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Review Deutsche Grammophon  / Tosca - Puccini [1976] (NTSC)
Tracks Tosca - Puccini [1976] (NTSC)
  • Alfredo Mariotti
  • Gianfranco De Bosio
  • Plácido Domingo
  • Giancarlo Luccardi
  • Raina Kabaivanska
  • Sherrill Milnes
Publisher: Deutsche Grammophon
Release date: 2005-05-09
Run time: 116 min.
Creator: Victorien Sardou
RRP: £19.99
Price: £15.56

Review Tosca - Puccini [1976] (NTSC) / Deutsche Grammophon:

Opera is an inherently theatrical medium that does not lend itself readily to the realism of film treatment. The shining exception is Puccini's Tosca, an action-packed melodrama that unfolds in three taut and gripping acts, like the meatiest of Hollywood films noir. And unlike most operas, these three acts are set in three very specific Roman locales. Thus this 1976 film takes place in the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle (Act 1), the Palazzo Farnese (Act 2) and the Castel Sant'Angelo (Act 3). The evocative settings, however, would be mere window-dressing if the cast wasn't just right; fortunately here Placido Domingo is at his virile peak in the heroic tenor role of Cavaradossi; Raina Kabaivanska is a sultry, vocally beautiful Tosca; while a more infamous and domineering Scarpia than that of Sherrill Milnes can hardly be imagined. Bruno Bartoletti and the New Philharmonia Orchestra give lustily dramatic support. Here the music and vocals are pre-recorded and the singers mime to the playback. Occasionally the result is a little unnatural, but overall the cast are good enough actors to bring off the conceit even in the close-ups. It all pays off triumphantly with the gripping realism of the rooftop finale, the one place where film can improve on stage. With the authenticity of the settings assured and such distinguished leads singing so well, this is an almost ideal filmed Tosca. [+]
On the DVD: Tosca on disc is presented in 4:3 ratio with a choice of Dolby 5. 1 or LPCM Stereo. The picture is adequate but a little flat (possibly because the format is NTSC not PAL) and the same can be said for the sound, which does what it should but is never revelatory. Subtitles are provided in the main European languages and Chinese. -Mark Walker.

Review Deutsche Grammophon  / Bizet: Carmen
Tracks Bizet: Carmen
  • "Près des remparts de Séville" - Agnes Baltsa, José Carreras, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
  • Vous avez quelque chose à nous dire...? - Jean-Noel Sissia, Robert Manuel, David Clair, Isabelle Karajan, Maria Laborit, Claudine Coster
  • "Monsieur le brigadier?" / Duo:"Parle-moi de ma mère!" - José Carreras, Katia Ricciarelli, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
  • Choeur: "A dos cuartos!" - Alexander Malta, Anne-Marie Tostain, Michel Marinpouille, Alain Pilard, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Choeur de l'Opéra de Paris, Jean Laforge
  • "La fleur que tu m'avais jetée" - José Carreras, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
  • Choeur et Ensemble: "Vivat! vivat le Toréro!" - Jean-Noel Sissia, Alexander Malta, Claudine Coster, Jane Berbié, David Clair, Michel Marinpouille, Isabelle Karajan, Christine Barbaux, Robert Manuel, Agnes Baltsa, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Choeur de l'Opéra de Paris, Jean Laforge
  • Couplets: "Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre" - José van Dam, Christine Barbaux, Jane Berbié, Agnes Baltsa, Michel Marinpouille, Alexander Malta, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Choeur de l'Opéra de Paris, Jean Laforge
  • Chanson: "Les tringles des sistres tintaient" - Agnes Baltsa, Christine Barbaux, Jane Berbié, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
  • Prélude - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
  • Introduction: "Sur la place chacun passe" - Mikael Melbye, Katia Ricciarelli, Choeur du Théatre National de l'Opéra de Paris, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Jean Laforge
  • "En vain, pour éviter les réponses amères" / "Parlez encore, parlez, mes belles" - Agnes Baltsa, Christine Barbaux, Jane Berbié, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
  • Marche et Choeur des gamins: "Avec la garde montante" - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Schöneberger Sängerknaben, Walter Hagen-Groll
  • Duo final: "C'est toi!" / "C'est moi!" - Agnes Baltsa, José Carreras, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Choeur de l'Opéra de Paris, Jean Laforge
  • (Musique de transition) - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
  • "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" (Havanaise) - Agnes Baltsa, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Choeur du Théatre National de l'Opéra de Paris
Publisher: Deutsche Grammophon
Release date: 1984-11-08
Run time: 63 min.
Creator: Georges Bizet
RRP: £15.99
Price: £8.40

