Ex. VAT prices will be applied automatically for non-EU delivery addresses.
See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Vaughan Williams - Choral Worksfrom CDA66420, CDA66655, CDA66511 & CDA66569
Vaughan Williams: | Serenade to Music Elizabeth Connell (soprano), Amanda Roocroft (soprano), John Mark Ainsley (tenor), Martyn Hill (tenor), Maldwyn Davies (tenor), Anne Dawson (soprano), Linda
Kitchen (soprano), Alan Opie (baritone), Gwynne Howell (bass), Sir Thomas Allen (baritone), Sarah Walker (mezzo-soprano), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (mezzosoprano) & John Connell (bass) English Chamber Orchestra Fantasia on Christmas Carols Thomas Allen (baritone) English Chamber Orchestra Flos Campi Nobuko Imai (viola) English Chamber Orchestra Five Mystical Songs Sir Thomas Allen (baritone) English Chamber Orchestra Dona Nobis Pacem A Cantata for soprano and baritone soli, chorus and orchestra Judith Howarth (soprano) & Thomas Allen (baritone) Corydon Orchestra Four Hymns for tenor, viola and strings John Mark Ainsley (tenor) & Matthew Souter (viola) Corydon Orchestra O Clap Your Hands (Psalm 47) Lord, Thou has been our refuge Sir Thomas Allen (baritone) The Pilgrim's Progress - A Bunyan Sequence Text and music adapted by Christopher Palmer from the 1942 radio version of The Pilgrim's Progress. Sir John Gielgud, Richard Pasco, Ursula Howells (speakers), Aidan Oliver (treble) The City of London Sinfonia A Song of Thanksgiving Sir John Gielgud (speaker), Lynne Dawson (soprano) & John Scott (organ) The London Oratory Junior Choir Three Choral Hymns Magnificat Catherine Wyn-Rogers (mezzo-soprano), Duke Dobing (flute) & Roger Judd (organ) The Shepherds of the Delectable Mountains Bryn Terfel (baritone), Alan Opie (baritone), Adrian Thompson (tenor), Jonathan Best (bass), John Mark Ainsley (tenor) & Linda Kitchen (soprano) The Hundredth Psalm |
Corydon Singers, Matthew Best Issued to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Vaughan Williams’s death, this collection is tantalizing: it starts with one of
the best-selling discs in the the catalogue, the Serenade to Music, and includes such favourites as the Five Mystical Songs
and The Hundreth Psalm. There are also two intriguing pairings: in Dona nobis pacem, RVW warns of the impending
doom of WWII, in A song of thanksgiving we hear his moving response to its successful conclusion; in The shepherds of the
delectable mountains we hear an early working of Bunyan’s literary masterpiece, later extensively reworked in the
landmark 1942 BBC radio production of The Pilgrim’s Progress featuring Sir John Gielgud and reprised here, this time in
condensed form. “The performances are splendid, graced by such soloists as Thomas Allen (Dona nobis pacem, Five Mystical Songs) and Bryn Terfel (The Shepherds of the Delectable Mountains)..The rapturous Serenade to Music has a cast of 16 singers fit to rival those of the original recording. Anne Dawson’s top note on the word “music” is spine-tingling.” Sunday Times, 1st June 2008 **** “Performances like these don’t come along very often; each one is an absolute winner, and with rich, atmospheric recording quality the satisfaction is of a very special quality” CD Review | 
| | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| | .jpg) |
Janice Watson (soprano), Lesley Garrett (soprano), Diana Montague (mezzo-soprano), Toby Spence (tenor), Christopher Maltman (baritone), Sir Thomas Allen (baritone), David Watkin (cello), John Cohen (cello) & Ronald Schneider (fortepiano) Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment & Geoffrey Mitchell Choir, Sir Charles Mackerras Così fan tutte is Mozart’s third opera to a Da Ponte libretto. It is in opera buffa style and has only six characters,
two couples and an elderly philosopher and a trusted maid. In this recording Lesley Garrett sings the part of the
maid, Despina, and the celebrated veteran Sir Thomas Allen the philosopher, Don Alfonso. Despite the somewhat
cynical storyline this opera contains some of Mozart’s most memorable and sublime music.
The conductor, Sir Charles Mackerras, has spent many years researching performance practice of the eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries and is a noted authority on Mozart’s operas. He writes of this recording, ‘it is indeed a
pleasure having the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment lending its expertise in tonal colour, phrasing and
rhythmic impulse to Mozart’s wonderful score… I have chosen to record this English version of Così fan tutte with
the traditional cuts, thus making it closer to a staged performance’. The English translation, by the Rev. Browne,
was first used in London at a performance conducted by Sir Charles Villiers Stanford in 1890. “M is for Mozart, Mackerras and magic. The Australian conductor - surely the world’s most illuminating and rewarding Mozartian - conjures sounds of mercurial brilliance and heart-stopping beauty from the OAE and his all-British cast in this vernacular version of Mozart’s most enigmatic comedy.” Sunday Times, 4th May 2008 **** “Charles Mackerras, always a rewarding Mozart conductor, directs a taut, urgent account of the opera. Recitatives tumble inevitably into arias. Yet, despite his penchant for mobile tempos, Mackerras is fully alive to Così 's uniquely voluptuous, nostalgic tinta.
Crucially in an opera of ensembles, the cast works well as a close-knit team, whether in the concerted numbers or in the recitatives, taken at a natural, conversational pace.” The Telegraph, 3rd May 2008 “This recording lacks an underlying dramatic conviction, despite punchy playing from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Mackerras.
It's a shame, because Toby Spence, Christopher Maltman, Janice Watson and Diana Montague are nicely matched fair-weather lovers. But the direction seems moot. Lesley Garrett's devilsome maid Despina hams too much to the absent crowd, tonally rather too music-hall for the rest of the recording.” The Times, 12th April 2008 *** “This is an account of Così which seems to put momentum first. The opening chord, more ferocious than one would expect, gives way to a rattling overture, and tension and pace never let up.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2008 *** |
| | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  |
Gosta Winbergh, Nancy Gustafson, Catherine Wyn- Rogers, Herbert Lippert, Gwynne Howell, Thomas Allen, John Tomlinson, Alasdair Elliot, Richard Lloyd-Morgan, Anthony Michaels-Moore, Grant Dickson, Robbin Leggate, Paul Crook, Simon Wilding, Geoffrey Moses & Michael Druiett The Royal Opera Chorus & The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Bernard Haitink Recorded on 7 July 1997 (stereo) “John Tomlinson’s gruff, earthy Hans Sachs is a less intellectual figure than some of the most famous interpretations, but a more human one –a plausible potential suitor to Eva in their touching Act II dalliance. While his German is superb, Tomlinson’s is an unGermanic portrayal, sung with real character, even if some of the music lies uncomfortably high. It’s good, too, to have a memento of Thomas Allen’s Beckmesser, a fussy, paranoid comic caricature, yet one who sings his grotesque mauling of Stolzing’s Prize Song as if it were a great Wolf Lied. If Nancy Gustafson’s Eva sounds a bit lacklustre, there is compensation in Winbergh’s thrillingly lyrical Stolzing, in Herbert Lippert’s ideal David and in the warm humanity and wit of Haitink’s conducting.” Sunday Times, 18th May 2008 **** |
| | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Mozart - Complete OperasAll 22 Mozart Operas from the 2006 Salzburg Festival
Czernowin: | Adama Directed by: Claus Guth Noa Frenkel, Yaron Windmüller, Andreas Fischer & Paul Lorenger OENM - Österreichisches Ensemble für Neue Musik, Johannes Kalitzke | Mozart: | La finta giardiniera, K196 Directed by: Doris Dörrie John Graham Hall, Alexandra Reinprecht, John Mark Ainsley, Véronique Gens, Ruxandra Donose, Adriana Kucerova & Markus Werba Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Ivor Bolton Il re pastore, K208 Kresimir Spicer, Annette Dasch, Marlis Petersen, Arpiné Rahdjian, Andreas Karasiak Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble, Thomas Hengelbrock Lucio Silla, K135 Directed by: Jürgen Flimm Roberto Saccà, Annick Massis, Monica Bacelli, Veronica Cangemi, Julia Kleiter, Stefano Ferrari Chor und Orchester des Teatro La Fenice Venedig, Tomas Netopil Ascanio in Alba K111 Directed by: David Hermann Iris Kupke, Sonia Prina, Marie-Belle Sandis, Charles Reid, Diana Damrau, Christian Benzhaf, Katharina Vötter Chor und Orchester des Nationaltheaters Mannheim, Adam Fischer Bastien und Bastienne, K50 Directed by: Thomas Reichert Aleksandra Zamojska, Evmorfia Metaxaki, Bernhard Berchtold, Radu Cojocariu & Alfred Kleinheinz Salzburger Marionettentheater & Junge Philharmonie Salzburg, Elisabeth Fuchs Der Schauspieldirektor, K486 Directed by: Thomas Reichert Aleksandra Zamojska, Evmorfia Metaxaki, Bernhard Berchtold, Radu Cojocariu & Alfred Kleinheinz Salzburger Marionettentheater & Junge Philharmonie Salzburg, Elisabeth Fuchs La Betulia liberata, K118 Jeremy Ovenden, Marijana Mijanovic, Julia Kleiter, Franz-Josef Selig, Irena Bespalovaite & Jennifer Johnston Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor & Münchener Kammerorchester, Christoph Poppen Il sogno di Scipione Directed by: Michael Sturminger Blagoj Nacoski, Louise Fribo, Bernarda Bobro, Iain Paton, Robert Sellier & Anna Kovalko Chor des Stadttheaters Klagenfurt & Kärntner Sinfonieorchester, Robin Ticciati Lo sposo deluso (Irrfahrten II) Conceived and directed by Joachim Schlömer, based on unfinished works: Abendempfindungen, Lo Sposo Deluso, L'Oca del Cairo, and Rex Tremendus. Josef Wagner, Marisa Martins, Jeremy Ovenden, Matthias Kliink, Malin Hartelius, Silvia Moi, Miljenko Turk, Ann Murray & Marianne Hamre Chor der Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele & Camerata Salzburg, Michael Hofstetter La Finta Semplice (Irrfahrten I) Conceived and directed by Joachim Schlömer, based on La Finta Semplice. Malin Hartelius, Josef Wagner, Matthias Klink, Marina Comparato, Silvia Moi, Jeremy Ovenden & Miljenko Turk Chor der Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele & Camerata Salzburg, Michael Hofstetter Zaïde, K344 Directed by: Claus Guth Noa Frenkel, Yaron Windmüller, Andreas Fischer & Paul Lorenger OENM - Österreichisches Ensemble für Neue Musik, Johannes Kalitzke Apollo et Hyacinthus, K38 ximilian Kiener, Ekaterina Tretjakova, Anja Schlosser & Astrid Hofer Orchester der Universität Mozarteum, Josef Wallnig Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots, K35 Michiko Watanabe, Bernhard Berchtold, Monika Wäckerle & Christiane Karg Orchester der Universität Mozarteum, Josef Wallnig Die Entführung aus dem Serail, K384 Directed by: Stefan Herheim Laura Aikin (Konstanze), Valentina Farcas (Blonde), Charles Castronovo (Belmonte), Dietmar Kerschbaum (Pedrillo) & Franz Hawlata (Osmin) r Staatsopernchor & Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Ivor