Werner Haas was a German pianist especially known for his interpretations of French repertory, particularly the works of Debussy and Ravel. But his performances of music by Chopin and Beethoven were also highly praised and his repertory was quite broad, extending to Prokofiev and Kabalevsky. He was better known in Europe than in the Americas, where he never concertized. His many admirers assert that had his life not been tragically cut short, he would likely have achieved recognition as one of the finest pianists of his time. Haas was born in Stuttgart on March 3, 1931. He exhibited unusual talent as a young child, though the pianist himself was reluctant to claim he was extraordinarily gifted. Still, he might have developed even sooner but for the exigencies brought on by the war in his homeland. He enrolled at the Stuttgart Academy of Music in 1947, where he took instruction on piano from Lilli Kröber-Asche, who was known for her Mozart interpretations. Shortly after leaving the Stuttgart Academy in 1954, he traveled to Saarbrücken for two years of study with Walter Gieseking, whose interest in the music of Debussy may well have steered Haas toward the French master's works. It was during this time that he launched his career with a critically well-received recital (1955) in his native Stuttgart.

Lucie Horsch celebrates the legacy of Dutch recorder player and conductor Frans Brüggen (1934-2014). A true pioneer of the early music revival, Brüggen amassed a remarkable collection of historic recorders dating from the 1680s-1740s. Those instruments fell silent upon his death 10 years ago. With special access granted by Brüggen’s widow, they have now been revived by one of Brüggen’s compatriots. The instruments are so fragile that at times Lucie was only allowed to play two takes on them - “The end result could almost be regarded as a live recording”.

Philippe Cassard Pianiste bisontin formé au Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, Philippe Cassard (né en 1962) débute une carrière de concertiste en 1985 après s'être perfectionné auprès de Nikita Magaloff. Présent sur les scènes du monde entier en solo, petite formation ou avec de grands orchestres, il s'illustre dans le répertoire de la musique de chambre par des enregistrements consacrés à Debussy, Schubert, Schumann ou Brahms. Éminent spécialiste de Debussy, il joue une intégrale pour piano itinérante en 1994. Directeur artistique des festivals de Gerberoy et du Lac du Bourget, Philippe Cassard est aussi un homme de plume au Figaro littéraire et de radio à France Musique. « L'année Debussy » en 2012 est aussi la sienne avec de multiples enregistrements et concerts. Il accompagne Natalie Dessay sur les recueils de mélodies Clair de Lune (2012) et Fiançailles Pour Rire (2015).

A patrician artist whose matinee-idol appearance was as elegant as his playing, Claudio Arrau achieved a major reputation for his performances of Brahms and Liszt. Indeed, few Romantic-period composers, from Beethoven onward, were beyond his grasp. In addition to that repertory, his Debussy was regarded by many connoisseurs as exemplary. Arrau believed that his abiding interest in psychoanalysis aided him in probing the intent of those whose works he performed. Certainly, Arrau's performances were marked by a balance between heart and intellect.

World Sleep Day is March 15, 2024.World Sleep Day delegates and sleep health advocates across the world will take action in their local communities, clinics, and countries to raise awareness of sleep health.The theme for the 2024 World Sleep Day is Sleep Equity for Global Health. Sleep is essential to health, but measurable differences in sleep health persist across populations across the world, creating additional burdens and reinforcing health inequities.

The unique collaboration stemmed from a suggestion by the film’s director Johan Renck, with Richter creating the music for the track before Sparks contributed melody and lyrics to create the melancholic finale to the film’s soundtrack.

Andrea Bocelli After emerging in the late 20th century in a duet with Luciano Pavarotti, Italian vocalist Andrea Bocelli established himself as an enduring international star of both classical and pop music, even earning the label "the fourth tenor." With a rich tone that moves gracefully between powerful opera arias and tender pop balladry, Bocelli has charted in multiple countries with every album since his 1994 debut, Il Mare Calmo Della Sera. Often referred to as his fourth LP, the 1997 pop compilation Romanza marked his breakthrough in the U.K. and U.S. and topped the charts in over a dozen countries.

The DECCA label is expanding the extensive discography of Donizetti's probably most popular opera with a recording with Zuzana Marková and Andrea Bocelli in the leading roles. The Wolferag picture (first picture of the third act) is no longer really up-to-date in the recording recorded at the Teatro Carlo Felice in 2018.

Praised for his exceptional musicianship and depth of expression, Seoulborn flutist SUNGHYUN CHO has steadily solidified his international reputation as a soloist, ensemble player and member of prominent orchestras. In 2017, he was newly appointed as the principal flutist of Cologne’s Gürzenich Orchestra under the direction of François-Xavier Roth. Before assuming this coveted position recently, Cho had served as the principal flutist of Konzerthausorchester Berlin for its 2015/16 season and also as a member of the prestigious Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmnic, working with such prominent conductors as Simon Rattle, Iván Fischer, Zubin Mehta, Andris Nelsons, Semyon Bychkov, Tugan Sokhiev, Daniele Gatti, Riccardo Chailly, Alan Gilbert, Reinhard Goebel and Jörg Widmann.

The playing of the Takács Quartet tends to inspire superlatives: "The Takács Quartet is universally recognized as one of the world's finest string quartets," "The Takács might play this repertoire[the Beethoven quartets] better than any quartet of the past or present," "They are currently the greatest string quartet in the world." The group's international performances have continued to bring accolades, and recordings have been recognized with numerous awards.

Puccini’s Manon Lescaut with Ana María Martínez, Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, Coro de la Generalitat Valenciana and conductor Plácido Domingo is the dark story of love, betrayal, jealousy and death. Manon calls for dramatic, forceful performances and gets the full treatment here in this new studio recording.
The story of the doomed heroine Manon Lescaut has inspired more than one composer, but is perhaps most passionately portrayed in Puccini’s opera, written just ten years after Massenet’s Manon. A grim story of love, betrayal, jealousy and death, it calls for dramatic, forceful performance, and gets the full treatment here in this new studio recording starring Andrea Bocelli.

They have become known as the UK’s favourite entertainers, and together form the ultimate musical duo: Michael Ball and Alfie Boe never fail to raise spirits with their unique combination of powerful voices and tongue-in-cheek charm, even when the chips are down. Today the perfect pair have joined forces yet again for a brand new album For their fifth studio album together, Michael & Alfie take us to The Entertainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas. They are ‘Together In Vegas’. Armed with all the charisma and panache needed for such an excursion, together with suitably dazzling vocal skills, the couple present the most exciting music they have ever recorded together.

Among England's famed university choirs, the King's College Choir of Cambridge has both one of the deepest histories and some of the most visible present-day activities. Its annual broadcasts of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, begun in 1918, have been an integral part of Christmas celebrations in many countries. The Choir of King's College was founded in 1441 by England's King Henry VI as the resident ensemble of King's College Chapel, a status it continues to hold today.

Bond 25 is an album of all 25 Bond themes throughout the decades, expertly reimagined for the first time and performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It celebrates all 25 iconic films in the Bond franchise. The album includes a brand new orchestral arrangement of Hans Zimmer and Billie Eilish’s No.1 single ‘No Time To Die (Theme)’. The album, recorded in 2019 by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios, includes brand new arrangements of the 25 iconic title themes including From Russia With Love, Diamonds Are Forever, Live And Let Die, GoldenEye and Die Another Day, spanning nearly 60 years of cinema and tracklisted chronologically from 1962’s Dr. No to 2020’s No Time To Die.

Where the Crawdads Sing is a 2022 American mystery drama film based on the novel of the same name by Delia Owens. It is directed by Olivia Newman from a screenplay written by Lucy Alibar, and produced by Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter.Mychael Danna composed the film's musical score.Mychael Danna is a Canadian composer of film and television scores. He won both the Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Original Score for Life of Pi. He has also won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score) in his work on the miniseries World Without End.American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift wrote and performed the original song "Carolina" for the film. When the film's promotional trailer was first released, she said that she "got absolutely lost in [the book] when I read it years ago" and "wanted to create something haunting and ethereal".