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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Brahms: The Complete Songs Volume 4 (Robert Holl)
Brahms: | An die Nachtigall, Op. 46 No. 4 (Text: L.C.H. Hölty) Schwermut, Op. 58 No. 5 Dein blaues Auge, (No. 8 from Acht Lieder und Gesänge, Op. 59) Heimweh, Op. 63 No. 8 Heimweh I, Op. 63 No. 7 Heimweh III, Op. 63 No. 9 Alte Liebe, Op. 72 No. 1 Sommerfäden, Op. 72 No. 2 O kühler Wald, Op. 72 No. 3 Verzagen, Op. 72 No. 4 Todessehnen ('Ach, wer nummt von meiner Seele'), Op. 86 No. 6 Lieder (5), Op. 94 Komm bald, Op. 97 No. 5 (Groth) Wie Melodien zieht es mir, Op. 105 No. 1 Auf Dem See op.106 No.2 Maienkätzchen, Op. 107 No. 4 Vier ernste Gesänge, Op. 121 |
Graham Johnson’s latest Lieder project for Hyperion reaches its fourth volume. Brahms is of course a giant of the Romantic era but his songs and vocal works are rather less well known than much of his other music. There is so much to discover and enjoy in the beautiful, often elegiac melodies and characteristic piano writing. In some of these recitals an opus number will be presented in its entirety: here it is the songs of Op 94, as well as the Vier ernste Gesänge of Op 121. The singer is the bass-baritone Robert Holl, acclaimed as simply one of the most profound artists of the genre and recently praised for the ‘unparalleled depth and complexity’ of his live performance (The Independent). “Holl's true bass register resonates eloquently with this programme of very serious songs...Holl has the ability to draw the listener in...For the Four Serious Songs themselves, Holl brings a deep sense of empathetic humanity to the live, deeply felt and thoughtfully reasoned inner monologues which he makes of them.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2012 **** “Holl fields a bass-baritone of slightly grizzled nobility, with impressive sonorous depth...he catches all the terrible nihilism and life-weariness of the first two songs and the opening of the third...Johnson's fastidiously textured playing, like his detailed commentaries, is always illuminating...But be prepared for a protracted Brahmsian gloomfest.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2012 “Holl's voice, reminiscent of Fischer-Dieskau's but rather more of a real bass...is rich, true and resonant. He uses it simply, without self-conscious artifice, and the result is some very beautiful singing. Johnson's accompeniment is always skilled and perceptive...This disc, while the whole recital has notable integrity and quality, would be worth having for [the Four Serious Songs] alone.” International Record Review, September 2012 “Holl, here approaching his mid-sixties, is still a flexible and nuanced singer with the ability to lighten the tone when appropriate. In spite of a long operatic career with often heavy roles - he has been a regular at Bayreuth since 1996 - the voice is largely unscathed and the tone noble...[Johnson] is the ever-flexible partner in what is a duo of equal merits.” MusicWeb International, January 2013 “[Holl is] dark-toned, at times to the point of grittiness, and you might find your admiration for the emotional truth of his singing offset by moments of unwieldiness and an occasional pulse in his tone. It works best if you listen selectively...The effect is awesome, but makes for difficult listening.” The Guardian, 13th September 2012 *** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Schubert: Schwanengesang
Concluding a highly acclaimed series of Schubert song cycles, Wigmore Hall Live now release the much-anticipated Schwanengesang. Recorded live on the Wigmore stage by Christopher Maltman and Graham Johnson in April 2010, the song cycle was collated after Schubert’s death by the publisher Haslinger and, through the works of three poets, depicts a despairing man tormented by his lost love. Often sorrowful, sometimes enraged, this performance never fails to search deep within the emotive poetry, truly exploring the drama that unfolds through the fourteen poems. Famed for his superlative Schubertian pianism, Johnson features here not as an accompanist but as an equal, as Maltman’s stunningly colourful voice displays an infinite palette of timbres, carefully and subtly nuanced throughout. “Maltman brings a light touch to 'Liebesbotschaft', beautifully complemented by the filigree of Johnson's accompaniment...The second encore, 'Der Winterabend', culminates in Johnson's right hand doubling and counterpointing the vocal line - magical.