone beautifully and is rich and spacious." - Gramophone |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Messiah [New Concert Edition by Sir Andrew Davis] Erin Wall, Elizabeth DeShong, Andrew Staples, John Relyea / Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis [ Chandos SACD / 2 Hybrid SACD - released 30/Jan/2017 ] "A performance I will return to often and with great pleasure." MusicWeb International, 13th December 2016 |
GIACOMO PUCCINI
Puccini: Le Willis (complete original production) Ermonela Jaho, Arsen Soghomonyan, Brian Mulligan / Opera Rara Chorus, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder [ Opera Rara / CD - released 25/Sep/2019 ] "The chorus and orchestra are both impressive, while conductor Mark Elder delivers a lively and loving account of the score" BBC Music Award Finalist 2020 |
R. STRAUSS
Elektra & Ariadne auf Naxos (Final Scenes) Erna Schlüter / Ljuba Welitsch / Maria Cebotari / Karl Friedrich / Margaret Field-Hyde / Royal Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra / Sir Thomas Beecham [ Naxos Historical Great Opera Recordings / CD - released 1/Aug/2011 ] For the recording of Elektra, Beecham was fortunate to be to able call upon the renowned interpreters of Strauss's music Erna Schlüter, Ljuba Welitsch and Paul Schöffler, who were appearing with the Vienna State Opera at the Royal Opera House, Covent... |
BUSH / MARTINU / MOZART / RIBBRA / etc
Evelyn Rothwell: 1911-2008 Evelyn Rothwell (oboe) / Halle Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli / etc [ Dutton Barbirolli Society / 2 CD - released 10/Feb/2011 ] This 2-CD set celebrates Evelyn Rothwell - Lady Barbirolli (1911-2008) and features rare recordings of her performing concertos and chamber works. |
MARCELLO / CORELLI / PERGOLESI / ALBINONI / HANDEL
Oboe Concertos Vol 1 Evelyn Rothwell (oboe) / Halle Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli / etc [ Dutton Barbirolli Society / CD - released 10/Feb/2011 ] |
GRIEG / RAVEL / STRAVINSKY / RICHARD STRAUSS / etc
Dances & Dreams: Gala from Berlin 2011 Evgeny Kissin (piano) / Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle [ Euroarts DVD / DVD - released 10/Sep/2013 ] "Where Rattle and company radiate love, Kissin gives us duty. Still, nothing else casts a chill. Hearing the orchestra's splendours, observing the smiles and eye contact, you'd never believe the past stories of turbulence between musicians and conductor." |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos 1 - 5 Evgeny Kissin (piano) / London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis [ Warner Classics / 3 CD Box Set - released 1/Nov/2008 ] "The technically brilliant Russian is often criticised for his dourly clinical playing, but his Barbican Beethoven series…displayed a playful, warmer performer, more ready to unbutton, as in the finale of the First, or in the friskiness of the Fifth"... |
ANDRZEJ PANUFNIK
Symphony No 9 / Piano Concerto Ewa Poblocka (piano) / London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Andrzej Panufnik [ RCA Catalyst / CD - released 22/Sep/2007 ] Originally released on Conifer in 1991, Sir Andrzej Panufnik's authoritative readings of his Symphony No. 9, "Sinfonia della Speranza" (1986-1990) and his Piano Concerto (1962, revised 1982) have been reissued here in RCA's Catalyst line. |