Your basket is empty

Categories:
Narrow my search:

Results 1 to 20 out of a total of 8346
From
CD$8.19

Buxtehude: L'œuvre d'orgue, Vol. 5

Michel Chapuis

Classical - Released January 1, 1989 | naïve classique

From
HI-RES$17.49$24.99(30%)
CD$12.59$17.99(30%)

Rachmaninov : 24 Preludes

Nikolai Lugansky

Solo Piano - Released February 16, 2018 | harmonia mundi

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions Diapason d'or - 5 Sterne Fono Forum Klassik
Unfortunately no, dear reader, there is no such thing as a cycle of “24 Preludes” by Rachmaninoff; however there are indeed 24 Preludes: a collection of ten Op. 23 from 1903, 13 other Op. 32 from 1910 and one isolated Prelude from the Morceaux de fantaisie Op. 3 (Fantasy Pieces) from 1893. In total: 24 Preludes, in which as a simple count shows Rachmaninoff − much like Chopin and of course Bach − illustrated all major and minor tones. Deliberately random, or the involuntary drive to create a reasonably coherent cycle? Contrary to his two illustrious predecessors, Rachmaninoff didn’t order his Preludes according to a specific tonal plan: the musician’s fantasy develops bit by bit. Nikolai Lugansky – described by the famous magazine Gramophone as “the most innovative and transcendent interpreter of all” (so much for the others…), truly an extraordinarily deep and polyvalent pianist – decided to present the Preludes in the order prescribed by partitions, rather than reorganising them according to some hypothetical tonal logic, without knowing if Rachmaninoff would even have recommended or even considered it, particularly as the constant alternation of moods, independently of any tonal consideration, gives the piece a sense of perfect coherence. Finally it’s worth mentioning that Lugansky offers a very “original” interpretation of this divine music, which may feel like a re-discovery to some listeners. © SM/Qobuz
From
HI-RES$21.99
CD$16.99

Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 1 (Original Version) & Preludes Op. 32

Lukas Geniušas

Classical - Released October 13, 2023 | Alpha Classics

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions Diapason d'or - Choc de Classica
From
HI-RES$24.59
CD$21.09

Chopin: 24 Préludes, Piano Sonata No. 2

Martha Argerich

Classical - Released January 1, 1977 | Deutsche Grammophon (DG)

Hi-Res Booklet
From
HI-RES$14.82
CD$9.88

Buxtehude: Sonatine à doi, Violine & Viola da Gamba, Op.1-2

Les Timbres

Classical - Released February 26, 2021 | Flora

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions Diapason d'or
Buxtehude’s Opus 1 and Opus 2 Sonatas for violin, viola da gamba and harpsichord belie the composer’s common image as austere and sober. They instead delight the listener with what Johann Mattheson, writing in 1739, called their « unfamilar progressions, hidden ornamentation, and ingenious colourations ». It comes as no surprise to learn that the Sonatas were a great success when they were first published in Germany in the 1690s, in the midst of the fashion for the "stylus fantasticus" (described by Athanasius Kircher in 1650 as “…especially suited to instruments. It is the most free and unrestrained method of composing, it is bound to nothing, neither to any words nor to a melodic subject. It was instituted to display genius, and to teach the hidden design of harmony and the ingenious composition of harmonic phrases and fugues"). These Sonatas are undoubtedly challenging, which is no doubt why there have been so few complete recordings. For their fourth album, the founding trio of Les Timbres – Yoko Kawakubo, Myriam Rignol, and Julien Wolfs – take up the challenge with brio, joyously returning to their roots in Baroque chamber music to uncover all the intricacies of these very special works. © Flora
From
HI-RES$12.24$17.49(30%)
CD$9.79$13.99(30%)

Rachmaninoff: Reflections

Inon Barnatan

Solo Piano - Released November 10, 2023 | PentaTone

Hi-Res Booklet
The major attraction on this release by pianist Inon Barnatan is the opening work, an arrangement by the pianist of Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances, Op. 45, for one piano. The composer arranged the work for two pianos and even played it on one himself; the impetus for the new arrangement was that Barnatan, at loose ends during the COVID-19 pandemic, heard a bootleg recording of the composer playing through the work to introduce it to conductor Eugene Ormandy. Barnatan investigated the recording deeply and made an arrangement of his own. It is remarkably detailed, showing the results of the months of work Barnatan put in on it, and it may well inspire other pianists to take it up. That is not the end of the pleasures here, either. The Moments Musicaux, Op. 16, are early works that elaborate upon earlier kinds of short piano pieces with considerable virtuosity, and Barnatan's playing is clear and shows no sign of stress. Two shorter pieces round out the collection. It is a bit odd that so many pianists like to take over the Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14, a work that derives its appeal from the challenges it poses for a singer. However, the final Prelude in G sharp minor, Op. 32, No. 12, leaves the listener in a dreamy mood. Pianists and lovers of the same should absolutely hear Barnatan's new version of the Symphonic Dances here.© James Manheim /TiVo
From
HI-RES$17.59
CD$15.09

Debussy: Préludes II

Maurizio Pollini

Classical - Released February 16, 2018 | Deutsche Grammophon (DG)

Hi-Res Booklet
Why yes indeed, this is a very recent recording of Debussy by Maurizio Pollini (with his own son Daniele at his side for En blanc et en noir), made in late 2016 in Munich's sumptuous Herkulesaal. In it, the old lion of the piano unfurls for us the sumptuous and enigmatic musical tapestry of the Second Book of Debussy's Preludes, finished in 1912: a superlatively delicate pattern, more sketched and suggested than really followed, the pianist being enjoined not to "overdo it". Maurizio Pollini, 74 when the recording was made, can measure his performance out perfectly, and knows how to give the impression that the music is being written and improvised as he plays. And the album closes with En blanc et en noir for two pianos, of which Debussy wrote in 1915: "I have suffered greatly from the long drought imposed upon my brain by the war"; after months of silence, and his work editing Chopin, he entered a period of fevered creativity which continued with the two Books of the Études and the final sonatas. First entitled "Caprices en blanc et noir", the three pieces of En blanc et noir refer neatly to the instrument's keys and, as Debussy writes in 1916, "they aim to draw their colour, their emotion, from the simple piano, like Velasquez's greys". Grey, the fruit of the meeting of black and white... © SM/Qobuz
From
HI-RES$19.29
CD$16.59

Rachmaninoff: Preludes, Op. 23 & 32

Vladimir Ashkenazy

Classical - Released January 1, 1976 | Decca Music Group Ltd.

Hi-Res
The simple fact of the matter is that, compared with all previous releases of Ashkenazy's stupendous 1974-1975 recordings of Rachmaninov's 24 Preludes, this 96kHz 24-bit remastering is vastly better. Where the original LP release was warm and lush but a tad hazy, and earlier CD releases were warm and lush but a bit hard, this CD release is warm and lush -- but also clear and bright as polished crystal. Thus, while Ashkenazy's luminous lyricism, soulful sensuality, and blazing virtuosity are as manifest as ever -- and few pianists have ever matched him for these qualities in this repertoire -- what had previously seemed like his unfortunate tendency to overpedal in heavier textures is here shown to be a flaw in earlier releases, not his playing. More significantly, the remastering allows the colors and nuances of Ashkenazy's performances to sound more cleanly and accurately. In the hard-charging B flat major Prelude, the delicately radiant G sharp minor Prelude, even the played-to-death C sharp minor Prelude, Ashkenazy's playing seems much more subtle and dazzling -- which, considering his performances have long been considered among the deepest and strongest ever recorded, is quite an achievement. Everyone who treasures Rachmaninov's music should hear this release -- whether they've heard the earlier releases or not.© TiVo
From
HI-RES$115.49
CD$100.09

The Complete Warner Recordings 1972 -1980

Itzhak Perlman

Classical - Released September 25, 2015 | Warner Classics

Hi-Res Booklet
From
HI-RES$16.49
CD$10.99

Franck : Préludes, Fugues & Chorals

Nikolai Lugansky

Classical - Released March 6, 2020 | harmonia mundi

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions Diapason d'or / Arte - Le Choix de France Musique - Choc de Classica
After recording Rachmaninov's 24 Preludes and a recital dedicated to Claude Debussy for his new publisher harmonia mundi, pianist Nikolai Lugansky extends his repertoire even further with a monographic album dedicated solely to César Franck. The list of piano works by this organ-playing composer was not very extensive, so Lugansky chose to perform the Prelude, Fugue and Variation Op. 18, and theChorale No. 2 , on the piano, both in the same key. Written specifically for the piano, the two triptychs Prélude, Choral et Fugue and Prélude, Aria et Final are inspired by both Bach and Liszt and had an obvious influence on later French music, particularly with Albéric Magnard (Symphony No. 3) and all the way up to Francis Poulenc (Concerto for organ ). Nikolai Lugansky constructs these pieces like a builder, with unfailing solidity. He brings out the architecture and the projections with power and fullness, while looking for what he calls "a French sound, a beauty of sonority and refined sound without lourdeur". © François Hudry/Qobuz
From
HI-RES$15.98
CD$11.98

Sviatoslav Richter plays Alexander Scriabin

Sviatoslav Richter

Classical - Released January 1, 2017 | Praga Digitals

Hi-Res Booklet
From
HI-RES$12.79
CD$10.19

Debussy

Jean-Paul Gasparian

Classical - Released May 5, 2023 | naïve

Hi-Res Booklet
From
HI-RES$17.49
CD$13.99

Buxtehude : Salvator Mundi

Ricercar Consort

Cantatas (sacred) - Released March 17, 2023 | Mirare

Hi-Res Booklet
One can debate the proper forces for the performance of Dieterich Buxtehude's vocal music and Bach's too, but in the case of Buxtehude, intimate, one-voice-per-part performance seems the way to go; Buxtehude wrote larger works for major church services (now mostly lost, unfortunately), and these small cantatas, in German and Latin, might have been performed at concerts in modest spaces or as liturgical interludes. They are quite inward and reflective in spirit, different from most of Bach's sacred works. Here, a small ensemble led by viola da gamba player Philippe Pierlot offers powerful performances that capture the expressivity of these eight works. One of them is in three movements; all have sectional forms of the sort Bach would abandon, but that set off the individual lines of text in a persuasive way. Sample the repeated text at the beginning of Fürwahr, er trug unsere Krankheit aus, where the opening word, "Fürwahr" ("For sure"), is repeated and set off by rhythmic pauses. It is not quite operatic, but it qualifies as madrigalian and as impactful. This entire work, an antiphonal piece with two separate little vocal-instrumental ensembles, is probably the high point, but many of the pieces have distinctive passages of text-setting. Pierlot is well served by his soloists, especially by countertenor alto David Sagastume, and by his period-instrument Ricercar Consort, less so by the sound at the Abbaye Sainte-Trinité de la Lucerne d'Outremer, which makes everything sound murky except for extraneous noise from the performers. At root, though, these are wonderful performances of a sorely underexposed repertory.© James Manheim /TiVo
From
HI-RES$14.82
CD$9.88

Debussy: Préludes, Livres 1 & 2

Vestard Shimkus

Classical - Released March 31, 2023 | ARTALINNA

Hi-Res Booklet
From
HI-RES$22.79
CD$19.59

Debussy: Images & Préludes, Book 2

Marc-André Hamelin

Classical - Released November 2, 2014 | Hyperion

Hi-Res Booklet
From
HI-RES$16.59
CD$14.39

Debussy: Piano Works

Walter Gieseking

Classical - Released October 10, 1996 | Warner Classics

Hi-Res
From
CD$13.59

Satie: 3 Gymnopédies; 6 Gnossiennes etc.

Pascal Rogé

Classical - Released January 1, 1984 | Decca Music Group Ltd.