ALKAN : Trois Grandes Etudes Op.76 • Trois Etudes De Bravoure (Scherzi) Op.16 (Ronald Smith) (1988) Studio Series | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)
1-3. Trois Grandes Etudes Pour Les Deux Mains Séparées Et Réunies Op. 76
4-6. Trois Etudes De Bravoure (Scherzi) Op. 16
Credits :
Piano – Ronald Smith

GIGI GRYCE & DONALD BYRD — Jazz Lab (1957-2010) RM | MONO | Serie Jazz 名盤 999 Best & More, EMI Music Japan Inc. 50th Anniversary | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Blue Lights    4:00
Written-By – Gigi Gryce
2    Onion Head    4:44
Written-By – Donald Byrd
3    Isn't It Romantic    4:51
Written-By – Richard Rodgers - Lorenz Hart
4    Bat Land    7:05
Written-By – Gigi Gryce, Lea Sears
5    Bangoon    4:57
Written-By – Hank Jones
6    Imagination    5:40
Written-By – Jimmy Van Heusen - Johnny Burke
7    Xtacy    8:32
Written-By – Donald Byrd
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Gigi Gryce
Bass – Paul Chambers
Drums – Art Taylor
Piano – Hank Jones
Trumpet – Donald Byrd

STANLEY JORDAN — Flying Home (1988) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The first half of this CD by the remarkable guitarist Stanley Jordan is so strong that it is a pity that things decline during the latter half. Jordan is quite outstanding on "Impressions" and "Autumn Leaves," emulates B.B. King on "Still Got The Blues", interprets a thoughtful "Willow Weep For Me" and performs a dazzling tour-de-force on the uptempo blues "Fundance"; the latter two are unaccompanied solos that sound like duets or trios. However a couple of funk pieces (including an unimaginative rendition of "What's Going On") and a New Age synthesizer selection are on a lower level. The title cut clocks in at 21:45 and, although it finds Jordan creating "impossible" technical feats on solo guitar, it meanders on indefinitely and gets boring very quickly. This is a frustrating release; get it for the good half if you see it at a budget price. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Street Talk    4:20
Drum Programming, Keyboards – Preston Glass
Guitar – Stanley Jordan
Written-By – Job, Glass, Jordan
2    Tropical Storm    5:56
Drum Programming – Noel Closson
Guitar – Stanley Jordan
Keyboards – Noel Closson, Preston Glass
Keyboards [Additional] – Stanley Jordan
Percussion – Steve Reid (
Percussion [Additional] – Codaryl "Cody" Moffett
Written-By – Closson, Jordan
3    When Julia Smiles    5:53
Bass, Drum Programming – Larry Graham
Guitar – Stanley Jordan
Keyboards – Larry Graham, Preston Glass
Percussion – Steve Reid
Written-By – Graham, Jordan
4    Can't Sit Down    5:53
Bass, Drum Programming, Keyboards – Preston Glass
Programmed By [Digital], Guitar – Stanley Jordan
Written-By – White, Bailey, Glass, Jordan
5    Stairway To Heaven    6:16
Bass – Larry Graham
Drums – Codaryl "Cody" Moffett
Guitar – Stanley Jordan
Keyboards – Preston Glass
Written-By – Page, Plant
6    Brooklyn At Midnight    5:01
Cymbal, Percussion – Codaryl "Cody" Moffett
Drum Programming, Programmed By [Bass], Keyboards – Preston Glass
Guitar, Keyboards [Additional] – Stanley Jordan
Written-By – Glass, Jordan, Birch
7    The Music's Gonna Change    4:46
Bass, Guitar, Programmed By [Digital] – Stanley Jordan
Drum Programming, Keyboards – Preston Glass
Written-By – Jordan
8    The Time Is Now    5:18
Guitar – Stanley Jordan
Recorded By – David Ahlert, Paul Higgins
Synthesizer – Arthur McAllister, David "Pic" Conley, Joshua Thompson
Written-By – Jordan
9    Flying Home    4:01
Edited By – Gene Lennon, Stanley Jordan
Guitar – Stanley Jordan
Mixed By – Preston Glass
Written-By – Jordan

