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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Berlioz: Symphonie fantastiqueRecorded 1957-1959
After a highly successful debut with the London Symphony Orchestra in December 1927, John Barbirolli became the youngest ever conductor to direct a Royal Philharmonic Society concert – he was 29. He chose Debussy’s La Mer, which had not been played in London for ten years. The orchestra needed more time on the unfamiliar score, so Barbirolli paid for an extra rehearsal out of his own pocket; the cost was almost as much as his fee for the whole concert. Barbirolli continued to serve French music with care and devotion for the rest of his life. At his last concert with the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, in May 1970, he conducted Ravel’s Mother Goose suite. The Symphonie fantastique by Berlioz became a central work in Barbirolli’s repertoire. He conducted it at two important events in the Hallé’s history – the first concert given in the new Free Trade Hall, Manchester in 1951 and then two years later he conducted the work at the Hallé’s first ever Prom concert. Barbirolli’s classic recording of Symphonie fantastique is now restored to the catalogue along side three pieces from Le Damnation de Faust. A bonus track includes a rehearsal sequence (Menuet des follets) from this recording session. | 
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| |  | Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 8
Hallé returns with its second volume of works by Vaughan Williams, continuing its award winning survey of British music under its Musical Director, Sir Mark Elder. Latest release for award winning label in the English repertoire at which it excels The release combines two highly contrasting works to provide a disc which is both moving and uplifting. Symphony No.5 is a generally tranquil work with music influenced by Ravel, with whom Vaughan Williams had studied, and is scored for very traditional forces Symphony No.8 is dedicated to Sir John Barbirolli and was premièred by the Hallé in 1956. It is the shortest and least serious of the symphonies and whilst not being without moments of somber mood, is generally light hearted in tone. It is has a more exotic instrumental colour, with an enhanced percussion section. These works have long been part of Hallé’s concert repertoire under Sir Mark Elder in performances which have drawn great critical praise: 'I cannot think of another conductor around today better equipped to conduct this score than Sir Mark and he didn’t disappoint.' Michael Cookson, 'Seen and Heard International', Review of performance of Symphony No.5, Nov 2011 “Elder's account of the Fifth has a wonderful easy breadth, a sense of inevitable unfolding that pays most dividends in the third-movement Romanza...it's the shimmering tuned percussion in the outer movements [of the Eighth] that defines the work, and Elder makes the integration of those textures seem the most natural thing in the world.” The Guardian, 28th February 2013 **** “It is the performance of the Fifth...that sounds special here...Elder and the Hallé claim this music as much their own as they do their Eighth.” Sunday Times, 17th March 2013 “Vaughan Williams’s outwardly serene Symphony No. 5 is a difficult work to get right...Which is why Sir Mark Elder’s recording does succeed; he manages to inject a hint of drama into the static opening movement and brings the Scherzo to life...Elder plays up the [Eighth] symphony’s offbeat battiness...It’s wonderful – trust me.” The Arts Desk, 16th March 2013 “These wonderfully affectionate recordings of the Fifth and Eighth Symphonies ...are essential listening for devotees of English music...Both are gloriously played.” The Times, 30th March 2013 **** “Elder's way with Vaughan Williams' Fifth Symphony is one of those interpretations that grows with repeated hearings. As expected from the current Halle vintage, it's finely played in every department, with true live-recording atmosphere.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2013 ***** “Elder’s is the most satisfying performance of RVW’s Symphony 5 that I’ve heard. Why? For me it’s because he gets the tempi just right. He isn’t afraid to be unhurried and yet at the same time a flowing, forward pulse is always apparent...The glory of this CD from Elder is that it offers a consistent and sustained appreciation of the reflective aspects of these RVW symphonies.” MusicWeb International, April 2013 “An unexpectedly rewarding disc” Financial Times, 13th April 2013 “Elder's sense of atmosphere and specific locality win out...The Scherzo shows the Hallé winds and brass to excellent effect and I was warmed by Elder's well-aimed use of string portamentos in the 'Cavatina'...I would recommend it unreservedly.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2013 |
