GILBERT and SULLIVAN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Gilbert & Sullivan: Princess Ida Ambrosian Opera Chorus with Frank Gorshin, Nan Christie, Laurence Dale, Anne Collins & others [ BBC / Umbrella DVD / DVD - released 10/Aug/2014 ] Music by the London Symphony Orchestra, the Ambrosian Opera Chorus and a host of stars including Frank Gorshin, Bernard Dickerson, Anne Collins and Claire Powell. 114 minutes. For more than 100 years the operas of Gilbert & Sullivan have played to... |
GILBERT and SULLIVAN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Gilbert & Sullivan: Patience & The Sorcerer [2 DVDs] Ambrosian Opera Chorus with Sandra Dugdale, Donald Adams, Derek Hammond-Stroud, John Fryatt, Clive Revill, David Kernan & Nana Christie [ BBC / Umbrella DVD / DVD - released 10/Aug/2014 ] For more than 100 years the operas of Gilbert & Sullivan have played to packed audiences around the world. These two names have become synonymous with classic light opera - music that is timeless and tuneful lyrics that are witty, scathing and memorable. |
JOSEPH LANNER
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Wiener Musik [Music of Vienna] Vol.1 Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Robert Stolz [ Eurodisc / CD - released 3/Dec/1988 ] Robert Stolz was operetta royalty, and his recordings with the Berliner Symphoniker and Wiener Symphoniker document the world of light orchestral music with unique authority. |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Ovation: The Very Best Of Dame Malvina Major Dame Malvina Major with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Brian Law [ Sony Music / 2 CD - released 27/Nov/2015 ] A celebration of an incredible 50 year career New Zealand's internationally acclaimed soprano Dame Malvina Major releases her first ever career retrospective. 'Ovation: The Very Best Of Dame Malvina Major' features 36 recordings across 2 CDs. |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Verdi: Falstaff (complete opera recorded in 2009) Glyndebourne Opera / Christopher Purves / Tassis Christoyannis / Dina Kuznetsova / Jennifer Holloway / Vladmir Jurowski (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 1/Apr/2010 ] "This Falstaff is immensely enjoyable and amongst the best that I have watched. I strongly recommend it whether you admire Verdi's last work or not..an amiable, pleasing production with an exceptionally fine cast" Recording of the Month MusicWeb Nov... |
NICHOLAS MAW
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Maw: Violin Concerto Joshua Bell (violin) / London Philharmonic Orch. / Norrington [ Sony Music / CD - released 16/May/2001 ] 2001 Grammy Award Winner - Best Instrumental soloist with orchestra |
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOSVKY / SERGEI RACHMANINOV
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Van Cliburn Van Cliburn (piano) / RCA Symphony Orchestra, Symphony of the Air, Kirill Kondrashin [ Philips / BMG/RCA / 2 CD - released 20/Jan/2018 ] Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. (July 12, 1934 - February 27, 2013) was an American pianist. At the age of 23, Cliburn achieved worldwide recognition when he won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 during the Cold War |
GIOACCHINIO ROSSINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia Vesselina Kasarova, Manuel Lanza / Opernhaus Zurich, Nello Santi [ EuroArts / DVD - released 1/Jan/2001 ] Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini's comedic opera IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA is probably one of his best-known works; this 2001 live production features the virtuosic vocal talents of Vesselina Kasarova as Rosina. |
CHARLES GOUNOD
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Gounod: Faust (complete opera directed by Ken Russell in 1985) Vienna State Opera / Gabriela Benackova, Francisco Araiza, Ruggero Raimondi / Erich Binder (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / 2 DVD - released 23/Jun/2006 ] Gounod's crowning achievement Faust, first staged in 1859 at the Lyric Theatre in Paris, is a conflict of good and evil, love and hate. |
ALEXANDER ZEMLINSKY