NINO ROTA : 2 Concerti per pianoforte (Giorgia Tomassi · Filarmonica Della Scala · Riccardo Muti) (2000) FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

Tracklist & Credits

ALICE BABS — Diamanter (2004) 2xCD | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Tracklist 1:
1 Melodie 3:06
Lyrics By – Lisbeth Stahl
Written-By – Henri Salvador, Leona Gabriel
2 Sov Min Älskling = Dors, Mon Amour 2:59
Lyrics By – Nils-Ivar
Written-By – Hubert Giraud, Pierre Delanoë
3 Tulpaner Från Amsterdam = Tulips From Amsterdam 2:28
Lyrics By – Gösta Rybrant
Written-By – Ernst Bader, Klaus Neumann, Ralf Arnie
4 Jag Älskar Dej = Love Me Forever 3:19
Lyrics By – Anita Halldén
Written-By – Beverly Guthrie, Gary Lynes
5 Piccolissima Serenata 3:00
Lyrics By – Karin Wollgast
Written-By – Antonio Amurri, Gianni Ferrio
6 Rockin' Robin 1:42
Written-By – Jimmie Thomas
7 Den Som Glad Är = Everybody Loves A Lover 1:56
Lyrics By – Henry Fox
Written-By – Richard Adler, Robert Allen 
8 Sail Along Silvery Moon 2:48
Lyrics By – Lars Brom
Written-By – Harry Tobias, Percy Wenrich
9 Tivoli Melodi = Tivoli Melodie 2:55
Lyrics By – Eric Sandström
Written-By – Hans Bradtke, Heino Gaze
10 Ta Fatt På Månen = Go Chase A Moonbeam 2:16
Lyrics By – Eric Sandström
Written-By – Lee Pockriss, Paul J. Vance
11 Raring = Fibbin' 1:36
Lyrics By – Bo-Göran Edling
Written-By – Michael Merlo, Patrick Welch
12 (Have Lips Will Kiss In The) Tunnel Of Love 2:52
Written-By – Bob Roberts, Patty Fisher 
13 Det Vore Välan F'runderbart = Wouldn't It Be Loverly 2:44
Lyrics By – Gösta Rybrant
Written-By – Alan Lerner, Frederick Loewe
14 Jag Kunde Dansat Natten Lång = I Could Have Danced All Night 2:16
Lyrics By – Gösta Rybrant
Written-By – Alan Lerner, Frederick Loewe
15 Puerto Rico 3:02
Lyrics By – Eric Sandström
Written-By – Bobby Capó
16 Från Slickepinn Till Läppstift = Pollipops To Lipstick 2:09
Lyrics By – Eric Sandström
Written-By – Lya S. Roberts
17 Ingen Är Som Du 2:50
Lyrics By – Hans Alfredson & Tage Danielsson
Music By – Bengt Hallberg
18 Ragga-Da-Bang 0:58
Lyrics By – Hans Alfredson & Tage Danielsson
Music By – Bengt Hallberg
Tracklist 2 :

1 Side By Side 3:08

Written-By – Harry M. Woods
2 Go Chase A Moonbeam 3:06
Written-By – Lee Pockriss, Paul J. Vance
3 When You're Smiling 2:44
Written-By – Joe Goodwin, Larry Shay, Mark Fisher
4 Just You, Just Me 2:21
Written-By – Jesse Greer, Raymond Klages
5 Goodbye Jimmy, Goodbye 2:31
Lyrics By – Eric Sandström
Written-By – Jack Vaughn 
6 La Strada Del 'Amore 2:28
Lyrics By – Roland Edling
Written-By – Jack Reardon
7 Ingo Cha Cha 2:03
Lyrics By – Signe Hasso
Music By – Bengt Hallberg
8 Goodbye To Love 1:52
Lyrics By – Eric Sandström
Written-By – Barry Mann, Joe Shapiro 
9 Ring-A-Ling-A-Lario 1:52
Lyrics By – Eric Sandström
Written By – Gerald Grant
Written-By – Arthur Kent, Joe Reisman
10 Makin' Love 2:15
Lyrics By – Eric Sandström
Written-By – Floyd Robinson
11 Lullaby Of Broadway 2:38

