NAXOS CD OF THE MONTH | 857093637 | CD2 | 0747313093670
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and other Epic Movie Themes
Music from Raiders of the Lost Ark, Out of Africa, Spiderman, Schindler's List, Gladiator, Champions, The Lord of the Rings, Chariots of Fire, Dr No, Titanic, Forrest Gump, Dances With Wolves, Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone, Star Wars, ET, Batman, Goldfinger and more!

Various performers, including Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Carl Davis (conductor)

• Specially packaged for Australia - Great 2-CD Set!
• Magic, adventure, romance, thrills, tragedy and triumph, sci-fi, superheros – it’s all in these unforgettable movie themes!
• includes lush performances by the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

The first CD presents themes from 14 great movies of recent times from Dr No (1961) to the first in the Harry Potter series (2001). Each is an immediately recognisable classic of film music. With 45 nominations and five wins to his credit, composer John Williams is the most Oscar-nominated person alive, and is represented by his themes for Raider of the Lost Ark and Schindler's List. Another great, John Barry, is probably best known for his James Bond film scores (Dr No), and also wrote music for Out of Africa and Dances With Wolves (for which he won his third and fourth Oscars, respectively). Danny Elfman's theme for Spiderman, Hans Zimmer's for Gladiator, Carl Davis's for Champions, Howard Shore's for Lord of the Rings, Vangelis's for Chariots of Fire and Alan Silvestri's for Forrest Gump are equally memorable, while James Horner's My Heart Will Go On (Titanic) has also become a pop music hit. The second CD presents music from great adventure and science fiction classics such as Star Wars, Goldfinger, Batman, Superman, ET, Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica.

CHANDOS CD OF THE MONTH | CHSA5060 | SACD | 095115506028
Wagner The Ring - An Orchestral Adventure

Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Neemi Jarvi (conductor)

• 14 great tracks spanning the entire Ring cycle
• Recorded in Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, on 5-7 August 2007
• The Ring – An Orchestral Adventure was a hit when it was performed by the Sydney Symphony under Edo de Waart

Arranged in 1991 by Henk de Vlieger, The Ring - An Orchestral Adventure is an hour-long musical journey through the mythological world of Wagner's great operatic cycle. This symphonic ‘compilation’ includes all the major themes and leitmotifs. The result is an overwhelming experience and a must for anyone who loves blazing orchestral colours. ‘The way that De Vlieger has created transitions between scenes and acts is quite ingenious… Bits of Rheingold, Walkure, Siegfried and Gotterdammerung floated past, melded together as if some Wagnerian superman who understood the whole and articulated it in particular. Highlights were everywhere. Horns, sounded offstage and on, reminded listeners of the great arias, without the singers to sing it… Toward the end, it actually seemed like we had experienced the entire Ring cycle – a tribute to the orchestrator’s talents,’ wrote the Boston Herald following a performance of the work. Coupled to this mighty work is Siegfried Idyll, which is thematically related to the Ring, and although with quite a different subject matter, complements the Orchestral Adventure perfectly.

HARMONIA MUNDI CD OF THE MONTH | HMC901969 | CD | 794881868124
Bach Christus Der Ist Mein Leben
Cantatas: Wer weiss wie nahe mir mein Ende? BWV27, Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glucke BWV84, Christus der ist mein Leben BWV95, and Komm du susse Todesstunde BWV161

Dorothee Mields (soprano), Matthew White (countertenor), Hans-Jorg Mammel (tenor), Thomas Bauer (bass), Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe (conductor)

• Magisterial new Bach recording by Philippe Herreweghe
• Ideal for Easter release
• Other great Herreweghe recordings of Bach’s sacred works are also available on Harmonia Mundi

Although Bach had dreamt of establishing a ‘well-regulated church music’ since his early days, it was only between 1723 and 1750 that he finally had the chance to do so, as Kantor and Director Musices in Leipzig. Here he invented the ‘modern’ cantata, combining chorales and traditional biblical texts with arias and recitatives on freely composed texts. The four cantatas recorded by Philippe Herreweghe offer a magisterial demonstration of the transition from cantatas initially judged 'too theatrical’ to a perfectly achieved form – as in the cantata BWV 84, among the very last to be written.

NAÏVE CD OF THE MONTH | OP30453 | CD | 70986130453
Vivaldi Nisi Dominus, Crucifixus, Stabat Mater

Philippe Jaroussky (countertenor), Marie-Nicole Lemieux (contralto), Ensemble Matheus, Jean-Christophe Spinosi (conductor)

• Vocal gems by Vivaldi in fresh new performances
• Young stars Philippe Jaroussky, Marie-Nicole Lemieux & Jean-Christophe Spinosi with the acclaimed Ensemble Matheus
• Other titles featuring these artists are also available
• Eye-catching digipak, ravishing recording, beautiful music

Young star countertenor Philippe Jaroussky enjoyed a very successful series of concerts last year with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, and is highly regarded for his recordings, including Vivaldi's remarkable operas Griselda (Naïve OP30419) and La Verita in Cimento (complete on Naive OP30365, highlights on OP30452). Now comes a gorgeous new recording, also with Ensemble Matheus, of Vivaldi's motet Nisi Dominus and his famous Stabat Mater. Jaroussky is joined by Canadian contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux in Vivaldi's moving Crucifixus. Lemieux can also be heard in the Naive recording of Vivaldi's opera Orlando Furioso (OP303930, once again with Ensemble Matheus. Conductor Jean-Christophe Spinosi continues to revolutionise our enjoyment of Baroque music with his passionate and sensitive direction, making Nisi Dominus/Stabat Mater an absolute 'must have' new release!

NAXOS | 8570186 | CD | 747313018673
Herrmann Snows of Kilimanjaro, Five Fingers
Moscow Symphony Orchestra, William Stromberg (conductor)
Two great films from 1952. The Snows of Kilimanjaro – popular at the time with both critics and audiences – offered the major ingredients that Darryl Zanuck deemed necessary for success: showmanship, sex, and adventure. Having finished the score, Bernard Herrmann wrote 'Ten full weeks of very hard work, but it turned out very well – even if I say so. Zanuck was most flattering about the music and keeps telling everyone how grand a job I did.' For Five Fingers Herrmann produced some of his darkest film music, pointing the way to his later scores for Hitchcock. Score Restorations by John Morgan.

NAXOS | 8570280 | CD | 747313028078
Vanhal Symphonies Vol 4
Toronto Chamber Orchestra, Kevin Mallon (conductor)
The symphonies of Johann Baptist Vanhal are among the most important works of the classical period. Bold and imaginative, powerful and lyrical, Vanhal’s symphonies are only now beginning to win wider recognition as the masterpieces they are. This recording features his early and highly prophetic Symphony in E minor as well as one of his later works, the brilliantly-scored Symphony in C, which Haydn is known to have admired. Other great Vanhal recordings available on Naxos: Symphonies Vol 1 (8554341), Symphonies Vol 2 (8554138); Symphonies Vol 3 (8557483), Flute Quartets Op 7 Nos 2, 3, 6 (8570234); Missa Pastoralis & Missa Solemnis (8555080); Violin Concertos in G major, B flat major and G major (8557815).

NAXOS | 8570336 | CD | 747313033676
Taneyev Symphonies Nos 1, 3
Novosibirsk Academic Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Sanderling (conductor)
A pupil of Rubinstein and Tchaikovsky, and a teacher of Rachmaninov and Scriabin, Sergey Taneyev was a monumental figure in Russian music of the second half of the 19th Century. Although highly independent as a mature artist, Taneyev was understandably under Tchaikovsky’s influence during the early years of his career. His 1st Symphony, which can be compared to Tchaikovsky’s Second, impresses with its seriousness, skilful orchestration, and a complete absence of virtuosity for its own sake. Written ten tears later, the 3rd Symphony is a large four-movement cycle. Its crowning glory, a scintillating Finale, shows Taneyev’s contrapuntal prowess at its best.

NAXOS | 8570361 | CD | 747313036172
JC Bach Six Keyboard Sonatas Op 17
Alberto Nose (piano)
The youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Christian moved to Italy and then, finally, to London, where, like Handel before him, he won early success in the opera house. Although he had been a skilled keyboard player, he wrote relatively little for the medium, in which the new fortepiano was assuming importance. His Six Keyboard Sonatas, Op. 17, were written and first published in the 1770s and show the influence his work had on Mozart. The pianist Alberto Nose was Gold Medal Winner of the 2005 Santander International Piano Competition.

NAXOS | 8570381 | CD | 747313038176
Schubert Mass in E-flat Major, Stabat Mater
Dorothea Craxton, Rolf Ehlers, Birte Kulawik, Raimund Mlnarschik, Cornelia Rosenthal, Klaus Schredl, Immortal-Bach Ensemble, Leipzig Chamber Orchestra, Morten Schuldt-Jensen (conductor)
One of a remarkable series of works Schubert wrote in his final year, the Mass No 6 in E flat lay unperformed until a year after his death. With an unusually prominent part for trombones, this is a powerful and disquieting masterpiece, reconciling the liturgical grandeur and monumentality of the vast fugues that end the Gloria and Credo, with the composer’s natural lyricism and daring chromatic digressions.

NAXOS | 8570727 | CD | 747313072774
Carmen Symphony
Bizet (arr Serebrier), Revueltas (arr Serebrier), Ginastera, Villa-Lobos, Sousa
The President's Own United States Marine Band, Jose Serebrier (conductor)
Having orchestrated Gershwin’s piano works (at the request of Gershwin’s family), numerous Grieg songs, and more recently a symphonic synthesis of Janacek’s The Markopoulos Case, Jose Serebrier compiled a sequence of orchestral interludes from Bizet’s Carmen to try to extend its magic to the concert hall. Carmen Symphony, unlike the well-known Carmen Suites, follows the thread of the opera. Serebrier has always been fascinated by the music of the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas, and Mexican Dance is his homage to this original composer. This, and Serebrier’s own Night Cry are world premiere recordings. The United States Marine Band, the oldest professional musical institution in the United States, regularly works with prominent conductors. This is a recording of a concert performance in 2007.

NAXOS DVD | 2110228 | DVD | 747313522859
Rossini La Cambiale di Matrimonio
Bordogna, Rancatore, Pirgu, Capitanucci, Marabelli, Gortsevskaya, Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano e Trento, Michelangeli
EXCITING NEW Naxos DVD range. ‘The Bill of Exchange of Marriage’ launched Rossini’s operatic career and set the model for his many successful comic operas. This colourful new production was filmed at the Rossini Opera Festival, Pesaro, Italy, in August 2006. Booklet includes synopsis, annotations, performers’ biographies. The plot of La cambiale di matrimonio, which Rossini composed when he was just 18 years old, revolves around the farcical attempts of Tobia Mill, a rich English merchant, to combine business with pleasure by forcing his daughter, the lovely Fanny ('the merchandise') to marry Slook, his rich colonial correspondent from America, by means of a bill of exchange. Eventually it is the gallant Slook himself who persuades Mill to allow Fanny to marry her true love, Edoardo Milfort. This Rossini Opera Festival – Pesaro production features two well-established singers, Desiree Rancatore and Saimir Pirgu, who are joined by three promising young singers: Fabio Maria Capitanucci, Enrico Maria Marabelli and Maria Gortsevskaya.

