CHOPIN / LISZT / MOSZKOWSKI / RACHMANINOV / SCARLATTI / SCHUMANN / SCRIABIN
Vladimir Horowitz - The Legendary 1986 Berlin Concert Vladimir Horowitz (piano) [ Sony Classical / 2 CD - released 15/May/2020 ] Tapes of this storied 1986 concert-his first in Berlin in 50 years-were recently found, and excitement has spread about this release just as it did back when the concert was announced. |
PYOTR Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY
Intense Tchaikovsky - a collection of Russian romantic masterpieces (LP) Vladimir Spivakov (violin), Maxim Vengerov (violin), Itamar Golan (piano), Mikhail Pletnev (piano), Viktoria Postnikova (piano), Berlin Philharmonic, [ Warner Classics / LP - released 3/May/2024 ] Tchaikovsky stands as the central figure of 19th-century Russian Romanticism, embodying its widespread and vibrant vitality alongside a profound and sincere depth. This collection seeks to encapsulate the epic and intense qualities inherent in the... |
EDMUND RUBBRA
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Rubbra: Choral Music Voces Sacrae, Judy Martin [ ASV / CD ] A beautiful disc of (mostly) World Premiere recordings, this first-ever CD to be devoted solely to the choral music of Edmund Rubbra. The earliest are the Five Motets of 1934, settings of 16th century metaphysical poems. |
ERIC WHITACRE
Whitacre: Home (LP) Voces8, with Christopher Glynn (piano) & Emma Denton (cello) [ Decca / 2 LP - released 14/Apr/2023 ] Two branches of choral royalty entwine with majestic harmony on the latest release from Grammy-winning composer Eric Whitacre and acclaimed vocal ensemble VOCES8. The album includes a world premiere, All Seems Beautiful To Me, and a new recording of... |
PALESTRINA / BRUCKNER / MENDELSSOHN / VICTORIA / FAURE / DURUFLE / etc
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Mysteries Beyond - songs and chants in the praise of Mary Kathleen Bride (soprano), Mark Krucez (organ), Vinson Cole (tenor), Patrick Stephens (piano) / Voices Of Ascension, Dennis Keene [ Delos / CD - released 2/Feb/1994 ] Voices of Ascension Chorus and Orchestra, founded and directed by conductor Dennis Keene, is one of the world's premier professional choral ensembles. |
HEINRICH BACH / JOHANN CHRISTOPH BACH / JOHANN MICHAEL BACH / JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
Heinrich, Johann Christoph, Johann Michael, Johann Sebastian Bach: Kantaten Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier [ Ricercar / CD - released 14/Jun/2019 ] "Throughout this beguiling programme, Vox Luminis inhabit a world from which you'll need to drag yourself away" Gramophone December 2019 Critics' Choice |
GLUCK
Gluck: Iphigénie en Aulide & Iphigénie en Tauride (complete operas recorded in 2011) Netherlands Opera / Véronique Gens / Mireille Delunsch / Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble, Marc Minkowski [ Opus Arte DVD / 2 DVD - released 20/Feb/2013 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD FINALIST 2013: Opera |
ERNEST CHAUSSON
Chausson: Poème de l'amour et de la mer & Symphonie, Op. 20 Véronique Gens; Orchestre National de Lille; Alexandre Bloch [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 8/Mar/2019 ] Ernest Chausson is a most unusual figure in French music, positioned at the crossroads where the romanticism of Berlioz and Franck meet the language of Wagner and the symbolism of the young Debussy. His Poème de l'amour et de la mer is a unique score... |
JOSEPH HAYDN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Haydn: String Quartets Op.33 4 - 6 / Fragment Op.103 Weller Quartet [ Decca / CD - released 12/Apr/1992 ] "The Haydn quartets (are) most beautifully played... buoyant and colourful." ClassicalNet |
GEOFFREY BURGON
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Burgon: Choral Music (Incls Short Mass & Nunc dimittis) Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens, with David Bednall (organ) & Alan Thomas (trumpet) [ Hyperion / CD - released 1/Feb/2013 ] 'The national soundtrack for the past three decades...[Burgon] shows what can be done with some simple ideas and a top-flight cathedral choir' (Album of the Week - The Independent) |