Lyrics By – Roland Eiworth
Written-By – Al Dubin, Harry Warren 
12 Gunga I En Hammock = Swingin' In A Hammock 3:14
Lyrics By – Gösta Rybrant
Written-By – Charles O'Flynn, Pete Wendling, Tot Seymour
13 Miss Anna-Belle Lee 2:09
Lyrics By – Gösta Rybrant
Written-By – Lew Pollack, Sidney Clare
14 Det Är Sommar 2:22
Lyrics By – Eric Sandström
Written-By – Jerry Keller
15 Ge Mig Bara Ett Enda Ord Baby = What Do You Want 2:32
Lyrics By – Eric Sandström
Written-By – Les Vandyke
16 Flicka Med Positiv 2:34
Lyrics By – Eric Sandström
Music By – Bobbie Ericson
17 Res Med Mej 2:44
Lyrics By – Eric Sandström
Music By – Bobbie Ericson
18 Primavera 2:39
Lyrics By – Gösta Rybrant
Written-By – Francesco Colosimo          

SHIRLEY BASSEY — Something (1970-1999) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue) lossless]

Locked out of the singles charts for the past seven years, Shirley Bassey finally returned with this collection of "contemporary" standards, including her British Top Five single "Something." (Bassey, who first heard the song when Peggy Lee sang it, apparently didn't even know it was a Beatles tune until just before recording it.) To parallel the modern material, Johnny Harris' arrangements add an upfront electric bass and hang-loose drumkit to the heavy strings and brass. Of course, Bassey was never a jazz singer, so she makes the transition from traditional pop to contemporary rock with an ease more comparable to Barbra Streisand than Peggy Lee. There are a few jazzy rock standards ("Light My Fire," "Spinning Wheel," "Something") plus plenty of latter-day show tunes ("Easy to Be Hard," "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life,") and a few '60s vocal pieces ("The Sea and Sand," "My Way," "Yesterday When I Was Young"). Each tune that comes her way gets stamped with the irrepressible Bassey style, and ends up making a remarkably cohesive album of contemporary pop. John Bush
Tracklist :
1 Something 3:35
George Harrison
2 Spinning Wheel 3:08
David Clayton-Thomas
3 Yesterday I Heard the Rain 3:30
Gene Lees / Armando Manzanero
4 The Sea and Sand 4:02
Shirley Bassey
5 My Way 3:39
Paul Anka / Claude François / Jacques Revaux / Gilles Thibault
6 What About Today? 3:11
David Shire
7 You and I 3:47
Leslie Bricusse
8 Light My Fire 3:28
John Densmore / Robby Krieger / Ray Manzarek / Jim Morrison
9 Easy to Be Hard 2:41
Galt MacDermot / James Rado / Gerome Ragni
10 Life Goes On 2:41
Barbara Martin / Mikis Theodorakis
11 What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? 2:59
Alan Bergman / Marilyn Bergman / Michel Legrand
12 Yesterday, When I Was Young 3:54
Charles Aznavour / Herbert Kretzmer
– Bonus Track –
13 The Fool on the Hill 3:23
John Lennon / Paul McCartney
 Credits :
Arranged By, Conductor – Johnny Harris
Bass Guitar [Uncredited] – Tony Campo
Drums [Uncredited] – Harold Fisher
Guitar [Uncredited] – Bill Parkinson
Other [Dress By] – Siki Milan

LUTOSLAWSKI : Symphonies 1 & 2 · Symphonic Variations · Musique Funèbre (Polish Radio National Symphony · Witold Lutosławski) (1978-1994) RM | Serie Matrix – 3 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

WITOLD LUTOSLAWSKI (1913-1994)

Symphonic Variations    8:52
Symphony No. 1   
Musique Funèbre    13:30
Symphony No. 2   

Composed, Conductor – Witold Lutosławski
Orchestra – Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra

HONEGGER : Symphonies Nos. 1-5; Pacific 231 (Michel Plasson) 2CD (2003) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Taken together, Arthur Honegger's five symphonies and Pacific 231 form a compelling portrait of the man and his rugged style, clearly at odds with the studied elegance of his witty companions in Les Six. In the first three symphonies, Honegger's seriousness is communicated through rhythmically propelled melodies, biting dissonances, and vigorous counterpoint, and his block-like orchestration is calculated more for impact than for nuance. Honegger alternates between muscular developments and searching meditations, and the combative Symphony No. 1 and the uneasy Symphony No. 2 effectively play off these contrasts. A reverent tone dominates the Symphony No. 3, for orchestra, "Liturgique," but its religious feeling is born of doubt and conflict, as conveyed in the work's brutal episodes. The pastoral Symphony No. 4, "Deliciae Basilienses," and the sober Symphony No. 5, "Di tre re," are more varied in their orchestration and expression, and reveal a more relaxed Honegger. The mechanistic Pacific 231, a tour de force of tone painting, returns to the pugnacious mood of the set's opening work. This double disc restores to the catalog the fine recordings made by Michel Plasson and the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse from 1977 to 1979, digitally mastered in 1992. The sound is a little flat on the first disc, but is transparent and vivid on the second. by Blair Sanderson
All tracks & Credits

KAY STARR - I Cry By Night + "Losers, Weepers..." (1997) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Longtime jazz vocalist Kay Starr had two of her full-length LP releases compiled here on this CD by EMI.
Tracklist :
I Cry By Night (1962)
1     I'm Alone Because I Love You 2:42
Al Young
2     I Cry by Night 2:51
Doris Fisher
3     Baby, Won't You Please Come Home 2:23
Charles Warfield / Clarence Williams
4     More Than You Know 2:37
Edward Eliscu / Billy Rose / Vincent Youmans
5     Lover Man 2:46
Jimmy Davis / Roger "Ram" Ramirez / Jimmy Sherman
6     My Kinda Love 2:42
Louis Alter / Jo Trent
7     It Had to Be You 2:49
Isham Jones / Gus Kahn
8     Whispering Grass 2:22
Doris Fisher / Fred Fisher
9     Nevertheless 2:59
Bert Kalmar / Harry Ruby
10     What Do You See in Her? 2:42
Hal David / Frank Weldon
11     P.S. I Love You 3:02
Gordon Jenkins / Johnny Mercer
12     I'm Still in Love With You 3:09
T-Bone Walker
"Losers, Weepers... " (1960)    
13     You Always Hurt the One You Love 2:53
Doris Fisher / Allan Roberts
14     I Should Care 2:23
Sammy Cahn / Axel Stordahl / Paul Weston
15     I'm a Fool to Care 2:43
Ted Daffan
16     Don't Take Your Love from Me 2:30
Henry Nemo
17     When I Lost You 2:09
Irving Berlin
18     Only Forever 2:47
Johnny Burke / Monaco
19     Gonna Get a Guy 3:19
Sam M. Lewis
20     Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone 2:56
Sidney Clare / Sam H. Stept
21     I Miss You So 2:33
Jimmy Henderson / Sydney Robin / Bertha Scott
22     A Faded Summer Love 2:52
Phil Baxter
23     When a Man Loves a Woman 3:19
Bernie Hanighen / Gordon Jenkins / Johnny Mercer
24     Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall 1:53
Doris Fisher / Allan Roberts

