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Wiener Oktett – The Decca Recordings

December 4, 2023

The sweet, silvery tone of the Wiener Oktett and the easy give-and-go of its phrasing helped establish it as one of the most distinguished of Viennese chamber ensembles. Its sound was that of the sublime Vienna Philharmonic in microcosm and the group enjoyed the advantage of Decca’s top-of-the-range engineering. The most comprehensive collection of the […]

Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt Edition – Volume 2

August 29, 2023

Supplementary to his legendary Beethoven cycles for Decca are Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt’s recordings for Philips, Mercury, Deutsche Grammophon and Accord. They date from 1944 (Sutermeister) to 1972, when he made his last recording, fittingly by Mozart (Die Gärtnerin aus Liebe) a composer whom he revered above all: “We are too intimate friends … I can’t even […]

Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt Edition – Volume 1

August 29, 2023

The two stereo Beethoven cycles, those of the Symphonies (1965–70) and the Piano Concertos (with Wilhelm Backhaus, 1958–59), form the core of this edition of the complete Decca recordings of Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt (1900–1973). It is distinguished by the Wiener Philharmoniker’s unique transparency of sound allied to a firm pulse and rhythmic drive which characterized Schmidt-Isserstedt’s […]

Decca Conductors’ Gallery

August 2, 2023

An A–Z of 23 conductors in a feast of classic recordings from Decca’s early years – 1929–1949 – including the golden age of its ‘ffrr’ technology. Newly remastered from the best available sources by Mark Obert-Thorn, Ward Marston and Andrew Hallifax, this comprehensively annotated and richly illustrated set features several new-to-CD releases. It is a […]

Herman Krebbers Edition

August 2, 2023

The most comprehensive collection ever issued of the recorded art of Herman Krebbers (1923–2018) featuring the great Dutch violinist as concerto soloist, chamber musician and concert master and issued to mark the centenary of his birth. An original jackets collection of a much-loved musician, with an introduction by Bernard Haitink, written shortly before his death. […]

Kathleen Battle Edition

June 1, 2023

A Limited Edition, Original Jackets collection showcasing the artistry of the magnificent American soprano, Kathleen Battle. Kathleen Battle enraptured opera audiences of the 1980s and 1990s. Here was a lyric soprano combining unsurpassable beauty of tone with a keen musical intelligence, a way with words and a communicative warmth that drew listeners to Strauss and […]

Karel Ančerl Edition

June 1, 2023

A Czech maestro in his element: the complete Philips and Deutsche Grammophon albums of  Karel Ančerl collected as a single edition to mark the 50th anniversary of his death (3 July 1973). Karel Ančerl made most of his recordings behind the Iron Curtain for the Supraphon label, as chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic between […]

Antal Doráti, Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra – The Mercury Masters – The Stereo Recordings

April 20, 2023

Documenting all of Antal Doráti’s stereo recordings with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra for Mercury, this edition showcases a golden era in American classical recording. The recordings were heralded with superlatives from contemporary journals – “Breathtaking, this Doráti…”, “as technically flawless as it is sonically and melodically intoxicating” (High Fidelity) – and reveals a musical personality […]

Antal Doráti, Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra – The Mercury Masters – The Mono Recordings

April 20, 2023

A tour de force of thrilling orchestral playing and brilliant audio engineering, Antal Doráti’s mono recordings are collected for the first time. Newly remastered, this collection comprehensively documents a golden era in American classical recording and most of these vividly-characterized recordings appear on CD for the first time. “has to be heard to be believed […]

Elly Ameling – The Philips Recitals

February 22, 2023

A glorious celebration of ‘the Dutch nightingale’: all of Elly Ameling’s song-recital albums for Philips in one original-covers box, including a premiere CD release for her first-ever recording. In a career that spanned 43 years, Elly Ameling recorded over 150 LPs and CDs, many of them recognised with an Edison Award, the Grand Prix du […]

Elly Ameling – Bach Edition

February 22, 2023

Compiled here for the first time are all of Elly Ameling’s Bach recordings for both Decca and Philips: an ‘original jackets’ treasury of Cantatas, Passions and oratorios which would make a first-rate introduction to the composer’s sacred music, but which for the more experienced listener holds vocal glories in store, and also takes the changing […]