Rimsky Korsakov: Flight of the Bumble Bee (Der Hummelflug)

Prokofiev - Pierre et le Loup

CD + Book

Rachmaninov - Solo Piano Works

Stokowski

A Night at the Opera

Anthony Goldstone here presents a collection of paraphrases, transcriptions and variations from opera for solo piano. The medium of opera has been the vehicle for some of the most passionate music, and the most beautiful melodies, ever written. Pianists are no more immune from passion than anyone else, and – despite the piano’s percussive method of sound production, or it may be because of it – they have been eager to accept, from whatever source, every opportunity to render a wonderful tune. It is no surprise that pianist-composers have plundered the treasures of opera for the benefit of their fellows. All melodies ultimately spring from the voice, and, no matter how ornate the costumes in which ever more adventurous composer-virtuosos have cloaked them, the challenge for the executant is to phrase them in such a way as not to invite detrimental comparison with the “real thing”. Sometimes composers have distilled an opera into a manageable length for a piano piece; sometimes they have shamelessly cherry-picked. The comment attributed to Rossini regarding Wagner’s operas – that they contain fine moments but awful quarter-hours – is perhaps extreme, but it is self-evident that in any extended theatre piece there will be comparative highlights and longueurs. Moreover, at the piano the often wearisome plots can be ignored. Anthony Goldstone is recognised as one of Britain’s most respected pianists. Goldstone’s completions and realisations of several works by Schubert and Mozart have been greeted with enthusiasm by musicologists and listeners alike.

Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin & Khachaturian

David Garrett - Virtuoso

Part maverick, part genius, total virtuoso, David Garrett, 25, has been surprising people since before he was four years old. It was then that his father gave him a violin (he was having a tantrum because his older brother had a violin teacher) and, without any lessons, the toddler picked it up and began playing. Fast forward just four years and David was already one of the foremost violinists in the world working with the most celebrated teachers and performing solos with legendary orchestras and conductors. With his natural talent, the input of the finest music teachers in the world and a spirit unusual in the sometimes fusty world of classical music, David has emerged as fully-formed, fullyrounded – not to mention highly attractive - artist. He has already played for Popes and princes and presidents (the German President saw David when he was just 11 and was so impressed he actually set about securing him a priceless 1718 Stradivarius: “I used to leave violins on buses and in hotel rooms when I was younger, but not this one”) but a whole new audience awaits.

The Russian Oboe

This recording offers a fascinating survey of Russian oboe music spanning over 150 years. Though now widely neglected, Johann-Heinrich Luft held an important position as an oboist in 19th century Russia and was the acknowledged founder of the Russian school of oboe-playing. From music by Rimsky-Korsakov, including a dazzling transcription of Flight of the Bumble-Bee, to the more nearly contemporary, all these compositions bring to the fore the lyrical qualities of the instrument and the virtuosity of the performer.

Playful Clarinet

Vladimir Horowitz

The Complete European Solo Recordings 1930-36

(2 CDs for the price of 1)

Winds of Nagual