Bach Battle

In the golden age of orchestral recording – the 1950s cusp between mono and stereo – American labels piled into London and Vienna after an aggressive union priced their own musicians out of work. At Abbey Road, players worked 30 days on the trot, three sessions a day, to feed a burgeoning market for classical music. In Vienna, the Philharmonic (exclusively contracted to Decca) performed under six different names for other labels.

"111 Classic Tracks is the ultimate compilation of artists and recordings from Deutsche Grammophon's huge catalogue, ranging from an aria sung by Enrico Caruso in 1907 to a Richard Strauss song recorded by Measha Brueggergosman in 2009 (and not previously released). It features 111 artists, from Claudio Abbado to Krystian Zimerman, who have contributed to the label's glorious history."

Pablo Casals: Schumann - Klaviertrio Nr.1 D-Moll op. 63 / Stücke im Volkston Für Violoncello Und Klavier op. 102 Nr 1-5
Pablo Casals: Schumann - Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor op.63 / Five "Stücke im Volkston" for piano and cello op. 102
FLAC | Artwork | 24Bit 96kHz: 450 MB | 16Bit 44.1kHz: 120 MB
Cat#: CBS 61 766 | Country/Year: Germany 1976 (1952) / Mono
Genre: Classical, Romantic | Hoster: Filesonic

Pau Casals i Defilló (December 29, 1876 – October 22, 1973), known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor. He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest cellists of all time…

Benjamin Britten - War Requiem
London Symphony Orchestra / Vishnevskaya / Pears / Fischer-Dieskau
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 625 MB | MP3 CBR 320: 306 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Decca 475 7511 | Country/Year: UK 2006, 1963
Genre: Classical | Style: Modern

…[an] iconic recording . . . Who but Pears could have intoned "Strange Meeting" with such spectral eeriness? Who has ever matched the furious authority of Fischer-Dieskau's "Be slowly lifted up"? Listening again reminds of just how extraordinary Vishnevskaya's voice was, too: darkly voluptuous with a core of steel. Her anguished cry of "Lacrimosa" has lost none of its visceral power…

Some may say that Deep Purple lost their heart and soul when Ritchie Blackmore bid the group sweet adieu in 1993, while others may argue that the arrival of Steve Morse signaled a much-needed transfusion of energy and fresh ideas. Regardless of the side of the Purple fence where you reside, there's no denying that the group still appears to be enjoying itself circa "the Morse era," as evidenced by the steady stream of road work displayed throughout the mammoth four-DVD set Around the World Live…

The Radio Legacy is a compilation of the seven part Anthology of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the four box sets devoted to the orchestra s chief conductors Willem Mengelberg, Eduard van Beinum, Bernard Haitink and Riccardo Chailly, and also featuring more recent recordings with Mariss Jansons.

Joseph Kerman was a leading musicologist, music critic, and music educator from the 1950s to the 2000s. He reshaped our understanding and appreciation of Western classical music with his first book, Opera as Drama (1956), to his last, Opera and the Morbidity of Music (2008), including his studies on Bach, Beethoven, William Byrd, concertos, and more. He was a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, where he served two terms as chair of the Music Department. He wrote Listen together with his wife, Vivian Kerman.