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Meyerbeer: Robert le Diable

Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine

Classical - Released September 23, 2022 | Bru Zane

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions Gramophone: Recording of the Month
For his last season at the helm of the Opéra de Bordeaux, Marc Minkowski—always keen to conduct forgotten works which have, in some way, marked the history of music—sets his sights on Robert le Diable, Giacomo Meyerbeer's opera which was a true social phenomenon in 19th century France. The Palazzetto Bru Zane - Centre de musique romantique française has followed suit by officially publishing this concert version, which also features some excellent vocal soloists. Admired by Balzac, Sand and Dumas, this ‘grand opéra à la française’ (great French opera) faded into obscurity after the First World War. Its creator became a sort of pariah – one met with both condescension and mockery. With its ‘seductive and haunting melodies’ (Alexandre Dratwicki), it’s nevertheless a flamboyant work that greatly inspired his contemporaries, such as Verdi, who referred to it in La Traviata. The extraordinary impact of Robert le Diable was such that it was performed a great many times on every continent. A true one-man band, Marc Minkowski has invested himself entirely in this undertaking, learning this vast score practically by heart and conducting it with his usual power and conviction. The international cast is full of surprises thanks to their deep understanding of the work and the protagonists’ fantastic pronunciation. This new release, to the credit of the Bru Zane label, revitalises our knowledge of this work that’s scarcely mentioned in specialised dictionaries. © François Hudry/Qobuz
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Monteverdi: Daylight. Stories of Songs, Dances and Loves

Rinaldo Alessandrini

Classical - Released November 5, 2021 | naïve

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Debussy : Les Trois Sonates, The Late Works

Isabelle Faust

Chamber Music - Released October 5, 2018 | harmonia mundi

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions 5 de Diapason - Gramophone Editor's Choice - 5 Sterne Fono Forum Klassik
Marking the centennial of Claude Debussy's death, Harmonia Mundi has steadily released multiple volumes in a 2018 series of his complete works, freshly recorded by some of the label's leading artists. Debussy: Les Trois Sonates - The Late Works, like previous titles in the acclaimed series, is presented in a handsome trim-line box, though this release contains only a single CD and a thin booklet, so it is a bit over-packaged. However, the evocative performances of the Sonata for violin and piano, the Sonata for flute, viola, and harp, and the Sonata for cello and piano make the purchase worthwhile, and connoisseurs will regard this as one of the most sublime Debussy releases of the year. Featuring violinist Isabelle Faust and pianist Alexander Melnikov in the Violin Sonata, Debussy's last completed work; flutist Magali Mosnier, violist Antoine Tamestit, and harpist Xavier de Maistre in the Sonata for flute, viola, and harp; and cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras and pianist Javier Perianes in the Cello Sonata, the program boasts artists of exceptional artistry and expressive depth, all ideally suited to these refined and sometimes rarefied works. Interspersed between the chamber compositions are four keyboard works, performed by Tanguy de Williencourt in somewhat introspective readings that complement the more conversational ensemble pieces, though in Debussy's music, the emphasis on atmosphere tends to make everything seem reflective and intimate. The recorded sound is clean and transparent, which is ideal for capturing subtle nuances in quiet passages. © TiVo
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Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre: Céphale et Procris

Reinoud Van Mechelen

Classical - Released February 9, 2024 | Château de Versailles Spectacles

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Psyché

Christophe Rousset

Classical - Released January 13, 2023 | Château de Versailles Spectacles

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Casta Diva - Operatic arias transcribed for trumpet

Matilda Lloyd

Opera - Released April 28, 2023 | Chandos

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Five years after her solo debut recording, Direct Message, which programmed 20th and 21st century works for trumpet and piano, trumpet player Matilda Lloyd departs the traditional repertoire (aside from the two Arban arrangements from the Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet). Instead of following more well-worn routes, Lloyd elects to present a program of Romantic period opera arias, mostly in arrangements for trumpet and chamber orchestra (undertaken here by the Britten Sinfonia under Rumon Gamba) by William Foster, who worked closely with Lloyd on this project. Lloyd's skill as a musician is evident throughout, though the two Arban tracks most clearly allow her abilities to shine. The arrangements throughout are good, though how much they add to the performances rather than transcriptions and transpositions is up for debate. Lloyd notes with excitement the decision to include two pieces by Pauline Viardot, and one of the highlights here is the treatment of Viardot's Havanaise. This is certainly a trumpet release aimed at a wider audience than trumpet and brass circles, and it has already found success on the retail market. Chandos delivers just the right atmosphere from the Church of St. Augustine, Kilburn, in London. The future is bright for this trumpeter, and one looks forward to where her path may take her. © Keith Finke /TiVo
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Mendelssohn: Complete Works for Piano Solo

Ana-Marija Markovina

Classical - Released January 7, 2022 | haenssler CLASSIC

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"A composer’s oeuvre can only be fully understood in the context of his lifetime achievement. Concerts and events provide mere snapshots. I have always been more interested in the process than the highlights of an artist’s creative life. When I engage with a composer, I need to know everything about him. Mendelssohn was a cosmos that opened before me. There were worlds waiting to be discovered. My recording of the complete works is based on the system of compilation applied by Dr. Ralf Wehner of the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Leipzig: the Mendelssohn-Werkverzeichnis (MWV, catalogue of Mendelssohn’s works). The category MWV U lists the piano works in chronological order of their composition, opening up completely new perspectives on the way Mendelssohn worked. It is clear, for example, that Mendelssohn first wrote his fugues, then composed the preludes to them quite a bit later, in order to publish them as pairs of Preludes and Fugues. That is also the only deviation from my chronological order: I have placed each Prelude before its Fugue, which is the way Mendelssohn intended it. Prelude and Fugue form a conceptual unity and a musically coherent form and must not be separated. The Lieder ohne Worte, on the other hand, are collections. Mendelssohn wrote them for publication in sets of six at a time. I have accordingly incorporated the Lieder ohne Worte into the chronological sequence”. (Ana-Marija Markovina)
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Friedrich Gulda: The Stuttgart Solo Recitals (Live)

