Another 30 titles from the Decca and Philips stables of great recordings, complete with original covers and liner notes, on THE ORIGINALS.


Cat. No.: 475 7710
Barcode: 0028947577102
Label: Decca CD
Release Date:
12 August

 

JOSHUA BELL | BARBER: Violin Concerto · WALTON: Violin Concerto


ARTISTS

Joshua Bell, violin
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
David Zinman

 

TRACK LISTING

BARBER: Violin Concerto
BLOCH: Baal Shem
WALTON: Violin Concerto

This recording is listed in the Penguin Guide to Compact Discs as one of the key recordings every collection should have. It also won the Gramophone Award for best concerto recording in 1998.

'Joshua Bell's passionate playing in the Barber, full of tender poetry, is well matched by the excellent orchestra, ripely and brilliantly recorded, with the soloist well forward but not aggressively so. This now takes pride of place.' The Penguin Guide

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Cat. No.: 475 7711
Barcode: 0028947577119
Label: Decca CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

SIR GEORG SOLTI | BARTOK: Concerto for Orchestra · Dance Suite


ARTISTS

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Sir Georg Solti

 

TRACK LISTING

BARTOK: Concerto for Orchestra
Dance Suite
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta

Ultra-electrifying performances of Hungary's greatest composer from one of Hungary's greatest conductors.

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Cat. No.: 475 7712
Barcode: 0028947577126
Label: Decca CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

RÉGINE CRESPIN | BERLIOZ: Les Nuits d'été · RAVEL: Shéhérazade etc


ARTISTS

Régine Crespin, soprano
L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Ernest Ansermet

 

TRACK LISTING

BERLIOZ: Les Nuits d'été
RAVEL: Shéhérazade
DEBUSSY: Trois Chansons de Bilitis
POULENC: Chanson d'Orkenise (Banalités) · Hôtel (Banalités) · Le Carafon (La Courte Paille) · La Reine de coeur (La Courte Paille) · Les gars qui vont à la fête (Chansons villageoises) · 'C' · Fêtes galantes (Deux poèmes de Louis Aragon)

'With Regine Crespin's richness of tone, and with Ansermet at his finest accompanying brilliantly, this glowing performance is truly legendary - a tour de force . Moreover, the Ravel coupling is even more inspired, and the superb new transfers enhance the listener's pleasure further.'  The Penguin Guide

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Cat. No.: 475 7713
Barcode: 0028947577133
Label: Decca 2CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

BENJAMIN BRITTEN | BRITTEN: Peter Grimes

 

ARTISTS
Peter Pears
Peter Grimes
Claire Watson
Ellen Orford
James Pease  
Captain Balstrode
David Kelly
Hobson
Owen Brannigan
Swallow
Lauris Elms
Mrs Sedley

Orchestra and Chorus of the
Royal Opera House,
Covent Garden
Benjamin Britten

 

TRACK LISTING

BRITTEN: Peter Grimes

'The Decca recording of Peter Grimes was one of the first great achievements of the stereo era. Few opera recordings can claim to be so definitive, with Peter Pears, for whom it was written, in the name part....Britten conducts superbly and secures splendidly incisive playing, with the orchestra on its toes throughout. The recording, superbly atmospheric, has so many felicities that it would be hard to enumerate them, and the Decca engineers have done wonders in making up aurally for the lack of visual effects.' The Penguin Guide

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Cat. No.: 475 7716
Barcode: 0028947577164
Label: Decca CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

ASMF CHAMBER ENSEMBLE | MENDELSSOHN: Octet · BOCCHERINI: Quintet


ARTISTS

Academy of St Martin in the Fields:
Hugh Maguire · Neville Marriner · Iona Brown · Trevor Connah, violins

Stephen Shingles · Kenneth Essex, violas

Kenneth Heath · Denis Vigay, cellos

 

TRACK LISTING

MENDELSSOHN: Octet for strings, Op.20
BOCCHERINI: Quintet in C major for Cello & Strings, Op.37 No.7

One of Marriner's earlier recordings as violinist in 'his' Academy's chamber ensemble, coupling Mendelssohn's teenage Octet with a Boccherini rarity. One of the best selling releases on Australian Eloquence, it is now newly remastered and presented with original cover and liner notes.

