Our Contemporaries of Mozart series with Matthias Bamert for Chandos counts over 20 CDs to date and is still on-going. The series has uncovered a wealth of previously unavailable eighteenth-century works and its success is illustrated by the numerous accolades bestowed upon it including a number of releases credited with Editor’s Choice in Gramophone. Composers featured include those more well-known from the era, such as Clementi, Salieri and Stamitz to the rarely-heard Gossec, Vanhal and Gyrowetz.

Believe it or not, François-Joseph Gossec was the French musical equivalent of Haydn and Beethoven. Under the ancient régime, Gossec established single-handedly the primacy of the string quartet and the symphony in French instrumental music and under the Empire, Gossec created a revolutionary form of massed public music pre-dating Beethoven's Ninth.

Violinist Kyung-Wha Chung's highly intense compelling performances especially in the Prokofiev Concerti here have made them favorites in Decca's catalogue for years. Rather than purely dwell on the technical rigor these works demand (as many violinists often do), Chung instead focuses more on Prokofiev's lyricism in an effort to draw out the full and varied range of emotional qualities in the score. Conductor Andre Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra couldn't be more understanding and supportive collaborators and Decca's sound, while spotlighting Chung slightly, is quite good.

This release by Quebec violinist Angèle Dubeau is dedicated specifically to Dubeau's fellow survivors of serious illness, in her case cancer, expressing the aim of "luminous music that can bring interior peace through its strength and powerful evocation." As such it might seem to differ little from any number of other crossover releases filled with mellow tunes. But Dubeau's album has reached the Canadian top ten, indicating that plenty of healthy buyers have found it.

GRAMOPHONE AWARD 2015 WINNER (RECITAL CATEGORY). A welcome return of Carolyn Sampson and Ex Cathedra to Hyperion, performing the rich, fulsome music of the French Baroque. Their recording of love songs from Rameau’s operas (Hyperion CDA67447) was hugely acclaimed for Sampson’s stylish, fluid, seductive performances, and ten years later her artistry is even more dazzling. This album is of particular interest as rather than concentrating on one composer it showcases the works written for the premiere soprano of the day, Marie Fel. Voltaire called her his ‘adorable nightingale’. For d’Aquin, she was an enchanted being. Marie Fel was the soprano who held an entire generation spellbound at the Paris Opéra and at Louis XV’s court during one of the most glorious periods of French music. With a voice described as ‘pure, charming, silvery’ (La Borde), ‘touching and sublime’ (Grimm) and ‘always lovely, always seductive’ (d’Aquin), she inspired some of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s finest music and introduced a whole new level of virtuosity and expression into the French singing tradition. Her long, triumphant career is traced through this fascinating recording.

As the 15 symphonies of Dmitry Shostakovich grow in stature with the passage of time, the increasing number of complete recordings attests to their lasting significance. As a friend of the composer and a conductor of considerable artistic merit…Mstislav Rostropovich has been regarded as one of the most authoritative interpreters of the symphonies, and the set of his performances with the National Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Academic Symphony Orchestra of Moscow is often recommended.

As one of the leading operatic composers of his generation, Johann Simon Mayr nurtured a fascination with the chivalric stories of medieval England. Le due duchesse, an opera semiseria with buffa elements, is set during the reign of the 10th-century King Edgar. Huntsmen’s and Knights’ choruses and troubadour-like songs give great vivacity to a score that is both lyrical and dramatic. Mayr’s compound of Viennese Classicism and Italianate melodic beauty, allied to his ambitious writing and a skilful libretto, produced an important and influential opera couched in his own unmistakable idiom.

If American Josh Groban can make a killing singing Italian opera so convincingly, why not this operatically trained French singer – who has actually been a huge success in Europe while steadily building a name for herself stateside. While Groban is pop-minded, however, Emma Shapplin – like newcomer Laura Turner – seems content to emote powerfully over beds of nature-enhanced ambience and soulful grooves, finding a classical crossover niche with new age crossover potential. With the help of producer Graeme Revell (a noted film scorer and orchestrator for Evanescence), who provides these soaring textures with the London Symphony Orchestra, she blends dramatic solo arias – all original compositions – with passages where she interacts with the Symphony's great choir.

