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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Pierre Boulez conducts Mahler & Berg
Pierre Boulez is an icon of today’s classical scene and closely associated with the works of Mahler. Featuring the acclaimed Vienna Philharmonic and the chorus of the Vienna State Opera – historically connected to Mahler, Berg and Boulez. These performances were recorded live at the opening concert of the prestigious Salzburg Festival in 2011, conceived as a tribute to Gustav Mahler, and will be released to coincide with the maestro’s 88th birthday in March. Mahler’s 2-act Das Klagende Lied is a mythical tale of fratricide, guilt and retribution, based on stories by the Grimm brothers and Ludwig Bechstein. “This new performance...is remarkable for its transparency, but Boulez has added actual drama to his mastery of Mahler's early orchestration...There's real atmosphere here...The choir, perfectly trained and singing with impeccable diction and attention to dynamics, cannot be praised highly enough. The Lulu-Suite that follows receives a marvellous reading as well...this new Boulez is a major entry.” International Record Review, May 2013 “[the Mahler's] its brightly lit orchestral effects have always brought the best out of his conducting; the performance has both spaciousness and finely focused detail...The Lulu Suite is even more remarkable, for there's an emotional breadth to Boulez's approach now that just wasn't there in his earlier, pioneering performances. His balance between rigour and expressiveness exactly mirrors Berg's music” The Guardian, 14th March 2013 **** | 
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| |  | Hartmut Haenchen conducts Mahler Symphonies Nos. 1 & 8
Hartmut Haenchen was born in Dresden in 1943. He was awarded first prize at the Carl Maria von Weber Competition in that city in 1971. During the 1972–3 season he made his debut at the Berlin State Opera, directing Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov. He appeared there regularly until 1986. From 1973 to 1976, Haenchen was conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic and a regular guest with the Dresden State Opera. Subsequently, he began to make regular appearances at Berlin’s Komische Oper. In 1986, Haenchen became music director of the De Nederlandse Opera (DNO) in Amsterdam and chief conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra (NPO). His Ring cycle in Amsterdam was an outstanding success and will be revived in 2012–14. He has collaborated with La Scala, Milan, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the Opéra National de Paris, and performed with orchestras throughout the world including the Berlin Philharmonic and Concertgebouw. Projects have included a Mahler cycle with the Orchestre du Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie. In October 2008 he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit of the Republic of Germany, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to music and the arts. These recordings of Mahler’s Symphony No.1 and the massive Symphony No.8 are being released on ICA’s ‘Live’ artist series to commemorate Hartmut Haenchen’s seventieth birthday. Any recording of Mahler’s ‘Symphony of a Thousand’ is a major and rare event and this live performance in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, a venue closely associated with Mahler, is no exception. The superb digital recording captures the stupendous sound of both symphonies and in particular the huge forces employed and wide dynamic range that Mahler demands in Symphony No.8. Haenchen’s recent live Mahler Symphony No.6 can be seen on DVD (ICAD5018): the disc won a prestigious Diapason d’or award. |
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Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 recorded under the direction of Chief conductor Fabio Luisi, Symphony No. 6. “Luisi recognises that this work’s downbeat emotional trajectory is made more effective with plenty of light and shade...this is an affectionate, lyrical reading of a slow movement which needn’t descend into maudlin gloop.” The Arts Desk, 11th May 2013 |
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| |  | Debussy & Mahler: Mélodies de jeunesse
