SOLO PIANO III

Ekaterina Maximova and Vladimir Vasiliev perform with the Bolshoi Ballet in this Prokofiev ballet conducted by Algis Zhuraitis live at the Bolshoi Theatre, 1974.

GLORIA

This manuscript, from Christophe Rousset's private collection, was discovered by him in 2004. Dedicated to a Madame de Th�obon, it contains not only the essential French harpsichord pieces of the late seventeenth century, but also many transcriptions of compositions by Lully and several hitherto completely unknown preludes. Providing precious insight into the art of the harpsichordist and the musical practices of that time, these pieces are recorded here for the first time. With it's powerful but still austere sound, the Nicolas Dumont harpsichord of 1704 does them full justice.

Libera are a phenomenon with over 100 million hits on YouTube. One of the leading worldwide exponents of the British choral tradition, the 3-time Classical BRIT nominees have recorded a brand new studio album titled If. The new album will be available on October 15, 2021 on CD plus digital formats through Invisible Hands Music and features 15 songs including 5 brand new compositions. Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys - who knows a bit about vocal harmonies - said, "When I heard them sing - it actually took me to tears." This album provides a welcome respite from over a year of unrelenting bleakness; the boys who make up Libera are very happy to be back making music. This album continues Libera's mission of spreading joy and hope through the beauty and purity of their wonderful voices and arrangements. With shimmering, mystical chords and ecstatic harmonies, they are unlike any other group you have ever heard. The distinctive sound of Libera has garnered fans all over the world, particularly in the USA, the UK, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan. Their CDs top the mainstream and classical charts and they pack concert halls and Cathedrals appearing in their trademark flowing white robes.

The gala evening at the Paris Opera on December 19, 1958 was announced in the press as "the greatest show in the world". Maria Callas, at the height of her glory, performed for the first time in front of a Parisian audience. The diva delivered all the facets of her art through the Italian classics that she loved, with the theatrical genius that is proper to her. Paris gave her a triumphant evening! The original recording of this evening, broadcast in Eurovision throughout Europe, has been newly restored with the greatest care. Presentation by Benoit Duteurtre, novelist, essayist and music critic. Excerpts from Norma by Bellini Excerpts from Il Trovatore by Verdi Excerpts from Il Barbiere di Seviglia by Rossini Complete second act of Tosca by Puccini

Written at the request of Louis XIV in honor of his sister-in-law, Henrietta of England, Lully's Le Ballet royal de la naissance de Vénus was performed in 1665 with Henrietta herself as the goddess of love and youth. This grandiose spectacle combining dancing, music and poetry, served the power of the king, while attesting to the magnificence of his court. Musically very inventive, it shows the culmination of the ballet genre. The recording, from Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques is completed by excerpts from Les Amours déguisés, Psyché, Le Bourgeois gentilhomme and Le Carnaval.

CELEBRATION

BRITTEN KORNGOLD VIOLIN CONCERTOS

A New York Times Top 25 Classical Track Choice for 2020

A European bestseller in their time, Händel’s 1720 suites are far from having regained, in concert and on disc, the eminent place they once held. Does the fault lie with the anathema pronounced by the ‘pope’ Gustav Leonhardt, who always openly shunned Händel? With the man himself, a startling virtuoso, but keener to compose for the opera? With recordings that are often pleasant but rarely showcase the strongest personalities of their generation?

Three decades after the exceptional Scott Ross, Pierre Hantaï in his turn is determined to rehabilitate Händel the harpsichord composer.

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REVIEW:

Handel’s eight suites for harpsichord have sometimes been viewed more or less as training exercises. Pierre Hantaï, known for his vivid Scarlatti, dispels the slightly derogatory preconceptions with suave danciness and lucid touch.

– New York Times (Zachary Woolfe)

Libera are a phenomenon with over 100 million hits on YouTube. One of the leading worldwide exponents of the British choral tradition, the 3-time Classical BRIT nominees have recorded a brand new studio album titled If. The new album will be available on October 15, 2021 on CD plus digital formats through Invisible Hands Music and features 15 songs including 5 brand new compositions. Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys - who knows a bit about vocal harmonies - said, "When I heard them sing - it actually took me to tears." This album provides a welcome respite from over a year of unrelenting bleakness; the boys who make up Libera are very happy to be back making music. This album continues Libera's mission of spreading joy and hope through the beauty and purity of their wonderful voices and arrangements. With shimmering, mystical chords and ecstatic harmonies, they are unlike any other group you have ever heard. The distinctive sound of Libera has garnered fans all over the world, particularly in the USA, the UK, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan. Their CDs top the mainstream and classical charts and they pack concert halls and Cathedrals appearing in their trademark flowing white robes.

This highly anticipated box set brings together Valery Gergiev's acclaimed cycle of the complete Rachmaninov symphonies, which were recorded alongside the London Symphony Orchestra across 2008 to 2015. These masterful accounts of the Russian's complete symphonies are accompanied by his 1940 composition Symphonic Dances, while two symphonic poems by Mily Balakirev echo the luxurious textures present throughout Rachmaninov's music.

