Best of the year from EMI and Virgin Classics

Christina Pluhar

Via Crucis Via Crucis

IIn this new collection Via Crucis, Christina Pluhar and her periodinstrument group L’Arpeggiata are joined by star soloists Nuria Rial and Philippe

Jaroussky as well as male vocal quartet Barbara Fortuna who interweave earthy Corsican folk songs into this 17th century Italian sacred music.

Leif Ove Andsnes

Following his multipleaward winning recording of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, Leif Ove Andsnes performs Piano Concertos

Nos. 3 & 4 with the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Antonio Pappano. “This is a disc of terrific stature.” The Daily Telegraph

Joyce DiDonato

This DVD is the “break a leg” performance in which DiDonato sings from a wheelchair having broken her leg on opening night. Antonio Pappano conducts a sparkling Royal Opera House production.

Simon Rattle

Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker present this brand new recording of Tchaikovsky’s best-loved ballet The Nutcracker. A limited

The Nutcracker The Nutcracker

Experience Edition has been issued which includes a 64-page hardback book and a free 24-hour pass to the BPO Digital Concert Hall plus lots more.

Alison Balsom

Following the success of her recent Haydn and Hummel recording, the awardwinning British trumpeter joins the Scottish Ensemble for a programme of Italian Baroque concertos originally composed for the violin or oboe by Vivaldi, Tartini, B. Marcello, Albinoni and Cimarosa.

Alan Curtis

Berenice Berenice

With this release of Berenice, Alan Curtis adds his seventh recording of a complete Handel opera to the Virgin Classics catalogue, Recorded here with Il Complesso Barocco. Watch this space for Ariodante also conducted by Curtis, due for release in 2011, starring Joyce DiDonato.

Antonio Pappano

Following their award-winning recordings of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Pappano and his Roman Orchestra and Choir are da Requiem da Requiem

MadamaButterfly MadamaButterfly joined by Anna Netrebko, Joyce DiDonato, Lawrence Brownlee and Ildebrando D’Arcangelo in this dramatic work sublimely set to music by Rossini.

Renaud Capuçon

Renaud Capuçon and Frank Braley have devoted much of their 2009 -10 concert schedule to Beethoven’s sonatas for

Renaud Renaud Capuçon and Capuçon and Frank Braley Frank Braley have devoted have devoted much of much of their 2009-10 their 2009-10 concert concert schedule to schedule to Beethoven’s Beethoven’s sonatas for sonatas for violin and piano. “They bring wit, fire, deeply violin and piano. “They bring wit, fire, deeply violin and piano. “They bring wit, fire, deeply felt introspection and an exhilarating freshness to all 10 of these masterpieces.” The Sunday Times

Ian Bostridge

A collection of rarely performed Baroque arias inspired by the unique voices of three influential tenors who challenged castrato

A collection A collection of rarely of rarely performed performed Baroquearias Baroquearias inspiredby the inspiredby the unique voices of unique voices of three influential three influential tenors who tenors who challenged challenged castrato castrato supremacy: Englishman John Beard and two supremacy: Englishman John Beard and two supremacy: Englishman John Beard and two Italians Francesco Borosini and Annabile Po Fabri. “Bostridge is at his most vivid, expressive and ornamental.” The Observer

Discover more… www.emiclassics.co.uk www.youtube.com/emiclassics www.facebook.com/emivirginclassics www.twitter.com/emiclassics December 2010

‘The appearance of Drosselmayer evoking that equivocal feeling of awe,

glee and suspicion, the battle engaged with gusto’ Geoffrey Norris on Sir Simon Rattle’s recording of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker with the Berlin Philharmonic, reviewed on page 77

Letters Jussi Björling remembered

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editor’s choice The irresistible music of Eric Whitacre; Paul Lewis and Steven Osborne join forces; Sir John Eliot Gardiner concludes his epic

Bach cantata series

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S o u n d b i t e S

For the record Universal pledges a new focus on classical music; lost Vivaldi score uncovered;

record-breaking Stradivarius sale

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a conversation with… …Gilmore Prize winner Kirill Gerstein

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diary Edward Higginbottom on the pride and perils of creating a new record label for his

Choir of New College, Oxford

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one to watch Landing the assistant conductorship of the

Hallé bodes well for Andrew Gourlay

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richard eyre Sometimes silence is the most eloquent music

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PhiLiP Kennicott Elı¯na Garan∂a has certainly arrived

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recordings on triaL How magic is Sir Thomas Beecham’s famous recording of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte? Stand by for a fierce debate from our critics

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F e A t u R e S

ARVO PÄRT SPEAKS The reclusive composer prefers his music to do the talking, but he gave us an exclusive

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the King’s singers Good music, say these superstar vocalists, is good music. Try categorising the new album.

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PicK oF the christmas discs Fabrice Fitch picks out a festive shopping list

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critics’ choice Gramophone’s reviewers pick the recordings that they’ll be giving as Christmas presents

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the gramoPhone coLLection Finding the finest recording of Mahler’s

Tenth Symphony

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The King’s Singers have had many line-ups over the years, but all shared a philosophy 40

e n C o R e musicaL journeys They’re playing piano in the streets of New Ross; the Chopin Competiton in Warsaw

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PicK oF the musicaL month Tanayev in Berlin to Bartók in Tel Aviv

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audio and visuaL The rise of 3D TV (and whether it’s worth it); storing music digitally with Marantz

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my music Mission Impossible composer Lalo Schifrin

146

A rare interview with Arvo Pärt

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GRAMOPHONE december 2010 3