GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Macbeth / Il Trovatore / La Traviata (complete operas recorded 2002 - 2011) BLU-RAY Royal Opera / Simon Keenlyside, Liudmyla Monastryrska, Jose Cura, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Renee Fleming, Joseph Calleja / Antonio Pappano & Carlo Rizzi ( [ Opus Arte / BBC Blu-Ray / 3 Blu-ray Box Set - released 20/Feb/2018 ] This trio of unforgettable Royal Opera productions features some of the most cherished and admired examples of Verdi's operatic genius. |
DELIUS: / GERMAN / BANTOCK / BAX / LORD BERNERS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Sir Thomas Beecham - English Music John Cameron, Maureen Forrester, Lorely Dyer, etc / Royal Philahrmonic Orchestra, Beecham [ EMI Sir Thomas Beecham Edition / 6 CD Box Set - released 7/Feb/2011 ] "Beecham's English Collection is unmissable...[Song of the High Hills is] one of the first recordings made by Beecham's new postwar orchestra, and they already play as though they adore him" (BBC Music) |
ALEXANDER GLAZUNOV
Glazunov: Complete Symphonies & Concertos Rachel Barton Pine (violin), Wen-Sinn Yang (cello), Alexander Romanovsky (piano) / Royal Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Jose [ Warner Classics / 8 CD Box Set - released 10/Sep/2018 ] "Clear and slightly reverberant recording maximises the textures and appeal of these works making the disc worthy of consideration as a benchmark recording" (MusicWeb on Symphony 5 & Seasons) |
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Shostakovich: The Golden Age (Complete Ballet) Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky [ Chandos Classics / 2 CD Box Set - released 21/Sep/2001 ] "..anyone with the least interest in Shostakovich, or ballet music, or Soviet music, or indeed Soviet culture as a whole, from investigating this weird and intermittently wonderful score. A really fascinating disc." Gramophone |
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Shostakovich: Complete String Quartets Rubio Quartet [ Brilliant Classics Quintessence / 5 CD Box Set - released 11/Oct/2019 ] "The Rubio performances are refreshing, emotionally satisfying within the parameters of their smooth-edged approach, and highly accomplished." Fanfare |
BEETHOVEN / BRAHMS / DVORAK / WAGNER / etc
Icon: Rudolf Kempe: The Genius of the Podium Rudolf Kempe conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, etc [ Warner Classics Icon / 11 CD Box Set - released 1/Feb/2011 ] The German conductor Rudolf Kempe (1910-1976) began his musical career playing the oboe in various symphony orchestras. The programme begins with recordings of four Beethoven Symphonies that Kempe made with the Munich Philharmonic in 1971-72. |
PAGANINI / SARASATE / VIVALDI / KREISLER / SAINT-SAËNS / BACH / etc
Ruggiero Ricci - Complete American Decca Recordings Ruggiero Ricci (violin) with Leon Pommers, Brooks Smith (piano) / Stradivarius Chamber Orchestra / Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Max Rudolf [ Decca Australian Eloquence / 9 CD Box Set - released 29/Oct/2021 ] "His hand has never been surer, his tone never more beautiful than in these enchanting performances, which are aglow with spontaneity, wit, and sheer delight … a classic matching of interpreter and material." Stereo Review |
RICHARD WAGNER
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Wagner: Tannhauser (complete opera recorded in 2012) Robert Dean Smith, Nina Stemme, Marina Prudenskaya, Christian Gerhaher / Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin & Rundfunkchor Berlin, Marek Janowski [ Pentatone SACD / 3 Hybrid SACD - released 14/Jan/2013 ] This is the 6th instalment of PentaTone's successful Wagner Edition. It is the first time in the recording history that a label records all major Wagner opera's with the same orchestra, choir and conductor. This makes the PentaTone Wagner Edition a... |
PYOTR Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Tchaikovsky: Symphonic Poems (Incl Romeo & Juliet, Capriccio Italien, 1812 Overture & the Manfred Symphony Russian National Orchestra, Mikhail Pletnev [ Deutsche Grammophon Trio / 3 CD Box Set - released 21/Jun/2004 ] "Whatever other versions you may have this issue is a must. Pletnev has quite a special feeling for Tchaikovsky's music...and essential purchase." (Rosette Penguin Stereo Guide) |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Russian Orthodox Choral Music Rybin Male Choir, Dumka Choir, Yurlov Academic Choir [ Brilliant Classics / 6 CD Box Set - released 22/Jan/2021 ] A history of Russian Orthodox sacred music from the 'Moscow Baroque' to the present day, including many rare and long unavailable recordings. |
ARRIGO BOITO
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Boito: Mefistofele (Complete opera recorded in 1995) Samuel Ramey, Vincenzo La Scola, Michele Crider / Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro Alla Scala, Milano, Riccardo Muti [ RCA Victor Red Seal / 2 CD Box Set - released 1/Aug/1996 ] "Ramey was already a splendid Mefistofele...but here he is even more in command of the role, and has the advantage of Muti's masterly conducting. Crider is an affecting Margherita and La Scola a mellifluous Faust." Peformance & Sound: 5 (out of 5) |
JEAN SIBELIUS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Sibelius: The Complete Symphonies Scottish National Orchestra, Sir Alexander Gibson [ Chandos Collect / 3 CD Box Set - released 1/Nov/1991 ] "Alexander Gibson's 1980s Sibelius cycle on Chandos, one of the first digital sets, was praised for its clean lines, propulsive phrasing, and bracing impact." MusicWeb |
OLIVIER MESSIAEN
Messiaen: La Nativité Du Seigneur / La Transfiguration De Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ Simon Preston (organ) Yvonne Loriod (piano), Westminster Symphonic Choir, National Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati [ Decca Enterprise / 2 CD Box Set - released 9/Apr/2012 ] The first public performance was on June 7, 1969, in Lisbon, Serge Baudo was the conductor. The United States premiere was on March 27-30, 1972 in Washington, DC with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Westminster Choir; Antal Dorati was the... |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Complete Symphonies Simona Šaturová, Mihoko Fujimura, Christian Elsner & Christian Gerhaher / ewandhausorchester Leipzig, Herbert Blomstedt [ Accentus / 5 CD Box Set - released 3/Jul/2017 ] "Blomstedt's Beethoven seems 'right': tempi are never too fast or too slow, but never staid, and phrasing is alive with rhythmic energy and cumulative momentum. His Leipzig players give their all- the strings in particular have a glorious burnished... |
MAURICE RAVEL
Maurice Ravel: The Complete Works Sir Simon Rattle, Martha Argerich, Bertrand Chamayou, Samson François, André Cluytens, Armin Jordan, Lorin Maazel, Charles Münch, etc [ Warner Classics / 21 CD Box Set - released 4/Sep/2020 ] An essential collection of landmark performances, this 21-CD box of Ravel's complete works brings together major interpreters of the present day and preceding generations. |
W. A. MOZART
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Mozart: The Wind Concertos (Flute Clarinet Horn Oboe Bassoon) Charles Neidich (clarinet), Susan Palma (flute), Frank Morelli (bassoon) William Purvis (horn) / Orpheus Chamber Orchestra [ Deutsche Grammophon Trio / 3 CD - released 1/Jun/2002 ] 1001 Classical recordings to hear before you die (1761-1800) - "..a very persuasive collection, probably a 'best buy' for those wanting all the music in a digital format." Penguin Guide to Compact Discs |
BEETHOVEN / BRAHMS / GRIEG / MOZART / SCHUMANN / LISZT / etc
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Icon: Solomon - The Master Pianist Solomon (piano) with various orchestras & conductors [ EMI Icon / 7 CD Box Set - released 1/Oct/2008 ] "Noble, characterful and poetic musicianship..a strong, solid conspectus of Solomon's art. Strong on Beethoven of course, with a representative concerto arsenal; good representative Mozart; a serious-minded collection in fact, befitting Solo's... |
FRANZ SCHUBERT
Schubert: Complete Symphonies & Rosamunde Staatskapelle Dresden, Herbert Blomstedt, Willi Boskovsky [ Brilliant Classics Quintessence / 5 CD Box Set - released 4/Oct/2019 ] "The playing of the Staatskapelle Dresden is quite excellent, with fine work from the strings and commendable clarity of wind textures. This may be "big-band" Schubert, but never once did I sense a heaviness to the ensemble." (MusicWeb) |
BEDRICH SMETANA
Smetana Collection Stamitz Quartet, Joachim Trio, Roberto Plano (piano), Antonin Kubalek (piano) Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, Theodore Kuchar [ Brilliant Classics / 8 CD - released 1/May/2023 ] Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer born in Bohemia and later became a national symbol of Czech culture. Smetana's musical style was influenced by Czech folk music, classical traditions and romanticism. He is best known for his cycle of six... |
TOMASO ALBINONI
Albinoni: Complete violin and oboe concertos Stefan Schilli (oboe) / Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra under Nicol Matt [ Brilliant Classics / 3 CD Box Set - released 12/Dec/2005 ] "There is an abundance of enticing music, well performed by all the soloists. The orchestral sound is beautifully blended and well recorded." (MusicWeb) |