Britten Archive
Homunculus / Kamus Quartet – Composer: Esa-Pekka Salonen, György Ligeti, Benjamin Britten – Kamus String Quartet – Alba Records
Three contemporary string quartets stunningly played and recorded! Homunculus / Kamus Quartet – Composer: Esa-Pekka Salonen, György Ligeti, Benjamin Britten – Kamus String Quartet – Alba Records SACD/Hybrid Catalog #: 409 – (01/05/2018) TT: 62:00 **** This new multi-channel release, which includes the world premiere recording of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s string quartet Homunculus, and also includes music by Ligeti (String […]
“A Tribute to Janet” = Oboe Quartets by Mozart, Britten, Knussen, Francaix – Britten Oboe Quartet – Harmonia Mundi
A Tribute to Janet = Oboe Quartets by Mozart, Birtten, Knussen, Françaix— Britten Oboe Quartet (Nicholas Daniel, Jacqueline Shave, Clare Finnimore, Caroline Dearnley) — Harmonia Mundi HMM 907672, 61:09 ****: This recording combines various “oboe quartets” by a diverse group of composers, beginning with W.A. Mozart, then moving in time to Jean Françaix, Benjamin Britten (for […]
Silvestri in Philadelphia = TCHAIKOVSKY: Manfred Symphony; BRITTEN: Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra – Philadelphia Orchestra/ Constantin Silvestri – Pristine Audio
Silvestri in Philadelphia = TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony in B Minor after Byron’s Manfred, Op. 58; BRITTEN: Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (after Purcell), Op. 34 – Philadelphia Orchestra/ Constantin Silvestri – Pristine Audio PASC 490, 74:37 [www.pristineclassical.com] ****: The gifted Romanian Silvestri makes colors in his debut with the great color-ensemble, Philadelphia Orchestra. Romanian conductor […]
BRITTEN: String Quartet No. 2, No. 3; PURCELL: Fantasias & Chaconne – Emerson String Quartet – Decca Gold
Chaconnes and Fantasias = “Music of BRITTEN and PURCELL” – BRITTEN: String Quartet No. 2 in C Major; String Quartet No. 3 in G Major; PURCELL: Fantazias No. 6, 8, 10, and 11; Chacony in g minor – Emerson String Quartet – Decca Gold 26509, 73:42, (4/21/17) ****; A meeting of England’s two most famous […]
Best of the Year Discs for 2016
Best of the Year Discs for 2016 = The 12 Multichannel Hi-Res Discs of the Month for 2016 CLASSICAL (incl. HI-RES), CLASSICAL REISSUES, CLASSICAL VINYL & PURE AUDIO BLU-RAY KATI AGÓCS: The Debrecen Passion – BMOP Sound 1046 American First Piano Sonatas – Licad, p. – Danacord * ”For the Beauty of […]
San Francisco Symphony At 100, Blu-ray (2012)
San Francisco Symphony At 100, Blu-ray (2012) Performers: San Francisco Symphony/ Michael Tilson Thomas Studio: SFS Media (6/12/12) Video: Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Aspect ratio: 1.78:1 Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1/ English: Dolby TrueHD 2.0, Both 96kHz, 16-bit audio Subtitles: English, Spanish, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional)Length: 2:26:30 Rating: *** 1/2 A rousing concert disc marred by too […]
DELIUS: Violin Con.; BRITTEN: Violin Con.; MILFORD: Darkly Thrush – Royal Scottish & Philharmonia Orch. – Dutton Epoch
FREDERICK DELIUS: Violin Concerto; BENJAMIN BRITTEN: Violin Concerto; ROBIN MILFORD: The Darkling Thrush – Royal Scottish Nat. Orch. /David Lloyd-Jones, cond./ Philharmonia Orch./ Nicholas Collon, cond./ Phillippe Graffin, violin – Dutton Epoch stereo-only SACD CDLX 7320, 68:46 (9/11/15) [Dist. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Two familiar English works and a very worthwhile world premier. English label […]
********* MULTICHANNEL DISC OF THE MONTH ********* Under the Wing of the Rock – Music by BRITTEN, BEAMISH, KRAGGERUD, NORDHEIM AND THOMMESSEN – 2L
Infrequently heard music beautifully recorded.
Introspective Odyssey – Skyros Quartet – Music by BRITTEN, TURINA & SIBELIUS – Parma Recordings/ Navona
A very enticing disc by the Skyros Quartet.
