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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Les Ballets Russes Vol. 8
Continuing with Haenssler’s fascinating series Les Ballets Russes, this next volume presents Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sheherazade and Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite. | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Music From The Machine Age
Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, Sascha Goetzel Another orchestral tour de force from Sascha Goetzel and this outstanding orchestra: after their acclaimed debut recording for ONYX of Respighi, Florent Schmitt and Hindemith, the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra and their charismatic Viennese music director have devised a fascinating programme of ballet music composed during the turbulent inter-war years of the 20th century. The music reflects the edgy, dangerous and turbulent political and social landscape of the period. This is music of great rhythmic vitality: Ravel’s refracted memories of a vanished Habsburg Vienna destroyed by the 1914–18 War, to the primitive barbarism of Prokofiev’s 'Scythian Suite' and the lurid violence of Bartok’s 'Miraculous Mandarin' with its themes of lust, criminality, prostitution and murder. Schulhoff’s ballet 'Ogelala' like Prokofiev’s score concerns pagan rituals and warring tribes, and a young couple who are meant to kill each other, but end up falling in love. Holst’s comic opera, 'The Perfect Fool', written in 1918–22, begins with a ballet which is danced by Spirits of Earth, Water and Fire. The score is brilliant – and though less concerned with human drama than the other works on this disc, the drive, energy and sheer brilliance of Holst’s score is very much of its time. “These five pieces ably summarise the ferment of creativity unleashed in the
aftermath of the First World War...Most fascinating of all is the Ogelala ballet suite by Erwin Schulhoff, a Czech composer who died in a Nazi concentration camp: it most clearly exhibits the liberating influence of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.” The Independent, 10th February 2012 **** “A brilliant idea: to assemble five ballets from the 1910s or 1920s that are all supposedly inspired by the mythological past, yet evoke the violence of the “machine age”...The Turkish all-stars give hard-edged performances under Sascha Goetzel.” The Times, 18th February 2012 “the boisterously confident Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic cuts another lively swathe through colourful 20th-century repertoire...[In the Bartok] The Turkish players and their Viennese conductor offer muscular strings, dirty slithering brass, but sagging momentum. Yet it's fascinating to hear the suite alongside other music similarly influenced by the period's big shocker, Stravinsky's Rite of Spring” BBC Music Magazine, May 2012 *** “There's something uniquely exciting about hearing a keen young orchestra devouring difficult but exciting music whole, which is precisely what the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic does...Most of the orchestral playing delivers in spades and the sound quality is very good too, if occasionally wanting in inner detail. So, taken as a whole, this is an exciting CD (the orchestra's second for Onyx) that deserves the widest currency.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2012 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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This and the other two 2-CD sets - 4800834 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 - the stereo version appears here). | | | 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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| |  | Traditions & TransformationsSounds of Silk Road Chicago
"Chicago has a long history of being at the crossroads of the world," Yo-Yo Ma said as he described the landmark year long collaboration known as 'Silk Road Chicago'.This unique celebration, partnering Ma's Silk Road Project with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and dozens of cultural institutions throughout the city from June 2006 through June 2007, was an unprecedented adventure in discovery that moved a city to learn and explore musical traditions and cross-cultural connections, inspired by both the legendary Silk Road trade route and an unending spirit of curiosity. Traditions and Transformations: Sounds of Silk Road Chicago on CSO Resound is an aural record of this remarkable journey, featuring a rich tapestry of musical works and passionate, virtuosic performances by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the Silk Road Ensemble, pipa soloist Wu Man, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Miguel Harth-Bedoya and Alan Gilbert. Mongolian composer Byambasuren Sharav’s Legend of Herlen is an extraordinarily visceral piece that the Ensemble has been touring since 2001. It has been recorded on Sony BMG, but not with the CSO brass. It's scored for morin khuur: Mongolian horsehead fiddle, which Yo-Yo plays, long song, piano, three trombones and percussion. Lou Harrison's Pipa Concerto is beautifully virtuosic and a real showcase for Wu Man. It has been recorded before, but not by an orchestra of CSO calibre. Recorded live in Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center on April 12, 13, and 17; May 17, 18, 19, and 22, 2007 “Bloch suggested the cello in Schelomo could represent the voice of Solomon. Ma invests the solo part with regal and sagacious qualities, but shot through with frailty. Khongorzul Ganbaatar contributes a nape-prickling vocal to Sharav's Legend of Herlen. Harrison's Pipa Concerto is predominantly bright in texture and lively in demeanour. Prokofiev's suite is very exciting and allows the Chicago SO to show off its power.