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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Haydn: Piano Concertos Nos. 3, 4 & 11
Marc-André Hamelin has proved himself—in three lauded volumes of Haydn’s piano sonatas—to be a formidable Haydn pianist, combining style, exuberance and dazzling technique with a palpable sense of joy in the music. Now he has recorded the composer’s three most popular concertos. This release is the fruit of a partnership with the award-winning Canadian chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy and their director Bernard Labadie, whose previous recordings for Virgin Classics and other labels have received the highest critical acclaim. “Hamelin and Les Violons du Roy play that gypsy finale [of the D major Concerto] with irresistable verve...If there's an incongruity between the sound of Hamelin's modern piano and that of the period-band that accompanies him, it's one that's easy to get used to...it's hard not to enjoy Hamelin's showmanship and the eloquence of his slow movements is an added bonus.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2013 **** “Hamelin’s songful legato in the F major’s largo cantabile and bravura in the presto finales make the strongest possible cases for these works, and I don’t know a more exhilarating account of the D major — but it ought to be the disc’s climax.” Sunday Times, 21st April 2013 “ Hamelin could probably hum these concertos into a battered plastic kazoo and they’d still sound great. Everything works. There’s the requisite dynamism and energy, coupled with a superhuman lightness of touch...Hyperion’s sound is beyond reproach. Another entry in my provisional "Best of 2013" list.” The Arts Desk, 27th April 2013 “[in the F major] Hamelin weaves an enchanting spell, approaching an almost Mozartian pathos...[in the finale of the D major] he pushes forward without dropping the tempo, heightening the delirium of this whirling gypsy dance. Add to that some unmarked col legno earlier in the same movement for an authentic touch of Hungarian paprika and the result cannot fail to raise a smile.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2013 | 
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| |  | Opera Arias: Gluck, Haydn, Mozart
Gluck: | Dieux puissants que j'atteste… Jupiter, lance la foudre (from Iphigénie en Aulide) Che faro' senza Euridice? (from Orfeo ed Euridice) | Graun, C H: | Del mio destin tiranno (from Montezuma) | Haydn: | Se non piange un infelice (from L'isola Disabitata) Sudò il guerriero (from Il ritorno di Tobia, HobXXI/1) | Mozart: | Venga pur, minacci e frema (from Mitridate, rè di Ponto) Mitridate, rè di Ponto, K87: Overture Ombra felice!...Io ti lascio, K255 Parto inerme e non pavento (from La Betulia liberata, K74c/K118) Voi che sapete (from Le nozze di Figaro) Deh, per questo istante solo (from La Clemenza di Tito) |
In the line of a rich and eclectic discography, Marie-Nicole Lemieux’s new recital, recorded with leading North American classical and baroque orchestra Les Violons du Roy, is devoted to the first decades of classical opera era. As always, Marie-Nicole Lemieux has combined hits of the repertoire (Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro) with much less renowned pieces to which she gives new light, such as Graun’s 'Montezuma', Gluck’s 'Iphigénie en Aulide' or young Mozart’s 'Mitridate'. The warm and sensitive voice of Marie-Nicole Lemieux as well as the very precise and specific rhythm provided by Bernard Labadie’s orchestra perfectly combine to draw a complete range of musical colours. “You might think that a band called Les Violons du Roy would feature period instruments: it doesn't, but the playing is lean and muscular, with plenty of light and air...Lemieux's spine-tingling account of Clytemnestra's air in Iphigenie en Aulide is complemented by Bernard Labadie's attention to detail” Gramophone Magazine, January 2013 “The Canadian contralto's depth is genuine, even if there's a mezzo quality higher up. Hers may not be the richest or most rounded tone around, but she delivers everything assigned to her with a keen dramatic overview...Her ability to extract meaning from text and notes is impressive throughout.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2013 **** “her bottom range shows a strength worthy of Marilyn Horne...[in the Mitridate aria] Lemieux is a veritable spitfire as she spews out the young man's venom...Lemieux sings [Che faro?] with rich tone, clear focus and subtle hints in her colouring...This CD is another desirable addition to Lemieux's growing discography, with so much in which to revel.” International Record Review, February 2013 | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | CPE Bach: Cello Concertos Nos. 1-3
Cellist Truls Mørk’s profound sensitivity to musical style is once again evident as he and Les Violons du Roy, under their director Bernard Labadie, bring modern instruments and 18th century sensibilities to the cello concertos of Carl Philip Emmanuel Bach (third son of Johann Sebastian), in performances that give us ‘the best of both worlds’. Truls Mørk is a cellist with a deep understanding of style – whether Romantic, Modern, Classical or Baroque – as his catalogue on Virgin Classics proves: it extends from J.S. Bach through Haydn, Schubert, Schumann, Dvorák, Tchaikovsky, Grieg and Rachmaninov to Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Britten and Dutilleux. The ‘empfindsamer Stil’ or ‘sensitive style’ in 18th century music was exemplified by Carl Philip Emmanuel Bach (1714-1788), Johann Sebastian’s third son. His music was venerated by Mozart, who proclaimed , "He is the father, we are the children”, and – with its expressive depth and innovative approach to form – it exercised an important influence on both Haydn and Beethoven. This is the second Virgin Classics recording to features Les Violons du Roy under their director Bernard Labadie; the first was a collection of arias by Handel and Hasse, in which they accompanied mezzo soprano Vivica Genaux. In Gramophone’s opinion: “Les Violons du Roy play Baroque music on modern instruments with more colour and personality than plenty of period bands.” “Bravura and affectionately voiced sensibility are the hallmarks of CPE Bach in these three concertos from the mid 18th century. The former quality is emphatically conveyed by Truls Mørk and Les Violons du Roy, even to the point of brusqueness...but the music is delivered with confidence and polish.” The Telegraph, 11th March 2011 *** “this pair of concerto recordings show him as a mature, thoughtful and not always eccentric master. Truls Mørk's lyric but forceful playing of the cello works is ideal; the sound of Bernard Labadie's band is plangent...Here, the surprises come thick and fast and the twists and turns are gripping.” The Observer, 13th April 2011 “Truls Mørk is a most eloquent player of these three technically and expressively demanding concertos...CPE Bach uses none of his father's contrapuntal ingenuity, and orchestra and soloist exchange motifs in an orderly, quite Classical manner. The composer's passion is evident - sky-rocketing themes, fast tremolo strings...a most enjoyable and polished disc.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2011 **** “Stylistic mastery aside, these interpretations stand out for the sheer sense of pleasure-filled musical adventure, not to mention a sublime performance from Mørk...The interpretations abound with verve, depth, and beauty. They also zing with the excitement contemporary musicians must have felt as they discovered the cello's soloist potential.” Classic FM Magazine, June 2011 **** “These are exceptional performances in every way, dazzlingly played and recorded, yet at the same time fully alive to the performing conventions of the period, even though modern instruments are employed throughout...Ultimately, Mørk plays these attractive pieces with exemplary flair and panache, bringing lyrical insights to each of the affecting slow movements. Virgin's recording is superb, too. Unhesitatingly recommended.” International Record Review, July 2011 “For the composer's learned and elegant style to Mørk and Les Violons du Roy's well-balanced performances, this recording oozes refinement - but it's the sumptuous middle movements that really stand out...The solo cello parts are aria-like, something Mørk accentuates in his delivery, and his own cadenzas in both the A and B flat major concertos are suitably virtuosic and perfectly stylistic.” Muso Magazine, April/May2011 ****/***** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Handel - Un'opera immaginaria
Operas & Oratorios by courtesy of Georg Frideric Handel: Arminio, Teseo, Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, Fernando, Amadigi, Alcina, La Resurrezione, Serse, Ariodante, Orlando, Giulio Cesare & Deidamia PART I 1 I Overture 2 II Arioso: Dolce riposo 3-4 III Recitativo e Aria: Della vita mortale… Un pensiero nemico di pace 5-6 IV Recitativo e Aria: A deluder le frodi io mi preparo… Sincero affetto 7 V Aria: Destero dall’empia dite PART II 8 VI Sarabande 9 VII Aria: Cosi la tortorella 10-11 VIII Recitativo e Aria: Aspide sono…Di tacere 12 IX Aria: Scherza infida 13 X Scena: Ah! Stigie larve! 14-15 XI Recitativo & Duetto: Madre! Mia Vita… Son nata a lagrimar PART III 16-17 XII Recitativo e Scena: Ah! Ruggiero crudel…Ombre pallide 18-19 XIII Recitativo e Duettino: Ti stringo, o illustre acciaro… Quando più minaccia il cielo 20-21 XIV Recitativo e Aria: Verso il gran fine… Come all’urto aggressor 22 XV Aria: Venti, turbine 23 XVI Tamburino e coro: Doppo tante amare pene
Joyce DiDonato, Natalie Dessay, Max Emanuel Cencic, Ian Bostridge, Anne Sofie von Otter, Philippe Jaroussky, Vivica Genaux, Stephanie Blythe, David Daniels, Arleen Augér, Geraldine McGreevy, Manuela Custer & Anna Bonitatibus Il Complesso Barocco, Les Talens Lyriques, Le Concert d'Astrée, City of London Baroque Sinfonia, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Les Arts Florissants, Les Violons du Roy & Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Alan Curtis, Christophe Rousset, Emmanuelle Haïm, Richard Hickox, William Christie, Bernard Labadie, John Nelson, Harry Bicket & Sir Roger Norrington “It seems that, in the years around 1720, when people went to the opera to hear a castrato idol or an adored soprano, they would play cards, pay court to their neighbours and savour sorbets during the recitatives – even during the so-called arias of action, which they enjoyed less than the ornamented reprises of the showpiece arias. With this intractable and hedonistic audience in mind (so different from people like us, of course), thirteen star singers came together to concoct this festive piece, constructed and presented in three acts like a true dramma per musica, but with no explicit story and no concrete characters: in other words, an imaginary opera formed of passion and music.” Ivan A. Alexandre This album marks the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death with creativity, erudition and maybe a touch of audacity. Far more than a compilation album, it selects individual numbers from 11 operas and two oratorios by Handel and reassembles them in a sequence that respects the potent formula elaborated in the composer’s 38 works for the operatic stage. While there is no specific narrative, the listener will be drawn in by the dramatic logic of a balanced succession of numbers, including some ‘greatest hits. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Vivica Genaux - AriasCantatas and Opera Arias by Handel and Hasse
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| |  | Mariage
Philippe Belanger (organ), Regis Rousseau (organ), Marc Hervieux (tenor), Jennifer Swartz (harp), Stephane Beaulac (trumpet), Vincent Boucher (organ), Suzie Le Blanc (soprano), Daniel Taylor (counter-tenor), Karina Gauvin (soprano) Disciples de Massenet, Montreal Baroque Academy, Les Violons du Roy, Arion Trio, Tempo Rubato, Lucie Roy, Alexander Weimann, Bernard Labadie, Stephen Stubbs | |
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| |  | Bonbons
This is a collection of some of the musical “lollipops” which are as agreeable to play as they are to listen to; maybe it is because of their simplicity that these jewels get straight to the hearts of their listeners. The CD includes favourites such as Pachelbel’s Canon, Mozart’s Serenade from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Purcell’s Chaconne as well as Marcello’s Concerto for Oboe, Strings and Continuo. | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Britten: Les Illuminations
For this new recording of one of Britten’s most effective woks, soprano Karina Gauvin employs the full range of her expressive palette and great virtuosity. Her previous recordings have been well received; ”Her glinting soprano, bright-edged yet deliciously rounded and sensual…” The Times “Gauvin is a seductive interpreter of [Les Illuminations]. Her glinting sound gives a diamantine shimmer to the heroic passages, yet she never sacrifices the essential warmth and sensuousness of her voice. It's perfect for Britten's 'fire seen through ice' sound world which combines purity and passion in a particularly Gallic way.” International Record Review, March 2011 | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Encore! Les Violons Du Roy
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| |  | Celebration!
| | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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