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HAVERGAL BRIAN
Symphony no 1 in D minor "The Gothic" Hpnor Sheppard (soprano) Shirley Minty (contralto) Ronald Dowd (tenor) / BBC Symphony Orchestra & Choral Society, etc / Sir Adrian Boult [ Testament / 2 CD - released 10/Dec/2009 ] "Long available in a pirated recording of the broadcast, this live performance of the mighty Gothic has at last 'gone legit'." BBC Music Magazine, February 2010 *** |
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BEETHOVEN
Eroica / Symphony No. 3 Ian Hart / Tim Pigott-Smith / Claire Skinner / Jack Davenport / Orchestre RACvolutionnaire et Romantique / Sir John Eliot Gardiner [ BBC / Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 5/May/2005 ] G :- 'Ian Hart is brilliant as Beethoven, a volatile, magnetic figure of genius and uncouth charm…not to be missed.' -- Daily Mail |
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SIBELIUS / ELGAR
Violin Concertos (recorded 1984 & 1993) Ida Haendel (violin) / City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle [ Testament / CD - released 10/Oct/2009 ] "..it is Haendel's thoroughly personal input of humanity, expressive power, and her dynamic fusion of immediacy and profound insight that puts this performance in a class of its own. It is simply mind-blowing." The Telegraph, 28th July 2009 ***** |
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MICHAEL TIPPETT
A Child of our Time (complete) Indra Thomas (soprano) Mihoko Fujimura (alto) Steve Davislim (tenor) / London Symphony Chorus & Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis [ LSO Live SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 1/Sep/2008 ] "There are emotional depths here which turn this recording into something very special." (Gramophone Editor's Choice September 2008) |
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CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS / FREDERICK DELIUS
Saint-Saens/Delius: Cello Concertos Jacqueline du Pré (cello), The Philadelphia Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent [ Warner Classics / LP - released 24/Jan/2025 ] In this important live recording, Jacqueline Du Pré's rendition of Camille Saint-Saëns' famous 1st Cello Concerto is made all the more sentimental with her husband Daniel Barenboim conducting The Philadelphia Orchestra behind her. |
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EDWARD ELGAR
Elgar: Orchestral Works, Cello Concerto, Sea Pictures, Dream of Gerontius Jacqueline du Pre (cello) Dame Janet Baker (mezzo) Richard Lewis (tenor) / Halle Orchestra / Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli [ EMI British Composers / 7 CD Box Set - released 25/Mar/2022 ] Born in London of Italian-French parents, Sir John Barbirolli (1899-1970) trained as a cellist and played in theatre and café orchestras before joining the Queen's Hall Orchestra under Sir Henry Wood in 1916. |
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EDWARD ELGAR / LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Elgar: Cello Concerto / Beethoven: The Ghost... Jacqueline du Pre in Portrait Jacqueline du Pre (cello) / Daniel Barenboim / Pinchas Zukerman / Sir John Barbirolli / Philharmonia Orchestra [ Opus Arte / BBC DVD / DVD - released 1/Sep/2004 ] Jacqueline du Pré's extraordinary career was cut cruelly short by illness in 1973 when she was only 28 years old. When she died 14 years later, she remained as vibrant a figure in the public mind as she had been at the pinnacle of her career. |
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EDWARD ELGAR
Elgar: Cello Concerto / Sea Pictures / Overture: Cockaigne Jacqueline Du Pre (cello) Dame Janet Baker (mezzo) / London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli [ Warner Classics Original Jacket Reissues / CD - released 22/Aug/2015 ] GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE 100 GREATEST RECORDINGS OF ALL TIME |
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HECTOR BERLIOZ
Berlioz: Harold en Italie / Reverie et Caprice, Op. 8 / etc James Ehnes (violin & viola) / Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 20/May/2015 ] The virtuosic and nine-times Juno-winning Canadian James Ehnes is centre stage in a new recording of orchestral works by Berlioz, with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. This recording follows an extraordinarily rare... |
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J. S. BACH
Bach: St Matthew Passion, BWV244 James Gilchrist, Stephan Loges, Hannah Morrison, Zoë Brookshaw, Charlotte Ashley, Reginald Mobley / Monteverdi Choir, Sir John Eliot Gardiner [ Soli Deo Gloria / 2 CD - released 24/Feb/2017 ] "..a thoughtfully moulded, expertly executed and deeply committed reading, so honestly communicative of its intent and so free of self-conscious monumentalism, sententiousness or melodramatics...one of his finest achievements." Gramophone |
