In two virtuosic parts, the brilliant and internationally renowned pianist Lucas Debargue reinterprets-and even reimagines-the repertoire of the illustrious American composer George Gershwin in a unique and personal way. The first part of the album, recorded during a memorable evening at the Philharmonie de Paris in September 2025 on Stephen Paulello's unique SP/287 piano, features the famous Three Preludes and Concerto in F, accompanied by the Orchestre de Paris conducted by Elim Chan. Also included: a highly personal version of Rhapsody in Blue, enriched with the pianist's own cadenzas. The second part, recorded at the Paulello Studio, is entirely devoted to twelve virtuosic etudes composed by Lucas from Gershwin's most popular songs, spanning all chromatic keys. This cycle represents the most ambitious creation of his career as a pianist to date, affirming a deep commitment to freedom and invention, while placing itself in the tradition of the great composers who wrote their own etudes. Gershwin's most celebrated works appear reimagined: The Man I Love, Someone to Watch Over Me, Ain't Necessarily So, They Can't Take That Away From Me, I Got Rhythm plus 20 variations on the theme of Summertime! Internationally acclaimed pianist Lucas Debargue's Gershwin Variations stand as an ambitious and unprecedented project, born from the desire to explore a radically different universe after recording Scarlatti sonatas and the complete solo piano works of Faure. This double album is an ode to George Gershwin, an unclassifiable composer standing at the crossroads of classical music and jazz, whose singularity inspired Lucas to create a work equally impossible to categorize. The Gershwin Variations is neither a classical album nor a jazz album, but a hybrid work reflecting the anticonformist spirit and the American dream embodied by Gershwin. Lucas offers a bold and poetic reinterpretation in which counterpoint, shifting harmonies, and unconventional rhythms reveal the richness of Gershwin's melodies. He invites listeners to rediscover a repertoire where popularity is never synonymous with triviality, and where music becomes a space for freedom, daring, and vitality.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
As the primary creative force in Pink Floyd after the departure of Syd Barrett in 1968, Rogers Waters helped turn that band into one of the most successful rock acts of the '70s with his dramatic sense of sonic and conceptual scale. After leaving Pink Floyd for a solo career in the '80s, Waters continued the epic themes he'd pioneered on albums like THE WALL, a trend that continued to 2005, when he released CA IRA, an opera set during the French Revolution.
Unlike THE WALL, CA IRA is not rock music. Instead, it draws inspiration from traditional opera; it is set to a full orchestra, and features impassioned performances from soprano Ying Huang, tenor Paul Groves, and baritone Bryn Terfel. Based on a libretto by Etienne and Nadine Roda-Gil about the brewing revolution against a tyrannical nobility, the work is ambitious and grandiose in true Waters fashion, and comes complete with a 60-page booklet and a DVD about the making of the opera.
REVIEWS:
Rolling Stone (No. 985, p.81) - 3 out of 5 stars - "...[I]t's hard not to be impressed somehow by Roger Waters' CA IRA..."

Includes concerto(s) by various composers. Ensemble: London Festival Orchestra. Conductor: Ross Pople.
Includes work(s) by various composers, Gregor Joseph Werner. Ensembles: London Festival Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra, Musica Sacra, Canadian Brass. Conductors: Ross Pople, Martin Neary, Richard Westenburg. Soloists: Ayako Shinozaki, Richard Stoltzman, Eddie Gomez (double bass), Dave Samuels, Jeremy Wall, Emily Mitchell, Café (percussion), Bill Douglas, Michala Petri.

Well-known to musical theater fans in London's West End, Maria Friedman made her Broadway debut in Andrew Lloyd Webber's short-lived THE WOMAN IN WHITE. Deftly turning lemons into lemonade, Friedman then ensconced herself at New York's Cafe Carlyle with a well-received cabaret act devoted to the music of Stephen Sondheim, a composer whose work she has had some experience with both on stage (PASSION, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE) and in the recording studio (A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC).

Now, Sony Classical has decided the time is right for Maria Friedman to become better-known stateside. NOW AND THEN, the singer's American solo debut, is largely made up of tracks recorded in 1995 for her first solo album in the U.K. Though only two of the tracks are newly recorded (including one with piano accompaniment by Sondheim himself), the whole CD invites the listener to give this talented Brit a long-overdue welcome.

"Friedman . . . knows how to sing, she knows how to act, and she knows how to interpret songs. 'I Happen to Like New York' is jubilant. . . . Friedman's take on Arlen and Gershwin’s 'The Man that Got Away' packs an emotional wallop. . . . [With 'Finishing the Hat,'] Friedman gives us a riveting portrait of the inner artist." - PLAYBILL

What's not to like? Here we have one of Eugene Ormandy's classic accounts of the Nutcracker Suite, followed by a transcription for the Modern Mandolin Quartet that sounds surprisingly attractive, all things considered. Then the fun really starts with Spike Jones' demented take on the story, full of his trademark sound effects and madcap humor. Capping it all off are two 1940s arrangements for four pianos of the Dance of the Reed Flutes and the Waltz of the Flowers. Obviously the recording quality varies widely (even the Ormandy doesn't compare to today's best), but that's not really the point. What you get is a sort of trip down memory lane with this ever-popular music--and more to the point, the arrangements are sufficiently distinctive to justify wanting to listen to the entire disc at a sitting. As a special holiday treat that gives you much more than just another Nutcracker, you simply can't go wrong. Charming and fun! --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Fans of great violin playing naturally will want to hear this outstanding sampling of the art of the young Itzhak Perlman, most of which has never been released on CD. The violinist blasts through Paganini's Caprices Nos. 1, 16, and (of course) 24 with scrupulous technique and a total lack of inhibition. In the remaining works he's well partnered by pianist David Garvey, best known for his work with soprano Leontyne Price. Among the items represented are some truly uncommon gems, such as Ben-Haim's Berceuse Sfaradite, Hindemith's sweet little Sonata Op. 11 No. 1, and a smoking performance of Bazzini's La Ronde des lutins. Perlman gives a nod to the Baroque tradition (while remaining firmly within the modern school, obviously), with uncommonly exciting versions of Handel's Sonata Op. 1 No. 15 and Leclair's Op. 9 No. 3.

Rounding out the program are Bloch's Nigun (gorgeous tone here) and two Spanish favorites--Sarasate's Navarra Op. 33 and Kreisler's arrangement of Falla's Spanish Dance from La vida breve. The sonics balance the two players well considering Perlman's predilection for remaining front and center, though the violin sometimes sounds as if it's in a slightly different acoustic. Never mind. This is an outstanding tribute to one of the great names among violinists of any age, as well as a remarkably varied and interesting recital in its own right. As such, it's self-recommending.
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Music from Symphony No. 1, "Jeremiah"; Symphony No. 2, "Age of Anxiety"; Symphony No. 3, "Kaddish"; Chichester Psalms for Chorus and Orchestra ; songs from on the Town; Peter Pan; Fancy Free and Candide ; the original Broadway recording of West Side Story, and more!

Track listings include: "Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 IV. Finale: Allegro con fuoco " "Stravinsky: Suite from "The Firebird" (1919 version) Finale Disc 2: "Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E- flat Major, KV 543 "Copland: El salon Mexico" Disc 3: "Haydn: Missa in tempore belli in c major (Mass in Time of War) Hob. XXII: 9" "Sousa: Semper fidelis" "Barber: Adagio for Strings."