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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | York Bowen - Complete Works for Viola & Piano
This recent appraisal of Lawrence Power affirms his status as one of the foremost violists of today, the heir to the long and honoured tradition of Lionel Tertis and William Primrose. His unwavering musical eloquence and brilliant technical ability have consistently drawn the highest praise for all his recordings and performances. His renditions of viola concertos by Walton, Rubbra, Cecil Forsyth and York Bowen have been acclaimed as benchmark recordings. He now presents a fascinating double-album of York Bowen’s viola music: a selection that fully demonstrates the great artistry of the composer known as the ‘English Rachmaninov’. Bowen first came under the spell of the viola player Lionel Tertis when a student at the Royal Academy of Music. He responded to Tertis’s unprecedented virtuosity and large tone with two sonatas, a concerto and many shorter pieces. He continued to write works for Tertis throughout his life, all of which are recorded here, and they display the sort of extraordinary technical challenges which prove what an amazing virtuoso he was. “All the pieces show Bowen's love of the instrument's capacity to unfold long-limbed, rhapsodic melodies, though his harmonic world rarely strays beyond that of Brahms; Lawrence Power's richly expressive moulding of them is a rare treat in itself.” The Guardian, 27th June 2008 *** “It is easy to dismiss Bowen’s music as conservative, but the two viola sonatas of 1905 and 1906 are clearly inspired by the romantic style of Brahms’s late sonatas for clarinet or viola. They are worthy successors, at least when played with the sumptuous tone, passionate conviction and supreme technical address that Powers lavishes on them here. Crawford-Phillips relishes the bravura of York’s writing for the piano (the composer’s first instrument) in this superbly executed set, unlikely to be equalled very soon.” Sunday Times, 6th July 2008 **** “Following his successful recording of Bowen' Concerto, Lawrence Power turns to this repertoire with similar technical ease, and persuasively idiomatic tempo inflections and portamenti (slides).” BBC Music Magazine, August 2008 ***** “…the performances could hardly more glowing. Bowen's writing for both instruments is more than demanding yet nothing detracts from Lawrence Power's and Simon Crawford-Phillips's enviable fluency and achievement.” Gramophone Magazine, September 2008 “Power, the first British winner of the William Primrose International Viola Competition, now returns to this cherishable area of the repertoire with equally stunning results. Accompanied by Crawford-Phillips, Lawrence’s fabulous combination of tonal
seductiveness and technical wizardry works wonders in the bold expressive outlines of the two sonatas. Yet it is the heart-warming, stand-alone pieces (many recorded here for the first time) … that make this release truly indispensable. Another Hyperion winner” Classic FM Magazine “Inspired by the incomparable Lionel Tertis, his friend and colleague at the Royal Academy of Music, Bowen wrote music for the viola of such richness and fantasy that its long neglect is one of music's saddest mysteries. True, Bowen's delight in resurrecting the glamour of the past and archaisms too long uncherished, sat uneasily with the engulfing modernism of his age.
Bowen, like Medtner, had little wish to move with the times, and yet if his music is endearingly old-fashioned it is also full of surprises and of a harmonic language and idiom peculiarly his own. Only a puritan could fail to respond to Bowen's warmth and exquisite craftsmanship in, for example the Fantasia, two Romances and the two Melodies where his sense of elegy takes on a double meaning: the aftermath of the war and the loss of what he saw as the departure of civilised creativity.
Both discs are beautifully planned, opening with sizeable sonatas and continuing with shorter works before ending with more largescale offerings, and the performances could hardly be more glowing. Bowen's writing for both instruments is more than demanding yet nothing detracts from Lawrence Power's and Simon Crawford-Phillips's enviable fluency and achievement. Once again Hyperion has hit the jackpot in a much-needed revival and the sound and balance are exemplary.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | The Very Best of Beethoven
Beethoven: | Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: 1. Allegro con brio London Classical Players, Roger Norrington Für Elise (Bagatelle in A minor, WoO59) Francois-Rene Duchable (piano) Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 ‘Eroica' - Marcia funebre Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight': Adagio sostenuto Francois-Rene Duchable (piano) Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 'Choral': Ode to joy James Morris (bass) Philadelphia Orchestra, Westminster Choir, Riccardo Muti Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 - Rondo Dmitri Sitkovetsky (violin) Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Neville Marriner The Ruins of Athens -Turkish March Orchestre de Liege, Paul Strauss Romance No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra in G major, Op. 40 Dmitri Sitkovetsky (violin) Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Neville Marriner Septet in E flat major, Op. 20 Nash Ensemble Coriolan Overture, Op. 62 Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Daniel Harding Piano Trio No. 7 in B-flat Major, Op. 97 'Archduke': first movement The Castle Trio Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47 ‘Kreutzer' - Finale Christian Ferras (violin), Pierre Barbizet (piano) Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 'Pathetique' Francois-Rene Duchable (piano) |
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| |  | Piano Passion
Albéniz: | Tango | Bach, J S: | Siciliano in G minor from Flute Sonata No. 2, BWV1031 Cantata BWV147 'Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben': Jesu, bleibet meine Freude | Beethoven: | Für Elise (Bagatelle in A minor, WoO59) Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight': Adagio sostenuto | Chopin: | Étude Op. 10 No. 3 in E major 'Tristesse' Waltz No. 4 in F major 'Grande Valse Brillante', Op. 34 No. 3 Polonaise No. 6 in A flat major, Op. 53 'Héroïque' | Daquin: | Le Coucou | Debussy: | Préludes - Book 1: No. 8, La fille aux cheveux de lin Golliwog's Cakewalk (from Children's Corner) | Falla: | Ritual Fire Dance (from El amor brujo) | Fauré: | Berceuse from Dolly Suite, Op. 56 | Granados: | Danza española, Op. 37 No. 5 'Andaluza' | Grieg: | Lyric Pieces Op. 43: No. 6 - To Spring | Joplin: | The Entertainer | Milhaud: | Brazileira from Scaramouche | Mozart: | Turkish March | Mussorgsky: | Pictures at an Exhibition: Great Gate of Kiev | Poulenc: | Trois Mouvements perpétuels | Rachmaninov: | Prelude Op. 3 No. 2 in C sharp minor | Rameau: | Tambourin | Ravel: | Pavane pour une infante défunte Gaspard de la Nuit: Scarbo | Satie: | Gymnopédie No. 1 Gnossienne No. 3 | Schubert: | Moments Musicaux, D780: No. 3 in F minor | Schumann: | Album for the Young (No. 10: Merry Peasant) Intermezzo from Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26 |
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| |  | Trio X: Traumerei
Trio X is one of Sweden’s foremost improvisational groups. | 
| | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | 50 Best Smooth Classics
Albinoni: | Concerto Op. 9 No. 3 for two oboes & strings in F major: Adagio | Allegri: | Miserere mei, Deus | Bach, J S: | Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV1043: Largo ma non tanto Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV1068: Air ('Air on a G String') | Barber, S: | Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 | Beethoven: | Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight': Adagio sostenuto | Brahms: | Wiegenlied, Op. 49 No. 4 (Lullaby) (arr. P. Nagy) | Canteloube: | Songs of the Auvergne: Baïlèro | Chopin: | Prelude Op. 28 No. 15 in D flat major ‘Raindrop' (two versions) | Debussy: | Claire de lune (song) Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune Arabesque No. 1 | Delibes: | Coppelia - Waltz of the Doll Lakmé: Dôme épais (Flower Duet) | Dvorak: | Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 'From the New World' - Largo | Elgar: | Nimrod (from Enigma Variations) Serenade for Strings in E minor, Op. 20 - Allegretto | Fauré: | Pavane, Op. 50 Requiem: Pie Jesu Dolly Suite, Op. 56: No. 5, Tendresse (orch. H. Rabaud) | Finzi: | Eclogue, Op. 10 | Giazotto: | The Albinoni Adagio | Gluck: | Orfeo ed Euridice (Orphée et Euridice): Dance of the Blessed Spirits | Grieg: | Våren, elegiac melody for strings, Op. 34 No. 2 Peer Gynt: Morning | Handel: | Ombra mai fu (from Serse) | Holst: | Venus, the Bringer of Peace (The Planets) | Howells: | Salvator mundi | Lauridsen: | O magnum mysterium | Mahler: | Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor - Adagietto | Mascagni: | Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo | Mendelssohn: | A Midsummer Night's Dream: Nocturne | Mozart: | Flute & Harp Concerto in C major, K299 - Andantino Ave verum corpus, K618 | Puccini: | Humming Chorus (from Madama Butterfly) | Rachmaninov: | Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini - Variation 18 Bogorodice Devo Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18: 2 - Adagio sostenuto | Saint-Saëns: | Le carnaval des animaux: Le Cygne | Satie: | Gymnopédie No. 1 (version for guitar and orchestra) | Shostakovich: | Romance (from The Gadfly) Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 102 - Andante | Stanford: | The Blue Bird, Op. 119 No. 3 | Tárrega: | Recuerdos de la Alhambra | Tavener: | Song for Athene | Tchaikovsky: | Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 'Pathétique' - Allegro con grazia | Vaughan Williams: | The Lark Ascending Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis | Whitacre: | Sleep |
Francois-Joel Thiollier (piano), Takako Nishizaki (violin), Alexander Jablokov (violin), Adriana Kohutkova (soprano), Denisa Slepkovska (mezzo-soprano), Bernd Glemser (piano), Peter Nagy (piano), Veronique Gens (soprano), Mats Bergstrom (guitar), Anthony Camden (oboe), Peter Donohoe (piano), Irina Zaritzkaya (piano), Klara Kormendi (piano), Idil Biret (piano), David Greed (violin), Jeno Jando (piano), Lisa Beckley (soprano), Colm Carey (organ), Carys-Anne Lane (soprano), Jiri Valek (flute), Hana Mullerova (harp), Michael Houstoun (piano), Jozef Cejka (oboe), Gerald Garcia (guitar) Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, St. John's College Choir, Cambridge, Capella Istropolitana, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Lille National Orchestra, London Virtuosi, Northern Sinfonia, F, Andrew Mogrelia, Marin Alsop, Christopher Robinson, Oliver Dohnanyi, Johannes Wildner, Gyorgy Lehel, James DePreist, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Richard Edlinger, Keith Clark, John Georgiadis, Howard Griffiths, Eric-Olof Soderstrom, Anthony Bramall, Alexander | |
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| |  | Beethoven For All: Music of Power, Passion and Beauty
Beethoven: | Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: 1. Allegro con brio West Eastern Divan Orchestra Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 'Eroica' - Scherzo West Eastern Divan Orchestra Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 'Emperor' - Adagio un poco mosso Staatskapelle Berlin Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15 - Rondo: Allegro Staatskapelle Berlin Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata' - First Movement Daniel Barenboim (piano) Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 ‘Pastoral' - Allegro ma non troppo West Eastern Divan Orchestra Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37: Rondo - Allegro Staatskapelle Berlin Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 58 (Rondo: Vivace) Staatskapelle Berlin Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight': Adagio sostenuto Daniel Barenboim (piano) Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 'Pathétique': Adagio cantabile Daniel Barenboim (piano) Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 ‘Pastoral' - Allegretto West Eastern Divan Orchestra Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 - Largo Staatskapelle Berlin Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92: Allegretto West Eastern Divan Orchestra Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 'Choral' - Presto Anja Harteros (soprano), Waltraud Meier (mezzo), Peter Seiffert (tenor), René Pape (bass) Vokalensemble Kölner Dom & West Eastern Divan Orchestra |
