This richly varied collection of meditative sacred music takes its name, Agnus Dei, from the opening item, a setting for voices of Samuel Barber's celebrated and deeply expressive Adagio for Strings. The hauntingly melodic choral masterpieces that fill these two CDs span five centuries and are the work of composers such as Bach, Mozart, Allegri, Albinoni, Fauré, Rachmaninov, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Elgar and, from nearer our own time, John Tavener and Henryk Górecki. They are performed by the choir of New College Oxford, an exemplar of Britain's great choral tradition.

This album marks Italian violinist Francesca Dego's debut orchestral recording on the Deutsche Grammophon label.

It features two Italian masterpieces: Wolf-Ferrari's seldom-performed Violin Concerto and Paganini's renowned Violin Concerto Number 1, which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year.

Francesca recorded Wolf-Ferrari's Violin Concerto live in March 2017, when she gave the UK premiere of the piece at Symphony Hall with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the renowned Italian conductor Daniele Rustioni.

Francesca regularly appears with the world's leading orchestras, performing both the Paganini and Wolf-Ferrari concertos extensively in the future.

Francesca Dego (violin)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Daniele Rustioni

Awards
Presto Editor's Choice October 2017

Composers

Paganini, Niccolò (1782-1840)
Wolf-Ferrari, Ermanno (1876-1948)

Works

Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 6
Wolf-Ferrari: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 26

South African soprano Pretty Yende lives her Cinderella story in her brand new album, 'Dreams'.

Dreams is the theme of Pretty Yende's second album with signature pieces from the bel canto repertoire including 'Je veux vivre' from Gounod's Roméo et Juliet and Lucia's mad scene. Pretty Yende not only slips into the various dreams of young opera heroines but also pays homage to her own dream-come-true, becoming one of today's most celebrated sopranos. Pretty's debut album, 'A Journey' gained sensational media attention worldwide with appearances on the biggest TV shows in the US and France in addition to receiving the 2017 International Opera Award for Best Recording - Solo Recital.

Pretty Yende (soprano)
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Sagripanti

Awards
The Times Records of the Year 2017

Composers

Bellini, Vincenzo (1801-35)
Donizetti, Gaetano (1797-1848)
Gounod, Charles François (1818-93)
Meyerbeer, Giacomo (1791-1864)

Works

Bellini: Ah! Se una volta sola...Ah, non credea mirarti...Ah! non giunge uman pensiero...(from La Sonnambula)
Bellini: La Sonnambula
Bellini: La straniera
Donizetti: Ah! tardai troppo...O luce di quest'anima (from Linda di Chamounix)
Donizetti: Il dolce suono mi colpì di sua voce! … Spargi d'amaro pianto (from Lucia di Lammermoor)
Donizetti: Linda di Chamounix
Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor
Gounod: Ah! Je veux vivre dans ce rêve (from Roméo et Juliette)
Gounod: Roméo et Juliette
Meyerbeer: Dieu! Comme cette nuit est lente...Ombre légère (from Dinorah)
Meyerbeer: Dinorah

Olga Scheps (piano), WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln
Carlos Dominguez-Nieto

Composers

Tchaikovsky, Piotr Ilyich (1840-93)

Works

Tchaikovsky: Chanson triste, Op. 40 No. 2
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a
Tchaikovsky: The Seasons, Op. 37b: December (Christmas)
Tchaikovsky: The Seasons, Op. 37b: November (Troika)

n Liefde vir lees is een van die grootste geskenke wat jy vir jou kind kan gee!
Hierdie reeks is die perfekte wegspringplek vir beginnerlesers. Vind uit wat gebeur as Rooi Hen op 'n dag besluit om brood te bak, stap saam met die drie Rammetjies Rof oor die nare ou trol se brug, en ontmoet 'n padda wat op 'n dag baie, baie kwaad geword het.
Die Ek lees self-reeks bestaan uit pragtig geïllustreerde boeke, elkeen met 'n prettige dierestorie wat in eenvoudige taal oorvertel word sodat beginnerlesers dit maklik kan baasraak.
Elke boek bevat ook nuttige wenke wat ouers kan help om die jongklomp se leeslus aan te wakker.

