The 2010-2011 edition of the traditional New Year's Eve Gala concert by the Berlin Philharmonic showcases infectious energy and exceptional artistry, as Venezuelan maestro Gustavo Dudamel leads the orchestra in a program of full-blooded Latin passion. The program includes works by Berlioz, Saint-Saлns, Bizet and de Falla, with operatic excerpts sung by the most sought after Carmen of recent years, mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca.

The six Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin by JS Bach are regarded by many as the greatest works for the violin ever written. They have been described as "legendary and monumental", "the profound work of genius" and "representing the very pinnacle of human achievement, a transcendence, through music, to another world". Demanding a technical mastery and innate musical understanding on the part of the soloist these works have been recorded by the most revered violinists of the past century. With this recording Richard Tognetti confirms his place as one of the world's finest violinists providing his own distinctive and unique interpretation of these beloved works.

The lean sound of the small ensemble enables you to clearly hear countless details that are obscured on even the best modern orchestra recordings. Steven Lubin's performances, and the different instruments he uses, are carefully attuned to the qualities of each individual concerto. His performances are triumphs of insight and expressiveness, and Hogwood makes sure the orchestra stays with him in every detail. My only major complaint about this set is that the wasted space on the third disc, which contains only the Emperor Concerto, should have been used for more Beethoven.

This stunning concert from London's O2 Arena sees Katherine Jenkins raise her live performance to a whole new level. Theatrical, spectacular and exciting the show reveals a whole range of new talents from Katherine to set alongside her wonderful voice. Here she is singer, dancer, actress and circus performer across a range of music running from virtuoso classical pieces to standards, cabaret, musical theatre and rock, ably backed by a troupe of singers, dancers and performers with an orchestra and a band. The concert is brilliantly staged with dramatic lighting, stage sets and costumes and presents Katherine Jenkins as you've never seen her before!

Newly remastered from a Voice of America mono off-line aircheck, one hears more detail and ambiance here than in previous reissues of this controversial performance taped live at Carnegie Hall April 6th, 1962. The conductor's infamous "disclaimer" disassociating himself from Glenn Gould's slow tempi is preserved along with a snippet from an interview in which Gould defends both his interpretation and Bernstein's actions. The first movement starts slow, but insidiously speeds up to a tempo not far from the norm. Flickering in and out of Bernstein's turgid orchestral backdrop, Gould downplays the music's fiery intensity, seeking to emphasize its meditative qualities and contrapuntal implications. If Sony wanted to issue a Gould Brahms D- Minor, why not the more incisive, and far better-engineered October 1962 Baltimore version?

This is an SACD reissue on Alia Vox of a CD originally released in 1996 as Astrée 8717. Fans of Savall know that his conducting reflects similar values to his viola da gamba solos: a nuanced view of phrasing, exceptional attention to the beauty and clarity of textures, and a knowledge of appropriate embellishments. These qualities can be found in some of the outstanding slow movements on this disc, most notably “Love’s a Sweet Passion” from act III of The Fairy Queen. Savall’s version takes 3:06 to play; by comparison, Goodman/Parley of Instruments (Hyperion 67001) gives it to us at 1:34; and Gardiner/English Baroque Soloists (Archiv Produktion 992902) is not much longer.

The New Year Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic (in German: Das Neujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker) is a concert of classical music that takes place each year in the morning of January 1 in Vienna, Austria. It is broadcast around the world to an estimated audience of 50 million in 72 countries.

With the exception of the Fourth Symphony, Gunter Wand's Berlin Bruckner remakes have not surpassed their NDR predecessors. The reason isn't hard to fathom: NDR is the better of the two orchestras in this music at present, and the evidence is right there on the discs themselves. During his tenure as music director, Claudio Abbado has replaced approximately two-thirds of the Philharmonic's personnel, and however fine these newcomers may be individually, as an ensemble the Berlin Philharmonic is a young group that has not yet found its corporate voice. Contrast this to Wand's years of work at NDR almost exclusively in the Brahms/Bruckner/Beethoven core German repertoire, and it should come as no surprise that his earlier efforts supercede a one-off guest gig in Berlin, however much rehearsal time he might have had. Still, this being Wand and Bruckner, the results are bound to be at least good, so when reading the following comments please insert the adverb "comparatively" before every descriptive adjective.

With 40 tracks, and over 2½ hours of classical favourites, this double album features the best and most popular names in classical music, ranging from present day superstars to classical legends. An instant collection of the most commercial and beautiful classical music that will have a wide appeal.

Many listeners who know Beethoven's symphonies, concertos, piano sonatas, or quartets are unfamiliar with his five sonatas for cello and piano. But this genre finds Beethoven at the top of his form. Even though Beethoven composed only five of these works, he wrote them during each of his major styles, from the early works of opus 5, to the great middle-period work, opus 69, and to the final two sonatas of opus 102, similar in style to the late piano sonatas and quartets. Only the symphonies, string quartets, piano sonatas, and the five cello sonatas show Beethoven in all three of his "manners" of composition. The cello sonatas show Beethoven at his best in each period.

Ya wanna know what a Saturday night at the Apollo was really like back in the heyday? Well, bend an ear to this Collectors Choice Music exclusive! It was nights like these that made the Apollo one of the most famous clubs in the world: six of the biggest soul acts in the biz leavin it all on stage up in Harlem, with King Coleman the urbane host (he changed into a new outfit before every act). Check out this line-up: The Falcons - 'You re So Fine'; 'Alabama Bound'; Otis Redding - 'Pain in My Heart'; 'These Arms of Mine' (listen to one of the young females in the audience answer Right here to Otis plaintive Where can my baby be? in the first song!); Doris Troy (herself a one-time Apollo usherette) - 'Misty'; 'Say Yeah'; Rufus Thomas - 'Rockin Chair'; 'Walkin the Dog'; The Coasters - 'T ain t Nothin to Me'; 'Speedo s Back in Town', and 'Groovin '; 'Don t Play That Song', and 'Stand by Me' from headliner Ben E. King. But this is all just preparation for the grand finale, a round-robin version from all of the acts of Ray Charles What d I Say, as another unforgettable Saturday night at the Apollo comes to a glorious end. And we got it all on tape.

The modern popularity of Baroque music is a striking contrast to its original reception. Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons,' written in 1725, was hardly noticed by music critics until it was revived in the early 1920s. Today it is one of the most recognized compositions of all time. Each mellifluent movement has worked its way into our common cultural language.
This disc, which features a CD-ROM encoding of a video for the "Winter" movement (both Macintosh- and PC-compatible), is a 1993 recording of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. This talented young group is bringing new popularity to its music through nontraditional means. The "Winter" video, which received its broadcast premier on The Weather Channel, gained the attention of a new audience.

There's no denying that Frank Sinatra was one of the greatest singers of his–or any–age. At the height of his powers, he could have sung a page from the Slough telephone directory and had a Number One hit. Lucky for us, then, that he worked with some of the finest writers and arrangers in music. The songs on 20 Classic Tracks are, for the most part, just that: 20 songs, culled from his vast EMI back catalogue, that give a good overview of Old Blue Eyes' finest works: "Come Fly With Me", "Cheek To Cheek", "April In Paris", "Baubles, Bangles And Beads". This is one of the better Sinatra compilations you're likely to find.

Composer: Béla Bartók
Conductor: Iván Fischer
Orchestra/Ensemble: Budapest Festival Orchestra, Slovak Folk Ensemble Chorus, Hungarian Radio Chorus

Excellence abounds when it comes to the Brahms Piano Trios on disc, especially considering recent versions from Nicholas Angelich and the Capuçons (Virgin), the Florestan Trio (Hyperion), and the Abegg Trio (Tacet). To these references we now can add the Trio Wanderer, who has thoroughly digested, internalized, and transcended these scores' technical and musical challenges. So many marvelous details transpire over the course of the performances that it is difficult to know where to begin.