“I think the Beethoven symphonies with the Divan orchestra is different in the sense that there is a terrific amount of energy because of the youth of the people – but there is just as much rigour. The combination of rigour with youthful energy is very strong” (Daniel Barenboim, speaking in the TV documentary on this project). The Symphonies were recorded in August 2011 in Cologne, the glorious (final) instalment of a worldwide tour that began in August 2010 at the legendary Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and will cover four continents by 2012. The orchestra’s 2012 engagements include a European tour culminating in the performance of all Nine Symphonies at the BBC Proms. | | | (Sorry, download not available in your country) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Classical Vibes
Nick Parnell (vibraphone), Leigh Harrold (piano) This new release follows Nick Parnell’s successful solo classical vibraphone debut album (ABC47562838). Nick actively embraces the crossover between different musical genres. This artist has broadcast widely and premiered many compositions. | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Hommage d'Amour
| | Letter from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to hiw wife Konstanze, 13th April 1789 Letter from Ludwig van Beethoven to Joesphine von Brunswick, 6th July 1816 Letter from Carl Maria von Weber to Caroline Brandt, 19th July 1814 Letter from Robert Schumann to Clara Wieck, 13th August 1837 Letter from Franz Liszt to Marie d'Agoult in 1834 Letter from Franz Liszt to Marie d'Agoult, 23rd July 1836 Letter from Franz Liszt to Carolyne von Sayn-Wittgenstein Letter from Johannes Brahms to Clara Schumann, May 1856 Letter from Richard Wagner to Mathilde Wesendonck, 1st January 1859 | Beethoven: | Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight': Adagio sostenuto | Brahms: | Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118 No. 2 | Liszt: | Consolation, S. 172 No. 3 in D flat major Liebestraum, S541 No. 3 (Nocturne in A flat major) Un Sospiro from 3 Concert Studies, S144 No. 3 Isolde's Liebestod (after Wagner), S447 | Mozart: | Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K331 'Alla Turca' | Schumann: | Kinderszenen, Op. 15: Traümerei Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6 | Weber: | Invitation to the Dance, Op. 65 |
Sandra Brune (piano), Rainer Goernemann (narrator) | |
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| |  | The Classical Album 2011
Bach, J S: | Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV1043: Largo ma non tanto Julia Fischer (violin) Toccata & Fugue in D minor: Toccata Simon Preston (organ) | Beethoven: | Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: 1. Allegro con brio Gustavo Dudamel Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight': Adagio sostenuto Daniel Barenboim (piano) Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 'Emperor' - Rondo (Allegro) Hélène Grimaud (piano) | Bellini: | Casta Diva (from Norma) Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo) | Brahms: | Hungarian Dance No. 1 in G minor Iván Fischer | Capua: | O sole mio Luciano Pavarotti (tenor) | Chopin: | Waltz No. 6 in D flat major, Op. 64 No. 1 'Minute Waltz' Alice Sara Ott (piano) Nocturne No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano) | Daquin: | Le Coucou Trevor Pinnock (harpsichord) | Fauré: | Après un rêve, Op. 7 No. 1 Nicola Benedetti (violin) Sicilienne, Op. 78 Neville Marriner | Grieg: | In the Hall of the Mountain King (from Peer Gynt) Herbert Blomstedt | Haydn: | Trumpet Concerto in E flat major, Hob. VIIe:1 (3rd movement) Håkan Hardenberger (trumpet) | Hérold: | La Fille mal gardée: Clog Dance | Khachaturian: | Sabre Dance from Gayane Valery Gergiev | Lara, Augustin: | Granada Plácido Domingo (tenor) | Liszt: | Liebestraum, S541 No. 3 (Nocturne in A flat major) Lang Lang (piano) Grande Étude de Paganini, S. 141 No. 3 'La Campanella' Yundi Li (piano) | Massenet: | Meditation (from Thaïs) Anne Sophie Mutter (violin) | Mozart: | Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, K339: Laudate Dominum Danielle De Niese (soprano) Non piu andrai, farfallone amoroso (from Le Nozze di Figaro) Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone) Voi che sapete (from Le nozze di Figaro) Magdalena Kozená (mezzo) | Orff: | Carmina Burana: Ecce gratum Riccardo Chailly | Puccini: | O mio babbino caro (from Gianni Schicchi) Anna Netrebko (soprano) E lucevan le stelle (from Tosca) Jonas Kaufmann (tenor) Che gelida manina (from La Bohème) Roberto Alagna (tenor) Un bel di vedremo (from Madama Butterfly) Renée Fleming (soprano) | Rachmaninov: | Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 (extract) Tamás Vásáry (piano) | Rodrigo: | Fantasia para un Gentilhombre: Danza de las hachas Carlos Bonell (guitar) | Satie: | Gnossienne No. 1 Pascal Rogé (piano) | Schumann: | Kinderszenen, Op. 15: Traümerei Nelson Freire (piano) | Shostakovich: | Jazz Suite No. 2 - Waltz No. 2 Riccardo Chailly | Strauss, J, II: | Frühlingsstimmen Walzer Op. 410 Willy Boskovsky | Tárrega: | Recuerdos de la Alhambra Eduardo Fernández (guitar) | Tchaikovsky: | The Nutcracker: Chinese Dance Charles Dutoit | Vivaldi: | The Four Seasons: Summer, RV315 - Presto Neville Marriner | Wagner: | Die Walküre: Ride of the Valkyries Sir Georg Solti | Williams, John: | Schindler's List - theme Janine Jansen (violin) |
This stunning collection showcases the greatest stars of classical music with dazzling performances from Gustavo Dudamel, Cecilia Bartoli, Lang Lang and Anna Netrebko, to name but a few... Also includes legendary performances from some of the greatest artists of all time, including Luciano Pavarotti, Sir Georg Solti, Plácido Domingo and Daniel Barenboim. Introducing the exciting talents of a number of rising stars such as Jonas Kaufmann, Danielle De Niese, Julia Fischer and Alice Sara Ott With 40 tracks and over 2½ hours of music this collection is outstanding value for money, providing the foundation for a library of classical music. | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | The wonder and the grace of Alice Sommer
HerzEverything is a Present
Alice Sommer Herz (piano) “Christopher Nupen: King of the music documentary.” Gramophone Magazine How many people remain in good shape, both mentally and physically, at the age of 106? The answer is very few but Alice Sommer Herz is among those exceptional few. And how many have the gift of forgiveness? And how many are free of hatred? Gigi Sommer has both of those qualities. She was imprisoned, with her six-year-old son, in the Theresienstadt concentration camp and saw unspeakable atrocities. She lost both her mother and her husband in Nazi death camps but she does not hate her persecutors. That is not because they are anything other than monstrous criminals but because she has the wisdom to know that all hatred hurts the soul of the hater, not the hated and Gigi Sommer’s inspiring soul is among the things which she has kept intact and unblemished through her hundred and six years. She was a pianist of distinction, played more than 100 concerts in the Theresienstadt camp and is in no doubt that music saved both her sanity and her life and the lives of many others in those unimaginable circumstances. On this DVD Alice Sommer speaks with her quiet grace and wisdom about her life, her experiences and her beliefs. She also plays music by Schubert, Smetana and Beethoven in a manner that reminds us of her teacher Artur Schnabel and a bygone age in music making. At the age of 104 she published a best-selling book, written in collaboration with her by two German writers, (A Garden of Eden in Hell), which has already been printed in seven different languages. That, and our film, We Want the Light of which she is the heroine, have made Gigi Sommer an international star. Film remembers our artists in a way that not one of the other media is quite able to match and Gigi Sommer is an artist worth remembering. Region: 0 (all regions) Picture format: 16:9 FHA Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo Subtitles: GB/DE/ES/FR/IT Running time: 54 mins | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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