All recordingsPrices shown exclude VAT. (UK tax is not payable for deliveries to United States.)
See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Mariss Jansons conducts Lutoslawski, Szymanowski & A. Tchaikovsky
Three works that are very close to his heart were brought together by Mariss Jansons for this new CD release. Karol Szymanowski’s Third Symphony, which, in addition to gigantic orchestral forces, also calls for a chorus and a tenor soloist, depicts a fantastic sound painting of an idealized Near East, including the setting of a 13th century Persian text. Witold Lutosławski blends Slavic local color into his 1954 Concerto for Orchestra, has a reference to Béla Bartók in the title, but it is marked by a musical approach all his own, one that reaches all the way into the avant-garde period despite its immediate accessibility. Alexander Tchaikovsky, born in 1946, may be the namesake of a giant of the Russian romantic era, although they are not related to one another in any way. His Symphony No. 4 is a musical appeal for peace. The work, written in 2005 on commission from Yuri Bashmet comprises sound-painting choral passages and a significant solo part for the viola. Works personally selected by Mariss Jansons. Extraordinarily richly-coloured, heavily scored orchestral works. Recent recordings made in 2008 and 2009. “A cultivated orchestra and witty conductor bring fairy lightness to the central Scherzo, yet they also summon up power in the virtuosic finale.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2011 **** “intense beauty in the delicate instrumental solos and textbook-like patience throughout.” Classic FM Magazine, September 2011 *** | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Szymanowski: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4Live From The Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, Warsaw, 19 November 2009
Superbly filmed for Polish Television, Antoni Wit’s performances of Szymanowski’s Third and Fourth Symphonies embody the distinguished and idiomatic conducting style for which he is widely recognised. An outstanding communicator, Wit exhibits exceptional attention to detail in his rendition of these two great works with his own orchestra and choir. The recording also benefits from DTS 5.1 surround sound. The ICA Classics Live series features performances from ICA’s own artists recorded in prestigious venues around the world. The majority of the recordings are enjoying their first commercial release. 1DVD Sound format: LCPM stereo + DTS 5.1 Picture format: 16:9 Running time: 55’ Subtitles: n/a Menu languages: English Booklet languages: E/F/G Region code: 0 Territory Restrictions: None “Wit captures the hothouse atmosphere of Szymanowski's Rumi-inspired Third Symphony and the folkloric inflections of the Fourth. Excellent soloists too in another outstanding film from the Warsaw Philharmonic.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2011 ***** “With and the Warsaw Philharmonic...are perfectly matched to this repertory, finding a balance between the vertical spaciousness of the harmonies and the horizontal momentum...despite their varied musical demands, each convey a comparable sense of non-virtuosity, where technique is firmly grounded in the music and never for its own sake. The visuals...help to steer viewers' attention to...whoever holds more musical interest at any given time” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Szymanowski - Violin Concertos
Konstanty Kulka, Piotr Paleczny, Wieslaw Ochman, Jadwiga Gadulanka, Jadwiga Rappé & Andrzej Hiolski Polish Radio Chorus of Krakow & Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, Jerzy Maksymiuk | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Szymanowski - Choral Works
“Ravishingly sensuous recordings of a composer whom Rattle has done more than anyone, outside Poland, to put on the map.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2008 “Three of Szymanowski's most important works show Rattle's ability to energise music in which he believes. Sensuality and cogency blend in refined sound.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2006 ***** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Szymanowski: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4
Szymanowski’s Symphony No. 3 ‘Song of the Night’ creates a potent atmosphere of Persian mysticism in its rich blend of voices and exotic orchestration. His Symphony No. 4 is largely extrovert in character and has a prominent rôle for piano. Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 can be found on NBD0021. The CD release of Symphony No. 3 was Gramophone Editor’s Choice and given 5 STARS by ClassicFM (8570721), and Symphony No. 4 an ‘unbeatable’ 10/10 from ClassicsToday.com (8570722); the complete cycle acclaimed as ‘revelatory’ (ClassicalCDReview.com). | | Naxos - NBD0022 (Blu-ray audio) Normally: $15.25 Special: $12.20 |
| | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
|
|
| |  | Szymanowski - Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3
Szymanowski: | Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19 Composed in 1910, at a time when Szymanowski was influenced by Richard Strauss, Reger and Scriabin, the unusually structured Symphony No. 2 is a work of great power and invention, with many passionate and varied contrasts in its use of solo instruments, in particular the violin. Ewa Marczyk (violin solo) Symphony No. 3 'The Song of the Night', Op. 27 Szymanowski’s Symphony No. 3 ‘Song of the Night’, in which orchestra, tenor and choir are subtly blended in a continuous web of intoxicating sound, is a ravishing setting of a Polish translation of a poem by the great medieval Persian mystic known as Mevlânâ, our Master, Jalal ad-Din, which evokes the mysteries and beauty of a starlit Persian night. Ryszard Minkiewicz (tenor) |
“Antoni Wit conducts his Warsaw forces in exceptionally warm and idiomatic performances of these two exotic symphonies, vividly recorded. They make an important addition to the Naxos catalogue….an outstanding issue.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2008 “Szymanowski's Symphony No. 2 shows him beginning to approach his first maturity as a composer… In Symphony No. 3, composed five years later, the mature Szymanowski has arrived. Again, this is very fine performance with all the big structural gestures well judged and the wealth of orchestral detail lovingly etched.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2008 **** “deliriously sensual scores” Classic FM Magazine “Antoni Wit conducts his Warsaw forces in exceptionally warm and idiomatic performances of these two exotic symphonies, vividly recorded.