NAXOS DVD | 2110551 | DVD | 0747313555154
Chinese Musical Journey - Beijing
Traditional Chinese Music
Various Performers
The music chosen for this tour of Beijing is played on Chinese instruments, and makes use of traditional works and more modern arrangements, in traditional style. The instruments to be heard include the Chinese flute (dizi), the zither (qin), the Chinese lute (pipa), the three-string lute (sanxian) and the two-string Chinese fiddle (erhu). The Shepherd and His Flute, for example, is played on the Chinese dulcimer (yangqin), The Moon Over Guanshan on the sanxian and Song of the Tea-Pickers, taken from Yue Opera, is arranged for an instrumental ensemble. As with Chinese traditional visual arts, the titles of pieces explain their mood and origin.

NAXOS DVD | 211022526 | DVD2 | 747313522552
Verdi Luisa Miller
Darina Takova, Giuseppe Sabbatini, Alexander Vinogradov, Damiano Salerno, Ursula Ferri, Arutjun Kotchinian, Elisabetta Martorana, Luca Favaron, Teatro La Fenice Chorus & Orchestra, Maurizio Benini (conductor)
Based on Schiller’s Kabale und Liebe (Intrigue and Love), Verdi’s tragic melodrama Luisa Miller revolves around the loves of the heroine of the title and Rodolfo, son of Count Walter, and the machinations of the Count’s steward, Wurm, who wants Luisa for himself, resulting in the death of all three. Directed by Arnaud Bernard, who took as his inspiration Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1976 film 1900, this La Fenice production is led by the outstanding Bulgarian soprano Darina Takova whose intense characterisation of Luisa emphasizes the heroine’s inner torture, and Giuseppe Sabbatini who brings a thrilling theatricality to the rôle of Rodolfo, especially in the most famous aria from the opera, Quando le sere al placido.

NAXOS AUDIOBOOKS | 186012 | CD | 9789626348604
The Great Poets - Wordsworth
read by Oliver Ford Davies and Jasper Britton
Naxos AudioBooks' Great Poets series, launched in 2007, has proved very popular, offering many of the best-loved poems by famous poets read by leading actors. This anthology of the 'Lake Poet', with poems that many can still recite today, will undoubtedly become a best-seller. William Wordsworth (1770-18500 was one of the major figures of the English romantic movement and was Poet Laureate from 1843 until his death. This disc includes I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud, I Travelled Among Unknown Men, My Heart Leaps Up and Tintern Abbey.

NAXOS AUDIOBOOKS | 186112 | CD | 9789626348611
The Great Poets - Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) was one of the most controversial English Romantic poets whose personal life and early death by drowning added to his reputation. This disc presents most of his famous poems, including Ozymandias, Ode To The West Wind and To A Skylark and represents an affordable introduction to Shelley's haunting oeuvre.

NAXOS BOOKS | 9781843791164 | PUB | 9781843791164
Dvorak His Life and Music
by Neil Wenborn
Catapulted to international fame by the runaway success of his Slavonic Dances, Dvorak was, by the end of his life, one of the world's most celebrated composers. Yet his proudest boast was that he remained at heart 'a simple Czech musician', as inspired by the folk traditions of his native land as by the masterworks of Mozart, Beethoven and Wagner. This new book traces the course of his extraordinary creative career, which embraced the peasant music-making of rural Bohemia, the grand receptions of Victorian England and the dynamism of fin-de-siecle New York to shape the most versatile genius in the annals of late Romanticism.

NAXOS BOOKS | 9781843792307 | PUB | 9781843792307
Puccini His Life and Music
by Julian Haylock
Puccini is one of the most beloved of all opera composers, with La Boheme, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Turandot still playing to packed opera houses the world over. While generally snubbed by critics, his colourful and passionate music spoke to the hearts of his audiences. A serial adulterer whose greatest passions (apart from women) were massacring the local duck population and hurtling around in high-speed cars and boats, Puccini was, behind the macho image, a creative artist of profound sensitivity and dramatic flair. This essential music companion provides a compelling overview of the constant tension between Puccini's indulgent personal life, his status as an international celebrity and his excruciatingly high standards as a composer.

ARTHAUS | K102089 | DVD2 | 807280208993
Christa Ludwig - The Birthday Edition
DVD 1: Schubert Winterreisse, Vienna Masterclass Part 1 DVD 2: Lieder Recital (Schubert, Wolf, Mahler, Richard Strauss, Bernstein), Vienna Masterclass Part II
Christa Ludwig (mezzo-soprano), Charles Spencer (piano)
For more than four decades, from the late 1940s until the early 1990s, German mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig was distinguished for her performances of opera and Lieder. Her performances of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, Mahler and Strauss are still much admired. She struck a remarkable balance between highly personal interpretation and humility, as her remarks about performing suggest: 'Courage is needed to reveal one's own feelings in interpretation and not tell the audience with raised forefinger: "The composer wanted it like this, and no other way." But at the same time we singers must never forget that we are only the servants of the great minds who created all the wonderful pieces of music we enjoy today.' This double DVD is a remarkable document, both of her artistry as a singer and as a teacher.

BIS | BISCD190608 | CD6 | 7318591906087
The Sibelius Edition Vol 3 - Works for Voice and Orchestra
The Complete Music for Voice and Orchestra – cantatas, melodramas and orchestral songs, including Kullervo, Promotional and Coronation Cantatas, The Maiden in the Tower, The Rapids-Rider’s Brides, Sandels, Snofrid, The Origin of Fire, Hostkvall, Oma maa, The Captive Queen, Jordens sang, Vainon virsi
Helena Juntunen (soprano), MariAnne Haggander (soprano), Lilli Paasikivi (mezzo-soprano), Erland Hagegard (tenor), Jorma Hynninen (baritone), Raimo Laukka (baritone), Tommi Hakala (baritone), Jyrki Korhonen (bass), Stina Ekblad (narration), Lasse Poysti (
Following up the first two instalments of The Sibelius Edition, this third volume offers the complete music for voice and orchestra, including orchestral songs, cantatas, melodramas and the composer’s one opera The Maiden in the Tower. Opening the set is one of Sibelius’s greatest works, Kullervo, his first work of symphonic proportions, which was a huge success at its premiere in 1892. Here, for the first time, Sibelius entered the mythological realm of Kalevala, Finland’s national epic, a world to which he would frequently return – for instance in works such as Luonnotar, A Song for Lemminkainen and The Origin of Fire, all included in this collection. Another theme which runs through Sibelius’s output was the yearning for national independence, which was fulfilled in 1917. The Fool’s Song of the Spider, Sandels, Have You Courage? and The Captive Queen are only some of the works included with a more or less overt political message. As with the previous box sets, several of the works are given here in more than one version, mirroring the composer’s tendency to return to a score, as well as his willingness, in certain cases, to adapt a work to varying performance conditions. Also included are two chorales from his student years. Among the recordings, three have not been previously released, and one of these – the 1912 version of Have You Courage? – is a world premiere. Assembled in chronological order, the remaining recordings have been collected from a number of earlier discs, released to great critical acclaim. To mention but a few, Osmo Vanska’s Kullervo has been described as ‘a first-class account, dramatic and powerfully atmospheric’ (Gramophone) while the performances of the orchestral songs with Jorma Hynninnen and MariAnne Häggander supported by Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra received a Grand Prix du Disque at the time of their original release.

BIS | BISSACD1611 | SACD | 7318599916118
Bach Cantatas Vol 36
Am Abend Aber Desselbigen Sabbats BWV42, Ihr Werdet Weinen Und Heulen BWV103, Es Ist Euch Gut Dass Ich Hingehe BWV108, Bleib Bei Uns Denn Es Will Abend Werden BWV6
Yukari Nonoshita (soprano), Robin Blaze (countertenor), James Gilchrist (tenor), Dominik Womer (bass), Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki (conductor)
All four cantatas on this disc were written for services during April 1725 and deal with the resurrected Christ and his disciples: Christ's first appearance in front of two of the disciples on the road to Emmaus (BWV6), his visit to a meeting of the disciples, held in secret for fear of persecution (BWV42), and his words of parting as he prepares to join his Father (BWV103 and BEV108). Joy, fear and sadness, the various and conflicting emotions inherent in the subject matter, are painted in Bach's incomparable musical language, and transmitted in these performances by Bach Collegium Japan and Masaaki Suzuki. Among the soloists, Yukari Nonoshita and Robin Blaze are well-known to the followers of this series, while James Gilchrist and Domink Worner both appear in it for the second time. For this disc, Bach Collegium Japan are visited by Dan Laurin, who performs the virtuosic flauto piccolo part in BWV103, and Dmitry Badiarov, who plays his own, unique reconstruction of a violoncello piccolo in BWV6.

CSORESOUND | CSO901801 | CD | 810449018012
Sounds of Silk Road Chicago
Prokofiev Scythian Suite, Bloch Schelomo, Hebraic Rhapsody, Sharav Legend of Herlen, Harrison Pipa Concerto
Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Wu Man (pipa), Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Alan Gilbert (conductors)
Traditions and Transformations: Sound of Silk Road Chicago on CSO Resound is an aural record of this remarkable journey, featuring a rich tapestry of musical works and passionate, virtuosic performances by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the Silk Road Ensemble, pipa soloist Wu Man, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Miguel Harth-Bedoya and Alan Gilbert. 'Chicago has a long history of being at the crossroads of the world,' Yo-Yo Ma said as he described the landmark yearlong collaboration known as Silk Road Chicago. This unique celebration - partnering Ma’s Silk Road Project with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and dozens of cultural institutions throughout the city from June 2006 through June 2007- was an unprecedented adventure in discovery that moved a city to learn and explore musical traditions and cross-cultural connections, inspired by both the legendary Silk Road trade route and an unending spirit of curiosity. 'The Chicago Symphony Orchestra…comes closer to perfection than most orchestras' (The New York Times), 'Everything the Chicago Symphony performs has a vivid, larger-than-life quality.' (The Guardian)

HARMONIA MUNDI | HMU807463 | SACD | 093046746360
Byrd, Tallis Heavenly Harmonies
Byrd Vigilate (from Cantiones sacrae 1589), Exsurge, Domine (from Cantiones sacrae 1591), Infelix ego, Laetentur coeli, Quis est homo?, Mass Propers for Pentecost, Communion: Factus est repente, Tribulationes civitatum, Laudibus in sanctis; Tallis Why Fum'th in Fight?, E'en like the hunted hind, Let God arise, Expend O Lord, God Grant we grace (Tallis Canon), Man blest no doubt, Veni creator: Come Holy Ghost, Why brag'st in malice, O come in one to praise the Lord
Stile Antico
Thomas Tallis and William Byrd embody two opposing tendencies at the heart of the religious disputes which ravaged 16th century England: the former's Protestant psalm tunes, in which the clarity of the biblical texts was paramount, contrast with the latter's Catholic motets, which constantly heighten musical expressivity and emotiveness.Yet, far from being stifled by the rigour of one camp or the traditionalism of the other, the creativity of these two masters of English music thrived on such constraints as they dedicated themselves to the service of their art and of God. New performing editions have been prepared by Stile Antico. Working without a conductor, the members of Stile Antico rehearse and perform as chamber musicians, each contributing artistically to the musical result. Their repertoire ranges from the glorious legacy of the English Tudor composers to the works of the Flemish and Spanish schools and the music of the early Baroque.They are passionate about the need to communicate with their audiences, combining thoughtful programming with direct, expressive performances.

