Latest stories
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Richard Strauss
4th Apr 2014
This week James shares his thoughts on some of his favourite recordings of the works of Richard Strauss.
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Gustavo Dudamel conducts a new oratorio by John Adams
10th Mar 2014
James explores The Gospel According to the Other Mary, excellent performances from Kelley O’Connor as Mary Magdalene and Tamara Mumford as Martha.
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20th-Century Wind Quintets from Les Vents Français
27th Jan 2014
Emmanuel Pahud and company are on ‘beautifully burnished’ form in a 2-CD album of music by Paul Taffanel, Ligeti, Milhaud, Ibert, Ravel, Jolivet, Zemlinsky and more.
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Claudio Abbado, 1933-2014
20th Jan 2014
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2013 Goodbyes and Looking Ahead to 2014
30th Dec 2013
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Works for Pedal Piano by Gounod
4th Nov 2013
For the 62nd volume of Hyperion’s The Romantic Piano Concerto series, Roberto Prosseda joins Howard Shelley and the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana for the Concerto for pedal piano, Suite concertante and Fantaisie sur l’hymne national russe.
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Brahms Symphonies from Chailly and Gergiev
14th Oct 2013
A complete cycle from the Gewandhausorchester on Decca impresses James with its ‘drive and determination’, whilst Gergiev offers ‘beefy, big-boned, muscular’ takes on Symphonies no. 1 & 2 with the London Symphony Orchestra.
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Piers Lane Goes To Town: Piano encores and lollipops
2nd Sep 2013
The Australian pianist’s ‘pot pourri of pianistic palate-cleansers and party pieces’ includes music by figures as diverse as Dudley Moore, Percy Grainger, Billy Mayerl and Arthur Benjamin, as well as several pieces written especially for Lane.
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Piers Lane goes to town
Piers Lane (piano)
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Rachmaninov from Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker
26th Aug 2013
The Berliners afford luxurious treatment to the choral symphony The Bells (with soloists Luba Orgonášová and Mikhail Petrenko), whilst Rattle’s spacious approach to the Symphonic Dances pays huge dividends.
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Claudio Abbado conducts Schumann's Second Symphony
1st Jul 2013
On the cusp of his eightieth birthday, Abbado brings the chamber-like qualities of his Mozart recordings to the music of Schumann in performances which are shot through with vivacious sparkle and evident love for the music.
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The Complete Works of Pierre Boulez on Deutsche Grammophon
17th Jun 2013
Assembled under the composer’s personal supervision (and featuring many of his own recordings with Ensemble InterContemporain), this 13-CD collection includes several works which have not previously appeared on CD and features fearless pianism from Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Maurizio Pollini.
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Valery Gergiev and the LSO begin a cycle of Szymanowski symphonies
3rd Jun 2013
The richness of the London Symphony Orchestra’s string section is showcased to great effect in the tender, lyrical slow movements of both symphonies, whilst Gergiev responds to the music’s more volatile moments extremely well.
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100th anniversary of the première of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring
27th May 2013
The centenary of one of the most controversial premieres in musical history is marked by a new recording from Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker, and a mammoth Collector’s Edition comprising 38 recordings dating from 1946 to 2010.
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Weber's Der Freischütz from Sir Colin Davis and the LSO
6th May 2013
Fresh, full-bodied and raucous when required, the conductor’s final opera recording is a fitting valedictory tribute to a great man, with Christine Brewer on sublime form as Agathe and Simon O’Neill a steely and secure Max.
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Sir Colin Davis, 1927-2013
15th Apr 2013
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Salonen conducts Lutosławski Symphonies
18th Mar 2013
The Finnish conductor and his Los Angeles orchestra mark the centenary of Lutosławski’s birth with a recording of his complete symphonies in performances which tap into the full range of exciting colours which the composer employs.
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Mahler and Berg from Boulez
11th Mar 2013
Anna Prohaska is on mesmerising form in Berg’s Lulu-Suite, whilst the veteran conductor’s trademark attention to detail and balance pays huge dividends in Mahler’s early cantata Das klagende Lied, featuring outstanding contributions from Johan Botha, Anna Larsson and Dorothea Röschmann.
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Vaughan Williams from the Hallé and Mark Elder
25th Feb 2013
Following a splendid London Symphony last year, Elder and his Manchester orchestra continue a cycle which is shaping up to be one of the finest modern sets on disc with magnificent accounts of the Fifth and Eighth symphonies, with the Hallé’s horns emerging as first among equals.
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Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 8
Hallé, Sir Mark Elder
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Elgar & Carter from Alisa Weilerstein
4th Feb 2013
The American cellist worked closely with Carter (who died last year) whilst preparing his 2001 Cello Concerto, and brings a touching elegiac lyricism to the Japanese-influenced slow movement; her introverted and tender account of the Elgar is no less engaging.
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Steven Osborne plays Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition
21st Jan 2013
Osborne’s journey through Mussorgsky’s gallery proves a highly intelligent, thoughtful interpretation that aims to be more than just a showy series of programmatic events.
