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LEONARD BERNSTEIN
Bernstein: Wonderful Town Danielle de Niese, Alysha Umphress, Nathan Gunn, Duncan Rock / London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Sir Simon Rattle [ LSO Live SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 1/Oct/2018 ] 'I cannot imagine better casting for the sisters than the quintessentially sassy Danielle de Niese and the effortlessly funny Alysha Umphress.' The Times |
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TCHAIKOVSKY / BRAHMS
Violin Concerto in D major, Op.35 / Violin Concerto in D major, Op.77 (Rec 1960/61) David Oistrakh (violin) / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Norman Del Mar; London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent [ BBC Legends / CD - released 7/Jan/2004 ] "The big tone, the generous gestures, the energy and the poetry, all are here, plus an extra shot of 'live' adrenalin" Gramophone |
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RICHARD STRAUSS
Strauss: Intermezzo Deutsche Oper Berlin, Sir Donald Runnicles [ Naxos / 2 CD - released 12/Jun/2026 ] Richard Strauss summed up his two-act opera Intermezzo as a 'bourgeois comedy with symphonic interludes'. The soprano role of Christine with its shimmering cantilenas represents Strauss's wife Pauline, while the successful Kapellmeister Robert Storch... |
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JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: A German Requiem [Ein Deutsches Requiem] Dorothea Roschmann (soprano) Thomas Quasthoff (baritone) / Berlin Radio Choir / Berliner Philharmoniker / Sir Simon Rattle [ Warner Classics / CD - released 1/Apr/2007 ] 'This strikes me as probably the best new version of the Requiem I've heard in quite some years' Disc of the Month BBC Music Magazine (April 2007) |
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Peter MAXWELL DAVIES
Strathclyde Concertos 7 & 8 / A spell for green corn: The MacDonald dances Duncan McTier (double-bass), Ursula Leveaux (bassoon), James Clark (violin) / Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Sir Peter Maxwell Davies [ Naxos / CD - released 10/Feb/2014 ] "The demise of Collins Classics - on which label many of the composer's recordings were originally issued - removed from the catalogue a great many valuable discs. It is to the great credit of Naxos they have over the years so assiduously re-released |
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TCHAIKOVSKY
The Sleeping Beauty (complete ballet recorded in 2004) The Dutch National Ballet / Sir Peter Wright / Marius Petipa / Philip Prowse / Sofiane Sylve / Gael Lambiotte [ Opus Arte / Kultur / 2 DVD - released 1/Apr/2009 ] G :- Tchaikovsky and Petipa's timeless ballet - acknowledged to be the most pure and demanding piece in the classic romantic repertoire - brings out Petipa's rich dance vocabulary with the sparkling virtuosity a superb performance needs. |
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ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINCK
Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel (complete opera filmed in 1981) Edita Gruberova, Brigitte Fassbaender, Hermann Prey, Helga Dernesch, Sena Jurinac, Norma Burrowes / Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Georg Solti [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / DVD - released 14/Nov/2005 ] This production, filmed in 1981, is released on DVD for the first time. |
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SIR ARTHUR BLISS
Sir Arthur Bliss: the Decca Originals Eileen Joyce (piano) Alfredo Campoli (violin) Griller Quartet (string quartet), Colin Hampton (cello), Philip Burton (viola) / Sir Arthur Bliss, Muir [ Decca Australian Eloquence / 2 CD - released 19/Jun/2020 ] "This is a convenient, well-transferred compilation of some of the finest performances of music by a still-underrated composer. Bliss's version of the Colour Symphony is better paced than many of its successors." BBC Music |
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BARTOK
Bluebeard's Castle Elena Zhidkova & Sir Willard White / London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus, Valery Gergiev [ LSO Live SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 5/Sep/2014 ] "…Gergiev and his superlative orchestral forces and vocal soloists, supported by magnificent sound quality, present the enigmatic piece with great power, leaving us, as adequate performances always do, feeling stunned and somewhat bewildered." (BBC) |
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ELGAR
Cello Concerto / Pomp and Circumstance Marches Nos. 1-5 / etc Paul Watkins (cello) / BBC Philharmonic, Sir Andrew Davis [ Chandos / CD - released 22/Apr/2012 ] "Watkins plays with consummate artistry, his golden-toned and technically flawless contribution striking a judicious balance between classical poise and unexaggerated depth of feeling...Durable rewards guaranteed" Gramophone Magazine, Editor's Choice... |