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2012 “Both singer and accompanist are on far better form, for me, than they were in Winterreise...These are direct, uncluttered accounts of songs of varying quality, and the deepest - 'Am Meer', 'Der Doppelganger' - get appropriately weighty treatment, while others, such as the last, are delightfully light.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2012 **** “Maltman has a very beautiful light baritone voice and sings Schubert with undemonstrative perceptiveness and much musical intelligence...This is fine recording of Schwanengesang, the accompaniment occasionally somewhat insensitive but Maltman's singing hard to fault.” International Record Review, February 2012 “There's an uncompromising emotional rawness in Maltman's singing in Der Atlas, Die Stadt and Der Doppelgänger that make for very disquieting listening. But it's not all angst: he's sexy in Ständchen and humorous in Die Taubenpost. Johnson, meanwhile, is exemplary, reminding us throughout of the genius of Schubert's piano writing.” The Guardian, 8th March 2012 **** “Maltman confirms that he is one of the most impressive baritone exponents of art songs currently before the public and, of course, he is partnered by one of the finest accompanists of our day, one who is steeped in Schubert’s lieder. Though there are many excellent CD versions of Schwanengesang in the catalogue this one joins the ranks of the very best.” MusicWeb International, June 2012 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Brahms: The Complete Songs Volume 3 (Simon Bode)
Brahms: | Wach auf, mein Herzensschöne, WoO33 No. 16 Erlaube mir, fein's Mädchen (No. 2 from Deutsche Volkslieder WoO 33) Mein Mädel hat einen Rosenmund (No. 25 from Deutsche Volkslieder, WoO 33) Ein Sonett, Op. 14 No. 4 (Herder) Ständchen, Op. 14 No. 7 Der Kuss, Op. 19, No. 1 An eine Äolsharfe, Op. 19 No. 5 Magyarisch, Op. 46, No. 2 Die Schale der Vergessenheit, Op. 46, No. 3 Lieder (5), Op. 49 Mein wundes Herz verlangt, Op, 59, No. 7 Im Garten, Op. 70 No. 1 Lerchengesang Op. 70 No. 2 Serenade, Op. 70 No. 3 An den Mond, Op. 71 No. 2 (Text: K. Simrock) In Waldeseinsamkeit, Op. 85 No. 6 Auf dem Schiffe, Op. 97, No. 2 Es hing der Reif, Op. 106 No. 3 Ein Wanderer, Op. 106 No. 5 Die Sonne scheint nicht mehr (No. 5 from Deutsche Volkslieder, WoO 33) Wo gehst du hin, du Stolze? WoO33, No. 22 Es steht ein Lind (No. 41 from Deutsche Volkslieder, WoO 33) |
Following the iconic series of the complete songs of Schubert and Schumann, Graham Johnson further demonstrates the phenomenal depth of his knowledge in the expert programming of this recital. Each disc in the series represents a different journey through the repertoire, and thus through Brahms’s life. This new volume is sensitively balanced, the opening and closing folksong transcriptions possessing beguiling charm and the five songs of Op 49 being performed in their entirety. Hyperion is thrilled to welcome the young German tenor Simon Bode to the label. At home in the opera house and the recital hall, Bode possesses a controlled voice of great beauty, and gives performances of immediacy and conviction. Johnson, as accompanist, is immaculate and his usual scholarly notes are of course included. “Bode sings [Sehnsucht and the Wiegenlied] with a fine sense of artistry and wonderment. Johnson takes care over his placing of Brahms's many folksong settings within this series, inserting a few at a time. Here, they frame the recital, with Bode's instinctive musicality making an irresistably friendly greeting of 'Wach auf, mein Herzensschone.'” BBC Music Magazine, January 2012 **** “His tone is sweet and gently rounded, his diction crystal-clear, his phrasing always thoughtful. Spinning a rapt, sustained lined, he movingly catches the Brahmsian twilit melancholy of 'Abenddammerung'...'Wiegenlied', too, is as dulcet as you could wish, with singer and pianist vindicating a provocatively slumbrous [sic] tempo.” Gramophone Magazine, February 2012 “Bode has an unquestionably beautiful voice, his line is exquisitely controlled and his care over words and meaning were already evident in the folksong settings...There are marvellous things, such as a wondrously sustained “Es hing der Reif”. Indeed, according to their own lights, all the performances are marvellous...Every Brahmsian quality you could want is here except fullness of heart” MusicWeb International, March 2012 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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“….Maltman’s ardent, impulsive, intensely “lived” performance, partnered and inspired by the everilluminating Johnson, should be heard by anyone who loves the cycle.” So wrote Richard Wigmore in Gramophone Magazine of Christopher Maltman’s Die Schöne Müllerin. Released in April 2011, this was the first release of his complete Schubert song cycles project and was awarded an Editor’s Choice. Recorded over a series of live dates, Maltman has collaborated with one of the world’s foremost authorities on the lieder repertoire, accompanist Graham Johnson. Maltman’s teaming with Johnson is a triumphant partnership with Maltman giving the accolade that he is the “definitive accompanist who leaves no stone unturned”. Die Winterreise will be followed by Schwanengesang in 2012, the live performance of which was critically-applauded. Maltman’s decision to undertake these substantial recordings as a live project was a considered choice: “the live recording experience is where the real beauty lies; the little points, the little imperfections, the emotional stress, give the performance an organic feel, a rawness. It dials everything back to the most important element – the live performance.” “This is a live recording made in the Wigmore Hall in February 2010, remarkable for its robustness, force and energy. Maltman is the most virile, bitterly impassioned and angry of wanderers, whose determination is evident from the first bars of Gute Nacht to the final black desolation of Der Leiermann.” The Telegraph, 18th August 2011 **** “Maltman is a likeable singer, with an easy, communicative manner, excellent diction — even when his German is less than idiomatic — and scrupulously musical instincts.” Sunday Times, 21st August 2011 *** “Maltman gives a bleak, steadily paced account of Winterreise which is at once weighty and intense. This suits his dark-hued voice compared to other excellent but more febrile accounts...The thundering anguish of "Rückblick", the ghostly whispers of "Irrlicht" and the schizophrenic light-dark dreams of spring in "Frühlingstraum" mix depression, frustration and tenderness. This is true soul-singing.” The Observer, 4th September 2011 “He gives a hard-hitting performance, and, as one might expect, it's exceptionally well characterised...Maltman roots his interpretation in the psychological specifics...Some of it is less than beautiful – as it should be...Graham Johnson is wonderful in this work. He follows every emotional utterance, beautifully illuminating Schubert's alignment of the winter landscape with the shifts and instabilities of the protagonist's psyche.” The Guardian, 8th September 2011 **** “Maltman never gives a less than intelligent performance, and he skillfully dramatizes Schubert’s great song-cycle.” Financial Times, 22nd October 2011 *** “If Maltman is sometimes better at communicating the tenderness in Winterreise than the torture, there are moments in this subtle, insightful account where he lays bare the composer’s own syphilitic deterioration.” classicalsource.com, October 2011 “There are many good things in this live Wigmore Hall recital, not least Maltman's characterisation of despair and alienation in 'Wasserflut' and 'Rast' and Johnson's eloquent pianism.” Classic FM Magazine, November 2011 *** “When Maltman essays a mezza voce, his tone whitens; and sometimes, as in 'Die Nebensonnen', he sounds uncomfortable in the original key. But these drawbacks are outweighed by the beauty of Maltman's voice and his keen attention to the words...His crescendo on the last word of all, to match the forte phrase in the piano, is a brilliant touch. Admirable accompanist, excellent sound: well worth hearing.