In 2006, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's birth plus the 30th anniversary of Anne-Sophie Mutter's public debut, Deutsche Grammophon released new recordings of the German violinist in all the Austrian composer's major works featuring her instrument. To celebrate Mutter's undeniable beauty, each body of works was released with a different photograph of Mutter on the cover: the set of concertos had Mutter poured into a stunning bottle green mermaid gown, the set of sonatas had Mutter wrapped in a shimmering golden yellow strapless gown, and this set of the piano trios has Mutter's wonderfully made-up face and marvelously coifed hair in close-up.

In its fascination with Italy, nurtured by all that was best in Florence, Rome and Venice, 17th-century France saw the blossoming of a new national art. Though Lully in his pomp might seem to have subdued the musical world of his time, the ensemble La Palatine has helped us to restore it in a quite different constellation – one that is far more diverse, overflowing with imaginative riches.

Here, a year after her sensational Metropolitan debut as Prokofiev’s Natasha from War and Peace, comes the debut solo recital album of 30-something soprano Anna Netrebko. She hails from southern Russia, and her emergence from the life of a conservatory student has a touch of the Cinderella tale—the bit, that is, about being discovered by Gergiev mopping floors for the Kirov as a part-time job and making her way into the Kirov's ranks.

22-year-old Tine Thing Helseth performs as soloist in front of the best orchestras of Europe on a full time basis. Her highly successful debut recording last year with the classic trumpet concertos is followed now by a beautiful album where Tine performs a selection Christmas music in classic arrangements.

This album, originally released in 1976, marked the return to the band of Robert Calvert who would be a major influence on the creative direction of the band lyrically and as vocalist. Including such classic tracks as "Steppenwolf" and "Reefer Madness," this reissue has been re-mastered from the original master tapes (a first for any CD issue of this album) and features previously unreleased mixes of "Back on the Streets" and "The Dream of Isis" along with the 1976 single "Kerb Crawler" and "Honky Dorky" as bonus tracks.

In June 1999, Tangerine Dream performed a one-off concert during the Klangart Festival in Osnabrück in Northern Germany, presenting the then brand-new album Mars Polaris. The complete album was performed, though the track order differs from that on the album. The music performed is essentially identical to the studio versions, with some additional guitar and percussion work.

The best-selling Paris live performances by the great Karajan with the BPO and VPO are now available on SACD! The bestseller is back again with a new remastering and a surprise reissue of the bestseller, featuring the most coveted performances of Beethoven, Locatelli, R. Strauss and more. This is a remarkable disc with a new charm different from the CD version, carefully remastered using the original INA sound source (24bit/192kHz). The 180 minutes of content is recorded on a single disc, taking advantage of the recording time available only on SACD. The 1960 recording with the Berlin Philharmonic is from the final day of the Beethoven Ticles in Paris, which began on April 21 of the same year.The 1962 recording with the Vienna Philharmonic is also available in stereo. The very rare concerto concerto by Locatelli is sublime and gorgeous, and Boskovsky's solo is a gem. From the main work, Schubert's "Unfinished," to Karajan's eponymous "Zarathustra," to the encore, you will be struck by the seamless and magnificent sound. King International

Double vinyl LP pressing. For the latest of the This Is series' label spotlights - following our acclaimed looks at Flying Dutchman and Fame - we focus on Goldwax as it celebrates it's 60th birthday, and feature the cream of the recordings made during it's short existence. This is Goldwax throws the spotlight not only on James Carr, but vital label mate Spencer Wiggins and also the beautiful harmonies of the Ovations. These three acts were the mainstays of Goldwax, and alongside the song writing talents of George Jackson and Dan Greer, show why the label's influence is still important today. There are gems strewn throughout the catalogue, from the earliest recordings of 'Why Can't We Live Together' hitmaker Timmy Thomas, through rarely-recorded artists such as Philip & the Faithfuls. This two LP set also demonstrates how strong the Memphis club and studio scene was at the time with recordings of Willie Walker, Percy Milem, Barbara Perry, Gene 'Bowlegs' Miller and others who recorded sparsely but were popular live performers."This is Goldwax" comes in a wide spine sleeve, with fully illustrated and annotated inner sleeves. A perfect introduction to the label as it enters it's seventh decade.