n Liefde vir lees is een van die grootste geskenke wat jy vir jou kind kan gee!
Hierdie reeks is die perfekte wegspringplek vir beginnerlesers. Vind uit wat gebeur as Rooi Hen op 'n dag besluit om brood te bak, stap saam met die drie Rammetjies Rof oor die nare ou trol se brug, en ontmoet 'n padda wat op 'n dag baie, baie kwaad geword het .
Die Ek lees self-reeks bestaan uit pragtig geïllustreerde boeke, elkeen met 'n prettige dierestorie wat in eenvoudige taal oorvertel word sodat beginnerlesers dit maklik kan baasraak.
Elke boek bevat ook nuttige wenke wat ouers kan help om die jongklomp se leeslus aan te wakker.

This enthralling recital by the young American pianist George Li, silver medallist at the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition, marks his recording debut and launches a new relationship with Warner Classics. Captured at a live performance in the Mariinsky Concert Hall in St Petersburg, it presents a dramatically conceived programme of works by Haydn, Chopin, Rachmaninov and Liszt: a descent into deep darkness; re-emergence into the light, and a concluding, boisterous celebration.

George Li (piano)

Awards
Presto Recordings of the Year Finalist 2017
Opus Klassik Awards 2018 Winner - Solo Recording - piano (19th century)

Composers

Chopin, Frédéric François (1810-49)
Haydn, Franz Joseph (1732-1809)
Liszt, Ferencz (1811-86)
Rachmaninov, Sergey Vassilievich (1873-1943)

Works

Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35 'Marche funèbre'
Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 47 in B minor, Hob.XVI:32
Liszt: Consolation, S. 172 No. 3 in D flat major
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 2 in C sharp minor
Rachmaninov: Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42

For her debut album on the yellow label Camille has chosen music full of youthful invention - uplifting and positive. She brings her own sensitive interpretation to the French Romantic works for cello and orchestra by Saint-Saëns and Offenbach, including the former's First Cello Concerto, a masterpiece of its genre, and a delightful excerpt from the latter's Harmonies des bois “Les Larmes de Jacqueline”. The album was recorded with the Orchestre National de Lille and Alexandre Bloch, and also includes guest appearances by tenor Rolando Villazón and violinist Nemanja Radulović

Camille Thomas (cello), feat. Nemanja Radulovic (violin), feat. Rolando Villazón (tenor)

Composers

Offenbach, Jacques (1819-80)
Saint-Saëns, Charles Camille (1835-1921)

Works

Offenbach: Barcarolle (from Les Contes d'Hoffmann )
Offenbach: Harmonies des bois, Op. 76
Offenbach: Introduction, Prière et Boléro for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 22
Offenbach: Je suis Brésilien, j'ai de l'or (from La vie parisienne)
Offenbach: La Vie Parisienne (Paris Life)
Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann
Offenbach: Les Larmes de Jacqueline (No. 3 from Harmonies des bois, Op. 76)
Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33
Saint-Saëns: Samson et Dalila
Saint-Saëns: Suite for Cello & Orchestra, Op. 16b

A special edition of England, Their England by A. G. Macdonell reissued with a bright retro design to celebrate Pan's 70th anniversary. Banished from his native Scotland by a curious clause in his father's will, Donald Cameron moves to London and decides to conduct a study of the English people; a strange race who, he is told, have built an entire national identity around a reverence for team spirit and the memory of Lord Nelson . . . What follows is one of the funniest social satires ever written. Whether Cameron is haplessly participating in a village cricket match, being shown around an exclusive golf course, or trying to watch a rugby match in the thick London fog, his affectionately bemused portrait of his new countrymen is a joy to read. Reminiscent of the gentle wit of P. G. Wodehouse and Jerome K. Jerome, England, Their England offers a delightful portrait of Britain in the 1920s.

