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The top-class cast of singers also remained similar, with only two roles being recast. However, while the Festival audience was impressed, the critical response was mixed. From today's perspective, the live recording from 1970 presents a Don Giovanni which takes it's place among the legendary performances of the Salzburg Festival.    The title role is sung by the Bulgarian bass Nicolai Ghiaurov, who, between the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the Sofia Opera and La Scala in Milanm has grown into a great dramatic singer. His Leporello was the equally strongly outlined Geraint Evans. The Welsh baritone had already proven his extraordinary abilities as a character actor at the Festival in 1962-67 as Mozart's Figaro. As Donna Anna, Gundula Janowitz is at the zenith of her development, which was largely promoted by Karajan. 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She was supported and accompanied in this endeavour by bayan performers such as Friedrich Lips in Moscow and the Swiss Elsbeth Moser, who taught in Hanover. The creation of the Triple Concerto for violin, cello and bayan can be traced back to a suggestion by Elsbeth Moser.    For the five movements of the duo composition Rejoice! For violin and cello (1981), Gubaidulina chose various quotations from the writings of the Ukrainian 'travelling philosopher' Grigori Skoworoda (1722-1794), who called for poverty and self-deepening as a prerequisite for finding God. 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There are several recordings by him of the 3rd to 5th and 7th to 9th Symphonies, two in the case of the Seventh, a live recording from the 1949 Salzburg Festival with the Vienna Philharmonic, and this transfer direct from the original tapes of 1963 (and not “off the air”) with the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra. The Seventh is particularly suited to comparison with older recordings insofar as there is no question of the alternative versions and editions we otherwise associate with Bruckner. The difference between the two recordings is substantial, which is no particular surprise when it comes to “Kna”. His later reading released here is painted on a broader canvas, goes into less individual detail; at the same time, one can appreciate how comprehensively Knappertsbusch plans the grand design while noting with amazement – especially at the brass-scored fortissimo climaxes typical of Bruckner – how energetically the conductor shapes, phrases, “turns into music” even here, something one does not hear these days. The orchestra is impressive for its exceptional solo contributions. 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The booklet offers detailed information about the scandal and indignation surrounding the premiere together with archive photographs of the stage.","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49183968264472,"sku":"4011790230061","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/4368928-3232713.jpg?v=1777495742"},{"product_id":"bernstein-symphony-no-2-the-age-of-anxiety-shostakovic","title":"Bernstein: Symphony No. 2 \"The Age of Anxiety\" - Shostakovic","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn that same year - the last before the opening of the new \"Great\" Festspielhaus - Leonard Bernstein came as a guest with the New York Philharmonic, of which he was chief conductor. Thus one of the most impressive musical personalities of the age arrived together with one of the American orchestras richest in tradition. Bernstein's own work The Age of Anxiety, his Second Symphony for Piano and Orchestra (with Seymour Lipkin as piano soloist, negotiating agilely a musical language that ranged from Romanticism to jazz), impressed the public as much as did Dmitri Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, in which Bernstein realized brilliantly its grandiose climaxes and plumbed its musical depths.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377851998488,"sku":"4011790819129","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2056250.jpg?v=1777680544"},{"product_id":"die-salzburger-liederabende-live","title":"Die Salzburger Liederabende (Live)","description":"\"The Orfeo issue is an absolute ‘must’ for any Fischer-Dieskau collection... Comprising all the recitals Fischer-Dieskau gave with Moore at the Salzburg Festival over 10 years starting in 1956, it is a rewarding compendium of his interpretations of all the most important composers of Lieder. Most have already appeared as separate issues, when I have lavished generous praise on them (and encores have been added that were not on the original issues). Much of the repertory was recorded at least once by the singer throughout his career in the studio, but – as I have frequently pointed out – these offerings have just that extra response an audience engenders.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The two Wolf recitals have not appeared before: one is a delightful CD of songs from the Spanish Songbook, shared in 1960 with Seefried and Werba, a rewarding pairing. The other ‘new’ Wolf CD, also from 1960, can serve as a template of every recital here by virtue of its complete command of every aspect of the Lieder singer’s art. It is devoted entirely to Goethe settings, beginning with a deeply thought-through account of the ‘Harfenspieler’ songs from Wilhelm Meister in which, right at the start of a programme, Fischer-Dieskau is entirely at his ease, piercing to the soul of these mysterious and wonderful pieces. That’s followed by a suitably mellifluous and ecstatic account of the heaven-seeking Ganymed. A sharply characterised Der Rattenfänger, a ruminative Anakreons Grab and a challengingly powerful Prometheus – all masterly settings and all played by Moore with exemplary understanding – are at the very heart of this programme. Among the five encores, the suitably eager Begegnung and a properly cynical Abschied find the singer and pianist at their most relaxed and outgoing.