Joseph Martin Kraus was born on 20 June 1756 in the German town of Miltenberg am Main, and died in Stockholm on 15 December 1792. Attended secondary school in Mannheim from 1768 to 1772, followed by university studies in Mainz, Erfurt and Göttingen from 1773−76. In 1778 he travelled to Stockholm, where he became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1780, and a year later the second conductor of the Royal Court Orchestra at the Royal Opera. In 1782 Gustav III dispatched him on a four-year tour of Europe. In 1788 he was made director of the educational institution of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music and chief conductor of the Royal Court Orchestra. Kraus is the most prominent figure in Gustavian music and was responsible for seminal works of opera, orchestral music and chamber music.

Ravishing playing by a born Boccherinian…

The legendary label, deutsche harmonia mundi, releases a special 50 CD boxset featuring star performers such as Hille Perl, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Dorothee Oberlinger, Simone Kermes, and Nuria Rial and more! This collection displays the sheer variety available from the dhm archive. A perfect collection ranging Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Romantic music.

SEON (Studio Erichson) is a period music label by the legendary producer Wolf Erichson. Erichson founded the label in 1969 as one of the first labels dedicated only to authentic music. The recordings were made with the best available recording techniques of the time and still deliver a high quality product in line with today's standards. This special boxset offers all SEON CD reissues from the late 90s on 85 CDs in a limited edition boxset.

This Collection of Mozart fetaures some of the leading period-instrument ensembles and spans the oeuvre of Mozart's works. Included excellent readings of the 'Prague' Symphony and the Requiem.

The performances of these concertos share the same characteristics of Volumes 1-3: bravura playing, clean melodic lines, especially in the solo parts, and discrete, elegant phrasing. In keeping the textures light, Handel created works of great charm and instant appeal. These recordings capture their best qualities.

This CD is a continuation of the set of Handel organ concertos recorded in the Oud-Katholieke Kerk of The Hague in September 1975. These were originally recorded in quadraphonic sound with the engineers achieving a splendid natural sound with plenty of presence. The masterful performances sound authentic indeed. These are the only multi-channel recordings of this music and highly recommended.

The two discs of Handel organ concertos offer nine of the 16 published concertos: all six from op. 4, two from op.7 and the concerto in F, HWV 308. Daniel Chorzempa’s readings with Schröder and the period instrument Concerto Amsterdam were highly regarded when they were new and hold up 28 years down the road.