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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Works
“Stirring accounts of the 1812 and Marche slave, but a disappointingly routine and rather flabby Romeo and Juliet” BBC Music Magazine, March 2012 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations, Souvenir de Florence & The Tempest
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| |  | Tchaikovsky - Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6
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| |  | Serebrier conducts TchaikovskyMusic inspired by Shakespeare's plays
“What a good idea to couple Tchaikovsky's three fantasy overtures inspired by Shakespeare. José Serebrier writes an illuminating note on the genesis of each of the three, together with an analysis of their structure. He notes that once Tchaikovsky had established his concept of the fantasy overture in the first version of Romeo andJuliet in 1869 – slow introduction leading to alternating fast and slow sections, with slow coda – he used it again both in the 1812 Overture and Hamlet. The Tempest (1873) has similarly contrasting sections, but begins and ends with a gently evocative seascape, with shimmering arpeggios from strings divided in 13 parts.
It's typical of Serebrier's performance that he makes that effect sound so fresh and original. In many ways, early as it is, this is stylistically the most radical of the three overtures here, with sharp echoes of Berlioz in some of the woodwind effects. The clarity of Serebrier's performance, both in texture and in structure, helps to bring that out, as does a warm and analytical BIS recording.
Hamlet, dating from much later, is treated to a similarly fresh and dramatic reading, with Serebrier bringing out the yearningly Russian flavour of the lovely oboe theme representing Ophelia. He may not quite match the thrusting power of his mentor, Stokowski, but he's not far short, and brings out far more detail.
Serebrier is also meticulous in seeking to observe the dynamic markings in each score.
Those in The Tempest are nothing if not extravagant – up to a fortissimo of five fs in the final statement of the love theme – yet Serebrier graduates the extremes with great care. Highly recommended.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Gustavo Dudamel: Tchaikovsky & Shakespeare
Gustavo Dudamel, the “energetic ambassador for classical music” (Vanity Fair), conducts symphonic pieces derived from Shakespeare as re-imagined in music by Tchaikovsky. In every case, Dudamel elicits the most appropriate interpretations imaginable from his electrifying Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. He conclusively demonstrates that in addition to being able to generate excitement, he is a sophisticated musical thinker. In demand around the globe, Dudamel is currently Music Director of orchestras on three continents: Sweden’s Gothenburg, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Venezuela’s Simón Bolívar − and also in great demand as guest conductor for orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, Chicago Symphony, La Scala Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, Vienna Philharmonic, and others. “There's a spookily brooding Symphonic Fantasy based on The Tempest, while the company's youthful cast brings a suitably enthused spirit to the Fantasy Overture, based on Romeo and Juliet. But it's the Fantasy Overture based on Hamlet that most impresses here: the prince's tortured soul clearly offers fertile parallels with Tchaikovsky's own troubled temperament.” The Independent, 4th March 2011 **** “mature, vividly coloured performances...Much of the playing generates the virile exuberance for which the orchestra is famous. Dudamel harnesses this energy productively and to well-defined dramatic ends, tempering it with warm sensibility and commendable lack of indulgence in Tchaikovsky’s more sentimental moments.” The Telegraph, 6th March 2011 **** “Performances are fervent and in every sense dynamic, requiring some adjustment of the volume switch to cope with extremes of pianissimo and fortissimo...Strings are full-blooded and lively in attack. Brass is fiery and manages to stay radiant rather than raucous.” The Observer, 6th March 2011 “ Dudamel’s handling of this material is refreshingly mature. The composer’s succulent melodies are never oversentimentalised or phrased in distractingly fancy ways: you hear no conductor’s ego strutting. Nor is the drama so heated in temperature that the music becomes screamingly neurotic...Intelligence, that’s what leaps out from this disc” The Times, 11th March 2011 **** “Yoking together Tchaikovsky's three orchestral works that were inspired by Shakespeare makes unarguable sense, but it's a surprisingly rare combination on disc...The climaxes have a full-blooded excitement” The Guardian, 17th March 2011 *** “there's no mistaking here that [Dudamel's] is a special talent, of the kind that can really make a difference. The ensemble precision of these performances is outstanding, with hyper-accurate woodwind chording...In phrase after phrase in all these Shakespeare-inspired works, the musical response is direct, ultra-focused, and where lyrical passion is called for, beautifully memorable. These players know what their profession is about.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2011 *** “I was immediately gripped by the score's drama [in 'Hamlet'], as propounded by Dudamel and his orchestra...This performance never allows the tension to die down and it is not lacking in atmosphere, even if said atmosphere is more Russian than Danish (This is not Dudamel's fault, I must add)...When conflict breaks out between the Montagues and the Capulets, there is considerable weight” International Record Review, May 2011 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Berliner Philharmoniker: European Concert 1998Live Recording from The Vasa Museum Stockholm, 1998
Stockholm‘s Vasa Museum harbours an extraordinary historical attraction: a large, fully intact sailing ship from the 17th Century, the “Vasa”. The ship was laid down in 1626. It took some 400 shipyard workers no more than two years to turn a thousand felled oak trees into a proud ship ready for her maiden voyage. Yet before she had even sailed out of port, the “Vasa” capsized and sank. All initial attempts to salvage the wreck remained fruitless, with only fi fty-three of the sixty-four bronze canons being recovered. It was to be another three hundred years before the “Vasa” was found in 1953, buried at a depth of 32 metres. It was decided the wreck should be salvaged. Years of work ensued to drill tunnels beneath the keel of the ship, steel cables were then strung through the tunnels and the completely undamaged ship was lifted to the light of day. Once exposed to the atmosphere, the ship had to be spraytreated to ensure its future preservation. Nowadays, the huge exhibition hall of the Vasa Museum is home to the ancient ship, which measures 69 metres in length, almost 12 metres in width and weighs 1,210 tonnes. At a keel-to-mast height of some 52 metres, the Vasa‘s masts are forced to protrude from the museum‘s roof. These unusual surroundings formed the venue for the Berliner Philharmoniker‘s 1998 European Concert in Sweden, which was conducted by Claudio Abbado. Sound Format: PCM STEREO, DD 5.1 Picture Format: 16:9 DVD Format: DVD 9, PAL Running Time: 100 mins | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | A Russian Night
This is the first-ever concert DVD of Hélène Grimaud capturing her appearance with Claudio Abbado in a fascinating all-Russian concert programme recorded at Lucerne Festival in 2008. Claudio Abbado has invited Hélène for a variety of programmes since they first performed together in the early 90s and this is the first document of their collaboration, about which the Neue Züricher Zeitung wrote: “Grimaud played with naturalness and chamber-musical spirit….a phenomenal orchestra inspired by its charismatic conductor.” The repertoire of the DVD throws light on various facets of Russian life and music. Two works – Tchaikovsky’s symphonic fantasia inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Stravinsky’s concert suite from the fairytale ballet The Firebird – depict the dramatic struggle between the forces of good and evil and the ultimate triumph of the former. And Hélène Grimaud is the soloist in a performance of one of the beloved classics of the late Romantic repertoire, Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto. For Hélène Grimaud, to perform the concerto with Claudio Abbado was “a dream”. This DVD features behind-the-scenes material shows Hélène Grimaud in conversation and in rehearsal. | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
This important new historical CD is a vital release in the Guild series of great performances of the past in that it includes three works by Tchaikovsky conducted by the legendary Leopold Stokowski with the New York NBC Symphony Orchestra from concerts in 1942. Although Stokowski recorded Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony on several occasions, the number of live recordings conducted by him is extremely rare. But what makes this album an absolute must is that the performances of the two other orchestral works by Tchaikovsky were the only occasions in Stokowski's life that he ever conducted them. This therefore makes this very well filled CD an issue of the greatest importance for admirers of Stokowski's art and for collectors of recordings by great conductors. The sound has been refurbished with the latest techniques to provide a CD of major significance. Live recordings from 1942-43 “The forever “fateful” Fifth Symphony enjoys Stokowski’s expansive treatment...As per expectation, Stokowski lavishes all sorts of tendresses on the famous Andante cantabile, molding the arched phrases with restrained, though febrile, attention.” Audiophile Audition, 25th December 2008 “Composer and conductor were made for each other, though this live Fifth Symphony, with recessed sound, can't replace Stokowski's studio recordings. The other pieces are his only versions, and show complete musical and emotional involvement.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2009 **** | | | Usually despatched in 8 - 10 working days. |
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| |  | Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 etc
recorded in the Concert Hall of Czechoslovak Radio, Bratislava, 29 May - 1 June 1988 | |
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| |  | Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1
| | | (also available to download from $6.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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