Arguably the greatest opera ever written, the Mozart/Da Ponte depiction of the last twenty-four hours of the legendary libertine is performed here in the standard version combining the two versions Mozart prepared. Abbado offers modern instruments with certain nods to period performance practice–many appoggiaturas, comparatively fleet tempos, and some modest ornamentation.

On this stunning album, Anna Netrebko delivers spine-tingling renditions of arias by four of the greatest composers of Italian opera: Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Conducted by the great Claudio Abbado, this is a true masterpiece—a must have for any fan of opera or orchestral music.

For collectors of Claudio Abbado's recordings, the performances on this three-discs Japanese Esoteric label's remastered release of the Italian conductor's digital recordings of Brahms' symphonies with the Berliner Philharmoniker may seem redundant, since the symphonies were previously released as single discs in the late '80s and early '90s on Deutsche Grammophon. But this box set marks the first hybrid SACD release of historical recording selections. These new audio versions feature Esoteric's proprietary re-mastering process to achieve the highest level of sound quality.

On this stunning album, Anna Netrebko delivers spine-tingling renditions of arias by four of the greatest composers of Italian opera: Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Conducted by the great Claudio Abbado, this is a true masterpiece - a must have for any fan of opera or orchestral music.

Representing some of Claudio Abbado's final recordings before his death in January 2014, this album celebrates the conductor's legacy with stunning performances from soloists and the Orchestra Mozart. The Mozart concerto was spearheaded by Lucas Macias Navarro, solo oboe of the Concertgebow Amsterdam, who has received lavish praise for his playing here. Haydn's delightful "Sinfonia Concertante" completes the programme.

As with just about all the Mahler symphonies, Abbado has made multiple recordings of the Fifth, but this, his first, remains his finest, and an exceptional performance by any standard. It has all of the famed Chicago virtuosity but also a welcome attention to detail and willingness to savor a phrase that you almost never find with Solti’s Chicago Mahler. It’s great to hear a coda to the second movement that for once does not sound anti-climactic. We expect the horn playing in the scherzo to be stunning, and so it is, but the music also has grace, charm, and plenty of atmosphere at an appropriately relaxed basic tempo that, as you can hear, leaves plenty of space for the big moments to expand.

Newly remastered at Emil Berliner Studios. Abbado’s years with the London Symphony Orchestra resulted in three celebrated sets with the Spanish mezzo Teresa Berganza in central roles – and few could be more “central” than Bizet’s Carmen. Made in 1977, the recording followed staged performances directed by Piero Fagioni at the Edinburgh Festival. Berganza had studied the Carmen story, immersed herself in the opera’s background and delivered a characterization that emphasized the gipsy’s nobility, while Abbado’s conducting was both dramatic and vividly coloured.