Warner Classics presents a box-set of Sergiu Celibidache's Bruckner recordings with Münchner Philharmoniker in Munich. These legendary performances are the summit of the Romanian conductor’s legacy, a true mystical experience for the listener!

Moonlight: Variations, Preludes, and Other Piano Works by Walter Gieseking, released on Warner Classics, showcases the legendary pianist's mastery of classical repertoire. Featuring works by Mozart, Debussy, Grieg, Beethoven, and Schumann, Gieseking’s interpretations are known for their nuance, clarity, and expressive touch. From the serene elegance of Mozart to the evocative impressionism of Debussy, this album spans a range of styles, offering a rich and immersive listening experience. Gieseking’s unparalleled artistry brings new depth to these timeless compositions, making this a must-have for classical music lovers.

François-Xavier Roth and the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne explore the beginnings of Anton Bruckner‘s symphonic oeuvre on the way to the complete recording of the symphonies. Between Linz and Vienna, the organist from the modest provinces, „half genius and half fool“, as contemporaries described him, found his symphonic language.

Walter Gropius is regarded as a revolutionary visionary who founded the Bauhaus style in the 1920s. His work is characterised by clarity and boldness. In common with the musicians of the Gropius Quartett, Weimar and Berlin were to become the centres of his creative work. Following Gropius' example, and influenced by personal encounters with Yehudi Menuhin and Mstislav Rostropovich, the Gropius Quartett has set itself the goal of crystallising the clear structure of the composition and bringing it to life through their own passionate playing style. The members of the Gropius Quartett have known one another since studying together at the International Menuhin Music Academy in Gstaad and at the Juilliard School in New York.

Tenor Charles Castronovo celebrates his first Delos solo album with an all Verdi programme which showcases the composer's spellbinding use of theatrical devices. Noble Renegades offers a collection of complete scenes from operas such as Don Carlos, Luisa Miller and I Lombardi which encompass the emotional arc the protagonists experience as the story unfolds, very much epitomizing Verdi's vision of opera as a true "operatic theater". This album shows Verdi's profound influence on Charles's career, featuring roles he has performed all over the world. He is accompanied by "the singer's dream collaborator" Constantine Orbelian and his Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra. Distinguished singers Kristin Sampson, Tomas Pavilionis and Tadas Girininkas, as well as the Kaunas State Choir join in.

Following the series devoted to Korngold's string quartets, here is the first instalment in a new project by Alma Quartet and Challenge Classics. In five CDs the Alma Quartet will bring out the late string quartet output by Beethoven and Shostakovich. Each volume will couple a late quartet by the two composers, who shared a "late style" on this medium.

“I have wanted to record this concerto for a long time, and Elgar actually has been a very late discovery for me, the Violin Concerto. But it didn't take me a long time to become a very passionate ambassador for this piece. And I really feel that the format of this piece is such a vast piece of music and it's more on the symphonic scale than a violin concerto to me, which is why I take immense pleasure in playing this concerto.” – Vilde Frang

The Czech Philharmonic and its Chief Conductor and Music Director Semyon Bychkov present a new recording of Antonín Dvořák’s Symphonies 7, 8 and 9, coupled with the composer’s concert overtures In Nature’s Realm, Carnival and Othello. The album is part of the 2024 Year of Czech Music. Dvořák’s final three symphonies show him at the peak of his compositional power and international fame, and exhibit an astonishing range of style and expression. The three concert overtures were initially conceived as the Nature, Life and Love trilogy, but eventually published separately. They share Dvořák’s audible love for nature and fascination for human life and passion. Presenting this core Czech repertoire allows the orchestra and maestro to once more demonstrate their congenial collaboration and full command of Dvořák’s abundant sound world.

The most comprehensive edition devoted to Gioachino Rossini marking his 150th anniversary. Born in 1792, Rossini was the most popular opera composer of his time. Although he retired from the Opera scene in 1829, he continued to compose in other genres, including sacred music, piano and chamber works. He did gather his late works under the ironic title Péchés de vieillesse (Sins of Old Age), which veils a true collection of masterworks.

Václav Neumann was one of the most distinguished conductors of the so-called Eastern Bloc. The long-serving chief conductor of the legendary Czech Philharmonic was principally regarded as an accomplished advocate of the music of his homeland, which he interpreted with a strong sense of form, love of detail, and a vocal espressivo, eschewing any sentimentality. This is also evident in these live recordings made in Lucerne, now released for the first time.

Where else can you meet a musician? On the road! As well as music, performers and composers share a sense of travel. Constantly on the move, they travel the world to make themselves known or discover other cultures, and many musical works reflect their peregrinations, real or imaginary: Beethoven takes us to Ukraine with Schöne Minka, we dance in Hungarian, Slavic or Russian style with Brahms, Dvorak or Stravinsky, or even Brazilian with Milhaud… Violinist Nikita Boriso-Glebsky and pianist Georgy Tchaidze open their travel diaries for a world tour of the imaginary: bon voyage!

Poetic music, musical poetry: The new Genuin album by internationally renowned pianist Cathy Krier from Luxembourg evokes the connections between sound and words, composers and language. Iconic repertoire pieces such as Maurice Ravel's "Gaspard de la Nuit" and Franz Liszt's transcriptions of Schubert songs enchant us, alongside excerpts from Sergei Prokofiev's musical-choreographic fairy tale "Cinderella" and works by two successful contemporary female composers: Konstantia Gourzi and Catherine Kontz.

Following their recordings of Bruckner's Symphonies Nos. 7 (ALPHA932, Diapason d'Or) and 8 (ALPHA987, awarded 'best symphonic recording of the year' at the International Classical Music Awards), Paavo Jarvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich here conclude their tribute to the Austrian composer in this bicentenary year with a recording of his 9th symphony. The orchestra's history has been closely linked to Bruckner since it gave the first Swiss performance of one of his symphonies under Richard Strauss in 1903. "The great classical and romantic tradition of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich make it ideally suited to Bruckner, the central composer for modern symphony orchestras," says Paavo Jarvi. Bruckner composed this musical farewell (he wrote the words "a farewell to life" in the score) in his final years; legend has it that he was still working on the symphony on the day he died.

Herreweghe’s Bruckner symphony cycle with the period instruments of his Orchestre des Champs-Elysees reaches the tremendous Fifth, a pivotal work in the composer’s development. As usual it’s a sober account, and nicely tailored, though the conductor’s knack for shaving away the sharp edges can be a mixed blessing.

Fast, funny and furious, Rossini's "Il barbiere di Siviglia" boasts a torrent of sparkling music, while John Cox's production - sometimes outrageously boisterous, sometimes subtly inventive - adds its own distinctive lustre to this comic masterpiece. Rossini's most popular opera tells the story of a flightly young ward, the jealous old guardian who wishes to marry her and the romantic aristocratic young lover who, with the assistance of the local barber and several clever disguises, carries her off from under her guardian's nose. American soprano Maria Ewing excels as a bewitching Rosina, and John Rawnsley gives a virtuoso performance as the witty barber, Figaro.