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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Claudio Abbado Conducts Prokofiev, Hindemith & Janáček
Orchestral showpieces such as those grouped here were among the most obvious beneficiaries of the advances in recording technique pioneered by Decca from the late 1950s onwards. Works which may have seemed dauntingly complex to an earlier generation of gramophone collectors could now be captured with startling clarity, due in no small part to the improved acoustic spread, and it was at this time that the great twentieth-century classics began to win a larger audience. When the young Claudio Abbado came to make these recordings in London in the 1960s (he was 32 at the time of his very first Decca session on 11 February 1966 at which the recordings of Prokofiev’s Chout and Romeo and Juliet were begun), he had already begun to demonstrate his commitment to contemporary Italian music, and so it is perhaps not too surprising that he should have been contracted to record these classic works from the twentieth-century orchestral repertoire. This release is also interesting as an early document of Abbado’s relationship with the LSO in 1966, eventually becoming its principal conductor in 1979. | | | (Sorry, download not available in your country) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Solti: Journey of a lifetimeCelebrating the 100th birthday of Sir Georg Solti
This fantastic documentary, from the director of the very successful DVD Carlos Kleiber - I am lost to the world, celebrates the 100th birthday of Sir Georg Solti. He was one of the 20th Century’s most brilliant conductors and a leading figure of musical culture world-wide. The documentary follows the Hungarian-Jewish conductor’s career: As Toscanini’s assistant at the Salzburg Festival, as Music Director in Munich and Frankfurt after the war, achieving world-wide fame with his legendary recording of Wagner’s Ring cycle. It was as the long-serving Music Director at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra that Solti became an international start of classical music. These stops form the central points of the film. Many great musicians like Valery Gergiev and Dohnànyi have great memories to share. Picture Format: 16:9, HD Sound Format: PCM Stereo Running Time: 107 minutes (documentary 52 minutes, bonus 55 minutes) Booklet: English, German, French Subtitles: English spoken version, German spoken version, Subtitles: French, Spanish, Korean AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE “Talking heads opine that Solti's career only soared after Bohm retired and Karajan died...it does provide some remarkable anecdotes...such as Solti becoming great cronies with Theodor Adorno...Most significantly, though, this also includes a solid sample of everyday Solti.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2013 **** “Solti is a documentary director's dream...there is always so much to look at even when he's sitting still..There is much skilfully sequenced archive footage...even if the director finds it hard to linger on his subject doing what he did best.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2013 “Contributions are intelligent and interesting and there is thankfully little by way of padding. There is some linking narration and the occasional musical extract...I found the 52 minutes of this film compulsive viewing and was only sorry there wasn't more of it.” MusicWeb International, 21st May 2013 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | World Orchestra for Peace at the Abu Dhabi Festival
This DVD includes two major works of Russian repertoire for which Gergiev is famous. While he emphasises the lightness and vitality of Prokofiev’s “Classical” Symphony, Gergiev pours his entire soul into Tchaikovsky’s grand, exultant Fifth Symphony. Includes a fascinating 23 minutes Documentary about the orchestra, founded by Sir Georg Solti. The orchestra draws its roster from the great orchestras of the world - even the back bench violins are first and second desk players at home. The Abu Dhabi Festival is regarded as the United Arab Emirates’ largest and most prestigious classical arts event. “The conductor Valery Gergiev has become one of Russia’s most potent cultural symbols. [...] From the works of Mikhail Glinka to those of Shostakovich, the core of the Russian repertory is infused with a direct emotional appeal. When he conducts those scores (indeed, when he conducts anything), Gergiev is seeking a gut connection between the music and the audience.” The New York Times Running Time Total: 104 minutes Symphonies: 83 minutes Documentary: 21 minutes Picture 16:9, color Sound PCM Stereo, DTS 5.1 (Bonus: PCM Stereo) Subtitles Documentary: German, English (original language) “The programme is both straightforwardly popular and plays to conductor Valery Gergiev's strengths. He and the orchestra whip up a fine storm in the opening of Rossini's William Tell Overture, are scintillating in the exhilarating finale of Prokofiev's Classical Symphony, and give a stately account of Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony...With the Johann Strauss encore...the orchestra lifts spirits with playing which infectiously combines high spirits with professional polish” BBC Music Magazine, October 2011 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Prokofiev - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5
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This and the other two 2-CD sets - 4800830 and 4800837 - represent all of Ansermet's Prokofiev recordings for Decca (with the exception of a mono recording of the March and Scherzo from The Love for Three Oranges). Both the Paris Conservatoire and the Suisse Romande versions of the 'Classical' Symphony are included. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Martha Argerich - Music for two pianos
To celebrate one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century and following a five year collaboration with the very special ‘Progetto Martha Argerich’, EMI Classics proudly presents this definitive Argerich compilation showcasing the very best music for two pianos from the highly respected Lugano Music Festival. “If the sound is uneven, that's far outweighed by the buzz we get from these scintillating live performances, all of which sound more like one player (with four hands) than two.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2008 ***** “…at a time when new music is more and more marginalised, modernity is expressed through the interpretation of past works by inspired performers. Lugano is a vibrant tribute to the concept.” Financial Times | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Prokofiev - Concertos
Prokofiev: | Scythian Suite, Op. 20 Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat major, Op. 10 Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19 Visions fugitives, Op. 22 Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 'Classical' Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 58 Sinfonietta, Op. 5/48 Overture on Hebrew Themes, for clarinet, string quartet & piano, Op. 34 |
Efrem Kurtz, Walter Susskind, Martha Argerich, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Michel Béroff & János Starker Philharmonia Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Berliner Philharmoniker, Simon Rattle, Charles Dutoit, Lorin Maazel & Riccardo Muti | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Leschenko, Argerich, Poltera & Lakatos “…no orchestra could possibly compete with the micro-fine gestural reactions and textural clarity exhibited by MarthaArgerich and Polina Leschenko in Terashima’s stunning transcription for two pianos (Prokofiev: Symphony No.1)…such is the chimerical nature of artistry on display here – not to say stunning virtuosity…Leshenko’s pulverising account of Prokofiev’s Seventh Sonata…is barely less technically formidable, but temperamentally she is a different class, so that the…opening movement hits home with mind-numbing potency…Add to this Roby Lakatos’s captivatingly “gypsyesque” Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev…and you have a very special disc indeed.” Julian Haylock, IRR | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Evgeny Svetlanov
Recorded 1968 “Glinka's Symphony… impresses with clean, full wind ensembles and the last-minute unleashing of the USSR State Symphony brass's familiar might. …in Tchaikovsky's Third… Svetlanov has his own compelling agenda in driving the first-movement material from funeral march to Petersburg court ceremonials, a visit to Swan Lake and a final carnival of earthy peasantry. ...unmissable on its own, committed terms.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2004 ***** “another gem from BBC Legends” Gramophone Magazine | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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“There's a real sense that Sting is enjoying being part of the music-making, adding to the drama with his quaking grandfather voice… and sending shivers down our spine as the wolf appears. There's no hint of a rock-star image here… The Chamber Orchestra of Europe's playing under Claudio Abbado is consistently immaculate with an outstanding string sound, brilliant dynamic contrasts, and superb soloists.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2007 “Abbado and the multi-talented Sting offer a lively and beautifully crafted account of Prokofiev's ever popular Peter and the Wolf. Any fears that the original freshness of Prokofiev's creation may be lost in favour of a less formal approach are soon dispelled – Sting is an effective and intelligent storyteller capable of capturing the imagination of adults and children alike, and there's never a feeling of contrivance or mere gimmickry.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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