Bolton Die Zauberflöte, K620 Directed by: Pierre Audi René Pape (Sarastro), Genia Kühmeier (Pamina), Paul Groves (Tamino), Diana Damrau (Queen of the Night), Inga Kalna (First Lady), Karine Deshayes (Second Lady), Ekaterina Gubanova (Third Lady), Christian Gerhaher (Papageno), Irena Bespalovaite (Papagena), Franz Grundheber (Speaker), Burkhard Ulrich (Monostatos), Franz Grundheber (Priest), Simon O'Neill (Man in Armour), Peter Loehle (Man in Armour) & Xavier Mas (Priest) Members of the Vienna Boys Choir, Wiener Staatsopernchor & Wiener Philharmoniker, Riccardo Muti Don Giovanni, K527 Directed by: Martin Kusej Thomas Hampson (Don Giovanni), Ildebrando D‘Arcangelo (Leporello), Christine Schäfer (Donna Anna), Melanie Diener (Donna Elvira), Isabel Bayrakdarian (Zerlina), Robert Lloyd (Il Commendatore), Piotr Beczala (Don Ottavio) & Luca Pisaroni (Masetto) Wiener Philharmoniker & Wiener Staatsopernchor, Daniel Harding Così fan tutte, K588 Directed by: Ursel Herrmann, Karl-Ernst Herrmann Ana María Martínez (Fiordiligi), Sophie Koch (Dorabella), Shawn Mathey (Ferrando), Stéphane Degout (Guglielmo), Sir Thomas Allen (Don Alfonso) & Helen Donath (Despina) Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor & Wiener Philharmoniker, Manfred Honeck Mitridate, rè di Ponto, K87 Directed by: Günter Krämer Richard Croft (Mitridate), Netta Or (Aspasia), Miah Persson (Sifare), Bejun Mehta (Farnace), Ingela Bohlin (Ismene), Colin Lee (Marzio), Pascal Bertin (Arbate) Les Musiciens du Louvre, Grenoble, c Minkowski Idomeneo, K366 Ramón Vargas (Idomeneo), Magdalena Kozená (Idamante), Ekaterina Siurina (Ilia), Anja Harteros (Elettra), Jeffrey Francis (Arbace), Robin Leggate (Gran Sacerdote), Günther Groissböck (La Voce) & Andreas Schlager (Neptune) Camerata Salzburg & Salzburger Bachchor, Sir Roger Norrington Le nozze di Figaro, K492 Directed by: Brian Large Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, Anna Netrebko, Bo Skovhus, Dorothea Röschmann & Christine Schäfer Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor & Wiener Philharmoniker, Nikolaus Harnoncourt L'oca del Cairo (Irrfahrten III) Conceived and directed by Joachim Schlömer, based on unfinished works: Abendempfindungen, Lo Sposo Deluso, L'Oca del Cairo, and Rex Tremendus. Josef Wagner, Marisa Martins, Jeremy Ovenden, Matthias Kliink, Malin Hartelius, Silvia Moi, Miljenko Turk, Ann Murray & Marianne Hamre Chor der Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele & Camerata Salzburg, Michael Hofstetter |
. . . striking productions of all 22 operas, plus a wealth of bonus interviews with conductors, singers, and other members of the artistic team . . . Part of the enticement lies with the casts and productions. Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), for example, features such top-tier artists as the spectacular Diana Damrau as the Queen of the Night, René Pape as a sterling, pensive High Priest Sarastro, and Paul Groves as Tamino . . . this performance of the opera is as compelling visually as it is vocally. Don't miss Pape's designer denim casuals and provocatively demonic goatee in the bonus section . . . Le Nozze di Figaro has a dream cast . . . Of these productions, 90% reflect the zeitgeist of new directors who tend to appeal to viewers of all ages. Some of the more obscure directors especially whet the appetite . . . On the levels of edification, enjoyment, and sheer entertainment-the last value sorely missing from many audio-only recordings-this remarkable project scores a solid 10.