Review Bizet: Carmen / Deutsche Grammophon:


Review Lang Lang Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre Valery Gergiev  / Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.2; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Tracks Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.2; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
  • Variation 6
  • Variation 1
  • Variation 3
  • 2. Adagio sostenuto
  • Variation 17
  • Variation 10
  • 1. Moderato
  • Variation 14
  • Variation 21
  • Variation 11
  • Variation 9
  • 2. Adagio sostenuto
  • Introduction
  • Variation 13
  • Variation 3
  • Variation 17
  • Variation 4
  • 3. Allegro scherzando
  • Variation 20
  • Variation 4
  • Variation 12
  • Theme
  • Variation 1
  • Variation 13
  • Variation 11
  • Variation 24
  • Variation 1
  • Variation 15
  • Variation 10
  • Variation 23
  • Variation 18
  • Variation 19
  • Variation 3
  • Variation 14
  • Variation 9
  • Variation 12
  • Introduction
  • Variation 7
  • Variation 17
  • Variation 16
  • Variation 4
  • Variation 7
  • Variation 8
  • Variation 9
  • Variation 19
  • Variation 19
  • Variation 14
  • Variation 10
  • Variation 13
  • 1. Moderato
  • Variation 16
  • Variation 2
  • Variation 23
  • Introduction
  • 3. Allegro scherzando
  • 2. Adagio sostenuto
  • Variation 15
  • Theme
  • 3. Allegro scherzando
  • Variation 5
  • Variation 20
  • Variation 24
  • Variation 18
  • Variation 24
  • Variation 6
  • Variation 23
  • Variation 8
  • Variation 20
  • Variation 5
  • Variation 21
  • Variation 11
  • Variation 18
  • Variation 5
  • Variation 2
  • Theme
  • Variation 2
  • 1. Moderato
  • Variation 22
  • Variation 8
  • Variation 7
  • Variation 6
  • Variation 12
  • Variation 22
  • Variation 15
  • Variation 16
  • Variation 22
  • Variation 21
Publisher: Universal Classics
Release date: 2005-03-07
Run time: 181 min.
RRP: £16.99
Price: £10.92

Review Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.2; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini / Lang Lang Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre Valery Gergiev:


Review London Philharmonic Orchestra  / Vaughan Williams - Complete Symphonies Publisher: Cfp
Release date: 2002-09-09
Creator: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir
RRP: £27.99
Price: £16.75

Review Vaughan Williams - Complete Symphonies / London Philharmonic Orchestra:


Review Universal Classics & Jazz  / Britten - Billy Budd - Mackerras [1966]
Tracks Britten - Billy Budd - Mackerras [1966]
  • Michael Langdon
  • Benjamin Luxon
  • Peter Glossop
  • Robert Tear
  • Peter Pears
  • Basil Coleman
Publisher: Universal Classics & Jazz
Release date: 2008-06-09
Run time: 158 min.
Creator: Charles Mackerras
RRP: £19.99
Price: £13.94

Review Britten - Billy Budd - Mackerras [1966] / Universal Classics & Jazz:


Review EMI Classics  / Vaughan Williams - Tallis Fantasia etc Publisher: EMI Classics
Release date: 2003-10-13
Run time: 77 min.
Creator: Bernard Haitink
RRP: £6.99
Price: £4.66

Review Vaughan Williams - Tallis Fantasia etc / EMI Classics:


Review Decca  / Rossini - Il Barbiere Di Siviglia (Weikert, Met. Opera Orch) [Blu-ray] [2005]
Tracks Rossini - Il Barbiere Di Siviglia (Weikert, Met. Opera Orch) [Blu-ray] [2005]
  • Ruggero Raimondi
  • Juan Diego Flórez
  • Bruno Praticò
  • Pietro Spagnoli
  • Ángel Luis Ramírez
  • María Bayo
Publisher: Decca
Release date: 2008-10-06
Creator: Gianluigi Gelmetti
RRP: £19.99
Price: £14.59

Review Rossini - Il Barbiere Di Siviglia (Weikert, Met. Opera Orch) [Blu-ray] [2005] / Decca:


Review Josquin Desprez  / Tallis Scholars Sing Josquin
Tracks Tallis Scholars Sing Josquin
  • Gloria
  • Credo
  • Credo
  • Credo
  • Agnus Dei
  • Gloria
  • Gloria
  • Sanctus & Benedictus
  • Kyrie
  • Agnus Dei
  • Anonymous Chanson: L'homme Arme
  • Plainchant: Pange Lingua
  • Sanctus & Benedictus
  • Gloria
  • Sanctus & Benedictus
  • Kyrie
  • Ave Maria 4w
  • Agnus Dei
  • Credo
  • Sanctus & Benedictus
  • Kyrie
  • Agnus Dei
  • Praeter Rerum Seriem
  • Kyrie
Publisher: Gimell
Release date: 2006-02-27
Run time: 149 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £10.79

Review Tallis Scholars Sing Josquin / Josquin Desprez:


Review Ludwig Van Beethoven  / Beethoven: Piano Sonatas VIII - Sonatas opp. 109, 110, 111
Tracks Beethoven: Piano Sonatas VIII - Sonatas opp. 109, 110, 111
  • Adagio ma non troppo - Fuga. Allegro ma non troppo
  • Moderato cantabile molto espressivo
  • Allegro molto
  • Vivace, ma non troppo - Adagio esspressivo
  • Arietta. Adagio molto semplice e cantabile
  • Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato
  • Prestissimo
  • Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo
Publisher: ECM New Series
Release date: 2008-10-27
Run time: 65 min.
RRP: £14.99
Price: £9.83

Review Beethoven: Piano Sonatas VIII - Sonatas opp. 109, 110, 111 / Ludwig Van Beethoven:


Review ECM New Series  / Pärt: Tabula Rasa
Tracks Pärt: Tabula Rasa
  • Tabula Rasa
  • Fratres
  • Fratres
  • Cantus In Memory Of Benjamin Britten
Publisher: ECM New Series
Release date: 1988-07-01
Run time: 55 min.
Creator: Alfred Schnittke
RRP: £14.99
Price: £9.76

Review Pärt: Tabula Rasa / ECM New Series:

This package presents two of Arvo Pürt's most familiar works-already indisputable classics-Tabula Rasa and Fratres. For all of their "minimalist" technique, there's a fathomless-call it timeless, if you will-beauty to these scores the deeper you plunge into their hypnotic sound world. The best place to discover them remains ECM's breakthrough release Tabula Rasa. Unlike Gidon Kremer (the superb interpreter of that recording), and despite an epiphany he mentions in the booklet-likening this music to the desert landscape of Utah-Gil Shaham doesn't seem to grasp one of the key components of that beauty: its austerity, its distance, as through a glass. There's an exquisite finish to his tone, to be sure, but Shaham essentially over-romanticises this music, coating it with a lovely but undifferentiated sheen, although he does hint at the vocal character of his lines. Passages of Fratres thus sound curiously tamed, as if we could be listening to such pastoral blandishments as The Lark Ascending or, in Tabula Rasa, to a Vivaldi andante. Despite this disappointment, the disc offers a thoroughly compelling account of the Third Symphony (1971) by its dedicatee, Neeme Järvi. It's fascinating to hear Pärt's points of origin-Soviet music, chant from the Orthodox Church, the fascination with bell sounds-so clearly delineated and transmogrified as in this work. Järvi molds its colourful but sombre scoring into vividly dramatic shapes, hinting at Shostakovich in the chasm-deep bass lines tugging against the piercing treble or-as in the haunting opening solo-at the bleak majesty of a Sibelius landscape. The very success of Pärt's better-known works has tended to obscure the quality of such earlier pieces, but this performance helps widen the perspective to a more inclusive one. [+]
-Thomas May.

