BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Britten: A Ceremony of Carols Choir of Clare College Cambridge, Graham Ross [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 16/Oct/2020 ] It's Christmas! Graham Ross invites you to explore the highly individual conception of traditional carols offered by twentieth-century British composers, and notably the most eminent among them, Benjamin Britten. Arranged around his famous Ceremony... |
CHRIS GENDALL
Tones Gillian Ansell (viola), Ashley Brown (cello), Rolf Gjelsten (cello), Amalia Hall (violin), Monique Lapins (violin), Luca Manghi (flute) [ Rattle Records / CD - released 31/May/2019 ] These works span 10 years of compositional output, and explore wide expressive terrain: from epic to compact, aggressive to introspective, earthy to mechanical. Their elastic rhythm, harmonic fluidity, and formal spontaneity make for dynamic - and... |
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOSVKY
Tchaikovsky: The 6 Symphonies / The Nutcracker Suite / Romeo and Juliet / The Tempest / etc Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado [ Sony Classical Masters / 6 CD Box Set - released 20/May/2011 ] "Romeo & Juliet played by Chicago SO is one of the most exciting and powerfully moving accounts on record, and the sound is sumptuous and every part of the score is articulated and vividly captured." 1001 Classical recordings you must hear before... |
DANNY ELFMAN
Danny Elfman: Percussion Concerto / Wunderkammer Colin Currie (percussion) / Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta [ Sony Classical / CD - released 17/May/2024 ] " After 115-plus movies Elfman can't help but make pictures of sound and the fabulous engineering here certainly makes them pop." Gramophone |
SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Rachmaninov: Preludes & Transcriptions (recorded in England 1954) Colin Horsley (piano) [ Atoll Records New Zealand / CD - released 12/Nov/2012 ] Perhaps the finest NZ pianist of his generation, these London recordings from the mid 1950s sparkle with musicianship. |
SHCHEDRIN / BIZET
Carmen (a ballet with choreography by Mats Ek recorded in 1994) Cullberg Ballet / Ana Laguna / Marc Hwang / Yvan Auzely [ Arthaus / kultur / DVD - released 20/Jul/2010 ] "Anna Laguna, with her long cigars, is never going to stay for long with the gentle, expressive Marc Hwang, and Yvan Auzely is an irresistible competitor for her fickle, uncontrollable desires." - Seen&Heard OperaReview |
ANTONIO SALIERI / W. A. MOZART
Mozart versus Salieri: Rivalry Dagmar Williams (soprano) Prague Sinfonia Orchestra, Christian Benda [ Sony Classical / 2 CD - released 23/Apr/2019 ] The professional competition between Mozart and Salieri has been a well-documented topic. It even became subject of the Oscar-winning film Amadeus. Now, a new album of compositions by the two is here to provide a side-by-side comparison of the... |
Dame Major Malvina (soprano) with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
I Remember [ Kiwi-Pacific / CD - released 1/Jan/2001 ] 'In the still ofthe night' - A little light music by our own diva |
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. |
DOUGLAS LILBURN
Lilburn: Complete Piano Music Vol 4 Dan Poynton (piano) [ Trust / 2 CD - released 1/Dec/2012 ] This landmark series culminates with this 2-CD album. This fourth volume brings to light several first recordings. The performances by Dan Poynton are assured and idiomatic, presenting an unseen side of this pre-eminent New Zealand composer. |
FELIX MENDELSSOHN
Mendelssohn: The Great Edition Daniel Adni, Martha Argerich, Wayner Marshall, Marie-Claire Alain, Emmanuel Pahud, Maxim Vengerov, Victoria de los Angeles, Janet Baker, Sabine Meyer [ Warner Classics / 40 CD Box Set - released 16/Feb/2024 ] A child prodigy, Felix Mendelssohn is considered one of Europe's greatest composers. A virtuoso conductor and pianist, he was a respected all-round musician for whom Robert Schumann had great friendship and admiration. |
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Eight Piano Sonatas [Incls 'Waldstein' & 'Pastorale'] Daniel Barenboim (piano) [ EMI Classics DVD / DVD - released 1/Jul/2006 ] Live From Berlin 177 minutes |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas, Cello Sonatas, String Trios, Piano Trios Jacqueline du Pré (cello), Lynn Harrell (cello), Pinchas Zukerman (violin) Itzhak Perlman (violin), Daniel Barenboim (piano) [ Warner Classics / 11 CD Box Set - released 5/Oct/2019 ] "The result is music-making of rare concentration, spontaneity and warmth." (Penguin Guide) |
CARL NIELSEN / EDVARD GRIEG
Nielsen: Concerto for Clarinet / Grieg: Lyric Pieces Daniel Ottensamer (clarinet), Christoph Traxler (piano) / Wiener Philharmoniker, Ádám Fische [ Sony Classical / CD - released 23/Jun/2023 ] The Clarinet Concerto by the Danish composer Carl Nielsen is one of the absolute pillars of the repertoire for clarinet and orchestra. Austrian clarinettist Daniel Ottensamer associates very special memories with this work as 2009 winner of The Carl... |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Handel Arias Danielle de Niese (soprano) / Les Arts Florissants, William Christie [ Decca / CD - released 3/Oct/2007 ] 'Not just a superb performer, but a phenomenal one' Opera News. |
BEETHOVEN / SCHUBERT / VAUGHAN WILLIAMS / POULENC / etc
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: David Daniels - Serenade David Daniels (counter-tenor) / Martin Katz (piano) [ Virgin Classics / CD - released 10/Mar/2000 ] * * * * * 5 Stars - BBC Music Magazine (June 2000) - * * * * * five stars - Classic CD (July 2000) |
J. S. BACH
Bach: Keyboard Concertos BWV 1052, 1055, 1056 & 1058 (LP) David Fray (piano) [ Erato Classics Vinyl / 2 CD - released 26/Aug/2022 ] 'Fray's debut is marked by an imaginative collation, Bach and Boulez, played with vibrant imagination. He pushes the boundaries but resists the merely quirky. Impeccable technique allows him to speak from the heart with deceptive ease.' BBC Music... |
DAVID GRIFFITHS
Charms & Knots David Griffiths (baritone) Christine Griffiths (piano) [ Atoll Records New Zealand / CD - released 1/Apr/2010 ] |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: TheComplete Symphonies, Ovetures, Haydn Variations, Violin Concerto, Requiem & Alto Rhapsody David Oistrakh, Christa Ludwig, Elizabeth Schwarkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau / Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion, Otto [ Warner Classics / 6 CD Box Set - released 23/Aug/2024 ] Klemperer and Brahms had much in common, which may go some way to explaining the empathy with which Klemperer conducts the works of the composer. Richard Osborne says 'no detail was insignificant, yet none was allowed to subvert the larger whole'. |
BRIDGE / LILBURN / IRELAND / FINZI
Elegy - songs Paul Whelan (baritone) / David Harper (piano) [ Trust / CD - released 23/Jan/2000 ] The magic baritone voice of Paul Whelan! |