Bringing his acclaimed Mendelssohn cycle to a rousing conclusion, Sir John Eliot Gardiner presents the composer s symphony-cantata, 'Lobgesang', in his first ever performance of the work. Three world-class soloists join the LSO and his own Monteverdi Choir for this recording for LSO Live. Mendelssohn wrote that the piece 'lies very near my heart', and with its stately grandeur and religiosity, plus its sheer magnitude, twice the length of any of his other symphonies, it stands amongst his most impressive works.

If one did not know that French violinist Renaud Capucon had gotten married just two days earlier, one might almost have guessed it from these extraordinarily joyful recordings he made of Beethoven's and Korngold's violin concertos. Capucon was already well known among classical music cognoscenti from his many chamber music recordings for his supple phrasing, effortless lyricism, sweet tone, and big sound.

This is volume three in the Doric String Quartet’s ongoing exploration of Haydn’s complete string quartets, already highly praised by major international media and regularly supported by concerts in the world’s greatest venues, from Carnegie and Wigmore halls to the Royal Concertgebouw. The Op. 64 Quartets date from a time of great change for Haydn, compared with the previously recorded Op. 20 and Op. 76. Not only was Haydn preparing for the greatest adventure of his life – what would turn out to be the first of two trips to London – at the time of their composition, in 1790, but they also appeared under a new publisher, Leopold Kozeluch’s firm Magazin de musique. Marked throughout by the virtuosity of the Doric String Quartet, the rhythmic energy as well as the poetic tenderness of the players, this recording showcases a highly characteristic side of Haydn’s music, the inexhaustible versatility and constant unpredictability of the materials.

Vladimir Jurowski conducts Beethoven gathers the lesser known Symphony No. 4 - composed when Beethoven was enjoying one of the most peaceful time of his life - with the celebrated Symphony No. 7 and the Coriolan Overture.
For this performance filmed live at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Vladimir Jurowski chose to collaborate with the musicians of the world famous Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment who perform on period instruments, shedding a radically different light on works that we are so accustomed to hear on modern instruments.
As the youngster of today’s classical music scene, Jurowski already gained international stardom in conducting.

Maisky takes the dual role of soloist and conductor on this single disc issue. It receives a well-deserved Penguin Rosette in The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music 2009. I wasn't familiar with the works on this CD before buying it. I'm an avid classical music CD collector and not too shabby amateur pianist (heavy emphasis on the amateur) and am currently listening to a course on Papa Haydn by Robert Greenberg from "The Great Courses" (formerly The Teaching Company), in addition to personally working on a Haydn Piano Sonata. As such, I've got a new found appreciation for this composer.

Johann Michael Haydn, the "Salzburg Haydn" has always stood in the shadow of his elder brother Joseph. He might have gone on to higher profile posts but decided to stay in Salzburg, being regarded highly during his lifetime by colleagues such as Mozart but somehow staying under the radar since his death. Leopold Mozart pointed out that he was a bit of a drinker which may account for a certain lack of ambition, but who are we to speculate.

Beethoven as a giant of the symphony and the sonata has somewhat overshadowed Beethoven as a creator of songs. On this varied and insightful recording, tenor Werner Güra performs a program featuring Adelaide and the first song cycle in history, An die ferne Geliebte, that proves Beethoven's lieder lacked neither appeal nor originality. Accompanist Christoph Berner plays a Streicher fortepiano of 1847 that is perfectly suited to both the songs and to his solo performance of the wonderful Bagatelles of Op.126.

The title of this exceptional disc, "Night Music", should not be taken to mean that the performances are in any way dark, mysterious, droopy, sluggish, or otherwise conventionally "nocturnal". Rather, the term evokes its 18th century musical meaning: a time for fun, relaxation, parties, entertainment both indoors and out, and of course, romance. Indeed, "Romantic" is perhaps the best way to describe these virtuosic, impulsive, and extravagantly expressive performances by the inimitable Andrew Manze and his team of crack "authentic-instrument" players.

The remarkably beautiful Latvian mezzo Elina Garanca possesses a voice of equal beauty: there’s not a note on this CD that lacks warmth, sheen, or fullness of tone. Over the range of about two octaves (from B to B to B) the sound is staggeringly even; her control over dynamics is stunning and her breath control is to be admired, while at the same time she never draws attention to it as a “stunt”. However, the first track on this CD, which admittedly is the worst example, is amazingly boring: Orsini’s “Brindisi” from Lucrezia Borgia, a piece that has been used as a showpiece aria for mezzos from Sigrud Onegin through Ernestine Schumann-Heink to Marilyn Horne, is sung here with no energy, no joie de vivre, no inflection whatsoever.

Tomas Cotik, violin and Tao Lin, piano, continue their series of recordings for Centaur with this new release. Their Schubert recordings have been released to great acclaim. Here they brilliantly perform the complete Mozart Sonatas for Violin and Piano. Hailed by Michael Tilson Thomas as an excellent violinist, Tomas Cotik is internationally recognized as a soloist, chamber musician, and professor.

Lars Vogt continues his cycle of Beethovens Piano Concertos with the Royal Northern Sinfonia. On this second volume, the recording also includes Beethovens Triple Concerto where Lars Vogt is joined together with his longtime artistic partners Christian Tetzlaff and Tanja Tetzlaff. Vogts recordings of chamber music with the trio have gathered astonishing reviews and recording awards, including a Grammy nomination for the recording of Brahms Piano Trios (ODE 1271-2D).

Following the 2017 complete edition released for the 10th anniversary of Rostropovich’s death, the greatest cellist of his time is now part of the 50 Best Series. These new compilations take the best of his recordings for Warner Classics as a cellist in the 2017 Remastering and also as a conductor.

When Naïve offered me the chance to record a Mozart recital in 2001, it was something I hadn't even dared to dream of, because he seemed to me to be the composer most emblematic of every kind of perfection. I made the disc with a feeling almost of transgression and a tremendous fear of not being worthy of him. Now, thirteen years later, I come back to Mozart with the experience of the roles I've tackled on stage in the meantime.

Vol. 3 of cpo's recording of the string quartets of Ferdinand Ries with the Schuppanzigh Quartet presents selected works underscoring his great importance as a composer! His String Quintet No. 2 received virtually hymnic praise in the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung in 1817: it was 'in every respect one of the most outstanding works by this composer; in fact it even ranks with the most outstanding works of all that have come out in this genre for a number of years'. In this work Ries apparently hit on the blend of traditional and innovative elements corresponding to the expectations of discriminating listeners from his times. In his Quartet No. 5 Ries creates the impression both of greater delight in experimentation and concision as far as the formal and motivic-thematic design of the work is concerned and proves to be a master in the field of formal experiments. The Schuppanzigh Quartet, which with the performance of interesting new discoveries has earned a reputation as one of the leading string quartets playing on original instruments, interprets these individual and suspenseful quartets, once again 'with a lot of élan and dedication.

Julia Fischer (violin), Jonathan Crow (violin), Douglas McNabney (viola), Matt Haimovitz (cello), Lenneke Ruiten (soprano), Martin Helmchen (piano), Arabella Steinbacher (violin), Keisuke Wakao (oboe), Malcolm Lowe (violin), Cathy Basrak (viola), Sato Knudsen (cello), Ana de la Vega (flute), Andrew Marriner (clarinet), Gustavo Núñez (bassoon), Ulf-Dieter Schaaff (flute), Philipp Beckert (violin), Andreas Willwohl (viola), Georg Boge (cello), Kevin Short (bass), Gordan Nikolić (violin). Marco Boni, Yakov Kreizberg, Ed Spanjaard, Simon Murphy, Gordan Nikolić, Bastiaan Blomhert, Stephanie Gonley, Neville Marriner, Henk Rubingh, Lawrence Foster