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SEBASTIAN FAGERLUND
Fagerlund: Höstsonaten (Autumn Sonata), an opera Finnish National Opera Chorus, Anne Sofie von Otter, Tommi Hakala, Helena Juntunen, Finnish National Opera Orchestra [ BIS / CD - released 28/Sep/2018 ] Sebastian Fagerlund has made a name for himself primarily through his concertos and orchestral works. As demonstrated on previous recordings, his music displays a huge range of colours and an uncommon rhythmic vitality, as well as a sure feel for... |
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ERICH KORNGOLD
Korngold: Die Tote Stadt, Op. 12 (complete opera recorded in 2010) Finnish National Opera / Klaus Florian Vogt, Camilla Nylund, Markus Eiche, Sari Nordqvist / Mikko Franck (conductor) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 25/Nov/2013 ] "Holten's surreal evocation of Bruges, the dead city of the title, is wonderfully creepy...Vogt excels as the wild-eyed, obsessive Paul, desperately trying to make over Camilla Nylund's slutty Marietta in saintly Marie's image. Mikko Franck's conduct |
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EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA
Rasputin (Complete opera) Finnish National Opera / Matti Salminen / Lillia Paasilivi / Jorma Hynninen / Jyrki Anttila / MIkko Franck (cond) [ Ondine DVD / DVD - released 4/Apr/2006 ] G :- "This is a grand show." [10/10 for performances and sound Classics Today] |
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KANTELINEN
The Snow Queen: Ballet Suite Finnish National Opera Orchestra, Tuomas Kantelinen [ Ondine / CD - released 15/Jan/2014 ] The Snow Queen was a hit with the Finnish National Ballet - for this timeless tale, Kantelinen created a musical score that is at once nostalgic and easily accessible. |
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HOLST
'The Perfect Fool', Op. 39 / The Golden Goose, Op. 45 No 1 / The Morning of the Year, Op. 45 No. 2 Joyful Company of Singers & BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Richard Hickox [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 1/Jan/2009 ] "Holst's distinctive sound is carefully manicured in this recording; the rapid "mercurial" passages of string-and wind-writing of The Perfect Fool are delivered with exemplary crispness and vitality…" Disc of the Month Gramophone Magazine, Feb 2009 |
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Various Composers
Ferrum Splendidum Florian Sempey (baritone), Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Chœur de l'Opéra National de Bordeaux, Victor Jacob [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 15/Nov/2024 ] Following his Rossini recital (Alpha 791), Florian Sempey shares another of his passions: his enthusiasm for the world of knights and medieval narrative. |
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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 |
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PROKOFIEV / RAVEL
Piano Concertos (plus Schlime - 3 Improvisations) Francesco Tristano Schlime (piano) / Russian National Orchestra / Mikhail Pletnev [ Pentatone SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 18/Apr/2006 ] "A shining new talent forces you to listen to these concertos anew. If you can judge a pupil by his teachers, Schlimé comes with the highest pedigree, counting Mikhail Pletnev as his tutor. It is the Russian who conducts him here and his faith is... |
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RAVEL
The Very Best of Ravel Francois-Joel Thiollier (Piano) / Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra / Antoni Wit (Conductor) / Howard Zhang (Violin) [ Naxos / 2 CD - released 9/May/2006 ] Maurice Ravel was one of the most important French composers in the early twentieth century and developed his own musical idiom through the combination of French and Spanish influences. The 2 CD set contains selections of the most frequently... |
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From the National Gallery, London
Exhibition on Screen: Vermeer and music - the Art of Love and Leisure [ Seventh Art Productions DVD / DVD - released 10/Feb/2015 ] Johannes Vermeer is a fascinating painter whose life and works are explored here in amazing detail. Filmed in London's National Gallery, New York's Met and other galleries in the USA and the Netherlands, this stunning film delves into a breath-taking... |
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GARRETT SCHUMANN / YANIV SEGAL / GABRIEL PROKOFIEV
