24bit.me » Classical

Wolfgang Rihm – Et Lux – Huelgas Ensemble, Minguet Quartett, Paul Van Nevel (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 1:01:30 minutes | 989 MB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: highresaudio.com | © ECM Records GmbH
Recorded: February 2014, Augustinus Muziekcentrum, Antwerpen

„Et Lux“ is an alluring and timeless work for vocal ensemble and string quartet by leading German composer Wolfgang Rihm, here receiving its first recording.

The hour-long piece is dedicated to The Hilliard Ensemble and the Arditti Quartet who gave the world premiere in Cologne in November 2009 and its UK premiere later that month at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. This pairing of a vocal group and a string quartet specializing in early music and contemporary music respectively is replicated by the artists on this ECM disc – the Cologne-based Minguet Quartet and the Belgian early music group, the Huelgas Ensemble whose founder, Paul van Nevel, conducts the recording.

„Et Lux“ emerges as if from centuries ago, and reflects upon the musical processes that have shaped it, including the ritual of the requiem: ‘What we have is not music remembered but music remembering.’ It incorporates text fragments of the Latin Requiem Mass, which appear as components of a progressively realized whole. ‘Great significance is displayed by the reappearance of specific groups of words, for example ‘et lux perpetua luceat’ (and let perpetual light shine upon them). Through circling reflection the comforting yet disturbing meaning of the words may become perceptible.’

Reviewing the premiere performance the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung praised the work’s interwoven musical and linguistic elements while the Daily Telegraph said of its UK premiere: ‘Beautifully paced and very moving’. ‘Et Lux’ was recorded in February 2014 in Antwerp. The CD booklet includes an introductory statement by Wolfgang Rihm, and liner notes by Paul Griffiths and Wolfgang Schreiber.

Tracklist:
Wolfgang Rihm (1952-)
1. Et Lux – Für Vokalensemble und Streichquartett (2009) 1:01:30
Personnel:
Huelgas Ensemble:
Axel le Bernage, soprano
Sabine Lutzenberger, soprano
Terry Wey, tenor
Achim Schulz, tenor
Stefan Berghammer, tenor
Matthew Vine, tenor
Tim Whitheley, bass
Guillaume Orly, bass
Minguet Quartett:
Ulrich Isfort, violin
Annette Reisinger, violin
Aroa Sorin, viola
Matthias Diener, cello
Paul van Nevel, conductor

Download:

http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJek5EQTVNRFEF9/RihmEtLuxHuelgasEnsembleMinguetQuartettPaulVanNevel20159624.part1.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJek5EQTVNRFkF9/RihmEtLuxHuelgasEnsembleMinguetQuartettPaulVanNevel20159624.part2.rar
or
http://rapidgator.net/file/d91ef2967d949a977cfaa4ba9391e5b6/RihmEtLuxHuelgasEnsembleMinguetQuartettPaulVanNevel20159624.part1.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/133c35692cf038ca55cdc569296442ed/RihmEtLuxHuelgasEnsembleMinguetQuartettPaulVanNevel20159624.part2.rar.html

Arvo Part – Te Deum – Munchner Rundfunkorchester, Peter Dijkstra (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48kHz | Time – 1:07:09 minutes | 644 MB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: highresaudio.com | © BR Klassik
Recorded: München, Prinzregententheater: Te Deum, Wallfahrtslied (13./15.02.2014); Berliner Messe (23./25.02.2012); München, Herkulessaal der Residenz: Dopo la vittoria (11./13.07.2012)

BR-KLASSIK and the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks conducted by Peter Dijkstra are regular winners of prestigious awards – two such being the Strauss-Wagner-Mahler recording, which won the Diapason d’or, and the Concerto for Choir by Alfred Schnittke, which won the ECHO Klassik.

In this latest recording of sacred music by Arvo Pärt, the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks is joined by the Münchner Rundfunkorchester. The two ensembles frequently perform together in their concert series, which regularly include sacred music from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. The present CD production focuses on four compositions by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (born 1935). They were written in 1984, 1990 und 1997 in the composer’s own tintinnabulation style of composition (from the Latin word for the ‘ringing of bells’). In his Te Deum, Pärt makes a conscious departure from the traditionally powerful and festive sound of such precursors as Charpentier, Bruckner and Verdi. The restraint of the Wallfahrtslied (Pilgrims’ Song), a setting of Psalm 121, evokes the ancient Judeo-Christian tradition of psalm recitation. Dopo la vittoria was commissioned by the City of Milan for the 1600 year celebration of the death of St. Ambrose (1997). The Berliner Messe (Berlin Mass) is so named because it was first performed in the city’s St. Hedwig’s Cathedral (1990) to mark the German Katholikentag (Catholics Day).

Tracklist:
1. Te Deum 31:15
2. Ein Wallfahrtslied (version for male chorus and string
orchestra) 08:10
3. Kyrie 03:24
4. Gloria 04:04
5. Dopo la vittoria 09:36
6. Credo 04:14
7. Sanctus 03:19
8. Agnus Dei 02:19

Personnel:
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Münchner Rundfunkorchester
Peter Dijkstra conductor

Download:

http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJek5UazBNVEUF9/PrtTeDeumMnchnerRundfunkorchesterPeterDijkstra20154824.rar
or
http://rapidgator.net/file/8135d9d9ab4468181dec976b3b5b7ab1/PrtTeDeumMnchnerRundfunkorchesterPeterDijkstra20154824.rar.html

Praetorius – Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble & Chor, Pablo Heras-Casado (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48kHz | Time – 01:11:47 minutes | 713 MB | Genre: Classical, Choral
Official Digital Download – Source: Qobuz | © Deutsche Grammophon/ARCHIV Produktion
Recorded: Deutschlandfunk Kammermusiksaal, Cologne, 3/2014

Relaxing and heavenly music from the early 17th century for choir and small ensemble by Jacob, Hieronymus and Michael Praetorius. The Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble and Balthasar-Neumann-Chor (founded by Thomas Hengelbrock) is one of the most prestigious and famous early music ensembles. It can definitely be considered as one of the best groups in the world of early music.
Michael Praetorius can be considered as one of the leading German composers of the early 17th century (The familiar harmonization of “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen“ (Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming) was written by him in 1609).
Pablo Heras-Casado is among the hottest young conductors of our time and leads the world’s best orchestras. He was named Musical America’s 2014 Conductor of the Year and since 2010 alone, he has made a first appearance with nearly 40 orchestras, opera companies, and festivals, from the Berlin Philharmonic to the Boston Symphony Orchestra to the Salzburg Festival and more.

“Recorded in a spacious studio rather than an echoey church, the precisely tuned voices resonate, but the harmonies are clean enough for each unexpected twist and crunch to register beautifully, and the choir revels in the echoey spatial effects of Hieronymus’s Tota Pulchra Es. A full complement of accompanying instruments is used…but their contributions are mostly subtle, enhancing the texture without upstaging the voices.” –Erica Jeal, The Guardian

Tracklist:
Hieronymous Praetorius (1560-1629)
1. Magnificat quarti toni 11:46
2. Quam pulchra es 04:13
Jacob Praetorius (1586-1651)
3. Indica mihi 04:11
Hieronymous Praetorius (1560-1629)
4. Surge propera amica mea 06:49
Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)
5. Magnificat per omnes versus super ut re mi fa sol la 18:59
Jacob Praetorius (1586-1651)
6. Quam pulchra es 04:31
Hieronymous Praetorius (1560-1629)
7. Vulnerasti cor meum 04:07
Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)
8. Nigra sum et formosa 03:24
Hieronymous Praetorius (1560-1629)
9. Tota pulchra es 06:24
Jacob Praetorius (1586-1651)
10. Veni in hortum meum 03:37
Hieronymous Praetorius (1560-1629)
11. O quam pulchra es 03:48

Personnel:
Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble & Chor
Pablo Heras-Casado, conductor

Download:

http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJek5Ua3pPRE0F9/PraetoriusBalthasarNeumannEnsembleChorPabloHerasCasado20154824.part1.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJek5Ua3pOek0F9/PraetoriusBalthasarNeumannEnsembleChorPabloHerasCasado20154824.part2.rar
or
http://rapidgator.net/file/d8343e826798de062133d8427ee6aacc/PraetoriusBalthasarNeumannEnsembleChorPabloHerasCasado20154824.part1.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/3c8213fdfb7366ebb8e54d5dd18ed679/PraetoriusBalthasarNeumannEnsembleChorPabloHerasCasado20154824.part2.rar.html

Sergey Prokofiev – Piano Concerto No. 3; Symphony No. 5 – Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96kHz | Time – 01:10:33 minutes | 1,22 GB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: Qobuz | © Mariinsky
Recorded: Piano Concerto No 3 recorded June & October 2012 in the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg, Russia. Symphony No 5 recorded April 2012 in the Moscow Conservatoire, during the Moscow Easter Festival.

The Mariinsky label presents Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No 3 and Symphony No 5, two of the composer’s most popular works. Denis Matsuev features as soloist, in this his fourth recording on the label. Since winning the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1998, Matsuev has established a reputation as one of Russia’s leading pianists, renowned for his interpretations of Russian music. His recordings of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 3 and Paganini Variations, Shostakovich’s Piano Concertos Nos 1 & 2 and Tchaikovsky’s first two piano concertos have all received widespread acclaim.
Written in 1944, at the height of World War II, the fifth symphony was intended as “a hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit.” The symphony’s character was inevitably determined by the time and circumstances of its composition. It would be a patriotic work; big, heroic and ultimately optimistic, a symphony of mass appeal. ‘I thought of it as a work glorifying the human spirit,’ wrote the composer.
Prokofiev wrote five piano concertos, but it is his third that has garnered the most popularity and critical acclaim. It remains one of Prokofiev’s most popular pieces and the qualities of clarity and vitality that appealed to the work’s original audiences become apparent almost immediately as the work begins.