Record Review | | | Decca Mozart 22 - 0734221 (DVD Video - 33 discs) Normally: £280.99 (£239.14 ex. VAT) Special: £182.64 (£155.44 ex. VAT) |
| | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Direction: Ursel Herrmann, Karl-Ernst Herrmann
Ana María Martínez (Fiordiligi), Sophie Koch (Dorabella), Shawn Mathey (Ferrando), Stéphane Degout (Guglielmo), Sir Thomas Allen (Don Alfonso) & Helen Donath (Despina) Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor & Wiener Philharmoniker, Manfred Honeck 'A musical and vocal pleasure...A major festival event in the anniversary year' Donaukurier | | | Decca Mozart 22 - 0743165 (DVD Video - 2 discs) Normally: £24.99 (£21.27 ex. VAT) Special: £16.24 (£13.82 ex. VAT) |
| | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Mozart Opera Favourites
Sir Thomas Allen, Francisco Araiza, Agnes Baltsa, Walter Berry, Fiorenza Cossotto Claudio Desderi, Helen Donath, Maria Ewing, Nicolai Gedda, Siegfried Jerusalem Margaret Marshall, Olivera Miljakovic, Anna Moffo, Lucia Popp, Dame Margaret Price Roger Soyer, Giuseppe Taddei, José Van Dam & Carol Vaness | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  |
| | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | A Tribute To Benjamin BrittenSpecial Box Set with 7 Operas
Britten: | Peter Grimes (ENO 1994) Philip Langridge, Janice Cairns, Alan Opie,
Ann Howard, Andrew Green English National Opera Chorus and Orchestra, David Atherton The Rape of Lucretia (ENO 1987) Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Kathryn Harries, Jean Rigby, Russell Smythe, Richard van Allan, Allan Opie,
Anne-Marie Owens, Cathryn Po English National Opera Orchestra, Lionel Friend Billy Budd (ENO 1988) Thomas Allen, Philip Langridge, Richard van Allan, Neil Howlett. English National Opera Chorus and Orchestra, David Atherton Gloriana (ENO 1984) Sarah Walker, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Jean Rigby, Richard van Allan, Elizabeth Vaughan, Alan Opie English National Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Mark Elder The Turn of the Screw (Schwetzinger 1990) Helen Field, Menai Davies, Richard Greager, Machiko Obata Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, Steuart Bedford Owen Wingrave (Film, 2001) Gerald Finley, Peter Savidge, Hilton Marlton, Josephine Barstow, Anne Dawson, Elizabeth Gale, Charlotte Hellekant, Martyn Hill Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Kent Nagano Death in Venice (Glyndebourne 1990) Robert Tear, Alan Opie, Michael Chance The Glyndebourne Chorus and the London Sinfonietta, Graeme Jenkins Let’s make an opera An Opera Feature Film by Petr Weigl. Felicity Palmer, Kate Flowers, Stephen Richardson, John Graham Hall, Lisa Milne, Liam Shena, Julia Campbell, Kevin Bloomer, Nigel Wall, Francesca Massey, Edward Yeo, Nettle & Markham (pianoduo) & Huw Ceredig (percussion) The Coull Quartet, City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus and Symphony Youth Chorus, Simon Halsey |
PLEASE NOTE: The discs are a mixture of PAL and NTSC. Your machine must be compatible with both formats in order to enjoy these DVDs | | | Arthaus Musik - 102103 (DVD Video - 8 discs) Normally: £155.49 (£132.33 ex. VAT) Special: £116.61 (£99.24 ex. VAT) |
| | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  |
Thomas Allen; Carol Vaness; Maria Ewing; Elizabeth Gale; Keith Lewis; Richard van Allen; John Rawnsley & Dimitri Kavrakos Glyndebourne Chorus & London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
A full libretto and sound sample can be downloaded here
| | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | listen: | | Massenet: Werther |  |
|
Jose Carreras, Frederica von Stade, Thomas Allen & Isobel Buchanan Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Sir Colin Davis "... the ebb and flow of word and music, the warm, tremulous life of the string playing, and the pacing of each tableau vivant is handled so superbly by Sir Colin that there is not a single moment of longeur, The Royal Opera House orchestra play at their very best ..."
Gramophone | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |
|
