Classical

The Nutcracker Tweet. Everyone's holiday favorite - the traditional Tchaikovsky suite with a twist! Performed by the Avian Chorale and accompanied by the Fowl Harmonic Orchestra. This CD also includes selections from Swan Lake and other Tchaikovsky favorites.

Wings Strings & Other Things. A beautifully orchestrated CD featuring the playful stylings of the Avian Chorale singing the melodies to 13 popular classical compositions including: Dance of the Hours The Barber of Seville and Ode to Joy.

In this classical music performance film, Leonard Bernstein conducts orchestral renditions of several song cycles by composer Gustav Mahler. Selections include: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Kindertotenlieder and Rückert-Lieder, with Thomas Hampson and the Wiener Philharmoniker - performed only a few months before Bernstein's death; and Des Knaben Wunderhorn, with Walton Groenroos and Lucia Popp and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, performed in 1984. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

To mark the 200th anniversary of Frédéric Chopin's birth, a 17-disc set of his complete works was released in 2010 on Deutsche Grammophon, showcasing some of the finest pianists of the 20th century. Featured in this package of reissues are Krystian Zimerman's performances with the Polish Festival Orchestra of the two piano concertos, Maurizio Pollini's recordings of the etudes, polonaises, and scherzos, Vladimir Ashkenazy's renditions of the mazurkas and waltzes, Maria-João Pires' set of the nocturnes, along with numerous other works played by Lilya Zilberstein, Claudio Arrau, Martha Argerich, Rafa Blechacz, Yundi Li, Kurt Bauer, Heidi Bung, and Anatol Ugorski. Necessarily included is the chamber music, played by the Beaux Arts Trio, Martha Argerich with Mstislav Rostropovich, and Lambert... Less

There are recordings no one should be without, recordings that define the performer, the period, and the repertoire with such consummate artistry that they justify the invention of recordings. One thinks of Frank Sinatra's Capitol recordings, of the Beatles' EMI recordings, of Glenn Gould's Columbia recordings, of John Coltrane's Impulse recordings, and, inevitably, of Dietrich Fischer- Dieskau's DG recordings. No other singer from the second half of the twentieth century did more for the art song than the German baritone whose beautiful voice, soulful interpretations, penetrating intelligence, and deep humanity made the art song live for innumerable listeners. During his long career, Fischer-Dieskau recorded just about every lied ever composed by Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf,... Less

The Complete Gershwin Songbooks collects three discs also released separately: 'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, and 'S Paradise. The first two discs include the greatest vocalists Verve had to offer, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Anita O'Day, Shirley Horn, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Bing Crosby, Joe Williams, Fred Astaire, and even Antonio Carlos Jobim. Obviously, the songs are all classics and the versions presented are quite legendary themselves. The third disc in the set includes instrumental versions of Gershwin standards (by Bill Evans, Coleman Hawkins, Stan Getz, Clifford Brown, Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson) that focus on the composer's stunning gift of melody and harmonic interplay -- just as the vocalists' versions highlight his lyrical prowess. Not all... Less

It's a pleasure to have such an abundance of excellent recordings of Handel operas that were long virtually unknown or available on CD in a single version, if at all. Alan Curtis' stellar recording of Alcina, which joins a respectable number of very fine recordings of the opera, is remarkable for the supple liveliness of his conducting and the outstanding performances of the soloists. The elasticity of his performance, leading Il Complesso Barocco, should dispel any misconceptions about Baroque music being rigid and metronomic. The nuanced care with which he brings out the emotional depth of Handel's writing is evident from the first measures of the overture and enlivens the entire opera. The opera is one of Handel's strongest, both in its sensuous, endlessly inventive music, and in the... Less

For devotees -- fans seems like such an inadequate word to describe the depth of their fervor -- of the piano playing of Wilhelm Kempff, this two-disc set of previously unissued recordings will be cause for rejoicing. Recorded for Westdeutscher Rundfunks Köln, these two discs document two separate performances. The first from October 20, 1956, features Schumann's Fantasie in C major, Op. 17, and Beethoven's Piano Sonata in C minor, Op. 111. The second from March 24, 1960, features Brahms' Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118, along with Chopin's Waltz in C sharp minor, Berceuse in D flat major, and Three Impromptus, Opp. 29, 36, and 55, plus his Fantasia- Impromptu, Op. post. 66, with a bonus of Schubert's Fantasie for violin and piano, D. 934, performed with violinist Hedi Gigler. Many of these... Less

