Latest News: Classical, Recording of the Week
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Recording of the Week,
Hasse's Serpentes Ignei in Deserto from Thibault Noally and Les Accents 22nd November 2024Philippe Jaroussky (as Moses) leads a cast which includes Julia Lezhneva, Jakub Józef Orliński and Bruno de Sá in Hasse's Old Testament oratorio, written for the girls of the Ospedale degli Incurabili in Venice when he was enjoying his first flush of fame as an opera-composer.
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Recording of the Week,
Florian Sempey sings of medieval knights and legends 15th November 2024The French baritone explores his family's lineage of blacksmithery to present an eclectic album centred around the theme of knights from the Middle Ages, with pieces by Wagner, Donizetti, and Carl Orff sitting alongside more unfamiliar works by Meyerbeer, Grétry, Vincent d'Indy, and Ambroise Thomas.
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Recording of the Week,
Subtle Tchaikovsky from Bruce Liu 8th November 2024Three years after winning the 18th Chopin International Piano Competition, Bruce Liu has made a leftfield choice for his second album on Deutsche Grammophon, bringing his precise and subtle playing to Tchaikovsky’s main work for the piano, The Seasons.
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Recording of the Week,
Boccherini from Steven Isserlis and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment 1st November 2024A much-needed exploration of the elegant, sunny music of Luigi Boccherini - from ethereally-scored concertos and charming sonatas to a richly-textured double-cello quintet.
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Recording of the Week,
Venezuela! from Domingo Hindoyan and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra 25th October 2024The Caracas-born conductor brings vivid colour, clarity and energy to a programme of orchestral music by his compatriots, including works by Evencio Castellanos, Juan Bautista Plaza and Inocente Carreño.
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Recording of the Week,
Baroque Concertos from Alison Balsom 18th October 2024Alison Balsom returns to the Baroque with a new collection of concerto adaptations by Simon Wright, and with the collaboration of Trevor Pinnock and Pinnock's Players.
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Recording of the Week,
Daniil Trifonov's (North) American Story 11th October 2024The Russian pianist presents a dazzling kaleidoscope of North American music, with a variety of genres and styles covering minimalism, jazz, film music, and concertos by Gershwin and Mason Bates.
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Recording of the Week,
A Mozart Requiem with a twist from Pygmalion and Raphaël Pichon 4th October 2024The French conductor and his dynamic ensemble shed new light on the score (given here in Süssmayr's familiar completion) by weaving in material from Mozart's youth which foreshadows ideas later developed in the Mass - including an early 'Miserere' and music from 'Thamos, König in Ägypten'.
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Recording of the Week,
Leonskaja celebrates the Second Viennese School 27th September 2024Elisabeth Leonskaja's persuasive and engaging recital of piano works that are often misunderstood is an essential listen, whether mention of the Second Viennese School excites you or normally sends you running for the hills.
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Recording of the Week,
Bruckner's Symphony No. 4 from Anima Eterna and Pablo Heras-Casado 20th September 2024Bruckner’s ‘cathedrals in sound’ have often been described as overblown, but this recording of his most popular symphony, played here in its second version of 1878-1880, offers a convincing counterargument.
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Recording of the Week,
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel from John Wilson and Sinfonia of London 13th September 2024Myriad details abound in this luxury recording of the duo's second hit musical, given in all its uncut glory with Don Walker's original orchestrations and a powerhouse central performance from Nathaniel Hackmann as the volatile carnival-barker Billy Bigelow.
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Recording of the Week,
Dvořák Symphonies from the Czech Philharmonic and Semyon Bychkov 6th September 2024The Czech Philharmonic and their Chief Conductor present Dvořák’s final three symphonies, showing their stylistic mastery of this repertoire with performances that are full of warmth, grace, and class.
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Recording of the Week,
Sokolov plays Purcell and Mozart 30th August 2024In his new live recital Grigory Sokolov brings his unmatched musicianship and command of the piano to the music of Purcell and Mozart, followed by encores which are far more than celebratory extras. This is music-making to be treasured and another indispensable addition to the catalogue.
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Recording of the Week,
Smetana and Schubert from Trio Bohémo 23rd August 2024The award-winning young Czech piano trio makes an assured, eloquent debut on Supraphon with Smetana's sole work in the genre and Schubert's late Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat.
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Recording of the Week,
Klaus Mäkelä conducts Shostakovich 16th August 2024Klaus Mäkelä conducts the Oslo Philharmonic in fresh readings of three Shostakovich symphonies, demonstrating a level of insight into widely recorded music that makes this new release an indispensable addition to the catalogue.
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Recording of the Week,
Isata Kanneh-Mason plays music by the Mendelssohns 9th August 2024Both Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn are celebrated in glittering style on this new album from Isata Kanneh-Mason, also featuring the London Mozart Players directed by Jonathan Bloxham.
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Recording of the Week,
Joana Mallwitz conducts music by Kurt Weill 2nd August 2024For her debut album on Deutsche Grammophon, Joana Mallwitz conducts the Konzerthausorchester Berlin in characterful performances of the composer's two symphonies, alongside a vivid account of his satirical stage work, The Seven Deadly Sins.
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Recording of the Week,
Aigul Akhmetshina's debut album on Decca 26th July 2024The Bashkortostan-born mezzo turns in finely-characterised snapshots of Carmen, Rosina, Cenerentola, Charlotte and Romeo, with a multi-hued voice that glows from top to bottom and atmospheric support from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on top form under Daniele Rustioni.
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Recording of the Week,
The Past & I: 100 Years of Thomas Hardy 19th July 2024Two substantial elegies for Hardy and his first wife Emma by up-and-coming composer Arthur Keegan bookend this mesmerising recital from mezzo Lotte Betts-Dean, guitarist James Girling and the Ligeti Quartet, which also includes Keegan's arrangements of Hardy settings by Imogen Holst, Benjamin Britten and others.
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Recording of the Week,
Eric Coates from John Wilson and the BBC Philharmonic 12th July 2024Replete with memorable melodies and piquant orchestral detail, this delightful series of Coates's orchestral works continues today with a fourth instalment including a zany symphonic fantasy on Goldilocks and the Three Bears and the dance-inspired Four Centuries Suite.