In 2010 Yevgeny Sudbin released the first instalment in a cycle of Beethoven's piano concertos. Featuring the Fourth and the Fifth concerto the disc received top marks on web sites such as ClassicsToday.com and klassik-heute.de and was selected CD of the Week in Daily Telegraph and Editor's Choice in Gramophone, whose reviewer wrote 'The mother-of-pearl sheen of [Sudbin's] pianism is backed by a special underlying sensitivity...Delectably light-fingered brilliance and virtuosity shines a new light on some of the most familiar scores in the repertoire...' Other reviewers agreed that there was something very special about these interpretations ('Extraordinarily vibrant and unforced', Piano News) and, not least, about Sudbin's partnership with Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra ('There is a true give-and-take between soloist and orchestra throughout these performances that makes them especially engaging', Listen Magazine). The web site Classical CD Review found Sudbin and Vänskä to be 'ideally matched Beethoven interpreters,' and the French reviewer in Classica agreed, detecting a 'Mozartian flame' in the performances. For this sequel Sudbin and Vänskä go one step further and actually include a Mozart concerto to precede Beethoven's Concerto No.3 in C minor. Also in C minor, Mozart's Concerto No.24, K 491, is often regarded as having been the inspiration for Beethoven's work. The mood of K 491 is dramatic, even Romantic - the concerto was memorably described by the Mozart expert Alfred Einstein as an 'explosion of passion, of dark tragic emotions' - reflecting its proximity to The Marriage of Figaro, which was composed at the same time. Among Mozart's concertos it is one of the most ample, both in terms of scoring and duration, and thus provides an ideal counterweight to Beethoven's Third, which the composers began to sketch in 1796, but only completed eight years later.

Hummel stands as the last in the great Viennese line which embraced Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. He lived and studied with Mozart in his youth and, despite a career which saw him triumph as a conductor, composer and virtuoso pianist, Hummel never lost his reverence for his celebrated teacher. Intensified through changes in dynamics and the addition of extra accents, these stunningly effective arrangements preserve the integrity of Mozart's masterpieces while demonstrating a heartfelt appreciation and understanding of the greatest symphonies of his “immortal master”.

Composers

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-91)

Works

Mozart: Symphony No. 38 in D major, K504 'Prague'
Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E flat major, K543
Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K550

Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Olga Scheps (piano)
Matthias Foremny

Composers

Chopin, Frédéric François (1810-49)

Works

Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21

Decca is delighted to announce that VOCES8, one of Britain's most dazzling vocal ensembles, has joined its roster of artists. The thrilling young singers of VOCES8 combine terrific energy and charisma with immaculate vocal blend, breaking down barriers between music as diverse as Tallis, Bruckner and Emeli Sandé.

Critics have showered VOCES8 with praise, celebrating their “radiant” and “luminous” sound, “imaginative theatricality” and spotlighting their “impressive stage presence”. VOCES8 make their Decca debut with the release of Eventide in early 2014, an exquisite album exploring the magical time between day and night, including original compositions and freshly arranged pieces spanning five centuries and all rooted in reflection and repose. Eventide's rich sonic blend is frequently combined with haunting solo instrumentals from saxophone, cello, and harp and is sure to appeal to the discerning listener who enjoys music with gorgeous sound and spiritual meaning.

Christian Forshaw (saxophone), Sam Dressel (tenor), Barnaby Smith (counter-tenor), Paul Smith (baritone), Dingle Yandell (bass), Chris Wardle (counter-tenor), Oliver Vincent (tenor), Emily Dickens (soprano), Andrea Haines (soprano)
Voces8

Composers

Biebl, Franz (1906-2001)
Britten, Benjamin (1913-76)
Bruckner, Anton (1824-96)
Gjeilo, Ola (b.1978)
Hawes, Patrick (b.1958)
Jenkins, Karl (b.1944)
Lauridsen, Morten Johannes (b.1943)
Mealor, Paul (b.1975)
Rusby, Kate (b.1973)
Sandé, Adele Emily (b.1987)
Tallis, Thomas (1505-85)
Whitacre, Eric (b.1970)
Williams, John Towner (b.1932)