HARMONIA MUNDI GOLD | HMG501137 | CD | 794881853328
Mozart Church Sonatas
London Baroque, Charles Medlam (director)
London Baroque was formed in 1978 and is regarded worldwide as one of the foremost exponents of baroque chamber music, enabling its members to devote their professional lives to the group. A regular fifty or so performances a year has given the group a cohesion and professionalism akin to that of a permanent string quartet. Their repertoire spans a period from the end of the sixteenth century up to Mozart and Haydn with works of virtually unknown composers next to familiar masterpieces of the baroque and early classical eras. London Baroque is a regular visitor at the Salzburg, Bath, Beaune, Innsbruck, Utrecht, Ansbach and Stuttgart Bach festivals. London Baroque has recorded an exemplary discography of baroque chamber music, including works by Corelli, Handel, Lawes, Purcell, CPE. and WF Bach, Pachelbel, Leclair and Marin Marais.

HARMONIA MUNDI GOLD | HMG501298 | CD | 794881852222
Charpentier Te Deum, Litanies de la Vierge
Les Arts Florissants, William Christie (conductor)
The vocal and instrumental ensemble Les Arts Florissants is one of the most renowned and respected early music groups in Europe and around the world. Dedicated to the performance of Baroque music on original instruments, the ensemble was founded in 1979 by the Franco-American harpsichordist and conductor William Christie, and takes its name from a short opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Les Arts Florissants have been largely responsible for the resurgence of interest in France in 17th-century French repertoire as well as in European music of the 17th and 18th centuries more generally. This was repertoire which had, for the most part, been neglected but which is now widely performed and admired. Now one of the foremost ensembles on the European musical scene, Les Arts Florissants have enjoyed an unbroken string of successes over the past twenty-five years. In 2004, the group played an extremely important part in the concerts celebrating the memory of Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704).

HARMONIA MUNDI GOLD | HMG501366 | CD | 794881853229
Vivaldi Sonata 'La Follia', Sonata for Two Violins
Ensemble 415, Chiara Banchini (violin, direction)
Born in Lugano, Switzerland, Chiara Banchini is one of the most renowned Baroque violinists on the international musical scene. In 1981 she felt the need to fill an empty space in the Swiss musical landscape and founded her own chamber orchestra, Ensemble 415. It was a resounding success. Distinguished for its virtuosic and flamboyant playing, Ensemble 415 undertakes regular concert tours and has made a series of extraordinary recordings of works by Corelli, Boccherini, Muffat and Vivaldi. These recordings have been enthusiastically received by the international musical press. Ensemble 415 performs both as a large formation and as a chamber orchestra. After graduating with a prize for virtuosity from the Geneva Conservatory she completed her studies with Sandor Vegh and then went on to explore the baroque violin with Sigiswald Kuijken. She was awarded a soloist diploma by the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. In addition to leading the career of an international concert performer, Chiara Banchini taught the baroque violin at the Centre for Early Music in Geneva before being appointed to a chair in the instrument at the Schola Cantorum in Basel. Chiara Banchini plays a violin by Nicola Amati (1674)

HARMONIA MUNDI GOLD | HMG501380 | CD | 794881853120
Janacek String Quartets
Melos Quartet
The Stuttgart-based Melos Quartet were a leading chamber music ensemble from 1965 to 2005. Taking their name from the ancient Greek word for music (from which the word 'melody' also comes), the Melos Quartet brought the highest standards of musicianship to their many recordings, gaining accolades from critics and music-lovers alike and achieving legendary status in their field. Famed for their scrupulous preparation, brilliant performing style and - in the words of The New York Times' reviewer John Rockwell - 'intense, Toscaninian style of music-making, simultaneously gruff and pointed', the legacy of the Melos Quartet lives on to inspire and influence future generations of string players and audiences. On first issue, this disc received a 5-star rating and was hailed as 'Possibly the best Janacek ever recorded' on amazon.com: 'Exact and transparent recording, played with gusto - very distinct and clear, the Melos Quartet conveys the 'modern' feeling of the twenties and thirties of the last century without becoming melodramatic or overplaying the score. Better try to enjoy these two quartets in the concert hall but lacking a live performance, listen to this CD.'

HARMONIA MUNDI GOLD | HMG501608 | CD | 794881852024
Brahms German Requiem
Christiane Oelze (soprano), Gerald Finley (bass-baritone), Orchestre des Champs-Elysees, Philippe Herreweghe (conductor)
German soprano Christiane Oelze is a professor of singing at the Robert-Schumann-Hochschule Dusseldorf. Canadian bass-baritone Gerald Finley is renowned as an opera singer, as well as a solo recitalist. Since its foundation by Philippe Herreweghe, more than thirty years ago, Collegium Vocale Gent has established a reputation as one of the world’s finest choral groups. Chapelle Royale specialises in French Baroque music and Classical and Romantic vocal works. The Orchestre des Champs-Elysees devotes itself to the performance of classical and romantic repertoire on period instruments. This is surely one of the absolute classic recordings of Brahms's most intensely-felt choral works. 'Herreweghe's innate sense of Brahms's musical lines is evident everywhere as he sculpts this works. Herreweghe's combined choirs respond magnificently to his direction.' (Stereophile)

HARMONIA MUNDI GOLD | HMG501651 | CD | 794881852321
German Baroque Cantatas
Andreas Scholl (countertenor), Concerto Viole, Basel Consort
Andreas Scholl's first recital in 1993 at the Theatre Grevin in Paris, when he replaced his teacher and mentor Rene Jacobs at a moment’s notice, was a triumphant success, and launched his career at a single stroke. He has since gained a reputation as one of the foremost countertenors of his generation, has released many best-selling recital CDs and taken part in a multitude of other recordings, which have won several international awards. He is extremely interested in other musical genres (including orchestral, and even electronic music), and gave a first concert of his own compositions in 2003. Scholl now teaches at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, in succession to his own teacher Richard Levitt. Having been compared to the famous Baroque singer Senesino, Andreas Scholl is particularly associated with music from the 18th Century

HARMONIA MUNDI GOLD | HMG501682 | CD | 794881852628
Renaissance Lamentations
Huelgas Ensemble, Paul Van Nevel (director)
Founded and directed by Paul Van Nevel, the Huelgas Ensemble has emerged as one of Europe’s premiere vocal ensembles dedicated to the performance of music from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Combining academic erudition with extraordinary skill and verve, the Huelgas Ensemble brings to life long-forgotten works of music that all too often have lain in dark corners of archives and libraries across the European continent. The Huelgas Ensemble has been awarded many prestigious prizes for their work, including the Prix in Honorem from the Academie Charles Cros in 1994, the Diapason d’Or de l’annee in 1996, the German ECHO in 1997 and the Cannes Classical Award in 1998. The group’s first recording for Harmonia Mundi, Lamentations of the Renaissance, was awarded the Diapason d’Or and the Recommande par Classica and was hailed by The Sunday Times as 'impeccably sung' on its initial release.

HARMONIA MUNDI GOLD | HMG501698 | CD | 794881852529
Canta la Maddalena
Maria Cristina Kiehr (soprano), Concerto Soave, Jean-Marc Aymes (director)
Argentinean-born soprano Maria Cristina Kiehr came to Europe and studied under Rene Jacobs at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with the aim of specialising in the Baroque repertoire. At the same time she took courses in vocal technique with Eva Krasnai. She is incontestably one of today’s leading vocal artists in the field of Baroque music and has appeared throughout the world in concerts and recordings. Her extraordinarily rewarding collaboration with the harpsichordist and organist Jean-Marc Aymes led to the founding of the Concerto Soave ensemble which specializes in Italian music of the early baroque period. It is a 'concerto' in the original sense of the term, a rich instrumental palette (composed of harpsichord, organ, arch lute, viola da gamba, harp and other instruments) accompanying a solo singer.

HARMONIA MUNDI GOLD | HMG501711 | CD | 794881852925
CPE Bach Harpsichord Concerto, Cello Concerto, Symphonies
Raphael Alpermann (harpsichord), Peter Bruns (cello), Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin
When, side by side with the official institutions, a number of young musicians from various orchestras in East Berlin founded an ensemble of historic instruments in 1982, they gave a new and decisive impulse to the hitherto timid efforts in the field of early music in the former East German Republic. Since the autumn of 1994 the Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin has recorded exclusively for Harmonia Mundi France. Several of its records have been awarded international prizes (Diapason d’Or, Gramophone Award, Cannes Classical Award, Edison Award, Deutscher Schallplatten-Preis). Under the direction of Rene Jacobs the orchestra is regularly invited to take part in productions at the Berlin Staatsoper. Raphael Alpermann and Peter Bruns are leading exponents of their instruments, ideal soloists in these inventive concertos by CPE Bach.

HARMONIA MUNDI GOLD | HMG501753 | CD | 794881852420
Schumann Frauenliebe und -leben, Lenau-Lieder
Bernarda Fink (mezzo-soprano), Roger Vignoles (piano)
Born in Argentina, with a Slovenian background, Bernarda Fink studied at the Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires. She won the first prize in the Nuevas Voces Liricas Competition in 1985 and then settled in Europe. She performs in opera, concerts and recitals around the world with leading orchestras, conductors and accompanists. The British pianist Roger Vignoles is now internationally recognised as one of the leading piano accompanists of today, regularly partnering the world's finest singers and instrumentalists in the musical capitals of the world. His recordings include several collections of Lieder, French song and cabaret songs. They are perfect partners in this beautiful recording of Schumann's Lieder.

HARMONIA MUNDI GOLD | HMG501778 | CD | 794881851928
Arias for Farinelli
Vivica Genaux (mezzo-soprano), Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin, Rene Jacobs (conductor)
Born in Alaska, the young American mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux first made her reputation in three Rossini leading roles, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Angelina in La Cenerentola and Isabella in L'Italiana in Algeri. Since then her repertoire has been in constant expansion; it now stretches from the Baroque to Italian bel canto. The New York Times wrote: ‘She has a lovely voice, rich and warm, evenly produced throughout all registers, with bright, full top notes. This was a confident and winning debut.’ With such talent, she is an ideal choice to bring to life spectacular arias composed for the Baroque superstar castrato Farinelli. Indeed, with many 18th-century operatic roles to her credit, she combines consummate technique and persuasive dramatic sensibility.

HARMONIA MUNDI GOLD | HMG50249 | CD | 794881852123
Purcell Music for a While
Alfred Deller (countertenor), Wieland Kuijken (viola da gamba), William Christie (harpsichord)
Three giants of early music create an ensemble that is more than the sum of its parts. A pioneer in the revival of 17th- and 18th-century music, legendary countertenor Alfred Deller made his first recording for Harmonia Mundi in 1968, going on to make a further 50 for this label! The conductor, harpsichordist and musicologist William Christie is also an outstanding teacher. He has introduced several generations of singers and instrumentalists to the public – most of the musical directors of today’s French Baroque ensembles began their career with his ensemble, Les Arts Florissants. Viola da gambist Wieland Kuijken became internationally known through many concerts and recordings with his brothers Sigiswald and Barthold, Gustav Leonhardt, Frans Bruggen and Alfred Deller. Who better, then, to perform a selection of Henry Purcell's most famous songs?

HARMONIA MUNDI GOLD | HMG507020 | CD | 794881853021
Kapsberger Il Tedesco della Tiorba - lute music
Paul O'Dette (lute)
One of the most influential figures in his field, O’Dette has helped define the technical and stylistic standards to which 21st-century performers aspire. With more than 100 recordings to his name, O’Dette has been nominated for Gramophone magazine’s Record of the Year Award and has been recognized with multiple Grammy nominations including one for The Bacheler’s Delight (HMU907389). Each volume of his acclaimed series of John Dowland’s Complete Lute Works received the prestigious French Diapason d’Or, and the 5-CD boxed set (HMX290716064) received the Diapason d’Or Of The Year Award. His discography includes Le Secret des Muses (music of Nicolas Vallet, HMU907300) and The Royal Lewters (music of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I’s favorite lutenists, HMU907313), which garnered a CHOC du Monde de la Musique, a Diapason d’Or and the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik.

HARMONIA MUNDI GOLD | HMG507156 | CD | 794881852727
Miracles of Compostella
Anonymous4
Renowned for their unearthly vocal blend and virtuosic ensemble singing, the four women who comprise Anonymous 4 combine musical, literary, and historical scholarship with contemporary performance intuition as they create ingeniously designed programs, often interweaving music with poetry and narrative. Anonymous 4's award-winning recordings for Harmonia Mundi have sold nearly two million copies worldwide. The group performs around the world, entrancing audiences with their pure harmonies and revealing innumerable long-forgotten works from the Middle ages to more modern repertoire, such as may be heard on American Angels (CD: HMU907326, SACD: HMU807326) and Gloryland (CD: HMU907400, SACD: HMU807400).

HARMONIA MUNDI GOLD | HMG507318 | CD | 794881852826
Orthodox Chant
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Paul Hillier (director)
The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir was founded in 1981 by Tonu Kaljuste, its principal conductor and artistic director until 2001, when he invited conductor Paul Hillier to take over the post. The Choir has an extensive repertoire ranging from Gregorian chant to 20th-century music, with special emphasis on Estonian composers, including Arvo Part and Veljo Tormis. The Choir tours regularly in Europe, the United States, Canada, Japan, and Australia. In addition, the Choir has made numerous recordings, many of which have received the highest critical acclaim, including 4 Grammy nominations and the Grammy Award for their recording of Arvo Part's Da Pacem (CD: HMU907401, SACD: HMU807401). Orthodox Chant presents music of the 17th and 18th centuries from St Petersburg.

NAÏVE | ND68532 | CD | 3298490685327
Hunting and Gathering (Ensemble, C'est Tout) Soundtrack
Various Performers
The soundtrack to the film Hunting and Gathering has already sold more than 7,000 copies worldwide and is now available in Australia. Featuring music by Frederic Botton (described by Variety as 'elegant and fitting') orchestrated and directed by Jean-Yves D'Angelo, this album also includes songs by Hard-Fi, Venus, Morcheeba, Yves Montand, and Vivaldi's Violin Concerto in G Minor RV 323. This disc reached No 4 on Amazon in Germany.

NETWORK MEDIEN | WN495120 | CD | 785965951207
The Endless Ocean
Traditional Persian Music
Ensemble Dastan, Salar Aghili (singer)
Dastan is a musical ensemble the spiritual affinity and mutual respect of whose musicians is clearly evident. Salar Aghili is known as 'the sweet-tongued' and the 'beautiful singer' because of his very personal singing style. He sings in the tradition of his master Ta’rif and the internationally famous singer Shadjarian. Aghili's collaboration with the Dastan Ensemble is extraordinary in the magical garden of Persian music and poetry.

NAXOS | 8557042 | CD | 747313204229
Bottesini, Giovanni Music for Double Bass and Piano Vol 2
Joel Quarrington (double bass), Andrew Burashko (piano), Harold Hall Robinson (double bass), James Campbell (clarinet), Monica Whicher (soprano)
Giovanni Bottesini enjoyed a globe-trotting career as 'the Paganini of the double bass'. He was also a successful conductor and a composer, although only the music he wrote for his own instrument has outlived him. Many of the works on this recording emphasize the essential bel canto quality of Bottesini’s inspiration, most explicitly in the dazzling Bellini Fantasia, but also in the duets with clarinet and soprano which demand virtuosity of both feeling and technique. The Concerto No 2 is a fully mature work, from the somewhat laconic first movement, through the simply singing second, to the third, driven by a rhythmic figure typical of the polonaise and the Cuban bolero.

NAXOS | 8557250 | CD | 747313225026
Buxtehude Chamber Music Vol 3
Six Sonatas Without Opus No
John Holloway, Ursula Weiss (violin), Jaap ter Linden, Mogens Rasmussen (viola da gamba), Lars Ulrik Mortensen (harpsichord, organ)
Having been born half a century after Heinrich Schutz, the ‘father of German musicians’, and a little less than half a century before JS Bach, Dietrich Buxtehude was a living link between the founder of Protestant Baroque music and its greatest master. This set of Six Sonatas without opus numbers incorporates all the principal elements in the sonata art of the Lubeck master; the serious yet daringly expressive harmony of his majestic slow movements, masterful fugal technique, melodious and graceful dance movements, and technical virtuosity in the many solo movements. Other Buxtehude Sonatas are available on Naxos: Op 1 (8557248) and Op 2 (8557249).

NAXOS | 8559347 | CD | 636943934722
Flagello Missa Sinfonica, Rosner Symphony No 5
National Radio Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, John McLaughlin Williams (conductor)
This disc brings together the first recordings of two symphonic Masses, orchestral works (without chorus) inspired by and structured according to the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Mass. Both composers, one Roman Catholic (Flagello), the other Jewish (Rosner), were in their late twenties when they wrote their respective works, and both have pursued an aesthetic orientation that would generally be termed 'Neoromantic'. However, while the two works are comparable in concept and dimension, they are dramatically different in musical style and impact (although the same traditional plainchant appears in the Gloria of each work).

NAXOS | 8559360 | CD | 636943936023
Rzewski The People United Will Never Be Defeated, Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues
Ralph van Raat (piano)
The People United Will Never Be Defeated! by the left-wing composer and pianist Frederic Rzewski is a landmark in American piano literature. The work comprises 36 variations on a protest song of the same name by the Chilean composer Sergio Ortega. Almost every bar is laden with pianistic virtuosity, yet the listener is carried through some very complex music in a wholly natural way. The variations themselves all symbolise the different phases and aspects of a struggle: from angry, highly-energised modernism, via melancholic references to blues, calculated dense polyphony and nostalgic folk-music to written-out free jazz passages. Rzewski’s popular Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues, written in 1979 as part of the set North American Ballads, forms a fitting counterpart.

NAXOS | 8570001 | CD | 747313000173
Mendelssohn String Quartets Nos 1, 4, 6
New Zealand String Quartet
With their often turbulent and dark-hued openings, poignant slow movements, elfin Scherzos reminiscent of the music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and tense, thrilling last movements of perpetual motion, Mendelssohn’s String Quartets are works of considerable emotional range and mastery of form. This first disc of the complete String Quartets ranges from the youthful No 1 Op 12 (actually the second of the published quartets) to the great, tragic String Quartet No 6 Op 80, Mendelssohn’s last major work, composed after the death of his sister.

NAXOS | 8570069 | CD | 747313006977
Rautavaara, Einojuhani Symphony No 8, Manhattan Trilogy, Apotheosis
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Pietari Inkinen (conductor)
During the last decade, Einojuhani Rautavaara has become one of the internationally most popular and frequently performed Finnish composers. The 8th Symphony, Rautavaara’s most recent, includes a second movement Scherzo which is among the most propulsive and concentrated pieces of his later output. Manhattan Trilogy (2003-2005) was described by The New York Times, following its world premiere at Carnegie Hall, as 'a reminiscence of the hopes and anxieties of his student years…The outer movements, Daydreams and Dawn, are cast in consonant but freely modulating chord progressions, with achingly beautiful solo lines darting through the thick textures. Even the central Nightmares movement, though darker and more freely dissonant, often has a lush quality.'

NAXOS | 8570149 | CD | 747313014972
Purcell Theatre Music Vol 1
Amphitryon, or the Two Sosias, Sir Barnaby Whigg, The Gordian Knot Unty’d, Circe
Aronoff, Bower, Duyn, Jeffrey, Kettrick, Mahon, McArthur, Tomkins, Aradia Ensemble, Kevin Mallon (director)
Written mostly during the last five years of his life, Purcell’s Theatre Music is a rich and varied collection of some of the composer’s finest melodic inspirations. They include solemn overtures, cheerful and sad songs, as well as delightful dances, either incorporated into the action of the play or performed as preludes and interludes. This first volume of the series includes many gems such as the erotic musical diversion in Amphitryon which takes the form of a Pastoral Dialogue betwixt Thyrsis and Iris, the amorous shepherd begging for, and finally being granted, his heart’s desire; and the series of dances in The Gordian Knot Unty’d, the most delightful of which are the Rondeau, Minuett and the final Chacone.

NAXOS | 8570200 | CD | 747313020072
Perry The Innocents Abroad and other Mark Twain films
Slovak and Rome Philharmonic Orchestras, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, William Perry (conductor)
The six Mark Twain films on this recording present a series of exciting challenges in the variety and range of their musical requirements. The Mysterious Stranger is set in medieval Austria and contains elements of mysticism and other-worldly dreams. The Innocents Abroad takes place in 19th-century California, Paris, Genoa, Venice, Pisa, Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Athens, the Crimea and Cairo, with each location calling for characteristic musical backgrounds. Pudd'nhead Wilson is a murder drama built around themes of slavery and misidentification. Life on The Mississippi evokes the by-gone days of riverboat traffic on the mighty Mississippi. The Private History of a Campaign that Failed carries a compelling anti-war message drawn from events in the Civil and Spanish-American Wars. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is, quite simply, the most famous book in American literature.

NAXOS | 8570283 | CD | 747313028375
R Strauss Four Last Songs
Ricarda Merbeth (soprano), Weimar Staatskapelle, Michael Halasz (conductor)
A year before his death in 1948, Richard Strauss composed his masterpiece, Four Last Songs, expressing a calm acceptance of the inevitability of his own death. Meditations on life, death, and the transition into ‘the magic circle of the night’, the songs rank among the most haunting music ever written. In contrast the six Brentano-Lieder are playful, incandescent and virtuosic settings of Clemens Brentano’s deeply romantic poems.

