A superb collection of Verdi overtures, marvellously performed by the one-and-only Vienna Philharmonic in sumptuous readings by the late Giuseppe Sinopoli.

Herbert von Karajan’s famed 1960s recordings of the Second and Fourth of Beethoven’s symphonies. Of his recordings of the Fourth, the present one is perhaps the fiercest and the most obviously lyrical. Grecian and golden-toned, the spirits of Dionysus and Apollo held in a rapturous balance.  

Two thrilling 20th-century orchestral works, ideally realised in the hands of Zubin Mehta and released for the first time on CD! The volley of timpani as they hurl challenges at each other in the Nielsen is one of the most exciting moments of orchestral music. And Scriabin’s ‘Poème de l’extase’ (Poem of Ecstasy) is one […]

A Beethoven extravaganza, coupling two of his works using the piano & other forces. The ‘Choral Fantasy’ receives one of its most powerful performances and the ‘Triple Concerto’ one of its most ennobling.

Time and again these performances of two haunting French chamber works have been voted as the best in the catalogue. These elegant, suave performances now reappear on Eloquence.

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 […]

John Mauceri made several Philips recordings of music from the movies, often music with the strong flavour of Hollywood. This collection extracts some of the best of those moments and ranges from quiet and introspective – try the Elgarian ‘Jurassic Park‘ excerpt or the romantic ‘Cinema Paradiso’ – to thrilling, spatial and scary: ‘Star Wars, King […]

Lovers of Richard Strauss’ music have long considered the Jerusalem disc of orchestral songs a ‘must-have’ in their collection. They are sheerly glorious – as is the ‘heldentenor’ of Siegfried Jerusalem. They are now reissued with Haitink’s searing account of ‘Death and Transfiguration’.

The Dutch contralto, Aafje Heynis, had a dark, rich, altogether unique voice and the story of her discovery in a Holland recovering from the ravages of World War II, told in the booklet notes, is heart-warming indeed… as is this collection put together from several of her recordings. Seven Bach and six Handel arias make […]

Chopin raised the pedagogic ‘study’ (étude) to entirely new levels with his Opp. 10 and 25. Virtuoso studies, testing the technique of any pianist, they are also incredibly poetic works. Here they are unforgettably played by Nikita Magaloff. The ‘Trois Nouvelles Études’, three tiny gems that were posthumously published, complete this oeuvre.

This CD, originally issued on the newly-relaunched Argo label in the 1990s, now reappears on Australian Eloquence. As a demonstration disc of orchestral music, it is supreme. But it’s also interesting for its breadth of repertoire and its inclusion of many lesser-known orchestral works. For lovers of sultry, seductive and even angry Latin American music, […]

Imposing recordings of the ‘Coronation Mass’ and the ‘Vespers’ (which includes the famous ‘Laudate dominum’) plus Erna Spoorenberg, radiant in the ‘Exsultate, jubilate’.