{"title":"Marin Alsop","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"confession-of-isobel-gowdie-chamber-symphony","title":"CONFESSION OF ISOBEL GOWDIE \/ CHAMBER SYMPHONY","description":"CONFESSION OF ISOBEL GOWDIE \/ CHAMBER SYMPHONY","brand":"LPO","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44936861974762,"sku":"854990001352","price":15.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1463363.jpg?v=1786777628"},{"product_id":"falkenberg-debussy-the-moons-symphony-alsop-parry-london-symphony-orchestra-london-voices","title":"Falkenberg: The Moons Symphony \/ Alsop, London Symphony Orchestra","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eInternational award-winning composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg has composed a dynamic new work that merges music and science. The seven-movement symphony dramatizes past, present and future moon explorations, and highlights discoveries that have been made in our search for other worlds that could possibly sustain life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThrough seven exhilarating movements, concertgoers will experience a stunning space adventure that focuses on the stories of these fascinating moons. But what uniquely defines this symphony is its planetary core message which culminates in the 7th movement, dedicated to Earth-Moon. This final movement offers a discovery of a different kind and provides a unique opportunity to view our planet united and whole, from the surface of the Moon, a breathtaking, life-changing experience referred to as THE OVERVIEW EFFECT. The impact of such a privileged sight has inspired a call to action from Astronauts and as a result  has propelled them to share this profound perspective shift with all of us here on Earth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThrough the persuasive and powerful forces of music, the symphony offers Earthlings a chance to contemplate who and where we are in the universe. In 42 minutes they will be taken on an emotional journey, marveling at the wonders of these moons, the beauty of our planet, and possibly even experience their own perspective shift as crew-mates aboard this spaceship we cruise, Earth. This is the story of THE MOONS SYMPHONY.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLearn more through the project's \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/musichfstudios\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eYouTube channel\u003c\/a\u003e!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGrowing up in the Barossa Valley, composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg had a better view of the starry night sky than most. Such a view doubtless inspired this seven-movement choral symphony, a majestic evocation of three moons circling Jupiter, two orbiting Saturn and one from Uranus, as well as our own moon. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn inquisitive and intrepid explorer, Falkenberg involved astronomers and astronauts in her quest to summon up each moon as vividly and accurately as possible. This research is reflected not only in the music but in the economically expressive sung texts which she also composed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOut of hundreds of moons, Falkenberg’s choice illustrates enormous diversity: from Jupiter’s volcanic Io to oceanic depths of its sister Europa, then to the vast expanses of Saturn’s Titan, the mighty geysers of tiny Enceladus, the enormous canyons of Uranus’ Miranda and the magnetic force of Jupiter’s Ganymede. Finally, and most importantly, the symphony celebrates earthrise as seen from the surface of the moon, issuing a heartfelt call for all humanity to unite. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUnabashedly cinematic in style, Falkenberg’s score naturally pays homage Holst’s ground-breaking depiction of the planets, while also echoing film music great John Williams and occasionally Bernard Herrmann. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFalkenberg’s passionate and creative adaptation of the film music genre is firmly embraced by the committed artistry of the London Symphony under Marin Alsop and the warm cohesion and crystalline diction of the London Voices directed by Ben Parry, who recorded the choral music separately due to COVID restrictions. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Moons Symphony \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003eoffers a precious and timely perspective on our own fragile planet that we would do well to heed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e-- Limelight\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012458336490,"sku":"635212073025","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4129457-2878294.jpg?v=1786657259"},{"product_id":"clyne-abstractions-within-her-arms-abstractions-restless","title":"Clyne: Abstractions; Within Her Arms; Abstractions; Restless","description":"Anna Clyne, described as a 'composer of uncommon gifts and unusual methods' by The New York Times, is one of the most in-demand composers today, working with orchestras, choreographers, filmmakers and visual artists around the world. Clyne's unique voice combines tradition with postmodern techniques, giving her listeners a sense of musical adventure that is grounded in the past. From the beautiful elegy Within Her Arms to the defiant power of Restless Oceans, Anna Clyne's music strikes a positive and resilient tone.","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012530426090,"sku":"747313462070","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4442624-3418352.jpg?v=1786675378"},{"product_id":"baiba-skride-plays-benjamin-britten-alsop-orf-vienna-radio-symphony","title":"Baiba Skride Plays Benjamin Britten \/ Alsop, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe story of the discovery and resurrection of Britten's Double Concerto for Violin and Viola is one of those rare moments of musicological spice that can capture the interest of even the more casual music lover. Unlike it, the Violin Concerto Op. 15 found itself thrust onto the world stage of music right away, its genesis having been rather straightforward – if hardly smooth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWinner of the first prize of the Queen Elisabeth Competition (2001) Baiba Skride displays a natural approach to music-making that has endeared her to many of today’s most prestigious conductors and orchestras worldwide. She performs the Double Concerto with violist Ivan Vukcevic, who has appeared in some of the most important venues and festivals in Europe. They are accompanied by the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop, whose performances won her many Gramophone Awards.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012604645610,"sku":"4011790220024","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4290285-3141174.jpg?v=1786639466"},{"product_id":"jandali-concertos-a-mcgill-barton-pine-alsop-vienna-radio-symphony-orchestra","title":"Jandali: Concertos \/ A. McGill, Barton Pine, Alsop, ORF VRSO","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eClarinetist Anthony McGill and violinist Rachel Barton Pine are featured soloists on a new recording of two concertos composed in response to societal injustices by Syrian composer Malek Jandali, performed by the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and led by Marin Alsop, a champion of the composer’s work.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMalek Jandali, called “deeply enigmatic” by Gramophone, has been praised for writing “heart-rending melodies, lush orchestration, clever transitions and creative textures” (American Record Guide). His repertoire, which ranges from chamber music to large scale orchestral works, integrates Middle-Eastern modes into Western classical forms and harmony. Rachel Barton Pine, “an exciting, boundary-defying performer” (The Washington Post), performs Jandali’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (2014), a work that honors “all women who thrive with courage” according to the composer. Jandali’s concerto is in recognition of the women of Syria, continuing his aim to preserve the cultural heritage of his homeland.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Violin Concerto incorporates Syrian melodies and idioms into Jandali’s Western-inspired harmonies and forms. Jandali calls upon an array of Syrian and Arabic music forms and folk melodies including multiple sama’i and bashraf (instrumental pieces), and longa (dances), from different maqam (modes). He also makes use of the oud (Arabic lute) in his symphonic scoring to infuse the work with the authentic sound and feeling of Syria. A particularly notable sama’i inspired by traditional Syrian folk music from the area along the Silk Road Is used for a “Women’s Theme.” This theme is representative of the folk music that is a source of comfort and healing for unjustly detained, peaceful Syrian activists and other women and mothers living in fear.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJandali’s Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra (2021) is dedicated to its performer Anthony McGill (“the total package… stylish, passionate and limitlessly fluent on the clarinet,” \u003cem\u003eBachtrack\u003c\/em\u003e), “in memory of all victims of injustice.” McGill says of the work, ”In the midst of the pain and the violence and injustice in the world all we are left with is the ability to pour our hearts and our souls into something more beautiful, into something more powerful, so it can communicate throughout all time and live on.” Like all of Jandali’s works, the clarinet concerto is infused with ancient themes from Jandali’s homeland as a means of preservation. Jandali explores variations on themes from old and traditional Syrian musical forms and modalities, with striking musical effects and wide ranging highs and lows in the orchestral writing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eWatch our Live Roundtable with Marin Alsop, Malek Jandali and Anthony McGill!\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\"\u003e\u003ciframe style=\"width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;\" title=\"Embed\" height=\"100%\" width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/streamyard.com\/e\/fzhbnpct2z5n\" allowfullscreen=\"\" recording=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe soloists shine, and Alsop and her Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra accompany them faithfully through every mood.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJandali’s Violin Concerto has a long and thoughtful opening moment, an introspective middle section and a dancelike finale. He uses the Arabic oud in conversation with the violin, as plaintive voices crying out with dignity and restraint. (Kudos to oud soloist Bassam Halaka.) And maybe that buoyant feeling in the finale represents not exuberance but defiance, as a protest against suppression.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 25-minute clarinet concerto operates mostly on a mysterious plane, one we associate more obviously with Arabic elements. Some of the subtle, sinuous playing and percussive rhythms would not be out of place in a good Hollywood soundtrack – that’s a compliment – as Jandali slowly brings us into his sound world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- WDAV (Classical Public Radio, 89.9FM, Lawrence Toppman)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cedille","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012647538922,"sku":"735131922029","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4201654-2974511.jpg?v=1786664911"},{"product_id":"new-orchestral-music-the-art-of-sailing-at-dawn-rhapsody-symphony-no-1-pluto","title":"M. Brouwer: Rhapsodies \/ Alsop, ORF Vienna RSO","description":"Rhapsodies is the fourth album on Naxos dedicated to the lauded American composer Margaret Brouwer - renowned for her music's lyricism, imagery and emotional power. Marin Alsop conducts the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra in this programme of world premiere recordings including Symphony No. 1 'Lake Voices' and the dazzling Rhapsody, Concerto for Orchestra.","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012703506666,"sku":"636943993323","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4335131-3177951.jpg?v=1786713497"},{"product_id":"adams-city-noir-fearful-symmetries-lola-montez-does-the-spider-dance-orf-vienna-radio-symphony-orchestra","title":"Adams: City Noir \u0026 Other Orchestral Works \/ Alsop, ORF VRSO","description":"\u003cp\u003eJohn Adams’ City Noir was inspired by the cultural and social history of Los Angeles, with the composer himself calling it ‘an imaginary film score’, while Fearful Symmetries exemplifies his steamroller motor rhythms. The album ends with a capricious ‘Spider Dance’ of memorable rhythmic drive – a work dedicated to Marin Alsop who leads the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra in these performances.