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This new release presents the oratorio planned to open the trilogy, the lesser known and hitherto rather under-served work The Apostles , in a performance which the Guardian described as being ‘revelatory’. This retelling of Christ's Passion from the viewpoint of His followers features extensive and effective use of and choral writing which is arguably an advance on that of Gerontius with the work’s closing section – depicting Christ’s Ascension to heaven – thought to be one of the most poignant ever written. Latest release in Elder and Halle’s renowned Elgar series. Recorded live at sell out Bridgewater Hall concert. The performance benefits from extensive research by Mark Elder, including study of a proof copy of the vocal score which he matched with what Elgar himself conducted in 1921, reinstating the semichorus of nine male voices, sung here by an ensemble Elder specially selected from the Royal Northern College of Music. The recording is probably the first since Elgar conducted The Apostles in Hereford on 7 September 1921, at the Three Choirs Festival, to incorporate Elgar’s intentions at several points in the oratorio Elgar included a part for a shofar, an ancient Hebrew instrument made of ram’s horn. In most performances this is imitated by modern instruments, but for this recording Sir Mark Elder features a genuine shofar player. The Apostles features mystic choruses and vivid orchestration, perfectly suited to Hallé forces. “It's hard to believe that this detailed account was sourced from a concert – there is very little extraneous noise, while the placing of the soloists, the three choruses and the off-stage shofar seems perfectly natural...Elder's performance has shown that, though the narrative thread is sometimes quite weak, the best of the score is top-quality Elgar.” The Guardian, 29th August 2012 **** “The musical idiom is home territory for Mark Elder and the Hallé...The choruses sound magnificent, but Elder has a tendency to stretch the slow music and over-egg the climaxes, bringing out the bombastic side of Elgar.” Financial Times, 15th September 2012 *** “It has all the tension and excitement of live performance, rising to incandescence in the closing pages, and Mark Elder has perfect control of the large forces and dramatic pacing. Brindley Sherratt is an affecting, dark-voiced haunted Judas, Jacques Imbrailo an authoritative Jesus...I'm inclined to rate this new Halle version the most nearly definitely Apostles yet.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2012 ***** “All six of the soloists...are outstanding...The Halle Choir is splendid throughout, firm and incisive in attack, and splendidly recorded...The Halle Orchestra players seem to be Elgarians to a man or woman...It is typical of the thoroughness with which this Halle version has been prepared that it should...trump the hand of its few but still worthy predecessors, and qualify as the new Apostles of choice.” International Record Review, October 2012 “Elder’s Hallé choirs sing splendidly. They’re most attentive to Elgar’s many instructions regarding dynamics, the words are clear and the choral tone is always well focused...At the end of the day the triumph is Mark Elder’s...Elder is convincing throughout and in every respect. Both Boult and Hickox offer insightful interpretations but neither trump Elder...this superb Apostles is a mandatory purchase for all Elgar enthusiasts” MusicWeb International, August 2012 “not only does Elder obtain playing and singing of the utmost accomplishment and sensitivity, his hugely penetrating interpretation evinces an idiomatic pliancy, sure dramatic instinct and iron grip...Coote makes a memorably involving Mary Magdalene while Brindley Sherratt shines in a deeply sympathetic portrayal of Judas...A set absolutely not to be missed.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2012  BBC Music Magazine
Choral & Song Choice - November 2012 |
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| |  | Nielsen & Brahms: Symphony No. 4
Sir John Barbirolli was a champion of both Jean Sibelius and Carl Nielsen. He recorded all the Sibelius Symphonies and many of the orchestral works, but this 1959 recording of the Symphony No.4 ‘The Inextinguishable’ is Barbirolli’s only commercial recording of the music of Nielsen. The symphony expresses ‘the elemental will to life’ and the explosive start to the symphony bears witness to the inextinguishable energy of the natural world. In the astonishingly powerful finale Nielsen places two timpani players at opposite sides of the orchestra, and from here their thundering volleys fly across the sound stage at each other. Barbirolli’s classic recording is a powerful rendition of Nielsen’s greatest symphony. Sir John was also a champion of the music of Brahms. He recorded the four symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic and the piano concertos with Daniel Barenboim. This 1959 recording of Symphony No.4 with the Hallé Orchestra was briefly available on CD over ten years ago, so this latest reissue is a welcome reminder of Barbirolli intense performance. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Orff: Carmina Burana
Produced by EMI Classics in partnership with the prestigious National Gallery in London, The National Gallery Collection is a budget-price catalogue series bringing together the very best in fine art and classical music. The collection features a selection of classical masterworks in celebrated recordings from the EMI Classics catalogue, brought together with great artworks from The National Gallery’s permanent collection. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony & Oboe Concerto
Hallé returns with a disc of Vaughan Williams in works chosen to illustrate the full range of colour and highly accomplished playing of the award winning ensemble under its Musical Director, Sir Mark Elder. Latest release for award winning label in the English repertoire at which it excels. Features Hallé Principal Oboist Stéphane Rancourt as soloist. The London Symphony and Oboe Concerto were both personal favourites of the composer and contain some of his finest writing. Vaughan Williams claimed that the Symphony should “stand or fall as ‘absolute’ music” but, as Michael Kennedy says in the authoritative note which accompanies the disc, in this work direct references to “street cries, the Abbey chimes, the Cockney’s mouth-organ and accordion, are raised to the level of great art. “ The Concerto for Oboe and Strings contains virtuosic writing for the soloist, against exquisite string writing, in a work whose early material derived from sketches the composer had prepared for the Scherzo of his 5th Symphony. “The throw themselves so fully into the texture and colour of the piece it becomes almost visual - captured are not only the hansom cabs, street-sellers' cries, Cockney mouth organs and accordions explicitly dictated by the composer, but also the less tangible moods and tempos of the city...Rancourt copes excellently with the virtuoso challenges of the Oboe Concerto.” Classic FM Magazine, February 2012 **** “[Elder and the Hallé Orchestra ] are especially effective in the mysterious slow movement, though the Cockney high spirits of the scherzo are also vividly captured, and Stéphane Rancourt’s gentle musicianship adds an ethereal touch to the Oboe Concerto.” Financial Times, 22nd October 2011 **** “The orchestra’s music director stakes his claim as the country’s foremost Vaughan Williamsian...Elder’s tempos are uncannily close to those of his Hallé predecessor Barbirolli — if Elder is less expansive and indulgent in the great lento, their finales come in at exactly the same timings...Rancourt makes the strongest case I have heard for the attractively tuneful Oboe Concerto with his powerful, almost trumpet-like tone.” Sunday Times, 22nd January 2012 “Sir Mark Elder’s live reading [of the London Symphony] is polished to perfection, affectionate but never indulgent, and with a satisfying warmth to the Hallé’s string sound...[The Oboe Concerto is] finely played by the orchestra’s principal oboe, Stéphane Rancourt, relishing the music’s gentle melancholy.” The Arts Desk, 7th January 2012 “Elder conducts the standard revision of the score, as published in the 1930s...Both the introduction to the first movement and the introspective slow movement are beautifully judged by Elder and the Hallé string, while the deftness with which he touches the detail of the rather discursive scherzo shows masterly tact.” The Guardian, 6th October 2011 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Emil Gilels plays Tchaikovsky & Beethoven
