In two virtuosic parts, the brilliant and internationally renowned pianist Lucas Debargue reinterprets-and even reimagines-the repertoire of the illustrious American composer George Gershwin in a unique and personal way. The first part of the album, recorded during a memorable evening at the Philharmonie de Paris in September 2025 on Stephen Paulello's unique SP/287 piano, features the famous Three Preludes and Concerto in F, accompanied by the Orchestre de Paris conducted by Elim Chan. Also included: a highly personal version of Rhapsody in Blue, enriched with the pianist's own cadenzas. The second part, recorded at the Paulello Studio, is entirely devoted to twelve virtuosic etudes composed by Lucas from Gershwin's most popular songs, spanning all chromatic keys. This cycle represents the most ambitious creation of his career as a pianist to date, affirming a deep commitment to freedom and invention, while placing itself in the tradition of the great composers who wrote their own etudes. Gershwin's most celebrated works appear reimagined: The Man I Love, Someone to Watch Over Me, Ain't Necessarily So, They Can't Take That Away From Me, I Got Rhythm plus 20 variations on the theme of Summertime! Internationally acclaimed pianist Lucas Debargue's Gershwin Variations stand as an ambitious and unprecedented project, born from the desire to explore a radically different universe after recording Scarlatti sonatas and the complete solo piano works of Faure. This double album is an ode to George Gershwin, an unclassifiable composer standing at the crossroads of classical music and jazz, whose singularity inspired Lucas to create a work equally impossible to categorize. The Gershwin Variations is neither a classical album nor a jazz album, but a hybrid work reflecting the anticonformist spirit and the American dream embodied by Gershwin. Lucas offers a bold and poetic reinterpretation in which counterpoint, shifting harmonies, and unconventional rhythms reveal the richness of Gershwin's melodies. He invites listeners to rediscover a repertoire where popularity is never synonymous with triviality, and where music becomes a space for freedom, daring, and vitality.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
As the primary creative force in Pink Floyd after the departure of Syd Barrett in 1968, Rogers Waters helped turn that band into one of the most successful rock acts of the '70s with his dramatic sense of sonic and conceptual scale. After leaving Pink Floyd for a solo career in the '80s, Waters continued the epic themes he'd pioneered on albums like THE WALL, a trend that continued to 2005, when he released CA IRA, an opera set during the French Revolution.
Unlike THE WALL, CA IRA is not rock music. Instead, it draws inspiration from traditional opera; it is set to a full orchestra, and features impassioned performances from soprano Ying Huang, tenor Paul Groves, and baritone Bryn Terfel. Based on a libretto by Etienne and Nadine Roda-Gil about the brewing revolution against a tyrannical nobility, the work is ambitious and grandiose in true Waters fashion, and comes complete with a 60-page booklet and a DVD about the making of the opera.
REVIEWS:
Rolling Stone (No. 985, p.81) - 3 out of 5 stars - "...[I]t's hard not to be impressed somehow by Roger Waters' CA IRA..."

RCA's new Classic Library series hits a high mark with this excellent Debussy/Munch collection. Charles Munch's Debussy performances always have been treasured for their color, vitality, and seeming oneness with the composer's conception. It's hard to imagine finer performances of Images or the two Nocturnes. Munch's rhythmic sense and timbral distinctiveness vividly render Debussy's multi-layered textures and subtly varied moods. Then there's the Boston Symphony, captured at the height of its glory, offering vibrant, virtuoso playing from all sections. Listen to the burnished brass in the first movement of Iberia, the lively woodwinds in Fêtes, or the silken strings in Nuages. Munch's suave La Mer is at a slightly lower level of intensity and must yield to Boulez's brilliant Cleveland performance on DG.


RCA's sound for the most part is so vivid and dynamic (La Mer carries a bit of tape hiss) that you hardly can believe the recordings are more than 40 years old. If only the missing Sirènes movement from Nocturnes had been included, this would serve as a Debussy orchestral-music library staple. As it stands it's a great--and essential, if supplemental, collection. [5/19/2004]
--Victor Carr Jr, ClassicsToday.com

Track Listing
1. Dreamer, film score: Theme from Dreamer
2. Dreamer, film score: The Stand Off - 1st Ride
3. Dreamer, film score: First Race
4. Dreamer, film score: Ben Asks Pop For Help
5. Dreamer, film score: Soñador in Harness
6. Dreamer, film score: Popsicles
7. Dreamer, film score: Manny's Story
8. Dreamer, film score: Testing Soñador's Leg
9. Dreamer, film score: 2nd Ride - Thunderpants
10. Dreamer, film score: Runaway Horse
11. Dreamer, film score: Exercising Soñador
12. Dreamer, film score: The Noble King
13. Dreamer, film score: New Owner Montage
14. Dreamer, film score: Training Montage
15. Dreamer, film score: Smart and Beautiful
16. Dreamer, film score: Soñador Chosen
17. Dreamer, film score: Cale Won't Sell Soñador
18. Dreamer, film score: Leaving Sadir's
19. Dreamer, film score: She's Ready to Run
20. Dreamer, film score: She Wants to Race
21. Dreamer, film score: Last Race
22. Dreamer, film score: End Credit Medley
23. Dreamer, song (for the film Dreamer) - (Film Mix)
24. Dreamer, film score: Main Title (Film Version)
25. Dreamer, song (for the film Dreamer)

Composer: John Debney.

Personnel: John Debney (acoustic guitar); Weldon Dean Parks (guitar); George Doering (acoustic guitar, dulcimer); Dean Parks (acoustic guitar, mandola); Gayle Levant (harp); Eun Mee Ahn, Assa Drori, Al Hershberger, Ron Folsom, Irina Voloshina, Anatoly Rosinsky, Katia Popov, Tamara L. Hatwan, Robin Olson, Mark Sazer, Ana Landauer, Barbara Porter, Ken Yerke, Phillip Levy, Rene Mandel, Sungil Lee, Eric J. Hosler, Jay Rosen, Kevin Connolly, Lisa Sutton, Mark Robertson , Sid Page, Joshua Bell, Jacqueline Brand, Roberto Cani, Bruce Dukov, Julie Gigante, Peter Kent, Natalie Leggett, Sara Parkins, Roger Wilkie, Armen Garabedian, Darius Campo, Michael Markman, Liane Mautner, Dimitrie Leivici, Berj Garabedian, Endre Granat, Haim Shtrum (violin); Shawn Mann, Andrew Picken, Karie Prescott, Steven Gordon, Carrie Holzman-Little, Rick Gerding, Michael Nowak, Brian Dembow, Keith Greene, Jennie Hansen, Roland Kato, Janet Lakatos, Simon Oswell, Dave Walther, Piotr Jandula, Victoria Miskolszy, Darrin McCann, Denyse Buffum, Andrew Duckles, Shanti Randall (viola); Christina Soule, Trevor Handy, Timothy Landauer, George Kim Scholes, Dennis Karmazyn, Antony Cooke , Larry Corbett, Stephen Erdody, Armen Ksadjikian, Dane Little, David Low , Andrew Shulman, David Speltz, Sebastian Toettcher, Cecilia Tsan, Todd Hemmenway (cello); Steve Kujala, Geri Rotella, David Shostac (flute); Steve L. Roberts, Gary Bovyer (clarinet); Chris Bleth, Phil Ayling (oboe); Michael O'Donovan (bassoon); Jon Lewis , Warren Luening, Malcolm McNab (trumpet); Alvin Veeh, Alan Kaplan, Stephen Holtman (trombone); Jim Self (tuba); John A. Reynolds, David Duke, Phil Yao, Steve Becknell, Rick Todd, Brian O'Connor (horns); Richard Ruttenberg, Michael Lang , Mike Lang (piano); Alan Estes, Terrence Schonig, Tom Raney, Peter Limonick, Donald Williams (percussion).

Recording information: Todd AO Scoring Stage, Culver City, CA.

