Orchestral - Classical Explorer (Page 4)

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Orchestral

A collection of 94 posts

Per la notte di Natale: Italian Christmas Concertos

Italian Baroque

Per la notte di Natale: Italian Christmas Concertos

The period instrument Danish group Concerto Copenhagen has appeared on a variety of labels; they offer impeccably polished, beautiful performances of the most famous of instrumental Christmas music here under the direction of Lars Ulrik Mortensen. The idea of the "Christmas Concerto" is native to Italy. Nice to

Complete Sibelius Symphonies from Minnesota

Complete Sibelius Symphonies from Minnesota

A little while ago, Classical Explorer looked at Sibelius' Kullervo [https://www.classicalexplorer.com/sibelius-kullervo-vanska/] and, with it, Osmo Vänskä's second recording in the single-disc format. All of which coincides nicely with the release of the four-SACD boxed set from BIS of Vänskä's latest Sibelius

Youth's Magic Horn ... Boulez conducts Mahler

Youth's Magic Horn ... Boulez conducts Mahler

A little while ago, Classical Explorer undertook a comparison post of five recordings of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde [https://www.classicalexplorer.com/a-tale-of-four-earths/]. Just one disc today: but what a coupling, Mahler's setting of texts from Des Knaben Wonderhorn (Youth's Magic Horn)

An American Celebration: Gershwin, Harbison, Tower, Piston

An American Celebration: Gershwin, Harbison, Tower, Piston

Glorious Americana in powerful performances

Reawakened: Clarinet Concertos from England and Scotland

Reawakened: Clarinet Concertos from England and Scotland

The title of this disc is lovely and perfectly apt: a reawakening of music that really deserves currency. There is a rich vein of gems to be mined in the catalogue of English music, and in fact Robert Plane has provided one of the finest recordings of one of the

Britten Sinfonia da Requiem in a remarkable performance from Birmingham

Britten Sinfonia da Requiem in a remarkable performance from Birmingham

The Lithuanian conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla has already made huge waves in the record industry, what with her Weinberg DG recording receiving the coveted Gramophone "Record of the Year" Award, 2020. She signed an exclusive Deutsche Grammofon contract in 2019 (another coveted honour). Gražinytė-Tyla is at the head of

Images from the Great Siege: Alexey Shor on Naxos

Images from the Great Siege: Alexey Shor on Naxos

Music that can conjure myriad images

Britten's Violin Concerto

Britten's Violin Concerto

Britten's operas - rightly - receive a huge amount of attention, and one should perhaps mention that the recent Peter Grimes on Chandos is remarkable as well as acknowledging with sadness the passing of that recording's astonishing Ellen Orford, the wonderful Erin Wall. Britten's

The heady, complex and beautiful music of Thomas Adès

The heady, complex and beautiful music of Thomas Adès

No-one is going to pretend the music of Thomas Adès is going to be easy. Like much of the best music, it reveals its secrets over time. I was very, very taken with his opera The Exterminating Angel [https://seenandheard-international.com/2017/04/ades-conducts-ades-at-the-royal-opera-a-breathtaking-premiere-of-the-exterminating-angel/] (after the stunning 1962 surrealist film

Sir Mark Elder conducts Vaughan Williams

Sir Mark Elder conducts Vaughan Williams

The Hallé Orchestra has long been associated with English music, and Sir Mark Elder has done much to extend this tradition. Here we have a mouthwatering coupling of songs (Songs of Travel) and the ballet, Job. The Songs of Travel (1901-1904) feature the excellent bass-baritone Neal Davies, winner of the

Paavo Järvi and the joy of Franz Schmidt

Paavo Järvi and the joy of Franz Schmidt

This is when the idea of exploration of the repertoire really comes into its own

‘ARMENIA’ International Music Festival

‘ARMENIA’ International Music Festival

Armenia hosts a feast of the music of Alexey Shor

Mariss Jansons' live Shostakovich 5

Mariss Jansons' live Shostakovich 5

The passing of Latvian conductor Mariss Jansons in Saint Petersburg in November 2019 was a huge loss for the music world. His father, Arvīds Jansons (more often known to the musical public as Arvid Jansons) was a fine and respected conductor himself, who regularly conducted Manchester's Hallé Orchestra.

The Philharmonia's new conductor, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, in Tchaikovsky

The Philharmonia's new conductor, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, in Tchaikovsky

Exciting times at the Philharmonia: the Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali takes over from his compatriot, Esa-Pekka Salonen, at the helm of the Philharmonia Orchestra in the 2021/22 (currently, his title is Principal Conductor Designate). At the moment, Rouvali heads orchestras in Gothenburg (Sweden) and Tampere (Finland). The COVID situation

New Brahms 4s from Sweden and Austria

New Brahms 4s from Sweden and Austria

Some mellow Brahms for a Sunday, his beautiful Fourth Symphony

Claudio Abbado and a Little Russian ...

Claudio Abbado and a Little Russian ...

The so-called "Little Russian" was my introduction to Tchaikovsky's earlier symphonies, in the incandescent performance we recommend today

East meets West: The Music of Airat Ichmouratov

East meets West: The Music of Airat Ichmouratov

What do you get when a Tartarstan-born, Kazan-raised composer-kletzmer clarinettist-conductor meets the eclectic life of North America?

Internationalist Elgar: Barenboim and Garanca's Sea Pictures

Internationalist Elgar: Barenboim and Garanca's Sea Pictures

Daniel Barenboim and Elīna Garanča in simply beautiful performances of Elgar

Discovering Schumann, and more ...

Discovering Schumann, and more ...

Hear Schumann's Cello Concerto in a new light; explore the music of Alfredo Piatti.