NAXOS | 8570286 | CD | 747313028672
Rodrigo Guitar Music Vol 1
Jeremy Jouve, Judicael Perroy (guitars)
Joaquin Rodrigo, composer of the celebrated guitar concerto, Concierto de Aranjuez (Naxos 8555841), is acknowledged as one of the great Spanish composers of the 20th Century. Although his compositions for solo guitar comprise no more than some 25 titles, each one is a committed artistic statement intended to do honour to Spain’s national instrument by extending its expressive capabilities. The works range from impressionistic geographically-inspired vignettes to more challenging forms, such as the Sonata giocosa, Rodrigo’s first sonata for the guitar, and distilled essences of traditional dances, such as the fandango in Tres piezas espanolas, as well as some masterpieces that are distinctly in a genre of their own.

NAXOS | 8570299 | CD | 747313029976
Medtner Violin Sonatas Nos 1, 2, Two Canzonas with Dance
Laurence Kayaleh (violin), Paul Stewart (piano)
Distinctly Russian, unabashedly Romantic and full-bodied, yet intellectually devised and highly disciplined, Medtner’s compositions for violin and piano encompass music of rare beauty and power, gratifying for both performer and audience. Violin Sonata No 1, one of his best-known works, was inspired by the myth of Dionysus (or Bacchus), god of wine and intoxication. Known as the 'Spring Sonata', Medtner’s epically-proportioned Violin Sonata No 2 is a work of exile with distinct memories of springtime in Russia in its late romantic textures. The first volume of this series is released on Naxos 8570298.

NAXOS | 8570319 | CD | 747313031979
Sugata Symphonic Overture, Peaceful Dance of Two Dragons
Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, Kazuhiko Komatsu (conductor)
Isotaro Sugata’s compositions may be viewed as a synthesis of several different kinds of Western music, as well as incorporating elements of traditional Japanese imperial music. Inspired by Hindemith, the polyphonic Symphonic Overture is virtually a single-movement symphony. Calling for an orchestra with triple winds and Japanese traditional percussion, Peaceful Dance of Two Dragons is a free and powerful paraphrase of Nasori, a Gagaku dance. Dancing Girl in the Orient, taken from 'Sketches of the Desert' – Suite in Oriental Style, is written in the manner of Rimsky-Korsakov and Ketelbey. The ballet music The Rhythm of Life is an idiosyncratic piece in a primitivistic style, where fragments from Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps are combined with Japanese melodies.

NAXOS | 8570325 | CD | 747313032570
Granados Piano Music Vol 4
Douglas Riva, Jordi Maso (piano)
This final volume in the Naxos edition of Granados’ complete piano music begins with the composer’s final work, an impassioned and colourful transcription of the Intermezzo from the opera Goyescas. The disc also includes several youthful works dedicated to or inspired by women, as well as works inspired by Nature. The intricate Marchas militares for piano duet are among the composer’s most delightful compositions, while the brilliant transcription of Albeniz’s Triana from Iberia is his only work scored for two pianos. 'The Riva series is essential for anyone interested in Spanish piano music.' (MusicWeb International)

NAXOS | 8570341 | CD | 747313034178
Guitar Music of Chile
Various Composers Various Works
Jose Antonio Escobar (guitar)
A new generation of Chilean composers, influenced by national folkloric traditions and the best of contemporary music, is featured in a programme of varied styles, rhythms and concepts. The music of Violeta Parra in guitar arrangements is also presented here for the first time along with recent compositions by Chile’s foremost younger artists. Chilean musicians find themselves at the crossroads of creative development where popular art forms of Chile, South America and Spain converge and classical music merges with the modern.

NAXOS | 8570360 | CD | 747313036073
C Beriot Violin Concertos Nos 2, 3, 5
Philippe Quint (violin), Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Kirk Trevor (conductor)
One of the most distinguished violinists of his time, Charles-Auguste de Beriot was the father of the Franco-Belgian school of violin playing. His ten violin concertos display the youthful elan and high spirits of early Romanticism. Beriot combined elements of the French School charm and taste with the new pyrotechnics pioneered by Paganini. His Concertos Nos 2 and 3 show the immediate influence of Paganini with their brilliant displays of virtuosity and operatic melodies, while the 5th displays Beriot's more playful side. ALSO AVAILABLE Beriot Violin Concertos Nos 1, 8 & 9 (Naxos 8555104)

NAXOS | 8570425 | CD | 747313042579
Balada Maria Sabina, Dionisio in memoriam
Susi Sanchez, Angel Saiz, Fernando Tejedor, Carlos Hipolito (narrators), Orchestra and Chorus of the Comunidad de Madrid, Jose Ramon Encinar (conductor)
The Barcelona-born composer Leonardo Balada is credited with pioneering a blending of ethnic music with avant-garde techniques. The symphonic tragedy María Sabina, one of Balada’s best-known works, tells the extraordinary story of Sabina, a Mexican Indian mushroom-cult priestess who meets fierce resistance from her people when endeavouring to open the holy rituals to the outside world. Some of the text in Balada’s work is based on her incantations, of which the composer has written, 'While composing the work, the power of the text was so extraordinary that I felt inspired by it. I recall composing the music even when I was travelling, in airports or hotels'. The cantata Dionisio: In Memoriam is a homage to Dionisio Ridruejo, a poet and politician from Soria, Spain, on whose ideological, philosophical and descriptive writings the work is based.

NAXOS | 8570438 | CD | 747313043873
Tchaikovsky Complete Songs Vol 5
Includes Six French Songs Op 65, Hamlet Op 67a (excerpts) and other songs
Ljuba Kazarnovskaya (soprano), Ljuba Orfenova (piano)
This is the final disc in the Naxos edition of the complete Tchaikovsky songs, which represent a little-known but highly characteristic facet of his musical personality. 'Kazarnovskaya possesses a soprano rich in timbre and powerful in projection... Tchaikovsky’s ever-ingenious melodic gift combined with Kazarnovskaya’s ever-probing and emotive singing make for a continually engaging program, one that you will no doubt play many times over.' (Classics Today on Vol 3 (Naxos 8555371) ALSO AVAILABLE Vol 1 (8554357), Vol 2 (8554358) & Vol 4 (8570409).

NAXOS | 8570443 | CD | 747313044375
Villa-Rojo Concierto Plateresco, Concierto II, Serenata
Hansjorg Schellenberger (oboe), Asier Polo (cello), Orquesta de Camara Reina Sofía, Nicolas Chumachenco (conductor)
Jesus Villa-Rojo is one of the most dynamic figures on the Spanish music scene today. Almost all Villa-Rojo’s works of the last twenty years or more feature certain constants originating from Spanish musical tradition, some melodic or modal, others based on specific intervals or colours. In the Concierto plateresco, he filters these through the prism of the Renaissance, a high-point in Spanish cultural and artistic history. Written in 2004 to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Reina Sofía Chamber Orchestra, the sparkling Serenata too has points of reference in musical history, both past and present. Concierto 2, for cello – here given in its revised version, with string orchestra – is a key work in Villa-Rojo’s compositional career. Dating from 1983, the work is notable for its instrumental virtuosity and pent-up dramatic tension.

NAXOS | 8570485 | CD | 747313048571
Haydn Piano Concertos Nos 3, 4, 9, 11
Sebastian Knauer (piano), Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Helmut Muller-Bruhl (conductor)
While, unlike Mozart, Haydn never made a living as a keyboard soloist, he nevertheless came nearest to Mozart in the best known of his keyboard concertos, No 11 in D major. First performed in Paris in 1784 this is a work of the composer’s maturity, with strikingly dramatic contrasts, an expressive slow movement and an infectious Hungarian Rondo. Although slight by comparison, if not in craftsmanship, Concerto No 3 is notable for its wistful slow movement and lively Finale, while No 4, with its elaborate solo part, includes a dramatic and sombre Andante cantabile, and an exuberant Rondo.

NAXOS | 8570532 | CD | 747313053278
Kapustin Piano Works
John Salmon (piano)
Kapustin’s pianistic textures are rich, spanning the entire keyboard, with melodies in every register, sweeping arpeggios, tons of chords, and a fantastic array of runs. Such music is Kapustin’s birthright: Ukrainian born and Moscow trained, he has Medtner, Rachmaninov and Scriabin in his veins. But the jazz side is equally authentic, incorporating the fleet pianism of Oscar Peterson and the harmonic volatility and technical exuberance of Art Tatum. Kapustin’s music also encompasses more modern sounds, such as McCoy Tyner’s quartal voicings and the pop-tinged stylings of Keith Jarrett.

NAXOS | 8570534 | CD | 747313053476
Bartok The Wooden Prince
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop (conductor)
The Wooden Prince is a fairy tale ballet with an original story by Bartok’s literary acquaintance Bela Balazs, who had also written the libretto to Bluebeard’s Castle (available on Naxos 8660928). Though outwardly sunny in its subject matter, The Wooden Prince has a mystical side that may explain Bartok’s attraction to the story. The ballet’s opening pages have often been compared to the opening of Wagner’s Das Rheingold, and the majestic heart of the score lies in the glorious music Bartok wrote to accompany the prince’s apotheosis.

NAXOS | 8570541 | CD | 747313054176
Elgar Part-Songs
includes My Love Dwelt in a Northern Land, Evening Scene, The Shower, The Fountain, Death on the Hills
Cambridge University Chamber Choir, Iain Farrington (piano), Christopher Robinson (conductor)
When Elgar’s popular part-song My Love Dwelt in a Northern Land was published in 1890, a ready market for such pieces had been established by the competition festival movement, itself fuelled by the enormous growth in the number of choirs. This wide-ranging selection features several of Elgar’s finest songs, including his best-known work in the genre As Torrents in Summer, which boasts a memorable tune, the highly original and chromatic Owls, probably the strangest that Elgar ever set, and the ambitious and bitonal There is Sweet Music which the composer himself described as ‘a clinker, and the best I have done’.

NAXOS | 8570554 | CD | 747313055470
Godard Violin Concerto No 2, Concerto Romantique, Scenes Poetiques
Chloe Hanslip (violin), Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra Kosice, Kirk Trevor (conductor)
As a boy Benjamin Godard was a celebrated violin prodigy, but later turned to composition as his life’s work. With the notable exception of the ever-popular Berceuse from the opera Jocelyn, most of Godard’s works have fallen out of the repertoire. A thorough romantic in the Schumann- Mendelssohn mould, Godard was best known for his short atmospheric pieces and stage works, while his short piano pieces have recently garnered new respect. Two of his most successful longer works are the Concerto Romantique and the Violin Concerto No 2, both featuring deft virtuoso writing for the violin and the romantic sensibility of the mid-19th century.

