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MODEST MUSSORGSKY
Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov (complete opera recorded in 1991) Ruggero Raimondi (Boris Godunov), Paul Plishka, Kenneth Riegel, Nicolai Gedda, Galina Vishneyevskaya / National Symphony Orchestra, Mstislav Rostropov [ Erato / Warner Classics Home of Opera / 3 CD Box Set - released 20/Aug/2018 ] "Ruggero Raimondi's Boris is sung firmly and lyrically. He responds to the elegance to be found in Mussorgsky's brief, speech-inflected phrases, and some scenes, notably his final exchanges with his son, are movingly done." (Gramophone) |
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STEPHEN ALBERT
RiverRun / Symphony No. 2 Russian Philharmonic Orchestra / Paul Polivnick [ Naxos American Classics / CD - released 18/Apr/2007 ] Stephen Albert’s music is at once traditional and contemporary, lyrical yet powerful and dynamic. He drew inspiration from the rich orchestral palettes of composers such as Stravinsky and Bartók, but his musical language is very much his own. |
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WILLIAM WALLACE
Lurline (complete opera) Sally Silver, Paul Ferris, Fiona Janes, Keith Lewis / Victorian Opera Chorus & Orchestra / Richard Bonynge (Conductor) [ Naxos Opera / 2 CD - released 20/Jun/2010 ] Stylistically a German opera much indebted to Weber and Mendelssohn, with a passing knowledge of Wagner. That is then diluted to make it a pleasingly melodic opera and forerunner of the Gilbert and Sullivan era. |
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SAMUEL BECKETT
Beckett: Stirrings Still Trevor Baca, Jack Quartet, Paul Griffiths [ ECM New Series / CD - released 4/Sep/2026 ] Stirrings Still was Samuel Beckett's last message in prose, completed in 1987, and first published the following year. More monologue than story, it comes from a narrator on the edge between life and what lies beyond, which might be a vast wheatfield... |
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PARRY / SOMMERVELL / STANFORD
A Century of English Song Volume 2 Sarah Leonard Soprano, Paul Leonard Baritone, Malcom Martineau Piano [ Somm / CD - released 2/Oct/2002 ] This CD is devoted to Parry, Somervell, and Stanford, three of the greatest songwriters of the Late-Victorian Renaissance. Parry is considered to be a very fine composer indeed, and this collection includes some of the best of his songs. The Stanford... |
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EUGÈNE YSAŸE
Eugène Ysaÿe - Violin Discoveries Sherban Lupu (violin), Henri Bonamy (piano) / Liepaja Symphony Orchestra, Paul Mann (cond) [ Divine Art Records / CD - released 8/Oct/2021 ] Belgian violinist, conductor and composer Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931) has been recognized as one of the greatest violin virtuosos of the 19th and early 20th centuries; regarded as the "King of the Violin" by Nathan Milstein, his legacy has inspired... |
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BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Music For Winds Shifrin, Paul Wonjin Cho, Morelli, Olegario, Purvis, L. Hunt [ Naxos / CD - released 1/Nov/2019 ] Music for wind ensemble was a regular part of entertainment in Beethoven's day, and his Octet was composed for the skilled players in the service of his patron, the Archbishop-Elector in Bonn. The charming and skilfully written Sextet is also 'from... |
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KODALY / DOHNANYI
Kodály & Dohnányi: Chamber Works for Strings Simon Smith (violin), Clare Hayes (violin), Paul Silverthorne (viola) & Katherine Jenkinson (cello) [ Resonus Classics / CD - released 17/Mar/2017 ] Following on from his acclaimed Resonus debut of solo works by Bartók and Kurtág (Signs, Games & Messages - RES10167), virtuoso violinist Simon Smith returns to the label with an enticing programme of chamber works for strings by Zoltán Kodály and... |
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PURCELL
Hail Bright Cecilia / Come ye Sons of Art / Funeral Sentences for the death of Queen Mary Jennifer Smith, Ashley Stafford, Brian Gordon, Paul Elliott, Stephen Varcoe / Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Orchestra, John Elliot Gardiner [ Erato Veritas / 2 CD - released 1/Mar/2015 ] *** Three Stars (Penguin Stereo Guide) |
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EDWARD GREGSON
Gregson: Instrumental Music Soloists from the BBC Philharmonic and Hallé Orchestras, Paul Janes [ Naxos / CD - released 9/Apr/2021 ] Edward Gregson's career has followed two parallel paths, one to the top tier of music education and the other towards the international reputation he now enjoys as a composer. This representative selection is Gregson's own and spans more than half a... |
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VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Epiphany at St Paul's St Paul's Cathedral Choir, Huw Williams (organ), John Scott (conductor) [ Hyperion Helios / CD - released 10/Oct/2011 ] 'Hurrah for John Scott and St Paul's, who with this wonderful CD remind all how glorious the Epiphany repertoire is. Let us rejoice at the richness of this programme' (Organists' Review) |
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WILLIAM CROFT
Te Deum & Burial Service St Paul's Cathedral Choir / The Parley of Instruments / John Scott (director) [ Hyperion Helios / CD - released 4/Oct/2005 ] 'This is choral singing of the highest quality' - Choir & Organ |
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RACHMANINOV / PROKOFIEV
Cello sonatas Julian Steckel (cello) & Paul Rivinius (piano) [ Oehms Classics / CD - released 1/Apr/2013 ] Julian Steckel won first prize at the international ARD competition in 2010 where he also won the audience prize |
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MICHAEL WILLIAMS / ALAN RIACH
The Prodigal Child - A Chamber Opera Stephanie Acraman / Joanne Cole-Rosser / Paul Whelan / Ogen Plus [ Atoll Records New Zealand / CD - released 1/Sep/2006 ] Michael Williams' chamber opera in three scenes to a libretto by Alan Riach explores three souls in crisis - the setting is New Zealand but the story is universal. |
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ROBIN STEVENS
Stevens: Orchestral Music Vol. 3 Katherine Bryan (flute), Paul Silverthorne (viola), Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Paul Mann (conductor) [ Toccata Classics / CD - released 3/Jul/2026 ] The compositional career of Robin Stevens (1958-2026), Welsh-born and Manchester-based, was divided into two periods, separated by a period of illness. The first produced mainly chamber music and works for the church that employed him; restored to... |
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TARIK O'REGAN
Acallam na Senorach (Tales of the Elders) Stewart French (guitar) / National Chamber Choir of Ireland, Paul Hillier [ Harmonia Mundi SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 12/Dec/2011 ] "Led by Paul Hillier, the National Chamber Choir of Ireland negotiates dissonance and harmony with drama and nobility, never endangering the piece through pomposity - a delicate balance aided by the sparseness of the guitar." (The Independent) |
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BRITTEN
Choral Edition Vol. 2 - Missa Brevis / Ceremony of Carols / Festival Te Deum Susan Drake (harp) / Andrew Lumsden (organ) / The Finzi Singers / Paul Spicer [ Chandos Classics / CD - released 20/Feb/2011 ] Finzi Singers, Paul Spicer |
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BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Britten: War Requiem 1962 Susan Gritton, John Mark Ainsley, Christopher Maltman / Wroclaw Philharmonic Choir, Paul McCreesh [ Signum / 2 CD - released 6/Sep/2013 ] BBC Music Magazine Awards 2014 - Choral WINNER |
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BOCCHERINI / D'ASTORGA
Stabat Mater Susan Gritton (soprano), Sarah Fox (soprano), Paul Agnew (tenor) / The King's Consort, Robert King (conductor) [ Hyperion Helios / CD - released 10/Mar/2015 ] Boccherini wrote very little vocal music; however he left two settings of the Stabat mater. It was first set in 1781 for solo soprano and strings and then in 1800 for two sopranos and tenor, obviously influenced by the hugely-popular Pergolesi Stabat... |
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GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Theodora (Complete Oratorio) Susan Gritton, Susan Bickley, Robin Blaze, Paul Agnew / Gabrieli Consort, Paul McCreesh [ Archiv / 3 CD Box Set - released 14/Aug/2000 ] 1001 Classical recordings to hear before you die (1700-1760) - 2001 GRAMOPHONE AWARD FINALIST - Baroque Vocal |