Hans Hotter (1909–2003) was 64 when he recorded two recital LPs for Decca, here coupled as a 2CD set. One of the rare singers to achieve equal eminence in Wagner and in Lieder, the singer’s voluminous bass-baritone, at once majestic and profoundly human, was in its autumn. Yet, the sense of detail, of characterisation, he […]
Pianist John Lill, born in London in 1944, has long been associated with the music of Beethoven and Brahms. He catapulted to international fame, however, when he was the co-winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1970. The Concerto No. 2 presented here is a live recording from that competition, dating from 25th June. The […]
‘The veteran Swiss conductor was a fine Brahms conductor’ wrote Gramophone magazine and as these recordings prove, he was indeed. The majority of these recordings make their first international debut on CD, following repeated requests by Ansermet fans around the world. Classically poised, yet Romantically generous in their spirit, they make a welcome appearance on […]
As an eleven-year-old in 1895, Wilhelm Backhaus met and performed for D’Albert, Grieg, Nikisch and Brahms, among others. Here was a pianist who shunned hectoring gestures of the late Romantic era for economy and purposefulness. ‘His facial expression always remained steady, showing an unceasing concentration on the sounds his hands were coaxing from the instrument […]
The renowned Cleveland sound coupled with the stylish, high-powered baton technique of Lorin Maazel, here bring you a wonderful selection of overtures, some of them making their first appearance on CD.
From Decca’s rich catalogue of piano music comes a generous selection of miniatures for piano, many of them quiet, all of them popular and much sought-after, in the finest of performances, of course.
Big, beefy Brahms here from Julius Katchen who brings muscle to the high-powered sections of the Brahms second concerto. His ‘Paganini Variations’ are by turn, tender, sly and transcendental.
The first-ever pairing of these two marvellous ‘Double’ Concertos on CD. The Brahms is a classic performance, gutsy as well as autumnal and the work comes from towards the end of the composer’s rich harvest. The Mendelssohn, by far the lesser-known of the two pieces, conversely comes from the beginning of his life – in […]
There have been many recordings of the Brahms symphonies but few have the passion, vitality and drive of István Kertész’s Vienna Philharmonic cycle. This 4CD collection brings together all of Kertész’s Brahms recordings for Decca. The two Serenades were recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra. His Wiener Philharmoniker Brahms cycle began in May 1964 with […]
The name of Pierre Monteux evokes recollections of the man who conducted the Ballets Russes for Serge Diaghilev and the notorious scandal surrounding the first performance of Stravinsky’s ‘Le sacre du printemps’ in Paris in 1913 as well as for scrupulous attention to style that he brought to bear on French masterpieces of the turn […]
The first CD release of a recording that was a legend in its lifetime. Campoli was, besides his many concert-platform accomplishments, a salon violinist of the first rank and naturally this easy ability to switch between the two domains gave him the edge over many other violinists of his day in this charming repertoire. When […]
A delectable – and ever popular – collection of sacred songs sung by four of the most famous female singers of our time. Includes the Bach/Gounod ‘Ave Maria’ and the Schubert ‘Ave Maria’, favourite soprano arias from Bach’s sacred works and inspiring movements from the sacred works of Bruckner, Stradella and Dvorak.