The Z.E.N. Trio - pianist Zhang Zuo, violinist Esther Yoo and cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan - met on the BBC New Generation Artists' scheme in 2015 and have since performed concerts together for BBC radio as well as across the UK and elsewhere in Europe.

While the trio's name, “Z.E.N.” is an acronym for the three artists' initials, it also represents the philosophy with which they approach chamber music making - the forgoing of the self for total togetherness.

An imaginative and electrifying performer, Zhang Zuo (“Zee Zee”) began her musical training in Germany at the age of five.

Upon returning to her native China, she became one of the most sought after young artists in the nation, collaborating with leading Chinese orchestras with whom she retains a close link.

Esther Yoo first came to international attention in 2010 when, aged 16, she became the youngest prize winner of the 10th International Sibelius Violin Competition.

From 2014 to 2016 she was a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, culminating in her BBC Proms debut.

Esther plays regular return engagements with Philharmonia Orchestra at London's Royal Festival Hall as well as with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed in tours across Asia and South America.

Since winning the Cello First Prize and Gold Medal at the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2011 at the age of 22, Narek Hakhnazaryan has performed with most major orchestras across the globe and has established himself internationally as one of the finest cellists of his generation.

Composers

Brahms, Johannes (1833-97)
Dvořák, Antonín (1841-1904)

Works

Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8
Dvořák: Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, Op. 90 (B166) 'Dumky'

Three exceptional artists join forces for an operatic treat! Star tenor Rolando Villazón, who was just named artistic director of Salzburg Mozart week, Ildar Abdrazakov, one of the most sought-after young basses in the operatic world (Vanity Fair), who is debuting on Deutsche Grammophon with this album and the in-coming music director of the Metropolitan Opera Yannick Nézet-Séguin - a conductor full of vim and vigor - with Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal.

Following Rolando's and Yannick's latest successful collaboration in DG's Mozart opera cycle (Le Nozze di Figaro), this recording includes a wide range of beautiful French/Italian duets for tenor and bass presented with dedication and passion!

Rolando and Ildar go back to 2009 when they first performed together in a production of 'Lucia di Lammermoor' at the Met. They re-unite to sing a colorful variety of beautiful opera duets from nineteenth century drammi giocosi and opéras comiques, such as the beloved “Au fond du temple saint” from Les pêcheurs de perles (Bizet) or “Ah, quando fia… Se inclinassi a prender moglie” from L'italiana in Algeri (Rossini) as well as the duet “Je suis Escamillo” from Bizet's famous opera Carmen.

Besides the renowned repertoire the artists also recorded two tracks with special arrangements referring to their personal life: the legendary Granada, standing for Rolando's Latin heritage, Ochi Chernye as a tribute to Ildar's home country Russia.

Rolando Villazón (tenor), Ildar Abdrazakov (bass)
Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Composers

Bizet, Georges (1838-75)
Boito, Arrigo (1842-1918)
Donizetti, Gaetano (1797-1848)
Gounod, Charles François (1818-93)
Hermann, Florian
Lara, Augustin (1897-1970)
Verdi, Giuseppe (1813-1901)

Works

Bizet: Au fond du temple saint (from Les Pêcheurs de Perles)
Bizet: Je suis Escamillo, torero de Grenade! (from Carmen)
Boito: Son lo Spirito che nega (from Mefistofele)
Boito: Strano figlio del caos (from Mefistofele)
Donizetti: Ardir! Ha forse il cielo ... Ecco il magico liquore ... Va, mortale fortunate (from L'Elisir d'amore)
Donizetti: La vostra ostinazione...Prender moglie? (from Don Pasquale)
Donizetti: Sogno soave e casto (from Don Pasquale)
Gounod: Mais ce Dieu, que peut-il pour moi? (from Faust)
Gounod: Me voici! (from Faust)
Hermann, Florian: Ochi chyornye (Dark Eyes)
Lara, Augustin: Granada
Verdi: Propizio ei giunge! (from Simon Boccanegra)
Verdi: Vieni a me, ti benedico (from Simon Boccanegra)

Raphaela Gromes (cello), Julian Riem (piano)

Composers

Busoni, Ferruccio (1866-1924)
Capuis, Matilde Margherita Mary (1913-2017)
Casella, Alfredo (1883-1947)
Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Mario (1895-1968)
Martucci, Giuseppe (1856-1909)
Sinigaglia, Leone (1868-1944)

Works

Busoni: Serenata, Op. 34 (Kind.196)
Capuis: Animato con Passione
Casella: Notturno e tarantella, Op. 54
Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Figaro Variations from Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville'
Martucci: Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 52
Sinigaglia: Pieces (2), Op. 16

Swiss soprano Regula Mühlemann displays her wonderfully light voice with an album of 'Cleopatra' arias from operas by Vivaldi and Handel alongside undiscovered gems by Graun, Legrenzi, Hasse, Scarlatti, Mattheson and Sartorio.

The legendary figure of Cleopatra is featured in more than 80 operas from the 17th and 18th centuries and is perfectly embodied by Regula's breathtaking, beautiful and expressive voice. Regula is joined on this album by one of Europe's finest Baroque ensembles, La Folia Barockorchester.

Awards
Presto Editor's Choice September 2017
Record Review 16th September 2017 Recording of the Week
Opus Klassik Awards 2018 Winner - Newcomer (singer)

Regula Mühlemann (soprano)
La Folia Barockorchester, Robin Peter Müller

Composers

Graun, Carl Heinrich (1704-59)
Handel, George Frideric (1685-1759)
Hasse, Johann Adolph (1699-1783)
Legrenzi, Giovanni (1626-90)
Mattheson, Johann (1681-1764)
Sartorio, Antonio (1630-80)
Scarlatti, Alessandro (1660-1725)
Vivaldi, Antonio (1678-1741)

Works

Graun, C H: Cleopatra & Cesare
Graun, C H: Tra le procelle assorto (from Cleopatra e Cesare)
Handel: Che sento?...Se pietà di me non senti (from Giulio Cesare)
Handel: Giulio Cesare in Egitto
Hasse, J A: Lascia, Antonio, deh lascia (from Antonio e cleopatra)
Hasse, J A: Marc' Antonio e Cleopatra
Hasse, J A: Morte, col fiero aspetto (from Antonio e cleopatra)
Hasse, J A: Quel candido armellino (from Antonio e cleopatra)
Legrenzi: Antioco il Grande
Legrenzi: Se tu sarai felice (from Antioco il Grande)
Mattheson: Die unglücksselige Cleopatra
Mattheson: Mein Leben ist hin (from Die unglückselige Cleopatra)
Mattheson: Ruhe sanft, geliebter Geist (from Die unglückselige Cleopatra)
Sartorio: Giulio Cesare in Egitto
Sartorio: Quando voglio (from Giulio Cesare in Egitto)
Scarlatti, A: Antonio, e qual destino (from Marc'Antonio e Cleopatra)
Scarlatti, A: Marc'Antonio e Cleopatra, H. 121
Scarlatti, A: Vò goder senza contrasto (from Marc'Antonio e Cleopatra)
Vivaldi: Il Tigrane (opera fragment)

Luciano Pavarotti (tenor), The John Alldis Choir (chorus), Nicolai Ghiaurov (bass), Mirella Freni (soprano), The London Opera Chorus (chorus), Dame Joan Sutherland (soprano), Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo-soprano), José Carreras (tenor), Plácido Domingo (tenor), Chorus (chorus), David Romano (baritone)