![Masterpieces for the Left Hand, Vol. I = Works of RAVEL, SCRIABIN, PROKOFIEV, BARTOK & BRITTEN [TrackList follows] – var. pianists – Praga Digitals](https://www.audaud.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/LeftHandPiano.jpg)
Masterpieces for the Left Hand, Vol. I = Works of RAVEL, SCRIABIN, PROKOFIEV, BARTOK & BRITTEN [TrackList follows] – var. pianists – Praga Digitals
Praga assembles five works conceived for the left-hand, each commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein.
Amadeus Quartet, Vol. 4, Modernism = Quartets of BRITTEN, TIPPETT, PURCELL, SEIBER & BARTOK – Audite (2 CDs)
Music of Britain and Germany engages the Amadeus Quartet for their 1950-1956 series of inscriptions for RIAS.
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Concerto for oboe and strings in a minor; MACMILLAN: One for chamber orchestra; Oboe Concerto; BRITTEN: Suite on English Folk Tunes: A Time There Was – Nicholas Daniel, oboe/ Britten Sinfonia/James MacMillan – Harmonia mundi
Lovely playing and a fine recording of familiar and new works for oboe.
![UK DK – Michala Petri (recorder) & Mahan Esfahani (harpsichord) – [TrackList follows] – OUR Recordings](https://www.audaud.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/UK-DK-SA.jpg)
UK DK – Michala Petri (recorder) & Mahan Esfahani (harpsichord) – [TrackList follows] – OUR Recordings
Fine performances and good music, though some odd esthetic choices about the audio soundstage.
Leopold Stokowski = BRITTEN: Piano Concerto, Op. 13; ENESCU: Rumanian Rhapsody in A Major, Op. 11; DEBUSSY (Orch. Stokowski): The Engulfed Cathedral; BAUER: Sun Splendor; BORODIN: Dances of the Polovetzki Maidens – Jacques Abram, piano/ Philharmonic-Sym. Society of NY /Leopold Stokowski – Guild
The inimitable Stokowski leads the New York ensemble in concert performances that include thrilling readings of works new to his recorded legacy.
Home Page for February 1, 2015
For February 2015 we have one of the largest disc sets we have ever awarded a reader – the 51-CD collection of the complete Decca, Philips & DGG recordings made by phenomenal Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter. He is widely regarded as perhaps the greatest pianist of the 20th century, and is known for his virtuoso […]
16 Christmas CDs & SACDs Reviewed – 2014
16 new Christmas CDs & SACDs for your yuletide music.
BRITTEN: Simple Symphony; Quartettino; Rhapsody for String Quartet; Phantasy in F minor; String Quartet in F Major – Emperor Quartet – BIS
Britten quartets lovingly played and striking recorded.
“Moments of Love” = BRITTEN: Cabaret Songs (selections); HAHN: Le printemps; Le rossignol des lilas; Fumée; Dans la nuit; L’heure exquise; RAVEL: Trois poemes de Stephane Mallarmé; SAINT-SAËNS: Aimons-nous; L’attente (Hugo); La coccinelle; Tournoiement ‘Songe d’opium’; Danse macabre; WYNER: The Second Madrigal: Voices of Women – Dominque Labelle, sop./ Yehudi Wyner, p. – Bridge
Labelle turns to France with outstanding success.
BRITTEN: War Requiem – Orchestra, Chorus and Boys’ Choir of the Academia Nazionale di Santa Cecelia (Roma)/ Antonio Pappano/ Soloists: Anna Netrebko, sop./ Ian Bostridge, tenor/ Thomas Hampson, bar. – Warner Classics
An all-star cast (Netrebko, Bostridge, Hampson, Pappano) performs Britten’s War Requiem.
BRITTEN to America: Music for Radio and Theatre = The Ascent of F6; An American in England; Roman Wall Blues; On the Frontier; Where do we go from here? – Samuel West, narr./ Mary Carewe, mezzo-sop./ Andrew Kennedy, tenor/ Mervyn Cooke, Lucy Walker, p./ Halle/ Mark Elder/ Ex Cathedra/ Jeffrey Skidmore – NCM
Of great historical interest, and showing the development of a very young composer, but beyond that of questionable long-term value.
BRITTEN: Piano Concerto in D; SEIBER: To Poetry; BUSH: Voices of the Prophets – Peter Pears, tenor/ Noel Mewton-Wood, p./ London Sym. Orch./ Basil Cameron – Testament
Testament resurrects rare and powerful documents of Noel Mewton-Wood, the tragically short-lived Australian pianist of potent conviction and virtuoso temperament.
BRITTEN: Var. on a Theme of Frank Bridge; Lachrymae; Elegy for Strings; Simple Symphony; 2 Portraits – Camerata Nordica/ Terje Tønnesen – BIS
Well-played Britten with a world premier selection.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
