The Classical Shop

Film Music Prom

2011-08-12T06:33:00.000-07:00

Calling all Film Music Fans! Tonight's prom is dedicated to some of the most widely recognisable works in classical music. Just think of Alfred Hitchcock's iconic film Psycho, available on Signum (SIG 234) and Unicorn-Kanchana (UK 2021). Bernard Herrmann who composed this work, is responsible too for the music to Citizen Kane and North by Northwest. Also in the first half of the prom William Walton's Henry V suite will be performed. The Chandos label offers a wonderful recording of this music arranged by Christopher Palmer.

The second half of the evening kicks off with John William's music to Star Wars, Schindler's List and Harry Potter, all of which feature on the Naxos album Great Movie Themes (NX 0505). I think the piece I'll be waiting to hear is Richard Rodney Bennett's Murder on the Orient Express. However, if you can't decide on your favourite music from the film world, you will find some all-time greats on Chandos's British Film music album. I hope you enjoy the performance.

Tonight's Prom - Steve Reich

2011-08-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

The prom tonight at 10.15pm features the works of composer Steve Reich who will be celebrating his 75th birthday later this year. The performance will include several of his most noteable works such as Clapping Music, which has been recorded by several of the labels here on the Classical Shop. ARTS feature this work on their album AB 7624, signum on SIG 050 and the CORO label on CO 6031.

If you particularly enjoy the Electric Counterpoint we have two recordings of this piece, again, on the Signum label SIG 143 and the BIS label BIS 5019 - both are available for download on the Classical Shop. If you would like to explore more of his works then you will find a recent recording on the Chandos label, which the composer himself described as 'Incisive, focused and intense, this recording of the Three Movements is the best I have ever heard. The Desert Music is full, rich, yet full of detail. Kristian Järvi, the Tonkünstler-Orchester, and Sine Nomine perform with a relaxed rhythmic precision that fits the music. Bravo and thanks to all". So with that it would seem a visit to the Classical Shop site and this particular album is a real must!

Press Officer at the Proms

2011-08-05T08:25:00.001-07:00

Of the four Proms I have been to this year, each has been equally rewarding in different ways. The first (17^th June) marked Juanjo Mena’s debut at the proms where the soon-to-be new chief conductor of the BBC Philharmonic bought music from, or inspired by, his native homeland to London. We were treated to the wonderfully evocative Nights in the Garden of Spain (with Steven Osborne, the sensitive pianist), Ravel’s dazzling Rapsodie espagnole and Debussy’s inspired Images, where each movement was, curiously, separated by the other works. The next Prom (26^th July) went from Spain to Hungary, with Jurowski leading the London Philharmonic. Beginning with Kodaly’s colorful Dances of Galánta, it went on to a blistering account of Bartók’s First Piano Concerto. Bartók wrote in the score that the percussion be placed surrounding the piano and it was almost disconcerting to see the piano engulfed in a battery of percussion instruments. But Jean-Efflam Bavouzet electrifying performance was more than a match for them, with conductor, orchestra and soloist filling the Albert Hall with electricity and excitement. The second half of the concert comprised Liszt’s epic Faust Symphony. Whilst the opening is magically haunting and evocative, after an hour of it – despite some wonderful moments - one can’t help thinking that Liszt could have done with a decent editor. The third prom (August 1^st) brought the BBC Philharmonic again with their principle conductor, Gianandrea Noseda. Beginning with Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony – with its extended and magical introduction – Saint-Saëns Fifth Piano Concerto followed – and received a scintillating performance with Stephen Hough as the soloist. Subtitled, the ‘Egyptian’, its mixture of pseudo exotic elements combined with French charm is irresistible, and the finale bubbled with champagne-like exhilaration. The second half comprised another mammoth Liszt work, this time his Dante Symphony. The fourth prom (August 2^nd) featured Elgar’s Violin Concerto with the soloist, Tasmin Little, who was on inspirational form. Tasmin made a recording of this work with Chandos with Sir Andrew Davis last year (which won a Classic Brit Award) and her understanding of the piece was immediately apparent: the hushed intensity during the reflective passages was almost luminous in its intensity whilst the more dramatic passages were full of all the passion one could wish for in this masterpiece of a work. The second half featured a prom premiere: a work, by turns quirky and rousing music from Percy Grainger, in the form of his Suite ‘In a Nutshell’ and it was amusing to see the orchestra actually reduce in size for a riotous performance of Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel. The BBC Singers performed a superb performance of Elgar’s haunting There is sweet music.

2011-08-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

Tasmin Little who erlier this year was awarded the Critic's Choice at the Classic BRITS will perform Elgar's Violin Concerto at tonight's Prom No 24. This work is included on a Chandos album CHAN 5083 which has recieved high praise from critics and the public alike. For the first time Percy Grainger's 'In a Nutshell' will be performed at a prom. This is sure to be a memorable prom indeed!

Later on in the evening Prom 25 is dedicated solely to the works of Grainger and his exploration of folk music.

Tonight's Prom

2011-08-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

If you will be listening to, or are lucky enough to attend the proms in person tonight you should be in for a fantastic experience. In Prom 23 Gianandrea Noseda will be leading the BBC Philharmonic in several works, but the concert culminates with the exciting Dante Symphony by Liszt. This work forms part of a series of Liszt recordings undertaken by the Chandos label. So if you love what you hear tonight you can download your own copy from the Classical Shop.

Hallé Orchestra - Tonights Prom

2011-07-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

The 2011 PROMS have been going for nearly a week now, and tonight we are in for a real treat with the Hallé orchestra performing under the baton of Sir Mark Elder. This month, we are offering 25% off the entire Hallé back catalogue on the Classical Shop. Since the orchestra launched its own CD label in 2003, it has gone from strength to strength. Among the label's many triumphs is Elgar's Violin Concerto with Thomas Zehetmair as soloist, which won a Gramophone award in 2010. Another of Hallé's many award-winning recordings is Götterdämmerung by Richard Wagner. The Daily Telegraph wrote of a performance of this work by the Hallé orchestra: "The orchestra, re-inforced for the occasion to more than 100 and with enough harps on-and-off stage to restock Paradise, responded with world-class playing." A must have for your collection!

Press Officer's thoughts on film music

2011-07-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

This month, amongst hundreds of new downloads available on TheClassicalShop.net, you will find some wonderful film music by Michael J. Lewis. Its quality makes one wonder why film music is still regarded, in certain quarters, as the Cinderella relation of classical music.

Yet who would be without the score by William Walton to Henry V, or the magnificent tune he wrote for Went the Day Well? If Walton was one of the greatest composers of film music – if not the greatest of them – there are all those giants in Hollywood. Korngold, for example, was a child prodigy, comparable to Mozart and Mendelssohn. At the age of twenty-three he was at the height of his fame as a composer of operas and orchestral music, yet his film music eclipsed all his stage and concert works. Conversely, the orchestral music of Miklós Rózsa is now beginning to eclipse his film music. And one has to mention Bernard Herrmann, whose musical voice is every bit as distinctive and easily recognisable as that of Tchaikovsky, Debussy, or Beethoven (Chandos will release his striking cantata Moby Dick later this year).

Later, more populist composers, such as the inimitable Henry Mancini (his Pink Panther theme must be one of the most recognised tunes the world over), and the even funkier Lalo Schifrin (his Bullet score makes one feel as cool as Steve McQueen), offer a wealth of fun and frolics at the lighter end of the scale. Today’s blockbuster scores by John Williams and Patrick Doyle and the like are hardly negligible and also have the advantage of exposing younger audiences to the sound of a symphony orchestra.

Perhaps film music is more susceptible to the changes of fashion and thus tends to date more quickly than ‘serious’, classical music (though the passage of time helps to diminish this effect). To ignore film music and be snobbish about it is to close your ears to some of the most imaginative and rewarding music written over the last century.

In the 1973 film Theatre of Blood (music by the aforementioned Michael J. Lewis), a hammy Shakespearian actor (wonderfully played by Vincent Price) takes revenge on all his unappreciative critics by dispatching them to their ghoulish deaths. Whilst we are unlikely to suffer such a fate for not fully appreciating film scores, we will undoubtedly be the poorer for not giving this rich genre our full attention.

Paul Westcott

Press Officer

Chandos Records

Music For The Royal Wedding

2011-04-28T12:38:00.000-07:00

Celebrate the Royal Wedding with us here at the Classical Shop. We have an exclusive download-only album CHAN 10591 available for a limited period. This album contains most of the music chosen for the Royal Wedding Ceremony, such as Ralph Vaughan William's Fantasia on Greensleeves and Charles Wesley's Love Divine All Loves Excelling. This album will be available for one month only and if purchased during the Bank Holiday you will recieve a 50% discount - so why not take advantage now and click here to find out more?

Happy St Patricks Day!

2011-03-17T04:30:00.000-07:00

A very Happy St Patrick's Day to you all. It has been 80 years since Ireland held its first St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin. The Classical Shop has Irish inspired music to help your celebrations go with a swing such as the traditional folk music on the Gift of Music label Folk Music of Ireland or on the CORO label Acoustic Ireland. The Music and Media label has an album which was launched on 17 March 2009 and contains arrangement of traditional works. If your musical preferences lean towards more classical fare, then perhaps you would enjoy works by composers who were influenced by Ireland itself, such as Harty's Irish Symphony or Stanford's Irish Symphony & Rhapsody - a selection can be seen here

2011-03-09T02:56:00.000-08:00

The premiere of Verdi’s Ernani took place today at La Fenice Theatre in Venice, Italy in 1844. Ernani was the first opera to be recorded in its entirety taking up 40 single-sided discs in 1904! Luckily we have a version available here on the Classical Shop that is available in one download. Click here to find out more CHAN 3052

2011-03-08T08:28:00.000-08:00

8 March 1903 – saw the premiere of George Enescu’s work Romanian Rhapsody Op 11 in Bucarest, Romania. We have several examples of this work on the Pristine Audio label PA 087 , Marco Polo MP 3146 and on the Chandos label CHAN 6625 . If you haven't heard these works before why not give them a try?

2011-03-03T07:35:00.000-08:00

Today in 1875 the premiere of George Bizet's opera Carmen took place at tje Opéra-Comique in Paris. Rather disappointly for Bizet, it was at the time, not considered to be a huge sucess. Just three months later Bizet dies of a heart attack and did see his work become one of the world's bestloved operas.

The Classical Shop has several recordings of this fine opera, so why not have a look at the selection we have available?

25% off of selected Film Music Titles on the Classical Shop

2011-03-01T01:48:00.000-08:00

The Classical Shop has a large and varied selection of Film and TV Music and we are currently offering 25% off of selected titles. So take advantage of this now, as this offer is only available for a limited period!

2011-02-24T02:03:00.000-08:00

Today is the 300^th anniversary of the first performance of Handel’s opera Rinaldo. It was the first Italian language opera written specifically for the London stage and it opened at the Queens Theatre in London’s Haymarket in 1711. The work was loved by the general public and went on to become Handel’s most frequently performed musical drama during his lifetime.

If you do not own a copy of this work but would like to, then visit the Classical Shop where we have a recording of this on the Naxos label.

Congratulations to Emma Kirkby

2011-01-28T06:28:00.000-08:00

The Classical Shop would like to congratulate Dame Emma Kirkby who in an audience at Buckingham Palace later this year will receive the Queen’s annual Medal for Music. The medal is awarded each year to performers who have had a ‘major influence on the musical life of the nation’. For a list of all Emma Kirkby’s recordings available from The Classical Shop, please click here.

2011 BBC Music Magazine Awards

2011-01-20T03:20:00.000-08:00

This year's nominations for the BBC Music Magazine Awards have been announced and in the Opera category the Hallé label has its splendid recording of Wagner's Götterdämmerung HL 7525.
In the Orchestral section the LSO has Prokofiev's Romeo & Juliet and in the same category Chandos Records have their recording of Bartok's Piano Concertos on CHAN 10610

The Choral section has a nomination for the Signum label for their excellent recording of Poulenc's Figure Humaine

All of these nominated albums can be found on the Classical Shop and we would like to take this opportunity to wish the nominees Good Luck. If you would like to vote for your favourites please do so here

2011-01-13T07:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight exclusive Chandos artist, bassoonist Karen Geoghegan will perform at the Bridgewater Hall and this will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 from 7 pm tonight. This should be a splendid performance and if you enjoy it and would like to explore more of this talented young artist's work then take a look at her discography on the Classical Shop

2011-01-12T06:27:00.000-08:00

Today sees the last of BBC Radio 3 'Mozart the Genius' programmes, one of the first pieces featuring in the music of Mozart's last will be his Horn Concerto No 1 in D, a recording of this work and the other three Horn concertos can be found on the Nimbus label NI 5104 Later this evening in the 'Performance on 3' show, my own personal favourite Mozart work Requiem in D will be featured. The Classical Shop has several versions of this wonderful work available, so why not take a look at what we have to offer and choose your own favourite.

2011-01-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

Continuing with their expolration of the music of Mozart, BBC Radio 3 will be playing Piano Trio in C, K548 this afternoon. The classical shop can offer a version of this piece on the Signum label SIG 081

Then much later in their 'Through the Night" section two piano sonatas will be played, the first one in A, K332 and the next one will be Piano Sonata in D, K576 both of which can be found on the Avie Label.

2011-01-10T08:45:00.000-08:00

Part of tonights performance on the Mozart programme broadcast by BBC Radio 3 will be Die Zauberflote K620 and we have a version of this on the Naxos label NU6030 or if you would prefer to own a copy this opera in English, the Classical Shop has this on it Opera in English Label CHAN 3121

Later on tonight in their 'Play Mozart for Me' programme Radio 3 will also feature Symphony No 28 K200

2011-01-07T02:36:00.000-08:00

This morning as part of its The Genius of Mozart programme BBC Radio 3 played Mozart's Flute Quartet in D, K285 and the Albany label has a version of this piece.

The lunch-time programme plans to feature his Symphony No 31 and the ARTS label has an excellent version of thison the classical shop. If you love the Flute and Harp concerto in C, K299 which is also due to be played this has been recorded by the GIft of Music label.

Tonight part of their programme will include Mozarts Piano Concerto No 27 in B flat K595 and this appears on the Chandos recording CHAN 9137 and on the Guild Historical label GH 2228

2011-01-06T01:56:00.000-08:00

BBC Radio 3 will be playing Mozart's Mass in C minor today as part of their feature on the music of Mozart. if you enjoyed this work why not try CORO's recordinghttp://www.classical-mp3.net/Details.aspx?CatalogueNumber=CO%206084

60th anniversary of death of EJ Moeran

2010-12-01T03:03:00.000-08:00

This week BBC radio 3 has been featuring the composer 'Jack' Moeran as part of its 'Composer of the Week' programme. Today they will be playing the Chandos recording of his Violin Concerto. To commemorate the 60th anniversary of his death today the Classical Shop is offering a download of this album at 50% off of its normal price. 50% off Moeran title

Several labels on the Classical Shop, offer a range of Moeran's work: Diversions, Divine Arts, Priory , Collegium and Chandos. Moeran titles available on the Classical Shop

2010-11-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

It was on this date in 1938 that Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings received its worldwide premiere on a live NBC radio broadcast. The conductor on this occasion was Arturo Toscanini who had received the work from Barber some nine months earlier, and he chose to premiere the piece with the NBC Symphony Orchestra.

Samuel Barber wrote the Adagio when he was twenty-six years old, in 1936, and it originally constituted the slow mevment of his first string quartet. In the arrangement for string orchestra it was to become one of the most recognisable pieces of classical music, and consistently one of the most downloaded classical works.

If you haven't downloaded this work yet, The Classical Shop has two radio recordings, with Pristine Audio and the Guild Historical label, or if you are looking for a more recent recording there is one on the Chandos label.

The Guild Historial recording is taken from a broadcast made on 14 May 1940 in Washington, DC and also features Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra http://www.classical-mp3.net/Details.aspx?CatalogueNumber=GH%202348

On the Chandos recording the work is performes by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Neeme Jarvi Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Neeme Jarvi recording

The Pristine Audio recording is remastered from the original discs of the 1938 premiere http://www.classical-mp3.net/Details.aspx?CatalogueNumber=PS%20080

So whether your preference is for a historical or more recent recording, there is something to suit your taste at The Classical Shop!

Chandos's Press Officer goes to the last night of the proms

2010-10-07T06:03:00.000-07:00

I went to the Last Night of the Proms this September – for the first time for years. It is a concert like no other and I had forgotten just what an impact a concert can make. It makes one understand how in 1830, Auber’s La Muette de Portici incited a riot – the signal for the Belgian Revolution which led to Belgian independence from the Dutch. Such is the power of music. Not that Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory could incite anything other than positive emotions. In fact, it was rather touching to see so many different flags waving amongst the sea of Union Jacks. One undoubted gulp-making moment was Britten’s version of God Save the Queen which the massed choir begins with a spine-tingling hushed intensity – a supreme arrangement, though it threw the audience into utter panic when it became clear that no one seemed to know the words to the second verse of the British National Anthem (it was printed, mercifully, in the programme).

Nor, it seemed, did people know the words to Auld Lang Syne, though by that stage of the evening, it hardly mattered. We had all sung through You’ll never walk alone which the conductor, Jiří Bělohlávek (whose new Chandos recording of Suk’s Symphony No. 1 and Ripening, CHSA 5081, is ‘CD of the Month’ in the November issue of BBC Music), hoped, with the aid of live relays around the country, would enter the Guinness Book of Records as representing the largest massed choir performance ever. Alarmingly (for it worked rather well), it was preceded by the ‘Bridal Chorus’ from Lohengrin. One can only imagine what Wagner would have thought being programmed next to Rodgers and Hammerstein!

Wonderful, too, hearing Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio italien and Rococco Variations, the latter played this time on a viola by Maxim Rysanov, along with Chabrier’s fizzing Joyeuse marche (why don’t we hear these works more often?); and René Fleming was superb in the Strauss songs and the arias from Dalibor and Rusalka. Even if Henry Wood’s masterful arrangement of Fantasia on British Sea Songs was omitted this year, there was a very enjoyable new version of a traditional hornpipe, arranged by Nic Raine – even the world premiere opening work, Jonathan Dove’s A Song of Joys, was hugely entertaining and gives us hope for modern music.

With winter looming all too near we enter a bracing autumnal season, with plenty of warming CD releases. Included are recordings of Karen Geoghegan and Michael Collins showing their virtuosity in repertoire, respectively, for the bassoon and clarinet; Edward Gardner’s first orchestral CD for Chandos (works by Lutosławski); more colourful, folksong-inspired music by Johan Halvorsen; and Louis Lortie completes his epic series of Beethoven’s piano sonatas (available in a handsome 9-disc bargain box). Amongst a myriad of new downloads available this month, there is a stunning new recording of Mozart’s great Mass in C minor, conducted by Harry Christophers on Coro; a beautiful CD called Dialogues of Sorrow on Signum, performed by Gallicantus, some delightful chamber music played by the Poulenc Trio on Marquis, an impressive reading of Parsifal on the Mariinsky label, conducted by Valery Gergiev, and a sublime Grieg recital played by Katya Apekisheva on Quartz, amongst many others.

Paul Westcott, Press Officer, Chandos Records

Last Week of the Proms

2010-09-07T01:20:00.000-07:00

Well, this week is the last week of the Proms - I can't believe that the nine weeks of the Proms season have sped by so quickly!! There have been some truly splendid performances over the last eight weeks and this week will, I'm sure, be no different.

On Thursday night Gianandrea Noseda will conduct the BBC Philharmonic in a programme that starts with Schubert's Symphony No 8. As part of our Proms offer we have a recording of this work available at a special price on the BBC Phil label. If you enjoy the performance of Noseda and the BBC Philharmonic you may wish to explore some of their other recordings further; as part of our Proms Special Offer we have works by Karlowicz and Rachmaninoff available on Chandos.

Saturday night is the last Night of the Proms. The second item of the evening is Tchaikovsky's Capriccio italien and at the Classical Shop you will find several recordings of this work in our Proms Special Offer.

The Programme of the second half of the evening is made up of everyone's favourites, and many of these again feature in our Proms Special Offer, among them such gems as Parry's 'Jerusalem', Arne's 'Rule Britannia', and Elgar's 'Land of Hope and Glory'.

I've spent a busy few months scouring our extensive repertoire at the Classical Shop - picking our the best of the crop for our proms promotion. But all good things must come to an end! And that goes for our proms promotion too.

Yes, our proms promotion is really coming to an end. Our popular proms offer will only be available until mid-September, so now's the time to log on the the Classical Shop and check out our Proms Promoation one last time. It could make a real difference to your music collection!

And do remember to let me know your thoughts on the music too. It would really help me make next years proms promotion even bigger and better.

Right, I'm off to find my flag ... Now, where did I put it?

2010-09-03T01:20:00.000-07:00

The Proms special offer includes a work which was performed on Tuesday evening this week - Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. Avie has a live recording of this opera, which is sung in English and perfectly captures the work's magic.

On Thursday night Christian Curnyn conducted the Early Opera Company. Curnyn has been described by The Times as 'Our finest young Handelian', and he and his Early Opera Company have earned themselves a fine international reputation as exponents of baroque repertoire. If you have not heard any of their performances before, then you will find some fine examples of their work on the Chandos label. As part of the Proms promotional offer of The Classical Shop we have included The Judgement of Paris by John Eccles. The magazine BBC Music said of this recording: 'Christian Curnyn captures the unique charms of Eccle's music.' This recording is sure to delight.

I hope you have enjoyed this week's Proms.

2010-08-26T01:57:00.000-07:00

Did you listen or see the Prom with Jean-Efflam Bavouzet last week? I did listen to it and absolutely loved it. What did you think?

Last night's Prom was with Ashkenazy conducting the suite from Der Rosenkavalier. Ashkenazy has performed frequently at the Proms and we are offering some examples of his work in our Proms Special Offer. The suite from Der Rosenkavalier was the first work on the programme and Chandos has both a recording of the orchestral suite and a disc of 'Highlights' of the opera on its Opera in English label. If you don't own a copy of the opera but wish you did we also have a couple of historical recordings also in our offer on the Guild label.

Ravel's Piano Concerto in G was also on the programme, so we have included a couple of recordings of this work in our offer. The Pentatone recording has recieved some stunning reviews and it was picked as 'Editor's Choice' by the magazine Gramophone and 'Classical CD of the week' by the Telegraph newspaper. The closing piece of this Prom was Scriabin's Symphony No 3 and you can find versions of this on the Chandos and Naxos labels in our Proms offer too.

So until next week enjoy your Proms!

2010-08-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet will be playing in the evening Prom alongside the Philharmonia Orchestra and the conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. On the programme are works by Scriabin, Ravel and Pärt. If you have not heard Bavouzet's playing before then I would strongly urge you to experience it - you really will be delighted. The New York Times described him as 'an artist whose music-making is on a grand scale...'

The Classical Shop is offering a couple of Bavouzet's recordings as part of its Proms special sale, so this is an ideal opportunity to explore the artistry of this superlative pianist. Chandos Records has Bavouzet's complete survey of Debussy's solo piano works available and each recording has received glowing reviews from the critics. The Pianist magazine said of the first disc in the series: '...the quality of this disc suggests the discovery of a major talent ...' His latest recording, heralding the beginning of a new Haydn cycle, was made an 'Editor's Choice' by Gramophone magazine.

I think we can expect great things from Friday's Prom!

2010-08-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

It's not very often I attend a London Prom, I'm ashamed to say, but spending so much time out on the road, recording, and running a company in between times, does limit one's possibilities. However, last Sunday I did attend a Prom which featured not one but two Chandos artists, Sir Andrew Davis and Louis Lortie, in a very interesting programme which was all about connections.

To open was Messiaen's Un sourire, a short piece commissioned to mark the bicentenary of Mozart's death. Messiaen always smiled when he thought of Mozart and this piece ends musically in a beautifully atmospheric smile.

Following this was of course Mozart, his Piano Concerto No 17 in G major, KV 453, played by Louis Lortie. One of Louis's star qualities is the way in which he can bring so much light and sparkle to the keyboard, having great fun with the piece, which is written very much like a conversation between the piano and the orchestra. Sir Andrew Davis and the BBC Symphony Orchestra certainly rose to the challenge set by Louis with a clarity and lightness to their playing not usually heard from a full-size symphony orchestra. This was certainly a performance that made you smile. The audience loved it.

The second half started with a Prom premiere, Parry's Elegy to Brahms. Parry was a great admirer of Brahms and Brahm's death in 1897 profoundly affected him; so much so that he set aside all other work to compose this Elegy, an intense, moving piece which should be heard a lot more, in my opinion.

One could only follow this with Brahms, and Sir Andrew chose Symphony No 4, his most difficult and complex symphony, but one which is intellectually taut and ingenious. Full of wonderful Brahmsian melodies and motifs wound into many moods, this symphony takes the listener many places emotionally and musically. The last movement had the audience gripped as the tempo and excitement built right through to the very last bar, when the release came and the audience erupted with joy.

A most enjoyable evening.

Ralph Couzens - Managing Director Chandos Records

2010-07-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday night at the proms, the long-awaited 'Beethoven the Romantic' concert took place, and of course The Classical Shop is featuring this wonderful repertoire as part of our Proms Special which offers 25% off the price of selected recordings. If you are a fan of 'Beethoven the Romantic', have a look at such top-quality labels as Avie, Arts Music, LSO Live and the BBC Philharmonic which have these works available at a one-off bargain price.

Thursday night should have seen Sir Charles Mackerras conduct the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in a programme of Dvorak and Mozart, but it was with great sadness that we learned of the death of Sir Charles on 14th July. All of us at The Classical Shop would like to pay tribute to this extraordinary musician who was loved and respected by everyone in the classical music community. Sir Charles was particularly known for his passionate advocacy of Czech music, represented in the first item of the night, Dvorak's Serenade for Wind; but Sir Charles performed and recorded music of many genres and periods, and completed several successful projects on the Opera in English label for Chandos Records. He shines on several recordings on the LSO and MPLive labels in our our Proms Special. He will indeed be greatly missed.

Coming up on Sunday's evening Prom is the wonderful Sarah Connolly who will sing Wagner's Brangane. Don't miss out on the many fine examples of her work in the Classical Shop, currently available at a special price.

This Week at the Proms

2010-07-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

I listened on the radio to the splendid Monday night Prom with Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra - absolutely marvelous. If you were impressed too and don't have the works in your collection we have a recording of Tchaikovsky's 'Manfred' Symphony with the same artists on the Naxos label as part of our 'Proms Special' sale offer. If you would like to explore some different repertoire with these artists, then you will find them on the Avie label, this time perfoming Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances and The Rock - why not give this a try?

This Sunday we have the Dr Who Prom and I am looking forward to this one immensely it will include several of my favourites. Have you heard John Adam's Short Ride in a Fast Machine? Definately one to listen out for. The Classical Shop has this piece available in recordings on both Chandos and Naxos, so take advantage of our sale and choose one of these!

2010-07-19T01:59:00.000-07:00

This week sees the start of the Proms! Are any of you lucky enough to be going this year? Which Prom will you be going to? The Classical Shop is offering a selection of downloads featuring works and artists appearing in this year’s Proms. For the first week The Mastersingers of Nuremberg has got to be a must and the Guild label has a historical recording of the opera in our ‘Proms special’; the wonderful Bryn Terfel has got to be the featured artist this week – he sings the role of Hans Sachs in The Mastersingers on Saturday. Chandos Records has several great recordings featuring Bryn Terfel and one of the newer labels to join the classical shop, SAIN, features him on a recording included in our ‘Proms special’. If you will be going to any of the Proms don’t forget to leave a comment, letting us know which concert and what you thought of it – we’d love to hear from you.

Charles Mackerras, 1925-2010

2010-07-15T06:59:00.001-07:00

It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of Sir Charles Mackerras. Chandos has enjoyed a long association with Sir Charles, one of the great conductors of the recording era. His distinguished career really goes back to the 1940s when he began a life-long association with Sadler’s Wells Opera (now the English National Opera), where he conducted a vast repertoire, from Bach to, most significantly, Janáček. He was also at the forefront of period performance practice, and recorded a legendary performance of Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks in 1959, as impressive today as it was when it first appeared. His performances of Mozart were impressive too, for their informed use of ornamentation as much as for the sparkle of the playing. Indeed, his performances and recordings are uniformly notable for their exhilarating freshness and infectious spontaneity.

Of course, Sir Charles is perhaps most famous for his championing of the music of Janáček and recorded a landmark series of Janáček’s operas for Decca, as well as EMI and Chandos (Osud, The Makropulos Case and Jenůfa, among many others) as well as the original version of the Glagolitic Mass. Also, for Chandos, he conducted a Grammy Award winning version of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. His classic recordings made at the ENO – Mary Stuart, Werther, La traviata and Julius Caesar – are an important part of Chandos’ Opera in English series and all received superb critical acclaim, comparing well to the best recordings available in whatever language.

Whilst Sir Charles was a great expert on Janáček, and Czech music in general, his other great passion was the music of Sir Arthur Sullivan. He was a supreme Gilbert and Sullivan conductor and his arrangement of music by Sullivan to form the ballet Pineapple Poll is one of the most successful of its kind. Indeed, he recorded it several times and the ballet has become a staple of the British light music repertoire. His arrangement of music by Verdi for the ballet The Lady and the Fool is hardly less successful, and very enjoyable.

Sir Charles Mackerras was a consummate musician, able to communicate with absolute clarity to the orchestra the results he wanted. He possessed a flair for eliciting the results he wanted, which rarely, if ever, failed him.

Ralph Couzens, the Managing Director of Chandos Records, comments: ‘Sir Charles was a great musician with impressive attention to detail, no matter what the repertoire. He brought life to whatever he did. His few recordings on Chandos have all been highly acclaimed. He will be missed very much and may he rest in peace.’

Indeed, as a man and a supreme musician Sir Charles Mackerras achieved legendary status in his own lifetime. Our deepest sympathy is with Lady Mackerras and their daughter.

2010-06-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

Well, this month sees the centenary of the birth of Sir Peter Pears. The tenor was the lifelong partner of Benjamin Britten, to whom he was a source of inspiration. Britten created the title role in Peter Grimes for Pears in 1945 and dedicated several works to him. Although they collaborated on many projects, Pears also pursued a solo career, performing oratorio, Lieder, and English song. The Classical Shop has several Pears recordings available and for the month of June we are offering these and a selection of recordings of Britten’s works, which you may also enjoy, at a discount of 25% off the usual price.

2010-05-18T02:03:00.000-07:00

Kurt Weill was one of a number of composers who had to flee Nazi Germany. In fact he had a lot to fear as not only was he a Jew but he had also collaborated with Berthold Brecht in works some of which had lampooned the Nazis! His work can therefore be spilt between Germany which he left in 1933 and America where he settled in 1935 and died in 1950. Once in America he became a leading composer of Broadway Musicals, many of which are featured in this current offer. Weill always sought to work with the finest playwrights and lyricists of the day, one of whom was Ira Gershwin and together they produced Weill's first big American hit Lady In The Dark. One of his main performers was his wife Lotte Lenya, whose characteristic voice made many of his song standards of the popular song repertory.

Visit the Classical Shop to sample a broad selection of his compositions at a special offer price!

Leap Into The World Of Nijinsky

2010-04-21T08:25:00.001-07:00

This month sees the anniversary of Vaslav Nijinsky’s death. In celebration, The Classical Shop has compiled a selection of albums related to this controversial and boundary-pushing Russian ballet dancer and choreographer.

Here’s a little background to this extraordinary figure in ballet’s history.

Sergei Diaghilev formed The Ballet Russes in 1909. He brought Nijinsky in from the Mariinsky Theatre, who joined a tour of the West with Anna Pavlova. Here, Nijinsky performed in works showcasing his talent such as Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty; Arensky’s Cleopatra and Tcherepnin’s Le Pavillon d’Armide. After these performances he returned to the Mariinsky Theatre, but was dismissed from the theatre after a scandal. Many suspect that this may have been orchestrated to leave him free to perform in the West, as he then went on to perform one of his most famous roles as Petrushka (by Igor Stravinsky).

L’apres-midi d’un faune and Jeux, both works based on music by Claude Debussy were amongst the first to be choreographed by Nijinsky. They were both controversial but it was the performance of Stravinsky’sThe Rite of Spring in 1913 that really prompted a scandal at its premiere in Paris (it was not just the final scene of the production but the new ultra modern score that shocked audiences).

During World War I Nijinsky was released from Hungary to perform in a tour of North America where he performed the lead role as well as choreographing the production of Till Eulenspiegel (based on music by Claude Debussy). However, it was now that he showed signs of mental strain and in 1919 he suffered a mental breakdown. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and his wife took him to Switzerland, he was treated albeit unsuccessfully there, but this really was the end of his career.

The rest of Nijinsky’s life was spent in and out of asylums and psychiatric hospitals and he died in a clinic in London. A grizzly fact from his death - when he died, a doctor cut open his feet hoping to be able to explain his ability to perform his amazing leaps by showing different bone or formation to that of an average man but was disappointed to discover there were no differences!

2010-04-19T01:59:00.000-07:00

As part of our April new releases we are delighted to include Jon Lord's latest album, To Notice Such Things, through Avie Records.

