Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne is a Swiss chamber orchestra based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The violinist and conductor Victor Desarzens founded the orchestra in 1942, and served as its first artistic director for 30 years. Noted guest conductors with the orchestra included Otto Ackermann, Ernest Ansermet, and Ernst Bour, as well as the composers Paul Hindemith and Frank Martin. This wonderful super budget box set covers the great serenades of Mozart and is the perfect showcase for this fine orchestra.

Under the direction of Kerry Beaumont, the choirs at Coventry Cathedral have made several television broadcasts. On this CD they perform a wide-ranging repertoire, including works by Tallis, Byrd, Stanford, Dyson Dove and Beaumont.

Guild Historical starts the New Year 2012 with an issue of the greatest importance to admirers of the finest conductors of the past. Here we have six performances conducted by the incomparable German master Fritz Busch during his time as conductor in Stockholm, including an exceptionally rare account of the Alban Berg Violin Concerto, in which the soloist is the violinist who gave the world premiere and who later made the first ever commercial recording of the work. This is a true collector's item, and we also include Hindemith's brilliant Symphonic Metamorphoses on themes by Carl Maria von Weber - a true 'orchestral showpiece' if ever there was one - and quite dazzlingly performed under Busch, who knew the composer very well indeed. Also included is the Overture to Mozart's 'Cosi fan tutte', and three other rarely-heard gems: a movement from Lars-Erik Larsson's Second Symphony, an orchestration by Busch himself of a wonderful organ piece by Max Reger and an overture by Franz Berwald. All-in-all, this is a wholly exceptional disc of major significance.

This is a 3-CD limited-edition hardcover book, with repertoire chosen personally by the artist, consisting of complete works (not extracts or “bits and pieces”) from his repertoire – so, from Stravinsky’s Petrushka and Chopin’s op. 25 Études to complete concertos by Beethoven and Mozart. As an added bonus there is the 1960 performance of Chopin’s First Piano Concerto from the Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw.

The accompanying book, 120 pages in full colour, includes a specially-commissioned introduction by US critic Jed Distler, many photos from all stages of Pollini’s career (plus a selection of childhood photos), and a complete full-colour discography (also including alternative covers).

Superb cast, first release, good sound