KAY STARR - Jazz Singer + The Fabulous Favourites! (2002) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
Jazz Singer (1960)
1  I Never Knew (I Could Love Anybody Like I'm Loving You) 2:47
Raymond B. Egan / Roy Marsh / Thomas Pitts
2 My Man 2:42
Jacques Charles / Channing Pollack / Albert Willemetz / Maurice Yvain
3 Breezing Along With the Breeze 1:57
Haven Gillespie / Seymour Simons / Richard A. Whiting
4 All by Myself 3:02
Irving Berlin
5 Hard Hearted Hannah 2:31
Milton Ager / Charles Bates / Bob Bigelow / Jack Yellen
6 Me Too 2:00
Al Sherman / Charles Tobias / Harry Woods
7 Happy Days and Lonely Nights 2:51
Fred Fisher / Billy Rose
8 I Only Wanted a Buddy - Not a Sweetheart 3:14
Stan Jones
9 Hummin' to Myself  2:57
Sammy Fain / Siegel Magidson / Monty Siegel
10 My Honey's Lovin' Arms 2:47
Joseph Meyer / Herman Ruby
11 Sunday 2:50
Chester Conn / Benny Krueger / Ned Miller / Jule Styne
12 (I Would Do) Anything for You 2:50
Alexander Hill / Claude Hopkins / Bobby Williams
The Fabulous Favourites! (1964)
13  Side by Side 2:52
Harry Woods
14 So Tired 3:06
Russ Morgan / Jack Stuart
15 Mississippi 2:31
Billy Simmons / Curley Williams
16 I'm the Lonesomest Gal in Town 2:44
Lew Brown / Harry Von Tilzer
17 Half a Photograph 2:50
Bob Russell / Hal Stanley
18 Comes Along a Love 2:13
Al Sherman
19 Bonaparte's Retreat  2:37
Pee Wee King / Redd Stewart
20 Wheel of Fortune 3:09
Bennie Benjamin / George David Weiss
21 The Rock and Roll Waltz 2:49
Shorty Allen / Dick Ware
22 Hoop-Dee-Doo 2:14
Milton Delugg / Frank Loesser
23 Allez-Vous En (Go Away) 2:29
Cole Porter
24 Foolin' Around 2:20
Harlan Howard / Buck Owens

JERI SOUTHERN - ... Meets Cole Porter + ... At The Crescendo (1999) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Two of jazz vocalist Jeri Southern's full-length LPs are collected here on this two-fer CD release by EMI.
Tracklist :
... Meets Cole Porter (1959)
1     Don't Look at Me That Way 2:59
Cole Porter
2     Get Out of Town 3:04
Cole Porter
3     Looking at You 2:31
Cole Porter
4     It's All Right With Me 4:45
Cole Porter
5     Let's Fly Away 2:31
Cole Porter
6     Why Shouldn't I? 2:30
Cole Porter
7     You're the Top 2:49
Cole Porter
8     After You 2:50
Cole Porter
9     Which? 2:41
Cole Porter
10     I Concentrate on You 3:49
Cole Porter
11     It's Bad for Me 2:13
Cole Porter
12     Weren't We Fools? 2:49
Cole Porter
... At The Crescendo (1960)
13     I Thought of You Last Night 2:40
Ralph Freed
14     I Get a Kick Out of You 3:50
Cole Porter
15     Dancing on the Ceiling 3:48
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
16     Blame It on My Youth 3:32
Edward Heyman / Oscar Levant
17     Remind Me 4:30
Dorothy Fields / Jerome Kern
18     You Better Go Now 2:39
Irvin Graham / Bix Reichner
19     I'm Just a Woman 3:30
Gail Allen   
20     Something I Dreamed Last Night 4:47
Sammy Fain / Herbert Magidson / Jack Yellen
21     Nice Work If You Can Get It 2:05
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
22     When I Fall in Love 3:20
Edward Heyman / Victor Young

SHIRLEY BASSEY - Shirley (1961-1997) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Shirley Bassey's second album for EMI/Columbia is something of a letdown after her debut, The Fabulous Shirley Bassey. Producer Norman Newell again employs the services of Geoff Love & His Orchestra, who provide rather thick-textured accompaniment that sometimes seems out of sync with the singer's full abilities, which never get used on this LP. Bassey's singing is assured and rich-toned, whether she's doing straight pop or bluesy torch ballads like "For Every Man There's a Woman," and she does plumb some unexpected depths of emotion in a slow, impassioned "I'm in the Mood for Love," on which the orchestra is a little too busy for the good of the singer or the song. Love's accompaniments throughout are rather problematic -- the bandleader evidently favored the use of bongos on some of this repertory, but, as with all instruments with the least bit of exoticism, a little bongos go a long way. Generally, Bassey seems less comfortable with both the songs and the arrangements on this album than she did on her debut, although she does have a few beautiful moments here.  by Bruce Eder  
Tracklist:
1 In the Still of the Night 3:17
Cole Porter
2 Let There Be Love 3:10
Ian Grant / Lionel Rand
3 All at Once 3:30
4 For Every Man There's a Woman 3:51
Harold Arlen / Leo Robin
5 I'm in the Mood for Love 3:20
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh
6 So in Love 3:01
Cole Porter
7 If I Were a Bell 2:50
Frank Loesser
8 There Will Never Be Another You 4:20
Mack Gordon / Harry Warren
9 Hooray for Love 3:09
Harold Arlen / Leo Robin
10 Too Late Now 3:37
Burton Lane / Alan Jay Lerner
11 I'm Shooting High 1:31
Ted Koehler / Jimmy McHugh
12 Ev'rrtey Time We Say Goodbye 5:13
Cole Porter
Credits:
Shirley Bassey, Vocals with
Geoff Love and his Orchestra

