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We continue our exploration of Carlo Maria Giulini's discographic legacy with a lesser-known aspect of his career, one that was nevertheless decisive in shaping his future as a conductor: opera. He recorded relatively few, apart from a few legendary recordings such as his Don Giovanni, and for a long time refused to conduct from the late 1960s onwards, tired of the constant ego clashes that undermined opera houses.

Iphigénie en Tauride draws all of Gluck’s opera reforms to their natural conclusion and a work of great power and beauty is the result. Iphigénie en Tauride is Gluck's most dramatically involving work. It is about familial love and deep friendship, but the waters run deep, and noble aims of sacrifice, duty and protection are played out within the taut drama. Containing much of Gluck's best music.

An unknown future. A boy confesses to the murder of another in an all-boy juvenile detention facility. More an exercise in style than storytelling, the story follows two detectives trying to uncover the case. Homosexual tension and explosive violence drives the story which delivers some weird and fascinating visuals.

The Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and its Music Director Gustavo Gimeno present a composer portrait of César Franck. The album features the famous Symphony in D Minor, as well as the lesser known, but equally enchanting Symphonic Variations for piano and orchestra, with Denis Kozhukhin as soloist.

The Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and its Music Director Gustavo Gimeno present a composer portrait of César Franck. The album features the famous Symphony in D Minor, as well as the lesser known, but equally enchanting Symphonic Variations for piano and orchestra, with Denis Kozhukhin as soloist. Born in Liege but raised in Paris, Franck synthesized Wagnerism with French musical traditions, resulting in a fine equilibrium between a voluptuous orchestral sound and audacious harmonies on the one hand, and lucidity and graceful charm on the other. While the three-movement symphony follows a from-darkness-to-light trajectory, the delightful Variations oscillate between symphonic poem and miniature piano concerto.

Prokofiev's 1927 ballet Le Pas d'Acier (The Step of Steel), given here in its rarely encountered complete form, is known for its motoric character and colorful scoring. Its sketchy story concerns the industrialization of the fledgling Soviet Union. Michail Jurowski's reading of the score is fairly straightforward and features excellent sound and fine playing by the WDR Sinfonie Orchester Köln. But occasionally the pacing is a bit deliberate and the phrasing bland, as in the opening number "Entrée des personages" and in the closing pair "Les Marteaux" (No. 10) and Finale (No. 11). The mechanistic qualities of the music – so essential to any good performance of this work – certainly come through with power in these numbers, and the epic and festive character of "Changement de décors" (No. 7) is brilliantly realized. Overall, it's a strong, if slightly flawed effort.

Трудно найти русского человека, который ни разу бы не слышал о легендарной русской группе Аквариум и ее лидере, Борисе Гребенщикове. Со времен первого альбома в 1972 году, Борис выпустил уже более 70 альбомов. В 70-х и 80-х годах, Аквариум создал совершенно новую и уникальную музыкальную и социальную эстетику. Навеянный великим множеством музыкальных стилей и культур специфичный звук группы продолжает оставаться легко узнаваемым и в тихих балладах о любви, и в легких танцевальных номерах в стиле реггей и в буйных рок-н-роллах, даже несмотря на то, что состав группы почти полностью менялся от альбома к альбому.

Maestro Belohlavek and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra return to Decca with the unforgettable Slavonic Dances from one of the most melodious, harmonious and evocative late 19th Century composers - Dvorak.

Antonín Dvorák’s Slavonic Dances, op. 46 (B 78), made the composer known beyond the confines of his native Bohemia and laid the cornerstone for his international breakthrough.