Albert Sammons, Peers Coetmore, Bbc Symphony Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult Moeran: Symphony

Belisario is, quite simply, one of Donizetti’s finest achievements. Dating from the high watermark of Donizetti’s maturity, with its premiere in 1836 (the year after the debut of Maria Stuarda in Milan and Lucia di Lammermoor in Naples), Belisario proved a triumph on stages throughout the 19th century. Yet, incredibly, it is little known today. The libretto, by Salvadore Cammarano (who collaborated with Donizetti on Lucia di Lammermoor), tells the moving and typically complicated story of the 6th century Byzantine general. Falsely accused by his wife, Antonina, of killing their son, he was blinded and exiled as his punishment. Only the recognition by his daughter, Irene, that her father’s former captive, Alamiro, was her long-lost brother restores Belisario’s reputation; tragically, too late to save his life.

Five years after the highly-praised release of Volume 3, Sir Andrew Davis returns to his exploration of Holst’s orchestral works with the brilliant BBC Philharmonic, a series initiated almost ten years ago by the late Richard Hickox, then taken over by another expert in British repertoire. This selection of orchestral works by Holst provides a remarkable overview of his career, ranging from such early works as A Winder Idyll – composed in 1897 when he was still studying at the Royal College of Music – to the Scherzo of a symphony on which he was working towards the end of his life. None of the music recorded here was published in his lifetime, and the Scherzo – rarely heard though it is – is the only work to have entered the repertoire. ‘A Moorside Suite’, originally written for brass band, is featured here in the composer's rarely heard arrangement for strings.

Günter Wand at the BBC Proms: Anton Bruckner - Symphony No. 5
BBC Symphony Orchestra - Günter Wand
NTSC, MPEG-2 720 x 480, 4:3 | PCM Stereo, 48.0 KHz | 4.43 Gb (DVD5)
Label/Cat#: ica CLASSICS # ICAD 5049 | Country/Year: Germany 2011 | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic, Concert Video

Günter Wand's Indian summer is surprisingly well documented on DVD. This Bruckner 5 from the Proms follows similar video releases of the 6 th, 8 th and 9 th Symphonies from the same period with the NDR Sinfonieorchester. Wand's conducting technique, and the aura that he projects from the podium, make each of these well worth watching. Even from audio-only recordings, it is clear that Wand was a living embodiment of Bruckner's art. That impression is all the stronger for actually seeing him at work…

Distinguished British music interpreter Sir Andrew Davis joins forces with the BBCSO once again, this time with acclaimed soloists Dame Sarah Connolly and Andrew Staples, in this thoughtful presentation of the last two substantial choral works of Sir Edward Elgar. The matury of Elgar as an orchestrator is obvious in both works on this album, notably, in 'The Music Makers' (1912), during passages in which he quotes from 'Sea Pictures' and the Violin Concerto, and in representing the sound of aircraft in 'The Spirit of England' (1917). Elgar uses self-quotation to reflect: 'The Music Makers' is a canvas of self-reflection, written quickly following a period of illness.

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and their Chief Conductor Sir Andrew Davis continue their acclaimed survey of the orchestral music of Richard Strauss with two contrasting, characterful and ambitious works.

These two popular concertos have for many years been coupled on LP and CD, and ever since their initial release in 1971, the performances on this CD have been consistently rated as outstanding. This recording is one of a few to have achieved true classic status, of the stature (amongbrconcerto recordings) of Jacqueline du Pre's Elgar Cello Concerto, and Michelangeli's Ravel G major and Rachmaninov Fourth Piano Concertos.brThe young Stephen Bishop (now known as Stephen Kovacevich) was at the height of his considerable powers, and these performances of two of the best-loved piano concertos have hardly been equalled ever since they were made almost 50 years ago.