Recommended > Classical

Herbert Von Karajan / Karajan - The Second Life, a film by Eric Schulz / [DVD]

1 DVD Video / Deutsche Grammophon / 2013-05-14

A brand new 80-munite documentary/film, on DVD for the first time.

A must-have product for anyone with more than a passing interest in one of

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French Organ Music from the Golden Age, Vol. 1 - Francois Couperin; Pierre Du Mage / David Ponsford, organ

1 CD / Nimbus Records / 2013-05-14

MusicWeb International, January 2013
This is, or would have been a fine period instrument, its remarkable history described in some detail. Alas this is an all...continue...

Mozart: Clarinet Concerto; Bassoon Concerto; Flute Concerto / Carbonare Zoon; Santana. Abbado, Orchestra Mozart

1 CD / Deutsche Grammophon / 2013-05-14

Conductors: Abbado, Claudio
Ensemble: Orchestra Mozart

In the year of his 80th birthday, Claudio Abbado and his superb orchestra continue their Mozart celebration with critically acclaimed solo concerto performances.

This third

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Óscar Esplá: Music for Piano, Opp. 2, 25, 53 / Martin Jones, piano

2 CD / Nimbus Records / 2013-05-14

MusicWeb International, January 2013
What I found refreshing in all the works on the discs is an air of childlike innocence that helps to make them...continue...

The John Eliot Gardiner Collection - Works by Monteverdi, Bach, Handel, Gluck, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Berlioz et al. [30 CDs]

30 CD / Deutsche Grammophon / 2013-04-30

Conductors: Gardiner, John Eliot
Ensemble: English Baroque Soloists; His Majesties Sagbutts and Cornetts; London Symphony Orchestra; Monteverdi Choir; NDR Sinfonieorchester; Orchestre de l'Opéra de Lyon; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

One of the great advocates of period-instrument performance - but not, he insists a period - instrument specialist (the vial thing is to combine a...continue...

Zdenek Fibich: Symphony No. 1; Impressions from the Countryside / Czech Nat'l SO, Stilec

1 CD / Naxos (USA) / 2013-04-30

Works: Zdenek Fibich: Symphony no 1 in F major, Op. 17; Impressions from the Countryside, for orchestra, Op. 54
Conductors: Stilec, Marek
Ensemble: ; Czech National Symphony Orchestra

Zdenek Fibich's career overlapped those of his countrymen Smetana and Dvorak, but his music remained poised between the twin poles of Czech Nationalism and the...continue...
Recording information: CNSO Studio No. 1 Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic (02/06/2012-02/07/2012)....continue...

Ernest John Moeran: Cello Concerto; Serenade in G; Lonely Waters; Whythorne's Shadow / Guy Johnston, cello; Rebekah Coffey, soprano

1 CD / Naxos (USA) / 2013-04-30

Works: E.J. Moeran: Concerto for cello & orchestra in B minor; Serenade for orchestra in G major; Lonely Waters, for orchestra (& soprano ad lib); Whythorne's Shadow, for orchestra
Performers: Coffey, Rebekah; Johnston, Guy [Cello]
Conductors: Falletta, JoAnn

The Cello Concerto is one of Anglo-Irish composer E. J. Moeran's most important works. Composed in 1945, its deft scoring and memorable melodic material mark...continue...
Recording information: Ulster Hall, Belfast, Ireland....continue...

Bruckner: Symphonies nos 3 & 6 / Berner SO, Venzago

2 CD / CPO / 2013-04-30

Conductors: Venzago, Mario
Ensemble: Berner Symphonieorchester

Pizzicato 9/12: "Venzago's courage to interpret Bruckner more romantically than post-romantically makes sense because the 2nd symphony suddenly develops a life of its own and...continue...

Louis Spohr: Complete Violin Concertos / Ulf Hoelscher, violin

8 CD / CPO / 2013-04-30

Conductors: Froehlich, Christian
Ensemble: Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra

Gripping interpretations of Spohr's Violin Concertos are now on 8 CDs from cpo. Mere words do not suffice to praise Ulf Hoelscher's violinistic achievement highly...continue...

Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 3; Symphonic Dances / Leonard Slatkin, Detroit SO

1 CD / Naxos (USA) / 2013-04-30

Works: Sergey Rachmaninov: Symphony no 3 in A minor, Op. 44; Symphonic Dances, Op. 45
Conductors: Slatkin, Leonard
Ensemble: ; Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Completed in 1936, two years after the hugely popular Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Rachmaninov's Third Symphony was considered by the composer to be...continue...
Recording information: Orchestra Hall, Detroit, USA....continue...

Great Bach Choruses / The Monteverdi Choir, Gardiner

1 CD / Deutsche Grammophon / 2013-04-23

Conductors: Gardiner, John Eliot
Ensemble: Monteverdi Choir

Parallel to the forthcoming John Eliot Gardiner Collection and the Archiv Produktion box, here's a famous compilation of Great Bach Choruses, newly represented just in...continue...

Music for winds arr. from Byrd, Pärt / Kai Wessel, alto; Calefax Reed Quintet

1 CD / MD&G / 2013-04-23

Works: William Byrd: Senex puerum portabat, motet for 5 voices (SATTB); Work(s); Senex puerum portabat; Mass for 5 Voices (SATTB); Arvo Pärt: Magnificat Antiphons (7), for chorus; Arbos, for 7 recorder...
Conductors:
Ensemble: Calefax Reed Quintet

"...noble, refined, austere, reed-quintet versions of four works written for a range of different forces,produced by members of Calefax (Dutch reed quintet)...these Part transcriptions are...continue...

Rossini: Petite Messe Solennelle / Marina Rebeka, Sara Mingardo, Francesco Meli, Alex Esposito. Pappano

2 CD / EMI Classics / 2013-04-23

Conductors: Pappano, Antonio
Ensemble: Coro della Accademia Naxionale di Santa Cecilia; Orchestra della Accademia Naxionale di Santa Cecilia

EMI Classics Releases an exciting new recording of Gioacchino Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle. Antonio Pappano conducts the Orchestra e Coro dell' Accademia Nazionale di Santa...continue...

Mahler: Das Klagende Lied; Berg: Lulu Suite / Prohaska, Roschmann, Larsson, Botha. Pierre Boulez

1 CD / Deutsche Grammophon / 2013-04-16

Conductors: Boulez, Pierre
Ensemble: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Pierre Boulez is an icon of today's classical scene, and close-associated with the works of Mahler, many of which he has recorded exclusively for Deutsche...continue...

Wagner: Das Rheingold / Adam, Nienstedt, Silja, Esser, Windgassen, Neidlinger, Talvela, Burmeister, Dernesch. Bohm

2 CD / Decca / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Bohm, Karl
Ensemble: Bayreuther Festspiel Orchestra

The Penguin Guide
Gustav Neidlinger as Alberich is superb, even more involving here than he is for Solti with the curse made spine-chilling. It is also...continue...

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; Apollon Musagète; Symphonies of Wind Intruments / Rattle, Berlin PO

1 CD / EMI Classics / 2013-04-09

Works: Igor Stravinsky: Le sacre du printemps; Symphonies of Wind Instruments; Apollon musagète, ballet in 2 scenes for string orchestra
Conductors: Rattle, Simon, Sir
Ensemble: ; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

The Rite of Spring, original French title, Le sacre du printemps, is a 1913 ballet with music by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. After the...continue...
Recording information: Philharmonie, Berlin....continue...

Wagner: Siegfried / Windgassen, Nilsson, Adam, Neidlinger. Bohm

4 CD / Decca / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Bohm, Karl
Ensemble: Bayreuther Festspiel Orchestra

The Penguin Guide
The natural-sounding quality of Bohm's live recording from Bayreuth, coupled with his determination not to let the music lag, makes his account Siegfried...continue...

Haydn: Piano Concertos Nos. 3, 4 & 11 / Marc-André hamelin, piano; Les Violons du Roy

1 CD / Hyperion / 2013-04-09

Works: Franz Joseph Haydn: Concerto for Keyboard in D major, H 18 no 11; Concerto for Keyboard in F major, H 18 no 3; Concerto for Keyboard in G major, H 18 no 4
Performers: Hamelin, Marc-Andre [Piano]
Conductors: Labadie, Bernard
Ensemble: ; Les Violons du Roy

Marc-André Hamelin has proven himself - in three highly lauded volumes of Haydn's piano sonatas - to be a formidable Haydn pianist, combining style, exuberance...continue...

Théodore Gouvy: Piano Trios nos 2 - 4 / Voces Intimae

1 CD / Challenge Classics / 2013-04-09

The second album from enchanting Italian trio Voces Intimae on Challenge Classics! The trio goes straight to the core of the music, resulting in extremely...continue...

