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DONIZETTI / GOUNOD / MASSENET / PUCCINI / etc
Beloved Arias Liparit Avetisyan (tenor), Constantine Orbelian (conductor), Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra [ Delos / CD - released 20/Jun/2025 ] Acknowledged as one of the most exciting lyric tenors of his generation, Liparit Avetisyan releases his first solo album on Delos: a crowd-pleasing programme of celebrated arias which the Armenian has performed in major opera houses including the... |
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GEORGE DYSON
Dyson: Symphony in G / Overture, At the Tabard Inn / In Honour of the City London Symphony Chorus / City of London Sinfonia / London Symphony Orchestra / Richard Hickox, conductor [ Chandos Classics / CD - released 3/May/2005 ] 'This is a very fine recording, beautifully set in the glowing acoustic of the Blackheath Hall.' - Gramophone on In Honour of the City and At the Tabard Inn |
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FERRUCCIO BUSONI
Busoni: Piano Concerto in C major Op 39 Marc-Andre Hamelin (piano) / City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Mark Elder (conductor) [ Hyperion Romantic Piano Concertos / CD - released 4/Feb/2002 ] 1001 Classical recordings you must hear before you die (1901-1950) |
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PROKOFIEV
Prokofiev (incls Violin Concerto No.1 in D & Symphony No.1 in D Op.25) Martha Argerich, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Michel Baroff / City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal [ Warner Classics 20th Century Classics / 2 CD - released 20/Jul/2008 ] "Rattle's...is a pretty stunning Scythian Suite, combining foundation-threatening pagan spectacle and heart-stopping beauty in ideal equilibrium. A terrific display, excitingly engineered" (Gramophone on the Synthian Suite) |
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FRANZ SCHUBERT
Schubert Symphonies Vol.4: No.9 & Orchestral Songs Mary Bevan (soprano) / City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 14/Mar/2025 ] Edward Gardner's Schubert cycle concludes with the 'Great' Symphony no.9 in C major. Having (remarkably) composed a symphony a year between 1813 and 1818, the onset of syphilis and its intrusive treatment seemed to shake the composer's confidence as... |
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MENDELSSOHN
Mendelssohn in Birmingham - Volume 3 [Incls Symphony No. 2 'Lobgesang''] Mary Bevan (soprano I), Sophie Bevan (soprano II) & Benjamin Hulett (tenor) / City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 1/Feb/2015 ] "The playing of the CBSO is of the highest quality, and the perfectly balanced and blended sound of the wind sections is something very special. It is all so well rendered by the engineers; they have successfully preserved the feeling of spaciousness |
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WEBER
Clarinet Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 & Concertino Michael Collins (clarinet & conductor) / City of London Sinfonia [ Chandos Classics / CD - released 1/Dec/2011 ] On this disc, the exclusive Chandos artist, Michael Collins, plays the clarinet in three works for clarinet and orchestra by Weber, as well as conducting the City of London Sinfonia. The disc also includes Weber's horn concertino, featuring the... |
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New Lost City Ramblers
Songs from the Depression [ Smithsonian Folkways / CD - released 21/Sep/2009 ] NLCR are Mike Seeger, John Cohen, and Tom Paley. They are a contemporary old-time string band that formed in New York City in 1958 during the Folk Revival and focus on traditional playing styles. |
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TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71 (complete ballet recorded December 14, 2011) New York City Ballet / Megan Fairchild, Joaquin De Luz, Teresa Reichlen, Daniel Ulbricht [ C Major DVD / DVD - released 10/Nov/2016 ] Choreography - George Balanchine Experience the wonder of New York City Ballet's iconic holiday classic on the big screen. In George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky's beloved melodies transport the young and young at heart to a magical... |
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PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71 (complete ballet recorded December 14, 2011) BLU-RAY New York City Ballet / Megan Fairchild, Joaquin De Luz, Teresa Reichlen, Daniel Ulbricht [ C Major Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 10/Nov/2016 ] "this is a production that is bright and colourful, with constant activity to divert and delight the eye. Indeed, according to those booklet notes, NYCB's entire roster of more than 150 dancers and musicians is deployed, which isn't counting a plenti |
