Articles
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Bowers & Wilkins big week (part 1)
|Bowers & Wilkins had a busy week. First there was the launch of the in-car audio, navigation, and comms system of the new Volvo XC90. This was swiftly followed by the announcement of the complete ...read more -
Vangelis Interview
|Although most now associate the name with the Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner soundtracks and the score for Carl Sagan’s epic Cosmos TV series, Vangelis’ career as a composer, musician and producer spans more ...read more -
Demystifying Mastering (Part 1)
|We recently scurried down to deepest, darkest Devon to chew the fat with Simon Heyworth at his beautiful state-of-the-art Super Audio Mastering (SAM) facility. Simon kicked off his audio career in the early-‘70s at Virgin’s ...read more -
The Lyrical Bassoon
|This SACD contains tracks from Saint-Saëns and Elgar and lesser-known composers such as the German born Hindemith and Polish Tansman. The bassoon is an instrument with phenomenal range, which Hannisdal shows off with great ease ...read more -
Bartlomiej Pekiel: Ave Maria, Missa Concertata La Lombardesca, Audite mortales
|This disc is conducted by The Sixteen’s Associate Conductor, Eamonn Dougan. Polish-born Pekiel was one of the most respected composers of choral music of the 17th Century. There are only 29 of his works surviving ...read more -
John Danyel: Like as the lute delights
|This disc contains a total of twenty-five tracks from the English composer and lutenist John Danyel. He was a contemporary of John Dowland and the two of them were said to be the greatest lute ...read more -
Handel: Song for St. Cecilia's Day; Look Down, Harmonious Saint; and Concerto Grosso
|This album consists of three of Handel’s great works: Song for St Cecilia’s Day (HWV 76); Look Down, Harmonious Saint (HWV 124); and Concerto Grosso Op.6 No.7 (HWV 325). The opening overture is beautiful, typically ...read more -
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Decca Sound - The Analogue Years
|54 albums from Decca’s golden years between 1954-1980, sensitively remastered onto CD and packaged with mock original jackets in a thick cardboard box, all for less than £100. How can it get any better than ...read more -
Les nuits d'ete & La mort de Cleopatre
|Les nuits d’été was adapted by Berlioz to add a part for Mezzo-Soprano when he became entwinded with a certain soloist who later became his wife! His musical ability shines through in these pieces as ...read more -
Shostakovich: Symphony 4
|The Fourth is the stuff of legend. In 1936, Dimitri Shostakovich’s music had been denounced in Pravda (allegedly at the behest of Stalin). Shostakovich composed “an artist’s creative response to just criticism” Fifth symphony, and ...read more -
Dvorak: Cello Concertos
|I’m a big fan of Dvorák’s Cello Concertos (especially the B Minor) and have liked Isserlis cello work for years. He claims it’s taken almost 40 years to take on the Dvorák. It’s a bold, ...read more -
Correspondances
|Henri Dutilleux passed away in May this year aged 97. ‘Correspondences’ is a song-cycle based around the poems and letters of Mukherjee, Rilke, Solzhenitsyn and van Gogh, set to music. The disc also features ‘Tout ...read more -
Bach Arias
|This disc of JS Bach Arias contains a beautiful melange of his works. The musicians clearly take their own interpretation on the musical directions; ‘Choral Schubler’ better known as Watchef Auf is a fine example, ...read more -
6 Sonatas for Violin & Piano
|These particular Bach violin sonatas are written (and commonly played) with harpsichord accompaniment, but here it’s a direct transposition to the piano. In fact, this harks back to recordings made before the trend for authenticity ...read more