NAXOS | 8570721 | CD | 747313072170
Szymanowski Symphonies Nos 2, 3
Ryszard Minkiewicz (tenor), Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, Antoni Wit (conductor)
Composed in 1910, at a time when Szymanowski was influenced by Richard Strauss, Reger and Scriabin, the unusually structured Symphony No 2 is a work of great power and invention, with many passionate and varied contrasts in its use of solo instruments, in particular the violin. Szymanowski’s Symphony No 3 ‘Song of the Night’, in which orchestra, tenor and choir are subtly blended in a continuous web of intoxicating sound, is a ravishing setting of a Polish translation of a poem by the great medieval Persian mystic known as Mevlana, our Master, Jalal ad-Din, which evokes the mysteries and beauty of a starlit Persian night.

NAXOS | 8669018 | CD | 730099691826
Wheeler The Construction of Boston
William Hite (tenor), Charles Blandy (tenor), Marcus DeLoach (baritone), Krista River (mezzo-soprano), Christopheren Nomura (baritone), Elizabeth Anker (contralto), Christine Swistro (soprano), Sharla Nafziger (soprano), Chorus and Orchestra of The Boston
The Boston Cecilia’s concert performance of Scott Wheeler’s one-act opera on 1 April, 2007, in New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, was hailed with a Boston Globe headline: 'CONSTRUCTION OF BOSTON is a love note to the city'. Drawing on a cast of brilliant, young, mostly Boston-based vocal artists, a chorus of established reputation in music old and new, and an outstanding orchestra comprised of first rank professional instrumentalists, Wheeler’s witty, first foray into the operatic genre got a brilliant reading under the baton of veteran conductor Donald Teeters: 'Teeters led everything with remarkable sensitivity to both text and architecture'. (Boston Phoenix)

NAXOS | 866019899 | CD2 | 730099019873
Mayr L'Amor Coniugale
Cinzia Rizzone (soprano), Francescantonio Bille (tenor), Tatjana Charalgina (soprano), Dariusz Machej (bass), Giovanni Bellavia (bass-baritone), Bradley Trammell (tenor), Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra, Christopher Franklin (conductor)
Based, like Beethoven’s opera Fidelio, on the original French libretto by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, Mayr’s opera L’amor coniugale (Conjugal Love) won considerable success at its first performance in Padua in 1805. The story of the faithful wife seeking the release of her innocent husband from unjust imprisonment and imminent death, by disguising herself as a boy and serving as assistant to the gaoler, is transposed, in Mayr’s version, from real events during the French Revolution to personal conflict and inter-personal relationships in the exotic setting of seventeenth-century Poland.

NAXOS | 2110552 | DVD | 0747313555253
Chinese Musical Journey - Shanghai
Traditional Chinese Music
Various Performers
The music chosen for this tour of Shanghai is played on traditional Chinese instruments. Performing the music are the wind and string ensembles known as 'silk and bamboo', from their silk strings and bamboo pipes, and ensembles that also include percussion. Instruments given prominence include the dizi, heard first in Moonlight Autumn Night by the Lake, a transverse bamboo flute, and the yangqin, a Chinese dulcimer whose strings are struck with two bamboo sticks. Traditional Chinese music, like Chinese painting, is largely representational, its character indicated in its titles, although these may sometimes be drawn from opera or from poems.

NAXOS | 2110553 | DVD | 0747313555352
Chinese Musical Journey - Hangzhou
Traditional Chinese Music
Various Performers
The music chosen for this tour of Hangzhou is played on traditional Chinese instruments. Unusually there is a Bach Minuet, transcribed for the Chinese dulcimer, the yangqin, used to accompany a visit to a silk museum. Other instruments heard include the dizi, the Chinese bamboo transverse flute, and ensembles of wind and strings, known as 'silk and bamboo' from their silk strings and bamboo pipes. Traditional Chinese music, like Chinese painting, is generally associated with a scene or poem, as revealed in its evocative titles.

NAXOS | 2110554 | DVD | 0747313555451
Chinese Musical Journey - Xian
Traditional Chinese Music
Various Performers
The music chosen for this tour of Xi'an is played on traditional Chinese instruments. The excerpts include, to accompany the terracotta warriors, a contemporary composition inspired by Zhang Ji's poem 'Night at the Maple Bridge' giving particular prominence to the zhongruan, a form of Chinese lute of ancient origin. Other instruments heard are the Chinese transverse bamboo flute, the dizi, the Chinese plucked zither, the guqin, and the Chinese lute, the pipa. A glimpse of operatic stage performance finds a place for a Shaanxi opera tune, an example of the music to be heard in the many regional forms of Chinese opera.

NAXOS | 2110555 | DVD | 0747313555550
Chinese Musical Journey - Guilin
Traditional Chinese Music
Various Performers
The music chosen for this tour of Guilin is played on traditional Chinese instruments. Performing the music are wind and string ensembles known as 'silk and bamboo', from their silk strings and bamboo pipes, and ensembles that also include percussion. Instruments given prominence include the dizi, a transverse bamboo flute, its characteristic timbre produced by a vibrating membrane over one of the holes, the yangqin, a Chinese dulcimer whose strings are struck with two bamboo sticks. Happy Family and Three Five Seven feature the Chinese shawm, or the suona, and the sheng, a free-reed mouth organ, can be heard in the music that accompanies Longsheng Waterfall. Traditional Chinese music, like Chinese painting, is largely representational, its character indicated in its titles, although these may sometimes be drawn from opera or from poems.

NAXOS AUDIOBOOKS | 285812 | CD2 | 9789626348581
The Enchanted Castle abridged
by Edith Nesbit
read by Joanna Page
The stories of Edith Nesbit (1858 - 1924) remain popular today and are among Naxos AudioBooks' best sellers. In The Enchanted Castle, three children - Jerry (bossy), Jimmy (hungry) and Kathleen (sensible) - find themselves standing in front of a bejewelled princess in the garden of an enchanted castle. It is the first day of their summer holidays. Is she really a princess? And if she isn't, what about her ring, which makes the wearer invisible? ALSO AVAILABLE Five Children and It (230512), The Phoenix and the Carpet (232012), The Railway Children (208512), The Story of the Amulet (246112), The Treasure Seekers (232812) and The Wouldbegoods (333612).

NAXOS AUDIOBOOKS | 285912 | CD2 | 9789626348598
What Katy Did abridged
by Susan Coolidge
read by Laurel Lefkow
The childhood and adolescence of Sarah Chauncy Woolsey (1835-1905), who wrote under the pseudonym Susan Coolidge, provided the material for her famous series of books about Katy Carr. She's impulsive, gangly, adventurous, awkward and brave; she loves clambering over fences, sitting on roofs, making up games and going for picnics with her five brothers and sisters (much to the horror of her Aunt Izzie!). But when she falls from a swing, she suddenly has to cope with being stuck indoors - maybe forever. What Katy Did is fresh, lively, funny and moving; and Katy herself is a warm and loving character whom readers have taken to their hearts for more than a hundred and thirty years. This is the only recording of this enduring classic and includes lively music to underpin the story. Laurel Lefkow, who received excellent reviews for her reading of Eleanor H. Porter's Pollyanna (346912), brings Katy's tomboyish adventures to life.

NAXOS AUDIOBOOKS | 791712 | CD7 | 9789626349175
The Gathering
by Anne Enright
Read by Fiona Shaw
Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2007, Anne Enright’s fourth novel is sophisticated and unflinching. The timeless themes of love, death and human weakness are explored in Enright’s characteristically subtle, beautiful prose. One day on Brighton beach, wayward but vulnerable Liam Hegarty drowns himself in the sea. His sister Veronica, trying to come to terms with the suicide of her beloved brother, begins to take a closer look at her dysfunctional family’s history in an attempt to pinpoint the moment at which their lives began to unravel. We are drawn gradually into Veronica’s world as she forces herself to face the inescapable facts of her past, present and future, driven by the need to find some form of resolution. In a powerful reading, Fiona Shaw brings Anne Enright’s novel vividly to life.

NAXOS AUDIOBOOKS | 985712 | CD9 | 9789626348574
Our Mutual Friend abridged
by Charles Dickens
read by David Timson
A mysterious boatman on the Thames, a drowned heir, a dustman and his wife, and a host of other Dickens characters populate this novel of relationships between the classes, money, greed and love. Written between 1864 and 1865, this is Dickens' last completed novel and one of his finest works. David Timson received considerable praise for his vivid characterisations in the unabridged 28-CD recording (Naxos AudioBooks 44212), which is now presented in this more economical 9-CD set. There are no other versions available on CD. ALSO AVAILABLE: A Christmas Carol (332912), Bleak House abridged (844312), Bleak House unabridged (43112), Classic Ghost Stories by Dickens and MR James (245912), David Copperfield (415112), Great Expectations abridged (408212), Great Expectations unabridged (46212), Hard Times (311012), Nicholas Nickleby (632612), Oliver Twist (425912), The Pickwick Papers (416612), A Tale of Two Cities abridged (305712) and A Tale of Two Cities unabridged (35912).

AEON | AE0858 | CD | 3760058368589
Mahler Ruckert-Lieder, Wagner Wesendonck-Lieder
Felicity Lott (mezzo-soprano), Quatuor Schumann

AMBRONAY | AMY014 | CD | 3760135100149
Denoye Mass for Chorus and Orchestra
Le Parlement de Musique, La Maitrise de Bretagne, Martin Gester (conductor)

APR | APR5586 | CD | 5024709155866
Schumann Carnaval, Kinderszenen, Arabeske, Symphonic Etudes
Sergio Fiorentino (piano)

BIS | BISCD1637 | CD | 7318590016374
Christian Poltera plays Frank Martin
Martin Cello Concerto, Ballad for Cello and Piano, 8 Preludes for Piano
Christian Poltera (cello), Kathryn Stott (piano), Malmo Symphony Orchestra, Tuomas Ollila-Hannikainen (conductor)

BIS | BISCD165354 | CD2 | 7318591653547
Bortz His Name Was Orestes
Anita Bjork (narrator), Annalena Persson, Ingrid Tobiasson, Marianne Eklof, Anna Larsson, Anders Larsson, Olle Persson, Esa Ruuttunen, Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, Dan Laurin (recorder), Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Alan Gilbert (conductor)

BIS | BISNLCD5031 | CD | 7318590050316
Folkjul - A Swedish Folk Christmas
Christmas Songs in folk-inspired arrangements
Sofia Karlsson, Emma Hardelin (vocalists), Lisa Rydberg (violin), Gunnar Idenstam (organ), St Jacobs Chamber Choir, Gary Graden (conductor)

CALLIOPE | CAL9384 | CD | 794881860425
Beethoven Septet Op 20, Blanc Septet Op 40
Octuor de France

CHANDOS | CHAN0749 | CD | 095115074923
Fire and Ashes - Monteverdi Madrigals
Monteverdi Ballo - Tirsi e Clori, Chiomo d'oro, Vorrei baciarti, Ardo avvampo, Ogni amante, con dolce tormento, E cosi a poco a poco, Batto qui pianse, Che dar piu, Si ch'io vorrei, Rimante in pace, Sestina
I Fagiolini, Robert Hollingworth (director)

CHANDOS | CHAN10345 | CD | 095115145821
Marsh Symphonies
London Mozart Players, Matthias Bamert (conductor)

CHANDOS | CHAN10452 | CD | 095115145227
Scott Cello Concerto, Symphony No 1
Paul Watkins (cello), BBC Philharmonic, Martyn Brabbins (conductor)

CHANDOS | CHAN10454X | CD | 095115145425
Nielsen Music for Wind Instruments
Wind Quintet, Serenata, Two Fantasies Op 2, Canto Serioso, The Mother Incidental Music Op 14
Athena Ensemble

CPO | CPO7771812 | SACD | 761203718122
Melchior Franck Busspsalmen Nuernberg 1615
Weser-Renaissance Bremen, Manfred Cordes (conductor)

CPO | CPO7772242 | CD | 761203722426
Beethoven Trio Op 11 'Gassenhauer-Trio', Lannoy Trio Op 15
Dieter Kloecker (clarinet), Guido Schiefen (cello), Olaf Dressler (fortepiano)

CPO | CPO7772272 | CD | 761203722723
Ries String Quartets Vol 2
String Quartet No 2, String Quartet No 20
Schuppanzigh Quartet

CPO | CPO7773002 | CD | 761203730025
Brahms Serenades Nos 1, 2
Capella Augustina, Andreas Spering (conductor)

CPO | CPO7773112 | CD | 761203731121
Roentgen Aus Goethes Faust
Machteld Baumans, Marcel Beekman, Andre Morsch, Andre Post, Mark Richardson, Denis Wilgenhof, Koor van de Nationale Reisopera Enschede, Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, David Porcelijn (conductor)

CPO | CPO7773352 | CD | 761203733521
Herzogenberg Piano Trios No 1 Op 24, No 2 Op 36
ATOS Trio

CPO | CPO7773462 | CD2 | 761203734627
Erlebach Sacred Cantatas
Dorothee Mields, Margaret Hunter, Alexander Schneider, Andreas Post, Matthias Viewegg, Les Amis de Philippe, Ludger Remy (director)

CPO | CPO7773682 | CD | 761203736829
Ferlendis Oboe Concertos Nos 1-3, Sonatas for Oboe and Flute
Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano and Trento, Diego Dini-Ciacci (oboe, direction)

CPO | CPO9997862 | CD | 761203978625
Villa-Lobos Symphony No 10 'Amerindia'
Lothar Odinius, Henryk Boehm, Juergen Linn, Stuttgart State Opera Choir, SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Carl St Clair (conductor)

CPO | CPO9999882 | CD | 761203998821
Cimarosa Dixit Dominus
Cinzia Rizzone, Sylvia Rottensteiner, Gregory Bonfatti, Coro I musici Cantori di Trento, Coro Voci Roveretane, Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano di Trento, Fabio Pirona (conductor)

ETCERERA | KTC1311 | CD | 8711801101323
Scheidemann Harpsichord Music
Pieter Dirksen (harpsichord)

ETCERERA | KTC1319 | CD | 8711801101460
Sweelinck Choral Works Vol 2
Netherlands Chamber Choir, instrumental ensemble, Peter Phillips, Philippe Herreweghe, Jan Boeke (conductors)

ETCERERA | KTC1321 | CD | 8711801101514
Franssens Roaring Rotterdam, Harmony of the Spheres Part 1
Netherlands Chamber Choir, Netherlands Radio Orchestra, Elma van den Dool (soprano), Netherlands Radio Choir, Gerd Albrecht, Tonu Kaljuste (conductors)

ETCERERA | KTC1332 | CD2 | 8711801101774
Schubert Works for Fortepiano Vol 3
Sonatas D845, D459, D960, D575
Jan Vermeulen (fortepiano)

ETCERERA | KTC1359 | CD2 | 8711801101965
Orthel Orchestral Works and Chamber Music
CD 1: Evocazione, Symphonies Nos 3, 4 CD 2: Songs Op 33, Op 54, Op 26, Etudes Caprices, Capriccio, Sonatines Nos 5, 6, Hommage en forme d'etude
Ank Reinders (soprano), Ruud van der Meer (bass-baritone), instrumental soloists, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Jean Fournet, Wilem van Otterloo, Anton Kersjes (conductors)

ETCERERA | KTC4024 | CD | 8711801101835
De Boeck Orchestral Works
Dahomenian Rhapsody, Violin Concerto, Nocturne, In The Barn, The Little King of the Rhine, Fantasy on Two Flemish Folk Songs
Nang Kim (violin), Flemish Radio Orchestra, Marc Soustrot (conductor)

GLOBE | GLO5216 | CD | 8711525521605
French Choral Music Vol 2
Messiaen Trois Petites Liturgies de la Presence Divine, Daniel-Lesur La Cantique des Cantiques, Jolivet Madrigal
Netherlands Chamber Choir, Tonu Kaluste (conductor)

GLOBE | GLO5227 | CD | 8711525522701
Divisions and Fantasias
Various Composer including Tollett, Coprario, Aston, Lawes, Simpson, Mell
Saskia Coolen (recorder, viola da gamba), Rainer Zipperling (viola da gamba), Patrick Ayrton (harpsichord, organ)

HAENSSLER CLASSIC | CD93202 | CD | 4010276019893
Rihm Dis-Kontur, Lichrzwang, Sub-Kontur
Janos Negyesy (violin), SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg, Sylvain Cambreling, Ernest Bour (conductors)

HARMONIA MUNDI | HMC901960 | CD | 794881868629
Bach Early Works
Toccatas, Suite in A minor, Capriccio on the Departure of his Beloved Brother
Andreas Staier (harpsichord)

HARMONIA MUNDI | HMU807470 | SACD | 093046747060
Beethoven Symphony No 3, Contredances, The Creatures of Prometheus finale
Helsingborgs Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Manze (conductor)

HARMONIA MUNDI | HMC901988 | CD | 794881868223
Schubert Sehnsucht
Matthias Goerne (baritone), Elisabeth Leonskaja (piano)

HARMONIA MUNDI | HMC90200203 | CD2 | 794881875221
Schubert Piano Trios Nos 1, 2, Notturno, Sonata Movement
Trio Wanderer

K617 | K617206 | CD | 3383510002069
Ludford Missa Benedicta, Antiennes Votives
Choir of New College Oxford, Edward Higginbottom (conductor)

LIGIA | LIG103188 | CD | 3487549901888
Chopin Nocturnes, Mazurkas, Waltzes
Mazurkas Opp 9, 27, 32, 72, Mazurkas Opp 17, 67, Waltzes Op 64, 69
Laurent Martin (piano)

LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA | LPO0031 | CD | 85499000131
Turnage Twice Through The Heart, Hidden Love Songs, The Thorn Fields
Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano), Martin Robertson (soprano saxophone), Gerald Finley (baritone), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Marin Alsop (conductor)

MEDICI MASTERS | MM0212 | CD | 827565030521
Bruckner Symphony No 8
Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, Otto Klemperer (conductor)

MEDICI MASTERS | MM0222 | CD | 827565030620
Respighi The Pines of Rome, Impressioni Brasiliane, La Boutique fantasque
Philharmonia Orchestra, Alceo Galliera (conductor)

MEDICI MASTERS | MM0232 | CD | 827565030729
Wieniawski Violin Concerto No 2, Paganini Violin Concerto No 1
Saint-Saens Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Sarasate Zigeunerweisen, Dinicu Hora Staccato
Michael Rabin (violin), Philharmonia Orchestra, Eugene Goossens (conductor), Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, Felix Slatkin (conductor)

MEDICI MASTERS | MM0242 | CD | 827565030828
Beethoven Piano Concerto No 3, Piano Sonatas Nos 23, 28
Friedrich Gulda (piano), Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mario Rossi (conductor)

MEDICI MASTERS | MM0252 | CD | 827565030927
Falla El Amor Brujo, Nights in the Gardens of Spain, La Vida Breve
Teresa Berganza (mezzo-soprano), Gonzalo Soriano (piano), Orchestre National de la Radioffusion Francaise, Gran Orquestra Sinfonica, Ataulfo Argenta (conductor)

MELODYIA | MELCD1000156 | CD | 4600317001569
Glazunov Forest, Sea, Oriental Rhapsody
USSR Symphony Orchestra, Evgeni Svetlanov (conductor)

MELODYIA | MELCD1000547 | CD | 4600317005475
Haydn, Mozart, Schumann Piano Trios
Emil Gilels (piano), Leonid Kogan (violin), Mstislav Rostropovich (cello)

MELODYIA | MELCD1000660 | CD | 4600317006601
Russian Christmas
Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker excerpts, December from The Seasons, Legend and other works, Rebikov Waltz from The Christmas Tree, Glazunov Winter from The Seasons
Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky (conductor), USSR State Academic Symphony Orchestra, Evgeni Svetlanov (conductor), USSR Ministry of Culture Chorus, Valery Polyansky (conductor)

MIRARE | MIR025 | CD | 3760127220251
Schubert Piano Sonata D960, Piano Pieces D946
Emmanuel Strosser (piano)

MIRARE | MIR043 | CD | 3760127220435
Schubert Impromptus, Wanderer Fantasy, Lieder transcribed by Liszt
Brigitte Engerer (piano)

MIRARE | MIR045 | CD | 3760127220459
Schubert Symphony No 9 'The Great'
Orchestre National de Bordeaux, Kwame Ryan (conductor)

MIRARE | MIR051 | CD | 3760127220510
Schubert Mass No 6 D950
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra and Vocal Ensemble, Michel Corboz (conductor)

MIRARE | MIR052 | CD | 3760127220527
Schubert Trout Quintet, Piano Trio No 2 Op 100
Trio Chausson, Penelope Poincheval (double bass), Noriko Inoue (viola)

NAÏVE | OP30443 | CD | 709861304431
Vivaldi Arie Ritrovate (Rediscovered Arias), Violin Concerto
Arias from La verita in cimento, Orlando furioso, Scanderbeg, Teuzzone, Tito Manlio
Sonia Prina (contralto), Stefano Montanari (violin), Accademia Bizantina, Ottavio Dantone (director)

NAÏVE | V5121 | CD2 | 822186051214
Bach Cello Suites
Anne Gastinel (cello)

NAÏVE | V5122 | CD | 822186051221
Franck Violin Sonata in A Major, Shostakovich Violin Sonata
Sergey Khachatryan (violin), Lusine Khachatryan (piano)

ONDINE | ODE10905 | SACD | 0761195109052
Rautavaara Manhatten Trilogy, Symphony No 3
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Leif Segerstam (conductor)

ORFEO | ORFC754081 | CD | 4011790754123
Beethoven Symphony No 9
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (soprano), Elisabeth Hoengen (alto), Hans Hopf (tenor), Otto Edelmann (bass), Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus, Wilhelm Furtwangler (conductor)

PENTATONE | PTC5186030 | SACD | 827949003066
Bruckner Symphony No 9
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Marek Janowski (conductor)

PENTATONE | PTC5186308 | SACD | 827949030864
Brahms Symphonies Nos 2, 3
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Marek Janowski (conductor)

PRAGA DIGITALS | PRDDSD250240 | SACD | 794881857623
Schubert String Quartet in G D887, String Trios D471, D581
Prazak Quartet, Beethoven String Trio