Julie Fuchs (soprano) & Alphonse Cemin (piano) Julie Fuchs, the 26-year-old soprano from Avignon, has just won a Victoire de la Musique Classique in the 'Lyrical Revelation of the Year' category, after being hailed a Classical Revelation by the perfomers’ rights society, ADAMI and carrying off the Gabriel Dessurget prize at the 2011 Aix-en-Provence Festival. Today, roles such as Susanna in 'Figaro' or Urgande in 'Amadis de Gaule' correspond perfectly to the quality of her voice, as did the title role in 'Acis et Galatée' which she took in July 2011 for the Aix-en-Provence Festival. Over the coming decade, that voice and that stage presence will see her moving towards weightier roles, with the title role of La Traviata beckoning. She’s at the start of a big career: one to watch. “Fuchs’ bright soprano radiates character and sensitivity. An enchanting disc.” Financial Times, 16th March 2013 **** |
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| |  | Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2
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| |  | Wiener Philharmoniker: The Symphony Edition
Beethoven: | Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21 Leonard Bernstein Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 'Eroica' Leonard Bernstein Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36 Claudio Abbado Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60 Claudio Abbado Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 Carlos Kleiber Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 Carlos Kleiber Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 'Pastoral' Karl Böhm Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93 Karl Böhm Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 'Choral' Gwyneth Jones (soprano), Hanna Schwarz (alto), René Kollo (tenor) & Kurt Moll (bass) with Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor, Leonard Bernstein | Brahms: | Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 Leonard Bernstein Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73 Leonard Bernstein Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80 Leonard Bernstein Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90 Carlo Maria Giulini Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98 Carlos Kleiber | Bruckner: | Symphony No. 1 in C minor Claudio Abbado Symphony No. 4 in Eb Major 'Romantic' Version 1878/1880 Claudio Abbado Symphony No. 5 in B flat major Edition: Leopold Nowak Claudio Abbado Symphony No. 7 in E Major Herbert von Karajan Symphony No. 8 in C minor Herbert von Karajan Symphony No. 9 in D Minor Edition: Leopold Nowak Carlo Maria Giulini | Dvorak: | Symphony No. 6 in D major, Op. 60 Myung Whun Chung Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70 Myung Whun Chung String Quartet No. 8 in E major, Op. 80 Lorin Maazel Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 'From the New World' Lorin Maazel | Haydn: | Symphony No. 88 in G major Karl Böhm Symphony No. 89 in F major Karl Böhm Symphony No. 90 in C major Karl Böhm Symphony No. 91 in E flat major Karl Böhm Symphony No. 92 in G major 'Oxford' Karl Böhm | Mahler: | Symphony No. 2 in C minor 'Resurrection' Cheryl Studer (soprano) & Waltraud Meier (mezzo) with Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Claudio Abbado Symphony No. 3 in D minor Jessye Norman (soprano) with Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor & Wiener Sängerknaben, Claudio Abbado Symphony No. 4 in G major Frederica von Stade (mezzo) Leonard Bernstein Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor Leonard Bernstein Symphony No. 6 in A minor 'Tragic' Pierre Boulez Symphony No. 8 in E flat major 'Symphony of the Thousand' Barbara Hendricks, Margaret Price, Judith Blegen, Gerti Zeumer, Helmut Wittek, Agnes Baltsa, Christa Ludwig, Trudeliese Schmidt, Kenneth Riegel, Hermann Prey, José van Dam with Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor & Wiener Singverein, Wiener Sängerknaben, Leonard Bernstein Symphony No. 10 in F sharp major - Adagio Leonard Bernstein Symphony No. 9 in D major Claudio Abbado | Mendelssohn: | Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90 'Italian' revised version John Eliot Gardiner Symphony No. 5 in D major, Op. 107 'Reformation' John Eliot Gardiner | Mozart: | Symphonies (Complete) James Levine | Schubert: | Symphony No. 3 in D major, D200 Carlos Kleiber Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D759 'Unfinished' Carlos Kleiber Symphony No. 9 in C major, D944 'The Great' John Eliot Gardiner Gesang der Geister über den Wassern, D714 2nd version for 8-part male chorus and string orchestra with Male Voices of the Monteverdi Choir, John Eliot Gardiner Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, D485 Karl Böhm | Schumann: | Symphonies Nos. 1-4 (complete) Leonard Bernstein | Shostakovich: | Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54 Leonard Bernstein Symphony No. 9 in E flat major, Op. 70 Leonard Bernstein | Sibelius: | Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39 Leonard Bernstein Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43 Leonard Bernstein Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 82 Leonard Bernstein Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105 Leonard Bernstein | Tchaikovsky: | Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 Herbert von Karajan Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 Herbert von Karajan Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 'Pathétique' Herbert von Karajan |
An edition of the works of 13 composers, from Mozart to Shostakovich. 95 symphonies on 50 CDs. Symphonic cycles by Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms. All of Carlos Kleiber’s DG symphonic recordings are there (Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms). Signal contributions by Claudio Abbado (Beethoven, Bruckner, Mahler), Leonard Bernstein (Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, Mahler, Sibelius, Shostakovich), Karl Böhm (Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms), Carlo Maria Giulini (Bruckner), Herbert von Karajan (Bruckner, Tchaikovsky) and James Levine (Mozart). Brilliant individual contributions by Pierre Boulez (Mahler 6), Myung-Whung Chung (Dvořák), John Eliot Gardiner (Schubert, Mendelssohn) and Lorin Maazel (Dvořák). COVER ART / BOOKLET More noble, evocative artwork, conceived in purely graphical terms, is difficult to imagine. The 80-page booklet has a newly-commissioned introduction on the DG / Wiener Philharmoniker relationship by Dr. Clemens Hellsberg, violinist and director of the board of the orchestra, a full tracklist and photos of the artists. |
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“Barbirolli’s famous 1969 version on any count is one of the greatest, most warmly affecting performances ever committed to disc, expansive, yet concentrated in feeling: the Adagietto is very moving … A classic version.’” Penguin Guide |
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| |  | Brigitte Fassbaender: The Great Lieder Recordings
and songs by Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Milhaud and Wolf; oratorio arias by Rossini, Handel, JS Bach and Schumann; opera arias and scenes by Ponchielli, Massenet, Saint-Saens, Verdi, Flotow, Enescu; operetta excerpts by Fall, J Strauss II, Oscar Straus, Heuberger, Offenbach and Zeller
Brigitte Fassbaender (mezzo); Wolfgang Sawallisch, Erik Werba, Irwin Gage, Karl Engel, Aribert Reimann (piano); with Anneliese Rothernberger (soprano), Patricia Wise (soprano), Lucia Popp (soprano), Nicolai Gedda (tenor), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone), José van Dam (bass-baritone) Lawrence Foster, Jeffrey Tate, Willi Boskovsky, Sir Neville Marriner, Willy Mattes Brigitte Fassbaender rose to woldwide fame in the role of Octavian in the Strauss/Hofmannsthal comedy Der Rosenkavalier. Fassbaender took her Octavian to all the major centres including London, Milan, Vienna, New York and Tokyo and continued singing the role for over 20 years. Fassbaender says that, in her operatic repertoire, she wanted to be as wide-ranging as possible, while always respecting her limitations. Running parallel to her appearances in the theatre, Fassbaender developed her career in the concert hall and on the recital platform. Her discography is even richer in oratorio (Bach, Handel, Rossini, Schumann) and Lieder than in opera. If you pick up any retrospective writing on a singer you will encounter attempts to describe their voice in words. In the case of Brigitte Fassbaender there is more description of her performances and interpretations than of her actual sound. Alan Blyth has spoken of ‘a very personal, no-holds barred manner of singing’, while Richard Wigmore wrote that ‘her bold, bronze timbre, with its dash of astringency, was not conventionally beautiful. Yet beauty was never her prime concern.’ In a recent interview Fassbaender looked back on her career in its time. ‘It was very different then – there was much less stress and competition (...). And we had more opportunities to sing for recordings and to take more risks in our work. I feel gratitude, but also amazement, for all the wonderful, strenuous, many-sided, nerve-wracking things that I was allowed to experience.' |
