Mussorgsky Night on Bald Mountain, Pictures at an Exhibition, The Hut on Hen's Legs 'Baba Yaga', Shostakovich Symphony No 15 Allegretto, Phantastic Dance Nos 1-3, Symphony No 1 Allegro, Prokofiev Scythian Suite, The Evil God and the Dance of the Pagan Monsters, Saint-Saens Danse macabre, Liszt Totentanz, Mahler Symphony No 7 Scherzo, Paganini Variations, Stravinsky Rite of Spring, Berlioz Witches Sabbath, Dukas Sorcerer's Apprentice

If Twilight doesn't quench your thirst, come over to the dark side of classical music. Full Moon Classic's deliciously devilish collections celebrate the sinister in music. This is an invitation to the grisly dance, when 'Friend Hein strikes up', as Gustav Mahler writes above the second movement of his Fourth Symphony. We hear the bones rattle in waltz time in the pale moonlight and the witches gather for their sabbath. Massively macabre!

Reger Bocklin Suite Op 128, The hermit playing the violin, At play in the waves, Enescu Romanian Rhapsody, Debussy The Snow is Dancing, Clair de lune, Poulenc Organ Concerto, Vivaldi Concerto 'Al Santo Sepolcro', Shostakovich Piano Concerto No 1, Liszt Liebestraum No 3, Schubert Death and the Maiden

The music of unquenchable desire: beings from different worlds, who can only touch, but cannot unite, who must dream of gardens of paradise; a demon mourning for his mortal lover, with only the full moon as his faithful companion …Immortal Romance includes Debussy's Clair de lune,used memorably as a theme for young love in the first Twilight film.

Mozart Requiem 'Lacrimosa', Mahler Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, Ich hab ein gluhend Messer in meiner Brust, Schubert Der Double, The Signpost, The Crow, The City, Her Picture, The Hurdy-gurdy Man, Verdi Requiem Dies irae, Dvorak Rusalka 'Song to the Moon', Orff Carmina Burana 'O Fortuna'

Voices in the dark – are they to be feared or should we follow them? This 2-CD collection explores dark emotional terrain with some of the most solemn and moving vocal and choral music ever written.

Violin Concerto, Callisto Concerto for flute and orchestra, Symphony No 1

In her own liner notes to this disc, Sally Beamish writes that it ‘represents the beginning of my journey into orchestral music’. Symphony No.1, from 1992, is in fact the very first work Beamish composed for large orchestra, for a commission she describes as ‘the most extraordinary gift, and a terrifying undertaking: I was journeying into the unknown, which is reflected in some unusual choices in instrumentation – very low timpani writing, for instance, like footsteps on a wooden floor.’ The piece combines elements of the traditional music of the Scottish bagpipe with an instrumental ‘setting’ of Psalm 104, praising the majesty of creation. In Beamish’s own words the symphony represents ‘a celebration of the beauty of Scotland, and the inspiration, both musical and visual, which I have found here.’ Two years later Beamish was commissioned to write a concerto for the violinist Anthony Marwood, and from him received a copy of the novel All Quiet on the Western Front. The three movements of the concerto can be traced to three particular passages in the book, and are influenced by the composer’s ‘deep-rooted sense of the futility and tragedy of war’. Beamish has been praised for her ‘striking compositions [which] combine lyricism and drama with clarity of form.’ -Gramophone

Ravenscroft Sonata in G Major Op 1 No 8, Handel Sonata in G Minor Op 2 No 5 HWV390, Sonata in D Major Op 5 No 2 HWV397, Boyce Sonata in D Major Op 1 No 5, Avison Sonata in D Minor Op 1 No 1, Arne Sonata in G Major Op 3 No 2, Abel Sonata in G Major Op 3 No 1, Erskine Sonata No 6 in G Major

On three previous discs, London Baroque has charted the emergence of the trio sonata in France, England and Germany during the 17th century. Now returning to England, the ensemble has devised a programme consisting of works composed during the following century, and demonstrating the huge influence of Corelli, as well as tendencies – in the later works – towards the newer galant and pre-classical styles. The list of composers includes Handel, whose position in the musical life of his adopted country gives him pride of place with no less than two sonatas. Another London-based German, Karl Friedrich Abel, is also represented on the disc. Among the home-grown talent we find Thomas Arne, today primarily famous for having written Rule Britannia, as well as William Boyce, John Ravenscroft and others.

Hansel and Gretel Fantasy, Prelude and Fugue for String Orchestra Op 10

Who was Oskar Fried? Even lovers of music might struggle to answer that question nowadays. A century ago the situation was quite different. In 1904 Fried became famous almost overnight: with the premiere of his Trunkenes Lied, a monumental work for chorus and symphonic orchestra based on words taken from Nietsche’s Zarathustra. It was first performed by several choirs and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Karl Muck in Berlin on the 15th of April. As a conductor Fried soon performed with the leading orchestras, especially as interpreter of the then modern music. In 1905 Gustav Mahler assigned to him the performance of his 2nd Symphony in Berlin, which deeply impressed the composer and the two men became friends. Fried was among the first to support Mahler’s music and in 1924 he was even in charge of the first complete recording of a Mahler Symphony. As for his own compositions, Verklärte Nacht and Erntelied premiered in 1905 and 1909 respectively.

Daniel Behle has been making a name for himself as a Mozart tenor much in demand, soon to be heard in René Jacobs' monumental new recording of The Magic Flute. Here we find him in a contemplative mood with Schubert's lyrical Lieder.

In the second release of the Carl Davis Collection, we move to the world of the movies. A successful family collaboration must be a rarity but when it does work, it’s very satisfying. Hannah Davis and David Conolly have written and directed a highly effective thriller set in the claustrophobic world of the off-Broadway theatre. We follow the fortunes of the understudy to the leading lady as the production of Sophocles’ Electra moves through the cycle of casting, rehearsals, previews and ultimately what seems to be a successful run. The score follows the convoluted plot. New York’s ambition and drive have a jazzy theme, led by trumpet star, Guy Barker; the ‘La, La, La Song’ (sung by the brilliant Mary Carewe) and its variations express the vulnerability of Rebecca and poor Mr. Davidovitch plays his tenor saxophone in the apartment above (Dave White). Then there is the inner world of the heroine – here Carl Davis is in the thrall of the perfect collaboration of Alfred Hitchcock and composer Bernard Herrman for inspiration. As the film moves towards its climax, all these elements combine.

Barber Sure on this Shining Night, Bernstein My House, Berlioz Villanelle, Gershwin, Cole Porter, Brahms, Arne, Schumann

'Summertime also has many of my favourite songs in English, French and German. We made the CD at a friend`s house, and the sessions were so relaxed, with no London traffic to cause endless retakes! It`s a real mix of beautiful songs of all kinds, on a summer theme. I chose songs I loved, from Gershwin to Christopher Robin….' -Felicity Lott

This CD features songs from a great variety of composers - Gershwin, Barber, Cole Porter, Bernstein, Brahms, Schubert, Arne, Schumann, Berlioz, and many more. A full 29 tracks of summer-themed songs!

Purcell A Morning Hymn, Hymn 'How long great God', The Blessed Virgin's Expostulation, A Devine Hymn, Sleep Adam Sleep and take thy rest, An Evening Hymn, Dowland Trilogy - Thou mighty God, When Davids life by Saul, When the poor ecripple, Where Sinne sore wounding, In this trembling shadow, If that a Sinners sighs be Angels foode, Campian Never weather-beaten saile, Author of Light

Continuing its work with the rising stars of the early music world, CORO is delighted to be releasing a brand new recording by two of The Sixteen’s principal members - soprano, El in Manahan Thomas and theorbo and lute player, David Miller. The 17th-century devotional songs on this disc were written against a backdrop of furious historical dramas and lurching tides of fortune. The songs chosen reflect these assorted times and contexts, and are accordingly diverse. Ravish’d with Sacred Extasies (a quote taken directly from Playford's ‘Harmonia Sacrae’) explores some of the most beautiful Elizabethan lute songs ranging from the doctrinally eloquent to the theologically unsteady, from the spare and the restrained to the opulent and the overblown, from Dowland’s small cluster of late devotional songs to Purcell’s flowery and luscious settings.

