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The Cosmopolitan Queen of Bel canto

Classical contributor JOSEPH NEWSOME sits down for an enlightening chat with JESSICA PRATT, 'The Cosmopolitan Queen of Bel canto,' upon the release of her debut recital disc, SERENADE
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Beyond Arcady and Bethlehem

A must-hear event for choral music lovers: ONLY A SINGING BIRD by the NATIONAL GIRLS CHOIR of Scotland, with sensitively rendered songs by MICHAEL HEARD and others.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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Shakespeare’s Ophelia Finds a New Voice

SHAKESPEARE didn't give Hamlet's Ophelia near the complexity and substance HANS ABRAHAMSEN and BARBARA HANNIGAN bring to her character in LET ME TELL YOU.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Border Patrol

On AMERICANO Classical guitar giant PABLO VILLEGAS ranges from Venezuela to Mexico, from Paraguay to the Bayou, from Broadway to the rural South in celebrating the music of all the Americas.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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Heightening Prokofiev’s Inherent Eloquence

On PETER AND THE WOLF IN HOLLYWOOD, GIANTS ARE SMALL, with help from ALICE COOPER, offer a clever, charming prequel to SERGEI PROKOFIEV's beloved children's classic from 1936
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Catherine (of Aragon) and Henry (VIII) Dancing? Imagine!

The ROSE CONSORT OF VIOLS, with mezzo-soprano CLARE WILKINSON, are dazzling on a new disc of music drawn from some of the earliest manuscripts surviving from the turn of the 16th Century.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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The Latinate Cello

On the enticing ALVORADO, OPHELIE GAILLARD, better known as a baroque and classical cellist, convincingly performs a wide variety of Spanish and Latin American music by Piazzolla, Jobim, Villa Lobos and other greats.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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‘Serious, Fascinating, Independent’

On ENTANGLED FORTUNES, the RED NOTE ENSEMBLE does justice to five major chamber pieces written by Scottish composer EDDIE MCGUIRE. Classical editor ROBERT HUGILL weighs in on a fine album.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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‘Tenor Hits From the Age of the Talkies’

Reigning tenor king JONAS KAUFFMAN assays a charming collection of songs from a special time in Germany's history, the era of Sally Bowles and the Kit Kat Club
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Harpsichord In a New World

MAHAN ESFAHANI continues to break new ground for the harpsichord on his latest CD, TIME PRESENT AND TIME PAST. Review by ROBERT HUGILL.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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If the Magnificent Landscapes of Wales Sang…

JOSEPH NEWSOME of VOIX DES ARTS takes stock of a fine new setting of composer ALAN HODDINOTT's SONG CYCLES AND FOLK SONGS featuring NICKY SPENCE and CLAIRE BOOTH, among others.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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To Fresh Buds

Navona Records has issued a complete disc of composer GREGORY W. BROWN's music on MOONSTRUNG AIR, performed by NEW YORK POLYPHONY and THE CROSSING.
by David McGee