The critically-acclaimed 5CD set ‘King of Instruments’ is now reissued as five individual CDs retaining the original liner notes and the recollections of Dame Gillian on the making of these seminal recordings
The critically-acclaimed 5CD set ‘King of Instruments’ is now reissued as five individual CDs retaining the original liner notes and the recollections of Dame Gillian on the making of these seminal recordings
The critically-acclaimed 5CD set ‘King of Instruments’ is now reissued as five individual CDs retaining the original liner notes and the recollections of Dame Gillian on the making of these seminal recordings
Karel Ancerl’s recording of Dvorak’s scintillating ‘Slavonic Dances’, here receive their first release on CD. Recorded in 1958, they were some of the most popular LP recordings in their day and now receive their first exhumation on CD. The coupling is a rarity but no less beautiful – Dvorak’s three ‘Slavonic Rhapsodies’, in wonderfully glowing […]
Three wondrous Schumann piano works on a single CD. Gulda’s iridescent ‘Fantasiestucke’ was issued in the early days of the compact disc. Haebler’s beautifully-shaded account of ‘Papillons’ receives its first release on CD (outside Japan, where it is also currently unavailable) and likewise Magaloff’s ‘Etudes symphoniques’ (only ever issued in France, and no longer available).
Two magnificent French symphonies coupled on one disc. The Bizet is a light-hearted early work and this delectable recording by Haitink and the Concertgebouw has too long been out of the catalogue. Its sentiments aren’t that far removed from ‘Jeux d’enfants‘ (Children’s Games) – an orchestration of selected pieces from the piano-duet suite of the […]
If you think the three pieces on this disc make odd bedfellows, just listen to the opening of the finale of the Paganini, skip to the finale of the Strauss and then go into the Tchaikovsky Valse-Scherzo. Sparkling wit and virtuosity abound and what’s more, the Paganini receives its first release on CD (outside Taiwan), […]
This collection brings together a miscellany of orchestral works. In addition to the symphony, there’s Mozart’s most popular Serenade – ‘Eine kleine Nachtmusik’ – in a gloriously cushioned performance, plus five overtures. Four of these are lifted from the double-LP set ‘Mozart Opera Festival’ while that for ‘Cosi’ comes from the complete opera set.
In 1971, Istvan Kertesz went into the studio with an array of opera singers with whom he enjoyed performing to make a recording of arias, duets and ensembles from Mozart’s most popular operas. The results, in terms of characterisation and energy, are in a class of their own and what’s more, the stellar singers blend […]
Elegantly-turned performances of these symphonies with Kertesz revelling in the romantic ethos to which these works point. The recordings are rich, warm and beautifully balanced.
Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony bring a fantastic array of colour as well as subtlety to these marvellous Rhapsodies. With an array of countries represented – the Rhapsodies largely paying tribute to indigenous music – the cover illustration highlights these associations.
Robust and red-blooded performances of the later symphonies here, pointing unashamedly to the Romantic era. The opening of No. 39, especially, has few rivals in terms of intensity and the way Kertesz balances light and shade.
