Vocal - Classical Explorer

Chère Nuit: French Songs from Louise Alder and Joseph Middleton

Louise Alder herself describes this programme as "wildly varied"; she has also said that she hopes that the album paints "pictures of a French evening, of mystery, intrigue, discovery, seduction, love, and blissful night"

Bach

Bach from Philippe Herreweghe

Magnificently recorded in Waalse Church, Amsterdam, this is unmissable ...

Vocal

Lise Davidsen stuns on Decca

A major soprano returns:

Vocal

The Miller's Daughter: Andrè Schuen in Schubert

Previously on Classical Explorer, we looked at a fabulous Schubert recital by Klaudia Tandl and Niall Kinsella, who were joined by Gabriele Jacoby in Schubert's Women. Here, though, we begin our exploration of the song-cycles: Die schöne Müllerin, Winterreise and Schwanengesang, occasioned by the release on Deutsche Grammophon of a

Contemporary

The World Was Once All Miracle: The Defiantly Eclectic World of Raymond Yiu

If you like music that is intriguing, entertaining, challenging, sophisticated and sometimes outrageous, you'll like this

Vocal

Where All Roses Go: Apollo5 in Romantic mood

A wonderful, generously filled disc that will surely bring great joy and solace

Early Music

Lassus' matrimonial marathon: Le nozze in Baviera

The disc's journey from religiosity to bawdiness is both involving and fascinating

Schubert

Schubert's Women: a Lieder recital with a difference

Schubert's Women is at once a self-contained offering and also an invitation to seek out more

Vocal

Der Rosenband: Richard Strauss meets Latvia

A new disc from the Latvian label Skani (itself a division of the Latvian Music Information Centre) concentrates on fin-de-siècle, Art nouveau songs by Richard Strauss and two Latvian composers, Alfrēds Kalninš (1879-1951) and Jānis Medinš (1890-1966). Recorded at the Great Amber Concert Hall in Liepāja, Lavtia, Der Rosenband was

Vocal

Strong Son of God: Songs of Faith, Love and Nonsense

Previous posts on Classical Explorer have centred around Somm Recordings' releases of string quartets - and indeed, there will be more. But let's pause and celebrate his vocal music in this brand new release from baritone Roderick Williams and tenor James Way, with Andrew West on piano. Stanford's vocal music

Vocal

English Songs à la française, with love from Canada

What a lovely idea! Songs with English texts set by French composers sung by British Columbia born (now New York resident) baritone Tyler Duncan and his wife, pianist Erika Switzer. Venezuelan-born French composer (he moved to paris while still a child) Reynaldo Hahn's music has a beautiful, fragrant sense of

Baroque

Telemann Christmas Cantatas

If you're looking for an alternative to the expected Christmas playlist, this might well be what you're looking for

Handel

Der Messias: Handel's Messiah in Mozart's version, staged

... the adventurous need not hesitate

Christmas

Christmas in Puebla

A panoramic exploration of Mexico forms the basis of this fascinating disc from the group Siglo de Oro under Patrick Allies. The title refers to a place in Mexico, Puebla de los Ángeles, and the music celebrates the music of one Juan Gutierrez de Padilla (1590-1664), whose music makes up

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. Just one disc today: but what a coupling, Mahler's setting of texts from Des Knaben Wonderhorn (Youth's Magic Horn) and the Adagio from the Tenth Symphony. In some senses the

Beethoven

A Tale of "Two" Concertos

Something new for Beethoven year!

Baroque

Bassoon Cantatas: the revelations of Christoph Graupner

This is actually the third disc on cpo of cantatas by German Baroque composer Christoph Graupner (1683-1760): there has already been one on that label of Epiphany Cantatas, and another of "Solo and Dialogue" Cantatas, plus sundry others of his music. Not only that, but cpo led the renaissance of

Baroque

Versailles Double: Lully and Lalande - a grotto and some fountains

Versailles - surely one of the most beautiful places on Earth - threads through today's post like a golden ray of light. As we turn our attention to Lully's George Dandin, notice the opulent surroundings this video was recorded in while you enjoy the wonderfully tight performance: George Dandin, ou

Baroque

Cafe Zimmermann with Damien Guillon: Lamento

The appeal of this ravishing disc is twofold: one, the astonishing countertenor Damien Guillon, who we have perviously met in the Classical Explorer post on Masaaki Suzuki's incredibly powerful Bach St Matthew Passion and St John Passion; and two, the exploration of music by a number of fascinating composers, including

Mozart

Mozart and Oratorio: Betulia Liberata

How many oratorios did you write when you were 15? Well, Mozart wrote this one, his first, in 1771. Betulia Liberata, K 118, tells the biblical story of Judith and Holofernes. It was commissioned while Mozart was on tour in Italy, chaperoned by his father, Leopold, in 1771; Mozart wrote

Vocal

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