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Andrew McGregor with Mahan Esfahani and Natasha Loges

New recordings with Andrew McGregor, Building a Library on Verdi's La Traviata with Mahan Esfahani, and Natasha Loges reviews a new set of Beethoven Piano Sonatas from Igor Levit.

with Andrew McGregor.

09.30
Building a Library: Mahan Esfahani listens to and compares recordings of Verdi's opera La Traviata

The tale of the consumptive courtesan rescued from a life of reckless and meaningless pleasure by an idealistic and ardent lover is one of the most popular operas in the repertoire. Written by Verdi in the white heat of his middle period when he was creating one masterpiece after another and forging an ever closer relationship between music, text and drama, La Traviata has attracted some of the best sopranos who ever went into a recording studio.

10.50
Andrew McGregor talks to Natasha Loges about a new set of Beethoven Piano Sonatas from Igor Levit.

11.25
Andrew chooses an outstanding new release as his Recording of the Week.

2 hours, 47 minutes

Music Played

  • Claudio Monteverdi

    Faux-bourdon Domine ad adjuvandum me (Vespro della beata Vergine (1610))

    Ensemble: La Temp锚te. Conductor: Simon鈥怭ierre Bestion.
    • Alpha.
  • Claudio Monteverdi

    Toccata et Domine ad adjuvandum me (Vespro della beata Vergine (1610))

    Ensemble: La Temp锚te. Conductor: Simon鈥怭ierre Bestion.
    • Alpha.
  • Franz Schubert

    Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 959: II. Andantino

    Performer: Francesco Piemontesi.
    • Schubert: Piano Sonatas, D. 958-960.
    • PENTATONE.
    • 601.
  • Robert Schumann

    Myrthen, Op. 25: No. 14, Hochl盲ndisches Wiegenlied

    Performer: Gerold Huber. Singer: Camilla Tilling. Singer: Christian Gerhaher.
    • Sony.
  • Robert Schumann

    Myrthen, Op. 25: No. 15, Aus den hebr盲ischen Ges盲ngen

    Performer: Gerold Huber. Singer: Camilla Tilling. Singer: Christian Gerhaher.
    • Sony.
  • Antonio Vivaldi

    Cello Concerto in C major, RV 400 ii) Largo

    Performer: Christophe Coin. Orchestra: L鈥橭nda Armonica.
    • 狈补茂惫别.
  • Antonio Vivaldi

    Cello Concerto in C major, RV 400 iii) Allegro non molto

    Performer: Christophe Coin. Orchestra: L鈥橭nda Armonica.
    • 狈补茂惫别.
  • Sergey Rachmaninov

    Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 39: No. 1 in C Minor

    Performer: Yuja Wang.
    • DG.
  • Gy枚rgy Ligeti

    脡tudes Pour Piano: No. 9 "Vertige"

    Performer: Yuja Wang.
    • DG.
  • Dieterich Buxtehude

    Jesu, meines Lebens Leben, for chorus, 5 strings & Bc, BuxWV62

    Ensemble: Ensemble Masques. Conductor: Olivier Fortin. Choir: Vox Luminis. Conductor: Lionel Meunier.
  • Camille Saint鈥怱a毛ns

    Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, Op. 103, Egyptian - iii) Molto allegro

    Performer: Bertrand Chamayou. Orchestra: Orchestre national de France. Conductor: Emmanuel Krivine.
    • Erato.
  • Richard Wagner

    G枚tterd盲mmerung, WWV 86D, Act II: Hoiho! Hoihohoho!

    Choir: Bamberg Symphony Chorus. Choir: Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus. Choir: Valsts Akad膿miskais koris "Latvija". Orchestra: Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Jaap van Zweden. Singer: Eric Halfvarson.
    • Wagner: G枚tterd盲mmerung, WWV 86D.
    • Naxos.
    • 305.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 'Waldstein' i) Allegro con brio

    Performer: Igor Levit.
    • Sony.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 'Moonlight' i) Adagio sostenuto

    Performer: Igor Levit.
    • Sony.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1 iv) Prestissimo

    Performer: Igor Levit.
    • Sony.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109 iii) Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo

    Performer: Igor Levit.
    • Sony.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major, Op. 81a 'Les Adieux' i) Das Lebewohl. Adagio - Allegro

    Performer: Igor Levit.
    • Sony.
  • Richard Strauss

    Don Juan Op. 20

    Orchestra: Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Vasily Petrenko.
    • Lawo.

Record Review

9.00am

Monteverdi: Vespro

La Temp锚te

Simon-Pierre Bestion (conductor)

Alpha ALPHA552 (2 CDs)

Schubert: Last Piano Sonatas D958-960

Francesco Piemontesi (piano)

Pentatone PTC5186742 (2 CDs)

Schumann: Myrthen, Op. 25

Christian Gerhaher (baritone)

Camilla Tilling (soprano)

Gerold Huber (piano)

Sony 19075945362

Vivaldi: Concerti per Violoncello III

Christophe Coin (cello)

L'Onda Armonica

Na茂ve OP30574

9.30am 鈥 Building a Library 鈥 Mahan Esfahani on Verdi's La Traviata

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

Reviewer: Mahan Esfahani

Recommended Recording:

Ileana Cotrubas (Violetta)

Pl谩cido Domingo (Alfredo)

Sherrill Milnes (Giorgio Germont)

Stefania Malag霉 (Flora)

Helena Jungwirth (Annina)

Walter Gullino (Gastone)

Giovanni Foiani (Dottore Grenvil)

Bayerischer Staatsoper

Carlos Kleiber (conductor)

DG 4777115 (2 CDs)

Other Recommended Recordings:

Maria Callas (Violetta)

Giuseppe di Stefano (Alfredo)

Ettore Bastianini (Giorgio)

Silvana Zanolli (Flora)

Luisa Mandelli (Annina)

Giuseppe Zampieri (Gastone)

Arturo La Porta (Baron Douphol)

Antonio Zerbini (Marchese d'Obigny)

Silvio Maionica (Dottore Grenvil)

Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala

Carlo Maria Giulini (conductor)

Warner Classics 9668582 (2 CDs 鈥 Live recording in mono)

10.20am 鈥 Gramophone Awards Highlights

Yuja Wang - The Berlin Recital: Works by Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Ligeti and Prokofiev

Yuja Wang (piano)

DG 4836280

Buxtehude: Abendmusiken 鈥 Cantatas and instrumental pieces by Dietrich Buxtehude including Gott, hilf mir BuxWV 34; Jesu, meines Lebens Leben, for chorus, 5 strings & Bc, BuxWV62 and Buxtehude: Sonata in B flat, BuxWV255

Vox Luminis

Ensemble Masques

Lionel Meunier (director)

Alpha ALPHA287

Saint-Sa毛ns: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 & pieces for solo piano

Bertrand Chamayou (piano)

Orchestre National de France

Emmanuel Krivine (conductor)

Erato 9029563426

Wagner: G枚tterd盲mmerung

Gun-Brit Barkmin (Br眉nnhilde)

Daniel Brenna (Siegfried)

Eric Halfvarson (Hagen)

Shenyang (Gunther)

Amanda Majeski (Gutrune)

Peter K谩lm谩n (Alberich)

Michelle DeYoung (Waltraute)

Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus & Orchestra

Jaap van Zweden (conductor)

Naxos 8660428-31 (4 CDs)

10.45am 鈥 New Releases 鈥 Natasha Loges on Igor Levit's complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas

Beethoven: The Piano Sonatas

Igor Levit (piano)

Sony 19075843182 (9 CDs)


11.30am 鈥 Disc of the Week

Richard Strauss: Don Quixote, Don Juan & Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche

Louisa Tuck (cello)

Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra

Vasily Petrenko (conductor)

Lawo LWC1184



Broadcast

  • Sat 19 Oct 2019 09:00

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