Conducted by violinist David Grimal, the acclaimed French period-instrument chamber orchestra Les Dissonances present an exhilarating interpretation of Beethoven's masterpiece. In addition to the CD, this album comes with a bonus DVD with pictures by Heliox Films. Also available: AP009 Beethoven Violin Concerto, Symphony No 7, AP011 Piazzolla, Vivaldi Four Seasons.
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Best known for his film scores, Nino Rota was also a talented composer of classical music. His highly enjoyable two Cello Concertos, composed in quick succession during the 1970s, provide a rewarding showcase for the soloist's virtuosity and demonstrate his mastery of Neo-romantic and Neo-classical style.
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Four sonatas from the 1750s including one of CPE Bach's most graceful works, with several shorter works - Solfeggios and Fantasias imbued with originality and ingenuity. Respected keyboardist Miklos Spanyi 'probes beneath the surface of Bach's highly articulate musical surfaces' (International Record Guide). Other volumes also available.
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As is the case with much of his music, Schumann's three Violin Sonatas have not always received the appreciation they deserve. Ulf Wallin and Roland Pontinen make a persuasive case for these engaging Romantic chamber works. Their partnership has been praised as 'sympathetic and insightful' (Daily Telegraph).
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Composed between 1796-98 and regarded by the young Beethoven as 'the best of my works' to date, these three beautiful String Trios abound in drama and inventive novelty. Trio Zimmermann (Frank Peter Zimmermann, violin, Antoine Tamestit, viola, Christian Poltera, cello) is a world-class ensemble.
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The three cantatas on this album are among the few works that remain from 1729: tragically, almost an entire year's worth of cantatas has been lost to us. You'll recognise the sinfonia to Cantata BWV174 as a version of the first movement of the 3rd Brandenburg Concerto. Other volumes from this benchmark series are also available.
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Baroque love songs and 'bird songs' (evoking larks, nightingales and other amorous avians) from Germany, France, Italy and England. Includes many beautiful arias that have remained unheard since the time they were composed. 'Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter', wrote the great poet Keats. Fortunately for us, as this exquisite album shows, he was mistaken.
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The German-French composer Louis Theodore Gouvy was much admired for the bravura and clarity of his music, which combined the masterful templates of Haydn and Beethoven with his own virtuosic and sophisticated style. These symphonies are splendid examples of mid-19th century symphonism. Gouvy's Symphonies Nos 3 and 5 (CPO7773792) and Symphony No 6, Sinfonietta (CPO7773802) are also available.
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Brahms' friend Heinrich von Herzogenberg is increasingly recognised as a truly independent voice among German Romantic composers. His early admiration of Wagner and Liszt persists in these chamber pieces, clarified by his highly personal take on the 'classicism' of Brahms, marking them uniquely enjoyable for modern listeners.
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From a period when music in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary was particularly popular come these works by the immortal Josquin, whose ingenious and sublime choral music powerfully influenced sacred composition around the turn of the 16th century. Weser Renaissance Bremen gives lucid and vibrant performances of these poetically-coloured masterpieces.
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Johann Baptist Vanhal composed some 77 symphonies matching quantity with unerring quality and gaining Charles Burney's highest praise. While subsequently overshadowed by Haydn and Mozart, Vanhal is today enjoying a revival of interest - unquestionably well deserved - for his own inventive style and mastery.
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'Glyndebourne's [A Midsummer Night's Dream] has unbeatable charm' (Financial Times), 'musically it's fabulous, too. [Bejun] Mehta gives one of the greatest performances you will ever hear' (The Guardian), 'Matthew Rose makes an exceptionally endearing Bottom..Ilan Volkov's conducting gets to the heart of the score' (Daily Telegraph). What fools those mortals be who miss this magical recording!
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On 17 July 2011 more than 800 performers presented Havergal Brian's phenomenal 'Gothic' Symphony in the Royal Albert Hall. The concert sold out within 24 hours, so it is particularly pleasing to feature the live concert recording so quickly. This 2-CD set of Brian's symphonic juggernaut is a 'must have' on all counts.
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Vladimir Jurowski conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra in three of Arthur Honegger's most lyrical works, the dreamy Summer Pastorale, the nostalgic Fourth Symphony and the reflective and heartfelt Christmas Cantata. The Times has particularly praised 'the beguiling, brushed-velvet textures' Jurowski conjured for the Summer Pastorale and the 'immaculate ensemble and textural clarity' of the LPO.
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Felix Mendelssohn's unfinished masterpiece Christus (only Parts 1 The Birth and 2 The Passion of Christ were completed before his untimely death) is complemented by two chorale cantatas, O Haupt Voll Blut und Wunden and Von Himmel Hoch, which he composed in his youth. Acclaimed performers give these works impeccable interpretations.
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Having performed Berlioz's Les Nuits d'Ete many times together in concert, acclaimed mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and conductor Marc Minkowski have now recorded this immortal song cycle with the renowned period-instrument orchestra Les Musiciens du Louvre. With violist Antoine Tamestit they also perform Harold in Italy on this exquisite new release.
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With new music by Eleanor Alberga, this is a magical retelling of Roald Dahl's story. 'Snow White is a wonderful piece,' wrote Joanna Lumley, 'Thrilling, exciting, funny and sometimes a bit frightening. I am hugely proud to have been involved in this recording.' Proceeds contribute support to the Roald Dahl Foundation, which helps children living with serious blood or brain illness.
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Classic title tracks, themes and suites from films that became legends during Hollywood's golden age, including a superlative performance of Richard Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto. Performed in true swashbuckling style by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Grammy Award-winner Jose Serebrier.
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Jan Dismas Zelenka's Easter cantatas come back to life after three centuries. World premiere recording from Supraphon's successful Music from Eighteenth-Century Prague series. The three sepolcri (cantatas for performance on Good Friday at the Holy Sepulchre) represent Zelenka’s earliest preserved music yet they are already truly singular pieces encompassing all the traits of their creator’s remarkable compositional style.
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Recorded in 2010, Thierry Malandain's magical choreography and Tchaikovsky's marvellous music combine on this DVD. The title, Magifique, signals Malandain's desire to remove hatred ('hain' in French, pronounced like the letter 'n') from the world and replace it with magic and magnificence through the creation of wonderful works of art. Also on Blu-ray K108034

