Franz Peter Schubert

These performances were recorded in Torino in 1952. The violin soloist is Gioconda De Vito. The bonus is a famous 1942 wartime recording of Furtwängler conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in a performance of Schubert’s Great C major Symphony.

Rare and unreleased material recorded 1943 – 1956. Superb sound.

Renowned British tenor, James Gilchrist, presents his first recording for Orchid Classics, “Die Schöne Müllerin” (The Beautiful Maid of the Mill”), Schubert’s classic a setting of poems by Wilhelm Müller – generally accepted to be a masterpiece of the song genre.

Gilchrist has performed this cycle many times, to great acclaim, in concert in the UK and abroad – usually in partnership with Anna Tilbrook. He is one of Britain’s most popular and sought after singers. This is the first time he has recorded “t Die Schöne Müllerin “ and will make a wonderful addition to his already extensive discography

The CD booklet contains full German text with English translation, and an essay by Richard Morrison of The Times giving a fascinating insight into both Schubert and Die Schöne Müllerin.

“he is now unsurpassed amongst lyric tenors in sweetness and technical security, and for his musical intelligence” The Independent

Gerhard Oppitz is recognized throughout the world as one of the outstanding artists of his generation.

Sanderling was born in Arys, East Prussia on 19 September 1912. From 1942 to 1960 he was joint principal conductor with Evgeny Mravinsky at the Leningrad Philharmonic, and then led the Berlin Symphony Orchestra and Dresden Staatskapelle. During the 1960s Sanderling made successful appearances in Prague, Salzburg, Vienna and Warsaw, and made his British debut in 1970, becoming particularly associated with the Philharmonia in January 1980, and was later appointed their Conductor Emeritus. He conducted the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in 1976 in a sequence of outstanding performances which led to subsequent appearances with the orchestra in 1978, 1980 and 1990. During the 1990s Sanderling enjoyed a distinguished international career, giving notable performances with the Royal Amsterdam Concertgebouw, LA Philharmonic Orchestra, Bavarian Radio and Cleveland orchestras.

Sanderling appears to have recorded 'Ein Heldenleben' on the obscure Japanese Weitblick label from 1972 though it is not known if this is still available. Notwithstanding, this Manchester live recording with the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra preserves Sanderling's wonderful performance in Manchester's Free Trade Hall on 30th September 1975 in excellent stereo. In April 1978, Sanderling returned to Manchester and conducted the BBCNSO once again, this time under studio conditions in Schubert's Unfinished Symphony, Sanderling's ONLY published account of this work, again in excellent stereo.

Leader Barry Griffiths recalls Sanderling in rehearsal as being 'very easy going and extremely pleasant to work with. He was very relaxed and humorous. As far as performance was concerned: 'He gave us the impression that he thought we were a great orchestra and as a result he got the absolute most out of us. In performance he was always in command but never tense. This was the first time that I had played the solo part in Heldenleben in public, and he helped me all the way through.'

A year ago we issued, to great critical acclaim. A double album of Paderewski’s first recordings, made in Europe in 1911-12 (APR6006). Between 1914 and 1931 the pianist recorded for Victor in the US but in 1937, after it appeared Paderewski had retired from the studio, he was persuaded to return to the HMV studios in London to make a final series of recordings. At first the plan was to record the repertoire which featured in the film ‘Moonlight Sonata’, a huge blockbuster success at the time which featured Paderewski playing himself, but in addition to this repertoire Paderewski went on to record works by Haydn and Mozart which were new to his discography. It has often been said that in later life Paderewski’s technique was not what it had been, and to an extent the is undoubtedly true, but this is not an issue in the classical works featured here, and the Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven in particular reveal the extreme poetry that had mesmerised audiences for fifty years and had made Paderewski the most famous pianist of his generation.

This is the first time all Paderewski’s 1930’s HMV recordings have been assembled together and two unissued tracks from the 1938 sessions are also included.

In this Wigmore Hall recital (recorded 12 May 2009, Biss chose to preface two of Schubert’s piano sonatas with five studies from the collection Játékok (Games) by the contemporary Hungarian composer György Kurtág, who had been the subject of an 80th-birthday tribute series at the Hall in Autumn 2006.

Biss, already established as a recording artist with prizewinning Schumann and Beethoven recitals for EMI Classics, was the first American to become a BBC New Generation Artist (2002-4)

Among his many career awards are an Avery Fisher Career Grant, support from the Borletti-Buitoni Trust and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival’s Leonard Bernstein Award

In addition to UK appearances with the BBC Symphony and BBC Philharmonic, he has twice appeared in the Southbank Centre’s International Piano Series and at Wigmore Hall in 2008 gave a series of recitals as part of a trio with Midori and Johannes Moser.

“Jonathan Biss is no ordinary pianist. This young American, whose studies with Leon Fleisher have helped to polish an exceptional talent, plays with a selfless maturity that is exceptional. Biss has all the technique required, yet he unfailingly puts the composer first. Such is the strength and conviction of his playing that the music unfolds with a natural-sounding inevitability … There is nothing showy about his piano-playing; everything feels completely natural, innately musical, tightly controlled and deeply felt.” (BBC Music Magazine)