"• Partnering here with the ensemble Music from China, PRISM presents works by four Chinese-born American composers. • The Singing Gobi Desert reveals that saxophones and Chinese instruments have a natural, if unexpected, affinity. • For nearly 30 years, PRISM has stood at the vanguard of new music ensembles, commissioning works across a broad spectrum of styles, and demonstrating the saxophone’s versatility. • John Schaefer, host of WNYC’s “Soundcheck”, wrote the liner notes for this release."

Completed in 2008, Michael Hersch's 2-hour work for horn and cello, Last Autumn, has been described by the Philadelphia Inquirer as a "portrait of something too huge and undefinable, glorious and terrible, to be seen in anything more than glimpses." A work "whose riches defy the harmonic limitations of the instruments. ... Together, they created wild portraits of alienated togetherness."

Performed here by hornist Jamie Hersch and cellist Daniel Gaisford, for whom the piece was written, Last Autumn is the second in a series of evening-length works written by the composer over the past decade.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Emil Gilels Legacy, Vol. 3: 1975 Helsinki Recital (Live)

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Classical Music

Speaking with a musical vocabulary that inflects the language of post-minimalism with Puerto Rican musical traditions, composer Dan Román is a polyglot. His work connects at the roots through rhythm: obsessive ostinatos, juxtaposed patterns that create evolving permutations, the hypnotic character of a steady pulse. Música de Palladium, his innova debut, is peppered with quotes from songs and dances from these traditions, mingled with counterpoint, shifting metrics and poly-chords. Mr. Román teaches composition, music theory and electronic music at Trinity College, Hartford, CT.

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Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

This is the third complete cycle of J.S. Bach's sonatas and partitas for violin solo BWV 1001-1006 transcribed for a plucked instrument to be released within the last few years. Paul Galbraith's transcription for his modified 12-string guitar was issued first in 1998 by Delos (3232). A year later Hopkinson Smith recorded his cycle for Astrée Naive (E8678) performing on a 13-course baroque lute. On this new MDG recording Frank Bungarten offers his ideas performing on a modern guitar. All are beautiful; all are passionately performed by artists who obviously regard their respective undertakings as labors of love; and all remind us again and again how inspired and sublime this most perfect music for solo instrument is, however transcribed.


So what are the differences besides the instrumentation? Of the three, Galbraith generally chooses the swiftest tempos, which when combined with his cello-like performing posture alludes more to the way we're accustomed to hearing the works performed on violin. Galbraith obviously is familiar with the capabilities of this instrument of his own invention--enough to describe his set as the most "virtuosic" of the three. Smith's acount has much going for it too. For one, Smith's is the most historically informed cycle, since he performs on a copy of a period lute, and this often-intimate music admittedly benefits from its almost clavichord-like sound. Smith's performances also are the less mimetic of the three, in the sense that he seems to be interested less in imitating what a violin can make of this music and more with what a lute can. In turn, Smith also takes many more liberties than Galbraith and Bungarten. Listen, for example, to the way he enters the first sonata BWV 1001. Rather than simply imitating the violin's sharp rise, he begins quietly, slowly allowing the integrity of each string to be heard as only a plucked instrument can.

Which now brings us to this MDG set. Frank Bungarten is a fine guitarist whose transcriptions fastidiously attempt to "let the music speak for itself"--meaning that the only liberties he takes are technical ones that make it possible for this violin music to be performed on a guitar. Listen for instance to the way he articulates the final Allegro of Sonata No. 2. Here Bungarten's imaginative use of note for note chordal progressions sustains the dance with remarkable clarity. Equally impressive is Bungarten's clever use of shading and dynamics, particularly in the Tempo di Borea movement of Partita No. 1. The elongated lines that establish the opening theme are given more than enough emphasis without sacrificing any of the quieter intricacy of the inner details.

Bungarten's deft, expertly executed performances certainly are the most straightforward--which is not to say uninflected--of the group. I'm sure that most of us already have at least one recorded cycle of Bach's sonatas and partitas performed on violin. I'm equally sure that far fewer listeners possess one of these fine sets of transcriptions. It's a pity, because to hear this music rethought and applied by such capable musicians as Galbraith, Smith, and Bungarten truly heightens the miracle of it. MDG's sound and overall presentation are as fine as ever. Bungarten also provides informative notes in the multilingual booklet.
--John Greene, ClassicsToday.com

We're sorry, but due to demand we have temporarily sold out of our stock on this title. We expect more stock to arrive by Wednesday of next week.

Mary Dullea is one of the most amazingly skillful pianists of today and presents a truly distinctive and groundbreaking recital. The pianist writes: These piano pieces demonstrate a fertile wide range of voices, sonorities, inspirations and exploration of the performer's role. They all call on the virtuosity of the pianist, not only at the keyboard but, in some cases, extending that even further, incorporating voice and other extended techniques. Each work marks a point in the composer's path, whether a relatively early work, a response to a significant event or a commission request.

