Coming Soon,
Yannick Nézet-Séguin's Mendelssohn and other forthcoming highlights
May's shaping up to be a great month for fans of French grand opera, with one of Saint-Saëns's most neglected works receiving a complete outing courtesy of the indefatigable folk at the Palazzetto Bru Zane, and a leading coloratura soprano turning her attentions to Meyerbeer. Other forthcoming delights which have caught our attention this week include the first instalment of a George Antheil series on Chandos, and a major new symphonic cycle from Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (we hear that an intriguingly-cast Zauberflöte is also on the way from them - more details on this when we have them!)
Following the success of their Schumann cycle together in 2014, Nézet-Séguin and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe turn their attentions to Mendelssohn; recorded last Febrary during a Mendelssohn Festival at the Philharmonie de Paris (and taking its cue from the title of the Fifth Symphony!), this set is one of several upcoming tributes to the 500th anniversary of the European Reformation.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
The American violinist Rachel Barton Pine fell in love with Paganini's formidable 24 Caprices aged just six and has been performing them in concert for nearly two decades; as the title suggests, her interpretation foregrounds the importance of melody and line in these operatically-influenced works which are perhaps better known for their technical fireworks.
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
The Emersons celebrate their fortieth birthday in style with their first recording of works by Britten and Purcell, including the latter's Second String Quartet (written to mark the 250th anniversary of Purcell's death and paired with one of his Fantasias on its original recording); the disc is also their first with new cellist Paul Watkins, who joined them in 2013.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Chandos's projected survey of the American avant-garde composer's orchestral works kicks off with a bang with the first-ever outing on disc of the Texas-inspired concert-piece Over the Plains and the Fourth and Fifth Symphonies. Already a firm favourite in the office after a couple of listenings!
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Meyerbeer: Grand Opera (out 5th May)
Diana Damrau (soprano), Orchestre et Choeur de l'Opéra National de Lyon, Emmanuel Villaume
The German coloratura soprano explores Meyerbeer in all his cosmopolitan glory, encompassing excerpts from his French, Italian and German operas and unearthing some real rarities along the way - two of the arias here receive their world premiere recordings. Includes arias from Dinorah, Les Huguenots, Le Prophète, Robert le Diable and more.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Saint-Saëns: Proserpine (out 19th May)
Véronique Gens, Andrew Foster-Williams, Frédéric Antoun, Münchner Rundfunkorchester
Following their recent sterling advocacy for Méhul's Uthal, Ediciones Singulares continue to champion French grand operas which have fallen off the radar with this strongly-cast recording of Saint-Saëns's 1887 drame lyrique about a nefarious Renaissance courtesan - the plot has a distinct whiff of Bizet's Carmen, but the score is (by the composer's own admission) heavily indebted to Wagner.
Available Formats: 2 CDs + Book, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Katherine Cooper - Head of Editorial
