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SPONTINI, G.: Fernando Cortez, ou La conquête du Mexique [Opera] (Schmunck, Voulgaridou, Fiorentino Maggio Musicale Chorus and Orchestra, Tingaud) (CDS7868.03)




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SPONTINI, G.: Fernand Cortez, ou La conquête du Mexique [Opera] (Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, 2019) (NTSC) (DYN-37868)




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SPONTINI, G.: Fernand Cortez, ou La conquête du Mexique [Opera] (Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, 2019) (Blu-ray, HD) (DYN-57868)




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MOZART, W.A.: Zauberflöte (Die) [Opera] (Glyndebourne, 2019) (NTSC) (OA1304D)




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MOZART, W.A.: Zauberflöte (Die) [Opera] (Glyndebourne, 2019) (Blu-ray, HD) (OABD7268D)




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FRANCK, C.: Djinn (Les) / Symphonic Variations / Prélude, choral et fugue / Prélude, aria et final(Biret Concerto Edition, Vol. 9) (8.571403)




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CELTIC Fiona Mackenzie / Brian Ó hEadhra: TUATH - Songs of the Northlands (NXW76116-2)

Embark upon a wondrous musical and cultural exploration into the connections between the Gaels and their Northern European neighbours. Featuring ancient and modern texts, the songs speak to our past, present and future with music ranging from the simple voice to expansive arrangements and exquisite sound design. “Two of the finest voices in Gaelic singing today.” – Celtic Music Radio




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Choral Concert: Polski Narodowy Chór Młodzieżowy - FARCINKIEWICZ, Ł. / RACZYŃSKI, M. / FALKOWSKA, Z. / ZIÓŁKOWSKI, M. (Śpiewajmy!) (CDAccordACD262)




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MOZART, F.X.: Rondos / Piano Sonata / 4 Polonaises / Variations on a Russian Theme (Drogosz) (CDAccordACD260)




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WEINBERG, M.: String Quartets Nos. 14 and 15 / 3 Palms (Freszel, Silesian String Quartet) (CDAccordACD268)




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PENDERECKI, K.: Symphony No. 6, `Chinesische Lieder` / Clarinet Concerto (Genz, Wojciechowski, Polish Chamber Philharmonic, Rajski) (CDAccordACD270)




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RASMUSSEN, K.A.: Four Seasons (The) (after A. Vivaldi) / Follia, follia… / RESPIGHI, O.: The Birds (arr. K.A. Rasmussen) (Fryklund, Mortensen) (8.226220)




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DALBERG, N.: String Quartets Nos. 1, 2, 3 (Nordic String Quartet) (6.220655)




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LANGGAARD, R.: String Quartets (The) (Nightingale String Quartet) (3-CD box set) (6.200004)




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KOCH, J.: Concertos (Dreamscapes) (Fukačová, Tichindeleanu, Kruse, Odense Symphony, J. Brown) (6.220579)




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HARTMANN, E.: Piano Quintet / String Quartets, Opp. 14 and 37 / Andante and Allegro (E. Schneider, N. Dupont, Nys, J. Grimm, D. Blumenthal) (8.226183)




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Concertos - KUHLAU, F. / BARTH, C.F. / GADE, N.W. (Concertos from 19th-Century Denmark) (O. Nordahl, Aarhus Symphony, Thorel) (6.220664)




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SØRENSEN, B.: Mattina (La) / Serenidad / Trumpet Concerto (Concertos) (M. Fröst, Helseth, L.O. Andsnes, Helseth, Skalstad, Søndergård) (8.226095)




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VIVALDI, A.: Concertos for Strings, RV 114, 119, 121, 127, 133, 136, 150, 154, 157, 159, 160, 164 (The Paris Concertos) (Modo Antiquo, Sardelli) (TC672260)




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MARGOLA, F.: Chamber Music - Concertos for Soloist and Orchestra (Convervatorio Arrigo Boito di Parma Orchestra) (TC901390)




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VITALI, G.B.: Partite sopra diverse Sonate / Sonate, Op. 13 (Italico Splendore) (TC632204)




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MOZART, W.A.: Entführung aus dem Serail (Die) [Opera] (La Scala, 2017) (NTSC) (752008)




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MOZART, W.A.: Entführung aus dem Serail (Die) [Opera] (La Scala, 2017) (Blu-ray, HD) (752104)




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LA PHIL 100 - The Los Angeles Philharmonic Centennial Birthday Gala (Dudamel, Mehta, Salonen) (NTSC) (753408)




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LA PHIL 100 - The Los Angeles Philharmonic Centennial Birthday Gala (Dudamel, Mehta, Salonen) (Blu-ray, HD) (753504)




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Piano Trio and Quartets - ELSNER, J. / SZYMANOWSKA, M. / MOZART, W.A. / LESSEL, F. (Warsaw Music Salon) (Arte dei Suonatori) (CDAccordACD269)




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Piano Recital: Józsa, Peter - HAYDN, J. / SCHUBERT, F. / CHOPIN, F. / LISZT, F. / BRAHMS, J. (Portrait) (Gramola99213)




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MOZART, W.A.: 30 of the Best (8.578353-54)

Mozart was a childhood prodigy, composing from the age of five and performing at royal courts by the age of 10, becoming famous throughout Europe. As an immensely influential composer, his music sits at the very centre of Western musical culture and today casts its spell over the hearts and minds of music lovers throughout the world. This substantial collection presents the cream of Mozart’s imperishable contribution to music through his piano concertos, symphonies, chamber music, operas and choral works.




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MOÓR, E.: Concerto for 2 Cellos / Suite for 4 Cellos / Cello Sonata (S. Hess, D. Stromberg, Nuremberg Symphony, Piehlmayer) (OC1704)




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MICHL, J.C.W.: Quartets Nos. 1-6 for Bassoon, 2 Violins and Cello (Hoadley, The Hall String Trio) (8.574054)

Upon hearing a chamber piece by Joseph Michl in Munich in 1772 the English composer and music historian Charles Burney wrote, ‘I hardly ever heard a composition that discovered more genius and invention.’ Even though Michl achieved success writing for the operatic stage and his contemporary reputation rested on his sacred works, the Bassoon Quartets present the epitome of urbane sophistication—elegantly constructed and full of imaginative detail—and at times resembling miniature concertos.




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MARTINI, G.B.: Azione teatrale / Richiami degli ambulanti al mercato di Bologna (Contro, Troilo, Coro da Camera Euridice, Circe, Scattolin) (TC701307)




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MAGNARD, A.: Orchestral Works - Ouverture / Chant funèbre / Hymne à la justice / Hymne à Vénus (Freiburg Philharmonic, Bollon) (8.574084)

Although Albéric Magnard’s oeuvre is relatively small, the uncompromising perfectionism with which he worked created a catalogue that is filled with expansive, complex and beautifully crafted music. Composed while he was still a student of Vincent d’Indy, the Suite d’orchestre dans le style ancien follows 18th-century models and is simultaneously solemn and joyful in mood, while the Chant funèbre is seen as his first true masterpiece. The importance of justice in Magnard’s life is expressed in the Hymne à la justice, while the Hymne à Vénus reflects every aspect of love, from tenderness to elation.




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KRČEK, J.: String Quartets Nos. 1-4 (Czech Philharmonic Quartet) (UP0214)




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GAVRILIN, V.A.: Russian Notebook (The) / Anyuta (excerpts) (Shkirtil, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Symphony, Serov) (8.573883)

Valery Gavrilin was one of the most colourful and significant Russian composers of the second half of the 20th century. He was only 25 when he composed The Russian Notebook, a ‘poem of love and death’ crafted in a new musical language that doesn’t employ folk melodies but does use folkloric texts, and with a virtuosic vocal part. These stylised tunes are combined with rich melodies to form a haunting cycle heard here in a 2018 orchestration. The ten numbers from the ballet Anyuta are lively, melodious and touchingly beautiful.




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DOHNÁNYI, E.: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 (Gülbadamova, Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic, Matiakh) (C5387)




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ČIURLIONIS, M.K.: Sea (The) / In the Forest / Kęstutis Overture (Lithuanian National Symphony, Pitrėnas) (ODE1344-2)




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CIPULLO, T.: Parting (The) [Opera] (Strickling, C. Cook, Mayes, Music of Remembrance, Willis) (8.669044)

Heard here in its world premiere recording, The Parting is a daring opera by award-winning composer Tom Cipullo and librettist David Mason that explores the life and art of Miklós Radnóti, one of the most important poetic witnesses to the Holocaust, and one of its tragic victims. Radnóti’s poems express emotions from love and enchantment to absolute loss, and The Parting includes texts found in his jacket pocket after his death. This opera is a profound meditation on what it is about art that outlives us, that enables us to be creative even in the face of unimaginable adversity, and reminds us to guard against hatred and to celebrate what makes us human.




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CHOPIN, F.: Scherzos Nos. 1-4 / Impromptus Nos. 1-3 / Fantasy-Impromptu / Allegro de concert (Mao Fujita) (8.574052)

Chopin turned the Scherzo into a new form of piano composition: an independent virtuoso work which he laced with drama, Polish folk song, tranquillity and nuance. With their rhythmic lilt and filigree ornamentation the Impromptus are infused with Romantic freedom, while the Allegro de concert, Op. 46 was originally conceived as a movement for a projected piano concerto but was instead revised for solo piano.




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BRAHMS, J.: Piano Concerto No. 2 / Handel Variations (Vogt, Royal Northern Sinfonia) (ODE1346-2)




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BEETHOVEN, L. van: Symphonies (Complete) (Stuttgart Radio Symphony, Norrington) (SWR19525CD)




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BEETHOVEN, L. van: String Quartets Nos. 13 and 15 / Grosse Fuge (Tetzlaff Quartet) (ODE1347-2D)




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BEETHOVEN, L. van: Mass in C Major / Vestas Feuer / Meeresstille und Glückliche Fahrt (Chorus Cathedralis Aboensis, Turku Philharmonic, Segerstam) (8.574017)

The custom of marking the name-day of Princess Esterházy with a newly composed Mass began in the 1790s and for many years was carried out by Joseph Haydn. In 1807 Beethoven was commissioned and responded with his Mass in C major. Coolly received at court, it is a celebratory work of large-scale brilliance. The cantata Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt is set to Goethe’s poems and contrasts calm with exuberance. In 1803 Beethoven set two numbers from Vestas Feuer, written by Emanuel Schikaneder, the librettist of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte.




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BEETHOVEN, L. van: Chamber Music - Piano Quartet, Op. 16 / Minuets and Dances (Sofia Kim, Kroh, Segal, Sarid, IU Wind Ensemble, Dorsey) (8.574040-41)

In his first decade in Vienna, Beethoven seems to have been preoccupied with music for wind instruments. The best-known example is his Quintet in E flat major, Op. 16, which he arranged at the same time for piano quartet. He also wrote music for dances and settings of folk songs, and reflected the public’s interest in automata by writing for musical clock. The Napoleonic wars were mirrored in Beethoven’s music of the period, especially in his military compositions such as a series of Marches and the Equali, scored for trombones, which were later played at his funeral.




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BALADA, L.: Clarinet Works - Caprichos Nos. 6 and 7 / Double Concerto (Ivanov, Rominski, Polaczyk, Eryılmaz, Larson) (8.579056)

Barcelona native Leonardo Balada’s creative style has been labelled ‘Dalí’s surrealism in music’—an aspect of his work explored in this programme through the technique of ‘sound transformation’ in which abstract musical materials become familiar melody. Fusing traditional and contemporary elements, Caprichos Nos. 6 and 7 engage intimately with Spanish culture and history, while the virtuoso Double Concerto, heard here in an arrangement for flute, clarinet and piano, blends well-known Mexican folk tunes with the composer’s distinctive avant-garde style.




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Vocal and Piano Recital: Fingerlos, Rafael / Mouissi, Sascha el - BRAHMS, J. / SCHUBERT, F. / WOLF, H. / STRAUSS, R. / SCHUMANN, R. (Fremde Heimat) (OC1711)




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Violin Recital: Arnoldi, Roberto - ANZAGHI, D. / ARNOLDI, N. / GARBARINO, G. / SPINOSA, R. / VACCHI, F. (New Music for Solo Violin) (TC940003)




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VERDI, G.: Due Foscari (I) [Opera] (Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma, Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, Orchestra Giovanile della Via Emilia, Arrivabeni) (CDS7865.02)




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SKORYK, M.: Violin Concertos (Complete), Vol. 2 - Nos. 5-9 (Bielow, Ukraine National Symphony, Sirenko) (8.574089)

Myroslav Skoryk is one of Ukraine’s leading composers and teachers, with a portfolio of works that include opera, a symphonic transcription of Paganini’s Caprices, and a cycle of nine violin concertos written over a 45-year span (Volume 1 is on 8.574088). Concerto No. 5 utilises jazz elements and a vivid fugato, while Concerto No. 6 explores the use of sensual moods and provocative dance rhythms. Syncopation and lyricism suffuse Concerto No. 7, while No. 9 is both touching and dramatic. Concerto No. 8 offers a representation of events in Chopin’s life through quotations, in combination with Skoryk’s own distinctive musical voice.




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SINIGAGLIA, L.: String Quartet Works (Complete), Vol. 1 - String Quartet, Op. 27 / Brahms Variations / Hora Mystica (Archos Quartet) (8.574183)

The renowned Italian composer and mountaineer Leone Sinigaglia wrote a fascinating series of pieces for string quartet that reflect his powers of characterisation and elegance. Flowing melodies can be heard throughout, not least in the Concert-Étude, Op. 5, while the more substantial Variations on a Theme of Brahms, Op. 22 display his technical skill and expressive variety, whether reflective, sombre or exuberant. His String Quartet in D major, Op. 27 exemplifies his dual inheritance: a commanding central European facility, combined with a natural Italian lyricism.




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SIERRA, R.: Cantares / Loíza / Triple Concierto (Trío Arbós, Cornell University Chorus and Glee Club, Xalapa Symphony, Marcelletti) (8.559876)

Roberto Sierra’s refined compositional voice is subtly combined with contemporary musical techniques and his Puerto Rican heritage in the three works recorded here. Cantares, commissioned by the Cornell University Chorus and Glee Club to celebrate the university’s sesquicentennial anniversary, evokes ancient Peruvian, Aztec and Afro Caribbean voices lost in time. The virtuoso Triple Concierto transforms the popular Caribbean rhythms of salsa, bolero and merengue into complex contemporary expressions, while the polyrhythmic layers of Loíza conjure a Puerto Rican town known for its strong African traditions.