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Cat. No.: 475 7717
Barcode: 0028947577171
Label: Decca CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

VLADIMIR ASHKENAZY | MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition (piano & orchestral versions)


ARTISTS

Philharmonia Orchestra
Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano & conductor

 

 

TRACK LISTING

MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition
Original Piano Version & Orchestration

'Ashkenazy tells us in the notes with this CD (incidentally they are both extensive and interesting with excellent thumbnail descriptions of each picture) that he always thinks in terms of orchestral colour when at the keyboard, and that in making his own orchestration he has ''been guided by the deeper undercurrents of this predominantly dark-coloured piece''. To have his piano version and orchestration together is salutary, and the CD banding allows one to move back and forward at will ... I must say at once that I don't think Ashkenazy's scoring an improvement on Ravel's, and only in the latter section which includes ''Catacombae'', ''Cum mortuis in lingua mortua'' and Baba Yaga's hut (quite the most successful part of both performances) do the Mussorgskian undercurrents surface perceptibly ...Both Ashkenazy recordings were made in the Kingsway Hall, within a few months of each other in 1982. The orchestral sound is characteristic of this venue, richly textured, yet brilliant, with glowing detail. Gramophone

'Ashkenazy's account of the original piano version is distinguished by a strong poetic feel.' The Penguin Guide

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Cat. No.: 475 7718
Barcode: 0028947577188
Label: Decca 3CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

HERBERT VON KARAJAN | MUSSORGSKY: Boris Godunov

 

ARTISTS
Nicolai Ghiaurov       
Boris Godunov
Olivera Miljakovic    
Feodor
Najejda Dobrianowa  
Xenia
Aleksei Maslennikov
Shuisky
Martti Talvela
Pimen
Galina Vishnevskaya
Marina Mnishek

Wiener Sängerknaben
Sofia Radio Chorus
Wiener Staatsopernchor
Wiener Philharmoniker
Herbert von Karajan

 

TRACK LISTING

MUSSORGSKY: Boris Godunov (arr. Rimsky-Korsakov)

'With Ghiaurov in the title-role, Karajan's superbly controlled Decca version, technically outstanding, came far nearer than previous recordings to conveying the rugged greatness of Mussorgsky's masterpiece.' The Penguin Guide

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Cat. No.: 475 7722
Barcode: 0028947577225
Label: Decca CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

RICCARDO CHAILLY | PUCCINI: Orchestral Music


ARTISTS

Radio-Symphonie-Orchester, Berlin
Riccardo Chailly

 

TRACK LISTING

PUCCINI: Preludio Sinfonico
Capriccio Sinfonico
Prelude · La Tregenda (Act II) ( Le villi )
Prelude Act I ? Prelude Act III ( Edgar )
Minuetto I
Minuetto II
Minuetto III*
Intermezzo Act III ( Manon Lescaut )
Crisantemi
* Minuetto III (originally II) ed. Pietro Spada

'In a highly attractive collection of Puccinian juvenilia and rarities, Chailly draws opulent and atmospheric playing from the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, helped by outstandingly rich and full recording. This CD is of demonstration quality.' *** The Penguin Guide

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Cat. No.: 475 7723
Barcode: 0028947577232
Label: Decca 4CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

LUCIANO PAVAROTTI | ROSSINI: Guglielmo Tell

 

ARTISTS
Sherrill Milnes   
Guglielmo Tell
Luciano Pavarotti
Arnoldo
Mirella Freni            
Matilde
Nicolai Ghiaurov
Gualtiero
John Tomlinson    
Melchthal
Della Jones
Jemm
Elizabeth Connell         
Edwige

Ambrosian Opera Chorus
National Philharmonic Orchestra
Riccardo Chailly

 

