London Choral Sinfonia, Michael Waldron, Jack Liebeck, Andrew Staples & Thomas Carroll – Vaughan Williams: Retrospect (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 58:48 minutes | 2,12 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Orchid Classics
“This new album of music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, the latest by the London Choral Sinfonia and Michael Waldron, features collaborators including violinist Jack Liebeck and tenor Andrew Staples. The collection includes works such as Vaughan Williams’s Violin Concerto; “”In Windsor Forest,”” adapted from the opera ‘Sir John in Love;’ and “”Prelude on Gibbons’ Song 13,”” newly orchestrated for strings. Among these adaptations are Vaughan Williams’ own transcriptions of J.S. Bach’s works, including the ‘Giant’ Fugue and ‘Schmucke Dich’ chorale, reflecting his admiration for Bach’s music. The album contains poignant pieces like “”Nothing is here for tears,”” a sombre response to King George V’s death, and “”Land of our birth,”” an homage to Britain’s World War II victory. Highlighting string arrangements including the seminal “Silent Noon”, arranged for strings by Owain Park, as well as world premieres, the album underscores Vaughan Williams’ musical adaptations and their ties to British legacies.”
Read more
Esa-Pekka Salonen, Andrew Staples, Pauline Cheviller , Finnish National Opera – Stravinsky: Perséphone (Live) (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 50:09 minutes | 894 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © PentaTone
Stravinsky’s Perséphone (1934) is a dynamic musical-theatrical narration of the myth of Persephone’s abduction to the underworld and return to earth. The transparent, sober but evocative music epitomizes Stravinsky’s sensuous take on Neoclassicism, and the piece showcases Stravinsky’s eclectic, original and highly personal approach to music and musical drama through a playful mixture of several genres – melodrama, song, chorus, dance and pantomime. Ultimately, Perséphone offers Stravinsky’s second ode to spring, albeit without the brutal excesses of Le Sacre.
This album was recorded live during the Helsinki Festival 2017 with a star cast featuring English tenor Andrew Staples and French actress Pauline Cheviller. They join forces with the Finnish National Opera’s chorus, children’s chorus, and orchestra, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, in a breathtaking performance that emphasizes the piece’s transformative power.
Read more
Lucy Crowe, Andrew Staples, Christopher Purves – Handel: Messiah (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 02:15:25 minutes | 2,41 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Erato – Warner Classics
A spectacular version on period instruments in historically informed style, Emmanuelle Haïm’s rendition of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah with Le Concert d’Astrée was among the finest to appear in 2014. Vigorous in rhythm and brisk in tempo, the performance is extremely lively and exciting, without a trace of traditional religiosity or stodginess, and the drama inherent in Handel’s music is brilliantly realized in the energetic singing and playing. Featuring soprano Lucy Crowe, countertenor Andrew Staples, tenor Tim Mead, and bass Christopher Purves in a well-balanced quartet, and a chamber choir and orchestra that are as limber as they are lean, the oratorio moves at a rapid clip and takes little time to brood. Even the customarily slow numbers move along at a comfortable walking pace, and Haïm ensures that they maintain interest through transparent textures, fresh ornamentation, and forward momentum. This interpretation may be a little too exciting for listeners who like their Messiah reflective and reverent, but fans of the streamlined counterpoint and scintillating timbres of Baroque performance practice will enjoy the vitality and bright sonorities of this recording. Highly recommended, whether on CD, SACD, or digital download.
Read more![Andrew Staples, Christopher Parkes, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra & Daniel Harding - Britten: Les Illuminations. Serenade. Nocturne (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz] Download](https://imghd.xyz/images/2022/09/19/w9vtq3q8kc4db_600.jpg)
Andrew Staples, Christopher Parkes, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra & Daniel Harding – Britten: Les Illuminations. Serenade. Nocturne (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 01:14:05 minutes | 704 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © harmonia mundi
In these three song cycles, Britten draws inspiration from the high points of European poetry (Shakespeare, Blake, Shelley, Keats, but also Rimbaud) to push the boundaries of the genre. He multiplies the relationships between voices and instruments, moving from pure strings (Les Illuminations) to a string ensemble with obbligato winds, harp and timpani (Nocturne), not to mention the fascinating dialogue with the horn in the Serenade. Here reveals a unique sound world of artists at the peak of their skills!
(more…)