Emil Gilels (1916–1985), along with Sviatoslav Richter, was one of the most celebrated pianists of the 20th century. These rare broadcast recordings make their first appearance on CD. The live recording of the Beethoven Piano Concerto No.4 from the 1966 Edinburgh Festival together with the distinguished accompaniment of Sir John Barbirolli produce a performance of great poetry, imagination and power. Gilels had a wonderful, discriminating ear and throughout the concerto brings a chamber music quality to his playing when the score demands. Gilels recorded the work in the studio in 1957 and 1968 but there are very few live performances available where the pianist is ‘caught on the wing’ in good sound. The Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.2 in the abridged version by Siloti from 1959 brings out Gilels’ incredible technique and virtuosity (The New York Times dubbed him ‘the little giant’) with Kirill Kondrashin transforming the LPO into an authentic Russian-sounding orchestra. Ambient Mastering adds an extra dimension to these distinguished performances recorded over 45 years ago. “Breathtaking pianism from Gilels: Tchaikovsky's Concerto No. 2 is titanic and tender by turns, and his opening phrase of Beethoven Four is near-miraculous. Ropey sound quality, but worth it.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2012 **** “there is no doubting the poetry and the intensity that Gilels invests in the solo part. He was never a pianist to flaunt any degree of flamboyance, but the quality that comes through in this performance is the focus and the seriousness of his interpretation, his chamber-music-like relationship with the orchestra, the gleaming tone that he could elicit from the keyboard, and the range of emotion that he could describe” The Telegraph, 22nd September 2011 **** | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | The Very Best of Janet Baker
Bach, J S: | Christmas Oratorio, BWV248: Bereite dich, Zion Academy of St Martin-In-The-Fields, Sir Neville Marriner | Brahms: | Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53 Sir Adrian Boult, London Philharmonic Orchestra Geistliches Wiegenlied, Op. 91 No. 2 Cecil Aronowitz (viola), André Previn | Britten: | Corpus Christi Carol Gerald Moore (piano) | Duparc: | L'Invitation au voyage London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn | Duruflé: | Requiem, Op. 9: Pie Jesu Choir of King's College Cambridge, Sir Philip Ledger | Elgar: | Sea Pictures, Op. 37 London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli Softly and gently, dearly-ransomed soul 'Angel's Farewell' (from The Dream of Gerontius) Sir John Barbirolli | Fauré: | Two Songs, Op. 83 Gerald Moore (piano) Clair de Lune, Op. 46 No. 2 Gerald Moore (piano) | Handel: | Messiah: He was despised English Chamber Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras | Mahler: | Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen (Rückert-Lieder) Hallé Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli | Mendelssohn: | Elijah: O rest in the Lord New Philharmonia, Rafael Frühbeck De Burgos Auf Flügeln des Gesanges, Op. 34 No. 2 Geoffrey Parsons (piano) | Schubert: | Ave Maria, D839 Gerald Moore (piano) Gretchen am Spinnrade, D118 Gerald Moore (piano) Wiegenlied, D498 Gerald Moore (piano) Die Forelle, D550 Geoffrey Parsons (piano) Auf dem Wasser zu singen, D774 Geoffrey Parsons (piano) An die Musik D547 Geoffrey Parsons (piano) An Sylvia, D891 Geoffrey Parsons (piano) Nacht und Träume, D827 Geoffrey Parsons (piano) Heidenröslein, D257 Geoffrey Parsons (piano) Du bist die Ruh D776 (Rückert) Geoffrey Parsons (piano) | Schumann: | Mondnacht (No. 5 from Liederkreis, Op. 39) Daniel Barenboim (piano) Du Ring an meinem Finger (No. 4 from Frauenliebe und Leben, Op. 42) Daniel Barenboim (piano) | Strauss, R: | Befreit, Op. 39 No. 4 Gerald Moore (piano) Morgen, Op. 27 No. 4 Gerald Moore (piano) | Vaughan Williams: | Linden Lea Gerald Moore (piano) | Warlock: | Pretty Ring Time Gerald Moore (piano) |
Compelling for her intensity and integrity as much as for her unmistakeable voice, Dame Janet Baker struck a distinctive path as a performer, primarily on the concert and recital stage. Among her most celebrated recordings are her interpretations of Elgar with Sir John Barbirolli, here complemented by songs and oratorio arias by composers such as Bach, Handel, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Mahler, Strauss, Fauré, Vaughan Williams and Britten. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Britten: Double Concerto, Sinfonietta, Young Apollo & 2 Portraits
