OUT NOW! OPERA AUSTRALIA'S HIT PRODUCTION OF GILBERT AND SULLIVAN'S THE MIKADO
The Mikado Blu-Ray
Gilbert and Sullivan The Mikado Blu-Ray Mitchell Butel, Kaneen Breen, Taryn Fiebig, Warwick Fyfe, Jacqueline Dark, Richard Alexander, Opera Australia Chorus, Orchestra Victoria, Brian Castles-Onion OPERA AUSTRALIA | OPOZ56015 | 5060266600241 | BLU-RAY
‘Opera Australia’s lavish production of The Mikado succeeds in doing justice to the colourful whimsy and pointed fakery of Gilbert & Sullivan’s classic…Mitchell Butel’s Ko-Ko is nerdy, brash…but ultimately loveable and manages to carry the show with the help of Kanen Breen’s old-boy charm as Nanky-Poo. Butel’s physical performance and vocal style recall his leading role as Princeton in Avenue Q…Taryn Febig’s Yum-Yum is sweet but never steals the scene…Warwick Fyfe gives a plump, brooding and understated performance as befits the Lord High Everything Else, while Jacqueline Dark’s jilted lover Katisha switches disconcertingly from demonic to diva in a way that is most entertaining. Richard Alexander’s brief but memorable turn as the Mikado captures all the ersatz empathy and ruthless disinterest of the ruling class that Gilbert no doubt hoped to insinuate.’ (Australian Stage). ALSO ON DVD OPOZ56014 AND CD OPOZ56016
Listen to Here’s a How-De-Do from The Mikado Act II
The Mikado DVD
Gilbert and Sullivan The Mikado DVD Mitchell Butel, Kaneen Breen, Taryn Fiebig, Warwick Fyfe, Jacqueline Dark, Richard Alexander, Opera Australia Chorus, Orchestra Victoria, Brian Castles-Onion OPERA AUSTRALIA | OPOZ56014 | 5060266600234 | DVD
‘Opera Australia’s lavish production of The Mikado succeeds in doing justice to the colourful whimsy and pointed fakery of Gilbert & Sullivan’s classic…Mitchell Butel’s Ko-Ko is nerdy, brash…but ultimately loveable and manages to carry the show with the help of Kanen Breen’s old-boy charm as Nanky-Poo. Butel’s physical performance and vocal style recall his leading role as Princeton in Avenue Q…Taryn Febig’s Yum-Yum is sweet but never steals the scene…Warwick Fyfe gives a plump, brooding and understated performance as befits the Lord High Everything Else, while Jacqueline Dark’s jilted lover Katisha switches disconcertingly from demonic to diva in a way that is most entertaining. Richard Alexander’s brief but memorable turn as the Mikado captures all the ersatz empathy and ruthless disinterest of the ruling class that Gilbert no doubt hoped to insinuate.’ (Australian Stage). ALSO ON BLU-RAY OPOZ56015 AND CD OPOZ56016
Listen to Here’s a How-De-Do from The Mikado Act II
The Mikado CD
Gilbert and Sullivan The Mikado CD Mitchell Butel, Kaneen Breen, Taryn Fiebig, Warwick Fyfe, Jacqueline Dark, Richard Alexander, Opera Australia Chorus, Orchestra Victoria, Brian Castles-Onion OPERA AUSTRALIA | OPOZ56016 | 5060266600258 | CD2
‘Opera Australia’s lavish production of The Mikado succeeds in doing justice to the colourful whimsy and pointed fakery of Gilbert & Sullivan’s classic…Mitchell Butel’s Ko-Ko is nerdy, brash…but ultimately loveable and manages to carry the show with the help of Kanen Breen’s old-boy charm as Nanky-Poo. Butel’s physical performance and vocal style recall his leading role as Princeton in Avenue Q…Taryn Febig’s Yum-Yum is sweet but never steals the scene…Warwick Fyfe gives a plump, brooding and understated performance as befits the Lord High Everything Else, while Jacqueline Dark’s jilted lover Katisha switches disconcertingly from demonic to diva in a way that is most entertaining. Richard Alexander’s brief but memorable turn as the Mikado captures all the ersatz empathy and ruthless disinterest of the ruling class that Gilbert no doubt hoped to insinuate.’ (Australian Stage). ALSO ON BLU-RAY OPOZ56015 AND DVD OPOZ56014
Listen to Here’s a How-De-Do from The Mikado Act II
See production shots
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mdg new releases
Beethoven String Quintets Op 4, Op 29 Leipzig String Quartet, Barbara Buntrock (viola) MDG | 30717152 | 760623171524 | CD
The Leipzig String Quartet expands its ensemble in its tribute to the genre of the string quintet. With help from Barbara Buntrock (viola) the four musicians present two Beethoven quintets from his Vienna years. With these compositions the Bonn native followed a trend founded by Mozart in Vienna in 1787.
