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Solo: Matteis - Pisendel - Biber - Guillemain - Vilsmayr

Isabelle Faust

Classical - Released October 20, 2023 | harmonia mundi

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions Diapason d'or
Violinist Isabelle Faust has gradually become a star whose listeners will follow her even into unfamiliar repertory, and this release made classical best-seller lists in the autumn of 2023. Part of the appeal of Bach's sonatas and partitas for solo violin is that they seem sui generis; they are towering pieces that resemble nothing else and have no models. A number of composers also wrote works for solo violin, and Bach was likely inspired by some and inspired others in turn. These other works are occasionally programmed, together with Bach's works or by themselves, but they are not common for the most part. Faust offers a generous sampling, with no Bach and with a variety of largely unfamiliar composers. What emerges is that there were multiple traditions at work, French as well as German, and Bach, as was his way, synthesized them. It won't do to pretend that any of these works are on Bach's level, but they are attractive, and Faust is excellent at teasing out their idiomatic writing for a Baroque violin. Consider the Partita No. 5 in G minor for solo violin of Johann Joseph Vilsmayr, a student of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (who is also represented by a single Passacaglia at the end). This is a dance suite that seems to reflect Bach's influence as well. Physical album buyers will get a helpful booklet (although it doesn't explain the bizarre "Guiqß" movement title in the Vilsmayr work). Other composers included are Johann Georg Pisendel, Nicola Matteis Jr. and Sr., and Louis-Gabriel Guillemain, who worked in the middle 18th century; his Amusement pour le violon seul, Op. 18, inhabits a nonserious world completely different from Bach's but does show that the idea of a solo violin work was widely present. Faust benefits from Harmonia Mundi's Teldex Studio sound, which is close up without being noisy. Baroque buffs will definitely hear music here that they haven't heard before, well played.© James Manheim /TiVo
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Haydn - 48 Piano Sonatas

Daniel-Ben Pienaar

Classical - Released August 25, 2023 | Avie Records

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SLEEP: Tranquility Base

Max Richter

Classical - Released February 24, 2023 | Deutsche Grammophon (DG)

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In 2015, Max Richter released the now legendary Sleep, an eight-hour instrumental investigation into music and sleep(‘s relationship). He sought to transcribe the essentially neurological phenomenon as a piece of music. With the help of David Eagleman, an American neuroscientist conducting relevant research, he investigated notable patterns and behaviours to be reflected in his compositions. He incorporates repetitive figures of speech, loops and drones that stimulate certain phases in dreams and deep sleep. The music aims to be an expressive medium for the human subconscious.Eight years later, Richter has collaborated once again with his colleagues from the original project, Brian Snow, Clarice Jensen and Yuki Numata. While Sleep was originally devised for piano, strings, soprano and electronics, the modified version of Tranquility Base focuses on synthesisers and electronic sound effects. The name of this 30-minute EP alludes to Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon. Max Richter is therefore taking Sleep to a new level, elevating his work into the time and weightlessness of space. It begins with a linear organ melody with new musical layers, such as reverberating sounds, strings and synthesisers, which are gradually introduced. It is a work comprised of 16 interwoven variations, taking a look at the myriad themes of Sleep, twisting them and fusing them together. The album ultimately encourages disconnection and calm. ©Lena Germann/Qobuz
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Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring & The Firebird

Orchestre de Paris

Classical - Released March 24, 2023 | Decca Music Group Ltd.

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One year after winning a Qobuzissime for his first Sibelius monograph, Klaus Mäkelä is back with the Orchestre de Paris for a programme devoted to Stravinsky's two stage masterpieces: The Rite of Spring and The Firebird. The Rite of Spring is perhaps best remembered for its chaotic premiere in May 1913, Paris, where it famously provoked a riot amongst the audience. Over time, this event has left its mark on history as one of the most notorious artistic scandals of the 20th century. It’s impossible to overlook this vital work today, and yet its canonisation has arguably caused its monstrous and archaic character to fade out of our collective memory.Somehow, Mäkelä manages to completely restore the cathartic dimension of the piece. From the meticulous choice of tempos to the contrasts between the different orchestral sections, every measure of the score is rich and invigorating. This young Finn is a true master, revealing himself as a conductor of rare sensitivity and incisive vision that commands with confidence. On the flipside, The Firebird is inspired by a Russian folk tale in which Ivan Tsarevich battles the demigod Kashchei. Under Mäkelä, it becomes a grandiose festival of light and sound; a ballet imbued with a visceral sense of urgency that keeps the listener captivated throughout. © Pierre Lamy/Qobuz
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Verdi: Messa da Requiem

