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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Couperin: Trois Leçons de Ténèbres
Ravishing second release on The King’s Consort’s new classical label, VIVAT, features world-renowned British soprano Carolyn Sampson and outstanding Norwegian mezzo Marianne Beate Kielland in entrancingly evocative French Baroque music. Couperin’s three “Leçons” for Holy Week are vividly atmospheric, highly coloured, richly dissonant, and deeply melancholy, presenting music of an intensity that is quiet unique in Baroque sacred repertoire. The third Leçon is an especial jewel, with gloriously intertwining vocal lines. Alongside the three extraordinary “Leçons” come two further substantial vocal duets by Couperin: a joyous Easter motet and a fine setting of the Magnificat. Full-length 79’40” disc also includes stunning solo instrumental tracks, with Gramophone award-winning viol player Susanne Heinrich performing music by Marin Marais and Monsieur de Ste-Colombe (composers featured in the film “Tous les Matins du Monde”). Recorded at “low” French baroque pitch, A=392, giving unparalleled richness to the vocal and instrumental sonorities. High quality documentation, first-rate engineering. “The King’s Consort are set to re-enter the recording catalogue” (Gramophone) “Robert King has always been able to assemble the right people for the right job...he combines the contrasting timbres of Carolyn Sampson (soprano) and Marianne Beate Kielland (mezzo) in sumptuous performances of three works by Couperin. Sampson’s brightness and Kielland’s riper tones beautifully complement each other.” Sunday Times, 10th March 2013 “Carolyn Sampson and Marianne Beate Kielland [find] liquid lyricism for the vocal arabesques that Couperin weaves around the introductory letters of the Hebrew alphabet...A disc that brings to life a body of music that fully merits the expressive finesse these performers bring to it.” The Telegraph, 29th March 2013 **** “Another hit for the King Consort's new label Vivat. The gorgeous Trois leçons de ténèbres...are remarkable for their intertwining, sensual dissonances: here the idiomatic (though not vibrato-free) voices of soprano Carolyn Sampson and mezzo Marianne Beate Kielland are recorded quite close, so the detail tells...the eloquent centrepiece is the third lesson for them both, absolutely spine-tingling in its intensity.” The Observer, 7th April 2013 “[Sampson and Kielland] deliver fresh performances that are at once serious, stylish and beautifully judged...Well worth acquiring.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2013 “the delightful purity and seeming weightlessness of Sampson's voice, at times soaring ethereally in delicate melismas, is perfectly complemented by the warmer character of the Norwegian mezzo-soprano...The instrumental support for the Lecons is discreet, a model of refined restraint...King's own notes are packed with priceless information and valuable insight.” International Record Review, May 2013 “The two singers complement each other beautifully in the final setting, Kielland's reedy voice, with its somewhat androgynous quality, throwing Sampson's crystalline soprano into high relief and adding a slight edginess that prevents the performances from becoming too saccharine.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2013 ***** | 
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‘Layton has directed this annual St John Passion for several seasons now. His readings, which are becoming ever more dramatic and daring, have a raw intensity. It was easy to see why these concerts have become one of the highlights in London’s musical calendar’ (The Guardian) Polyphony and Stephen Layton present their celebrated performance of Bach’s most dramatic masterpiece. Accompanied by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and a starry team of soloists, Layton directs a vivid account, the excitement of the narrative drama contrasting with heartbreaking moments of reflection. In Ian Bostridge, we have the most iconic Evangelist of the last twenty years; an artist who is an incomparable communicator, a singer of technical brilliance, and an impassioned, experienced interpreter of Bach’s music. “[Bostridge is] a magnificent Evangelist though one aspect of his approach may not be to all tastes. He is highly expressive at all times and there are several occasions where some may feel he overdoes the expressiveness..Polyphony show vividly just what can be achieved in Bach singing by a fairly small professional choir, especially in terms of such things as flexibility, attack and agility...This desirable new recording deserves a place in the front rank.” MusicWeb International, February 2013 “Layton has honed his preferred version, but only aficionados will notice or mind. Concentrate instead on the purity of sound, the emotionally expressive yet restrained performance by all and the impeccable attention to text of the soloists. Ian Bostridge (Evangelist) lives every word of the narration but never over dramatises. Countertenor Iestyn Davies's almost disembodied account of Es ist vollbracht! (It is finished!) is unforgettable.” The Observer, 3rd March 2013 “the choral singing is wonderfully pure, buoyant and transparent...Ian Bostridge’s Evangelist, mannered and occasionally stretched but full of “narrative” character, dominates Layton’s performance” Financial Times, 9th March 2013 *** “when Bach’s goal is mellifluous comfort, as in the final chorus, Ruht wohl, Polyphony wins hands down.” The Times, 15th March 2013 **** “this new recording's credentials border on the unassailable...Layton's pacing is compelling - there's no mistaking the gambling fever as the soldiers cast lots for Christ's garment...[Neal Davies] reserves a melting tenderness for the utterances from the cross. It's crowned by Iestyn Davies's sublime account of 'Es ist vollbracht'...Both Carolyn Sampson's arias are priceless.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2013 **** “this St John Passion brings to the fore the traits of style and taste that are distinguished hallmarks of Layton and the forces he gathers around him...Bostridge is the tenor Evangelist, eloquent, pure of tone, fluent and strong in communicating the import of the German narrative...The choir sings with a well-rounded sound, firm accents and with diction that brings the text crisply to life” The Telegraph, 22nd March 2013 ***** “about as state-of-the-art a Bach Passion recording as you'll hear...Take as read the urgency, clarity, balance and delamatory unanimity of the chorus...Layton's reality is about cultivating the focus of each sentiment with supreme corporate executancy...Bostridge is the master story-teller who surveys all about him.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2013 |
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| |  | I was glad: Sacred Music by Stanford & Parry
The King’s Consort celebrate their hundredth CD and the launch of their new classical label, VIVAT, with TKC’s largest recording in 15 years. Huge period instrument orchestra gathered from fifteen nations, plus TKC’s award-winning choir, and world-class soloists including Carolyn Sampson and David Wilson-Johnson. TKC records the glorious sacred ceremonial music of two of Britain’s greatest composers, Stanford and Parry. First recordings on period instruments, including the four great Stanford canticle settings, heard in the composer’s lavish orchestrations (Stanford in G with radiant singing from Carolyn Sampson), Parry’s I was glad (restoring a long-missing section for the 1911 coronation), a magisterial performance of Blest pair of Sirens, the 1911 Coronation Te Deum and a stunning Jerusalem in Elgar’s vivid orchestration. High quality documentation, first-rate engineering, lively promo video releasing Jan 2013 on YouTube and Vivat’s new website. New editions of the four Stanford works parallel-published by Oxford University Press. The first of a series of releases on TKC’s new VIVAT label. “A brilliant new disc from the King’s Consort… It’s thrilling stuff” BBC Radio 3, 29th January 2013 “For the launch CD of its new label Vivat, The King’s Consort have delivered an undisputed spectacular...Suddenly, Stanford’s numerous Evening Canticles are heard to their full effect – radiant, Brahmsian exultations of faith, with unmistakable hints of Wagner witnessed in the thrill of the orchestral language...It’s a magnificent start for a potentially exciting new label.” The Scotsman, 3rd February 2013 “for me this is a simple “must have”. An excellent recording as well.” CD Review, 2nd February 2013 “it's splendid to have these recreations...clothed in their full orchestral colours with magnificent period brass...While the King's Consort Choir is not wholly cathedral-like, it's Elgar's version of Parry's Jerusalem, ending the disc in an unusually broad and eloquent performance from Robert King, that really hits home.” The Observer, 17th February 2013 “Using period instruments and a medium-sized professional choir pays huge dividends, and it’s as if layers of dirty brown varnish have been stripped away from these scores. Parry’s music emerges as the strongest, and I was glad is resplendent here...This is an impressive disc, well annotated and superbly recorded.” The Arts Desk, 23rd February 2013 “[I was glad] is given a performance in the atmosphere of a church rather than a cathedral but is no less dramatic in its vivid trumpet calls. Blest Pair of Sirens, Parry's other well-known motet, comes with biting attack.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2013 “vividly sung. The seraphic strains of Stanford in G are a welcome relief after the distinctly earthly thunder of Parry’s I Was Glad” Sunday Times, 3rd March 2013 “a revelation. In the opening Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in A by Stanford, the leanness of gut strings lends edge and urgency to the orchestral writing, which perfectly complements the punchy attack of the three dozen choral singers. There's not a trace here of Victorian self-satisfaction or stuffiness...This CD, full of incandescent, hugely committed music-making, will be an award-winner. You simply have to hear it.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2013 *****  BBC Music Magazine
Choral & Song Choice - April 2013 |
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| |  | Zelenka: Sacred Music
Czech-born Jan Dismas Zelenka was by all accounts one of Baroque music’s trickier customers—fervently religious but completely lacking in courtly graces. Combine this with a tendency to throw out the rulebook when it came to harmonic convention and it’s hardly surprising that he was underappreciated in his lifetime. Yet here is some of the most pungently exciting writing of the Baroque, as individual as that of his near-contemporary, Johann Sebastian Bach. The very opening of Zelenka’s Litaniae sets out his stall and Robert King and his eponymous Consort make the most of its startling qualities. But he is a composer to tug at the heartstrings too, nowhere more so than in the Salve regina, ravishingly sung by a young Carolyn Sampson. “Constantly fascinating to listen to. Especially when performed as beautifully and with such evident care and affection as it is on Robert King’s new CD … Zelenka’s curious music could scarcely have better advocacy” Gramophone Magazine “A really first-rate release” International Record Review “Performances are sensitive and stylish in ways that we have come to expect from this group” BBC Music Magazine “Robert King and his period forces give performances it would be hard to beat” Daily Telegraph “Robert King with his King’s Consort and Choir directs performances both moving and exhilarating” The Guardian “The performance is outstanding, capturing the startlingly original nature of the piece with singing and playing of such vitality and commitment” Fanfare | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Johann Schelle: Sacred Music
Carolyn Sampson, Rebecca Outram, Lisa Beckley, Julia Cooper (soprano), James Bowman, Robin Blaze (countertenor), Charles Daniels, James Gilchrist, Angus Smith, Matthew Vine (tenor) & Peter Harvey, Charles Pott (bass) The King’s Consort, Robert King Continuing the series ‘Bach’s Contemporaries’, this volume concentrates on the wonderful music of Johann Schelle—a cousin of Kuhnau (another composer featured in this series). This immensely striking sacred music by Schelle (one of Bach’s predecessors in the post of Kantor in Leipzig’s famous Thomas Church) brings together a top-flight group of soloists and a large and colourful assembly of instrumentalists, and presents remarkable and splendidly varied music which not only stands up proudly in its own musical right, but also greatly enhances our understanding of Bach’s own sacred writing. “Anyone who has yet to investigate King’s indispensable ‘Bach’s Contemporaries’ should rectify the omission without a moment’s further ado. Start with this treasure of a disc, then investigate the Kuhnau, Knüpfer and Zelenka. By that time you’ll be ready to get down onto your knees and pray for further additions to the series” Goldberg “The man who is gifting this superlative disc to his friends is doing them the greatest favor imaginable. It contains an absolute treasure trove whose only common denominator is the high quality throughout every one of these nine works … King’s fervent espousal of Schelle’s marvelous music is apparent in every bar of this flawless disc” Fanfare | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Knüpfer: Sacred Music
Carolyn Sampson, Rebecca Outram, Lisa Beckley, Susan Hamilton, Julie Cooper (sopranos), James Bowman, Robin Blaze (countertenors), James Gilchrist, Charles Daniels (tenors) & Peter Harvey, Michael George, Robert Evans (basses) The King’s Consort, Robert King Sebastian Knüpfer is yet another Baroque composer whose reputation and popularity have been overshadowed by J S Bach. Little of Knüpfer’s music has previously been transcribed from its many manuscripts, let alone published. However, in his day Knüpfer was a respected and highly soughtafter composer; his compositions were admired by his contemporaries and, according to his obituary, he ‘composed quotations of the Psalms and other Biblical books with such sweetness and skilfulness that he delighted even the saddest hearts, and his name is spoken with admiration not only in Leipzig but also outside’. As we have come to expect from Robert King and his King’s Consort, the performances are of the highest standard with some of the finest singers on the early music platform today. “There is no respect in which the vocal and instrumental performances or the recording fail to do justice to a composer whose revival is long overdue. I strongly recommend you to discover this for yourselves. Bravo, Hyperion! … the second release in the Bach Contemporaries series reveals a composer of imagination and flair.
