FRANZ LISZT
The Liszt Recital (recorded in Milan in May 2007) Daniel Barenboim (piano) [ Euroarts DVD / DVD - released 30/Nov/2007 ] Recorded live at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, 28 May 2007. |
WIDMANN / LISZT / SCHUBERT / WAGNER
Martha Argerich & Daniel Barenboim: Live from the BBC Proms 2016 BLU-RAY Daniel Barenboim (piano/conductor), Martha Argerich (piano) / West-Eastern Divan Orchestra [ EuroArts Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 28/Mar/2018 ] The Proms don't come more stellar than this! Daniel Barenboim and his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra would have comfortably filled the hall on their own, while Martha Argerich could have filled it three times over" - The Independent |
GIACOMO MEYERBEER
Meyerbeer: Grand Opera (Deluxe Packaging) Diana Damrau (soprano) / Orchestre et Choeur de l'Opéra National de Lyon, Emmanuel Villaume [ Erato Warner Classics / CD - released 6/May/2017 ] "The surprise of this disc is how much more than "grand opera" Meyerbeer actually has to offer...[Damrau] is adept at portraying a variety of characters and the Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Lyon under Emmanuel Villaume offers stylish support." |
RICHARD STRAUSS
Strauss, (R.): Vier Letzte Lieder, Op. 150 [Four Last Songs] / Lieder Diana Damrau (soprano) / Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mariss Jansons, with Helmut Deutsch (piano) [ Erato Classics / CD - released 31/Jan/2020 ] "For me, Strauss is one of the greatest composers," Diana Damrau has said. "The way he handles the soprano voice is a joy. And to be able to sing his music with my voice feels like coming home." |
ARLEN / BERNSTEIN / GERSHWIN / LOEWE / SONDHEIM
New Year's Eve Concert 2019 - An Evening with Broadway Melodies BLU-RAY Diana Damrau (soprano) / Berliner Philharmoniker [Berlin Philharmonic], Kirill Petrenko [ EuroArts Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 19/Jun/2020 ] "The Berliner Philharmoniker and Diana Damrau bring American sass and swing to the Silvesterkonzert" - Financial Times |
RICHARD STRAUSS / ALBAN BERG / MAURICE RAVEL / IGOR STRAVINSKY
Easter Festival Baden-Baden (recorded in 2018) BLU-RAY Elina Garanca (mezzo), Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle [ EuroArts Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 30/Nov/2018 ] At this concert performance from the Easter Festival in Baden-Baden, the Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle and the Latvian mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča performed music from the early 20th century. |
BIZET / FALLA / BERNSTEIN / RAVEL / LEHAR / etc
Elina Garanca: Habanera Elina Garanca (mezzo) with Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Coro Filarmonico del Regio di Torino, Karel Mark Chichon [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 30/Aug/2010 ] "Garanča's voice has been described as "creamy", "silken" and "lustrous" but it also has a surprisingly rounded maturity. What sets her apart, however, is the unteachable ability to send shivers down the spine." Editor's Choice - Gramophone Magazine,... |
ROBERT SCHUMANN / JOHANNES BRAHMS
Schumann & Brahms: Lieder Elīna Garanča (mezzo-soprano), Malcolm Martineau (piano) [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 6/Nov/2020 ] "The singing is undoubtedly impressive, the manner redolent of an age where opera and song were less clearly delineated." Gramophone |
W. A. MOZART
Elsa Dreisig - Mozart X 3 Elsa Dreisig (soprano), Basel Chamber Orchestra, Louis Langrée [ Erato / CD - released 28/Jan/2022 ] Elsa Dreisig credits Mozart with being the composer who first inspired her to become a professional singer. Now the French-Danish soprano pays him tribute with an album devoted entirely to arias from his operas. |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Dualità Emőke Baráth (soprano) / Ensemble Artaserse, Philippe Jaroussky [ Warner Classics / CD - released 18/Feb/2022 ] "She provides a sonic feast: rich bottom-register timbre, brilliant yet voluptuous top notes and a pure core that energises even her longest lines." BBC Music Opera Choice April 2022 |