SABINE MEYER • OLEG MAISENBERG : Plays Devienne, Poulenc, Saint-Saëns, Milhaud (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

It matters not that the clarinetist Sabine Meyer is German and pianist Oleg Maisenberg is Ukrainian: this recital of clarinet sonatas is still French to the bone marrow. The principal reason for this, naturally, is the repertoire. With works by Saint-Saëns, Poulenc, Devienne, and Milhaud, this recital could hardly be anything but French. But while other non-native players might misplace the accents or misjudge the rhythms, Meyer and Maisenberg are deep into the Gallic groove. Of course, no matter what the language, Meyer is a consummate musician with an immaculate technique and unfailingly good taste, and Maisenberg is a polished accompanist with a strong technique and unhesitatingly generous support. But here they speak French like natives. Their Saint-Saëns is tart, tender, and reserved. Their Poulenc is sweet, soulful, and insouciant. Their Devienne is smart, stunning, and virtuosic. And their encore -- three movements from Milhaud's Scaramouche arranged for clarinet and piano -- is wry, witty, and, in the closing Brazileira, fall-down funny. Captured by producer John Fraser in sound so real you'll swear this is no recording at all, but rather purest aural magic, this disc commends itself to Francophiles of any nationality. by James Leonard  

KURT WEILL : Symphony Nº. 2; Violin Concerto; Mahagonny Suite (Zimmermann-Jansons) (1998) APE (image+.cue), lossless

BARBER : Adagio for Strings, Violin Concerto, Orchestral & Chamber Works (2001) 2xCD / FLAC (tracks), lossless

While not the best single set of the music of Samuel Barber ever recorded -- Thomas Schippers' mid-'60s recording with the New York Philharmonic will hold that title from now unto perpetuity -- this two-disc set of recordings by Leonard Slatkin and the St. Louis Symphony is still not to be missed by anyone who loves Barber's neo-Romantic music. Slatkin's approach to Barber is strongly emotional and powerfully dramatic. His stormy interpretations of Barber's three Essays for Orchestra make them sound like the American descendants of Brahms' Tragic Overture. His witty interpretation of the School for Scandal Overture makes it sound like latter-day Mendelssohn. His gaudy interpretation of the Medea's Dance of Vengeance sounds like latter-day Strauss. His singing, soaring, and swelling interpretation of the ever-popular Adagio for Strings makes it sound like latter-day Mahler. With the sweet-toned Elmar Oliveira, Slatkin's interpretation of Barber's Violin Concerto is achingly lyrical and eloquently affecting, making it sound like latter-day Tchaikovsky. While Schippers goes deeper and further into Barber's music, his recordings cannot be denied -- Schippers' Barber always sounded only like Barber -- Slatkin's recordings are still well worth hearing and, with the bonus recordings of chamber music and piano music by members of the New York Philharmonic, arguably more representative. EMI's early digital sound is a bit dry and recessed, but clean and clear. by James Leonard 

All tracks & credits

J. S. BACH : Julian Bream Plays J. S. Bach (1994) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

ELISABETH SCHUMANN - Icon : Silver Thread of Song (2011) 6xCD BOX-SET / MONO / APE (image+.cue), lossless

The German soprano Elisabeth Schumann was one of the finest lyric sopranos of the 20th Century. She made her professional debut in Hamburg in 1909 and died in 1952, having given her last public concert the previous year. In 1985 the eminent vocal expert Alan Blyth wrote of her: ‘No artist so endeared herself to her public as Elisabeth Schumann. The charm of her manner is legendary; so is the attraction of her slivery voice and outgiving style. Whether in her operatic portrayals, her Lieder or her operetta offerings, she captivated her audiences.’

CDs 1 and 2 contain an unrivalled collection of Schumann's famous recordings of songs by Franz Schubert, the centrepiece of which is Der Hirt auf dem Felsen (‘The Shepherd on the Rock’) with Reginald Kell as the distinguished clarinet soloist. Every one of these songs is illuminated by the singer's unique style of vocal clarity and brightness as well as rhythmic bouyancy and spontaniety.

CD 3 brings together a number of Elisabeth Schumann's recordings of songs by her namesake Robert Schumann, including the famous cycle for female voice: Frauenliebe und-leben. Also on this CD are a group of songs by Brahms including several from the delightful ‘49 Deutsche Volkslieder’

CD 4 begins with Schumann's elegant performances of several soprano pieces by Bach and Handel, which are followed by a variety of contrasting works by Mozart including the main arias for Susanna and Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro and both of Zerlina's solos from Don Giovanni. The Mozart programme continues with an engaging performance of the ‘Alleluja’ from Exsultate, jubilate, a small group of songs and then finally the Benedictus from Mozart’s final work, the moving Requiem in D minor.

CD 5 is a mixed Lieder recital starting with songs by Haydn and Beethoven, then a collection of Hugo Wolf and ending with a group of Richard Strauss compositions, all touched by Schumann's own personal vocal magic.

The final CD opens with three extracts from Der Rosenkavalier that amply demonstrate Elisabeth Schumann's radiant interpretation of Sophie that was acclaimed in theatres around the world. Then we hear Schumann gloriously floating the soprano line in the Quintet from Die Meistersinger, followed by a collection of charming English songs, all sung with impeccable pronunciation. The disc ends with some of the most entertaining performances of arias from Viennese operettas ever put on record that will guarantee to bring a smile of delight to even the most critical listener.

ARTHUR RUBINSTEIN - The Chopin Recordings (2010) 5xCD BOX-SET / MONO / RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Even though RCA's outstanding recordings from the 1960s of Arthur Rubinstein playing Chopin are the most recommended versions for their exquisite interpretations and superior sound quality, some still turn to his recordings from the 1920s and '30s, which in many cases have the edge for passion and physical strength. Yet it is only fair to point out the limitations of this box set from EMI, which presents the concertos, nocturnes, waltzes, mazurkas, and polonaises in clean, digitally remastered audio, but has a closed-in, boxy quality that some listeners will find difficult to tolerate. Fortunately, these vintage recordings of Rubinstein performing at the peak of his powers have little distracting surface noise, and anyone who has had experience with historical recordings will find them quite attractive for the preservation of the piano's natural luster and for the lack of distortion. Once one accepts the compressed sound as a necessary condition, it's easy to see why Rubinstein's admirers champion these legendary performances, for his expressions are mature but still fresh and energetic, and his brilliance and bravado come across clearly, despite the age of the recordings. This set will be best appreciated by fans and specialists in the repertoire, but others will derive some benefits by giving it a fair hearing. by Blair Sanderson  

All Tracks & Credits

HOLST : The Collector's Edition (2012) 6xCD BOX-SET | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
CD 1 The Planets - The Perfect Fool - Egdon Heath 73:54
CD 2 A Somerset Rhapsody - Brook Green Suite - A Fugal Concerto - Beni Mora - St Paul's Suite - Hymns from the Rig Veda, 2nd Group - Ode to Death 76:26
CD 3 Psalm 86 - A Choral Fantasia - Suites for Military Band - A Moorside Suite - Hammersmith 74:35
CD 4 Hymns from the Rig Veda, 4th Group - The Homecoming - A Dirge for Two Veterans - Six Choral Folk Songs - Choruses, canons and carols 71:18
CD 5 The Hymn of Jesus - Short Festival Te Deum - Choral Symphony 77:05
CD 6 The Wandering Scholar - At the Boar's Head 75:46 

All tracks & credits

GERSHWIN : "I got Rhythm" Music for Two Pianos (1998) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless