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At the time of its first performances in 1846, Elijah was hailed as one of the great oratorios alongside Handel’s 'Messiah'. It tells the story of the prophet with imposing grandeur, inspirational orchestration and beautiful arias, recitatives and choruses. This mighty piece requires even mightier orchestral and choral forces and the Gabrieli singers are reinforced by the talented Gabrieli Young Singers’ Scheme and the Wroclaw Philharmonic Choir. This recording sees over 440 musicians taking part, including 92 string players and over 300 singers. “Step into Victorian Birmingham with Paul McCreesh’s “authentic” recording of Mendelssohn’s epic Old Testament oratorio...The thumping grandeur of the big choruses is magnificent. But against that must be placed McCreesh’s tendency to insert wallowing rallentandos before every transition, and fuzzy choral diction.” The Times, 1st September 2012 *** “the choral singing is a marvel.” Sunday Times, 2nd September 2012 “one of the striking aspects of the performance is the way that Paul McCreesh so naturally places the great set pieces within the context of a multifaceted expressive whole...familiar moments in Elijah sound newly minted here, McCreesh approaching them with polished, fluent phrasing and using the period instruments of his orchestra to underpin emphases and to add vibrant colour.” The Telegraph, 15th September 2012 “McCreesh here totally re-imagines it: the big choruses are transparent as well as massively impressive...and there is no danger of religiosity in the fresh-voiced solos of Rosemary Joshua, Sarah Connolly and Simon Keenlyside...In all, a spectacularly successful reinvention of the British choral tradition.” The Observer, 23rd September 2012 “Connolly sings with mellifluous tone and Simon Keenlyside is an Elijah of spirit and intelligence: he may not have the sheer weight of a Bryn Terfel, but he's alive to every shift of meaning and his diction is, as ever, impeccable. The gut strings, unimpeded by vibrato, bring splendid urgency to the texture” BBC Music Magazine, November 2012 **** “Miraculously, McCreesh succeeds in relating Elijah’s sound world to Mendelssohn’s more familiar, lighter-sounding works while never underplaying the performance’s staggering heft. The combined choirs produce a sonority which has to be heard to be believed. The doomy, dramatic numbers are simply terrifying...McCreesh’s Berlioz disc was a highlight of 2011; this Elijah is even better. Flawless, in other words.” The Arts Desk, 6th October 2012 “There’s a definite histrionic side to the role and Keenlyside doesn’t short-change us but when listening to him I was reminded again and again what a fine lieder singer he is...[Ward is] clear and accurate and shows excellent breath control. Furthermore, his pitching is spot-on...The orchestral playing is superb...This is a marvellous recording of Elijah...Anyone who cares about this fine work should try to hear it.” MusicWeb International, October 2012 “unashamedly committed and thoroughly dramatic…this a reading to make one hear Mendelssohn’s masterpiece anew…The recording is beautifully presented in an exquisitely designed ‘book format’” Choir & Organ, November/December 2012 “The sound is massive when required, but the articulation is never unwieldy and there is delicacy too … [the organ is] a splendid beast and, except in one instance, you would never know that it was dubbed on electronically...Sarah Connolly and Rosemary Joshua are both excellent. From the crib of ‘Death and the Maiden’ at the opening to the final ‘Amen’, this is a triumph.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2012 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Purcell: Harmonia Sacra
Purcell: | Tell me, some pitying angel (The Blessed Virgin's Expostulation), Z196 In the black dismal dungeon of despair, Z190 We sing to him, whose wisdom form'd the ear, Z199 Air in G minor Great God and just, Z186 My song shall be always, Z31 Ground in D minor, ZD222 Lord, what is man?, Z192 Let the night perish (Job's Curse), Z191 Chacony in G minor - for Two Violins, Viola and Bass Z730 The night is come, ZD77 With sick and famish'd eyes, Z200 How have I stray'd, Z188 Suite in G minor My op’ning eyes are purg’d, ZD72 How long, great God?, Z189 Ground in C minor, ZD221 Sleep, Adam, and take thy rest, Z195 Thou wakeful shepherd that dost Israel keep (A Morning Hymn), Z198 The earth trembled, Z197 An Evening Hymn 'Now that the sun hath veiled his light', Z193 |