Works

trad.: Steal away
anon.: Te Lucis Terminum - Pentecostal Tone
Biebl: Ave Maria
Britten: Corpus Christi Carol
Bruckner: Os justi meditabitur sapientiam
Gjeilo: Second Eve
Hawes, P: Quanta Qualia
Hawes, P: Reflexionem
Jenkins, K: The Armed Man: Benedictus
Lauridsen: O magnum mysterium
Mealor: Locus Iste
Rusby: Underneath The Stars
Sandé, E: Where I Sleep
Tallis: Te lucis ante terminum
Whitacre: The Seal Lullaby
Williams, John: Hymn to the Fallen (from Saving Private Ryan)

Joan Sutherland (Violetta), Carlo Bergonzi (Alfredo), Robert Merrill (Germont)
Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, John Pritchard

Composers

Verdi, Giuseppe (1813-1901)

Works

Verdi: La Traviata (highlights)

Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro, K492 (highlights)

Ferruccio Furlanetto (Figaro), Kiri te Kanawa (Countess), Anne Sofie von Otter (Cherubino), Thomas Hampson (Count)
Metropolitan Opera, James Levine

Ferruccio Furlanetto (bass), Paul Plishka (bass), Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo-soprano), John Keenan, Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano), Michael Forest (tenor), Dawn Upshaw (soprano), Tatiana Troyanos (mezzo-soprano), Heidi Grant Murphy (soprano), Anthony Laciura (tenor), Thomas Hampson (baritone), Renato Capecchi (bass)
Metropolitan Opera, Metropolitan Opera Chorus
James Levine

Composers

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-91)

Works

Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro, K492 (highlights)

Gedagtes van hoop en bemoediging uit die hart van 'n vrou.

Introducing the first collection of its kind from Universal, an album from the soul of Russia featuring the world-renowned Red Army Choir. With over two hours of choral hits from Russian favourites like Moscow Nights, Dark Eyes and Kalinka to “O Fortuna” and “Nessun Dorma”, as well as two digital Bonus Tracks: “Bella Ciao” and “Ode to Joy”.

Composers

Agapkin, Vasiliy Ivanovich (1884-1964)
Alexandrov, Alexander Vasilyevich (1883-1946)
Bach, Johann Sebastian (1685-1750)
Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770-1827)
Davis, Katherine Kennicott (1892-90)
Glinka, Mikhail Ivanovich (1804-57)
Hermann, Florian
Larionov, Ivan (1830-89)
Orff, Carl (1895-1982)
Puccini, Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria (1858-1924)
Rachmaninov, Sergey Vassilievich (1873-1943)
Shaporin, Yuri Alexandrovich (1889-1966)
Solovyov-Sedoy, Vasily Pavlovich (1907-79)
Verdi, Giuseppe (1813-1901)
Weber, Carl Maria von (1786-1826)

Works

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 'Choral'
Davis, K K: The Little Drummer Boy
Hermann, Florian: Les yeux noirs
Larionov: Kalinka
Orff: Carmina Burana
Puccini: Nessun dorma (from Turandot)
Solovyov-Sedoy: Moscow Nights
Verdi: Ernani
Verdi: Nabucco
Weber: Der Freischütz

Carols by Bob Chilcott

Commotio, Matthew Berry

Awards
Presto Recording of the Week 9th December 2013

Bob Chilcott has been described by The Observer as 'a contemporary hero of British Choral Music', and his music is commissioned and sung by choirs throughout the world. His Christmas pieces, a number of which are heard here in première recordings, reveal his enthusiasm for recently written texts, to which he responds with acute verbal sensitivity.

Commotio is one of the UK's foremost chamber choirs, hailing from Oxford, where they have performed choral music of the 20th and 21st centuries since 1999.

The central piece of this album is the previously unrecorded carol sequence On Christmas Night, which shows how his ambition is to infuse new blood alongside more traditional melodies and for each to be enriched by it.

Bob Chilcott is one of Britain's most popular and most-performed composers of choral music, and has enriched the contemporary repertoire immensely.

Composers

Chilcott, Robert (b.1955)
Gruber, Franz Xaver (1787-1863)

Works

Chilcott: Before the ice (O magnum mysterium)
Chilcott: Gifts for the Child of Winter
Chilcott: Heart-in-Waiting
Chilcott: Les anges dans nos campagnes
Chilcott: Mid-winter
Chilcott: On Christmas Night
Chilcott: Shepherd's Carol
Chilcott: Silent night
Chilcott: Song of the Crib
Chilcott: The Advent Candle
Chilcott: The Bethlehem Star
Chilcott: The night he was born
Chilcott: The Rose in the Middle of Winter
Chilcott: The Shepherds Sing
Chilcott: What sweeter music
Gruber, F: Silent Night

2013 marks the 100th birthday of Benjamin Britten and EMI pays tribute to this key figure of 20th century music with the release of a brand new recording of his War Requiem, with a stellar line up of soloists - Anna Netrebko, Ian Bostridge and Thomas Hampson.

Considered to be Britten's crowning choral work, and for some possibly the pinnacle of his entire output, it was commissioned for the festival marking the consecration of the new cathedral at Coventry.

Anna Netrebko (soprano), Ian Bostridge (tenor) & Thomas Hampson (baritone)
Orchestra dell' Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Coro dell' Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Voci Bianche dell' Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Antonio Pappano

Composers

Britten, Benjamin (1913-76)

Works

Britten: War Requiem, Op. 66

One of the first African American singers to become an international singing sensation, Leontyne Price's voice is showcased in this Regis release through wide ranging repertoire from Verdi and Puccini opera to Mozart and Gershwin and the music of her roots.

Composers

Gershwin, George (1898-1937)
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-91)
Puccini, Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria (1858-1924)
Schubert, Franz Peter (1797-1828)
Verdi, Giuseppe (1813-1901)

Works

Gershwin: Summertime (from Porgy and Bess)
Mozart: Exsultate, jubilate, K165 - Alleluia
Mozart: In quali eccessi ... Mi tradì quell'alma ingrata (from Don Giovanni)
Puccini: Chi il bel sogno di Doretta (from La Rondine)
Puccini: Madama Butterfly
Puccini: Signore, ascolta! (from Turandot)
Puccini: Tu che di gel sei cinta (from Turandot)
Puccini: Tu? Tu? Piccolo iddio (from Madama Butterfly)
Puccini: Turandot
Puccini: Un bel di vedremo (from Madama Butterfly)
Puccini: Vissi d'arte (from Tosca)
Schubert: Ave Maria, D839
Verdi: Libera me (from Requiem)
Verdi: O patria mia (from Aida)
Verdi: Ritorna vincitor! (from Aida)
Verdi: Tacea la notte (from Il Trovatore)

This recording brings together two of today's finest British organist/composers and includes specially commissioned works. Jeremy Filsell's music is rooted in a long liturgical tradition and ranges from a poignant Epitaph to a Te Deum which recreates the spirit of William Walton's glorious piece for the 1953 Coronation.

David Briggs's Pange lingua portrays the wonders of the Holy Communion in music, and his dramatic and grandiose Messe pour Saint-Sulpice also has moments of quiet, emotional profundity. The Vasari Singers' Great British Anthems (8572504) has been described as “essential listening” (Gramophone).

Jeremy Filsell and David Briggs (organ)
Vasari Singers, Jeremy Backhouse

Composers

Briggs, David J (b.1962)
Filsell, Jeremy (b.1964)

Works

Briggs: Messe pour Saint-Sulpice
Briggs: Organ Improvisation on Tantum Ergo
Briggs: Pange lingua
Filsell: Epitaph (Here shadow lie)
Filsell: If God build not the house
Filsell: Jublilate (Windsor Service)
Filsell: Magnificat (Windsor Service)
Filsell: Nunc Dimittis (Windsor Service)
Filsell: Te Deum (Windsor Service)
Filsell: The Transfiguration
Filsell: Tomorrow shall be my dancing day

Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone)
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Meeting of Titans: America's best-loved choir meets the world's favourite bass-baritone: Bryn Terfel and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir join forces in an inspiring survey of classical, spiritual, Welsh and American folk songs

