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    1. Schubert: Landler, Minuets & Ecossaises / Daniel Lebhardt
    2. Schubert: Landler, Minuets & Ecossaises / Daniel Lebhardt
    Naxos

    Schubert: Landler, Minuets & Ecossaises / Daniel Lebhardt

    CD · 1 disc

    $19.99
    Composer
    SCHUBERT, FRANZ
    Artist
    Daniel Lebhardt
    Released
    Feb 26, 2021

    Social and musical life in Biedermeier Vienna during the first decade of the 19th century created a great demand for dances which took place in the residences of wealthy citizens. With their echoes of the Austrian countryside Schubert’s folk-type Ländler are dances in 3/4 time, precursors of the waltz. Composed towards the end of his life when Schubert wrote his greatest music, the sets of 16and17Ländlerare notable for their melodic inventiveness. The 16arededicated to the ladies of Vienna and known as the Wiener Damen-Ländler; while the Écossaises were intended for facing lines of dancers rather than couples. Daniel Lebhardt relishes the joy and ‘irresistible and sometimes quite delirious’ ingenuity of these jewel-like dances.

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  • Schubert: Landler, Minuets & Ecossaises / Daniel Lebhardt

    Schubert: Landler, Minuets & Ecossaises / Daniel Lebhardt

    Naxos Feb 2021
    1 disc
    CD
    $19.99
    • Daniel Deronda (Unabridged)
    Naxos AudioBooks

    Daniel Deronda (Unabridged)

    CD · 28 discs

    $163.98
    Composer
    ELIOT, GEORGE
    Artist
    Juliet Stevenson
    Released
    Oct 02, 2015
    Following a chance meeting at a European gambling hall, the separate lives of Daniel Deronda and Gwendolen Harleth are immediately intertwined. Daniel, an Englishman of uncertain parentage, becomes Gwendolen's redeemer as she, trapped in a loveless marriage, finds herself drawn to his spiritual and altruistic nature. But Daniel's path is set when he rescues a young Jewish woman from suicide... Daniel Deronda, George Eliot's final novel, is a remarkable work, encompassing themes of religion, imperialism and gender within it's broad scope. Juliet Stevenson is one of the UK's leading actresses, her film credits including Truly, Madly, Deeply and Emma. For Naxos AudioBooks she has recorded Lady Windermere's Fan, Sense and Sensibility, To the Lighthouse, Middlemarch and many more.
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  • Daniel Deronda (Unabridged)

    Daniel Deronda (Unabridged)

    Naxos AudioBooks Oct 2015
    28 discs
    CD
    $163.98
    • Daniel Schnyder: Cello Concerto & Concerto Populaire
    Avie Records

    Daniel Schnyder: Cello Concerto & Concerto Populaire

    CD · 1 disc

    $19.99
    Composer
    Daniel Schnyder
    Artist
    Christoph Croise, Daniel Schnyder, Beyond Modern Orchestra
    Released
    Oct 03, 2025
    The age-old spirit of the composer-performer lies at the heart of the 10-year collaboration between cellist-composer Christoph Croise and composer-saxophonist Daniel Schnyder (pronounced SHNEE-der). This resulting album features two of Daniel's concertos, both commissioned by Christoph, alongside numerous world premieres of solo and chamber works. Christoph shines in the Concerto for Cello, Percussion and String Orchestra, whilst the two Swiss compatriots share the limelight in Concerto Populaire for soprano saxophone, cello, percussion and string orchestra, both backed by members of Christoph's hand-picked Beyond Modern Orchestra, an ensemble dedicated to the creation and performance of new music. Christoph brings in other close collaborators, including Alexander Panfilov for Jazz Sonata for Cello & Piano, harpsichordist Peter Gorobets for Cello BLU - another Christoph commission that explores the unique timbral relationship between the two instruments - and an octet of leading European cellists for Cubac - a fusion of Cuban rhythms and Bachian-counterpoint. Throughout, Daniel's compositions seamlessly fuse a melting pot of musical styles, including classical, jazz, Middle Eastern, African and Latin American. Christoph, who himself is rapidly gaining renown as a composer, says, "There is no more fitting way to celebrate contemporary music than by performing it alongside the composer himself."
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  • Daniel Schnyder: Cello Concerto & Concerto Populaire