The King’s Consort give these rarities outstanding performances” Gramophone Magazine “Robert King draws fine singing and playing from his ensemble. The soloists are uniformly excellent … Knüpfer is a real discovery—full marks to all concerned … the combination of education and pleasure is irresistible” International Record Review | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | JS Bach: Easter and Ascension Oratorios
This, the second release of the highly anticipated Retrospect Ensemble series, features the Easter Oratorio, one of Bach’s best-known oratorios and a monumental work, as well as the Ascension Oratorio. Retrospect Ensemble employs large-scale forces for this recording including four-part choir and orchestra (including timpani), and is joined by Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Iestyn Davies (countertenor), James Gilchrist (tenor) and Peter Harvey (bass). This dynamic recording highlights the skill and brilliance of Bach's writing through the inspired story telling of its star soloists and the passion of the Ensemble. Founded by Matthew Halls, Retrospect Ensemble takes its musicians and audiences on an exciting journey, exploring the repertoire of four centuries and embracing the practices, styles and aesthetics of former ages with renewed vigour and a fresh approach. This is the Ensemble’s second disc and follows its critically acclaimed debut recording of ‘Purcell Ten Sonatas in Four Parts’, a Finalist at the 2009 Gramophone Awards. Retrospect performs regularly at Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall, London, and has appeared at major UK festivals including the Edinburgh International Festival and Norfolk and Norwich Festival. Matthew Halls has established himself as one of today’s leading young conductors. A former Artistic Director of The King’s Consort, he has conducted in prominent venues throughout the UK and Europe. “With a choir of 18 and a period band of 26, this is relatively large-scale Bach, but the liturgical occasions for which both works were rearranged merit such lavishness, and the music-making is sumptuous, Halls and his trumpeters revelling in the celebratory clamour of Bach’s writing...Top-drawer Bach throughout, beautifully recorded and documented by Linn.” Sunday Times, 27th March 2011 **** “The excellent declamation, impeccable shaping of contrapuntal lines and flawless tuning of the Retrospect choir comes to the fore in the festive opening and closing choruses; the notably clean transparency between all four parts is achieved partly by an entirely male alto section but also by Halls's astute ability to convey each strand of vocal and instrumental detail.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2011 “Get out your dancing shoes. Here’s Bach’s Easter Oratorio, pungent, brief and the most uplifting of all Easter’s musical memorials. It’s performed with expressive British soloists and superbly nuanced playing from Matthew Halls’s Retrospect Ensemble...Bach built both works out of the remains of previous pieces, but everything is transformed in glory by his genius. A disc to make your heart leap.” The Times, 9th April 2011 **** “Oboist Alexandra Bellamy's phrasing and articulation illuminate the poetic content of the music, as does that of flautist Rachel Brown in her accompaniment of the extended soprano aria, tenderly sung by Carolyn Sampson. That contemplative tenderness is equally realised by James Gilchrist in his lyrical slumber song with recorders...these are enjoyably relaxed and unselfconscious performances.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2011 **** “[The oratorio] for Ascension has always been popular, with its trumpet-dominated choruses and exquisite alto and soprano solos (Carolyn Sampson is outstanding here). The Easter Oratorio, with its strong narrative structure, has found less favour, but is so well done here as to quell all doubts about the libretto. Matthew Halls directs sprightly singers and accomplished players.” The Observer, 24th April 2011 “This is highly impressive playing, neat, well disciplined but exciting, and Matthew Halls drives it along at a brisk pace, bringing into this music all the life-affirming joy and optimism which is at the very heart of Easter...This is a disc to savour and enjoy, not just for the sublime music but for performances which possess an immaculate feeling for style and a wonderfully fresh and vital delivery of both words and music.” International Record Review, May 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Ian Bostridge (Orfeo), Natalie Dessay (La Musica), Patrizia Ciofi (Euridice), Véronique Gens (Proserpina), Alice Coote (Messaggiera), Sonia Prina (Speranza), Carolyn Sampson (Ninfa), Paul Agnew (Eco/Pastore), Christopher Maltman (Apollo/Pastore), Lorenzo Regazzo (Plutone), Mario Luperi (Caronte), Pascal Bertin, Richard Burkhard (Pastori) Le Concert d'Astrée, Emmanuelle Haïm Recording Country: France Recording Location: 15-22 January 2003. Eglise Notre Dame du Liban, Paris. Mix Date: 22 Jan 2003 Executive Producer: Alain Lanceron Producer & Editor: Daniel Zalay Balance Engineer: Jean Chatauret (Musica Numeris) | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Mozart: Exsultate jubilate!
“Unreservedly recommended” BBC Music Magazine “This is a sunny and unpretentious disc which deserves to be among the successes of the Mozart year” Gramophone Magazine | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | A Handel CelebrationThe Sixteen’s sell-out Proms concert
Harry Christophers and The Sixteen have long been celebrated for their interpretations of Handel’s great masterpieces. In this BBC Prom from the Royal Albert Hall they capture some of the composer’s most ebullient moments in concert performance, from the ever popular Arrival of the Queen of Sheba to the ubiquitous sounds of Zadok the Priest. All Four Coronation Anthems feature on this DVD as well as virtuosic excerpts from the oratorio Semele sung by Carolyn Sampson, and the Organ Concerto in F major performed by Alastair Ross in its original version which finishes with a rousing ‘Alleluia’ chorus. Bonus features include two works not shown in the BBC Two broadcast - Coronation Anthem My heart is inditing and Salve Regina. Bonus Features include: Exclusive Interview with Harry Christophers. Bonus Tracks: Coronation Anthem My heart is inditing Salve Regina (Carolyn Sampson soprano) Artist Biographies and Images “Harry Christophers's crack team pulls out all the stops...if the pomp and regal circumstance undoubtedly impress, Christophers's tender shaping of the sighing phrase, his expressive dynamic palate, combined with an ear for orcehstral detail, impress even more.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2010 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Gramophone Magazine
Gramophone Awards 2011
