Brandon De La Cruz
Visions Of Ovid (LP) [ Brandon De La Cruz / LP - released 19/Mar/2021 ] Visions of Ovid is an album by folk artist Brandon De La Cruz, in whose songs the spirits of Greek myth find new bodies. In a recent piece in The New Yorker, Katy Waldman wrote, "Ovid feels strangely present these days, as if the country is reckoning... |
De La Soul
3 Feet High and Rising (Double LP) [ Chrysalis Records / 2 LP - released 17/Mar/2023 ] 3 Feet High and Rising is the debut studio album by American hip hop trio De La Soul. It was released on March 3, 1989, by Tommy Boy. It marked the first of three full-length collaborations with producer Prince Paul, which would become the critical... |
De La Soul
3 Feet High and Rising (LTD Edition Double Yellow Coloured LP) [ Chrysalis Records / 2 LP - released 31/Mar/2023 ] 3 Feet High and Rising is the debut studio album by American hip hop trio De La Soul. It was released on March 3, 1989, by Tommy Boy. It marked the first of three full-length collaborations with producer Prince Paul, which would become the critical... |
De La Soul
Buhloone Mind State (LP) [ AOI Records / LP - released 5/May/2023 ] Buhloone Mindstate is the third studio album by American Hip Hop group De La Soul, released on September 21, 1993. Buhloone Mindstate, delivered a jazzier palette than their two previous albums and has ended up an unduly underrated gem in not only... |
De La Soul
De La Soul Is Dead (Double LP) [ Chrysalis Records / 2 LP - released 7/Apr/2023 ] De La Soul quickly became one of the most revered, game-changing artists in hip-hop and forever cemented their legacy in the hearts and minds of fans around the world. Despite their rapid success and recognition, De La Soul continued to prove... |
De La Soul
Stakes Is High (Double LP) [ Chrysalis / 2 LP - released 16/Jun/2023 ] Stakes is High is the 4th studio album by De La Soul, released on July 2, 1996. Stakes is High was critically lauded for its music, lyricism, and its overall message concerning the artistic decline rap music began to face in the mid-90s. The title... |
PUCCINI / BOITO / MASCAGNI / MASSENET / LEONCAVALLO / GIORDANO / VERDI
Ermonela Jaho: Anima Rara Ermonela Jaho (soprano), Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, Andrea Battistoni [ Opera Rara / CD - released 25/Sep/2020 ] GRAMOPHONE Award Nomination 2021 - Voice & Ensemble International Classical Music Awards 2021 Winner - Vocal Music |
GIOVANNI LEGRENZI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Legrenzi: Sonatas & Balletti Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca [ Newton Classics / CD - released 2/Jul/2012 ] Giovanni Legrenzi was one of the Baroque period's most important figures, having enjoyed wide success in opera, oratorio, cantata, and chamber music. This release takes as its subject the final three of Legrenzi's five large instrumental collections,... |
ARTHUR HONEGGER
Honegger: Le Roi David: Symphonic Psalm in three parts Jacques Martin / Orchestre de la Cite / Choeur Regional Vittoria de l'Ille de France ; Michel Piquemal, conductor [ Naxos / CD - released 15/Feb/2002 ] "Michel Piquemal directs a wonderfully dramatic cast with style and passion in the smaller-scale original version of Honegger's symphonic psalm. Recommended." BBC Music Magazine |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Joseph Calleja: Verdi Joseph Calleja (tenor), Vittorio Vitelli (baritone), Angela Gheorghiu (soprano) Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, Ramón Tebar [ Decca / CD - released 9/Feb/2018 ] "Any doubts about the most winning lyric "Italian" tenor since Pavarotti tackling this heavy Verdi repertoire are largely dispelled by the vitality of his sunny sound and the clarity of his diction." Sunday Times |
ANTONIO VIVALDI
Vivaldi: The French Connection 2 Katy Bircher (flute) / La Serenissima / Adrian Chandler [ Avie Records / CD - released 6/Jun/2011 ] "La Serenissima remain buoyant and sweet, eschewing the taut, opaque sound of many of today's Baroque orchestras, and embracing something more relaxed and open, helped by a pleasing bloom." (Gramophone Award Nomination 2012) |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Don Giovanni, K527 (complete opera recorded in 2011) BLU-RAY La Scala Milan / Anna Netrebko, Bryn Terfel, Anna Prohaska, Barbara Frittoli / Daniel Barenboim (conductor) [ Deutsche Grammophon Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 6/Dec/2015 ] Recorded live at the opening of the 2011-12 La Scala season, Don Giovanni was released in honour of Bryn Terfel's 50th birthday which was on 9 November 2015. It also tied in with the traditional opening of the new season at La Scala - 7 December. |
TELEMANN / PISENDEL / BACH / VIVALDI / BRESCIANELLO
The Godfather: Master Of the German & Italian Baroque La Serenissima, Adrian Chandler [ Signum / CD - released 15/Nov/2019 ] "Already riding high in the classical charts, and with a very favourable mention on BBC Radio 3's Essential Classics, The Godfather is yet another hit from Adrian Chandler and La Serenissima." MusicWeb Recommended |
ANTONIO VIVALDI
Vivaldi x2² La Serenissima, Adrian Chandler [ Signum / CD - released 2/Aug/2024 ] "La Serenissima offers an appealing conspectus of Vivaldi's colourfully instrumental palette." BBC Music |
FRANCESC VALLS / HENRY DESMAREST
In Excelsis Deo: Barcelona 1702 - Versailles 1709 Le Concert des Nations & La Capella Reial de Catalunya, Jordi Savall [ Alia Vox SACD / 2 CD - released 27/Nov/2017 ] In the context of the War of the Spanish Succession, the duty of any composer was to celebrate not only the greatness of a deity in religious pieces, but also the power of their sponsors. Jordi Savall invites us to relive the creation of two dazzling... |
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Debussy: La Mer / Nocturnes L'Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet [ IMP / CD - released 29/Aug/2011 ] "The richness of the strings is displayed here beautifully for fans of the classical Golden Age - it's practically impossible to hear that kind of string sound on any recording made in the last thirty years" On The Record |
GIOACCHINO ROSSINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE - Rossini: Heros and Heroines Marilyn Horne (mezzo soprano) / L'Orchestre de la Suisse romande / Royal Philharmonic Orchetra / Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden [ Decca Opera Gala / CD - released 20/Jun/1998 ] 'Marilyn Horne's generously filled recital disc brings us one of the most cherishable among all Rossini aria records ever issued. The voice is in glorious condition, rich and firm throughout its spectacular range, and is consistently used with... |
LE ROYAUME OUBLIE
Le Royaume Oublie: The Albigensian Crusade (3 SACDs with large book) Montserrat Figueras, Pascal Bertin, Marc Mauillon / La Capella Reial de Catalunya / Jordi Savall [ Alia Vox SACD / 3 CD/Book - released 15/Mar/2010 ] "Savall takes ownership of the more elaborate versions of the Joan of Arc songs...and his own playing is sublime. Montserrat Figueras and the other vocal soloists and readers deliver superbly vivid performances...Altogether an impressive and deeply... |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Misteri d'Elx - Homenatge al: La Vespra (Sacred Drama for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) Montserrat Figuerras, Marlia Vargas, Arianna Savall, La Capella Reial de Catalunya. Jordi Savall [ Alia Vox / CD - released 15/May/2004 ] "Listed by UNESCO on its list of masterpieces of oral history, the Mystery of Elche is a powerful work with deep roots. Jordi Savall does this sort of music with a tremendous sense of idiom, and he conjures some amazing sounds from his Catalonian... |
BIZET / CHABRIER / TCHAIKOVSKY / IBERT / DELIBES / POULENC / etc
Roger Desormiere - The Decca Recordings National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire de Paris, Roger Desormiere, with Janine Micheau, soprano [ Decca Australian Eloquence / 4 CD Box Set - released 5/Jun/2020 ] A landmark tribute to Roger Désormière, a great French conductor of the mid-twentieth century, including many recordings new to CD. |
AIRAT ICHMOURATOV
Ichmouratov: Symphony 'On the ruins of an Ancient Fort' / Overtures Orchestre de la Francophonie, Jean-Philippe Tremblay [ Chandos / CD - released 10/Jul/2020 ] The second album of orchestral works by Airat Ichmouratov features three works united by an ear for bold orchestral colour, a dramatic sense of form, and a firm dedication to tonality. |
MAURICE RAVEL
Ravel: Orchestral Works [Includes 'Bolero'] (LP) Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, André Cluytens [ Warner Classics Vinyl / LP - released 1/Jun/2020 ] This LP includes three of Maurice Ravel's masterpieces, the Boléro, La Valse and the Rapsodie espagnole. The recordings where painstakingly remastered in 24-bit/96kHz sound from original tapes for the Cluytens Edition made in 2017 |
BERLIOZ / RAVEL / DEBUSSY / ROUSSEL / BIZET / TCHAIKOVSKY / etc
The Legacy of Charles Munch Orchestre de la Société Philharmonique de Paris, L'Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire de Paris, London Philharmonic, Charles Munch [ Decca Australian Eloquence / 14 CD Box Set - released 22/May/2020 ] The inspirational French maestro Charles Munch on disc: an unrivalled retrospective, covering three decades of incandescent music-making, including recordings new to CD and long unavailable, newly remastered and comprehensively documented. |
FRANK MARTIN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Frank Martin - Petite Symphonie Concertante, 6 Monologe aus 'Jedermann'. etc Gilles Cachemaille (baritone) / Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Armin Jordan [ Erato Apex / CD - released 14/Nov/2002 ] Recorded 1989 & 1991, in Victoria Hall, Genève |
JACQUES OFFENBACH
Offenbach: Neeme Järvi conducts Offenbach Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Neeme Järvi [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 22/Nov/2015 ] "A melt-in-the-mouth confection, attractively played and presented; Järvi père is back on form at last." (MusicWeb Nov 2015) |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Verdi: Otello (complete opera recorded in 1986) Placido Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli, Justino Diaz / Milan La Scala Chorus & Orchestra / Lorin Maazel [ EMI / 2 CD Box Set - released 18/Aug/1986 ] "I have no hesitation in making this set my first choice in this ever-potent opera" - Gramophone |
ALBINONI / CALDARA / CORRELLI / TARTINI / TORELLI / VIVALDI
The Italian Job: Baroque Instrumental Music from the Italian States Rachel Chaplin and Gail Hennessy (oboes) Peter Whelan (bassoon), La Serenissima, Adrian Chandler (violin / director) [ Avie / CD - released 24/Feb/2017 ] "the whole underpinned by a scholarly attittude to programming and performance style which is yet worn with a light grace." Gramophone Award WINNER 2017 - Baroque Insrumental |
MASCAGNI / CILEA / ALFANO / CANTALANI / GIORDANO / PUCCINI / etc
Saioa - Il Verismo d'Oro Saioa Hernández (soprano) / Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid, Orquesta Titular del Teatro Real, Carlo Montanaro [ Euroarts SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 31/May/2024 ] The award-winning Spanish opera soprano Saioa Hernández and the Orquestra Titular del Teatro Real under the direction of Carlo Montanaro invite you on an unforgettable musical journey of discovery through the aria world of Italian verismo and more. |
SAINT-SAENS / FAURE / BERLIOZ / MASSENET etc
Sandrine Piau - Si j'ai aimé Sandrine Piau (soprano) / Le Concert de la Loge, Julien Chauvin [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 24/May/2019 ] Gramophone Awards 2020 WINNER - Recital BBC Music Award Finalist 2020 |
Yo La Tengo
I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One (25th Anniversary Edition Limited 2LP) [ Matador / 2 LP - released 12/Aug/2022 ] "A stone cold classic." - Rolling Stone "The greatest band in the universe." - Pitchfork "I Can Hear The Heart helped teach people how to listen to music." - Stereogum |
FRANCESCA CACCINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Caccini: La liberazione di Ruggerio dall'isola di Alcina (complete opera) Allabastrina, La Pifarescha / Elena Sartori (harpsichord/direction) [ Glossa / CD - released 13/Jan/2016 ] With this production of Francesca Caccini's 'La liberazione di Ruggerio dall'isola di Alcina', directed by Elena Sartori, an important stepping-stone in the development of 17th-century opera receives a superb new recording from Glossa. For much of... |