TRACK LISTING

ROSSINI: Guglielmo Tell

'Chailly's is a forceful reading, particularly strong in the many ensembles, and superbly recorded. Milnes makes a heroic Tell, always firm, and though Pavarotti has moments of coarseness he sings the role of Arnoldo with glowing tone. Ghiaurov too is in splendid voice...The recording made in 1978 and 1979, comes out spectacularly.' The Penguin Guide

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Cat. No.: 475 7728
Barcode: 0028947577287
Label: Decca CD
Release Date: 12 August


CHARLES DUTOIT | SAINT SAENS: Organ Symphony · POULENCE: Organ Concerto


ARTISTS

Peter Hurford, organ
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
Philharmonia Orchestra
Charles Dutoit

 

TRACK LISTING

SAINT-SAËNS: Symphony No.3 in C minor, Op.78 'Organ Symphony'

POULENC: Organ Concerto

'Dutoit produced an astonishingly energetic performance from the Montreal Symphony which avoided the ponderousness which some renditions mistake for significance'  Musica.co.uk

'The Organ Concerto, recorded in St Alban's Cathedral, is successful; Peter Hurford's mastery in Bach serves him well in its more darkly baroque aspects, but he is equally idiomatic in the uninhibitedly bouncy passages.' Gramophone

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Cat. No.: 475 7729
Barcode: 0028947577294
Label: Decca CD
Release Date: 12 August


ANDRÁS SCHIFF | SCARLATTI: Sonatas


ARTISTS

András Schiff, piano

 

TRACK LISTING

D. SCARLATTI: Keyboard Sonatas
K175 in A minor - Allegro
K513 in C major Pastorale: Moderato -- Molto allegro -- Presto
K402 in E minor - Andante
K403 in E major - Allegro
K144 in G major - Cantabile
K115 in C minor - Allegro
K116 in C minor - Allegro
K474 in E flat major - Andante e cantabile
K475 in E flat major - Allegrissimo
K449 in G major - Allegro
K450 in G minor - Allegrissimo
K544 in B flat major - Cantabile
K545 in B flat major - Prestissimo
K516 in D minor - Allegretto
K517 in D minor - Prestissimo

'Schiff makes no attempt to pretend that his instrument is anything other than a present-day grand piano. Nor does he ever allow you to forget that Scarlatti had a heart - as do some worshippers at the shrine of period style. But his tone and texture are as translucent as his ornamentation is deft...Always the emphasis is on what lies behind the notes rather than mere keyboard play, though it goes without saying that Schiff's nimble fingers never fail him in more extrovert prestissimo or allegrissimo contexts. The recording, made in Walthamstow Town Hall, allows you to feel that you are sitting right at the player's side rather than far away in the stalls. But its full, close warmth is achieved without any loss of clarity. All in all a welcome change from the harpsichords which have largely taken over Scarlatti in the CD catalogue up till now.' Gramophone

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Cat. No.: 475 7730
Barcode: 0028947577300
Label: Decca CD
Release Date:
12 August

 

ISTVÁN KERTÉSZ | Bohemian Rhapsody - Music of Smetana & Dvorák


ARTISTS

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra*
István Kertész

 

TRACK LISTING

SMETANA: Overture • Polka • Furiant ( The Bartered Bride )
Vltava ( Má vlast )
DVORÁK: Slavonic Dances No.1 in C major, Op.46 No.1 ? No.3 in A flat major, Op.46 No.3 ? No.8 in C minor, Op.46 No.8 ? No.10 in E minor, Op.72 No.2 ? No.9 in B major, Op.72 No.1
Symphonic Variations, Op.78*

'The performances of The Bartered Bride extracts have all of the necessary sparkle and verve, while Kertesz's credentials as a Dvorák conductor are second to none ... the music is fun, the program is nicely planned' ClassicsToday.com

'Kertesz's delightfully rustic Dvorák Symphonic Variations have all of the same qualities of naturalness, charm, and vigour that make his LSO symphony cycle so appealing' ClassicsToday.com

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Cat. No.: 475 7731
Barcode: 0028947577317
Label: Decca 2CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

