ALFVEN / BACH / JENKINS / PURCELL / RAMEAU / SCARLATTI / etc
Martin Fröst - Night Passages Martin Fröst (clarinet), Sebastien Dube (double bass), Roland Pöntinen (piano) [ Sony Classical / CD - released 20/May/2022 ] Martin Fröst's latest album for Sony Classical brings the extraordinary alchemy of a specially formed ensemble to the public with highly original arrangements for the first time on record. |
Martin Riseley & Diedre Irons
Stradivariazioni [ Rattle Records / CD - released 3/May/2013 ] Martin Riseley (violin) Diedre Irons (piano) The variation form is at the foundation of many forms of music, and was of particular importance in the classical period. Stradivariazioni demonstrates various elements of the form: a central unifying... |
NICOLA PORPORA
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Porpora: Opera Arias Max Emanuel Cencic (countertenor) / Armonia Atenea, George Petrou [ Decca Records / CD - released 15/Aug/2018 ] "Porpora's gift for characterisation pales beside Handel's, but his vocal fireworks bring modest delight, especially when backed by the bustling musicians of George Petrou's Armonia Atenea" The Times |
CESAR FRANCK
Franck: Hulda (complete opera original version) Meagan Miller, Joshua Kohl, Irina Jae-Eun Park, Anja Jung / Opernchor des Theater Freiburg, Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Fabrice Bollon [ Naxos / 3 CD Box Set - released 10/Oct/2021 ] "An intrepid cast led by Meagan Miller as Hulda and Joshua Kohl's Eiolf, her faithless lover, negotiates a top-heavy score that mixes Franck's thunderous organ chords with Berlioz and Wagner..all credit to Fabrice Bollon and the Freiburg Phil." BBC |
VINCENZO BELLINI
Bellini: I Puritani (complete opera recorded in 2007) Metropolitan Opera / Anna Netrebko, Eric Cutler, Franco Vassallo / Patrick Summers (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / 2 DVD - released 28/Feb/2008 ] "Netrebko has perhaps the most appealing stage presence among contemporary sopranos. She is a natural stage animal who can sing as she moves around the stage and interacts with her colleagues. Her sheer physicality on stage is awesome." (MusicWeb) |
GAETANO DONIZETTI
DonizettI: Lucia di Lammermoor (complete opera recorded in 1982) Metropolitan Opera / Joan Sutherland, Alfredo Kraus, Pablo Elvira & Paul Plishka / Richard Bonynge (conductor) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / DVD - released 20/Jun/2019 ] With an exhilarating performance of her signature role, Dame Joan Sutherland captivates the audience in this elaborate production of Donizetti's bel canto masterpiece, taped during its celebrated 1982 run at the Metropolitan Opera |
VINCENZO BELLINI
Bellini: La Sonnambula (the complete opera, recorded in 2009) Metropolitan Opera / Juan Diego Florez, Natalie Dessay, Michele Pertusi / Evelino Pido (conductor) [ Decca Music Group DVD / DVD - released 11/Mar/2010 ] G:- "[The rehearsal conceit] may sound like a straight thumbs-down. But it works....almost without knowing it, one is drawn into the work itself, rejoicing in the power of song...Juan Diego Flórez has an abundance of all that is required and enjoys a... |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Rigoletto (Complete opera recorded in 1977) The Metropolitan Opera / Placido Domingo, Ileana Cotrubas, Cornell MacNeil / James Levine (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / DVD - released 27/May/2004 ] "Yes, Rigoletto is a singer's opera, but Verdi also poured into it some of his most dramatic as well as melodic music. That said, the vivid colours of the production have come up amazingly well and the sound is clear." (MusicWeb Dec 2006) |
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOSVKY
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (complete opera recorded in 2007) Metropolitan Opera / Renee Fleming, Elena Zaremba, Ramon Vargas, Dmitri Hvorostovsky / Valery Gergiev (cond) [ Decca DVD / 2 DVD - released 28/Feb/2008 ] 'Miss Fleming's sympathetic, exquisitely sung Tatiana was a major achievement.' The New York Times |
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! |
FRANZ SCHUBERT
Schubert: Complete Piano Sonatas Michael Endres (piano) [ Capriccio / 6 CD Box Set - released 20/Apr/2011 ] "the Steck piano that Endres plays has a pleasing bloom, which has been recorded with satisfying natural presence, and his lyrical, lovingly shaped performances undoubtedly deserve a place among the very best alternatives." Gramophone |
MICHAEL WILLIAMS
The Juniper Passion Stepanie Acraman, Julia Booth, Lilia Carpinelli, James Loelu, etc, with orchestra & chorus [ Atoll Records / 2 CD - released 25/Jun/2012 ] Three worlds collide in this moving tale of conflict, passion and betrayal. |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: The Complete Piano Sonatas (14 CDs plus Book) Michael Houstoun (piano) [ Rattle / 14 CD Box Set - released 15/Oct/2014 ] NZ LISTENER BEST CLASSICAL Recordings 2014 |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: The Last Five Piano Sonatas (28-32) Includes 'Hammerklavier' Michael Houstoun (piano) [ Trust / 2 CD Box Set - released 2/Feb/2001 ] The most difficult of piano sonatas played by our Michael |
BEETHOVEN
The Middle Period Sonatas includes 'Waldstein' 'Moonlight' 'Appassionata' and 'Pastoral' Sonatas Michael Houstoun, piano [ Trust / 3 CD - released 13/Apr/2006 ] The middle period piano sonatas of Beethoven played by Michael Houstoun. Unavailable for a long time but available now! |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos 9-11 & 16-18 Michael Houstoun (piano) [ Morrison Music Trust / 2 CD Box Set - released 2/Feb/2001 ] Micael Houstoun continues his recordings of the Beethoven sonatas |
FRANZ LISZT
Liszt: Piano Works (Incls Sonata in B minor) Michael Houstoun (piano) [ Trust / CD - released 1/Aug/2000 ] Renowned New Zealand pianist Michael Houstoun performs a solo piano recital of works by Franz Liszt. These recordings were featured in the New Zealand Television documentary Icon in b minor, which first aired in 1996. The romantic performer-composer... |
JENNY MCLEOD
McLeod: 24 Tone Clocks Michael Houstoun (piano), Diedre Irons (piano) [ Rattle Records / 2 CD - released 11/Nov/2016 ] Featuring two of New Zealand's finest pianists, Jenny McLeod's 24 Tone Clocks is the definitive recording of an extraordinary series of compositions. A lifetime in the making, 24 Tone Clocks is a summation of Jenny's decades-long immersion into Peter... |
FREDERIC CHOPIN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Chopin: Piano Sonata No.3 / Waltzes / Etudes / etc Mikhail Pletnev (piano) [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 21/Nov/1997 ] "...his playing is admirable and extraordinarily manly, with a decidedly Slavic cast and yet with all kinds of elegance." |
BACH / BUSONI / BEETHOVEN / CHOPIN / etc
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Pletnev live at Carnegie Hall (Incls bonus CD) Mikhail Pletnev (piano) [ Deutsche Grammophon / 2 CD - released 28/Feb/2001 ] Rosette Recording - Penguin Stereo Guide |