Tracklist:
Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Piano Concerto No 3 in C major Op 26
1 Andante – Allegro[9’04]2 Tema con variazioni[8’48]3 Allegro ma non troppo[8’57]Symphony No 5 in B flat major Op 100
4 Andante[12’55]5 Allegro marcato[8’32]6 Adagio[13’06]7 Allegro giocoso[9’11]

Personnel:
Denis Matsuev piano (#1-3)
Mariinsky Orchestra
Valery Gergiev conductor

Download:

http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJek5UazBNREEF9/ProkofievPianoConcertoNo.3SymphonyNo.5MariinskyOrchestraValeryGergiev20149624.part1.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJek5UazBNRGsF9/ProkofievPianoConcertoNo.3SymphonyNo.5MariinskyOrchestraValeryGergiev20149624.part2.rar
or
http://rapidgator.net/file/41ed73b2d22a1574e0e6a43f39456494/ProkofievPianoConcertoNo.3SymphonyNo.5MariinskyOrchestraValeryGergiev20149624.part1.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/cda307d2a9a5aedf1c86b17e6c1e7e39/ProkofievPianoConcertoNo.3SymphonyNo.5MariinskyOrchestraValeryGergiev20149624.part2.rar.html

Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky – Piano Concerto – Sviatoslav Richter, Stanislaw Wislocki, Herbert von Karajan (1959/63/95/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96kHz | Time – 01:11:02 minutes | 1,29 GB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: Qobuz | © Deutsche Grammophon
Recorded: #1-3: Warsaw, Philharmonie on 26th to 28th April 1959; #4-6: Vienna, Musikvereins-Saal on 24th to 26th September 1962

These two performances by Grammy-winning Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter are now considered reference versions of the Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky concertos. Recorded in 1959 and 1962 respectively. Stanislaw Wislocki leads the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra on the Rachmaninov; Herbert von Karajan and Wiener Symphoniker accompany Richter on the Tchaikovsky.

This 1995 release from Deutsche Grammophon combines two memorable concerto recordings by Sviatoslav Richter. Almost all of Richter’s recordings are considered legendary — particularly since he did not like recording in the studio — but these are rightfully so. They were some of the first that were released widely in the west, where he was still something of a new talent in the late ’50s-early ’60s, although a middle-aged man by then. The Rachmaninov Concerto No. 2 with Stanislaw Wislocki and the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra dates from 1959 and was met with high praise from most for its detail and the depth of Richter’s knowledgable interpretation. It is not as ardent as most other pianists’ readings, but its clarity speaks volumes and can still move the listener. The Tchaikovsky, from 1963, with Herbert von Karajan and the Vienna Symphony, is also less affecting and, in some places, less dancing than expected. It may even seem stiff to some listeners, but again, there is no arguing with the sheer intelligence of the performance. Richter and Karajan worked well together here, with a common approach to the music. The sound quality of both recordings is very good, especially with the digital re-mixing helping to enhance the fine points of the music. –AllMusic Review by Patsy Morita

Tracklist:
Sergey Vasil’yevich Rachmaninov (1873 – 1943)
Konzert Für Klavier Und Orchester Nr. 2 C-moll Op. 18
1 Moderato 11:13
2 Adagio Sostenuto 11:54
3 Allegro Scherzando 11:39
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893)
Konzert Für Klavier Und Orchester Nr. 1 B-Moll Op. 23
4 Allegro Non Troppo E Molto Maestoso – Allegro Con Spirito 22:08
5 Andantino Semplice – Prestissimo – Tempo I 6:55
6 Allegro Con Fuoco 7:07

Personnel:
Sviatoslav Richter, piano
Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra (#1-3)
Stanislaw Wislocki, conductor (#1-3)
Wiener Symphoniker (#4-6)
Herbert von Karajan, conductor (#4-6)

Download:

http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJek5UazBNamMF9/RachmaninovTchaikovskyPianoConcertoSviatoslavRichter20159624.part1.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJek5UazBNekEF9/RachmaninovTchaikovskyPianoConcertoSviatoslavRichter20159624.part2.rar
or
http://rapidgator.net/file/675646569eba179476e8f9cbc6a76c1c/RachmaninovTchaikovskyPianoConcertoSviatoslavRichter20159624.part1.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/cd7ef2a9656618c015ccdf2fa0b209b7/RachmaninovTchaikovskyPianoConcertoSviatoslavRichter20159624.part2.rar.html

“Technically brilliant… Besalyan played with a great deal of temperament, speed and power… audacious spirit and poetic substance, deeply felt tenderness…” — New York Concert Review

“A keyboard phenomenon that needs to be heard by everyone interested in pianists and the piano.” — Fanfare Magazine, USA

“A formidable pianist with a commanding presence and rich interpretive gifts.” — American Record Guide Magazine

Thoughts of home dominate much of the music Raffi Besalyan performs here. Rachmaninoff’s “B-Minor Prelude” was inspired by The Return, a painting by Arnold Böcklin, and although it was written before his emigration the work was a constant companion in his exile, a favorite for his own recitals and a reminder of his years in Russia. Similarly, the folk-inspired piano music of Arno Babajanian recalls a distant homeland. Based in Moscow for much of his adult life, Babajanian looked back to his native Armenia in music that mixed the folk idioms of his people with the virtuosic pianism of the Russian school. And now Besalyan, an Armenian pianist based in the United States, brings their music together in a program infused with warm memories, evocations of far off places, and reminders of earlier times.
Both Rachmaninoff and Chopin can be heard as influences in the music of Arno Babajanian. His studies in Moscow from 1938 exposed the Armenian composer to a wide range of styles, and the greater political freedom of the Khrushchev period when he began his professional career in the 1950s allowed him to explore many of these ideas in his works. The “Piano Trio in F# Minor”, written in 1952, established his credentials as a composer of concert music, but he was also well-known for his cinema work, and particularly for the title song he wrote for the film Song of the First Love released in 1958. The four works presented here demonstrate how Babajanian was able to incorporate aspects of Armenian musical identity into the Russian piano idioms he had become acquainted with through his studies in Moscow. The line of inheritance from Chopin via Rachmaninoff is evident in the “Prelude”. The slow movements of Rachmaninoff’s concertos are reflected in the “Melody” that follows. “Elegy” was written towards the end of Babajanian’s life in 1978, composed in memory of fellow Armenian composer, Aram Khachaturian. The final work in the program, “Vagharshapat Dance,” is an early composition dating from 1947. It is one of Babjanian’s most popular works, skillfully infusing distinctively Armenian colors with an approach to piano figuration inherited directly from Rachmaninoff.
Armenian-born American pianist Raffi Besalyan made his formal New York debut in Carnegie Hall after winning the Artists International Competition, and was subsequently invited to perform at Merkin Concert Hall on the Artists International “Outstanding Alumni-Winners” series. Most recently Besalyan made his Chicago debut in famed Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center as the featured Guest Artist for the Chicago International Music Festival and was also interviewed by Wisconsin Public Radio’s Norman Gilliland on “The Midday”. Raffi Besalyan has established an international reputation as a magnetic and passionate performer. Active as a recitalist, orchestral soloist, and chamber musician, Besalyan appears in many important music venues worldwide. Critics on both sides of the Atlantic have praised his performances for their virility, poetry and extraordinary technical command.

Tracklist:

Sergei Rachmaninoff
Préludes
01. Op. 3, No. 2 – Lento
02. Op. 23, No. 5 – Alla marcia
03. Op. 23, No. 6 – Andante
04. Op. 23, No. 7 – Allegro
05. Op. 32, No. 5 – Moderato
06. Op. 32, No. 10 – Lento
07. Op. 32, No. 12 – Allegro
Etudes-Tableaux
08. Op. 33, No. 6 – Non allegro
09. Op. 39, No. 1 – Allegro agitato
10. Op. 39, No. 5 – Appassionato
11. Op. 39, No. 6 – Allegro
Variations on a Theme of Corelli
12. Theme: Andante
13. Variation 1: Poco piu mosso
14. Variation 2: L’istesso tempo
15. Variation 3: Tempo di Menuetto
16. Variation 4: Andante
17. Variation 5: Allegro (ma non tanto)
18. Variation 6: L’istesso tempo
19. Variation 7: Vivace
20. Variation 8: Adagio misterioso
21. Variation 9: Un poco piu mosso
22. Variation 10: Allegro scherzando
23. Variation 11: Allegro vivace
24. Variation 12: L’istesso tempo
25. Variation 13: Agitato
26. Intermezzo
27. Variation 14: Andante (come prima)
28. Variation 15: L’istesso tempo
29. Variation 16: Allegro vivace
30. Variation 17: Meno mosso
31. Variation 18: Allegro con brio
32. Variation 19: Piu mosso. Agitato
33. Variation 20: Piu mosso
34. Coda: Andante
Arno Babajanian
35. Prelude
36. Melody
37. Elegy
38. Vagharshapat and Dance

Download:

http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJek5UazBOVEEF9/RaffiBesalyanTheReturnRachmaninovBabajanian201519224.part1.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJek5UazBOVEkF9/RaffiBesalyanTheReturnRachmaninovBabajanian201519224.part2.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJek5UazBOamcF9/RaffiBesalyanTheReturnRachmaninovBabajanian201519224.part3.rar
or
http://rapidgator.net/file/db0082883a21f376c7a3844e415a274a/RaffiBesalyanTheReturnRachmaninovBabajanian201519224.part1.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/2cf06e33d96961f32177f878f33d5fd2/RaffiBesalyanTheReturnRachmaninovBabajanian201519224.part2.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/f34efd2298d4882ebed693073d5f417a/RaffiBesalyanTheReturnRachmaninovBabajanian201519224.part3.rar.html

Richard Clayderman – Super Best (1984/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192kHz | Time – 00:49:07 minutes | 1,73 GB | Genre: Easy Listening, New Age, Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: e-onkyo | © Victor Entertainment

With his lush and sophisticated instrumental approach to pop music, Richard Clayderman (born Philippe Pagès) is, according to The Guinness Book of World Records, “the most successful pianist in the world.” Clayderman’s albums routinely sell millions of copies and his concerts are quickly sold out. In a review of his 1985 Carnegie Hall concert, Variety wrote, “(Clayderman’s) main appeal lies in his youth and boyish good looks…coupled with his gentlemanly charm and his thick French accent, they promise to rope in the romantically inclined middle-aged Yank ladies who cotton to this ilk of soothing entertainment.” Nancy Reagan referred to Clayderman as “the prince of romance.” Instructed in classical piano by his father, Clayderman enrolled in the Paris Conservatory of Music at the age of 12. Four years later, he placed first in a piano competition at the school. Despite his classical background, Clayderman opted for popular music when he launched his professional career. A tour as opening act for French rock musician Johnny Hallyday introduced him to an international following. Clayderman’s debut album, Ballade Pour Adeline, recorded at the urging of producers and composers Oliver Toussaint and Paul De Senneville in 1977, sold more than 20 million copies and was distributed in 38 countries. Clayderman, who took his stage name from his Swedish grandmother, has continued to tour throughout the world to enthusiastic audiences. A live concert broadcast on Chinese television in 1987 attracted more than 800 million viewers.

His vast discography of well over 200 albums, released on and licensed to many different labels worldwide, has seen him record everything from light classics to Andrew Lloyd Webber love songs, Bollywood movie soundtracks, and the folk music of Germany, Turkey, and Japan. While this willingness to turn his hand to anything fueled his worldwide popularity, it is the unthreatening homogeneity of his output that won him a loyal, late-middle-aged fanbase similar to that of another European titan of light classical music, André Rieu. In the early 2010s, Clayderman enjoyed an upsurge in mainstream popularity, perhaps partly as a kitsch nostalgia act, but also on the part of canny marketing men who positioned him as part of that era’s classical crossover explosion. His 2013 album for Decca, Romantique — arguably his highest-profile release ever — featured a mélange of film music, pop and light classical standards, and a re-recording of his best-known tune, “Ballade pour Adeline”. –Biography by John D. Buchanan

Tracklist:
1. Concerto pour une jeune fille nommée je t’aime 3:45
2. Ballade Pour Adeline 2:38
3. Couleur Tendresse 3:41
4. Concerto Des Etoiles 3:52
5. Serenade de l’Etoile 2:58
6. Les Derniers Jours D’Anastasia Kemsky 3:20
7. Lady Di 2:36
8. Un blanc jour d’un chaton 1:51
9. Cavatina 3:36
10. Triste Cœur (2:49
11. Murmures 2:32
12. Les Premiers Sourires De Vanessa 2:20
13. Souvenirs D’Enfance 2:51
14. A Comme Amour 3:20
15. Rondo Pour Un Tout Petit Enfant 1:35
16. Nostalgy 2:39
17. Lettre A Ma Mère 2:46

Personnel:
Richard Clayderman – piano

Download:

http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJek5UazFOVGMF9/RichardClaydermanSuperBest198419224.part1.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJek5UazFOamsF9/RichardClaydermanSuperBest198419224.part2.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJek5UazFOemMF9/RichardClaydermanSuperBest198419224.part3.rar
or
http://rapidgator.net/file/2ebe732ace31757b3533eb89d9308501/RichardClaydermanSuperBest198419224.part1.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/1a7fa88a6e724e589822e44fda2bc12d/RichardClaydermanSuperBest198419224.part2.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/056033c43fa3538883c94eb542de0631/RichardClaydermanSuperBest198419224.part3.rar.html

Samson François – Chopin: Nocturnes Nos. 1-19 (1966/2012)

FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 1:31:17 minutes | 1,54 GB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks | @ EMI Records

Creating atmospheric music engulfed with refined nuance, virtuoso pianist Samson Francois interprets Chopin’s elegant Nocturnes. An artistic triumph, the remastered album possesses the most remarkable sound quality. Francois executes each piece the way Chopin intended them to be played. A must-own for any audiophile collection.

Tracklist:
01 – Nocturne No.1 en si bemol mineur Op.9 No.1
02 – Nocturne No.2 en mi bemol majeur Op.9 No.2
03 – Nocturne No.3 en si majeur Op.9 No.3
04 – Nocturne No.4 en fa majeur Op.15 No.1
05 – Nocturne No.5 en fa diese majeur Op.15 No.2
06 – Nocturne No.6 en sol mineur Op.15 No.3
07 – Nocturne No.7 en ut diese mineur Op.27 No.1
08 – Nocturne No.8 en re bemol majeur Op.27 No.2
09 – Nocturne No.9 en si majeur Op.32 No.1
10 – Nocturne No.10 en la bemol majeur Op.32 No.2
11 – Nocturne No.11 en sol mineur Op.37 No.1
12 – Nocturne No.12 en sol majeur Op.37 No.2
13 – Nocturne No.13 en ut mineur Op.48 No.1
14 – Nocturne No.14 en fa diese mineur Op.48 No.2
15 – Nocturne No.15 en fa mineur Op.55 No.1
16 – Nocturne No.16 en mi bemol majeur Op.55 No.2
17 – Nocturne No.17 en si majeur Op.62 No.1
18 – Nocturne No.18 en mi majeur Op.62 No.2
19 – Nocturne No.19 en mi mineur Op.72 No.1

About the Mastering
Four engineers at Abbey Road Studios in London have remastered these historic EMI recordings from their original analogue sources for release in pristine hi-def. Between them, Simon Gibson, Ian Jones, Andy Walter and Allan Ramsay have many years of experience remastering archive recordings for EMI and other record labels. The process always starts with finding all of the records and tapes in EMI’s archive in London and comparing different sources and any previous CD reissues. We consult each recording’s job file, which contains notes about the recording made by the engineer and producer. For example, this sometimes explain why there is more than one set of tapes to choose from. All of the tapes are generally in good condition and we play them on our Studer A80 π inch tape machine, after careful calibration of its replay characteristics.

In order to have the best digital remastering tools at our disposal for the remastering, we transfer from analogue to the digital domain at 96 KHz and 24-bit resolution using a Prism ADA-8 converter and capture the audio to our SADiE Digital Audio Workstation.

Download:

http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBNRFkF9/SamsonFrancoisChopin.Nocturn3sNos.11919662012HDTracks2496.part1.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBNRGMF9/SamsonFrancoisChopin.Nocturn3sNos.11919662012HDTracks2496.part2.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBNRGcF9/SamsonFrancoisChopin.Nocturn3sNos.11919662012HDTracks2496.part3.rar
or
http://rapidgator.net/file/b1c7a0d8974e07e95ae9d6e82bb8a41c/SamsonFrancoisChopin.Nocturn3sNos.11919662012HDTracks2496.part1.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/eeed0e3011f6db5663baa74ce7dbf0da/SamsonFrancoisChopin.Nocturn3sNos.11919662012HDTracks2496.part2.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/ddc01684e16824e96a0fc2a1106fe970/SamsonFrancoisChopin.Nocturn3sNos.11919662012HDTracks2496.part3.rar.html

Arnold Schoenberg – Gurre-Lieder – Gurzenich-Orchester Koln, Markus Stenz (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96kHz | Time – 01:47:59 minutes | 1,9 GB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: hyperion-records | @ Hyperion Records
Recorded: June 2014, Kölner Philharmonie, Germany

The Gürzenich-Orchester of Cologne has a pedigree second to none—counting Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss among those who have entrusted it with premieres of their works—and when you hear this new recording the reasons for this are clear. Devastating brass combines with mellifluous winds and strings in a performance of Schoenberg’s late Romantic masterpiece. Markus Stenz conducts a fine line-up of soloists and marshalls the massed choirs in this most epic of works.

More than a century after its first appearance, Arnold Schoenberg’s name on a concert programme still sends concertgoers fleeing in confusion and dismay – irrationally, since Schoenberg was essentially a conservative composer with a powerful urge to engage. If you know anyone who is afflicted with Schoenberg phobia, play them Gurre-Lieder and you won’t have to wait very long for ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ of unadulterated pleasure.
Begun in 1900, as a low-budget song cycle for soprano, tenor and piano, Gurre-Lieder wound up a dozen years later as an orchestral score for 150 musicians, five soloists and six choruses, almost two hours long. What happened in between? Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand, that’s what. Schoenberg was overwhelmed by Mahler’s personality and vision and shattered by his death in 1911. Achieving a work that was as vast as Mahler’s Eighth Symphony while maintaining the innocence of his early Klagende Lied proved an irresistible challenge to a penniless, embattled composer. Gurrelieder, like Mahler’s Eighth, is a game of unequal halves, neither oratorio nor opera, yet oddly gripping.
The story is banal. The king has a fling. The queen kills the girl. The king goes riding with ghosts. More Wagner than Mahler, the score surges with unresolved Tristan chords and pent-up sexual frustration (Schoenberg was having domestic issues at the time). It requires a top-notch orchestra and a conductor with micro-tight control.
Cologne’s Gürzenich Orchestra fits the bill, with glorious lower strings and searing woodwind solos; conductor Markus Stenz keeps the passion simmering, never lets it flag. Brandon Jovanovich sings a wistful king, Barbara Haveman a much-wronged queen; the choirs are tremendous and the concertmaster, Ursula Maria Berg, has a way of shifting the narrative that is rare in a work of this size.
On record, nothing matches Rattle’s 2001 all-stars—Mattila, Moser, Langridge, Otter, Quasthoff—but the Cologne sound is warmer than Berlin’s and the tempi more fluid and sympathetic. Don’t hesitate. –Norman Lebrecht, Sinfini Music

Tracklist:
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Gurre-Lieder
1 Part 1 No 1: Vorspiel[6’28]2 Part 1 No 2: Nun dämpft die Dämm’rung (Waldemar)[4’00]3 Part 1 No 3: O, wenn des Mondes Strahlen milde gleiten (Tove)[3’10]4 Part 1 No 4: Ross! Mein Ross! Was schleichst du so träg? (Waldemar)[2’54]5 Part 1 No 5: Sterne jubeln, das Meer, es leuchtet (Tove)[2’23]6 Part 1 No 6: So tanzen die Engel vor Gottes Thron nicht (Waldemar)[2’38]7 Part 1 No 7: Nun sag ich dir zum ersten Mal (Tove)[4’11]8 Part 1 No 8: Es ist Mitternachtszeit (Waldemar)[6’20]9 Part 1 No 9: Du sendest mir einen Liebesblick (Tove)[5’26]10 Part 1 No 10: Du wunderliche Tove! (Waldemar)[3’50]11 Part 1 No 11: Zwischenspiel[5’47]12 Part 1 No 12: Tauben von Gurre! Sorge quält mich (Stimme der Waldtaube)[12’11]13 Part 2: Herrgott, weisst du, was du tatest (Waldemar)[5’15]14 Part 3 No 1: Erwacht, König Waldemars Mannen wert! (Waldemar)[2’56]15 Part 3 No 2: Deckel des Sarges klappert und klappt (Bauer/Männerchor)[3’27]16 Part 3 No 3: Gegrüsst, o König, an Gurre-Seestrand! (Waldemars Mannen)[4’56]17 Part 3 No 4: Mit Toves Stimme flüstert der Wald (Waldemar)[3’27]18 Part 3 No 5: Ein seltsamer Vogel ist so’n Aal (Klaus-Narr)[7’02]19 Part 3 No 6: Du strenger Richter droben (Waldemar)[2’21]20 Part 3 No 7: Der Hahn erhebt den Kopf zur Kraht (Waldemars Mannen)[6’00]21 Part 3 No 8: Des Sommerwindes wilde Jagd: Vorspiel – Herr Gänsefuss, Frau Gänsekraut (Sprecher) – Seht die Sonne (Chor)[13’17]

