This 11-song audiophile compilation from the German Clearaudio collects such Classical Music demonstration material as Mozart's "Alla turca" and "Menuet D major", Beethoven's "For Elise", Rachmaninov's "Etude E flat minor", Brahms' "Hungarian Dance" and Schubert's "Serenade" among others. Classic Bestseller No. 1 uses a unique recording technique which contains an unusually wide dynamic range, making it ideal for listening tests and real comparison of the sound quality of different high fidelity components.

These are fresh, lithe and lean studio performances of old favourites, given by a fine Dutch cellist with an alert conductor-less Bremen chamber orchestra. Most arresting is the Saint-Saëns, freed from the overblown dramatic intensity familiar from performances by some 'big' cello virtuosi. The outer movements, are separated by an archaic 'escaped minuet', to quote Wispelwey's intelligent notes; the finale is an expanded version of the first. Balance is good, the cello a little more forward than it would generally be in concert. Good impressions are maintained in all the other items, the rococo variations light as befits a tribute to Mozart, the Bruch melody soulful and involving.

Apparently Couperin's music is extraordinarily difficult to perform; artists heard here are recognized as masters of the repertory. Mieneke van der Velden plays a 1617 viola da gamba as well as another instrument from 1768; Glen Wilson plays a contemporary harpsichord copied after a French instrument dating to the mid-18th century. They produce a rich sound which doubtless will appeal strongly to those interested in this repertory. On this recording they are larger than life, placed primarily in front of the listener but with much reflected sound as well.

First in the "Showcase" series, this is a test/reference disc for people interested in music and serious High Fidelity and who wants to test or enjoy good Hi-Fi equipment with a carefully made selection of acoustic music, World, Folk, Blues, Jazz and Classical music in a harmonic mixture - from an audiophile Swedish label Opus 3.

The 3rd release in the bestselling Opus 3 "Showcase" series featuring beloved Artists from the world-wide renowned and respected Audiophile Label, Opus 3 Records. Previous Showcase releases from Opus 3 Records is the Showcase (Opus3 SACD # 21000) and Showcase 2005 (Opus3 SACD # 22050). Showcase 2013 includes Opus 3 favorite artists: Eric Bibb, B.B. Driftwood, Sticks & Stones, Maria Winther and many more. On Showcase 2013 Opus 3 Records gives you a nice variety of music from their latest releases ranging from Blues, Rockabilly, Jazz, World Music, and Bluegrass.

Sue Halloran, Jeanne O'Connor and Holli Ross were all working as professional solo singers in New York when they were brought together to perform at a nostalgia-oriented concert. Since then the group has created a repertoire that ranges from authentic re-creations of Boswell Sisters songs from the 1930s, to adventurous original jazz arrangements. The Pearls' charming show can move from Andrews Sisters to Sinatra, Basie, Carole King, Brazilian, and bebop. For "It Don't Mean A Thing" they are compile an album of jazz favorites.

LSO Live celebrates the 90th birthday of one of the conducting world's greats - Bernard Haitink. Few artists have a deeper understanding of the music of Beethoven than the celebrated Dutch conductor, who is known for his mastery of the great symphonic repertoire. This album focuses on Haitink's interpretations of Beethoven's concerto writing, coupling a new recording of the Piano Concerto No.2 by Maria Joao Pires with a virtuosic performance of the Triple Concerto by Lars Vogt, Gordan Nikolitch and Tim Hugh, which was originally made alongside Haitink's now iconic cycle of the composer's complete symphonies.

LSO Live presents the first in a series exploring the complete symphonies of Felix Mendelssohn under the baton of Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Also featured on this release is the eminent Portuguese pianist, Maria João Pires, in the inaugural concerto recording on the label. Inspired by his travels to the British Isles and full of the influence of the rolling Scottish landscape, both Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 "Scottish" and his Hebrides Overture are amongst the composer's most popular and celebrated works.

Otto Klemperer made many great recordings, especially conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra for EMI. This disc combines recordings made in 1960 (nine) and 1963 (eight). The remastering has deepened the tonal range and sound-stage and generally warmed the sound and they can be described as being very creditable for their vintage. The performances have authority and are both strong statements and are among the highlights of the later Klemperer discography.

Vladimir Ashkenazy, who was appointed principal conductor of the Sydney Symphony in 2009, puts his orchestra through its paces in this vibrant Exton album. Far less frequently performed and recorded than the darker First Symphony, Edward Elgar's Second Symphony in E flat major is a work written on an exceptionally grand scale. Elgar scored the symphony for an extended triple woodwind section, extra percussion, and even two harps.

This Mendelssohn's trios disc from the Hamlet Trio, a group just four years old, boasts performances that shine with confidence and immediacy. Good things abound: in the D minor, the second movement’s tempo is spot-on, and the piano’s opening soliloquy persuasively done, while the scherzo sizzles without losing sight of an underlying elegance. The opening Allegro energico of the C minor, too, is certainly not short on fire.

Harold Mabern is a hard bop, post-bop and soul jazz pianist and composer. He is described in The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings as "one of the great post-bop pianists." On this release, Mabern is joined by Nat Reeves on bass, Joe Farnsworth on drums, and Eric Alexander on tenor sax.

Harold Mabern was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1936 and spent some of his early years in Chicago before moving to New York in the early 1960s. There he began to work with Lionel Hampton, Art Farmer's Jazztet and J.J. Johnson. Mabern has accompanied many vocalists including Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughan, Dakota Staton, Irene Reid and Arthur Prysock. He's also worked with Roland Kirk, Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Roy Haynes, Wes Montgomery, Clark Terry, Billy Harper, Joe Newman and George Coleman. On this record, he's joined by Joe Farnsworth and Dwayne Burno.

Here is another fascinating issue in their SACD series. Again Dutton Vocalion (Epoch) have been able to obtain original four-track surround recordings never before issued in multi-channel SACD. Artur Rubinsteun is soloist in Rachmaninoff, Saint-Saëns' Piano Concertos and De Falla's Nights In The Gardens Of Spain, with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra.