Bernstein Mass

A luxurious and authoritative 64CD orchestral and concerto set, celebrating one of the world’s great orchestras and their 64-year relationship with Decca Classics. Few labels can claim to be so associated with a city as inextricably as Decca is with Vienna. No history of classical recordings would be complete without a chapter documenting how both Decca and the WP worked to perfect the art of recording in the city’s great concert halls, most notably in the famous Sofiensaal.

Throughout this Warner Classics six disc set one remains impressed with Harnoncourt’s tightly controlled direction of his magnificent forces, employing tempi that always feel appropriate. The sound quality is of a high standard as is the interesting and informative annotation. A valuable set of Haydn sacred music that is perfect for dipping in and out.

Limited edition 100 CD box set on the premiere classical label Deutsch Grammophon. Subtitled from Gregorian Chant to Gorecki. For some it will be the ultimate reference tool. For others a big place to start on something they always wanted to know about. Either way, the idea is to present a comprehensive history of Classical Music from its origins to the present day, covering all periods, including all major composers.

Given that box sets are too often thrown together in a last cavalier attempt to get mileage from back catalog, it's a pleasure to find one that has rhyme and reason, assembling a program that would be hard for the buyer to find on his or her own and offering a real tribute to a beloved figure.

Sony Music Entertainment presents Vladimir Horowitz Live at Carnegie Hall, a deluxe CD edition that gathers together the complete RCA and Columbia recitals that the legendary pianist recorded live at Carnegie Hall between 1951 and 1978 including eight previously unreleased complete concerts, as well as 48 works in previously unreleased recordings all on 41 CDs.

The was the first digital recording of the B Minor, recorded in '82 and released on Eurodisc back in about '84. Since then, other recordings may have been more "polished" and may have added more spectacular sound (though the sound here is very natural and beautifully soft-focussed and grainy) but none conveys as much healthy love and devotion and none has such a fine ensemble of soloists (the much-missed Lucia Popp, Theo Adam, Carolyn Watkinson et al) and so committed a choir…

A luxurious and authoritative 64CD orchestral and concerto set, celebrating one of the world’s great orchestras and their 64-year relationship with Decca Classics.
Few labels can claim to be so associated with a city as inextricably as Decca is with Vienna. No history of classical recordings would be complete without a chapter documenting how both Decca and the WP worked to perfect the art of recording in the city’s great concert halls, most notably in the famous Sofiensaal.