ELGAR
Symphony No. 1 Op. 55 / Sonata for Organ, Op. 28 BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Richard Hickox [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 1/Jun/2007 ] "Hickox and his players do Elgar proud on a spectacular disc. Richard Hickox is back on sovereign form for Elgar. The BBC Welsh forces are world-class here, in a reading that pulses along with clarity and splendour, building to a gloriously... |
ELGAR
Symphony No. 2 / In the South BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Richard Hickox [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 1/Aug/2005 ] 'Critical comment on the recording of the Second Symphony: Elgar's Second Symphony blossoms in the hands of Richard Hickox and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.' Classic FM Magazine 'Disc of the month' |
ELGAR
Symphony No. 3 / So Many True Princesses Who Have Gone / etc BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Richard Hickox [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 1/Nov/2007 ] 'I'm more favourably inclined towards this magnificent SACD release because it seems to lay out its typical Elgarian indirectness in a more logical and easily discerned way..No serious Elgarian should even think of passing it by.' American Record Guide |
TIPPETT
The Rose Lake / Ritual Dances BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Richard Hickox (conductor) [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 18/Oct/2005 ] To coincide with the centenary year of Tippett's birth, and following on from his highly successful recordings of the symphonies and other orchestral works, Richard Hickox has recorded two of the composer's most famous orchestral works, The Rose Lake... |
ALWYN / AUSTIN / BANTOCK / GARINER / GURNEY / VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
British Tone Poems Volume 1 BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Rumon Gamba [ Chandos / CD - released 26/Mar/2017 ] " An encouraging start to a valuable series of British orchestral music." AudAud April 2017 |
AUSTIN / BANTOCK / COLERIDGE-TAYLOR / SULLIVAN / etc
Overtures from the British Isles, Volume 1 BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Rumon Gamba [ Chandos / CD - released 10/Feb/2014 ] "as Rumon Gamba's nicely slick performances with BBCNOW show, these are all nicely proportioned pieces; if never especially memorable, they don't deserve the total neglect they've suffered for the last three-quarters of a century." (The Guardian) |
STRAVINSKY
Petrushka (with Liadov - Baba-Yaga, etc) BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Thierry Fischer [ Signum Records / CD - released 20/Mar/2012 ] "Both composers benefit from Fischer's trademark refinement. His Petrushka, notably beautiful, is graciously touching rather than violent or eruptive, and the clean-textured, superbly detailed playing from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales reminds... |
HONEGGER
Une Cantate de NoAl and other orchestral works BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Thierry Fischer (conductor) [ Hyperion / CD - released 10/Nov/2008 ] 'Here is an excellent introduction to a still underrated composer … In the Concerto, Alban Gerhardt ranges from the seductive to the sensational' BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE DISC OF THE MONTH |
RUBBRA
Complete Symphonies BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Richard Hickox [ Chandos / 5 CD Box Set - released 6/Aug/2001 ] |
EDMUND RUBBRA
Rubbra: Symphonies Nos 2 & 6 BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Richard Hickox [ Chandos / CD - released 1/Jan/2000 ] 'Thanks to all concerned are in order - for Hickox's perceptive interpretation, the players' dedication and sensitivity and last but not least, the exemplary recorded sound that we rather take for granted on this label. Strongly recommended.' Gramophone |
JOHN METCALF
In Time Of Daffodils Jeremy Huw Williams (baritone) / BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Grant Llewellyn [ Signum / CD - released 3/Sep/2007 ] "The music, as in the other works of Metcalf, is often warmly melodic and lyrical as well as strongly expressive" (MusicWeb) |
DVORAK
Very Best of Dvorak (The) BBC Philharmonic Orchestra / Capella Istropolitana / Polish National Radio Symphony / Stephen Gunzenhauser (Conductor) and many more [ Naxos / 2 CD - released 25/Nov/2006 ] Extracts and miniature pieces from Dvorak's most popular works. |
Bembeya Jazz National
The Syliphone Years [ 2 CD - released 14/Aug/2007 ] |
PYOTR Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos 1 & 3 Bernd Glemser (piano) / Polish National Radio Symphony, Antoni Wit [ Naxos / CD - released 1/Jan/2011 ] Tolstoy says: "Tchaikovsky is dead," - and two huge tears (for everything is larger than life with him...), rolled down his great cheeks" (Marie Scheikevitch). To the writer Vasily Yastrebtsev (1899), Tchaikovsky was a man of his time: "When... |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 / Schumann: Introduction and Concerto Allegro Idil Biret (piano) / Polish National Radio Symphony, Antoni Wit [ Naxos / CD - released 2/Oct/2000 ] "A release well worth hearing." ClassicsToday |
JOHANNES BRAHMS / ROBERT SCHUMANN
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 / Schumann: Introduction and Allegro appassionato Idil Biret (piano) / Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (Katowice); Antoni Wit, conductor [ Naxos / CD - released 5/Jun/2000 ] "The two Schumann works are fine bonuses, both rendered with the same commitment and insight from soloist and orchestra. In the end, one must assess all these performances as quite extraordinary and fully competitive with the best." ClassicalNet |
BRAHMS
Works for Chorus and Orchestra Bo Skovhus (baritone) / Danish National Choir / Danish National Symphony Orchestra / Gerd Albrecht [ Chandos Classics / CD - released 27/Jan/2004 ] 'For Anyone who finds the textual/musical idiom of Ein deutsches Requiem difficult to accommodate, this mixture of sacred and secular pieces could serve as a way into the choral music of a very great composer.' International Record Review |
PETITGIRARD
12 Guardians of the Temple (The) / Poeme / Euphonia Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra / Ljubljana Radio Symphony Orchestra / Laurent Petitgirard [ Naxos / CD - released 4/Dec/2006 ] An eclectic musician with a compelling melodic gift, Laurent Petitgirard combines a career as a composer of orchestral and film music with that of an international conductor. This collection includes two of his most recent works, the exotically... |
RAVEL
Daphnis and Chloe Bordeaux Opera Chorus / Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra / Laurent Petitgirard (Conductor) [ Naxos / CD - released 4/Dec/2006 ] Daphnis et Chloe, generally regarded as Ravel's masterpiece, is one of the numerous important scores that owe their existence to the famous ballet impresario Sergey Diaghilev, who commissioned new works for his Paris-based troupe. |
MUSSORGSKY
Boris Godunov (Complete Opera - 1952 recording) Boris Christoff, Eugenia Zareska, Ludmilla Lebedeva / Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Francaise / Issay Dobrowen [ Brilliant Classics Opera Collection / 3 CD Box Set - released 1/Apr/2009 ] '..the digital transfers bring out the excellence of the original engineering. So this version really is essential listening for admirers of the work.' Gramophone |