Maria Callas remains the epitome of the operatic diva and is recognized as one of the 20th century's most legendary and enduring icons. She was both a glamorous diva and a global superstar who captivated audiences worldwide with her vivid and passionate performances. This Record Store Day special-edition LP features Callas in a glittering selection of opera favorites that showcases her unique voice and her heartbreaking portrayal of tragic heroines. Maria Callas is very much alive in the hearts of opera lovers - her official Facebook page has over 600,000 'likes' now. Recordings remastered from original tapes in 2014 by Abbey Road Studios.

Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), celebrated for his masterful compositions and poignant storytelling, remains one of the most beloved opera composers of all time. This collection, crafted for both opera enthusiasts and newcomers alike, brings together his most renowned masterpieces alongside lesser-known gems waiting to be discovered or rediscovered. Each opera is presented in stunning performances by world-class orchestras, conductors, and singers, capturing the emotional depth and musical brilliance that define Puccini's legacy. To complete this journey through Puccini's genius, we have included his Messa di Gloria and some illustrious recitals, such as the iconic 1954 performance by Maria Callas.

From Serenade Grotesque to Le Tombeau de Couperin, Maurice Ravel's piano works span nearly a quarter of a century of creative endeavour. To listen to this recording of all of them is to go on a journey, to immerse oneself in the heart of the magical world of the composer of Bol�ro. Each piece is a unique gem, a curious mixture of discipline and delight which seems to sketch out a portrait of the composer and alchemist embodied in Ravel.

I have long imagined a recital program dedicated to the opposing themes of heaven and hell, spiritual and corporal, saints and sinners, writes pianist Andrew von Oeyen of his album Angels and Demons. Combining works conceived for solo keyboard with transcriptions of music from the orchestral, operatic and choral repertoires, he takes the 'angelic' route with Bach (transcribed in one instance by Busoni), Debussy, Faur� and Messiaen, and the 'demonic' route with Liszt, Saint-Sa�ns and Edward MacDowell. As he leads the listener on a journey into the darkest corners of human emotion, but also towards rapture and catharsis," the American-born pianist proves an assured and inspiring guide. After all, in the words of the Chicago Tribune, "He leaves you convinced that he can do absolutely anything he likes with a keyboard." AvO

Vinyl LP pressing.

A forbidding and gothic new score by Christopher Young (Hellraiser, Species, Urban Legend, The Grudge, The Exorcism of Emily Rose) for the F.W. Murnau classic 1922 silent-movie 'Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror', one of the most influential films of all time and one that continues to cast it's long shadow across the horror movie genre even still. The perfect match of composer and movie. The recording of this new score was made with Frank Strobel, conductor, Saya Hashino, organ and Tonhalle-Orchester Z�rich.

Aimi Kobayashi's new album is dedicated to Schubert, and features the Impromptus D935, Sonata in C minor D958, and Rondo in D major D.608, recorded with Kyohei Sorita (her husband). Gramophone: "Here is a fine, sensitive pianist with a strong technique and a solemn, intense stage presence".

PARANORMAL MUSICALITY

Two LPs housed in a clamshell box with a full booklet. Rufus Wainwright's Dream Requiem is an extremely prestigious project, the result of a commission from major cultural institutions in the US, UK, and Europe. This world premiere recording features a new composition by the legendary, Grammy-nominated musician, who has collaborated with the who's who of the pop music world. With narration by Meryl Streep, the project will be followed by a worldwide tour starting in January 2025. Written during the pandemic, it's a requiem "for the people we have lost in this crisis, for the past from which we are cut off and for the future to which we do not yet know how to connect, a Requiem for human contact, solidarity and the human voice that have all become dangerous and contagious"; It's also a reflection on environmental collapse and the increase in the number of natural disasters. The text of Dream Requiem weaves together words from the Latin Mass for the Dead - as used by his hero Verdi - with Lord Byron's apocalyptic poem 'Darkness', written after the volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815 and which brought about "the year without summer".

Yoav Levanon's second album is dedicated to Franz Liszt. It features Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, Totentanz and also an original piece composed by Yoav Levanon called "Silent Love alla Liszt". He recorded with the Luzerner SInfonieorchester, conducted by Michael Sanderling. Reviewers consider him as a major talent. Diapason: ".an authentic musician, who has everything to become one of the major pianists of this century". BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE: "Levanon is undaunted by Liszt's Sonata, giving a performance of heroic sweep. A powerful player, the 18-year-old is nimble and articulate in the virtuoso passages, dramatic with the rhetorical flourishes, tender and lyrical when required. "

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.

The great cellist Jacqueline Du Pr� would have been 80 years old on January 26, 2025, if illness had not taken her too early at the age of 42. This LP brings together Camille Saint-Sa�ns' famous 1st Cello Concerto with Jackie's husband Daniel Barenboim at the baton, and Frederick Delius' rarer Cello Concerto, which perfectly fits with Du Pr�'s playing and sensitivity (this time accompanied by Sir Malcolm Sargent). Warner re-released on LP a few years ago the 1968 EMI studio recording of the Saint-Sa�ns Concerto, also with Barenboim (but with the New Philharmonia Orchestra). The live recording on this new vinyl was made three years later, in 1971, with the Philadelphia Orchestra in it's city, and released on CD at the end of the 90s by Teldec. It is released here on vinyl for the first time.

Having worked extensively with period instrument ensembles throughout my career, I was intrigued and fascinated about the possibility on this album of a delicious colliding of the two worlds. Alison Balsom. On this new recording Alison Balsom and her long term friend and conductor Trevor Pinnock bring alive works from Telemann, H�ndel, Vivaldi, Albinoni and Marcello. A baroque album, confronting the period instruments of the Pinnock Players and Alison's use of a modern instrument: a rotary valve piccolo trumpet. Alison comments: "The piccolo trumpet is a modern invention - something that Bach and his contemporaries could not have known was to come - it's power, it's gleaming bright tone and it's 20th century engineering technology. And this instrument is a world away from the subtle multifaceted sounds of the natural trumpet of the Baroque era. That said, the opportunity to perform much more chromatic and virtuosic music such as that originally written for solo violin or oboe, has seduced me and my trumpet colleagues since the days of the great Maurice Andr�. He showed the world how intensely sweet the piccolo trumpet could be in it's upper register".

Vinyl LP pressing. Describing it as "a journey that will last you for the rest of your life", Perlman emphasises that the Beethoven Violin Concerto is among the greatest of musical masterpieces. It's stature is reflected in this magnificent recording, conducted with nobility by Carlo Maria Giulini.

Renowned as a great interpreter of Brahms, Jacqueline du Pr�, 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.