Since you are interested in Alison Balsom - Quiet City, here is a list of other items that you may find interesting.
HANDEL / BACH / TORELLI / HUMMEL / MARCELLO / etc
Magic Trumpet Alison Balsom (trumpet), with Alina Ibragimova (violin) / The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock (director, harpsichord and organ) [ Warner Classics / CD - released 16/Oct/2020 ] "I realised from early on that it wasn't just a trumpet, it was a voice that could seemingly do anything … It can have such fabulous colours, be so versatile, and make such a beautiful sound. I will vigorously defend it for the rest of my life."... |
CLARA SCHUMANN
Romance: The Piano Music of Clara Schumann Isata Kanneh-Mason (piano) / Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Holly Mathieson [ Decca / CD - released 19/Jul/2019 ] "it is the performances of the two song transcriptions that show what a gifted musician Kanneh-Mason is." Gramophone Magazine Editor's Choice August 2019 |
J. S. BACH
Six Evolutions - Bach: Cello Suites (2017 recording) Yo Yo Ma (cello) [ Sony Classical / 2 CD - released 5/Sep/2018 ] "I don't think he has ever made a greater recording and his personal booklet notes help provide a conceptual setting for his playing." Gramophone Editor's Choice Awards Issue 2018 |
ARAIA / CIMAROSA / MANFREDINI / RAUPACH
Cecilia Bartoli: St Petersburg Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo-soprano) / I Barocchisti, Diego Fasolis [ Decca Classics / CD - released 10/Oct/2014 ] "Bartoli hurls herself into these lost artefacts of the Russian baroque with every drop of her usual flair and a little more vibrato than before." (Gramophone Award Nomination 2015 - Recital) |
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
On DSCH [Preludes & Fugues for piano] Igor Levit (piano) [ Sony / 3 CD - released 10/Sep/2021 ] 'So what makes this special? To start with, he never goes into a studio without a clear vision in mind, and this album of Shostakovich and Stevenson is no exception.' Gramophone Award Finalist 2022 - Piano |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: The Final Piano Pieces Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 31/Jan/2020 ] "'One of the finest accounts of Brahms's late piano works on record, one that stands head and shoulders above most contenders in an ever-growing catalogue." Gramophone Awards 2020 Short List - Instrumental |
BACH / LISZT / CHOPIN / BUSONI
Vida breve Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 26/Feb/2021 ] Piano Sonatas by Chopin (No 2) and Hough (No 4) are the twin peaks of a typically stimulating recital which-as always from Stephen Hough-spans centuries and styles with assurance. How often do Liszt's 'Funérailles' and Gounod's 'Ave Maria' share the... |
SERRANO / de FALLA / RAVEL / BERLIOZ / LORCA / etc
Fatma Said - El Nour Fatma Said (soprano), with Rafael Aguirre (guitar) Malcolm Martineau (piano) & others [ Warner Classics / CD - released 16/Oct/2020 ] GRAMOPHONE Award WINNER 2021 - Song BBC Music Award WINNER 2021 - Vocal & Newcomer Award |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Agrippina (complete opera) Joyce DiDonato, Elsa Benoit, Biagio Pizzuti, Franco Fagioli, Andrea Mastroni, Jakub Józef OrliĆski / l Pomo d'Oro, Maxim Emelyanychev [ Erato Classics / 3 CD - released 31/Jan/2020 ] "With DiDonato nonpareil in the title-role and a uniformly strong cast, this now becomes a first choice for Handel's Venetian masterpiece." Gramophone Awards 2020 WINNER - Opera |
HENRI DUTILLEUX / ARNOLD SCHOENBERG / RAPHAEL MERLIN
'round Midnight Quatuor Ébène, with Antoine Tamestit (viola) and Nicolas Altstaedt (cello) [ Erato Classics / CD - released 15/Oct/2021 ] "With sound of unsparing immediacy and Merlin's typically provocative notes, this release testifies to the Ébène's ambition and, moreover, its attainment." Gramophone Award WINNER 2022 - Chamber |
WILLIAM WALTON
Walton: Viola Concerto / Partita for Orchestra / Sonata for String Orchestra James Ehnes (viola) / BBC Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 2/May/2018 ] In this third volume of Edward Gardner's Walton series with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, James Ehnes leaves his violin to tackle the taxing soloist role in the Viola Concerto. In a recent Strad interview, Ehnes confesses: 'This is a piece I have loved... |