Personnel:
Brandon Jovanovich, tenor
Barbara Haveman, soprano
Claudia Mahnke, mezzo-soprano
Gerhard Siegel, tenor
Thomas Bauer, baritone
Johannes Martin Kränzle, speaker
Domkantorei Köln
Männerstimmen des Kölner Domchores
Vokalensemble Kölner Dom
Chor des Bach-Vereins Köln
Kartäuserkantorei Köln
Netherlands Female Youth Choir
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln
Markus Stenz, conductor

Download:

http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBNVGcF9/Scho3nb3rgGurr3Li3d3rGrz3nichOrch3st3rKlnMarkusSt3nz20159624.part1.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBNakEF9/Scho3nb3rgGurr3Li3d3rGrz3nichOrch3st3rKlnMarkusSt3nz20159624.part2.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBNakUF9/Scho3nb3rgGurr3Li3d3rGrz3nichOrch3st3rKlnMarkusSt3nz20159624.part3.rar
or
http://rapidgator.net/file/da05ec0b987a35d79879c06c6901dd8f/Scho3nb3rgGurr3Li3d3rGrz3nichOrch3st3rKlnMarkusSt3nz20159624.part1.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/42c62a1d955d600cee3f2500d1804e68/Scho3nb3rgGurr3Li3d3rGrz3nichOrch3st3rKlnMarkusSt3nz20159624.part2.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/35bb92f6c70ec1c89a2796c2ceef7338/Scho3nb3rgGurr3Li3d3rGrz3nichOrch3st3rKlnMarkusSt3nz20159624.part3.rar.html

Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphonies Nos. 2 & 11 – Mariinsky Orchestra and Chorus, Valery Gergiev (2010)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:16:01 minutes | 1,42 GB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: hyperion-records.co.uk | @ Mariinsky
Recorded: February 2009 and February 2010 at the Mariinsky Concert Hall, St Petersburg

Shostakovich’s Second and Eleventh Symphonies are both inspired by Russian revolutions. The Eleventh Symphony, “The Year 1905″, marks the bloody revolution of its namesake year. It is an astonishingly atmospheric symphony, of cinematic breadth, especially the second movement which depicts the Bloody Sunday massacre in St Petersburg.

Symphony No 2 was written to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the October Revolution. Though it is a much shorter work than the Eleventh, clocking in at less than 20 minutes, it is by no means any less dramatic. Although dismissed as an experiment by the composer later in his career, it remains an important step in the development of one of history’s greatest symphonists. Here Valery Gergiev, along with the Mariinsky Orchestra and Chorus, delivers definitive performances of both works.

‘Gergiev’s account is simply hair-raising [Symphony No 11]. Even by today’s high standard of orchestral playing, I suspect some orchestras would have trouble keeping up with Gergiev’s driving, intense approach: the Mariinsky players stick to him like glue. This is the best-recorded traversal of Symphony No 2′ –American Record Guide

‘Performed here with total conviction … Gergiev captures its brooding majesty in a tense and involving performance, distinguished by the terrifying sound of the St Petersburg winds’ –Financial Times

Tracklist:
Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Symphony No 2 in B major ‘To October’ Op 14
1 Largo – Crotchet = 152 – Poco meno mosso – Allegro molto[7’18]
2 Crotchet = 152 – Meno mosso – Moderato[5’26]
3 To October[6’40]

Symphony No 11 in G minor ‘The year 1905′ Op 103

4 The Palace Square: Adagio[15’10]
5 The 9th of January: Allegro[17’17]
6 In memoriam: Adagio[10’28]7 Tocsin: Allegro non troppo[13’42]

Personnel:
Mariinsky Orchestra and Chorus
Valery Gergiev conductor

Download:

http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBPRE0F9/ShostakovichSymphoni3sNos.211MariinskyOrch3straVal3ryG3rgi3v20109624.part1.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBPRFEF9/ShostakovichSymphoni3sNos.211MariinskyOrch3straVal3ryG3rgi3v20109624.part2.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBPRFUF9/ShostakovichSymphoni3sNos.211MariinskyOrch3straVal3ryG3rgi3v20109624.part3.rar
or
http://rapidgator.net/file/441bc3f1ba46271059b16ce9af0937de/ShostakovichSymphoni3sNos.211MariinskyOrch3straVal3ryG3rgi3v20109624.part1.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/a026395a905d350a00de1e2c1e0e5dd9/ShostakovichSymphoni3sNos.211MariinskyOrch3straVal3ryG3rgi3v20109624.part2.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/f07dabbe1b58ac8e976dae2c2b5f81f2/ShostakovichSymphoni3sNos.211MariinskyOrch3straVal3ryG3rgi3v20109624.part3.rar.html

Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphonies Nos. 3 & 10 – Mariinsky Orchestra & Chorus, Valery Gergiev (2011)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:20:20 minutes | 1,57 GB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: hyperion-records.co.uk | @ Mariinsky
Recorded: February 2009 & June 2010 at the Mariinsky Concert Hall, St Petersburg

The Third Symphony was first performed in January 1930, its final movement setting a text by Semyon Isaakovich Kirsanov praising May Day and the revolution. Shostakovich stated that the work “expresses the spirit of peaceful reconstruction” and yet much of the music is dark and sombre in tone.

The Tenth Symphony is one of his most popular and frequently heard works. It was first performed in December 1953 following Stalin’s death earlier that year, although Shostakovich had been working on much of the material incorporated in the symphony for many years. The great Russian soprano Galina Vishnevskaya claimed that the symphony was “a composer’s testament of misery, forever damning a tyrant”.

‘A winning Shostakovich disc from Gergiev and the Mariinsky… this is a very fine performance of the Tenth and probably as good a performance of the negligible Third as you’re likely to hear… Gergiev’s performance maps the eventful contours of this work [Symphony No 10] with great sensitivity. The melancholy first movement unfolds with a palpable sense of dread and sorrow, the second movement crackles with violent energy, and the third has all the sardonic wit of Mahler’s night-music interludes. The last movement builds to its wild celebratory final pages with the proper sense of inevitability. Throughout, the Mariinsky players give their all, fired up no doubt by the presence of a live audience. This is a very, very fine Tenth Symphony, certainly among the best in SACD.’ –Audiophile Audition

Tracklist:
Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Symphony No 3 in E flat major ‘First of May’ Op 20
1 Allegretto[14’32]
2 Allegro[9’56]
3 Moderato[4’06]

Symphony No 10 in E minor Op 93
4 Moderato[22’52]
5 Allegro[4’26]
6 Allegretto[11’32]
7 Andante – Allegro[12’56]

Personnel:
Mariinsky Orchestra & Chorus
Valery Gergiev conductor

Download:

http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBPVEkF9/ShostakovichSymphoni3sNos.310MariinskyOrch3straVal3ryG3rgi3v20119624.part1.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBPVFEF9/ShostakovichSymphoni3sNos.310MariinskyOrch3straVal3ryG3rgi3v20119624.part2.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBPVFkF9/ShostakovichSymphoni3sNos.310MariinskyOrch3straVal3ryG3rgi3v20119624.part3.rar
or
http://rapidgator.net/file/942560707fae9d243390b3744478c6bc/ShostakovichSymphoni3sNos.310MariinskyOrch3straVal3ryG3rgi3v20119624.part1.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/4fa73db817634d494f8545b0d31c4d58/ShostakovichSymphoni3sNos.310MariinskyOrch3straVal3ryG3rgi3v20119624.part2.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/b00b2cd7041a88ee17d1265d84443f07/ShostakovichSymphoni3sNos.310MariinskyOrch3straVal3ryG3rgi3v20119624.part3.rar.html

Franz Schubert – Schwanengesang – Matthias Goerne, Christoph Eschenbach (2012)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44.1 kHz | Time – 01:50:36 minutes | 859 MB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: Qobuz.com | @ Harmonia Mundi
Recorded: février 2010 et janvier 2011, Teldex Studio Berlin

Matthias Goerne continues a Schubert survey that has already established him as one of the most fantastically gifted exponents of the song repertoire; Goerne does not ‘interpret’ Schubert, he lives each lied from the inside and invites the listener to share this poetic and musical intimacy without ever falling into the trap of overstatement. This sixth volume in the series also features an unforgettable performance of Schubert’s last piano sonata by one of the baritone’s favourite partners, Christoph Eschenbach. Offered on a free bonus CD, this ‘second swansong’ reveals hitherto unexplored resonances under his expert fingers.