A dream cast for selected pieces from Purcell's masterpieces. Christophe Rousset has brought together leading experts in this field (Elizabeth Kenny and Laurence Dreyfus) around Rosemary Joshua to give us a benchmark performance. This disc is a gem and a priority of the label for the semester. “Rosemary Joshua brings to these accounts all the aplomb of a Baroque diva, with her sharply etched diction, perspicuous dramatic insights and varied vocal timbres...It would be easy for Joshua to steal the show, but the instrumentalists respond to her pliant vocal lines with sensitively articulated continuo playing.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2012 ***** “Purcell is not known as a composer of sacred songs. The 24 here, all scored for a single high voice, come from two volumes published in his later years, which group the work of several composers but are dominated by Purcell’s. Some are less than 30 bars long, others sound almost cantata-like. All are intimate and varied in tone. Whether they were designed to be heard in sequence like this is questionable, but [Rosemary] Joshua brings them vividly to life” Financial Times, 21st April 2012 “Joshua brings vocal security and textual intelligence to these works and though a slightly flighty vibrato sometimes threatens the music's intimacy, it does not get in the way of superbly realised greater dramatic truth. The continuo accompaniments are as sensitively accomplished as one would expect from such a line-up...If this is a sober disc, it is also one which reeks of Purcell's genius.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2012 “For a singer who began her career in the early 1990s, Joshua sounds astonishingly fresh — Emma Kirkby-like in the purity of her sound, although she brings a wider palette of colour to this kind of music than the veteran early-music diva ever did.” Sunday Times, 25th March 2012 “The word-painting of the sacred texts — involving angular leaps, florid melismas and a fluid mixture of declamation and gorgeous lyricism — is intense and detailed. Rosemary Joshua does it full justice, yet also seems to float, lithe and graceful, through it all. It’s a masterclass in delicate Baroque singing.” The Times, 19th May 2012 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Kenneth Tarver (Belshazzar), Rosemary Joshua (Nitocris), Bejun Mehta (Cyrus), Kristina Hammärström (Daniel), Neal Davies (Gobrias), Christina Sampson, Lucy Taylor, Andrew Radley, Richard Wilberforce, Vernon Kirk & Andrew Davies RIAS Kammerchor & Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, René Jacobs Directed by Christof Nel – A Film by Don Kent Set Designer: Roland Aeschlimann Costume Designer: Bettina Walter Produced by Bel Air Media / Festival d’Aix-en-Provence 2008 Handel's Belshazzar at the Aix Festival was imported from the Staatsoper Berlin. Berlin had built a huge, magnificent production and imported English and American opera singers, including star-turn countertenor Bejun Mehta. Add to this a superb local Baroque instrumental ensemble and an accomplished vocal ensemble, not to mention the world-renowned early music conductor, René Jacobs: and voilà, an operatic hit. Christophe Nel, a well-respected director in progressive German opera houses teamed up with famed Swiss minimalist set designer Roland Aeschlimann and costume designer Bettina Walter to create a production which respected the supposed austerity of oratorio. This experienced team brought Handel's not-so-high drama and philosophic tragedy to almost operatic dramatic standards as the Persian prince Cyrus overran the dissolute Babylonians and freed the captive Jews. “The Persian prince Cyrus, was sumptuously sung in heroic stances by Bejun Mehta; Rosemary Joshua, Belshazzar's mother Nitocris, sang in convincingly Handelian terms, and convincingly portrayed a religious zealot troubled by her wayward son. Most beautiful too was the singing of Neal Davies as the Syrian Gobrias, whose son had been killed by the dissolute emperor Belshazzar, a role also well sung and broadly characterised by American tenor, Kenneth Tarver. The star of the show was the RIAS-Kammerchor, able to personify Babylonians or Jews at the drop of a hat, singing magnificently. The Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin again proved itself a world-class chamber ensemble." musicwebinternational “the dramatic essence of the story...comes over in a striking semi-expressionist fashion. There's a strong set of central performances. Though Tarver is encouraged to go