Review EMI Classics  / Bach - Violin Concertos
Tracks Bach - Violin Concertos
  • Vn Con in a, BWV 1041: III. Allegro Assai
  • Vn Con in g, BWV 1056: III. Presto
  • Vn Con in a, BWV 1041: II. Andante
  • Vn Con in g, BWV 1056: II. Largo
  • Vn Con in E, BWV 1042: II. Adagio
  • Vn Con in E, BWV 1042: III. Allegro Assai
  • Vn Con in a, BWV 1041: I. (Allegro)
  • Vn Con in g, BWV 1056: I. (Allegro)
  • Con in d, BWV 1043: II. Largo Ma Non Tanto - Pinchas Zukerman
  • Vn Con in E, BWV 1042: I. Allegro
  • Con in d, BWV 1043: III. Allegro - Pinchas Zukerman
  • Con in d, BWV 1043: I. Vivace - Pinchas Zukerman
Publisher: EMI Classics
Release date: 2001-08-06
Run time: 65 min.
Creator: Pinchas Zukerman
RRP: £6.99
Price: £3.66

Review Bach - Violin Concertos / EMI Classics:


Review Noel Rawsthorne/Wayne Marshall  / Unforgettable Classics - Organ
Tracks Unforgettable Classics - Organ
  • Benediction nuptiale
  • Carillon de Westminster
  • Air 'on the G string'
  • Toccata
  • The Ride of the Valkyries
  • Messiah: Hallelujah Chorus
  • Danse macabre
  • Toccata and Fugue in D minor
  • Marche militare No. 1 in D
  • Marche pontifcale
  • The Londonderry Air
  • The Prince Of Denmark's March: Trumpet Voluntary
Publisher: Cfp
Release date: 1998-04-06
Run time: 71 min.
RRP: £4.99
Price: £3.74

Review Unforgettable Classics - Organ / Noel Rawsthorne/Wayne Marshall:


Review Original Soundtrack  / Fiddler on the Roof - 30th Anniversary Edition
Tracks Fiddler on the Roof - 30th Anniversary Edition
  • Far From The Home I Love - Holdel Tevye And Orchestra
  • Wedding Procession - Soundtrack Orchestra
  • Matchmaker, Matchmaker - Tzeitel Hodel Charva And Orchestra
  • Do You Love Me - Sound Track Tevye Gold And Orchestra
  • Sunrise Sunset - Tevye Golde Hodel Isaac Stern And Orchestra
  • First Act Finale - Soundtrack Orchestra
  • Rejection Scene - Tevye Chava And Orchestra
  • Miracle Of Miracles - Motel And Orchestra
  • Anatevka - Isaac Stern And Orchestra
  • Wedding Procession - Orchestra
  • Sabbath Prayer - Tevye Golde Chrorus Isaac Stern And Orchestra
  • Chava Ballet Sequence - Tevye Isaac Stern And Orchestra
  • Finale - Orchestra And Tevye Golde Laz
  • If I Were A Rich Man - Tevye And Orchestra
  • Wedding Celebration And The Bottle Dance - John Williams Chorus And Orchestra
  • Tevye's Dream - Tevye Golde Grandmother Tzeitel Fruma
  • Any Day Now - Isaac Stern And Orchestra
  • To Life - Tevye Lazar Wolf Chorus And Orchestra
  • Prologue And Tradition - Tevye Chorus Isaac Stern And Orchestra
Publisher: EMI
Release date: 2001-10-15
Run time: 69 min.
RRP: £13.99
Price: £6.74

Review Fiddler on the Roof - 30th Anniversary Edition / Original Soundtrack:


Review Wilhelm Kempff  / SCHUMANN: Piano Works: Wilhelm Kempff
Tracks SCHUMANN: Piano Works: Wilhelm Kempff
  • Etude V
  • 2. Mäßig. Durchaus energisch - Etwas langsamer - Vielbewegter
  • 5. Sehr lebhaft
  • 8. Frisch
  • 7. Nicht schnell
  • 6. Sehr langsam
  • 2. Kuriose Geschichte
  • 3. Mit grosser Lebhaftigkeit
  • 7. Sehr rasch
  • 2. Pierrot
  • 3. Sehr aufgeregt
  • Etude IV
  • Etude I
  • 10. A.S.C.H.-S.C.H.A. (Lettres dansantes)
  • 16. Mit gutem Humor
  • 3. Einsame Blumen
  • Introduzione. Moderato - No. 1 - 12
  • No. 2 in F sharp (Einfach)
  • 1. Lebhaft
  • 1. Durchaus fantastisch und leidenschaftlich vorzutragen - Im Legenden-Ton
  • 4. Rondo (Presto - Etwas langsamer - Prestissimo, quasi cadenza - Immer schneller und schneller)
  • Etude XI
  • Etude VIII
  • 1. Äusserst bewegt
  • 1. Préambule
  • 9. Lebhaft
  • 18. Nicht schnell
  • 8. Réplique - Sphinxes
  • 3. Etwas hahnbüchen
  • 21. Marche des "Davidsbündler" contre les Philistins
  • 10. Fast zu ernst
  • Etude III
  • 5. Einfach
  • 15. Pantalon et Colombine
  • 11. Chiarina
  • 2. Sehr innig und nicht zu rasch - Intermezzo I (Sehr lebhaft) - Tempo I - Intermezzo II (Etwas bewegter) - Tempo I
  • 12. Mit Humor
  • 7. Coquette
  • 2. Andantino
  • 4. Einfach
  • 13. Estrella
  • 12. Kind im Einschlummern
  • 19. Promenade. Comodo
  • 7. Träumerei
  • 13. Der Dichter spricht
  • 4. Sehr langsam
  • Etude XII (Finale)
  • Einfach und zart - Intermezzo - (Wie vorher -) Innig
  • 3. Hasche-Mann
  • Theme. Andante
  • 5. Freundliche Landschaft
  • 16a. Valse Allemande
  • 5. Glückes genug
  • Hastig - Nach und nach immer lebhafter und stärker - Wie vorher - Adagio
  • Etude X
  • Etude VI
  • 13. Wild und lustig
  • Einfach - Sehr rasch und leicht - Noch rascher - Erstes Tempo - Wie im Anfang
  • Sehr lebhaft - Mit einigem Pomp - Zum Beschluß - Allegro
  • 2. Innig
  • 4. Ungeduldig
  • 12. Chopin
  • 14. Zart und singend
  • 1. Von fremden Ländern und Menschen
  • Etude II
  • 10. Balladenmässig, sehr rasch
  • 9. Ritter vom Steckenpferd
  • 11. Einfach
  • 3. Langsam getragen. Durchweg leise zu halten - Etwas bewegter
  • 18. Aveu. Passionato
  • No. 1 in B flat minor (Sehr markiert)
  • Etude IX
  • 2. Jäger auf der Lauer
  • No. 3 in B (Sehr markiert)
  • 1. Eintritt
  • 4. Bittendes Kind
  • 9. Novellette
  • 8. Am Kamin
  • 1. So rasch wie möglich - Schneller - Noch schneller
  • 6. Herberge
  • 5. Eusebius
  • 9. Papillons
  • 11. Fürchtenmachen
  • 6. Wichtige Begebenheit
  • 15. Frisch
  • 4. Verrufene Stelle
  • 14. Reconnaissance
  • 17. Wie aus der Ferne
  • 16b. Intermezzo: Paganini
  • 7. Vogel als Prophet
  • 8. Schnell und spielend
  • 3. Arlequin
  • Leicht und zart - Minore I.Etwas langsamer - Minore II Etwas langsamer - Zum Schluss (Coda).Langsamer
  • 6. Sehr rasch
  • 2. Markiert und lebhaft
  • Etude VII
  • 6. Florestan
  • 20. Pause. Vivo
  • 3. Scherzo (Sehr rasch und markiert)
  • 8. Jagdlied
  • 1. Mehr langsam, oft zurückhaltend
  • 9. Abschied
  • 4. Valse noble
Publisher: Universal Classics
Release date: 2001-06-25
Run time: 297 min.
RRP: £24.99
Price: £11.96