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarin Alsop has been quietly championing John Adams abroad—and now at the Met Opera conducting his El Nino— for decades. A new Naxos recording with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra demonstrates her flair and feeling for his distinctive idiom. City Noir, premiered by the LA Phil in 2009, is a vivid, multi-textured score inspired by mid-20th century urban California. With its jazz inflections and brooding canvases, the debt to the City of Angels and film noir are equally clear. This is the work’s third recording but well worth acquiring for Alsop’s theatrical bite and detailed interpretation. Punchier than Robertson and livelier than Dudamel (though Robertson’s ravishing sonics make for essential listening), she holds the attention with a sure eye for the work’s architectural twists and turns. The companion piece is Fearful Symmetries from 1988, one of Adams’s most infectious scores and yet only receiving its second outing on disc. Alsop takes the chugging basic pulse a tad faster than the composer’s own recording without sacrificing any of the infinite variety to be found in Adams’s orchestral details. It’s a joyous, carefree work and beautifully recorded. The same goes for the recorded premiere of Lola Montez Does the Spider Dance. Happily rehabilitated after getting the chop from Girls of the Golden West, this six-minute essay in wriggling cross rhythms is laced with sardonic wit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- Musical America (Clive Paget)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJohn Adams’s\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eCity Noir\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ehas been pretty well represented on disc in the fifteen years since its 2009 premiere: Marin Alsop’s new recording of the score with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony is the work’s fourth. In general, this celebration of the city of Los Angeles benefits from her approach. It’s swift and characterful...\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eits structure emerges nicely intact in Alsop’s hands. The central “The Song is for You” boasts a series of idiomatic solos (especially from alto saxophone and trombone), at times seeming to channel Gershwin. [The]\u003c\/span\u003e ORF’s woodwinds, trumpets, and jazz drummer really shine here. By about any measure, this is some brash and chill Adams.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven more welcome is the pairing’s account of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eFearful Symmetries\u003c\/em\u003e, a half-hour-long study in rhythm and texture that’s only been recorded once before. Granted, that earlier release was led by the composer and it’s aged well. But Alsop’s new take is downright invigorating. The conductor brings a strong sense of drive to the music, drawing out a beautiful blend of colors – from invitingly swooning saxophone quartet playing to unexpected synthesizer colors – from her forces. What’s more, hers is a reading that manages to vigorously illuminate the sophistication of Adams’s compositional language, circa 1988. It’s a keeper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- The Arts Fuse\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012705112298,"sku":"636943993521","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4302757-3148368.jpg?v=1786713485"},{"product_id":"henze-nachtstucke-und-arien","title":"Henze: Nachtstucke und Arien \/ Alsop, VRSO","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHans Werner Henze was initially an avant-garde composer but Nachtstücke und Arien symbolised his departure from dodecaphonic writing, to the annoyance of his contemporaries Boulez, Nono and Stockhausen at Darmstadt. With this new direction Henze’s music became highly rhapsodic, as heard in the challenging but lyrical solo cello that suggests the intimate texts of the Englische Liebeslieder. Referring to Goya, Los Caprichos captures the strangeness of this artist’s visions with long-breathed melodic lines and fleeting changes of texture, from military-sounding bustle to moments of profound stillness. Marin Alsop is chief conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, which she leads at Vienna’s Konzerthaus and Musikverein, and on recordings, broadcasts and tours. Her discography includes acclaimed Naxos recordings of symphonies by Brahms with the London Philharmonic, Dvořák with the Baltimore Symphony, and Prokofiev with the São Paulo Symphony. The first and only conductor to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, Alsop received the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award and was the first woman to conduct the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms. She is director of graduate conducting at the Peabody Institute and holds honorary doctorates from Yale University and The Juilliard School.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell6_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eHans Werner Henze's rigorously constructed and orchestrated works require careful and well-prepared performances, and that’s just what they get here from conductor Marin Alsop and the Vienna Radio Symphony. This might, in fact, make a good initial Henze album, for it leads the listener into his music in a logical way. All three pieces respond to extramusical models in different ways. He is not everybody’s cup of tea, but this release realizes his ideas exceptionally well.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e-- AllMusic.com (James Manheim)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012756459754,"sku":"747313418176","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4038066-2775837.jpg?v=1786643326"},{"product_id":"lee-iii-voyages-orchestral-music","title":"Lee III: Voyages - Orchestral Music \/ Alsop, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn Voyages, prolific American composer James Lee III takes the listener on a colorful journey through his endlessly creative orchestral music; painting biblical imagery in Beyond Rivers of Vision and celebrating the joyous Feast of Tabernacles in Sukkot Through Orion's Nebula, using well-known spirituals to celebrate the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman (Chuphshah! Harriet's Drive to Canaan) and reflecting on the ongoing fight for freedom through his grandfather’s personal experiences in WWII (A Different Soldier’s Tale). His music is played here by the renowned ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell0_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eAlthough there may be some in the audience who may be skeptical of music by composers who are pretty much unknown to them, especially contemporary composers, they are in for a treat, for \u003cem\u003eChuphshah! \u003c\/em\u003eis an entertaining, very listenable piece, as are all the compositions on this remarkable AVIE recording. From the opening measures of \u003cem\u003eSukkot Through Orion’s Nebula, \u003c\/em\u003ewith their snare, bass drum, brass, and percussion excitement, you know right away that this is going to be a fun recording for both musical and audio reasons. In his liner note essay, Lee describes Sukkot as “a festive work for orchestra,” and it is certainly that. Next up is the longest composition on the program, the four-movement \u003cem\u003eA Different Soldier’s Tale\u003c\/em\u003e, based on stories that Lee’s grandfather told him about his experiences in World War II. As you might expect from such a description, it contains some passages of drama and turmoil, as well as passages of pathos and reflection. \u003cem\u003eBeyond Rivers of Vision\u003c\/em\u003e is in three movements, of which Lee observes “for the most part the form in these pieces is fantasia-like or rhapsodic.” The music has an otherworldly characteristic to it at times that stands in contrast to the drama of the \u003cem\u003eSoldier’s Tale.\u003c\/em\u003e The CD closes with the afore-mentioned \u003cem\u003eChuphshah! Harriet's Drive to Canaan, \u003c\/em\u003ewhich is based on aspects of the life of Harriet Tubman. His liner note essay is insightful and helpful in understanding what he is attempting to do in all four compositions, but especially so for this one.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e As I indicated at the outset, this release is a treat both musically and sonically. The music is energetic and assertive, with plenty of orchestral effects that will show off a good audio system. The engineering team has done a good job, Alsop and the orchestra sound as though they are having a good time playing this mostly extroverted music, and the end result is a highly recommendable release from an exciting young composer. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e-- Classical Candor (Karl W. 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Carbon has long had a particularly affinity for the dramatic and expressive possibilities of concertos, and four of his significant works in that genre, played here by superb soloists, comprise the bulk of the album. The powerful symphony Inner Voices\" and the pictorial chamber suite \"Ghost Town Sketches\" round out this collection.\" (Carson Cooman)","brand":"Convivium Records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012838215914,"sku":"0700153370431","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3920536-2686639.jpg?v=1786684817"},{"product_id":"american-classics-barber-capricorn-concerto-alsop-143215","title":"American Classics - Barber: Capricorn Concerto \/ Alsop","description":"\u003cp\u003eIncludes work(s) by Samuel Barber.  Ensemble: Royal Scottish National Orchestra.  Conductor: Marin Alsop.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012882256106,"sku":"636943913529","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/705005.jpg?v=1786623945"},{"product_id":"dvorak-symphonies-no-7-8-alsop-baltimore-175871","title":"Dvorak: Symphonies No 7 \u0026 8 \/ Alsop, Baltimore Symphony [Blu-ray Audio]","description":"\u003cb\u003eThis is an audio-only (i.e., with no video content) Blu-ray disc playable only on Blu-ray players.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In these recordings from Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, Dvo?ák’s most darkly dramatic and passionate symphony, the Seventh, is coupled with his Eighth, notable for its dramatic contrasts, Bohemian lyricism, and a seemingly spontaneous flow of thematic ideas. ‘Alsop’s Baltimore orchestra parades a refined tonal profile that pays its own special dividends…Alsop should please both the eager newcomer…and the seasoned collector. There’ll be no disappointment on either score.’ (Gramophone) ‘This splendidly recorded performance [Symphony No. 7] stands very high among available readings.’ (BBC Music Magazine)\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Sound format: PCM Stereo \/ DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Naxos AudioVisual","offers":[{"title":"Blu-Ray","offer_id":46012890284266,"sku":"730099001069","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1796846.jpg?v=1786854143"},{"product_id":"mahler-symphony-no-1-marin-alsop-baltimore-121084","title":"Mahler: Symphony No. 1 \/ Alsop, Baltimore Symphony","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis remarkably original work, with its recurring quotations from the composer’s own songs, notably Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer) and Des Knaben Wunderhorn (The Boy’s Magic Horn), is the perfect expression of one of Mahler’s most quoted sayings, “The symphony is a world; it must contain everything”. The opening movement, filled with sounds that Mahler remembered from his childhood, depicts “Nature’s awakening from the long sleep of winter”, and is followed by an exuberant scherzo and trio based on a Ländler. The disturbing slow movement funeral march, based on the children’s song Frère Jacques, is unlike anything that had been heard before, and the symphony concludes with music of thrilling dramatic intensity.