Despite a difficult start in life and an early reputation as a "conceited brat" (not helped by a father who tried to market him as a "new Mozart") Carl Maria von Weber developed into a disciplined professional through rigorous training under Abbe Vogler and years of practical experience managing theatres in Breslau, Prague, and Dresden. His breakthrough as a composer was closely tied to his collaboration with clarinettist Heinrich Joseph Baermann - Weber's mastery of the clarinet's technical possibilities leading to the famous concertos that paved the way for his operatic triumphs. His masterpiece, 'Der Freischutz' became a cultural phenomenon, praised for it's "Wolf's Glen" scene and it's balance between romantic nature and demonic forces. After a life of great musical discipline amidst continued adversities, Weber died in London at only 39 years old, shortly after the successful premiere of his final opera 'Oberon'. This box celebrates the range of Weber's genius via the selection of several highly recommended reference recordings.

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 co-founder of Daft Punk continues to carve a personal path grounded by experimentation as a mode of performance and the pleasure of collaboration.

Taking the world by storm, Cameron Mackintosh's acclaimed, brilliant new staging - Les Miserables: The Arena Concert Spectacular - has been touring since September 2024, visiting 30 cities and selling over 1 million tickets. After sold-out dates at London's Royal Albert Hall this summer, it journeys to New York's Radio City Hall for it's North American premiere July 23-August 9, 2026, featuring many of the same cast members from this recording. The magnificent score to Les Miserables includes the hit songs; "I Dreamed a Dream", "On My Own", "Bring Him Home", "One Day More", "Do You Hear the People Sing?" and many more. Seen by over 150 million people worldwide in 57 countries and in 22 languages, Les Miserables is undisputedly one of the world's most popular musicals.

Third release in the series of Herbert von Karajan Hybrid SACD releases with a new HD 192/24 remastering from the original tapes. The cycle of Franz Schubert's symphonies recorded by Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic in the late 1970s remains an essential staple of the catalogue. The recordings capture the Berlin "signature sound" of that era: a silky legato and incomparable orchestral fluidity, impressive power in the brass and percussion, and a spacious recording quality achieved within the generous acoustics of the Berlin Philharmonie. It is in the final two symphonies that Karajan's conducting fully flourishes. In the "Unfinished" Symphony, he excels at establishing a mysterious and tragic atmosphere. The "Great" Symphony is undoubtedly the jewel of the cycle, where Karajan maintains a constant rhythmic pulse without ever sacrificing the plastic beauty of the sound, with the finale being a true demonstration of controlled power.

Gregory Hutchinson's "Kind of Now - The Pulse of Miles Davis" is a fascinating and highly rewarding album that breathes new life into some of the immortal classics from Miles Davis' repertoire, such as Charlie Parker's "Ah-Leu-Cha" or Miles' own "Seven Steps to Heaven", discounting the obvious while closing in on the deep cuts. The leader's excellent drum interludes tie this hour-long program tightly together, adding a futuristic newness that's all in Hutch's time. The overall quality and density of "Kind of Now" has everything to do with the musicians involved, a great group of young legends and lions carefully selected by the leader, just the way Miles used to do: Ambrose Akinmusire (trumpet), Ron Blake (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet), Jakob Bro (guitar), Emmanuel Michael (guitar), Gerald Clayton (piano) Joe Sanders (double bass).

For many, Oistrakh remains the violinistic ideal. His winning combination of tonal sumptuousness, clear interpretative focus, musical humility and effortless technical poise across a broad repertoire remains unmatched to this day. When Oistrakh played, one felt there was nothing coming between the composer and the listener... He combined fingers of steel with a heart of gold. The Strad magazine

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (2015) Itzhak Perlman, London Philharmonic Orchestra When it comes to evoking the colors and moods of Vivaldi's Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, Itzhak Perlman deploys an inimitably rich and varied palette. He directs the London Philharmonic Orchestra from the violin.

Classical Music

Recording Bach's complete Six Sonatas and Partitas has long been a dream of mine," says Augustin Hadelich "They are formidable tests of technical ability and stamina, but also of musical imagination and expressive range - they never cease to provide challenges, hope, and joy." For his interpretation, sensitive to historical practice, Hadelich chose to use a baroque bow. "It was a revelation," he says. "It felt liberating... Passages of three- and four-note chords felt more fluid... The dance movements danced more and the slow movements sang more.

Nikolaus Harnoncourt describes Mozart's Requiem as "an intensely personal confrontation, frightening and moving in the case of a composer who normally kept his life and experience divorced from his art to an astonishing degree". This famous recording uses an edition published by Eulenberg in 1972; seeking to come closer to the spirit of the composer himself, it replaces the familiar instrumentation of Franz Xaver S�ssmayr, who completed the Requiem after Mozart's death. For the 40th anniversary of this recording, Warner Classics has newly remastered it from original tapes in High Definition 192kHz/24-bit.