CORO's brand new recording of Mozart’s Mass in C minor features Harry Christophers in his role as Artistic Director and conductor of the Handel and Haydn Society - America’s oldest continuously performing orchestra and chorus - with celebrated soloists, including Gillian Keith. In September 2008 Harry Christophers was appointed Artistic Director of Boston’s internationally-acclaimed Handel and Haydn Society. Founded in 1815, the Society premiered key works by Handel, Bach and Haydn in America, has won a Grammy Award and also has a place in the American Classical Music Hall of Fame. Harry has worked with the Society since 2006 and his inaugural concert as Artistic Director was in December 2009 with Handel’s Messiah. Mozart’s Mass in C minor is one of the best-known and most widely performed of the composer’s mass settings and is generally considered to be one of his greatest works and, as such, is often referred to as the ‘Great Mass’. Unlike many of his other works the Mass was not a commission and Mozart wrote it purely for his own pleasure. It is a remarkable union of musical vision and religious text and draws on Mozart’s skill for drama that made his operatic works such a phenomenal success. The Mass in C minor rightly justifies its illustrious place in the pantheon of sacred choral music.

The Time of the End, From the Deep

The celestial and earthly chaotic music from red glowing chords with which life plays with claws of beast of prey — with an iris-crown round its marble-face with its stereotypic — yet living — demoniac and lily-like smile.' This surreal vision is Danish composer Rued Langgaard’s inscription in the score to his groundbreaking 1919 work, Music of the Spheres - one of the few works published in his lifetime and written when the composer was just 26 years old. Premiered in Germany in 1921 and performed again in 1922, the work was then entirely forgotten, or possibly ignored, until after the composer’s death in 1952. Rediscovery came only in 1968 when the composer György Ligeti, who was adjudicating new scores by Scandinavian composers, began reading Music of the Spheres. Ligeti was astonished that many of the techniques he had been employing in his own music had in fact been foreshadowed by Langgaard a half century earlier. 'So after all, I'm only a follower of Langgaard' commented Ligeti at the time. Music of the Spheres is a symphonic work of great complexity, calling for a large orchestra, organ and choir, a supporting (distant) orchestra including a soprano voice, and a further piano on which the strings are played directly rather than via the keys.

String Quartets Nos 1-20, 'Svaerm' Op 190b, Quartetto Sereno Op 197

Vagn Holmboe (1909-96) counts as one of the greatest 20th-century composers of string quartets. Holmboe's music is dynamic, organic and alive, and his musical language is rooted in the Nordic landscape but also reveals his keen interest in the folk music of Eastern Europe. This unique collection comprises all Holmboe's string quartets in the highly acclaimed recording by the Kontra Quartet, who enjoyed a close collaboration with the composer. 'An excellent disc in every way.' -Gramophone Critic's Choice on Vol. 7

Sydney Symphony and Vladimir Ashkenazy's Prokofiev series continues with the piano concertos, the Russian pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk as soloist in these dazzling bravura works (Ashkenazy himself has performed and recorded all Prokofiev's piano concertos). Praise for this performance: 'Alexander Gavrylyuk displayed agile brilliance and ferocious velocity of fingerwork, particularly in those passages where Prokofiev creates a sardonic parody of pianistic finger exercises and virtuosity.' -Sydney Morning Herald

Russian pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk again joins Sydney Symphony and Vladimir Ashkenazy in this recording from the thrilling Prokofiev Festival of 2009.  In the Third Piano Concerto, the romantic Prokofiev shines through. The 2009 Prokofiev Festival stands as one of Ashkenazy's crowning achievements in Australia to date, captured here in audiophile quality SACD sound.

Suite from Lieutenant Kije Op 60, Suite from The Love for Three Oranges Op 33

The fourth disc in Sydney Symphony and Ashkenazy's Prokofiev cycle includes the suite from Lieutenant Kije,in which an invented scapegoat takes on a life of his own, while the lively and vigorous music of The Love for Three Oranges Suite reflects the hilarious comic opera it derives from. Praise for this performance: 'The Suite, opus 33a, from Prokofiev's opera The Love for Three Oranges, demonstrated Ashkenazy's brilliant capacity to energise the orchestra, keeping the tensile energy in the phrase right through to its culmination.' -Sydney Morning Herald

Elgar Falstaff, Symphony No 2, Cockaigne Overture, Britten Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia, Soirees Musicales, Matinees Musicales, Walton Symphony No 1

A release that all Boult fans have been waiting for, this beautifully packaged 3-CD set is very special indeed. Containing a mouth-watering collection of classic English symphonic repertoire, many of these recordings appear here on CD for the first time. Faithfully remastered at Abbey Road studios, using the original master tapes, the sound quality is quite astonishing considering they were recorded over 50 years ago. Sir Adrian Boult was one of the most influential classical musical figures of the 20th century and here conducts his signature repertoire, Elgar. Indeed, many of the performances on this issue are already recorded classics; Boult’s interpretation of Elgar Symphony No. 2, for example, is arguably second-to-none, as is the powerful performance of Walton’s Symphony No. 1. Boult made few recordings of Britten, so it is of significance that this FHR set includes his complete recordings of the composer’s works (Boult’s own narration of the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra is beautifully enunciated). Also included are the two rarely recorded Britten orchestrations of Rossini Soirées musicale and Matinées musicale, joyfully performed and providing light, foot-tapping contrast. This remarkable release is a real testament to Boult’s relationship with his faithful London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Giuseppe Verdi composed his famous 'Requiem' in 1874 on the occasion of the first anniversary of the death of the great writer Alessandro Manzoni, author of the novel I promessi sposi (The Betrothed). The colours of the score and the operatic treatment of the Requiem text caused a stir at the time and remain among the most thrilling elements of this monumental work. Verdi's setting is indiputably one of the greatest treatments of the Latin funeral Mass.

In recent years, the first three volumes of the Sonatas for Piano and Violin by Mozart have already appeared. With the release of this box set, the cycle is now complete - including the new fourth volume. Included are the missing Sonatas KV 296 in C Major, 302 in E flat Major, 379 in G Major, 547 F Major. The driving force behind this recording project publication was and is Sitkovetsky, the Russian violinist who sensationally won the Kreisler competition, and since has enjoyed an exceptional career as a soloist. The collection features one of today's greatest conductors of opera, Antonio Pappano, at the piano.

In one of the definitive recordings of Monteverdi's operatic masterpiece, René Jacobs 'revisits the tradition of performer-arrangers, offering us one of the most sumptuous versions that has yet been heard. He opts for a rich instrumentation inspired by court orchestras, and pads out the ritornellos by rewriting them for five-part ensemble...Worthy of special praise are the amazingly telling interpretation of Jennifer Larmore (Octavia), the smooth vocalising of Danielle Borst (Poppea), and the cavernous depths of Michael Schopper (Seneca).' - L'Avant-scène Opéra. This title was originally released in 1990.

 'Something of a milestone in the history of the interpretation of the work…the sheer musicality and informed imagination of this version carries the music across the footlights in a way which brings it richly alive.' -Gramophone

'Imaginative, involving,and beautifully recorded' (Opera Now), this 1996 recording of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo features Andreas Scholl in one of his finest roles.

The English anonymous fifteenth-century Missa Caput at the centre of this disc is probably the most significant work from the period. It was copied all across Britain and the Continent and was largely responsible for the universal adoption of the 'parody Mass' technique and of today's standard four-part choir arrangement. It is a work of great stature and beauty, in this performance interspersed with a curious Latin poem which describes how two small boys composed the Salve regina antiphon while languishing in Hell. Also represented here are six fifteenth-century carols, and an exquisite Agnus Dei from the Old Hall Manuscript.

