Two new recordings of Handel feature this week, the opera Ottone starring Max Emanuel Cenčić on CD and Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno starring Sabine Devieilhe on DVD and Blu-ray. Vocal highlights include an exploration of the songs of Robert Franz on Hyperion, and favourite Russian songs and arias from the soprano Olga Peretyatko.
Handel: Ottone
Max Emanuel Cenčić (Ottone), Lauren Snouffer (Teofane), Pavel Kudinov (Emireno), Ann Hallenberg (Gismonda), Xavier Sabata (Adalberto), Il Pomo d’Oro, George Petrou
Handel’s Ottone, re di Germania is presented here by Max Emanuel Cencic and a superb cast, under the baton of George Petrou with Il Pomo d’Oro. Premiered in London in 1723, Ottone was one of Handel’s most successful operas during his lifetime. This rare recording breathes new life into one of the master’s greatest works.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Brahms: Violin Concerto & Violin Sonata No. 1
Vadim Gluzman (violin), Angela Yoffe (piano), Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, James Gaffigan
Vadim Gluzman takes on Brahms with the support of the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester under James Gaffigan. He combines it with the composer’s Violin Sonata No. 1, written more or less in tandem with the concerto, performing it with his wife and recital partner Angela Yoffe.
Available Format: SACD
Olga Peretyatko presents favourite arias and songs from her homeland Russia by Glinka, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky and Shostakovich. Many of them are well known but there are also unknown rare jewels such as songs by Rachmaninov or opera arias by Shostakovich.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Highly regarded by such contemporaries as Mendelssohn, Schumann and Liszt, Robert Franz wrote 279 songs over the course of a long life. For this recital, Graham Johnson and Robin Tritschler have chosen forty-seven of their favourites.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Mario Venzago is a regular guest conductor of the Kammerorchester Basel. On this new release they present Venzago's own reconstruction and completion of one of the most famous unfinished works in the repertoire, Schubert's Eighth Symphony in B minor.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Avital Meets Avital
Avi Avital (Mandolin/Mandola), Omer Avital (Bass/Oud), Itamar Doari (Percussion), Yonathan Avishai (Piano/Keyboards), Uri Sharlin (Accordion)
Avi Avital explores the sound of world music, teaming up with jazz bassist Omer Avital. This album brings their different musical backgrounds and shared cultural heritage into dialogue, drawing on the diverse influences of Moroccan and North African sounds, classical and folk traditions, Israeli harmonies, and Mediterranean rhythms.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
