SERGEI PROKOFIEV / PYOTR Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY
Prokofiev: Cinderella / Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty (Children's Classics) Brian Cant (narrator) / National Symphony Orch of Ukraine / Theodore Kuchar (conductor) / Slovak State Philharmonic Orch. / Andrew Mogrelia (conductor [ Naxos Children's Classics / CD - released 27/Apr/2008 ] "Brian Cant has a nice, light and understated touch in his story-telling, with a bit of the Edith Evans for the Fairy Godmother and a touching wonderment to match Prokofiev's scintillating score." Daily Telegraph |
ANTONIN DVORAK
Dvorak: Symphony No. 4 / Ten Biblical Songs Brian Rayner Cook (baritone) / Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi [ Chandos / CD - released 23/Jan/1988 ] Recorded in Henry Wood Hall, Glasgow on 27-29 October 1987 |
BERLIOZ
La Mort d'Ophalie (Songs for chorus) Bruce Brewer (tenor) Jean-Philippe Courtis (baritone) Noel Lee (piano) / Choeur de chambre de l'Orchestre National de Lyon / Bernard Tatu [ Harmonia Mundi Musique d'abord / CD - released 16/Jun/2003 ] Pure France - All the songs of Berlioz written for soloists, chorus and orchestra |
ROSSINI
The Barber of Seville (Complete Opera in English) Bruce Ford (tenor) Andrew Shore (baritone) Della Jones (mezzo) / English National Opera [ Chandos / 2 CD Box Set - released 1/Feb/2000 ] .A further addition to Chandos's Opera in English series |
ANTONBRUCKNER
Bruckner: Symphony No. 2 in C minor (1872 version; ed. Carragan) Ireland National Symphony Orchestra / Georg Tintner [ Naxos / CD - released 28/Oct/2007 ] "Tintner conducts a refreshingly direct Second, obviously thoroughly rehearsed and verh well recorded....this is an excellent Bruckner release." - Classic CD |
ANTON BRUCKNER
Bruckner: Symphony No.4 Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Georg Tintner [ Naxos / CD ] "There are not many versions as fine as Georg Tintner's on Naxos, at whatever price. With extreme pianissimos magically caught, full of mystery, this is an exceptionally spacious reading, deeply reflective and poetic." Penguin Guide |
BRUCKNER
Symphony No 9 Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Georg Tintner [ Naxos / CD - released 1/Mar/2012 ] "Georg Tintner's unique interpretation of Bruckner's majestic Ninth Symphony is a milestone recording...a superb testament to both composer and conductor. Tintner's unerring choice of tempi, his rare grasp of Bruckner's oceanic structure, is as... |
CHRISTOPHER ROUSE / JACQUES IBERT
Rouse / Ibert: Flute Concertos Katherine Bryan (flute) / Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Jac van Steen [ Linn / Hybrid SACD - released 20/May/2013 ] "Bryan certainly has complete mastery of the [Rouse's] technical and expressive demands, as she does in Ibert's Concerto of 1933...Her playing of Debussy's Syrinx, the ne plus ultra of the solo flute repertoire, is exquisitely eloquent." Gramophone |
CHRISTOPHER MOHR
Mohr: From The Realm Of The Shadow - A music drama in three acts Soloists / Ukraine National Symphony Choir & Orchestra [ Naxos American Classics / 2 CD - released 7/Feb/2001 ] "Mohr draws on a variety of styles for his musical collage: neo-baroque, soft-rock, new age, and something I'll call ear-papering-the kind of quasi-classical stuff you hear at Olympic events or Cirque du Soleil" ClassicsToday |
BIZET / BOITO / GOUNOD / ROSSINI / VERDI
Carlo Colombara: The Art of the Bass Carlo Colombara (bass) / Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Bulgarian National Symphony Orchestra & Prague Tchaikovsky Orchestra [ Naxos DVD / DVD - released 15/Feb/2012 ] "It all proves to be quite entertaining, both for the rarely collected bass opera repertoire and for the fine performances of Colombara, both musical and dramatic…the cleverly staged visual elements add greatly to the total package." Fanfare |
JOSE SEREBRIER
Serebrier: Symphony No. 3 / Symphonie mystique Passacaglia / Perpetuum Mobile / etc Carole Farley, soprano / Yi Yao, accordion / Laurent le Chennadec, bassoon / Toulouse National Chamber Orchestra / Jose Serebrier, conductor [ Naxos American Classics / CD - released 30/Oct/2003 ] "Throughout this recording there is a great star quality. 5 stars out of 5"" Fono Forum |
