IN A LANDSCAPE

MY PEACE I GIVE YOU

CHOPIN ETUDES

MICHAEL NYMAN SONGBOOK

HOLST: THE PLANETS (THE DECCA COLLECTION)

Gershwin Rhapsody - Jean-Yves Thibaudet & Michael Feinstein / Commemorating the 1924 premiere of Rhapsody in Blue, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet collabs with Michael Feinstein, the 'one-man encyclopaedia of the Great American Songbook' to celebrate the magic of Gershwin. Gershwin Rhapsody sees best-loved Gershwin melodies sit alongside world premiere recordings of 4 rediscovered Gershwin songs: 'Graceful and Elegant', 'Dance of the Waves', 'Sutton Place' and 'Under the Cinnamon Tree'. The album also includes a medley based on Rhapsody in Blue comprising a selection of piano duos, solos and Feinstein vocals featuring the music of George & Ira Gershwin. The two also perform a Gershwin-esque setting of Vincent Youman's classic tune, 'Tea for Two' and the programme rounds off with 'Jasbo Brown Blues' from Porgy & Bess. Michael Feinstein and Jean-Yves Thibaudet extensively toured this programme around the US under the title 'Who Could Ask For Anything More?' including a date at Carnegie Hall on December 13th.

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LIFE

Verve Label Group - Marriner Conducts Beethoven - Sir Neville Marriner - 15 April 2024 marks the centenary of the birth of Sir Neville Marriner, widely considered to have the most extensive discography of any single musician. He recorded for most of Decca's imprints - L'Oiseau-Lyre, Decca, Argo, and by acquisition, Philips Classics. He also recorded extensively for EMI and, in the final chapter of his discographical history, Hanssler Classics. - Known and celebrated for his recordings of Baroque music and of Mozart, Marriner also made highly-desired recordings of Beethoven with 'his' Academy of St. Martin in the Fields - a chapter in his recorded history being gathered together for the first time. - In September 1970 he set down recordings of Beethoven's first two symphonies for Philips. These were first included in a 4-LP set entitled 'The Rise of the Symphony' (6707 013). One more symphony, No. 4, coupled with a string-orchestra transcription of the 'Grosse Fuge' was set down in December 1974. Perhaps a complete Beethoven symphony cycle was never envisaged at the time, for it wasn't until the 1980s that recordings of Beethoven symphonies gathered momentum, starting with the 'Eroica' in 1982 and concluding with the Ninth in April 1989. - Two recordings of the Violin Concerto were also made: with long-standing leader of the Academy, Iona Brown (herself also a conductor) in January 1980 for Argo, and quite surprisingly, again in December that year with Gidon Kremer for Philips, who incorporated two of the Schnittke cadenzas into his performance. These were rounded out with a disc of a selection of charming Minuets, German Dances and Contredanses, also for Philips, in 1978.

SUMMER PORTRAITS

SUMMER PORTRAITS

Katia Labèque/Marielle Labèque/David Chalmin/Bryce Dessner -"Sonic Wires"

Founded in 2018, the Dream House Quartet is bringing classical and contemporary music into completely new forms as a matter of course. The members draw on decades of expertise: the two piano sisters, Katia and Marielle Labèque, are joined by Bryce Dessner (Grammy-winning guitarist, composer and founding member of The National), and composer, musician and producer David Chalmin. Together they perform radical commissions from visionary composers and key contemporary works from the past half century.

60 years after Luciano Pavarotti's first recording for Decca, the legendary label is re-releasing one of his most popular albums on CD and coloured vinyl: 'O Sole Mio'. 'O Sole Mio' shows a completely different side of the Italian tenor: Pavarotti sings a series of Neapolitan songs, lovingly arranged for voice and orchestra. The album was honoured with the Grammy Award for the best classical solo vocal album in 1980. The impressive range of emotions expressed in the songs - from the passionate 'O Sole Mio' to the exuberant 'Funicul�, Funicul�' - is a delight for listeners new and old. The turquoise vinyl of the new edition reflects the colours of the original LP cover.

LONGER SHADOWS, SOFTER STONES

FRANS BRUGGEN PROJECT

Double 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Originally released in 2018, Englaborn & Variations by J?hann J?hannson is a reissue of his 2002 debut album, Englaborn, in remixed sound together with a collection of completely new reworkings. It is a touching posthumous testimony to his haunting musical language and expressiveness. Featuring a piano version of the title track played by DG colleague V?kingur Olafsson and poignant choral pieces with the Theatre of Voices ensemble. Other internationally renowned musicians whom J?hannsson admired have also added their interpretations. Among them, Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, ambient duo A Winged Victory for the Sullen, and composer/producer Paul Corley.

Yunchan Lim -"Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3" - It was the performance that launched a career, garnering 16 million views on YouTube and catapulting him to fame. It is now available to own, as part of Yunchan's future legacy, released just ahead of the 2025 Cliburn Competition - the first since Yunchan's historic win. Marin Alsop declares, "From the moment we started playing together, I noticed just how incredibly musical Yunchan was, and that he seemed like an old soul, rather than a young performer." Crescendo, the film made about the 2022 competition, will finally be available for download at the same time. Until now, it has only been available in Korean cinema or on American Airlines and is much anticipated by fans. The product will include a note by US journalist Jed Distler, with new comments from Marin Alsop. Artist Hometown: South Korea Verve Label Group; Decca; Classical; Catalog.

FANTASIA

MY AMERICAN STORY: NORTH

Global superstar Yunchan Lim's Cliburn-winning performance of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 is available to own for the first time on CD. Yunchan Lim's performance made him the youngest ever winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022 and launched his career, catapulting him to fame and earning him millions of views on YouTube and sold-out concert halls worldwide.

Bruce Liu, winner of the 2021 International Chopin Piano Competition and famous for his distinctive mix of "feline agility and lightness of touch" (New York Times), breaks new ground with the supposedly well known. Following his enormous success with WAVES, a tribute to French composers and nature themes, The Seasons now focuses on Tchaikovsky's and Liu's relationship with music. "For me, this is a moment to explore some personal emotion," the pianist says of his latest album, which envelops the Russian composer's intimate and profoundly poetic language with musical breathing space.

Dresden-based composer/producer, Sven Helbig, presents 'Requiem A' to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, honoring the victims of war and sending a profound plea for peace. The world premiere performance was recorded on February 9, 2025 at Dresden's Kreuzkirche and performed by the Dresden Kreuzchor, Saxon State Orchestra and celebrated bass-baritone Rene Pape with conductor Martin Lehmann. Released by Deutsche Grammophon, this poignant work seeks to serve as a universal message of remembrance, reconciliation, and cultural exchange.

SCHUMANN

LULLABIES FOR PIANO AND CELLO