Géza Anda was among the small group of 20th Century pianists whose playing and artistic point of view became a seminal force for future generations. Anda's live performances presented a balance of spontaneity and reflection achieved through his complete devotion to realizing the composer's creative vision. Anda's interpretation of Ravel's Concerto for the Left Hand and Orchestra is a fascinating addition to his discography, providing new insights to this haunting score and Anda's extraordinary interpretive abilities.

"The Italians embraced the transverse flute rather more cautiously than others, but when they did it was with characteristic enthusiasm; there are plenty more concertos where these six came from. The attribution of the Pergolesi is unqualified in the statement of contents; the annotator states that it was ''attributed to'' him, but Grove lists it as ''extremely doubtful''; it also describes the Tartini work as ''dubious'', but no hint of this is offered in the inlay-booklet. Regarding Romano Antonio Piacentino and his concerto, even that august dictionary is entirely unhelpful. The concerto proves that he existed and its style places him somewhere in the eighteenth century, but that is all. His ability to create something agreeable out of thematic commonplaces recalls Vivaldi. With Tartini and Piacentino we are in the world of the straightforward baroque instrumental concerto, while 'Pergolesi' and Galuppi show traces of operatic connections. Little is known of Louis Gianella (?1778-1817), a flautist who worked at La Scala in Milan, whose curious and otherwise unrecorded Concerto lugubre patently links his two compositional fields—those of the theatre (opera and ballet) and with-flute instrumental music, which includes two other flute concertos...Galway plays with his accustomed silver-tongued panache and has the benefit of the co-operation of both I Solisti Veneti and the recording engineers at their best."

John Duarte, Gramophone [4/1994]

"• Giacomo Facco (1676–1753) was active in southern Italy as violinist, choirmaster and teacher.. • Once highly esteemed, Facco disappeared from musical history entirely until a set of his twelve Pensieri Adriarmonici were discovered in 1962, a story told in the accompanying booklet. • The Pensieri Adriarmonici have much in common with the music of his Venetian contemporaries. • This first volume of the first-ever complete Pensieri Adriarmonici performances are by the Mexican Baroque Orchestra."

Kempff: Rare Recordings (1936-1945)

Schoenberg: Piano Concerto, Op. 42 - Liszt: Piano Concertos

Rachmaninov Plays Rachmaninov: Concertos Nos. 2 and 3

Vivaldi: 11 Concertos

Danielpour's "Concerto for Orchestra" was nominated for the 1998 Grammy Award for "Best Classical Contemporary Composition."
Richard Danielpour is one of several American composers to emerge in the 1990s with an eclectic tonal style that makes no bones about its aim to please. He is also not shy about the derivative nature of his music, calling himself "an assimilator" who "will take an idea that may resemble another composer's and mull over it until it becomes something else." He cites Copland, Shostakovich, Britten, Bartók and Stravinsky as favorites but his own work, with its big romantic gestures and easily digested rhythms is less confrontational than theirs. It is meant to entertain, impress, soothe, not to provoke, and it succeeds on all of these fronts.
The 'Concerto for Orchestra' demonstrates Danielpour's chops as a colorist as well as his flair for steady pounding beats, rather as if the 'Miraculous Mandarin' wandered into 'West Side Story.' 'Anima Mundi' is a ballet score depicting the four seasons. It opens with a seven note motif which, amusingly, is the same as that for Borodin's 'In the Steppes of Central Asia,' then moves into upbeat John Adams territory for a while before settling into a mood of somber reflection. The very good, natural sounding recordings were made under the composer's supervision.

Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 - Bruch: Scotti

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This disc contains both ADD and DDD recordings.

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons & Other Concertos

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Sir Andrew Davis is among the most distinguished interpreters of British music today and here turns to the works of Sir Arnold Bax. With the inclusion of the Phantasy for Viola and Orchestra, this album marks the completion of Chandos’s long project to record Bax’s complete orchestral music over time.

Born in 1883 into a wealthy family in London, Arnold Bax began a love affair with Ireland as a young man. He moved there in 1911 and his Four Orchestral Pieces from 1912 – 13 are deeply influenced by the landscape of the countryside near his Dublin home. The first three are better known in revised versions, from 1928, as Three Pieces for Small Orchestra. Here ‘The Dance of Wild Irravel’ joins the other three movements for the premiere recording of the four Pieces as Bax originally conceived and orchestrated them.