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Acclaimed baritone Christopher Maltman will release the complete Schubert song cycles – Die Schöne Müllerin, Winterreise and Schwanengesang, on Wigmore Hall Live during 2011-12. Recorded over a series of live dates, Maltman has collaborated with one of the world’s foremost authorities on lieder repertoire, piano-accompanist Graham Johnson, in a triumphant partnership. The first release, Die Schöne Müllerin, was Schubert’s first complete song cycle, composed at the age of just 26. The work requires the singer to draw upon a range of moods, from raw emotional turmoil and unpredictability, to introspection and ultimately resignation. Maltman states that the work requires a “certain vulnerability” in its portrayal of the lovelorn young miller, and to achieve this, he and Johnson chose to transpose several of the songs back up to the outer reaches of the baritone range, closer to that of the tenor. The duo’s decision to take the voice out of its comfort zone and embrace the tension this produces undeniably adds to the colour and characterisation which Maltman brings to the work: “These musical masterpieces present an endless pursuit and a constant re-examination.” The next release in the cycle will be Winterreise in September 2011, followed by Schwanengesang in 2012, the live performance of which was critically-applauded in the Guardian: “Maltman's pianist was Graham Johnson, whose focused, detailed playing reminded us just how far Schwanengesang redefined the role of the accompanist" Maltman’s decision to undertake these substantial recordings as a live project was a considered choice: “the live recording experience is where the real beauty lies; the little points, the little imperfections, the emotional stress, give the performance an organic feel, a rawness. It dials everything back to the most important element – the live performance.” “This performance...is uncommonly convincing in its combination of vividness and deep introspection...A strong point is Johnson’s piano-playing...but this is very much a partnership. Maltman is a compelling narrator, making you see the pictures and moods described, and imaginatively mixing half-voice and vehement full tone. The Hateful Colour is thrillingly dramatic.” Sunday Times, 1st May 2011 **** “Maltman's journeyman miller is volatile, susceptible, prone to violent swings between elation and self-communing inwardness, but not one who senses his tragic fate virtually from the outset. With its fine bright resonance, his virile baritone initially exudes health and an eagerness to seize life...Maltman's ardent, impulsive, intensely 'lived' performance, partnered and inspired by the ever-illuminating Johnson, should be heard by anyone who loves the cycle.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2011 “Maltman brings a fierce intelligence and a wide range of vocal colour to his performance, and he manages to balance a sense of overarching emotional control from beginning to end with in-the-moment spontaneity...Graham Johnson's accompanying - which now supports, now ironizes the ostensible emotion of the song - adds depth too.” Classic FM Magazine, June 2011 **** “This is an extraordinarily subtle performance of Schubert's first great cycle. Wonderfully recorded, with an ideal balance between soloist and pianist, it leaves you wondering, at times, who is accompanying whom...Maltman, with his gloriously warm light baritone, is born along on the stream of the piano's uncertainties, and the total effect is disturbing and unique...indispensable for anyone wanting to probe beneath its adorable surface.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2011 ***** “After only moments in the opening song, 'Das Wandern', one becomes aware that Maltman's singing will not be vocally monochromic...This is a extremely introspective reading, controlled, collected and sensitive...Johnson brings his own eloquent contributions.” International Record Review, May 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Schumann Favourite Songs
“full unblemished tone, faultless legato...thoughtful phrasing - many pleasures to offer” Gramophone Magazine “Felicity Lott is a connoisseur's artist, far greater than many more illustrious and publicised rivals...here with great poise and completely unaffected artistry...treasurable” Penguin Guide | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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“Bostridge’s peculiarly beseeching voice enshrines the vulnerability, tender feeling and obsessive love of the youthful miller … a soulsearching interpretation” Gramophone Magazine “The performance by the young Bostridge is a miracle … he brings the naive, impetuous, jealous, ultimately despairing and suicidal boy vividly to life as no other tenor on record and his youthful vulnerability
