Exclusive Japanese reissue from Universal. During his brief 54-year life, Carl Richter made an indelible mark on the history of Bach performance, recording 76 of Bach's church cantatas and one secular cantata, along with monumental works such as the Matthew Passion and the John Passion. His extraordinary achievements remain a benchmark for excellence in interpreting Bach's music.
Angelic' is a word often used to describe Philippe Jaroussky's voice. The ethereal quality of his countertenor is intrinsic to his roles as both an angel and as a ghost in Only the Sound Remains, a double bill of operas by the distinguished Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, whose first opera L'Amour de loin has captivated audiences at such venues as the Salzburg Festival, Paris's Theatre du Chatelet, London's English National Opera and New York's Metropolitan Opera. Saariaho composed Only the Sound Remains with Jaroussky in mind. "I've been to many concerts that he's given in Paris and I love his voice and the way he sings," she told the Dutch website Cultuurpers when the opera received it's premiere in Spring 2016 at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, where this DVD and Blu-ray were recorded. She and Jaroussky worked together as she wrote the score, ensuring that it was tailor-made for his talents. The production - by the celebrated American director Peter Sellars, who declared that "Philippe Jaroussky sings like nobody else on the planet" - was subsequently seen in Helsinki (April 2017) and reaches Paris, again with Philippe Jaroussky, in early 2018. "Only theSound Remains is a profound and moving exploration of mortality and consciousness," wrote Classical Voice North America, "The score [conducted by Andre de Ridder, who has wide-ranging credentials in contemporary music] is a swirl of choral and instrumental colors layered over a subtle electronic foundation withantiphonal effects. Structured like a series of interlocking boxes and punctuated bydelicate word-painting, this opera marks a breakthrough in Saariaho's ability to bring astory to life, with vividly imagined details that focus on sensory experience and hint atthe inner emotions of the characters." The Financial Times described the opera in detail: "The ending of Kaija Saariaho's new double bill for the Netherlands Opera lives up to it's name. Her subtle and meticulous blend of live electronics with acoustic sound can create curtains and washes of sound, sensual and evocative in ways that have become her trademark.... Tsunemasa (Always Strong) and Hagoromo (Feather Mantle), 14th-century Japanese Noh theatre works brought to the US... in the early 20th century and later pieced together into English approximations by poet Ezra Pound, form the basis of a libretto for an evening of music theatre co-conceived by Saariaho and director Peter Sellars. Both works... are scored for small ensemble with two singers - baritone and countertenor. Both narrate encounters with the supernatural.... Saariaho uses the Finnish zither-like kantele rather than a Japanese koto in her ensemble, and western flutes in place of the shakuhachi [a Japanese flute], but the Japanese sound-world is a clear source of reference, with pentatonic scales and onomatopoeic percussion deployed generously. Baritone Davone Tines and countertenor Philippe Jaroussky are perfect as the earth/spirit counterparts of the two pieces (ghost and priest for the first opera, fisherman and angel for the second), Tines with his earthy, virile warmth, Jaroussky with his ethereal purity, the music tailored for these two exceptional voices. Sellars, as always, sets out with consummate sincerity and solid stagecraft to convey a highly spiritual message... It is meticulously crafted and superbly performed. Saariaho is in fine form." Philippe Jaroussky's performance was summed up by France's Opera magazine: "In Hagoromo the voice of the French countertenor blossoms with a wondrous freedom and expressivity," while the Suddeutsche Zeitung wrote that "Philippe Jaroussky is the noblest and most distinctive of countertenors... If he has gained fame as an exponent of virtuosic baroque arias, here
Features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format. A definitive recording of "St Matthew Passion" and an emblematic recording by Karl Richter. Includes a booklet with Japanese and English texts. Reissue due to the discontinuation of HR cutting specification manufacturing. [Performers] Ernst Haefliger (Evangelist, aria: tenor), Kieth Engen (Jesus: bass), Antony Faulberg (First Woman, Pilate's Wife: soprano), Max Preobstl (Judas, Peter, Pilate, High Priest: bass), Irmgard Seefried (aria: soprano), Hertha Toepper (aria, Second Woman: alto), Dietrich Fischer Dieskau (aria: bass), Munich Boys Choir, Munich Bach Orchestra and Choir, conductor: Karl Richter. Recording: June to August 1958, Munich, Herkulessa
Kodaly: Hary Janos; Stravinsky: Firebird; Prokofiev / Ormandy, Philadelphia
RCA
CD
$17.99Mar 05, 2009
*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***
KODÁLY Háry Janos: Suite. PROKOFIEV Lieutenant Kijé: Suite. STRAVINSKY The Firebird: Suite (1919) • Eugene Ormandy, cond; Philadelphia O • RCA-ArkivMusic 38125 (68:45)
"The LP coupling of the Háry Janos (1975) and Lieutenant Kijé (1974) suites—one describing imaginary exploits, the other the exploits of an imaginary soldier—was a natural, and one of the best-sounding Philadelphia RCAs. Of course, both are virtuoso show-stoppers played by a virtuoso orchestra. The bass drum in “The Battle and Defeat of Napoleon” will give your woofers a workout. The 1973 Firebird Suite is not captured quite so dramatically, but this Rimsky-influenced work was right up Ormandy’s alley, and the performance stands up just fine alongside the knockout versions of Kodály’s and Prokofiev’s musical fables. This has to be awarded 'Best in Show.'”
This release features the high-fidelity SHM-SACD format and is part of the [Verve 70 SACD Selection Vol. 1] series, launched to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Verve Records in 2026. Celebrating one of the most prestigious labels in jazz history, the series revisits Verve's legendary catalog using the latest DSD remastering, delivering exceptional clarity and depth of sound. Each title is issued as a single-layer SACD, emphasizing pure audio quality, and is packaged in a deluxe double cardboard sleeve designed to evoke an authentic, premium collector's experience, making this series an essential offering for audiophiles and Verve enthusiasts alike.. This was Rollins' last album before industry pressures led him to take a six year hiatus. The album represents one of his more notable experiments with free jazz, and according to The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz illustrates "the furthest extent to which he incorporated noise elements into his playing". Music journalist Piero Scaruffi praised the album for the dissonant titular song, "a bold thematic improvisation on the riff of Lionel Hampton's 'Hey Baba Rebop'."
This release features the high-fidelity SHM-SACD format and is part of the [Verve 70 SACD Selection Vol. 1] series, launched to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Verve Records in 2026. Celebrating one of the most prestigious labels in jazz history, the series revisits Verve's legendary catalog using the latest DSD remastering, delivering exceptional clarity and depth of sound. Each title is issued as a single-layer SACD, emphasizing pure audio quality, and is packaged in a deluxe double cardboard sleeve designed to evoke an authentic, premium collector's experience, making this series an essential offering for audiophiles and Verve enthusiasts alik
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Miles Davis's birth in 2026, the Centennial Miles Davis SACD Selection presents 3 titles as hybrid SACD editions, each featuring newly remastered audio prepared by renowned mastering engineer Kevin Gray for Blue Note's acclaimed Tone Poet and Classic Vinyl reissue series, and marking the first time these remastered sources have been made available on SACD.
