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Christoph Eschenbach is one of today’s foremost conductor-pianists. This fascinating retrospective focuses on his brilliant early career as a pianist, when his searching musical intelligence, formidable technique and enthusiastic engagement with the music of his, and our, time produced many recordings that have stood the test of time.

These two CDs feature live performances by the legendary Russian pianist Grigory Sokolov of some of Chopin's most enduring masterpieces, the 24 preludes, the opus 25 tudes, and the great 2nd sonata. Originally available as two separate full price CDs, they are now being released as a set at a special price. They were recorded in Paris at three concerts during 1990 and 1992.

Tatiana Shebanova, who also features in the Fryderyk Chopin Institute’s on-going Real Chopin series (see review special, p83), gets her own complete, modern instrument (as opposed to Real Chopin’s historic instruments) cycle on the Polish label Dux. Arranged in opus order, it presents a satisfying survey of Chopin’s development, and it spares the listener from (for example) a lack of variety in the usual hour-long sequence of waltzes.

Columbia's two-disc Greatest Hits compilation provides longtime Toto fans with a whole lot to love (except anything from the brilliant Dune soundtrack). For the average pop fan, a smaller, single-disc collection like 2003's Essential Toto will provide them with all of the "Africa," "Roseanna," and "Hold the Line" they could ever want.

Columbia's two-disc Greatest Hits compilation provides longtime Toto fans with a whole lot to love (except anything from the brilliant Dune soundtrack). For the average pop fan, a smaller, single-disc collection like 2003's Essential Toto will provide them with all of the "Africa," "Roseanna," and "Hold the Line" they could ever want.

Recorded over four nights of a weeklong engagement at New York's legendary Blue Note club, this double CD is the first live recording by pianist Michel Camilo and includes a number of new compositions that had not been recorded (or even performed in public) before Camilo and his trio took over the Blue Note stage in March of 2003. This was his first recording with the rhythm section of bassist Charles Flores and drummer Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, but the trio sounds as if it has been playing together for a decade: Flores and Hernandez both follow Camilo faithfully and supportively, pushing him gently when he needs it and staying out of his way when he doesn't…

The Swedish lutenist, Jakob Lindberg, developed his first passionate interest in music through the Beatles. He started to play the guitar and soon became interested in the classical repertoire. From the age of 14 he studied with Jörgen Rörby who also gave him his first tuition on the lute. After reading music at Stockholm University he went to London to study at the Royal College of Music. Here he further developed his knowledge of the lute repertoire under the guidance of Diana Poulton and decided towards the end of his studies to concentrate on Renaissance and Baroque music.