C Major
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Bernstein was periodically accused of self-indulgence in other repertoire. That’s a charge that could never stick in these joyous performances of three G major symphonies…Rather, there is grace,... —
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Mozart: Requiem in D minor, K626
Genia Kühmeier (soprano), Elisabeth Kulman (mezzo-soprano), Julien Behr (tenor), Charles Dekeyse (bass)
Salzburger Bachchor, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Académie Équestre de Versailles, Bartabas, Marc Minkowski
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Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra – The Salzburg Concerts
West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim
captures the sense of music-making on the wing...rarely has the final coda erupted with such overwhelming joy. The same electrifying concentration informs performances of Schoenberg's Variations... —
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Special offer. Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice
Anita Rachvelishvili (Orfeo), Maite Alberola (Euridice), Auxiliadora Toledano (Amore)
Orquesta BandArt, Gordan Nikolić
Rachvelishvili is a natural performer with a beautifully full mezzo-soprano, but as yet a lightweight Gluckian. —
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Flute Concertos at Sanssouci
A Tribute to Frederick the Great
Emmanuel Pahud (flute) & Trevor Pinnock (harpsichord)
Kammerakademie Potsdam
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Special offer. Mozart: Così fan tutte, K588
Anett Fritsch (Fiordiligi), Paola Gardina (Dorabella), Kerstin Avemo (Despina), Juan Francisco Gatell (Ferrando), Andreas Wolf (Guglielmo), William Shimell (Don Alfonso)
Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real de Madrid, Sylvain Cambreling
No lover of radical productions myself, I found it fascinating. You will, too, provided you forget that Cosi is an opera buffa: this is serious stuff...Within the limits of Haneke's very particular... —
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Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 7-9
and documentaries about each Symphony
Annette Dasch (soprano), Mihoko Fujimura (alto), Piotr Beczala (tenor) & Georg Zeppenfeld (bass)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
The performances, the Vienna Philharmonic on top form, can't help sounding wonderful...oddly, it is the discussions that are the most enjoyable elements in this ambitious set. —
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Special offer. Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail, K384
Diana Damrau (Konstanze), Olga Peretyatko (Blonde), Christoph Strehl (Belmonte), Norbert Ernst (Pedrillo), Franz-Josef Selig/Christoph Quest (Bassa Selim)
Orquestra Simfònica del Gran Teatre del Liceu, Ivor Bolton
in this Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail everything is germane to the text that Mozart set, and Loy makes work of depth and strong emotion from what can seem like an overlong comedy...every singer... —
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Special offer. Gluck: Orphée et Eurydice
Dmitry Korchak, Andriana Chuchman, Lauren Snouffer
The Joffrey Ballet, Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra and Chorus
Harry Bicket
Korchak is no haute-contre but a robust, heroic tenor. Lauren Snouffer is suitably boyish as Amour...Andriana Chuchman makes a fiery Eurydice...The choreography executed by the Joffrey Ballet... —
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Special offer. Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K620
Alfred Reiter (Sarastro), Norman Reinhardt (Tamino), Ana Durlovski (Konigin der Nacht), Bernarda Bobro (Pamina), Daniel Schmutzhard (Papageno), Denise Beck (Papagena)
Prague Philharmonic Choir & Wiener Symphoniker, Patrick Summers
For visual effectiveness this new DVD and Blu-ray has no competition among a rich field of Magic Flutes...Musically, too, it is never less than good, and the Tamino of Norman Reinhardt and the... —