Bruckner Symphony No 8 (1890 version) Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, Stefan Blunier (conductor) MDG | 93717136 | 760623171364 | SACD2
The Beethoven Orchestra Bonn under its conductor Stefan Blunier climbs another symphonic mountain of the nineteenth century. Following its recording of Anton Bruckner's Zeroth Symphony, the dynamic orchestra now takes on the same composer's Eighth Symphony, a work acclaimed as the 'crown of the music of our time' on its premiere in 1892.
Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 57, Czerny La Ricodanza, Schubert Piano Sonata in C minor D958 Jin Ju (piano) MDG | 94716986 | 760623169866 | SACD
Jin Ju recorded a classical bestseller in China, and her Schumann debut CD on MDG shows why: such a clear, unpretentious virtuoso has only rarely been heard, one whose enormous musical intuition enables her to convey and interpret even the most hidden musical messages. A recital now follows in which Jin Ju displays an even broader spectrum of expressive means. Beethoven's Appassionata demands the greatest virtuosity and musical stringency, Czerny's Ricordanza Variations are not stingy with sophisticatedly placed, sparkling figuration, and Schubert's Sonata in C minor lavishes in a writing style relying very much on cantability. The fact that these works were written during the space of twenty years and thus practically at the same time enhances the appeal of this recording.
Rihm Violin and Piano
Phantom und Eskapade, Nachtstudie, Antlitz Andreas Seidel (violin), Steffan Schleiermacher (piano) MDG | 61316722 | 760623167220 | CD
Hardly any other contemporary German composer is as productive and multifaceted as Wolfgang Rihm. His work catalogue almost extends to the dimensions of those of Bach and Mozart. Andreas Seidel and Steffen Schleiermacher are no less industrious. The two Halle natives have now recorded three works by Rihm representing his complete oeuvre for violin and piano from 1992 to 1994.
Contemporary Music for Phonola
Music by Heisig, Johnson, Muller, Nancarrow Wolfgang Heisig (phonola) MDG | 62617162 | 760623171623 | CD
A hundred years ago phonolas and player pianos were all the rage. The phonola was placed in front of the piano, and mechanism driven by low pressure enabled it to play the keys of any piano. Nowadays such instruments are rare relicts from a bygone era. Wolfgang Heisig keeps some of these rarities ready for performance and has initiated contemporary music for phonola, written such music himself, and recorded it in the best acoustics on a 'period' Steinway concert grand piano from 1901.
American Stringbook
Barber Serenade Op 1, Adagio for Strings, Diamond Rounds for String Orchestra (1944), Foote Suite in E major Op 63 do.gma Chamber Orchestra, Mikhail Gurewitsch (leader) MDG | 91217176 | 760623171760 |SACD
First Tchaikovsky and now American music. On its second album, American Stringbook, the young do.gma chamber orchestra led by Mikhail Gurewitsch demonstrates its high sound culture mixed with nonstop performance joy and an absolutely enthusing freshness. 'Presented with youthful elan, nuanced, magnificent in sound, and with just the right dose of refinement.' (SWR)
collectors corner january 2012
Historical Moment in Bayreuth
Mahler Ruckertlieder, Mendelssohn Symphony No 4, Liszt Angelus, Wagner Siegfried Idyll, Hativika National Anthem of Israel, Tsvi Avni Prayer Dietrich Henschel (baritone), Israel Chamber Orchestra, Roberto Paternostro (piano and conductor) ARS PRODUKTION | ARS38100 | 4260052381007 | SACD
The appearance of the Israel Chamber Orchestra in Bayreuth in July 2011, including performance of music by the notorious anti-Semite Wagner, sparked a vehement controversy. However, conductor Roberto Peternostro and his fellow musicians saw the concert as a sign of 'rapprochement, tolerance and an open cultural exchange in historical awareness'. This is the live recording of that benchmark concert.
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Brahms, Ligeti Horn Trios
Aho Solo X for French Horn Marie-Louise Neunecker (horn), Antje Weithaas (violin), Silke Avenhaus (piano) BIS | BISSACD1859 | 7318599918594 | SACD
Johannes Brahms, Gyorgy Ligeti and Kalevi Aho may seem an unlikely musical trio. But this exciting album proposes otherwise: Shoenberg famously dubbed Brahms 'The Progressive, Ligeti's Horn Trio is subtitled 'Hommage a Brahms', and Finnish composer Kalevi Aho's music brims with great love of musical tradition transmuted by his post-modernist imagination. Superb performances by leading soloists tie the ribbon around this fascinating musical gift.
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Albeniz Piano Music Vol 7
Chants d'Espagne, Mazurkas de Salon, Deseo, L'Automne, Marcha militar, Improvisation, Yvonne en visite! Miguel Baselga (piano) BIS | BISCD1953 | 7318590019535 | CD
Miguel Baselga's highly-praised traversal of Isaac Albeniz's piano music have revealed countless treasures beyond the justly famous Iberia. His new album presents mainly early compositions alongside a taste of Albeniz's delightful salon-style pieces. The composer viewed these works fondly, describing them as being 'like the air, like the sun, like the blackbirds or like the nightingales'.
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Stravinsky The Firebird 1910
Tchaikovsky Pas de deux, Sibelius Canzonetta Op 62a, Chopin Nocturne Op 32 No 1, Grande Valse Brillante Op 18 Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew Litton (conductor) BIS | BISSACD1874 | 7318599918747 | SACD
Igor Stravinsky's first full-length ballet, The Firebird, vividly combined several Russian folktales into an unforgettable entertainment which remains among his best-loved works today. This album presents the entire original 1909 score, allowing us to relish the highly-coloured palette of what Stravinsky described as his 'wastefully large' orchestration. But as always with this composer, nothing is ever really wasteful and every note and nuance counts to the full in this splendid recording.
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Sibelius Symphonies Nos 1, 2 Minnesota Orchestra, Osmo Vanska (conductor) BIS | BISSACD1986 | 7318599919867 | SACD
Osmo Vanska first achieved international renown through his recordings of Sibelius's symphonies with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. Here, he revisits this much-loved repertoire with the Minnesota Orchestra whose Beethoven Symphony Cycle on BIS garnered rave reviews. Sibelius's 2nd and 5th Symphonies are an ideal pairing both for those yet to discover the Romantic grandeur of his music and for those who already know and love it.
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Jansons Conducts Tchaikovsky
Symphony No 5, Francesca da Rimini Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mariss Jansons (conductor) BR KLASSIK | 900105 | 4035719001051 | SACD
Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony has enjoyed success since its premiere, becoming one of his most popular concert works. It's powerful theme of victory rung out of fateful strife echoes that of Beethoven's Fifth and contrasts with that of his orchestral fantasy Francesca da Rimini, which depicts the tragic outcome of the adulterous affair between Paolo and Francesca recounted in Dante's Inferno. Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian Symphony Orchestra excel in this Russian Romantic repertoire.
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Weber Clarinet Works
Clarinet Concertos Nos 1 and 2, Clarinet Concertino, Horn Concerto Stephen Stirling (horn), City of London Sinfonia, Michael Collins (clarinet and conductor) CHANDOS | CHAN10702 | 095115170229 | CD
Exclusive Chandos artist Michael Collins is the soloist in Weber's aimiably virtuosic works for clarinet and orchestra, using the composer's own cadenzas. Acclaimed horn player Stephen Stirling is the soloist in the Horn Concerto, regarded as a gem in that instrument's repertoire. Multi-talented Michael Collins also conducts the City of London Sinfonia on this disc of dashing early Romantic orchestral music.
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Composed for his great friend Mstislav Rostropovich, Shotakovich's two cello concertos have quite distinct characters. The first is widely regarded as among the most technically challenging of such works, while the second began as the sketch for a symphony and cost the composer much effort. Soloist Enrico Dindo has been praised by Rostropovich as 'a cellist of exceptional qualities, a complete artist'. Exclusive Chandos artist Gianandrea Noseda and the superb Danish National Symphony Orchestra need no introduction to music lovers.
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Lutoslawski Orchestral Works
Symphonic Variations, Symphony No 4, Paganini Variations, Piano Concerto Louis Lortie (piano), BBC Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardener (conductor) CHANDOS | CHSA5098 | 095115509821 | SACD
On this third volume in Chandos's series devoted to the music of Witold Lutoslawski, pianist Louis Lorte joins the 'dream team' (Gramophone) of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor Edward Gardiner. Lutoslawski's lush yet edgy harmonies, as well as his wit and unique ear for instrumental colour and virtuosity, are well to the fore here on an excellent album that includes his first surviving orchestral piece (the Symphonic Variations) and his last concerto.