Beethoven Reimagined Gabriel Prokofiev (electronics), BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Yaniv Segal [ Naxos / CD - released 27/Mar/2020 ] " the two main works on the disc make this a must for adventurous Beethovenians …" CD Choice (UK) |
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JOSEF HAYDN
Haydn: The Seasons (1801) Carolyn Sampson (sop) Jeremy Ovenden (ten) / Gabrieli Consort & Players, National Forum of Music Choir, Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra, Paul McCreesh (cond [ Signum / 2 CD Box Set - released 24/Mar/2017 ] "McCreesh and his massed Anglo-Polish forces have given us a Seasons that thrillingly catches both the work's bucolic exhilaration and its invocations of the sublime..for sheer sonic splendour it's in a class of its own" Gramophone Award Nomination |
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GRIEG / BARBER / MORRICONE / DVORAK / PROKOFIEV / etc
Gautier Capuçon: Sensations Gautier Capuçon (cello) Jerome Ducros (piano) / Orchestre national de Bretagne, Johanna Malangré [ Erato Classics / CD - released 18/Nov/2022 ] The follow-up to Intuition (2018) and Emotions (2020), Sensations is a collection of 20 peices from cellist extraordinaire Gautier Capuçon, working alongside regular arranger and pianist Jerome Ducros. Remarkably, Capuçon sounds every bit as... |
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GRACE WILLIAMS
Grace Williams: Violin Concerto / Elegy for String Orchestra / Sinfonia concertante for Piano & Orchestra Geneva Lewis (violin), Clare Hammond (piano) / BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Jaime Martín, Jac van Steen [ Lyrita / CD - released 7/Nov/2025 ] "This collection opens magically as New Zealand-American rising star Geneva Lewis brings the Violin Concerto to life with lyrical ardour in dialogue with a gently supportive orchestra as if she were singing out over the sea" Gramophone Award Finalist |
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LISZT / CHOPIN / BEETHOVEN / MENDELSSOHN / SCHUBERT / SCHUMANN / etc
Georges Cziffra - The Complete Studio Recordings 1956 - 1986 Georges Cziffra (piano) with The Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de l'Opera de Monte Carlo, Philhamonia Orchestra, etc [ Erato / Warner Classics / 41 CD Box Set - released 29/Oct/2021 ] The present boxed set brings together all the studio recordings made by the virtuoso pianist Georges Cziffra (1921-1994) for EMI and Philips, from his first 25cm LP released in 1956 when he arrived in Paris, to the last sessions in the Senlis chapel. |
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HECTOR BERLIOZ
Berlioz: Lelio, ou Le Retour a la vie / Helene / etc Sune Hjerrild, Gert Henning Jensen (tenors) Jean-Philippe Lafont (baritone) Danish National Choir & Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard [ Chandos / CD - released 20/Jun/2007 ] The Danish National Symphony Orchestra adds to its large discography on Chandos with this unique coupling Of all the major works of Hector Berlioz, the monodrama Lélio, part II of the Symphonie Fantastique is surprisingly one of the least known... |
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THEA MUSGRAVE
Concerto for Orchestra / Clarinet Concerto / Horn Concerto / Monologue / Excursions Gervase de Peyer (clarinet) Barry Tuckwell (horn) Thea Musgrave, Malcolm Williamson (pianos) / London Symphony / Scottish National / Alexander Gibson, [ Lyrita / CD - released 1/Aug/2007 ] Like many composers of her generation in Britain - the generation that first began to attract notice in the middle 1950s - Thea Musgrave came of age musically in that 'rite of passage' which involved acknowledging the primary importance of Bartók and... |
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ALEXANDER GLAZUNOV
The Best Of Glazunov Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Ilya Kale (violin), POlish National Radio Symphony Orchestra [ Naxos / CD - released 1/Jan/2001 ] Glazunov, a pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov, received encouragement also from Belyayev, an influential patron and publisher whose activities succeeded and largely replaced the earlier efforts of Balakirev to inspire the creation of national Russian music.... |
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SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 4 / Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini Bernd Glemser (piano) / Polish National Radio Symphony, Antoni Wit [ Naxos / CD - released 26/Jul/1999 ] "Glemser has a bold impetuous way with Rachmaninov...he generates plenty of excitement and expressive fervour in all three works" Penguin Guide |