Bryn Terfel has sold over 2.3 million records worldwide

The lead track, the eponymous Homeward Bound, is a stunning emotional show stopper

Recorded in Salt Lake City in May 2013, this “event” record is set to thrill classical audiences on both sides of the Atlantic - and beyond

Welsh bass-baritone powerhouse Bryn Terfel unites with the historic Mormon Tabernacle Choir (MTC)

Known as “America's Choir”, and currently the best-selling classical act in the US, this extraordinary American musical institution was founded 166 years ago by American Pioneers, migrating at the time from the Midwest to Salt Lake Valley. Many of the original Pioneers included Mormons hailing from Wales - a connection that Bryn will make through music and song on this popular vocal and choral programme

Features spectacular new arrangements from the pen of the award-winning MTC Musical Director Mack Wilberg

Also features special guests Tamara Mumford and Sissel Kyrkjebø

Repertoire drawn from American spirituals, Welsh favourites, sacred arias, popular hymns and the world of musicals

Prepare for the thrilling prospect of the 360-voice Mormon Tabernacle Choir and a full symphony orchestra, united in song with the acclaimed bass-baritone Bryn Terfel - a unique event and a unique album.

Composers

Andersson, Benny (b.1946)
Boatner, Edward (1898-1981)
Fauré, Gabriel Urbain (1845-1924)
Handel, George Frideric (1685-1759)
Hughes, John (1873-1932)
Jenkins, Karl (b.1944)
Lowry, Robert (1826-99)
Mealor, Paul (b.1975)
Thompson, Marta Keen (b.1953)

Works

trad.: Battle Hymn of the Republic
trad.: Blow the Wind Southerly
trad.: Deep River
trad.: How Great Thou Art
trad.: Shenandoah
trad.: The Dying Soldier
Andersson: Give Me My Song
Fauré: Requiem, Op. 48
Handel: Rinaldo
Hughes, J: Guide me, O thou great Redeemer (Cwm Rhondda)
Lowry, R: Shall We Gather At The River
Mealor: Faith's Call
Thompson, M K: Homeward Bound

The piano brothers Arthur and Lucas Jussen undoubtedly no longer need an introduction. Since they put themselves in the spotlight, everything they do has turned into gold. It earned them the Edison Audience Award in 2011. Rightly so.
After CDs with works by Beethoven and Schubert, they now again prove their qualities with a wonderful CD full of French repertoire by Fauré (the beautiful 'Dolly'), Poulenc and Ravel, among others.

Composers

Fauré, Gabriel Urbain (1845-1924)
Poulenc, Francis (1899-1963)
Ravel, Maurice (1875-1937)

Works

Gabriel Fauré: Dolly Suite, Op.56
Francis Poulenc: Mélancolie
Maurice Ravel: Jeux D'Eau

Awards
Gramophone Awards 2014 Finalist - Instrumental
BBC Music Magazine Awards 2014 Newcomer Award
Radio 3 Building a Library February 2018 Also Recommended

Igor Levit has recently given highly acclaimed debuts in major musical centres across Europe and is being hailed by international critics as one of the most outstanding pianists of our time. Levit is a BBC Young Generation Artist and currently features in the “ECHO Rising Star” program of the European Concert House Organization. Not just another young aspiring pianist releasing his debut album, he is an outstanding artist who meets the exceptionally high technical and interpretative demands of this extraordinary repertoire. Despite his young age, Levit's interpretations display a rare depth and maturity, making for extremely well-balanced renderings on an artistic level of the great piano masters of our age. The Russian-German pianist performs one of the largest chunks of piano repertoire - Beethoven much-revered five late sonatas opp. 101, 106 and 109-111. Here, Beethoven's late piano sonatas can be discovered in a most natural & tonally beautiful way. Written between 1816 - 1822 when the composer was completely deaf, Beethoven's last sonatas are highly subjective artistic and personal confessions. The sonatas constitute one of the cornerstones of Beethoven's mysterious late style next to the five last quartets.

Composers

Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770-1827)

Works

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 'Hammerklavier'
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111