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JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Serenades Nos. 1 & 2 / Alto Rhapsody / Variations on a theme by Haydn / etc Janet Baker (alto) / London Philharmonic Orchestra & London Symhony Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult [ EMI Gemini / 2 CD - released 20/Oct/2006 ] "Sir Adrian, courteous and thoughtful English gentleman, was for some reason not always willing to thrust Brahms's arguments fully home, and there is a little too much reserve in his music-making. Yet when he conducts for Dame Janet Baker, who sings... |
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DONIZETTI
Mary Stuart (Scenes from the opera in English) Janet Baker, English National Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Sir Charles Mackerras [ Chandos Opera in English / CD - released 17/Nov/2001 ] Janet Baker made her last appearances with English National Opera |
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GUSTAV MAHLER
Mahler: Symphonies 1, 5, 6, 9, Kindertotenlieder, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Ruckert-Lieder Janet Baker (mezzo) / Halle & New Philharmonia Orchestras, Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir John Barbirolli [ Warner Classics / 5 CD Box Set - released 28/Aug/2021 ] "Barbirolli's famous 1969 version on any count is one of the greatest, most warmly affecting performances ever committed to disc, expansive, yet concentrated in feeling: the Adagietto is very moving … A classic version." Penguin Guide (5th Sym] |
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MAURICE RAVEL / HECTOR BERLIOZ
Ravel: Sheherazade / Berlioz: Les Nuits d'ete [recorded in 1967] Janet Baker (mezzo-soprano) / New Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli [ Warner Classics Original Jacket Reissues / CD - released 10/Feb/2019 ] A classic recording of a classic pairing of French song cycles. Composed some 60 years apart, Berlioz's Les Nuits d'été and Ravel's Shéhérazade both visit romantic, mysterious and exotic locations, evoking a wealth of moods and sensations. Janet... |
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CHARLES IVES
Ives: Orchestral Works, Vol. 3 [ Incls Symphony No. 3 'The Camp Meeting'] Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano) / Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis [ CHANDOS SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 3/Mar/2017 ] "This is one of the finest recordings - perhaps the best - of all the many I have heard of Ives." Recording of the Month MusicWeb |
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SIBELIUS
Violin Concerto / Finlandia, Op. 26 / Karelia Suite, Op. 11 / etc Jennifer Pike (violin) / Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 1/Mar/2014 ] Jean Sibelius is perhaps best known for his seven great symphonies but there is also a large body of music for the concert hall, the theatre, and the salon, some of which is explored on this release. The Violin Concerto in D minor, Sibelius's only... |
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ARNE / ELGAR / WOOD / PARRY / WALTON / WILLIAMSON
The Last Night Of The Proms 1969 • 1971 • 1972 - Highlights Jessye Norman (soprano) Elizabeth Bainbridge (mezzo-soprano) / BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Choral Society, BBC Chorus, Sir Colin Davis [ Decca SBS Australian Eloquence / 2 CD - released 1/Jun/2019 ] Compiled together for the first time, historic recordings of the grand finale to the world's greatest music festival. |
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ELGAR
Symphonies 1 & 2 London Philharmonic Orchestra / Sir Adrian Boult [ Lyrita / 2 CD - released 21/Jun/2007 ] Elgar's two symphonies have a special place in English musical history. When they were first played they towered head and shoulders - in sheer technique, let alone content - above previous symphonic offerings by British composers. Today when we have... |
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GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Requiem / Quattro pezzi sacri Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne, Luciano Pavarotti, Martti Talvela / Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus / Sir Georg Solti [ Decca Originals / 2 CD - released 11/Nov/2007 ] "Horne is the formidable mezzo, although her singing isn't always lit with inner feeling. The beauty of the youthful Pavarotti's tone is admirable, but he is sometimes restrained by four-square support. Talvela is sonorous but lacks legato.... |
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GUSTAV MAHLER
Mahler: Symphony No 3 (with John Barbirolli - Elizabeth Suite) Lucretia West (alto) / Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli [ Testament / 2 CD - released 24/Oct/2005 ] Recorded 1969 & 1964 |