Nostalgia: Lyrical Finnish Music for Strings by Kajanus, Sibelius, Merikanto, Raito, Klami, Madetoja /

1 Super Audio CD / Alba / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Kangas, Juha
Ensemble: Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra

Expedition Audio - Music that deserves to be heard
Nostalgia - Lyrical Finnish Music for Strings is an exceptionally beautiful new release from Alba Records... If...continue...

Verdi: Attila / Deurekom, Bergonzi, Milnes, Raimondi. Gardelli

2 CD / Decca / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Gardelli, Lamberto
Ensemble: Ambrosian Singers; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

The Penguin Guide
With its dramatic anticipations of Macbeth, the musical anticipations of Rigolettoa and the compression which (on record if not on the stage) becomes...continue...

Verdi: Il Corsaro / Caballe, Carreras, Norman, Gardelli

2 CD / Decca / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Gardelli, Lamberto
Ensemble: Ambrosian Singers; New Philharmonia Orchestra

The Penguin Guide
In II Corsaro, though the characterization is rudimentary, the contrast between the two heroines is effective, with Gulnara, the Pasha's slave, carrying conviction...continue...

Verdi: Jérusalem / Mescheriakova, Giordani, Scandiuzzi.

3 CD / Decca / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Luisi, Fabio
Ensemble: L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

The Penguin Guide
To have a long-buried Verdi opera dusted down and given a brilliant first recording like this is a rare joy, particularly when it...continue...

Beethoven: The Late String Quartets, Opp. 135 & 132 / Brentano String Quartet

1 CD / Aeon / 2013-04-09

Conductors:
Ensemble: Brentano String Quartet

Founded in 1992, the New York-based Brentano String Quartet is particularly recognized for their interpretations combining perfect technique with peerless musicality. Their previous release -...continue...

Verdi: I Lombardi / Deutekom, Domingo, Raimondi and Gardelli

2 CD / Decca / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Gardelli, Lamberto
Ensemble: Ambrosian Singers; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

The Penguin Guide
I Lombardi reaches its apotheosis in the famous Trio well known from the days of 78 rpm recordings. There are some glorious moments...continue...

The Songs of Gary Higginson (b. 1952): Songs of Innocence and of Experience / Charlotte de Rothschild, soprano; Danielle Perrett, harp

1 CD / Regent Records / 2013-04-09

Conductors: MacDonald, Sarah
Ensemble: Chapel Choir of Selwyn College, Cambridge; Ely Cathedral Girls' Choir

British composer Gary Higginson learned to love music through his local church choir, which has exhibited an influence on him ever since. Trained as a...continue...

English Royal Funeral Music: Purcell, Morley, Tomkins / Vox Luminis; Guy Penson: virginal

1 CD / Ricercar / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Meunier, Lionel; Madeuf,Jean-François; Laurent, Benoît
Ensemble: Les Trompettes des Plaisirs; Lingua Franca; Vox Luminis

Expedition Audio - Music that deserves to be heard
One section of the service, The Funeral Sentences by Henry Purcell, are utterly heart-rending in the communion...continue...

Thea Musgrave: Chamber Works for Oboe / Nicholas Daniel, oboe; Emer McDonough, flute; James Turnbull, oboe; Joy Farrall, clarinet; Huw Watkins, piano

1 CD / Harmonia Mundi / 2013-04-09

Conductors:
Ensemble: Chilingirian String Quartet

Rich and powerful musical language and a strong sense of drama have made Scottish-American composer Thea Musgrave (b.1928) one of the most respected and exciting...continue...

Hans Gál: Symphony No. 2; Robert Schumann: Symphony No. 4 / Kenneth Woods

1 CD / Avie Records / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Woods, Kenneth
Ensemble: Orchestra of the Swan

Kenneth Woods, Principal Guest Conductor of Stratford-upon-Avon-based Orchestra of the Swan, has made international headlines for his ongoing cycle of world premiere recordings of Hans...continue...

The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 59: Zelenski: Concerto Op. 60; Zarzycki: Concerto Op. 17; Grande Polonaise / Jonathan Plowright, piano

1 CD / Hyperion / 2013-04-09

Works: Wladyslaw Zelenski: Concerto for Piano in E flat major, Op. 60; Aleksander Zarzycki: Piano Concerto, Op. 17; Grand Polonaise, for piano & orchestra in E flat major, Op. 7
Performers: Plowright, Jonathan
Conductors: Borowicz, Lukasz
Ensemble: ; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

This 59th volume of the Romantic Piano Concerto series features Jonathan Plowright, whose brilliant and utterly idiomatic performances of Romantic Polish piano music have confirmed...continue...