Carlo Maria Giulini

Classical - Released January 1, 1964 | Warner Classics

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Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet

London Symphony Orchestra

Classical - Released January 12, 2010 | LSO Live

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Thomas Bangalter: Mythologies

Thomas Bangalter

Classical - Released April 7, 2023 | Warner Classics

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When an artist from the pop world attempts classical concert music, what makes it work sometimes and sometimes not? Composers like Danny Elfman have written enduring and even beloved music, while the classical pieces of as talented a composer as Billy Joel is hardly heard. There seem to be several factors. First is that there should be some connection between the artist's pop language and the new classical style. Here, Thomas Bangalter, one-half of the French electronica duo Daft Punk, succeeds notably. The repetition and the textural shades of Bangalter's electronic music are still here, but he stretches them somewhat in new expressive directions. His Mythologies are short portraits of mythological figures, and one might do pretty well if forced to guess their identities; sample "Aphrodite" or "Icare" ("Icarus"). Second, the music should not be simply an orchestral setting of the composer's earlier music. These are not electronica portraits played by strings but fresh musical conceptions that use Bangalter's earlier music as one influence. Finally, these composers do best when they know their limitations, and here again, Bangalter succeeds. If his Mythologies are limited in terms of orchestration, they nevertheless remain both clear and distinctive. With straightforward readings from the Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra under Romain Dumas, this is highly listenable stuff and one of the stronger entries in the pop-to-classical crossover canon; it made classical best-seller lists in the spring of 2023.© James Manheim /TiVo
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Handel : Water Music

Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin

Classical - Released February 5, 2016 | harmonia mundi

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions 5 de Diapason - 5 Sterne Fono Forum Klassik
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Charpentier & Desmarest: Te Deum

Ensemble Les Surprises

Classical - Released January 5, 2024 | Alpha Classics

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions Choc de Classica
The Te Deum was one of the major cultural emblems of the French court in the late 17th and early 18th centuries; in the apt phrasing of annotator Bénédicte Hertz on this 2024 Alpha release, it "exploited two key driving forces of kingly politics: glorification and fear." The splendid trumpet-and-drum sound has made the Charpentier Te Deum heard here into one of the enduring hits of the Baroque era; it even turned up as a theme song for the Eurovision Song Contest a few years back. Ensemble Les Surprises and its imposingly named director, Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas, deliver a strong version with crack playing; it can stand with any others among the many on the market, and Alpha backs up the performances with a spacious but never muddy acoustic at the Metz Arsenal that retains detail and doesn't let the fine soloists get lost. However, what really makes this release a standout is the presence of another Te Deum; Charpentier's is the only one that is commonly heard. The Te Deum "de Lyon" of Henry Desmarest here receives its world premiere. It was also written for the French court; the "de Lyon" moniker seems to come from the fact that a copy of the manuscript is housed there. The work is entirely satisfying. It is later than Charpentier's work and breaks up the Te Deum text differently, allowing more room for the Italianate arias that were beginning to creep into French music, but the imposing quality of the genre is not lost, and this makes for interesting tensions. Lovers of the French Baroque will find that the music here enriches their understanding of the court and its mighty musical apparatus, and really, this is pleasing music for anyone, even Eurovision fans. This release landed on classical best-seller charts in early 2024.© James Manheim /TiVo
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Herrmann: Suite from Wuthering Heights, Echoes for Strings

Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Opera - Released June 30, 2023 | Chandos

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Many film composers wrote classical works in an idiom sharply different from that of their film scores, but with Bernard Herrmann, the difference is much smaller. Then again, his film music itself was more "classical" to begin with. His scores are largely devoid of the big themes and jazz and popular influences that marked the work of many of his contemporaries, especially later in his career. Instead, he built his scores out of obsessive gestures that were a perfect match for the films of Alfred Hitchcock, his most frequent collaborator. He wrote one opera, Wuthering Heights, that was completed in 1951 and, indeed, quoted some of his earlier scores and spawned passages in later ones. It is a gigantic work, filling four LPs when Herrmann recorded it in 1965, and this condensation and arrangement by Hans Sørensen is welcome. He strips the cast down to just Cathy and Heathcliff, with newcomer Keri Fuge and veteran Roderick Williams holding up well through overheated music that evokes Emily Brontë's novel nicely. There is also an orchestral version, again arranged by Sørensen, of Herrmann's 1965 string quartet Echoes; the arrangement works fine inasmuch as his writing was quite orchestral-sounding in the original quartet. The Singapore Symphony, under conductor Mario Venzago in Wuthering Heights and Joshua Tan in Echoes, sounds fabulous, and Venzago was an inspired choice here, with a sure touch for dramatic music. Herrmann fans will be delighted with this, and listeners looking for a chance to sample his opera will find the album ideal. It landed on classical best-seller lists in the summer of 2023, testifying to growing interest in Herrmann's music. © James Manheim /TiVo
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Stravinsky: L'Oiseau de feu; Feu d'artifice; 4 Etudes

Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO)

Classical - Released July 7, 2023 | Deutsche Grammophon (DG)

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Baroque

Nicola Benedetti

Classical - Released July 16, 2021 | Decca Music Group Ltd.

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Decca Classics is thrilled to announce a new Baroque album from violinist Nicola Benedetti. This is the first album she has released on a period set-up including gut strings, and she is joined by a leading group of freelance baroque musicians, forming the Benedetti Baroque Orchestra - for the very first time. The album features a selection of concerti by Vivaldi plus Geminiani’s incredible arrangement of Corelli’s La Folia, one of the oldest western classical themes which has been arranged by many composers over time, particularly in the baroque era. Geminiani was one of the greatest violinists of the era and Corelli was one of his teachers whilst growing up in Italy. Later when he moved to London, Geminiani reworked a number of Corelli’s works for local audiences including this arrangement of La Folia. © Decca Classics
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Glass: Complete Piano Etudes

Jeroen Van Veen

Classical - Released October 27, 2017 | Brilliant Classics

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J. S. Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988

Fazil Say

Classical - Released November 25, 2022 | Warner Classics

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Pianist Fazil Say is hardly known for playing Bach; in fact, his last Bach release before this 2023 release came in 1998, and he can be plenty idiosyncratic when he wants to be. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, affected Say as it did everyone else, and he spent a good part of it in intensive study of Bach's Goldberg Variations, BWV 988. Those who shy away from Say's excesses can rest easy here; the intensive studies show up in what is a rather detailed reading, and even his famous Glenn Gould-like humming is minimized. Say says (now there is an awkward phrase) that he spent considerable time weighing details of articulation and dynamics in some of the variations, and while this perhaps comes at the expense of the overall line, it makes the counterpoint clear and provides some quite memorable passages. Sample the 20th variation for a purely pianistic extravaganza. The effect is somewhat similar to Gould's recordings of the work, especially the first one, but Say is less resolute in imposing his own personality. The biggest question mark here is the sound; Say served as his own producer in a Turkish arts center, with flat results and even a bit of distortion at the piano's top. Nevertheless, Say fans will be delighted, and even others will find that this stands out from the common run of Goldbergs.© James Manheim /TiVo
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Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1, 3 & 5, Visions fugitives

Alexander Melnikov

Classical - Released May 6, 2022 | harmonia mundi

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In this third and final volume of his complete recording of the Prokofiev Sonatas, Alexander Melnikov explores two highly contrasted facets of the young prodigy. The dazzling Sonatas No. 1 and No. 3 sweep aside the codes of the period, unlike the more enigmatic and eminently subtle Sonata No. 5, heard here in the revised version Prokofiev made in the last years of his life. In the coupling, the Visions fugitives, the Russian pianist realises to perfection the mixture of brilliance and poetry that gives this cycle its peculiar charm. © harmonia mundi
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Bach: Goldberg Variations