While not the first complete recorded cycle of the Beethoven String Quartets, the Amadeus Quartet's late-'50s early-'60s set of the complete Beethoven quartets may be the first great recorded cycle. The Amadeus Quartet was a part-Austrian, part-English ensemble that fused elegance and intelligence and expressivity with virtuosity to create a style of quartet playing wholly suited to the Viennese classics from Mozart through Brahms but which fit Beethoven like a hand-tailored suit. While other ensembles had recorded the Beethoven quartets before the Amadeus, none of those performances had the clarity and lucidity the Amadeus brought to them. Forty years later, the Amadeus' Op. 18 Quartets are still among the best ever recorded: graceful and gracious, witty and intelligent, polished and... Less

It may seem hard to believe, but this performance of Rossini's Petite messe solennelle of 1863, accompanied by two pianos and a harmonium (all period pieces in this recording), is the original version of the work. Rossini orchestrated the mass (which he called the last sin of his old age) four years later in order, he said, to stop Mr. Sax and his saxophones and Mr. Berlioz with other giants from the modern orchestra from stepping in. The Dutch vocal quintet Quink added three additional singers for this disc, and the total of eight choristers also accords with Rossini's specifications. The only change is that members of the octet take the solos; Rossini envisioned 12 singers in all -- one for each Apostle. (The premiere apparently also featured some of the last generation of castrati.)... Less

If this is a festival, it's a huge one: 50 CDs, spanning the whole range of ballet! This journey takes you from its crucial role in Purcell and Rameau operas to its evolution into classical ballet in 19th-century France and Russia and on to the abstract operas of the 20th century. The Russian section contains Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake; Sleeping Beauty , and The Nutcracker plus works by Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Stravinsky and Khachaturian. You'll hear the great English, German, French and American works and the operas Giselle; Romeo and Juliet; Don Quixote; Coppelia; Sylvia , and La Fille Mal Gardee . Rarities include the first complete recording of John Antill's Corroboree (1950) and Cole Porter's only classical ballet score, Within the Quota (1923). Renowned conductors abound: Herbert... Less

Anyone who loves Leonard Bernstein will have to hear every performance in this six-disc, all-Beethoven program. Included herein is a blazing Missa Solemnis, a pair of searing late String Quartet arrangements, a host of bracing overtures, two famous complete live performances plus an elegiac Seventh Symphony from Bernstein's last concert. Because of the range of orchestras and recording dates, perhaps the most interesting part of these performances for devoted Bernstein fans will be the ways in which the different orchestras respond to the conductor and the ways the conductor reacts to the orchestras.At first, the Symphonieorcheste r des Bayerischen Rundfunks seems uncertain how to react in the 1976 concert for Amnesty International. Its attacks are rough in the Leonore No. 3 Overture and... Less

It may not contain everything written by French modernist composer Francis Poulenc -- the solo works, the chamber works, the stage works, and the songs with piano accompaniment are naturally not included -- but Charles Dutoit's five-disc set of the orchestral works, the concerted works, the sacred choral works, and the vocal works with orchestral accompaniment by Poulenc has everything else that matters and lots, lots more. It has the charming Piano Concerto and the delightful Two Piano Concerto, the impressive Organ Concerto and the beguiling harpsichord concerto called Concert champêtre, the four-movement Sinfonietta and the seven-movement Suite française, the ballet Les biches and the Concerto chorégraphique called Aubade, plus 11 other shorter orchestral works. It has the profane Le... Less

The music here was written for performance during Holy Week at the splendid Catholic court of Dresden in 1722. The example of Dresden stirred Johann Sebastian Bach to some of his most Italianate flights of opera-like music, and the composer of the Holy Week responsories heard here, the Bohemian-born Jan Dismas Zelenka (whom Bach himself admired), had an experimental, progressive spirit in much of his music. All the more of a surprise, then, to find that these pieces are written in an almost antique style. Each of the three Matins services is divided into three Nocturns, each of which is provided with three pairs of readings or lessons (given in chant) and three responsories, polyphonically set for a small choir (the two-singers-to-a-p art forces heard here were apparently typical), with... Less

This unique documentary by South American filmmaker Enrique Sanchez Lansch provides one of the first inside glimpses into Venezuela's revolutionary system of music education, noted for having an outstanding symphony orchestra with a brilliant conductor. Lansch journeys into the heart of the system and profiles its inner-workings, with mini biographical portraits of the various members, reflections on their individual stories and firsthand glimpses of their preparations for the 2007 Bonn Beethoven Festival. As an added bonus, the program features extended footage of a classical concert from the said event, with such pieces as Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 Eroica, Jose Pablo Moncayo's Huapango, and Alberto Ginastera's Danza final (Malambo). ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Russia is vast, and so is this 25-disc tribute to the great piano school of Russia-from the long-famous icons to the more recent inheritors of this ineffably proud tradition. Vladimir Horowitz, Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lazar Berman and many others display their subtly various approaches to phrasing and timbre as they perform the great works of the Russian canon and composers across Europe. Monumental works like the first piano concertos of both Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev sit alongside intimate salon pieces like Tchaikovsky's The Seasons and rarely heard works such as the preludes of Kabalevsky. Many of these rapturously beautiful performances are rare and have never been available on CD!

