To mark the reissue of this important Consort of Musicke recording, Anthony Rooley writes: ‘Of all the English Lute-Song Books of the Elizabethan/Jacobean Era none has been more misunderstood, nor wilfully maligned as John Maynard’s unique creation. Highly individual, full of rare humour, amazing invention – and at times quite exquisite poignancy – it deserves […]

A generous disc (nearly 80 minutes) of some of Raymond Leppard’s pioneering L’Oiseau-Lyre recordings of French Baroque music with the English Chamber Orchestra. The brilliant realisations of Rameau’s ‘Temple de la Gloire’ suites have seldom been more strikingly realised. ‘Le Temple de la Gloire’ was a theatrical entertainment to a text by Voltaire, written to […]

A glorious collection of orchestral pieces from operas and ballet music by Lully. At the same time easy and luscious on the ear, these instrumental movements or ‘symphonies’ from his ballets and operas were made into suites for performance away from the theatre, a fashion which eventually led to the overture-suites of Bach, Handel and […]

Among the many Sibelius recordings in existence, those that have certainly been overlooked are the Okko Kamu readings of the Four Legends, Karelia Suite and two of the tone poems – The Bard and En Saga. Previously issued on a French ‘Double’ disc, they make their first significant appearance, coupled with the much-praised Sibelius readings […]

Nielsen’s six symphonies are the backbone of his compositional career. His bold and individual melodies and fresh-sounding ideas marked him out immediately as an individual voice among the new music of the day. The concertos were written for his friends, the members of the Copenhagen Wind Quintet. Only two were completed before his death, the […]

Over the years, Eloquence has pioneered on CD the Decca discography of Zubin Mehta. Here is his beautifully-graded account of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony together with passionate performances of the Leonore Overture No. 3 and the Egmont Overture.

Beethoven was most distressed when he discovered that of all his recent compositions, it was his Septet that was gaining greatest favour by Viennese audiences. He considered it somewhat unworthy of himself! Yet, the music continues to endure and this marvellous recording is now coupled on CD with the more intimate ‘Serenade’ as well as […]

An undisputed masterpiece of the Russian repertoire – Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet – is joined by the little known Prokofiev Quintet which had a vexed gestation together with a rarity from the Hungarian-born Matyas Seiber who lived most of his life in Britain. In it, Peter Pears takes the role of narrator of passages from the […]

The great yearning melodies and the seductiveness of Korngold’s orchestration are hard to resist. The sheer sweep and thrill of his music became what is sometimes called the ‘Hollywood sound’, but in no way makes him a less serious composer as this collection of works, all conducted by André Previn on Deutsche Grammophon, reveals. His […]

Two slimmer works of Austro-German chamber repertoire – Mozart’s popular ‘Kegelstatt’ (Skittles) Trio and Weber’s lesser known but quite virtuoso, Flute Trio, preface Brahms’s magnificent Horn Trio on these rare L’Oiseau-Lyre recordings from The Melos Ensemble. All represent first releases on CD.

Solti’s vigorous interpretation of Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ is represented by a generous selection of highlights and includes some of the finest singers of our generation.

Kempff’s Baroque pedigree stemmed from the influence of his father also named Wilhelm Kempff and his grandfather Cantor Friedrick Kempff. Both  were organists who taught the budding prodigy much of the organ’s core repertoire. In fact, Kempff’s youthful debut as an organist took place before his first recital as a pianist in 1907. With help […]