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Zemlinsky: A Florentine Tragedy {with Alma Mahler Lieder) Albert Dohmen (bass) Iris vermillion (mezzo) Heinz Kruse (tenor) / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly [ Decca Records Entartete Musik / CD - released 27/Jan/1995 ] Recorded: Grote Zaal, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, April 1996 |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Alfred Brendel II Alfred Brendel (piano) [ Philips / 2 CD - released 1/Jun/2000 ] Brendel frequently performed the music of Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and Mozart. He has played relatively few 20th century works but has performed Arnold Schoenberg's Piano Concerto. |
BRAHMS / BUSONI / CHOPIN / LISZT / RACHMANINOV / MENDELSSOHN / WEBER
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Alfred Brendel III Alfred Brendel (piano) / London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra [ Philips / 2 CD - released 1/Jun/2000 ] "Brendel actually revels in the gorgeous fabrics of sound from the Années de pèlerinage numbers and somehow balances the muscle-flexing virtuosity of Totentanz with a respect for its novel ideas-there's both surface and substance here." |
GIACOMO PUCCINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Puccini: La Boheme (a film by Robert Dornhelm) Anna Netrebko (soprano) & Rolando Villazon (tenor) / The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bertrand de Billy [ Kultur DVD / DVD - released 5/Dec/2009 ] "The lovers' sheer intensity and Dornhelm's cinematic vision, expanded in the accompanying documentary, make this one of the finest opera films ever - unmissable." BBC Music Magazine (Five stars *****) |
GILBERT and SULLIVAN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Gilbert & Sullivan: The Mikado (complete operetta recorded in 1987) Opera Australia / Anne-Maree McDonald, Peter Cousens, Heather Begg, Graeme Ewer, Gregory Yurisich / Andrew Green (conductor) [ ABC Universal DVD / DVD - released 1/Mar/2011 ] "Wit, ingenuity, and a veritable riot of colourful and restless spectacle continue to make The Australian Opera production of The Mikado an experience designed to seduce the eye, charm the ear and tickle the rib." -THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD |
MENDELSSOHN / IVES / SHOSTAKOVICH / SCHUMANN / CLARA SCHUMANN / SMETANA, ETC
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Beaux Arts Trio - Philips Recordings 1967-74 Beaux Arts Trio [ Decca Original Masters / 4 CD Box Set - released 12/Nov/2003 ] The CDs presented here from the years 1967-74 are indicative of the quality of playing and scope of repertory: from classic works by Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann through rarities such as the Trio by Clara Schumann and those by Smetana and Ives. |
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Rossini: La Cenerentola [Cinderella] (complete opera with full libretto recorded in 1992) Cecilia Bartoli, William Matteuzzi, Enzo Dara, Alessandro Corbelli / Orchestra & Chorus of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Riccardo Chailly [ Decca DVD / DVD - released 28/Aug/2014 ] "All eyes and ears, inevitably, are on Bartoli, and she doesn't disappoint...The singing itself is ravishing. At the same time, the performance makes dramatic sense...Decca provide a superb Alidoro, an alluring Clorinda, inventive and elaborate... |
FRANZ LISZT
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Liszt: The Great Transcriptions Claudio Arrau, Mischa Dichter, Wibi Soerjadi, Zoltan Kocsis (piano) [ Philips Duo / 2 CD - released 1/Jan/2001 ] Original recordings from 1960 to 1980 |
NICOLAI PAGANINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Paganini: Music for Strings and Guitar The Diaz Trio and Julioan Gray (guitar) [ Dorian / CD - released 1/Nov/1996 ] It is practically impossible to speak of the violin without mentioning Paganini. He represented a veritable milestone in the history of the instrument, in that what came before him is without doubt different from what came after him. Paganini was... |
ALBINONI / CIMAROSA / LOTTI / MARCELLO / SAMMARTINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Concerti per Oboe Heinz Holliger (oboe) / I Musici [ Philips / CD - released 16/Nov/2004 ] Recorded in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, 7/1986 |
GUILLAUME de MACHAUT
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Guillaume de Machaut-Masse de Notre Dame The Hilliard Ensemble / Paul Hillier, director [ Hyperion / CD - released 10/May/2005 ] 'Superbly recorded ... very impressive indeed' - The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs |
CHOPIN / LISZT / SCHUBERT / PADEREWSKI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Ignacy Jan Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (piano) [ Philips / EMI / RCA / 2 CD - released 1/Jun/2000 ] "Ingrid was always admired for the grace and shapeliness of her phrasing, her pellucid cantabile touch and her crystalline articulation, all of which can be heard in the Mozart items on these discs." Gramophone |
BELLINI / VERDI / PUCCINI / MASSENET / MOZART / GOUNOD / CACCINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Inessa Galante - Debut Inessa Galante (soprano) / Latvian Opera Orchestra, Alexander Vilumanis [ Campion / CD - released 2/Feb/1996 ] Galante's album "Debut" was awarded Gold (1999) and Platinum (2001) disc in the Netherlands after its sales exceeded 200,000; the disc (Wiki) |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Beethoven: Piano Trio Op.97 'Archduke' / Piano Trio in B flat WoO39: Allegretto Itzhak Perlman (violin) Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano) Lyn Harrell (cello) [ EMI Classics / CD - released 30/Oct/1991 ] Born in Israel in 1945, Itzhak Perlman completed his initial training at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv. He came to New York and soon was propelled into the international arena with an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1958. |
JOHANNES BRAHMS / RICHARD STRAUSS / RICHARD WAGNER
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Brahms: Alto Rhapsody / Strauss: Four Last Songs / Wagner: Wesendonk Lieder Janet Baker (contralto) / London Philharmonic Orchestra & John Alldis Choir, Sir Adrian Boult [ EMI / 2 CD - released 20/Oct/2006 ] "Dignified, unfussy performances, with Boult keeping his powder dry for the big moments." (BBC Music) |
CHOPIN / GRIEG / LISZT / MENDELSSOHN / RACHMANINOV / etc
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Josef Hofmann Josef Hofmann (piano) [ EMI / Philips / Sony / 2 CD - released 1/Jun/2000 ] Before he became the brilliant and charismatic virtuoso to whom Rachmaninov dedicated his Third Piano Concerto, Joseph Hofmann was a child prodigy. He was also the first pianist ever to make a record: in 1888, at age 12, he sat on Thomas Edison's lap... |
GIACOMO PUCCINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Puccini: Tosca (Complete opera recorded in 1978) Metropolitan Opera / Luciano Pavarotti, Shirley Verrett, Cornell Macneil / James Conlon (cond) [ Decca Music Group DVD / DVD - released 7/Oct/2010 ] Luciano Pavarotti will always be associated with the role of the painter Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca. His interpretations of the arias 'Recondita armonia' and 'E lucevan le stelle' became two of his greatest hits, which he sang at all his concerts. |
ALBENIZ / PIERNE / CHOPIN / BIDAOLA / DE FALLA / FAURE / etc
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: The World of the Harp Marisa Robles (harp) [ Decca World Of / CD - released 27/Jul/1992 ] The serene harmonies of the Harp is the perfect CD for those who would like to purchase an introduction to the world of the Harp and have a collection of relaxing Harp pieces in one easy collection. |
FELIX MENDELSSOHN / FRANZ SCHUBERT / LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Beethoven/Mendelssohn/Schubert: Octets Members of the Melos Ensemble of London [ EMI Classics Double Forte / 2 CD - released 1/May/2006 ] Classic chamber works at a special price |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Verdi: Un Ballo in Maschera (complete opera recorded in 1991) Metropolitan Opera / Luciano Pavarotti, Leo Nucci, April Millo, Florence Quivar / James Levine (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / DVD - released 30/May/2008 ] "The best justification for buying this issue is to see and hear Pavarotti nearer to his vocal peak in a role which his strong lyric voice and clear diction is ideally suited" (MusicWeb) |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Verdi: Otello (complete opera recorded in 2012) Metropolitan Opera / Renee Fleming, Johan Botha, Falk Struckmann / Semyon Bychkov (cond) [ Decca DVD / DVD - released 15/May/2015 ] Renée Fleming's Desdemona enshrines one of her signature roles in a definitive performance: "she knows exactly how to spin the gentle lines of the 'Willow Song' and 'Ave Maria' so that they softly fill the hall" (New York Times). This 2012... |
JULES MASSENET
