Prices shown exclude VAT. (UK tax is not payable for deliveries to United States.)
See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Tenor Arias
Marcello Giordani (tenor), Giovanni Guagliardo (baritone), Maria Arghiracopulos (mezzo-soprano) Orchestra and Chorus of the Bellini Theatre Catania, Steven Mercurio “Mr. Giordani of course has bel canto in his background … you basked in the sheer, throbbing Italianness of his sound.” The New York Times | | | (also available to download from $6.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
|
|
| |  | The Best Of Opera Vol 3
| | | (also available to download from $6.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
|
|
| |  | The Best of Rossini
| | | (also available to download from $6.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
|
|
| |  | Nino Rota: Clarinet Sonata & Clarinet Trio
Although he is best known for his film scores and The Godfather in particular, Nino Rota’s concert music combines traditional tonality and forms with characteristically heartfelt melodies and appealing clarity. Contrasts abound in this selection of chamber works, from bassoon buffoonery in the Toccata to the Brahmsian eloquence of the Clarinet Sonata, and from the dramatic Improvviso and melancholy moods of the recently discovered Fantasia, to the jocular instrumental exchanges in the exquisite Trio. | 
| | | (also available to download from $6.00) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Roussel: Symphony No. 1
Résurrection, Roussel’s first orchestral work, is a delicate and mysterious piece inspired by Tolstoy’s last novel, while Le marchand de sable qui passe (The Sandman) is a tuneful, colourfully orchestrated suite. His Symphony No. 1 ‘Poem of the Forest’ traces the cycle of seasons from winter to autumn through its four movements. “The sumptuously beautiful First Symphony is the headline work… Stéphane Denève and the RSNO have already proven themselves to be fine advocates of Roussel's music, and this is no exception, with plenty of colour and panache.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2010 **** “Denève excels in flagging up Roussel’s supple ear for hybrid washes of colour.” Classic FM Magazine “…Le poème de la forêt… sounds beautiful to the ear, especially in Stéphane Denève's sensitive but firmly paced interpretation. ,,,Le marchand de sable qui passe… is disarmingly gentle, attractive and easy on the ear. Highly recommended.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2010 “The most recent digital set on Naxos is, on balance, perhaps the best [Roussel cycle], and is certainly well on its way to being the most comprehensive...The First Symphony is a highly atmospheric, impressionistic piece and, although with no programme, each movement represents a season, starting with Winter.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition | | | (also available to download from $6.00) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Roussel: Symphony No. 2
The three works included here outline the transitional phase in which Roussel’s mature idiom took shape. Most important of these is his Second Symphony, with its densely intricate orchestration and its wide range of expression, while Pour une fête de printemps is a symphonic poem that could be thought of as preparation for the larger work. With the Suite in F, Roussel arrived at his mature style; the piece is taut and economical in design, with a distinctly ‘contemporary’ feel. “Stéphane Denève and his orchestra bring plenty of verve and nuance to their interpretation [of Roussel's Second Symphony], and with the equally well-played couplings - a festive symphonic poem and a more Classically shaped suite - the disc adds up to a highly recommendable window on to the world of a fascinating composer” The Telegraph, 3rd May 2008 “Denève's pacing feels perfectly natural… The Royal Scottish National Orchestra play with élan throughout, relishing the music.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2008 “Denève and the RSNO are strong advocates for the all-too-rarely heard Second Symphony.” BBC Music Magazine, Proms 2008 **** “energy, enthusiasm, and panache” American Record Guide “The most recent digital set on Naxos is, on balance, perhaps the best [Roussel cycle], and is certainly well on its way to being the most comprehensive...Unlike the majority of performances in this cycle, the Second Symphony is taken at quite a slow pace, but not unsympathetically slow. All the brooding colours of this densely impressionistic score are brought out, allowing the listener to wallow in much gorgeous orchestration.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition | | | (also available to download from $6.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
|
|
| |  | Roussel: Symphony No. 3
“The ballet bounces along with tremendous colour, and some elegant woodwind phrasing while Denève's ear for detail pays dividends. He maintains a relentless drive in the Symphony… keeping up a headlong assault throughout.” BBC Music Magazine, Proms 2008 **** “Denève does justice to a dazzling piece of work, fresh and vigorous, a mix of Stravinskyian rhythms and Debussyian colours… this is a thrilling reminder of an underperformed composer.” Classic FM Magazine “The Third is the most sheerly exciting of Roussel's four symphonies. The pounding, soaring opening Allegro vivo has become iconic but there is far more to the symphony than that, with an Adagio of great emotional range, two scherzos (one embedded in the slow movement) and a whirlwind finale that fuses all the expressive elements together by its close.
The RSNO's performance is fully alive to the music's sweep and irrepressible joie de vivre as well as its more lyrical aspects. There is an edgeof- the-seat quality to the interpretation that is winning. In the third span, Vivace, Denève pushes on and here, as in the Allegro con spirito finale, he outpaces his rivals. But it is with its sound and orchestral balance that this newcomer scores, making audible a wealth of detail often submerged.
The woodwinds in particular benefit and their superb playing illuminates Bacchus et Ariane. The cover states that the complete ballet is being presented whereas the track listings show Suites Nos 1 and 2. There is little appreciable difference, the suites mirroring the two acts and published this way after the lacklustre premiere. Suite No 2 has become a warhorse for Francophile conductors but there is much to enjoy in the First. If you are coming new to Roussel, this is the perfect introduction.