is heart-rending. This wonderful disc makes you listen to Schubert’s masterly cycle with refreshed ears” Sunday Times | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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“The one to knock Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore from the pedestal … Johnson and Goerne plumb the emotional depths of one of the most heart-wrenchingly sublime masterpieces in the genre” BBC Music Magazine “Without doubt a historic account of Schubert’s emotionally draining masterpiece” Classic CD “Vocal technique and interpretive insights of the highest musical artistry. However many Winterreisen you may possess, you must have this one” Sunday Telegraph | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Felicity Lott sings Schubert Favourites
Schubert: | Die Forelle, D550 An Sylvia, D891 Heidenröslein, D257 Du bist die Ruh D776 (Rückert) Der Musensohn, D764 (Goethe) An die Musik D547 Auf dem Wasser zu singen, D774 Sei mir gegrüsst! D741 (Rückert) Litanei auf das Fest Allerseelen, D343 Die junge Nonne, D828 Ave Maria, D839 Im Frühling, D882 Gretchen am Spinnrade, D118 Nacht und Träume, D827 Ganymed, D544 (Goethe) Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt, D877/4 Schlachtgesang D443 (Klopstock) Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, D965 (Von Chezy / Muller) with Michael Collins (clarinet) & Ian Brown (piano) |
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| |  | Summertime
Arne: | Where the Bee Sucks | Barber, S: | Sure on this shining night, Op. 13 No. 3 The Monk and His Cat (No. 8 from Hermit Songs) | Berlioz: | L'Île inconnue (from Les Nuits d'été) Villanelle (from Les nuits d'été, Op. 7) | Bernstein: | My House (from Peter Pan) | Brahms: | Meine Liebe ist grün, Op. 63 No. 5 | Bridge: | Go Not, Happy Day | Delius: | To Daffodils | Elgar: | The Shepherd's Song | Fauré: | Clair de Lune, Op. 46 No. 2 Soir Op. 83 No. 2 Notre amour Op. 23 No. 2 | Fraser-Simson: | Vespers | Gershwin: | Summertime (from Porgy and Bess) | Head, M: | The Little Road to Bethlehem | Ireland: | The Trellis | Lehmann: | Ah, moon of my delight | Porter, C: | The Tale of the Oyster | Quilter: | Now sleeps the crimson petal, Op. 3 No. 2 (Tennyson) Who is Sylvia Love's Philosophy, Op. 3 No. 1 (Shelley) | Rutter: | The Lord bless you and keep you | Schubert: | Auf dem Wasser zu singen, D774 | Schumann: | Der Nussbaum, Op. 25 No. 3 | trad.: | The Lark in the Clear Air | Vaughan Williams: | Orpheus With His Lute | Warlock: | Sleep | Wood, Haydn: | A brown bird singing |
Dame Felicity Lott, revered British soprano, says of this CD: “ Summertime also has many of my favourite songs in English, French and German. We made the CD at a friend`s house, and the sessions were so relaxed, with no London traffic to cause endless retakes! It`s a real mix of beautiful songs of all kinds, on a summer theme. I chose songs I loved, from Gershwin to Christopher Robin…. Three centuries of song are represented here, and, as BBC Music Magazine's Hilary Finch put it “such is the skill of Johnson's programming that the entire recital seems to be a single, sustained exhalation of rapture and reflection” She went on to say: The upper reaches of Lott's still gleaming soprano inhabit Barber's 'Shining Night' and Fauré's Clair de lune'. And her robust English version of Schubert's 'Who is Sylvia?' finds an irresistible companion in Arne's 'Where the Bee Sucks', with its veritable midsummer night's dream of an accompaniment from Johnson. The artists' palpable sense of joy and well-being gathers momentum as they visit Berlioz's 'L'île inconnue' and as they sing on the water with Schubert. . . . And Lott and Johnson know well that the only way to face sentiment is to acknowledge its own integrity, as they do when they listen to Haydn Wood's 'Little Brown Bird' and eavesdrop with Fraser-Simson on Christopher Robin saying his prayers. This CD features songs from a great variety of composers - Gershwin, Barber, Cole Porter, Bernstein, Brahms, Schubert, Arne, Schumann, Berlioz, and many more. A full 29 tracks of summer-themed songs! | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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