Celebrated as the musical poet of the English landscape, Vaughan Williams was also a visionary composer of enormous range: from the pastoral lyricism of The Lark Ascending and the still melancholy of Silent Noon to the violence of the Fourth Symphony and the grand ceremonial of All people that on earth do dwell, he assumed the mantle of Elgar as our national composer. This edition, released to mark the 50th anniversary of his death, presents all the major orchestral, chamber, vocal and stage works, as well as many lesser pieces and rarities, in the finest interpretations. All your favourite Vaughan Williams is here, in over 34 hours of music on 30 CDs

EMI - 2066362

(CD - 30 discs)

£69.99 (£59.57 ex. VAT)

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Stanford - Symphonies Voume 3

Stanford:

Symphony No. 6 in E flat major, Op. 94

The 1905 Sixth Symphony, by contrast, received only two hearings before succumbing to an eighty-year oblivion. The subtitle, ‘In honour of the life-work of a great artist: George Frederick Watts’, is important: Watts (1817-1904) was among the most lauded British artists of his era and Stanford’s work, if not overtly programmatic, was influenced by instances of Watt’s legacy – for example the equestrian statue in Kensington Gardens, London.

Symphony No. 3 in F minor 'Irish', Op. 28

Completed in 1887, Stanford’s ‘Irish’ Symphony enjoyed immediate and widespread success, continuing to be played well into the twentieth century. The ‘Irish’ subtitle indicates its frequent deployment of folk-tunes as melodic material, although the work never strays far from the Austro-German symphonic tradition.

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, David Lloyd-Jones

Naxos - 8570355

(CD)

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Finzi - Dies Natalis

Finzi:

Dies natalis, Op. 8

Prelude, Op. 25 for string orchestra

Fall of the Leaf

(compl. Howard Ferguson)

Two Sonnets by John Milton for Tenor and small Orchestra

Nocturne (New Year Music)

Farewell to Arms for Tenor and small Orchestra

James Gilchrist (tenor)

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, David Hill

Quintessentially Finzi, the tender yet radiant Dies natalis, a setting of texts by the 17th-century poet Thomas Traherne, depicts both the first sensations of a child as it enters the world, and life’s tarnishing experience of the innocence of childhood. In Farewell to Arms, a further example of Finzi’s enthusiasm for 17th-century poets, the steady but inevitable tramp of time, symbolized by the measured bass and the tenor’s sad, arching melody, becomes a poignant symbol for the brevity of life as expressed in lines such as ‘O time too swift, O swiftness never ceasing’. Finzi knew all too well that ‘Beauty, strength, youth are flowers but fading seen’.

“James Gilchrist’s singing is at one with this approach. It is good to hear the voice gain resonance and make the comparatively rare forte carry more in the way of release than a more habitually robust manner would do. His clarity and precision are warmed by a rare sweetness of tone, and the ‘lie’ of these songs appears to suit him to perfection.” Gramophone on a previous Finzi songs release

Naxos - 8570417

(CD)

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Bartók: The Wooden Prince

A Dancing-Play in One Act

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop

Though outwardly sunny in its subject matter, The Wooden Prince has a mystical side that may explain Bartók’s attraction to the story.

Naxos - 8570534

(CD)

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Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle, Sz. 48, Op. 11

(Opera in One Act - Libretto by Béla Balázs) Sung in Hungarian

Gustáv Belácek (bass) & Andrea Meláth (mezzo-soprano)

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop

This recording was made after the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s end-of-season concert, described by The Times as “a spectacular finale… A knockout dramatic punch; feverishly beautiful orchestral playing; two characters, the Duke and his new wife Judith, tactile and writhing, deeply felt… Alsop inspired the Bournemouth players to excel”.

“Alsop and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra prove worthy interpreters of Bartók’s psyco-drama. Alsop bathes the score in an impressionist glow, dark and glistening. She gives her excellent soloists… ample room to define the drama, while tightening the screws where appropriate, making for a suitably chilling climax.” Financial Times

Naxos - 8660928

(CD)

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Wagner - Symphonic Syntheses by Stokowski

Wagner:

Das Rheingold: Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla

(ed. Stokowski)

Tristan and Isolde: Symphonic Synthesis

(ed. Stokowski)

Parsifal: Symphonic Synthesis from Act III

(ed. Stokowski)

Die Walküre, act III: Magic Fire Music

(ed. Stokowski)

Die Walküre: Ride of the Valkyries

(ed. Stokowski)

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, José Serebrier

Naxos - 8570293

(CD)

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The Essential Delius

Delius:

Florida Suite

North Country Sketches

Air and Dance

On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring

Summer night on the river

A Song before sunrise

Two Aquarelles

Hassan: Intermezzo & Serenade

Irmelin Prelude

Late Swallows

Fennimore and Gerda: Intermezzo

The Walk to the Paradise Garden

In a Summer Garden

Ulster Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Sinfonietta & Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Vernon Handley, Norman Del Mar & Richard Hickox

"…the Chandos recording allows Delius’s palette of colours to shine through." BBC Music Magazine

Chandos 241 - CHAN24137

(CD - 2 discs)

£12.99 (£11.06 ex. VAT)

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John Ogdon - 70th Anniversary Edition

Bartók:	Piano Concerto No. 1, BB 91, Sz. 83 previously unreleased Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent
Fauré:	Ballade for Piano & Orchestra, Op. 19
Franck, C:	Symphonic Variations for piano & orchestra, M46 Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli
Glazunov:	Piano Concerto No. 1 in F minor, Op. 92 Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Berglund
Liszt:	Fantasy on Hungarian Folk-tunes, S123, Op. 458 Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Pritchard Rhapsodie espagnole, S254 Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Pritchard Piano Sonata in B minor, S178 Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 15 in A minor 'Rákóczy Marsch' Valse oubliée No. 1 in F sharp, S.215 Csardas macabre S224 En rêve - Nocturne S207
Litolff:	From Concerto symphonique, No. 4 Op. 102: Scherzo City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Louis Frémaux
Ogdon:	Piano Sonata Piano Concerto No.1 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Lawrence Foster Theme and Variations
Rachmaninov:	Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Pritchard Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 previously unreleased Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Pritchard
Tchaikovsky:	Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23 Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli