Andrew McGregor with Sarah Lenton and Katy Hamilton
With Andrew McGregor. Including Building a Library.
with Andrew McGregor
0930
Building a Library: Sarah Lenton considers the available recordings of Donizetti's evergreen comic opera, L'elisir d'amore or The Elixir of Love. It is one of the few Donizetti operas that has never been out of the repertoire since its first performance and that is largely because of the seemingly endless stream of melodies as well as an unusually well-crafted libretto from Felice Romani. The recordings spotlight the best of bel canto singing from the last few decades with singers such as Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras, just to stick with the tenors. In fact the hit aria "Una furtiva lagrima" is a perfect demonstration of Donizetti's uncanny knack of writing effectively for the tenor voice.
1045
Andrew talks to Katy Hamilton about a fascinating group of new chamber music releases including music by Reger from Trio Lirico, the little-known Georg Witte from the Mozart Piano Quartet, and Dvorak and Tchaikovsky from the Escher Quartet.
1145
Andrew chooses an outstanding new release as his Disc of the Week.
Last on
Music Played
-
![]()
Gaetano Donizetti
L' Elisir D'Amore - Opera In 2 Acts
Singer: Roberto Alagna. Ensemble: Orchestre Et Choeur De L'Op茅ra National De Lyon. Conductor: Evelino Pid貌.- Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore.
- Decca.
- 10.
-
![]()
Igor Stravinsky
Funeral Song Op.5 For Orchestra
Orchestra: Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Conductor: Riccardo Chailly.- Stravinsky: Chant Fun猫bre & Le Sacre du printemps.
- Decca.
- 1.
-
![]()
Franz Schubert
Winterreise, D. 911: 1. Gute Nacht
Performer: Mark Padmore. Performer: Kristian Bezuidenhout.- Schubert: Winterreise.
- harmonia mundi.
- 101.
-
![]()
Dmitry Shostakovich
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor Op.54
Performer: Estonian Festival Orchestra. Conductor: Paavo J盲rvi.- Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6 & Sinfonietta.
- Alpha.
- 3.
-
![]()
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Iphigenia In Tauris - Incidental Music
Singer: Heather Lowe. Ensemble: The Joyful Company of Singers. Orchestra: Britten Sinfonia.- Vaughan Williams: Beyond my Dream.
- Albion Records.
- 5.
-
![]()
Cheryl Frances-Hoad
Invocatio For String Quartet
Ensemble: Wihan Quartet.- Elegy for Pamela.
- Nimbus.
- 2.
-
![]()
Thomas Tallis
Se lord and behold
Choir: Alamire. Ensemble: Fretwork. Director: David Skinner.- Thomas Tallis, Queen Katherine Parr & Songs of Reformation.
- Obsidian.
- 13.
-
![]()
David Briggs
Le Tombeau de Durufl茅: Ecce lignum crucis/Christus vincit
- Midnight at St. Etienne du Mont.
- Signum Classics.
- 17-18.
-
![]()
Jean鈥怋aptiste Lully
Alceste, LWV 50, Act II (complete)
Performer: Ambroisine Br茅. Performer: Etienne Bazola. Orchestra: Les Talens Lyriques. Conductor: Christophe Rousset.- Lully: Alceste.
- 础辫补谤迟茅.
- 11-19.
Record Review
9.00 am
听
STRAVINSKY: CHANT FUN脠BRE & LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS
IGOR STRAVINSKY:
Chant Fun猫bre
Fireworks, Op. 4
Scherzo Fantastique, Op. 3
Faun And Shepherdess for voice and orchestra, Op.2
The Rite of Spring
Sophie Koch (mezzo), Lucerne Festival Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly
Decca 4832562
听
SCHUBERT: WINTERREISE D911
FRANZ SCHUBERT:
Winterreise
Mark Padmore (tenor), Kristian Bezuidenhout (fortepiano)
Harmonia Mundi: HMM902264
听
SHOSTAKOVICH: SYMPHONY NO. 6 & SINFONIETTA
SHOSTAKOVICH:
Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54
String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110 (Arr. A. Stasevich for String Orchestra & Timpani)
Estonian Festival Orchestra, Paavo J盲rvi
Alpha ALPHA389
9.30am 鈥� Building a Library
听
听
Composer: DONIZETTI
听
Piece: L鈥檈lisir d鈥檃more
听
Reviewer: Sarah Lenton
听
Recommended Recording:
听
Ileana Cotrubas (Adina), Pl谩cido Domingo (Nemorino),
Geraint Evans (Dulcamara), Ingvar Wixell (Belcore),
Lillian Watson (Giannetta).
Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House鈥� Covent Garden.
Sir John Pritchard
Sony 88697446442 (2 CDs)
听
听
Other Recommended Recordings:
听
Angela Gheorghiu (Adina), Roberto Alagna (Nemorino),
Simone Alaimo (Dulcamara), Roberto Scaltriti (Belcore),
Elena Dan (Giannetta)
Orchestre et Choeur de L'Op茅ra National de Lyon.
Evelino Pid貌
Decca 4556912
听
Katia Ricciarelli (Adina), Jos茅 Carreras (Nemorino),
Domenico Trimarchi (Dulcamara), Leo Nucci (Belcore),
Susanna Rigacci (Giannetta).
Orchestra Sinfonica Della Rai Di Torino; Coro della RAI di Torino.
Claudio Scimone
Philips 4127142
听
Mary Plazas (Adina), Barry Banks (Nemorino),
Andrew Shore (Dulcamara), Ashley Holland (Belcore).
Philharmonia Orchestra; Geoffrey Mitchell Choir.
David Parry
Chandos Opera in English CHAN3027
听
听
10.20am
听
REGER: STRING TRIOS
MAX REGER:
String Trio in D Minor, Op. 141b
String Trio in A minor, Op. 77b
Piano Quartet in A Minor, Op. 133
Trio Lirico, Detlev Eisinger (piano)
Audite AUDITE97714 (CD)
听
WITTE: PIANO QUARTET & HORN QUINTET
GEORG HENDRIK WITTE:
Piano Quartet, Op. 5
Horn Quintet, Op. post
Mozart Piano Quartet; Radovan Vlatkovic (horn); Cornelia Gartemann (violin)
MDG MDG9432046 (Hybrid SACD)
听
DVO艠脕K, TCHAIKOVSKY & BORODIN: STRING QUARTETS
ANTON脥N DVO艠脕K:
String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 'American'
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY:
String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 11
ALEXANDER BORODIN:
String Quartet No. 2 in D major
Escher String Quartet
BIS BIS2280 (Hybrid SACD)
听
ROMANTIC VIOLA SONATAS
GEORGE ONSLOW:
Cello Sonata in F Major, Op. 16 No. 1 (Version for Viola & Piano)
FELIX MENDELSSOHN:
Viola Sonata in C Minor, MWV Q14
JAN KALLIWODA:
6 Nocturnes, Op. 186
Hiyoli Togawa (viola); Lilit Grigoryan (piano)
Naxos 8573730 (CD)
听
11.00am 鈥� New Releases
听
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: BEYOND MY DREAM
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS:
The Bacchae: Thou Immaculate on High - For His Kingdom It Is There - Where Is the 鲍鱼tv for Me
Electra: Onward O Labouring Tread
Electra: O for the Ships of Troy - There Came a Man
Iphigenia in Tauris: Prelude
Iphigenia in Tauris: Dark of the Sea
Iphigenia in Tauris: Bird of the Sea Rocks
Iphigenia in Tauris: O, Fair the Fruits of Leto Blow
Iphigenia in Tauris: Go Forth in Bliss
Heather Lowe (mezzo-soprano)
The Joyful Company of Singers, Britten Sinfonia; Alan Tongue
Albion Records ALBCD033
听
ELEGY FOR PAMELA
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN:
String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130 - Cavatina
CHERYL FRANCES-HOAD:
Invocatio
MIKA HAASLER:
A Fugue for Pamela
CECILIA MCDOWALL:
To a Nightingale
ROXANNA PANUFNIK:
Votive
FREYA WALEY-COHEN:
Vitae
DAVID KNOTTS:
At the Mid Hour of Night
WILLIAM ZINN:
Kol Nidrei Memorial
Wihan Quartet
Nimbus NI6356
听
听
THOMAS TALLIS, QUEEN KATHERINE PARR & SONGS OF REFORMATION
THOMAS TALLIS:
Gaude gloriosa Dei mater
When Jesus Went (Salvator mundi II)
O Lord, give thy holy spirit
Hear the voice and prayer
Purge me, O Lord
Solfing Song
Verily, verily I say unto you
If ye love me
O Lord, in thee is all my trust
Libera (nos, salva nos)
Litany
Fantasia (O sacrum convivium)
Se lord and behold
Alamire with Fretwork, David Skinner (director)
Obsidian Records CD716
听
MIDNIGHT AT ST. ETIENNE DU MONT
CHARLES TOURNEMIRE:
Improvisation sur le 鈥楾e Deum鈥�
LOUIS VIERNE:
Suite No. 3, Op. 54: IV. Fant么mes
Symphonie No. 6, Op. 59: III. Scherzo
Symphonie No.5 in A Minor, Op. 47: V. Final
MAURICE鈥� DURUFL脡:
Suite Op. 5
DAVID BRIGGS:
Le Tombeau de Durufl茅
Joseph Nolan (organ)
Signum SIGCD470
听
11.45am 鈥� Disc of the Week
鈥奓ULLY: ALCESTE
JEAN-BAPTISTE LULLY:
Alceste, LWV 50
Judith Van Wanroij, Edwin Crossley-Mercer, Emiliano Gonzalez Toro; Les Talens Lyriques Christophe Rousset
Apart茅 AP 164 (2 CDs)
Broadcast
- Sat 20 Jan 2018 09:00鲍鱼tv Radio 3
Composers A to Z
Visit the extensive Radio 3 audio archive of programmes about composers and their works.
Browse previous episodes of the Record Review Podcast
All episodes since 2010, listed alphabetically by composer surname.
Why the music we love as teens stays with us for life
Cognitive neuropyschology can explain why we return to old favourites again and again.