Review SCHUMANN: Piano Works: Wilhelm Kempff / Wilhelm Kempff:

Wilhelm Kempff believed Schumann's composition suffered as his madness encroached, and he did not therefore play all his works, but this four-CD set, Piano Works, feels admirably comprehensive. Dating from this German master's later period-he went on playing until he was 85-it is as majestic a testament to his genius as the Beethoven sonatas which he recorded three times during his life. Kempff, born in 1895, had a direct link with the Romantic era: he studied with Busoni, and his principal teacher, Barth, had studied with Bulow-who was married to the daughter of Liszt. For Kempff, a recording was "a little piece of eternal life" and the record-player "a mirror for the ear": no pianist ever took the process more seriously. Which is one reason why this box is so treasurable. His hallmark is a glowing cantabile-no doubt attributable to the fact that he began his career as a cathedral organist-and he seems blissfully unbothered about virtuoso point-scoring. The Études symphoniques open with passionate languor; Kreisleriana are full of charm; and the Humoreske-which he waited decades to be ready to play-are intensely vivid. -Michael Church.

Review Various Artists  / An Equal Music / Verwandte Stimmen - Music From the Novel
Tracks An Equal Music / Verwandte Stimmen - Music From the Novel
  • WA Mozart: Sonata for Piano and Violin in E minor, K304/300c
  • The Lark Ascending - Iona Brown, The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Neville Marriner
  • Schubert: Quartettsatz in C minor, D703
  • 2. Adagio - Hagen Quartett, Lukas Hagen, Rainer Schmidt, Veronika Hagen, Clemens Hagen
  • 3. Menuet - Hagen Quartett, Lukas Hagen, Rainer Schmidt, Veronika Hagen, Clemens Hagen
  • Contrapunctus I - Rustem Hayroudinoff
  • JS Bach: Contrapunctus 1 from The Art of Fugue, BMV 1080 for string Quartet
  • Schubert: Trout Quintet Forellenquintett, D667
  • 4. Fuga a 3 soggetti. Allegro - Hagen Quartett, Lukas Hagen, Rainer Schmidt, Veronika Hagen, Clemens Hagen
  • 2. Tempo di minuetto - Maria João Pires, Augustin Dumay
  • Hadyn: Quartet in A major, op.20 no.6, Hob.III:36
  • JS Bach: Contrapunctus 1 from The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080 for Piano
  • 3. Largo - Philippe Honoré, Rustem Hayroudinoff
  • JS Bach: Partita No.3 in E major, BWV 1006 I Preludio
  • Schubert: String Quartet in C major, D956 III Scherzo -- Trio
  • 1. Allegro - Maria João Pires, Augustin Dumay
  • Contrapunctus I - Maya Iwabuchi, Philippe Honoré, Clive Howard, Sally Pendlebury
  • Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending
  • Vivaldi: "Manchester Sonata" No.1 in C major, RV 3 III Largo -- Trio
  • Allegro assai - Hagen Quartett
  • Beethoven: String Quartet in C minor, op.104
  • 3. Scherzo (Presto) - Trio (Andante sostenuto) - Mstislav Rostropovich, Melos Quartet
Publisher: Decca
Release date: 2000-01-17
Run time: 157 min.
Creator: Vikram Seth
RRP: £14.99
Price: £9.54

Review An Equal Music / Verwandte Stimmen - Music From the Novel / Various Artists:

Vikram Seth's novel An Equal Music is as evocative a portrait of the world of chamber music as you could wish for, but Seth is the first to say that words "can only attempt to describe what cannot truly be described". This two-CD set adds the inevitably missing dimension to a great book, with performances of works which feature in the story. They include the world-premiere recording of Beethoven's String Quintet in C minor, an obscure work which is central to the plot. This, like the rest of the selection, is beautifully played and recorded, for this is not a collection of second-rate recordings cobbled together to suit the theme. Vikram Seth himself has chosen the performances and, with performers of the stature of Iona Brown and Andras Schiff, the playing is as good as it gets. Included in the selection is Schubert's celebrated "Trout" Quintet. If the book gives a taste for the music and vice versa, these CDs will also get us delving further into this delightful and infectious repertoire. -Keith Clarke.

Review Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band  / Bruce Springsteen Live In New York City
Tracks Bruce Springsteen Live In New York City
  • Badlands
  • Don't Look Back
  • American Skin (41 Shots)
  • Land Of Hope And Dreams
  • Youngstown
  • Murder Incorporated
  • If I Should Fall Behind
  • The River
  • Ramrod
  • Lost In The Flood
  • Born In The USA
  • Prove It All Night
  • Born to Run
  • Jungleland
  • My Love Will Not Let You Down
  • Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
  • Two Hearts
  • Out In The Street
  • Mansion On The Hill
  • Atlantic City
Publisher: Columbia
Release date: 2001-04-02
RRP: £13.99
Price: £6.64

Review Bruce Springsteen Live In New York City / Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band:

Culled from the two Madison Square Garden shows that closed out the revived E Street Band's 1999-2000 tour, the 19 songs on Live In New York City deftly entwine fan favourites with fresher material, including two new offerings, the stately "Land of Hope and Dreams" and the solemn "American Skin"-the latter prompted by the shooting of unarmed New Yorker Amadou Diallo by police officers. When Springsteen and company (including both Miami Steve Van Zandt and his successor, Nils Lofgren, on guitar) look back, they temper the force of the original arrangements with ingenuity and a sense of spacing. The E Street Band in their heyday may have served up four-hour marathons, but they felt stopwatch-tight. Here Springsteen reconciles his rocker and reflective sides as "The River" curves along through a serpentine course, "Mansion on the Hill" is given a curious (albeit lovely) Hawaiian treatment and "Born in the U. S. A. " resurfaces as a deep-blues lament. The gang can still muster a take-no-prisoners attack, as witnessed by the hard-charging likes of "Two Hearts" and "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out". -Steven Stolder.

Review Libera  / Libera - Visions
Tracks Libera - Visions
  • Libera
  • Sing For Ever
  • New Day
  • Abide With Me
  • Sempiterna
  • Ave Maria
  • Prayer (From Hansel & Gretel)
  • Always With You
  • We Are The Lost
  • Locus iste (Sanctus)
  • Recordare
  • Wings Of A Dove
  • Something Sings
Publisher: EMI Classics
Release date: 2005-11-07
Run time: 52 min.
RRP: £8.99
Price: £5.32

Review Libera - Visions / Libera:


Review Orchestra Mozart Claudio Abbado  / Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 29, 33, 35
Tracks Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 29, 33, 35 "Haffner", 38 "Prague", 41 "Jupiter"
  • 2. Andante moderato
  • 2. Andante
  • 3. Finale (Presto)
  • 3. Menuetto
  • 1. Allegro assai
  • 3. Menuetto
  • 3. Menuetto
  • 4. Allegro con spirito
  • 4. Finale (Presto)
  • 4. Molto allegro
  • 1. Allegro moderato
  • 2. Andante
  • 2. Andante cantabile
  • 4. Allegro assai
  • 1. Adagio - Allegro
  • 2. Andante
  • 1. Allegro vivace
  • 3. Menuetto (Allegretto)
  • 1. Allegro con spirito
Publisher: Universal Classics
Release date: 2008-07-14
Run time: 147 min.
RRP: £22.99
Price: £13.37

Review Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 29, 33, 35 "Haffner", 38 "Prague", 41 "Jupiter" / Orchestra Mozart Claudio Abbado:


Review Warner Music Vision  / Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake [1996]
Tracks Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake [1996]
  • Matthew Bourne
  • Scott Ambler
  • Emily Piercy
  • Adam Cooper
  • Peter Mumford
  • Barry Atkinson
  • Fiona Chadwick
Publisher: Warner Music Vision
Release date: 1998-10-05
Run time: 117 min.
Creator: Katharine Doré
RRP: £19.99
Price: £11.52

Review Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake [1996] / Warner Music Vision:

This Swan Lake was the unexpected popular hit of 1996, when radical choreographer Matthew Bourne took Tchaikovsky's traditional ballet by the scruff of the neck and reworked it with a myriad of modern influences and themes to astonishing effect. Seldom have the dark psychological riptides at the heart of so many classical ballets been so brilliantly exposed. The Prince (Scott Ambler) is a wretched and dissolute young man dominated by his mother, the Joan Collins-like Queen (Fiona Ambler). Shades of Tennessee Williams, indeed. Von Rothbart becomes a press secretary, more sinister éminence grise than hissable villain. Most startling of all, The Swan (Adam Cooper) is a muscular, emphatically masculine male. Bourne has stressed the universality of his interpretation, which proved such a success for his Adventures in Motion Pictures dance company. And indeed this is never an overtly "gay" Swan Lake, although the electricity of the pas de deux at the height of Act 2 delivers a palpably homoerotic charge. Its universal threads-as Bourne suggests, the need to be held and understood is common to us all-are synthesised in the utterly moving conclusion as the Swan cradles the lifeless Prince and raises him to a better place. Swan Lake becomes a human, rather than simply romantic, tragedy. [+]
On the DVD: Swan Lake is presented in full screen 4:3 video format and this version would certainly have benefited from widescreen to show off the dazzling court and night club scenes as well as the lake and the impact of the all-male swan corps de ballet. But the lush Dolby Digital 5. 1 Surround Sound serves the rich interpretation of Tchaikovsky's score from The New London Orchestra to handkerchief-wringing effect. Extras include menu-driven resumes and a synopsis. -Piers Ford.

Review Naxos  / Satie: Best of
Tracks Satie: Best of
  • Trois Gymnopedies (Pno Version): No.2. Lent Et Triste
  • Trois Gymnopedies (Orchestral Version): No.3. Lent Et Grave - Orchestre Symphonique Et Lyrique De Nancy
  • Trois Nocturnes: Deuxieme Nocturne
  • Six Gnossiennes: No.3. Lent
  • Six Gnossiennes: No.5. Modere
  • Trois Gymnopedies (Pno Version): No.3. Lent Et Grave
  • Six Gnossiennes: No.2. Avec Etonnement
  • Trois Nocturnes: Premier Nocturne
  • Reverie Du Pauvre
  • Sarabandes: Troisieme Sarabande
  • Trois Gymnopedies (Orchestral Version): No.2. Lent Et Triste - Orchestre Symphonique Et Lyrique De Nancy
  • Six Gnossiennes: No.4. Lent
  • Six Gnossiennes: No.6. Avec Conviction Et Une Tristesse Rigoureuse
  • Je Te Veux (Valse)
  • La Diva De L'Empire (Intermezzo Americain D'apres La Celebre Chanson)
  • Trois Gymnopedies (Pno Version): No.1. Lent Et Douloureux
  • Trois Gymnopedies (Orchestral Version): No.1. Lent Et Couloureux - Orchestre Symphonique Et Lyrique De Nancy
  • Avant-dernieres Pensees: 1. Idylle/2. Aubade/3. Meditation
  • Sarabandes: Deuxieme Sarabande
  • Sarabandes: Premiere Sarabande
  • Trois Nocturnes: Troisieme Nocturne
  • Les Trois Valses Distinguees Du Precieux Degoute: 1. Sa Taille/2. Son Binoche/3. Ses Jambes
  • Six Gnossiennes: No.1. Lent
Publisher: Naxos
Release date: 2000-05-01
Run time: 68 min.
Creator: Erik Satie
RRP: £5.99
Price: £4.12

Review Satie: Best of / Naxos:


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