GEORGES BIZET
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Bizet: Carmen (complete opera with full libretto) Julia Migenes Johnson, Placido Domingo, Ruggiero Raimondi, Faith Esham / National Orchestra of France, Lorin Maazel [ Erato / CD - released 1/May/1984 ] "Carmen is sung here by Julia Migenes Johnson. Her Habanera is wonderfully shapely and sexy, in a quite light flirty manner. In Act 4 she and Placido Domingo (as Don José) give us a wonderfully dramatic climax to the opera." (MusicWeb) |
GEORGES BIZET
Bizet: Carmen (Complete Opera recorded in 1984) Julia Migenes, Placido Domingo, Ruggero Raimondi / National Orchestra of France, Lorin Maazel [ Warner Erato Classics Home of Opera / 2 CD - released 20/May/2016 ] "Maazel's buoyant lightness and edgy rhythmic energy are suitably Gallic, and his principals are visually and vocally compelling." (Gramophone) |
GEORGES BIZET
Bizet: Les Pêcheurs de Perles (The Pearl Fishers) [complete opera] Julie Fuchs, Cyrille Dubois, Florian Sempey, Luc Bertin-Hugaul / Orchestre National de Lille, Alexandre Bloch [ Pentatone SACD / 2 Hybrid SACD - released 1/Nov/2012 ] Les Pêcheurs de Perles is best known for its glorious duet, but Georges Bizet's opera has much more to offer. This live recording more than ever brings out the brilliance of this oriental story about love, duty and friendship. In the last 150 years,... |
RICHARD RODGERS / OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II
Rodgers: South Pacific [First complete recording] Justino Diaz & Paige O'Hara / 1996 Cast with national Symphony Orchestra, John Owen Edwards [ Jay Digital / 2 CD Box Set - released 17/May/1997 ] Paige O'Hara makes a perky Nellie Forbush, a really believable and likable "cockeyed optimist"; Pat Suzuki is a solid and warm Bloody Mary, who brings warmth and seductiveness to "Bali Ha'i"; and Sean McDermott plays a virile Lt. Cable. |
GEORGE GERSHWIN / JOAN TOWER / WALTER PISTON / JOHN HARBISON
Gershwin: Concerto in F (with works by Tower, Piston & Harbison) Kevin Cole (piano) / National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic, David Alan Miller [ Naxos American Classics / CD - released 13/Nov/2020 ] "From the very opening [Gershwin] with its timpani motto, the piece goes like the wind, not sounding rushed so much as bracingly correct. Miller and pianist Kevin Cole set perfect tempos for the cakewalk passage in the first movement" Fanfare |
RACHMANINOV / SCHUMANN / LISZT / SCHUBERT / CHOPIN / DEBUSSY
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Klara Wuertz Plays Romantic Piano Klara Wuertz (piano) / National Symphony Orchestra of the Ukraine, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie [ Brilliant Classics / 2 CD - released 20/Oct/2008 ] Through her many recordings for Brilliant Classics Hungarian/Dutch pianist Klára Würtz established herself firmly as one of the more exciting pianists of the younger generation. Her playing radiates with energy, brilliance and warmth, not only laying... |
KURT WEILL
Weill: Street Scene Kristine Ciesinski, Janis Kelly, Bonaventura Bottone, Richard van Allan, Catherine Zeta Jones / English National Opera, Carl Davis [ Jay Productions / 2 CD Box Set - released 9/Nov/1989 ] Street Scene is an American opera by Kurt Weill (music), Langston Hughes (lyrics), and Elmer Rice (book). Written in 1946 and premiered in Philadelphia that year, Street Scene is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1929 play of the same name by... |
JOHN PHILIP SOUSA
A Sousa Celebration Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Kristjan Järvi [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 28/Apr/2017 ] "Looking for something foot-tapping and beguiling, and with a fund of tunes? This Chandos Sousa release could be the answer." Classical Source |
TALIVALDIS KENINS
Kenins: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 6 Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Guntis Kuzma [ Ondine / CD - released 22/Oct/2021 ] The first album of orchestral works by one of Latvia's most prominent composers, Tālivaldis Ķeniņš (1919-2008), released in October 2020 has received a warm response from music critics around the world. This second volume by the Latvian National... |
RICHARD STRAUSS / LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN / MIKHAIL GLINKA
The Princess and the Bear: Strauss (R): Duet-Concertino / Beethoven: Trio / Glinka: Trio pathétique Laurence Perkins (bassoon), with Sarah Watts (clarinet), Martin Roscoe (piano) / Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Sian Edwards (conductor) [ Hyperion / CD - released 27/Jul/2018 ] "[the Glinka] finds Watts and Perkins squaring off and duetting like protagonists from one of the bel canto operas that inspired it, while Roscoe accompanies them with understated subtlety." Gramophone |
