Four imminent anniversaries get the boxed-set treatment this month: Deutsche Grammophon celebrate Leonard Bernstein’s centenary with a mammoth collection of his complete recordings for them as a conductor (including many of his own compositions), commemorate the hundredth anniversary of Debussy’s death, and (in partnership with Decca Classics) honour the ninetieth birthday of the great mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig, whilst RCA mark The King’s Singers turning fifty this May.
Two excellent recent cycles have also been boxed up for posterity: Marin Alsop’s Bernstein series on Naxos, and Edward Gardner’s Lutosławski project with the BBC Symphony Orchestra on Chandos.
Bernstein: Marin Alsop Complete Naxos Recordings
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, São Paulo Symphony, Marin Alsop
Greeting the first instalment of the series (the suites from On The Town and On The Waterfront and the Chichester Psalms) back in 2003, CD Review’s Andrew McGregor observed that: ‘This really is bargain Bernstein; his pupil’s done him proud’. These 8 CDs (plus bonus DVD documentary about Bernstein’s life) encompass her recordings with the Baltimore, Bournemouth and São Paulo orchestras.
Available Formats: 8 CDs + 1 DVD Video, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Made between 1948 and 1963, these twelve CDs include a significant amount of previously unreleased live recordings; all of Schumann’s major solo piano works appear, plus songs from Myrthen, Dichterliebe and Liederkreis (sung in Russian, by soprano Nina Dorliak), Brahms’s Cello Sonatas (with Mstislav Rostropovich), the Reger and Brahms Piano Quintets, and the Brahms and Schumann concertos.
Available Formats: FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
The Elena Kats-Chernin Collection
Tamara-Anna Cislowska, Stephanie McCallum, Elena Kats-Chernin (piano), Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Alpha Ensemble
A 10-CD collection of the Australian composer’s chamber and orchestral music, including the concert-suite from the ballet Wild Swans (the ‘Eliza Aria’ from which made Kats-Chernin’s name when it was used by Lloyds TSB in 2007), Unsent Love-Letters (a set of piano miniatures inspired by material found in Erik Satie’s Paris apartment shortly after his death), and concertos for piano and percussion.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Launched in 2010, Gardner’s Lutosławski series has attracted praise for its ‘taut rhythmic energy’ (BBC Music Magazine), ‘expressive subtlety’ (Classic FM), ‘first-class playing’ (Gramophone), and ‘expressive intensity’ (Financial Times); four of the five original releases were awarded Gramophone Editor’s Choices.
Available Formats: 5 CDs, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
