Classical Reviews
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Bach Cantatas from Sir John Eliot Gardiner
8th Apr 2013
As a coda to his mighty Bach Pilgrimage, Gardiner and his Monteverdi Choir present the Ascension Cantatas, which were originally scheduled to be recorded as part of the project but had to be abandoned due to noise issues.
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Julia Lezhneva: Alleluia
1st Apr 2013
The young Russian soprano makes her solo debut on Decca with cantatas by Handel, Mozart, Porpora and Vivaldi which showcase her scintillating coloratura, tonal clarity and warmth, and radiant middle register; Il Giardino Armonico and Giovanni Antonini accompany with panache.
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Moeran Cello Concerto from Guy Johnston
25th Mar 2013
Eloquent yet never saccharine, the British cellist is a wonderful ambassador for Moeran’s 1945 concerto, written for his wife-to-be Peers Coetmore and shot through with glimpses of Britten, Vaughan Williams and Walton.
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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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Gesualdo - Sacred and Secular
4th Mar 2013
James Wood directs Vocalconsort berlin in the second book of Sacrae Cantiones, whilst La Compagnia del Madrigale are on flamboyant form in the Sixth Book of Madrigals – dark, disorientating works which could scarcely be more different from their English counterparts.
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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.
Featured product
Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 8
Hallé, Sir Mark Elder
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JS Bach: St John Passion from Polyphony and Layton
18th Feb 2013
The crowd-scenes crackle with terrifying energy and Ian Bostridge’s volatile Evangelist brings great narrative momentum, whilst Iestyn Davies and Richard Tunnicliffe’s eloquence in ‘Es ist vollbracht’ is worth the price of the set alone.
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Wagner from Jonas Kaufmann and others
11th Feb 2013
Gergiev conducts an electrifying Walküre starring René Pape as Wotan, Nina Stemme as his rebel daughter, and Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Kampe as the Walsung Twins; Kaufmann’s solo album of opera scenes and the Wesendock-Lieder, meanwhile, is the best thing he’s ever done.
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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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I was glad: Sacred Music by Stanford & Parry
28th Jan 2013
Robert King and his Consort present lavish orchestrations (on period instruments) of Parry’s Te Deum, I was glad, Blest Pair of Sirens and Jerusalem, and four of Stanford’s canticle settings, with Carolyn Sampson and David Wilson-Johnson as soloists.
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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.
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Little Britten
14th Jan 2013
Cellist Matthew Barley marks the centenary of the composer’s birth with a recital centring on the Third Cello Suite, whilst Edward Higginbottom and The Choir of New College Oxford bring a vital, pleasingly rough-round-the-edges approach that recalls Britten’s own children’s choirs to the scared choral music.
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Mendelssohn from the Quatuor Ebène
7th Jan 2013
The award-winning young French quartet bring their trademark commitment and passion to chamber-music by the Mendelssohn siblings, including Felix’s ‘quartet-Requiem’ for his beloved sister.
Featured product
Quatuor Ebène play Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn
Quatuor Ebène
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Looking ahead to 2013 - Verdi, Britten and Wagner
24th Dec 2012
Previews of boxed sets and new recordings marking next year’s three significant anniversaries, including The Rape of Lucretia from Oliver Knussen (starring Ian Bostridge and Angelika Kirchschlager), Wagner scenes from Jonas Kaufmann, and a comprehensive Verdi collection from EMI Classics.
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Wispelwey and Schiff re-visit Bach
17th Dec 2012
For his third recording of the Suites, the Dutch cellist tunes his instrument down by a whole tone to the pitch which was commonly used in Cöthen where Bach composed the works, whilst Schiff’s second take on The Well-Tempered Clavier is more direct and less sentimental than its predecessor.
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Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty from Neeme Järvi
10th Dec 2012
A new trilogy of complete Tchaikovsky ballet scores from the veteran Estonian conductor and the Bergen Philharmonic gets off to a glittering start, with outstanding solo contributions from violinist James Ehnes and cellist Robert deMaine.
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Christmas roundup
3rd Dec 2012
The Choir of King’s College Cambridge launch their own record-label with a collection of music commissioned for their Nine Lessons and Carols services over the decades, plus Zelenka’s Missa Nativitatis Domini from Musica Florea and Britten’s St Nicolas from Trinity College Cambridge.
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Alexandre Tharaud: Le Boeuf sur le toit
26th Nov 2012
The French pianist and friends (including Natalie Dessay, Madeleine Peyroux, Juliette and Bénabar) get together for a joyous compendium of music by regular visitors to the eponymous Parisian nightclub during the 1920s, including Ravel, Milhaud, and Clément Doucet.
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Belcea Quartet launch their Beethoven cycle
19th Nov 2012
Excellent ensemble and complete sympathy and understanding between the players are the hallmarks of this projected complete cycle by the former BBC New Generation Artists, who have been winning plaudits galore for their live performances of these works over the past few years.
Featured product
Beethoven: The Complete String Quartets Vol. 1
Belcea Quartet