HAVERGAL BRIAN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Brian: Symphony No.1 "The Gothic" Vladimir Dolezal (tenor) / Eva Jenisova (soprano) / Peter Mikulas (bass) / Dagmar Peckova (alto) / Slovak National Opera / Ondrej Lenard [ Marco Polo / 2 CD Box Set - released 2/Feb/1990 ] "Leonard leads a substantial percentage of the adult population of Bratislava in a noble effort, full of excitement, with enthusiastic (if somewhat rough) choral singing and a very good lineup of soloists (including the young Dagmar Pecková), all... |
GABRIEL FAURE
New.Pavane - Best of Fauré (LP) Linda Chesis (flute), Patricia Nagle (flute), Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Michel Plasson (conductor) [ Erato / LP - released 25/Sep/2024 ] Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was a seminal composer, organist, and teacher, pivotal in bridging the Romantic and modern eras in music. Born in Pamiers, France, he studied under Camille Saint-Saëns at the École Niedermeyer. Fauré's compositions are noted... |
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78 / Scythian Suite, Op. 20, from `Ala et Lolly` Linda Finnie (contralto) / Royal Scottish National Orchestra & Chorus / Neeme Jarvi [ Chandos Classics / CD - released 20/Aug/1988 ] 1001 Classical recordings you must hear before you die (1901-1950) "Neeme Jarvi's wide-screen spectacular captures the icy intensity in the scenes of devastation and the glitter of the musical patriotism in equal measure." (1001 recordings) |
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Shostakovich: Complete Symphonies National Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Academy Symphony, Mstislav Rostropovich [ Warner Classics / 12 CD Box Set - released 19/Mar/2007 ] Composed over a period of nearly 50 years, Dmitri Shostakovich's 15 symphonies are astonishingly diverse in conception and expression, reflecting the composer's personal experiences, the history of the 20th century and the tensions and struggles of... |
LEO DELIBES
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Delibes: Coppelia [Complete Ballet] (with Massenet - Le Carillon) L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge [ Decca Ballet Edition / 2 CD Box Set - released 28/Aug/2014 ] This recording of Coppelia with the L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the earlier of two made by Richard Bonynge, was the top recommendation when BBC Radio 3 compared different recordings in its programme Building a Library in 2010. |
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Shostakovich: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 Lydia Mordkovitch (violin) Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi [ Chandos Classics / CD - released 10/Aug/2015 ] This album is a tribute features Lydia Mordkovitc's famous 1989 recording of Shostakovich's violin concertos with Neeme Järvi and the Scottish National Orchestra. Lydia Mordkovitch was one of the founding artists of Chandos and over the years made... |
ALEXANDER MacKENZIE
Mackenzie: Violin Concerto / Pibroch Suite Malcolm Stewart (violin) / Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Vernon Handely, conductor / David Davies, conductor [ Hyperion Helios / CD - released 20/Jun/2009 ] 'Stewart is the real red-blooded article, with a big sound and a bow that travels across the strings so fast that it must look like a blur in the concert hall. But not a single note is blurred or slighted here' - Fanfare, USA |
HENRYK WIENIAWSKI
Wieniawski: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 / Fantaisie brillante on themes from Gounod's 'Faust' Op.20 Marat Bisengaliev (violin) / National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Katowice) / Antoni Wit (conductor) [ Naxos / CD - released 20/Jan/2003 ] "this can be recommended regardless of price....these are performances of bravura excitement, warm, flowing tone, and awesome ease of execution...This Wieniawski release is an incredible bargain" - Fanfare |
VERDI / DONIZETTI / BELLINI / DONIZETTI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Marcelo Alvarez - Bel Canto Marcelo Alvarez (tenor) / Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, Carlo Rizzi [ Sony Classical / CD - released 17/Sep/1998 ] Álvarez travels widely, performing with top singers in major opera houses and concert halls around the world. Since the beginning of his career in 1994, he has maintained an active touring schedule and debuted in 34 roles. |