This stunning new version for the 21st Century of Mahler's magnificent and mystical Symphony No 8 was recorded live at Leipzig's International Mahler Festival in May 2011, where Riccardo Chailly commanded almost 500 musicians, and the result is simply splendid. The special cover image by internationally renowned artist Neo Rauch, who was inpired by hearing this outstanding interpretation. See DVD trailer on YouTube Also on Blu-ray ACC10222

In addition to his many concertos for solo instruments, Vivaldi also penned some fifty concertos for string orchestra without soloist. The acclaimed Polish period-instrument ensemble Arte dei Suonatori have chosen ten of the most beautiful for this engaging album. Probably composed during the 1720s and -30s, these concertos for strings are characterful and entertaining.

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Autumn ('Herbst' in German) was a season that seemed to inspire many Romantic composers. The sacred and secular choral music by Schubert and Brahms on this album receives moving performances by the acclaimed Norwegian Soloists Choir, whose previous BIS album, White Night (BISSACD1871) was highly praised by Gramophone magazine.

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Internationally acclaimed and multi-awarding-winning Australian pianist Roger Woodwood presents a fascinating glimpse of the music of Russian composers who were active during the heyday of the avant garde, 1905-27. From the surreal music of Alexandre Skryabin and the ambitious works of his son Julian to music composed by the author of Dr Zhivago, Boris Pasternak, this album is a rewarding voyage of discovery. Select Audio-Visual Distribution now distributes the entire Celestial Harmonies range in Australia.

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Renowned mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly's voice, praised as 'strong and steady...velvety, but with a soft, subtle graininess' (The New York Times), is an ideal vehicle for these English songs. In partnership with equally accomplished pianist Malcolm Martineau she gives a delightful recital on this appealing album. Also available: CHAN10671 Britten Phaedra, A Charm of Lullabies - Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano), Maxim Rysanov (viola), BBC Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner (conductor). Full-page article in Gramophone October 2011 issue.

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Exclusive Chandos artist and BBC TV Classical Star Karen Geoghegan joins pianist Philip Edward Fisher (whose Chandos album Piano Works by The Mighty Handful CHAN10676 was a Collectors Corner album in May 2011). Hailed for her 'phenomenal brilliance and precision' (BBC Music) and tipped as one of today's leading bassoonists by Gramophone, Karen Geoghegan ranges from deep melancholy to excited ebullience on this new album.

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Released together for the first time on one CD, these three concertos by Frederick Delius are in the best hands: the BBC Symphony under Sir Andrew Davis -  acclaimed for 'the greatest performance and recording of Delius' Appalachia' by International Record Review (Chandos CHSA5088) - violinist Tasmin Little  - Critics' Choice Award-winner at the 2011 Classic BRIT Awards - and cellist Paul Watkins, former principal cellist of the BBC Symphony.

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Best known as a film-music composer, Bernard Hermann was also an accomplished conductor (The Four Faces of Jazz CDLF8148 was a Collectors Corner album in August 2011) a talented classical composer. This album presents in superb sound his thrilling cantata Moby Dick - an unjustly forgotten masterpiece that ranks beside Britten's equally fateful maritime opera Billy Budd - and his Sinfonietta, which never received a public performance though parts of it found their way into his famous score for Hitchcock's Psycho.

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6 DISCS FOR THE PRICE OF 3!
The 3 CDs, 1 SACD and 1 DVD in this beautifully presented box set present prize-winning and highly praised recordings: 'the best modern recordings of these symphonies' (10/10 Classics Today) 'as close to ideal as I ever hope to hear…top-drawer' (Gramophone Editor's Choice), unqualified top recommendation' (Fanfare Critics' Choice). The DVD features live recordings of Nielsen's six symphonies.

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Vivaldi championed the cello as a solo instrument in no fewer than 27 concertos, revelling in its expressive potential, pushing it to its virtuosic limits and exploiting its extraordinary lyrical character. Jean-Guihen Queyras's 'sensibility, style, agility and poise' (The Daily Telegraph) and 'comprehensive and multi-faceted mastery of his art' (Herald Scotland) are well to the fore on this exquisite album, which also features Caldara's rarely-heard sinfonias San Elena al Calvario and La Passione.

