It's only a matter of time until everyone in the world has a copy of Dennis Brain's 1954 recordings of Mozart's Horn Concerto. And why shouldn't they? Witty, sweet, noble, and tender, the works themselves are the peak of the solo horn repertoire and Brain's performances are the living, breathing incarnation of the works. His tone is warm and ...
Why not another record another Le nozze di Figaro? When this studio performance was taped in 1959, there had already been three great postwar recordings of the work -- the 1950 Karajan, the 1953 Furtwängler, and the 1955 Kleiber -- plus Böhm's 1956 and 1957 performances were surreptitiously available as pirate recordings from Europe, so it's not ...
EMI's 1957 Il barbiere di Siviglia remains near the top of the pack of recorded performances of the opera. As important as the fine cast is in making this a memorable version, it's a work that needs top-notch conducting to make its fullest impact, and Alceo Galliera leads the Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus in a quicksilver performance that ...
Wilhelm Furtwängler's 1952 EMI recording of Tristan und Isolde with the Philharmonia Orchestra is a gold standard among recordings of the opera. The integrity of his vision and his command of the opera's large structural elements make this a version that is widely admired by listeners who love the opera. Although his reading is never rushed, and ...
The album seen here is the third release of this particular recording; obviously the folks at EMI/Virgin Classics know a good thing when they hear it. Sadly, pianist Mikhail Pletnev -- a gold medal winner in the Tchaikovsky Competition and the founding conductor of the Russian National Orchestra -- gets no mention whatsoever in these liner notes. ...
Though there are good reasons for hearing other recordings of Der Rosenkavalier -- the endlessly attractive 1954 Decca recording with Reining, Jurinac, Gueden, and Weber with Erich Kleiber leading the Vienna Philharmonic or the luminously appealing 1994 DG recording with Lott, von Otter, Bonney, and Moll with Carlos Kleiber, Erich's son, leading ...
Although it is certainly possible to debate the relative merits of violinist David Oistrakh's recordings of the standard nineteenth century German concerto repertoire -- is his Beethoven concerto really the purest? Is his Mendelssohn concerto really the lightest? Is his Brahms concerto really the most lyrical? It is impossible to debate the merits ...
Despite what one might initially think, the best performances here are not the Brahms Alto Rhapsody or even the Mahler lieder. No, as great as those performances are -- and they are assuredly among the greatest recordings of those works ever made -- the best performances here are the Liebestod from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde and "Abscheulicher!" ...
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
![Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker [Highlights]](http://images.alibris.com/cover/l66551o8f53_t.jpg)
Portions of content provided by All Music Guide or All Movie Guide. © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All Music Guide and All Movie Guide are registered Trademarks of All Media Guide, LLC.