GRIEG / SCHUMANN
Piano Concertos Stephen Kovacevich (piano) / BBC Symphony Orchestra / Sir Colin Davis [ PHILIPS / CD - released 1/Jan/2008 ] 1001 Classical recordings you must hear before you die (1851-1900) - "An excellent transfer brings the long-admired recording by Stephen Kovacevich and Colin Davis vividly back to life." (1001 Classical) |
W.A. MOZART
Stuart Burrows Stuart Burrows (tenor) / London Philharmonic Orchestra / London Symphony Orchestra / Sir John Pritchard [ Decca Classic Recitals / CD - released 1/Mar/2006 ] A timely reminder of the great Welsh tenor and outstanding Mozartian. Presents the complete recital on CD for the first time. |
BARTOK
Bluebeard's Castle (a filmed version of the complete opera) Sylvia Sass / Kolos KovAts / London Philharmonic Orchestra / Sir Georg Solti [ Decca DVD / DVD - released 1/May/2008 ] G : - "If not anything, this is a fine opportunity to re-assess Bartók's dramatic acumen in an intimate environment. Sound and visuals are of the highest Decca standards. Highly recommended." (ClassicalNet April 2008) |
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
The Symphonies / Job / Lark Ascending / etc Tasmin Little (violin) / BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis [ Warner Classics / 6 CD - released 21/Apr/2008 ] "Outstanding generous measure" Gramophone Magazine Oct 2001 |
MAHLER
Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor (recorded live in 1997) Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, Sir Georg Solti [ Decca / CD - released 1/Jul/2010 ] Commemorating the 10th anniversary of Solti's death is the release of his last concert on 13th July 1997, recorded live with the Tonhalle Orchestra, Zurich. |
W. A. MOZART
Cosi Fan Tutte (complete opera recorded in 1990) Karita Mattila, Anne Sofie von Otter, Thomas Allen, Francisco Araiza / Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner [ Decca Classic Opera / 3 CD Box Set - released 1/Jun/2009 ] "A strikingly light, fresh Così with a truly superb ensemble, idiomatic and characterful; the voices are large, but only Mattila sounds a little weighty." (Five Stars BBC Music) |
GILBERT and SULLIVAN
Greatest Hits (incls 'Tit Willow', 'With cat-Like Tread', 'Poor Wand'ring One' & 'I Have a Song to Sing, O!') Valerie Masterson, John Reed, Joyce Wright, Owen Brannigan / D'Oyly Carte Opera Company / Isidore Godfrey, Sir Malcom Sargent [ Decca / CD - released 30/Sep/2007 ] Arthur Sullivan and William Gilbert will be forever linked by their successes with their popular comic operas. They wrote many operettas including The Mikado, HMS Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance |
FREDERICK DELIUS
Delius: 150Th Anniversary Edition Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Richard Hickox / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Charles Groves, [ Warner Classics / 18 CD Box Set - released 14/Nov/2011 ] The present generous set has no parallels nor would I anticipate that there will be for many years. The performances and recordings are healthy and pleasing." (MusicWeb) |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Romantic Adagios Various Artists incls Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Georg Solti, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Charles Dutoit, Kyung Wha Chung, etc [ Decca / 2 CD - released 31/Jan/2000 ] Over 2 hours of the world's most passionate music |
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
Vaughan Williams: The Complete Adrian Boult Recordings London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Choir, Sir Adrian Boult [ Warner Classics / 13 CD Box Set - released 12/Sep/2018 ] "It seems superfluous to recommend this box. It contains around 17 hours of Boult's VW. Many of these recordings are amongst the very best you will hear." MusicWeb |
BERLIOZ
Complete Orchestral Works (Incl Symphonie fantasique & Harold en Italie) (Special price) Various Orchestras / Sir Colin Davis [ Philips / 6 CD - released 8/Apr/2000 ] *** Three Stars Penguin Stereo Guide. |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Overtures & Preludes / Siegfried Idyll Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Sir Georg Solti [ Decca Originals / CD - released 20/Jul/2007 ] Solti and Wagner - the ultimate combination! Stunning new remasters of Solti's exciting readings of these overtures as well as what is generally considered the most beautiful recording of Siegfried Idyll. |
SCHUBERT
Ultimate Schubert [Incls 'Rosamunde, Symphonies Nos 5, 8 & 9, & 'Death and the Maiden'] Vienna Philharmonic / Sir Clifford Curzon (piano) / Beaux Arts Trio / Quartetto Italiano / Weller Quartet / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra [ Decca Budget Boxes / 5 CD Box Set - released 1/Sep/2007 ] 5 CDs in presentation slip case at SUPER-BUDGET price. Great value gift purchase. |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: The Piano Concertos (complete) / Bagatelles Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano) / Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti [ Decca Collector's Edition / 3 CD Box Set - released 5/Aug/2013 ] "He is one of those pianists who so often seems to me to sound just right. No gimmicks, the music just speaks as it should . . . innate musicality, impeccable taste." Jed Distler, Gramophone (London) |
W.A. MOZART
Quintet for piano and wind instruments / Piano Quartet in G minor / Sonata for Two Pianos Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano) / London Wind Soloists / Melos Quartet / Sir Georg Solti [ Decca Mozart Collection Vol 12 / CD - released 12/Dec/2005 ] The Piano Quartet features a rare appearance by Sir Georg Solti at the keyboard |
ANTONIO VIVALDI
Vivaldi: Wind Concertos William Bennett (flute/piccolo) Martin Gatt (bassoon) Neil Black (oboe) / Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner [ Decca Ovation / CD - released 20/Jul/1989 ] The many recordings Neville Marriner made with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and originally released on the ARGO label include several albums of Vivaldi. Here is a selection of wind concertos. |
TRADITIONAL
Christmas with the Academy Academy & Chorus of St Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner [ Decca Australian Eloquence / CD - released 1/Nov/2012 ] The story of the birth of Jesus more than two thousand years ago has been the source of inspiration for countless poets and musicians, as well as practitioners of other forms of art. The infant, born of a virgin in a lowly cattle shed, because there... |
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
Rossini: Overtures (Incl. Il Barbiere di Siviglia; Il Signor Bruschino; La scala di seta) Academy of St Martin in the Fields. conducted by :Sir Neville Marriner [ Pentatone SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 12/Apr/2005 ] All Penatone SACDs are 5.1 stereo sound. Playable on all Compact Disc players |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Academy of St Martin in the Fields - 60th Anniversary Edition Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Conducted by Sir Neville Marriner, Iona Brown & Joshua Bell, with Alan Loveday (violin) [ Decca Collectors Edition / 60 CD Box Set - released 10/May/2019 ] This new Edition, an exciting new collaboration between Decca and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, celebrates the Academy's international reputation for its distinctive, polished and refined sound through a selection of 60 recordings from... |
GORDON GETTY
Getty: Orchestral Works Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner [ Pentatone SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 10/Nov/2010 ] "...the Ancestor and Homework Suites offer a winning series of orchestral miniatures, beautifully, sometimes robustly scored...Marriner and the Academy play all this music with great character and finesse, and the pianissimo strings are often... |