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The first (1956) recital, which I don’t think I had heard before, is another winner. Devoted entirely to Heine settings by Schubert and Schumann to mark the centenary of the poet’s death, it contains some of the greatest Lieder ever written, ideally delivered – Schubert’s six settings included in Schwanengesang and Schumann’s Dichterliebe, in readings as immediate as any by the singer, followed by a treasure-store of encores: soft-grained, warm accounts of Du bist wie eine Blume and Mondnacht among them, followed by a light, wistful Erstes Grün. I shall leave the remainder of these superb offerings (discs devoted to Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and post-Romantic composers) for the reader to discover.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Alan Blyth, The Gramophone\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377925464344,"sku":"4011790339023","price":96.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2056334.jpg?v=1777681581"},{"product_id":"violino-latino","title":"Violino Latino","description":"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eVIOLINO LATINO \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12b\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Arabella Steinbacher (vn); Peter von Wienhardt (pn) \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12b\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e ORFEO 686 061 (65:04) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003ePIAZZOLLA \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eLibertango \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e(arr. Wienhardt). \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eAdios nonino \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e(arr. Calo). \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eMilonga del angel \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e(arr. Calo). \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eOblivión \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e(arr. Wienhardt). \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eRevirado \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e(arr. Calo). \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003ePONCE\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e(arr. Heifetz) \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eEstrellita. \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eFALLA \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eLa vida breve: \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eDanse espagnole \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e(arr. Kreisler). \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eCanciones populares españolas: \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e(arr. Kochanski) \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eNana; Polo. \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eEl amor brujo: \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eRitual Fire Dance. \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eKREISLER \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eLa gitana. \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eGINASTERA \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003ePampeana No. 1.\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003e Rhapsodie. \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eALBÉNIZ\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003e Tango,\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e op. 165\/2. \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eMILHAUD \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eScaramouche: \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eBrazileira \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e(arr. Heifetz). \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eVILLA LOBOS \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eO canto do cisne negro. \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eWIENHARDT \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eSalsa for BBWL. \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eMOWER \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eBossa merengova \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e(arr. Wienhardt) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eArabella Steinbacher and Peter von Wienhardt sound like names worlds apart from the program on Orfeo’s CD, “Violino Latino.” But Steinbacher comes out punching in Piazzolla’s \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eLibertango\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eMilonga del angel\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan\u003e. While the description of the tango as a vertical expression of a horizontal desire may not capture the mood of the program or the performances, and if there’s more fire than smoke even in pieces like Falla’s familiar “Danse espagnole,” nobody should