This album combines the brilliant original vocal harmonies of The Beach Boys’ beloved classics with brand new symphonic arrangements performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, creating a unique and special experience of these iconic songs. 17 tracks produced by Nick Patrick and Don Reedman, who conducted similar projects for Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley. Executive produced by Jerry Schilling. Orchestra conducted by Sally Herbert and Steve Sidwell and recorded by Peter Cobbin at Abbey Road Studio 2.

Aigul Akhmetshina is the fiery young mezzo taking the opera world by storm. In her debut album Aigul, the illustrious young opera singer Aigul Akhmetshina finds her voice in the role of Carmen and traces a path through her own remarkable journey. Her story is one of determination and perseverance against the odds, starting in a rural village in the mountains of Bashkortostan. She left home aged 14 to pursue her singing career. Despite facing rejection from a conservatory in Moscow, where she was told she lacked the right voice and appearance, at the age of 27 Aigul has already etched her name in history.

The Beatles were not only hugely influential on the world of popular music. The creative genius of John Lennon and Paul McCartney inspired many classical musicians to create their own arrangements of these iconic songs. This 2-CD set is the ultimate classical Beatles collection, featuring a selection of arrangements. The first CD consists of arrangements for classical guitar (surely the most appropriate of all classical instruments!) including Cuban composer Leo Brouwer’s suite for guitar and strings From Yesterday to Penny Lane. The second CD, Fron Male Voice Choir newly-recorded performance of Yesterday and Hey Jude, and a rousing finale of Let It Be by Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops. One of the highlights of the set is The Beatles Concerto, an arrangement for two pianos and orchestra featuring eight Beatles songs, by the celebrated English composer John Rutter. Also included is Beatlecracker Suite, a fascinating arrangement of Lennon and McCartney songs in the style of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite – a true lost classic composed in 1965 at the very height of ‘Beatlemania’.

The Finzi Clarinet Concerto has been particularly lucky on CD, with a whole series of fine versions issued, including those above. Yet Emma Johnson, spontaneous in her expressiveness, brings an extra freedom and often an extra warmth to make this in many ways the most winning of all. Finzi's sinuous melodies for the solo instrument are made to sound as though the soloist is improvising them, and with extreme daring she uses the widest possible dynamic range down to a whispered pianissimo that might be inaudible in a concert-hall.[[/quote]

Yuri Temirkanov's Royal Philharmonic recording has been around for a long time; it was recorded in 1986 and has been in the catalog ever since – for good reason. Temirkanov is always sensitive to the exotic nature of these scores, particularly Spartacus, and he brings excitement to the varied colorful dances of both ballets. His recording is more full-bodied than the Bolshoi CD; no under-staffed orchestra here, and their rich sounds have been superbly captured by EMI's engineers.

Recorded in 1977, it was Yuri Temirkanov's first recording of the work, and it is superior to his 1991 digital version on RCA with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. The older reading is highly romantic in every way, caressing the composer's rich themes almost (but not quite) to excess, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra playing at its peak. Lush strings are appropriate for the score, brass is brilliant, and there is plenty of impact to percussion. Previn's Tchaikovsky is admirable, with the advantage of Kingsway Hall acoustics…

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.

Meredith Davies's great quality is his inspired pacing of a score that can easily stagnate. Davies sets the love-duets in dramatic contrast to the vigorous writing…Elizabeth Harwood and Robert Tear are both excellent as Vreli and Sali, winningly characterful and clearly focused…[Shirley-Quirk] is firm and forthright with an apt hint of the sinister.

Acclaimed pianist and organist Jae-Hyuck Cho, one of the most active concert artists in South Korea, returns to Orchid with an album of piano concertos by Mozart, partnered by Hans Graf and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.For this new album Cho has created a programme which draws on two unique works featuring piano. The piano concerto No.20 in D minor, with it's distinctive interactions between soloist and orchestra, is part of the pantheon of great Mozart works in D Minor, while the Piano Concerto No.23 in A major is known for a remarkable second movement in the lesser-explored key of F-sharp minor.In addition to being a soloist in recitals and appearing in front of large orchestras, Jae-Hyuck Cho is also widely known as a musical mediator, initiating new concert formats and making regular appearances on various broadcasting formats. He has been described as "a musician who is nearing perfection with an extraordinary breadth of expression, flawless technique, composition, sensitivity, intelligence, insightful and detailed playing without exaggeration."

André Previn recorded this symphony twice, the first time around for RCA with the London Symphony Orchestra. That was, and is, a very fine performance, but this one is finer still. His tempos have slowed somewhat since that first version, but the truth is that you'd never notice unless you listened to music with a stopwatch. Vaughan Williams said that of all of his symphonies, this one was his personal favorite, and it's easy to understand why. The music has a very personal tunefulness and vigor, while the orchestration has a subtlety that clearly reflects the composer's period of study with Ravel. If you don't come away from this excellent performance thinking that the slow movement isn't among the most beautiful pieces of music in the universe, then listen again.

Music from "The Ruins of Athens", Symphony No. 2, Mass in C major (conducted by Beecham), Symphony No. 7 (conducted by Colin Davis), Romances (2 pieces) (Menuhin - violin, conducted by Boult), Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral" (conducted by Kubelik), Violin Concerto (Ferrassu - violin, conducted by Sargent), Symphony No. 3 "Heroic" (conducted by Sargent). Recorded 1956-1961. 34 tracks / 4 hours 52 minutes.

Aigul Akhmetshina is the fiery young mezzo taking the opera world by storm. Her story is one of determination and perseverance against the odds, starting in a rural village in the mountains of Bashkortostan. She left home aged 14 to pursue her singing career. Despite facing rejection from a conservatory in Moscow, where she was told she lacked the right voice and appearance, at the age of 27 Aigul has already etched her name in history. She has become the youngest artist ever to take on the title role of Bizet’s Carmen at both the Royal Opera House and the Metropolitan Opera, both of whom have created new productions around her. Performing the role all over the world, Aigul feels an affinity with the character. "I cannot be put in a cage. Like the character of Carmen, I always fight for my freedom."

Le nozze di Figaro has been Glyndebourne’s signature opera since the company was founded in 1934 and Glyndebourne is responsible for bringing Mozart back into the currency of English musical life. An obvious choice with which to launch Glyndebourne’s own label in 2008. This 1962 recording features a vintage cast with Heinz Blankenburg in the title role, Mirella Freni as Susanna, who had made her international breakthrough at Glyndebourne in the summer of 1961.