GUSTAV HOLST / RICHARD STRAUSS
Holst: Planets / R. Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra CBSO Youth Chorus & National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Edward Gardner [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 30/Jan/2017 ] For its very first album on Chandos, the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain devotes its characteristic energy and musical mastery to an explosive programme that transcends daily life and earthly experience. It is helped by the enthusiastic,... |
GUSTAV HOLST / RICHARD STRAUSS
Holst: The Planets / Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra (LP) CBSO Youth Chorus, National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Edward Gardner [ Chandos LP / LP - released 24/Feb/2017 ] "Edward Gardner's driven, finely balanced conducting ensures this is one for collectors as well as supporters." The Guardian, 10th February 2017 **** |
GIACOMO PUCCCINI
Puccini: La Bohème Celine Byrne (soprano), Anna Devin (soprano), Irish National Opera, Sergio Alapont (conductor) [ Signum Classics / 2 CD - released 25/Mar/2022 ] The Paris of love and art. A poet, a painter, a musician and a philosopher. Living hand to mouth in a freezing garret. Christmas cheer and a heart won by girl next door. The tragedies of love and poverty. Puccini's best-loved opera is touching,... |
JACQUES OFFENBACH
Offenbach: Maitre Peronilla (complete operetta) Chantal Santon-Jeffery, Markus Poschner, Antoinette Dennefeld, Tassis Christoyannis, Véronique Gens / Orchestre National de France [ Bru Zane / 2 CD/Book - released 28/Feb/2020 ] "Markus Poschner conducting the Orchestre National de France and the French Radio Choir encourages the bubbles to rise to the surface in a never-ending stream." BBC Music Magazine May 2020 Opera Choice |
VERDI
Otello (Complete Opera in English) Charles Craig (tenor) Neil Howlett (baritone) / English National Opera / Mark Elder [ Chandos Opera in English / 2 CD - released 28/Apr/2002 ] A live recording of ENO's 1983 production, directed by Jonathan Miller |
PROKOFIEV
The Love for Three Oranges (recorded live in 2005) Charles Workman / José Van Dam / Philippe Rouillon / Barry Banks / Béatrice Uria-Monzon / Opéra National de Paris / Sylvain Cambreling [ ArtHaus Musik DVD / DVD - released 26/Oct/2011 ] Conducted by 20th century specialist Sylvain Cambreling and sung in the original French version by superb singer-actors, this production presents a stage performance set in perfect harmony with Prokofiev's inventive music. |
DELIBES
Coppelia (complete ballet recorded in 2001) Charline Giezendanner / Mathieu Ganio / Pierre Lacotte / École De Danse And Opéra National De Paris / David Coleman [ Arthaus Musik DVD / DVD - released 1/Jul/2011 ] On the programme this evening is Coppélia, or the girl with the enamel eyes by Léo Delibes. The excitement among the girls is great because today they will be performing in the (reproduced) scenery and costumes which at the premiere on 25 May 1870... |
JANACEK
Katya Kabanova (complete opera sung in English) Cheryl Barker (soprano) Gwynne Howell (bass) Kathleen Wilkinson (mezzo) Owen Webb (baritone) / Welsh National Opera Chorus & Orchestra / Carlo Rizzi [ Chandos / 2 CD - released 1/Oct/2007 ] GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE AWARD FINALIST 2008 - Opera - 'This English-language performance captures the visceral impact of Janacek's great tragedy with unerring immediacy. Vividly recorded with magnificent orchestral playing, the drama is delivered with a... |
GEORGE DYSON
Quo Vadis: a cycle of poems Cheryl Barker (soprano) Jean Rigby (mezzo-soprano) Philip Langridge (tenor) / BBC National Chorus of Wales ; BBC National Orchestra of Wales ; Richar [ Chandos Classics / 2 CD - released 26/May/2003 ] 'All four soloists are in superb voice, each of them strong, firm and characterful; and both choruses sing with fresh, incandescent tone... the result will delight all devotees of the English choral tradition.' - Editor's Choice - Gramophone Magazine... |