GUISEPPE MARTUCCI
Martucci: Orchestral Music (Complete), Vol. 1 - Symphony No. 1 / Nocturne / Andante / Canzonetta / Giga Andrea Noferini (cello) / Rome Symphony Orchestra / Francesco La Vecchia [ Naxos / CD - released 1/Apr/2009 ] The foremost Italian orchestral composer of the late nineteenth century, as well as an accomplished pianist and conductor, Giuseppe Martucci was one of the first of a line of composers, which included Sgambati, Mancinelli and Faccio and, later,... |
IGOR STRAVINSKY
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms / Symphony in C / Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments Boris Berman (piano) / Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Neeme Jarvi, Choeur de Chambre Romand, Choeur pro Arte de Lausanne [ Chandos Classics / CD - released 30/Jun/1993 ] "(This recording) contains some superb performances by an orchestra with a long Stravinsky tradition, and Järvi's dedication to this composer has produced some of his finest efforts." ClassicsToday |
MODEST MUSSORGSKY
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Mussorgsky: The Nursery, Sunless & Songs and Dances of Death plus eight other songs (recorded 1955-7) Boris Christoff (bass) Alexandre Labinsky, piano, Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Francaise / Georges Tzipine [ EMI Great Recordings of the Century / CD - released 15/Feb/2003 ] "The Mussorgsky songs constitute a complete world in themselves, and they cast a strong spell: their range is enormous and their insight into the human condition deep. Christoff was at the height of his vocal powers when he made this set" Rosette:... |
BIZET / BERLIOZ / DEBUSSY / MUSSORGSKY / RAVEL / etc
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Andre Cluytens Boris Christoff (bass) / National Opera of Sofia / Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française, Orchestre du Théâtre National de l'Opéra, André [ EMI Classics / 2 CD - released 25/Feb/2018 ] Great Conductors of the 20th Century is a joint venture between the production and licensing expertise of IMG Artists and the international marketing and distribution clout of EMI. Sixty volumes were planned with hopes for even more. Unfortunately,... |
BELLINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Bellini: La Sonnambula (complete opera in hard cover with full libretto) Cecilia Bartoli, Juan-Diego Florez, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo / Orchestra La Scintilla / Alessandro De Marchi [ Decca Music Group / 2 CD - released 5/Nov/2008 ] "In this recording, thanks to the soloists and conductor, it manages to come over as I suspect Bellini and Romani intended, as a mini-drama with a happy ending. I have enjoyed the performance immensely and will return to it. (MusicWeb) |
PACINI / BELLINI / MENDELSSOHN / HUMMEL / ROSSI / etc
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Cecilia Bartoli - Maria Cecilia Bartoli (soprano) with Maxim Vengerov (violin) / Orchestra La Scintilla / International Chamber Soloists / Adam Fischer [ Decca / CD - released 19/Sep/2007 ] GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE AWARD WINNER 2008 - Recital - "Diva Bartoli is on brilliant form in this recording and Adam Fischer provides loving and sensitive handling of the orchestra, which plays superbly." (MusicWeb Sept 2007) |
J. S. BACH
St John Passion La chapelle Rhénane, Benoît Haller (direction) [ Zig-Zag / 2 CD - released 28/Jun/2010 ] |
ARTHUR HONEGGER
Honegger: Le Roi David (complete oratorio) Christophe Balissat, Athéna Poullos, Lucie Chartin / Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne, Marianne Beate Kielland / Daniel Reus [ Mirare / CD - released 15/Jun/2017 ] "There are some ravishing moments, and it is given a polished performance" BBC Music |
ROBERT SCHUMANN
Schumann: Requiem For Mignon / Mass in C minor Orchestre de la fondation Gulbenkian de Lisbonne, Choeur de la Fondation Gulbenkian de Lisbonne, Michel Corboz [ Warner Classics Apex / CD - released 4/Feb/2017 ] Classic recording now reissued |