DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Shostakovich: Symphonies; Concertos; Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, with Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Yuja Wang (piano), Thomas Rolfs (trumpet), Baiba Skride (violin) [ Deutsche Grammophon / 19 CD Box Set - due 18/Jul/2025 ] The Boston Symphony Orchestra and their music director Andris Nelsons announce their upcoming album, on which they present their acclaimed Shostakovich symphony cycle to mark the 50th anniversary of the composer's death in 1975. . |
BARTOK / TCHAIKOVSKY / BEETHOVEN / MENDELSSOHN / BRAHMS / etc
Antal Doráti: The Mercury Masters Vol 2 - Antal Dorati in London Antal Doráti, London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Festival Chamber Orchestra [ Australian Eloquence Mercury Living Presence / 28 CD Box Set - released 18/Apr/2025 ] Volume 2 of Antal Doráti's London recordings for Mercury covers sessions between June 1960 (Tchaikovsky's Pathétique Symphony) and August 1966 (Tchaikovsky's Orchestral Suites). By way of a bonus, the set concludes with a rarity issued on Philips and... |
BOCCHERINI / DVORAK / ELGAR / HAYDN / MONN / etc
Jacqueline Du Pre - The Great Cello Concertos Jacqueline Du Pre (cello) / English Chamber Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, New Philhamonia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra [ Warner Classics SACD / 4 Hybrid SACD - released 4/Apr/2025 ] Du Pré was born in Oxford, England, the second child of Iris Greep and Derek du Pré. Derek was born in Jersey, where his family had lived for generations. After working as an accountant at Lloyds Bank in St Helier and London, he became assistant... |
BACH / BERLIOZ / BRAHMS / DEBUSSY / GERSHWIN / SHOSTAKOVICH / etc
Eugene Ormandy: The Columbia Stereo Recordings (1964-1983) The Philadephia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, with Philippe Entremont, Emil Gilels, Eugene Istomin, Rudolf Serkin, Isaac Stern, Leonard Rose, etc [ Sony RCA Classical Masters / 94 CD Box Set - released 28/Mar/2025 ] This massive new reissue from Eugene Ormandy's stereo discography collects all the Columbia Masterworks recordings he made in Philadelphia between the early 1960s and early 1980s. |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi - Simon Boccanegra (Original 1857 Version) German Enrique Alcantara, Eri Nakamura, William Thomas, Ivan Ayon-Rivas / The Halle, Opera North Chorus, Sir Mark Elder [ Opera Rara / 2 CD Box Set - released 21/Mar/2025 ] The original version of Simon Boccanegra, first performed in 1857, is a masterpiece of concision and spare vocal delivery, having many important differences from the later 1881 version, including one of Verdi's most innovative central finales. |
BEETHOVEN / BRAHMS / R. STRAUSS / TCHAIKOVSKY /
Lorin Maazel conducts the Cleveland Orchestra Lucia Popp (soprano) Jon Vickers (tenor) Elena Obraztsova (mezzo) Martti Talvela (bass) / The Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus. Lorin Maazel [ Sony Classical / 15 CD Box Set - released 21/Mar/2025 ] Lorin Maazel burnished the Cleveland image and maintained the exalted standards set by Szell, who had elevated his ensemble to pre-eminence among the US "Big Five" orchestras. |
STEVE REICH
Reich: Collected Works (Limited Edition Box Set) Various Artists [ Nonesuch Records / 26 CD - released 21/Mar/2025 ] Nonesuch Records releases Steve Reich Collected Works, a 27-disc box set (26CD's + DVD) featuring music recorded during his 40 years on the label. The collection represents six decades of Reich's compositions, ranging from It's Gonna Rain (1965) to... |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: 12 Piano Sonatas / 5 Piano Concertos Claudio Arrau (piano) / Philharmonia Orchestra, Alceo Galliera [ Warner Classics / 12 CD - released 14/Mar/2025 ] The pianist Claudio Arrau fully deserves the epithet "legendary": a sovereign technical command, a deep patience and a gravitation towards weighty matters, enriched by his study with 'philosopher pianists' such as Busoni and Martin Krause. |
MONTEVERDI / BONONCINI / CHARPENTIER / HANDEL / LULLY / PURCELL / RAMEAU
William Christie: The Complete Erato Recordings Les Arts Florissants, William Christie, with Sophie Daneman, Natalie Dessay, Renee Fleming, Ian Bostridge, Philippe Jaroussky, Mark Padmore, etc [ Erato / 61 CD Box Set - released 7/Mar/2025 ] William Christie is renowned for his pioneering work in the revival of Baroque music. Born in 1944, he founded the ensemble Les Arts Florissants in 1979, which has become a leading force in historically informed performance. |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: The Symphonies Münchner Philharmoniker, Zubin Mehta [ Münchner Philharmoniker / 4 CD Box Set - released 7/Mar/2025 ] Zubin Mehta has long been a constant in Munich's musical life. Mehta has enjoyed an artistic relationship and deep friendship with the Munich Philharmonic in particular for decades. |
BARTOK / RAVEL / PROKOFIEV / CHOPIN / MOZART / SCHUMANN / BEETHOVEN / BACH / etc
Martha Argerich: The Warner Classics Edition Martha Argerich (piano) with Renaud Capucon, Mischa Maisky, Gautier Capucon, Natalia Gutman, Nelson Freire, Itzhak Perlman, Truls Mork, etc [ Warner Classics / 46 CD Box Set - released 21/Feb/2025 ] "Unquestionably one of the greatest pianists of all time" is how Gramophone magazine has described Martha Argerich. Her relationship with the label goes back to 1965 and her victory at the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Symphony No.9 "Choral" (studio & Live) / Egmont: incidental music Aase Nordmo-Løvberg, Christa Ludwig, Waldemar Kmentt, Hans Hotter, Birgit Nilsson / Philharmonia Chorus & Orchestra, Otto Klemperer [ Warner SACD / 2 Hybrid SACD - released 14/Feb/2025 ] "…Otto Klemperer's energy and momentum come not from his tempos but from the way the rhythms are articulated. In the first movement and Scherzo the heroic, teeth-gritted determination are physically gripping, In this Ninth combined urgency with... |
BELA BARTOK / ZOLTAN KODALY / OTTORINO RESPIGHI / JOSEPH HAYDN / etc
Antal Dorati - The Philharmonia Hungarica - The Mercury Masters Philharmonia Hungarica, Antal Dorati, with Steven Isserlis, Olli Mustonen, Michael Collins, Takács String Quartet, Andrew Litton [ Mercury Living Presence / 8 CD Box Set - released 7/Feb/2025 ] Driving intensity, rhythmic flair and demonstration-quality sound are brought to the fore in a new anthology of Antal Dorati's early recordings with the Philharmonia Hungarica on Mercury and Philips. |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Symphonies / Overtures - The Remastered Stereo Recordings [7 CD set] The Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell [ Sony Classical / 5 CD Box Set - released 31/Jan/2025 ] Sony Masterworks proudly presents a special remastered recording of Beethoven, conducted by the legendary George Szell. This remarkable 7-CD collection is housed in an elegant clamshell box and accompanied by an informative booklet. |
JOSEPH RHEINBERGER
Rheinberger: Complete 20 Organ Sonatas Christian von Blohn (organ of the Josefskirche St. Ingbert, Germany)) [ Brilliant Classics / 6 CD Box Set - released 22/Nov/2024 ] Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901) was a German romantic composer of mainly works for the organ, his own instrument. He was one of the leading figures in the "Cecilian Movement" which, in a world of increasing secularization, propagated the return to... |
TCHAIKOVSKY / PROKOFIEV / SCHUMANN / BRAHMS / SAINT-SAENS / WIENIAWSKI / KREISLER / etc
Joshua Bell - Complete Decca Recordings Joshua Bell (violin), with Samuel Sanders (piano), Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano), Orchestre symphonique de Montréal , Cleveland Orchestra, etc [ Decca Eloquence / 14 CD Box Set - released 15/Nov/2024 ] A new-world virtuoso with old-world musicianship: the complete Decca recordings of JOSHUA BELL, capturing the first decade of the violinist's career on record. |
GRIEG / SHOSTAKOVICH / SCHUMANN / SIBELIUS / BRAHMS / PART / TUUR / FAURE / etc
Paavo Järvi: The Complete Erato Recordings Peter Mattei, Camilla Tilling, Nicholas Angelich, Renaud Capuçon, Christian Tetzlaff, Evelyn Glennie, Natalie Dessay, Truls Mork, Solveig Kringelborn [ Erato / 31 CD Box Set - released 15/Nov/2024 ] Born in Tallinn in 1962, Paavo Järvi is renowned for his dynamic interpretations and innovative programming. He has held prominent positions with leading orchestras, including the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, NHK Symphony... |
FERRUCCIO BUSONI
Busoni: Doktor Faust Davide Livermore (director), Wilhelm Schwinghammer, Dietrich Henschel (baritone), Martin Piskorski, Marian Pop, Łukasz Konieczny, Dominic Barberi, Dan [ Naxos / 3 CD - released 8/Nov/2024 ] Doktor Faust, which Busoni considered a personal creative drama and which occupied him for over twelve years, was left incomplete on his death at the age of 58. He had searched for a dramatic subject that he hoped would represent the apex and... |
BERLIOZ / HAYDN / MUSSORGSY-RAVEL / DVORAK / STRAVINSKY / BEETHOVEN
Colin Davis: The Concertgebouw Legacy Arthur Grumiaux, Salvatore Accardo (violin) Heinrich Schiff (cello) / Concertgebouw Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis [ Decca Eloquence / 18 CD Box Set - released 25/Oct/2024 ] Colin Davis's complete Concertgebouworkest recordings for Philips, collected together for the first time CD premieres of Haydn's Symphonies Nos. 84, 86, 87, 88 (on Decca), and the Dvořák Romance with Accardo (first international CD release). |
GABRIEL FAURE
Gabriel Faure - The Complete Works Gautier Capuçon, Jacqueline du Pré, Sabine Devieilhe, Nicholai Gedda, Ian Bostridge, Victoria de los Ángeles, Thomas Beecham, Michel Corboz, etc [ Erato / Warner Classics / 26 CD Box Set - released 25/Oct/2024 ] Warner Classics brings to you the Complete works of Gabriel Fauré, included are many popular and historical recordings for solo harp and piano, chamber, lyrical and orchestral works. |