Friedrich Gulda

Classical - Released September 13, 2019 | SWR Classic

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Elgar: Enigma Variations, Introduction & Allegro

London Symphony Orchestra

Classical - Released June 5, 2007 | LSO Live

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Lackadaisical in the Enigma Variations and slapdash in the Introduction and Allegro for strings, this addendum to Colin Davis and the London Symphony's series of masterful recordings of Elgar's symphonies and oratorio "The Dream of Gerontius" is distinctly, even acutely, disappointing. Recorded live in January 2007, Davis and the LSO seem to be trying in the Enigma, but they aren't able to sustain the lines or the tempos. There are some marvelous moments here -- the hushed opening of Nimrod is magnificent -- but too often the rhythms drag and the tempos flag -- the tedious remainder of Nimrod seems to go on forever. Recorded in September and December 2005, the Introduction and Allegro betrays its origins with scrappy, sloppy, and disjointed with astonishingly out-of-tune playing from the LSO's strings. There are many better recordings of both works available -- to start with, try Boult's Enigma or Barbirolli's Introduction and Allegro -- this disc is for Davis completists only. LSO's live digital sound here is oddly neither as clear nor as immediate as its earlier recordings. © TiVo
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Per l'Orchestra di Dresda, Vol.1 Ouverture

Les Ambassadeurs - La Grande Écurie

Concertos - Released August 20, 2021 | Aparté

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Alexis Kossenko delves into the repertoire of one of the most admired orchestras in Europe during Bach’s lifetime. The greatest composers of the century composed for this famous ensemble, a showcase for the musical splendour of the court of the prince-electors. Combining concerti and sacred music, this album is the first volume in an exceptional series devoted to this orchestra. © Aparté
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Tchaikovsky: Eugène Onéguine (Diapason n°598)

Galina Vichnievskaia

Full Operas - Released September 25, 2010 | Les Indispensables de Diapason

Booklet Distinctions Diapason d'or
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Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro, K.492

Luca Pisaroni

Classical - Released July 1, 2016 | Deutsche Grammophon (DG)

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This Marriage of Figaro is perhaps the most exciting to happen for quite some time. The maestro in charge is Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who directs the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and a star-studded roster of singers specially selected for the occasion. The idea for this recording came out of the numerous modern reinterpretations of the piece, coupled with the aim to recreate the sounds of the past. As such, when you listen to the piece, it's at once powerfully modern yet "obvious". The recitativos are conceived musically rather than theatrically (surely a plus on an audio recording!) while the recording itself took place at a concert in Baden-Baden in 2015, which helps the performance move along tremendously and flow between each piece. A real gem. 
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Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 14 & 23 - Gould Remastered

Glenn Gould

Classical - Released January 1, 1967 | Sony Classical

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Hartmann: Concerto funebre

SWR Rundfunkorchester Kaiserslautern

Classical - Released April 1, 2009 | Wergo

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Maurice Yvain: Yes!

Les Frivolités Parisiennes

Classical - Released March 22, 2024 | Alpha Classics

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Saint-Saëns : Le Carnaval des animaux - Concerto pour piano No. 2 - Havanaise, Le rouet d'Omphale - Danse macabre... (Diapason n°610)

Igor Markevitch

Classical - Released October 28, 2011 | Les Indispensables de Diapason

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Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini & Poulenc: Organ Concerto

Cameron Carpenter

Classical - Released March 15, 2019 | Sony Classical

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions 5 Sterne Fono Forum Klassik
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Bizet: Carmen Suites Nos. 1 & 2 - Grieg: Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 & 2

Leonard Bernstein

Classical - Released December 22, 2017 | Sony Classical

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Lekeu : Les fleurs pâles du souvenir (Complete Works)

Luc Devos

Classical - Released August 21, 2015 | Ricercar

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Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria

Stéphane Fuget

Classical - Released June 24, 2022 | Château de Versailles Spectacles

Hi-Res Booklet
The Château de Versailles record label continues to release music at a steady rate, as evidenced by this new version of Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria, the penultimate opera composed by Claudio Monteverdi. It was recorded in 2021 with conductor Stéphane Fuget at the head of his vocal and instrumental ensemble, Les Epopées, which he formed in 2018.Stéphane Fuget spent a decade working as a harpsichordist and choirmaster in some of the biggest opera houses alongside maestros specialising in baroque music. He’s since gone on to develop his own style based on the expressions and sentiments evoked by the Italian paintings, architecture and sculptures of the 17th century. This interpretation might seem extravagant at first glance, but it’s in perfect harmony with the baroque spirit that was sweeping across Europe at the time. The end result is striking; the theatrical declamation of the text is reinforced by meticulously chosen instruments and is bursting with an emotional charge that makes other interpretations feel lack-lustre.Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria was first composed in 1640 in the city of Venice, during a time when the city’s many theatres were abuzz with a flurry of operas. Though it’s been long disputed, the attribution of this work to Monteverdi now seems to be firmly established thanks to two anonymous sources found in the libraries of Venice and Vienna. This opera was inspired by the last songs of The Odyssey and now exists in a single handwritten manuscript. As was the norm during this time period, precise instrumentation is not indicated in the score, offering free reign to the performers both in terms of vocal distribution as well as instrumental selection and ornamentation. Such recreations are always exciting since they continuously give us answers to intriguing questions as our knowledge of the time period evolves. © François Hudry/Qobuz