Composer John Debney (Sin City, Passion of the Christ) may seem an odd choice to score a film about a horse trainer, his precocious daughter, and their quest for the Breeder's Cup, but he rises to the occasion with a rousing piece of recycled Americana that's sure to bring a lump in the throat to even the grumpiest moviegoer. Like Mark Isham's similarly predictable score for the 2004 hockey drama Miracle, Debney represents the best of the genre, utilizing a not-so-subtle blend of soft pianos, warm strings (courtesy of Indiana-born violin wunderkind Joshua Bell), and patriotic brass motifs to paint a rural backdrop reminiscent of both Aaron Copeland's "Appalachian Spring" and The Natural-era Randy Newman. ~ James Christopher Monger

Much heralded as the auspicious beginning of a new--and now defunct--recording contract with RCA, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony's Romeo & Juliet remains a stunningly good Prokofiev disc. This particular arrangement (compiled by the conductor) follows the sequence of the ballet, providing more narrative continuity than Prokofiev's three suites. Thomas' vibrant and insightful conducting, employing some highly effective and idiosyncratic rubato in many passages, powerfully enhances the drama's ebb and flow. The Balcony scene fairly flows with passion, while light and breezy pacing enlivens the Folk Dance and the Young Juliet. The intense drive of Romeo's Revenge (augmented by bass drum and tambourine at the climax) also rivets the attention.


Underlying all of this is the exceptionally high-caliber playing of the San Francisco Symphony, with its bracing energy, virtuosity, and rhythmic vitality. RCA's warmly spacious, wide-dynamic recording makes a powerful impression (even if it cannot match Telarc's recent SACD version for spatial realism). Considering that Thomas' arrangement contains virtually all the main thematic material from the ballet (minus Prokofiev's many repetitions), for many listeners this hugely enjoyable (and now mid-price) disc will be the one Romeo & Juliet to have and hold. [6/10/2004]
--Victor Carr Jr, ClassicsToday.com

I'm in Haydn heaven. This is the most remarkable set of "Paris" Symphonies since Bernstein's, and without question the new reference by which all others will be judged. I say this fully cognizant of the excellence of some of the competition, from the surprisingly robust Karajan (DG) to the thrillingly exciting Thomas Fey (Hänssler, which contains 4 out of 6 of the symphonies). But none of those previous sets comes as close as this one to realizing perhaps the most singular quality of the music: it's inexhaustible variety and range of emotional expression, both between the various works as well as within them. Recorded back in 2001 and 2002 in glorious, state-of-the-art sonics that give the music the dynamic range and "bigness" of scale that it requires, we can only be thankful that RCA and dhm picked up Harnoncourt's contract when Warner dropped him. The thought of this set not seeing the light of day is too horrible to contemplate.


Few moments in listening to new interpretations of well-loved classics (for me anyway) are more rewarding than hearing something totally different and personal, only to realize that what the conductor has done is simply realize the composer's clear intentions by playing what sits in plain view on the printed page. Let me share with you three examples. In the first movement of Symphony No. 85 ("La Reine"), every performance since the dawn of time that observes the exposition repeat returns to the beginning of the allegro. Harnoncourt goes all the way back to the beginning of the symphony, including the introduction. This so shocked me that I hastened to my score (Landon edition, and so a good scholarly text), and sure enough, there is no repeat sign bracketing the beginning of the allegro. Moreover, in the other two symphonies with introductions (Nos. 84 and 86), you will find those repeat signs in the expected place. So Harnoncourt probably is the first conductor in history, on disc at least, to play what Haydn actually wrote.


Does this matter? Maybe not all that much, but including the introduction emphasizes the movement's hommage to the baroque French overture, and it's entirely in keeping with Haydn's love of formal variety and freedom from routine. It sounds "right". Another example: listen to the forcefulness with which Harnoncourt attacks the sforzandos in the development section of Symphony No. 83's ("La Poule") finale. Once again it's exactly what Haydn wrote, and the effect is electrifying. But Harnoncourt's eye for detail and ear for sonority are not limited exclusively to loud special effects. He can be subtle too, as when he lets us hear the long-held viola note supporting the whimsical second subject in the finale of the Symphony No. 86--a striking jet of color. Anywhere you might care to mention, from the vigorous dotted rhythms that open Symphony No. 85, to the ideal tempos that Harnoncourt finds in the variation slow movements in Symphonies Nos. 82, 84, and 85, to the delicious vignettes that he makes out of the trios in all six (thankfully lively) minuets--try No. 84--you can hear the notes leap off the page with all the freshness of a premiere performance, but with none of the uncertainty.


Harnoncourt honors all suggested repeats, including the second halves of the outer movements--and this also matters, because Haydn writes his endings with the expectation that the repeats will be observed, adding an additional element of surprise and drama. They are anything but perfunctory. In fact, the timing of the second-half repeat is different in every single finale: one and a half 2/4 bars in Symphony No. 82; three quarters of a 12/8 bar in No. 83; one eighth-note in a 2/4 bar in No. 84; half a 2/4 bar in No. 85; three quarters of a 4/4 bar in No. 86; one and a quarter 2/2 bars (plus fermata) in No. 87. Observing the repeats, and understanding what they mean, not only gives the music more substance by allowing listeners to follow the argument in greater detail the second time around, but it further emphasizes Haydn's individuality in each work, making us care about his imaginative approach to form. The result is more than three hours of music--on three discs priced as two--that never feels overlong. Just the opposite.


Finally, the playing of the Concentus Musicus Wien is extraordinary. The woodwinds are particularly gorgeous, whether in the lovely writing for the whole section in select slow movements--try Symphony No. 87, and the variation with pizzicato accompaniment in No. 84--or in solos such as the witty oboe that represents the hen in No. 83 and launches the allegro of No. 85. Harnoncourt even makes something special out of the string articulation in the repeated notes running through the first movement of No. 87 (and he's the first conductor since Bernstein to give the bass lines at the beginning of that symphony their full measure of weight and character). The trumpets and drums in Symphonies Nos. 82 and 86 play vigorously and always cut through the texture with clarity and festive brilliance, while the "dancing bear" finale of No. 82 is both exciting and rustic, the bagpipe imitations milked for all that they're worth, but never at the expense of the music's onrushing energy. You'll love the horns: rich-toned, but with plenty of bite where necessary.

I could go on, but instead let me urge you to buy this set as soon as possible and hear it for yourself. You'll be dazzled, even awed. It sets a new standard in Haydn performance--and trust me, you won't be able to stop listening. [4/28/2005]
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

This fine performance sounds better than ever in its latest remastering, and remains a Carmina Burana of choice, leagues ahead of Ozawa's dreary Berlin remake for Philips. True, the soloists aren't the best, with Evelyn Mandac touching in quieter moments (In trutina) but somewhat shrill otherwise, Milnes oddly wooden, and tenor Stanley Kolk, well, who cares about the single excruciating tenor solo anyway? Still, the performance thrives on Ozawa's energy, the vigor of the BSO, and the lusty, boisterous, unsubtle singing of the New England Conservatory Chorus (among whom was none other than CT.com's own Editor-in-Chief David Vernier). But the presence of my beloved partner in crime is not the reason why I still recommend this fine recording. It's a fresh, young-sounding version that hasn't dated a day, and it comes with complete texts and translations. Enjoy. [6/2/2004] --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

This is the recording that introduced most of us "over 40s" to Messiaen's masterpiece, and its domestic appearance on CD is long overdue. Seiji Ozawa was young, his Toronto orchestra willing, and he had the two Loriod sisters at their best wailing away at the piano and Ondes Martenot. Indeed, the balance between orchestra and soloists in this performance remains exemplary, the playing of the band astonishingly fine, and the recorded sound outstandingly clear, if a little lacking in dynamic range and depth by modern standards. The orgiastic fifth and 10th movements still pack quite a punch, and in a very real sense, while many more modern versions have come and gone this one still holds its own with the best of them. You simply can't go wrong with this classic account of one of the seminal scores of the first half of the 20th century. I can only suggest that you reward RCA for its inspired choice of repertoire by voting with your wallet. --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Artur Rubinstein. RCA RCD1-7156 [Ballades, with Scherzos]; 5613-2-RC [19 Nocturnes; 2 CDs]; 5614-2-RC [51 Mazurkas; 2CDs]; 5615-2 [7 Polonaises]; RCD1-5492 [14 Waltzes]

If there is one sure bet in the music of Chopin, it is Artur Rubinstein. His recordings of the composer’s music can be recommended without hesitation for their warmth, lyricism, and expressive point. Never over-interpreted, the music emerges with spontaneity and freshness in his accounts, always alive, always delightful and surprising. His fiery renditions of the Ballades and Polonaises combine drama and poetry in brilliant fashion, while his readings of the Nocturnes, Mazurkas, and Waltzes are notable for their Mediterranean color and unerring sense of mood. The sound of the 1960s stereo recordings for RCA may occasionally lack depth and seem slightly veiled, but it holds up well enough to convey unmistakably the tone and the touch that made Rubinstein one of the greatest pianists of all time. – Ted Libbey, author of The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection.

Track Listing

1. Concerto for solo keyboard No. 3 in D minor, BWV 974 (BC L194) (after Alessandro Marcello): 2. Adagio
2. Sonatina No. 1, for piano in F sharp minor, Op. 67/1: 2. Largo
3. Piano Sonata in B minor, Op. 5 (TrV 103): 2. Adagio cantabile
4. Intermezzo for piano in A major, Op. 118/2
5. Song Without Words for piano No. 9 in E major, Op. 30/3
6. Song Without Words for piano No. 1 in E major, Op. 19b/1
7. Keyboard Sonata in A minor, H. 30, Wq. 49/1 (Württemberg Sonata No. 1): 2. Andante
8. English Suite, for keyboard No. 4 in F major, BWV 809 (BC L16): 4. Sarabande
9. Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7: 2. Andante molto
10. Pieces (2) for piano, Op. 57
11. Pieces (5) for piano, Op. 3 (TrV 105): No. 1, Andante
12. Intermezzo for piano in B flat minor, Op. 117/2
13. Ballade for piano in D minor ("Edward"), Op. 10/1
14. Intermezzo for piano in E flat major, Op. 117/1: Andante moderato

Includes concerto(s) by various composers. Ensemble: London Festival Orchestra. Conductor: Ross Pople.
Includes work(s) by various composers, Gregor Joseph Werner. Ensembles: London Festival Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra, Musica Sacra, Canadian Brass. Conductors: Ross Pople, Martin Neary, Richard Westenburg. Soloists: Ayako Shinozaki, Richard Stoltzman, Eddie Gomez (double bass), Dave Samuels, Jeremy Wall, Emily Mitchell, Café (percussion), Bill Douglas, Michala Petri.

Music by Frederick Loewe, lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner.

Principal cast includes: Christine Andreas (Eliza Doolittle), Ian Richardson (Prof. Henry Higgins), George Rose (Alfred P. Doolittle), Jerry Lanning (Freddy Eynsford-Hill), Robert Coote (Col. Pickering), Brenda Forbes (Mrs. Higgins), and Sylvia O'Brien (Mrs. Pearce).

From the 20th Anniversary Production.

Remastered.

"Ian Richardson and Christine Andreas [take] fresh and enchanting approaches as the leads, with Robert Coote winning new raves as Pickering. . . . Jerry Lanning . . . sings the definitive 'On the Street Where You Live.'" -- John Kenrick, Musicals101.com

Well-known to musical theater fans in London's West End, Maria Friedman made her Broadway debut in Andrew Lloyd Webber's short-lived THE WOMAN IN WHITE. Deftly turning lemons into lemonade, Friedman then ensconced herself at New York's Cafe Carlyle with a well-received cabaret act devoted to the music of Stephen Sondheim, a composer whose work she has had some experience with both on stage (PASSION, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE) and in the recording studio (A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC).

Now, Sony Classical has decided the time is right for Maria Friedman to become better-known stateside. NOW AND THEN, the singer's American solo debut, is largely made up of tracks recorded in 1995 for her first solo album in the U.K. Though only two of the tracks are newly recorded (including one with piano accompaniment by Sondheim himself), the whole CD invites the listener to give this talented Brit a long-overdue welcome.

"Friedman . . . knows how to sing, she knows how to act, and she knows how to interpret songs. 'I Happen to Like New York' is jubilant. . . . Friedman's take on Arlen and Gershwin’s 'The Man that Got Away' packs an emotional wallop. . . . [With 'Finishing the Hat,'] Friedman gives us a riveting portrait of the inner artist." - PLAYBILL

Giorgio Tozzi and a young Florence Henderson starred in-and Richard Rogers oversaw-this terrific revival production. And what's more, this 1967 Music Theater of Lincoln Center recording was the first South Pacific recording in true stereo (the 1949 one was not). First time on CD!

This is the most physically exciting account of the work yet made, with a finale not even topped by Craft's remake (for Koch). Of course, there have been many other recordings since this one, including fine ones by Dohnanyí, Järvi, and Eschenbach, and those enjoy more modern sonics; but if you only have room for one version of this piece, then this is it. The addition of the Bach/Schoenberg and Schubert/Webern orchestrations, all very well done, only seals the deal.

It's common to poke fun at Schoenberg's opulent orchestration of the Brahms Piano Quartet in G minor, but the arrangement's sometimes gaudy colors make an interesting and valid point about Brahms' music in general, namely that you will find a wider range of forms and melodic archetypes in the chamber music than in the symphonies (leaving aside the larger quantity of the former as compared with the latter). Had Brahms found room in his symphonies for the marches and Hungarian tunes with which he liberally peppers this quartet, he might have felt duty-bound to score them much as Schoenberg does here (well, almost), with entertaining if "un-symphonic" results.

In other words, in his symphonies Brahms (over)compensates for the orchestra's tendency toward programmatic musical display with material that, however beautiful, suggests no such possibility. He feels safe using such material in chamber music precisely because the medium forces the composer to stylize and refine the original and reduce it to its bare musical essence. The danger of distracting programmatic suggestiveness is much less.



All of this is a long way of saying that in its way Schoenberg's orchestration is quite faithful to Brahms' music, and once you get past the enthusiastic brass and kooky percussion, what really stands out is the clarity of the part-writing, the result of a handling of the woodwind section that really is more Schoenberg than Brahms. Certainly this is one of the most striking elements in Robert Craft's now-legendary recording of this work, one in which he has the Chicago Symphony playing the living daylights out of the music.


Questions of musicological rigor aside, this also is the most physically exciting account of the work yet made, with a finale not even topped by Craft's remake (for Koch). Of course, there have been many other recordings since this one, including fine ones by Dohnanyí, Järvi, and Eschenbach, and those enjoy more modern sonics; but if you only have room for one version of this piece, then this is it. The addition of the Bach/Schoenberg and Schubert/Webern orchestrations, all very well done, only seals the deal. A classic returns! [10/9/2006]
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Evgeny Kissin is an interpreter who tends to shoot from the hip in the big Romantic masterpieces, resulting in many moments of genius rubbing up against baffling gaucheries. Fortunately, nearly everything comes together for Kissin in his late-1990s recordings of Schumann's Kreisleriana and C major Fantasy. The latter virtually explodes in the face of Kissin's ardent, volatile virtuosity, which dwells at opposite ends of the scale from Pollini's ironclad, symphonically inclined steadiness. Particularly noteworthy (all puns intended) are Kissin's spectacular leaps in the second-movement coda, where he cleanly delineates the outer voices most other pianists are merely content to hit accurately. The whiplash articulation and huge dynamic range Kissin brings to Kreisleriana's faster movements are cut from the same Dionysian cloth that shrouds the great Horowitz (Sony) and Argerich (DG) recordings. In short, the catalog claims no stromger coupling of these works, and with Kissin on top form, who can resist? [6/14/2004] --Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com