Highly recommended.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 “The Third is the most sheerly exciting of Roussel's four symphonies. The RSNO's performance is fully alive to the music's sweep and irrepressible joie de vivre as well as its more lyrical aspects. There is an edge-of-the-seat quality to the interpretation that is winning, although music director Stéphane Denéve's tempi are slower than Dutoit's... it is with its sound and orchestral balance that this newcomer scores, making audible a wealth of detail often submerged. The woodwinds in particular benefit and their superb playing illuminates Bacchus et Ariane. Highly recommended.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2007 “The most recent digital set on Naxos is, on balance, perhaps the best [Roussel cycle], and is certainly well on its way to being the most comprehensive...With the third CD, one comes to...two of the most colourful and vibrant scores of the twentieth century. This is undoubtedly exciting music, and Deneve catches the mood perfectly. The pounding rhythms of the opening of the Symphony No. 3 are perhaps the best captured on CD” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition | | | (also available to download from $6.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
|
|
| |  | Roussel: Symphony No. 4
Following a period of soul-searching during the mid-1920s, and as his music gained success outside France during the 1930s, Albert Roussel took the rhythmic dynamism, thematic integration and formal lucidity of his Third Symphony (8.570245) to new heights with his less well-known Fourth, notable for its intensely wrought slow movement. The pungent Sinfonietta, the Flemish Rhapsody, which draws on popular songs of the Belgian provinces, the picturesque Petite Suite and the exquisite Concerto for small orchestra showcase the composer’s colourful orchestration and fastidious craftsmanship. Roussel’s Symphony No. 2 (8570529) gained The Gramophone Editor’s Choice. “The mysterious central Andante, recalling Roussel's early period, is utterly magical in Denève's hands...there is beautiful playing from the RSNO, especially in the opening of the final movement, and some marvellous moments, such as the first climax of the Lento molto.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2010 *** “an excellent disc, splendidly and idiomatically performed and a superb advertisement for composer, conductor and orchestra. Highly recommended.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2010 “The most recent digital set on Naxos is, on balance, perhaps the best [Roussel cycle], and is certainly well on its way to being the most comprehensive...This final CD is especially valuable for including many rarities: a delightful Flemish Rhapsody with an especially imposing beginning and three three-movement works.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition | | | (also available to download from $6.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
|
|
| |  | Roussel: The Complete Symphoniesand other orchestral works
Roussel: | Bacchus et Ariane, Op. 43 (complete ballet) Symphony No. 3 in G minor, Op. 42 Symphony No. 2, Op. 23 Pour une fête de printemps, Op. 22 Suite in F major, Op. 33 Symphony No. 1 'Le Poème de la forêt' Résurrection – Symphonic Prelude Le Marchand de sable qui passe, Op. 13 Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 53 Rapsodie flamande (Flemish Rhapsody), Op. 56 Petite Suite Op. 39 Concert pour petit orchestre, Op. 34 Sinfonietta for string orchestra, Op. 52 |
| | Naxos - 8504017 (CD - 4 discs) Normally: $20.25 Special: $16.20 |
| | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Roussel: The Spider’s Banquet
One of Roussel’s most performed orchestral works, The Spider’s Banquet was composed during his earlier impressionistic period, and depicts the beauty and violence of insect life in a garden. Roussel’s experiences as a lieutenant in the French Navy first introduced him to Eastern influences, and the ‘opera-ballet’ Padmâvatî was inspired by his later visit to the ancient city of Chittor in Rajasthan state of western India. It uses aspects of Indian music to evoke this city’s legendary siege by the Mongols. This is the fifth and final volume in Stéphane Denève and the RSNO’s acclaimed survey of Roussel’s orchestral works. “This disc completes [the RSNO's] invaluable five-album survey of Albert Roussel, a contemporary of Debussy and Ravel...Another rehearsal or two might have benefited the strings, but overall these are idiomatic, genial performances of attractive and unfairly neglected early 20th-century repertoire.” The Times, 7th January 2012 *** “as can be heard from this gorgeous disc [Roussel's] contribution was highly individual. Stéphane Denève's sprightly RSNO matches Roussel's sophisticated inventiveness.” The Observer, 15th January 2012 “Both [works] are given vibrant life by the RSNO and Denève, with plenty of graphic detail deriving from Roussel’s skilful musical depiction of everyday war and peace in the insect world.” The Telegraph, 13th January 2012 “Denève handles [The Spider's Banquet] with great subtlety and refinement, the woodwind detail crisply defined against the veils of strings...In performance, [Padmâvatî] is problematic, but the dance interludes are arguably its best moments, and Denève and his orchestra present them very convincingly.” The Guardian, 12th January 2012 *** “This is a nicely crafted account from Deneve, with plenty of detail in the characterisation of the various bugs and insects depicted by the score...And it has a considerable bonus in being partnered on this disc by the two rarely heard Suites from Roussel's Indian-inspired opera Padmavati...It is wonderful to hear the Suites in such stylish performances.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2012 **** “The music [of The Spider's Feast], which is couched in Roussel's own brand of impressionism, is radiantly orchestrated and, through its descriptive powers, holds its own without the visual elements that a staged performance would provide.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2012 “Roussel is masterly at creating an entomological world...Certainly this finely judged, beautifully played performance - blessed with clear and immediate sound - is the bee's knees (apologies!), which demonstrates much painstaiking work on the musicians' part to bring expressive meaning and clarity of scoring to such charming, imaginative and skilled music.” International Record Review, February 2012 | | | (also available to download from $6.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
|
|
| |
|
Gramophone Magazine