The sixth volume in Matthias Goerne’s survey of Franz Schubert’s lieder includes the posthumous collection Schwanengesang, which contains some of the loveliest and most disturbing songs Schubert ever composed. One problem in performing this ambiguous work of Schubert’s last year lies in its alternation of sweet, lyrical songs with those of a much darker and even frightening character, and it’s left to the singer and the pianist to balance the moods and to make the contrasts of expression as subtle as possible. Goerne and his accompanist Christoph Eschenbach meet the challenge by carefully shading the songs with a tempering of expressions that admits sorrow in the midst of joy and hope in the depths of despair. On a bonus CD, Eschenbach performs Schubert’s expansive Sonata in B flat major, another late work that displays evanescent shifts of feelings, and he plays with a natural outpouring of emotion that fluidly connects the music’s high and low points. Harmonia Mundi offers warm and rich sound, which captures the resonance of Goerne’s baritone and the fullness and smoothness of Eschenbach’s sound, though the bass is a bit heavy in the recording of the sonata. –AllMusic Review by Blair Sanderson

“The distinctive mellow roundness of Goerne’s timbre, at once deep and soft-grained, and his care for a true, ‘bound’ legato are pleasures in themselves. He and the ever-fastidious Eschenbach invariably allow you to savour the sheer beauty of Schubert’s melodic lines.” –Gramophone

“Goerne is showing an increasing tendency to capitalise on what he does best, exploiting his superb breath control in singing of hushed and seamless legato … he is also able and willing to dare extremes of pacing and dynamics …” –BBC Music Magazine

“Goerne has his own ideas about the music and puts them forth with confidence and persuasion. That, in the end, is what sells this recording … a fine disc.” –Audiophile Audition

Personnel:
Matthias Goerne, baritone (#1-15)
Christoph Eschenbach, piano

Download:

http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBNalEF9/Schub3rtSchwan3ng3sangMatthiasGo3rn3Christoph3sch3nbach201244.124.part1.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBNak0F9/Schub3rtSchwan3ng3sangMatthiasGo3rn3Christoph3sch3nbach201244.124.part2.rar
or
http://rapidgator.net/file/69c890db0b94bb23e6e8fb638fafd7ef/Schub3rtSchwan3ng3sangMatthiasGo3rn3Christoph3sch3nbach201244.124.part1.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/0afd754616bfe8e8e3838dabd31c9dff/Schub3rtSchwan3ng3sangMatthiasGo3rn3Christoph3sch3nbach201244.124.part2.rar.html

Franz Schubert – Symphony no. 9, Five German Dances – Budapest Festival Orchestra, Ivan Fischer (2011)
DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz | Time – 01:08:01 minutes | 2,75 + 2.94 GB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: nativeDSDmusic | © Channel Classics Records B.V.
Recorded: Palace of Arts, Budapest, June 2010

A new dimension is added to the marvellous transition from the simple horn melody to a symphony when it is played on natural horns. Why did Schubert choose horns? Three notes sound open, the next stopped, the next stopped in a different way, like a melody roughly hewn from marble. Only when the oboe takes over is the unevenness polished away, removing limitations and barriers and transporting us into a magical realm of eternity. I must say that I find this transition most touching if the natural horn players do their best to equalize, to overcome their natural unevenness – like handicapped athletes do. Small C-clarinets and narrow trombones give this symphony a special colour. The woodwinds have a leading role, playing all the Viennese songs, serenades, popular tunes and dances. Even if it is an orchestral work, here and there it feels like the seventh volume of Schubert’s Lieder. –Ivan Fischer

n C major, “The Great,” cannot be categorized as a period performance in the strictest sense, there are several points where it seems sufficiently influenced by the authenticist movement to resemble one. Chiefly in the distinctive and cleanly separated sonorities of the woodwinds and brass, and partly in matters of tempo and rhythm, this sounds quite a bit like a historically informed performance. Even though Fischer makes no claim to special research and doesn’t employ original instruments, it’s clear he and his musicians have absorbed the salient points of Classical and early Romantic performance styles, and they execute a version that most reasonable listeners can feel does justice to Schubert’s intentions and time period. The crisp and clear sounds of the winds are arresting, and the clarity of their lines and textures make the music transparent and ideally balanced with the strings. The strings don’t play with anything like the commonly accepted period tone, with its attendant sheen, but that is a minor point, considering they still play with minimal vibrato and yet present a warm, blended sound. In terms of tempo, the music is generally brisk and propulsive, and Fischer’s conducting is incisive, so the rhythms follow suit and push off the beat with considerable energy. The closing selections, the delightful Five German Dances, were not required as filler after such a satisfying masterpiece, but the music is enjoyable and provides added value for those who feel the symphony by itself is far too short for a CD. The sound of this SACD is excellent, with first-rate DSD reproduction, credible multichannel depth, and pleasant resonance. –AllMusic Review by Blair Sanderson

Tracklist:
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Symphony no. 9 ‘Great’ in C major, D 944
1 Andante – Allegro ma non troppo 13.04
2 Andante con moto 15.30
3 Scherzo. Allegro Vivace 14.24
4 Allegro Vivace 11.40
Five German Dances and Seven Trios with Coda, D89
5 No. 1 3.10
6 No. 2 3.11
7 No. 3 2.00
8 No. 4 0.47
9 No. 5 5.27

Personnel:
Budapest Festival Orchestra
Iván Fischer, conductor

DSF

FLAC

Franz Schubert – The Late Piano Sonatas – Paul Lewis (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 02:09:02 minutes | 1,06 GB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: Qobuz.com | @ Harmonia Mundi
Recorded: mars-avril 2013 & septembre 2002, Teldex Studio Berlin

Paul Lewis is today regarded as one of the leading pianists of his generation, having won the most coveted prizes of the great classical institutions, for both his concert career and his recordings on harmonia mundi, topped by three Gramophone Awards including Record of the Year in 2008. He is also the first pianist in the history of the BBC Proms to have played the complete Beethoven concertos in a single season (2010). Early in 2011, Paul Lewis embarked on a two-year concert tour devoted to the works written by Schubert in the last six years of his life. Now completed, he has played in London, New York, Chicago, Tokyo, Melbourne, Rotterdam, Bologna, Florence and at the Schwarzenberg Schubertiade and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.

For a number of years, the piano music of Ludwig van Beethoven has dominated the recordings of British pianist Paul Lewis on Harmonia Mundi, though since 2011 he has also recorded the sonatas of Franz Schubert, an equal interest to him. This 2014 album of the last four piano sonatas may bring with it expectations of a grand statement: the late piano sonatas, like the final string quartets, the piano trios, the String Quintet, the last songs, and other works of 1828 carry with them the gravitas of Schubert’s illness and impending death, and some aspect of the composer’s mortality is usually addressed in performances of these works. Lewis is qualified to offer meaningful interpretations of Schubert’s artistic intentions, though what might not be expected is the weightlessness, ease, energy, and joy that he communicates in these sonatas, expressive choices that rises above the biographical. They are masterfully played and marvelously recorded, so such technical matters don’t interfere with the pure appreciation of the music. Drama and pathos are here, of course, along with tenderness and lyricism, but Lewis doesn’t dwell morbidly on the darker aspects, preferring instead to let the light shine through. It certainly does in all four works, and even though there are moments of intense passion, gloom, and even fury, one comes away from hearing these sonatas with a sense of the wholeness of Schubert’s conceptions, including his ineffable serenity, and Lewis’ balanced choices are fully justified. Highly recommended. –AllMusic Review by Blair Sanderson

Tracklist:
FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
PIANO SONATA D.784 OP. POSTH. 143 A minor / la mineur / a-Moll
1 | I. Allegro giusto 13’12
2 | II. Andante 4’00
3 | III. Allegro vivace 5’23
PIANO SONATA D.958 C minor / ut mineur / c-Moll
4 | I. Allegro 10’38
5 | II. Adagio 8’14
6 | III. Menuetto Allegro – Trio 3’15
7 | IV. Allegro 9’28
PIANO SONATA D.959 A major / La majeur / A-Dur
8 | I. Allegro 11’58
9 | II. Andantino 7’47
10 | III. Scherzo Allegro vivace – Trio Un pocco più lento 5’11
11 | IV. Rondo Allegretto 13’11
PIANO SONATA D.960 B flat major / Si bémol majeur / B-Dur
12 | I. Molto moderato 15’22
13 | II. Andante sostenuto 9’14
14 | III. Scherzo Allegro vivace con delicatezza – Trio 3’44
15 | IV. Allegro, ma non troppo 8’09

Personnel:
Paul Lewis – piano

Download:

http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBOVGcF9/Schub3rtTh3Lat3PianoSonatasPaulL3wis20149624.part1.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBOVGsF9/Schub3rtTh3Lat3PianoSonatasPaulL3wis20149624.part2.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBOalEF9/Schub3rtTh3Lat3PianoSonatasPaulL3wis20149624.part3.rar
or
http://rapidgator.net/file/fa84ef750d2ec20d3b7a4ca7dc3e7920/Schub3rtTh3Lat3PianoSonatasPaulL3wis20149624.part1.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/5468e7f3f88de71b96168a0325fc4801/Schub3rtTh3Lat3PianoSonatasPaulL3wis20149624.part2.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/3410a8ad101bf83d90a2679ac02e470e/Schub3rtTh3Lat3PianoSonatasPaulL3wis20149624.part3.rar.html

Bedrich Smetana – The Bartered Bride – BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers, Jiri Belohlavek (2012)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48kHz | Time – 02:15:58 minutes | 1,36 GB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: eclassical.com| @ Harmonia Mundi
Recorded: May 2011, Barbican Centre, London, UK

A classic! And yet Smetana was thoroughly irritated by the torrents of praise lavished, in the last years of his life, on this Bartered Bride which had been categorically rejected at its premiere (1866) by a Czech public waiting to hear the genuine national opera. Four versions of the work later, and after many critical complaints (sometimes it was found too long, sometimes too short), it was realised that the composer had given birth to a genre built to last. For nearly 150 years now, The Bartered Bride has triumphed in opera houses all over the world; and in the present recording it is in the hands of a true team of experts.

The Bartered Bride has done very well on record and this new version can join the list of distinguished predecessors. For many years, Smetana’s most popular opera was the Czech opera, but nowadays it has been somewhat overtaken by Dvořák’s Rusalka and the great stage-works of Leoš Janáček. The Bartered Bride, however, has not lost its charm and I have greatly enjoyed this performance. Listeners are spoiled for choice when it comes to recordings. If you want a totally authentic Czech account, there is the Supraphon set with Gabriela Beňačková and Peter Dvorský as the lovers and the inimitable Czech Philharmonic under Zdeněk Košler. There is also a version in English with Sir Charles Mackerras and the Philharmonia Orchestra and Royal Opera Chorus on Chandos that has been acclaimed. Finally, if German is your language of choice, Rudolf Kempe’s famous recording with Pilar Lorengar and Fritz Wunderlich is still available on EMI. How does this newest version stack up against those?
First of all, no conductor today surpasses Jiří Bělohlávek when it comes to interpreting Czech music of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He made a wonderful recording a few years ago of Janáček’s The Excursions of Mr. Brouček with the BBC forces and native Czech soloists, as on this Smetana set, one of the only Janáček operas Mackerras never recorded. As chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Bělohlávek did much to champion Czech music and especially to bring to the larger public works that have not been heard that often, such as the symphonies of Martinů and Suk. After listening a number of times to this Bartered Bride, it is clear that the BBC Symphony can sound as Czech as one of their native orchestras. The well-known orchestral excerpts, Overture, Polka, Furiant, and Skočná, burst forth with vitality and rhythmic acuity, and the BBC Singers do the choruses proud. If anything, both orchestra and chorus are more infectious than their counterparts on the Supraphon recording. When it comes to the soloists, though, everyone has favorites. I have always held Gabriela Beňačková high in my esteem in this repertoire. Her voice has a certain purity and warmth that places it above most others in Czech music. Dana Burešova in this new account may not erase memories of Beňačková, but she is very good. Her voice has the necessary lightness and no pronounced Slavic vibrato, even if she is a bit cooler than her predecessor. When it comes to the role of Jenik, Peter Dvorský and Tomaš Juhás are fairly evenly matched. The outstanding performance, though, in the new set is that of the stuttering Vašek, Aleš Voráček. He has quickly become my favorite of this particular cast. All of the other parts are also taken well. So, overall, The Bartered Bride is served superbly in this new recording. The sound, too, unlike some past efforts recorded at the Barbican Centre, has warmth as well as the necessary clarity. The opera really comes to life. I would love to see a video of the performance, even if it was not staged.
The Czech music specialist Jan Smaczny provides the notes in the accompanying booklet. He gives the background to the opera and a detailed discussion of what it took to get the work to its final, definitive form. He plays down the folk element and points out the more important influence of French, Italian, and German Romantic opera on the composer. There is, however, one black mark on Harmonia Mundi I have to mention. The text of the opera is given in French (presumably because the label is French) and English, but not in Czech. Furthermore, the English translation is a very loose one that does not follow the original. The translation is by Kit Hesketh-Harvey who took the part of the Indian (a circus performer) in the Mackerras English-language version, so the translation in the booklet is likely the one used on the Mackerras recording (which I have not heard). There is a note in the booklet directing the listener to Harmonia Mundi’s website for the original Czech libretto. Still, it would be cumbersome to follow that at the same time as reading the English version in the booklet. Better to go to Supraphon’s website where there is a side-by-side Czech libretto and English translation that closely follows the original text. In all other respects, this is a fine addition to The Bartered Bride discography. –Leslie Wright, MusicWeb International

Tracklist:
Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884)
The Bartered Bride
Disc 1
1 Overture 06:35
2 ACT I, Scene 1. Sbor Proč bychom se netěšili 08:02
3 ACT I, Scene 2. Mařenka Tak tedy přece se to státi má? 01:20
4 ACT I, Mařenka Kdybych se co takového 03:43
5 ACT I, Mařenka Konečně je celá 00:42
6 ACT I, Jeník, Mařenka Jako matka požehnáním 05:56
7 ACT I, Scene 3. Kecal Jak vám pravím 04:59
8 ACT I, Krušina Ovšem, Tobiáše Míchu znám už oddětství 00:51
9 ACT I, Kecal Mladík slušný a mravů víc tichých 03:41
10 ACT I, Scene 4. Krušina, Ludmila, Kecal Tu ji máme 05:04
11 ACT I, Mařenka Jeník neupustí, to vím 01:51
12 ACT I, Scene 5. Kecal Ach, jak svět je zvrácený 04:44
13 ACT II, Scene 1. Sbor To pivečko to věru je nebeský dar 05:08
14 ACT II, Furiant 02:14
15 ACT II, Scene 2. Vašek Ma… ma… ma… matička 02:18
16 ACT II, Scene 3. Mařenka Vy jste zajisté ženich Krušinovy Mařenky? 01:20
17 ACT II, Mařenka Známť já jednu dívčinu 05:55
Disc 2
18 ACT II, Scene 4. Kecal Jak pravím, hezká je 00:39
19 ACT II, Kecal Nuže, milý chasníku 07:49
20 ACT II, Kecal Odřekneš-li se Mařenky 03:09
21 ACT II, Scene 5. Jeník Až uzříš, komus 03:03
22 ACT II, Scene 6. Kecal Pojďte, lidičky 04:24
23 ACT III, Scene 1. Vašek To… to mi v hlavě le… leží 03:33
24 ACT III, Scene 2. Pochod Komediantů 00:32
25 ACT III, Principál Ohlašujeme slavnému publikum 01:27
26 ACT III, Skočná 05:50
27 ACT III, Vašek Je… je… je… je, to bude hezké 04:30
28 ACT III, Principál, Esmeralda Milostné zvířátko 01:44
29 ACT III, Scene 3. Vašek Oh, já ne… nešťastný! 01:03
30 ACT III, Háta, Kecal, Mícha Aj, jakže? Jakže? 02:35
31 ACT III, Scene 4. Mařenka Ne, tomu nevěřím 04:09
32 ACT III, Scene 5. Vašek Co… co pořáde chcete? 01:05
33 ACT III, Všichni Rozmysli si, Mařenko, rozmysli 03:44
34 ACT III, Scene 6. Mařenka Oh, jaký žal! 05:48
35 ACT III, Scene 7. Jeník Mařenko má, Mařenko má 04:16
36 ACT III, Scene 8. Kecal Hle, hle! Chasníku, čekáš už na peníze? 01:09
37 ACT III, Jeník Utiš se, dívko, utiš se 03:10
38 ACT III, Scene 9. Sbor Jak jsi se, Mařenko, rozmyslila? 04:56
39 ACT III, Scene 10. Jeden Kluk Spaste duši! 00:14
40 ACT III, Vašek Ne… ne… nebojte se! 00:38
41 ACT III, Sbor Dobrá věc se podařila 02:08

Personnel:
Mařenka – Dana Burešová, soprano
Jenik – Tomáš Juhás, tenor
Kecal – Jozef Benci, bass
Vašek – Aleš Voráček, tenor
Mícha – Gustáv Beláček, bass
Háta – Lucie Hilscherová, mezzo-soprano
Krušina – Svatopluk Sem, baritone
Ludmila – Stanislava Jirků, mezzo-soprano
Ringmaster – Jaroslav Březina, tenor
Esmeralda – Kateřina Kněžiková, soprano
Indian – Ondrej Mráz, bass
First Child – Maxim Dusek, treble
Second Child – Babette Rust, soprano
BBC Singers
Chorus Master – Andrew Griffiths
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Conductor Jiří Bělohlávek

Download:

http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzFNekEF9/Sm3tanaTh3Bart3r3dBrid3BBCSymphonyOrch3straBBCSing3rsJiBlohlv3k20124824.part1.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzFNek0F9/Sm3tanaTh3Bart3r3dBrid3BBCSymphonyOrch3straBBCSing3rsJiBlohlv3k20124824.part2.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzFNelEF9/Sm3tanaTh3Bart3r3dBrid3BBCSymphonyOrch3straBBCSing3rsJiBlohlv3k20124824.part3.rar
or
http://rapidgator.net/file/8bc420b5db2f2db846c03c7244a7fbef/Sm3tanaTh3Bart3r3dBrid3BBCSymphonyOrch3straBBCSing3rsJiBlohlv3k20124824.part1.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/ff6ff1cca70534ccbe5d2a0917a1dc97/Sm3tanaTh3Bart3r3dBrid3BBCSymphonyOrch3straBBCSing3rsJiBlohlv3k20124824.part2.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/77218b74046dab8ff4e4d23522861b6f/Sm3tanaTh3Bart3r3dBrid3BBCSymphonyOrch3straBBCSing3rsJiBlohlv3k20124824.part3.rar.html

Franz Schubert – Works for piano, vol.2 – Paul Lewis (2012)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 02:02:58 minutes | 1,85 GB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: Qobuz.com | @ Harmonia Mundi
Recorded: décembre 2011 & mars 2012, Teldex Studio Berlin

Award-winning pianist Paul Lewis is internationally regarded as one of the leading musicians of his generation. His cycles of core piano works by Beethoven and Schubert received unanimous critical and public acclaim worldwide, and consolidated his reputation as one of the world’s foremost interpreters of the central European classical repertoire. Lewis’s vast Beethoven project, recording the complete sonatas and piano concertos, was greeted all over the world as a landmark and completed in 2011. On this 2012 release Lewis turns his attention back to to Franz Schubert, the other key focus of his concert career and the other pillar of his discography. Schubert’s Piano Sonata, D.845 was the first of his three sonatas to be published during his lifetime. In July of 1825 Schubert wrote a long letter to his parents, in which he stated: “They particularly enjoyed the variations from my new sonata for piano solo, which I performed quite successfully, and several people assured me that under my fingers the keys began to sing. If this is sincere, it makes me very happy since I cannot stand the wretched hacking which is typical of even excellent pianists, as it pleases neither the ear nor the heart.”

After his widely praised recordings of Schubert’s late piano sonatas, British pianist Paul Lewis returns with another two-disc box covering the Wanderer-Fantasie in C major, Op. 15, the Piano Sonata in A minor, D. 845, and two sets of smaller works. Lewis was a student of Alfred Brendel and might be regarded as his chief protégé. As with Brendel, you come away from hearing his playing with the feeling that you’ve been given a great deal to chew on. In lyric passages he is straightforward and a little dry. This intentional, for the large slow movement of the D. 845 sonata, shows that Lewis can spin out a sustained passage of nearly static beauty when he thinks it necessary. But in general he is more interested in small details and in the relationship of part to whole. His tempi are brisk, with plenty of variation, and the longer pieces feel broken down into little sections in which it’s true, you will hear surprising things you may not have noticed before in these pieces. Sterling results are obtained in the Wanderer-Fantasie, where each appearance of the main theme in its various guises is given a different weight without ever falling out of the long line Lewis gives to the entire work. In his hands, the work seems at once to be grappling with Beethoven and to look far into the future, which, one feels, is as it should be. The D. 845 sonata is also very strong, with richly complex readings of the two long opening movements. If there’s a fault here it’s that the Impromptus, D. 935, and the Moments Musicaux, D. 780, may lack a certain evanescence that most listeners will expect, but even here Lewis finds subtleties galore. Strongly recommended, as usual with this intelligent player. –AllMusic Review by James Manheim

Tracklist:
FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
WANDERERFANTASIE op.15 D.760 in C major / Ut majeur / C-Dur
1 | I. Allegro con fuoco ma non troppo 5’44
2 | II. Adagio 6’30
3 | III. Presto 4’45
4 | IV. Allegro 3’25
4 IMPROMPTUS op.post.142 D.935 Sol majeur / G-Dur
5 | I. Allegro moderato (F minor / fa mineur / f-Moll) 10’38
6 | II. Allegretto. Trio (A flat major / La bémol majeur / As-Dur) 6’32
7 | III. Thema Andante. Variations I-V. Più lento 11’14
(B flat major / Si bémol majeur / B-Dur)
8 | IV. Allegro scherzando (F minor / fa mineur / f-Moll) 6’15
SONATA No.16 op.42 D.845 in A minor / la mineur / a-Moll
9 | I. Moderato 10’34
10 | II. Andante poco mosso 12’41
11 | III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace – Trio. Un poco più lento 7’03
12 | IV. Rondo. Allegro vivace 5’16
6 MOMENTS MUSICAUX op.94 D.780
13 | I. Moderato 5’57
14 | II. Andantino 5’32
15 | III. Allegretto moderato 1’54
16 | IV. Moderato 5’15
17 | V. Allegro vivace 2’08
18 | VI. Allegretto. Trio 6’26
19 | ALLEGRETTO in C minor D.915 ut mineur / c-Moll 4’52

Personnel:
Paul Lewis – piano

Download:

http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBOalkF9/Schub3rtWorksforpianovol.2PaulL3wis20129624.part1.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBOek0F9/Schub3rtWorksforpianovol.2PaulL3wis20129624.part2.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJME5EYzBOelUF9/Schub3rtWorksforpianovol.2PaulL3wis20129624.part3.rar
or
http://rapidgator.net/file/a2d9b2b58195881af6472f80cc2f4c56/Schub3rtWorksforpianovol.2PaulL3wis20129624.part1.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/59840244826bc5f39afae5f8005e4d5e/Schub3rtWorksforpianovol.2PaulL3wis20129624.part2.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/ed27ae219ac4f39f50d080e78358ca51/Schub3rtWorksforpianovol.2PaulL3wis20129624.part3.rar.html

Igor Stravinsky – Rite of Spring, Firebird Suite, Scherzo, Tango – Budapest Festival Orchestra, Ivan Fischer (2012)
DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz | Time – 01:03:12 minutes | 2,5 + 2.63 GB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: nativeDSDmusic | © Channel Classics Records B.V.
Recorded: Palace of Arts, Budapest, December 2010

The recipe seems simple: take a simple melody of six notes and repeat it in the same order, accentuating a different note each time. For example:
1 2 3 4 2 5
1 2 3 4 2 5
1 2 3 4 2 5
Here we have the beginning of the Sacre du Printemps (with a short transition between lines 2 and 3)! Next step: add a rhythmic pattern and repeat it many times. Prepare a few of these and combine them thoroughly until you get a polyrhythmic and polytonal mix! Finished. With his simple recipe, Stravinsky changed the world. Many plants grew from this seed: beat, rock, rap, minimal music… A pagan, sacrifice ritual with shocking music and shocking choreography: three exceptional talents – Roerich, Nijinsky and Stravinsky – brought about an artistic revolution with a masterstroke. 100 years later it still sounds fresh, pagan, scary, new and beautiful. –Iván Fischer

(…) this performance achieves a tightrope balance that sets it apart from other recordings and make the symphony’s vast canvas lucid, cohesive and still exciting throughout its many abrupt shifts. Fischer culls seamless transitions as the work vacillates among emotional extremes, as well as a sense of raw abandon, without sacrificing too much tone quality. He allows unabashed sentiment without becoming saccharine. After a suspenseful opening, the first movement theme (which the composer also used in “Songs of a Wayfarer”) is warmly and ingratiatingly played. Smoothness, grandeur and playfulness contrast elegiac, slightly hoarse downward slides that lead into anguished and then manic sections. The folkish scherzo has just the right mix of brightness and the finale musters plenty of fearsome power. (…) –New Jersey.com

Mahler conducted the first performance of his debut symphony in Budapest. It was a notorious flop, but, in modern times, this astounding youthful essay by a composer at the heart of the Austro-Hungarian empire has been reclaimed by Hungarian musicians. Fischer’s elite band have already displayed superb Mahlerian credentials. This lovely account of the First, with it’s allusions to Songs of a Wayfarer, Mahler’s early vocal masterpiece, and homage, in the “stormy” finale, to Beethoven’s Ninth, is especially remarkable in Fischer’s delicate, chamber-like intimacy in repose and his lilting, rustic way with the Landler-like dance rhythms. –Sunday Times

This is the first recorded performance of the Rite of Spring that makes me believe that the work could have caused that riot at its premiere in Paris in 1913. All of Ivan Fischer’s recordings with Channel Classics have been excellent; this is the first big symphony orchestra outside of the Netherlands that the label has been recording, and the hi-res surround is first rate, as with all of their efforts. The wild rhythms and primitive percussion really grab the listener. (…) –Audiophile Audition

Tracklist:
Igor Stravinsky(1882-1971)
Rite of Spring (1913)
First Part Adoration of the Earth
1 Introduction 3.28
2 The Augurs of Spring: Dances of the Young Girls 3.17
3 Ritual of Abduction 1.23
4 Spring Rounds 4.04
5 Ritual of the Rival Tribes 1.55
6 Procession of the Sage 0.44
7 The Sage 0.27
8 Dance of Earth 1.09
Second Part The Scarifice
9 Introduction 4.20
10 Mystic Circles of the Young Girls 3.12
11 Glorification of the Chosen One 1.32
12 Evocation of the Ancestors 0.41
13 Ritual Action of the Ancestors 3.26
14 Sacrificial Dance(The Chosen One) 4.47
Firebird Suite (1919)
15 Introduction 3.18
16 The Firebird’s Dance 0. 17
17 The Firebird’s Variations 1.27
18 The Princesses’ Round Dance 4.49
19 The Infernal Dance 4.40
20 Berceuse 4.01
21 Finale 2.28
Scherzo à la Russe
22 Symphonic Version (1944) 3.50
Tango No.72
23 Orchestral Version (1940) 2.27

Personnel:
Budapest Festival Orchestra
Iván Fischer, conductor

DSF

FLAC

Toru Takemitsu – How Slow the Wind – Kaoi Sinfonetta Tokyo, Tadaaki Otaka (2001)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/176.4kHz | Time – 01:11:39 minutes | 2,75 GB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: eclassical.com | @ BIS Records AB
Recorded: 2000-02-09/11 at Kioi Hall, Tokyo, Japan

This recording spans music from the composer’s early days and his Requiem, overflowing with humanity, and ends in the days of the musician’s maturity, with his expansive view of nature that supports the echo of the mourning bells, analogous to prayer. Perhaps, unexpectedly, the disc offers, a glimpse of a rare artist’s whole life.

It is rare to find a disc as creatively programmed as this BIS release. Enhanced by lovely performances, played with great devotion to the memory of the recently-deceased Japanese master, the repertoire was chosen by conductor Tadaaki Otaka and producer Robert Suff, who organized it not only in the most effective succesion, but in a manner that illustrates the works’ individual meaning and illuminates Takemitsu’s career.
All but one of the compositions are from Takemitsu’s late period. The other, the Requiem for Strings, is one of the earliest works to win him fame. Fantasma/Cantos II, for trombone and orchestra, is among the last Takemitsu compositions. Both it and the Requiem provide considerably more forward harmonic motion than the other four works, which are in Takemitsu’s typical “Japanese garden” meditative style, a kind of revival of French impressionism using harmonies that are more like Messiaen’s than Debussy’s.
Christian Lindberg is well known to fans of the BIS label as one of the greatest masters of the trombone, seemingly undaunted by any challenge. He also is a musician of wide interests who has recorded all sorts of music for that instrument. Although his part in Fantasma/Cantos II no doubt is quite difficult, it is not written to make a virtuoso effect, and Lindberg shows that the loudest instrument in the orchestra is capable of unexpectedly subtle, gentle singing. And when Takemitsu permits loud sounds, Lindberg stays within the composer’s undemonstrative aesthetic.
The nearest conducting competitor Otaka has in this music is Oliver Knussen, who has recorded four of these pieces for Virgin Classics and Deutsche Grammophon. Otaka gets the nod by banishing (except in Requiem, where it belongs) the hard-edged modernist feeling that slightly impairs Knussen’s accounts.
The Kioi Sinfonietta of Tokyo is a select group of top-flight Japanese orchestral players plus some of their most talented younger counterparts. In this age where “training orchestras” frequently are first-rate ensembles, the Kioi sounds like an experienced group of long-term pros. Woodwind soloists beautifully play the short melody fragments that are so common in the descriptive pieces, and the whole ensemble seems to float effortlessly into Takemitsu’s trademark meditative mood. The most lovely piece is How slow the wind, which has a gorgeous six-note melody. Tree Line, a more austere and static piece depicting a row of acacia trees near Takemitsu’s studio, is impressively dark and mysterious.
The sound is absolutely clear. The disc is an SACD hybrid comprising two stereo music programs (one a standard CD, the other DSD) but no surround-sound, which would have been particularly desirable for the spatially conceived Archipelago S. Overall the SACD offers a substantially more natural sound than the standard CD layer.
In his own field Takemitsu was as important an artist as Kurosawa was in Japanese cinema. This disc is an excellent demonstration of the reason why, and is highly recommended to those who already understand this, but especially to those who have not yet realized it. –Joseph Stevenson, ClassicsToday.com

Tracklist:
Tōru Takemitsu (1930-1996)
1. Rain Coming for chamber orchestra (1982) 8’25
2. Archipelago S for 21 players (1993) 13’25
3. Fantasma / Cantos II for trombone and orchestra (1994) 16’05
4. Requiem for strings (1957) 8’17
5. How slow the Wind for orchestra (1991) 12’03
6. Tree Line for chamber orchestra (1988) 11’25

Personnel:
Christian Lindberg, trombone (#3)
Kioi Sinfonietta Tokyo, orchestra
Tadaaki Otaka, conductor

Download:

The Christmas Story – Theatre of Voices, Ars Nova Copenhagen, Paul Hillier (2011)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88.2kHz | Time – 01:05:08 minutes | 1,13 GB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: Qobuz | @ Harmonia Mundi
Recorded: January, 2011 at Garnisons Kirk, Copenhagen, Denmark

The full title of this album gives a good overview of its contents and artistic intent: the Christmas story told in chant, motets, dialogues and traditional folk carols. Listeners should be aware that it’s not a playful CD of “fun” holiday music, but a serious, thoughtfully assembled collection of Christmas music spanning the history of the Western European tradition, from plainchant to contemporary anthems and arrangements made especially for this album. Its format is based loosely on the Anglican service of Nine Lessons and Carols. Theatre of Voices, a mixed vocal quartet supplemented by organ and theorbo (or guitar), sings four lessons, three Biblical stories in Baroque Italian settings, plus the traditional We Three Kings. The carols, traditionally sung by the choir or congregation at the Christmas Eve service, are sung a cappella by the chamber choir, Ars Nova Copenhagen. The performances, led by Paul Hillier, are absolutely first-rate. Theatre of Voices, an ensemble of soloists, sings with exquisite purity, intonation, blend, and balance. Ars Nova Copenhagen has the same outstanding musical strengths, but simply by virtue of the relative size of the group, it makes a dramatic contrast in its contributions, which take up the bulk of the album. In spite of its size — only four singers on a part — it produces a wonderfully robust sound. The variety of the repertoire and the exceptionally high performance standards make this an album that should be attractive to anyone looking for a quality survey of Christmas music through the ages. The sound of Harmonia Mundi’s hybrid SACD is clean, well-balanced, and natural. –AllMusic Review by Stephen Eddins

No matter which group he’s conducting (Ars Nova Copenhagen, Theatre of Voices, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, National Chamber Choir of Ireland), or what kind of program he’s creating, Paul Hillier always presents something unique, the musical selections invariably containing some surprises, the projects always creative and purposeful. Here he takes inspiration from the traditional service of Nine Lessons and Carols, ingeniously substituting the usual scripture readings with 17th-century Italian “dialogues” that tell the Christmas story, but sung instead of read.
Yes, the idea is ingenious, and certainly “different”; but not only is this type of highly stylized, emotive, florid singing, embodied in these excerpts from Tomasi, Grandi, and Anerio, respectively extending from five to more than seven minutes, more than a little tedious when removed from its designed live-performance conception, but language also is a problem as the impact of these readings depends on knowing their meaning. As much as Hillier debated over the language issue for the “readings” (the reason he didn’t just go with Danish or Norwegian), the insertion of these dialogues neither solves the interpretive issues nor offers anything of particularly high musical value (Andrew Lloyd Webber versus Lerner & Lowe; John Tavener versus John Taverner).

That aside, the rest of the program returns considerable rewards both in the exceptional quality of the ensemble singing and in the interesting repertoire, from Howard Skempton’s haunting Adam lay y-bounden (choir directors take note) and William Byrd’s O magnum mysterium, to Niels Gade’s Barn Jesus i en krybbe lå (The baby Jesus lay in a manger) and the eight arrangements by Hillier himself–from Es ist ein Ros to We wish you a merry Christmas. For engaging programming and first-rate performances Hillier’s Carols from the Old and New Worlds with Theatre of Voices from 1994 (HM) remains a top choice–but there’s something for everyone here, especially listeners looking for a fundamentally traditional Christmas program that nevertheless dares to venture slightly off the well-trod path. Strongly recommended. –David Vernier, ClassicsToday

Tracklist:
ADVENT
1 | Rorate coeli desuper • Plainchant 2’31
2 | Veni veni Emanuel • arranged Paul Hillier 3’19
3 | Es ist ein Ros entsprungen • arranged Paul Hillier 3’26
1-3: Ars Nova Copenhagen
4 | Dum deambularet Dominus in Paradisum • Biasio Tomasi (fl. 1611) 4’54
Dialogue: The garden of Eden: God, Adam and Eve, and the serpent
Theatre of Voices
5 | Adam lay y-bounden • Howard Skempton (b.1947) 1’36
6 | In dulci iubilo • arranged R. L. Pearsall (1795-1856) 3‘21
5-6: Ars Nova Copenhagen
ANNUNCIATION
7 | Missus est Gabriel • Alessandro Grandi (1586-1630) 7’27
Dialogue: the Angel Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary that she will bear a child
Theatre of Voices
NATIVITY
8 | Puer natus est • Plainchant 3’03
9 | O magnum mysterium • William Byrd (c.1540-1623) 3’06
8-9: Ars Nova Copenhagen
10 | Voi ch’ai notturni rai • Giovanni Francesco Anerio (1567-1630) 6’10
A pastoral dialogue: The shepherds go to worship the infant Christ
Theatre of Voices
11 | Dormi, dormi, o bel bambin • arranged Paul Hillier 2‘01
12 | Liebe Hirten • arranged Paul Hillier 1‘36
13 | Andachtsjodler • arranged Paul Hillier 2‘26
11-13: Ars Nova Copenhagen
EPIPHANY
14 | We three kings • J. H. Hopkins (1820-1891) 3’55
Theatre of Voices
15 | Videntes stellam • Plainchant 0’33
16 | Personent hodie • arranged Paul Hillier 1’51
15-16: Ars Nova Copenhagen
THE HOLY INNOCENTS
17 | Herodes iratus • Plainchant 0’37
18 | Vox in Rama • Plainchant 1’11
17-18: Ars Nova Copenhagen
EPILOGUE
19 | Uebers Gebirg • Johann Eccard (1553-1611) 2’47
20 | Maria wallt zum Heiligtum • Johann Eccard (1553-1611) 3’12
21 | The holly and the ivy • arranged Paul Hillier 2’47
22 | Barn Jesus i en krybbe lå • Niels Gade (1817-1890) 1’56
23 | We wish you a merry Christmas • arranged Paul Hillier 1’34
19-23: Ars Nova Copenhagen

Personnel:
Theatre of Voices:
Sopranos – Else Torp, Abbi Temple
Alto – Linnéa Lomholt
Tenors – Chris Watson, Johan Linderoth
Bass – Jakob Bloch Jespersen
Theorbo & guitar – Fredrik Bock (Theorbo (tracks 4, 7, 10) by Ivo Magherini, Bremen, 2007; Baroque guitar (track 14) by Sebastian Nunez, Utrecht, 2010)
Organ – Bine Bryndorf (Organ (4, 7, 10) by Henk Klop, 1990, 4 stops: 8’, 4’, 2’ & Quint; Tuning: A = 440 Hz, quarter-point meantone)
Ars Nova Copenhagen:
Sopranos – Else Torp, Hilde Ramnefjell Dolva, Louise Skovbæch Korsholm, Abbi Temple
Altos – Kristin Mulders, Ellen Marie Brink Christensen, Linnéa Lomholt, Sine Tofte Hannibal
Tenors – Tomas Medici, Christian Damsgaard, Jakob Skjoldborg, Chris Watson
Basses – Asger Lynge Petersen, Jakob Soelberg, Thomas Kiørbye, Jakob Bloch Jespersen
Paul Hillier – artistic director

Download:

http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJMU5URTVOalUF9/TheChristmasStoryTheatreofVoicesArsNovaCopenhagenPaulHillier201188.224.part1.rar
http://www.datafile.com/d/TVRJMU5URTVOalkF9/TheChristmasStoryTheatreofVoicesArsNovaCopenhagenPaulHillier201188.224.part2.rar
or
http://rapidgator.net/file/7ba119da5365beedd7d64e7ccbb06340/TheChristmasStoryTheatreofVoicesArsNovaCopenhagenPaulHillier201188.224.part1.rar.html
http://rapidgator.net/file/4b0e371824d9f329587d4db19ed38cea/TheChristmasStoryTheatreofVoicesArsNovaCopenhagenPaulHillier201188.224.part2.rar.html

Perla Barocca: Early Italian Masterpieces – Rachel Podger, Marcin Swiatkiewicz, Daniele Caminiti (2014) [FLAC Stereo 24bit/192kHz + DSF 5.0 Surround DSD64/2.82MHz + DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz]

Wolfgang Rihm – Et Lux – Huelgas Ensemble, Minguet Quartett, Paul Van Nevel (2015) [HRA 24-96]

Arvo Part – Te Deum – Munchner Rundfunkorchester, Peter Dijkstra (2015) [HRA 24-48]

Praetorius – Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble & Chor, Pablo Heras-Casado (2015) [Qobuz 24-48]

Sergey Prokofiev – Piano Concerto No. 3; Symphony No. 5 – Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (2014) [Qobuz 24-96]

Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky – Piano Concerto – Sviatoslav Richter, Stanislaw Wislocki, Herbert von Karajan (1959/63/95/2015) [Qobuz 24-96]

Raffi Besalyan – The Return (2015) [BluRay Audio to FLAC 24bit/192kHz]

Richard Clayderman – Super Best (1984/2015) [e-onkyo 24-192]

Samson Francois – Chopin: Nocturnes Nos.1-19 (1966/2012) [HDTracks 24-96]

Arnold Schoenberg – Gurre-Lieder – Gurzenich-Orchester Koln, Markus Stenz (2015) [hyperion-records 24-96]

Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphonies Nos. 2 & 11 – Mariinsky Orchestra and Chorus, Valery Gergiev (2010) [hyperion-records 24-96]

Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphonies Nos. 3 & 10 – Mariinsky Orchestra & Chorus, Valery Gergiev (2011) [hyperion-records 24-96]

Franz Schubert – Schwanengesang – Matthias Goerne, Christoph Eschenbach (2012) [Qobuz 24-44.1]

Franz Schubert – Symphony no. 9, Five German Dances – Budapest Festival Orchestra, Ivan Fischer (2011) [DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz + FLAC 24bit/192kHz]

Franz Schubert – The Late Piano Sonatas – Paul Lewis (2014) [Qobuz 24-96]

Bedrich Smetana – The Bartered Bride – BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers, Jiri Belohlavek (2012) [eClassical 24-48]

Franz Schubert – Works for piano, vol.2 – Paul Lewis (2012) [Qobuz 24-96]

Igor Stravinsky – Rite of Spring, Firebird Suite, Scherzo, Tango – Budapest Festival Orchestra, Ivan Fischer (2012) [DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz + FLAC 24bit/192kHz]

Toru Takemitsu – How Slow the Wind – Kaoi Sinfonetta Tokyo, Tadaaki Otaka (2001) [eClassical 24-176.4]

The Christmas Story – Theatre of Voices, Ars Nova Copenhagen, Paul Hillier (2011) [Qobuz 24-88.2]