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Eberl Piano Concertos
Piano Concertos Op 32, Op 40 Paolo Giacometti (fortepiano), Riko Fukuda (fortepiano), Die Koelner Akademie, Michael Alexander Willens (conductor) CPO | CPO7773542 | 761203735426 | CD
Anton Eberl was one of Beethoven's leading rivals in Vienna, his music praised during his lifetime for its 'newness, fire and power'. Playing a period fortepiano, soloists Paolo Giacometti and Riko Fukuda give exemplary renditions of these now sadly unknown concertos, splendidly supported by The Cologne Academy. These highly original works are well worth discovering.
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Handel Concerto Grossi Op 3 Concerto Copenhagen, Lars Ulrik Mortensen (conductor) CPO | CPO7774882 | 761203748822 | CD
Having recently toured Australia for Musica Viva and regarded throughout the world as among the most remarkable and resourceful period performance ensembles, Concerto Copenhagen performs Handel's first set of concerti grossi with stylish vitality. For these diverting concertos Handel drew on his own earlier compositions to create a multifaceted compendium stringly influenced by Corelli and Geminiani yet marked by his own unmistakable personality.
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Italian Oboe Concertos
Works by Sammartini, Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, Diego Dini Ciacci (oboe and conductor) CPO | CPO7777152 | 761203771523 | CD
The Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto accompanies Dini Ciacci, one of the greatest Italian oboe virtuosos, on this delightful survey of Italian concertos for oboe and cor anglais. The natural elegance and melodic wealth of these works make them extremely enjoyable, especially in such capable hands.
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Telemann Wind Concertos Vol 7 La Stagione Frankfurt, Michael Schneider (conductor) CPO | CPO9999072 | 761203990726 | CD
This penultimate volume of CPO's series of Telemann's wind concertos continues to reveal the German Baroque master's astonishing gifts, which have only recently begun to be appreciated. Extravagant, bold and expressive by turns, these concertos are 'top-quality entertaining music of the eighteenth century' (FonoForum on Vol 4). Very highly recommended.
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Mozart Keyboard Music Vol 3
Variations in F Major K613, Sonata in F major K332, Sonata in B flat major K333, Fantasie in C minor K396 Kristian Bezuidenhout (fortepiano) HARMONIA MUNDI | HMU907499 | 0903046749927 | CD
In volume 3 of his widely acclaimed interpretations of Mozart's solo keyboard music, fortepianist Kristian Bezuidenhout (who performed with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra during 2011) plays a modern reproduction of an 1805 Viennese instrument by Anton Walter. 'This is shaping up to be a truly great cycle that does Mozart's solo piano music the fullest justice.' (BBC Music magazine on Vol 2)
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Slavic Heroes
Arias by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Smetana Dvorak, Moniusko, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Szymanovsky Mariusz Kwiecien (baritone), Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lukasz Borowicz (conductor) HARMONIA MUNDI | HMW906101 | 3149020610121 | CD
From the first moment you hear him, the immensely talented young Polish baritone Mariusz Kweicien will delight you with his mellifluous and burnished voice. He is already the preferred King Roger and Eugene Onegin for leading opera houses world-wide and on this simply gorgeous album he sings unforgettable, yet largely little known, operatic arias by Czech, Polish and Russian composers that are close to his heart. He'll win yours, too! VIEW VIDEO CLIPAlso on Homepage Media Player Track 15
Dohnanyi Complete Solo Piano Music Vol 1 Martin Roscoe (piano) HYPERION | CDA67871 | 034571178714 | CD
Revered as a composer, conductor, pianist, teacher and music administrator, Hungarian composer Erno Dohnanyi has remained somewhat in the shadow of his illustrious compatriots Liszt and Bartok, though his music fits nicely between them. This album is the first in a new series featuring pianist Martin Roscoe whose other Hyperion releases have been critically acclaimed.
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Following their triumphant Casals Encores album (CDA67831), Alban Gerhardt and Cecile Licad present these masterpieces of French cello repertoire. Alongside Faure's masterful cello sonatas are some of his most seductive bon-bons, including the famous Sicilienne and Elegy. Alban Gerhardt toured Australia late last year and has been praised as 'one of the most gifted cellists on the international scene' (Daily Telegraph UK).
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Reger Violin Concerto, Two Romances Op 50
Romantic Violin Concertos Vol 11 Tanja Becker-Bender (violin), Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Lothar Zagrosek (conductor) HYPERION | CDA67892 | 034571178929 | CD
Voumel 11 of Hyperion's popular Romantic Violin Concertos series features young German violinist Tanja Becker-Bender as the soloist in Max Reger's magnificent Violin Concerto, a full-blooded Romantic masterpiece in the tradition of Beethoven and Brahms, and the two Romances. Tanja Becker-Bender's recording of Paganini's 24 Caprices (CDA67763) was a Gramophone Editor's Choice.