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This is Dudamel’s first CD with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, recorded live at LA’s famed Disney Concert Hall as part of their epic 2012 Mahler Project, celebrating one of the most energetic and exciting musical partnerships of our times - The coming together of the very finest American orchestra, led with passion and vision by the unique force of nature that is Gustavo Dudamel. Mahler’s magisterial Ninth Symphony was completed in 1909; tragically, he died in May 1911, without ever hearing it performed. Dudamel and the LA Phil toured Europe with Mahler 9 in 2011, garnering widespread critical acclaim: the Guardian praised them for “a refinement and expressivity that touched the sublime”. “It wins a special place among many fine Mahler Symphony No. 9 recordings with its unflinching clarity and general spciousness...That may have something to do with the unflappable demeanour of the LA Phil; these top American players rarely get in a lather.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2013 **** “Dudamel live in 2012 coaxes polished, full-throated playing in every department, brass strong and sure, strings positively luscious, woodwind responsive to every italicising demand...Many will appreciate Dudamel's boisterous engagement notwithstanding a tendency to pass over the longer line and with it Mahler's sense of foreboding” Gramophone Magazine, May 2013 “Dudamel's tempos are excellently judged as a basis and the orchestral playing at times approaches the superlative level...Time and again, throughout Dudamel's performance, one is impressed by the sheer musicianship and commitment of the playing” International Record Review, May 2013 “Dudamel lovingly shapes this vast landscape, bringing to it an affirming view. He keeps everything moving along nicely, at least until those moments of the finale when all energies ebb away and we are left with those halting, bare lines.” Sunday Times, 24th February 2013 “This new, live, Mahler 9 sounds impressive – microphones are closely placed and you really feel in the thick of things...Each precipitous climax is paced with mature skill, the tension cannily ratcheted up...It’s really, really good, and Mahler anoraks will fondly recall Giulini’s similarly broad 1970s recording.” The Arts Desk, 16th March 2013 “Although “the Dude” can be stilted in the first two movements, there are many compensations: gorgeous textures, powerfully rhetorical gestures and superb clarity. In the ethereal finale he doesn’t reach the heights of Abbado or Haitink, but if you want a young man’s view of mortality, this can’t be bettered.” The Times, 23rd February 2013 **** |
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| |  | Hans Rosbaud 50th Anniversary EditionSaal 1, Funkhaus, Cologne, 22 October 1951
The composer Francis Poulenc said in 1954, ‘Music buffs believe that the greatest living conductor is Toscanini: musicians know that it is Hans Rosbaud.’ Similarly, Gramophone hailed Rosbaud as ‘one of the unsung heroes of mid-20th-century music’. Hans Rosbaud (1895–1962), a native of Graz, was a champion of contemporary works while strongly advocating Mahler’s music after the Second World War. From 1948 to 1962, Rosbaud was associated with the South West German Radio Orchestra, Baden-Baden, which he built into one of the finest orchestras in Germany. He was linked to the Donaueschingen Festival, where he performed the post-War modernist school, and to the Aix-en Provence Festival. He also became a regular guest conductor from 1959 with the Chicago Symphony and made frequent appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic and Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. Rosbaud regarded Mahler as the key figure in the birth of twentieth-century music. This ‘live’ studio recording from 1951 is a new addition to the Rosbaud discography, released for the first time on ICA Classics. It has been regarded by a number of German musicologists as a truly legendary performance. Rosbaud is captured here at the height of his powers with the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, one of his favourite orchestras. The 50th anniversary of Rosbaud’s death was in December 2012 so this release is a belated tribute to this great conductor. “I detect no lack of feeling or expressiveness in Rosbaud’s reading and he is not afraid to deploy a judicious amount of portamento. It’s good to hear a straightforward approach to this music...The sound is perfectly acceptable, especially given its vintage.” MusicWeb International, 26th April 2013 |
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