Posts tagged as "maurice-ravel"

Irma Kolassi – The Decca Recitals

April 13, 2017

Newly remastered and compiled for the first time, the complete Decca recital albums of Irma Kolassi are now available on this 4CD set from Eloquence. Born in Greece but raised in Paris,she  began her career as a pianist until her ‘richly regal’ (The Times) mezzo-soprano was discovered. As a vocal coach in Athens, she worked […]

The Cambridge Buskers Collection

January 20, 2017

Is nothing sacred? The Cambridge Buskers bring their madcap humour to the greats of classical music – everything from the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ and the ‘1812 Overture’ to Ravel’s ‘Bolero’ and the ‘Teddy Bears’ Picnic’! And not forgetting Beethoven’s Nine Symphonies in under four minutes… This 4CD set brings together the pair’s most famous albums, released […]

Ravel: Orchestral Works

June 15, 2016

Bernard Haitink revisited the music of Ravel on recordings several times in his career both with ‘his’ Concertgebouw Orchestra as well as with the Boston Symphony. While many of these recordings have been reissued, his earliest, and in a way, most exciting accounts of the music of Ravel, made in 1961, have never appeared internationally […]

Ravel – The Early Recordings (Ansermet)

May 25, 2016

Recorded between October 1951 and June 1953, these mono recordings have been much prized and sought-after by collectors and now reappear on CD at super-budget price. Ravel and Ansermet were well acquainted and that adds a special authenticity to these sublime readings, presenting the majority of Ravel’s orchestral music (Bolero and La Valse appear on […]

Ravel: Piano Concertos; Tzigane

May 25, 2016

This release brings together Ansermet’s complete Ravel concerto/concertante recordings with the first international release on CD of Swiss pianist Jacqueline Blancard’s aristocratic readings of the two Piano Concertos and Ruggiero Ricci’s dare-devilry in the Tzigane.

Ravel: L’Enfant et les sortilegès; Shéhérazade; Deux melodies hebraiques; Trois poèmes de Stephane Mallarme; La Valse; Bolero

May 25, 2016

Fascinated by children, Ravel composed two one-act operas, ‘L’enfant et les sortileges’ and ‘L’Heure espagnole’. These priceless Ansermet recordings now return to the catalogue, coupled with the rare and much-requested disc of Ravel vocal works with Danco and Ansermet. As a coupling we have the Paris Conservatoire recordings of Bolero (the stereo version making its […]

Ravel: Piano Trio; Violin Sonata; Debussy: Violin Sonata; Cello Sonata

May 25, 2016

The two Debussy sonatas date from late in the composer’s life and are wistful pieces though not without humour. The Ravel Violin Sonata is sleek, elegant and has a delightful jazzy movement while the Trio is a masterpiece, a tour de force of writing for these three instruments and a hugely enjoyable work. This early […]

Aromatherapy – Vol. 7: Reflections in the Water

May 25, 2016

Aromatherapy, the quiet moments of classical music. And the seventh volume, Reflections in the Water, is the ultimate tranquility! Water is a force of nature that inspired composers to some of their most languid compositions, from the Baroque (Handel’s Water Music written for a royal party held on a barge) to Impressionistic (the aqueous ripples and shimmer […]

French Chamber Music

May 24, 2016

An iconic record, this collection of two well-known (Debussy, Ravel) and two rarities (Roussel, Ropartz) of the chamber music repertoire was issued in both its LP and CD incarnations to great acclaim. It was recorded in the unusually spacious acoustic of Walthamstow Assembly Hall and its late producer, Ray Minshull, provides an amusing recollection of […]

French Songs

May 12, 2016

An intriguing, evocative and exotic recital in which Janet Baker joins The Melos Ensemble for a journey through some of the twentieth century’s most alluring French compositions for voice and chamber ensemble.

Debussy, Ravel: String Quartets

April 29, 2016

Time and again these performances of two haunting French chamber works have been voted as the best in the catalogue. These elegant, suave performances now reappear on Eloquence.