These quintets come from a set of six in a Madrid manuscript with an attribution to Boccherini: they are not in Boccherini’s own catalogue of his works, which doesn’t necessarily exclude their authenticity (he noted in it most of his true chamber music, though not the cello sonatas or the keyboard ones); they sound as if they date from the 1780s, and the presence of an obbligato cello part does of course imply at least some link with him. This is claimed as their world premiere recording.

They are very agreeable and on the whole deftly written pieces, but to my mind don’t quite have the ring of his style: their formal regularity, their sometimes motivic writing (the first movement of the G major work, for example), and the frequent spells of rather routine invention argue against his authorship, as does the three-movement form (he preferred, oddly, two-movement opere piccole or four-movement opere grande), the absence of minuets (a movement type he patently relished) and the presence of three very schematic variation finales (a type he avoided). The compiler of the Boccherini thematic catalogue thought that they had “formulas and turns of style which are characteristic of him”, on reading through the parts, but since he evidently didn’t notice that they were for flute, violin, viola and two cellos (as opposed to flute and string quartet) I am inclined to think the reading-through wasn’t too rigorous.

By Boccherini or not, they make pleasant listening. They don’t demand that special affection for detail or feeling for texture that the most characteristic Boccherini needs, and respond well to these direct, modern performances, neatly phrased, the dialogues gracefully executed. The first cellist, who has several flights into the upper reaches of his instrument, is very assured, and there is also the particular pleasure of Jean-Pierre Rampal’s flute playing, as urbane as ever.

-- Stanley Sadie. Gramophone [8/1998]

This CD includes additional tracks of spoken commentary by musicologist H. C. Robbins Landon on Missa "Sunt bona mixta malis" in English, German and French.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Includes work(s) by Gio Battista Sammartini. Soloists: Gianfranco Iannetta, Roberto Noferini, Andrea Noferini, Bruno Canino.

Prophets of the New is a series from Sony focusing on classic recordings of the 20th century's most revolutionary works.

CLEAN. 2012 sophomore album from the singer, songwriter and international superstar. The album includes production from Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker, Emile Haynie, Diplo and Supa Dups, as well as the Smeezingtons, Mars' three-man songwriting and production team. He notes that the album is more musically varied and refuses to "pick a lane". "Locked Out of Heaven" was released as the lead single from the album. It has been described as having strong influences of New Wave, with striking resemblances to "Message in a Bottle" and "Roxanne" by the Police, the Romantics' "Talking in Your Sleep", and even Michael Jackson's "Beat It", while some have mildly referenced it to the Outfield's "Your Love".

Sonate a Quattro are the brilliant compositions from Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, written during the summer of 1804 at the young age of 12. These works, at the time, were commonly performed by wind quartet and it wasn’t until 1954 when the original manuscripts were discovered in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. showing their original arrangement for string quartet. The world premiere recording of Rossini: 6 Sonate a Quattro features two of Canada’s most respected and beloved performers - Mark Fewer (violin), and Joel Quarrington (bass) - and two of North America’s rising stars - Yolanda Bruno (violin), and Julian Schwarz (cello) and produced by JUNO award-winning producer John D.S. Adams. These performances, from November 2017, were recorded in collaboration with the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance using the newly released (2014) Critical Edition published by the Fondazione Rossini Pesaro.

MOZART (rev. STRAUSS, R.): Idomeneo (Complete)

Vinyl LP pressing. 2012 sophomore album from the singer, songwriter and international superstar. The album includes production from Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker, Emile Haynie, Diplo and Supa Dups, as well as the Smeezingtons, Mars' three-man songwriting and production team. He notes that the album is more musically varied and refuses to "pick a lane". "Locked Out of Heaven" was released as the lead single from the album. It has been described as having strong influences of New Wave, with striking resemblances to "Message in a Bottle" and "Roxanne" by the Police, the Romantics' "Talking in Your Sleep", and even Michael Jackson's "Beat It", while some have mildly referenced it to the Outfield's "Your Love".

Vinyl LP pressing including digital download. 2016 release, the highly-anticipated third album from critically-acclaimed, multi-Grammy winning international megastar Bruno Mars. 24K Magic is Bruno's first solo release in nearly four years. Written and produced by Shampoo Press & Curl, the first single and title track, 24K Magic sees Bruno bringing the bounce to his adoring fans. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age and performed in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood. After being dropped by Motown Records, Mars signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 2009. The rest is history

2016 release, the highly-anticipated third album from critically-acclaimed, multi-Grammy winning international megastar Bruno Mars. 24K Magic is Bruno's first solo release in nearly four years. Written and produced by Shampoo Press & Curl, the first single and title track, "24K Magic" sees Bruno bringing the bounce to his adoring fans.

