Sir Colin Davis

Well known for his three great ballet masterpieces, Tchaikovsky also inserted some of the most colourful orchestral balletic numbers into his operas. Sir Colin Davis and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, recorded a selection of these in 1977 and both, for its vibrancy of colour as well as for its stunning (analogue) sound, this has been a priceless Tchaikovsky recording, long sought out by collectors.

Sir Colin Davis' recordings of Mozart have stood the test of time and his readings of the composer's choral music are imposing, ennobling edifices of interpretation. The soloists in the Great Mass blend marvellously and the Ave Verum Corpus is given a reading of quiet intensity.

Sir Colin Davis's Sibelius is well-known and regarded, but surprisingly some key Sibelius recordings of his with the Boston Symphony have never made it to CD. These include Pohjola's Daughter and En saga. His Karelia Suite is rare at best. Together with Valse Triste and Tapiola, these make up an excellent disc of Sibelius Tone Poems.

After a long absence from the CD catalogue, Sir Colin Davis's recording of Messiah performed in English with an international cast of soloists and a German choir and orchestra, returns at budget price and now fitting on two CDs rather than the original three.

This coupling presents Heinrich Schiff and Colin Davis' mellow reading of Dvorak's Cello Concerto, recorded in 1980, with Dorati's earlier 1959 Concertgebouw traversal of the 'New World' Symphony - a veritable fire and brimstone reading of this popular work. Both works were recorded in the fabled Concertgebouw's main hall.

Ever since her very first recital in the Salle Gaveau, Paris, nearly 40 years ago, Barbara Hendricks’ journey has been exceptional. Who would have thought that the little girl born in 1948 “with her feet in the mud of Arkansas” (to quote herself) would become one of the most emblematic singers of her generation and one of the most beloved by the general public? And yet that is what she did, traversing this half-century of history with an iron will and uncommon artistic purpose.

In this ‘Musical Portrait’ we begin with her childhood: the music she heard and sang in her father’s church. Barbara Hendricks has bestrode the world’s great stages for years, accompanied by some of the greatest chamber musicians, orchestras or conductors (Karajan, Giulini, Muti, Salonen, Barenboim). Sha has also lived through History with a capital H. As a girl she experienced the end of segregation in the southern United States, was one of the first black people to be admitted to the university, she obtained a degree in mathematics, before taking up singing as a professional. In 1987, as an ambassador of the High Commissioner for Refugees, she was one of the first artistes to put herself at the service of a humanitarian cause, taking advantage of her celebrity to spread the message of the suffering of refugees throughout the world.

This 2-CD compilation, released as a 'Musical Portrait', reflects the entirety of Barbara Hendricks’ recording history. All its musical facets are represented here with sincerity and excellence: opera, oratorio, song, negro spirituals and jazz, accompanied by some of the greatest, and with a few new releases as a surprise bonus.

“I have conceived a program that spans my entire recording history from my first solo recording of French Opera Arias with Philips to my latest recordings for my label Arte Verum. I am very pleased to be able to include also works from my recordings with Deutsche Grammophon, Erato, Telarc and Sony. A special treat is the Beethoven 9th Symphony in my very first performance with Herbert von Karajan.” Barbara Hendricks

Jules Massenet, who died 100 years ago in 1912, was a French composer best known for his operas, and was widely considered in his day to be one of the greatest melodists of his time, alongside Puccini.

The Best of Massenet includes his most popular music, performed by a starry cast of artists, including Luciano Pavarotti, Joan Sutherland, Jonas Kaufmann, Renée Fleming, Joseph Calleja, Angela Gheorghiu and Marilyn Horne.

Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of fashion, and today he is best known for the popular violin showpiece Méditation from his opera Thaïs (performed here by Nigel Kennedy), and is unfairly regarded by many as something of a one-hit wonder.

Opera and ballet aficionados have known otherwise for some time and that he is in truth one of classical music’s best-kept secrets. 2012, the centenary year of his death, is the perfect opportunity time to introduce a wider audience to the exquisite charms and beauty of his music.