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Deborah Polaski (Brünnhilde), Christian Franz (Siegfried), John Tomlinson (Hagen), Wolfgang Koch (Alberich), Robert Bork (Gunther), Anna Gabler (Gutrune), Petra Lang (Waltraute), Deborah Humble (Erste Norn), Cristina Damian (Zweite Norn), Katja Pieweck (Dritte Norn), Ha Young Lee (Woglinde), Maria Markina (Wellgunde), Ann-Beth Solvang (Flosshilde) Philharmoniker Hamburg, Simone Young This production of Götterdämmerung has an excellent cast. Simone Young created a sensation with the Hamburg Philharmonic at the premiere. This follows her very successful release of Siegfried (OC927) “This is one of the most exquisitely led and orchestrally balanced readings.” International Record Review “Wolfgang Koch [sic - Koch actually sings Alberich, Robert Bork Gunther] and Anna Gabler are outstanding as Gunther and Gutrune. Simone Young's conducting is ardent, sometimes coarse, but always engaged; her orchestra is almost tireless; and the ecstatic reception of the audience is fully understandable.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2012 *** “Young is no cosseter of purple passages: set pieces...always serve the drama rather than becoming time out for purely orchestral display. The cast is headed by veterans...experience which shows in their working of Wagner's text. Tomlinson in particular takes Hagen into areas several layers above mere black villainy. Franz is a brave and enthusiastic actor of Siegfried's moods; Lang makes much of Waltraute's emotional blackmail.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2012 “Young gets admirable playing through all three acts, yet without any real dramatic coherence...Among the cast, I'll certainly want to return to John Tomlinson's Hagen. At this stage the voice has its rusty edges, but the veteran bass's craggy strength is entirely suited to the role...This justly celebrated Wagner interpreter has a more than worthy partner in Wolfgang Koch, who firmly projects Alberich's bitterness, desperation and outrage.” International Record Review, March 2012 | | | (also available to download from $30.75) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Marie-Nicole Lemieux sings Mahler, Berlioz & Wagner
A native of Québec, Marie-Nicole Lemieux gained international attention in 2000 when she won both the Prix de la Reine Fabiola and the Prix du Lied in Belgium. She has given recitals across Europe, Canada and the United States. The American pianist Daniel Blumenthal performs an encyclopaedic repertoire and has premiered many works, including the Debussy Piano Trio. “The unguarded emotionalism that has made this not-so-cool Canadian endearing is in evidence in almost every song here, with a particularly penetrating response to 'Schmerzen' in the Wesendonck songs. However, such interpretative responses come in primary colours, tempered by a steady stream of vocal tone....admirers of Lemieux will understand and appreciate this artist more having heard this recital.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2012 “Her French is, as you'd expect, impeccable; so is her German, in the Wagner and Mahler sets. Each unfolds unhurriedly but with a clear sense of direction...Lemieux sustains a fine flow of even tone across all the range...Lemieux's beautifully controlled performance suggests that the [Concours Reine-Elisabeth de Belgique] jury back in 1998 was more than justified in its verdict.” International Record Review, March 2012 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Wagner Recordings: Arturo Toscanini & NBC SO
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| |  | Knappertsbusch conducts Bruckner Symphonies and Wagner Selections
This is a newly restored collection of previously released and no longer available Knappertsbusch best sellers from the Music & Arts catalogue. Knappertsbusch was one of the great Bruckner interpreters and this bargain set includes symphonies Nos. 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9. | | | (also available to download from $32.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Kirsten Flagstad sings Wagner Arias
Wagner: | Mild und leise 'Isolde's Liebestod' (from Tristan und Isolde) San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Edwin McArthur Euch Lüften, die mein Klagen (from Lohengrin) Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy Ich sah das Kind an seiner Mutter Brust (from Parsifal) with Lauritz Melchior (tenor), Gordon Dilworth (baritone) Victor Symphony Orchestra, Edwin McArthur Du bist der Lenz (from Die Walküre) Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy Hojotoho, hojotoho, heiaha, heiaha! (from Die Walküre) Orchestra, Hans Lange Zu neuen Taten, teurer Helde (from Götterdämmerung) with Lauritz Melchior (tenor) San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Edwin McArthur Starke Scheite schichtet mir dort 'Brünnhilde's Immolation Scene' (from Götterdämmerung) with Lauritz Melchior (tenor) San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Edwin McArthur |
These recordings were made when the great Norwegian soprano was in her vocal prime, between 1935 and 1940. Although her voice remained astonishingly well preserved till late in her career, later recordings of the same music are no less resplendent but perhaps lack the last degree of dramatic tension she could bring when regularly singing these roles on stage. Included is the Act 2 duet from Parsifal, which became a calling-card not only for her but for her partner in this recording, and times without number on stage, Lauritz Melchior. Desmond Shawe-Taylor remarked in the New Grove Dictionary of Opera that ‘No one within living memory surpassed her in sheer beauty and consistency of line and tone’. She quickly became a legend in Norway, where her portrait adorned both the 100 Kroner note and the tail of Norwegian Air Shuttle planes, but her fame spread throughout the musical world (she is one of the few opera singers to have her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame). Rudolf Bing called her ‘the greatest soprano of the century’, and many would agree. “For sheer vocal opulence in Wagner, these tracks would be hard to equal. Her ‘Ho-jo-to-ho!’ in 1935 announced on the gramophone her arrival as a Wagnerian prima donna and the splendour of the singing is unsurpassed.” Gramophone Magazine, October 1990 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Carl Fröhlich: Silent Wagner
