Swiss-born Michel Corboz was a conductor whose joy in singing inspired his exploration of choral works and opera. A fine baritone with a background in church music, he strove for an orchestra that sings. In addition to the ancient repertoire which brought him fame, he devoted the same energy and profound continuity to the periods that followed: Austro-Germans Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Beethoven; Italians Verdi, Puccini and Rossini; Swiss and Frenchmen Martin, Honegger, Saint-Sa�ns and Faur� - whose Requiem Corboz recorded in 1972, marking a true milestone in recorded music history! Beyond his vast flexibility of style, Corboz, the sculptor of voices, sought to draw the listener into an encompassing experience of expressiveness and joy.

Bizet: Les P�cheurs de perles - Les P�cheurs de perles is known above all for it's magnificent duet for tenor and baritone. Here, that celebrated number is set in the context of a complete performance that expresses the very essence of Gallic style. Pierre Dervaux leads the forces of the Op�ra-Comique and a cast of emblematic French singers of the post-War era. They are joined by Nicolai Gedda - Swedish-born, but characteristically and idiomatically elegant as the romantic hero Nadir.

Double vinyl LP pressing.

The music of Ravel is especially close to Alexandre Tharaud's heart. Now, in partnership with the Orchestre National de France and conductor Louis Langr�e, he has recorded both the composer's piano concertos, pairing them with Noches en los jardines de Espa�a (Nights in the Gardens of Spain), Manuel de Falla's sumptuous work for piano and orchestra. "Ravel's Concerto in G major is fresh and Mozartian in it's colours, while his Concerto for the Left Hand is haunted by dark shades and suppressed fears," says Tharaud. Both concertos were premiered in 1932. "Characteristically for Ravel, they are simultaneously unique and alike. They share meticulous craftsmanship and jazzy touches, and both evoke little automata and the ghosts of war." The cross-currents of French and Spanish culture, so evident in Ravel's aesthetic, flow though Falla's concerto-like piece too. The Andalusian composer lived for a time in Paris and became friendly with Ravel. "The solo piano in Noches en los jardines de Espa�a plays a different role from the piano in the Ravel concertos," continues Tharaud. "It blends in more closely with the orchestra, though the works share a Romantic spirit and a poignant sense of nostalgia."

A giant fresco, a kind of odyssey, is Bertrand Chamayou's description of Olivier Messiaen's piano masterwork, Vingt Regards sur L'Enfant-J�sus. Written in 1944, it is a monumental, mystical and iridescent sequence of 20 gazes or contemplations on the infant Jesus. Messiaen once wrote that "The drama of my life is that I have written religious music for an audience that has no faith." Bertrand Chamayou feels that the Vingt Regards "is a mystical rather than a religious experience... It arouses the same kind of awe as walking into a magnificent cathedral or seeing a glorious sunset. You feel that time stops." Chamayou first played the work in 2008, Messiaen's centenary year, but it has been part of his life since he was nine years old. "It was revelation... I think I can say that the Vingt Regards has played a role in shaping the way I play, the sound I produce and my approach as an interpreter." To complement this two-hour landmark of the repertoire, Chamayou has also recorded five short musical tributes to Messiaen, written in the years following his death in 1992. They are by Toru Takemitsu, Tristan Murail, Gy�rgy Kurt�g, Jonathan Harvey and Anthony Cheung.

LEYENDAS

Swiss-born Michel Corboz was a conductor whose joy in singing inspired his exploration of choral works and opera. A fine baritone with a background in church music, he said that he even wanted "an orchestra that sings". In 1964, opening up a new world of possibilities, producer Michel Garcin signed Corboz and the Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne - the group he had founded three years earlier - to the Erato label. Over the ensuing years, Corboz (who died in 2021) built an extensive discography, expanding the audience for composers like Monteverdi - sparsely represented at the time - Carissimi, Lalande and Marc-Antoine Charpentier, while reinforcing the presence of such figures as Bach, Handel and Purcell. Intent above all on doing justice to the composer, he readily collaborated with both period specialists and the modern instruments of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and Lisbon's Gulbenkian Orchestra. A substantial number of the recordings in this 74-disc set are receiving their first CD release and have been specially remastered in high definition. Encompassing the Renaissance and the Baroque, this is the first and larger of two boxes to be devoted to Corboz's Erato discography; it's counterpart will range from the Classical era to the 20th century.

