The first entry in Richard Wagner’s legendary Ring Cycle, considered by the composer to be the “prelude” to the trilogy that follows.
On Sebastian Weigle’s account of Wagner’s “Rienzi” on Oehms, The Guardian writes, “his interpretation… has an exhilarating momentum that at times pulls you in – despite yourself.”
The two centuries old Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra is one of the great German opera orchestras, with a conducting heritage that includes Louis Spohr and Sir Georg Solti.
A true living legend - inheritor of the great Soviet/Russian tradition, mentored by Sviatoslav Richter. A classic coupling echoing the legendary 1975 Richter album with Matacic. A musician who belongs among the most celebrated pianists of our time, who follows in the footsteps of the great Russian musicians of the Soviet era, such as David Oistrakh, Sviatoslav Richter, and Emil Gilels. She has won the prestigious Enescu, Marguerite Long, and Queen Elizabeth international piano competitions and been awarded prizes such OPUS KLASSIK Instrumentalist of the Year in 2020, the Caecilia Prize, and the Diapason d'Or. Her third Warner release (after critically acclaimed albums of the complete Schubert sonatas and Beethoven piano concerti) features Grieg's and Schumann's piano concerti. Her interpretation of Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No.2 in E Flat Major is a constant #1 in Warner Classics UK's top-streamed tracks - now at almost 70M streams worldwide.
One of the greatest of all female American jazz singers, Anita O'Day shattered the typical "girl singer" stereotype and presented herself instead as a hip jazz musician, and her skills in improvisation cemented her stature among the pioneers of be-bop and the West Coast "cool" school. Presented here is O'Day's classic 1978 album, "There's Only One" featuring Billy Webb (guitar); Al Bruno (guitar); Ed Holtz (piano); Silvio Tucciarone (steel guitar); Johnny Greer (drums) and Eddie Jo Downs (bass). All selections newly remastered.
Otto Klemperer brings his customary nobility of conception to Die Zauberflote, with it's symbolic drama, and is joined by an exceptional cast. Gundula Janowitz sings Pamina with sublime beauty and the young Lucia Popp is brilliant as the Queen of the Night, the role that first made her reputation."Not the least extraordinary thing about this wonderful blend of the sublime and the humane is that it draws from all musicians the best of which they are capable... This issue is specially commended to those who are after the mystery and elevation of The Magic Flute." Gramophone
Gerald Finley and Julius Drake's previous recordings of Schubert have been praised as "faultless" (Winterreise) and "richly satisfying" (Schwanengesang). These exalted standards are easily maintained on their new version of "Die sch ne Mu¨llerin".
Sir Anthony's first album released on Decca Classics, Life Is A Dream, brings his passion for classical music to the forefront, presenting a deeply personal collection of original compositions that reflect a lifetime of creativity, imagination, and storytelling. Recorded with the internationally renowned Philharmonia Orchestra, under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel, and featuring world-class musicians from Argentinian pianist Sergio Tiempo and Venezuelan cellist Gregorio Nieto to the Bach Choir and the Choristers of Winchester Cathedral. The album showcases Sir Anthony's unique musical voice through a series of cinematic, emotional, and richly orchestrated works, offering audiences an intimate window into a creative life that spans decades and disciplines. Life Is A Dream is the culmination of a lifelong artistic journey and a landmark project for Decca Classics, introducing Sir Anthony's music to audiences worldwide and celebrating an extraordinary new chapter in his creative legacy.
WEISS, H.: Rest is Silence (The) / Ade / Tranceposition / St
Wergo
CD
$17.99May 01, 1992
Harald Weiss, composer, percussionist, and stage director, applies his artistic energies at the dividing line between music and theater. An experienced composer and performer, he smuggles musical material into visual environments and creates figures for the stage that quietly or restlessly occillate between audible and visible worlds. Peter Müller: piano / Cyklus / Carina Mora: sopran / Mandolinenorchester Bielefeld / Harald Weiss: pecussion, voice.
Gerald Finley and Julius Drake return to Schumann, following a magisterially intense Dichterliebe which won them a third Gramophone award. Here they focus on the two contrasting Liederkreis (song-circle) cycles based upon texts by Heine and Eichendorff. Heine's poetry in Schumann's Op.24 contains extremes of elation and despair that call all of Finley's considerable dramatic powers into play. Eichendorff's seductive, crepuscular 'night-songs' of Op.39 require the velvety tone for which this singer is equally revered. Separating these two great works are the Sechs Gedichte aus dem Liederbuch eines Malers, which find Schumann in more homespun, folksong-influenced vein.
World famous mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and conductor-pianist Yannick Nezet-Seguin join forces to take on one of the most brilliant song cycles ever written: Schubert's Winterreise (Winter Journey). DiDonato, however, casts a different light on this beloved cycle of 24 songs in telling their story from the perspective of the woman, the lost love. Nancy Plum, Town Topics writes: "The question of what happened to the woman who sent the narrator on a tortuous journey was not answered in the Wilhelm Muller poetry from which Schubert drew the text, but DiDonato created a scenario onstage of being that woman, reading from the narrator's journal and responding to the inherent despair." "What stood out was the heavy emotion that came through in her singing, as she lingered on a syllable here, pressed her tone there. She created vivid feelings with her contrasts" wrote New York Classical Review about Joyce Didonato's interpretation.
