February heavyweights include an anthology of Viennese music from David Atherton and the London Sinfonietta, Irmgard Seefried's complete recital recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, Antal Doráti's early Mercury recordings with Philharmonia Hungarica, and Martha Argerich's complete recordings for EMI Classics, Teldec, Erato & Warner Classics.
The core of this collection is the survey of Schoenberg's chamber music which Atherton recorded in the mid-1970s (originally issued on five LPs), including Verklärte Nacht, Pierrot Lunaire, the Septet-Suite and Chamber Symphony No. 1; the original set was praised for its 'mellow but well-detailed' sound (Gramophone) and 'big line and attention to detail' (Stereo Review). Also includes works by Mozart, Schubert, Spohr, Berg, Weill, Stravinsky, Ligeti and Gerhard.
Available Format: 13 CDs
This 8-disc set brings together Doráti’s early recordings with the Philharmonia Hungarica on Mercury and Philips, most of which were made at the Wiener Konzerthaus in June 1958 (just two years after the ensemble was founded). The repertoire includes Bartók's Dance Suite and Divertimento for Strings, Haydn's 'Surprise' and 'Drumroll' Symphonies, Respighi's Ancient Airs & Dances, Kodály's Dances of Galanta and Dances of Marosszek, and waltzes by Lehár, Waldteufel, Dohnányi, Lanner & Josef Strauss.
Available Format: 8 CDs
Remastered from the original analogue tapes, this postscript to Supraphon's Ančerl Gold Edition (2002-2008) showcases the Czech conductor's rapport with a range of distinguished soloists: highlights include Sviatoslav Richter in Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Liszt, Mstislav Rostropovich and David Oistrakh in Dvořák, Wilhelm Kempff in Chopin, and Ida Haendel in Sibelius.
Available Format: 7 CDs
As well as complete recordings of Schumann's Frauenliebe und -leben, Wolf's Italienisches Liederbuch & Spanisches Liederbuch and Brahms's Liebeslieder-Walzer, this collection of the German soprano's complete recital recordings for Deutsche Grammophon also includes songs by Schubert, Strauss, Mussorgsky and Bartók plus Respighi's Il tramonto and JS Bach's Wedding Cantata. Bonus discs feature arias and scenes from operas including Don Giovanni, Fidelio, Der Freischütz, Carmen and Ariadne auf Naxos
Available Format: 20 CDs
Made during the first fifteen years of Karajan's tenure as Principal Conductor (and newly remastered for this release), this set of live radio recordings includes JS Bach's Magnificat, three performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, his Piano Concerto No. 3 with Glenn Gould, three Strauss tone-poems and the Vier letzte Lieder with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, plus a handful of relative rarities: Richard Rodney Bennett's Aubade, Ligeti's Atmosphères, and Rolf Liebermann's Capriccio for Soprano, Violin and Orchestra (with Irmgard Seefried and Wolfgang Schneiderhan).
Available Format: 24 SACDs
This 48-CD anthology draws together the Argentine pianist's complete recordings for EMI Classics, Teldec, Erato and Warner Classics; her relationship with EMI began in 1965 (shortly after her victory at the International Chopin Piano Competition), with the recording of Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 3 which opens this collection. The second half of the set is given over the the live recordings which she made at the Lugano Festival between 2002 and 2016, featuring artists such as Renaud Capuçon, Sergei Babayan, Stephen Kovacevich, Maria João Pires and Mischa Maisky.
Available Format: 46 CDs
