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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Romanticist and classicist, modernist and conservative, the violinist Joseph Szigeti defied classification. His wide repertoire ranged from Bach to Bartók and beyond, and he played it all with skill and understanding, becoming known as ‘the thinking man’s virtuoso’. His distinctively Hungarian portamenti and wide vibrato gave his playing a singing, breathing, easeful quality worlds away […]
“The ultimate in refined lyricism with jewel-like brilliance” Stereo Review This edition brings together the Decca and Deutsche Grammophon recordings of Christian Ferras, supplemented by those he made for these labels’ French and Japanese divisions. It includes the French violinist’s significant collaborations with Herbert von Karajan and Pierre Barbizet and presents what Gramophone magazine called […]
