Capriccio (1987)

Few singers have fused words and music as eloquently as Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, and few sopranos have proved more radiant in Strauss. All this makes her the ideal protagonist in the composer’s final opera, his ingenious and engaging ‘conversation piece’ on artistic themes. Schwarzkopf is joined by a cast of superlative stature and style and by a conductor intimately identified with the works of Strauss, Wolfgang Sawallisch.

Jennifer and her husband Fred seek out their old lovers for another fling in this erotic drama. Fred hooks up with the prostitute Rosalba, while Jennifer returns to the arms of the handsome pimp Ciro. The unfaithful couple return to each other after the affairs prove to be less satisfying then the memory of their initial experiences.

Jennifer and her husband Fred seek out their old lovers for another fling in this erotic drama. Fred hooks up with the prostitute Rosalba, while Jennifer returns to the arms of the handsome pimp Ciro. The unfaithful couple return to each other after the affairs prove to be less satisfying then the memory of their initial experiences.

New York Philharmonic - The Historic Broadcasts 1923 to 1987 (1997) {10CDs Box Set NYP 9701}
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© 1923-87, 1997 New York Philharmonic | NYP 9701
Classical / Orchestral / Concerto / Symphony

Culled from New York Philharmonic broadcasts spanning 75 years, this remarkable 10-disc compilation testifies to the strong-willed yet chameleon-like orchestra's virtuosity and versatility under a diverse assemblage of podium personalities. Stylistically speaking, the earlier items are the most interesting, revealing, for instance, a more vibrant Otto Klemperer and freer Arturo Toscanini than their later commercial efforts sometimes suggest. Other artists are heard in repertoire which they otherwise didn't record: Fritz Reiner's Brahms 2nd, Leonard Bernstein's Berg and Webern, and a wrenching concert version of Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle under Kubelík's direction, to name but a few. From program notes to transfer quality, not one stone is left unturned to ensure first-rate results.

The programme on this disc which is the ensemble Academy of Ancient Music's first has been presented in many cities of the USSR. The music is performed on Italian and French instruments of the 17th - 18th centuries, a harpsichord made by F.Ravdonikas (after the Flemish original of the 17th century). The pitch is 415 Hz. (about half a tone below the modern pitch).

Some of Stephen Hough’s most exquisite recordings come from his collaborations with EMI and Virgin Classics during this early period, offering a taste of the pianist’s impeccable touch, his musical and intellectual rigor, and his fondness for the short showpieces that filled late 19th-century salons and peppered the 78 rpm records of golden-age pianists. In the two all-Liszt recitals, Stephen Hough is also in his element, creating atmospheric colors, with notes flowing like streams of pearls, shaping and magnifying the dramatic depth of these works. From Mozart to Schumann, Brahms to Britten, looking back at the great virtuoso tradition while looking forward through his own arrangements, Stephen Hough presents, through these early recordings, a fascinating portrait of a young artist whose brilliant, artistic intellect and appetite for creativity remains unmatched today.