"We can start with the celestial heights of Casals and Serkin. These discs were made at the Prades Festival concerts in 1952 and 1953, and now and then you will hear the great man Casals grunt as he attacks a phrase. Casals was 76 in 1952, and his bow arm was in less than perfect control but this performance is classic."
-– Herbert Russcol, WQXR, 1969

"Humane and wonderfully wise…a revelation of warm, human, profound interpretation."
-– Edward Sackville-West (1901–1965), novelist and music critic

"Excellent both tonally and in matters of balance. Two perfectly matched musicians operate here. For every bold stroke of the Casals bow there is an equivalently authoritative gesture from Serkin."
-– Harold Schoenberg, (1915 – 2003) author and New York Times music critic

In 1719 the aristocratic Schwarzenberg family inherited the huge castle of Ceský Krumlov in south-western Bohemia, reviving it's distinguished but dormant musical tradition with a new ensemble of two oboes, two cors anglais, two bassoons and two horns, active from 1771 onwards. These musicians soon provided the foundation for a wave of chamber music featuring double-reed woodwind instruments that flourished as the instruments improved. It reached it's peak of popularity in Vienna in the last two decades of the century, but has remained largely unknown since then. This series unites past and present by combining some of the scores researched in the Ceský Krumlov archives (including a 1799 handwritten copy of Beethoven's 1794 C major oboe trio, which suggests it was a Schwarzenberg commission) with works composed more recently - mainly by oboe-playing composers.

The fourth installment of Rendez-vous with Martha Argerich brings new fascinating recordings from the international Festival Martha Argerich in Hamburg, showcasing a superb lineup of soloists among which Lily, Sascha and Mischa Maisky, Edgar Moreau, Rosanne Philippens, Akane Sakai, Michael Volle and Sergio Tiempo. Particularly noteworthy are the highlights of a Chopin evening showcasing some of the most remarkable laureates of the Chopin Competition (Warsaw). This box set is a triumphant celebration of Martha Argerich's incomparable artistry and of the remarkable circle of musicians she is collaborating with.

After a successful trilogy devoted to the concertos and trios of Schumann, Freiburger Barockorchester and Pablo Heras-Casado could not ignore one of Beethoven's most unusual works: the Triple Concerto. Alongside Isabelle Faust, Jean-Guihen Queyras and Alexander Melnikov, they bring this score to life as only true chamber musicians can, revealing it's subtlest colors and balances. The trio transcription of the Second Symphony, which was supervised by the composer himself, judiciously completes this exploration of lesser-known Beethoven, in which intimacy mingles with grandeur.

Agreat deal has been written about Michael Korstick’s interpretation of the Beethoven Sonatas. Extraordinary comments for the most part. Oehms Classics has released the complete edition in a luxurious presentation. 10 CDs in a fine cardboard package plus an extensive booklet including an essay by Attila Csampai and an interview with the artist conducted by Dr. Christoph Vratz. The recordings of this complete edition will not be issued on SACD; the individual editions retain their sonic luxury as is customary. - Oehms Classics

"...In the “Moonlight” Sonata Korstick’s approach also reminded me a bit of that taken by Solomon Cutner, the superb British pianist whose career was cut short by paralysis. Listen to the famed opening movement: Korstick gets exactly the same dead, almost ghostly rhythm that Solomon achieved back in the 1950s. I always liked that interpretation and always will. His performance of the “Waldstein” has almost the same driving energy as Gieseking’s famous 1939 recording, and I for one found his “Pathétique” the best I’ve heard since Schnabel. Most other pianists, in my estimation, get the opening of the first movement wrong by not emphasizing the dynamic contrasts as dramatically as they are written in the score, but Korstick does. And many of his slow movements are absolutely magical: Listen, for instance, to the Adagio of Sonata No. 3. Here, as in many others, the notes almost seem to float in space or on the surface of a pond, replicating (for me, anyway) an almost “altered state” within the composer’s psyche..." - Lynn René Bayley, Fanfare

Global cello sensation Hauser is back with Classic II, an all-new selection of his favorites among the most beautiful melodies in classical music, following up on the success of his 2020 album Classic. - For Classic II, Hauser reunites with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robert Ziegler, and arranger/orchestrator Robin Smith, with whom the cellist worked closely in featuring the cello in the arrangement of each track. - Classic II reimagines instantly recognizable, song-like melodies by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Donizetti, Dvorak, Mahler, Mozart, Rachmaninoff and Schubert, most of them written for solo instruments, voices or an entire orchestra and never before adapted for the "voice" of the cello. Hauser also brings his singing style to two beloved melodies in the Baroque style - the Albinoni "Adagio" and the Adagio from Alessandro Marcello's famous Oboe Concerto - as well as a pair of contemporary pieces, Michel Colombier's "Emmanuel" and composer/pianist Yurima's "Kiss the Rain."

Box Set + 2 Blu-ray Audio/Atmos. The culmination of five digital releases, The National Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Gianandrea Noseda conclude their journey through Beethoven's complete symphonies, with this release of a complete box set. "Beethoven's voice is as fresh and powerful today as it was when he created those masterpieces, " said Noseda. "To approach Beethoven is a journey. You know you are starting the journey, but you never know where the journey will take you. With Beethoven, any moment is a discovery." Capturing the complete Beethoven Symphonies was a multi-year project, with the performances and recordings spanning the NSO's 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons. The recordings of Symphonies Nos.1 & 3 were released in 2022, followed by Nos.4 & 5, 6 & 8, and 2 & 7 in 2023. Symphony No.9 was recorded with special guest artists, soprano Camilla Tilling, mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor, tenor Issachah Savage, bass-baritone Ryan McKinny, and the Washington Chorus. This deluxe set includes 5 hybrid SACDs, alongside 2 Blu-ray Audio discs containing stereo, surround and Atmos mixes as well as a bonus video performance of Beethoven Symphony No.9.

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.

REVIEW:

All of the discs in this set have been reviewed individually, and in detail. Still, it's worth pointing out that this is unquestionably one of the great Beethoven cycles, and on SACD there's certainly none better. Osmo Vänskä manages to have the best of both worlds--an interpretive perspective enhanced by the latest scholarship, as performed by a great orchestra on a mission. And this is exactly what Beethoven needs: a point of view, and total commitment. There are no weak performances here. In the "Eroica" I was just a touch disappointed in the first movement when Vänskä's pursuit of the barely audible pianissimo threatened to become a mannerism, but that is about the only criticism possible to level at this set.

His Fifth blazes; the Seventh offers the apotheosis of excitement that never spins out of control. The early symphonies have charm and humor in abundance. The Fourth and Eighth reveal Beethoven's masterly command of movement and proportion with effortless enthusiasm. In the Sixth we find a perfect balance between programmatic description and symphonic logic. It's all capped by one of the great Ninths, with a perfectly timed Adagio and a gloriously sung finale. If you haven't been purchasing these discs as they were released, then get the box. It's one of the few cycles that maintains the highest standards all the way through, and the sonics are uniformly stunning.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Beethoven’s String Quartets are the undisputed sine qua non of the string quartet genre, with all other works in this form, as well as the ensembles themselves who must inevitably perform and record them, measured against this body of work and its associated recordings. The Philharmonia Quartet of Berlin, four members of the BPO, has been termed a "top-flight-ensemble" by the Chicago Tribune, possessing “a heart melting sound” (Boston Globe). An ensemble of thirty years standing, the PQB has established itself as a highly regarded, standard-setting body, and one in great demand worldwide.

This is definitely a reference hi-res disc both because of the orchestral performance and the sound. If anybody still out there dares to say that regular CDs are just as good as a hi-res surround sound SACD all they have to do is listen to this disc with the appropriate equipment. Specifically they should go to the Finale of the 5th (T-4) and T-8, the Storm movement of the 6th - there are no words to accurately describe the feeling of being in the midst of orchestra as it were. A highly recommended disc, both for the sublime orchestral performance and more so for the glorious sound - a must have! (Audiophile Audition)