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2008 **** | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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“A Prokofiev Fifth as vibrant, intelligent and meticulously prepared as you'd expect from this partnership." And they found the Scythian Suite no less worthy of praise: “Rattle's coupling is a pretty stunning Scythian Suite, combining foundation-threatening pagan spectacle and heart-stopping beauty in ideal equilibrium” Gramophone Magazine | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky
“Abbado's performance of Alexander Nevsky culminates in a deeply moving account of the tragic lament after the battle (here very beaitfully sung by Obraztsova)...The chorus is as incisive as the orchestra.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| | | (also available to download from $10.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Claudio Abbado conducts Prokofiev, Berg & TchaikovskyLucerne Festival at Easter 2010
Five years after first conducting the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra in their Venezuelan home, Claudio Abbado continues his commitment to this stunning ensemble in this first joint audiovisual concert recording. Prokofiev’s extrovert Scythian Suite is a gift for the boundless energy of these young players, while the intricacy and anguish of Berg’s Lulu-Suite are an Abbado speciality, with soprano Anna Prohaska, in her Lucerne Festival debut, singing the heroine’s dazzling statement of self-justification. The concert ends with an impassioned account of Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique, his final symphony, one of the most moving works in music history. Picture Format Blu-Ray: HDCAM 1080/59,94 Sound Formats Blu-Ray: DTS HD Master Audio PCM Stereo Region Code: 0 (worldwide) Booklet notes: Songtexts in German Running Time: 111:45 Disc Format: BD 25 FSK: 0 “It's amazing the way Abbado brings the melodic writing to the fore in the very different worlds of the Prokofiev and the Berg Lulu Suite, crowned by Anna Prohaska's meaningful characterisation...As for Tchaikovsky's Pathétique, I challenge you to sit unshaken through the way Abbado nurtures string tone, body and vibrato from his Latin players.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2011 **** “Aided by superb camera work, we see him, gaunt but energised, bringing sophistication and élan to Prokofiev’s monster canvas, conjuring magic and fragrance from the Berg and driving the Pathétique to the edge of the abyss.” Financial Times, 14th January 2011 **** | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Claudio Abbado conducts Prokofiev, Berg & TchaikovskyLucerne Festival at Easter 2010
Five years after first conducting the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra in their Venezuelan home, Claudio Abbado continues his commitment to this stunning ensemble in this first joint audiovisual concert recording. Prokofiev’s extrovert Scythian Suite is a gift for the boundless energy of these young players, while the intricacy and anguish of Berg’s Lulu-Suite are an Abbado speciality, with soprano Anna Prohaska, in her Lucerne Festival debut, singing the heroine’s dazzling statement of self-justification. The concert ends with an impassioned account of Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique, his final symphony, one of the most moving works in music history. Picture Format DVD: NTSC 16:9 Sound Formats DVD: Dolby Digital 5.1., DTS 5.1, PCM Stereo, Region Code: 0 (worldwide) Booklet notes: Songtexts in German Running Time: 111:45 Disc Format: DVD 9 FSK: 0 “It's amazing the way Abbado brings the melodic writing to the fore in the very different worlds of the Prokofiev and the Berg Lulu Suite, crowned by Anna Prohaska's meaningful characterisation...As for Tchaikovsky's Pathétique, I challenge you to sit unshaken through the way Abbado nurtures string tone, body and vibrato from his Latin players.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2011 ***** “It's scintillatingly communicative. Some of the players are noticeably a touch nervous; it makes the Tchaikovsky grippingly heartfelt while the Berg...has an edgy quality that really brings it alive...Watching Abbado's response to these young Latinos, and vice-versa, reminds you of those transcendental human qualities music has...I can't imagine there being a more engaging audio-visual recording of [these works]” Classic FM Magazine, March 2011 **** “Aided by superb camera work, we see him, gaunt but energised, bringing sophistication and élan to Prokofiev’s monster canvas, conjuring magic and fragrance from the Berg and driving the Pathétique to the edge of the abyss.” Financial Times, 14th January 2011 **** “the combination of [Abbado's] sophisticated ear for sonority with the band's raw energy and sheer strength in numbers make for some terrific music-making...his exquisite touch is evident throughout in what is obviously a meticulously prepared account as well as a suitably emotive one...[Prohaska] is marvellous.” International Record Review, April 2011  BBC Music Magazine
DVD Choice - January 2011 |
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