Richard Strauss: Don Quixote; Till Eulenspiegel / Lawrence Power, viola; Alban Gerhardt, cello

1 CD / Hyperion / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Stenz, Markus
Ensemble: Gurzenich Orchestra Koln

Strauss's tone poem Don Quixote, subtitled "Fantastic variations on a theme of knightly character," is one of the composer's most popular works, principally because of...continue...

Federico Mompou: Selected Works, Vol. 1 / Clélia Iruzun, piano

1 CD / SOMM / 2013-04-09

Brazilian pianist Clelia Iruzun has delighted critics over the years with her performances and recordings of music by Villa Lobos, Granados, Ginastera, Mignone, and Marlo...continue...

La Royalle: Music for Kings & Courtiers - works by De Visee; Le Roy; Corbetta; Brayssing; Hurel; Certon / Gordon Ferries: guitars, lute, theorbo

1 CD / Delphian Records / 2013-04-09

Works: Robert de Visée: Allemande la Royalle; Suite for theorbo in D minor; Adrian Le Roy: Pavane "Est il conclud", for lute; Gaillarde "Si Ie M'en Vois"; Almande tournée; Francesco Corbetta: Suit...
Performers: Ferries, Gordon

Gordon Ferries' fifth solo disc for Delphian spans two centuries of music for kings and courtiers. Performing on four instruments matched to the periods in...continue...
Recording information: St. Michael's Parish Church, Inveresk, Musselburgh, Sco (02/16/2012-02/17/2012).

Includes work(s) by Jean-Baptiste Lully....continue...

Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1; Sonata for Cello and Piano / Emmanuell Bertrand, cello; Pascal Amoyel, piano

1 CD / Harmonia Mundi / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Rophé, Pascal
Ensemble: BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Written 25 years apart, the two masterpieces for cello by Shostakovich recorded here were represent very different periods in the composer's career. The audaciously insolent...continue...

Après un rêveà Works by Chopin, Oberthur, Tchaikovsky, Bartok, Barrios, Mangore, Massenet / Nemanja Radulovic, violin; Marielle Nordmann, harp

1 CD / Transart Live / 2013-04-09

Young violinist Nemanja Radulovi c unites his fire and modernity with the supreme elegance of harpist Marielle Nordmann, as the unconventional pair offers a captivating...continue...

Palestrina: Missa Ad coenam Agni; antiphons, motets, offertoiries / Brabant Ens.

1 CD / Hyperion / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Rice, Stephen
Ensemble: Brabant Ensemble

The Brabant Ensemble, better known for uncovering works by forgotten composers such as Dominique de Phinot, turns to a giant of the Renaissance - perhaps...continue...

Richard Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen / Hotter, Fischer-Dieskau, Greindl, Varnay, Windgassen, Varnay. Clemens Krauss [Bayreuth 1953]

14 CD / Opera D'Oro / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Krauss, Clemens
Ensemble: Bayreuth Festival Chorus; Bayreuth Festival Orchestra

A deluxe edition of one of the most beloved complete Opera d’Oro recordings! This new package contains newly translated complete English librettos for all four...continue...

Schubert: Winterreise / Matthew Rose: bass; Gary Matthewman: piano

1 CD / Stone Records / 2013-04-09

Stone Records is delighted to announce the release of Matthew Rose' s debut recital disc. Together with pianist Gary Matthewman, he performs Schubert' s masterpiece...continue...

Britten: Albert Herring / Pears, Brannigan, Noble, Fischer, Amit, Pashley, Rex, Cantelo. Britten

2 CD / Decca / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Britten, Benjamin
Ensemble: Englilsh Chamber Orchestra

Reissued as part of Decca Opera or the Britten Centenary...continue...

Bach: Violin Concertos, BWV 1041-1043; Concerto for 3 violins, BWV 1064R / Petra Mullejans, Gottfried von der Goltz, Anne Katharina Schreiber, violins

1 CD / Harmonia Mundi / 2013-04-09

Conductors:
Ensemble: Freiburger Barockorchester

Bach's three well-known Violin Concertos are paired here with a splendid concerto for three violins, reconstructed from the surviving version for three harpsichords, BWV 1064....continue...

A Violin's Life - Tartini: DevilÆs Trill; Schumann: Sonata in D minor; Julias Röntgen; Karol Lipinski / Frank Almond: violin; William Wolfram: piano

1 CD / Avie Records / 2013-04-09

Works: Giuseppe Tartini: Sonata for Violin and Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 1 no 4 "Devil's Trill"; Julius Röntgen: Sonata for violin & piano in F sharp minor, Op. 20; Karol Józef Lipinski: Capr...
Performers: Almond, Frank; Wolfram, William

A Violin' s Life traces the provenance and history of the "Lipinski" Strad, one of the most notable of the coveted string maker' s instruments,...continue...
Recording information: Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, Milwaukee, WI USA (08/16/2012-08/18/2012)....continue...

Britten: Gloriana / Barstow, Jones, Langridge, Opie and Summers. Mackerras

2 CD / Decca / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Mackerras, Charles
Ensemble: Welsh National Opera Chorus; Welsh National Opera Orchestra

Reissued to coincide with Britten Centenary.

60th anniversary of the premiere of the opera will be marked with performances at the Royal Opera House, Covent

...continue...

Britten: Peter Grimes / Vickers, Harper, Summers. Colin Davis

2 CD / Decca / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Davis, Colin
Ensemble: Royal Opera House Chorus; Royal Opera House Orchestra

Reissued as part of Decca Opera or the Britten Centenary...continue...

J.S. Bach: Organ Works, Vol. 8 - Great Church, Leeuwarden Organ by Christian Muller, 1727 / Margaret Phillips, organ

2 CD / Regent Records / 2013-04-09

Regarded as one of Britain's most outstanding concert organists and teachers, Margaret Phillips continues her series of recording all of Bach's organ music. This volume...continue...

Ponchielli: La Gioconda / Caballe, Pavarotti, Baltsa, Milnes and Ghiaurov. Bartoletti

3 CD / Decca / 2013-04-09

Conductors: Bartoletti, Bruno
Ensemble: London Opera Chorus; National Philharmonic Orchestra

The Penguin Guide
The colorfully atmospheric melodrama of this opera gives the Decca engineers the chance to produce one of their most vivid opera recordings. Caballe......continue...

Joachim Raff: Te Deum; De Profundis; Psalm Op. 141; Pater Noster; Ave Maria; Four Marian antiphons / Susanna Andersson, soprano

1 CD / Sterling / 2013-04-07

Conductors: Schaefer, Kenrik
Ensemble: Gotenborgs Operaokester; Kalrstad Kammarkor; Stockholm Singers

Expedition Audio - Music that deserves to be heard
Sterling Records has released this album of sacred music by German-Swiss composer Joachim Raff (1822-1882) containing eighty...continue...

J.S. Bach: Cello Suites Nos. 1, 3 & 5 Antoine Tamestit

1 CD / Naïve / 2013-03-26

Antoine Tamestit's history with Bach's Suites BWV 1007-1012 began long ago, when these very works won him to the viola from the violin at age...continue...

Villa-Lobos: Symphony No. 3 'War'; Symphony No. 4 'Victory' / Isaac Karabtchevsky

1 CD / Naxos (USA) / 2013-03-26

Works: Heitor Villa-Lobos: Symphony no 3, for orchestra & brass, "A Guerra", A. 152; Symphony no 4, for orchestra & brass, "A Vitória", A. 153
Conductors: Karabtchevsky, Isaac
Ensemble: ; Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra

Villa-Lobos' War and Victory Symphonies were commissioned by the Brazilian government following the end of the country's involvement in World War I. Using very large...continue...
Recording information: Sala Sao Paulo, Brazil (02/05/2012-03/05/2012)....continue...

David Jennings: Music for Piano - Piano Sonata; 3 Sonatinas; 3 Lyrical Pieces; Miniature Suite / James Willshire, piano

1 CD / Divine Art / 2013-03-26

Expedition Audio - Music that deserves to be heard
Jennings' music generally has a romantic beauty to it... The music is almost always tonal and has...continue...

Johann Rosenmuller: Sonatas for 2, 3, 4 & 5 instruments / Ensemble Masques

1 CD / ATMA / 2013-03-26

Works: Johann Rosenmüller: Sonata no 10 à 5 (Nürnberg 1682); Sonata no 9 à 5 in D major (Nürnberg 1682); Sonata no 8 à 4 (Nürnberg 1682); Sonata no 1 à 2 (Nürnbe...
Conductors: Fortin, Olivier
Ensemble: Ensemble Masques

Expedition Audio - Music that deserves to be heard
Considered by some scholars to be "the greatest master of German instrumental music before Bach and Handel"...continue...
Recording information: Église Saint-Augustin, Mirabel, Québec, Canada (11/2011)....continue...