SIR GEORG SOLTI | R. STRAUSS: Arabella

 

ARTISTS
Otto Edelmann   
Graf Waldner
Ira Malaniuk
Adelaide
Lisa della Casa        
Arabella
Hilde Gueden
Zdenka
George London   
Mandryka
Anton Dermota        
Matteo

Wiener Philharmoniker
Sir Georg Solti

 

TRACK LISTING

R. STRAUSS: Arabella

'Della Casa soars above the stave with the creamiest, most beautiful sounds and constantly charms one with her swiftly alternating moods of seriousness and gaiety.' The Penguin Guide

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Cat. No.: 475 7734
Barcode: 0028947577348
Label: Decca CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

KYUNG-WHA CHUNG | TCHAIKOVSKY: Violin Concerto · SIBELIUS: Violin Concerto


ARTISTS

Kyung Wha Chung, violin
London Symphony Orchestra
André Previn

 

TRACK LISTING

TCHAIKOVSKY: Violin Concerto in D major, Op.35
SIBELIUS: Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47

'Kyung Wha Chung's earlier recording of the Tchaikovsky Concerto with Previn conducting has remained one of the strongest recommendations for a much-recorded work ...With Previn a most sympathetic and responsive accompanist, this has warmth, spontaneity and discipline, every detail is beautifully shaped and turned without a trace of sentimentality.' The Penguin Guide

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Cat. No.: 475 7735
Barcode: 002894757735
Label: Decca 2CD Slimline
Release Date: 12 August

 

SIR GEORG SOLTI | VERDI: Requiem · Quattro pezzi sacri


ARTISTS

Joan Sutherland, soprano
Marilyn Horne, mezzo-soprano
Luciano Pavarotti, tenor
Martti Talvela, bass
Wiener Staatsopernchor
Wiener Philharmoniker
Chicago Symphony Chorus*
Chicago Symphony Orchestra*
Sir Georg Solti

 

TRACK LISTING

VERDI: Requiem
Quattro pezzi sacri*

'The team of soloists is a very strong one ... If you want an extrovert performance, the firmness of focus and precise placing of forces in the Decca engineering of 1967 make for exceptionally vivid results on CD.' The Penguin Guide

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Cat. No.: 475 7757
Barcode: 0028947577577
Label: Philips 2CD Slimline
Release Date: 12 August

 

HEINZ HOLLIGER | ALBINONI: 12 Concertos Op. 7


ARTISTS

Heinz Holliger, oboe
Maurice Bourgue, oboe
I Musici

 

TRACK LISTING

ALBINONI: 12 Concerti, Op.7
Sonatas, Op.2 Nos.6 & 5

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Cat. No.: 475 7760
Barcode: 0028947577607
Label: Philips CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

ALFRED BRENDEL | J.S. BACH: Italian Concerto · Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue


ARTISTS

Alfred Brendel, piano

 

TRACK LISTING

J. S. BACH: Italian Concerto, BWV 971 · Ich ruf' zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639 Chorale Prelude, arr.Busoni · Prelude (Fantasy) in A minor, BWV 922 · Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903 · Nun komm' der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659 Chorale Prelude, arr.Busoni · Fantasy and Fugue in A minor, BWV 904

'For Brendel each individual piece plainly dictates its own style, so that in the more typically Bachian Fantasia and Fugue in A minor, BWV904, ending the whole recital, not one whit of the music's arresting contrapuntal ingenuity is ever allowed to escape attention. he Italian Concerto is memorable for a beautifully sung and moulded slow movement, also for a finale never allowed to sound 'by the yard' despite its perpetuum mobile (as Brendel describes it) motion. In the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue he combines a very personal voice with affecting Classical dignity.' Gramophone

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Cat. No.: 475 7761
Barcode: 0028947577614
Label: Philips 3CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

PETER SCHREIER | J.S. BACH: St. Matthew Passion


ARTISTS

Peter Schreier, tenor (Evangelist)
Theo Adam, bass (Jesus)
Lucia Popp, soprano
Marjana Lipovsek, contralto
Eberhard Büchner, tenor
Robert Holl, bass
Andreas Scheibner, baritone (Peter)
Ekkehard Wlaschiha, bass (Judas)
Hermann Christian Polster, bass (Pilate)
Olaf Bär, baritone (Pontifex)
Dresdner Kapellknaben
Rundfunkchor Leipzig
Staatskapelle Dresden
Peter Schreier

 

TRACK LISTING

J.S. BACH: Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244

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Cat. No.: 475 7765
Barcode: 0028947577652
Label: Philips 2CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

SIR COLIN DAVIS | BERLIOZ: Requiem · Symphonie funèbre et triomphale, Op.15º*


ARTISTS

Ronald Dowd, tenor ºº
Dennis Wicks, trombone º
London Symphony Chorus
Wandsworth School Boys' Choir
John Alldis Choir*
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Colin Davis

 

TRACK LISTING

BERLIOZ: Requiem, Op.5
Symphonie funèbre et triomphale, Op.15º*

'The large-scale brass sound is formidably caught and the choral fortissimos are glorious' The Penguin Guide

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Cat. No.: 475 7768
Barcode: 0028947577683
Label: Philips CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

CLAUDIO ARRAU | CHOPIN: Preludes


ARTISTS

Claudio Arrau, piano

 

TRACK LISTING

CHOPIN: Preludes, Op.28
Prelude in C sharp minor, Op.45
Prelude in A flat major, Op.posth.
Impromptu No.1 in A flat major, Op.29
Impromptu No.2 in F sharp major, Op.36
Impromptu No.3 in G flat major, Op.51
Impromptu No.4 in C sharp minor, Op.66 'Fantaisie-Impromptu'

One of the most organic recordings of the Preludes, Claudio Arrau's grand vision of these pieces - in his hands much more than miniatures - is a veritable colossus. The four Impromptus are no less compelling, especially the dark undercurrents of the F sharp minor.

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Cat. No.: 475 7769
Barcode: 0028947577690
Label: Philips 3CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

SIR COLIN DAVIS | GOUNOD: Faust

 

ARTISTS
Kiri Te Kanawa  
Marguerite
Francisco Araiza
Faust
Evgeny Nesterenko        
Méphistophélès
Andreas Schmidt
Valentin
Pamela Coburn  
Siebel
Marjana Lipovsek   
Marthe
Gilles Cachemaille   
Wagner

Symphonie-Orchester & Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Sir Colin Davis

 

TRACK LISTING

GOUNOD: Faust

'Let me say at the outset that this is the most satisfying performance of Gounod's favourite opera yet to appear in the LP/CD era. Davis has generated just the sense of a live and lively performance seldom found on the rival recordings. He obviously cherishes the work, lavishes immense care on Gounod's felicitous scoring (prompt and light in Walpurgis Night, for instance, then 'fantastic') and persuades his Bavarian forces to lift the rhythms in a really Beecham-esque manner... Sir Colin far surpasses all his rivals in understanding the considerable merits of this much-maligned score, elevating it by his understanding and conviction to Berliozian heights, I was consistently held by the performance. It also has one of Philips's most natural, forward and well-balanced recordings-voices in perfect alignment with the orchestra.' Gramophone

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Cat. No.: 475 7773
Barcode: 0028947577737
Label: Philips CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

STEPHEN KOVACEVICH | GRIEG: Piano Concerto · SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto


ARTISTS

Stephen Kovacevich, piano
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sir Colin Davis

 

TRACK LISTING

GREIG: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.16
SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.54

'Whether in clarity of virtuoso fingerwork or the shading of half-tone, Kovacevich is among the most illuminating of the many great pianists who have recorded the Grieg.' The Penguin Guide

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Cat. No.: 475 7774
Barcode: 0028947577744
Label: Philips 2CD Slimline
Release Date: 12 August

 

SIR JOHN ELIOT GARDINER | HANDEL: Alexander's Feast


ARTISTS

Donna Brown, soprano
Carolyn Watkinson, contralto
Ashley Stafford, countertenor
Nigel Robson, tenor
Stephen Varcoe, bass
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
John Eliot Gardiner

 

TRACK LISTING

HANDEL: Alexander's Feast
Concerto grosso in C 'Alexander's Feast'

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Cat. No.: 475 7777
Barcode: 0028947577775
Label: Philips CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

MITSUKO UCHIDA | MOZART: Piano Concertos Nos. 8 & 9


ARTISTS

Mitsuko Uchida, piano
English Chamber Orchestra
Jeffrey Tate

 

TRACK LISTING

MOZART: Piano Concerto No.9 in E flat major, K271 'Jeunehomme'
Piano Concerto No.8 in C major, K246 'Lützow'

'This is an attractive addition to Mitsuko Uchida's Mozart concerto series with Jeffrey Tate and the English Chamber Orchestra. The Jeunehomme Concerto, which comes first on the disc, was paradoxically (in view of its name) written for a woman pianist, Mademoiselle Jeunehomme herself, who was French and evidently no mean musician, if we are to judge from the invention of the music Mozart wrote with her playing in mind. The most striking originality comes at the very start, where the soloist enters straight away instead of waiting for the customary orchestral exposition. Uchida and her fellow instrumentalists are perfectly integrated from this moment onwards, and their account of the initial Allegro has an unforced vigour which I find very pleasing: both tonally and rhythmically there is plenty of momentum and yet nothing is overstressed. The tonal balance is also satisfying, thanks not only to the musicians but also to the recording engineers working in the favourable acoustic of St John's, Smith Square in London. The piano sound is also strikingly fine, not least for its subtlety, reflecting the soloist's ultra-sensitive touch.' Gramophone

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Cat. No.: 475 7778
Barcode: 0028947577782
Label: Philips CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

VALERY GERGIEV | PROKOFIEV: Ivan the Terrible


ARTISTS

Liubov Sokolova, mezzo-soprano
Nikolai Putilin, baritone
Chorus of the Kirov Opera
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
Valery Gergiev

 

TRACK LISTING

PROKOFIEV: Ivan the Terrible, Op.116

'Prokofiev's vividly colourful music for the Eisenstein film of Ivan the Terrible has never sounded quite so bitingly dramatic on disc as under Gergiev - as electrifying as any of his opera recordings with the Kirov Company.'    The Penguin Guide

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Cat. No.: 475 7779
Barcode: 0028947577799
Label: Philips CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

ZOLTÁN KOCSIS | RACHMANINOV: Piano Sonata No. 2 etc


ARTISTS

Zoltán Kocsis, piano

 

TRACK LISTING

RACHMANINOV: Prelude in A major, Op.32 No.9
Prelude in F sharp minor, Op.23 No.1
Etude-tableau in B minor, Op.39 No.4
Morceau de fantaisie, Op.3 No.3: Mélodie
Prelude in B minor, Op.32 No.10
Prelude in C minor, Op.23 No.7
Prelude in F minor, Op.32 No.6
Etude-tableau in F minor, Op.33 No.1
Etude-tableau in C minor, Op.39 No.7
Prelude in B flat minor, Op.32 No.2
Morceau de fantaisie, Op.3 No.5: Sérénade
Piano Sonata No.2 in B flat minor, Op.36
(original version)

 

'Throughout, Kocsis's performances are as bold and stimulating as his choice of works, gloriously free-spirited and of an immense pianistic brio and command. Indeed his performance of the Second Sonata is as fulminating and rhapsodic as any on record...Action-packed in an exhausting and enthralling way, his reading never sounds arch or contrived in a way that so often disfigures Horowitz's famous account. Purposeful and sometimes angular, Kocsis possesses a stupendous technique, stepping out in dazzling style in the ultra-Russian Etude-tableau, Op. 33 No. 1 and clarifying the Siberian whirlwind of the F minor Prelude, Op. 32 No. 6 with a breathtaking clarity and focus...and he has been magnificently recorded.' Gramophone

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Cat. No.: 475 7780
Barcode: 0028947577805
Label: Philips CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

