Antoine Dornel' imaginative and dynamic compositional style was perfectly suited to the lively and ever-changing musical environment of Paris in the first decades of the eighteenth century.

Handel' oratorio Israel in Egypt was written three years before the Messiah and, like the Messiah, is somewhat atypical of the composer' oratorios. Scored for double chorus and an orchestra using trombones, trumpets, timpani, woodwinds and strings.

Listening pleasure with the finest compositions of classical ballet music from the late Romantic period: - Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty (waltz, Adagio), The Nutcracker (Overture, dance the fairy Blumenwalzer others), Swan Lake (Spanish Dance, Waltz, etc.) - Alexander Glazunov : the Seasons (spring) - L�o Delibes: Festival of Watches & dance of hours, among other things, Sylvia (Intermezzo, waltz), Kassya (Trepak) - Sergei Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (Suite no. 1, no. 2), Cinderella (Introduction, Cinderella Waltz).

Georg Friedrich H�ndel's work, Messiah Famous Choures are performed by the Scholars Baroque Ensemble.

Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4

Prague Chamber Soloists perform Handel's Water music/ Music for the Royal Fireworks under conductor, Andrew Mogrelia.

An appropriately joyful atmosphere and an excellent disc.

The Naxos Deutsche Schubert-Lied-Edition is an ambitious project to record all of Schubert’s over seven hundred songs, grouped, as per Schubert’s own original publishing plans, according to poets, circles of writers and literary movements.

This, the thirty-second disc in the project, is the first of the set of part-songs, performed by top young German lieder singers of the day. The accompanist, Ulrich Eisenlohr, is also the Artistic Advisor of the project, and chose the singers.

The disc opens with the jolly Die Geselligkeit -“Fellowship” - here given a suitably lively and vivacious performance. It is followed by Nun lasst uns den Leib begraben - “Now let us bury the body” - the performers perfectly conveying the subdued, hushed and sombre atmosphere of the text. The simple but moving Easter chorale, Osterlied - “Jesus Christ, our Saviour” is followed by the buoyant hymn, Gott der Weltschopfer - “God, the Creator of the World”, and then the dramatic Gott im Ungewitter - “God in the Storm” - these two latter setting words by Franconian poets. Schiller’s Hymne an den Unendlichen - “Hymn to God the Infinite” portrays the discrepancy between the omnipotence of the Almighty and man’s insignificance. Schubert provides an aptly dramatic setting of this, here beautifully performed with searing intensity and great insight. The gorgeous and reflective version of Das Abendrot - “Sunset” makes a light and pleasant juxtaposition to the previous song. The ensuing Viel tausend Sterne prangen - “May a thousand stars shine out” - is likely to be Schubert’s first vocal quartet - not that one would think so from its consummate craftsmanship.

Der Hochzeitsbraten - “The Wedding Roast” - the longest work on the disc - is described in the excellent and informative notes as a “a theatrical mini-opera” and was presented in a staged performance the year before Schubert’s death. It is a work full of comedy, innuendo and wit, and the singers here capture the drama of the work well, even if this is not the most convincing and accomplished rendition that I have encountered.

The other substantial piece on the disc is Gebet - “Prayer”. This was composed for Count Esterhazy’s family and a friend to perform when Schubert was staying with them as tutor to the Count’s two daughters. The Countess herself had asked Schubert at a breakfast to set Fouquet’s poem - one of her favourites, and Schubert obliged with a setting that gave each voice (the Count, Countess, eldest daughter and friend) a suitably characteristic part (the youngest daughter, a talented pianist, accompanied). I am not entirely convinced by the cast list in this particular song - the daughter’s role is here taken by Sibylla Rubens, who has a rather heavy, dramatic and mature voice - possibly too much so? The mother’s role, sung by Regina Jakobi, however, is perfect, and the two male voices also work well.

The disc concludes with the celebratory Der Tanz - “The Dance”, performed with a delightfully light touch from pianist Ulrich Eisenlohr, and an appropriately joyful atmosphere from the singers.

It is a pity that the notes don’t include lyrics - the only things missing from this excellent disc.

-- Em Marshall, MusicWeb International

Porgy and Bess and An American in Paris deservedly rank among George Gershwin�s most popular works, while in his Three Preludes for piano and Piano Concerto the composer�s love of jazz, popular and classical music also find spirited expression. Frank Villard�s sparkling arrangements for clarinet and strings give legendary numbers including Summertime, I got plenty o� nuttin� or It ain�t necessarily so a new voice, accentuate their jazz flavour or add new timbres to Gershwin�s unforgettable music for the stage and concert hall.

Anton Rubinstein was one of the towering figures of nineteenth-century music, a great piano virtuoso, conductor and influential teacher. The fifth of his six Symphonies is thoroughly Russian in it's melodies, and is often compared to his student Tchaikovsky's First Symphony. The overture to Rubinstein's first opera Dmitry Donsky is based on a similarly national Russian theme, while Faust, written in Leipzig in 1854, is the sole surviving movement of an abandoned Faust symphony. Rubinstein's Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4 can be heard on Naxos 8.555590 and 8.555979.

Gabriel Faure' chamber works, long overshadowed by his popular Requiem, are regaining their rightful place, as the success of his Violin Sonatas and Cello Sonatas attests. Dubbed the 'Master of Charm' by Debussy, Faure responded to the quasi-orchestra.

The Greek composer Alexandros Mouzas has written orchestral music and collaborated with leading Greek choreographers. He is active in image-related music and has written material for short films, television series, documentaries and commercials.

Pulitzer Prize winning composer Michael Colgrass' Urban Requiem headlines this recording. This nearly half hour work explores the technical and expressive qualities of the saxophone quartet, as well as providing an aural experience.

For it's Naxos debut Ars Lyrica presents premiere recordings of two of Alessandro Scarlatti' vocal works: Euridice dall'Inferno and La concettione della Beata Vergine.

Nikolay Andreyevich Roslavets was viewed by his Russian colleagues as one of the most original, innovative and progressive composers of the 1920s, a period of extraordinary artistic experimentation between the Russian Revolution and the Soviet regime'.

Following the success of the previous three volumes in Naxos' Martucci Orchestral Edition, the fourth presents the Italian composer' Piano Concerto No. 2, a spaciously Romantic work whose sweeping opening movement reaches a dramatic climax, setting t.