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell12_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eIn the finale the brass section is given its opportunity to step forward and they really deliver the goods. The trumpets, tuba, braying horns and tam-tam are thrilling in their impact. There is no distracting applause at the end of the symphony, thank goodness, and this allows for a few seconds thought before realising what a cracking performance has just taken place.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e–\u003c\/span\u003eMusicWeb International\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell11_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eThis is a thoughtful performance, very reined-in for the most part, though when Alsop finally lets her Baltimore forces off the leash in the closing peroration the effect is so starling that it blows you away. Earlier on, there are moments when you feel she’s held too much back, particularly in the scherzo, which is overly deliberate. But the sense of wonder of the first movement, together with the ironies of the later funeral march, are breathtakingly done, and all that hard to balance counter-point is beautifully clear. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e– Guardian (UK)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012901785834,"sku":"747313220779","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2042958.jpg?v=1786710134"},{"product_id":"prokofiev-symphonies-nos-1-classical-2-dreams-165670","title":"Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 1 'classical' \u0026 2; Dreams","description":"Prokofiev had written two symphonies as a student but his first numbered work in the genre was the Classical Symphony, completed in 1917.  This evokes, melodically though not necessarily harmonically, the world of Haydn and Mozart, and it has remained one of his most popular works.  The Second Symphony, by contrast, is a work of ‘iron and steel’ (in the composer’s words), a symphony of conscious modernity and visceral power.  Dreams, a ‘symphonic tableau’, reveals the potent, early influence on Prokofiev of Scriabin.  Of Marin Alsop and the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra’s recording of the Fourth Symphony and The Prodigal Son [8.573186], International Record Review wrote: ‘Conductor and orchestra both shine with the excitement of a special relationship in the ascendant’.","brand":"Naxos AudioVisual","offers":[{"title":"Blu-Ray","offer_id":46012908404970,"sku":"730099004466","price":8.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2795067_9c502525-b38f-46da-9894-07ca3f15aeec.jpg?v=1786841817"},{"product_id":"marin-alsop-conducts-peter-and-the-wolf-284230","title":"Marin Alsop Conducts Peter and the Wolf and other Fairytales \/ Britten-Pears Orchestra [Blu-ray]","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003ca class=\"links\" href=\"\/marin-alsop-conducts-peter-and-the-wolf-284224\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlso available on standard DVD\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e These live performances from Snape Maltings Concert Hall present some of the most popular classical works for younger audiences. Their perennial appeal is a result of vivid melodies, witty instrumental characterisation, and in three works, the use of spoken texts to illuminate the narrative. Whether composed to amuse, entertain or educate, each possesses marvellous vitality, lyricism and bravura. The performances are conducted and narrated by Marin Alsop, one of the world’s most inspirational musical communicators.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e -----\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e REVIEW:\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The chamber orchestra used for Saint-Saens's Carnival of the Animals, with two solo pianists, is of excellent quality. By far the most frequently played section, The Swan, is beautifully performed by the principal cello of this student ensemble.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The video was made in 2017 and 2018, the young people having had the good fortune of working with the conductor, Marin Alsop. The resulting concerts were filmed with Alsop acting as narrator, that narration becoming more serious as she takes us through The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra, a searching test for the young players who give a very creditable performance. As one would expect from the Snape Malting's venue, the sound quality is excellent, the result being a highly desirable gift for the children in your life.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e – David's Review Corner (David Denton)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos AudioVisual","offers":[{"title":"Blu-Ray","offer_id":46012909715690,"sku":"730099010269","price":15.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3731017-2499992.jpg?v=1786834676"},{"product_id":"bernstein-symphonies-nos-1-2-alsop-baltimore","title":"Bernstein: Symphonies Nos. 1 \u0026 2 \/ Alsop, Baltimore Symphony","description":"\u003cp\u003eLeonard Bernstein’s legendary 1943 Carnegie Hall conducting début brought his name to national attention, and the event was followed a few months later by the triumphant reception of his \u003ci\u003eSymphony No. 1\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003e‘Jeremiah.’ \u003c\/i\u003eThis major symphonic statement explores a crisis in faith and employs Jewish liturgical sources, its final movement, \u003ci\u003eLamentation\u003c\/i\u003e, being an anguished cry at the destruction of Jerusalem. Sharing the theme of loss of faith, \u003ci\u003eSymphony No. 2 ‘The Age of\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eAnxiety’ \u003c\/i\u003etakes W.H. Auden’s poem of the same name and follows its four characters in their spiritual journey to hard-won triumph.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s great to see this music being played with such conviction. We all know that Alsop is a superb Bernstein conductor, and Naxos already has a terrific account of the First Symphony from James Judd and the New Zealand Symphony, but this newcomer is, if anything, even finer–certainly sonically–and conducted with even more pizzazz. In the central Profanation movement, Alsop really does outdo Bernstein himself; the playing of the Baltimore Symphony here is sensational, and in the finale Jennifer Johnson Cano sings with great sensitivity and a beautiful tone. The tragic climaxes hit you right in the gut.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In the Second Symphony, Jean-Yves Thibaudet offers a first class account of his solo part. The Masque is especially outstanding–virtuosic but at the same time nicely “cool.” Prior to that, in the opening variation sets, Alsop knits the music together expertly, ensuring that the glum bits never bog down, and that the entire first part builds inexorably to its exciting conclusion. The following Dirge is is a barn-burner, and somehow after all of this the Epilogue never turns hollow. Again, I don’t think that Bernstein could have done better, and as suggested above the engineering is also rock solid and brilliant by turns. A marvelous release by any standard.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e – ClassicsToday (David Hurwitz, \u003cstrong\u003e10\/10\u003c\/strong\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012922986730,"sku":"636943979020","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3525271.jpg?v=1786642677"},{"product_id":"hindemith-nusch-nuschi-tanze-sancta-susana-mathis-966157","title":"Hindemith: Nusch-Nuschi-Tänze - Sancta Susana - Mathis der Maler","description":"\u003cp\u003ePaul Hindemith’s life was dominated by the events of the two world wars. In 1917, his discovery of contemporary Expressionist poetry and drama transformed him from a talented student to Germany’s leading new composer. His one-act operas Sancta Susanna and Das Nusch-Nuschi date from this period. Sancta Susanna – Hindemith’s first masterpiece – combines religious and erotic symbolism into an eerie narrative that was shocking for its time, whereas the dance suite from Das Nusch-Nuschi emphasises the plot’s origin as a Burmese comedy. The three symphonic movements from the opera Mathis der Maler refer to the three panels of the Isenheim Altarpiece by Renaissance painter Matthias Grünewald, but also graphically reflect Hindemith’s own artistic struggles in Nazi Germany.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012927148266,"sku":"747313428373","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4018130-2773971.jpg?v=1786646372"},{"product_id":"prokofiev-symphony-no-3-scythian-suite-alsop-95676","title":"Prokofiev: Symphony No 3, Scythian Suite... \/ Alsop","description":"This fourth volume in Marin Alsop’s acclaimed Prokofiev symphonic cycle features two of his most viscerally exciting works. Using material salvaged from his opera The Fiery Angel, the Third Symphony was hailed by Serge Koussevitzky at its 1929 première as ‘the best symphony since Tchaikovsky’s Sixth’. Originally commissioned as a ballet by Sergey Dyagilev but rejected as un-danceable, the Scythian Suite has become a popular orchestral showpiece, while Prokofiev retained a lifelong fondness for his dark-hued early symphonic sketch Autumn.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  Review:\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  Even die-hard fans will admit that Prokofiev's seven symphonies aren't always magnificent and Marin Alsop's elegant lucidity provides only a partial solution to the problem. She gets unfailingly good string playing, often more sensitively nuanced than that of her rivals, but her Sao Paulo team does tend to 'normalize' the invention, smoothing away rough edges in a manner that not everyone will find idiomatic. Still, Alsop's reading works on its own terms, and if she makes the music sound as much like Roussel as Stravinsky one can perhaps discern why Serge Diaghilev chose to reject the Scythian Suite as insufficiently Russian.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  – Gramophone","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012972957930,"sku":"747313345274","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2873544.jpg?v=1786728243"},{"product_id":"prokofiev-symphony-no-6-waltz-suite-alsop-74916","title":"Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6 \u0026 Waltz Suite \/ Alsop, Sao Paulo Symphony","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis fifth volume of the Prokofiev’s complete symphonies joins a series of acclaimed recordings from the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra with its principal conductor and music director Marin Alsop. Critics have warmly welcomed each release of this edition, from volume 1 with the Fifth Symphony from 2010, which “comes up trumps in a dramatic yet highly polished performance… an outstanding achievement” (BBC Music Magazine), to the “unfailingly good string playing, often more sensitively nuanced than that of her rivals…” (Gramophone) of volume 4’s Third Symphony.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell5_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eMarin Alsop turns up with an excellent reading of the Sixth almost in spite of herself. Something in the work speaks, if not to her, then to the orchestra, which plays with fervor and intensity fully befitting the music and with considerable sensitivity to the many shades of darkness that Prokofiev here puts on display. Alsop seems more to be carried along with the music than to shape it—her overly fast finale, indeed, almost derails the movement’s effectiveness. But the performance as a whole turns out to be very successful indeed, with the gradations of Prokofiev’s anti-triumphalist writing coming through clearly and the sectional stability of the orchestra allowing the symphony’s many themes and unusual balances to emerge to fine effect. The reality must be that Alsop is responsible for shaping this very fine performance, but it almost feels as if the orchestra is playing without a conductor, with suppleness and sectional sensitivity that bring forth, all in all, a very impressive reading. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell5_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eAlsop seems a stronger presence in the six-movement and altogether lighter \u003cem\u003eWaltz Suite,\u003c\/em\u003e in which Prokofiev recycled three pieces from \u003cem\u003eCinderella,\u003c\/em\u003e two from \u003cem\u003eWar and Peace\u003c\/em\u003e and one from an abandoned film project, \u003cem\u003eLermontov,\u003c\/em\u003e into a half-hour suite that explores three-quarter time from a wide variety of angles and with numerous emotional high and low points. Again the orchestra delivers first-rate playing, and the result is a highly interesting juxtaposition of a 1945–47 symphony that is very serious indeed with a 1946–47 suite that remains determinedly on the frothy side.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e– Infodad.com\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Marin Alsop and the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra continue their Prokofiev series for Naxos with his sixth symphony, written as an elegy for the victims of the second world war but condemned as anti-Soviet and banned in 1948, a year after its completion. Alsop and her players handle the great climactic moments with elan but the central threnody lacks the compassion of, for example, Sakari Oramo’s recording with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. The vibrant Waltz Suite, however, really swings, with some stylish solo playing in all sections of the orchestra.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e – Guardian\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012986654954,"sku":"747313351879","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3435675.jpg?v=1786702102"},{"product_id":"bartok-the-wooden-prince-alsop-bournemouth-symphony-144885","title":"Bartók: The Wooden Prince \/ Alsop, Bournemouth Symphony","description":"In the years leading up to World War I, Bartók occupied himself with a series of works for the theater. He completed his first stage work Bluebeard’s Castle in 1911. The Wooden Prince (1914-16) is a fairytale ballet with an original story by Bartók’s literary acquaintance Béla Balázs, who wrote the libretto for Bluebeard’s Castle. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Set “once upon a time” in a forest whose trees rustle to life, the ballet runs continuously as a series of seven dances with connecting music and recurring musical themes. Though outwardly lighthearted in its subject matter, The Wooden Prince contains a mystical element that may explain Bartók’s attraction to the story. He crafted the work as a symmetrical, tripartite symphonic poem, with the final section recalling materials from the first part in reverse order.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Marin Alsop is the first conductor ever to receive the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship and was the first musician to win both Gramophone's \"Artist of the Year\" award and the Royal Philharmonic Society's Conductor's Award in the same season.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012987212010,"sku":"747313053476","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1312775_24917abd-57aa-4d04-9fb2-8c8df6891709.jpg?v=1786745857"},{"product_id":"adagio-chillout-234777","title":"Adagio Chillout","description":"\u003cp\u003eIncludes work(s) by various composers.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012997992682,"sku":"730099678322","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/652384.jpg?v=1786820241"},{"product_id":"takemitsu-orchestral-works","title":"TAKEMITSU: Orchestral Works","description":"Now regarded as one of the most important composers of the second half of the twentieth century, Toru Takemitsu was the first Japanese composer to gain international status.","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013010149610,"sku":"747313276028","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/941894.jpg?v=1786627345"},{"product_id":"prokofiev-symphony-no-7-other-orchestral-works-95708","title":"Prokofiev: Symphony No. 7 \u0026 Other Orchestral Works \/ Alsop, Sao Paulo Symphony","description":"\u003cp\u003eSergey Prokofiev’s final years were clouded by ill-health, and the Seventh Symphony was his last significant work, full of poignant nostalgia and restrained but deeply expressed emotion. The Love for Three Oranges consolidated Prokofiev’s reputation in the West in the 1920s, both this and the satirical tale of Lieutenant Kije producing two of his most popular suites. This is the final volume of the acclaimed cycle of Prokofiev’s Symphonies with the Sao Paolo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e -----\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell3_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eAlsop captures the lyrical aspects of the Seventh work really well. She also has the advantage of a superior recording in the acoustically friendlier Sala São Paulo. The orchestra is superb throughout, but special mention should be made of the woodwinds that have notable solos in the work.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e– MusicWeb International\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThis is one of the most desirable Sevenths on disc. The Sao Paulo orchestra are in good shape, and continue with a display of their refined tonal quality through the remainder of the disc, the creamy double-bass solo at the opening of the Romance in the Kije Suite worthy of special mention. Commendable inner detail, but play the disc at a very high volume to bring it to life.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e – David's Review Corner\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013014016234,"sku":"747313362073","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3740255.jpg?v=1786668375"},{"product_id":"daugherty-route-66-marin-alsop-bournemouth-symphony-134917","title":"Daugherty: Route 66 \/ Marin Alsop, Bournemouth Symphony","description":"\u003cimg src=\"\/graphics\/p10s10.gif\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  Michael Daugherty manages to have his musical cake and eat it too. His music's eclectic \"pop\" elements rub shoulders with thoroughly modern compositional techniques. Time Machine, for example, requires three conductors, but its various textural layers and rhythmic complexities never sound confused. Indeed, its ticking woodblocks sound very much like Daugherty--something similar occurs at the start of Ghost Ranch, inspired by paintings by the always marvelous Georgia O'Keefe. Both this latter work and Sunset Strip are triptychs in the grand tradition of Ives (Three Places in New England) and Debussy (La mer). \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Route 66, by contrast, is a seven-minute cross-country travelogue, and one of Daugherty's best-known works (after the expansive Metropolis Symphony). Marin Alsop has established herself as a champion of Daugherty's music, and performs all of it with obvious commitment. The Bournemouth orchestra, particularly its brass section (horns and trumpets), makes the most of the numerous solo opportunities that Daugherty offers the players. Naxos' engineers do an excellent job capturing the music's wide range of colors and, in Time Machine, its spacial elements. No reservations whatever--this is just excellent.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013018800362,"sku":"636943961322","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1796712.jpg?v=1786751986"},{"product_id":"the-story-of-classical-music-darren-henley-unabridged-4-cds","title":"The Story of Classical Music \/ Darren Henley (unabridged) [4 CDs]","description":"This exclusive 6-disc collection from the BR Klassik label features legendary voices in previous unreleased recordings from the archives of Bavarian Broadcasting in Munich. The \"Munich Sunday Concerts\" series of live radio shows began in 1952 (and continue to the present day) with an international cast appearing with the Munich Radio Orchestra. This \"best-of \" compilation features classic voices like Margaret Price, Hermann Prey, Lucia Popp, Elisabeth Grummer, Nicolai Ghiaurov and Mirella Freni. 6 top notch live recordings together in one set, and each one a gem","brand":"Naxos AudioBooks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013032693994,"sku":"9789626343104","price":25.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/587399_140e1836-5db0-4e2d-a563-229af2184b52.jpg?v=1786746396"},{"product_id":"clyne-mythologies-bbc-symphony-orchestra-396793","title":"Clyne: Mythologies \/ BBC Symphony Orchestra","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnna Clynne’s enormous palette of colors and special effects coalesce into an aural three-dimensional experience of striking originality. Equally there’s a comforting familiarity to her music, as she draws inspiration from historic styles that she transforms into a new musical dialect. Anna’s background in electro-acoustic music and her fascination for a variety of multi-media – including poetry, visual art and videography – combine to create rich and exhilarating textures of popular appeal.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe five works on Anna Clyne: Mythologies were written over a 10-year period between 2005 and 2015. The performances on the album feature the BBC Symphony Orchestra and four internationally-acclaimed conductors. Masquerade, commissioned by BBC Radio 3 to open the Last Night of the Proms 2013 and conducted by Marin Alsop, captures the spirit of that quintessentially English tradition. The title evokes an 18th-century outdoor festivity featuring fireworks, acrobats and street entertainers. This Midnight Hour, conducted by the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s Chief Conductor Sakari Oramo, encapsulates the modernity and decadence of two European poets, Nobel Prize-winning Spaniard Juan Ramón Jiménez and Frenchman Charles Baudelaire. Oramo also conducts The Seamstress, a single-movement violin concerto in all but name, featuring soloist Jennifer Koh as well as the whispered voice of Irene Buckley reciting the work’s inspiration, a poem by William Butler Yeats.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMore poetry by a Nobel laureate, the Irishman Seamus Heaney, inspired Night Ferry; conducted by Andrew Litton, the work conjures crashing waves and weathered seafaring. The album concludes with rewind, conducted by André de Ridder. It’s a wild romp imagining the backwards scroll of a video tape complete with glitches, skips and freezes.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMythologies became an instant media and popular success when it was released in October 2020 – “hands-down one of the half-dozen best classical albums of 2020”, according to New York Music Daily. The album is now presented in both a CD version and as a magnificent 2-LP set. The splendor of the glossy gatefold and 180-gram vinyl in particular is an appropriate match for Anna’s enormous palette of colors and special effects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI found her music colourful, full of energy and overflowing with ideas which grip you from first to last. The present release of her compositions spanning the decade from 2005 up to 2015 thus offers a fine survey of her recent orchestral music and there is no better place to begin with than the first work recorded here, the short \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eMasquerade,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e a brilliant concert-opener if ever there was one. The music skips along with high spirits until it concludes with a quotation from John Playford's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe English Dancing Master\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e which comes as a surprise - although I for one would not be surprised to learn that that very tune had already been there since the very beginning but cleverly and subtly disguised. Anyway, this short and brilliant work presents Anna Clyne's music-making in a nutshell, as it were.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThese superb works receive committed readings from all concerned and, besides singling out the BBC Symphony Orchestra playing at its customary best, I would like to draw attention to Jennifer Koh's impressive take on the violin part in \u003cem\u003eThe Seamstress\u003c\/em\u003e, one of the gems in this collection. I hope that many will derive as much musical pleasure from this very fine release as I have, and that it will not take too long before more of Clyne's orchestral music is committed to disc.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e-- MusicWeb International\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eMythologies\u003c\/em\u003e is an apt title choice for this striking collection by London-born composer Anna Clyne (b. 1980). However ancient mythological tales might appear at the surface level, their archetypal themes resonate across the ages, as relevant today as when they were born, and they're fantastical in nature too, populated as they are with gods and mythical beasts. In similar manner, Clyne's music exudes an era-transcending quality in these phantasmagoric pieces, some of which stretch out for twenty minutes at a time. The Grammy-nominated composer is a tale-spinner whose creations transport the listener to dazzling realms.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCertainly a key part of the recording's appeal has to do with unpredictability: in not conforming to long-established scripts, the pieces are able to unfold in any number of stylistic directions, even if ultimately each develops in accordance with her sensibility.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e-- Textura\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Avie Records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013100654826,"sku":"822252243420","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3856699-2628777_e8f915db-6d94-489e-949c-996cd400842f.jpg?v=1786713003"},{"product_id":"kernis-flute-concerto-air-symphony-no-2-269972","title":"Kernis: Flute Concerto, Air \u0026 Symphony No. 2 \/ Slatkin, Alsop, Peabody Symphony","description":"Pulitzer Prize- and GRAMMY® Award-winning composer Aaron Jay Kernis’s Flute Concerto was inspired by and written for Marina Piccinini. 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Learn about the character of each instrument, how it is constructed and played, which instruments go well together, and hear how they all sound!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWith featured guide, conductor Marin Alsop, you’ll even know your heckelphone from your sackbut and your tom-tom from your tam-tam – all by spending hours of fun with words, pictures and music tracks.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"Book","offer_id":46013224321258,"sku":"9781781983584","price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3948643-2773700.jpg?v=1787661000"},{"product_id":"american-gothic-for-orchestra","title":"Michael Daugherty: Tales of Hemingway, American Gothic \u0026 Once upon a Castle \/ Giancarlo, Guerrero, Jacobs, Nashville Symphony Orchestra","description":"\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eGRAMMY® Award-winning composer Michael Daugherty creates colorful musical portraits in this recording, featuring larger-than-life personalities drawn from 20th-century American culture. Tales of Hemingway is a dramatic cello concerto, evoking the turbulent life, adventures and literature of author Ernest Hemingway. American Gothic is a dynamic concerto for orchestra, reflecting on the creative world of Iowa artist Grant Wood. Once Upon a Castle is a virtuosic sinfonia concertante for organ and orchestra, inspired by the rich history of the Hearst Castle, built lhigh upon the California Pacific coast by billionaire Randolph Hearst, the subject of Orson Welles' film Citizen Kane. Under the baton of Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero, the GRAMMY® Award-winning Nashville Symphony is joined by Zuill bailey, one of the leading cellists of his generation, and GRAMMY® Award-winning organist Paul Jacobs.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013229072618,"sku":"636943979822","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3445165.jpg?v=1786718102"},{"product_id":"complete-symphonies-493202","title":"Prokofiev: Complete Symphonies \/ Alsop, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo","description":"\u003cp\u003eSergey Prokofiev’s seven symphonies are acknowledged as one of the major cycles of the 20th century, and these recordings with Marin Alsop and the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra have received widespread critical acclaim. From the crisp vitality of the youthful ‘Classical’ Symphony to the viscerally exciting Third, the Fifth Symphony which for Prokofiev represented ‘the grandeur of the human spirit’ and the deeply moving and heartfelt Sixth Symphony, this is an unforgettable collection crowned by the bittersweet Seventh Symphony, the composer’s final significant work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePast praise of previously released volumes included in this set\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProkofiev: Symphonies No 1 \"Classical\" \u0026amp; 2 \/ Alsop\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWithout minimizing the Second’s violent energy, Alsop plays the piece with a vivid sense of its long melodic lines. The first movement, in particular, has plenty of excitement but also a certain lyrical emphasis that gives the music something to be excited about. It’s very convincing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs for the Classical Symphony, well, just about everyone does it well, and while I can imagine a first movement with a touch more snap to its rhythms, the performance picks up steam as it goes, culminating in a delightfully crisp account of the finale. The early tone poem “Dreams” drifts about prettily for ten minutes, sounding like Debussy or Scriabin or basically anyone but Prokofiev. Does it deserve greater exposure? Perhaps not, but this lovely performance makes as strong a case for it as you might imagine possible. Vivid sonics make this the best release in this series so far.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e – David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProkofiev: Symphony No. 7 \u0026amp; Other Orchestral Works \/ Alsop\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlsop captures the lyrical aspects of the Seventh work really well. She also has the advantage of a superior recording in the acoustically friendlier Sala São Paulo. The orchestra is superb throughout, but special mention should be made of the woodwinds that have notable solos in the work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e– MusicWeb International\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013240541418,"sku":"747313603831","price":51.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3940299-2691495.jpg?v=1786679455"},{"product_id":"weill-symphony-no-1-2-etc-alsop-234849","title":"Weill: Symphony No 1 \u0026 2, Etc \/ Alsop, Bournemouth So","description":"While he left an extensive and significant output of stage-works, the contribution of Kurt Weill to orchestral and instrumental genres was largely restricted to his formative years.","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013268230378,"sku":"747313248124","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/748662.jpg?v=1786763973"},{"product_id":"prokofiev-symphony-no-5-the-year-1941-186769","title":"Prokofiev: Symphony No  5, The Year 1941 \/ Alsop, Sao Paulo Symphony","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten in 1944, Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony is one of his greatest and most complete symphonic statements. At its première he himself called it “a symphony of the grandeur of the human spirit”. The first movement couples considerable strength with unexpected yet highly characteristic twists of melody. After a violent scherzo followed by a slow movement of sustained lyricism, with a fiercely dramatic middle section, the finale blazes with barely suppressed passion. The Year 1941 is another wartime work, a symphonic suite written in response to the German invasion of the Soviet Union. This is the first volume a of complete cycle of the Prokofiev Symphonies with the OSESP and Marin Alsop, the orchestra’s newly appointed principal conductor.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell18_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eAlsop is evidently a sympathetic interpreter of Prokofiev, because the tempo and pacing always feel spot-on, and the character of the music rings true. Naxos offers exceptional reproduction of the vivid instrumental colors with appropriately resonant acoustics, so this series starts off brilliantly, with worthy performances that sound terrific.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e– AllMusicGuide.com\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013307322602,"sku":"747313302970","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2002832_2b227c89-a234-4d6f-9cbf-5f73cf3953b3.jpg?v=1786729882"},{"product_id":"bernstein-anniversaries-fancy-free-suite-overture-to-126479","title":"Bernstein: Anniversaries, Fancy Free Suite, Overture to Candide \u0026 Overture to Wonderful Town \/ Alsop, Sao Paulo Symphony","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe sparkling overture to Leonard Bernstein’s 1956 musical Candide immediately found a prominent place in concert programs all over the world and is now one of his most frequently performed pieces. Many of Bernstein’s best loved works drew inspiration from the city of New York, and this is true both of the three sailors pursuing female conquest in the ballet ‘Fancy Free,’ and of the rip-roaring swing rhythm and big tunes from the musical ‘Wonderful Town.’ Bernstein celebrated his friends and family with his ‘Anniversaries’- piano vignettes heard here for the first time in colorfully expanded orchestrations. Marin Alsop is an inspiring and powerful voice in the international music scene who passionately believes that “music has the power to change lives.” She became music director of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra in 2012 and made history in 2013 as the first female conductor of the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms, which she returned to conduct in 2015. As a student of Leonard Bernstein, Alsop is central to his 100th anniversary celebrations, conducting Bernstein’s ‘Mass’ at the Ravina Festival, where she serves as musical curator for 2018 and 2019.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013310238954,"sku":"636943981429","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3572605.jpg?v=1786729426"},{"product_id":"gershwin-porgy-bess-highlights-alsop-philadelphia-orchestra","title":"Gershwin: Porgy \u0026 Bess (Highlights) \/ Alsop, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Marin Alsop present a live recording with highlights of Gershwin’s self-proclaimed American “Folk Opera” \u003cem\u003ePorgy and Bess\u003c\/em\u003e, together with a stellar cast and the Morgan State University Choir.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince its premiere in 1935, \u003cem\u003ePorgy and Bess\u003c\/em\u003e has been one of the most significant early attempts to create American classical music inspired by African American styles such as jazz, Spirituals, and the blues. The hard-knock life at a Charleston waterfront tenement is presented here by an outstanding cast including Lester Lynch (Porgy), Angel Blue (Bess, Clara, and Serena), Chauncey Packer (Sportin’ Life) and Kevin Short (Crown and Jake).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarin Alsop is one of today’s most acclaimed conductors, and the first woman to serve as the head of a major orchestra in the United States, South America, Austria and Britain. The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the world’s preeminent orchestras. Multi-award-winning soprano Angel Blue is one of the most promising voices of her generation, while Chauncey Packer is arguably one of the greatest and sought-after Sportin’ Life interpreters today. Lester Lynch and Kevin Short each enjoy a flourishing stage career, as well as a vast PENTATONE discography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\" id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell6_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\"\u003eSoprano Angel Blue has already shown she can meet—and exceed—the vocal and dramatic demands of playing Bess in the recent Metropolitan Opera production, and so it's not surprising that her lovely voice is the highlight of this disc of excerpts from George Gershwin's emotionally powerful opera. Not only does Blue own Bess' classic songs but she also sings Clara's \"Summertime\" and Serena's \"My Man's Gone Now\" with equal parts power and finesse and an ability to grab the listener from the get-go. Lester Lynch's Porgy and Chauncey Packer's Sportin' Life provide superb vocal support and Marin Alsop conducts an expertly-chosen group of excerpts, strongly performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra and Morgan State University Choir.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e-- The Flip Side\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PENTATONE","offers":[{"title":"SACD","offer_id":46013318103274,"sku":"827949088360","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3973029-2713628_9ee608ce-c5af-44e7-8db5-e7e7cda2f49e.jpg?v=1786693688"},{"product_id":"bernstein-1600-pennsylvania-avenue-suite-slava-cbs-59913","title":"Bernstein: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Suite, Slava!, CBS Music \u0026 A Bernstein Birthday Bouquet \/ Alsop, Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra","description":"This recording brings together music from some of Leonard Bernstein's best-loved scores with seldom heard occasional works and premiere recordings. From the iconic musical West Side Story, the hot-blooded dance number 'Mambo' embodies the show's dramatic tensions. 'Slava!' celebrates Bernstein's friend and colleague, the cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich, in music reworked from the daring show 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, from which the Suite rescues further highlights. 'CBS Music' has not ben heard since the broadcasting giant's 50th anniversary celebrations in 1978, while the 'Birthday Bouquet' takes the form of affectionate musical tributes from eight composer colleagues to one of the twentieth century's greatest musicians. Marin Alsop is an inspiring and powerful voice in the international music scene who passionately believes that \"music has the power to change lives.\" She became music director of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra in 2012 and made history in 2013 as the first female conductor of the BBC's Last Night of the Proms, which she returned to conduct in 2015. As a student of Leonard Bernstein, Alsop is central to his 100th anniversary celebrations, conducting Bernstein's 'Mass' at the Ravina Festival, where she serves as musical curator for 2018 and 2019.","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013400875242,"sku":"636943981320","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3572604.jpg?v=1786652970"},{"product_id":"barber-piano-concerto-die-natali-alsop-prutsman-75497","title":"Barber: Piano Concerto, Die Natali \/ Alsop, Prutsman","description":"Here at last we have a recording of Barber's marvelous Piano Concerto to rival (if not surpass) the classic Szell\/Browning recording for CBS (Sony), a performance which that company inexplicably has managed to reissue everywhere in the world except in the one place that it should: the U.S. While Szell and his Clevelanders remain unbeatable in terms of rhythmic precision and disciplined ensemble, Marin Alsop and her Scottish players offer ample excitement and drive, while pianist Stephen Prutsman certainly compares favorably to John Browning's pioneering effort (his later, more sedate remake for RCA doesn't factor into this particular equation at all). \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Prutsman puts steel into the music where required (the opening cadenza and much of the finale), but he offers a slow movement of great delicacy and tenderness too. He knows when to back off and let the orchestra have the spotlight, and together with Alsop manages a genuine dialog in such passages as the finale's second calm episode (music that's pure Prokofiev in its ironic wit). It's interesting how closely this finale resembles that of Ginastera's First Piano Concerto, composed at the same time, and both seem to be taking the finale of Bartók's Second Piano Concerto as a model. In any case, aside from Szell\/Browning, there is no finer performance of this work available, and it's very well recorded to boot.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e As for the couplings, the catchy Commando March plays itself, and Die Natali, a marvelously inventive fantasia on Christmas carols, receives a lovely performance. Why this charming piece isn't hauled out every December and played to death, as it surely deserves to be, is a genuine mystery. Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance features an excellent \"meditation\", brooding but not too slow, that yields to a vividly detailed but somewhat underpowered \"dance of vengeance\", just fractionally under tempo and lacking the ultimate hysterical frenzy (as in Munch\/Boston) at the climaxes. However, given the overall excellence of the other items on offer, this isn't a major liability, and for the Piano Concerto alone this disc will be an essential acquisition for anyone who cares about Barber's music.\u003cbr\u003e --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013414113514,"sku":"636943913321","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/450897.jpg?v=1786623903"},{"product_id":"bartok-concerto-for-orchestra-music-for-strings-235295","title":"Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra; Music for Strings, Percussion \u0026 Celesta \/ Alsop, Baltimore Symphony","description":"\u003cp\u003eBéla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, one of his greatest works, was written in the United States after the composer was forced to flee Hungary during World War II. It is not only a brilliant display vehicle for each instrumental section but a work of considerable structural ingenuity that unites classical forms and sonorities with the pungency of folk rhythms and harmonies. Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta explores darker moods through a score of marvellously poised symmetry. This release follows Marin Alsop’s ‘riveting’ (Gramophone) Baltimore Symphony recordings of Dvorák’s symphonies.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell5_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eMarin Alsop leads a splendid performance of the oft-recorded Concerto for Orchestra, full of character, whether in the jocular “games of pairs” second movement, the ensuing spooky elegy, or the finale that begins (seemingly) a touch reserved but takes off like a shot in the coda. It’s a memorable and wholly successful effort, excellently engineered to boot.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e– ClassicsToday.com (D. Hurwitz)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013443965162,"sku":"747313248674","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1987210_2bdcf4f9-fa82-4794-bb3c-c473c9d30eaa.jpg?v=1786729920"},{"product_id":"american-classics-barber-knoxville-summer-of-1915-94435","title":"American Classics - Barber: Knoxville - Summer Of 1915, Essays For Orchestra","description":"\"None of the performances on this new release is less than superb; moreover, no one who has been using the Naxos series to build his library of Barber works risks being disappointed by this or any of the other releases...this new Naxos release is especially notable for its extremely rich yet transparent sound quality and for painstakingly shaped phrasing by the Scottish National Orchestra.\"\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e -- Walter Simmons, Fanfare\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013474144490,"sku":"636943913420","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/639269.jpg?v=1786767909"},{"product_id":"adams-nixon-in-china-alsop-orth-dedominici-183115","title":"Adams: Nixon In China \/ Orth, DeDominici, Alsop, Colorado Symphony","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"She leads the score with grand sweep and understanding, and her Colorado forces bring out its colors vividly; moreover, she inspires her cast to sing as if they're having a great time with this no-longer-new but still odd opera.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Nonesuch's 1987 recording of this opera, produced when the work was new, was revelatory. Though clearly a piece of mimimalism, it did not rely only on endless repetition; indeed, Adams' musical language was varied enough to make Nixon in China a fascinating opera despite very little action and a somewhat unrevealing text by Alice Goodman. The Nixons and the events of the 1972 visit came across as oddly shallow. It's clear now that that was the point: Nixon's first-act rant, \"News has a kind of mystery\", is much the key to the opera. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e It also seems wittier and more purposefully ironic now, with Kissinger's villainy almost overshadowed by his ladykilling; Pat Nixon's innocence almost charming (we've seen worse since); Madame Mao's berserk aria even more pointedly wacky and funny; and the contrast between Chou En-lai's philosophizing and Richard Nixon's simplemindedness clearer than ever. During the toasts in the third scene of the first act, Chou's toast, an eloquent paean to the future (\"Our children race downhill unflustered into peace...\"), is accompanied by even arpeggios; when Nixon's clichés take over (\"a vote of thanks to one and all who made this possible\"), we're jarred into paying attention to his mundanity by disconnected, disparate tones. It's masterly.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Each scene in the first act still strikes me as a few minutes too long, but Act 2, particularly with the spectacular and varied music for the surreal opera performance, is riveting. The frustrating last act is oblique in its dramatic thrust (it features personal reflections from all of the characters except, tellingly, Kissinger), but it is food for thought even if it is a dramatic anti-climax. It's a strange, quiet way to end an opera--but take it for what it is.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e This new recording, taken from a live performance at Denver's Ellie Caulkins Opera House in June, 2008, is brilliant. It is sonically way ahead of the Nonesuch (which was recorded at a very low level), thus making it possible to understand almost every word, and Marin Alsop's tempos are slightly slower than Edo de Waart's, which also helps comprehension. She leads the score with grand sweep and understanding, and her Colorado forces bring out its colors vividly; moreover, she inspires her cast to sing as if they're having a great time with this no-longer-new but still odd opera.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Robert Orth's Nixon has just the right amount of self-parody that \"playing\" Nixon requires--the distance between 1987 and now is very long and we can sense ironies from our vantage point that we were blind to then. Maria Kanyova's Pat also seems more sympathetic while remaining as publicly simple as she always was, and Kanyova's voice and diction are splendid. Marc Heller handles Mao's high tessitura, sometimes bordering on madness, with great character and flavor. Chen-Ye Yuan's Chou is beautifully sung and he captures both the character's joylessness and intelligence. Thomas Hammons (also on the Nonesuch recording) uses his dark, growling bass to show us everything we need to know about the cynical Kissinger, and Tracy Dahl, as Madame Mao, is pretty frightening, even while delivering her Queen of the Night-like aria.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e There's not much to decide between this set and the Nonesuch, which is still available. As mentioned, this new one is sonically superior (and cheaper), but otherwise it's pretty much a tie. Naxos, like Nonesuch, supplies a libretto; Nonesuch's booklet has superb essays and a better synopsis.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e --Robert Levine, ClassicsToday.com (\u003cstrong\u003e10\/10\u003c\/strong\u003e!)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46025331146986,"sku":"730099902274","price":35.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1569044_dc4b2b1a-bc19-4c99-90a3-261d7dfd7731.jpg?v=1786726525"},{"product_id":"brahms-symphony-no-4-hungarian-dances-alsop-176877","title":"Brahms: Symphony No 4, Hungarian Dances \/ Alsop, London PO","description":"\u003cb\u003eTop Brahms!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Here it is: the final release in the set of Brahms symphonies from Marin Alsop with the London Philharmonic. Previous reviews have praised just about every aspect of this new Naxos cycle, and while I admit to arriving somewhat late on the scene I have to admit that all expectations are realised.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e So that you know where I’m coming from, my formative introduction to the symphonies of Brahms came with the 1983 live cycle on DG with Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic. The influence of those initial impressions of intensity and edgy freedom of expression are of course hard to shake, but there is always more than one way to skin a great piece of music, and later on I was as likely to be found settling down with a good book and Herbert von Karajan’s 1989 recordings with the Berlin Philharmonic. Other versions have passed my way as well – Günter Wand’s 2001 RCA cycle with the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra for instance, and those lovely old Bruno Walter recordings with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra now on Sony, which still sound surprisingly good given their vintage.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e If done properly, Brahms’s symphonic writing means that you will have read the same page a multitude of times in that ‘good book’ you have in your hand while listening. The content and meaning of the words will remain as obscure as at the first attempt as your ears and attention are absorbed and enthralled by the lush musical garden that gradually unfolds through your loudspeakers, or in my case headphones. With Alsop and the LPO you might as well give up on reading at all, and give yourself over to a feast of wonderful music-making.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Marin Alsop’s tempi are measured and sustained in what seems to me an ideal way in this symphony. The first movement seems at first urbane and restrained, but the ceiling is set high, and there is plenty of room for bite and drama in the music – never hurried or unstable, but with a gloss of perfect preparation which seems to allow the listener to plunge directly and deeply into Brahms’s inspired vision. The same is true of the second Andante moderato movement, in which the winds initially shine with lush resonance. Intonation is crucial here, and the LSO’s wind and brass are spot on – playing as one. The timing and anticipation is beautifully measured in advance of the ‘big tune’ at 8:55, which is turned out here without histrionics, but as a noble and almost infinite field of sound – a bounteous source for a composer like Elgar, whose own ‘Enigma’ variations spring immediately to mind.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e A lightness of touch is required of the third movement’s Allegro giocoso, and Alsop blows away any cobwebs which may have gathered in a sweep of freshness. There’s a slightly anticipatory rhythm at 4:23 caused by an edit, but this will hopefully only be noticeable to fully trained and overly picky reviewers. The final movement brings back the measured, sustained feel of the first, but with that extra turbulence, and those quicksilver touches of detail in the orchestration pointed subtly and superbly by all concerned in this recording. I was wondering if that slow central section wasn’t just a little too slow and lingering, but the re-entry of the full orchestra at around 6:00 is made all the more magical for being delayed for that extra few ounces of ‘down-time’, and the final run builds in intensity to create a fully satisfying close.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The Hungarian Dances presented here are the ‘leftovers’ from Brahms’s own orchestrations of nos. 1, 3 and 10, covered in volume 2 of this series. The dances here have been newly orchestrated by Peter Breiner in an imaginative commission from Naxos especially for this recording. Breiner’s versions respect Brahms’s orchestral resonances for the most part, but inject quite a bit of extra jazzy impact and violinistic Hungarian idiom, emphasising some of those seriously fun syncopations with extra percussion and brass. There is a danger of creating a set of little P.D.Q. Bach monsters here, but with the essence of Brahms’s ideas held largely intact I admire the way Breiner has stretched these pieces just enough to make them into genuine orchestral showpieces, without turning the smiles they bring into disrespectful guffaws.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e I think the way is clear – I simply must have the rest of this set.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e -- Dominy Clements, MusicWeb International\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46025355395306,"sku":"747313023370","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1136429.jpg?v=1786762747"},{"product_id":"brahms-symphony-no-1-overtures-alsop-london-234837","title":"Brahms: Symphony No 1, Overtures \/ Alsop, London PO","description":"Okay, we all know that at this point no one needs a new Brahms cycle, but this first installment has one thing going for it: Marin Alsop appears to be a fine Brahms conductor. She begins the First Symphony with an introduction that would have made Klemperer sit up and take notice: it's that grand and imposing. Happily, she also launches the allegro (exposition repeat retained) with genuine thrust and energy, while her generous rubato as she relaxes into the second subject is effortlessly managed--and she builds to the recapitulation with plenty of excitement and rhythmic tension. This is the genuine article, make no mistake. The slow movement reveals the same beautifully controlled transitions, the tempo nicely flowing, marred only by an insensitive solo violin, too closely miked.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The third movement reveals one other small flaw in the performance: rather faceless wind playing from clarinets and oboes (to some degree a function of the forward string balances and generous reverberation that otherwise serves the music to impressive effect). Alsop builds the brooding introduction to the finale with an unerring feel for the music's atmosphere, though I wish she had launched the movement proper with a swifter account of the \"big tune\". To her credit, though, she doesn't lurch forward at the forte counterstatement, but rather accumulates energy naturally. The coda goes really well, with an impressive feeling of culmination, and Alsop takes care to make the trombones audible in the final bars, a nice touch that sets the seal on a very distinguished effort.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The two overtures are no less impressive. Of course, the Academic Festival is practically unkillable, but Alsop's pointed rhythms help project the music's joyous humor while preventing the familiar tunes from sounding foursquare. Her Tragic Overture is one of the best, at a tempo remarkably close to Ancerl's benchmark interpretation--which is to say slowish and implacably serious. At this speed, the rich harmonies of the second subject and throughout the development really tell, and the climaxes have time to register with the necessary impact. I look forward very much to the next installments in this series.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e As I said, the market doesn't really need this, but Naxos is right to let Alsop shine in the music she identifies with most strongly, and her Brahms certainly qualifies. Besides, wonderful though it is to conduct lots of Barber, Reich, and Glass, the fact remains that careers are made in the standard repertoire, where comparisons with illustrious interpretations past and present are made. Certainly on evidence here Alsop has nothing to fear from the competition. If the rest of this cycle remains at this high level (that is, if she pegs the finale of the Second Symphony and becomes one of the very few conductors to play the Third really well), then I would say her reputation will be secure for some time to come.\u003cbr\u003e --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46025515663594,"sku":"747313242825","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/705057.jpg?v=1786630671"},{"product_id":"brahms-symphony-no-2-hungarian-dances-alsop-144854","title":"Brahms: Symphony No 2, Hungarian Dances \/ Alsop, London PO","description":"\u003cb\u003eAn invigorating and very enjoyable reading of this fine symphony.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e This is the second instalment in Marin Alsop’s ongoing Brahms cycle. Both its predecessor and this latest offering have been widely praised by colleagues. I’ve heard her both on radio and on disc in twentieth century repertoire but I’d yet to encounter her in \"standard\" repertoire so I was curious to hear her in Brahms and especially in what has long been my favourite of the four symphonies.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e She immediately scores high marks with me for taking the exposition repeat in the first movement. This is not so often done. I can understand why conductors omit the repeat for there is an issue of structural balance. Taking the repeat elongates the first movement by some five minutes - in this performance - and thereby means that, in Ms Alsop’s hands, the first movement accounts for 20:05 of the 44:51 that she takes for the whole symphony. So there is a danger of imbalance but I must say I didn’t feel that this particular reading was unbalanced and, in any case, why wouldn’t one wish to hear such wonderful music twice? Also, omitting the repeat means that the first time bars must be left out and that’s a pity since the music they contain is well worth hearing, as Ms Alsop demonstrates.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In his good liner-note Robert Pascall rightly draws attention to the dark side of this movement. The Second is conventionally regarded as Brahms’s sunniest symphony and many conductors focus on that side rather than the darker element, which is mainly to be found in the development section. Marin Alsop, it seems to me, is one such and I don’t find that her interpretation brings out the dark side of the music. That’s not to disparage her reading in any way. A \"sunny\" approach is perfectly valid and, in any case, even if you appreciate a performance that hints at deeper waters, as I do, you may not want to hear such a reading every day. A couple of years ago, for example, I reviewed what I thought was an exceptionally unsettling account of this movement by Furtwängler. Tremendously impressive though that was, it wouldn’t do for everyday listening. No, it seems to me that Marin Alsop gives us a well-imagined and highly enjoyable rendition of this movement, one which is built on rhythmic vitality, warm phrasing and excellent attention to dynamics.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Ms. Alsop judges the start of the second movement beautifully, encouraging the celli to sing out. Later there’s excellent work by the LPO’s principal horn and, indeed, this is matched by the other wind soloists. Ms. Alsop clearly loves this music and under her guidance the strings phrase generously. She pays great attention to sustaining the musical line and this I like very much. In the central section of the movement there’s just the right amount of powerful projection before the return of the warm lyricism that characterised the opening paragraphs.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e There’s some nice, pert wind playing at the start of the Allegretto and later the strings match their wind colleagues in agility. This movement is a fairly brief interlude in the overall scheme of things, a bit of a musical sorbet in fact. Here it receives a fresh and engaging reading.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Ms. Alsop catches well the mood of suppressed energy at the start of the finale. Once Brahms increases the volume she presses the music home splendidly, striking a balance between energy and lyricism that seems to me to be extremely well judged. The end of this ebullient movement is irresistibly jubilant here with the LPO brass, who have served their conductor well throughout the whole performance, well to the fore.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In summary, this is an invigorating and very enjoyable reading of this fine symphony. The LPO plays attentively and with commitment. On the evidence of this release, this Brahms cycle is not one that’s being made just for the sake of it but rather because Marin Alsop wanted to do it and has something definite to say about the music.