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Greece Consumer Prices Fall For First Time In 6 Months

Greece's consumer prices fell for the first time in six months in April, data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority showed on Friday.




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MASCAGNI, P.: Cavalleria rusticana / LEONCAVALLO, R.: Pagliacci [Operas] (Di Toro, Iversen, Graz Opera Chorus, Graz Philharmonic, Lyniv) (OC987)




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CIMAROSA, D.: Overtures, Vol. 6 (Czech Chamber Philharmonic, Pardubice, Patrick Gallois) (8.574046)

Domenico Cimarosa’s operas were remarkably successful, being staged and re-staged in opera houses all over Europe. Success in his home town of Naples led to court appointments and royal commissions, including his best-known work Il matrimonio segreto (‘The Secret Marriage’) composed for Austrian emperor Leopold II. Other hits include L’impegno superato (‘The Broken Engagement’), an instant success and soon to become one of the most frequently performed of Cimarosa’s comic works, and Penelope that was produced as far away as London in 1817. The Cantata per Ferdinando IV was, however, written as an act of repentance, Cimarosa having made the mistake of backing the failed republican government in 1799.




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FARRENC, L.: Symphony No. 1 / Overtures Nos. 1-2 / Grand Variations on a theme by Count Gallenberg (J. Muller, Solistes Européens, Luxembourg, König) (8.574094)

Louise Farrenc was renowned in her lifetime as a pianist, composer and teacher, but it is only recently that her compositions have emerged from many years of neglect. Symphony No. 1 in C minor—cast in the German tradition—is an exceptionally accomplished work, finely orchestrated, lyrical and fiery, and a substantial contribution to the canon. The Grand Variations on a Theme by Count Gallenberg is a showcase for virtuosic elegance, and the two overtures demonstrate real theatrical drama—Overture No. 2 was admired by no less a figure than Hector Berlioz.




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BEETHOVEN, L. van: Piano Pieces and Fragments (Gallo) (8.574131)

Including premiere recordings, this programme provides us with a privileged opportunity to engage with 36 of Ludwig van Beethoven’s rarely heard sketches, variations and briefest of compositions, even the earliest of which have much to teach us about the emergence of his unique voice and style. The range of Beethoven’s musical experimentation reveals a lasting interest in counterpoint, as well as practical pages such as cadenzas for a Mozart concerto, an incomplete sonata and a second version of the famous bagatelle Für Elise. A significant supplement to his greatest works, these miniatures bring the full arc of Beethoven’s singular genius into ever clearer focus.




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DANIELPOUR, R.: Passion of Yeshua (The) [Oratorio] (UCLA Chamber Singers, Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra, Falletta) (8.559885-86)

Richard Danielpour’s dramatic oratorio The Passion of Yeshua—a work which has evolved over the last 25 years—is an intensely personal telling of the final hours of Christ on Earth. It incorporates texts from the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Gospels inspiring extraordinarily beautiful music that stresses the need for human compassion and forgiveness. Danielpour returns to the scale and majesty of Bach in this oratorio, creating choruses that are intense and powerful, and giving both Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene a central place in a work of glowing spirituality. Conductor JoAnn Falletta considers The Passion of Yeshua to be “a classic for all time.”




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SPUCK, C.: Nutcracker and Mouse King [Ballet] (after P.I. Tchaikovsky) (Zürich Ballet, 2018) (NTSC) (ACC-20449)




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SPUCK, C.: Nutcracker and Mouse King [Ballet] (after P.I. Tchaikovsky) (Zürich Ballet, 2018) (Blu-ray, Full-HD) (ACC-10449)




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Podcast: The resurrection of a requiem. Randall Thompson’s choral masterpiece. (Apr 10, 2020)

THOMPSON, R.: Requiem Philadelphia Singers, David Hayes 8.559789 Join Raymond Bisha in a podcast of artistic discovery as he unveils yet another American classic—Randall Thompson’s Requiem. Reckoned by many to be his most ambitious work, the composer himself considered it to be his masterpiece, yet it has languished for decades on the periphery of the choral performance repertoire. This world première recording fr ...more




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SAINT-SAËNS, C.: Ascanio: Ballet / Overtures to Stage Works (Malmö Symphony, Märkl) (8.574033)

Saint-Saëns’ operatic works contain instrumental music of vivacity and charm but have been undeservedly overlooked. Ascanio contains a substantial and elaborate divertissement that fellow composer Reynaldo Hahn termed ‘the entire Renaissance in a few pages’. Les Barbares, a tale of conquest and revenge, includes a vivid Prologue and joyful ballet, while La Princesse jaune with its pentatonic writing, and La Jota aragonese laced with Spanish vitality, show the composer at his most generously carefree.




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TCHAIKOVSKY, P.I.: Nutcracker (The) [Ballet] (Royal Ballet, 2018) (NTSC) (OA1290D)




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TCHAIKOVSKY, P.I.: Nutcracker (The) [Ballet] (Royal Ballet, 2018) (Blu-ray, HD) (OABD7259D)




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FREDERICK ASHTON COLLECTION (THE), Vol. 2 (Royal Ballet, 2005-2007) (3-DVD Box Set) (NTSC) (OA1281BD)




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FREDERICK ASHTON COLLECTION (THE), Vol. 2 (Royal Ballet, 2005-2007) (3-Blu-ray Disc Box Set) (OABD7212BD)




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WHEELDON, C.: Within the Golden Hour / CHERKAOUI, S.L.: Medusa / PITE, C.: Flight Pattern [Ballets] (Royal Ballet, 2019) (NTSC) (OA1300D)




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WHEELDON, C.: Within the Golden Hour / CHERKAOUI, S.L.: Medusa / PITE, C.: Flight Pattern [Ballets] (Royal Ballet, 2019) (Blu-ray, HD) (OABD7265D)




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MINKUS, L.: Bayadère (La) [Ballet] (Royal Ballet, 2018) (NTSC) (OA1296D)




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MINKUS, L.: Bayadère (La) [Ballet] (Royal Ballet, 2018) (Blu-ray, HD) (OABD7263D)




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FEENEY, P.: Victoria [Ballet] (Northern Ballet, 2019) (NTSC) (OA1299D)




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FEENEY, P.: Victoria [Ballet] (Northern Ballet, 2019) (Blu-ray, HD) (OABD7264D)




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KRENEK, E.: Tricks and Trifles / 7 Orchestral Pieces / Symphonie, `Pallas Athene` / Potpourri (Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic, Steffens) (C5379)




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TCHAIKOVKSY, P.I.: Piano Trio, Op. 50 / RACHMANINOV, S.: Trio élégiaque No. 1 (Mezzena, Patria, Ballario) (CDS7825)




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OFFENBACH, J.: Mari à la porte (Le) [Operetta] (Placa, Ogii, Mezzaro, F. Benitez, Fiorentino Maggio Musicale Orchestra, V. Galli) (CDS7844)




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DONIZETTI, G.: Elisir d'amore (L') [Opera] (Dalla Benetta, R. Hernández, Esposito, Salerno, Bergamo Musica Festival Chorus and Orchestra, De Marchi) (CDS577)




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LEONCAVALLO, R.: Pagliacci [Opera] (Sepe, Villari, Cecconi, Fiorentino Maggio Musicale Chorus and Orchestra, Galli) (CDS7863)




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LEONCAVALLO, R.: Pagliacci [Opera] (Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, 2019) (NTSC) (DYN-37863)




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LEONCAVALLO, R.: Pagliacci [Opera] (Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, 2019) (Blu-ray, HD) (DYN-57863)




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NOLA, A.: Sacred Works (Tristes erant Apostoli) (Visco, A. Zawisza, M. Fumagalli, A. Tosi, Cappella Neapolitana, A. Florio) (CDS7853)




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PROKOFIEV, S.: Romeo and Juliet [Ballet] (Zürich Ballet, 2019) (NTSC) (ACC-20484)




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PROKOFIEV, S.: Romeo and Juliet [Ballet] (Zürich Ballet, 2019) (Blu-ray, Full-HD) (ACC-10484)




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PROKOFIEV, S.: Romeo and Juliet [Ballet] (Ural Opera Ballet, 2019) (NTSC) (BAC180)




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PROKOFIEV, S.: Romeo and Juliet [Ballet] (Ural Opera Ballet, 2019) (Blu-ray, Full-HD) (BAC580)




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MOON, F. / PRICE, D.: Mother (The) [Ballet] (Bird and Carrot, 2019) (NTSC) (OA1321D)




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MOON, F. / PRICE, D.: Mother (The) [Ballet] (Bird and Carrot, 2019) (Blu-ray, HD) (OABD7280D)




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HARTMANN, E.: Piano Quintet / String Quartets, Opp. 14 and 37 / Andante and Allegro (E. Schneider, N. Dupont, Nys, J. Grimm, D. Blumenthal) (8.226183)




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Violin Music (Danish) - ALSTED, B. / CHRISTENSEN, S. / FUZZY / KONDRUP, E.V. / NØRHOLM, I. / OLSEN, M. (Educate·S) (C. Balling, B.B. Pihl) (8.226614)




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NEUMEIER, J.: Beethoven Project [Ballet] (Hamburg Ballet, 2019) (NTSC) (753608)




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NEUMEIER, J.: Beethoven Project [Ballet] (Hamburg Ballet, 2019) (Blu-ray, HD) (753704)




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MICHL, J.C.W.: Quartets Nos. 1-6 for Bassoon, 2 Violins and Cello (Hoadley, The Hall String Trio) (8.574054)

Upon hearing a chamber piece by Joseph Michl in Munich in 1772 the English composer and music historian Charles Burney wrote, ‘I hardly ever heard a composition that discovered more genius and invention.’ Even though Michl achieved success writing for the operatic stage and his contemporary reputation rested on his sacred works, the Bassoon Quartets present the epitome of urbane sophistication—elegantly constructed and full of imaginative detail—and at times resembling miniature concertos.




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CHOPIN, F.: Scherzos Nos. 1-4 / Impromptus Nos. 1-3 / Fantasy-Impromptu / Allegro de concert (Mao Fujita) (8.574052)

Chopin turned the Scherzo into a new form of piano composition: an independent virtuoso work which he laced with drama, Polish folk song, tranquillity and nuance. With their rhythmic lilt and filigree ornamentation the Impromptus are infused with Romantic freedom, while the Allegro de concert, Op. 46 was originally conceived as a movement for a projected piano concerto but was instead revised for solo piano.




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HANDEL, G.F. / GLUCK, C.W.: Opera Arias for Soprano (Care Pupille) (Mariño, Halle Handel Festival Orchestra, Hofstetter) (C998201)




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ART OF OHAD NAHARIN (THE), Vol. 2 - Sadeh21 [Ballet] (Batsheva Dance Company, 2018) (NTSC) (BAC172)




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ART OF OHAD NAHARIN (THE), Vol. 2 - Sadeh21 [Ballet] (Batsheva Dance Company, 2018) (Blu-ray, Full-HD) (BAC472)




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WEILL, K.: Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny [Opera] (Sung in English) (Teatro Real, 2010) (NTSC) (BAC067)




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WEILL, K.: Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny [Opera] (Sung in English) (Teatro Real, 2010) (Blu-ray, Full-HD) (BAC467)




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TCHAIKOVSKY, P.I.: Swan Lake [Ballet] (Kiev National Ballet, 2019) (NTSC) (BAC174)




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TCHAIKOVSKY, P.I.: Swan Lake [Ballet] (Kiev National Ballet, 2019) (Blu-ray, Full-HD) (BAC574)




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Win Allusinlove T-Shirt and hand sprayed Vinyl

Yorkshire four piece Allusinlove are releasing a brand new video for their single ‘MyCat’ on Wednesday 11th March.




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Win André Rieu ‘Shall We Dance?’ DVDs

To celebrate the release of André Rieu’s ‘Shall We Dance?’ on DVD on 13th March, XXX is giving you the chance to win one of FIVE copies.




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Win NOW That’s What I Call Music! 105 CDs

The UK is a nation of music lovers and now, more than ever before, music is a vital tool for keeping us entertained during lockdown