object. Stewart Spencer attributes to Daniel Barenboim, Gidon Kremer (who plays this repertoire regularly), Yo-Yo Ma, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emanuel Ax, and Gary Burton the opinion that you can’t play Piazzolla’s compositions without getting your hands dirty. Steinbacher and Wienhardt certainly don’t. Steinbacher plays with an extremely wide dynamic range on the 1736 Muntz Stradivari, a violin that has impressed me in the past as sounding somewhat tubby. That clotting occurs only briefly in moments on the lower registers in \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eMilonga del angel\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan\u003e; otherwise, it’s as steely as a saber (or Steinbacher makes it sound that way). Steinbacher and Wienhardt breathe a dragon’s breath into Kreisler’s \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eGitana\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan\u003e, and play Heifetz’s signature \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eEstrellita\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan\u003e and his boffo transcription of Milhaud’s “Brazileira” with the kind of panache with which Heifetz himself wowed audiences. In Falla’s “Ritual Fire Dance,” Steinbacher employs hair-raising timbres to generate extra electricity, but Wienhardt certainly helps turn the crank, keeping the duo’s rhythmic verve from flagging. Albéniz’s Tango may be the only piece on the program to bear unfavorable comparisons with other performances; Arthur Grumiaux brought to this Kreisler transcription a smoldering warmth that haunts my memory almost 20 years after I first heard it. On the other hand, Steinbacher’s more aggressive reading may fit better into the overall program. Nevertheless, she settles into a sultry yet elegant reading of Falla’s “Nana” (she sounds somewhat hoarse in Villa Lobos’s similarly suggestive miniature). The two most recent pieces, a jaunty one by Wienhardt and a jazzy one by Mike Mower hold their own as more recent updates of the program’s older repertoire. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eSteinbacher’s way with Piazzolla makes for quite a more passionate affair than did Gidon Kremer’s archer wit. Throughout these miniatures, in fact, Steinbacher recalls Kyung Wha Chung’s fiery intensity. Wienhardt, who made some of the arrangements, as well as Orfeo’s startlingly lifelike recorded sound, add to the excitement of already exciting playing and music. Strongly recommended. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eFANFARE: Robert Maxham \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377928872216,"sku":"4011790686127","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2056671.jpg?v=1777681373"},{"product_id":"mozart-opera-arias","title":"Mozart: Opera Arias","description":"\u003cp\u003eBorn in Slovakia in 1979, Pavol Breslik made his professional singing debut at the age of twenty-one. Since his debut, he has progressively added more and more to his repertoire however he continually finds himself returning to Mozart. Warmly praised by critics, he has no qualms with his decision to return to Mozart: \"When I go back to Mozart after excursions into other repertoire - like Lensky or bel canto - and feel at home with Tamino, I know I have done the right thing.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377928904984,"sku":"4011790889122","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/3451478.jpg?v=1777680897"},{"product_id":"violinkonzert-a-dur-kv-219","title":"VIOLINKONZERT A-DUR KV 219","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377929101592,"sku":"4011790713229","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2056475_96184c39-c25f-4ce1-b58b-3022c7120ccc.jpg?v=1777681166"},{"product_id":"mozart-arien","title":"Mozart: Arien","description":"\u003cimg src=\"\/graphics\/features\/gramophone_choice.jpg\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  It is not often that a young vocal artist releases a debut album that is so \"complete\" or so convincingly conceived and finished to such a high polish as is the ase with Anett Fritsch. What makes it all the more astounding is that she achieves this by singing arias from the Mozart\/Da Ponte trilogy of Figaro \/ Don Giovanni \/ Cosi, masterworks by a composer regarded and feared in equal measure for the complexity of his writing. Yet the repertoire focus she has chosen is entirely in keeping with the soprano's career to date. She began in her teens and has progressed in recent years through a series of acclaimed performances on international opera stages.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  -----\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  REVIEW:\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  Anne Fritsch's Mozart is a sheer delight. This is no bland essay of the usual suspects painted in anonymous colors but a vivid portrait gallery of characters that Fritsch has portrayed on stage. From the very first bars of the Overture to Marriage of Figaro the playing of the Munich Radio Orchestra instantly makes yous it up and listen. A jewel of a disc.