Brahms Complete Symphonies

“A high-voltage First and great fervour in the Third and Fourth Symphonies makes Doráti’s LSO Brahms performances totally compelling.” BBC Music Magazine

“Vibrant performances with plenty of thrills (no spills!) played with passion. Phrases soar. This is brawny Brahms, unsentimental, clear-sighted. Antal Doráti’s flexible conducting encourages soulful song and athletic allegros. The sound, unfailingly vivid and immediate, can be edgy, but in time-honoured Mercury Living Stereo fashion there is nothing dull. These symphonies aren’t museum-pieces but alive, breathing works of musical art.” Classical Source

“It has bark and bite both as sound and in performance style. Doráti delivers whiplash, lunge, parry and recoil. This is exciting Brahms and no mistake. (…) Impatient and intemperate Brahms – invincible and heart-singing when you are in the right mood. A great palate freshener when you have had your fill of the musing and the contemplative.” MusicWeb International

Delibes Coppélia • Sylvia (complete ballets)

“Masterpieces both! Two scintillating scores (Paris, 1870 & 1876) brimful of hits, paraded here with panache and style – insouciant, exhilarating, always magnetic. Whether conducted by Doráti or Fistoulari, both had the measure of Delibes’s choreography-in-music, his fund of tunes and orchestral brilliance. Their orchestras play with relish. Knockout sound, too, from the Mercury stable, with thrilling presence and tangible detailing.” Classical Source

Rachmaninov Symphony No.2

“It sounds spacious, slightly warm, and a touch soft, with a modest stage depth and a lovely ambient bloom. The sound nicely complements the music and Gergiev’s interpretation of it, the natural orchestral glow further romanticizing Rachmaninov’s rapturous melodies without sacrificing too much detail or definition.” Classical Candor

Schumann Complete Symphonies

“Muti’s second Schumann cycle boasts superbly responsible playing from the Vienna Phil. Exhilarating rhythmic drive together with deeply felt intensity of expression makes these performances highly competitive” BBC Music Magazine

“Robert Schumann’s four wonderful symphonies (the Fourth player in the composer’s revision) have long been staples of the gramophone, if not – sadly – the concert hall. Riccardo Muti’s second traversal finds the Vienna Philharmonic lissom and blossoming, responding generously to Muti’s picturesque and glowing detailing, at-one with Schumann’s delicious descriptions and private passions. The sound is ideally warm, clear and natural.” Classical Source

Arriaga Complete String Quartets / Guarneri Quartets:
“Arriaga’s tragic death following illness at the age of 19 robbed music of a rich talent. These Quartets are rewarding, particularly in such committed performances.”
★★★★★ Performance
★★★★ Recording

Janacek String Quartets Nos 1 & 2 / Wolf Italian Serenade in G:
“High energy levels make for a very concentrated performance of the First Quartet. The performers give a more richly texture reading of the Second.”
★★★★ Performance
★★★★ Recording

Chopin Four Ballades and Impromptus:
“Warm, generous playing, replete with exemplary musicianship in which, however, a classical reserve tends to soften the severities in Chopin’s most searing outbreaks.”
★★★★ Performance
★★★★ Recording

Do you have a favourite recording among the four reviewed above? Do not hesitate to share your comments!

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Welcome to the world of Newton Classics!

- February 2011 -

Miserere

“I suppose the biggest surprise [in this recording] might be the happy inclusion of Cavalli’s Salve Regina for men’s voices which is, for me, one of the highlights – both the setting itself and its sensitive execution. (…) If you are coming reasonably new to the music of the high renaissance then this disc is a really good place to start” By Gary Higginson

Buy Miserere on Newton Classics here

- March 2011 -

Respighi’s works by the London Symphony Orchestra under Antal Doráti

“It is good that the Newton Classics label is reissuing classic recordings from the extensive back catalogue of EMI, Decca, DG and Mercury. It’s a while since I heard the orchestral scores of Respighi and I was delighted to have this double disc set from Newton Classics that contains the more famous works from his legacy. (…) This Newton Classics release is almost perfect for anyone wanting a double set of Respighi’s best known scores. In addition the super budget price makes this a real bargain.” By Michael Cookson

Buy Respighi’s works on Newton Classics here

Chopin’s Ballades and Impromptus

“There are good things on this mid-price disc. The “Fantaisie-impromptu” is given an outstanding reading, fresh and stirringly emotive. The first impromptu opens stiffly but ends well, and the momentum carries over into a powerfully hewn second impromptu, the central section of which rings out clear and emphatic. (…) The sound quality, for what it’s worth, is very fine, though the piano has a tendency to clang about at its loudest. (…) acclaim there certainly is.” By Brian Reinhart

Buy the album here

- May 2011 -

Operatic Arias by Gré Brouwenstijn

“The four arias from three Wagner operas are best of all; the steely quality and sense of ecstasy engendered by the flicker in her vibrato lend them the same febrile intensity she brought to her Sieglinde in the complete recording but there is more than a suspicion of uncertain intonation in the quieter, slower sections of “Dich, teure Halle”. Her concluding top B, however, is thrilling. The conducting of Rudolf Moralt – who was in charge of the first, excellent and complete post-war recording of the “Ring” in 1949 – is sprung and alert; the mono sound acceptable and undistorted. (…) Brouwenstjin fans who have more of a taste for her voice will want this new issue from Newton, as she did not make that many recordings.”  By Ralph Moore

Buy Gré Brouwenstijn on Newton Classics here

When clicking on the ‘buy now’ button on the catalogue page, you are now being redirected to the largest pan-European specialist classical music retailer: ArkivMusic.eu

ArkivMusic.eu is the new online shop for classical music lovers in Europe. With their American sister organisation, ArkivMusic.com, they have developed a unique search system which makes it easy for you to find any classical CD, DVD, SACD or Blu-ray disc.

