Eduard Van Beinum - Complete Recordings on Decca & Philips [44CDs Box Set] (2023)
EAC Rip | FLAC (tracks+.cue, log) | Run Time: 02:04:22:02 | 10.63 Gb
Genre: Classical | Label: Decca

The complete recordings of Eduard Van Beinum made for both Decca and Philips predominately features the Concertgebouworkest and London Philharmonic Orchestra, where he was Principal Conductor. 44 CDs in their original jackets.

Vladimir Ashkenazy - Complete Solo Recordings [89CDs Box Set] (2022)
MP3 320 Kbps | Run Time: 88:42:13 | 13.4 Gb
Genre: Classical, Piano | Label: Decca

Decca proudly present the Complete Solo Piano Recordings of Vladimir Ashkenazy in one edition for the very first time. An incredible 85 albums. The new 89CD & 1BDA edition will be released to mark the occasion of his 85th birthday (July 2022). Ashkenazy has been an exclusive artist on Decca for more years than any other, and it is his incredible devotion and commitment to his art that is on full show in this reissue. Paying tribute to one of the pianists he most admires, Sviatoslav Richter, Ashkenazy said that, 'It was his devotion and commitment to his art that will be his legacy'. Looking back at his long and distinguished career, this is surely a description which is equally true of Ashkenazy himself'.

The French-Canadian prog scene has received a very distinguished reputation around these parts and deservedly so too. With acts like Harmonium, Maneige and more recently Godspeed You! Black Emperor, this French speaking part of North America has been a hotbed for musical visions with a twist ever since the late 60s.
"Le Prince Croule" is more mature and solid Prog/Psych with haunting, massive Hammond organ and vocals and some surprising abnormal instrumental breaks.The electric guitar adds some serious flame with the blazing hooks and the compositions are full of energy, aggressive French vocals, unexpected twists and changing moods between Heavy/Psych and poetic Rock Music.

The Wham! collection The Final stands as the most accurate compilation of the duo's hits, even including the correct single versions of hits that were not available on their respective albums. From the early bubblegum silliness of "Bad Boys," "Wham! Rap," and "Young Guns" to the singles that made them an international pop phenomenon ("Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," "Everything She Wants," "Careless Whisper," and "I'm Your Man"), the hits are all here. "Everything She Wants" and "Freedom" are included in their single versions which did not appear on the multimillion-selling Make It Big. Also included is George Michael's first true solo hit, "A Different Corner," which, along with "Careless Whisper," hints at the later, more sophisticated styles of music that would further propel him into international superstar status.

This album combines the brilliant original vocal harmonies of The Beach Boys’ beloved classics with brand new symphonic arrangements performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, creating a unique and special experience of these iconic songs. 17 tracks produced by Nick Patrick and Don Reedman, who conducted similar projects for Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley. Executive produced by Jerry Schilling. Orchestra conducted by Sally Herbert and Steve Sidwell and recorded by Peter Cobbin at Abbey Road Studio 2.

The extraordinary series of 1998-2006 recordings of the nine published books of madrigals by Monteverdi, from Claudio Cavina and the Italian ensemble La Venexiana, is now available in limited-time and limited-number boxed set form from Glossa. This multi-award-winning cycle set new standards in textual declamation, rhetorical color and harmonic refinement. Also included is the Live in Corsica album of Monteverdi madrigals (2002) and a newly-written essay by original series essayist Stefano Russomanno of which all, along with full texts and translations in PDF form, are also included.

Recordings of Handel’s Water Music come in floods, those of Telemann’s Wassermusik (more properly titled Hamburger Ebb und Fluth) in a gradually growing stream. Couplings of the two, however, are but a trickle, which is a surprise considering that their combined length is thoroughly convenient for CD. This recording was originally released in 1996, and thus predates its only direct rival, from the King’s Consort. The orchestral playing is of a good quality throughout, the Flemish period instrumentalists of Il Fondamento showing a healthy appetite for their task – who would not in such music?

Although it's not unusual for artistic and literary communities to revisit and emulate the ideals of an earlier time (the 18th-century reverence for classical antiquity, for example), the present age has shown an interest in medieval music that's certainly unprecedented–and, on evidence of hundreds of recordings and the work of dozens of performing ensembles, its practitioners certainly are among the most accomplished and knowledgeable musicians and scholars ever known. This excellent recording from the medieval ensemble La Reverdie provides more support to such a claim. Rather than just dig up a bunch of old manuscripts, arrange a few obscure tunes, and dump them onto a program with a suitably poetic title, La Reverdie dug up a bunch of old manuscripts, arranged a few obscure tunes, and intelligently and skillfully organized them into an engaging program that brims with lively, lovely music and imaginative interpretations.