popular music: Lpo     popular music:       Hansel und Gretel1 review, ... Decca, 2009 Modern Staging Making Compelling Theater This is a modernized staging of one of the most familiar operas in the repertoire for young and old alike. I really enjoyed this production and perhaps a better bellwether, even my 9 year old sat in rapt attention throughout the entire opera. In this retelling, Laurent Pelly, stage director, has provided a dramatic staging where the gingerbread house has been remade into a convenience store ...             Complete Tone Poems 14 reviews Liszt, Haitink, ... Polygram Records, 1994 See for yourself Liszt is one of the most underestimated composers of all time, but I'm sure that anyone who listens carefully to recordings like this can change his mind. The only problem I see in understanding this pieces is that their richness (in all senses) make it necessary to listen to them again in order to understand them more deeply. Yet I can say that the exact same thing is true with Beethoven, ...             Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D; Symphony No. 2 in C minor 'Resurrection' (I - V)3 reviews Mahler, Lpo, ... EMI Classics, 2001 Fine examples of Tennstedt's spontaneous, impassioned Mahler Buyers can get Klaus Tennstedt's Mahler from the 1970s and early 80s in several repackagings, but since this format is the cheapest right now, I'll review his cycle in its two-fer version. As a conductor Tennstedt was erratic; as a person he was prone to self-doubt. But such was his charisma on the podium that he took London by storm, and many of his now overlooked CDs are worth a serious ...             Symphony No 2 Resurrection3 reviews Mahler, Van Nes, ... London Philharmonic, 2010 An exceptional Resurrection Usually, I'm not one for 'legendary recordings'. I've heard one too many of those where the reputation was rather more spectacular than the actual music-making. Myth-making is rife among classical music aficionado's... I am also somewhat puzzled by the posthumous veneration for Klaus Tennstedt, whose 'official' Mahler cycle on EMI had a generally tepid reception, rightly so in my opinion, ...             German Requiem (Ein Deutsches Requiem)1 review Brahms, Watts, ... London Philharmonic, 2010 Two outstanding soloists, but the conducting is dead on arrival This German Requiem dates from a concert in April, 2009 and features the fast-rising Nezet-Seguin, who was appointed as the London Philharmonic's principal guest conductor. I must admit that I am a half-hearted fan of his. Even in this era when French musicians seem to be surging ahead, it's rare for a French-Canadian to reach the top rank. At age 35, Nezet-Seguin, a very energetic, very short ...             Vaughan Williams - Symphony No. 6 · In the Fen Country · On Wenlock Edge / Bostridge · LPO · Haitink5 reviews Vaughan Williams, Bostridge, ... Angel Records, 1999 Another jewel in the Haitink/Vaughan Williams cycle The splendid Emi cycle of the RVW symphonies under Haitink is, possibly,the most distressingly slow release in the history : I mean, the first cd ( the "Antartica" dates from 1985 and we're still waiting for what is supposed to be the last one ( 8&9) ! . Perhaps it wasn't intended to be a cycle, but the quality of the results sort of forced EMI to go on ....slowly. What I really like is that ...             Falstaff (Sub Dts), ... BBC / Opus Arte, 2010             Bartk: Bluebeard's Castle [DVD Video]7 reviews, ... Decca, 2008 The Missing Music Box from Dr Caligari's Cabinet Mike Birman's excellent review of this rare expressionist opera, several moths old already, was responsible for my ordering it. A few nights ago I finally watched it. His judgment of the music says everything I might want to say. The cinematography is another matter. Of course, with Georg Solti conducting, I knew I was getting a production with some miles on its chassis. I knew it had to be a ...             Planets / Enigma Variations6 reviews Holst, Elgar, ... Angel Records, 1993 Best recording of the Planets; Enigma is a great piece too I originally purchased this solely because of its reputation as being the best recording of The Planets to date and overlooked the Enigma Variations as a cute tack-on. After I listened once through and became completely impressed with Boult's style and the orchestra's definitive performace of The Planets, I began to like Enigma. And with each passing listen to Enigma, I began to like it even ...             Four Seasons25 reviews Vivaldi, Perlman, ... EMI Classics, 2002 No complaints I had heard some excerpts from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" and really loved them. That's why I got this CD. The performance is great, I have no complaints.             Rite of Spring / Persephone1 review Stravinsky, Nagano, ... Virgin Records Us, 1996 A rare chance to hear the beautiful, neglected "Persephone" Kent Nagano has had a career trajectory that is as much sideways as upward. He made his name in France and is now installed as Dutoit's successor in Montreal. for a period in the Nineties there were some major recordings, but they faded and are only now trickling back. Here we have a two-disc set that combines completely inessential Stravinsky (yet another Rite of spring) with a forgotten major ...             Sea Pictures / Symphony No 11 review Elgar, Baker, ... London Philharmonic, 2010 Handley conducts Elgar This 1984 concert was given in honor of the 50th anniversary of the composer's death. While maestro Handley, who died in 2008, left us a fine cycle of the Vaughan Williams symphonies (recently reissued as a part of EMI's monumental 30 CD Vaughan Williams Collector's Edition), his performance here is curiously tepid and restrained. Perhaps the very solemnity of the occasion induced him to reign in ...             Sir Edward Elgar: Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61 - Nigel Kennedy / London Philharmonic Orchestra / Vernon ...10 reviews Elgar, Kennedy, ... EMI Classics, 1991 Consistently fine realization From back in the days when The Artist Now Known As Kennedy still used his first name, this 1984 performance of Elgar's lengthy, difficult and microdetailed concerto for violin and orchestra is a more consistent rendition than the violinist's 1990s remake with Sir Simon Rattle conducting. Actually, I'd go so far as to call this CD special. In the later recording, Kennedy may seem to "take more ...             Yevgeny Mravinsky, Volume 1 (Weber: Oberon, Overture; Schubert: Symphony in Bm No8, D759; Brahms: Symphony in ... Schubert, Brahms, ... Melodiya, 1996             Complete Tone Poems 24 reviews Liszt, Haitink, ... Polygram Records, 1994 "More 'respected' than loved"? Here's to respect!! OK Mr. Hurwitz, if only because Liszt created the art-form of symphonic poems as they went on to existance we should just "respect" the tone poems, but Hunnenschlact--How could you not LOVE this piece?? This was most certainly the blueprint for Saint-Saens' absolutely killer Symphony #3 (which was written as a tribute to Liszt, actually) with its pairing of organ and symphony orchestra. With that ...             Vier Tondichtung Nach Arnold Bocklin (Music Of Max Reger) (Reger & Romanticism)1 review Reger, Botstein, ... Telarc, 2002 Reger in a Different Light Leon Botstein has recorded a discography of unusual music for Telarc: the Schalk edition of Bruckner's Fifth Symphony, Dohnany's First Symphony, Szymanowski's Second Symphony, and Strauss's opera "Die Liebe der Danae." His most recent foray, a disc of romantic music by Max Reger (1873-1916), explores a side of that composer less well known than it ought to be. Connoisseurs will likely be ...             Piano Concerto 1 Medtner, Jarvi, ... Chandos, 1992             Norma (Complete) (Ger)4 reviews Bellini, Caballe, ... RCA Victor Europe, 1987 My First Norma Recording This was my first Norma recording, which I bought in the late 80's. I have about six now, but this is still one of the best overall. Caballe is in mint condition here and very dramatic. All she lacks is a convincing trill, but when so much else is right, it's an easy fault to forgive. This is one of Domingo's very best recordings. His highest register has a security that would not remain long ...             Pictures at an Exhibition / Symphonie Classique1 review Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, ... Elektra / Wea, 1995 Different and Refreshing This is the only recording I know of that contains the Gortchakov orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition. While it's not the most colorful in the world, it's a nice change from the heard-way-too-often Ravel version. I especially like the fortissimo horns at the beginning of Bydlo, and of course he keeps the Prominade V which Ravel left out. Overall, it's a great performance as always from the ...             Walton: Symphony No. 1/Portsmouth Walton, Slatkin, ... EMI Classics Imports, 1994              search for popular music bluebeard, bostridge, classique, complete, concerto, deutsches, exhibition, falstaff, haitink, handley, kennedy, mravinsky, orchestra, overture, persephone, philharmonic, pictures, planets, portsmouth, resurrection, romanticism, schubert, seasons, symphonie, symphony, tondichtung, variations, vaughan, williams, yevgeny popular music:    Kindle - Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device This is the future of book reading. I have used it and love it! randomly chosen beauty: Rene Furterer Forticea Stimulating Shampoo 5.07 fl Ounce (150 ml) home  impressum - about us