Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

In more recent years, every Abbado recording has been an event, something special – whether his Mahler symphonies with Berlin, or the Mozart, Bach and Pergolesi projects with “his” Orchestra Mozart. And, of course, as a sponsor and champion of new orchestras he is unrivalled – not least with his most recent creations, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and the Orchestra Mozart.

THE SYMPHONY EDITION – OVERVIEW

His Grand-Old-Man status assured Abbado remains a modest, unassuming but tenaciously demanding orchestral leader. Now, to celebrate the maestro’s reaching his 80th year, we have prepared an ambitious Symphony Edition as a birthday tribute:

• Limited-edition 41-CD box set

• Complete recordings of eight great symphonists – Mozart (with Orchestra Mozart), Haydn, Beethoven (with Berliner Philharmoniker), Schubert, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Bruckner and Mahler (with Berliner Phliharmoniker and Lucerne festival Orchestra)

• Featuring seven of the orchestras with whom Abbado is most closely associated (Orchestra Mozart, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, London Symphony, Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Lucerne Festival Orchestra)

• Complete symphonic cycles of Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Mahler (see attachment for complete track list).

• All recordings have been personally selected by Claudio Abbado

IN PARTICULAR…

• Bruckner’s First Symphony – a special “addition”: at Abbado’s request, we have licensed a live recording of Bruckner’s First Symphony with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, being released here for the first time anywhere.

• He had previously recorded the first version (the “Linz” version, 1866) of the Symphony with the Wiener Philharmoniker, but has since discovered and championed the later expanded “Vienna” version (carried out by Bruckner in 1890–91) – a not uncontroversial step!

• Is this such a big deal? Anyone who has heard performances of the symphony that Abbado has given with the orchestra on tour in recent months will know that this is an electrifying account, one that changes the way we should regard the work. It’s the first CD to go for in the Edition (and will be offered as advance music)!

• In sum, a superb addition to the Symphony Edition, and to Abbado’s discogaphy (also to be released in a separate Bruckner box later).

• Parallel to this Edition, Decca is releasing a 7-CD set of the early Abbado recordings on Decca

PACKAGING

• The attractive cube features four striking, dynamic portraits of Abbado from the 1970s to the present day.

• The 96-page four-language booklet has an interview with Abbado by journalist Julia Spinola (formerly of the Frankfürter Allgemeine) plus many photos.

Mozart excelled in all areas of composition, and his horn concertos – despite making up a very modest part of his total output – still reside among the finest achievements in the horn literature. The composer became acquainted with the mellow sonorities of the instrument from an early age, courtesy of his friend Joseph Leutgeb, who had been employed by the Hofkapelle in Salzburg. It was not until the remaining 10 years of his life, however, that Mozart finally set to work on his six concertos for horn.

Apart from K370b/371, which represents the composer’s first attempt at writing a horn concerto and whose musical content differs markedly from that of the later ones – there are no ‘hunting effects’ in the rondo and the first movement is more declamatory in style than lyrical – it seems that all of the works were composed for Leutgeb, who was often a target of Mozart’s mockery and teasing. Though the numerous points of harmonic, melodic and structural correspondence between the pieces suggest that Mozart did not take this genre especially seriously, the works still delight the listener for their gaiety, lightness of touch and warmth of orchestration. It is therefore a shame that only three of the six pieces remain complete, a resulting combination of more pressing work, lost manuscripts and the composer’s untimely death. Jeurissen, the soloist on this recording and principal horn player of the Residentie Orchestra in The Hague, has taken it upon himself, based on analyses of similar passages in other works by Mozart, to work up all of these fragments into playable, practical versions. The results are laudable, and Jeurissen’s passion for the works is evident from his highly accomplished, charismatic playing.

Originally planned as an 85th birthday tribute, this set documents over 3 decades of exceptional artistry by the Sir Colin Davis, one of the musical pillars of the Philips label (now part of Decca Classics), who died Sunday 14th April 2013. He was a musician of incomparable integrity and class.

After signing to Philips exclusively in the mid-1960s, over more than three decades he then produced work for the label of the highest quality and range:-

• the first (and still greatest) Berlioz cycle

• pioneering Tippett,

• superb Haydn and Mozart,

• plus top-ranking Sibelius, Beethoven, Stravinsky, Dvorak and Britten, and much else.

His many recording orchestras included the English Chamber Orchestra, London Symphony, BBC Symphony, Royal Opera House, Royal Concertgebouw, Boston Symphony, Bavarian Radio and Dresden Staatskapelle, as well as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics.

His great Philips collaborators on disc include Stephen Kovacevich, Kiri Te Kanawa, Jon Vickers, José Carreras, Jessye Norman, Arthur Grumiaux and Claudio Arrau.

An extraordinary number of his recordings have achieved legendary status and are enduring staples of the catalogue. This set balances all his most important musical spheres as well as many of his most important artistic relationships with soloists, orchestras and opera houses around the world.

The booklet notes are in English, French and German with an excellent appreciation of his work for Philips by Jeremy Hayes.

39 CD-box with recordings of Bruno Walter’s later years in a high quality LP-sized box.

32 page LP-sized booklet with elaborate liner notes in German and English.

This box set contains the complete symphonies of Beethoven and Brahms, the later symphonies of Mozart, symphonies of Mahler and Bruckner, CDs with rehearsals and many more.

The German born conductor Bruno Walter (1876-1962) was known primarily for his interpretations of the Viennese school. Though out of step with 20th century trends he was such a fine musician that he became a major figure - filling the wide gulf between the extremes of his day - Arturo Toscanini and Wilhelm Furtwängler.

He was an associate of Gustav Mahler and a long and faithful proponent and interpreter of Mahler's music.

He conducted the world premieres of “Das Lied von der Erde” (1911) and the “Symphony No. 9” (1912).

In 1925, he helped institute the Salzburg Festival and was named musical director of the Berlin Staatsoper. In 1929, Walter had a falling out with the Berlin opera management and departed to succeed Wilhelm Furtwängler at the Leipzig Gewandhaus.

In 1933 he left Germany when the Nazis came to power and went to Austria and from there in 1938 to France. Walter finally left Europe in 1939 and settled in the United States where he already had a strong following. He built up a reputation as a respected conductor under whom musicians enjoyed working. Amongst other orchestras, he frequently conducted the New York Philharmonic.

In 1957 a West Coast recording ensemble named Columbia Symphony Orchestra was specially put together for Walter to produce new recordings of famous works by Bruckner and Mahler in stereo.

Multiple award-winning Dutch pianist, Daria van den Bercken, displays her exceptional talent and passion for Handel’s keyboard music with her debut album on Sony Classical.

Her project, ‘Handel at the Piano’ is aimed at familiarising a worldwide audience with the keyboard works of George Frideric Handel. Daria recently addressed the TEDx Conference in Amsterdam on the subject of first reactions to music, particularly Handel, where she argued that creating opportunities is part of the musician’s work.

Daria is known for her innovative and unusual performance spaces, which include impromptu concerts in her home, performing in South America suspended from a crane above the audience, and being towed through the cobbled streets of Amsterdam while seated at a piano.

She has appeared as a guest on ‘Pauw & Witteman’, a Dutch late-night talkshow, to perform and discuss ‘Handel at the Piano’ to a 1.3 million viewers.

Daria has performed with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Christoph Poppet, JoAnn Falletta, Ivan Meylemans and Shi-Yeon Shung and has studied with Murray Perahia and Leon Fleisher among many notable pianists.

Angela Hewitt turns to two of Mozart’s greatest and most popular concertos for her latest album. Together with her frequent collaborators, the Orchestra da Camera di Mantova and brilliant Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu, she presents these works in performances which are both elegantly stylish and profoundly felt. This release is completed by a personal reflection on the music by Hewitt herself in the accompanying booklet.