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Johann Christian Bach, Johann Sebastien's youngest son and the young Mozart's friend, composed this Requiem the the Miserere in his own youth at the age of 22 while in Milan. The foundations of his later Classical style are already evident in these remarkable works. The RIAS Chamber Choir, Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin, Hans-Christoph Rademann have also recorded JL Bach's Funeral Music for Harmonia Mundi (HMC902080).

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Handel's oratorio Belshazzar, which tells the Biblical story of the fall of Babylon, is one of his most gripping works. From the dread prophecy with which it opens, through the dramatic account of Belshazzar's Feast and the conquest of the great empire by the Persian king Cyrus, Belshazzar is cinematic in scope, rich in character and spectacular in conception.The all-star cast includes Kenneth Tarver as Belshazzar and Bejun Mehta as Cyrus. 'the entire cast achieve an abundance of highly effective acting and dramatic visual ideas...most of the singers are superb...Bejun Mehta's coloratura in the noble Cyrus's faster arias is dazzling' (Gramophone). Also on Blu-ray HMD9809028.

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The phenomenal Angela Hewitt embarks on another 'Hyperion journey', this time through Mozart's piano concertos. Here Hewitt displays her characteristic elegance and innate musicality, supported by the impeccably refined playing of the Mantova Chamber Orchestra. Her feeling for Mozart's music is equal to, though distinct from, her feeling for the music of JS Bach which she has also recorded for Hyperion on countless highly acclaimed albums.

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Brilliant young cellist and Pierre Fournier Award-winner Gemma Rosefield here makes her Hyperion debut. She gives thoughtful accounts of these Romantic rarities, her beautifully consistent and richly hued tone supported by the orchestra. Given the quality and craftmanship of  this music, it is hard to understand why it has remain such a secret for so long. Gratifyingly well worth discovering!

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Gramophone Award winners, The Cardinall's Musick, reveal the glories of a somewhat neglected contemporary of William Byrd, his successor as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal. Parson's opulent vocal music is that of a polyphonic master, so his accidental death aged around 40 (he drowned in the storm-swollen Thames) was an immense tragedy. This album revives his sumptuous and sophisticated output, composed during the reigns of Mary I and Elizabeth I.

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Young countertenor Iestyn Davies is the soloist on this enchanting disc of cantatas by Italian Baroque composer Nicola Porpora. The intricate vocal writing, elaborate ornamentations and virtuosity of Porpora's cantatas pose no problems for Davies, whose luminous tone and technical assurance are strikingly demonstrated. This imaginative album is certainly greater than the sum of its parts.

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Two legendary dancers, Dame Margot Fonteyn and Michael Somes CBE, are seen here in three studio recordings made between 1954-9 of scenes from Tchaikovsky's best-loved ballets. A pefect match in terms of physique, presence, style and technique, they created a perfect partnership. Fonteyn's brilliance as an actor and Somes' dymanism remain thrilling to this day.

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The Mariinsky label's first DVD features Tchaikovsky's best-loved symphonies – the fateful Fourth, the dramatic and triumphant Fifth, and the passionate Sixth, the famous ‘Pathétique’ – in rivetting performances conducted by Valery Gergiev. Under his masterful direction, this lyrical and full-blooded music come alive as if being played for the very first time. Filmed in the famous Salle Pleyel in Paris in 2010. Also on Blu-ray MAR0515.

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George Balanchine's classic ballet Jewels, filmed in the Mariinsky Theatre, features the languid music of Faure (Emeralds), Stravinsky's playful Capriccio (Rubies) and movements from Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 3 (Diamonds). Starring the Mariinsky Ballet's most famous dancers, this is a 'must-have' for all ballet fans. Also on Blu-ray MAR0516

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These ever-popular Russian orchestral classics are played by Russia's leading orchestra conducted by Carlo Ponti Jnr (son of the late film director Carlo Ponti and Sofia Loren). 'Scheherazade [sounds] properly sensuous...luxuriant, voluptuous, even sensual. [Ponti's version] is more lyrical than most...[Capriccio espagnol] contains moments of great beauty....The Neapolitan Song is full of verve and high spirits' (Classical Candor)

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