One of Brahms' earliest musical jobs (besides playing piano in whorehouses) was directing a choral society. This introduced him to the music of the Renaissance and the Baroque, which sparked his antiquarian enthusiasms, in particular his first-hand encounters with the choral music of Bach. Choral music became an important part of Brahms' output – to his art, to his career (Ein deutsches Requiem propelled him to European notice), and to his income. Brahms may have directed much of his choral music to the then-lucrative amateur market, but he also produced plenty for crack choirs and without much reasonable hope for financial reward – again, Ein deutsches Requiem a good example. Like the Requiem, some of these works even became popular.

This impressive series continues with its incredibly 6-CD sets, this one yielding 100 masterful guitar performances! The heavy emphasis is on classical, from baroque to modern (with two discs devoted to Spanish guitar and another entirely to Rodrigo), but you'll encounter some Beatles along the way, too. Pieces by Bach, Scarlatti, Vivaldi, Satie, Britten, Granados, Falla, Rodrigo, Albeniz, Villa-Lobos and others are played by Andres Segovia, Julian Bream, Eliot Fisk, Manuel Barrueco, Christopher Parkening and more!

Padre Davide da Bergamo was one of Italy’s most famous and prolific organists and organ composers (besides being a monk). His lifespan, 1791- 1863, encompassed the Romantic Era, in which organ music detached itself from purely liturgical use. He introduced the symphonic form in his organ works, especially in his “Sinfonias”, which are substantial structures in classical/romantic style and form. This recording features the first recording of his “6 Sonatas & Sinfonias”. Organist Marco Ruggeri chose two organs from Da Bergamo’s time, magnificent instruments which do full justice to the colours and virtuosity of Da Bergamo’s works. Booklet contains liner notes, biography and information on the instruments.

Elgar’s Falstaff is a proud, good-humoured, larger-than-life knight, not the amorous figure of fun portrayed by Verdi: Henry IV rather than The Merry Wives of Windsor. This Falstaff needs careful handling, as the composer’s superb 1931 recording makes clear. Jeffrey Tate is remarkably successful in bringing the old fellow to life and, indeed, in putting him to sleep before the Dream Interlude, with its exquisitely nostalgic violin solo. This is a performance full of character and contrast, and it finds the LSO in true virtuoso form: excellent string playing and a suitably gruff bassoon for Falstaff’s protestations.

The most comprehensive edition devoted to Gioachino Rossini marking his 150th anniversary. Born in 1792, Rossini was the most popular opera composer of his time. Although he retired from the Opera scene in 1829, he continued to compose in other genres, including sacred music, piano and chamber works. He did gather his late works under the ironic title Péchés de vieillesse (Sins of Old Age), which veils a true collection of masterworks.

Johannes Brahms's soul shines through in his chamber music. Following in the footsteps of Mozart and Schubert, Brahms wrote two string quintets that rank among his greatest chamber music masterpieces. He took up this genre rather late in life, but in it he was able to express both the joy and the nostalgia he carried with him into his maturity. The Quintet in F major, Op. 88, held a special place in the composer's heart, and he considered it to be his finest work. A bucolic spirit and a gentle joie de vivre pervade the work, sometimes referred to as the 'spring quintet'. A majestic, pastoral first movement testifies to this cheerfulness, followed by a melancholy movement before the spirited finale.

Pourquoi Rachmaninoff est-il devenu une légende? Comment a-t-il pu symboliser la perfection technique pour des générations entières de pianistes? Façade roucoulante d'une carrière médiatique au cours de sa vie américaine ? Intime personnalité développée de sa Russie natale?

Just at the zenith of the French “Wagnerisme” Jules Massenet surprised the French opera audience in 1891 with a genuine French Grand Opéra, which apparently did not seem to care about current musical events. With its exotic setting (Persia), supernatural elements of action and a religiously veiled love story, it ties in with works such as "Hérodiade" and "Le Roi de Lahore". Production at Ediciones Singulares makes it clear that a revival was long overdue.

We first heard Sawallisch in Prague conducting the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra during the Prague Spring festival of 1958 and since then he has been a guest at this festival seven times more. In between, however, he has also been a guest conductor of the Czech Philharmonic and we even heard himas a pianist with Josef Suk as his sonata partner. Sawallisch, as one of the leading opera conductors today and a great admirer of Czech music, literally fell in love with the Czech Philharmonic Chorus which he conducted in big oratorios and cantatas (he even invited it in 1964 to the Milan La Scala for several performances of Wagner's Lohengrin). He very gladly visits us tocollaborate both with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and its chorus.