Psyche Manuel de Falla

This wide-ranging collection provides an overview of Carlo Maria Giulini's collaborations with London s most distinguished orchestras, including his beloved Philharmonia Orchestra. Released in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of the conductor's birth in 2014, this 17-disc set showcases the sheer quality and breadth of Giulini's recorded legacy, and includes reverential and deeply-felt readings of Beethoven, Brahms and Schumann; thrilling performances of overtures by Verdi and Rossini; and vivid and colorful Debussy, Ravel, Falla and Stravinsky, all led with the utmost flair and commitment. Also featured is a fascinating bonus documentary on Giulini's life and career, with contributions by the conductor himself and some of the musicians who worked closely with him.

Rosa Ponselle - The 1939 Victor and 1954 'Villa Pace' Recordings (1996) {3CD Set Romophone 81022-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 771 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 516 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 15 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1939, 1954, 1996 Victor / Romophone | 81022-2
Classical / Vocal / Historical

Legendary soprano Rosa Ponselle recalled these sessions taped by RCA in her Baltimore home as the only time she enjoyed making records. Fourteen years after her abrupt retirement from opera, her voluptuous instrument (ruby red in the '39 Victors and now tinged with purple) soars to better advantage in the amplitude of her spacious music room than within the cramped confines of the recording studio. Whether in Beethoven, Schubert, Debussy, Mozart, or Tosti songs, or chestnuts like "Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes," the vocalism is always informed by Ponselle's musical intelligence and sense of style. Romophone brings together all the material from these home sessions, including 75 minutes of music not issued by RCA, plus a promotional interview that reveals a warm, down-to-earth persona quite different from your typical diva stereotype. Ponselle fans need no encouragement to acquire this set.

In a few years this will be a mere curiosity, not the abomination of marketing that it now seems. David Helfgott, one hopes, will be happily retired on the earnings from his 15 minutes of fame, and the movie Shine which documented his mental illness and aborted an attempt at a professional pianist career will be consigned to the video rental shelves. But for now, unfortunately, we have before us a document of a pianist whose fingers and imagination have not developed singly nor in the amalgam necessary to be considered an artist.