The film ‘The Life and Works of Richard Wagner’, directed by Carl Fröhlich, was first released on 20th November 1913. It was the first ever ‘bio-pic’, and as such about who else but Wagner? What is extraordinary, however, is that it predates D.W.Griffiths and ‘Birth of a Nation’, usually described as the first ‘long’ silent, at a time when the great majority of silents ran for 10 minutes at most. Fröhlich’s film runs for over 80 minutes! The DVD includes commentary from acclaimed director Tony Palmer. Starring Giuseppe Becce as the composer (he later became a distinguished composer himself for almost 100 talkies), and made when Wagner’s widow Cosima was still omnipotent in Germany, it raises the question for instance of who exactly was Wagner’s father? Was it Ludwig Geyer, the Jew? Fröhlich went on to have a chequered career. A member of the Nazi party from 1933, he was eventually appointed President of the Reichsfilmkammer, the Nazi trade organisation which controlled access to all film activities. At the end of the war he was arrested and, although de-Nazified in 1948, his studio having been badly damaged during the war never resumed production. His films were then confiscated by the Federal Republic! This film has been fully restored from the original print and keeping the authentic tints to ensure it is as close to what Carl Fröhlich would have wanted. DVD specifications: Region: 0 (All Regions) Rating: E (Exempt from Certification) Duration: 82 minutes Picture Format: NTSC (all regions), 4:3 aspect ratio | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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| |  | Thomas Trotter: The Town Hall TraditionVirtuoso Organ Showpieces from Town Hall, Birmingham
DVD Video (region free, PAL/NTSC) & Audio CD The debut DVD from Thomas Trotter – one of the world’s greatest organists – and the first DVD release from Regent Records. An opportunity to enjoy, both visually and aurally, Thomas Trotter’s artistry and staggering technique in a celebration of town hall virtuosity, on the great concert hall organ with which he is intimately acquainted. Features a highly entertaining and varied programme of organ pieces from the heart of the town hall tradition, including Thalben-Ball’s Variations on a theme of Paganini played almost entirely on the pedals. Extra features include a biographical interview with Thomas Trotter and a guide to the Town Hall organ. Box contains both a DVD Video (performance in 5.1 surround sound), audio CD, and a 16 page booklet with notes on the music, the Town Hall, and a newly-written article on the history of the organ by Nicholas Thistlethwaite. “should you want Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture on the organ, this is a recording to turn to. Trotter plays everything from memory, unusually among organists and even more remarkable given the complex registrations involved here.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2012 **** “Filming an organist playing a recital is a notoriously difficult assignment...[It is] difficult to get all the elements right. This film comes as close as any...Trotter operates with a sleight of hand that's as slick as any conjurer's. The performances are everything on has come to expect from one of the world's greatest organists, notable for their clarity, rhythmic buoyancy, stylistic taste, imaginative colouring - and the ability to amaze.” Gramophone Magazine, February 2012 | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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| |  | Beecham in Toronto
Brahms: | Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73 Recorded live in Toronto on 7th April, 1960 CBC Symphony Orchestra | Delius: | North Country Sketches Recorded live on 4th November 1959 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra | Handel: | Love in Bath (suite on Handel arias by Sir Thomas Beecham) Recorded live in Toronto on 3rd April, 1960 CBC Symphony Orchestra | Haydn: | Symphony No. 102 in B flat major Recorded live in Toronto on 3rd April, 1960 CBC Symphony Orchestra Symphony No. 94 in G Major 'Surprise' Recorded live in Toronto on 7th April, 1960 CBC Symphony Orchestra | Lalo: | Symphony in G minor Recorded live on 25th October 1959 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra | Massenet: | La Vierge: Le Dernier Sommeil de la vierge (Légende sacrée) Recorded live on 5th April, 1960 Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Mozart: | Symphony No. 38 in D major, K504 'Prague' Recorded live in Toronto on 3rd April, 1960 CBC Symphony Orchestra Symphony No. 35 in D major, K385 'Haffner' Recorded live on 25th December 1958 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra | Rossini: | La gazza ladra Overture Recorded live on 5th April, 1960 Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Saint-Saëns: | Le Rouet d'Omphale, Op. 31 Recorded live on 5th April, 1960 Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Sibelius: | Karelia Suite, Op. 11: Alla marcia Recorded live on 5th April, 1960 Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Strauss, R: | Liebesszene (from Feuersnot) Recorded live in Toronto on 7th April, 1960 CBC Symphony Orchestra | Suppe: | Ein Morgen, ein Mittag, ein Abend in Wien Overture Recorded live on 5th April, 1960 Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Wagner: | Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Overture Recorded live on 4th November 1959 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra |
This 4CD set includes three Beecham concerts from Toronto in 1960, which have never been released before. The works include Haydn Symphonies Nos. 94 and 102, Mozart Symphony No. 38 and Brahms’s Symphony No.2. Some “Lollipops” are introduced by Beecham himself and there are interviews with Leon Goossens and Neville Cardus. The bonus CD is Beecham conducting the RPO. “the performances still pulsate with the old energy. At times, he makes the CBC Symphony play like a Beecham orchestra in its élan and phrasing.” Sunday Times, 30th October 2011 | | | (also available to download from $27.75) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Arturo Toscanini in Venice 1949
The principal items were recorded on 3rd September 1949.The bonus in this collection is a recording of Toscanini in Lucerne on 7th July 1946, conducting the Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano. They perform Beethoven’s Egmont Overture and Wagner’s Tanhäuser Overture and Bacchanale. | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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