‘None of this music is what one might expect of a Celtic harp-and-fiddle duo; all of it is wonderful.’ – Baker & Taylor CD Hotlist

‘Immersing myself in Warner Classics’ 27-disc collection of Lars Vogt’s early recordings was a lovely way to remember this wonderful musician. Even more special was his coupling of Mozart piano concertos – the vivacious Jeunehomme and the brooding C minor – in what must have been among his very last studio sessions.’ – Gramophone

‘The musicians really take their time here – a poignant reminder that our musical journeys are meant to be savoured.’ – Gramophone

‘The present recording stems from live performances that took place at Rome’s Auditorium Conciliazione in 2013, featuring the late Massimiliano Damerini, who handles the daunting piano part brilliantly and confidently. …he positively opens up and thrives in front of an audience.’ – ClassicsToday.com

‘These interpretations are played in the best Mozart tradition. The performers remain true to themselves and represent their Mozart style in the most beautiful way: melodic, bright in sound, bouncy in articulation and with the necessary drive, but also sensitive where appropriate.’ – Pizzicato

‘Elena Valentini and Matteo Liva play this expansion of the original with charm and ease. …The two musicians are also very familiar with their individual rhythmic sensibilities, so that there are no shortcomings in their coordination.’ – Pizzicato ★★★★★

‘The performers offer these works with a light touch and without any artificial heaviness. The cellist [Yablonsky] develops his parts with a sure hand and is able to present the music, which sometimes leads to heights that are unusual for a cello, without any technical compromises. Laia Martin offers the piano part in a cultivated and carefully rehearsed manner.’ – Pizzicato

‘…[Laurence Kayaleh and Bernadene Blaha] know how to translate these experiences into very appealing interpretations that show the two artists as sensitive players. …they offer powerful, expansive passages, so that the music both finds its resting points and is actively driven forward.’ – Pizzicato ★★★★★

‘…the genius of Ligeti is his unclassifiable oeuvre comprising a singular musical vision that looked forward while nodding to the past. The works on this disc (superbly played by the Verona Quartet) bare this out.’ – The Flip Side

‘…I very much enjoyed the obscure Piccolo Concertos played by Francesco Viola.’ – Doctorjohn Cheaptubeaudio: Audio Reviews and More

‘…an intriguing glimpse of the work of Robert Shaw and his Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus from nearly fifty years ago.’ – Classical Music Daily

‘…this is one of the finest recordings of the Fifth to have come my way for some time. …from the start, one feels an impressive sense of conviction in the reading. …The playing is extremely fine, transparent and expressive in quieter passages while maintaining energy in the symphony’s extended tutti passages.’ – Gramophone

Brahms’ early songs express an exuberance that may surprise those who are unfamiliar with this element of his music making. The Op. 6 set includes a Mediterranean-flavoured song in bolero rhythm and songs of hope and joy, displaying an apparent simplicity that was hard-won and the product of constant refinement. Based on folk songs, the Op. 14 collection is astonishingly varied, ranging from folk melodies to medieval harmonies and Baroque-styled richness. Elsewhere Brahms charts more melodious, elegiac settings in the Op. 19 set and confronts melancholy and loss in Op. 48.

‘…well worth hearing—and repeating. Highly recommended.’ – ClassicsToday.com

‘…I have been impressed by Slatkin and the St Louis forces before… This recording is equally fine.’ – Classical Music Daily

‘A magnificent gift to the late composer…and a treat for Arnold fans and movie buffs alike—this is a must for film music collectors.’ – ClassicsToday.com

‘For a long period the composer considered it his favorite work, representing a summation of his first compositional period.’ – American Record Guide

‘The music on this disc reveals a composer with a fine ear for vocal writing. The music sounds well conceived for the voices and the accompaniments are, without exception, effective and complement the singing very well.’ – MusicWeb International

‘Arnesen creates an atmosphere of rapt spirituality, of peace, and of angelic exaltation.’ – Fanfare

‘Tombeau Resplendissant…[is] a terrific piece with a remarkable ending of quiet unison line fading out into oblivion.’ – American Record Guide

‘The Naxos recording of Jane Eyre…is probably the best of Adriano’s…film music series. The music is brooding, eerie, melodramatic, and abundantly melodic. Tempos are well judged, and the Slovak ensemble does well capturing the composer’s unique sound…warmly recommended.’ – American Record Guide

‘The recording is…exemplary, with wide dynamic range and good detail, allowing us to enjoy the characterful treble sounds and the well-extended and very ‘present’ quiet bass sounds.’ – MusicWeb International

‘This complete recording brings the music to the forefront in excellent sound and is beautifully played by the Moscow Symphony. The addition of the cut music brings cohesiveness to the score, allowing for a better assessment of the music.’ – American Record Guide

‘William Stromberg conducts all the music; the playing and the sound are excellent.’ – American Record Guide

‘…Winpenny delivers a fine performance and lets Messiaen’s intensely personal expression of faith speak through the music without getting in the way.’ – Choir & Organ

‘…fascinating in its abstraction…The recommendation is all the more warm because the Livre d’orgue is accompanied by an attractive verse that Winpenny imbues with Gregorian elegance, and a Tristan and Isolde Love Theme, the signature of this period of Messiaen, which is a discovery.’ – Diapason

‘We are fortunate to have some of the best piano sounds I’ve heard from Naxos here—and they are normally very good. Capturing this kind of dynamic range with clarity and fullness is a rare feat. At the price this is indispensable for anyone with a liking for this kind of music.’ – American Record Guide

‘…Tulev, himself once a singer in the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, writes for chorus with confidence and creativity.’ – Fanfare

‘Nordgren’s music is consistently interesting, and the various musical styles match the atmosphere of the films. It is quite different from anything you might think of as film music, but is definitely worth your time.’ – American Record Guide

‘A wide-ranging survey of Dove’s shorter secular choral works, including the title work written in memory of his mother, Deirdre.’ – Gramophone

‘The songs are brilliant, harmonically ambitious, melodically difficult, and captivating. Hyldig is terrific. I like Bruun’s energy and wish her high notes had more shimmer. It’s noticeably lacking from an otherwise great recording.’ – American Record Guide

‘I enjoyed this disc enormously and would urge music-lovers to buy it at once…’ – MusicWeb International

‘Winpenny again gives wonderful performances’ – American Record Guide

‘This selection of vocal and instrumental works centres on the telling contrast between the highly dramatic Mass (juxtaposing the liturgy with the Book of Revelation) and the secular world of Philip Larkin’s poetry (spoken rather than sung, but given musical backing and commentary evoking jazz legend Sidney Bechet).’ – Gramophone

‘Thomas Bloch is a good composer and no slouch when it comes to playing these odd and very interesting instruments. His music won me over right away – it’s beautiful music that you can lose yourself in.’ – American Record Guide

‘A small-scale, a cappella Christmas piece for soprano solo and four-part divided choir. It’s a hidden gem of Pott’s music, with a gentle beginning broadening out into a soaring soprano solo that sits over a clever set of variations on that opening material.’ – Gramophone

‘Sanderling’s interpretation of [Appalachia] is sympathetic, especially in the protracted evocation of the dawn. The tempi are well chosen and the handling of Delius’s poetic orchestration, not least in its richer Straussian garb, is nicely poised. The chorus also evinces a sense of quasi-informality in its ‘free’ sound and delivery, ideal for the choral conclusion.’ – Gramophone

Ernest Newman, senior among London music critics, writing in the Sunday Times, spoke for everyone: ‘Nothing so electrifying has been heard in a London concert-room for years,’ he declared, ‘The tone was magnificent, the precision perfect, the reading a miracle of fire and beauty’ …and more in similar vein echoed through other music pages.

Not available in the United States due to possible copyright restrictions

Dear Thomas, I am quite delighted with your last record which has just been sent to me … the three best records of my work are your Cuckoo, Summernight & Walk to the Paradise Garden …’ – Frederick Delius

Not available in the United States due to possible copyright restrictions

‘There always was a unique alchemy between the art of Sir Thomas Beecham and the music of Frederick Delius, and you can detect it in every bar of this remarkable January 1938 recording of Appalachia.’ – Gramophone

Not available in the United States due to possible copyright restrictions

‘Loy masses his choral scenes with gusto, and draws the characters with compassion and wit. It’s the mixture of cheerfulness and melancholy that makes this opera sing, and Loy walks the line without compromise to his own aesthetic.’ – Gramophone

‘In terms of performance, it is hard to imagine a better account. Tempu Ishijima is the boy soprano from the Vienna Boys Choir who takes the title role, brilliantly. His mother, the mezzo Dshamilja Kaiser, is strong of voice and acts perfectly… Norwegian conductor Magnus Loddgard conducts with great sensitivity, his tempi just perfect throughout with plenty of space for the vocal lines to breathe.’ – Classical Explorer

A timeless classic story is presented in a brand new production full of fairy-tale magic and superb dancing.

‘When it comes to Nutcrackers, there is simply nothing to beat it.’ – The Times

‘Fresh and reinvigorated – Nutcrackers come and Nutcrackers go but the Royal Ballet’s version is a hardy perennial.’ – The Stage

‘Conductor Raphaël Pichon, soprano Sabine Devieilhe – and that’s just the start of an impressive list of creative collaborators, making this Lakmé a thrilling watch.’ – Gramophone

Tchaikovsky’s ravishing score, period designs by Julia Trevelyan Oman (including an ingenious magical Christmas tree), an exquisite Sugar Plum Fairy (Miyako Yoshida) and chivalrous Prince (Steven McRae), the mysterious Drosselmeyer (Gary Avis) and vibrant dancing by The Royal Ballet make for a captivating performance.

‘Filming is good in all three ballets and the helpful notes are by Dowell, Tim Scholl, and Wiley.’ – Ballet Review

Treading a tightrope between death, life and intense romance in the opulent world of 19th-century Habsburg royalty, Elisabeth tells the story of the beautiful Empress of Austria, from her wedding, to her tragic assassination by the hand of the Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni. Ongoing dark obsessions and inner turmoil are undercurrents as family schisms flare up amidst a crumbling empire. These powerful themes and a potent score brimming with fabulous music have combined to establish Elisabeth as the most successful German-language musical of all time. This spectacular open-air event presents Elisabeth at the fabled empress’s real-life home Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.

‘Loy masses his choral scenes with gusto, and draws the characters with compassion and wit. It’s the mixture of cheerfulness and melancholy that makes this opera sing, and Loy walks the line without compromise to his own aesthetic.’ – Gramophone

Yuri Grigorovich deals with Hoffmann’s fantastic imagery and takes ideas from the Marius Petipa’ scenario : battle of the mice, snowflakes flurry, characters dances executed by little doll that came to life… The most talented soloists of the Bolshoi Ballet appear in this production as Nina Kaptsova (Marie) and Artem Ovcharenko (the Nutcracker Prince) or Denis Savin (Drosselmeyer). The Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra is conducted by Pavel Klinichev.

Over a decade of dance is represented here with no fewer than 22 ballets in this magnificent 15-disc collection of stunning performances by The Royal Ballet, including spectacular stagings of well-known narrative ballets, era-defining abstract works and show-stopping shorter ballets.