Music is the key

The achingly beautiful, haunting lyricism of early Rachmaninov and the soaring effusiveness of late Prokofiev are glowingly brought to life by the German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser and the Russian pianist Andrei Korobeinikov in this new release from PENTATONE of richly expressive 20th century cello sonatas and other works. Composed during troubled periods in the composers’ lives, the cello sonatas are life-affirming works. Rachmaninov’s arresting sonata which he wrote following a nervous breakdown is not unlike his perennially popular Second Piano Concerto: a journey from brooding melancholy to untrammelled joy, with a transcendentally beautiful slow movement. Prokofiev wrote his outstanding sonata while labouring under considerable hardship. It is by turns restrained and movingly lyrical, but the hair-raising final movement with its bravura passagework ends the work in a blaze of defiance.  “Both Rachmaninov and Prokofiev are genius musical storytellers,” M...

If there is a Cinderella among Hindemith’s three dozen(ish) sonatas, it’s not that for double bass, tuba, or even the Canonic Sonatina for two flutes, but the Sonata for althorn (1943). A tenor instrument, known in the US as the alto horn, it is so rare that Hindemith accepted his sonata could be played on the horn or alto saxophone. It is a delightful work for a delightful instrument, beautifully rendered here.  Melnikov’s role parallels that of Glenn Gould but his accounts are less wayward than the Canadian’s, his soloists generally stronger. Indeed, in most of the sonatas, the primary competition comes from one-off recordings (now that Ensemble Villa Musica’s almost-complete sonata set, with pianist Kalle Randalu, is unavailable). On BIS, Roland Pöntinen is accompanist for three rival accounts. In the 1935 Violin Sonata, Wallin may now have been overtaken by Zimmermann, Becker-Bender and now Isabelle Faust but choice will depend primarily on couplings since the margins betw...

Benjamin Grosvenor's fourth album on the Decca Classics label, Homages  explores works by great composers paying tribute to their predecessors. Mendelssohn and Franck look back to the Prelude & Fugue form made so popular by Bach. Busoni takes Bach's great solo violin Chaconne and reinterprets it in a bold and imaginative transcription for piano. Chopin breathes new life into the traditional Barcarolle of Venetian gondoliers, followed ten years later by Liszt's tribute to Italian folk song, Venezia e Napoli.   "Benjamin Grosvenor has the art (and the patience and courage) to plan ingenious programmes which offer a multicoloured zig zag between styles and moods ... His pianistic ingenuity, his lyrical voice and aristocratic distinction, remind one of the young Josef Hofmann or Ignaz Friedman. The whole recital is charged with Romantic élan. [In the Bach-Busoni Chaconne]  Benjamin Grosven...

This recording unites pianist Rudolf Buchbinder with his friend and conductor Zubin Mehta with whom he has built an intimate musical rapport. They are joined on this album by the Wiener Philharmoniker, an orchestra with which Buchbinder has appeared over many decades and enjoyed some of the greatest triumphs of his career. Approaching his 70th birthday, Buchbinder once more revisits the concertos as a result of his increasing awareness of Brahms’ music. “With Brahms, most people are struck only by the idea that his music is incredibly difficult and complex. But sometimes it requires a whole lifetime to become intimate with Brahms’ sound world and achieve the maturity that gives you a new freedom as a performer.” (Rudolf Buchbinder).

“Whether Mozart or Stravinsky, their musical line always sounds as if it’s being woven for the very first time... But the illusion of improvisation is the genius of their performances. In all their recordings there is a deceptive sprezzatura that is born of throwing the preparation to the winds and hanging onto each others ears.” The Times Katia and Marielle Labèque are sibling pianists renowned for their ensemble of synchronicity and energy. Their musical ambitions started at an early age and they rose to international fame with their contemporary rendition of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (one of the first gold records in classical music) and have since developed a stunning career with performances worldwide. Katia and Marielle Labèque also launched the KML Foundation, aimed at furthering research and developing awareness of the duo piano repertoire through meetings between artists of all fields. One of the Foundation latest projects is a concert around Moondog...