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Massenet: Thais (complete opera, recorded in 2009) Metropolitan Opera / Renee Fleming, Thomas Hampson, Michael Schade / Jesus Lopez-Cobos (cond) [ Decca Music Group DVD / DVD - released 18/Feb/2010 ] The New York Times lauded Renée Fleming as a "vocally sumptuous and unabashedly show-stealing Thaïs". If this is crime, opera needs more of it! |
SERGEI PROKOFIEV / LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No 3 / Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 5 Emperor Michael Houstoun (piano) / New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, James Judd, Janos Furst [ Trust / CD - released 26/Jun/2001 ] Michael Houstoun performing live with the NZSO in two exciting works from the piano concerto repertoire. The recording includes Houstoun playing Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No.3. It also includes Beethoven's Emperor Concerto. |
PROKOFIEV / RACHMANINOV
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No 3 / Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No 3 Mikhail Pletnev, piano, Russian National Philharmonic Orchestra. Mstislav Rostropovich [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 24/Mar/2003 ] This is not only Pletnev's first concerto CD on the Yellow Label, but also his first recording ever of Prokofiev 3rd. |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Verdi: Aida (Highlights from the opera) Montserrat Caballe, Placido Domingo, Fiorenza Cosottto, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Piero Cappuccilli, Luigi Roni / Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Muti [ EMI Classics Red Line / CD - released 1/Jul/1998 ] "Caballe's portrait of the heroine is superb, full of detailed insight into teh character and with countless examples of superlative singing." Penguin Guide |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Brahms: Symphonies 2 & 3 Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink [ Philips Silver Line / CD - released 20/May/1990 ] "There is no better way of getting to know the Brahms orchestral works on a budget" Gramophone Good CD Guide |
J. S. BACH
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Bach: St John Passion Sibylla Rubens, Andreas Scholl, Mark Padmore, Sebastian Noack / Collegium Vocale, Philippe Herreweghe [ Harmonia Mundi / 2 CD Box Set - released 12/Nov/2001 ] 2003 Grammy Award Nomination: Best Choral Performance "superbly conceived and excitingly performed production of Bach's 1725 score" - Classics Today |
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Rossini: La Cenerentola (complete opera.recorded in 1981) Teatro alla Scala / Frederica von Stade, Margherita Guglielmi, Laura Zannini, Francisco Araiza, Claudio Desderi, Paolo Montarsolo / Claudio Abbado [ Deutsche Grammophon / Unitel DVD / DVD - released 8/Nov/2005 ] Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's staging of this classic fairy tale, originally created for the San Francisco Opera in 1969, has been one of the most successful opera stagings of the 20th century |
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Rossini: Guillaume Tell [William Tell] (complete opera recorded in 2013) Teatro Comunale di Bologna / Nicola Alaima, Marina Rebeka, Juan Diego Flórez, Amanda Forsythe / Michele Mariotti (cond) [ Decca Music Group DVD / 2 DVD - released 15/Apr/2015 ] At last the undisputed Rossini tenor par excellence, Juan Diego Florez makes his debut in the hugely demanding role of Arnold in 'Guillaume Tell' and "masters his part with seemingly effortless perfection" (Die Presse). |
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Rossini: Matilde di Shabran (complete opera recorded in 2012) Teatro Comunale di Bologno / Juan Diego Florez, Anna Goryachova, Olga Peretyatko / Michele Mariotti (cond) [ Decca DVD / 2 DVD - released 1/Sep/2013 ] The opera that few tenors dare sing and which Flórez has made his own throughout his career. |
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Rossini: Armida (complete opera recorded in 2010) Metropolitan Opera / Renee Fleming, Lawrence Brownlee, John Osborn / Riccardo Frizza (cond) [ Decca DVD / 2 DVD - released 10/Mar/2011 ] Renée Fleming continues her reign as 'Queen of the MET', starring in a bel canto rarity specially staged for her - a showcase for her extraordinary vocal virtuosity. This bel canto extravaganza is presented here on 2 DVDs. |