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e As a filler we’re offered eight of the Hungarian Dances, three of them in orchestrations by Brahms, the remainder in orchestral dress tailored for them by Dvo?ák. I have to confess that these pieces aren’t really my cup of tea but they are well done. In common with a lot of so-called light music these dances aren’t easy to do well. On this occasion the performances benefit from enthusiastic playing. Equally important is the fact that the dances are shaped affectionately by Marin Alsop, who displays a good, intuitive sense of rubato.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e A most enjoyable disc which can be recommended confidently and enthusiastically.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e -- John Quinn, MusicWeb International\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46025515729130,"sku":"747313242924","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/772414.jpg?v=1786763853"},{"product_id":"dvorak-symphonies-no-7-8-alsop-baltimore-68165","title":"Dvorak: Symphonies Nos. 7 \u0026 8 \/ Alsop, Baltimore Symphony","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell0_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eMaking a major mark in this repertoire isn’t the easiest thing for any conductor to do, not with so many distinctive performances already on disc. But Alsop has a genuine affinity for the composer’s music, and can clearly deliver the goods. \u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell0_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eAlsop holds her own in terms of the big picture, leading a performance of the Seventh that ultimately carries substantial expressive weight. It is the same for Symphony No. 8, which emerges with lots of character and warmth. In both works, the BSO produces a vivid, disciplined sound. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e– Baltimore Sun\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46025554788586,"sku":"747313211272","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1654357.jpg?v=1786749101"},{"product_id":"bernstein-marin-alsops-complete-naxos-recordings-75412","title":"Bernstein: Marin Alsop's Complete Naxos Recordings","description":"\u003cp\u003eLeonard 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD + DVD","offer_id":46025571369194,"sku":"747313801831","price":74.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3457917-2473818.jpg?v=1786705623"},{"product_id":"prokofiev-symphony-no-5-the-year-1942","title":"Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 - The Year 1941","description":"Written in 1944, Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony is one of his greatest and most complete symphonic statements. At it's premiere he himself called it \"a symphony of the grandeur of the human spirit\". The first movement couples considerable strength with unexpected yet highly characteristic twists of melody. After a violent scherzo followed by a slow movement of sustained lyricism, with a fiercely dramatic middle section, the finale blazes with barely suppressed passion. The Year 1941 is another wartime work, a symphonic suite written in response to the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Marin Alsop has been Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra since 2007, a relationship now extended to 2015. Currently Conductor Emeritus of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Laureate of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, since 1992 she has also been Music Director of California's prizewinning Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music.","brand":"Naxos AudioVisual","offers":[{"title":"Blu-Ray","offer_id":46025602171114,"sku":"730099003162","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2042962.jpg?v=1786839086"},{"product_id":"prokofiev-romeo-juliet-alsop-baltimore-symphony-226822","title":"Prokofiev: Romeo \u0026 Juliet \/ Alsop, Baltimore Symphony","description":"\u003cp\u003eBased on Shakespeare’s most famous romantic play, Prokofiev’s realization of Romeo and Juliet as a full-length narrative ballet was audacious in its day. It was written during a period of artistic turmoil under a Soviet regime in which arguments raged over such fundamental aspects as the choice between a happy or tragic ending. Famous movements such as the ‘Dance of the Knights’ have helped maintain Romeo and Juliet as Prokofiev’s best-loved stage work. Marin Alsop’s acclaimed cycle of Prokofiev’s Symphonies has been described as “an outstanding achievement” by BBC Music Magazine. Alsop is an inspiring and powerful voice in the international music scene who passionately believes that “music has the power to change lives.” She is recognized across the world for her innovative programming and for her deep commitment to education and the development of audiences of all ages.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell2_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eThis recording is typical of Alsop’s clear-headed approach, revealing her thorough mastery of details, balanced phrasing, close attention to the orchestral sound, and fidelity to the score, which provides many challenges in its episodic structure. This first-rate performance may remind listeners of the classic complete recordings by Previn and Ozawa, and even though those recordings are still readily available, Alsop’s shows that Romeo and Juliet can still inspire a fine interpretation in the digital era, making this recording essential listening for Prokofiev fans.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e– AllMusicGuide.com (B. Sanderson)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46025915728106,"sku":"747313353477","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3772552.jpg?v=1786726554"},{"product_id":"tchaikovsky-sym-no-4-romeo-juliet-ov-95353","title":"Tchaikovsky: Sym No 4, Romeo \u0026 Juliet Ov \/ Alsop, Et Al","description":"TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 4 \/ Romeo and Juliet","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46025956557034,"sku":"747313571420","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/431777.jpg?v=1786654162"},{"product_id":"prokofiev-symphonies-no-1-classical-2-alsop-235433","title":"Prokofiev: Symphonies No 1 \"Classical\" \u0026 2 \/ Alsop","description":"Marin Alsop’s Prokofiev cycle with the São Paulo Symphony began disappointingly with the Fifth, improved dramatically with the Fourth, and now hits its stride with the Second. Composed, allegedly, with “steel and iron,” or “fire and ice,” or “potassium chloride and sodium bicarbonate,” or whatever, I suspect this work would receive greater respect had it been written by Shostakovich, whose early idiom it somewhat resembles. The major difference is that Shostakovich had the great good fortune to be persecuted by Stalin for his youthful transgressions, while Prokofiev had the sense to get the hell out of Dodge and return much later, a “reformed” man.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Also, no one ever chastised Honegger for cribbing the opening of the first movement in his own “Liturgique” Symphony a couple of decades afterwards. The truth is that the music is really much less nasty than its reputation would suggest, and the first movement, while certainly noisy, actually contains a number of distinctive and appealing musical ideas. So, for that matter, does the concluding second movement, a theme followed by six highly inventive variations. Without minimizing the music’s violent energy, Alsop plays the piece with a vivid sense of its long melodic lines. The first movement, in particular, has plenty of excitement but also a certain lyrical emphasis that gives the music something to be excited about. It’s very convincing.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  As for the Classical Symphony, well, just about everyone does it well, and while I can imagine a first movement with a touch more snap to its rhythms, the performance picks up steam as it goes, culminating in a delightfully crisp account of the finale. The early tone poem “Dreams” drifts about prettily for ten minutes, sounding like Debussy or Scriabin or basically anyone but Prokofiev. Does it deserve greater exposure? Perhaps not, but this lovely performance makes as strong a case for it as you might imagine possible. Vivid sonics make this the best release in this series so far.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  – David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46025957638378,"sku":"747313335374","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2794595.jpg?v=1786752105"},{"product_id":"rachmaninov-etudes-tableaux-moments-musicaux-giltburg-74909","title":"Rachmaninov: Etudes-tableaux \u0026 Moments musicaux \/ Giltburg","description":"\u003cimg src=\"\/graphics\/features\/gramophone_choice.jpg\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Boris Giltburg, the Russian-born Israeli pianist who won the 2013 Queen Elisabeth Competition, is that genuine rarity: a pianist whose Rachmaninov is entirely idiomatic yet intensely personal in a way that yields fresh perspectives on this well traversed repertory.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  His sense of rhythm is impeccable, with a chaste application of rubato that is organically derived from the life of the phrase. He is a master of the great surges and retractions of energy so specific to the composer. Giltburg’s pellucid sound is never forced; his large dynamic range has a soft spectrum, between mezzo-piano and ppp, which is infinitely calibrated and shaded. His eloquence derives from a poise and restraint that, while uniquely his own, is not unlike the aristocratic delivery that was the hallmark of Rachmaninov’s playing.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Without ostentation or fuss, he has examined these scores in every kind of light, lived with them and come up with a vision that, without being wilfully contrarian, is nevertheless something beyond received wisdom. I suspect that before long this vision will place him among the truly memorable Rachmaninov interpreters, an elect including Moiseiwitsch, Horowitz, Kappel, Richter and Cliburn. His originality stems from a convergence of heart and mind, served by immaculate technique and motivated by a deep and abiding love for one of the 20th century’s greatest composer-pianists.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  – Gramophone","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46025987490026,"sku":"747313346974","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3359024.jpg?v=1786640515"},{"product_id":"american-classics-copland-symphonies-alsop-bournemouth-so-117159","title":"Copland: Symphonies \/ Alsop, Bournemouth Symphony","description":"\u003cp\u003eAll of these works predate Aaron Copland's populist American ballets, but they reveal perhaps even more tellingly just what a talented and individual voice he had right from the start. The most important piece here is the Short Symphony (a.k.a. Symphony No. 2), a stunning essay in rhythmic lyricism that was considered all but unplayable when written in 1933--so much so that Copland rewrote it as a sextet. This performance hasn't quite the sharpness and sizzle of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra recording for DG, but the Bournemouth Symphony under Marin Alsop shows itself more than capable of mastering the music's intricacies. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The other two performances are even finer. Alsop catches the bittersweet lyricism of the First Symphony's outer movements very affectingly, while the whirlwind central scherzo is dazzling. The same observation holds true of the Dance Symphony, which works its way to a fine frenzy in a finale that strikingly anticipates the mature composer of the 1940s. Copland's bright, open textures come across well in the problematic acoustic of the Poole concert hall; this is one of Naxos' better recordings from this locale, graced with some really impressive bass sonorities. This is an intelligently planned and impressively executed disc.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46025990930666,"sku":"636943935927","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1446694.jpg?v=1786737303"}],"url":"https:\/\/arkivmusic.com\/collections\/marin-alsop.oembed?page=3","provider":"ArkivMusic","version":"1.0","type":"link"}