The German-born conductor Otto Klemperer, a towering figure in the musical history of the 20th century, died at the age of 88 on July 8th 1973, so 2023 will mark the 50th anniversary of his death. His complete recordings on Warner Classics catalogue are being made available for the first time in 2 huge separate boxes; the first volume with the Symphonic Works, Concertos & Lieder (95CD) will be released in June 2023. All recordings are remastered in HD 192/24 from original sources. One month before the release of the first box, we are releasing on vinyl and digital HD + Dolby Atmos one of his most famous album. The epic Symphony No. 2 brought Gustav Mahler and Otto Klemperer together in 1905, when the 20-year-old conductor took charge of the off-stage band for a performance in Berlin. Mahler, impressed, subsequently recommended him for appointments in Prague and Hamburg. In this recording Klemperer rewards the composer's faith with an interpretation of granite-like strength, drawing magnificent performances from orchestra, chorus and soloists.

The music of Brahms held an important place in Sir John Barbirolli's repertoire, and these recordings of the symphonies, made with the Vienna Philharmonic in 1966 and 1967, stand as one of the peaks of his discography. Barbirolli's relationship with this music is rooted in his time as an orchestral cellist, and these performances are notable for their rich, ripe sonorities and expansive warmth. The two mighty Piano Concertos were also recorded in 1967 in distinguished versions with Daniel Barenboim. Playing the violin concerto here, Fritz Kreisler as a young man had been part of Brahms's outer circle in Vienna and drew his approach to this music straight from the source. Last but not least is the Double Concerto, of which Geraint Lewis wrote in Gramophone, "The great underestimated Alfredo Campoli showed what a rich tone and innate musicality he had at his command alongside an equally eloquent Andre Navarra."

Gramophone states, "A unique statement, one that can't fail to make an impression. Recorded in the sumptuous acoustic of the Jesuitenkirche in Vienna, there's a detectable flavor of southern European oratorio, ebulliently theatrical, immediate and free-breathing (...). This is the most culturally alert reading in years and a truly original and illuminating experience." This recording won a Grammy Award of Best Choral Performance and a Diapason d'or de l'annee in 2001, and it's one of the 100 Greatest Recordings from Gramophone: an absolute landmark of Bach's masterpiece, the Saint Matthew Passion.

Vinyl LP pressing. In Perlman's words, Tchaikovsky "wears his heart on his sleeve" and his violin concerto is a work of "unabashed Romanticism". While bringing sensitivity and substance to his interpretation, Perlman never slips into sentimentality, and he leads an exhilarating dance in the finale. This concerto more than any other has accompanied him throughout his career. Indeed, Perlman's often claimed that he could play it virtually in his sleep. It could even be seen as emblematic of his style, given both the prodigiously virtuosic demands it makes on the performer and it's charismatic warmth.

Renowned as a great interpreter of Brahms, Jacqueline du Pre, here at the peak of her art and technical abilities, delivers the latest version recorded with her husband Daniel Barenboim in May-August 1968. A pillar of the cello repertoire, the Two Sonatas benefit from a new remastering in 192kHz/24-bit from original tapes by Art & Son Studio, Annecy.

The 2-LP set includes highlights from Bach's greatest masterpieces performed by first-class musicians: Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Mstislav Rostropovich, Ton Koopman, Alexandre Tharaud, David Fray, Sir Neville Marriner, Fabio Biondi, Emmanuel Pahud, Beatrice Rana, Sigiswald Kuijken

Klaus Tennstedt's studio recordings for EMI Classics, primarily with his cherished London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), are celebrated as a towering achievement, cementing his reputation as one of the great conductors of the late 20th century. His landmark studio cycle of Mahler's Symphonies is the monumental centerpiece of this legacy, alongside the live Mahler recordings he did. Tennstedt's Mahler is universally praised for it's sheer emotional commitment and deep feeling. This cycle, often cited for it's thrilling climaxes and masterful shaping of Mahler's vast canvases, is universally recognized as one of the finest surveys of the composer's symphonies. Tennstedt's interpretations of the Central European repertoire, which also included magnificent recordings of Brahms and Wagner included in this box, favour an unfailingly beautiful orchestral tone and a massive solidity. These recordings are a lasting testament to Tennstedt's profound artistry and his extraordinary musical partnership with the LPO (which represent two-thirds of the recordings in this box).

Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra made many highly praised recordings together. Corigliano's Symphony No. 1 is arguably one of the most significant recordings of his tenure; Barenboim's live world-premiere recording winning two Grammy Awards (Best Orchestral Performance and Best Contemporary Composition). His Erato recordings of the complete Brahms Symphonies and Beethoven's Missa solemnis are a milestone too of this era. Barenboim is also a celebrated Wagnerian, and his Teldec discs of overtures and preludes are frequently cited as the pinnacle of the CSO's "brass-and-silk" capabilities. Barenboim frequently collaborated with superstars like Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma to make outstanding albums: Brahms' Double Concerto with both; the Mendelssohn, Prokofiev No. 2 and Stravinsky with Perlman. He also recorded the Brahms and Sibelius concertos with the then-young superstar Maxim Vengerov. Critics at the time were stunned by the electrifying chemistry between the fiery Vengerov and the more seasoned, philosophical Barenboim.

A vast and atmospheric piece of electronic minimalism, Mirage encompasses the changing states of the eponymous ballet - a ritual for 16 dancers conceived by choreographer Damien Jalet and contemporary artist Kohei Nawa. Delivering a statement that feels both radical and accessible, attuned to the elements, Thomas Bangalter takes a sculptural approach to sound and music in the lineage of Iannis Xenakis. The cofounder of Daft Punk continues to carve a personal path grounded by experimentation as a mode of performance and the pleasure of collaboration.

Jose Serebrier / DVORAK: COMPLETE SYMPHONIES LEGENDS SLAVONIC - The much-lauded recordings of Dvorak's symphonies by one of the most recorded conductors of his generation, Jose Serebrier with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. These performances have been praised for their considerable expressivity, remarkable handling of detail and supreme orchestral balance. The works are accompanied by a variety of other concert pieces, among which are a selection of Dvorak's lively, nationalist-driven Slavonic Dances as well as the wonderfully lyrical Legends, endearing miniature tone poems which reveal the Czech composer's mastery of the shortest forms. WARNER CLASSICS Seven CD box set.

2014 limited edition Maria Callas remastered series 180 G vinyl LP pressing reissue. With this Abbey Road 24-bit 96kHz remaster, engineers returned to the original master tapes, bringing new clarity & brilliance to her legendary studio recordings. One of the 20th century's most legendary and enduring icons, Maria Callas was both a glamorous diva and a global superstar who captivated audiences worldwide with her vivid and passionate performances. This special album features Callas in a glittering selection of opera favorites that showcase her unique voice and her heartbreaking portrayal of tragic heroines.

Leif Ove Andsnes is a leading pianist of his time, known for his exceptional musicianship and subtil touch, his considerable technical flair being unfailingly put at the service of his interpretations. He was a pioneer for being the first home-trained superstar pianist to have emerged from Norway. This box is the story of a 20-year partnership that has yielded a rich seam of recorded treasures, first for Virgin and then for EMI. Running through this cornucopia of 34 albums (36 CDs), we find recurring themes: Grieg (Andsnes even recorded some Lyric Pieces on the composer's own piano at Troldhaugen), Nordic music in general, Schumann, Rachmaninov, Schubert.

In response to the vinyl craze and to extend very nice successes of vinyls composers best of on Warner Classics (Beethoven, Part, Debussy, Piazzolla and more recently Chopin, Mozart and Bach) the new one focuses on the emblematic composer of German Romantic music: Franz Schubert. A LP using the same refreshed style artwork as the previous Mozart & Bach and which includes highlights from greatest masterpieces performed by first-class musicians: Elisabeth Leonskaja, Barbara Bonney, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Alexandre Tharaud, Alban Berg Quartett, Gautier Capucon, Renaud Capucon, Ian Bostridge, Antonio Pappano

The members of the Alban Berg Quartett learned and refined their art at the very heart of the Viennese musical tradition. They have recorded twice Beethoven's Complete String Quartets, the first time in studio from 1978 to 1983 at the Evangelische Kirche in Seon (Switzerland), and the second time at concerts in June 1989, at the Mozart-Saal of the Konzerthaus in Vienna (Austria). This second version is offered for the very first time in a vinyl clamshell box and as a limited edition. In these transcendent live performances, the ABQ rise to the challenge of the complex and ambitious works that stand at the summit of the chamber repertoire. To their trademark Polish, finesse and intellectual penetration, the ABQ adds, where appropriate, a wildness and dangerous energy that is both exciting and characteristically Beethovenian.

Claudio Abbado had only made a very few recordings for EMI Classics (now Warner), including Mozart's Flute Concertos with Emmanuel Pahud. This live rendition of Verdi's Messa da Requiem is definitively a major modern version of the work. In 2001, Abbado was doing his. In 2001, Claudio Abbado was soon to complete his tenure as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Berliner Philharmoniker, when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer not long before. Nonetheless, he was able to conduct this Verdi Requiem during two concerts that held a special significance, offering us a remarkable modern interpretation of the work. It featured an outstanding quartet of soloists, three of the world's most renowned choirs, and Berlin's iconic orchestra. "EMI was quite right to be on hand to record this performance in Berlin at a time when Abbado had arisen from his sick-bed to show just how much this work meant to him in the circumstances. It's conveyed in spades through the tremendous concentration and emotional thrust felt throughout this shattering interpretation. This performance has something extra that you find in Fricsay's live, 1960 account, and both come close to the spiritual element in the music. Abbado has at his bidding a superb group of specialist choirs who combine effortlessly into a cohesive whole, singing with commendable breadth, accuracy and involvement, few if any better on disc. They find fit counterparts in the players of the BPO who seem individually, in solos, and collectively intent on giving of their appreciable best for their chief. So all the big choral moments, Dies Irae, Rex tremendae, Sanctus, Libera me fugue are superbly achieved. EMI's recording is wide-ranging and immediate, the equal of any the work has yet received. If the solo singing can't be given such an unqualified encomium, much of it is impressive, especially that of the young mezzo Daniela Barcellona, even in tone and beseeching in manner. Gheorghiu does so much so well: she sings throughout in that rich, warm tone of hers and offers many long, arching phrases. She's also as dramatic as one could wish in the Libera me (...). Alagna sings with a deal of passion and authority. (...) Given it's superlative sound and special circumstances, [it] is an important addition to the work's discography." The Gramophone Classical Music Guide