Jean Rondeau

Classical - Released February 11, 2022 | Warner Classics

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 A few weeks after the release of pianist David Fray’s magnificent performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Goldberg Variations, Jean Rondeau’s harpsichord versions were released on the same Erato label. Two proposals, two visions, two perspectives. Whilst David Fray takes his listeners on a long, emotional journey (which could even be classed as a sort of “Winterreise” before its time), Jean Rondeau instead takes inspiration from Scarlatti. The harpsichordist’s version of The Goldberg Variations almost feels like a response to the thirty Essercizi per gravicembalo (“exercises for the harpsichord”), a selection of thirty sonatas composed by the Italian and published in London in 1739. The Goldberg Variations were published in 1741 as the fourth part of the Clavier-Übung (a German term meaning “exercise[s] for the piano"), though the date of their initial composition may be earlier.Less concerned with the structure of the ensemble as some of his colleagues, Jean Rondeau expands upon each variation, making each one sound completely different, yet still beautifully complete—just like a sonata by Domenico Scarlatti. The Frenchman isn’t the only one to offer such a proposal either, with Ignacio Prego (Glossa) also releasing his own version of The Goldberg Variations back in 2015. Jean Rondeau’s harpsichord is of unparalleled beauty, having been built by Jonte Knif & Arno Pelto and based on a German model. The incredible sound recording immerses the listener into the very heart of the instrument, a hypnotic experience which causes all concern for logic to fade away. Rondeau plays with rhythm, reinvents dance patterns and offers a stunning portrayal of each of the Veränderungen throughout this anthology which exposes Europe’s musical preferences during this era. You’ve likely never heard the Variation XIV like this before (not even Pierre Hantai’s (Mirara) version comes close), it’s so unrestricted and free. Moreover, the expressive scope of the minor variations is simply breath-taking (variation XXI. Canone alla settima). It’s impressive from every standpoint and never fails to intrigue. © Pierre-Yves Lascar/Qobuz
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J.S. Bach: Magnificat & Christmas Cantata

Dunedin Consort

Classical - Released October 16, 2015 | Linn Records

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Lieder (Berg, Schumann, Wolf, Shostakovich, Brahms)

Matthias Goerne

Classical - Released June 10, 2022 | Deutsche Grammophon (DG)

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions Choc de Classica
Matthias Goerne not only performs at the highest level as a baritone himself, but his piano accompaniments also rank among the Champions League of classical music. For his first album, which was dedicated to Beethoven songs, he brought Jan Lisiecki on board. This was followed by the album Abendrot with melodies by Wagner and Strauss, among others, together with the young talent Seong-Jin Cho. Now we may experience the baritone in duo with the world-class Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov, presenting us with a metaphysical program of Berg, Schumann, Wolf, Shostakovich and Brahms.The combination of music and poetry was brought to a climax in the form of the Romantic art song by Franz Schubert. The composers presented here build on this tradition, and despite the wide, temporal span of their publications - there are 135 years between Schumann's Dichterliebe and Shostakovich's Michelangelo Suite - the closeness and significance to the text and its authors is equally evident in all of them. Schumann's Dichterliebe is probably one of the best examples of this: the setting of Heinrich Heine's texts brings together two masters of Romanticism who could not be better interpreted by Goerne and Trifonov. Themes of impossible love and human suffering are unfolded through extremes in the monologue as well as the music, with Goerne maintaining this "strong sensitivity" throughout. In the same vein, the unspoken finds its place on the piano and takes on much more than just an accompanying role in his interpretation - as well as in art song in general. Trifonov is in direct musical dialogue with Goerne, the two artists communicating at eye level.A similar symbiosis is evident in the Michelangelo musical settings by Wolf and Shostakovich. By abandoning tonality in the latter, the connection between piano and spoken word is again reinforced on another level. A unique duo project by two contemporary greats whose paths will hopefully cross more often. © Lena Germann/Qobuz
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Meeting my Shadow

Giorgi Gigashvili

Classical - Released April 28, 2023 | Alpha Classics

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions Diapason d'or
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Haydn: Piano Sonatas

Kristian Bezuidenhout

Classical - Released February 1, 2019 | harmonia mundi

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions Gramophone Editor's Choice - 5 Sterne Fono Forum Klassik
After having released his complete recording of Mozart’s Sonatas and collaborated with the singer Mark Padmore (Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann), Kristian Bezuidenhout continues to expand his discography with Joseph Haydn this time. Under the record label Harmonia Mundi, the South-African pianist emphasizes the whimsical and fanciful elements of a selection of Haydn’s works that were influenced by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, a composer from whom he learnt a lot and described with a certain fondness. Here, the Sonata in C major (Hob. XVI:48) is halfway between the Variations on a Theme and a totally unbridled fantasy, whereas the Sonata in C minor (Hob.XVI:20) unlocks the full dramatic potential of keyboard music. The later works on this album are contrasted with earlier ones such as the charming and spirited Sonata in G major (XVI:6) which is followed by two sequences of variations. This repertoire showcases Haydn’s inexhaustible creative energy as well as his ability to reinvent himself with each of his works. The performer relishes the performance here, playing on a Paul McNulty fortepiano modelled on an Anton Walter Viennese piano from 1805. © François Hudry/Qobuz