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  – Gramophone","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377929265432,"sku":"4011790903125","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/3525257.jpg?v=1777681017"},{"product_id":"messiaen-quatuor-pour-la-fin-du-temps-i-22-live","title":"Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps, I\/22 (Live)","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn 2008, Carolin Widmann, Jörg Widmann, Nicolas Altstaedt and Alexander Lonquich performed Olivier Messiaen's Quartet for the end of time for violin, clarinet, cello and piano with the seriousness of spirit and subtle understatement that the work requires. Composed in 1940 in a German prisoner-of-war camp, Messiaen here reached a pinnacle of his composing career at the age of just 31. In this work he conveys to his listeners his spiritual interpretation of (musical) time and plays of colour. With these four exceptional chamber musicians, all masters of their art, the Salzburg Festival was treated to an exemplary performance of this work.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377929298200,"sku":"4011790840123","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2109080.jpg?v=1777679484"},{"product_id":"mozart-cosi-fan-tutte-k-588-live","title":"Mozart: Così fan tutte, K. 588 (Live)","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen orchestras became larger and larger, instrumentations more and more refined, and sound impressions louder and louder, Robert Fuchs composed . . . string quartets. Working in what is certainly the most intellectual musical genre, he had ears for intimate personal statements, while the music business had eyes mostly for showy spectacles. The Minguet Quartet, now a sought-after ensemble, once rescued Fuchs’s four quartets from decades of neglect when it was as aspiring young formation; the newly released special edition even today makes for true listening pleasure. The namesake of the Quartet is Pablo Minguet, a Spanish philosopher of the 18th century who attempted, in his writings, to facilitate access to the fine arts for all sectors of the population – and this idea is a chief artistic concern of the Minguet Quartet particularly while touring for concerts around the whole world. The passionate and intelligent interpretations of the Minguet Quartet always ensure inspiring listening experiences – “for the joy in sound and expression with which the ensemble makes the works speak enlivens even the smallest detail”. (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377930281240,"sku":"4011790918129","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/4384296-3290409.jpg?v=1777681145"},{"product_id":"mozart-brahms-piano-concertos-live","title":"Mozart \u0026 Brahms: Piano Concertos (Live)","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt was the tireless honing of his technique and interpretive skills that was the secret of Wilhelm Backhaus's success into high old age in the world's great concert halls. But however Olympian are his two performances here with the Vienna Philharmonic under Karl Böhm, they really offer us a glimpse instead of the Elysian Fields.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377930346776,"sku":"4011790796123","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2056483_989545c3-f2b2-4b58-b24c-ae9e143dce29.jpg?v=1777680889"},{"product_id":"mozart-la-clemenza-di-tito-k-621","title":"Mozart: La clemenza di Tito, K. 621","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377931231512,"sku":"4011790938226","price":13.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/3815686.jpg?v=1777679577"},{"product_id":"mozart-violin-concertos-nos-1-5-adagio-k-261-rondo","title":"Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 1-5 - Adagio, K. 261 - Rondo,","description":"\u003cp\u003eMozart composed his violin concertos in 1773 (K 207) and 1775 (K 211, 216, 218 and 219). These five works and the three single movements recorded here have been passed down complete and verified as authentic. The genesis of these works is closely linked to Mozart’s work as Kapellmeister at the Salzburg court, ending with the probably most important kick-out in music history. Mozart scored no solo cadenzas for his violin concertos; in the practice of the time, they were improvised. All the cadenzas on these recordings derive from Baiba Skride. Eivind Aadland writes: “Baiba is such an intuitive player. She has this rare quality of discovering the music as we play. So she never plays exactly the same. There is a wonderful sense of creating, discovering, of going finding new ways.“ Baiba Skride about her new album: “I know that there are so many different and super recordings of Mozart, but I think it is important to enjoy the music you have heard a thousand times and will hear a thousand times more with new eyes and simply allow the music to play.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377931198744,"sku":"4011790997124","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/3842157-2589212.jpg?v=1777680984"},{"product_id":"vegh-salzburger-mozart-matineen-1988-1993","title":"Végh: Salzburger Mozart-Matineen 1988-1993","description":"Sándor Végh's credentials as a Mozart conductor need no introduction. His musicianship, sense of style, and interpretive standards were second to none. Just listen to the way he handles the first subject of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik's opening movement, his execution of both forte and piano passages, giving each its particular character while always maintaining the long singing line. All of the performances in this set, drawn from the Salzburg Festival's Mozart Matinee concerts from 1988-93, show these same qualities in virtually every bar. The \"little\" G minor symphony is particularly noteworthy in this respect, perhaps because of its greater emotional range than the various divertimentos and cassations also included here; but there isn't a note anywhere that isn't vibrantly alive.