Lang Lang - "Complete Recordings 2000-2009" / Complete Recordings 2000-2009 bring together a treasure-trove of recordings that present all the many facets of Lang Lang's first decade as a recording artist, capturing the youthful pianist's art and dazzling career. The 12 CD set is a tribute indeed to one of the most extraordinary musical figures of our time. This new edition uses all artwork and text from the original deluxe edition but is now presented in a capbox package to Lang Lang fans around the globe. [12 CD]

Lang Lang & Shao Sophie - Howard Shore: Two Concertio - Howard Shore: Two Concerti is an album of specially commissioned concertos in celebration of Chopin's music, by one of today's most renowned film composers. - One of today's most prolific and accomplished composers - Howard Shore's compositions are performed in concert halls around the world by the most prestigious orchestras and his numerous film scores are heard in cinemas across the globe. - Most well-known for his score for the "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Hobbit" series, these scores have garnered him three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, as well as numerous critic's and festival Awards.

Always smile and always be cheerful, always satisfied, no matter what happens, smile in spite of your sorrows and a thousand aches and pains, sings Prince Sou-Chong, thus introducing the fundamentally melancholic tone of Das Land des Lachelns (The Land of Smiles), which has a tragic ending in store. For the new production of this operetta, world-class tenor Piotr Beczala returned to the Opernhaus Zurich as Sou-Chong. He has an equal partner in Julia Kleiter, who plays the role of Lisa. Fabio Luisi and Andreas Homoki also know that the genre of operetta requires particular care- which is why they have assumed personal responsibility for this production. Homoki let's the plot take place in a Paris Variete theater from the 1920s, complete with show staircase and heavy curtains. To emphasize the operatic elements, he condensed the piece, cutting several secondary roles and shortening dialogues. This production was recorded at the Opernhaus Zurich in June 2017.

In the beginning of the 1950s, Hans Werner Henze wrote two radio operas for the former North West German Radio. The genre was developed around the 1930s and means a form of opera without any visual elements and hence without a stage. Under such circumstances the plot has to reach the listeners' ears by other means - by making the text exceptionally easy to follow, and by means of acoustic special effects like echo or sound collages. With this CD, WERGO publishes the premi�re of the revised versions on Sept. 27, 1996, in the Philharmonie in Cologne: Franz Kafka's oppressive surrealism in "Ein Landarzt" (A Country Doctor) and Wolfgang Hildesheimer's scathing satire in "Das Ende einer Welt" (The End of a World). In "Das Ende einer Welt", Henze himself took the role of the narrator, which underlines how topical the subject matter of this work remains for him. On the occasion of the premi�re of the revised versions of these two operas the composer wrote of the "inner connection" between the works: "There is, first, the state of a man who has taken leave of his senses, of being exposed, of the most terrible isolation, as if 'ordered' by invisible powers acting on a 'higher level.' There is talk of deception, of self-deception, of deceiving and being deceived, of the volatility and unreliability of life matters, beginning with the most simple (or most banal) and ending with the metaphysical and the grotesque." It is also conceivable that the increasing disquiet that took hold of Henze in the early fifties with regard to an evolving society that nonetheless remained the same at it's core ("Everywhere the old was not yet old enough, while the new pointed to a future that did not look very promising, " wrote the composer in his essay "Nach dem Krieg" [After the war]) took musical form in his two radio operas: on the one hand, a nightmare vision of horror; on the other, a cynical farce.

Classical Music

With a tradition going back to its formation in 1941, The United States Air Force Band has long been the Air Force’s premier musical organisation, inspiring audiences in America and all over the world. Many of the works on this album demonstrate the history and importance of flying, from Philip Wilby’s vision of a bygone era in Dawn Flight, Bruce Yurko’s Red Tail Skirmish dedicated to the heroism of Tuskegee Airmen in WWII, and the futuristic excitement of Asimov’s Aviary by Joel Puckett. The spectacular virtuosity of The United States Air Force Band can also be heard in Time Travels by the band’s chief arranger, Senior Master Sgt. Robert Thurston, and in the superb arrangement of three movements from Holst’s The Planets.

Lohengrin is staged by the enfant terrible Hans Neuenfels, and offers a thought-provoking production of brilliant visual clarity. The performance with Klaus Florian Vogt in the title role is staggering and impressive. There is beauty and purity in his voice, but in this role in particular, one truly senses something other-worldly, which fits superlatively both with the work and the production. Conductor Andris Nelsons brings out the best in the festival chorus and orchestra. It is a Lohengrin one does not easily forget and puts Bayreuth back in the vanguard of Wagner interpretation. "Great Wagner performances such as this give the sensation of looking down at the world from a sadly omniscient height... Vogt...gave a dreamlike performance... Dasch... was sweetly impassioned throughout. Petra Lang was a properly searing Ortrud... Andris Nelsons... conducted with blazing intensity." (Alex Ross, The New Yorker) ‘‘A magic moment of music theatre.’’ (Handelsblatt) ‘‘Bayreuth's incomparable chorus really deserves a medal for its performance here.’’ (International Record Review) ‘‘All six solo singers are musically excellent and dramatically persuasive, with Petra Lang's excoriating Ortrud and George Zeppenfeld's grave yet warm-toned King Henry particularly memorable...’’ (Gramophone)

Import Hybrid-SACD pressing.

Always smile and always be cheerful, always satisfied, no matter what happens, smile in spite of your sorrows and a thousand aches and pains, sings Prince Sou-Chong, thus introducing the fundamentally melancholic tone of Das Land des Lachelns (The Land of Smiles), which has a tragic ending in store. For the new production of this operetta, world-class tenor Piotr Beczala returned to the Opernhaus Zurich as Sou-Chong. He has an equal partner in Julia Kleiter, who plays the role of Lisa. Fabio Luisi and Andreas Homoki also know that the genre of operetta requires particular care- which is why they have assumed personal responsibility for this production. Homoki let's the plot take place in a Paris Variete theater from the 1920s, complete with show staircase and heavy curtains. To emphasize the operatic elements, he condensed the piece, cutting several secondary roles and shortening dialogues. This production was recorded at the Opernhaus Zurich in June 2017.

"Those little foxes at Masterworks Broadway debut 3 must-have CDs, long lost from the era of vinyl... Masterworks Broadway continues to explore the rich history of Broadway hits (and misses) with the CD debuts of three classic cast recordings: Regina, Song of Norway and Make A Wish." -- Alan Petrucelli, Pittsburgh Stage and Screen Examiner [7/28/10]

1951 original cast recording. Book by Preston Sturges and Abe Burrows. Songs by Hugh Martin.

If any playgoer could “make a wish” he could hardly wish for more than this flawless blend of music and comedy whipped up by Preston Sturges and Hugh Martin from an original play by Ferenc Molnár. Hugh Martin supplies the music and lyrics that transform the comedy into a musical, and Preston Sturges contributes the uninhibited pen that has made him a Hollywood legend. Nanette Fabray stars in the show.

Make a Wish was originally called The Good Fairy during its Broadway run, which starred Helen Hayes. Under the same title, it took a trip to the West Coast, where Margaret Sullavan had the title role. It served later, in revised form, as a motion picture vehicle for Deanna Durbin. All these versions offer convincing evidence that the original Molnár story is as enduring as it is humorous. The story is the tale of a young, pretty orphan girl, “Janette” (Nanette Fabray), who “graduates” from the orphanage and goes out into the glittering world of Paris. She encounters a middle-aged gentleman (Melville Cooper), whose bank account is usually more impressive than his morals. However, the gentleman is so touched by the young girl’s naïve charm that he decides to do what he can to help her. There are complications with an idealistic young lawyer and a whole gallery of humorously colorful characters, but virtue and the young heroine win in the end. Before the end comes, the audience invariably has a roaring good time.

This album of 11 tracks presents some of classical musics favorites, appropriately programmed to give children a healthy and exciting overview of some of the best music ever written. Favorites like Saint-Saen's The Swan, Mozart's Rondo alla turca, and Beethoven's Fur Elise will plant seeds into growing minds to continue to love classical music. Artists include Lang Lang, Placido Domingo, Jonas Kaufman, Joshua Bell, The cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic, and many more.

Launched by its prologue Das Rheingold (8660374-75), Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) - one of the supreme works in the history of music - continues with Die Walküre. Part II of the tetralogy centres on the young lovers Siegmund and Sieglinde, whose relationship angers Ficka, goddess of marriage, and on the disobedience of the Valkyrie Brünnhilde who is sent to carry out Fricka’s wishes. Performed by an all-star international cast, the work features thrilling set-pieces such as Wotan’s Farewell and the Ride of the Valkyries.

Based on a fairy tale about the Peri of Persian Mythology, Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri is an innovative form of dramatic cantata for solo voice, choir, and orchestra. The piece is an oratorio in three parts, with text by Emil Flechsig and Schumann based on the story by Thomas Moore, Lalla Rookh. This recording is from 1981. It features the Leipzig Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester conducted by Wolf-Dieter Hauschild, along with some of the greatest soloists including Magdalena Hajossyova and Marga Schiml.

Launched by its prologue Das Rheingold (8660374-75), Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) - one of the supreme works in the history of music - continues with Die Walküre. Part II of the tetralogy centres on the young lovers Siegmund and Sieglinde, whose relationship angers Ficka, goddess of marriage, and on the disobedience of the Valkyrie Brünnhilde who is sent to carry out Fricka’s wishes. Performed by an all-star international cast, the work features thrilling set-pieces such as Wotan’s Farewell and the Ride of the Valkyries.

2 LP, Limited Edition. Luxurious 180 g heavyweight vinyl pressings from OPTIMAL. This release includes a voucher with a unique code to download the digital audio files (MP3) of the full album for free. Works by Chopin, Tan Dun, Haydn, Liszt, Schubert, Schumann. "An awesome new recording of the most spectacular recital I've ever seen" (Gregory Krischling, Entertainment Weekly)

Deluxe two CD edition. 2022 release. The most unforgettable songs from Disney's iconic films reimagined by the greatest living pianist, Lang Lang's The Disney Book tells the story of a century of magical, joyous entertainment for all. Join him on an uplifting, virtuosic journey to experience beloved songs from Disney films with collaborators from across the globe, including Andrea Bocelli, Sebastian Yatra, and Jon Batiste, performing hits from Snow White, Encanto, Beauty and the Beast, Pinocchio and many more.

2022 release. The most unforgettable songs from Disney's iconic films reimagined by the greatest living pianist, Lang Lang's The Disney Book tells the story of a century of magical, joyous entertainment for all. Join him on an uplifting, virtuosic journey to experience beloved songs from Disney films with collaborators from across the globe, including Andrea Bocelli, Sebastian Yatra, and Jon Batiste, performing hits from Snow White, Encanto, Beauty and the Beast, Pinocchio and many more.

Classical Music