To be musically avant-garde in the 1950s meant to be difficult. Not by the end of the 1960s. That decade saw a group of American beatniks overthrow the musical givens of postwar Europe. In a series of disobediently straightforward compositions La Monte Young, Terry Jennings, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Philip Glass declared that music could be clear, honest, pretty and experimental. Turning their backs on the conventional centres of musical power, the earliest minimalist works got their first public audience in La Monte Young's 1960-61 Chamber Street Series in Yoko Ono's New York loft. Through the 1960s in art galleries and alternative spaces, the minimalists slowly demystified, democratised and Americanised European modernism. They rejected the angst (what Philip Glass would call "crazy creepy music"). They rejected the invisible games. They rejected the theatricality. "I don't know any secrets of structure that you can't hear," wrote...

Cho Seong-jin, winner of this year's International Chopin Piano Competition, will release his debut album with the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda, Deutsche Grammophon announced, Monday. He had initially planned to make his debut studio recording with conductor Chung Myung-whun, former music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO).  Cho was scheduled to start recording Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Chopin's four Ballades in April under the baton of maestro Chung and the Staatskapelle Dresden Orchestra where Chung has been principal guest conductor since the 2012-13 season.   Chung reportedly canceled the recording because of personal reasons.  Also Chung will no longer conduct Cho's Chopin performance with the SPO at Seoul Arts Center, July 15. He will be replaced by French conductor Yan Pascal Torteller.  The pianist will be performing the award-winning Chopin's Piano Concerto No...

On the 9th December 2001, Mstislav Rostropovich accepted the honorary presidentship of the rising Chamber Orchestra I Solisti di Pavia , born from Enrico Dindo’s passion and the Banca del Monte di Lombardia Foundation’s sponsorship. Thanks to the talent and enthusiasm of its conductor, Enrico Dindo, in over ten years of  activity I Solisti reached excellence, thus representing an important presence in Pavia and a well-established reality in the musical scenery, both in Italy and abroad. In June 2002, I Solisti did their first international tour, performing in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Vilnius, followed by two important dates in Beirut and Algiers in 2002, where they played to celebrate the end of the six-month Italian Presidency of the European Union, and a long tour through the major South American theatres in 2006. In 2008 and 2009, they inaugurated the “Malta Festival” in the prestigious setting of Palace Cluyard. In November 2011, I Solisti di Pavia debute...

I t is impossible to talk about the chamber music of the Australian composer Brett Dean without mentioning that he was principal viola of the Berlin Philharmonic. Inevitably he understands string textures from the inside, with compelling results. The excellent Doric Quartet rise to the challenges of these elegiac works. Eclipse (String Quartet No 1), particularly timely, conjures the despair of the boat people rescued from the Indian Ocean by the Norwegian freighter Tampa in 2001, then denied admission to Australia. The three movements flicker between light and dark, turbulence and calm. Five Epitaphs offer moving portraits of five dead friends, including the conductor Richard Hickox. The Quartet No 2, ”And once I played Ophelia” (2013), has a part, too, for soprano (Allison Bell) which began as the seeds of an unwritten Hamlet opera. Tense, tender and original, it’s a tough but rewarding listen. (The Guardian)

One of the most sought-after Italian pianists of his generation, Giuseppe Albanese has performed throughout Italy and abroad, with praise for his performances as "ravishingly beautiful" and "truly superlative". First prize winner at Premio Venezia, the most important national piano competition in Italy, Albanese also won the first prize at London 2003 Vendome Prize International Piano Competition, headed by Sir Jeffrey Tate and defined by Le Figaro as "the piano world's most prestigious award". He was also awarded the special prize for the 'best execution of contemporary music' at the 54th Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano. In 2014, Albanese has made his debut on Deutsche Grammophon label with "Fantasia", a concept album featuring Beethoven's Sonata quasi una Fantasia Op. 27 No. 2, Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy Op. 15 and Schumann's Fantasy Op. 17.