    Daniel Schnyder: Cello Concerto & Concerto Populaire

    Avie Records Oct 2025
    1 disc
    CD
    $19.99
    1. Haydn: 48 Piano Sonatas / Daniel-Ben Pienaar
    2. Haydn: 48 Piano Sonatas / Daniel-Ben Pienaar
    Avie Records

    Haydn: 48 Piano Sonatas / Daniel-Ben Pienaar

    CD · 8 discs

    $69.99
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Artist
    Daniel-Ben Pienaar
    Released
    Sep 01, 2023

    Autumn 2020 offered Daniel-Ben Pienaar an opportunity, not because the world was in lockdown but rather for the benefit it provided. A professor at London’s Royal Academy of Music, Daniel-Ben was allowed overnight access to the RAM’s Angela Burgess Hall. Solitary, with a Steinway and a single pair of suspended omni-directional microphones, surrounded by silence and the darkness of the night, Daniel-Ben recorded this inspired eight-CD set of Haydn’s Piano Sonatas over a four-month period.

    Daniel-Ben’s choice of Haydn’s 48 Piano Sonatas is based on his own meticulous research. The cycle comprises authenticated works plus earlier compositions presumed by scholars to be penned by Haydn. This deluxe box set follows in the footsteps of Daniel-Ben Pienaar’s acclaimed surveys of sonatas by Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert.

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  • Haydn: 48 Piano Sonatas / Daniel-Ben Pienaar

    Haydn: 48 Piano Sonatas / Daniel-Ben Pienaar

    Avie Records Sep 2023
    8 discs
    CD
    $69.99
    • Daniel Bortz: Double Concerto for One
    BIS

    Daniel Bortz: Double Concerto for One

    SACD · 1 disc

    $21.99
    Composer
    Daniel Bortz
    Artist
    Malin Broman, Kungsbacka Piano Trio, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Musica Vitae
    Released
    Aug 14, 2026
    Active as a composer since the mid-1960s, Daniel Bortz is widely regarded today as one of the most important composers in Swedish musical history. His music has always been characterised by it's simplicity and precision, which highlight the power of his emotionally charged messages. The three works presented here share a common thread of a personal kind: the collaboration with violinist and violist Malin Broman. She has been a direct source of inspiration for all three works; First as a member of the Kungsbacka Piano Trio, later as artistic director of the string orchestra Musica Vitae, and finally as soloist in Double Concerto for One. In her various roles, she has functioned both as an interpreter and a catalyst. About Double Concerto for One, Broman said: 'An incredibly beautiful and dramatic work. Daniel's music is close to song; it feels as though you are singing when you play.' The concerto is followed by Sinfonia 14, written for string orchestra alone. This large-scale, emotionally intense work features volcanic outbursts alongside moments of stillness. The Piano Trio concludes the program with a powerful, driving opening, a deeply emotional slow middle movement, and a finale of irresistible energy.
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  • Daniel Bortz: Double Concerto for One

    Daniel Bortz: Double Concerto for One

    BIS Aug 2026
    1 disc
    SACD
    $21.99
    Mix & Match
    1. Daniel Barenboim - The Warsaw Recital
    2. Daniel Barenboim - The Warsaw Recital
    Accentus Music

    Daniel Barenboim - The Warsaw Recital

    DVD · 1 disc

    $27.99
    Composer
    CHOPIN, FREDERIC
    Artist
    Daniel Barenboim
    Released
    Nov 16, 2010
    Also available on Blu-ray

    Frederic Chopin Year 2010 coincides with the 60th anniversary of Daniel Barenboim’s stage debut, and as a pianist he has decided to devote this year to the great Romantic master of the keyboard. Chopin was born on 1 March 1810 in a small village near Warsaw, and on the eve of the 200th anniversary of this date Barenboim gave this wildly acclaimed Warsaw recital as part of an extensive European tour. The program comprised some of the composer’s best-known works, including the great B flat minor Sonata with its famous Funeral March, which sounded to many “as the composer may well have imagined it”. While Chopin used to advise his piano scholars to take singing lessons, Barenboim, as an experienced conductor of operas is most familiar with the human voice as well. With his brilliant virtuosity, he lead the audience through a most colorful program, once again proving his talent for this composer.