The Phantasy for Viola and Orchestra from 1920 was inspired by the strong feelings with which Bax responded to the Irish political turmoil at the time, underlined by his use of the Sinn Fein Marching Song (later the Irish national anthem) at its climax. Bax is celebrated for his melodic invention and this passionately lyrical score must be one of the finest examples of his gift. Here the soloist is Philip Dukes, described by The Times as ‘Great Britain’s most outstanding viola player’.

By 1927 Bax’s style was changing and the opening of the Overture, Elegy and Rondo is reminiscent of a classical concerto, suggesting a leaning towards then-fashionable neoclassicism. The long, dreamy melody of the middle section and brilliant, colourful orchestration, however, are unmistakable hallmarks of Bax’s individual voice. - Chandos

Reviews

“… Dukes is a sterling advocate of this unjustly neglected work [Phantasy] – the haunting cor anglais solo recalls the shepherd’s lament in Wagner’s Tristan – while Davis proves passionate in the impressionistic Four Orchestral Pieces and the powerful, dark Overture, Elegy and Rondo.” - Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times, Culture magazine, London – [September 14, 2014]

“All three of these rarely heard works come from the first half of Bax’s career as a composer. The earliest is the lightweight but charming set of Four orchestral Pieces from 1914, recorded here for the first time … The latest is the far more substantial Overture, Elegy and Rondo … Through stylistically the two works have their differences … both works reveal the same sure-footed handling of the orchestra, which these carefully manicured performances under conductor Andrew Davis show off beautifully…” - Andrew Clements, The Guardian, [August 29, 2014]

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3

Orchestral Music - Mozart, W.A. / Handel, G.F. / Pachelbel,

Classical Music

The Brandenburg Concertos by Bach count among his most well-known works, composed before 1721. At that time when he did not know about his subsequent engagement as Thomaskantor in Leipzig. In this year, 1721, Bach fell in love with the young Anna Magdalena. All doors seemed to be open for the 36 year old Bach, who have had great plans. He was full of energy and has had a real zest for life. This release opens beautifully effervescent with the first Allegro from the VI. Concerto, followed by the Andante, which could be seen as an imagination and a homage to Vivaldi’s lagoon city Venice and after that sounds the almost excessive Presto of the IV. Concerto. The first part of this release ends with the celebratory closing Allegro, again from the VI. Concerto. The second half of the album starts with the brilliant compositions of the Allegro from the II. Concerto. The Adagio from the I. Concerto gives a miraculous rest. Then follows — between wild dance and sensual rapture – the Allegro from the III. Concerto.  Contemplative calm brings the Affetuoso from the V. Concerto, and the album ends with the vigorous Allegro from the same Concerto.Bach probably didn't expect that his life will end in Leipzig, however it was him granted not to find a career like George Friedrich Handel. The album breaks all previous limits. The selection is sassy, fun, extremely distinct and hopefully not too crazy. Also the recording procedure is unusual: no overdubs, no complex editing procedure, no use of a multi-microphone system.

Three lovely but rarely performed cello concertos are featured on this new release. These works are among the earliest in the genre by German composers. Cellist Alexander Rubin is not only a multi-prize winning soloist, but also a respected conductor. He fills both roles on this recording. Musica Viva is one of the best-loved chamber orchestras in Russia. The musicians are known for their refined but unconventional programmes, where they frequently perform rare works.

Classical Music

As a pianist, Dohnányi was legendary. As a composer, however, he was for many years dismissed as little more than a musical adjunct of Brahms. Certainly his music is more conservative than that of his contemporaries, but it is hard to see how anyone could fail to be engaged by its humour and passion. Wtih music this rich in detail you need a top-flight orchestra to bring out all the nuances and subtlety in the orchestration. Matthias Bamert and the BBC Philharmonic have already proved themselves worthy Dohnányi advocates. The irrepressible Howard Shelley is the pianist in the virtuosic piano concerto. Clifford Lantaff is the BBC Philharmonic's own renowned harpist and the young James Ehnes, who performed with such élan on Chandos' recent Hummel disc, is the soloist in the violin concerto.