J. S. BACH
Bach: Christmas Oratorio (Weihnachts Oratorium) Werner Gura, Klaus Hager, Dorothea Roschmann, Andreas Scholl / Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin, Rene Jacobs [ Harmonia Mundi / 2 CD - released 14/Feb/2006 ] "A handsome package matched by a lively interpretation" (BBC Music) |
JOHANN STRAUSS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Strauss, (J.): Die Fledermaus (complete operetta) Werner Hollweg, Edita Gruberova, Christian Boesch, Barbara Bonney / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt [ Teldec / 2 CD Box Set - released 4/May/2009 ] "..the cast is strong too, with Marjana Lipovtek's Orlovsky particularly impressive...he men, including Josef Protschka as Alfred, are very good and so are the lively Netherlands Opera Chorus and the Concertgebouw Orchestra." (Gramophone) |
JOHN TAVENER
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Tavener: Innocence (Incls 'The Lamb' & 'Song for Athene') Westminster Abbey Choir, Martin Neary, with Alice Neary (cello), Graham Titus (bass), Leigh Nixon (tenor), Patricia Rozario (soprano) [ Sony Classical / CD - released 10/Oct/1985 ] "If I had to recommend a single disc to convince anyone of the mastery of John Tavener, this would be it." Gramophone |
GIOVANNI PIERLUIGI da PALESTRINA
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Palestrina: Music for Advent and Christmas Westminster Cathedral Choir, Martin Baker [ Hyperion / CD - released 20/Oct/2003 ] What better way to encapsulate the spirit of Christmas than with works of such devotional beauty, all sung with Westminster Cathedral Choir's customary finesse and atmospheric reverence |
FELIX MENDELSSOHN / LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Mendelssohn: Octet / Beethoven; Septet Wiener Oktett [ Decca / CD - released 2/Feb/1988 ] Features Willi Boskovsky playing the violin on the Beethoven Septet |
STRAUSS FAMILY / etc
New Year's Concert in Vienna 2020 (Blu-ray) Wiener Philharmoniker, Andris Nelsons [ Sony Classical Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 31/Jan/2020 ] The New Year's Concert, one of the world's most famous and spectacular classical music events, returns for the 81st time to present to viewers a sensational programme made up of the vast repertoire of the family of Johann Strauss and its... |
JOHANNES BRAHMS / ANTON BRUCKNER
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Carlo Maria Giulini & Wiener Philharmoniker Wiener Philharmoniker [Vienna Philharmonic], Carlo Maria Giulini [ Deutsche Grammophon / 8 CD Box Set - released 20/Jun/2019 ] "The Bruckner recordings are uniformly excellent, and show Giulini at his absolute best. They are gloriously played throughout, with the brass of the Vienna Philharmonic sounding magnificent." ClassicalNet |
ANTON BRUCKNER
Bruckner: Symphony No.4 in E-flat Major, WAB 104 (Edition Haas) Wiener Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann [ Sony Classical / CD - released 19/Nov/2021 ] "A performance that is both of a piece with itself and at peace with one of the most glorious of all Bruckner's musical bequests." - Gramophone Magazine, November 2021 |
STRAUSS FAMILY / JOSEPH HELLMESBERGER / CARL ZIEHRER
New Year's Concert in Vienna 2022 (Blu-ray) Wiener Philharmoniker, Daniel Barenboim [ Sony Classical Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 4/Feb/2022 ] There are few concerts in the world that are awaited with as much excitement as the New Year's Concert from Vienna. Under the direction of Daniel Barenboim, the Vienna Philharmonic ushers in the New Year with a concert in the magnificent Golden Hall... |
STRAUSS FAMILY
New Year's Concert 2006 - The Director's Cut by Brian Large Wiener Philharmoniker / Mariss Jansons / Brian Large [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / DVD - released 14/Feb/2006 ] Broadcast on TV and radio to over 40 countries around the world, the annual New Year's Day Concert in Vienna has been an exalted tradition for more than six decades. |