We are delighted that Jon Lord has allowed us to share his interview, previously only available on his website www.jonlord.org

Titled after the main work – a six movement suite for solo flute, piano and string orchestra – the album was inspired by, and is dedicated to the memory of Jon’s dear friend Sir John Mortimer, the English barrister, dramatist, screenwriter, author and creator of Rumpole of The Bailey, who died in January of 2009.

- He was a great friend and a great inspiration to me and I hope my love and respect for him comes out in the music, says Jon.

- A few weeks after he passed away, I was offered a commission to write a piece for solo flute and strings – a flute concerto in essence. At first I turned it down because I thought there wasn’t enough time, but after a couple of days of thought, I realized that I had these three little pieces for flute and piano that I had written for the theater shows that I used to do with Sir John, and I thought that they might provide the basis for this ‘flute concerto’ and that I could write in his memory.

- John and I became friends about 12 years ago. A couple of years later he asked if I would be interested in playing the piano and writing a bit of music for him, for his theater shows – Mortimer’s Miscellany – during which he sat on the stage and, accompanied by two actresses, a pianist and a flute player, he read poetry and prose, told stories and jokes and related hilarious legal anecdotes, giving his wonderfully wise and witty take on life, love and the law.

The music written for those shows has now evolved into Jon’s new album, To Notice Such Things.

- There was a total of about six minutes of music which has now grown into a 27 minute suite for solo flute, piano and string orchestra. I wrote it during March, April and May, and it was an emotional yet fascinating experience to work on it when John’s presence was still so very strong. In fact it still is, but back then he had only just passed away.

- I think he’s pretty much in every note of the piece and I’m really pleased with it, because I think he would be happy with what my thoughts about him are.

The suite ends with a movement called Afterwards, named after the Thomas Hardy poem that John Mortimer used to read at the end of his show.

Both the Suite itself and the album are called To Notice Such Things because the last line of the Hardy poem is ‘He was a man who used to notice such things’.

The all-instrumental album was recorded at the end of last September with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Clark Rundell with Cormac Henry on flute, and also features three additional pieces.

1. To Notice Such Things

a. As I Walked Out One Evening
b. At Court
c. Turville Heath
d. The Stick Dance
e. The Winter of a Doormouse
f. Afterwards

2. Evening Song
3. For Example
4. Air on the Blue String
5. Afterwards (poem read by Jeremy Irons)

Easter breaks and holiday longing...

2010-04-06T07:25:00.001-07:00

Did you have a great Easter break? To be honest all the plans I had (mostly garden related jobs) went out of the window. The culprit …. Our glorious English weather. So, I decided as an antidote to the dreary rain to get the holiday brochures out and book the summer holiday. (Well, that would make everything better!!)

However, where to go?

I remembered seeing a great CD cover on our website and thinking at the time just how bright and cheerful it looked. So I had a browse on our site and came across a great Flamenco recording so distinctive a sound and I instantly thought of warm summer evenings with the sound of the crickets outside and watching the dancers and listening to the musicians ‘til the ‘wee small hours’ sipping sangria …. Wonderful! (Tracks 9 and 11 are my particular favourites)

My dear OH however quite fancied France this year and was taken with the idea of visiting Paris (one day we will see the whole of what the Louvre has to offer). Perhaps this time I could be persuaded to take a trip to the top of the Eiffel tower (I have no head for heights I’m afraid) Here the Saydisc album, French Accordian Music just made me dream of the fabulous cafes and bistro’s and many happy hours visiting the flea-market. Perhaps Paris then?

Still undecided and flicking through the brochure – Ah Greece caught my eye and so did Zorba's Dance from Gift of Music's 'Greek Taverna'. Now this track just has to be the quintessential Greek track recognisable by everyone and I defy anyone to not get caught up in this track and not feel like dancing to this…. Yes,I think I’ve decided, a nice Greek holiday. I like to idea of the hot sun, cool sea and at night all the wonderful tavernas to explore (yes there is a theme developing here – you are quite right food and drink is rather an obsession of mine!!) I think I’ll download these tracks onto my MP3 and whenever the rain and gloom threatens then I’ll be transported away to sunnier climes!

So have you decided where you are going on your summer holiday this year? Where will you be headed? Morocco, Italy or perhaps somewhere further afield such as China or Africa?

Have you sipped any of the black stuff this week in celebration of St Patrick's Day?!

2010-03-19T07:45:00.000-07:00

I will confess to a couple of pints of the Irish nectar, and it has certainly maintained the celebration firmly in my mind! And with the wistful thoughts of the emerald isle, I've been investigating the work of some Irish composers over the past couple of days.

A major discovery has been Marco Polo's Contemporary Irish Composers series, available on The Classical Shop. A couple of particular favourites from my exploration are Seoirse Bodley's, Ireland's eminent contemporary composer, Symphonies No.4 and 5, especially the second movement of Symphony No.4, and Gerard Victory's Ultima Rerum which features tenor, Adrian Thompson.

For me, no Irish odyssey is complete without some outing of John Field and Charles Villiers Stanford, and I always find it hard to move beyond the second movement of Field's Piano Concerto No.2, which is simply exquisite. In the case of Stanford, it has to be Irish Rhapsody No.5, played very loudly with a measure of Redbreast to sip slowly during the performance!

Oskar Lindberg - you need to hear him

2010-02-23T02:47:00.000-08:00

Any ideas for why this time of the year is one for so many creatives? Chopin was born yesterday, and February 23 seems to be a day of composer birthdays from across many centuries. Let me know if you have any theories!

Here is a list of a few of the composers who were born today.

1648 - Composer John Blow was born.

1685 - Composer George Frideric Handel was born.

1730 - Composer Christian Joseph Lidarti was born.

1811 - Composer George Washington Hewitt was born.

1848 - Composer Thomas Paine Westendorf was born.

1873 - Composer Dmitri Arakishvili was born.

1876 - Composer Wadi' Sabra was born.

1876 - Composer Edgar Istel was born.

1886 - Composer Albert Edward Sammons was born.

1887 - Composer Oskar Frederik Lindberg was born.

1924 - Composer Lejaren Hiller was born.

1927 - Composer Ivan Hrusovsky was born.

One particular composer that has really caught my attention is the composer Oskar Lindberg. I will admit that I was not familar with his work before today but I've been absolutely blown away by what I have heard. Please get in touch if you have any more suggestions for listening material but for the moment I will suggest you take a listen at what has inspired me.

Oskar Lindberg (23 February 1887 - 10 April 1955) was a nationalist/ romantic composer. He wrote in a romantic idiom which blended features of composers such as Rachmaninoff and Sibelius with folk music and impressionistic elements. There are two pieces in particular that I have to wax lyrical about, both recorded on Naxos. Hear Gammal fabodpsalm fran Dalarna (Old Pastoral Hymn from Dalecarlia) with its haunting saxophone solo, (track 6 on Nordic Favourites) and the ethereal Stjarntandningen (The Stars Appearing) on Swedish Choral Favourites, Vol.1 (track 22)

www.theclassicalshop.net new look is now officially launched!

2010-02-22T06:21:00.000-08:00

We now offer the customer a much more efficient and rewarding experience having incorporated many helpful suggestions - from you - the user.

The new site has essentially two advantages. First, the site will be much easier to navigate. There are lots of basic improvements: it is bigger for one thing, easier to read, with larger fonts and pictures and with more information on each page. Free sampling of each track is much quicker now - more or less instantaneous. Second, it will be much easier to download different formats, i.e lossless / FLAC / Mp3 etc, as the' zipping' function is available on all formats.

Perhaps the key attraction of the new site will be the availablity of high-quality audio downloads. The site is able to offer many Chandos recordings (and some other labels) at better than CD quality 24-bit / 96 kHz 'studio masters', starting at £15.99 per album.

'Lossless' CD quality albums sell for £7.99 - £9.99 and mp3 albums between £4.80 and £7.99. In the case of certain recordings made in surround-sound, the site will also offer Surround Sound downloads at £19.99 per album. The quality of those will be quite extraordinary.

'Lossless' files, incidentally, provide a way of hearing music in sound quality identical to that of a CD. The technology is especially suited to classical recordings because there is no degradation of sound; it is becoming the standard high quality download format. The Classicalshop.net offers four formats of lossless: WMA lossless, WAV, FLAC and AIFF. Of course, everything is still offered as High Resolution mp3, which gives as near to CD quality as possible, for those who prefer this format.

The site offers one unique touch: if you download a high quality 'studio master', you also get the recording as an mp3 and CD quality lossless file at no extra cost, which you might find useful - even if just so you can get those downloads more quickly and start listening to the music whilst the studio master downloads. If you order a CD quality lossless file, you get the Mp3 free. Also, all your purchased items will remain in your order history and can be downloaded as many times as you like.

The new website will also allow the customer to rate the music using a star system, from one to five stars. Another new feature on www.theclassicalshop.net will be a 'daily offer' of a 25% discount on a download of a full CD, which will change randomly every day.

All www.theclassicalshop.net downloads remain DRM free - often a considerable advantage to the customer (whom we are trusting not to make and circulate lots of copies).

www.theclassicalshop.net now offers some 70 labels and currently lists approximately 350,000 tracks on site, uploading anywhere betweeen 3000 and 20,000 new tracks per months.

The site has particularly championed other independent labels whose music might otherwise not be widely available, including many interesting, one-off recordings, including artist's own recordings on the Artist Showcase section.

Labels available on TheClassicalShop.net include:

Albany, Arts, Athene, Avie, BBC PO, Brana, Centaur, Chandos Records, Collegium, Coro, CRD, Danacord, Delphian, Deux-Elles, Divine Art, Doyen, Egon, The Gift of Music, Guild, LSO Live, Mariinsky, mpLIVE, Naxos, Nimbus, Obsidian, Onyx, Pentatone, SDG, Signum, Somm, Toccata Classics, Wigmore Hall Live.

Finally, people who subscribe to the monthly newsletter of TheClassicalShop.net, which keeps them up to date with information on the latest downloads, recording news, and other information, will also receive a free monthly download of a complete CD.

For more information, please contact:

Paul Westcott
Press Officer
Chandos Records
pwestcott@chandos.net
Mob. 07802 543 883

Arcangelo Corelli is birthday boy!

2010-02-17T08:20:00.000-08:00

Arcangelo Corelli was an Italian violinist and important composer of the Baroque period. His compositions for this instrument proved extremely influential in the development of chamber music, especially his Concerto Grosso which are now probably his most famous works.

Corelli was born on this day in 1653. In honour of his birthday why not check out his discography? I'm particularly enjoying Pentatone's Concerto Grosso recording performed by the New Dutch Academy Orchestra, featuring Simon Murphy.

Welcome, from The Classical Shop

2010-02-11T07:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the first The Classical Shop blog post.

I will endeavour to use this on a regular basis to keep you informed of newly signed labels, accolades in the press (either for the site, or from our family of labels), artist interviews and concert dates, and also general industry news

First off, I wanted to let you into a little secret about our web-store. We are just beginning to put the final touches to our new site.

Of course, we're still offering you the wide-ranging spectrum of classical, nostalgia and brass music but we hope to offer you a better experience when you come to the site. Things you can now look forward to are a daily offer, featured artist profiles, a deep catalogue of reviews and also the opportunity to write your own!

We look forward to offering you a great experience every time you shop with us and will continue to strive to collect labels from across the world for you.