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Page last updated 1 October 2009.
NAXOS classical music now free online to Wellington library members. Just enter your library card number and last name to listen to 276,000 tracks of streamed music from the NAXOS, BIS, Chandos, CPO, Hanssler, Hungaroton, and Marco Polo labels, with 500 new CDs added each month.
Over 100 NZ CDs added!
Special resource features - Ballet/Dance DVDs | English music | Woodwind | Classical guitar | Mediaeval music
Musicals | Opera | New Zealand classical music | Baroque music | Classical Spain
Join MyLibrary today to receive emails on what's new in the library collections and create your own page of useful information links.
Some recent DVDs are featured below.
![]() | Piano sonata no. 1 op. 28; Etudes-tableaux op. 39 / Rachmaninov, performed by Yuri Paterson-Olenich, piano. "In the Etudes-Tableaux Op. 39, among the last pieces Rachmaninov wrote before he left Russia for good in 1917, one can sense the turbulent new era for his country reflected in the innovative stretching of the instrument's limits, firmly placing the composer in the twentieth century. " (from liner notes) |
![]() | Piano concertos nos. 2 & 3 / Beethoven performed by Francois-Frederic Guy, piano; Orchestre philharmonique de radio France; Philippe Jordan, conductor. "The third and final volume in the complete recordings of Beethoven's Piano Concerti, by Francois-Frederic Guy and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Philipe Jordan... In this stunning work, the scoring of Op.19 is expanded to include clarinets, trumpets and timpani in the orchestra." (Taken from prestoclassical.co.uk) |
![]() | Piano sonatas. II / Haydn performed by Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano. "Marc-Andre Hamelin's first set of Haydn Piano Sonatas was Hyperion's best-selling release of 2007, and had the critics jostling to acclaim his performances in the highest terms, in particular his expression of the 'physical exhilaration of Haydn's playful inspiration in a way unmatched by any pianist past or present'. His second volume, released in a year where new Haydn recordings are prominent, should surely match the critical and commercial success of the first. Some of Haydn's most alluring and appealing keyboard works are recorded here. The surprising (to some) emotional range of the composer is fully evident in the extraordinarily sensitive and intimate Sonata in E flat major No 49, written for Maria Anna von Genzinger, and the profoundly felt Andante con variazioni in F minor, the composition of which coincided with her death." (Taken from Hyperion Records) |
![]() | Complete sonatas for violin and piano / Beethoven performed by Isabelle Faust, violin and Alexander Melnikov, piano. "Scholarship and invention unite to extraordinary effect in this dazzling set. Alexander Melnikov's characterisation of the piano parts, from the historically informed 'rolled' left-hand chords to the heroic dialogue of the final movement of the C Minor Sonata, is as revelatory as Isabelle Faust's vividly articulated, expressive performance, which incorporates George Bridgetower's improvisations from the 1803 premiere of the Kreutzer Sonata. A thrilling series of narratives, related with wit and passion." (Taken from Independent.co.uk) |
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A classical music section has been added to this treasure trove. Explore 1,200 historical performances of works by Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms dating from 1915 to 1958. A further collection of Chopin piano works is due to be launched shortly. The vast majority of these recordings are now out of print, making this a vital resource for understanding Western classical music heritage. The broad scope of recordings in the Classical Music section allows listeners to compare performance styles from the USA to Denmark to Russia. The Archival Sound Recordings service is the result of a development project to increase access to the Sound Archive's extensive collections.
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| Other links to classical music web-sites
Artscalendar will tell you what's happening in the New Zealand Arts scene. Check out the highlights in upcoming Wellington's musical events.
MusicAustralia
www.recmusic.org/lieder
www.allclassical.com
Cadence
Classical Composers' Archive
National anthems
www.broadcast-live.com/music/classical/index.html
British Library Music collections
www.sounz.org.nz
www.tunespotting.com.
Classical orchestra links |
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The article begins "Of all the changes that have taken place in English-language newspapers during the past quarter-century, perhaps the most far-reaching has been the inexorable decline in the scope and seriousness of their arts coverage. Not only have many newspapers done away with their book-review sections, but several major papers, including the Chicago Sun-Times and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, no longer employ full-time classical-music critics...." The plight of the music critic is examined through the example of Neville Cardus.
Collaboration and the composer : case studies from the end of the 20th century, by Sam Hayden and Luke Windsor, in Tempo; Apr2007, Vol. 61 Issue 240, p28-39.