Best of the Year, BBC Music Magazine:
‘If I had to live with only one Italienisches Liederbuch, it would have to be that belonging to Lott, Schreier and Johnson.’
'No accompanist, not even Gerald Moore himself, has revealed quite so profound an understanding of this cycle as Graham Johnson, and with two of his favourite Lieder singers he conjures up a performance full of magic, compelling from first to last.' -The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs

Variations Concertantes in D Major Op 17, Sonata for Cello and Piano No 1 in B flat Major Op 45, No 2 in D major Op 58

Chamber music is an intimate genre, that we know. But in the case of Felix Mendelssohn’s cello works, it was also family-inspired. His younger brother Paul was obviously a good cellist, and it was to him that Felix dedicated his two cello sonatas and his Variations concertantes Op.17. Daniel-Müller-Schott presents all three works here, accompanied by Jonathan Gilad at the piano. The playful virtuosity of the Variations, modelled after Mozart and Beethoven, inspires the duo to virtuosic brilliance, be it in the passionate eruptions in the seventh variation or the superb, subtle coda as it fades away. The First Cello Sonata is also light and airy, and the Müller-Schott/Gilad duo savour its prevailingly cheerful, merry mood. The grace and passion that Mendelssohn’s contemporaries already admired in him are here to be found throughout.

'The Cello Sonata No 1 in B flat major is given a compelling performance. The exceptionally gifted young cellist Daniel Müller-Schott is partnered by the effervescent, imaginative piano playing of Jonathan Gilad on a disc that never fails to charm and excite.' -The Telegraph, 16th July 2010 *****

Dichterliebe Op 48, Liederkreis Op 39

Concerto for Oboe and Violin in B flat Major RV548, Concerto for Cello in B Minor RV424, Concerto for Viola d'Amore in A Minor RV397

Concerto for Flute Viola and Bassoon WV75, Flute Sonata WV86, String Sextet WV70

Baba Yaga, The Enchanted Lake, Kikimora

Petrushka follows the last year’s release of Stravinsky’s Firebird on Signum and is the second in a three-part series of works from Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes, performed by BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Thierry Fischer. These recordings encapsulate the vivacity and passion of Stravinsky’s tale of three life-sized puppets, seemingly brought to life. The disc also features three works by fellow Russian and Ballet Russes composer Anatoly Liadov: dark and dramatic tone-poems on Slavic witches and demons in Baba-yaga and Kikimora, and a tranquil and fairytale portrait of the Russian countryside in The Enchanted Lake.

Tantum Ergo, O Salutaris Hostia Op 21, O Sacrum Convivium, Ave Verum Op 34 No 1, Panis Angelicus Op 80, Regina Coeli No 1 from 3 Motets

Eton College Chapel Choir perform an enchanting selection of 20th-century French choral and organ music. As well as music by composers who were at the heart of French musical life in Paris, such as Olivier Messiaen and Francis Poulenc, this disc features works by the lesser-known composers such as Déodat de Severac and Pierre Villette. This is Signum’s second disc with Eton College Chapel Choir. The choir’s history can be charted back to the founding of Eton in 1441 by Henry VI. The present day choir is comprised of Eton students (with the occasional master), about half of whom have been choristers at cathedrals or chapels before they come to Eton for their secondary education.

Variations in C Minor, Concert Etude, Three Concert Pieces, Passacaille

Hearing Albéniz’s Iberia was a revelation for Gabriel Pierné, leading him to surpass the very conventional limits of his piano style and attack the realm of the ‘grand piano’, first with the intimidating Variations in C minor then, at the end of his life, the Passacaglia. These highly complex works command admiration with their power, the virtuosity of the writing and the sumptuousness of the sound. These two monuments bracket lighter works: the Étude concert, almost a compulsory piece for every budding virtuoso, and the delightful autumnal Nocturne en forme de valse. Over the past few years, Laurent Wagschal has established himself as a champion of unfamiliar repertoire (Schmitt, Fauré, Cras) in exemplary fashion and has often earned the highest praise in the French musical press. For Timpani, he has recorded a programme of chamber music by Maurice Emmanuel, which will be released shortly.

Music to make your heart soar: 19 of the best-loved Welsh anthems on a single CD, including Eli Jenkins' Prayer sung by Bryn Terfel, and the Welsh National Anthem performed at Cardiff Arms Park.

Ravel Le Tombeau de Couperin, Mozart Piano Concerto in C Major K 415, Beethoven Symphony No 3 'Eroica'

In the Versailles Opéra Royal, the Berliner Philharmoniker found a particularly beautiful and historically significant setting to host its 1997 European Concert. It was at this glorious small theatre that the French Republic was proclaimed in 1875. The Versailles concert was conducted by Daniel Barenboim, whose close acquaintance with the Berliner Philharmoniker goes back many years. The programme began with Maurice Ravel‘s Le tombeau de Couperin. Barenboim conducted the next piece, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart‘s piano concerto in C major K415, from the piano before concluding the concert with an electrifying performance of Beethoven's Eroica, topped only by the thunderous applause of the delighted Versailles audience.

Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven

Claudio Abbado conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker and soloists Anatoly Kocherga and Kolja Blacher at the Maryinsky Theatre in St Petersburg. The 1996 concert began in honour of their Russian hosts with popular highlights from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and the Cavatina from Rachmaninov’s Aleko. The second part of the concert features Beethoven’s Violin Romances, with Kolja Blacher leading the orchestra to a rapturous reception from the audience.

Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Stravinsky, Khachaturian

Among the most famous open-air cultural events in Europe with a unique atmosphere, the annual summer concerts of the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Berlin Waldbühne are generally sold out months in advance. The Waldbühne is undoubtedly one of the world's most attractive amphitheatres and a Mecca for many classical music fans. Renowned conductor Seiji Ozawa  joined the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Waldbühne for a rousing 'Russian Night', opening with Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, whose battle noise and canonfire evoke the Russian victory over the Napoleonic invaders.

Beethoven, Paganini, Stravinsky, Dvorak, Blacher

In 1540 Cosimo de’Medici moved with his family and court into the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. On 1 May 1995 the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra performed its jubilee concert in the same building, conducted by Zubin Mehta. Since 1991 the orchestra has commemorated its foundation on 1 May 1882 with a concert, each time in a different European musical capital. Florence is important in the history of music because, like all the royal houses of the time, the Medici liked to surround themselves with the most accomplished composers and players. Yet in the rooms of the palazzo, which are otherwise bursting with art treasures, one finds no evidence of this musical past. Apart from one gem; and that is a special room closed to the public which is enough to thrill the heart of every string player. It is a virtual treasure chamber of work by all the great Italian violin-makers. There is a 1662 Nicola Amati violin, a 1736 Guarneri and a violin, viola and cello by Antonio Stradivari. They were all made in Cremona, at the school of violin making, which was founded by the Amati family, and were evidently ordered directly by the Medici, as they all bear their coat of arms.

Beethoven, Stravinsky, Mahler, Schoenberg

An extraordinary programme for an extraordinary night: The Berliner Philharmoniker celebrates the final day of the 20th Century! For the Grand Finale, maestro Abbado conducts masterpieces including excerpts from Stravinsky‘s Firebird and the final movements of Mahler‘s 5th and Beethoven's Seventh Symphonies. In the famous finale of Arnold Schönberg‘s Gurre Lieder, respected actor Klaus Maria Brandauer plays a leading role.

Mozart, Verdi, Rossini, Bizet, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky

Love is the motto of the 1998 New Year‘s Eve Concert. And who wrote better music about love than Mozart and Verdi? Maestro Claudio Abbado has chosen two of the best Mozart interpreters of our day, Christine Schäfer and Simon Keenlyside, for this special event. Marcelo Álvarez from Argentina, compared by some to a young Domingo, sings highlights of the tenor repertoire, and Italian Primadonna Mirella Freni tops the occasion with a breathtaking performance of the Letter scene of Tchaikovsky‘s Eugen Onegin. A night of operatic splendour not to be missed!

