CHRISTMAS BOXED SETS             CHRISTMAS QUIZ

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NAXOS The ideal Christmas present

The Instruments of the Orchestra Written and narrated Jeremy Siepmann 7 CDs and 208 page book NAXOS 558040-16 [just over 8 hrs music and narration] [IL]

A pleasing and wide-ranging adventure in learning music: entertaining and amusing as well as instructive. … see Full Review
Crotchet   AmazonUK around £23

BIS At Last!

TUBIN The Complete symphonies conducted by Neeme Jarvi in a budget box
Crotchet   AmazonUK around £34 (not reviewed yet)

 

EMI BRITISH COMPOSERS

A Britten Collection (8CDs)
The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra op.34. Canadian Carnival op.19. An American Overture op27. Suite on English Folk Tunes 'A time there was..' op.90. Sinfonia da Requiem op.20. The Little Sweep Festival Cantata op.30. Rejoice in the Lamb - A Children's Opera in 3 scenes op.45. Serenade for tenor horn & strings op.31. Our Hunting Fathers op.8 - Folksong arrangements. A Ceremony of Carols op.28. Saint Nicholas op.42. Seven Sonets of Michelango. On this Island. Winter Words. Canticle No.1 - My beloved is mine. Canticle No.2 - Abraham and Isaac. Canticle No.3 - Still falls the rain. Folk Song Arrangements. Violin Concerto. A Spring Symphony op.44. 4 Sea Interludes op.33a.
ORCHESTRA: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
CONDUCTOR: Simon Rattle and Philip Ledger
ARTISTS: King's College Cambridge Choir Osian Ellis Robert Tear James Bowman
Crotchet  £23.99 AmazonUK £21.99

An Elgar Orchestral Collection (7CDs)
Froissart Overture op.19. Overture Cockaigne op.40. In The South op.50. Falstaff op.68. Cello Concerto In E Minor op.85. Enigma Variations op.36. Pomp and Circumstance Marches 1-5 Overtures: Cockaigne. Froissart. Symphony No.1 in A flat. Cockaigne In London Town - Concert Overture op.40. Symphony No.2 in E flat op.63. Sospiri op.70. Chanson de matin op.15/2. Beau Brummel - incidental music to B. Matthews's play Minuet. The Starlight Express - incidental music to Blackwood's play op.78 - O children open your arms to me / My Old Tunes. The Wand of Youth - Suite No.1 op.1a - Sun Dance. Dream children - two pieces for small orchestra op.43. Salut d'amour 'Liebesgruss' - small orchestra op.12. Minuet - orchestra op.21. May Song. Rosemary. Romance - bassoon & orchestra op.62. Sevillana - orchestra op.7. Serenade lyrique - small orchestra. Mazurka - small orchestra op.10/1. Serenade mauresque op.10/2. Contrasts op.10/3. Carissima - small orchestra. Mina - small orchestra.
ORCHESTRA: Philharmonia Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra
CONDUCTOR: John Barbirolli and Jeffrey Tate
ARTISTS: Beatrice Harrison
Crotchet  £19.99 AmazonUK £17.99

An Elgar Choral Collection (13CD)
The Kingdom. Coronation Ode. The Dream of Gerontius. Ave verum corpus - choir op.2/1. Ave Maria - choir op.2/2. Ave maris stella - choir op.2/3. 11 Vesper Voluntaries op.14 - Introduction / Andante. Angelus op.56. Give unto the Lord - anthem op.74. O hearken thou op.64. Te Deum and Benedictus op.34. Sonata for Organ No.1 in G op.28. Caractacus. The Banner of St. George op.33. The Apostles op.49. The Music Makers op.69. Sea Pictures op.37. The Light of Life - Lux Christi op.29. The Spirit of England op.80. Give unto the Lord. O Hearken Thou. The Snow. Land of Hope and Glory.
ORCHESTRA: London Philharmonic and Northern Sinfonia
CONDUCTOR: Adrian Boult and Richard Hickox
ARTISTS: Herbert Sumsion Felicity Palmer John Shirley-Quirk Helen Watts
Crotchet  £34.99 AmazonUK £33.99

A Vaughan Williams Collection (9CDs)
Dona nobis pacem. Fantasia on the Old 104th. Magnificat. Toward the Unknown Region. Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. The Lark Ascending. Concerto grosso. Romance for harmonica. Partita. Five Tudor Portraits. Benedicite. Five Variants of 'Dives and Lazarus'. Fantasia on Christmas Carols. Hodie Christmas cantata. Songs of Travel - orchestral version. On Wenlock Edge - orchestral version. Mass in G minor (Vaughan-Williams). Lo, the full, final Sacrifice op.26. God is gone up op.27 No.2. Magnificat op.36 (Finzi). Mater ora filium. I sing of a maiden that is makeless. This Worldes Joie (Bax). An Oxford Elegy. Flos campi. Whitsunday Hymn. Sancta Civitas. Five Tudor Portraits. Benedicite. Five Variants of 'Dives and Lazarus'.
ORCHESTRA: London Symphony Orchestra and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
CONDUCTOR: David Willcocks and Simon Rattle
ARTISTS: Elizabeth Bainbridge John Carol Case Heather Harper Janet Baker
Crotchet  £26.95 AmazonUK £25.99

A Walton Collection (8CDs)
Belshazzar's Feast. Portsmouth Point - Overture. Scapino. Improvisations on an Impromtu of Britten. Film Music: Henry V. The Battle of Britain. Troilus and Cressida-Interlude - ActII. As you Like it. Gloria. Facade Suites. Scenes from Henry V. Richard III Suite. Henry V Suite. Spitfire. Prelude & Fugue. Symphony No.1. Belshazzar's Feast. The Bear. Facade. The Wise Virgins. Violin Concerto. Viola Concerto. Partita.
ORCHESTRA: London Philharmonic and English Chamber Orchestra
CONDUCTOR: Andre Previn and James Lockhart
ARTISTS: John Shirley-Quirk Yehudi Menuhin
Crotchet  £23.99 AmazonUK £21.99

A Barbirolli Collection (13CDs)
Brigg Fair, Summer Garden, Appalachia, Cuckoo, Song before Sunrise, La Calinda, Late Swallows, Paradis garden, Song od Summer.(Delius). Dream of Gerontius Enigma Variations. Falstaff. Pomp and Circumstance. Symphony No.1. Symphony No.2 Sospiri, Elegy (Elgar). Violin Concerto (original version) (Britten). Symphony No.5 in B flat. Symphony No.4 (Rubbra). Threnody for a Soldier killed in action (Hemming). Sinfonia Antartica. London Symphony. Symphony No.5 Oboe Concerto, tuba Concerto, Dives, Wasps, greensleeves (Vaughan Williams). London Overture (Ireland) Tintagel (Bax) Cockaigne, Intro and Allegro, serenade (Elgar)
CONDUCTOR: John Barbirolli

Crotchet  £34.99 AmazonUK £33.99

Best of British Collection (13CDs)
English Dances Set I / Set II. Sinfonietta No.1. Sinfonietta No.2. Sinfonietta No.3. Serenade for small orchestra. Four Cornish Dances (Arnold). Orchestral Works (Delius). Dance in the Twilight (Eric Coates). Impression of a Princess. Wood Dance In The Twilight - Springtime Suite No.3 (Eric Coates). Punchinello-Miniature Overture (Frederic Curzon). Little Serenade (Ronald Binge). Miss Melanie (Ronald Binge). Waltz For Strings. Elizabethan Masque. Portuguese Party. Siciliano (Harry Dexter). Concert Waltz 'Joyousness' - Moods Suite (Haydn Wood). Elizabethan Serenade (Ronald Binge). Monmartre-March - Paris Suite (Haydn Wood). Lullaby For Penelope (Leslie Osborne). Portrait Of A Flirt - In Town Tonight. Rouge Et Noire (Fred Hartley). March From 'A Little Suite'. Boulevardier - Characteristic Intermezzo. Watermill. Tabarinage (Robert Docker. Jaunting Car - The Ring Of Kerry No.11. Impression Of A Princess Artist. Wood Nymphs Artist (Eric Coates). Dambusters March (Eric Coates). Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Britten). Enigma Variations. Pomp and Circunmstance (Elgar). Dies Natalis (Finzi). Choral Fantasia (Holst). Five Mystical Songs (Vaughan Williams). The Planets. Egdon Heath. The Perfect Fool (Holst). Serenade to Music. The Lark Ascending (Vaughan Williams). Tallis Fantasia. Dives & Lazarus. In Windsor Forest. Toward the Unknown Region (Vaughan Williams). Scenes from Henry V (Walton). Symphony No.1. Belshazzar's Feast (Walton).
ORCHESTRA: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and English Bach Festival Orchestra
CONDUCTOR: Charles Groves and David Willcocks
Crotchet  £34.99 AmazonUK £33.99

Classics for Pleasure

BEETHOVEN Complete Symphonies
Symphony No.1 in C major op.21. Symphony No.3 in E flat major op.55 'Eroica'. Symphony No.2 in D major op.36. Symphony No.4 in B flat major op.60. Symphony No.5 in C minor op.67. Symphony No.6 in F major op.68 'Pastorale'. Symphony No.7 in A major op.92. Symphony No.8 in F major op.93. Symphony No.9 in D minor op.125. Joan Rodgers, Della Jones, Bryn Terfel, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Charles Mackerras [5CDs]
Crotchet £19.99  AmazonUK   £19.99

Beethoven Piano concertos + Choral Fantasia
Piano Concerto No.1 in C op.15. Choral Fantasia op.80. Piano Concerto No.2. In B flat op.19. Piano Concerto No.4 op.58. Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor op.37. Piano Concerto No.5 in E flat op.73 'Emperor'. Scottish National Orchestra John Lill [3CDs]
Crotchet £9.99  AmazonUK   £9.99

Brahms Symphonies, violin concerto etc Loughran [4CDs]
Symphony No.1 in C minor op.68. Symphony No.2 in D op.73. Symphony No.3 in F op.90. Symphony No.4 in E minor op.98. Violin Concerto in D op.77. Variations on a Theme by Haydn op.56a. Alto Rhapsody. Tragic Overture. Academic Festival Overture. Hungarian Dances 1,3 & 19. Halle Orchestra James Loughran
Crotchet £14.99  AmazonUK   £14.99

Tchaikovsky Nutcracker, Sleeping beauty, Swan lake Philharmonia Orchestra John Lanchbery[6CDs]
Crotchet £19.99  AmazonUK   £19.99

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH Vaughan Williams Symphonies
The Nine Symphonies Symphony No.1 'Sea Symphony'. Symphony No.2 'London Symphony'. Symphony No.8 in D minor. Symphony No.3 'Pastoral Symphony'. Symphony No.4 in F minor. Symphony No.5. Symphony No.6. Symphony No.9. Job - A Masque for Dancing. English Folksong Suite. Flos Campi. Oboe Concerto in A minor. Fantasia on Greensleeves. Serenade to Music (choral version). Partita for Double String Orchestra. Fantasis on a Theme of Thomas Tallis. Five Variants od Dives and Lazarus. Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Vernon Handley
Crotchet £25.99  AmazonUK   £23.99

VIRGIN
BACH St John Passion, Mass in B minor, Easter Oratorio, Ascension Oratorio Parrott [5CD]
Crotchet £16.99  AmazonUK   £13.99

HAYDN Symphonies 26,52,53,82-92 Kuijen [5CDs] Review Bargain of the Month
Crotchet £16.99  AmazonUK   £13.99

EMI
BERLIN PHILHARMONIC in recordings with their music directors [6CD]
Arthur Nikisch Music Director 1895-1922: Symphony No.5 (Beethoven). Wilhelm Furtwangler Music Director 1922-1945 & 1952-1954: Symphony No.6 'Pathetique' (Tchaikovsky). Symphony No.3 (Brahms). Herbert von Karajan Music Director 1954-1989: The Hebrides Overture (Mendelssohn). Symphony No.29 (Mozart). Lohengrin Prelude to Act III / Tristan und Isolde Prelude (Wagner). Symphony No.2 (Sibelius). Claudio Abbado Music Director 1989-2000: Kammermusik No.1. Kammermusik No.5 (Hindemith). Clarinet Concerto (Mozart). Requiem: Dies irae - Tuba mirum - Sanctus (Verdi). Simon Rattle Music Director 2002 -: Symphony No.10 (Mahler). Candide Overture (Bernstein). Gymnopedie No.1 (Satie / Debussy). Hungarian Dance No.3 in F (Brahms). Slavonic Dance op.46 No.1 in C. Slavonic Dance op.46 No.3 in A flat (Dvorak). Ma mere l'Oye - Finale (Ravel). Pictures at an Exhibition - The Great Gate of Kiev (Mussorgsky / Ravel). Pomp & Circumstance March No.4 (Elgar).
Crotchet £25.99  AmazonUK   £21.99

RACHMANINOV [6CD]
Symphony No.1 in D minor op.27. Symphony No.2 in E minor op.27. Symphony No.3 in A minor op.44. Isle of the Dead op.29. Scherzo in D minor. Vocalise op.34. Symphonic Dances op.45. Piano Concerto No.1 in F sharp minor op.1. Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor op.18. Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor op.30. Piano Concerto No.4 in G minor op.40. Paganini Rhapsody op.43 (Rachmaninov). Piano Concerto No.1 in B flat minor op.23 (Tchaikovsky).
Mikhail Rudy, Mariss Jansons
Crotchet £19.99  AmazonUK   £17.99

BRAHMS [7CD]
Symphony No.1 in C minor op.68. Symphony No.2 in D op.73. Symphony No.3 in F op.90. Symphony No.4 in E minor op.98. Academic Festival Overture op.80. Tragic Overture op.81. Variations of the St Antoni Chorale. Schicksalslied. Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor op.15. Piano Concerto No.2 in B flat op.83. Lieder op.91. Lieder op.105. Violin Concerto in D op.77. Double Concerto. Horn Trio (Brahms). Violin Concerto No.3 (Mozart).
Stephen Kovacevich Frank Peter Zimmermann Heinrich Schiff Marie-Luise Neunecker Wolfgang Sawallisch
Crotchet £19.99  AmazonUK   £17.99

MOZART [9CD]
Three da Ponte Operas
TRACKS: Le nozze di Figaro / Don Giovanni / Cosi fan tutte.
CONDUCTOR: Riccardo Muti
Crotchet £26.99  AmazonUK  Amazon are currently listing the wrong set

HANDEL [8CD]
12 Concerti Grossi op.6. Water Music. Fireworks Music. 15 Organ Concertos. 6 Violin Sonatas. Violin Concerto in B flat. 3 Marches.
ARTISTS: Yehudi Menuhin Simon Preston
Crotchet £24.99  AmazonUK  

DEBUSSY RAVEL [8CD]
La Mer. Nocturnes. Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune. Marche ecossaise. Berceuse heroique. Images. Musiques pour le Roi Lear. Printemps. Petite Suite. Children's Corner. Danse sacree et danse profane. La Boite a joujoux. La plus que lente. Khamma. Danse. Premiere rapsodie. Fantaisie (Debussy). Bolero. Ma Mere l'Oye. Alborada del gracioso. Rapsodie espagnole. Le tombeau de Couperin. La Valse. Pavane pour une infante defunte. Valse nobles et sentimentales. Meneut antique. Une barque sur l'ocean. Ouverture de feerie. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G. Concerto for Left Hand Piano and Orchestra. Tzigane. Daphnis et Chloe (Ravel).Aldo Ciccolini Itzhak Perlman Jean Martinon

Crotchet £24.99  AmazonUK   £21.99

Maria Callas Live Recordings

Vincenzo Bellini La Sonnambula - complete
Maria Callas Giuseppe Modesti Cesare Valletti Eugenia Ratti Milan La Scala Orchestra
Leonard Bernstein
recorded Teatro alla Scala 5-Mar-1955
Crotchet £16.99  AmazonUK   £17.99

Luigi Cherubini Medea - complete
Maria Callas Fedora Barbieri Gino Penno Giuseppe Modesti Milan La Scala Orchestra Leonard Bernstein
recorded Teatro alla Scala 10-Dec-1953
Crotchet £16.99  AmazonUK   £17.99

Giuseppe Giordani Andrea Chenier - complete
Maria Callas Mario del Monaco Aldo Protti Milan La Scala Orchestra
Antonino Votto
recorded Teatro alla Scala 8-Jan-1955
Crotchet £16.99  AmazonUK   £17.99

Giuseppe Verdi Un Ballo in Maschera - complete
Maria Callas Giuseppe di Stefano Ettore Bastianini Giulietta Simionato Milan La Scala Orchestra Gianandrea Gavazzeni
recorded Teatro alla Scala 7-Dec-1957
Crotchet £16.99  AmazonUK   £17.99

UNIVERSAL
Collectors series

Bach Orchestral and Chamber Music: [8CDs]
Brandenburg concertos, Tiple Concerto , Orchestral suites, Sonatas for violin and harpsichord , Sonatas Violin and Basso continuo, Sonatas Viola da gamba and harpsichord, Sonatas Violin and basso continuo, Sonatas Flute and basso continuo, Sonatas Flute and harpsichord, Partita solo flute : Musica Antiqua Koln Reinhard Goebel
Crotchet £47.95  AmazonUK   £44.99

Brahms Complete Symphonies [3CDs]
Symphony No.1 in C minor op.68. Variations on a Theme of Haydn op.56a. Symphony No.2 in D op.73. Rhapsody for Alto Chorus and orchestra op.53. Symphony No.3 in F op.90. Symphony No.4 in E minor op.98.Vienna Philharmonic Karl Bohm
Crotchet £17.99  AmazonUK   £15.99

Liszt Années de Pèlerinage complete recording, Lazar Berman [3CDs]
Crotchet £17.99  AmazonUK   £15.99

Mozart: The Symphonies The English Consort Trevor Pinnock [11CDs]
Crotchet £59.95  AmazonUK   £56.99

Christmas CDs

Hodie. An English Christmas Collection. William WALTON (1902-1983) Make we joy now in this fest Kenneth LEIGHTON (1929-1988) Coventry Carol Peter Racine FRICKER (1929-1990) A babe is born Edmund RUBBRA (1901-1986) The Virgin’s Cradle Song Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976) A Hymn to the Virgin A Ceremony of Carols John TAVERNER (b 1944) The Lamb Herbert HOWELLS (1892-1983) Sing lullaby A spotless rose Peter HAYWARD (b 1955) Lute book lullaby Peter WARLOCK (1894-1930) Corpus Christi Bululalow John GARDNER (b 1917) Tomorrow shall be my dancing day The Sixteen/Harry Christophers Recorded St Michael’s Church, Highgate, London January 1990 and September 1992 CORO 16004 [59’22] [JW]
£13.99 post-free World wide

Full of ardent musicality … see Full Review

BIS

Carl NIELSEN (1865-1931) The Six Symphonies and the Concertos Symphony No. 1 (1889-1894) FS16 [33.55] Symphony No. 2 The Four Temperaments (1901-1902) FS29 [34.11] Symphony No. 3 Sinfonia Espansiva (1910-1911) FS60 [37.30] Symphony No. 4 The Inextinguishable (1914-1916) FS76 [33.56] Symphony No. 5 (1920-1922) FS97 [33.05] Symphony No. 6 Sinfonia Semplice (1924-1925) FS116 [32.20] Violin Concerto (1911) [34.25] Flute Concerto (1926) [18.07] Clarinet Concerto (1928) [24.50] Pia Raanoja (sop) Knut Skram (bar) Dong-Suk Kang (violin) Patrick Gallois (flute) Olle Schill (clarinet) Gothenburg SO/Myung-Whun Chung (not 4 and 6) Neeme Järvi (4 and 6) rec Gothenburg Concert Hall, 4-4 Mar 1983 (2), 13-16 Dec 1985 (cl, 3), 15-18 May 1987 (Vn, 5), 14-16 June 1989 (Fl, 1), 8-9 Sept 1990 (4), 9 Mar 1992 (6) DDD BIS-CD-614/616 [4CDs: 68.42+71.37+67.04+78.30] [RB]

Wilhelm STENHAMMAR (1871-1927) The Orchestral Music Symphony No. 1 in F major (1902-3) [52.56] Symphony No. 2 in G minor (1901-1902) [42.37] Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor (original version) (1893) [45.50] Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor (1904-1907) [28.43] Serenade (including Reverenza movement) (1907) [43.30] Lodolezzi Sings suite (1919) [17.50] Midwinter (1907) [12.25] Florez och Blanzeflor - ballad for baritone and orchestra (1891) [8.19] Two Sentimental Romances for violin and orchestra (1910) [12.42] Excelsior! concert overture (1897) [12.10] Snöfrid (1897) [21.29] Peter Mattei (bar) (Florez) Ulf Wallin (violin) (Romances) Love Derwinger (piano) (No. 1) Cristina Ortiz (piano) (No. 2) Ulrika Åhlén (sop), Gunvor Nilsson (mz), Gösta Zackrisson (ten), Per Enoksson (violin) Gothenburg Concert Hall Choir/Ove Gotting (Snöfrid) Gothenburg SO/Neeme Järvi Malmö SO/Paavo Järvi () rec Gothenburg Concert Hall, live 24 Sept 1982 (Sym 1), live, 16 Sept 1983 (Sym 2), studio: 19-20 May 1989 (Piano Concerto 2), 1 Sept 1983 (Excelsior!), 26 August 1985 (Serenade); 11/17 June 1992, Malmö Concert Hall (Florez, Romances, Piano Concerto 1), DDD/AAD BIS-CD-714/716 [4CDs: 76.52+78.12+75.34+77.48] [RB]

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