W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Mitridate, Rè Di Ponto (complete opera) Michael Spyres, Julie Fuchs, Sabine Devieilhe, Elsa Dreisig, Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djia / Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski [ Erato / 3 CD Box Set - released 29/Oct/2021 ] "that this is probably the most successful recording of Mozart's opera we will ever see on disc; there is no doubt in my mind that it is the most exciting by a long stretch." MusicWeb Recommended Jan 2022 |
FRANZ SCHUBERT
Schubert: Mitsuko Uchida plays Schubert (Complete Sonatas and Impromptus) Mitsuko Uchida (piano) [ Decca Budget Boxes / 8 CD Box Set - released 15/Dec/2004 ] Celebrate the completion of Mitusko Uchida's outstanding cycle of Schubert solo piano works with this specially priced boxed set of all 8 discs. |
LISZT / ZEMLINSKY / RAVEL / RACHMANINOV / MUSSORGSKY / etc
Nicholas Angelich: Hommage Nicholas Angelich (piano), with Martha Argerich, Quatuor Ebène, and others [ Warner Classics / Erato / 7 CD Box Set - released 29/Sep/2023 ] A musician as loved as he was admired, the pianist Nicholas Angelich died in Paris in April 2022 at the age of 51. Angelich was a modest, thoughtful man who brought tremendous integrity, depth and insight to the most demanding repertoire. His... |
LEHAR / STRAUSS II
Nicolai Gedda - My Favourite Operetta Heroes [five complete operettas] Nicolai Gedda, with Anneliese Rothenberger, Erich Kunz, Rita Streich, Lucia Popp, Grace Bumbry, etc [ Warner Classics / 10 CD Box Set - released 1/Jul/2015 ] The star tenor and his operetta heroes. These legendary releases on the former Electrola label document Nicolai Gedda's incomparable artistry as an operetta singer and have long enjoyed the status of benchmark recordings. Appearing alongside such... |
NOEL COWARD
Noel Coward: His HMV Recordings Noel Coward with Gertrude Lawrence, Yvonne Printemps and various accompaniments [ Warner Classics / 4 CD Box Set - released 6/Mar/2016 ] In compiling this Noel Coward Archive from the HMV vaults, we have had two guiding principles: that the recordings, spanning 25 years, should be kept in their chronological order, despite the fact that Noel often recalled earlier scores while in a... |
CLAUDE DEBUSSY / MAURICE RAVEL
Debussy / Ravel: Orchestral Works (Incls 'La Mer', 'Images', 'Bolero' & 'Daphnis et Chloe') Orchestre National de l ORTF, Orchestre de Paris, Jean Martinon, with Aldo Ciccolini (piano) Itzhak Perlman (violin) [ Erato / Warner Classics / 8 CD Box Set - released 25/Jul/2018 ] "If you are satisfied with performances that are lucid, imaginative, thoughtful and unselfconscious then you will be very happy with Martinon." (MusicWeb on the Debussy) |
GUSTAV MAHLER
Mahler: Symphonies 2, 4, 7 & 9 / Das Lied von der Erde Birgit Nilsson, Christa Ludwig & Fritz Wunderlich / Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer [ Warner Classics / 6 CD Box Set - released 6/Aug/2013 ] This collection showcases Klemperer's Mahler, including works such as the Ninth Symphony and Das Lied von der Erde. |
BRITTEN / SCHUMANN / SCHUBERT / HANDEL / BACH / etc
Anniversary Tribute [6 CD set] Peter Pears (tenor) with various orchestras & accompanists [ Decca Records / 6 CD Box Set - released 1/Dec/2012 ] "All in all, a superb tribute to one of the most characterful and important singers of the twentieth century." Penguin Guide, 2011 edition. |
BELA BARTOK
Béla Bartók - The Hungarian Soul Pierre Amoyal, James Conlon, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Sakari Oramo, Franz Welser-Möst, Mariss Jansons, Constantin Silvestri, András Schiff, Iván Fischer [ Warner Classics / 20 CD Box Set - released 1/Oct/2021 ] Béla Bartók is regarded as one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century, the creator of a body of works as immense as it is complex. He was passionate about Hungarian folk music and carried out serious ethnological research in the field. |
TCHEREPNIN / RIMSKY-KORSAKOV / STRAVINSKY / SATIE / PROKOFIEV / BALAKIREV / etc
Diaghilev - Ballets Russes Pierre Boulez, André Cluytens, Igor Markevitch, Seiji Ozawa, André Previn, Sir Simon Rattle, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Jean Martinon, Charles Dutoit, et [ Warner Classics / 22 CD Box Set - released 11/Mar/2022 ] The Ballets russes was founded in Paris in 1909 by the visionary impresario Serge Diaghilev. Innovative and flamboyant, he had a genius for bringing together the most brilliant composers, dancers, choreographers and designers. |