Written at the request of Louis XIV in honor of his sister-in-law, Henrietta of England, Lully's Le Ballet royal de la naissance de V�nus was performed in 1665 with Henrietta herself as the goddess of love and youth. This grandiose spectacle combining dancing, music and poetry, served the power of the king, while attesting to the magnificence of his court. Musically very inventive, it shows the culmination of the ballet genre. The recording, from Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques is completed by excerpts from Les Amours d�guis�s, Psych�, Le Bourgeois gentilhomme and Le Carnaval.

This 2-CD set features over 2 hours of music featuring compositions by Bach, Schumann, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Dvorak, Satie and others.

In the words of Richard Wagner, Beethoven's Seventh is a true "apotheosis of the dance". It has enjoyed perennial popularity ever since it's premiere, unlike his sole ballet, The Creatures of Prometheus, of which only the overture has remained (more or less) familiar to us. The musicians of the Freiburger Barockorchester, under the direction of their Konzertmeister Gottfried von der Goltz, offer a brillant new version of this key work in Beethoven's corpus while reviving the complete version of one of his most unjustly forgotten masterpieces.

 

REVIEWS:

 

Goltz and his Freiburg players give [the Seventh] everything, and their exceptional period-instrument vividness and fierce dynamic contrasts are a tonic.

 

– Sunday Times (UK)

 

Nothing is left in the locker in these terrifically raw and punchy performances of a much-loved symphony and all-too-rarely heard ballet.

 

– BBC Music Magazine

One of the most celebrated English composers of the Renaissance, William Byrd wrote Latin sacred music throughout his professional career, despite the fact that such pieces were banned from being used in church. The motets on this recording are presented in the order in which they appear in the pre-Reformation church year, beginning with Advent. The remarkable range of form, texture and color in Byrd's music allows Stephen Cleobury to showcase the voices of the choir, as well as the legendary acoustics of the chapel, in all their glory. Most of the motets are presented here performed by the whole choir, with a small selection - including the rousing Vigilate and Byrd's masterpiece Ne irascaris, Domine - performed by the Choral Scholars of the choir.

LIVE IN JAPAN

Officially beginning on 25th August 2017, Bernstein’s 99th birthday, and continuing through his 100th year until 25th August, 2019, Bernstein at 100 is the celebration of the 100th birthday of the composer, conductor, educator, musician, cultural ambassador, and humanitarian. To celebrate this world-wide event, the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge and Britten Sinfonia present one of the composer’s most enduring works, Chichester Psalms. The voice occupies a special place in Bernstein’s output, and Chichester Psalms stands as his most popular choral work. It is presented here in the version for choir, organ, percussion and harp, with the exquisite solo for boy treble. Written in 1965, it is an exhilarating invocation of the composer’s hopes for brotherhood and peace. Sentiments which are mirrored by Vaughan Williams’s impassioned Dona nobis pacem, which draws on texts from the Mass, three poems by Walt Whitman, a political speech, and sections of the Bible.

SZENEN AUS GOETHES FAUST

The Harrison & Harrison organ in King’s College Chapel is, like the College Choir, famous the world over. The organ case with gilded pipework, which surmounts the 16th century screen, is a striking feature of nearly every depiction of the interior of the Chapel, while the instantly recognisable sounds of the instrument have become inextricably associated with those of the Choir. In January 2016, the instrument – including its 4,300 pipes – was removed from King’s College Chapel for the most significant restoration since the 1960s. Just nine months later, the project was completed, with the famous organ secured for future generations. Recorded just a few months after the restored organ was heard in public once more, this album celebrates a voice reborn, with a varied programme of music that shows off this magnificent instrument at its very best. Unusually for such a busy conductor, Stephen Cleobury has remained active as an organist. A former president of the Royal College of Organists, he gives regular performances in the weekly recitals at the King’s Chapel, while his recordings have been championed for their virtusoity and musical insight.

MOST RELAXING FLUTE MUSIC IN UNIVERSE / VARIOUS

Relaxing, romantic music for solo guitar perfect for daydreaming your stress away!!! Includes 2-CDs worth of music by composers: Chopin, Schubert, Sanz, Mudarra, Coste among others.

LA MUSE ET LE POETE

This first volume of a complete Mozart Piano Sonata series from pianist Orli Shaham is dedicated to the three B-flat Major sonatas. Shaham embarked upon this project in August 2019. It follows her widely acclaimed release of Mozart Concertos with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. She combines musical and artistic insight with a deft technical virtuosity revealing an individual and sensitive musical offering. Recorded at Mechanics Hall in Massachusetts, these sonatas revel in the elegance of the Hall's acoustic. Since lockdown in March, Shaham has been releasing movements and performances from her Mozart recording sessions on her "MidWeek Mozart" to help restore souls in the current climate of the pandemic.

CELLO ESSENTIALS