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R Strauss Lieder
Includes Allerseelen, Standchen, Morgen, Cacilie Soile Isokoski (soprano), Marita Viitasalo (piano) ONDINE | ODE11872 | 0761195118726 | CD
Star Finnish soprano Soile Isokoski and her longstanding duo partner Marita Viitasalo are sensitive and passionate interpreters of Richard Strauss's Lieder. Isokoski's recording of the Four Last Songs (ODE9822) was a Gramophone Editor's Choice and is regarded by many as the benchmark recording. This album, for voice and piano, presents 23 of Strauss's Lieder spanning 65 years of his compositional career.
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Rachmaninov Romances Dmitri Hvorostovsky (baritone), Ivari Ilja (piano) ONDINE | ODE12072 | 0761195120729 | CD
For his debut Ondine recording internationally renowned Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky has chosen 26 romances by Sergei Rachmaninov, including such popular songs as Spring Waters and In the Silence of the Mysterious Night. Hvorostovsky's 'admirable range of expressive and dynamic shading [was] aptly mirrored by Ivari Ilja, an exemplary accompanist' (The New York Times on a recital of these songs).
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High Flight
Music by Chilcott, Lauridsen, Whitacre The Kings Singers, The Concordia Choir, Rene Clausen (conductor) SIGNUM | SIGCD262 | 635212026299 | CD
Don't let the 'plain clothes' cover of this album fool you: this is simply one of the most stunningly beautiful albums of modern choral music that you are likely to hear for some time. One of the world's most celebrated vocal ensembles, The King's Singers, join the superb Concordia Choir to sing sublime music such as Eric Whitacre's Lux Aurumque, Morten Lauridsen's O Nata Lux and O Magnum Mysterium, and Bob Chilcott's Even Such is Time.
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Nobel Prize Concert 2010 DVD
Beethoven Leonore Overture, Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, Sibelius Symphony No 5 Joshua Bell (violin), Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Sakai Oramo (conductor) ACCENTUS | ACC20215 | 4260234830095 | DVD
The 2010 Nobel Prize Concert is a highlight event starring american violinist Joshua Bell, who appears courtesy of Sony Classical. Also available on Blu-Ray ACC10215. 'Classical music lovers of all backgrounds will find that this concert gives an outstanding account of three orchestral masterpieces from different eras and national origins. While for many, the main attraction of this concert will be the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, I can assure you that the Sibelius 5th symphony is as good an account of this incredibly moving work as I have ever heard.' (Blu-rayDefinition.com) VIEW A VIDEO CLIP OF THE CONCERT
Mahler Symphony No 2 DVD
Also Available on Blu-Ray ACC10238 Christiane Oelze (soprano), Sarah Connolly (alto), MDR Radio Choir, Berlin Radio Choir, Gewandhaus Choir Choir, Gewandhaus Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly (conductor) ACCENTUS | ACC20238 | 4260234830170 | DVD
At this concert from the Leipzig International Mahler Festival, marking the centenary of the composer's death, two outstanding soloists, three splendid choirs and the Leipzig Gewandaus Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Chailly give a superlative performance of Mahler's immensely powerful Second Symphony. Also available on Blu-ray ACC10238.
Rossini The Barber of Seville DVD Joyce DiDonato (Rosina), Roberta Sacca (Count d'Almaviva), Opera National de Paris, Bruno Campanella (conductor) ARTHAUS | K107281 | 807280728194 | DVD
Leading mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, star tenor Roberto Sacca and one of today's most noted Figaros, Dalibor Jenis, headline a superb cast in this live recording from the Opera National de Paris in 2002. Directed by Coline Serreau, of Three Men and a Baby fame, this production revolves around the story of the imprisoned Rosina.
Mozart Die Zauberflote DVD
Also Available on Blu-Ray OABD7099D Gunther Groissbock (Sarastro), Salmir Pirgu (Tamino), Albina Shagimuratova (Queen of the Night), Orchestra of the Teatro all Scala, Choir of the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala, Roland Boer (conductor) OPUS ARTE | OA1066D | 809478010661 | DVD
This celebrated production of The Magic Flute joyfully bursts onto the stage of La Scala, with the dazzling Russian coloratura Albina Shagimuratova (Queen of the Night), and Italian bass Alex Esposito (Papageno). Spectacular staging makes for an unfogettable operatic experience. Also Available on Blu-Ray OABD7099D
Contact your preferred music store for these great new releases.
Click on the album cover for more information about each recording.
Play excerpts from the CDs on the player below.