Like every other genre for which Brahms composed, his self-criticism and constant worry about the worthiness of his scores extended into his piano trios. His first attempt at a trio was published as his Op. 8 in 1854, a surprisingly early and youthful contribution. Nearly three decades later, Brahms had the opportunity to revise the B major Trio, Op. 8, when he changed publishers; the changes are sweeping but produced the trio we are familiar with today, making it a really mature composition despite its low opus number. Besides the Op. 87 Trio in C major and the Op. 101 Trio in C minor, there exists a fourth Trio in A major that has been ascribed to Brahms' pen, although it seems to lack the same authoritativeness and depth as the three trios Brahms himself published during his lifetime... Less

The divertimento was originally an eighteenth century instrumental form derived in part from the Baroque concerto grosso and dance suite, but also having many points in common with the Classical symphony. Owing to the modernist tendency to reject Romantic models and to turn to earlier music for ideas, the divertimento reappeared in the twentieth century and became a versatile vehicle for lyrical or spirited music, often of a dance-like character but also offering the flair of the concerto and the development of the symphony. Thus, composers such as Benjamin Britten and Béla Bartók adopted the divertimento to suit their needs, for a playful display of neo-Baroque dances in the former's Simple Symphony, and a vigorous neo-Classical treatment of folk-like melodies and rhythms in the latter's... Less

Belgian-born composer Dirk Brossé has written in a variety of genres -- those represented on this six-disc compilation include symphony, tone poem, concerto, musical theater, soundtrack, chamber music, oratorio, and song -- but his musical voice seems firmly rooted in film scores. Particularly in the orchestral works, John Williams' influence is evident. Brossé's tonal, strongly thematic style places him in the tradition light classical music, and it's a tradition in which he thrives. He is an expert at creating vivid, colorful orchestrations and lyrical melodies. The performances, which feature some outstanding orchestras, instrumentalists, and singers, with many performances conducted by the composer, are of the highest quality. The sound quality of the EMI recordings, made in the... Less

From her humble origins in Indiana, PA as the daughter of a music teacher, through a 25-year span that saw her develop and sustain a reputation as one of the most acclaimed and accomplished female operatic vocalists of the 20th century, Renée Fleming has truly become a legend in her own time. Known for her successful ability to tackle a broad array of operatic material -- from Desdemona in Giuseppe Verdi's Othello to The Countess in Mozart's Marriage of Figaro -- Fleming is also reputed for creating stage roles, such as Madame Tourvel in Conrad Susa's 1994 Dangerous Liasons. Now, the home video release Renée Fleming: Sacred Songs features the chanteuse interpreting a variety of history's most haunting and deeply moving spiritual arias, live on stage. The 16 pieces include Handel's Ochs... Less

Every man's death diminishes us all, but the death of a man so close to completing his greatest achievement and the summation of his life's work diminishes us all greatly -- very, very greatly. When Emil Gilels died in 1985, he had completed recordings of most but not all of Beethoven's piano sonatas, released here in a nine-disc set. What's here is unimaginably good: superlative recordings of 27 of the 32 canonical sonatas, including the Pathétique, Moonlight, Waldstein, Appassionata, Les Adieux, and the majestic Hammerklavier, plus the two early Electoral Sonatas and the mighty Eroica Variations. What's missing is unimaginably priceless: five of the canonical sonatas, including the first and -- horror vacui -- the last. But still, for what there is, we must be grateful. Beyond all... Less

2007 release from the New Zealand vocalist. Recorded in Dublin, Ireland, Hayley s third solo album is a very personal collection of Classical Arias, Irish and Maori Folk Songs representing treasured people and places in her remarkable musical journey. For the first time, the album also includes several original tracks written by Hayley herself. 15 tracks including Danny Boy , Shenandoah , Summer Rain and Santa Lucia . Universal. Track Listing 1. Let Me Lie 2. Le Notte Del Silento (Ft Humphrey Berney) 3. Santa Lucia 4. Whispering Hope 5. Summer Rain 6. Danny Boy 7. One Fine Day 8. Shenandoah 9. Heat Worships 10. E Pari Ra 11. Sonny 12. Summer Fly 13. Melancholy Interlude 14. Bist Du Bei Mir 15. Abide With Me