None of these pieces was written for cello and harpsichord, and at no stage does that matter one bit. Bach’s sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord may not have been conceived for that combination but they are such sublime creations that the identity of the instruments is perhaps the last thing that should worry us. Rather, it is the performers’ musicianship that counts, and in this case that is of high quality indeed.  Steven Isserlis makes no attempt to make his cello imitate the wispy resonance of the gamba, instead claiming the music for his instrument with vigorously articulated lines, robust technical athleticism and ravishing cantabile. Indeed, it is this wondrous singing quality—which never loses its bearing and employs vibrato only as one of its discreet expressive elements—that stands out in these performances, its presence felt above all in the slow movements, of course, but also constantly governing the sense of line in busier ones. Also telling is the profo...

Música Callada (Music of Silence) is a very special work, one of the most beautiful and elusive in the entire piano repertoire. It is extremely difficult to perform. On the one hand, there’s the temptation to stretch each piece out hypnotically, if monotonously, while quicker speeds preserve the music’s melodic essence at the expense of much of its atmosphere and harmonic richness. For although much of the music is indeed quiet, and none of it moves quickly, it is all meaningful. Mompou himself found the perfect balance between incident and repose, and of all the pianists since, Jenny Lin arguably comes closest to doing the same, only in much better sound. It’s not so much that her tempos match Mompou’s own (she’s actually not copying him–it would hardly be possible in a work containing 28 individual pieces), but rather that her phrasing and sense of timing let the music breathe and sing with its own special poetry. To take just one example, consider the sadness that Li...

Here is a package that satisfies intellectual curiosity and is musically delightful. This two-disc set begins with a precise, but still musical, harpsichord performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations by Céline Frisch. Her Aria is clean, with both the melody and the bass line countermelody clear and phrased so that everything comes together well. Her ornaments fit naturally into the melodies throughout the variations, without drawing attention away from the tune, and she always has a sense of direction and forward momentum. The second disc contains the 14 canons on the first eight notes of the bass of the Aria from the Goldberg Variations and the two songs that are contained in the quodlibet near the end of the Variations. The canons are rich and warm performed by Café Zimmermann, a string sextet that includes a double bass, with excellent contrasts in the feel of each canon. The song Cabbages and Turnips Have Driven Me Away is the highlight of the two discs. Period ins...

To me music is an all encompassing vital need. This universal language has since time immemorial had the strength to unite people and cultures beyond the frontiers of time and space. It is contagious and has an addictive effect; it is ubiquitous and is never disappointing. It has become my master and gives the energy and inspiration to translate the world around me into sounds. Every day it gives the strength to move that one stone in the river one millimetre forward. It is the language that helps me articulate my thoughts and emotions and daily shows me the path towards greater wisdom and beauty. Composing is a commitment; it is my life’s mission. For me composing means creating a vacuum around myself and allowing myself to be submerged by impressions. It is a continual struggle between fantasy and reality, between dream and reality. Out of chaos of sounds and emotions I try to order my thoughts by juggling shreds of melodies, original chords, striking sound colours and alternatin...

Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton burst upon the global opera and concert scene in recent years after having won many of the world's most prestigious prizes for vocal excellence and accomplishments. Delos has scored a major coup in releasing her debut album. Jamie's well-chosen program of late-Romantic repertoire begins with eight of Gustav Mahler's finest lieder- including his wonderful Five Ruckert Songs- before treating us to the rare delights of Antonin Dvorak's song cycle Gypsy Songs. Her album concludes with even more seldom-heard selections from the many lovely Swedish-language songs of Finnish master Jean Sibelius . This sublime release- further graced by pianist Brian Zeger's peerless collaboration- will take your breath away, and leave you hungry for more from Jamie Barton, considered by many of the world's top vocal and operatic experts to be the rising mezzo of our time.   "A great artist, no question, with an imperturbable steadiness of tone, a...

Since his conversion to the Orthodox faith in the early 1970s, Arvo Pärt has composed a large number of works of religious inspiration. He is attached to the Latin language, and has borrowed numerous texts from the Roman Catholic liturgy (masses, Stabat Mater, Salve Regina and others), but he naturally feels particularly close to Orthodox spirituality, which has been the source of both instrumental compositions (Silouan’s Song, Trisagion) and vocal works. In his settings of Orthodox prayers, Pärt sometimes makes use of English translations (Litany, Triodion), but on certain occasions he prefers to retain Church Slavonic, the of cial language of the Russian Orthodox liturgy. This is the case with the Kanon Pokajanen (Canon of Repentance), at once his most monumental work and one of the very rare musical settings of a canon (kānon), a poetico-liturgical genre dating from the Byzantine era. The Kanon Pokajanen (Canon of Repentance) , premiered in March 1998, is Arvo Pärt’s most mo...