PRAGA DIGITALS | PRDDSD350030 | SACD4 | 794881840724
Schubert String Quartets Nos 1-12
Zemlinsky Quartet

PROFIL MEDIEN | PH08018 | CD | 881488801859
CPE Bach Symphonies in G Wq182 No 1, in G Wq173, in E Wq182
Florian Birsak (harpsichord), Camerata Salzburg, Roger Norrington (conductor)

PROFIL MEDIEN | PH08022 | CD | 881488802252
Mayr Confitebor Tibi - Psalms, Motets, Concerti
Mechthild Bach (soprano), Elisabeth Popien (alto), Hans Jorg Mammel (tenor), Gotthold Schwarz (bass), Capella Weilburgensis Vocalis, L'Arpa Festante Baroque Orchestra Munich, Doris Hagel (conductor)

PROFIL MEDIEN | PH08026 | CD | 881488802658
Donizetti Messa di Requiem
Virtuosi di Praga, Prague Chamber Choir, Alexander Rahbari (conductor)

PROPRIUS | PRSACD2041 | CD | 822359320413
Georg Gulyas Plays Bach
JS Bach Chaconne BWV1004, Suites in E minor BWv996, in A minor BWV997
Georg Gulyas (guitar)

SOLI DEO GLORIA | SDG138 | CD2 | 843183013821
Bach Cantatas Vol 27
Bach Cantatas for Whit Tuesday - Erwuenschtes Freudenlicht BWV184, Er rufet seinem Schafen mit Namen BWV175, Brandenburg Concerto No 3, Cantatas for Trinity Sunday - Hoechsterwuenschtes Freudenfest BWV194, Es ist ein trotzig und verzagt Ding BWV176 O heil'ges Geist- und Wasserbad BWV165, Gelobet sei der Herr mein Gott BWV129
Lisa Larsson, Nathalie Stutzmann, Christoph Genz, Stephen Loges, Ruth Holton, Daniel Taylor, Paul Agnew, Peter Harvey, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner

SOLI DEO GLORIA | SDG141 | CD2 | 843183014125
Bach Cantatas Vol 3
Bach Cantatas for the 4th and 5th Sundays after Trinity - Ein ungerfaerbt Gemuete BWV24, Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe BWV185, Ich ruf zu dir Herr Jesu Christ BWV177, Gott ist mein Koenig BWV71, Cantatas for the 5th Sunday after Trinity - Aus der Tiefen ruhe ich Herr zu dir BWV131, Wer nur den lieben Gott Laesst walten BWV93, Siehe ich will viel Fischer aussenden BWV88
Magdalena Kozena, Nathalie Stuzmann, Paul Agnew, Nicolas Teste, Joanne Lunn, William Towers, Kobe van Rensburg, Peter Harvey, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner

SUPRAPHON | SU3931 | CD | 09992539120
Vivaldi The Four Seasons
Concerto for Two Violins in D minor BWV1043
Pavel Sporcl (violin), Prague Philharmonia

SUPRAPHON | SU39322 | CD | 099925393229
Dvorak Serenade for String Orchestra Op 22, Serenade for Winds
Prague Philharmonia, Jakub Hrusa (conductor)

TAHRA | TAH645 | CD | 3504129064518
Dvorak Cello Concerto, Schumann Cello Concerto
Pierre Fournier (cello), Hans Rosbaud, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt (conductors)

TAHRA | TAH651 | CD | 3504129065119
Imaginary Concert
Ravel Concerto for Piano Left Hand, Smetana The Moldau, Tchaikovsky Symphony No 4
Robert Casadesus (piano), Orchestre de l'Opera de Vienne, Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hermann Scerchen (conductor)

TESTAMENT | SBT21416 | CD2 | 0749677141622
Verdi I Vespri Siciliani
Maria Callas (soprano), Giorgio Kokolios-Bardi (tenor), Boris Christoff (bass), Enzo Mascherini (baritone), Teatro Comunale di Firenze, Erich Kleiber (conductor)

WIGMORE HALL LIVE | WHLIVE0021 | CD | 5065000924218
Finzi Dies Natalis, Romance for Strings, Walton Sonata for Strings
Toby Spence (tenor), Scottish Ensemble

ZIG ZAG | ZZT080201 | CD | 3760009291621
Sor Goyescas Seguidillas Boleras
Laberintos Ingeniosos, Xavier Diaz-Latorre (guitar, conductor)

ZIG ZAG | ZZT080203 | CD | 3760009291645
Philidor Oboe Suites
Antoine Torunczyk, Alfredo Bernardini (oboe), L'Assemblee des Honnestes Curieux

ARTHAUS | K101305 | DVD12 | 807280130591
Walter Felenstein Edition
DVD 1: Beethoven Fidelio DVD 2: Janacek The Cunning Little Vixen DVD 3-4: Mozart Don Giovanni DVD 5-6: Verdi Otello DVD 7-8: Offenbach The Tales of Hoffmann DVD 9-10: Offenbach Bluebeard DVD 11-12: Mozart The Marriage of Figaro
Komische Oper Berlin

ARTHAUS | K101453 | DVD | 807280145397
The Reichsorchester - The Berlin Philharmonic and the Third Reich
A film by Enrique Sanchez Lansch, Berlin Philharmonic

ARTHAUS | K102137 | DVD | 807280213799
The Dvorak Cycle Vol 2
Dvorak Biblical Songs, Violin Concerto, Te Deum
Livia Agova (soprano), Eva Randova (alto), Ivan Kusnjer (baritone), Ivan Zenaty (violin), Prague Philharmonic Choir, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Jiri Belohlavek (conductor)

EUROARTS | 2056138 | DVD | 880242561381
Strauss Alpine Symphony
Staatskapelle Dresden, Giuseppe Sinopoli (conductor)

EUROARTS | 2072168 | DVD | 880242721686
Schubert Symphony No 9, Schumann Manfred Overture
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein (conductor)

EUROARTS | 2072228 | DVD | 880242722287
Mozart Sinfonia Concertante, Serenata Notturna
Kremerata Baltica, Gidon Kremer (violin, leader)

EUROARTS | 2072268 | DVD | 880242722683
Holst The Planets, Debussy La Mer
Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy (conductor)

NAÏVE | V5116 | DVD | 0822186051160
Transcriptions Limited Edition, A Film By Andy Sommer - NTSC
Accentus, Laurence Equilbey (director)

OPUS ARTE | OA0988D | DVD3 | 809478009887
Wagner Tristan und Isolde
Robert Gambill, Nina Stemme, Katarina Karneus, Bo Skovhus, Rene Pape, Stephen Gadd, Timothy Robinson, Richard Mosley-Evans, Glyndebourne Chorus, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Jiri Belohlavek (conductor)

OPUS ARTE | OA0989D | DVD2 | 809478009894
Mussorgsky Khovanshchina
Vladimir Ognovenko, Vladimir Galouzine, Robert Brubaker, Nikolai Putilin, Vladimir Vaneev, Elena Zaremba, Gran Teatro del Liceu, Stein Winge (conductor)

OPUS ARTE | OA0991D | DVD2 | 809478009917
Stravinsky The Rake's Progress
Laura Claycomb, Andrew Kennedy, William Shimell, Julianne Young, Dagmar Peckova, Darren Jeffery, Donal J Byrne, La Monnaie de Munt, Kaxushi Ono (conductor)

OPUS ARTE | OABD7003D | BRDVD | 809478070030
Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night's Dream
Pacific Northwest Ballet, BBC Concert Orchestra, Stewart Kershaw (conductor)

OPUS ARTE | OAHD5005D | HDDVD | 809478050056
Cecilia and Bryn at Glyndebourne
Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro, La Clemenza di Tito, Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflote excerpts, Rossini Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Semiramide excerpts, Haydn L'anima del Filosofo excerpt, Donizetti L'Elisir d'Amore excerpt, Handel Judas Maccabeus excerpt
Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo-soprano), Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Myung-Whun Chung (conductor)

OPUS ARTE | OAHD5006D | HDDVD | 809478050063
Verdi Il Trovatore
Jose Cura, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Yvonne Naef, Veronica Villarroel, Royal Opera House Covent Garden Chorus and Orchestra, Carlo Rizzi (conductor)

CHANDOS | CHAN10453 | CD | 095115145326
Gypsy Strings
Various Composers Put Out Your Cigarettes And Dance, Firefly, Bulgarian Lament, Caravan, The Lark, Five Naked Ladybirds, Last Train To Barking, Swifts In Flight, Copanitza, Slower One, Bessarabyanka, Polka, Hot Doina
Adam Summerhayes (violin), Emil Chakalov (violin), London Concertante

CPO | CPO7772842 | CD | 761203728428
Harald Banter and the Media Band Vol 2
German Evergreens and Film Hits
The Media Band, Harald Banter (conductor)

DAQUI | 332033 | CD | 794881850020
Langoni
Mzee William Ingosi Mwoshi, Ingosi Stars

DRG | DRGCD19107 | CD | 021471910728
Judy Garland at The Grove
Judy Garland

DRG | DRGCD19109 | CD | 021471910926
Say Darling
Original Broadway Cast 1958

DRG | DRGCD19112 | CD | 021471911220
Annie Get Your Gun
Doris Day, Robert Goulet, Studio Cast 1963

LE CHANT DU MONDE | CM574156670 | CD5 | 794881865123
Django Reinhardt Plays Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt (guitar)

LE CHANT DU MONDE | CM574157175 | CD5 | 794881865222
Stephane Grappelli Swinging With Django Reinhardt
Stephane Grappelli (violin), Django Reinhardt (guitar)

MARABI | MRB468232 | CD2 | 794881875726
The Kinshasa-Abidjan Rumba Sessions
Wendo Kolosoy, Rumbanella Band, Victoria Bakolo, Miziki, Antoine Moundanda, Likembe Geant

NAÏVE | NV810311 | CD | 3298498103113
TranSylvania
Tony Gatlif, Delphine Mantoulet
Beata Palya (Hungarian gypsy singer), Sandu Ciorba, Alexandra Beaujard, 80 musicians from Transylvania

RADIO FRANCE | SIG11049 | CD | 794881875627
Corps Eletriques (Electric Bodies)
Hector Zazou (electronics), Katie Jane Garside (vocal), Bill Rieflin (keyboard, percussion), Lone Kent (guitar), Nils Peter Molvaer (trumpet)

WORLD VILLAGE | WV498018 | CD | 8427592001055
Troileana
Liliana Barrios (tango singer), Walter Rios (bandoneon), Horacio Romo (bandoneon), Juan Alberto Pugliano (piano), Juan Pablo Navarro (bass), Jorge Perez Tedesco (cello), Leonardo Ferreyra (violin)

ZIG ZAG | ZZT080101 | CD | 3760009291614
Bach-Coltrane
Raphael Imbert Project, Quatuor Manfred

STORYVILLE JAZZ | 26033 | DVD | 880491260332
Duke Ellington and His Orchestra 1929-43

STORYVILLE JAZZ | 26035 | DVD | 880491260356
Dizzy Gillespie Jivin In Be-Bop

STORYVILLE JAZZ | 26053 | DVD | 880491260530
Cab Calloway Hi-De-Ho