Goffredo Petrassi was 28 when his Partita (recorded on Naxos 8.572411) propelled him to European fame. He fused neo-Classicism with more contemporary traits reinforced by his mastery of polyphony, qualities that can be found in his eight Concertos for Orchestra (Nos. 1–3 are available on 8.573702). Concertos Nos. 4–6 were written in the mid-1950s and are striking examples of emotional turbulence and structural compression, fastidiously scored and imaginative in their formal conception. The soloistic writing of Invenzione concertata (Concerto No. 6) adds another layer of sonic complexity to these gripping concertos.

Konstantinos Destounis (b. 1991 in Athens) is regarded as one of the most prominent Greek artists of his generation. He is a prizewinner in many international piano competitions, most notably the Grand Prix Maria Callas in Athens, the Southern Highlands in Canberra, the Giorgos Thymis in Thessaloniki and the Bremen European Piano Competition. As the winner of Greece’s national competition, he represented his country at the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition in Vienna.His performing career has led him to prestigious venues, such as the Royal Albert Hall and St John’s Smith Square in London, La Fenice in Venice, Llewellyn Hall in Canberra, the Glocke Saal in Bremen, the Megaron in Athens and Thessaloniki. As a soloist he has performed with numerous orchestras in Greece, the UK, Germany, Spain and Australia.

Tubb, born February 9, 1914 in Crisp, Texas and died September 6, 1984 in Nashville, Tennessee, nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song Walking the Floor Over You (1941) marked the rise of the honky-tonk style of music. In 1948-49, he was the first singer to record a hit version of Blue Christmas, a song more commonly associated with Elvis Presley and his mid-1950s version. Another well-known Tubb hit is Waltz Across Texas (1965), which became one of his most requested songs and is often used in dance halls throughout Texas during waltz lessons. In the early 1960s, he recorded duets with up-and-coming Loretta Lynn, including their hit Sweet Thang.

The Jazz Crusaders second album for Pacific Jazz, Lookin Ahead features the core four members of the group (Joe Sample, Wayne Henderson, Wilton Felder and Stix Hooper), with bassist Jimmy Bond rounding out the sound. Lookin Ahead showcases what was already a signature sound for the group, with the tenor saxophone and trombone leading many of the songs, although Joe Samples piano playing holds much of the material together. The group wrote seven of the albums nine cuts, including The Young Rabbits, which would become something of a staple for the Jazz Crusaders during the 1960s, being much revered at their live shows. The two covers include Tonight, from the musical West Side Story, and Song Of India, a classical piece by Rimsky-Korsakov arranged by Joe Sample. Along with their debut album Freedom Sound (also available on Hallmark as 713822) the Jazz Crusaders were at the forefront of the soul jazz scene in Los Angeles in the early 1960s. Their relevance and importance continued to grow throughout the rest of the decade.

A much-admired contemporary, living composer whose popularity among a wide cross-section of music devotees and casual listeners transcends genre barriers. This new double-disc set of the complete piano music encompasses works composed over a 50 year span. Jeroen Van Veen is a preeminent and critically-favored Minimalist advocate and multi-dimensional artist with a noteworthy backlist of Brilliant Classic releases to his credit with more to come. Booklet notes written by Jeroen Van Veen.

Three continents, three musical world citizens. Morocco-born Majid Bekkas, Franco-Vietnamese Nguyên Lê and American Hamid Drake have combined their astonishing musicality, their origins and their global experiences, to create a captivating live concert programme encompassing desert blues, Gnawa trance, Middle Eastern jazz, Sixties rock and Far Eastern serenity.

Four unique top-flight European jazz pianists, each with limitless freedom of expression, and limitless joy for the audience in the completely full main hall of the Philharmonie Berlin as well.