Ravel, Bizet, Rodrigo, Ginastera, Salgan, Gardel, Piazzolla, Mores, Rodriguez

Daniel Barenboim conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in their open-air summer venue, in a concert of spirited Latin-American gems from 1998. This is a wonderful evening of evocative tango and Latin American inspired rhythms, fittingly conducted by the Argentinian-born Daniel Barenboim. Despite playing music outside their usual repertoire, the Berlin Philharmonic enthrals the audience with an exotic programme, opening with works by those 'honourary Spaniards' Ravel and Bizet, followed by arrangements of lesser-known melodies and dances from a host of South American composers including Rodrigo‘s famous Guitar Concerto played by John Williams, and passionate tango by Astor Piazzolla. This is a vibrant concert from the leafy open-air Waldbühne, the Berlin Philharmonic summer home in the woods outside Berlin, and is a must-see for all classical music lovers.

Puccini La Boheme, Giordano Fedora

2010, the year of her 75th birthday and the 55th anniversary of her stage debut. Mirella Freni is one of the most remarkable soprano singers in the world of opera. She has been winning over audiences for half a century with her ever fresh and youthful voice, the quality of which remains undiminished. This portrait documentary shows Mirella Freni during masterclasses in her hometown of Modena; in an extended interview, filmed in the Teatro Comunale, Freni speaks about her extraordinary career. Interviews with colleagues and friends including Plácido Domingo and Herbert von Karajan as well as Freni’s greatest stage performances, private pictures and rare material from the archive complete the portrait. 'I am really touched by this movie. I feel honoured by its sensitive presentation of my life, my career, my work as a teacher and my feelings about all these aspects.' -Mirella Freni

For Chopin, opera was the highest form of art – even though he never entertained the thought of writing for the stage himself. His contemporaries Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini meant more to him than Beethoven, Liszt or Schumann. They influenced the cantabile lines of his compositions and their coloraturas are reflected in the elegant flow, trills and cadences of Chopin's inimitable style. At the castle of Chopin’s beloved George Sand, in Nohant in France, three singers, a pianist and an actress meet with the most knowledgeable experts on Bel Canto and Chopin of our time. For one whole week in late autumn they delve into Chopin’s opera experiences: his admiration for the great Bel Canto singer Giuditta Pasta, his friendship with Bellini and his relationship with Pauline Viardot, daughter of tenor Manuel Garcia and sister of Malibran, who, as pianist and composer, worked on Chopin’s Mazurkas for voice and piano.

Bonus:
A recital with Christiane Libor (soprano), Katerina Hebelkova (contralto), Dávid Adorján (cello) and Roland Pöntinen (piano), performing works by Frédéric Chopin.

One of the most gifted German directors in theatrical music, Claus Guth has created a unique concept for the staging of Handel’s most famous work. Christophe Spinosi and Ensemble Matheus is internationally acclaimed for their interpretations of early music on authentic period instruments. This production presents the best in Handelian vocal artistry from Susan Gritton, Richard Croft and the sublime countertenor voice of Bejun Mehta. 'Handel would turn over in his grave – with pride!' -Vienna Times

Documentary, Mozart Trios

Sir André Previn is one of the most multi-talented and prominent musicians of our time, a composer of music across genres, a conductor, arranger, pianist and superb jazz musician. His accolades include four Oscars for his film scores and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. This intimate portrait features Anne-Sophie Mutter, Mia Farrow, Oscar Peterson, Renée Fleming, Lukas Previn and more. Bonus: two Mozart Piano Quartets (featuring members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, filmed in 2000).

Director Claus Guth’s production of Mozart’s Da Ponte trilogy for the Salzburg Festival reaches its sensational conclusion with his elegant, stylish Così fan tutte. Guth bolsters the unity of the cycle by making ingenious reference to his stagings of the first two works, Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni.Guth assembles a superb ensemble of young singers who toy with love and trust under the cynical gaze of ringmaster Bo Skovhus’ Don Alfonso and his foxy, temperamental sidekick Despina, played by fiery young soprano Patricia Petitbon. Baritone Florian Boesch and tenor Topi Lehtipuu ideally complement their frisky partners Miah Persson and Isabel Leonard. Conductor Adam Fischer keeps the tempi brisk and the Vienna Philharmonic on their toes in his layered reading of the score.

