GIUSEPPE VERDI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Verdi: Il Trovatore (highlights) Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Marilyn Horne, Ingvar Wixell, Nicolai Ghiaurov / National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge [ Decca / CD - released 10/Apr/1988 ] Highlights from the original recording from 1977 |
GILBERT AND SULLIVAN
G & S: The Pirates of Penzance (complete operetta) John Mark Ainsley, Rebecca Evans, Donald Adams, Richard Suart / Richard Suart / Orchestra & Chorus of Welsh National Opera, Charles Mackerras [ Telarc Records / CD - released 1/Jan/2007 ] "Sir Charles Mackerras directs a riveting performance with an exceptional cast. The numbers race along without any dragging tempos - witness the Pirate Kings song and 'How beautifully blue the sky'." Mel@Marbecks |
VANGELIS / MORRICONE / PORTMAN / ROTA / RODGERS / etc
The Sound of Movies Jonas Kaufmann (tenor), Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Jochen Rieder [ Sony Classical / CD - released 15/Sep/2023 ] Great songs from classic movies have been a passion of Jonas Kaufmann throughout his life, and his new album celebrates that with almost a century of unforgettable movie songs that have thrilled global audiences and includes hit songs from classic... |
KARL JENKINS
Jenkins: The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace National Youth Choir of Great Britain, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Karl Jenkins [ Decca / CD - released 25/May/2019 ] The result of a special millennial commission from the Royal Armouries and the latest in a six century old tradition of "Armed Man" masses that take the fifteenth century French song "L'Homme Armé" as their starting point. |
BRITTEN / AUBER / BURGMULLER / DRIGO / MASSENET / ROSSINI / etc
The Art of the Prima Ballerina [2 CD set] London Symphony Orchestra, National Philharmonic / Richard Bonynge [ Decca Australian Eloquence / 2 CD - released 15/Dec/2013 ] "[Bonynge] has a nice sense of rubato, and plenty of verve when this is called for. … The recording is extremely vivid" Gramophone Magazine |
HERRMANN / NEWMAN / KORNGOLD / TIOMKIN / ROZSA / WAXMAN
Charles Gerhardt conducts Classic Film Scores National Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Gerhardt, with Kiri te Kanawa (soprano) & Norma Procter (contralto) [ RCA Red Seal / Sony music Masters / 12 CD Box Set - released 13/Mar/2020 ] In the 1970s, the Classic Film Scores series introduced a new generation to the sumptuous sound of music in Hollywood's "Golden Age." |
PYOTR TCHAIKOVSKY / JACQUES OFFENBACH
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker / Offenbach: Le Papillon (Complete Ballets) National Philharmonic Orchestra / London SymphonyOrchestra / Richard Bonynge [ Double Decca / 2 CD - released 1/Jan/2001 ] "Richard Bonynge has the feel of this music (Nutcracker) in his bones, and gives a warmly expressive performance...he plays the 'Divertissement' with splendid panache, and he is very good indeed in the Valse des Fleurs" Gramophone |
RICHARD STRAUSS
Strauss, (R.): Ein Heldenleben / Macbeth National Symphony Orchestra Of Ireland, Gerhard Markson [ Naxos / CD - released 1/Jan/2010 ] "Markson gets his Irish orchestra to deliver a rousing performance." ClassicsToday |
BIZET / CHABRIER / TCHAIKOVSKY / IBERT / DELIBES / POULENC / etc
Roger Desormiere - The Decca Recordings National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire de Paris, Roger Desormiere, with Janine Micheau, soprano [ Decca Australian Eloquence / 4 CD Box Set - released 5/Jun/2020 ] A landmark tribute to Roger Désormière, a great French conductor of the mid-twentieth century, including many recordings new to CD. |
The National
Boxer [ Beggars Banquet Records / CD - released 29/May/2007 ] "A band on top of its game, resulting in a startling masterpiece on par with 'Turn On The Bright Lights', 'Bows and Arrows', or any other austere tribute to urban alienation you care to name."- Stylus Magazine (10/10). |
The National
Cherry Tree EP (12") [ 4AD / 12in - released 26/Feb/2021 ] 2021 re-mastered repress. Released a year before The National broke through with their third album Alligator, 2004's Cherry Tree EP is a thrilling record which - thanks to its collection of delicate ballads and anthemic crowd-pleasers - sums up what... |
The National
First Two Pages Of Frankenstein (LP) [ 4AD / LP - released 28/Apr/2023 ] First Two Pages of Frankenstein is The National's ninth studio album. This 11-song collection signals a new chapter in the band's discography. Anchored by evocative melodies and an enthralling lyrical narrative, First Two Pages of Frankenstein finds... |
The National
High Violet [ 4AD Records / CD - released 10/May/2010 ] A melodic, explosive and beautiful set of songs that find The National at the height of their collaborative career! 'High Violet' features guests Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Sufjan Stevens & Richard Reed Parry (Arcade Fire), amongst others. 'High... |
The National
High Violet (Double LP) [ 4AD LP / 2 LP - released 10/May/2010 ] High Violet is the highly anticipated follow up to 2007's Boxer. Singer Matt Berninger said of the album in an interview: "I don't think it sounds anything like Alligator, but it's less restrained than Boxer, that's for sure. I don't quite scream my... |
The National
Laugh Track [ 4AD / CD - released 17/Nov/2023 ] The surprise companion to The National's April release First Two Pages of Frankenstein, Laugh Track is the band's most freewheeling, all-hands-on-deck album in years. If Frankenstein represented a rebuilding of trust between group members after 20+... |
The National
Laugh Track (Limited Edition LP) [ 4AD / 2 LP - released 17/Nov/2023 ] Pink vinyl LP. The surprise companion to The National's April release First Two Pages of Frankenstein, Laugh Track is the band's most freewheeling, all-hands-on-deck album in years. If Frankenstein represented a rebuilding of trust between group... |
The National
Laugh Track (LP) [ 4AD / 2 LP - released 17/Nov/2023 ] The surprise companion to The National's April release First Two Pages of Frankenstein, Laugh Track is the band's most freewheeling, all-hands-on-deck album in years. If Frankenstein represented a rebuilding of trust between group members after 20+... |
CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS
Saint-Saëns: Complete Symphonies Olivier Latry (organ) / Orchestre National de France, Cristian Mǎcelaru [ Warner Classics / 2 CD - released 26/Nov/2021 ] In a release that marks the centenary of Camille Saint-Saëns' death in December 1921, the Orchestre National de France, conducted by its music director Cristian Măcelaru, performs the composer's five symphonies. |
FERDINAND HEROLD / CHARLES LECOCQ
Herold: La Fille Mal Gardee / Lecocq: Mam'zelle Angot (Complete Ballets) Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, John Lanchbery / National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge [ Decca Australian Eloquence / 2 CD - released 20/May/2007 ] "Here, with sound of spectacular Decca digital fidelity, Lanchbery conducts a highly seductive account of the complete ballet with an orchestra long familiar with playing it in the theatre." (Rosette Penguin Stereo Guide) |
DARIUS MILHAUD
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Milhaud - Le Creation du monde / etc Orchestre National de France, Leonard Bernstein [ EMI Classics / CD - released 19/Aug/1998 ] "Simply superb recordings of Milhaud dance scores conducted by Leonard Bernstein" MusicWeb |