Remember: These article links will work automatically for you if you have used the EBSCO databases in the last 30 days. If not, please login now. |
Other journals
Each site contains at least some full-text of the print magazines
www.bbcmusicmagazine.com
www.gramophone.co.uk - the mighty Gramophone
www.Orphpl.com/choir.htm - for the Choir & Organ
www.ffaire.com (Not to be confused with Fanfare - the American reviewing magazine).
www.lafolia.com - containing more in-depth new music reviews and articles
www.opera-opera.com.au - Australasia's independent monthly newspaper of musical theatre.
Music and Vision - focusing on news e.g. concert reviews, upcoming event,although there are articles.
All Things Strings - sample articles from the latest issue always available.
Music for the love of it -
Excerpts include themes around musicianship, and musicality and ensemble skills for the amateur performer.
Creative keyboard - monthly magazine featuring articles by composers, teachers, or performers. A free printable music sample is included in at least one of the articles each month.
![]() | Die Walkure, by Wagner. (1980 production)Performers : Gwyneth Jones, Jeannine Altmeyer, sopranos; Hanna Schwarz, mezzo-soprano; Gabriele Schnaut, alto; Peter Hofmann, tenor; Donald McIntyre, baritone; Matti Salminen, bass; with supporting singers; Bayreuth Festival Chorus; Bayreuth Festival Orchestra; Pierre Boulez, conductor. Sterling acting performances are demanded of the singers and NZ's own Donald McIntyre does not disappoint. Many consider him as one of the greatest Wotan interpreters - conveying the pathos and despair as his world distintegrates around him before moving to rage when Brunnhilde rebels. There are some clever production devices e.g. a pendulum to bring the motion of time to a standstill, and the musical direction of Pierre Boulez and the Bayreuth orchestra is excellent. |
![]() | Gotterdammerung, by Wagner.Performers : Gwyneth Jones, Jeannine Altmeyer, sopranos; Gwendolyn Killebrew, mezzo-soprano; Manfred Jung, tenor; Hermann Becht, Franz Mazura, bass-baritones; Fritz Hübner, bass; with supporting singers; Bayreuth Festival Chorus; Bayreuth Festival Orchestra; Pierre Boulez, conductor. The library has also purchased the critically accalimed James Levine / The Met. version which some now regard as superior. But any serious collection will no doubt wish to have both. |
![]() | Siegfried, by Wagner.Performers : Manfred Jung (Siegfried) ; Heinz Zednik (Mime) ; Donald McIntyre (Der Wanderer) ; Hermann Becht (Alberich) ; Fritz Hübner (Fafner) ; Ortrun Wenkel (Erda) ; Gwyneth Jones (Brunhilde) ; Norma Sharp (Waldvogel) ; Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele ; conducted by Pierre Boulez. Siegfried is the most lively of the Ring opera cycle: the hero kills a dragon and the dwarf Mime, takes the cursed ring, frees Brunnhilde from the spell that has kept her asleep, and falls in love with her. "Wagner may have thought he was inventing another sort of hero, but this Siegfried rather faithfully reflects his creator's personality. Jung's characterization faithfully follows the text of the opera and it is compelling for those who can take their Wagner without illusions, those who have come to terms, for example, with the self-centered, unsympathetic personality that emerges from his wife Cosima's voluminous and blindly adoring diaries." (drawn from Amazon editorial reviewer). |
![]() | Das Rheingold, by Wagner.Performers : Carmen Reppel, Norma Sharp, sopranos; Hanna Schwarz, Ilse Gramatzki, Marga Schiml, mezzo-sopranos; Ortrun Wenkel, alto; Siegfried Jerusalem, Heinz Zednik, Helmut Pampuch, tenors; Donald McIntyre, Hermann Becht, bass-baritones; Martin Egel, Matti Salminen, Fritz Hübner, basses; Bayreuth Festival Orchestra; Pierre Boulez, conductor. This is the first opera (the prologue) in Wagner's Ring Cycle. The rhinegold -- if made into a ring -- would enable the wearer dominion over the world. Power comes with a price, however; whoever would steal the gold would have to renounce love. |
![]() | The making of the Ring : a documentary / produced and directed by Peter Weinberg. A film about Patrice Chéreau's controversial centenary production of Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" produced at Bayreuth 1976-1980. Includes excerpts from rehearsals, performances, and recording sessions interspersed with various commentary. Also includes a brief history of the Bayreuth Festival from its beginnings to the mid-1980s, including archival footage and photographs. |
Contact:Comments and suggestions about this page, or the classical music collection are welcomed to Joan Clayton