    "After almost six decades of experience on stage, Daniel Barenboim continues to need and to seek out contact with an audience. […] Musically speaking, those contacts have always been particularly intense when Barenboim has been able to display his ability to play quietly, an ability that continues to amaze, with its feeling for a velvet touch that is neither brittle nor saccharine but always characterized by a serious, substantial beauty." -- www.klassikinfo.de

    Recorded live at the Filharmonia Narodowa, Warsaw, 28 February 2010.

    Picture format: NTSC 16:9
    Sound format: PCM Stereo / Dolby Digital 5.1 / DTS 5.1
    Region code: 0 (worldwide)
    Running time: 91 mins
    No. of DVDs: 1 (DVD 9)

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  • Daniel Barenboim - The Warsaw Recital

    Daniel Barenboim - The Warsaw Recital

    Accentus Music Nov 2010
    1 disc
    DVD
    $27.99
    1. Daniel Barenboim - The Warsaw Recital
    2. Daniel Barenboim - The Warsaw Recital
    Accentus Music

    Daniel Barenboim - The Warsaw Recital

    Blu-Ray · 1 disc

    $41.99
    Composer
    CHOPIN, FREDERIC
    Artist
    Daniel Barenboim
    Released
    Jan 25, 2011
    This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

    Also available on standard DVD

    Frederic Chopin Year 2010 coincides with the 60th anniversary of Daniel Barenboim’s stage debut, and as a pianist he has decided to devote this year to the great Romantic master of the keyboard. Chopin was born on 1 March 1810 in a small village near Warsaw, and on the eve of the 200th anniversary of this date Barenboim gave this wildly acclaimed Warsaw recital as part of an extensive European tour. The program comprised some of the composer’s best-known works, including the great B flat minor Sonata with its famous Funeral March, which sounded to many “as the composer may well have imagined it”. While Chopin used to advise his piano scholars to take singing lessons, Barenboim, as an experienced conductor of operas is most familiar with the human voice as well. With his brilliant virtuosity, he lead the audience through a most colorful program, once again proving his talent for this composer.

    "After almost six decades of experience on stage, Daniel Barenboim continues to need and to seek out contact with an audience. […] Musically speaking, those contacts have always been particularly intense when Barenboim has been able to display his ability to play quietly, an ability that continues to amaze, with its feeling for a velvet touch that is neither brittle nor saccharine but always characterized by a serious, substantial beauty." -- www.klassikinfo.de

    Recorded live at the Filharmonia Narodowa, Warsaw, 28 February 2010.

    Picture format: 1080i Full-HD
    Sound format: PCM Stereo / DTS-HD Master Audio
    Region code: 0 (worldwide)
    Running time: 91 mins
    No. of Discs: 1

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  • Daniel Barenboim - The Warsaw Recital

    Daniel Barenboim - The Warsaw Recital

    Accentus Music Jan 2011
    1 disc
    Blu-Ray
    $41.99
    1. Britten: Cello Suites / Daniel Muller-Schott
    2. Britten: Cello Suites / Daniel Muller-Schott
    Orfeo

    Britten: Cello Suites / Daniel Muller-Schott

    CD · 1 disc

    $20.99
    Composer
    BRITTEN, BENJAMIN
    Artist
    Daniel Muller-Schott
    Released
    Apr 18, 2011
    BRITTEN Solo Cello Suites: Nos. 1–3 • Daniel Müller-Schott (vc) • ORFEO C 835 111 A (70:33)

    Next to Bach’s six, there are probably no greater challenges to the art of the cello than the three suites for solo cello of Benjamin Britten, even considering those by Hindemith and Reger. Britten had wanted to compose six but died before he could write more than three. No matter; these are major pieces, and it is good to see them coming more into their own with a number of recent recordings of all or some of them.

    We are told that it was hearing Rostropovich play the first Shostakovich cello concerto in 1960 that impelled Britten to write a sonata for him, which they performed the following year, and to write the Cello Symphony in 1963. The three suites followed in 1964, 1967, and 1971. It is customary to grant Rostropovich authority in the performance of the first two suites (he never recorded the third), though he himself had some later reservations about his recording of the first, because he thought he played it so much better later. But these suites have now become the province of young cellists and that’s a good thing.