FRANS BRUGGEN | RAMEAU: Les Indes Galantes


ARTISTS

Orchestra 18th Century
Frans Brüggen

 

TRACK LISTING

RAMEAU: Les Indes Galantes - Suite

'I found the playing on this disc absolutely splendid. As I have previously remarked, Frans Bruggen is a director who almost invariably finds something fresh and individual to say about music. Here we find him revelling in Rameau's textures, often highlighting rather unexpected strands. Rhythms are taut, but with an effective elasticity, and tempos nicely judged. It is above all, however, the excellence of the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century which sets the seal on this disc. There is a rewarding homogeneity and warmth in the string sound and internal balance is carefully preserved. The woodwind playing is fluent and mellow and ensemble in all but one or two instances clear and incisive...In short, this is wonderful playing of music which hardly can fail to engage the hearts and minds of even the most cautious music lovers. Fine recorded sound. Buy it!' Gramophone

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Cat. No.: 475 7781
Barcode: 0028947577812
Label: Philips CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

SIR NEVILLE MARRINER | ROSSINI: Messa di Gloria


ARTISTS

Sumi Jo, soprano
Ann Murray, contralto
Francisco Araiza, tenor
Raúl Gimenez, tenor
Samuel Ramey, bass
Academy and Chorus of St Martin in the Fields
Sir Neville Marriner

 

TRACK LISTING

ROSSINI: Messa di Gloria

It is a mystery why Rossini's Messa di gloria is so little known. He wrote the work--a ninemovement setting of the ''Kyrie'' and ''Gloria'' for five soloists, chorus and orchestra--in Naples in 1821. As a composer he was in the full leaf and flower of his art. The Naples experience had hugely expanded his command of both orchestral and choral writing. And great voices remained on tap, so much so that he could afford to write within the Mass for a pair of tenors, the one tender and florid in the ''Gratias'', the other altogether more emotionally racked in the ''Qui tollis'' ... there is no doubting the superiority of Marriner's soloists. Gimenez is especially fine, either alone or carolling with Araiza in the ''Christe eleison'' ... The St Martin's Chorus, trained by Laszlo Heltay, make a splendid impression, not least in the fugal finale ''Cum sancto spiritu''.' Gramophone

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Cat. No.: 475 7782
Barcode: 0028947577829
Label: Philips 2CD Slimline
Release Date: 12 August

 

SEIJI OZAWA | SCHOENBERG: Gurrelieder

 

ARTISTS
James McCracken   
Waldemar
Jessye Norman
Tove
Tatiana Troyanos        
Waldtaube
David Arnold
Bauer
Kim Scown
Klaus-Narr
Werner Klemperer           
Sprecher

Tanglewood Festival Chorus
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa

 

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SCHOENBERG: Gurrelieder

'Ozawa's gloriously opulent live performance Gurrelieder , with a ravishing contribution from Jessye Norman, won the Gramophone Choral award in 1979.'   The Penguin Guide

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Cat. No.: 475 7785
Barcode: 0028947577850
Label: Philips 4CD
Release Date: 12 August

 

HANS KNAPPERTSBUSCH | WAGNER: Parsifal

 

ARTISTS
George London  
Amfortas
Martti Talvela
Titurel
Hans Hotter       
Gurnemanz
Jess Thomas
Parsifal
Gustav Neidlinger    
Klingsor
Irene Dalis           
Kundry

Chor und Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele
Hans Knappertsbusch

 

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WAGNER: Parsifal

'This is not merely one of Philips's Great Recordings but also one of the greatest sets of all time. Every time one returns to it, its inspiration and distinction seem to have been enhanced, its all-enveloping eloquence the more evident. Its overriding advantage over all other recordings of the work is Knappertsbusch's masterly traversal of the score, even more aware of dramatic impetus, long line and Wagnerian import...There have been much-admired Parsifals in more recent times but none of these studio-made sets quite catches the immediacy and inevitability of this moving and elevated version, now sounding freshened in its remastered form. At mid-price, a very special experience is in store for any newcomer to the work.' Gramophone

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