GEORGES I. GURDJIEFF
Gurdjieff: Zartir (LP) The Gurdjieff Ensemble, Levon Eskenian [ ECM / LP - released 24/Nov/2023 ] The third album from Levon Eskenian's remarkable ensemble is its most adventurous to date. As well as reclaiming the music of esoteric teacher G. I. Gurdjieff for folk instrumentation, Zartir situates Gurdjieff in a tradition of Armenian bards and... |
EDVARD GRIEG
Grieg: Complete Lyric Pieces, Piano Music Håkon Austbø (piano) [ Brilliant Classics / 5 CD Box Set - released 4/Oct/2019 ] "..all of Disc 5's small, relatively inconsequential miniatures turn into gems by virtue of Austbo's innate charm and subtle use of tone color. You won't find a better Grieg piano music bargain anywhere on the planet." ClassicsToday |
JEAN SIBELIUS
Sibelius: The Complete Symphonies / Orchestral Works Hallé Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli [ Warner Classics / 6 CD Box Set - released 19/Mar/2021 ] Sir John Barbirolli's electrifying interpretations of the works of Jean Sibelius have inspired audiences all over the world. In a letter to Barbirolli, Sibelius declared himself to be a 'devoted admirer' of the conductor, adding that he was always... |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Classic Hauser Hauser, London Symphony Orchestra [ Sony Classical / CD - released 7/Feb/2020 ] This stunning album includes beautiful performances of some of the most iconic classical works including Tchaikovsky's masterpiece 'Swan Lake', Puccini's incredibly emotional aria 'Nessun Dorma' and Barber's remarkable 'Adagio for Strings'. |
JENNY McLEOD
McLeod: The Emperor and the Nightingale / Rock Concerto / etc Helen Medlyn (narrator) & Eugene Albulescu (piano) / New Zealand Symphony Orchestra / Uwe Grodd [ Naxos / CD - released 1/Oct/2011 ] New Zealand-born composer Jenny McLeod's wide musical background is here distilled into three works of highly enjoyable directness. The Emperor and the Nightingale is a colourful score which accompanies the narration of a Hans Christian Andersen... |
PETER MAUNDER
Under the surface Helen Webby (harp), Lisette Wesseling (soprano), Peter Maunder (trombones) [ Atoll Records New Zealand / CD - released 1/Dec/2010 ] Unusually beautiful instrumental combination of trombone and harp, plus the luminescent voice of Lisette Wesseling. |
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf / Classical Symphony / Overture on Hebrew Themes Henry Feagins / Roy Hudd / Sting / Chamber Orchestra of Europe / Claudio Abbado [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / DVD - released 26/Sep/2007 ] This brilliantly inventive visualisation of Prokofiev's beloved musical tale features Sting, Claudio Abbado, members of London's celebrated Theatre de Complicite, and some fantastic Spitting Image puppetry. "Sting's knack for getting into... |
GARETH FARR
Farr: Horizon: Piano Music Henry Wong Doe (piano) [ Morrison Trust New Zealand / CD - released 10/Aug/2012 ] Horizon showcases the vibrant and beautiful piano music of Gareth Farr. From the exotic sonorities of Indonesian gamelan to the more impressionistic influence of Olivier Messiaen, with echoes of Prokofiev and Shostakovich, this recording reveals... |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Perspectives Henry Wong Doe (piano) [ Rattle Records / CD - released 10/Nov/2023 ] An album of recent commissions for solo piano featuring works by Gemma Peacocke, Leila Adu-Gilmore, Alex Taylor, Poulima Salima, Leonie Holmes, and Penelope Axtens. "This album celebrates the artistry of six New Zealand composers. The recent... |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Herman Krebbers Edition Herman Krebbers (violin) / Various orchestras & conductors [ Decca ABC Australian Eloquence / 15 CD Box Set - released 22/Sep/2023 ] 2023 marks the centenary of the birth of the Dutch violinist Herman Krebbers. This is the first CD edition dedicated to the breadth and range of his artistry - concerto soloist, chamber musician and concertmaster. |
BACH / BEETHOVEN / BERNSTEIN / BARBER / MEYER / BRAHMS / etc