This Spanish vocal virtuoso has just turned 75, won the Gramophone Lifetime Achievement Award-and earned her own 15-disc boxed set, personally compiled by the illustrious soprano herself! The CDs come in reproductions of the LP jackets (front and back), and the music ranges from Italian arias to German Lieder to complete operas: Bellini's Norma and Strauss' Salome ; rarities discs of Verdi, Rossini and Donizetti; a Richard Strauss song recital; a tribute to Enrique Granados; arias from Il Parata, Roberto Devereux, Lucrezia Borgia, Maria de Rohan , and more.

If any composer in the nineteenth century was divinely inspired, it was Anton Bruckner. Born an Austrian Catholic peasant, Bruckner remained an Austrian Catholic peasant even after he had amassed more degrees, diplomas, and certificates than any previous composer. In the symphonies that are his spiritual testament, Bruckner worships his God in immense themes, enormous counterpoint, massive harmonies, and monumental structures. Bruckner may have sometimes doubted himself in the dark nights of his soul, but he never doubted his God and his symphonies are his hymns the glory of God.Some of the greatest conductors and orchestras in the twentieth century -- Karajan with the Berlin and Solti with the Chicago among them -- have somehow missed Bruckner's spirituality and their recordings of his... Less

How wonderful it must be to be Ton Koopman. Not only is he capable of playing every Baroque keyboard instrument at a virtuoso level, but he is recording the complete Cantatas of Bach with his own handpicked singers and instrumentalists with Koopman himself providing the keyboard continuo. In other words, Koopman gets to know one of the greatest series of sacred music ever composed by the last great composer of sacred music who was also one of the greatest composers of all time. How wonderful it must be to have all that in your head.In the sixteenth volume of his recordings of the complete Cantatas of Bach, Koopman once again seems to be able to express the whole range of Bach's sacred music from spiritual exaltation to religious terror, from giddiest joy to deepest sorrow, from festive... Less

The second of three volumes dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the founding of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, this four-disc set mostly features English music led by mostly non-English conductors. One disc has John Pritchard, the lone English conductor, directing Britten's Serenade for tenor, horn, and strings and Violin Concerto with tenor Ian Partridge, hornist Nicolas Busch, and violinist Rodney Friend. Another has Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink leading Elgar's Introduction and Allegro for strings and Enigma Variations, as well as Britten's Our Hunting Fathers with soprano Heather Harper. A third has Haitink leading the London premiere of John McCabe's The Chagall Windows and the world premiere of Malcolm Arnold's Philharmonic Concerto written for the London Philharmonic plus... Less

In 1992, Alfred Brendel set about recording every piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven. The beauty of those works and the legendary imaginative powers of Brendel combined to earn rapturous praise, and this new set brings all those magnificent performances together. Behold his transformative interpretations of these treasured piano sonatas: No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 Pathetique; No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 Appassionata; No. 15 in D, Op. 28 Pastoral; No. 21 in C, Op. 53 Waldstein; No. 17 in D Minor, Op. 31, No. 2 The Tempest; No. 14 in C Sharp Minor, Opt. 27 No. 2 Moonlight; No. 29 in B Flat, Op. 106 Hammerklavier; No. 26 in E Flat, Op. 81a Les Adieux , and more on 10 CDs!

What the world needs more of is intelligently planned, stupendously played, and brilliantly recorded collections like this one. These two discs contain all the piano works of Michael Tippett, works that come from every period of the composer's very long life except his very last. It includes the youthful, tuneful Piano Sonata No. 1 written between 1936 and 1938 and revised in 1941, the massive Fantasia on a Theme of Handel from 1941, the exuberant Piano Concerto from 1955, the experimental Piano Sonata No. 2, the gnomic almost Beethovenian Piano Sonata No. 3 from 1973, and the gnarly post- Beethovenian Piano Sonata No. 4. It features a bravura performance by pianist Steven Osborne that makes the best case for all the music, no matter how outré or recherché its harmonic proclivities or... Less

In this concert film, shot at Mantua's legendary Teatro Bibiena, the five-star pianist and violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter plays Mozart's Piano Trio in C, K.448, Piano Trio in E, K.542 and Piano Trio in B flat, K.502. Andre Prévin and Daniel Muller-Schött also appear. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi