Raymond Leppard, CBE (born 11 August 1927, London, England - died 22 October 2019, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA) was an English-American conductor, harpsichordist, composer & editor. In the 1960s, he played a prime role in the rebirth of interest in Baroque music. he was appointed Music Director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1987 (a position which he held for fourteen years).
A celebration of the Royal Philharmonic Society's 175th Season as 'An Evening with the Philharmonic' with music from concerts recreating original programmes between 1813 and 1837.
"Music fit for kings - The Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles – set up by the French Gaovernment to research and perform French music from the years between 1600 and 1800 – have gathered together 20 CDs worth of alluring material, most of it from live recordings made last autumn by Radio France at concerts in various rooms of the Versailles palace…..for anyone who loves French Baroque and Classical music, this box is a cast-iron must have."Gramophone Magazine, August 2008
"A monumental achievement, this is essential listening - not just for classical fans, but for anyone who cares remotely for French culture."The Guardian, 8th August 2008
Véronique Gens is one of the most acclaimed French soprano. ü She has recorded in 2005, 2008 and 2011 three recitals of operatic arias for soprano from the French tragic operas of the late 17th, 18th and 19th centuries from Lully to Saint-Saëns. Véronique Gens embodies the tragic heroines of the Antiquity such as Dido, Circe, Medea or Cassandra… ü Véronique Gens is accompanied by renowned French director Christophe Rousset and his ensemble les Talens Lyriques. ü These three recitals are the most successful she has recorded, with Les Nuits d’été by Berlioz. Véronique Gens has recently received again very good critics (such as the Gramophone Editor's choice) for her latest recital, Visions, released on Alpha Classics
The Haydn series continues with the Paris Symphony no 87. Julien Chauvin and his orchestra keep shaking us up with historical instruments listening Haydn’s works and several other forgotten scores from the same period. All of them were commissioned for the Concert de la Loge Olympique - ancestor and model for Julien Chauvin and his musicians - and all of them sank into oblivion during the 19th century, except for Haydn’s symphonies. The release offers an opportunity to experience some rare works of Grétry, Lemoyne and Ragué and to revive the success that they once knew.
Giuseppe Giordani was an important Italian composer best known for his operas, oratorios, and sacred music. Among his greatest successes was his 1787 oratorio La distruzione di Gerusalemme, believed to be the first sacred drama presented in a theater. It drew enthusiastic praise from the local press and positive commentary from such notables as Goethe, who was present at the Naples premiere. Giordani was born into a well-to-do family in Naples on December 19, 1751. He exhibited musical talent early on and enrolled at the Santa Maria di Loreto Conservatory in Naples, where he studied under Antonio Sacchini, Fedele Fenaroli, and Gennaro Manna. The loss of his father in 1770 – when Giuseppe was 18 – apparently did not derail his education, for he would secure an important post, that of secondary maestro di cappella at the Tesoro di San Gennaro, in Naples, in 1774.
It’s almost hard to believe that Andrew Anderson hails from Australia, given how deeply rooted he seems to be in the European High-Romantic tradition. The first quartet in particular is profoundly reminiscent of the virtuoso chamber works of Dussek and Hummel, with a dash of Dvořák for good measure. And yet, its sound is decidedly modern. Not only is the work stunningly well-proportioned, it effortlessly adheres to the classical sonata form – not in a rigid, miniaturized way of imitation, but completely naturally, as if it could only exist in this way and no other.
…It is great that this recording by Concerto Köln is available again. As far as I know it was the very first recording of any of Durante's concertos on disc, and although some concertos from the set have occasionally been played in concert - in particular No. 8 - Durante's music is still barely explored. It is hard to imagine a better performance than that by Concerto Köln…
After triumphant recordings of Handelian opera seria and other Italian material, soprano Sandrine Piau, France's voice of the Baroque, turns her attention to repertory that is very little known outside of France. Even in their homeland, Piau writes in the CD booklet, these arias and instrumental music are merely "not exactly virgin territory."