Composers

Bixio, Cesare Andrea (1896-1978)
Bizet, Georges (1838-75)
Crescenzo, Vincenzo (1875-1964)
Curtis, Ernesto de (1875-1937)
Dalla, Lucio (1943-2012)
Denza, Luigi (1846-1922)
Donizetti, Gaetano (1797-1848)
Flotow, Friedrich Adolph Ferdinand von (1812-83)
Giordani, Giuseppe (1751-98)
Giordano, Umberto (1867-1948)
Lara, Augustin (1897-1970)
Lazzaro, Eldo di (1902-68)
Lehár, Franz (1870-1948)
Leoncavallo, Ruggiero (1857-1919)
Mascagni, Pietro (1863-1945)
Meyerbeer, Giacomo (1791-1864)
Modugno, Domenico (1928-94)
Musumarra, Romano (b.1956)
Puccini, Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria (1858-1924)
Rossini, Gioacchino Antonio (1792-1868)
Tagliaferri, Ernesto (1888-1937)
Tosti, Francesco Paolo (1846-1916)
Verdi, Giuseppe (1813-1901)

Works

trad.: Santa Lucia
Bixio: La mia canzone al vento
Bixio: Mamma
Bixio: Vivere
Crescenzo, V: Rondine al nido
Curtis, E: Non ti scordar di me
Curtis, E: Torna a Surriento
Dalla: Caruso
Denza: Funiculì-Funiculà
Giordani, G: Caro mio ben
Lara, Augustin: Granada
Lazzaro, E: Chitarra romana
Leoncavallo: Mattinata - 'L'aurora di bianco vestita'
Modugno: Nel blu, dipinto di blu
Musumarra: Il canto
Puccini: La Bohème: Act 1
Rossini: Soirées Musicales
Tagliaferri: Piscatore 'e pusilleco
Tosti: A vucchella
Tosti: La serenata
Tosti: Marechiare
Verdi: Requiem
Verdi: Rigoletto: Act 3

Leif Ove Andsnes is one of the world's leading pianists, and winner of the BBC Music Magazine Award for Recording of the Year, 2015.

His new album is a personal selection of Jean Sibelius' unknown and remarkably beautiful piano gems.

Andsnes sees himself on a mission to present a neglected repertoire of the Finnish composer: “I'm really passionate about his piano music, which is so beautiful and haunting. How can there be a major composer out there with such accessible music that people don't know. The fact that many will be hearing it for the first time, that's a wonderful feeling.”

Awards
Presto Editor's Choice September 2017
Presto Recordings of the Year Finalist 2017
Presto Recording of the Week 15th December 2017
Gramophone Magazine November 2017 Editor's Choice
The New York Times Recordings of the Year 2017

Leif Ove Andsnes (piano)

Composers

Sibelius, Jean (1865-1957)

Works

Sibelius: Barcarola, Op. 24, No. 10
Sibelius: Elegiaco, Op. 76 No. 10
Sibelius: Esquisses (5), Op. 114
Sibelius: Five Pieces, Op. 75 'The Trees'
Sibelius: Impromptu in B minor, Op. 5, No. 5
Sibelius: Impromptu, Op. 5, No. 6
Sibelius: Koivu (The Birch), Op. 75/4
Sibelius: Kylikki, Three Lyric Pieces, Op. 41
Sibelius: Romance in D flat major, Op. 24, No. 9
Sibelius: Rondino in G sharp minor, Op .68 No. 2
Sibelius: Six Bagatelles, Op. 97
Sibelius: Six Impromptus, Op. 5
Sibelius: Sonatina in F sharp minor, Op. 67 No. 1
Sibelius: Ten Piano Pieces, Op. 24
Sibelius: Ten Pieces, Op. 58 No. 4: Der Hirt
Sibelius: The Spruce Tree Op. 75 No. 5
Sibelius: Valse Triste, Op. 44 No. 1