    Daniel Müller-Schott has all the technical skills necessary (a phenomenal pp , for instance). He takes a forthright approach to the first suite. The opening Canto is firmly stated and adumbrates what follows. His performance sounds to me more a matter of statements about than a lyrical exploration of Britten’s voice. On the whole, he seems much more comfortable in the second suite, though the concluding Ciaccona occasionally loses its sense of line. The third suite, however, starts off with a wonderfully caressing Lento, and Müller-Schott is completely engaged with what follows. No recording of Bach’s or Britten’s suites, however good, and this is certainly a good one, can take the place of hearing them live.

    This recording is certainly to be recommended and it gets better as it goes on. Müller-Schott has a slightly grainy sound and this fits his approach. He has clearly taken to heart Leonard Bernstein’s view of Britten’s music that “if you really hear it, not just listen to it superficially, you become aware of something very dark.” These are dark recordings, indeed. This is not the only view possible of these suites, however, and I am also much taken with the more lyrical one by Tim Hugh (Naxos), a recording that seems to have slipped past us, and Peter Wispelwey has a recent (2010) live recording of the first suite that is wonderful to hear (Onyx). These are good times for Britten’s response to Bach.

    FANFARE: Alan Swanson
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  • Britten: Cello Suites / Daniel Muller-Schott

    Britten: Cello Suites / Daniel Muller-Schott

    Orfeo Apr 2011
    1 disc
    CD
    $20.99
  • Pieces from the Daniel Croner Tablature

    Pieces from the Daniel Croner Tablature

    DUX Oct 2013
    1 disc
    CD
    $21.99
    • Charles-Marie Widor: Piano Music - Daniel Grimwood
    Danacord

    Charles-Marie Widor: Piano Music - Daniel Grimwood

    CD · 1 disc

    $18.99
    Composer
    Charles-Marie Widor
    Artist
    Daniel Grimwood
    Released
    Jul 17, 2026
    Rare virtuosic piano music by French Widor Widor composed for stage, voice, orchestra, chamber ensemble, and, most famously, organ. When a composer's primary mode of expression is the king of instruments, a certain austerity can attach itself to their reputation and this is arguably the case with the popular view of Widor, because hardly any composers are simultaneously so famous and so unknown. Were it not for John R. Near, the writer of Widor's only definitive biography, who first made me aware of Widor's solo piano music, it is likely I would never have encountered it. The piano works show aspects of Widor's art less present in his seminal cycle of ten Organ Symphonies, which bear the weight of his considerable intellect and erudition; writing for piano Widor seems able to explore other, more fanciful aspects of his nature, and our understanding of this great composer is enriched by it. I have tried to select works which represent the great variety of styles to be found in his solo piano music.
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  • Charles-Marie Widor: Piano Music - Daniel Grimwood

    Charles-Marie Widor: Piano Music - Daniel Grimwood

    Danacord Jul 2026
    1 disc
    CD
    $18.99
    Mix & Match
    • Liebende / Katharina Konradi, Daniel Heidi
    CAvi-music

    Liebende / Katharina Konradi, Daniel Heidi

    CD · 1 disc

    $19.99
    Composer
    MOZART SCHUBERT STRAUSS
    Artist
    Konradi, Heide
    Released
    Apr 16, 2021

    Katharina Konradi writes: “The labels “Mozart soprano” and “Strauss soprano” are often said to be practically indistinguishable. Indeed, in terms of melodic style, the two composers are not that far apart. Mozart suits my voice well, and the same is true of Richard Straus’s light lyrical repertoire. Then Schubert, with his astoundingly vast lieder output and his variety of musical expression, holds a special place for me. Every time I prepare a recital, these almost inexhaustible treasures take me on a delightful journey of surprising discoveries, and that is what my life as a lieder interpreter is all about...... Every piece on this album has a special appeal for me.”