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Classical Music

Monteverdi’s seminal first opera L’Orfeo, tells the dramatic story from Ovid’s Metamorphoses of the descent of Orfeo (Georg Nigl) into the underworld to recover his beloved wife Euridice (Roberta Invernizzi), seen here in a production for La Scala, based on a painting by Titian and directed by Robert Wilson. David Alden’s visually sumptuous production of L’incoronazione di Poppea, with its suggestions of a giant game of chess, puts the opera’s potent blend of sex and politics in a context that sets ancient against modern – just as the action juxtaposes scurrilous comedy and stark drama. Both are filmed in High Definition and recorded in true SS. "Robert Wilson meets Monteverdi with successful results." (The Opera Critic) "Beautifully flimed in Milan, this DVD shows how well Wilson's minimalist productions can take to the small screen." (Gramophone) "The drama comes from Alessandrini's edition and the bite and brilliance of the La Scala orchestra, and Concerto Italiano's inventive continuo section" (International Record Review) "Persson is a superb Poppea who can really act with her voice" (BBC Music Magazine)

Three of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies are presented here as a set. Rising star Paapa Essiedu gives a stunning performance in Simon Godwin's riveting contemporary take on Hamlet; Antony Sher leads the way as the proud but fatally flawed monarch in RSC Artistic Director Gregory Doran's acclaimed King Lear; completing the collection is Iqbal Khan's astonishing and ground-breaking production of Othello, featuring Hugh Quarshie in the title role and Lucian Msamati as Iago. "It is an utterly engaging performance by Paapa Essiedu." (The Times - Hamlet) "... an arresting, accessible and entertaining production, with a shooting star of a central performance." (The Stage - Hamlet) "Sher is magnificent at the fierce, rebarbative side of this monarch. Reduced to long johns and a white shirt, he also affectingly communicates the man who, liberated by adversity, exposes himself to feel what wretches feel... (The Independent - King Lear) "Iqbal Khan's gripping production has already made history by being the first at Stratford to cast a black actor as Iago. But I had not anticipated how many fascinating ideas such an imaginative piece of casting would provoke. Hugh Quarshie is an excellent Othello torn between ancient loyalties and his assimilationist position, between his aching love for Desdemona and his easily fostered insecurity..." (The Guardian - Othello)

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Britain is in crisis. Alienated, insular and on the brink of disaster. Can it be saved? An ineffectual Queen Cymbeline rules over a divided dystopian Britain. Consumed with grief at the death of two of her children, Cymbeline's judgement is clouded. When Innogen, the only living heir, marries her sweetheart Posthumus in secret, an enraged Cymbeline banishes him. Behind the throne, a power-hungry figure plots to seize power by murdering them both. In exile, Innogen's husband is tricked into believing she has been unfaithful to him and, in an act of impulsive jealousy, begins a scheme to have her murdered. Warned of the danger, Innogen runs away from court in disguise and begins a journey fraught with danger that will eventually reunite Cymbeline with a longlost heir and reconcile the young lovers. "Still handles the comedy very well, though, and draws some lovely performances from her cast. Bethan Cullinane makes a brave, determined, sweetly funny Innogen: moving in her silent shock at her husband's accusation of infidelity. Marcus Griffiths is a wonderfully bombastic and ridiculous Cloten and his attempts to woo Innogen through song are hilarious." (The Financial Times) "It's the strength of the performances that really make this production, and the cast's ability to draw out the underlying humour in every situation goes a long way to negating the flaws in the original text. Oliver Johnstone is brilliant as the suave, silver-tongued Iachimo, strutting about the stage and wearing all of his sexual potency on his sleeve. Some of the best scenes come when he focuses his scheming charm on the faithful Innogen, skilfully played by Bethan Cullinane. Marcus Griffith also manages to find much comic absurdity in the overblown ego of the otherwise contemptible Cloten. But these are compelling performances among many. It may not be one of the best-loved of the Bard's canon, but this production is full of passion and humour, and is riotous fun." (The Radio Times) "Comes straight from the heart... It's unafraid of emotion and boasts fine performances... This is an evening that belongs to the Director... Shakespeare's derided experimental romance has the capacity to touch the heart... Bethan Cullinane's Innogen moved me deeply..." (The Guardian

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Royal Ballet Principal Natalia Osipova dances the title role in Kenneth MacMillan's haunting ballet, to atmospheric music by Tchaikovsky and Martinu. Anastasia tells the story of Anna Anderson who, following the Russian Revolution and the murder of the royal family, claimed she was the surviving Grand Duchess Anastasia. Many believed her to be an imposter; others hoped she was Anastasia, a remnant of a lost world. A powerful, psychological challenge for the lead dancer, Anastasia explores one of the great historical mysteries of the 20th century, only recently solved, and the distorting mirror of memory, time and place. 'Natalia Osipova... technical perfectionism' (The Stage) 'I salute Osipova, the entire company performance, Crowley's magnificent designs, and Simon Hewett's notable account of the Tchaikovsky/Martinu scores.' (The Financial Times 5 Stars) '- convulsive jitters, turned-in feet, violence, grief, and fear - is no surprise, either... Osipova's magnetic performance.' (The Arts Desk 4 Stars)

Includes work(s) by Franz Xaver Gruber, various composers. Soloist: Florian Pagitsch.

Leonard Bernstein was without question the greatest musician America ever produced. As an inspirational teacher and renowned conductor he was the nation’s musical ambassador to the world, and his work as a composer bridged gaps and broke down barriers, reaching audiences way beyond the normal boundaries of classical music. This celebration of Bernstein’s centenary brings together all of the acclaimed Naxos recordings of his music conducted by his protégée Marin Alsop as well as new and world premiere recordings, and an insightful documentary DVD in which colleagues and family sum up this boundlessly brilliant and charismatic musical giant of the 20th century.