over the top as Nel's bisexual hedonist villain, his bright and brilliant tenor is purposefully deployed...Joshua supplies sobriety and maternal concern on a grand scale...Mehta's King Cyrus is immaculately sung and powerfully acted...Jacobs proves a consistently lively presence” BBC Music Magazine, August 2011 **** “Happily, stage producers Christof Nel and Martina Jochem place their faith entirely in Charles Jennen's plot and characters...The capable RIAS Chamber Choir get stuck into the dramatic story and the entire cast achieve an abundance of highly effective acting and dramatic visual ideas...Most of the singers are superb and their acting draws us into the contrasting moralities and fortunes of their characters.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2011 “Ten minutes into this gripping performance and you understand Rene Jacobs's enthusiasm for the idea [of staging it] - the music lends itself perfectly to dramatization...Jacobs and his cast respond thoughtfully, but not over-zealously, to Handel's vivid characterization...[Tarver] looks and sounds like the perfect Belshazzar...Joshua is spellbinding...[Mehta] has an instinctive feel for Handel...it's one of the most convincing stagings of a Handel oratorio I've seen.” International Record Review, September 2011  BBC Music Magazine
Blu-ray Choice - August 2011 |
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Kenneth Tarver (Belshazzar), Rosemary Joshua (Nitocris), Bejun Mehta (Cyrus), Kristina Hammärström (Daniel), Neal Davies (Gobrias), Christina Sampson, Lucy Taylor, Andrew Radley, Richard Wilberforce, Vernon Kirk & Andrew Davies RIAS Kammerchor & Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, René Jacobs Directed by Christof Nel – A Film by Don Kent Set Designer: Roland Aeschlimann Costume Designer: Bettina Walter Produced by Bel Air Media / Festival d’Aix-en-Provence 2008 Handel's Belshazzar at the Aix Festival was imported from the Staatsoper Berlin. Berlin had built a huge, magnificent production and imported English and American opera singers, including star-turn countertenor Bejun Mehta. Add to this a superb local Baroque instrumental ensemble and an accomplished vocal ensemble, not to mention the world-renowned early music conductor, René Jacobs: and voilà, an operatic hit. Christophe Nel, a well-respected director in progressive German opera houses teamed up with famed Swiss minimalist set designer Roland Aeschlimann and costume designer Bettina Walter to create a production which respected the supposed austerity of oratorio. This experienced team brought Handel's not-so-high drama and philosophic tragedy to almost operatic dramatic standards as the Persian prince Cyrus overran the dissolute Babylonians and freed the captive Jews. “The Persian prince Cyrus, was sumptuously sung in heroic stances by Bejun Mehta; Rosemary Joshua, Belshazzar's mother Nitocris, sang in convincingly Handelian terms, and convincingly portrayed a religious zealot troubled by her wayward son. Most beautiful too was the singing of Neal Davies as the Syrian Gobrias, whose son had been killed by the dissolute emperor Belshazzar, a role also well sung and broadly characterised by American tenor, Kenneth Tarver. The star of the show was the RIAS-Kammerchor, able to personify Babylonians or Jews at the drop of a hat, singing magnificently. The Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin again proved itself a world-class chamber ensemble." musicwebinternational “the dramatic essence of the story...comes over in a striking semi-expressionist fashion. There's a strong set of central performances. Though Tarver is encouraged to go over the top as Nel's bisexual hedonist villain, his bright and brilliant tenor is purposefully deployed...Joshua supplies sobriety and maternal concern on a grand scale...Mehta's King Cyrus is immaculately sung and powerfully acted...Jacobs proves a consistently lively presence” BBC Music Magazine, August 2011 **** “Happily, stage producers Christof Nel and Martina Jochem place their faith entirely in Charles Jennen's plot and characters...The capable RIAS Chamber Choir get stuck into the dramatic story and the entire cast achieve an abundance of highly effective acting and dramatic visual ideas...Most of the singers are superb and their acting draws us into the contrasting moralities and fortunes of their characters” Gramophone Magazine, October 2011 “Ten minutes into this gripping performance and you understand Rene Jacobs's enthusiasm for the idea [of staging it] - the music lends itself perfectly to dramatization...Jacobs and his cast respond thoughtfully, but not over-zealously, to Handel's vivid characterization...[Tarver] looks and sounds like the perfect Belshazzar...Joshua is spellbinding...[Mehta] has an instinctive feel for Handel...it's one of the most convincing stagings of a Handel oratorio I've seen.” International Record Review, September 2011 BBC Music Magazine DVD Choice - August 2011 |