The good news is that all Newton Classics recordings are available on the ArkivMusic.eu website and they even have a dedicated page:

https://arkivmusic.eu/music/label/14352/Newton-Classics/order:price

On the website you can get Newton Classics recordings from £6.99 and you also benefit from the expertise and outstanding service provided by the people behind the site, just like you would in a physical specialist store.

Now to get any recommendations, advice or information about our classical recordings you can either leave us a message on this blog, Facebook, Twitter and by email (info@newtonclassics.com), or you can visit the new ArkivMusic.eu online store and ask their team of experts!

This summer, we bring you the following outstanding recordings:

• Janáček’s String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 performed by the Hagen Quartet
• Arriaga’s Complete String Quartets performed by the Guarneri Quartet
• Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos performed by the CPE Bach Chamber Orchestra under Peter Schreier
• Chopin’s Complete Piano Works performed by Nikita Magaloff
• Works by Smetana and Dvořák performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Antal Doráti

Have you decided which album(s) will be on your playlist this summer? Do not hesitate to share your suggestions on this blog!

Brahms and Mendelssohn’s violin concertos by Henryk Szeryng and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Bernard Haitink

“Whatever one’s view on the matter, Szeryng was an outstanding player. This re-release of his Concertgebouw recordings from 1973 and 1976 is therefore welcome. (…) The Concertgebouw/Philips sonics are first class, and Newton has done a solid job with the package.” By Jonathan Woolf

Shostakovich’s string quartets by the Hagen Quartet

“Newton Classics is one of the latest companies to spoil us by making available the riches of the majors’ back catalogues. (…) These beautifully recorded performances are as fine as any in the catalogue. Whilst one might prefer this or that movement from this or that group, no collector wanting these particular works and purchasing this disc, especially given the absurdly cheap price, can go wrong.” By William Hedley

Liszt’s piano concertos and other works by Byron Janis

“They reappear now on my first experience of the Newton label, an enterprising project to rescue mostly Universal left-overs, many of which are certainly much more than mere tasty morsels, especially the Grieg and Schumann Piano Concertosperformed by Stephen Kovacevich and Sir Colin Davis and the King’s College Cambridge/Cleobury recordings of Tallis. (…) It’s good to have such a choice of first-class versions and to note, when all is said and done, that the Janis reissue is still so competitive.” By Brian Wilson

How would YOU review these 3 recordings? Do not hesitate to share your comments on this blog!

You can read the review below and click on the links to this month’s releases for more information about the works, composers and performers.

“This is a rather Messiaen-ic study in contrasts: the opening five minutes is almost supernaturally calm and quiet, suddenly shattered by a shrill burst of violins and chimes that disappears as enigmatically as it appeared, shifting between extremes of amplitude; in the second movement, a brash tumult of horns gives way to solitary clarinet, underpinned by doomy piano monochord, while the finale is almost completely stationary and barely audible, a still string pad with wanly tolling chimes.

“Lerchenmusik” features a similarly startling blend of calm and stridency, before the final movement offers a gloss on the theme of Beethoven’s 4th Piano Concerto.” By Andy Gill

This month’s Newton Classics releases include:

• Górecki’s Kleines Requiem and Lerchenmusik by the Schonberg Ensemble
• Operatic arias by Beethoven, Verdi, Wagner and Weber performed by Gré Brouwenstijn
• Stravinsky’ complete works for violin and piano by Olli Mustonen and Isabell van Keulen
• Brahms’ Four Symphonies performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Carlo Maria Giulini
• Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and cadenzas by Alfred Schnittke performed by Gidon Kremer
• Bach’s Symphonies Opp. 6, 9, 18 by the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra under David Zinman

We hope you will enjoy them! Do not hesitate to share your comments on this blog.

Simply click on the link below and tick your favourite recording from the list of Newton Classics albums which were released last month. By doing so, you will be automatically entered in our prize draw to win the ‘album of the month’!

Click here to vote for your favourite Newton Classics release!

It is a quick way for you to share your impressions and a nice way for us to know which recordings you prefer! And while you are visiting our Facebook page, why not hit the ‘like’ button to become part of the community and be informed of our latest posts and releases?

Many thanks to you all!

Do you agree with the reviews below?

The Independent ★★★★
“It is Différences, composed for five instruments playing alongside tape treatments of themselves, that most impresses here: always lively and inquisitive, the breezy interplay of wind, harp and strings flourishing while never baulking at the more astringent discordancies.”

Sunday Times ★★★
“Live music is confronted none to subtly with variants of itself on tape; the wonky, echoey electronic sounds have a sort of period flavour, and the spikily dissonant, harp-dominated instrumental writing has an invigorating lemon flavour.”

MusicWeb International
“Berio’s fascinating music rarely disappoints me, although its accessibility is dependent on a reasonable degree of concentration from the listener and a propensity to keep an open mind.”
“The forty year old sound presented no problems being clear and extremely well balanced. I cannot find words to describe the performances on this disc other than impeccable and extremely impressive.”