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The three concertos with Schiff (Nos. 8, 11, and 13) comprise the most substantial works in this set. Although very well performed, Schiff and Végh made commercial recordings of these pieces for Decca that feature even better playing and engineering. In the two vocal numbers, including \"Ch'io mi scordi di te?\", perhaps the greatest concert aria ever written (and featuring Schiff in the piano solos), mezzo Daphne Evangelatos has a notably rich and pleasant tone, but she sings under the notes and fudges some of her passage-work. So there are small blemishes here and there. The sonics are good but variable over the five-year period in which the performances took place, and the programming may not be optimal from a marketing point of view if you already own the Decca set of piano concertos--but in all other respects this is a set to cherish.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e --David Hurwitz, Classics Today.com\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377930412312,"sku":"4011790741321","price":37.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2056649.jpg?v=1777681276"},{"product_id":"mozart-mahler-brahms-piano-quartets","title":"Mozart - Mahler - Brahms: Piano Quartets","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Skride Piano Quartet is made up of four likeminded musicians who have each achieved success as a soloist at the highest levels. The 2016-17 season included performances at the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, Musikverein Wien, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Malmo Chamber Music Festival, and BASF Ludwigshafen. Upcoming performances include the Concertgebouw, Philharmonie Essen, Great Guild Hall Riga, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Making their North American debut in the 2018-19 season, the Quartet offers programs featuring highlights from the piano quartet repertoire. The quartet is violinist Baiba Skride, violist Lise Berthaud, cellist Harriet Krijgh, and pianist Lauma Skride. This debut album includes the most famous Piano Quartets of Classical literature, by Mozart and Brahms as well then the unique Quartet movement by Gustav Mahler.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377931755800,"sku":"4011790946122","price":10.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/3891690.jpg?v=1777680472"},{"product_id":"c-p-e-bach-sonaten-und-fantasien","title":"C.P.E. Bach: Sonaten und Fantasien","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377931690264,"sku":"4011790639123","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2056172_d277847f-44c5-458c-b559-2e177f97cd67.jpg?v=1777681245"},{"product_id":"wagner","title":"Wagner","description":"\u003cp\u003eRICHARD WAGNER Petra Maria Schnitzer, soprano; Peter Seiffert, tenor; Munchner Rundfunkorchester\/Ulf Schirmer; Live recording: Munich, January 14-17, 2008. RICHARD WAGNER: Arias from Lohengrin; Tannhauser; Die Walkure.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377931624728,"sku":"4011790760124","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/1697945.jpg?v=1777681327"},{"product_id":"danzi-septets-potpourris","title":"Danzi: Septets \u0026 Potpourris","description":"Franz Danzi was an important figure in the early years of Romanticism. In his tuneful, emotionally charged and dance-like instrumental music we also meet the visionary exponent of music theatre who left a lasting mark on his pupil Carl Maria von Weber. In this album we encounter Danzi's well crafted and engaging chamber music \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e A product of the Mannheim School, he was extensively involved in orchestral advances in Munich, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe. In particular the two Clarinet Potpourris featured on the present CD are performed by Dieter Klöcker and his colleagues with a virtuoso delight in the composer's melodic vein, which ranges from songlike simplicity to elaborate examples of variation form. Danzi reveals himself as a true master in his two Septets which explore a wide expressive range between strings and winds and between dance-like rhythms and lively hunting fanfares. In recording these works the Consortium Classicum render outstanding service to a composer whose works are unjustly neglected but deserve to be far better known.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377932542232,"sku":"4011790674124","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2056300.jpg?v=1777681353"},{"product_id":"die-meistersinger-von-nurnberg-the-mastersingers-of-nurembe","title":"Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersingers of Nurembe","description":"This performance, recorded on November 14, 1955, was part of the four-week festival that took place at the Vienna State Opera celebrating its reopening after having been destroyed near the end of World War II. Meistersinger had long been a Viennese favorite and was performed 65 times between 1949 and 1955 at the interim Theater an der Wien. It enjoyed luxury casting and great conductors: Clemens Krauss, Rudolf Moralt, Hans Knappertsbusch, Karl Böhm, Rudolf Kempe, and Fritz Busch. For the return to the State Opera, director Karl Böhm invited the Hungarian-born Fritz Reiner, a perfectionist who in the previous 20 years had gained a reputation as one of America's finest conductors. Rehearsals, it was said, were grueling; but judging from this recording it was worth the work.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e You can tell much about the entire performance from Reiner's Prelude. It is precise, grand, and detailed, with frisky, playful chattering in the upper strings underpinned by a more muscular approach in the lower strings. But it never becomes aggressive or reckless enough to smash into the opening scene; it grows into it naturally. (Where else can such a complex expression end but in prayer?) Throughout the opera we're treated to spirited tempos and playing from the Vienna Philharmonic that Reiner slows down to good effect: The Fliedermonolog is relaxed and as soft as cotton; the prelude to Act 3 wafts in the air gradually and wistfully; the quintet is a moment frozen in time and is presented with great breadth. We can feel what each character is feeling, even if a couple of them don't have the breath to express it.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Beckmesser's false \"prize\" song is slow to start, and so is the unease and eventual laughter of the assembled crowd. And the real \"Prize Song\" is accompanied lyrically, with sweep up to the high points, after which Sachs' speech about German art comes as a powerful missive. What the Viennese of 1955 thought of it, with its nasty recent memories, is anyone's guess, but the opera ends with true joy erupting, and much of it has to do with Reiner's ability to balance light and heavy, upper joy with lower gravity--a great reading.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Paul Schöffler, the possessor of a voice that never sounded young, is tonally a bit dry here but nonetheless does not present Sachs as an old man; he is vital and sure of himself. Sachs is a man who prods fate a bit, just because he can, and Schöffler sings with the assurance and potency and shading of a man of wisdom, his voice gaining in strength as the opera progresses. And his pianissimo singing is always handsome, never resorting to falsetto. His is the best Sachs on CD, bettering his own performance under Knappertsbusch on Decca.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Hans Beirer's Walther is neither as sweet and ardorous as Sandor Konya's nor as simply gorgeous as Domingo's (for Jochum on DG), and in fact he sounds indisposed. But his indisposition is only vocal, and while I realize how odd that sounds, his beautiful phrasing and shading, sincerity, vigor, and musicianship make up for a lack of grand tone and some dry singing. It's a performance impossible to dislike.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e I was put off by Irmgard Seefried's Eva at first--her second act is too cutesy and pert--but she grows into the part and is lovely in the third act despite lacking anything like a trill. Gottlob Frick's Pogner is important. His address to the Masters in Act 1 has real authority and he's warm and tender with Eva in the second act. Erich Kunz sings all of Beckmesser's notes (save the silly falsetto high-A that ends his monolog in Sachs' shop) and has remarkable \"face\"; while we don't exactly feel sorry for him at the end, he clearly is not entirely mockable either. The David of Murray Dickie also is almost visible, and he sings with an impetuous young man's certainty, his high-Bs ringing out easily and pointedly. Rosette Anday's Magdalene is stodgy and hectoring; Eberhard Waechter's Nachtigall is mellifluous; and the other Mastersingers bark just a bit too much.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The sound is Austrian Radio mono from 1955 but sounds 10 years younger--grand and able to cope with the big climaxes, clear in the ensembles, clean in quiet moments. Aside from the Kubelik version (various labels, including Myto, Calig, Arts) with Thomas Stewart, Konya, and Gundula Janowitz, and possibly Solti's second recording (Decca) with Ben Heppner, Karita Mattila, and (small-scale but impressive) José van Dam, this set goes to the top of the list.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e --Robert Levine, ClassicsToday.com\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377931559192,"sku":"4011790667423","price":58.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2056684.jpg?v=1777681336"},{"product_id":"brahms-violin-concerto-in-d-major-21-hungarian-dances","title":"Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major \u0026 21 Hungarian Dances","description":"\u003cp\u003eBaiba Skride is not just one of the most sought-after artists when it comes to finding a soloist for one of the great violin concertos. She is also much in demand for chamber music. This makes her ideal for her new recording, her first on the ORFEO label, devoted to the work of Johannes Brahms. It is a highly promising start to our collaboration with this First-Prize winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels in 2001. Besides Brahms's Violin Concerto, she here offers his Hungarian Dances in the version for violin and piano made by Joseph Joachim. The long-standing musical partnership of Brahms and Joachim is reflected doubly here, for Joachim was also the dedicatee of the Concerto. Baiba Skride's Brahms interpretations are themselves characterized by happy musical constellations. In Sakari Oramo she has a conductor who is himself a violinist and who offers the appropriate momentum with the Royal Philharmonic in Stockholm. One clearly hears the energy and vigour with which every instrumental grouping plays. Thus the great arch of the work is perfectly formed, from the solo interjections (not just from the violin!) to the symphonic dialogue between the partners. The chamber-music intimacy of the Hungarian Dances could not be achieved more powerfully or more beautifully than in Baiba Skride's tried-and-tested duo partnership with her sister Lauma Skride at the piano. Unhindered by the \"pianistic\" violin part with its many double stoppings, Baiba develops an ensemble that is in tempo and in its gestures carefully moulded with the piano. The piano may have what is clearly an accompanying part, and Lauma Skride certainly adapts to her sister's playing in an unpretentious manner, but nor is her part understated. The result is a performance of these atmospheric dances that is at times resilient and fiery, at other times melodic, gentle and smooth. They belong just as much to Brahms's art as do the formal stringency and unity we find in his large-scale works - and it is all the lovelier when we find all of this on a single CD recording.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377932706072,"sku":"4011790829227","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2056269.jpg?v=1777680657"},{"product_id":"braunfels-te-deum-op-32","title":"Braunfels: Te Deum, Op. 32","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377932869912,"sku":"4011790679129","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2056279.jpg?v=1777681353"},{"product_id":"verdi-falstaff-live","title":"Verdi: Falstaff (Live)","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377932640536,"sku":"4011790772226","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/1720215.jpg?v=1777680997"},{"product_id":"wagner-die-walkure-wwv-86b-live","title":"Wagner: Die Walküre, WWV 86b (Live)","description":"At the most recent production at the Vienna State Opera, the twins were sung by Nina Stemme and–for the first time in the role–Johan Botha. Since then both soloists have enjoyed international success in even more dramatic Wagner roles. This CD release of the live performance of the first act is ideal for all those who are curious to hear more, but perhaps hesitate to get to grips with complete, modern performances of the Ring.","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377933164824,"sku":"4011790875125","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2309701.jpg?v=1777680832"},{"product_id":"verismo-1","title":"Verismo","description":"The whims of opera fans are legendary, and if justice were to be served, soprano Krassimira Stoyanova would be as famous as Anna Netrebko (perhaps) and Angela Gheorghiu (definitely). Hers is a grand sound, with metal behind it, formidable pitch-accuracy, and fine insights into the characters she’s portraying. She eschews exaggeration–possibly to her detriment: she easily could milk many of the arias here (Adriana’s opening monolog, Manon Lescaut’s final-act spiel) for that extra, Olivero\/Scotto emotion, but she sticks very closely to written note values and dynamics. Her use of portamento is echt Italian, and her voice is made for this big-boned music when need be, and she can sing sweetly as well: her Liu is lovely, as is the start of “Un bel di”.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  There’s great warmth in her singing of Adriana’s two arias; her “La mamma morta” is filled with tragedy, and she sings the heck out of Fidelia’s hand-wringing aria from Puccini’s Edgar. The lengthy scene from Mascagni’s Lodoletta is a welcome rarity, and she’s thoroughly involving. Wally’s aria may lack Callas’ unspeakable sadness, but it reaches great heights; ditto for her “Vissi d’arte”.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  I get the feeling that if her conductor had been more of a dramatist than the accompanist Pavel Baleff is here, this fine CD would have worked its way into “magnificent”. I’d like to add that a bit more hysteria\/overt emotionalism would not hurt–I saw her Aida live at the Met last season and admired it greatly, but even then I wished she had been a touch more earthy. As it is, this CD gives great pleasure and is well recorded. Stoyanova’s is a voice to hear.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  – ClassicsToday (Robert Levine)","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377933197592,"sku":"4011790899121","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/3549196_df50cf06-ea3e-4e58-8c5e-13f7f9e7cac5.jpg?v=1777681046"},{"product_id":"szymanowski-violin-concertos-mythes","title":"Szymanowski: Violin Concertos \u0026 Mythes","description":"Years ago it seemed that Szymanowski's music was the property of Polish musicians, as little of it ventured outside Poland. As to the violin concertos, it was Thomas Zehetmair with Simon Rattle and the City of Birmingham Symphony who broke the mold for many of us. Their EMI recording still holds a special place in the recorded literature of the composer. Yet here we have a terrific violinist accompanied by an equally superb orchestra and conductor who easily challenges that recording.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Szymanowski dedicated both of these concertos to Polish violinist Paul Kochanski, who encouraged the composer to write them and championed them until his death in 1933. He worked closely with Szymanowski on the violin parts. The First Violin Concerto shows the influence of Debussy and early Stravinsky in its exotic and rather impressionistic nature. Szymanowski based the work on a poem by Tadeusz Mici?ski, \"May Night\", though without any detailed musical programme. It has a nocturne-like atmosphere when it begins and then grows into something dynamic and ecstatic before evaporating pianissimo, \"as if with the muted voices of the night\", so described by Sebastian Strauss in his excellent notes to the CD. Where Zehetmair and Rattle brought out the Debussian elements well in their recording, Skride and Petrenko are bolder and more dynamic. Skride has a vast range of colours in her violin tone and Petrenko provides very detailed accompaniment. Both violinists are well integrated with their orchestral counterparts, but with Skride and Petrenko the listener is more aware of the intricate detail of the composition. Some of this is due to the clearer and more present recording, but mostly it is the artists whose interpretative focus is different. Both are valid approaches to the First Violin Concerto. With Skride and Petrenko I am reminded of Stravinsky's Firebird, rather than Debussy. That's not to say that the unique character of Szymanowski is in the least slighted. The concertos represent the composer at his mature best. It is interesting that stylistically he did not travel all that far sixteen years later when he penned the Second Violin Concerto, even with its allusions to the folk music of the Tatra Mountains.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  There is a lesser difference of approach in the two accounts of the Violin Concerto No. 2, where the folk elements are made apparent, even if the orchestral texture is dense at times. Nonetheless, Skride and Petrenko are that much bolder and the recording allows one to appreciate the orchestral part better than with Rattle. The Oslo Philharmonic plays wonderfully throughout both works and I continue to be hugely impressed with Vasily Petrenko whose selection of repertoire continues to bring out his strengths. I am a real fan of his Shostakovich and it is now hoped he will perform more Szymanowski. As for Baiba Skride, her recording two years earlier of the Frank Martin and Stravinsky violin concertos quickly has become one of my favourite discs - especially for the Martin work which had not received its due before that. I find it amazing how quietly Skride creeps in at the beginning of Szymanowski's First Violin Concerto with a silvery tone and then can turn this into something intense and lustrous later in that work and throughout the Second Violin Concerto. With her fabulous technique I am sure we will be hearing a great deal from her as she records pieces that demand to be heard, rather than doing only the warhorses on which so many violinists today have earned their reputations. Patricia Kopatchinskaja is another such violinist who has demonstrated that doing modern repertoire well enhances one's reputation more than just playing it safe with the chestnuts of the past.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  If the two concertos on this disc were not enough to convince me of her extraordinary talent, Baiba Skride supplements these with the perfect \"filler\", the Myths for violin and piano. Here she is accompanied on the piano by her sister, Lauma. The three Myths with their titles of \"The Fountain of Arethusa\", \"Narcissus\" and \"Dryads and Pan\" respectively, are clearly impressionistic with piano writing that recalls Debussy in its delicate filigree. Szymanowski composed them the year before the Violin Concerto No. 1 and some of the violin writing, in particular the high register of the opening of \"The Fountain of Arethusa\", can also be found in the violin concerto. The harmony in the second Myth, \"Narcissus\", on the other hand, is also reminiscent of Ravel. The last of the Myths, \"Dryads and Pan\", is virtuosic and whimsical and sounds less like Debussy or Ravel - more like the Szymanowski of the concertos. I compared this recording with another favourite, the reissued disc of these works with Isabelle Faust and Ewa Kupiec on Harmonia Mundi that I reviewed here last year. Where Faust and Kupiec are more direct in their interpretation, the Skrides show greater tonal and dynamic variety. Their tempi are also varied more than the formers. There is not all that much in it and I would not want to be without either account. The deciding factor comes down to the particular couplings. Faust and Kupiec contribute first-rate performances of Jana?ek's Violin Sonata and Lutos?awski's Partita and Subito on their CD.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  For an all-Szymanowski programme, this current one will be hard to equal. Indeed, the artists have set a new standard for the violin concertos. Lauma Skride is as impressive in her role as her sister is, so a recording of Szymanowski's piano music would be welcome from her at any time.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  I have reviewed many superb recordings this year, but none finer than this one. It should appear high on my list of Recordings of the Year.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  – Leslie Wright, MusicWeb International","brand":"Orfeo","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49377933361432,"sku":"4011790873121","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2794664_900f2208-94a8-4702-bba5-1ffc9e64a5c4.jpg?v=1777680889"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/collections\/Orfeo.png?v=1750425862","url":"https:\/\/hbdirect.com\/collections\/orfeo-sale.oembed?page=2","provider":"HBDirect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}