Plus more new releases: Philippe Jaroussky, Sabine Devieilhe, Vilde Frang... Plus more new releases: Philippe Jaroussky, Sabine Devieilhe, Vilde Frang...
| Berlioz: Les Troyens
| | The blockbuster opera recording of the year is out today, and the people have spoken:
"This is now unquestionably the version of Berlioz's masterpiece to have at home."
-The Guardian ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Erato has done the opera full justice...John Nelson has a live-wire grip on the score and gets detailed playing from his orchestra."
-The Financial Times ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"For DiDonato, Didon marks a watershed: she has done nothing finer on disc...Even more arrestingly, Spyres surpasses the fabled Jon Vickers as Enée...Lemieux's Cassandre is in the Crespin class, the finest on any complete recording. A triumph."
-The Sunday Times Album of the Week
"There isn't a singer here who hasn't penetrated to the very heart of the score with their expressiveness, there isn't a singer who hasn't searched every word for the quintessence of its meaning...[Joyce DiDonato] is a Didon who could melt the marble of Carthage...Everything is ardent. Grand. Tragique." -Forum Opéra. | |
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| | More Recent Releases for Christmas |
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| | Vilde Frang
| | | "For me, these virtuoso miniatures are true gems, a tradition that goes back generations. With this selection of pieces, I would like to pay tribute to the early 20th century's great violinists. They left their mark on the violin repertoire, not only with their virtuosity but through their own brilliant transcriptions and compositions, and brought the art of the encore into a golden era." -Vilde Frang | |
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| | Sabine Devieilhe
| | | "Sabine Devieilhe cements her reputation as one of the most exciting sopranos on the scene...Lakmé is her favourite operatic role, and the greatest hits of Delibes' opera get luxuriously good performances here, including the Flower Duet...Devieilhe is mesmerising, sounding deliciously clear and radiant, and sings with a sensuality that seems absolutely innate." -The Guardian ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | |
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| Renaud Capuçon et al
| | "Wonderfully rfesponsive, all-French performances of the sonatas, in which Bertrand Chamayou is very much the common denominator ." -The Guardian⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Debussy chamber oeuvre here is pure enchantment ... All the performances are superb; this is a new generation of devastating Francophone instrumentalists."
-The Sunday Times
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| | George Li
| | "The kind of dextrous, bubbling, life-affirming performance that cannot help but lift the spirits and make one eager to hear what follows... A major talent to whom it is simply a pleasure to listen. It would have been nice to have included some of the thunderous applause that must have greeted the conclusion of this impressive recital." -Gramophone
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| | | Marianne Crebassa/Fazıl Say | | "Her voice is meltingly gorgeous... We feel as if we're inside her head. You surrender very quickly." -The Sunday Times. "From the opening moments when she wraps such velvety tone around Debussy's Chansons de Bilitis, her range of tone and nuance is exquisite."
-The Sunday Times | |
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| | Sinfonia Iuventus/Plowright
| Polish Music for Piano & Orchestra
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| | "Any new Jonathan Plowright recording is a cause for celebration, even more so when he brings to the catalogue a world premiere. Stojowski's Symphonic Rhapsody is a worthy addition to his valuable and impressive discography of neglected music by Polish composers." -Gramophone Editor's Choice | |
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| Philippe Jaroussky, Peter Sellars
| Saariaho: Only the Sound Remains
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| When eminent Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho began composing music for a ghost and an angel, she knew countertenor Philippe Jaroussky had to be the one to sing it. The double chamber opera Only the Sound Remains', in its world-premiere Peter Sellars production, is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray.
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R.I.P. Barbara - 20 Years Today
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| | Black Friday. On this day 20 years ago 'the lady in black', French chanteuse Barbara, left us. French pianist Alexandre Tharaud invited special guests including Jane Birkin, Vanessa Paradis and Juliette Binoche to pay deeply personal tribute on his double-album Barbara. "For a long time, it just didn’t seem right to do covers of her songs. Today we feel the need to sing them, to give them new colours and a new perspective. In our endless mourning, we couldn’t find the right words." -Alexandre Tharaud. | |
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