LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven - Triple Concerto / Choral Fantasy Itzhak Perlman (violin) Daniel Barenboim (piano) Yo-Yo Ma (cello) / The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra [ EMI Classics / EuroArts DVD / DVD - released 1/Oct/2015 ] Itzhak Perlman is joined by fellow veteran Daniel Barenboim and Yo-Yo Ma in two great Beethoven works |
HENRYK CZYZ / TADEUSZ BAIRD / KAROL SZYMANOWSKI / etc
Farewells Jakub Józef Orliński (countertenor), Michał Biel (piano) [ Erato / CD - released 6/May/2022 ] "this is an extraordinarily wide programme, one equally shaped by the excellent pianist Michał Biel." BBC Music Magazine July 2022 Choral & Song Choice |
ZELENKA / FUX / de ALMEIDA / HANDEL / NUCCI / MANNA / PEREZ
Jakub Józef Orliński: Anima Aeterna Jakub Józef Orliński (countertenor), with Fatma Said (soprano), Il Pomo D'oro, Francesco Corti [ Erato / CD - released 29/Oct/2021 ] "An album that reinforces Orliński as one of the most striking young talents not just in countertenor singing but in Baroque music more broadly." Gramophone Editor's Choice Awards Issue 2021 |
ANTONIO VIVALDI
Vivaldi: Sonatas for violoncello & basso Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello), with Michael Behringer, Lee Santana, Christoph Dangel [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 7/Sep/2018 ] "If you wanted one takeaway headline for this recording then it would be its sense of intimacy and immediacy; a quality we can mostly put down to the easy, loving familiarity with which Queyras handles this repertoire." Gramophone |
MASSE / MEYERBEER / HALVEY / THOMAS / ADAM / etc
Jodie Devos - Bijoux Perdus Jodie Devos (soprano) / Brussels Philharmonic; Pierre Bleuse [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 23/Sep/2022 ] "Devos is again wonderful. Her warm voice comes flying out of the grooves, and one can sit back and just revel in it. The orchestra is idiomatically led by Pierre Bleuse. Alpha provides a warm and balanced acoustic." Fanfare |
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... |
FRANZ LISZT
Liszt: Freudvoll Und Leidvoll Jonas Kaufmann (tenor), Helmut Deutsch (piano) [ Sony Classical / CD - released 17/Sep/2021 ] "At its most larger-than-life, a thrilling recording not for the faint-hearted; but it's also a heart-on-sleeve reminder of Liszt's abiding versatility." BBC Music |
GIACOMO PUCCINI / AMILCARE PONCHIELLI / GIUSEPPE VERDI
Insieme - Opera Duets Jonas Kaufmann (tenor) / Ludovic Tezier (baritone) / Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Antonio Pappano, with Kristine Opolais [ Sony / CD/Book - released 7/Oct/2022 ] "Their voices fit like a glove here in the Don Carlos duet...Like Milnes and Domingo, they're quite close in timbre, so the bond of friendship seems especially strong." (Gramophone) |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Jonas Kaufmann - It's Christmas! - Extended Version Jonas Kaufmann (tenor) Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Jochen Rieder [ Sony Classical / 2 CD - released 29/Oct/2021 ] An extended Christmas album from Jonas Kaufmann, one of the world's most acclaimed and celebrated tenors. As ever, Kaufmann shows his versatility across 49 songs from around the world, covering an impressive variety of languages and musical styles... |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Joseph Calleja: Verdi Joseph Calleja (tenor), Vittorio Vitelli (baritone), Angela Gheorghiu (soprano) Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, Ramón Tebar [ Decca / CD - released 9/Feb/2018 ] "Any doubts about the most winning lyric "Italian" tenor since Pavarotti tackling this heavy Verdi repertoire are largely dispelled by the vitality of his sunny sound and the clarity of his diction." Sunday Times |
MONTEVERDI / SCARLATTI / HANDEL / MONARI