Australian Guitar Music Aleksandr Tsiboulski (guitar) NAXOS | 8570949 | CD | 747313094974
‘Add another name to Australia’s thriving classical guitar scene…Tsiboulski is the complete guitarist. His playing possesses a highly controlled, honed refinement, but he rises above the technical demands to reach a new level of concentrated, inner thought…The standout is Koehne’s rhapsodic A Closed World of Fine Feelings and Grand Design, which Tsiboulski plays with exquisite, perfectly judged phrases and aching tenderness. He is excellent, too, with Edwards’ Guitar Dances and Blackwattle Caprices…Sculthorpe’s ruminative From Kakadu and Djilile acquire an almost spiritual power.’ (The Australian, 5-star review)
Mozart Violin Concertos Richard Tognetti, Christopher Moore, ACO BIS | BISSACD1754 | SACD | 7318599917542
Undoubtedly one of the most popular and accessible classical albums by any Australian artist this year, this is the Australian Chamber Orchestra's much-anticipated first release dedicated solely to Mozart following a national tour featuring one of his violin concertos. It's set to rival Tognetti’s recordings of Bach which won three consecutive ARIA awards. Watch footage from the recording sessions, interviews with Tognetti and more on the dedicated mini-site: www.savd.com.au/aco
DATE TO BE CONFIRMED Love+Loss Fiona Campbell (mezzo-soprano), Giulia Panzeri, Alice Evans (violin), Catherine Jones (cello), Kirtsy McCahon (double bass), Michael Leopold (theorbo, guitar), Neal Peres Da Costa (harpsichord, fortepiano, chamber organ) FIONA CAMPBELL | FC111 | 680569542731 | CD
Three stories of love and loss, expressing human fragility at its most beautiful and painful moments, veiled within a glorious world of sound' is how Australian mezzo-soprano Fiona Campbell describes these ravishing cantatas. Fiona won the Limelight Award for Best Solo Performance (Haunting Handel with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra) in 2010 and, with admired colleagues, here presents a varied program of intimate and highly emotional Baroque and Classical masterpieces.
A Scarlatti Bella madre de' fiori
Haydn Arianna a Naxos
Handel La Lucrezia
23-29 JANUARY 2012 Slavic Heroes
Arias by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Smetana Dvorak, Moniusko, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Szymanovsky Mariusz Kwiecien (baritone), Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lukasz Borowicz (conductor) HARMONIA MUNDI | HMW906101 | 3149020610121 | CD
From the first moment you hear him, the immensely talented young Polish baritone Mariusz Kweicien will delight you with his mellifluous and burnished voice. He is already the preferred King Roger and Eugene Onegin for leading opera houses world-wide and on this simply gorgeous album he sings unforgettable, yet largely little known, operatic arias by Czech, Polish and Russian composers that are close to his heart. He'll win yours, too! VIEW VIDEO CLIP
2 – 8 JANUARY 2012 The Father the Son and the Godfather Paradiso Musicale BIS | BISCD1895 | 7318590018958 | CD
Whenever the Bach family and their friends gathered there was music-making. This exquisite albums presents intimate chamber music (sonatas and trio sonatas) by JS and CPE Bach as well as Telemann (the father, son and godfather of the album title). Paradiso Musicale, featuring acclaimed recorder player Dan Lauren, plays with disarming freshness and invites you to join them for this 'at home' event
Roussel Spider's Banquet, Padmavati Suites Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Stephane Deneve NAXOS | 8572243 | 747313224371 | CD
One of Roussel’s most performed orchestral works, The Spider’s Web was composed during his earlier impressionistic period, and depicts the beauty and violence of insect life in a garden. Roussel’s experiences as a lieutenant in the French Navy first introduced him to Eastern influences, and the ‘operaballet’ Padmavati was inspired by his later visit to the ancient city of Chittor in Rajasthan state of western India. It uses aspects of Indian music to evoke this city’s legendary siege by the Mongols. This is the fifth and final volume in Stephane Deneve and the RSNO’s acclaimed survey of Roussel’s orchestral works. 'An excellent disc, splendidly and idiomatically performed and a superb advertisement for composer, conductor and orchestra. Highly recommended.' (Gramophone on Vol 4 - 8572135)
Niedhart Minnesinger and His Vale of Tears
Songs and Interludes Ensemble Leones, Janssens-Vanmunster, Baptiste Romain, Lewon NAXOS | 8572449 | 747313244973 | CD
Neidhart was one of the most popular Minnesingers – or 'poet-musicians' – of the late Middle Ages. His songs deal with rustic, erotic and violent topics mediated, however, through court culture, which gives them a stylised, ironic sense of detachment. His division of songs into Summer or Winter adds another layer of complexity, with melancholy or dance-orientated topics prevailing, depending on the season. The instrumental music carries a rural character. The 'Frankfurt Fragment' manuscript has never been recorded in full, and is here performed by one of the most outstanding ensembles in the field.
Pleyel Symphonies, Flute Concerto Sinfonia Finlandia, Patrick Gallois NAXOS | 8572550 | 747313255078 | CD
During his long and energetic life, Ignaz Joseph Pleyel distinguished himself as a composer, publisher and piano manufacturer. His versatility, one of the keys to his survival in the turbulent years of the French Revolution, is also to be found in abundance in his vast musical output. This recording features two scintillating symphonies and Pleyel’s only authentic concerto for flute; all three works amply illustrate the reason why he achieved such an unprecedented level of popularity in the last two decades of the 18th Century.
Castellanos Santa Cruz de Pacairigua
El Rio de las Siete Estellas, Suite Avilena Wagner, Orquesta Sinfonica de Venezuela NAXOS | 8572681 | 747313268177 | CD
Evencio Castellanos belonged to the generation of Venezuelan composers who established a new nationalistic style in the first half of the 20th century. One of his best known works, Santa Cruz de Pacairigua pays homage to the construction of a church in Guatire, near Caracas, quoting popular dance rhythms and melodies, as well as a Venezuelan medieval carol. El Rio de las Siete Estrellas (The River of the Seven Stars), inspired by a poem about the Orinoco River, describes events of precolonial Venezuelan history leading up to the country’s independence in 1821. The Suite Avilena, a compilation of scenes alluding to the coastal mountain of El Avila, borrows from popular songs and Christmas carols, and features the cuatro (a fourstringed version of the European classical guitar) and maracas, two of the most typical Venezuelan folk instruments.
Brahms Choral Music
Alto Rhapsody, Gesang der Parzenb, Nanie, Song of Destiny, Begrabnisgesang Wolak, Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, Antoni Wit NAXOS | 8572694 | 747313269471 | CD
Brahms’s first connection with choral music came in 1857, and his first appointment in Vienna, in 1863, was to conduct the Singakademie. He premiered A German Requiem in the city and wrote widely for choral forces, taking a variety of poetic source material. Begrabnisgesang (Funeral Hymn) evinces a great feeling of solemnity, whilst Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) is an urgent, volatile work. Nanie was written as a lament for the death of the painter Anselm Feuerbach, and the Alto Rhapsody has remained one of the greatest works for contralto in the repertoire.
Hanson Symphonies Nos 6, 7 Seattle Symphony and Chorale,Gerard Schwarz NAXOS | 8559704 | 636943970423 | CD
Howard Hanson’s last two symphonies offer a fitting conclusion to his compositional career. Commissioned for the 185th anniversary season of the New York Philharmonic and dedicated to Leonard Bernstein, the romantic Sixth is cast in six continuous movements pervaded by a haunting three-note motif. The Seventh sets the poetry of Walt Whitman and reaffirms Hanson’s Sibelian inheritance whilst proudly ending his own symphonic cycle in a blaze of glory. Lumen in Christo, which intriguingly bears the inscription 'with variations on themes by Haydn and Handel', is a choral work for women’s voices that sets sacred texts on the subject of light, ending in ethereal calm. 'I found this to be an even more satisfying release than its predecessor, and it is sure to please those who have
been enjoying Schwarz’s Hanson survey.' (Fanfare on the original Delos release of Symphonies Nos 3 and 6)
naxos for children
My First Classical Album
Includes excerpts from Vivaldi The Four Seasons, Beethoven Symphony No 5, Grieg Peer Gynt, Saint-Saens The Carnival of the Animals, Dukas The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf, Mozart The Magic Flute Various Artists NAXOS | 8578203 | CD | 747313820375
‘Da-da-da-DAAAAH, Da-da-da-DAAAAH’: listen to track 7 and see if you recognise that music! It’s one of the most famous pieces of classical music ever written. There are some animals here, too – an elephant and a swan. And right at the end, guess which boy wizard joins the party…Come and join it too!
My First Mozart Album
Includes the excerpts from Marriage of Figaro, Symphony No 40, Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Rondo alla turca, Clarinet Quintet, The Magic Flute Various Artists NAXOS | 8578204 | CD | 747313820474
If you listen carefully to this CD, you will get to know one of best the composers in the world. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived 250 years ago but he carries on being famous – so he must have been special. He giggled a lot. He was also good at playing the piano and the violin. And he wrote this amazing music, which people still love hearing today. See if you love hearing it too!
My First Beethoven Album
Includes excerpts from Symphony No 5, Fur Elise, Fidelio, Moonlight Sonata, Spring Violin Sonata, Pastoral Symphony, Violin Concerto Various Artists NAXOS | 8578206 | CD | 747313820672
Beethoven was a musical giant. He wasn’t taller or fatter than everyone else, but his music is big and his name is important. Beethoven is like the Olympic champion of classical music. Some of the music he wrote is strong and serious, and some of it is very gentle. Listen here to orchestras, pianos, violins and other instruments playing some of the most famous pieces of all.
My First Piano Album
Includes excerpts from Schubert March Militaire, Grieg March of the Trolls, Rimsy-Korsakov Flight of the Bumblebee, Joplin Maple Leaf Rag, Beethoven Moonlight Sonata, Mozart Rondo all turca, Chopin Minute Waltz Various Artists NAXOS | 8578207 | CD | 747313820771
Listen to the piano turn into a bumblebee, a donkey, trolls, a bird, a horse and a butterfly! Sometimes it isn’t anything except a piano, but the music coming out of it is exciting and beautiful. Can you spot Twinkle, Twinkle,Little Star? Mozart makes it twinkle in all kinds of different ways. There are so many things to enjoy here, and all from one amazing musical instrument: the piano.
naxos musical journeys
A Musical Journey - Czech Republic
Music by Mozart Stevove, Capella Istropolitana, Kopelman NAXOS DVD | 2110542 | 747313554256 | DVD
The Places
The visit to the Czech Republic starts with Hluboká Castle, a massive building that for over three hundred years belonged to the Schwarzenberg family. The present building is modelled in part on England’s Windsor Castle. Other sites visited include Konopiste Castle, the picturesque town of Telc, and Vranov Castle. The Music
Music for the visit is by Mozart and consists of his four Horn Concertos, written during the last decade of his life, when he was in Vienna. They were intended for his old Salzburg friend Ignaz Leutgeb, who had also settled in Vienna, prudently married there, and, in tandem with his musical activities, had become the owner of a small cheese-shop. The concertos, one of them unfinished at the time of Mozart’s death, represent his work at its height.
A Musical Journey - France
Music by Debussy, Satie, Ravel Belgian Radio and Television Philharmonic Orchestra Brussels, Rahbari, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lenard, Jean, Kodaly Quarte, Maro,; Gyongyossy, Kovacs NAXOS DVD | 2110545 | 747313554553 | DVD
The Places
The tour opens with views of the Camargue, the marshy region near Arles with its wild life. Views of the Cote d’Azur are intercut with glimpses of the Munich Glyptothek with its collections of Roman and Greek statuary. Near Arles is the ancient Abbey of Montmajour and the fortified monastery and Abbey on Saint-Honorat, one of the Iles de Lérins. In Arles we see the Roman theatre and necropolis and, at Saint-Remy-de-Provence, the remains of the ancient Gallo-Greek town of Glanum. The Music
Music for the tour includes Debussy’s evocative Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune, two Gymnopedies by Erik Satie and Ravel’s two suites from his ballet Daphnis et Chloe, followed by his Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet.
A Musical Journey - Night Music Vol 1
Music by Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Godard, Pachelbel, Debussy, Faure, Chopin, Torelli Jando, Nagy, Szekely, Capella Istropolitana, Sobotka, Wordsworth, Edlinger, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Clark, Lenard, Nemeth NAXOS DVD | 2110549 | 747313554959 | DVDThe Places
Most of the places visited reflect a spirit of calm and tranquillity, although the glimpse of Venice dwells briefly on carnival revellers. Other scenes range from the Bavarian Chiemsee and the Swiss Engadin to the marshy tracts of the Camargue in the South of France, with its wild horses. The Music
The music matches the reflective mood of the scenes shown. Included are movements from Mozart’s famous Eine kleine Nachmusik and Symphony No 40, and from Beethoven’s 'Moonlight' Sonata, with Pachelbel’s ingenious Canon. From Tchaikovsky comes a Melodie, a composition that formed part of a thank-you letter to his hostess and patron, whom he was never to meet face to face, and from Debussy the popular Clair de lune. The recording ends with Faure’s Sicilienne, familiar in so many forms and transcriptions.
In February this year, Opera Australia’s sensational new production of La Boheme arrives! Set in early 1930s Berlin, it dazzles with its glittering costumes and sets, and will touch your heart. Starring Takesha Meshe Kizart (Mimi) and Ji-Min Park (Rodolfo), this will be a La Boheme to treasure.
