This remarkable vocal album, which won the prestigious Amadeus Music Award in 2003, features soprano Anna Netrbko in stunning renditions of works by Puccini, Berlioz, Mozart, Bellini, and Dvorák among others. A multiple Grammy-nominee and the first opera singer ever to be named to the TIME 100 list (Time magazine’s list of the most influential people in the world), Netrebko takes on these masterworks with startling vivacity and vocal virtuosity.

Tchaikovsky's six symphonie by Valery Gergiev leading the Vienna Philharmonic contains performances that are undeniably fire-breathing, undoubtedly heaven-storming, and inarguably heart-on-sleeve. Gergiev, one of the most exciting Russian conductors, leads the works with a combination of reckless passion, imperious command, and unbearable drama that is his hallmark, and the Vienna Philharmonic, one of the finest Austrian orchestras, plays the works with a combination of superb polish, impeccable technique, and warm colors that are its trademark and the fusion is absolutely riveting.

PentaTone’s third release from Rafael Kubelik’s acclaimed Beethoven cycle of symphonies in its Remastered Classics series is his commanding reading of the sixth, seventh and eighth symphonies performed by the Orchestre de Paris, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra.

The Viena Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini performing Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 in D minor. The reissue of classical music masterpieces by Esoteric has attracted a lot of attention, both for its uncompromising commitment to recreating the original master sound. This series 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.

This famous 1971 recording of Beethoven's Sixth by the Wiener Philharmoniker under Karl Böhm, now considered a reference, has been called one of the best versions ever recorded and one of Böhm's greatest career performances. On this programme it is paired with Schubert's Symphony No. 5, a 1979 recording which Gramophone praised as a "superb version of this lovely symphony".

Recordings of such important music entities as the Vienna Philharmonic and Herbert von Karajan are always going to be of importance, and this set is no exception. It highlights a conductor in the twilight of his career with repertoire he was acutely familiar with, and had recorded many, many times. Japanese Esoteric label have produced to be the definitive issue of such recordings.

Led by Karl Böhm, the 3rd and 4th symphonies have long been recognised as classics of the Gramophone, but the ‘Vienna Philharmonic Bruckner cycle’ also contains several less-familiar recordings. Böhm's lyrical and expansive approach to Bruckner is probably best suited to the 7th symphony, which was certainly the best recorded legacy. Also on the disc the eight symphony of the Nowak edition, including the 1976 studio recording for Deutsche Grammophon.

Valery Gergiev turns in a generally fine Symphonie fantastique, one that really heats up in the last two movements, as any good performance must. The March to the Scaffold has an aptly menacing character, with very clearly voiced timpani and plenty of panache to the brass playing. The finale begins quite quickly and never lets up; it has the special Berliozian frenzy that so many versions never manage to capture. Elsewhere the results are a bit more variable…

The word ‘vision’ is much misused these days yet to talk of Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s ‘view’ of Anton Bruckner’s Fifth won’t quite do. This is more a realisation than an interpretation, musically vivid but spiritually serene.

This remarkable vocal album, which won the prestigious Amadeus Music Award in 2003, features soprano Anna Netrbko in stunning renditions of works by Puccini, Berlioz, Mozart, Bellini, and Dvorák among others. A multiple Grammy-nominee and the first opera singer ever to be named to the TIME 100 list (Time magazine’s list of the most influential people in the world), Netrebko takes on these masterworks with startling vivacity and vocal virtuosity.

The art of the Swiss pianist of Hungarian origin Géza Anda, which is as unmistakable as it is elusive, is revealed even more impressively in the concert recordings of his career spanning almost 35 years than in the studio recordings, many of which have remained a reference. The numerous surviving concert recordings show the image of an artist who is committed to unconditional dedication and great expressivity. This is impressively demonstrated by the live recordings of Mozart's B flat major Concerto K. 456 and Johannes Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1, published here for the first time, which occupy a special place and rank in Anda's oeuvre.

By 90th anniversary of Decca's founding and 30 years after Herbert von Karajan's death, following three orchestral recordings by Karajan & Vienna Philharmonic have been converted from the original master to DSD by British Classic Sound. The Symphony No. 1 have been recorded by Karajan for Decca in 1959; Symphony No. 3 and Tragic Overture in 1961.

"Bravo Mozart!" exclaimed Emperor Joseph II as he stood up and tipped his hat at the end of the first performance of Piano Concerto No. 18 KV 456 , played by Mozart himself on 30 September 1784.

Leonard Bernstein conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker for these legendary recordings from 1977-1979 of Ludwig van Beethoven's 9 Symphonies in this Limited Edition SACDs set. A set that in the realism of its engineering, in the poised polished execution of the Vienna Philharmonic, and in the controlled, tasteful vigor of Bernstein's conducting sets standards of Beethoven playing. Despite the age the pairing of Bernstein and the VPO was always quite special and the set has stood the test of time remarkably well, remaining an excellent choice for anybody looking for a Beethoven symphony cycle.

With immaculate sound quality and sonics, renowned conductor Carl Schuricht leads the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra through Bruckner’s historic Ninth Symphony. Commanding with gentle assurance and unparalleled artistry, Schuricht delivers an intense reading overflowing with vitality. The orchestra’s performance is powerful and detailed.