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After a 30 year-long partnership with harmonia mundi, Philippe Herreweghe has founded his own label, PHI, coproduced with Outhere. For his first CD, he presents Mahler’s Fourth Symphony. Under the leadership of Philippe Herreweghe, l’Orchestre des Champs-Élysées has been striving, for almost twenty years, to attain an idiomatic style and forgotten colours. This Fourth Symphony by Mahler, interpreted on period instruments, champions resolutely modern aesthetics, far from standard interpretations. Beyond the sumptuous colours of l’Orchestre des Champs-Élysées, beyond the meticulous work on the musical score, this recording confirms Herreweghe’s intimacy with the world of the Viennese composers of the turn of the century. “There are arresting moments, and the playing has a delicate beauty and textual clarity that repeatedly draw one's attention to Mahler's technical finesse - and the slightly soft-focus recording doesn't get in the way.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2011 ** “Joshua is a pure-toned soloist with not a hint of archness...For anyone wanting to hear the sound of instruments from Mahler's time, Herreweghe's is a treat, and his unfussy interpretation works very well...the PHI disc is a model of transparency, reflecting the character of the performance very well.” International Record Review, February 2011 “The performance is a finely judged one, the pacing moderate. What distinguishes it is not so much the expected opening up of the soundworld – more transparency from the gut strings, less weight from the wind...Above all, it's wonderful to hear a body of strings using portamento to shape their phrases” The Guardian, 3rd February 2011 **** “the use here of gut strings, and their effect on the bowing style, combined with Mahler's undersized brass section, brings an unusual lightness to the balance between wind and strings that works to pleasing effect in conveying the buoyant religious ecstasy behind the work.” The Independent, 14th January 2011 *** “The 19th-century woodwind instruments infuse Philippe Herreweghe's account of Mahler's Fourth with the thick green smell of buds and leaves...this is a performance rooted in the forest and in the symphonic traditions of Mahler's predecessors. Slow-burning but never sluggish, "Ruhevoll" has Beethovenian radiance, ripening into Brahmsian passion” The Independent on Sunday, 16th January 2011 “Herreweghe is never an extrovert interpreter, and after some very scrunchy, pointed dissonant climaxes, he lets the music float with Rosemary Joshua's ethereal soprano solo in the last movement, fading to nothing in eternal bliss. Distinctively pure and touching.” The Observer, 6th March 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Handel: Ombra Cara
In his first recital for harmonia mundi, Bejun Mehta, the American countertenor, has chosen highlights from the repertoire of the famous castrato Senesino, accompanied by René Jacobs and Freiburger Barock. Bejun (b.1968) is a protegée of René Jacobs and has been sponsored by Marilyn Horne. He made his opera debut as a countertenor, having been inspired by David Daniels, as Armindo in a New York City Opera production of Partenope. Stage rôles have included Tolomeo in Giulio Cesare, Tamerlano, Ottone in Agrippina and Endimione in Le Calisto. + BONUS DVD: OMBRA CARA 'MAKING OF' NTSC 16.9, Subtitles, Fr, Ger, Total time: 15’25”, Interview in English “Mehta's disc towers above the other Handel 'medley' recordings currently fashionable among opera stars. Musicality and a brilliant intelligence emanate from every track...This is not just an aria collection, but a celebration of genius, in composition and performance alike.” BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2010 ***** “Mehta's way of listening to the orchestra around him, and either allowing his singing to stand out in relief, or to meld with the instrumental textures, produces wonderfully variegated effects and ever-changing perspectives...Mehta's beauty of tone and musical intelligence confirm his position in the highest echelon of contemporary countertenors” The Guardian, 23rd December 2010 ***** “...a superior musician at the peak of his vocal powers. He has luxury support from the Freiburg Barockers and Jacobs, himself a former countertenor and a no less imaginative Handelian. The icing on this sumptuous cake is the gorgeous duet from Sosarme, in which Rosemary Joshua’s voice blends ideally with Mehta’s. A treat from start to finish.” The Times, 2nd January 2011 **** “Mehta's singing can be astonishingly good...his precise coloratura in direct faster arias is superb...The Freiburg Baroque Orchestra plays excellently, particularly during a passacaglia from Rodrigo.” Gramophone Magazine, February 2011 “Mehta deals with and vanquishes any vocal difficulties, for his voice is like a well-oiled engine...[He] employs the colours of his voice skilfully...He is among the best of countertenors, and Handelians should relish these performances. In every piece, the orchestra produces instrumental colour and stylish playing, be it from trumpet or lute. Jacobs lends a wise and experienced hand.” International Record Review, January 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Although Flavio, premiered in 1723, deals with motives of love, honour, and duty, the tone is domestic, with less emphasis than in many other operas on political or military changes of fortune. Though hardly a comedy, it does seem to move to a more detached view of human interactions. The action is set in Lombardy during the dark ages: the stratagem of sending unwanted individuals away to govern Britain – striking overtones of honour and punishment – would no doubt have been taken humorously by the London audiences. The music embraces a wide variety of emotions, with duets, one for each pair of lovers, framing the beginning and end of the opera. In Act III, as one lover pleads the case of his rival, the ambiguity of the situation causes a splendid ironical frisson in the plot, reflected in the music. Handel revived Flavio once, in 1732, its modest success in its day reflecting the tastes of contemporary audiences rather than its musical or dramatic quality. It is far better appreciated today as one of the composer’s most inventive operas, full of the varied imagination, superb arias, and excellent melody we expect from Handel’s best operas. Founded in 1994 by its music director, Christian Curnyn, the Early Opera Company is now firmly established as one of Britain’s leading early music ensembles. The Company’s debut production of Handel’s Serse led to an invitation to perform at the BOC Covent Garden Festival, and this was followed by three performances of Ariodante. In 1998 the Company made its debut at St John’s, Smith Square with a concert performance of Charpentier’s Actéon and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and was invited to stage Handel’s Orlando at the Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of the South Bank Early Music Festival. Since then the Company has performed at many leading festivals. Highlights have included productions of Dido and Aeneas at the Vic Early Music Festival in Spain, Handel’s Agrippina at St John’s, and Handel’s Partenope at the Buxton Festival and the Snape Proms at Aldeburgh. Future plans include performances of Così fan tutte at New York City Opera and Medée at Chicago Opera Theater. For Chandos, Christian Curnyn and the Early Opera Company have recorded Handel’s Partenope and Semele (winner of the 2009 Stanley Sadie Handel Recording Prize) and Eccles’s The Judgment of Paris. “Flavio has some fine music, but is rarely performed...The aria 'Amante stravagante'...nicely displays [Joshua's] bright, silvery tone...The vocal star is Renata Pokupic as Vitige. Her 'Non credo' aria is beautifully shaped.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2010 *** “This new recording is exemplary, with elegant, sprightly playing by the Early Opera Company, beautifully paced tempos set by conductor Christian Curnyn, and golden-age singing from Tim Mead, Iestyn Davies, Rosemary Joshua and Andrew Foster-Williams.” The Telegraph, 29th October 2010 ***** “Iestyn Davies’s plangent, fiery Guido and Rosemary Joshua’s diamantine Emilia could hardly be bettered...Thomas Walker and Andrew Foster-Williams are stalwarts as the warring patriarchs.” Sunday Times, 7th November 2010 *** “Joshua's gleaming, agile soprano remains on pristine form for such an experienced Handelian and she's a consistent pleasure...Davies's Guido...is a major achievement for the young countertenor in his first starring role on disc...dashing off the coloratura volleys of 'Rompo i lacci' with insouciant ease and consistently pearly tone” International Record Review, November 2010 “Curnyn and his spruce period band finely catch the tone and tinta of his delectable opera. Tempi - mobile but never frenetic - are aptly chosen, rhythms buoyant...The singers, many of them Curnyn regulars, dispatch their arias with fine Handelian stye and spirit, and, crucially, bring real theatrical vitality to their recitative exchanges.” Gramophone Magazine, February 2011 | | | (also available to download from $21.00) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Handel Duets
This new Handel collection features two great singers alongside the English Concert, arguably one of the best baroque orchestras in the UK. Duets play a key role in Handel’s stage works. A master of the Baroque opera seria medium, with its extended sequence of solo arias and recitative dialogue, he understood the dramatic effectiveness of occasional numbers blending two voices, generally those of a soprano heroine and a castrato hero. The exquisite programme offers a carefully chosen selection of Handel duets from his operas and oratorios Giulio Cesare, Belshazzar, Theodora, Ottone, Sosarme, Radimisto, Rodelinda, Agrippina and Tamerlano. Sarah Connolly CBE has become a highly sought-after performer on the operatic stage in a wide range of repertoire. Her Handelian roles have including the title-role in Giulio Cesare for the Glyndebourne Festival; in Agrippina, Xerxes, Ariodante and Ruggiero (Alcina) for the English National Opera and Ino/Juno (Semele) for the San Francisco Opera. She also starred in the 2009 Last Night of the Proms. Rosemary Joshua is well known for her Handel roles, having sung Ginevra (Ariodante) in San Diego; Angelica (Orlando) in Munich, for Covent Garden and at the Aix-en- Provence Festival; and the title-role in Semele for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award and recorded for Chandos. Her recording of Partenope for Chandos was awarded the Stanley Sadie Handel Recording Prize. The English Concert is conducted by Harry Bicket. With a combination of such forces, this album is sure to make for a must-have for all Handel enthusiasts. “The playing is crisp and the singing polished and stylish, with Joshua, in particular, conveying infectious delight in this sophisticated music.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2010 **** “Connolly and Joshua are as outstanding a pair of Handel singers as one is likely to hear...The English Concert and Harry Bicket provide understated and efficient accompaniment...fans of both composer and these two singers will be enchanted by the highly accomplished music-making.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2010 | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Three-part Original Version from 1739
Rosemary Joshua (soprano), Atsuko Suzuki (soprano), Gerhild Romberger (alto), Kobie van Rensburg (tenor), Simon Pauly (baritone), Thomas Hamberger (bass-baritone), Harald Hoeren (harpsichord) & Christoph Lehmann, Max Hanft (organ) Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks & Concerto Köln, Peter Dijkstra (director) Georg Friedrich Händel’s great choral oratorio, “Israel in Egypt” is the most valuable gift the composer ever gave to choral music. The chorus functions as protagonist in this powerful work, which tells the Old Testament story of Exodus with telling dramatic intensity. Two multiple prize-winning, major ensemble, Concerto Köln, the well known period instrument ensemble and the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, joined forces for the first time in November of 2008. The strong individual characteristics of the vocal soloists combine impressively with the chorus and orchestra for a multi-layered interpretation that is concurrently borne by a clear, common musical objective. This recording features the original three-part version from 1739. Live-recording; Munich, Prinzregententheater, Nov. 2008 Booklet Notes: English, German, French Libretto: English, German “Concerto Köln play with muscularity...the Bavarian Radio Chorus does not seem to be very large, although it makes a grand old-fashioned choral society noise...Its English pronunciation is flawless...Dijkstra achieves another worthy entry into a competitive discography” Gramophone Magazine, August 2010 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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