The GRAMMY® Award-nominated and BRIT Female “Artist of the Year” Award-nominated cellist stands out as the rare talent who can bring an outdoor festival crowd to its feet or ignite the score of a record-breaking blockbuster. As a soloist, her cello courses through the soundtracks for Wonder Woman, The Lion King, Inception, Dunkirk, Pirates of the Caribbean 5, X-Men Dark Phoenix, Iron Man 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, 3, & 4, League of Legends, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, CSI: NY, and The Vikings, to name a few. She has accompanied Hans Zimmer, Steven Tyler, Skrillex, Joe Bonamassa, Foo Fighters, Al Di Meola, and Carlos Santana on stage and John Legend, Ciara, and many more on tape. She thrived in the spotlight on Cirque Du Soleil’s Michael Jackson “The Immortal” World Tour, which entertained 3.7 million-plus concertgoers in packed arenas and became one of the highest-grossing tours of all time.

Wie wundervoll, ja berauschend die Musik Paul Hindemiths sein kann, zeigen seine Kammermusikwerke auf dieser CD. Das Ausdruckspotential der Klarinette wird von dem in Hanau geborenen Komponisten in leidenschaftlicher, tief bewegender und humorvoller Art in jedem Stück mit diesem Soloinstrument ausgeschöpft. Hindemith, dessen Musik von den Nationalsozialisten als entartet verfemt wurde, verließ Deutschland 1938 und ging zunächst in die Schweiz, 1940 übersiedelte er in die USA. Trotz der überaus schwierigen Umstände gelang Hindemith auch in dieser Zeit ein in Quantität und Qualität beeindruckender Output.

Masters of Classical Music (10 CD Box Set) Lightly used and in virtually new condition Complete with all original artwork OVER 100 SONGS!
This is truly a wonderful collection of works from very well known composers. The 10 cds cover a wide range of classical eras and styles, and they come in excellent packaging. Each disc is in its own seperate case, and all ten cases are put in a small yet sturdy cardboard box. The length of playing time on each disc varies from ~57 min to ~67 min, with most discs lasting longer than an hour.

Extraordinarily well-written, prodigiously inventive, and relentlessly exciting–these aren’t terms normally used to describe 18th-century Masses, but then there is nothing “normal” about this late work by Czech composer Jan Dismas Zelenka. Simply put, if you aren’t acquainted with Zelenka (or if you’ve experienced a previous aversion to Masses), when you hear this piece-a substantial and powerful conception, from the first note of the Kyrie to the final chord of the Dona nobis pacem-you will wonder why this composer does not enjoy much greater esteem and popularity with performers, particularly alongside J.S. Bach (his contemporary) and Mozart.

During his musical career, Richard Stoltzman has gained a reputation not only for excellence as a clarinetist but also as a show person. His recordings are varied and demonstrate both his ability to perform difficult music as well as to provide an enjoyable listening experience. Perhaps the best example of his classical talents along with his gift for entertaining would be the collection of music from opera in his recording ARIA.

Quartet Records, Gruppo Sugar and Cinevox are proud to present an exclusive four disc box set featuring music from the classics films of Michelangelo Antonioni – featuring music by Giovanni Fusco (L’avventura, L’eclisse, Il deserto rosso) and Giorgio Gaslini (La notte). Antonioni: Suoni del Silenzio includes four CDs for four films from the director’s early Italian masterpieces commonly referred to as the “Lack of Communication Cinema.” The series begins with L’avventura, the harrowing tale about a missing woman whose disappearance leads to a new and conflicted romance between her man and her best friend. The music by Giovanni Fusco is a spirited reflection upon the Southern Italian setting, including the breathtaking final shot at Taormina. The collection includes all the original music used in the film, plus several previously unreleased alternate takes.

La Voix Du Nord (The Voice of the North) is a double disc album by Malena Ernman, who represented Sweden in Eurovision Song Contest 2009. The first CD contains 11 pop songs including "La voix", which was Ernman's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest, and the second CD contains 11 arias. The album was released on July 1, 2009 in Sweden. It debuted at #1 on the official album chart and was certified Gold in its first week and eventually was certified Platinum in September 2009.