ANTONIN DVORAK
Dvorak Edition: The Slavonic Soul Pierre-Laurent Aimard (piano) Lucia Popp (soprano) Jacqueline du Pré (cello) Alban Berg Quartett, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, etc [ Warner Classics / 27 CD/DVD Box Set - released 11/Jun/2021 ] This box provides an illuminating and enriching survey of Dvorak's works, including his complete symphonies. A number of the celebrated performers have Slavonic roots themselves; all their interpretations draw on a deep affinity with the composer. |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: The Symphonies Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, William Steinberg [ Deutsche Grammophon / 5 CD Box Set - released 15/May/2020 ] In 1952, William Steinberg and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra embarked on a Beethoven symphony cycle which utilized the new and sonically advantageous process of recording on 35mm film. |
CHARLES GOUNOD
The Gounod Edition: Operas, Choral Works, Symphonies Placido Domingo, Regine Crespin, Alfredo Kraus, Nicolai Gedda, Mirella Freni, Marilyn Horne, Rolando Villazon, etc [ Warner Classics / 15 CD Box Set - released 25/Jun/2018 ] "Anyone wanting a share in these darling old steeds at a tempting price will be amply satisfied." Opera |
CHOPIN / BEETHOVEN / BACH / LISZT / MOZART / etc
Pogorelich - Complete Recordings Ivo Pogorelich (piano) with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado [ Deutsche Grammophon / 14 CD Box Set - released 1/Aug/2015 ] "What matters is not what he can do, for this is only the beginning. What matters is how many ideas occur to him and how much he can demand of the music and of himself. In short, he is an artist who must be taken seriously, a hugely talented pianist... |
DEBUSSY / BEETHOVEN / PROKOFIEV / SCHUMANN / MOZART / BRAHMS / etc
Quartetto Italiano: Prima la musica - The Complete Warner Recordings Quartetto Italiano [ Warner Classics / 14 CD Box Set - released 11/Jun/2021 ] "The finest string quartet, unquestionably, that our century has known." In 1951, when the Quartetto Italiano first visited the USA, composer Virgil Thomson's was enthused: "Perfection is the only word to describe this playing." |
BRAHMS / BEETHOVEN / SCHUBERT / SCHUMANN
The Complete Decca Solo Recordings (special price 10 CD set) Radu Lupu (piano) [ Complete Decca Recordings / 10 CD Box Set - released 1/Aug/2012 ] "This is playing of quite exceptional insight and naturalness...and this set as a whole is well worth seeking out." (Penguin Guide) |
JACQUES OFFENBACH
Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffman (The Tales of Hoffman) (complete opera) Roberto Alagna, Jose van Dam, Natalie Dessay, Sumi Jo / l'Opera National de Lyon, Kent Nagano [ Erato Warner Classics Home of Opera / 3 CD - released 20/May/2016 ] "Kent Nagano uses Kaye's complete edition preserving the recitatives. He balances this by taking quite a brisk view of the tempi and the pacing of the piece." MusicWeb |
J. S. BACH
Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Books 1 & 2 Rosalyn Tureck (piano) [ Deutsche Grammophon / 4 CD Box Set - released 10/May/2012 ] Rosalyn Tureck |
FRANZ SCHUBERT
Schubert: Complete Secular Choral Works Ruth Ziesak, Angelika Kirchschlager, Christoph Prégardien, Robert Holl / Wiener Concert-Verein, Arnold Schoenberg Choir, Erwin Ortner, with András Sch [ Warner Classics / 7 CD Box Set - released 19/Mar/2021 ] A voyage of discovery through a lesser-known area of Schubert's rich and prolific output, this collection comprises seven themed CDs: Transience; Love; Eternity; Heroism; Nature; Celebrations, and Circle of Friends. |
STEVE REICH
Phases - A Nonesuch Retrospective Steve Reich and Musicians / Kronos Quartet / Theatre of Voices / Pat Metheny [ Nonesuch / 5 CD Box Set - released 31/Oct/2006 ] Pioneer of US minimalism Steve Reich is 70 this year and to celebrate Nonesuch has released a bargain-priced 5 CD set of his greatest works including definitive recordings of "Music for 18 Musicians", "Different Trains" and "Drumming". |