Kate Lindsey: Tiranno Kate Lindsey (soprano) / Arcangelo; Jonathan Cohen [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 20/Aug/2021 ] "This is perfect ground for Lindsey and Cohen, both extremely accomplished and transformative performers of Baroque music...Her extraordinary vocal evocations are complemented throughout by the subtle and inflected playing of the Arcangelo group" BBC |
CESAR FRANCK / TORU TAKEMITSU / MAURICE RAVEL / CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Identity: Franck,Takemitsu, Ravel, Debussy Kenji Miura (piano) [ Warner Classics / CD - released 18/Nov/2022 ] The Japanese-born pianist Kenji Miura, winner of the 2019 Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition in Paris, ponders on the issue of identity, combining music of the French school with two pieces by Toru Takemitsu, a Japanese composer strongly influenced by... |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
The King's Singers - When You Wish Upon a Star: 100 Years of Disney Songs The King's Singers, with Joyce DiDonato (mezzo), Pene Pati (tenor), Pene Pati (tenor), Edgar Moreau (cello), Lucienne Renaudin Vary (trumpet) [ Warner Classics / CD - released 28/Apr/2023 ] Featuring songs from Disney's most iconic animated films from every decade, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in 1937 through the hits of 2020 |
EDVARD GRIEG
Grieg Lise Davidsen (soprano), Leif Ove Andsnes (piano) [ Decca / CD - released 18/Feb/2022 ] 'This is the outstanding Lise Davidsen recording many of us who've experienced the phenomenon live have been waiting for...The partnership with Leif Ove Andsnes doubles the pleasure.' BBC Music - Choral & Song Choice Feb 2022 |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN / RICHARD WAGNER / GIUSEPPE VERDI
Lise Davidsen: Beethoven - Wagner - Verdi Lise Davidsen (soprano) / London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder [ Decca / CD - released 16/Apr/2021 ] GRAMOPHONE Award Nomination 2021 - Voice & Ensemble |
RAVEL / MESSIAEN / DEBUSSY / VIARDOT etc
French Songs: "Chère Nuit" Louise Alder (soprano), Joseph Middleton (piano) [ Chandos / CD - released 4/Jun/2021 ] 'Here's a peach of a recital disc, wonderfully programmed...At piano and pianissimo, Alder's soprano possesses a lovely range of pastel colours.' Gramophone Editor's Choice June 2021 |
STRAUSS / BERG / SCHOENBERG
Longing. Lieder by Strauss, Berg, Schoenberg Lucy Crowe; Anna Tilbrook [ Linn Records / CD - released 27/Aug/2021 ] Lucy Crowe makes her Linn recital debut with a programme of lieder by Berg, Richard Strauss and Schoenberg, which perfectly highlights why she is known as one of the leading lyric sopranos of her generation. Lucy is joined by pianist Anna Tilbrook,... |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL & OTHERS
Handel's Queens Lucy Crowe, Mary Bevan / London Early Opera, Bridget Cunningham [ Signum / 2 CD - released 19/Jul/2019 ] "This soundly made programme is both pleasing and intriguing." Gramophone Awards 2020 Short List - Recital |
BELA BARTOK / JOHANNES BRAHMS / MODEST MUSSORGSKY
Magdalena Kožená - Nostalgia Magdalena Kožená (mezzo-soprano) Yefim Bronfman (piano) [ Pentatone / CD - released 10/Sep/2021 ] "The Czech mezzo is in prime form in songs that could have been written for her. She catches every mood and inflection with spontaneous immediacy." Gramophone Award Finalist 2022 - Song |
CHRISTOPH GLUCK / W. A. MOZART / JOSEF MYSLIVECEK
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Magdalena Kozena - Le Belle Immagini Magdalena Kozena (soprano) / Prague Philharmonia / Michel Swierczewski [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 7/Feb/2002 ] "With good support from orchestra and conductor this is a disc which should be bought even by those who resist hype on principle." - MusicWeb Feb 2005 |