PENDERECKI: Sextet / Clarinet Quartet / Cello Divertimento

From the overt Romanticism of Saint-Sa�ns to the nostalgia-laden modernity of Poulenc, Bruno Philippe takes us on a journey through (almost) a century of French cello music. Alongside Tanguy de Williencourt, he also performs the cello version of Franck's famous Violin Sonata, one of the absolute peaks of nineteenth-century chamber music.

Get Lost is Bruno Bavota's first studio album since the 2016 release of Out of the Blue helped thrust him into that peculiar world of anonymous but significant success via high-volume streaming playlists and high-profile TV commercials. Out of the Blue marked the beginning of Bavota's drift from immaculate, traditional piano music. If Get Lost isn't a complete reinvention, it is at the very least a radical new direction. Rather than obsess over the sound of the piano itself, Bavota now explores the sounds around the piano - the resonance, the silence, and the acoustic ambience of the living, breathing space in which the piano resides. He employs an array of outboard effects pedals and processors to not just capture those sounds that are often overlooked, but to sample, loop, and reposition them as central figures in a story. Bruno Bavota gave Get Lost it's name when he found himself drifting deeper into the darker side of his music. Inspired by a familiar observation of modern life, Bavota confessed, "I think people are becoming more selfish and don't seem to have time to listen to other people who need to be heard. We don't show much empathy." Much like Bavota's evolving approach to the piano, he has discovered profound purpose and influence in the people and places least visible but most meaningful.

In October 2012, Mars premiered the first single, "Locked Out of Heaven," from his highly-anticipated sophomore album UNORTHODOX JUKEBOX. On October 20th, Mars made his comeback to national television when he joined the elite club of hosts and performers for SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE alongside the likes of Mick Jagger, Justin Timberlake and Elton John. Mars not only showcased his comedic talent to the millions watching, but also debuted the first live performance of "Locked Out of Heaven" and premiered a brand new song, "Young Girls," from the historic stage in New York City. UNORTHODOX JUKEBOX is due in stores December 11th. Mars and his songwriting/production team the Smeezingtons (Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine) partnered with heavyweight producers including Jeff Bhasker, Mark Ronson and Diplo to create the 10-track album.

It is a constant source of amazement that to this very day, musical gems even by famous composers often fail to receive the exposure they deserve or have even – despite modern digital access – been unjustly consigned to oblivion. The four works by Carl Friedrich Abel presented here are just such treasures, and two of them – the Sinfonie Concertanti WKO 42 and 43 – are released on record for the very first time to mark the composer’s tercentenary in 2023. The reason for this is surely that Abel’s activity and fame as a viola da gambist and as a composer for his instrument has obscured the fact that he wrote these four important concertante works for the violoncello. The present recording seeks to help restore the reputation that these works deserve.

Renaud Capu�on recognises Vivaldi's Four Seasons as "a highlight of the violin repertoire", but it has taken him some time to add it to his discography. "For years, I refused to play it," he explains. "I'd heard it too much in the corridors of the M�tro in Paris and as holding music on the phone. But once I'd accepted to play it, I was blown away by the power of the music... I realised that it's famous because it's amazing! It's a masterpiece. I've now played it frequently with Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and it feels fresh and new every time." He has chosen to complement Vivaldi's four concertos with two sparkling concertos composed in Paris some 40 years after Vivaldi's death. They are by Chevalier de Saint-George (1745-1799), born in Guadeloupe of French and African descent, who became a prominent and influential figure in Paris. He has been described in the New York Times as a composer who holds a "truly unique place in Western classical music history".

Bruno Philippe conceives Bach's Suites for solo cello as a veritable existential journey, from life to death and resurrection. Forgoing metal strings for their historical gut equivalents, the young French artist offers us an inward, deeply moving reading of this monument of instrumental music.

In his exploration of the vocal music of Mozart and his contemporaries, soprano Bruno de S� evokes Mille affetti - a thousand emotions - and adds six world premiere recordings to the catalogue: arias by Luigi Cherubini, Luigi Caruso, Felice Alessandrini, Franz Seydelmann, Johann Friedrich Reichardt, and Niccolo` Antonio Zingarelli. Joining him for this adventurous programme of sacred and secular repertoire are the Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra, organist Marcin Szelest, the NFM Choir and conductor Jaroslaw Thiel. For his debut Erato album, Roma Travestita, Bruno de S� focused on Baroque repertoire, causing BBC Music Magazine to marvel at his "immaculate legato, gift for scintillating decoration, dramatic octave drops and stratospheric ascents above the stave." Now he applies those talents to the Classical era. "This seemed like the moment to explore different musical possibilities," he says, "and also a period that really speaks to me - emotionally, musically and technically. There are some very virtuosic things here, but I've never struggled with them because they are such a joy to sing. I hope that people feel and hear that." Repertoire features: W.A. Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate, Franz Seydelmann: excerpts from Il Turco in Italia, Johann Friedrich Reichardt: excerpts from Andromeda, Niccol� Antonio Zingarelli: Salve, Regina, and more (repertoire selection by Yannis Fran�ois).

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music