Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

A new collection of some of Joshua Bell's greatest performances in a specially priced 3-CD set. Features Joshua Bell in concertos, chamber works and solo pieces drawn from his Decca catalogue. Includes recordings personally selected by Joshua Bell.

Compared to Elisabeth Grümmer’s rank as a singer, her recordings are shamefully few in number, giving these radio recordings a special documentary significance. “Whoever has heard Elisabeth Grümmer singing cannot forget the way this lovely voice, at once ethereal and yet full sounding, effortlessly flows along,” wrote Lafranco Rasponi.

Teresa Stich-Randall is an underrated singer. She sang with almost no vibrato, very cleanly and instrumentally. Her strengths were clarity of vocal line and a pronounced sense of style.

As well as Mozart’s Fantasy in D minor K397, Piano Sonata in F K332, Piano Sonata in C K330, Fantasy in C minor K475, this CD includes two compositions by Batik himself, Blues in F and Introduction. His interpretation of the complete Haydn Sonatas received excellent reviews.

This performance was recorded at the Metropolitan opera house, New York in 1952.

The new CD produced in close collaboration with the BrüderBuschArchive at the Max-Reger-Institut Karlsruhe collects all of Fritz Busch's recordings made in London in the 1930s. Busch supplies renderings of Richard Strauss's Don Juan and Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche that have retained their charm and vivacity to this very day, Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche being a CD premiere. The second half of the CD features Mozart conducted by one of the foremost Mozartians of his times and the founder-conductor of the Glyndebourne Opera Festival, where the rightly famous recordings of the Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte and Le nozze di Figaro overtures were recorded in 1935/6.

The young, articulate and passionate Israeli pianist David Greilsammer returns to Naïve with his much-anticipated third album for the label, featuring Mozart’s Piano Concertos Nos. 22 and 24.

David is joined once again joined by his Suedama Ensemble. Founded by David Greilsammer in New York in 2005 and composed of the most remarkable young international soloists of our time, the group has quickly established an international reputation as an orchestra that carries a bold and innovative artistic vision. This release follows close on the heels of their first highly acclaimed recording of Mozart’s Early Piano concertos, awarded by The Daily Telegraph as ‘Record of the Year.’

David Greilsammer conducts from the keyboard, offering a highly personal allaround vision of Mozart’s works. The 22nd and 24th piano concertos are some of the best loved of Mozart’s compositions. In 2008, David Greilsammer amazed the press and public when he performed the complete Mozart Piano Sonatas in a oneday marathon in Paris, and again at the Verbier Festival.

The selection of songs and arias on this double SACD set reflect on the fundamental question of life and death and cover a period of almost two centuries, the composers featured ranging from Bach through to Tchaikovsky. They are performed by one of the great lyric tenors of our age Christophe Prégardien, accompanied by the pianist Michael Gees. The common theme in the music of this recording is the most fundamental of all, existence itself, life and death. The composers represented are Bach, Mahler, Schubert, Schumann, Mozart, Brahms, Loewe, Wolf, Mendelssohn, and Tchaikovsky. The songs and arias performed here range over almost two centuries with eleven compositions and many musical forms, the simple song with piano accompaniment, the narrative, expansive ballad, the great opera aria and more.

Christoph Prégardien is widely regarded as among the foremost lyric tenors of our time and frequently collaborates with conductors such as Ricardo Chailly, John Elliot Gardiner, Nicolaus Harnoncourt, and Phillipe Herreweghe. He is represented on disc with more than a hundred and twenty titles, including most of his current repertoire. His recordings of German Romantic Lied repertory, particularly his recent releases on Challenge Classics of Schubert’s Die Schöne Müllerin, (CC72292), and Schwanengesang, (CC72302), have been highly acclaimed by the public and press and have received many major international awards.

"I salute my listeners and offer them a warm and grateful farewell." Alfred Brendel

Alfred Brendel has for many years been among the world's greatest pianists; in concert, recital and on many best-selling recordings. Here, in his last CD release, recorded in the year of his retirement (2008), he gives his final public performances in solo recital and in concert - revealing a master musician in total command of his art

This 2CD digipak souvenir set captures these two memorable occasions, and is presented at the price of 2 for 1.5.

Recorded live in Hanover, Brendel's farewell recital featured composers with whom he is most closely associated throughout his career - with a set of variations by Haydn, and sonatas by Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert.

It is fitting that Alfred Brendel's final public performance should be in Vienna's beautiful Musikverein, with the Wiener Philharmoniker - an orchestra with whom he has enjoyed a long and fruitful collaboration. The concert was conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras, marking the end of an exceptional partnership between pianist and conductor.

The concert featured Alfred Brendel as soloist in Mozart's concerto in E flat major K271, known as the 'Jeunehomme', after the young woman pianist for whom it was composed in 1777.

The booklet includes Brendel's own notes on the recital repertoire, and tributes from Sir Charles Mackerras and Prof. Dr. Clemens Hellberg of the Vienna Philharmonic - as well as a farewell statement from Alfred Brendel himself.

"Exquisite thrills as a titan bids farewell" Daily Telegraph, London

"The end of my concert career in December 2008, after sixty years on stage, was planned well in advance. I enjoyed looking forward to challenges of a different kind, and calmly anticipated my final performances." Alfred Brendel

"After so many years with Alfred at the top of his profession it is hard to imagine musical life without his unique presence." Sir Charles Mackerras