With Deutsche Grammophon's Les plus beaux Adagios, a volume in the French Collection du millénaire, some of the best-known Romantic and post-Romantic favorites in the label's backlist have been gathered on one disc, and collectors of relaxing classics will find this album completely soothing and meditative, without any loud or bombastic music intruding on its calm moods. From Giuseppe Sinopoli's tender interpretation of the Adagietto from Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5, to the same conductor's ethereal reading of the ...
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With Deutsche Grammophon's Les plus beaux Adagios, a volume in the French Collection du millénaire, some of the best-known Romantic and post-Romantic favorites in the label's backlist have been gathered on one disc, and collectors of relaxing classics will find this album completely soothing and meditative, without any loud or bombastic music intruding on its calm moods. From Giuseppe Sinopoli's tender interpretation of the Adagietto from Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5, to the same conductor's ethereal reading of the Prelude to Act I from Richard Wagner's Lohengrin, the atmosphere is languid, lush, and serene, and yet the changing styles, expressions, and even national flavors keep the program interesting. The pensive Adagio from Joaquín Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez, in a sensitive performance by guitarist Narciso Yepes, gives a taste of Spain, while Carlo Maria Giulini's poignant traversal of Maurice Ravel's Pavane pour une infante défunte evokes a gentle French ambience. Similarly, the performance...
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