They make an important addition to the Naxos catalogue. The more immediately attractive is No 3, subtitled Song of the Night, with its tenor solo and chorus adding to its impact. The poem which the tenor sings has the refrain 'Do not sleep friend' and builds to the most powerful climax with Szymanowski's love of exotic orchestral colours exploited to the full. The thrust and passion of Wit's performance, splendidly supported by the clear-voiced tenor and the chorus, is impossible to resist, and leads to a second movement with hints of birdsong followed by a slow finale, a deep meditation.
The performance of No 2 in two movements, an opening Allegro followed by an extended set of variations, is equally persuasive. Again the first movement is passionate and thrustful and the variations bring some fascinating contrasts, ending with a powerful fugue. Antoni Wit's performance could not be more idiomatic, with singers and players totally inside the music. An outstanding issue.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | (also available to download from $6.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
|
|
| |  |
| | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
|
|
| |  | Szymanowski: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4
Polish State Symphony Orchestra Katowice, Karol Stryja | | | (also available to download from $9.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
|
|
| |  | Szymanowski - Symphony Nos. 3 & 4
Wieslaw Ochman (tenor), Tadeusz Zmudzinski (piano) Polish State Philharmonic Orchestra, Katowice, Polish State Philharmonic Chorus (Katowice), Karol Stryja “Karol Stryja succeeds in getting plenty of atmosphere into No. 3...this is the best stereo Symphonie Concertante” Penguin Guide | | | (also available to download from $6.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
|
|
| |  | Szymanowski: Concertos, Orchestral & Choral Works
Szymanowski: | Songs of a Fairytale Princess, Op. 31 Iwona Sobotka Harnasie, Op. 55 Timothy Robinson Hafiz' Love-Songs, Op. 26 Katarina Karnéus Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 35 Thomas Zehetmair (violin) Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 61 Thomas Zehetmair (violin) Symphony No. 4, Op. 60 (Sinfonia Concertante) Leif Ove Andsnes (piano) King Roger Elzbieta Szmytka, Jadwiga Rappé, Philip Langridge & Thomas Hampson with City of Birmingham Youth Chorus Stabat Mater, Op. 53 Elzbieta Szmytka, Florence Quivar, Jon Garrison & John Connell Litania do Marii Panny (Litany to the Virgin Mary), Op. 59 Elzbieta Szmytka, Florence Quivar, Jon Garrison & John Connell Symphony No. 3 'The Song of the Night', Op. 27 Elzbieta Szmytka, Florence Quivar, Jon Garrison & John Connell |
The music of the great Polish composer Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) has, until recently, been relatively neglected. Sir Simon Rattle's recordings, gathered together here for the first time, brought it before a new and receptive audience. This 4-CD set contains all the Szymanowski recordings that Sir Simon has made for EMI Classics. The collection contains some of the composer's best-known works: the two Violin Concertos, The Song of the Night, the beautiful Stabat Mater and the exquisite Love Songs of Hafiz. The set also contains Rattle's complete recording of the opera King Roger. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |
|
Gramophone Magazine