RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
Vaughan Williams: On Wenlock Edge & other songs Nicky Spence (tenor), Julius Drake (piano), with Timothy Ridout (viola) & the Piatti Quartet [ Hyperion / CD - released 1/Apr/2022 ] 'a performance of On Wenlock Edge which, in its thrilling assurance, strength of imagination and rapt instinct, inclines me to rank it alongside the very finest I know.' Gramophone Editor's Choice May 2022 |
BEETHOVEN / STRAUSS / SCHUMANN / GLAZUNOV / DUKAS / POULENC / VINTER
The Romantic Horn Richard Watkins (horn), Julius Drake (piano) [ Signum / CD - released 8/Mar/2019 ] ""This is grand, swaggering playing: two virtuosos out to bring the house down" Gramophone. |
ALEXANDER BORODIN / ROBERT WRIGHT & GEORGE FORREST
Borodin: Kismet Alfred Drake & Doretta Morrow / 1953 Original Broadway Cast Recording [ Sony Columbia Broadway Masterworks / CD - released 17/May/2000 ] Kismet is a musical adapted by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis from the 1911 play of the same name by Edward Knoblock, with lyrics and musical adaptation (as well as some original music) by Robert Wright and George Forrest. |
CLAY WARNICK & MEL PAHL
Warnick/Pahl : The Adventures of Marco Polo Alfred Drake & Doretta Morrow / Original Televeision Cast Recording [ DRG Theater / CD - released 17/May/1991 ] Evidently tailored to cash in on the success of Kismet, created two years before, The Adventures of Marco Polo again teamed Alfred Drake and Doretta Morrow, who had beguiled crowds on Broadway and the West End in the earlier musical. |
COLE PORTER
Porter: Kiss Me, Kate [Original Broadway Cast in Stereo] Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison / Broadway Cast [ Angel / Broadway / CD - released 17/May/1993 ] Directed by John C. Wilson with choreography by Hanya Holm, the original cast included Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk, Harold Lang, Charles Wood and Harry Clark. |
FRANZ SCHUBERT
Schubert: 21 Songs Alice Coote (mezzo-soprano), Julius Drake (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 6/May/2022 ] One of the leading mezzos of our day in a Schubert recital which offers seventy minutes of pure pleasure. The twenty-one songs recorded here are among Schubert's finest, from Erlkönig (written in the composer's annus mirabilis of 1815) to Leise... |
DEBUSSY / DUTILLEUX / SCHUBERT / BRITTEN / MOZART / BARTOK / etc
Belcea Quartet - The Complete Warner Classics Edition Belcea Quartet, with Jonathan Lemalu (bass-baritone), Ian Bostridge (tenor), Julius Drake (piano), Leon Bosch (double bass) [ Warner Classics / 11 CD Box Set - released 17/Mar/2023 ] One of today's most highly respected string quartets, the Belcea were established in 1994 at the Royal College of Music in London and studied with the Chilingirian, the Amadeus, and later the Alban Berg quartets. |
SCHUBERT / WOLF / DUPARC / DEBUSSY / WARLOCK
Christopher Maltman: Recorded live at the Wigmore Hall (June 2007) Christopher Maltman (baritone) Julius Drake (piano) [ Wigmore Hall Live / CD - released 15/Aug/2008 ] "It's Maltman's superb breath control which gives shape and sensuous beauty to Debussy and Dupare. And, thanks to Drake's restraining pace, Warlock's Captain Stratton's Fancy' has real swagger." BBC Music |
Drake
Honestly, Nevermind [ Republic / CD - released 17/Mar/2023 ] Honestly, Nevermind is Drake's seventh studio album. The album's producers include longtime collaborators like Noah (40) Shebib, Oliver El-Khatib, and Noel Cadastre, as well as Black Coffee, who has recently worked with David Guetta and... |
Drake
Views (2LP) [ Republic Records / 2 LP - released 28/Oct/2016 ] '"Views" shows how Drake's original sound has become a genre unto itself - not just as a template for others but also for Drake himself. The framework pioneered by him and his right-hand producer, 40 - tender, lush, soothing melodies about romantic... |
FRANZ SCHUBERT / JOHANNES BRAHMS
Schubert: Schwanengesang; Brahms: Vier ernste Gesänge Gerald Finley (baritone) Julius Drake (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 27/Sep/2019 ] An inspired coupling of two contrasting yet complementary sets of 'swansongs'. Despite the three decades separating Brahms' and Schubert's ages at the time of writing, both are among their composers' very final works, poignant reflections on the... |
MAURICE RAVEL
Ravel: Songs [incls 'Chants populaires' & 'Cinq melodies populaires grecques'] Gerald Finley (baritone), Julius Drake (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 20/Jun/2009 ] "Top-notch sound and informed, easily readable liner notes complete an irresistible, essential package for all vocal music fans. Bravo" (10 / 10 ClassicsToday) |
BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Songs & Proverbs of William Blake Gerald Finley (baritone), Julius Drake (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 20/Jun/2010 ] "Finley as ever acquits himself as a fine singer, a conscientious artist and a thoroughly reliable musician....In all (including the Blake) Julius Drake is the superb pianist." (Gramophone Award WINNER 2011 - Solo Vocal) |
SAMUEL BARBER
Barber: Songs Gerald Finley (baritone) Julius Drake (piano) with the Aronowitz Ensemble [ Hyperion / CD - released 30/Nov/2007 ] GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE AWARD WINNER 2008 - Solo Vocal -- "the Canadian baritone Gerald Finley is golden in tone, persuasive in phrasing, and unfailingly responsive to the sound and sense of the words..." BBC Music Five Stars |
FRANZ SCHUBERT
Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin Gerald Finley (baritone) Julius Drake (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 3/Jun/2022 ] "Drake and Finley are hand in voice throughout the cycle, yet always understanding that either partner may sing their own song...A magnificent recording." BBC Music |
BENJAMIN BRITTEN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: The Canticles and Folksong Arrangements Ian Bostridge, David Daniels, Christopher Maltman, Julius Drake piano [ Virgin Classics / CD - released 21/Oct/2002 ] "For sheer vocal character and interpretative intelligence on both their parts it is the equal of any of the others - yes, even that of Pears and Britten." - International Record Review |
FRANZ SCHUBERT
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Schubert: Lieder Vol 1 Ian Bostridge (tenor) Julius Drake (piano) [ EMI Music / CD - released 11/May/2001 ] "Bostridge's growing band of devoted admirers are sure to be satisfied by this selection from Schubert's most popular songs." Gramophone |
ROBERT SCHUMANN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Schumann: Liederkreis, Op. 24 / Dichterliebe, Op. 48 / 7 lieder Ian Bostridge (tenor) / Julius Drake (piano) [ EMI / CD - released 11/Jan/2008 ] 1001 Classical recordings you must hear before you die (1801-1850) - "My choice is Ian Bostridge… his velveteen, youthful timbres and intense, subtle delivery suit Schumann's cycle to perfection." The Sunday Times, March 2001 |
JEAN SIBELIUS
Sibelius: Songs of Sibelius Katarina Karneus (mezzo) Julius Drake (piano) [ Hyperion / Hybrid SACD - released 1/May/2011 ] PICK OF THE MONTH (BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE) BEST OF THE YEAR (THE DAILY TELEGRAPH) BEST OF THE YEAR (THE SUNDAY TIMES) |