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GOUNOD / RAVEL / BIZET
New York City Ballet in Paris BLU-RAY New York City Ballet, Orchestre Prométhée, Daniel Capps [ Bel Air Classiques Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 10/May/2017 ] The New York City Ballet, with its collection of extraordinary dancers and its unique repertoire, is one of the most prestigious dance companies in the world. This exceptional production, performed in Paris after eight years of absence, revolves... |
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SIBELIUS
Symphonies 1-7 / Night Ride and Sunrise / Scene with Cranes / The Oceanides City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Philharmonia Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle [ Warner Classics / 4 CD Box Set - released 10/Jan/2015 ] The legendary partnership of Simon Rattle and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra bears fruit in this definitive collection of the complete symphonies of Jean Sibelius. Rattle's powerful interpretations of these seminal works - the core of... |
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SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos / Piano Works / Symphonies / Orchestral Works Nikolai Lugansky (piano) Alexander Kniazev (cello) / City of Birmingham Symphony, Sakari Oramo / London Symphony, Andre Previn [ Warner Classics / 8 CD Box Set - released 1/Mar/2017 ] "…a glorious example of Russian romantic virtuosity" Gramophone |
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JONATHAN LESHNOFF
Leshnoff: Elegy / Violin Concerto No. 2 / Of Thee I Sing Noah Bendix-Balgley (violin) / Canterbury Voices / Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Alexander Mickelthwate [ Naxos / CD - released 21/Apr/2023 ] "Leshnoff's music is given the high level of performances and recorded sound it merits, making this a release I am happy to recommend with enthusiasm" Fanfare |
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BERLIOZ / IBERT / MASSENET / POULENC / WALTON / OFFENBACH / etc
Louis Fremaux: The complete C.B.S.O. recordings Norma Burrows, Jill Gomez, David Hughes, John Ogdon, Cristina Ortiz, etc / City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Louis Frémaux [ Warner Classics Icon / 12 CD Box Set - released 22/Apr/2017 ] This 12-CD set assembles, for the first time, all the recordings that the French conductor Louis Frémaux made (for EMI) with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra during his tenure as its Principal Conductor (1969-1978). These recordings helped... |
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LEONARD BERNSTEIN
The Sound of Leonard Bernstein Wayne Marshall (piano) London Sinfonietta, Bournemouth Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony / Simon Rattle, André Previn, Paavo Järvi, Andrew Litton [ Warner Classics / 3 CD - released 30/Mar/2018 ] "The recordings are good or very good throughout - all digital in provenance...I don't think many purchasers would regret buying this CD." (MusicWeb) |
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IGOR STRAVINSKY
Stravinsky (Incls 'Le Sacra du Printemps', 'Petrushka' & 'L'Oiseau de feu') Peter Donohoe (piano) / City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Simon Rattle [ EMI 20th Century Classics / 2 CD - released 20/Jul/2008 ] "As ever with Rattle, it's the immense trust he places in the composer's handiwork, the care he exercises in matters of balance and dynamic shading, harmonic context and so on, that pays the dividends." (Gramophone on The Firebird) |
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BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Britten: Death in Venice (complete opera) Philip Langridge (tenor) Alan Opie (baritone) Michael Chance (counter-tenor) / BBC Singers / City of London Sinfonia / Richard Hickox, conductor [ Chandos Classics / 2 CD - released 6/Mar/2005 ] "A vivid portrayal from Langridge and Hickox on top form does Britten proud" Editor's Choice Gramophone Magazine (May 2005) |
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SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Rachmaninov: All-night Vigil [Vespers], Op. 37 Phoenix Chorale & Kansas City Chorale, Charles Bruffy [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 2/Mar/2015 ] 2016 Grammy Award WINNER - Best choral recording |
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JOHN RUTTER
Rutter: Christmas Music Polyphony / City of London Sinfonia / Stephen Layton [ Hyperion / CD - released 15/Oct/2001 ] "A christmas treat for fans of Rutter's choral music, perhaps best taken in small doses." - Gramophone Magazine (Dec 2001) |