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. |