Johann Sebastian Bach

Arias from the legendary Sunday concerts from 1966, 1972, 1988 and 1992.

His Papageno was historic and turned Hermann Prey into the most popular opera singer in Germany. This CD contains a collection of hitherto unpublished recordings made during the legendary Sunday Concerts with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester from 1966 to 1992. In a representative series of roles ranging from Bach to musicals, the great baritone shows us all his facets: from the sensitivity of the comic actor to the intense, inmost sincerity of the Lieder performer. At a time when the opera was still an integral part of Germany's media landscape, Hermann Prey made it impressively clear that a broad repertoire and depth of interpretation are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Prey ends this CD with a performance of “They say falling in love is wonderful”, inviting us to fall in love with his art yet again.

Multi award winning guitarist David Russell’s latest recording for Telarc features a collection of some of his favourite music from the baroque repertoire including five pieces by J. S. Bach, and suites by Handel, Francois Couperin, and lutenist composer Silvius Weiss.

Winner of the 2005 Grammy award for best instrumental soloist, guitarist David Russell is internationally renowned for his superb musicianship and inspired artistry. Since 1995, he has recorded exclusively for Telarc International, with which he has recorded 17 CDs, among them the Grammy award winning Aire Latino. Named a Fellow of The Royal Academy of Music in London in 1997, Russell has also won the Medal of Honor from the Conservatory of the Balearics, along with numerous international competitions, including the Andrés Segovia Competition, the José Ramírez Competition and Spain's prestigious Francisco Tárrega Competition. Two of his recent Telarc CDs were named ‘Editor’s Choice’ by Gramophone.

The Partita No. 6 in E minor (BWV 830) is one of Bach’s most introspective keyboard compositions, with an unusual Toccata, here expanded to incorporate a vast fugue at its centre. Sinfonia No. 11 recalls the dignified 18th-century Sarabande, a style Russell has recorded in various forms throughout his discography. Handel’s Suite No. 7 is filled with references to French music, including an overture inspired by the work of Jean-Baptiste Lully. The French theme also lends itself well to Vingt-Sixième Ordre from Book IV of Couperin’s Pièces de Clavecin. The final selection on the CD is a suite by Weiss which has been part of David Russel’s repertoire for many years.

Racha Arodaky studied in Paris and Moscow and was one of the few students of Murray Perahia. She is revered by her contemporaries and her previous recordings have received great praise. Stunning interpretations and vitality of sound.

Les Voix Baroques and Arion Baroque Orchestra combine their outstanding talents for this new ATMA recording of Bach’s St. John Passion under the direction of organist and conductor Alexander Weimann. This recording was made in the chapel of the Grand Séminaire in Montreal, following performances in the 2010 Bach Festival.

Jovanka Marville’s recital includes Concerto in D major BWV 972, which is an arrangement of a Vivaldi Violin Concerto and Partita in E major BWV 1006, an arrangement of a Violin Partita by Bach. She specialises in historic keyboard instruments and is professor of harpsichord and chamber music at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne.

This will be of great interest to Mario Lanza collectors and the concert contains a very varied repertoire; arias from La Traviata, Madame Butterfly, La Bohème and Der Freischutz, as well as The Blue Danube and Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor and others.

Recorded on 27th August 1947