Listen blind and you’d never guess this was music by a Frenchman operating in the post-Boulez era, the best clues being the iridescent sonorities achieved throughout and the reliance on early Messiaen as a model for the paradisiacal element of the third movement of the Cello Concerto (2008). As Guillaume Connesson himself admits, Shostakovich, John Adams, pop and jazz mean more to him than his intellectualising predecessors, so it is perhaps inevitable that the great Russian should influence key moments in his own Cello Concerto. Of course Shostakovich was writing for Rostropovich in a very different, anti-hedonistic cultural climate. Connesson’s more accessible piece is dedicated to Jérôme Pernoo , who plays it here with evident authority and commitment.  Now in his forties, Connesson is a professional to his fingertips, and should you warm to the work of the classier commercial composers and orchestrators you may find his world wholly congenial. It is those sympathetic to the ...

Daniel Barenboim’s first solo recording on the remarkable new concert grand Barenboim-Maene which he developed in collaboration with instrument maker Chris Maene.  Barenboim has selected works by four keyboard masters to display his piano’s timbral and tonal capabilities:  “I’ve fallen in love with my new piano”, he exclaims, “and want to spend as much time with it as possible.”  Conceived and commissioned by Barenboim himself, the new piano was developed and built by esteemed Belgian instrument maker Chris Maene, with support from Steinway & Sons.  Barenboim was inspired to create a new piano after playing Franz Liszt’s restored grand piano during a trip to Siena in September 2011. Struck by the vital differences in sound of an instrument constructed with straight, parallel strings rather than the diagonal crossed ones of a contemporary instrument, he set out to create a brand new instrument that combines the best of the old and the new and offers a re...

Leonard and I first began talking about a poetry and music collaboration more than six years ago. We met at that time in Los Angeles, and he had with him a manuscript that became the basis of the collection of poetry now published as the Book of Longing . In the course of an afternoon that stretched into the evening, he read virtually the whole book to me. I found the work intensely beautiful, personal, and inspiring. On the spot, I proposed an evening-length work of poetry, music, and image based on this work. Leonard liked my idea, and we agreed to begin. Now, six years later, our stars are in alignment, the book is published, and I have composed the music. For me, this work is both a departure from past work and a fulfillment of an artistic dream. (Philip Glass)

Maurice Ravel’s mature works for violin and piano have established a central place in the core recital repertoire and are considered among the most popular of the genre. These diverse works acknowledge the influences of a range of musical styles from jazz to Impressionism and fuse the tonal colours of Debussy with the lyricism of Franck. The posthumously published one-movement Violin Sonata, written by Ravel as a student, is a lyrical precursor to the composer’s stunning Violin Sonata in G major with its unique character and adoption of the ‘blues’ idiom. The spontaneity, tonal colours and exotic soundscapes in Ravel’s violin music call for immense skill in interpretation, and passages in the frenzied Tzigane test the limits of the performers’ virtuosity. Violinist Alina Ibragmiova rises to these challenges with extraordinary verve. Recent winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious ‘Young Artist of the Year’ award, she displays a vast expressive range a...

Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons is one of the most popular works in the classical repertoire worldwide but Vivaldi wasn’t the only composer to be inspired by the change of seasons. Christopher Simpson (1605–1669) was one of the best viola da gamba players of the early English Baroque. His Four Seasons is one of those fascinating works that take us on a musical journey through the recurring parts of the year. Now Hille Perl and her ensemble, Sirius Viols, have recorded this colourful piece. Hille Perl is a German virtuoso performer of the viola da gamba and lirone. She is considered to be one of the world's finest viola da gamba players. The Sirius Viols was founded by Hille Perl, consisting of Perl alongside Marthe Perl and Frauke Hess.

“Now I know there is a God in heaven!”, exclaimed Albert Einstein when he heard the young Yehudi Menuhin play the violin. Not only was Menuhin an extraordinary musician, he lived through – and helped to shape – a momentous period in history. The Warner Classics catalog contains 70 years’ worth of his recordings and this 3-CD collection, Yehudi: The Art of Menuhin, provides a fascinating perspective on his achievements: Menuhin was a man of ideals who changed the world through music. (Arkiv Music) As a musician, as a man of ideals, and as a citizen of the world, Yehudi Menuhin made an extraordinary mark on his era. 22nd April 2016 will mark the 100th anniversary of his birth. YEHUDI explores Yehudi Menuhin’s genius and artistry through his legendary recordings – the best-loved violin masterpieces, famed duets and collaborations and exclusive unpublished material - in a specially priced 3-CD compilation for the great violinist’s centenary year. (Presto Classical) ...

An internationally recognized soloist, Anaïs Gaudemard quickly stood out in the musical world among the best current harpists. In 2012, she wins the First Prize at the prestigious International Harp Contest in Israel, and the special award for the best interpretation of The Crown of Ariadne by Murray Schafer, then in 2016 she wins the 2nd Prize and the Münchener Kammerorchester Prize at ARD Competition in Munich.  In 2015, Anaïs wins the « Thierry Scherz Prize » at the Festival des Sommets Musicaux in Gstaad. This prize, awarded by the Foundation Scientia Pro Arte, offers to her the opportunity to record a CD with orchestra. Anaïs has chosen to dedicate it to the Concertos for Harp by Debussy, Boieldieu and Ginastera with the Orchestre de l’Opéra de Rouen Normandie. It will be released the November 4, 2016 on the Claves Records label. Anaïs Gaudemard has the privilege to collaborate with orchestras such as the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, the Münchener Kamm...

Award-winning violinist Christian Tetzlaff and pianist Lars Vogt are joined together with Tanja Tetzlaff in this exciting new recording of the Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Piano Trios. The Brahms Piano Trios belong to the very core of the romantic chamber music repertoire. They span a period from the 1850s (the 1st version of Op. 8) to the 1880s, Op. 101 being completed during the last decade of Brahms' active career as a composer. Piano Trio No. 1 was also revised by the composer as late as in 1889. Christian Tetzlaff has been considered as one of the world's leading international violinists for many years, and still maintains a most extensive performing schedule. Musical America named him "Instrumentalist of the Year" in 2005 and his recording of the violin concertos by Mendelssohn and Schumann, released on Ondine in 2011, received the "Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik". Gramophone Magazine chose his recording of the Schumann V...

A double Second Prize winner at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in 2011 and at the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009 Yeol Eum Son’s graceful interpretations, crystalline touch and versatile, thrilling performances have caught the attention of audiences worldwide.Yeol Eum first drew international attention in 2004, when she was chosen as the soloist for the New York Philharmonic’s tour of Asia; she subsequently reappeared with the Philharmonic and maestro Lorin Maazel in 2008. A favorite among other international orchestras, Yeol Eum has appeared with the Czech Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, NHK Symphony, Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Svetlanov Symphony (former USSR State Symphony), NDR Radio Philharmonie, St. Petersburg Academic Symphony, Jerusalem Symphony and Seattle Symphony Orch...

Vocalise is a compilation of favourite pieces from Albrecht Mayer's recent releases in which the oboe more than lives up to its reputation as a wind instrument remarkable for its singing tone The artist personally selected this collection ranging widely from Baroque arias of great virtuosity to the charm of the French chanson Even as a boy soprano with the Bamberg Cathedral Choir, Albrecht Mayer was already fascinated by the human voice, and although he later decided against pursuing a career as a singer and chose instead to become an oboist, he is unquestionably a magician who as soon as he breathes life into his instrument casts his spell on his listeners’ hearts and minds with the beauty of his playing, transforming the oboe into an irresistible Vox Humana.

Belgian harpist Anneleen Lenaerts is one of the leading soloists of her instrument. In 2010 she was appointed Principal Harpist of the Vienna Philharmonic. She won no fewer than twenty-three prizes, amongst them the “Grand Prix International Lily Laskine”. Hailed by Télérama , France, as “the new Prince of the clarinet”, Dionysis Grammenos was the first ever wind player to win the Grand Prix d’Eurovision from the European Broadcasting Union.  Anneleen Lenaerts released a first album on Warner Classics in 2014, with concertos by Jongen, Glière and Rodrigo. For this second album, Anneleen and Dionysis selected some of the most beautiful Romantic chamber music pages, amongst them Schumanns Fantasiestücke Op. 73 and Romanzen Op. 94, and Schuberts Arpeggione Sonata D 821. Western art music has, in one way or another, always been recreative. It is about the spark between the musician(s) and the composer, be this through brilliant extemporisation on an early music Urte...

Five new collections of the most important works from the most popular composers performed by DG’s legendary artists – that’s ‘The Essentials’. The collections of 25 tracks display each inimitable master composer.  Enjoy Chopin from the ‘Minute Waltz’ to the ‘Military Polonaise’, Debussy from the much-loved piano music to orchestral and chamber music masterpieces, as well as Beethoven’s landmark symphonies, concertos, chamber music and solo piano music, Puccini’s most performed operas and Tchaikovsky’s most important works.  This album takes you through the most important of Tchaikovsky’s works : the groundbreaking ballets and monumental symphonies, the concertos and works for string orchestra, arias from Eugene Onegin and of course the 1812 Overture. Performers include Hilary Hahn, Herbert von Karajan, James Levine, Mikhail Pletnev, Msitislav Rostropovich and many others.

Five new collections of the most important works from the most popular composers performed by DG’s legendary artists – that’s ‘The Essentials’. The collections of 25 tracks display each inimitable master composer.  Enjoy Chopin from the ‘Minute Waltz’ to the ‘Military Polonaise’, Debussy from the much-loved piano music to orchestral and chamber music masterpieces, as well as Beethoven’s landmark symphonies, concertos, chamber music and solo piano music, Puccini’s most performed operas and Tchaikovsky’s most important works.   Puccini wrote arias like no other composer, from O Soave Fanciulla to O Mio Babbino Caro and of course Nessun Dorma. His operas are among the most performed worldwide – La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Turandot, Manon Lescaut and Tosca are all featured here. Singers include Anna Netrebko, Plácido Domingo, Mirella Freni, José Carreras and Monsterrat Caballé among others.

Five new collections of the most important works from the most popular composers performed by DG’s legendary artists – that’s ‘The Essentials’. The collections of 25 tracks display each inimitable master composer.  Enjoy Chopin from the ‘Minute Waltz’ to the ‘Military Polonaise’, Debussy from the much-loved piano music to orchestral and chamber music masterpieces, as well as Beethoven’s landmark symphonies, concertos, chamber music and solo piano music, Puccini’s most performed operas and Tchaikovsky’s most important works.  These 25 tracks demonstrate Debussy’s incomparable ability to create atmosphere, drama and beautiful melodies. From the much-loved piano music, including Clair de Lune and La Cathédrale Engloutie , to orchestral and chamber music masterpieces – La Mer, Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, Sonata for Violin & Piano – all are featured here in landmark performances.

Five new collections of the most important works from the most popular composers performed by DG’s legendary artists – that’s ‘The Essentials’. The collections of 25 tracks display each inimitable master composer.  Enjoy Chopin from the ‘Minute Waltz’ to the ‘Military Polonaise’, Debussy from the much-loved piano music to orchestral and chamber music masterpieces, as well as Beethoven’s landmark symphonies, concertos, chamber music and solo piano music, Puccini’s most performed operas and Tchaikovsky’s most important works.  From the Minute Waltz to the Military Polonaise these 25 tracks display the inimitable master composer for the piano at his best in performances from some of the greatest Chopin interpreters : Martha Argerich, Emil Gilels, Maria João Pires, Maurizio Pollini, Yundi and more.

Five new collections of the most important works from the most popular composers performed by DG’s legendary artists – that’s ‘The Essentials’. The collections of 25 tracks display each inimitable master composer.  Enjoy Chopin from the ‘Minute Waltz’ to the ‘Military Polonaise’, Debussy from the much-loved piano music to orchestral and chamber music masterpieces, as well as Beethoven’s landmark symphonies, concertos, chamber music and solo piano music, Puccini’s most performed operas and Tchaikovsky’s most important works.  Beethoven is undoubtedly one of the most influential and important composers of all time. This album features the landmark symphonies , concertos, chamber music and solo piano music from this giant of music, all performed by the greatest interpreters – Claudio Abbado, Martha Argerich, Wilhelm Kempff, Carlos Kleiber, Rafael Kubelik and many others.

Widely recognised as one of Britain’s leading flute players, Juliette Bausor began her studies with Anna Pope at the junior department of the Royal Academy of Music and Purcell School of Music, before going on to study with Philippa Davies, Paul Edmund Davies and Samuel Coles at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She continued her tuition at the Conservatoire Nationale Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris, with Sophie Cherrier and Vincent Lucas. Following international success in competitions, including early recognition in reaching the televised Concerto Final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year and winning the Gold Medal in both the Shell LSO Competition and the Royal Over-Seas League Competition, Juliette has appeared as a concerto soloist with orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Academy of St Martins in the Fields, European Union Chamber Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia and London Mozart Players, with conductors in...

The pendulum of human history has continuously swung between despair and hope, horror and bliss, chaos and tranquility. We are a restless bunch, prone to desperation, isolation and violence in some moments, and yet, mercifully, to optimism and generosity in others. As a citizen of the world in 2016, at times I am overwhelmed by the temptation to spiral down into the turmoil and pessimism that seemingly invades all corners of our lives, pulling me into the dispiriting din of upheaval which can devastate the spirit. And yet, I’m a belligerent, proud, willing optimist. I resist. And so I ask myself: Is it possible to find a sincere and lasting peace within such deafening chaos? And if so, how can I access it? Is there an alternative to simply surrendering to the inevitable noise and our base fears, instead choosing serenity, audaciously silencing those fears? For centuries, creators of great art have been depicting atrocity and pandemonium alongside tranquility and harm...

With this release Alison records on the natural trumpet for the first time since the hugely successful album Sound the Trumpet. Inspired by seasonal Baroque repertoire, the recording includes Bach’s concertos by Corelli, Torelli, and Fasch performed with the Academy of Ancient Music under the direction of violinist Pavlo Beznosiuk. The Schübler Chorales and In dulce jubilo by Bach, performed in arrangements for trumpet and organ played here by Stephen Cleobury, act as a beautiful foil to the full orchestral sound of the concertos. Bach’s Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring featuring Stephen Cleobury and the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge tops off this Christmas cracker of an album. This classy winter-themed album is a perfect core classical seasonal offering. The release coincides with a major tour of Germany.

Sol Gabetta achieved international acclaim upon winning the Crédit Suisse Young Artist Award in 2004 and making her debut with Wiener Philharmoniker and Valery Gergiev. Born in Argentina, Gabetta won her first competition at the a ge of ten, soon followed by the Natalia Gutman Award as well as commendations at Moscow's Tchaikovsky Competition and the ARD International Music Competition in Munich. A Grammy Award nominee, she received the Gramophone Young Artist of the Year Award in 2 010 and the Würth -­ Preis of the Jeunesses Musicales in 2012.  Sol Gabetta (who starred in this year’s first night of the Proms) releases this album with Sir Simon Rattle, Krzystof Urbanski and the Berlin Philharmoniker. Featuring two treasures of the cello repertoire, Gabetta places Elgar’s stunning Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 alongside Martinů’s first cello concerto, H. 196.

On their latest album release, General Music Director Daniel Barenboim leads the Staatskapelle Berlin with violinist Lisa Batiashvili in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and Sibelius’s Violin Concerto.  Barenboim first heard Batiashvili perform with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, which inspired their future collaborations. “There are few violinists with better taste,” says Barenboim.  The album, released on 4 November, 2016 on Deutsche Grammophon , marks Barenboim and Batiashvili’s first recording project together.

In Revive, her latest album for Deutsche Grammophon, Latvian mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča explores the storms raging in the lives of some of the strong women of opera. A world-class performer approaching the peak of her form, she channels her experience and insight into a collection of arias drawn from the great Romantic repertoire, complete with captivating rarities and genuine showstoppers. Revive, released 04 November via Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company, charts the impassioned responses of characters blown off course or thrown into emotional turmoil by events beyond their control. Bookended by arias from Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana and Saint-Saëns’s Henri VIII, the album also takes in music from Leoncavallo’s La Bohème and Massenet’s Hérodiade, as well as celebrated set-pieces from Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur, Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila, Massenet’s Werther, Berlioz’s Les Troyens and Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, among others. This breadth of rep...

A number of recent DECCA recordings of Baroque repertory have benefited from the playing of Armonia Atenea and the conducting of George Petrou, but their work in this "Arminio" sets new standards for performances of Händel's operas . . . the orchestra's efforts serve as a catalyst to the opera's drama, not just an accompaniment . . . a whirring, invigorating performance that honors the best elements of historically-informed performance practices without compromising listeners' enjoyment with the acerbic sounds, faltering intonation, and exaggerated rhythms that constitute the worst aspects of period-appropriate methods . . . The singers truly perform the opera: in recitatives, here rendered as engagingly as on any recording of a Baroque opera , they seem to listen to one another, something that too few singers bother to do even in staged performances. Whether the music being sung is by Händel or Henze, opera is a team sport. With Max Emanuel Ce...

French cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras explores the late Romantic repertoire on this 2013 Harmonia Mundi release and finds a kind of mirroring of intentions and expressions between Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, and Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto , Op. 85. While this is a rather subjective understanding of the music that listeners can either take or leave, there's no denying that Queyras, conductor Jirí Belohlávek, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra offer performances of both works that are evocative and beautiful, with or without any underlying connections. Indeed, the polished soloist and the committed orchestra play effectively in both pieces, and Queyras' intense but controlled playing is well balanced by the orchestral accompaniment, which never overwhelms. For a break between the two heavyweight pieces, Queyras plays Antonín Dvorák's Rondo, Op. 94, and the tone poem, Silent Woods, Op. 68/5, which provide a lig...

Nicola Guerini was born in Verona. He studied Piano, Organ and Organ Composition, Conducting and Composition at the Conservatory C.Pollini, Padua and at the Conservatory G.Verdi, Milan; he then perfected his studies at the Accademia Chigiana, at the Mozarteum Salzburg, at the Accademia Pescarese with Donato Renzetti. In 2010 he achieved a Master of Arts in Music Conducting at Lugano Musikhochschule (Switzerland) with Giorgio Bernasconi and Arturo Tamayo. His début was at 24 as composer and conductor for the Fondazione Arena, Verona. He was assistant to Ralf Weikart, Giorgio Bernasconi and Donato Renzetti in Italy and international productions at Teatro alla Scala, Teatro dell’Opera Roma and Lyric Opera Chicago. He has taken part in festivals and prestigious concert seasons with important orchestras including the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma, the Rousse Philharmonic Orchestra, the Targu Mures Philarmonia, the HRT Zagreb Orchestra, the Divertimento Ensemble, the Mozart Chamber Orchestra,...

Marianne Crebassa has signed an exclusive recording contract with Erato. Hailed “splendidly charismatic” by The New York Times, the young French mezzo-soprano is “an absolute revelation” ( Forum Opéra ), praised for her “luscious voice” ( Financial Times ). Within a broad repertory encompassing Handel, Gluck, Berlioz, Debussy and Offenbach, Crebassa has nonetheless made a name for herself above all in Mozart.  An alumnus of the Montpellier Conservatoire, she sang opposite Rolando Villazón in the acclaimed 2013 Lucio Silla  at the Festwoche Salzburg , conducted by Marc Minkowski and reprised at the Salzburg Festival the same year. She made her La Scala debut in the same production in 2015; later that year, she portrayed Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro at the Staatsoper Berlin, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. Crebassa’s first collaboration with maestro Minkowski was in a Salzburg performance of Handel’s Tamerlano in 2012 , in which she sang alongside Plácido Domin...

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