Matteo's first album with Warner Classics combines solo piano and electronic synth-tracks. The album includes many melodious and catchy works, simply perfect for modern-classical piano mood playlists as well as for synch opportunities. 'This album is entirely dedicated to all forms of longing. Whether it is wistful longing of moments from the past, or the desire for future better times. The Notes of Longing premise is to accompany the listener through all of his or her intimate moments of daydreaming and longing. Therefore, this album is fully dedicated to those seeking comfort.' - Matteo Myderwyk

CARMINA BURANA is a 13th century manuscript discovered in the medieval monastery of Benediktbeuren. It means literally "Songs of Beuren," and consists of 250 poems in latin and Middle High German.

Internationally recognized as one of the most important guitarists of our time, Manuel Barrueco has become renowned as a recitalist, concerto soloist, and chamber musician of the highest level for decades. His supreme musicality, his mastery, precision, finesse, the richness of his sound palette, the extent of his repertoire - from baroque to contemporary and popular music - have earned him acclaim on the most prestigious stages around the world. This box-set brings together his entire legacy for Warner Classics and bears witness to his unique artistry which prompted the New York Times to write of him"... a warmth and a singing quality that would undoubtedly have made Segovia smile".

2018 release. Warner Classics and Askonas Holt are proud to announce the signing of 20-year old Americanpianist, Eric Lu, winner and Dame Fanny Waterman Gold Medallist at the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition 2018. As part of this year's coveted prize the winner receives worldwide management with Askonas Holt - one of the world's leading arts management agencies, and an international album release on Warner Classics - one of the foremost global classical music recording companies. This is the first time a record label and a management agency partner with 'The Leeds' to createa ground-breaking portfolio prize designed with long-term career development in mind. The recording deal is a corner-stone of it's new prize package, designed to redefine what a music competition can offer young performers. Both, Warner Classics and Askonas Holt, aim to ensure that the winner has the opportunities, support and advice to develop a significant long-term international career.

DEBUSSY: PRELUDES SATIE: GYMNOPEDIES GNOSSIENNES

MUSIC FOR A ROYAL WEDDING / VARIOUS

The young Egyptian soprano Fatma Said, praised for the luminosity and rich colours of her voice, makes her recording debut for Warner Classics with El Nour. Her enticing and absorbing recital programme crosses cultures, combining art songs by French, Spanish and Egyptian composers with Egyptian folk songs and popular songs from the Middle East. As she explains, "'El Nour' in Arabic means 'Light', and this album sheds light on how music that has been interpreted many times can be perceived in a different light. The idea is to connect three cultures - Arabic, French and Spanish - and to show how much, despite cultural, geographical and historical differences, they have in common when it comes to music".

Andre Previn - Tchaikovsky: The Ballets (Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty)(6CD) Tchaikovsky's three sumptuous ballet scores are also three of his supreme masterpieces, as remarkable for their emotional content as for the beauty of their melodies and orchestration. Andre Previn, who has described himself as "a complete romantic", became Principal Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra in 1968. He remained in the role for 11 years - something of a golden era - and in 2016 was named the LSO's Conductor Emeritus.

RAVEL DEBUSSY BIZET

Limited 11 disc (nine CDs + two DVDs) set. "An independent spirit, a gracious, generous woman who was also deserving of a place among the great pianists of the 20th century." Hephzibah Menuhin is summed up in those word by Bruno Monsaingeon, who was close to both her and her dazzlingly famous violinist brother, Yehudi. The distinguished French filmmaker has curated this set, spanning the years from 1933 to 1980, the year before Hephzibah Menuhin's death at the age of 60. Containing a substantial proportion of world premiere releases - live performances and TV interviews - Hephzibah Menuhin: Homage documents the pianist in her familiar role as her brother's duo partner and sheds new light on her prowess as a recitalist and concerto soloist. It also provides fascinating insights into her life, her relationship with Yehudi and her humanitarian beliefs and activities.

The new vinyl "Spectrum" by the vision string quartet presents 13 songs composed, arranged and produced by the four young musicians from Berlin themselves. Inspired by folk, pop, rock, funk, minimal and singer-songwriter music, Jakob Encke (violin), Daniel Stoll (violin), Sander Stuart (viola) and Leonard Disselhorst (cello) have embarked on a journey to their very own sound and genre. The result is an unprecedented musical adventure without borders, shaped by personal experiences, new and old encounters as well as subtle impressions from various cultures. They create a whole world of sounds with just their four string instruments - from guitar, ukulele and bass to bongos or a complete drum set.

Augustin Hadelich TITLE: Brahms, Ligeti: violin concertos - Winner of the Warner Prize, first recording as an exclusive artist; • New recording of the concertos by Brahms and Ligeti; • Ligeti Concerto includes new cadenzas written by Thomas Ades especially for Augustin - never-before recorded; • With the Norwegian Radio Orchestra under Miguel Harth-Bedoya.

This double album includes two recordings never published before: Robert Hacomplaynt's Marian Antiphon: Salve Regina, and Robert Fayrfax's Magnificat 'Regale', both from the Eton Choirbook. The other recordings in the album include works from the Early English Polyphony era, by composers John Taverner, Christopher Tye, Thomas Morley and last but not least Thomas Tallis

II TRITTICO

These recordings capture an extraordinary sense of occasion providing living proof, if proof were needed, that Martha Argerich's pianism and musicianship are unique in the annals of recreative genius.