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EDWARD ELGAR
Elgar from the Archives Vol. 4 Symphony Orchestra of Radio Leipzig (orchestra) The Halle Orchestra, Gerhard Pfluger, Sir John Barbirolli [ SOMM Recordings / CD - released 17/Jul/2026 ] From SOMM Recordings comes another release in their warmly received series Elgar from the Archives, drawn from the remarkable collection of producer and restoration engineer Lani Spahr, containing over 5,000 historic Elgar recordings. Reviewing the... |
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EDWARD ELGAR
Elgar: Starlight Express, Op. 78 Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano), Roderick Williams (baritone) & Simon Callow (narrator) / Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis [ Chandos SACD / 2 Hybrid SACD - released 1/Nov/2012 ] "Davis secures absolutely first-rate results from the Scottish CO. Elin Manahan Thomas's light and slivery soprano could hardly be more suited to the parts of the Laugher and Jane-Anne, while Roderick Williams is in glorious voice throughout."... |
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JOSEF HAYDN
Die Jahreszeiten (The Seasons) Elsie Morison (soprano) Alexander Young, Michael Langdon / Beecham Choral Society / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Sir Thomas Beecham [ EMI Gemini / 2 CD - released 12/Nov/2004 ] In 1798 Haydn's oratorio Die Schöpfung (The Creation) received its première; such was the enthusiasm that a sequel was duly requested. The subject was to be the four seasons of the year rather than the seven days of creation - which still allowed the... |
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SIR ARTHUR BLISS
Bliss: the Beautitudes Emily Birsan (soprano), Ben Johnson (tenor), Sir Andrew Davis [ Chandos SACD / SACD - released 23/Feb/2018 ] Excelling in recordings of Delius, Elgar, and Holst, Sir Andrew Davis here presents a spirited programme of works by Sir Arthur Bliss. It follows a recording of Morning Heroes that made the top recommendations of 2015; likewise recorded in... |
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HANDEL / CHARPENTIER / BARBER / RACHMANINOV / BRITTEN / MOZART / BEETHOVEN
Sacred Treasures Emma Kirkby, Veronique Gens, Janet Baker, Barbara Hendricks, Andrew Parrott, Riccardo Muti, Richard Hickox, Georges Prêtre, Michel Plasson, Sir Simon [ Erato / Warner Classics / 3 CD Box Set - released 24/Dec/2016 ] Three CDs of some of the greatest sacred choral and vocal works of the last three centuries. |
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GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Messiah [New Concert Edition by Sir Andrew Davis] Erin Wall, Elizabeth DeShong, Andrew Staples, John Relyea / Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis [ Chandos SACD / 2 Hybrid SACD - released 30/Jan/2017 ] "A performance I will return to often and with great pleasure." MusicWeb International, 13th December 2016 |
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GIACOMO PUCCINI
Puccini: Le Willis (complete original production) Ermonela Jaho, Arsen Soghomonyan, Brian Mulligan / Opera Rara Chorus, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder [ Opera Rara / CD - released 25/Sep/2019 ] "The chorus and orchestra are both impressive, while conductor Mark Elder delivers a lively and loving account of the score" BBC Music Award Finalist 2020 |
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R. STRAUSS
Elektra & Ariadne auf Naxos (Final Scenes) Erna Schlüter / Ljuba Welitsch / Maria Cebotari / Karl Friedrich / Margaret Field-Hyde / Royal Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra / Sir Thomas Beecham [ Naxos Historical Great Opera Recordings / CD - released 1/Aug/2011 ] For the recording of Elektra, Beecham was fortunate to be to able call upon the renowned interpreters of Strauss's music Erna Schlüter, Ljuba Welitsch and Paul Schöffler, who were appearing with the Vienna State Opera at the Royal Opera House, Covent... |
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LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos 1 - 5 Evgeny Kissin (piano) / London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis [ Warner Classics / 3 CD Box Set - released 1/Nov/2008 ] "The technically brilliant Russian is often criticised for his dourly clinical playing, but his Barbican Beethoven series…displayed a playful, warmer performer, more ready to unbutton, as in the finale of the First, or in the friskiness of the Fifth"... |
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Mozart, Wo
Mitridate Re di Ponto Ford, Sieden, Oelze, Kasarova, Grant Murphy, Spence, Rudakova; Camerata Salzburg, Sir Roger Norrington [ ORFEO / 2 CD - released 28/Jul/2006 ] |