Manufacturer: Virgin Classics
Stephen Hough's recording of Saint-Saëns' piano concertos comes as no surprise: he is our leading champion of once-lost pianistic causes--Scharwenka, Sauer and Mompou being among the composers he has brilliantly committed to disc. For all his fame, Saint-Saëns is a harder cause to champion than any of the above, since his music really is at times mere padding. But what those who deride him fail to ...
Manufacturer: Hyperion
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
Manufacturer: Decca
If you don't already have the complete Rachmaninov concertos, you can buy this version with total confidence. There may be better recordings of the individual works (such as the legendary Michelangeli in No. 4 or Argerich in No. 3) but this remains the finest complete recording, unrivalled since it was made in the early 1970s. Only the boxy sound (in itself not bad enough to lessen the ...
Manufacturer: Universal Classics
"What is this music?" Fundamentally, it's an exploration of what happens when an improvisatory instrumental voice (saxophone) is placed into the world of early vocal music, which has elements of both improvisation and formal structure. In reality, it's an adventure in which the four male voices of the Hilliard Ensemble travel the 14th and 15th-century territory of Morales and Dufay, visit the ...
Manufacturer: ECM New Series
Manufacturer: EMI
Whoever first dreamt up the title "The Only Piano/Opera/Banjo Album You'll Ever Need" must have been hoping record buyers wouldn't take it too literally. A translation would be "We Hope That When You've Listened To This You'll Want To Buy Lots More Piano/Opera/Banjo Albums". So as an attempt to lure listeners into the world of the piano, how does this set measure up? Most of the all-time favourite ...
Manufacturer: Victor
Manufacturer: Channel Classics
