Apparently a staple in Russia, the music of Taneyev exists on the fringes of the repertoire in the West, something that should be rectified–and will be if this superb CD made by a starry cast of performers gets the attention it deserves. He’s a Romantic composer, but hardly of the heart-on-sleeve variety, since he was a master of counterpoint and firmly encased his Romantic impulses in a well-fitted classical jacket. Sometimes he makes you think of a more modern, pungent Brahms with a Russian accent.

Repin's withdrawn tone in moments of meditation and his fondness for the gentlest pianissimos are as remarkable as his purity and sharpness of focus in bravura. He brings many moments of magic, such as the gentle lead-in to the second subject and the whispered statement of the main theme in the central Canzonetta, enhanced by the natural balance of the soloist in refined and well-detailed Erato recording, making this a highly recommendable alternative to Chung Tchaikovsky/Sibelius: Violin Concertos in this favourite coupling.

The collection of Lang Lang’s Complete Recordings brings together the treasure-trove of recordings that present all the many facets of the pianist’s first decade as a recording artist from 2000–2009. The set also includes his solo and concerto debut albums on the Telarc label.

Ideally, a piano trio should be balanced in its voices and the parts more or less equally matched in expression, but it sometimes happens in late Romantic chamber music that an overwrought piano part can create the opposite conditions. In the Trio élégiaque No. 1 in G minor by Sergey Rachmaninov and the Piano Trio in A minor by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, the piano is clearly the dominant force, because it carries most of the thematic material, harmonic textures, and dramatic gestures, and thereby reduces the violin and cello to subsidiary roles.

Vadim Repin’s DG debut with the Wiener Philharmoniker under Riccardo Muti gave the musical world and his many fans exactly what was expected of this first-class violinist: an incomparably refined, technically brilliant and at the same time highly emotional interpretation of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto.

Nelsons is the guiding spirit in what is surely, listened to in order, one of the most remarkable musical and spiritual journeys ever conceived.

Tikhon Khrennikov was certainly an equivocal figure in the history of 20th-century Russian music. A composer with a tendency towards popular theatrical genres and lyricism, the naively optimistic nature of his music was soon noticed by the Soviet government, which took Khrennikov under its wing and appointed him Secretary of the reorganised Union of Composers in 1948 – a post he held for no less than 43 years. During his tenure in the role, Khrennikov witnessed the persecution of numerous artists who refused to comply with the USSR's dictated enthusiasm for all things socialist in musical culture. Such behaviour surely confirms his political stance, and yet it is known that Khrennikov on more than one occasion came to the aid of several musicians, protecting them from arrest and helping to forge the careers of many young and talented artists. This recording is historic in the sense that it features 3 Soviet child prodigies: Yevgeny Kissin, Maxim Vengerov and Vadim Repin, now household names in western musical life, then the perfect examples of successful Soviet education and training. Khrennikov himself is the soloist in his 3rd piano concerto.

One wonders how Repin manages to find so much freshness and spontaneity in a work as well known as the Tchaikovsky Concerto…one is tempted to put Repin, with Milstein, Heifetz and Stern, at the very summit of a plethora of recordings.

The Verbier Festival is one of classical musics greatest events. In celebration of the festivals 25th anniversary, this unique concert brings together 36 classical stars in an unprecedented evening of ingenious programming and captivating performances. The line-up includes the worlds greatest violinists, violists, cellists and pianists as well as other leading performers conducted by Valery Gergiev and Gabor Takacs-Nagy. Founder and director Martin T:son Engstroem writes: We started this incredible adventure in 1994, and 25 years on, our Festival has become one of the worlds most important cultural events. But it is not just another festival; our vision right from the beginning was to build something which combined important musicians with a very visible youth and learning element. This is what we set out to do and this is what we achieved.

The Verbier Festival is one of classical musics greatest events. In celebration of the festivals 25th anniversary, this unique concert brings together 36 classical stars in an unprecedented evening of ingenious programming and captivating performances. The line-up includes the worlds greatest violinists, violists, cellists and pianists as well as other leading performers conducted by Valery Gergiev and Gabor Takacs-Nagy. Founder and director Martin T:son Engstroem writes: We started this incredible adventure in 1994, and 25 years on, our Festival has become one of the worlds most important cultural events. But it is not just another festival; our vision right from the beginning was to build something which combined important musicians with a very visible youth and learning element. This is what we set out to do and this is what we achieved.