When Don Giovanni is played by Christopher Maltman, it’s no wonder that Donna Anna (Annette Dasch), Donna Elvira (Dorothea Röschmann) and even Zerlina (Ekaterina Siurina) are ready to throw themselves at his feet. With a physique as striking as his full-bodied baritone voice, Maltman embodies Don Giovanni as an almost reluctant seducer, a man fated to bring misery to women and, ultimately, to himself. Next to Maltman, it is Uruguayan bass-baritone Erwin Schrott who holds the audience riveted in this production: 'Schrott’s Leporello is an event in his own right, the event of the Salzburg Don Giovanni.' (Die Welt). Under Bertrand de Billy, the Vienna Philharmonic play with refreshing verve and spirit.

Sibelius Valse triste, Rakastava, Schumann Symphony No 2 in C Major

Vladimir Ashkenazy directs the highly acclaimed Chamber Orchestra of Europe and virtuoso violinist Valeriy Sokolov in this remarkable programme of Finnish works combined with Schumann's uplifting Symphony No. 2. Ashkenazy has particularly been praised for his performances of works by Sibelius and is renowned for his interpretations of Romantic repertoire; his creativity fused with Sokolov's vitality and the prowess of this multi-national orchestra creates an altogether spellbinding concert. A film by Bruno Monsaingeon.

Celebrating the 200th birthday of Fryderyk Chopin, this major co-production not only tells the story of the composer's brief life but brings together some of the world's greatest pianists playing excerpts from some of his best-known works. It includes appearances by Arthur Rubinstein, rare footage of Martha Argerich, Krystian Zimerman and Evgeny Kissin in their early days, as well as Garrick Ohlsson (winner of the 1970 Chopin International Competition) who also provides his own perceptive observations on Chopin's genius. The bonus disc features Ohlsson with Antoni Wit and the Warsaw Philharmonic in complete performances of both of Chopin's piano concertos.

Bonus: Garrick Ohlsson playing Chopin, Warsas Philharmonic, Antoni Wit

Bizet, Franck, Roussel, Debussy, Saint-Saens, Chabrier, Duparc, Faure, Honegger, Poulenc, Hahn

One reviewer of Susan Graham's Verbier Festival recital praised her 'radiant voice' and marveled at her ability to convey the subtle nuances of what seems like 'her second native language'. Her programme offers a 'tasting menu' of the French mélodie tradition - a varied selection of songs ranging from the youthful charm of Bizet's Chanson d'avril to the high drama of Poulenc's La dame de Monte Carlo, and from the barbed irony of Ravel's 'Le paon' to the sensuous beauty of Fauré's Vocalise-Étude.

Shostakovich Symphony No 10

The Verbier Festival, held each summer in the Swiss Alps, has developed over seventeen years into one of the most important classical music festivals in Europe, bringing together great musical talent and dedicated music lovers alike from across the globe. Conductor Yuri Temirkanov - himself born, bred and educated in Leningrad - directs the Festival's 100-strong orchestra-in-residence in this live, captivating performance of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10, his interpretation inspired by a Russian heritage which the orchestra evokes with brilliance and vivacity.

Bach Partita No 4 BWV828, Schumann Kinderszenen, Beethoven Diabelli Variations, Bagatelle Op 126

Four decades after bursting onto the European musical scene, American pianist Stephen Kovacevich remains one of the great living soloists, chamber musicians and conductors. Also known as Stephen Bishop, he has appeared on concert stages worldwide, esteemed for his interpretative mastery of the classical canon. His extensive discography includes repertoire spanning from the Baroque to the modern era. This recital, recorded live at the 2009 Verbier Festival in Switzerland, presents works by Bach, Schumann and Beethoven.