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  • Liebende / Katharina Konradi, Daniel Heidi

    Liebende / Katharina Konradi, Daniel Heidi

    CAvi-music Apr 2021
    1 disc
    CD
    $19.99
    • Astor Piazzolla: Cafe 1930 - Daniel Matejca, Martin Sulc
    Supraphon

    Astor Piazzolla: Cafe 1930 - Daniel Matejca, Martin Sulc

    CD · 1 disc

    $45.99
    Composer
    Astor Piazzolla
    Artist
    Daniel Matejca, Martin Sulc
    Released
    Oct 02, 2026
    Piazzolla in the hands of a new generation - with passion, freedom, and virtuosity. The fourth Supraphon album by the 21-year-old performer Daniel Matejca brings a change of genre. Following virtuosic sonatas by Eugene Ysaÿe (2023), a chamber music album with pianist Jan Schulmeister (Suk, Martinu, Fiser, 2025), and exciting concertos by Shostakovich and Prokofiev with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and Tomas Netopil (2025), the focus now turns to tango nuevo, inseparably associated with astor Piazzolla. Besides the Argentine tango, his language as a composer reflects not only the contemporary classical music he studied in Paris under Nadia Boulanger, but also jazz and especially the music of Bach, which Piazzolla played on the bandoneon to the surprise of many people. On a map, Piazzolla would lie along an imaginary axis between Buenos Aires, Paris, and New York. It may well have been this breadth of inspiration that captivated Daniel Matejca, who plays piano and percussion as well as violin (not to mention the wide range of genres he performs) and the exceptional accordion player Martin sulc, whose palette of colours ranges from intimacy to an almost orchestra fullness at times. Their flawless ensemble is a given; what is more striking is the degree of freedom and expressivity they bring to it. Both suites (Suite del angel, Histoire du Tango) contain clearly audible echoes of Piazzolla's studies in Paris. Of course, the album could not omit Ave Maria, Oblivion, Escualo, and Finale, irresistible works that alone would be enough to secure Piazzolla's immortality. This recording by two young musicians captivated by the Argentine legend may well contribute to that lasting legacy.
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  • Astor Piazzolla: Cafe 1930 - Daniel Matejca, Martin Sulc

    Astor Piazzolla: Cafe 1930 - Daniel Matejca, Martin Sulc

    Supraphon Oct 2026
    1 disc
    CD
    $45.99
    1. Grieg: Lyrical Pieces / Daniel Gortler
    2. Grieg: Lyrical Pieces / Daniel Gortler
    Prospero Classical

    Grieg: Lyrical Pieces / Daniel Gortler

    CD · 1 disc

    $23.99
    Composer
    Edvard Grieg
    Artist
    Daniel Gortler
    Released
    Feb 16, 2024

    With his "Lyric Pieces", Edvard Grieg kept a kind of poetic piano diary: between 1867 and 1901 he wrote 66 short character pieces, which were published in ten booklets. Pieces such as "Wedding Day at Troldhaugen", "Train of Dwarfs" or "To Spring" are among Grieg's most famous works ever. In addition to these quite virtuoso pieces, however, there are also numerous simpler dances and melodies that can be mastered and successfully performed by piano students at a fairly early age.

    The Israeli-American pianist Daniel Gortler has selected his personal 21 favourites of the "Lyrical Pieces" for his debut album on Prospero Classical. Pianist Daniel Gortler delights audiences and critics worldwide with memorable performances and his technical mastery as well as his musical ingenuity. He has performed worldwide as a soloist with orchestras such as the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the NDR Sinfonieorchester, the Nord West German Philharmonic Orchestra and other orchestras. Career highlights have included a debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, a recital at Wigmore Hall in London and tours of South Africa, Brazil, South Korea and Turkey.

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  • Grieg: Lyrical Pieces / Daniel Gortler

    Grieg: Lyrical Pieces / Daniel Gortler

    Prospero Classical Feb 2024
    1 disc
    CD
    $23.99
  • Spanish Classics - Falla: Piano Music Vol 2 / Daniel Ligorio

    Spanish Classics - Falla: Piano Music Vol 2 / Daniel Ligorio

    Naxos Mar 2007
    1 disc
    CD
    $19.99
    • Bach: Goldberg Variations / Daniel-Ben Pienaar
    Avie Records

    Bach: Goldberg Variations / Daniel-Ben Pienaar

    CD · 1 disc

    $19.99
    Composer
    BACH, J.S.
    Artist
    Daniel-Ben Pienaar
    Released
    Oct 01, 2011
    Expressive, atmospheric, intelligent performance.

    I was highly impressed by and still very much relish my time spent with Daniel-Ben Pienaar’s Mozart’s complete Piano Sonatas on AV 2209. Fans of this set will find all of this promise further fulfilled in this Goldberg Variations, though as a reviewer it would have been an easier task to welcome slightly less well-trodden repertoire. Pienaar’s Bach is magnificent and, to a point, individual, but does it really stand out in such a crowded field?
     
    Daniel-Ben Pienaar poses as many questions as he provides answers in his deeply considered and well written booklet notes for this release. He doesn’t point to specific influences with regard to his interpretations in this great keyboard work, but develops ideas on its place and time both in the present, as well as the alliances formed between the circumstantial and the timeless – qualities and values inherent in the music itself, and the ways in which these can be approached and adapted by players over time.
     
    This is a probing intellectual interpretation which on occasion displays dazzling feats of speed, but which is more often a more introverted exploration of the piece. It is almost as if Pienaar is playing for his own satisfaction, and leaving it up to us to decide whether we want to listen and take the journey with him. The compact timing reflects brisk tempi at times, but the unhurried feel of the playing and a minimum of ornamentation also allows a highly selective observation of repeats to remain a credible choice. Pienaar doesn’t work much with ‘variation within variations’, so there is no sense we are being cheated out of colourful technical insights and improvisational touches by not hearing certain bars come around for a second time.
     
    Comparisons can be made ad nauseam, but looking at another recent take on the Goldberg Variations by Nick van Bloss on the Nimbus Alliance label shows how personality shades identical music into fascinatingly different manifestations. Bloss is the more extrovert of the two, seeking wit in the music and cheekily expressing it with effects like an occasional extra octave wallop in the bass. This ‘vibe’ turns his performance into more of a public experience – no less well considered than Pienaar’s, but introducing Bach to the bustle and language of the street: the call of market traders and the revving of motors. Bloss’s Bach isn’t rough and ready, but is easily the more resistant to external knocks and blows, and in this way is more of a challenge to Glenn Gould’s 1955 Goldberg Variations, the recording which gave the work and its performer such a remarkable hit status at that time.
     
    This is not to say Daniel-Ben Pienaar’s recording is weak-willed and softly undemonstrative, but there is a gentler side to his playing – perhaps also a side-effect of a rather rounded piano sound – which brings out the warmth in the heart of the music rather than its big venue street-cred. There is bounce and life where Bach demands it, in the first variation for instance, and this sets the pace for the first grouping of variations which concludes with a rousing Variatio 4. Extremes of speed are a feature of some variations, and Variatio 5 is the first such example, acting as little more than a prelude to Variatio 6. Pienaar’s sensitivity to Bach’s dance style is demonstrated in a Giga which barely touches the floor, so light is his touch on the keyboard. The second grouping of variations has its finale in a robust performance of the Variatio 10 Fughetta. Central to the next group is the expressive Variatio 13, in which the little inner rubati which Pienaar uses make the performance seem that much more reflective and yes, introverted. The sound appears almost to want to stay within the case of the piano, rather than broadcast to the last row of an invisible audience. This is not to say the playing is timid, but you could equally imagine this as a clavichord performance. Variatio 14 blows away the mood created in a horizontal shower of sparkling notes, again making it a sort of prelude to the gently eloquent lines of Variatio 15, which concludes another ‘block’ within Pienaar’s structuring of the piece.
     
    The conjoining of variations is a feature of a slow, almost tentative sounding Variatio 20, which serves as a launching point for an arguable too swift and brutal Variatio 21, which goes at a speed too fast for our minds to keep up. The expressive highlights of Variatio 21, 22 and 25 are all done marvellously, though without extremes of slowness or attempts to seek too far beyond Bach’s notes beyond what is already so miraculous on the page. Pienaar does dive for pearls, but not in a disproportionate sense – no need for extra breathing apparatus, though the atmosphere is breathtaking. He writes of the ‘return home’ of the Quodlibet in the way that “the use of folk songs suggests quite literally a return to shared ancestral roots.” In this way the final repeat of the Aria is more of a coda and a release, the feeling of which is palpably expressed by Daniel Ben-Pienaar.
     
    As a bonus to the Goldberg Variations we are given a continuous passacaglia version of the Fourteen Canons BWV 1087, which are based on the first eight bass notes of the Aria from the Goldberg Variations. I’ve been intrigued by these little gems for a while now, but while Pienaar’s more lively moments are good you have to get used to his overly straight opening and an occasional over-prominence of the bass line in places. If you want to discover these fascinating canons have a listen to the Hänssler Bach Edition Musikalisches Opfer CD 92.133 which, along with the canons BWV 1072-78 is the version which convinced me that J.S. Bach was one of the first minimalist composers, even to the point of momentarily confounding our reviewer. Pienaar’s programme concludes with a lovely prayer-like performance of Bist du bei mir from Bach’s Anna Magdalena Notebook, the source of the Aria from the Goldberg Variations, or at least where it sees its first appearance in Bach’s manuscripts.
     
    To conclude, this is a superbly expressive and atmospheric recording of the Goldberg Variations. One may not quite agree with the occasional extremes of tempo, but there is little doubting the jigsaw-puzzle accuracy and attention to detail with which Daniel-Ben Pienaar has formed his shaping of this masterpiece. Subsequent to my review of the Mozart sonatas I was contacted with regard to the piano sound, which one commentator found rather ‘harsh, full of reverb, somewhat lacking in definition’. I’m still quite happy with the sound quality of this, though I partially take the point about the reverb and definition. This Bach was recorded at the same location and the reverb is less by comparison; the instrument that touch closer to the microphones, something which can make all the difference. It’s perhaps not quite ‘demonstration’ piano sound with a little more mid-range bloom than makes for perfection, but is still very good.
     
    -- Dominy Clements, MusicWeb International
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  • Bach: Goldberg Variations / Daniel-Ben Pienaar

    Bach: Goldberg Variations / Daniel-Ben Pienaar

    Avie Records Oct 2011
    1 disc
    CD
    $19.99
    1. Robert & Clara Schumann: Works for Oboe & Piano / Daniel, Drake
    2. Robert & Clara Schumann: Works for Oboe & Piano / Daniel, Drake
    Chandos

    Robert & Clara Schumann: Works for Oboe & Piano / Daniel, Drake

    CD · 1 disc

    $21.99
    Composer
    Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann
    Artist
    Nicholas Daniel, Julius Drake
    Released
    Aug 23, 2024
    One of Britain's best-known musicians, Nicholas Daniel OBE won the BBC Young Musician competition in 1980, after which he quickly established his career, travelling all over the world, broadcasting widely, and making his debut at the BBC Proms. He has premiered hundreds of works for the oboe and made many critically acclaimed recordings of both new and familiar music. As a soloist he has appeared with the world's leading orchestras, performing a huge range of repertoire and premiering works written specially for him by many of the world's greatest composers. He is a founder member of the Britten Sinfonia, Haffner Wind Ensemble, Orsino Ensemble, and Britten Oboe Quartet. This programme features a wide selection of chamber music by Robert Schumann, alongside the Three Romances by Clara Schumann. At the time these pieces were written, there was a rapidly growing interest in amateur music making in the home, fuelled by a burgeoning middle class. Brahms, Schumann, and Mendelssohn all contributed significantly to the array of works published for this market, and it was quite normal practise for parts to be substituted for whatever instruments happened to be available. So, although the Three Romances, Op. 94 are the only works here originally composed for the oboe, the programme is not only musically rewarding in it's own right, but also in keeping with what the Schumanns would have considered normal practise.
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  • Robert & Clara Schumann: Works for Oboe & Piano / Daniel, Drake

    Robert & Clara Schumann: Works for Oboe & Piano / Daniel, Drake

    Chandos Aug 2024
    1 disc
    CD
    $21.99
  • Bülow: Piano Works / Daniel Blumenthal

    Bülow: Piano Works / Daniel Blumenthal

    Marco Polo Apr 1993
    1 disc
    CD
    $19.99
    • Berg: Lulu / Daniel, Hannigan, Henschel, Workman, Petrinsky
    BelAir Classiques

    Berg: Lulu / Daniel, Hannigan, Henschel, Workman, Petrinsky

    DVD · 2 discs

    $36.99
    Composer
    BERG, ALBAN
    Artist
    Hannigan, Henschel, Petrinsky, Randle, Workman, Daniel, Warliko
    Released
    Nov 18, 2014


    The nuptials of eros and thanatos unveil their irresistible attraction in Alban Berg’s unfinished ‘Lulu’, based on the work of German playwright Frank Wedekind, considered one of the major works of the 20th c. in general, and of opera in particular. + Krzysztof Warlikowski delves the innermost depths of the human psyche and chooses to tackle "Lulu" as a deeply moving requiem ‘to the memory of an angel’. + Featured in the title role is Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan. + Paul Daniel conducts the Orchestre symphonique de la Monnaie. + “…a genuinely fresh take on Alban Berg’s work.” (Financial Times)
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  • Berg: Lulu / Daniel, Hannigan, Henschel, Workman, Petrinsky

    Berg: Lulu / Daniel, Hannigan, Henschel, Workman, Petrinsky

    BelAir Classiques Nov 2014
    2 discs
    DVD
    $36.99
    • Journal of the Plague Year / Daniel Defoe (unabridged) [9 CDs]
    Naxos AudioBooks

    Journal of the Plague Year / Daniel Defoe (unabridged) [9 CDs]

    CD · 9 discs

    $65.98
    Composer
    DEFOE, DANIEL
    Artist
    Andrew Cullum
    Released
    Nov 09, 2018
    First published in March 1722, 57 years after the event that struck more than 100, 000 people, A Journal of the Plague Year is a compelling portrait of life during London's horrific bubonic plague. Through the eyes of H.F. (speculated to be Defoe's uncle, Henry Foe, from whose journals the book was supposedly adapted) we witness great grief, depravity and despair: crazed sufferers roam the streets, unearthly screams resound across the city, death carts dump their grisly loads into mass graves, and quackery and skulduggery feed on fear. But there is kindness and courage too, as mutual support and caring are upheld through the worst of days. Defoe's Journal is considered one of the most accurate accounts of the plague, and includes many contemporary theories about the disease, along with rolls of the dead and a literary mapping of London, street by street, parish by parish. It is a fascinating and intimate account from one of the earliest proponents of the novel.
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  • Journal of the Plague Year / Daniel Defoe (unabridged) [9 CDs]

    Journal of the Plague Year / Daniel Defoe (unabridged) [9 CDs]

    Naxos AudioBooks Nov 2018
    9 discs
    CD
    $65.98
    • Daniel Lentz: Los Tigres De Marte
    Cold Blue Music

    Daniel Lentz: Los Tigres De Marte

    CD · 1 disc

    $10.99
    Composer
    LENTZ, DANIEL
    Artist
    Walker, Kent, Lorentz, Newman, Duke-Kirkpatrick, Ellis
    Released
    May 01, 2004
    Swirling music with wildly branching roots that touch everything from Debussy and Delius to bop to techno. Sometimes lush and enveloping, sometimes brittle and percussive; sometimes suspended and motionless, sometimes agitated. This 16-minute CD EP features clarinetist Marty Walker with string quartet and electronic keyboards. “When it comes to attempts at musical seduction, Daniel Lentz’s music is way out front.” [Kyle Gann, Village Voice] “With its slow, interlocking suspensions and white-note harmonies, Tigres brings to mind Sibelius, of all things—particularly the twilight pages of the Sixth and Seventh symphonies—with the exception of a contrasting section about six minutes in where the rhythmic intensity gets cranked up and the piece breaks into a manic Michael Nymanesque jitterbug…. But the jitterbug ends just a quickly as it began, ceding to a much more lyrical style that gives a prominent, concerto-like roll to the clarinet. If Lentz talked about some of his earlier cascading echo pieces as ‘spiralling forms of becoming,’ Tigres traces—with its expressive grand pauses—a more improvisational line of fragmentation…. By intriguing his listeners at the same time he wreathes them in smiles, Lentz always comes up with something listenable and worthwhile. That’s certainly true of this new release.” [Gramophone magazine]
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  • Daniel Lentz: Los Tigres De Marte

    Daniel Lentz: Los Tigres De Marte

    Cold Blue Music May 2004
    1 disc
    CD
    $10.99
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