A celebration of dance and music from Venice's world-famous opera house. Includes highlights from The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, La Forza del Destino, La Traviata, I Lombardi, Nabucco, L'Elisir d'Amore and Tosca with three international operatic stars, the superb La Fenice chorus and orchestra all directed by celebrated conductor Kurt Masur.

Inspired American choreographer Jerome Robbins regarded the Paris Opera Ballet as his 'second home', the New York City Ballet being his first. A decade after his death the world-renowned French company paid tribute to his remarkable achievement, his love of music and his all-embracing attitude to modern arts. Also on Blu-ray BAC470.

'Zubin Mehta conducts with easy-going mastery, letting the score breathe and live...The cast is a dream team' (Financial Times). 'Nina Stemme is a grandiose Leonora, dramatic, lyrical, sensitive, technically amazing…Carlos Alvarez, the top baritone, is fascinating as Don Carlo' (Kurier). Also Available on Blu-Ray 708204

A triumph at its premiere and sold out during subsequent performances, San Francisco Ballet's production of Lera Auerbach's The Little Mermaid, based on Hans Christian Andersen's tale and choreographed by John Neumeier, stars Yuan Yuan Tan in the title role 'in a noteworthy dramatic performance' (San Francisco Examiner).
Also Available on Blu-Ray 708704

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This stunning new production (2011) of Lully and Quinault's masterpiece, Atys, from the Opera Comique in Paris features 115 sumptuous costumes, the silver furniture from the Grand Appartements de Versailles, and an outstanding cast directed by the man who, more than anyone, was responsible for the astonishing revival of 17trh-century French opera in our own day - William Christie - and his celebrated ensemble Les Arts Florissants.
Also Available on Blu-Ray FRA506