Alexandre Tharaud's relationship with film music runs deep - it also ranges wide. On his double album CINEMA, the French pianist delves into 50 celebrated film scores by composers from France, Italy, the USA, Japan, Poland, Romania and Lebanon - 19 in all. Among them are Michel Legrand, John Williams, Ennio Morricone, Francis Lai, Marvin Hamlisch, Nino Rota and Philip Glass. As Tharaud says: "This album pays tribute to them with a selection of pieces for piano and orchestra and for piano solo, most in their original versions, creating a sound-world every bit as thrilling without the motion picture." The movie magic is reinforced by Tharaud's starry partners on the album: Antonio Pappano conducts the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and making guest appearances are singers Vanessa Paradis, Cam�lia Jordana and Sabine Devieilhe, clarinettist Michel Portal and vioinist Nemanja Radulovic.

A complete Handel program recorded with Thomas Dunford, Ensemble Jupiter, mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre and British countertenor lestyn Davies. They all wanted to build the narrative of a strong love story between the two heroes. The album features arias from Semele, Theodora, Saul, Susanna, Esther, and more.

The perfect winter album from the internationally acclaimed German soprano Diana Damrau. A collection of sacred music and Christmas songs recorded with the Hannover Orchestra under conductor Riccardo Minasi and Richard Whilds Features well-known hits such as "Stille Nacht" ("Silent Night") alongside classical standards such as "Flo��t mein Heiland, flo��t dein Namen" from Bach's Christmas Oratorium.

BEETHOVEN: PIANO CONCERTOS NOS. 4 & 5

Gautier Capu�on TITLE: Intuition - Intuition, a captivating album of short pieces for solo cello with piano or orchestra, has been conceived by Gautier Capu�on to "reflect the story of my life and follow the various stages in my emotional development". It brings together much-loved numbers by composers such as Saint-Sa�ns, Faur�, Massenet, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Elgar with newer music by Astor Piazzolla, the Italian cellist Giovanni Sollima and the pianist J�r�me Ducros, who also appears on the album. As Gautier Capu�on says: "In music, in life, communication is the essence of everything and of anything... You share something."

Vinyl LP pressing. 2019 release from renowned mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. Songplay is sure to delight not only listeners of opera, but listeners of jazz and tango as well. The album brings together musicians from numerous genres, hand-picked by DiDonato in a band led by pianist and arranger Craig Terry. Among them are bassist Chuck Isreals, drummer Jimmy Madison, Lautaro Greco on the bandoneon, and trumpeter Charlie Porter. Joyce DiDonato greets you with a song in her heart and twinkle in her eye. The American mezzo-soprano's album Songplay unites world-class musicians from the varied worlds of opera, jazz and tango in the pure pleasure of improvisation, experimentation and exchange. Together they create their own musical language, surprising listeners with timeless melodies transformed and universal stories retold over centuries; songs in English, in Italian and - naturally - in the universal language of music. On Songplay, along with her hand-picked band led by pianist and arranger Craig Terry, Joyce draws inspiration from Cavalli and Chet Baker in equal measure. The languishing heart in Giordani's Caro mio ben is as emotionally charged as Jerry Bock's hopeful Will he like me?. Perhaps the most compelling reminder of how the music of Songplay breaks down divides is from DiDonato's experience leading vocal and composition workshops in the New York prison Sing Sing, where one of the men who is incarcerated was particularly moved upon hearing her rendition of Caro mio ben: 'I feel like I've known this song my whole life.'

LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN

In November 2021, Emmanuelle Ha�m led two celebratory charity concerts - one in Berlin, the other in her home city of Paris - to mark 20 years of her ensemble Le Concert d'Astr�e. The music, mostly from operas, was by Handel, Rameau, Purcell, Vivaldi and Campra, and the spectacular line-up of vocal soloists included sopranos Natalie Dessay, Sabine Devieilhe, Emoke Bar�th and Sandrine Piau, mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre, tenors Michael Spyres and Rolando Villaz�n, bass-baritone Laurent Naouri, and bass Andrea Mastroni. In Berlin, a distinguished guest conducted extracts from Rameau's Les Bor�ades: Sir Simon Rattle, whom Emmanuelle Ha�m describes as the 'godfather' of Le Concert d'Astr�e. "I like richness and colour," she says, "I like to embody meaning in sound without ever losing the narrative thread... We are lucky to be making music, and it is wonderful to be able to share this joy with an audience."

John Eliot Gardiner will celebrate his 80th birthday on 20th April 2023. On 7th April, we are releasing a 64-CD boxset including his complete Erato Recordings, and are also celebrating this wonderful conductor with two of his most emblematic albums to be released on vinyl: Purcell's King Arthur and Handel's Water Music. As John Eliot Gardiner converted his Monteverdi Orchestra to early instruments in the mid-1970s and renamed it the English Baroque Soloists, he engaged his magnificent instrumentalists, choir and a host of first-class soloists in the most emblematic works by "the Greatest Genius we [England] ever had": Henry Purcell! The reception was unanimously enthusiastic and led Diapason magazine to say: "Gardiner's reading of Purcell, dramatic, hyper-refined, sometimes burning, overwhelming, at all times enchanting, cannot escape the discography of the enlightened music lover. Purcell himself is there!" King Arthur was first staged at the Dorset Garden Theatre in London in mid-1691. It proved to be the most popular and enduring of all Purcell's stage works, and enjoyed revivals throughout the eighteenth century and beyond.

Vinyl LP pressing. 2020 release. Gautier Capu�on is recognised the world over as one of the most charismatic, enchanting and exuberant musicians performing today. He receives consistently high critical praise for his performances with the major orchestras and conductors across the globe, as well as for his recital and chamber music work at many of the world's most prestigious venues and festivals. A prolific recording artist, he records exclusively for Erato.

Alexandre Tharaud's relationship with film music runs deep - it also ranges wide. On his double album CINEMA, the French pianist delves into 50 celebrated film scores by composers from France, Italy, the USA, Japan, Poland, Romania and Lebanon - 19 in all. Among them are Michel Legrand, John Williams, Ennio Morricone, Francis Lai, Marvin Hamlisch, Nino Rota and Philip Glass. As Tharaud says: "This album pays tribute to them with a selection of pieces for piano and orchestra and for piano solo, most in their original versions, creating a sound-world every bit as thrilling without the motion picture." The movie magic is reinforced by Tharaud's starry partners on the album: Antonio Pappano conducts the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and making guest appearances are singers Vanessa Paradis, Cam�lia Jordana and Sabine Devieilhe, clarinettist Michel Portal and vioinist Nemanja Radulovic.

For his first album as an exclusive Erato artist, the French clarinettist Pierre Ge�nisson focuses on his instrument's most inspired 18th century advocate: Mozart. The centrepiece of his programme is the composer's sublime clarinet concerto. "The spiritual and symbolic scope of this concerto is immense," says Ge�nisson. "Every time I come back to this masterwork, I experience the same thrill as when I discover a piece for the first time... Mozart and the clarinet - what a special combination!" Ge�nisson is established as one of today's leading French wind instrumentalists. A multi-faceted soloist, and a frequent guest with orchestras around the world, he trained in Paris at the Conservatoire National Sup�rieur de Musique and in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California. His repertoire ranges from Mozart to jazz by way of folk music, and his lively interest in new music has led to collaborations with a number of prominent composers. Collaborating on this album with the period instruments of Concerto K�ln and conductor Jakob Lehmann, Ge�nisson plays period clarinets, copies of instruments from Mozart's time, and modern clarinets specially crafted for the recording. The programme complements the sublime concerto with a number of shorter pieces. In two arias from La clemenza di Tito G�nisson partners mezzo-soprano Karine Deshayes, but his clarinet also 'sings' the vocal lines in arrangements of numbers from Cos� fan tutte and Le nozze di Figaro. Rounding out the album is a new arrangement by Bruno Fontaine of the 'Lacrimosa' from the Requiem, made for clarinet, organ and Fender Rhodes electric piano.

The new opus "Wonder Women" by L'Arpeggiata and Christina Pluhar is dedicated to women. On the one hand, it is a homage to all the wonderful female composers of the 17th century, but also to all the talented female musicians of all times who too often had to hide their talent behind their husbands or give up their careers too early. On the other hand, Christina Pluhar also draws her inspiration from the traditional music of South America and Italy and looked for songs that tell stories about extraordinary, strong, courageous but also sad women. First and foremost is the wonderful Mexican song "La Bruja" (The Witch), which symbolizes the freedom of all women at all times and in all cultures. Celebrate women in all their facets and with all their talents together with Luciana Mancini, C�line Scheen, Benedetta Mazzucato, Vincenzo Capezzuto, Christina Pluhar and L'Arpeggiata!

GLUCK: ORFEO ED EURIDICE

MORS ET VITA

CAGE2 is the title of Bertrand Chamayou's new album - he calls it the twin brother of his most recent Letter(s) to Erik Satie - both recorded at the Miraval studios. CAGE� is also the title of a performance Bertrand Chamayou conceived with dancer and choreographer �lodie Sicard, featuring 12 pieces composed by John Cage for prepared piano, in the period between 1940 and 1945. John Cage wrote all the pieces of this album for dance solos: for the American dancer Syvilla Fort, for dancers and choreographers such as Val�rie Bettis, Wilson Williams, Pearl Primus, Jean Erdman, but also for the terrific Merce Cunningham. Bertrand has also delivered brilliant booklet notes on Cage, the genesis of the prepared piano and the pieces themselves.

Handel: Messiah (2xCD + Bonus DVD) / "A lifetime of performing Messiah has brought me enough courage to record this singularly famous piece of music. With the finest musicians and soloists on the planet surrounding me, I'm finally ready to lay down my personal interpretation for posterity." The American conductor John Nelson, especially famed for his interpretations of Berlioz, conducted Handel's most celebrated oratorio at Coventry Cathedral in the heart of England in November 2022. "In today's turbulent world, I hope that this concert of Messiah in this symbolic location can be a powerful message of hope." The performance is now released as a three-disc set - comprising the audio version (2 CDs) and the video (1 DVD). Nelson's chosen version of the score reflects Messiah's evolution over the period from 1741 (the original autograph) to the early 1750s, when a 'standard' version of the oratorio took shape. In addition, the CDs offer eight bonus tracks - alternative versions of now-familiar arias. Joining John Nelson are the historically informed orchestra and choir of The English Concert, soprano Lucy Crowe, countertenor Alex Potter, tenor Michael Spyres and bass Matthew Brook. As the Times wrote of the performance: "From shadowy strings in 'For behold, darkness shall cover the earth' to gilded trumpets and exuberant timpani in the final chorus, this was Handel straight from the opera house: dramatic and eloquent."

The first album from Nathalie Stutzmann as conductor features Dvor�k's well known Symphony No. 9" From The New World". Nathalie Stutzmann studied conducting with legendary Finnish teacher Jorma Panula, and has benefited from the mentoring of Simon Rattle and the late Seiji Ozawa. She holds two major posts in the USA - Music Director at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra - and has guest engagements with the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Bayreuth Festival amongst others. Simon Rattle told the NY times: "Nathalie is the real thing. So much love, intensity and sheer technique."