Draeseke / Tanski / Hanson - Orchestral Works - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Max Bruch bequeathed three violin concertos to posterity - but only one of them continues to be present in today's concert halls. The composer himself regarded his op. 58 in D minor as much more finely composed than the popular G minor concerto. This benchmark recording by Andreas Krecher and the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra disappeared from the catalogue many years ago, but now the D minor concerto is being re-released in an attractive double box featuring orchestral works by Bruch. Along with it's rarities repertoire, the phenomenal acoustic dimensions of the historic Wuppertal Stadthalle and MDG's legendary natural sound make this double album a musical feast for the ears. InchSchon Ellen,Inch a heroic ballad to a text by Emanuel Geibel, was one of the most frequently sung choral works during the nineteenth century. Even though Bruch had no qualms about transferring the action from the Indian colony to the Scottish highlands, the dramatic appeal is absolutely irresistible. The 'Swedish Dances' are a genuine discovery. Bruch unfolds an overpowering widescreen spectacle with a Nordic atmosphere in the two suites; with highly imaginative instrumentations and musical magic he evokes magnificent soundscapes. Bruch's Symphony No. 2 rounds off this program of rarities. In it Schmalfuss presents the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra as an ensemble that produces a big sound and outstandingly captures the slightly melancholy tone of Bruch's music.

Through fire and tribulation, Norway's Drottnar return to defy conventions and overturn expectations with their next evolution in sonic ascendancy. Melancholic introspection meets industrial precision as Drottnar continue to transcend genre while surveying the limits of musical discord.Uncompromising and iconoclastic, MONOLITH will warp your beliefs in the boundaries of extreme metal. Profound caverns of jarring dissonance and inexorable resonance meld effortlessly into the coldly calculated fringe of technical brilliance. This is Drottnar as they have never been heard before.

Mcalpine / Katchen / Solti - Orchestral Works [COMPACT DISCS] date 01/01/2015