Hilary Hahn: The Complete Sony Recordings Hilary Hahn (violin) with various orchestras [ Sony Classical Masters / 5 CD Box Set - released 30/Oct/2015 ] "Spellbinding...there is mastery in every silken phrase, every poised lyrical phrase...an object lesson in beautiful violin playing." Chicago Tribune (for Mendelssohn / Shostakovich) |
J. S. BACH
Bach: Famous Cantatas Holland Boy's Choir, Netherlands Bach Collegium, Pieter Jan Leusink [ Brilliant Classics Quintessence / 5 CD Box Set - released 25/Sep/2020 ] 'characteristic performances, marked by a great sense of authenticity' (Gramophone) |
JOHN ADAMS
John Adams - Collected Works San Francisco Symphony, Orchestra Of St. Luke's, London Sinfonietta, Sanford Sylvan (baritone), Leila Josefowicz (violin), etc [ Nonesuch Records / 40 CD Box Set - released 17/May/2024 ] Nonesuch Records releases the forty-disc John Adams Collected Works, a box set featuring recordings spanning more than four decades of the composer's career with the label. |
BEETHOVEN / SCHUBERT / DVORAK / TCHAIKOVSKY / KREISLER / etc
Ida Haendel - The Decca Legacy Ida Haendel (violin) with Ivor Newton (piano) Adela Kotowska (piano) National Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra [ Decca Eloquence / 6 CD Box Set - released 20/Oct/2020 ] "That special, spontaneous warmth of response … places Haendel's Tchaikovsky performance for Decca among the finest recordings ever made of this wonderful concerto." Gramophone, July 1999 |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Coffee & Classical Idil Biret (piano), Jenö Jandó (piano), Maria Lambros (viola), Soyeon Kate Lee (piano), Alon Goldstein (piano), Rachel Calin (double bass), Benjamin F [ Naxos / CD - released 22/Nov/2019 ] Enjoy this full-flavoured selection of music whilst sipping on a coffee from your favourite cup. Let our blended brew of aural aromas bring you down to earth from the days highs, and experience how our choice of works gives grounds for escape from... |
BACH / BERG / LISZT / BUSONI
Igor Levit: Fantasia Igor Levit (piano) [ Sony Classical / 2 CD - released 29/Sep/2023 ] Igor Levit's new double album Fantasia features a wide range of works spanning a period of almost two centuries from 1720 to 1910 and showcases key compositions by Franz Liszt, Ferruccio Busoni, Johann Sebastian Bach and Alban Berg. |
FRANZ LISZT / HANS WERNER HENZE / RICHARD WAGNER / GUSTAV MAHLER
Igor Levit: Tristan Igor Levit (piano), Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Franz Welser-Möst [ Sony Classical / 2 CD - released 9/Sep/2022 ] On Igor Levit's "Tristan" the pianist explores nocturnal themes of love and death, fear, ecstasy, loneliness & redemption in the music of Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt, Gustav Mahler & Hans Werner Henze. It includes Levit's first concerto recording... |
FRANZ LISZT / HANS WERNER HENZE / RICHARD WAGNER / GUSTAV MAHLER
Igor Levit: Tristan (LP) Igor Levit (piano), Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Franz Welser-Möst [ Sony Classical / 3 LP - released 9/Sep/2022 ] On Igor Levit's "Tristan" the pianist explores nocturnal themes of love and death, fear, ecstasy, loneliness & redemption in the music of Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt, Gustav Mahler & Hans Werner Henze. |
PIETRO LOCATELLI
Locatelli: Complete Violin Concertos Igor Ruhadze (baroque violin) / Ensemble Violini Capricciosi [ Brilliant Classics Quintessence / 5 CD Box Set - released 22/Jan/2021 ] Igor Ruhadze studied modern violin at the Moscow Central School of Music before pursuing his growing interest in music of the Baroque period. A pioneer of historically informed performance, he co-founded the Ensemble Violini Capricciosi. |
VIVALDI / MONTEVERDI / FERRANDINI / CONTI / etc
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: The Virgin's Lament Bernarda Fink (mezzo) / Il Giardino Armonico / Giovanni Antonini [ Decca L'Oiseau Lyre / CD - released 13/Aug/2009 ] "Bernarda Fink sings it with an affecting mixture of restraint and passion. The instrumental pieces are done well, and this well planned disc is very desirable." Gramophone Magazine: Editor's Choice - September 2009 |