CD, Stravinsky (composer)
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Beethoven & Stravinsky: Violin Concertos
Vilde Frang (violin), Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Pekka Kuusisto
Frang’s exquisite tonal subtlety and enhanced range of dynamics allows her to weave in and out of Beethoven’s carefully graded orchestral textures, with a profound sense of listening and responding... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2022, Concerto Choice
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International Classical Music Awards, 2023, Winner - Concerto
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Gramophone Awards, 2023 Finalists, Shortlisted - Concerto
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I find Rana nothing less than spectacular. Like Argerich, her volatility grips your attention, and it is coupled with musicianship of a high order. [La Valse] Rana is at her very best here,... —
Awards:
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Presto Editor's Choice, October 2019
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Gramophone Magazine, November 2019, Editor's Choice
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Diapason d’Or, November 2019, Nouveauté
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2019
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Winner 2019
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The New York Times, Recordings of the Year 2019
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Gramophone Awards, 2020, Shortlisted - Instrumental
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Fresh-faced charm pervades this astutely curated disc…Far from a marriage of convenience, Lewis and Osborne are long-standing duo partners, complementing each other perfectly in lightly-worn... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 5th March 2021
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Gramophone Magazine, April 2021, Recording of the Month
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Gramophone Awards, 2021, Shortlisted - Piano
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Winner 2021
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Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
Recommended& other works for two pianos four hands
Marc-André Hamelin (piano), Leif Ove Andsnes (piano)
The two-piano transcription is arguably as exhilarating as the full orchestration [of The Rite], and Andsnes and Hamelin offer a reading that is in turns thrilling, unsettling and beautiful…... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, February 2018, Record of the Month
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Record Review, 10th February 2018, Recording of the Week
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Gramophone Awards, 2018, Finalist - Instrumental
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Winner 2018
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Grammy Awards, 61st Awards (2019), Nominee - Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
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Limelight Magazine Recordings of the Year, 2018, Nominated - Instrumental
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Four Pieces - Four Pianos
RecommendedSchubert, Chopin, Liszt, Stravinsky
Alexander Melnikov (pianos)
They are all works requiring formidable technical ability, and pianist Alexander Melnikov brings clarity of touch and virtuoso flair to them all, transferring as if effortlessly from instrument... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 26th January 2018
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Gramophone Magazine, April 2018, Editor's Choice
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Gramophone Awards, 2018, Shortlisted - Instrumental
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Winner 2018
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Limelight Magazine Recordings of the Year, 2018, Winner - Instrumental
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[Firebird] It would be hard to deny Mäkelä his place in the top tier. He creates a vibrant mood in every episode, even the ones that fill in while pantomime takes place onstage in Fokine’s fairy-tale... —
Awards:
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Presto Editor's Choice, March 2023
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Gramophone Magazine, May 2023, Editor's Choice
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International Classical Music Awards, 2024, Nominated - Symphonic Music
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Opus Klassik Awards, 2024, Winner - Conductor of the Year
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Shakespeare Songs
RecommendedIan Bostridge (tenor), Antonio Pappano (piano), Elizabeth Kenny (lute), Adam Walker (flute), Lawrence Power (viola), Michael Collins (clarinet)
Five songs from Finzi’s incomparable Let us Garlands Bring see the tenor’s head voice floating sympathetically through the melismatic vowels and ever-shifting metres of Finzi’s most sensitive... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, October 2016, Editor's Choice
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2016
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ECHO Klassik Awards, 2017, Winner
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Grammy Awards, 59th Awards (2016), Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
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Stravinsky: Violin Concerto & Chamber Works
RecommendedIsabelle Faust (violin), François-Xavier Roth, Les Siècles
[Concerto]…of the dozen or so readings I’ve heard none equals Faust’s, because she has somehow cracked the code, finding genuine wit, sparkle, and lyrical beauty in the solo part without imposing... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 3rd March 2023
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Gramophone Magazine, April 2023, Editor's Choice
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Gramophone Awards, 2023 Finalists, Shortlisted - Concerto
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2023
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International Classical Music Awards, 2024, Nominated - Assorted Programs
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2024, Shortlisted - Concerto
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This is certainly a golden age collection from Trifonov, and it’s admirable that these two discs are always more about the music than about him...If I were to choose a compendium of Russian... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 6th November 2020
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2020
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BBC Music Magazine, January 2021, Recording of the Month
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Opus Klassik, 2021, Instrumentalist of the Year
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The Introduction is entrancing...It’s pulsating, yet rhythmically crisp...Tam-tams in ‘The Dance of the Earth’ almost leap out from the speakers. It’s not all about power and speed...But when... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, January 2016, Orchestral Choice
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Gramophone Magazine, November 2015, Editor's Choice
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Building a Library, July 2019, Also Recommended
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