Grammophone

The sound is spectacular in whatever format you choose but the jump to Blu-ray is, as in vision, a leap forward. None of which would matter were the performances not also uniformly excellent: This is a superbly alive performance of the Britten Simple Symphony, making it sound a much more ambitiouswork than usual. A demonstration recording!

The sound is spectacular in whatever format you choose but the jump to Blu-ray is, as in vision, a leap forward. None of which would matter were the performances not also uniformly excellent: This is a superbly alive performance of the Britten Simple Symphony, making it sound a much more ambitiouswork than usual. A demonstration recording!

Patricia Petibon's album Melancolía: Spanish Arias and Songs is a result of the soprano's lifelong fascination with the music and culture of Spain, with a special interest in the ways Spanish and French influences have cross-pollinated. She has put together an exceptionally attractive selection of songs and arias from zarzuelas, most of them likely to be unfamiliar to general audiences. Petibon is known for her light, silvery coloratura, and her gift for inhabiting her roles, both dramatic and comic, with great spirit and penetrating insight.

Admired for her remarkable creative imagination and exemplary musicianship, soprano Patricia Petibon, in her newest album for Deutsche Grammophon, offers a treasure-trove of fascinating Baroque curiosities guaranteed to enthral both the Baroque aficionado and the casual listener.

Slowhand at 70 – Live at the Royal Albert Hall is a concert film released by the British pop-rock musician Eric Clapton. It features a selection of songs, Clapton performed on May 21, 2015 while he played during his "70th Birthday Celebration" tour at London's iconic Royal Albert Hall. While on tour in London, Clapton broke the 200th concert mark, making him the act, who has most performed at the British venue…

Three 20th-century orchestral scores, Bartók’s Two Pictures, Debussy’s Jeux and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, all dating from 1910-13 and all linked (as the detailed CD booklet explains), are brought to life in the hands of two exceptional French pianists. The central interest is the ballet Jeux. One of the world’s outstanding Debussy interpreters, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet has added to his complete Chandos recordings with his own transcription for two pianos. Written late in Debussy’s life for Nijinsky, Jeux involves an emotionally erotic and harmonically daring game of tennis. Bavouzet and his well-matched partner, François-Fréderic Guy, play with nimble grace, capturing the works wit and mystery. This gripping album is dedicated to Pierre Boulez, guru and enabler, for his 90th birthday.