BARBARA STROZZI / FRANCESCO CAVALLI / ANTONIO CESTI / BIAGIO MARINI / TARQUINIO MERULA
Emöke Baráth - Voglio cantar Emöke Baráth (soprano), Il Pomo d'Oro, Francesco Corti [ Erato Classics / CD - released 18/Jan/2019 ] "Not only is the voice intrinsically lovely, but Baráth brings a range of colour and nuance that show a grasp of both textual (so important in this repertoire) and musical syntax." Opera |
PUCCINI / BOITO / MASCAGNI / MASSENET / LEONCAVALLO / GIORDANO / VERDI
Ermonela Jaho: Anima Rara Ermonela Jaho (soprano), Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, Andrea Battistoni [ Opera Rara / CD - released 25/Sep/2020 ] GRAMOPHONE Award Nomination 2021 - Voice & Ensemble International Classical Music Awards 2021 Winner - Vocal Music |
ROBERT SCHUMANN
Schumann: Liederkreis, Op. 39 / Lieder und Gesänge aus Wilhelm Meister (with Mahler - Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen) Florian Boesch (baritone) Malcolm Martineau (piano) [ Linn / CD - released 20/Jan/2018 ] "Boesch's flexible and rich-grained baritone blends with the colourful support of Malcolm Martineau at the piano to offer splendidly characterised accounts of the Schumann…It's in the Mahler, though, that Boesch and Martineau reach new heights." BBC |
GIACOMO PUCCINI / GERORGES BIZET
Freddie De Tommaso: Il Tenore Freddie De Tommaso (tenor) / Philharmonia Orchestra, Paolo Arrivabeni, with Lise Davidsen (soprano), etc [ Decca Classics / CD - released 24/Jun/2022 ] "He starts with Tosca and proves a natural Puccinian, producing a steady stream of spun tone in 'Recondita armonia'…Better yet is Cavaradossi's 'E lucevan le stelle', as De Tommaso reveals himself as a master storyteller...it allows you to hear this |
J. S. BACH
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1 - 6 Freiburger Barockorchester, Gottfried von der Goltz [ EuroArts DVD / DVD - released 1/Aug/2006 ] "For Bach´s Brandenburg Concertos we got to Cöthen Palace, and find the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra in a lovely room, standing round in a semi-circle..the sense of pleasure the players radiate is strong." BBC Music Magazine |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Complete sonatas & variations for cello & piano Gautier Capucon (cello) Frank Braley (piano) [ Erato / Warner Classics / 2 CD - released 20/Mar/2019 ] "..the partnership is one of Classical balance, and the result is by turns poised, polished, intimate and exuberant…undeniably a class act" Gramophone |
ERNEST CHAUSSON / EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA / SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Hilary Hahn - Paris Hilary Hahn (violin) / Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Mikko Franck [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 12/Mar/2021 ] "I doubt whether [the Prokofiev] has ever been played 'better' than it is here. While others find additional pockets of charm and tenderness, few demonstrate Hahn's grip on the argument." GRAMOPHONE Award Nomination 2021 - Concerto |
ANDRE MATHIEU
André Mathieu: Concerto de Québec & Works for 2 Pianos Hélène Mercier, Alain Lefèvre (pianos) [ Warner Classics / CD - released 14/Feb/2020 ] Canadian pianist Alain Lefèvre has long championed the music of pianist-composer André Mathieu (1929-1968). As a child prodigy, Mathieu caused a sensation as 'the Canadian Mozart' in New York and Paris (where he studied with Yves Nat and Arthur... |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Violin Concerto & Symphony No. 6 'Pastoral' BLU-RAY Isabelle Faust (violin) / Berliner Philharmoniker, Bernard Haitink [ EuroArts Music Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 22/Sep/2016 ] "Faust makes light of the technical difficulties of Beethoven's sometimes awkwardly-written Violin Concerto." BBC Music Five Stars |
GERSHWIN / BARBER / BEACH / COLERIGDE-TAYLOR / COPLAND
Isata Kanneh-Mason - Summertime Isata Kanneh-Mason (piano) [ Decca / CD - released 6/Sep/2021 ] "'Summertime' indeed, from a profound and greatly gifted artist who radiates warmth, joy and much-needed musical sunshine." Gramophone Editor's Choice August 2021 |