“Remarkable early Britten works, all performed with sparkling incisiveness. Double Concerto for violin and viola, especially, is a superb statement.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2011 ***** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Birtwistle: Night’s Black Bird
‘Birtwistle’s most impressive orchestral canvas to date ... Birtwistle comes across as an old master.’ FINANCIAL TIMES ON THE SHADOW OF NIGHT Sir Harrison Birtwistle is one of Britain’s leading composers and has received many honours, including the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1986 and a British knighthood in 1988. He was made a Companion of Honour in 2001 and is currently Director of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Owen Slade is one of London’s most versatile tuba players: in addition to his many classical performances, including the premiere performance of Birtwistle’s The Cry of Anubis, he has worked with artists such as Blur, Barry Manilow and Quincy Jones. Birtwistle is a composer associated with works of forceful and monolithic grandeur so some of you may be surprised by the otherworldly and subtle sound-world of the orchestral works on this new recording. The Shadow of Night is a slow nocturne, exploring the world of melancholy, inspired by the composer’s life-long fascination with Dürer’s engraving Melencolia I and Night’s Black Bird (commissioned by the Roche Foundation) continues the with the same reflective musical imagery. The Cry of Anubis, part tuba concerto, part tone poem, grew out of Birtwistle’s fascination with Anubis, the jackal-headed god of the necropolis in Egyptian mythology who played an important part in Birtwistle’s surreal recent opera The Second Mrs Kong (1993-94). This is The Hallé’s first recording for NMC. This collection of works by Harrison Birtwistle span a period of ten years (1994-2004). All are premiere recordings. “It’s as though Birtwistle, mellowing as he approached 70, had belatedly discovered his inner Elgar. The Hallé, incisively conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth, play with a dark, almost Edwardian, patina...Portly in sound, never pretty, though with its own warm and lumbering eloquence, the tuba seems the perfect solo instrument for Birtwistle...Owen Slade paints a wonderfully compelling picture of tenebrous rituals deep underground” The Times, 20th May 2011 **** “Ryan Wigglesworth's performances with the Hallé are quite superb, with the intricacies of Birtwistle's instrumental writing always perfectly clear. Alongside these works The Cry of Anubis, for tuba and orchestra, does seem a bit of an occasional piece...but with Owen Slade playing the solo part, it is performed with the same fastidiousness as the other works here.” The Guardian, 19th May 2011 ***** “These three relatively recent works could be by nobody else, yet there is manifest development...The Cry of Anubis is a perfectly plausible tuba concerto, with a superb soloist in Slade. Wigglesworth admirably brings out key detail from fiendishly complex scores.” Sunday Times, 22nd May 2011 *** “the wait...has been worthwhile, not least when Ryan Wigglesworth (a composer of real promise) has so evident an affinity with music that can easily become earthbound in less sympathetic hands, with the Halle giving of its best....this performance of [Cry of Anubis] does ample justice to the music's sometimes aggressive but more often wistful melancholy...A disc worth acquiring by Birtwistle sceptics and a mandatory purhcase for admirers.” International Record Review, July/August 2011 “these are among the most powerful orchestral pieces of recent years...Wigglesworth and the Halle give performances of amazing concentration, accuracy and passion, aided by recorded sound of a matching depth and clarity...there's no doubting [Slade's] virtuosity, which encompasses the lyrical as well as the acerbic: yelps and barks remind us that Anubis was the jackal-headed Egyptian god of the dead...Overall an essential release.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2011 ***** “In a welcome if rare excursion into contemporary msuic, and recorded with tinglingly immediate atmosphere, the Hallé under Ryan Wigglesworth sound on top form throughout” Gramophone Magazine, October 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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