Debussy

Alexander Melnikov is among those pianists increasingly committed to playing the works of the past on the instruments from which they came into being (or could have done so). Thus, it is on an Érard - a ''period'' piano - that he performs the second book of Debussy's Préludes, and with the help of Olga Pashchenko, the composer's extraordinary transcription of La Mer.

This award winning set from 1991 will not be to everyone's tastes. The recording and the playing are perfectly suited to each other being exceptionally clear and precise and with wide dynamic range. The playing on this pair of discs is, as mentioned above, exceptionally clear and precise and came as quite shock to me when I bought it some 20 years ago. Everything is laid out for inspection without the slightest hint of softness or textural shading. It is like going into a room with all the main lights on rather than finding the room lit by numerous lamps on tables and other furniture. There are no subtleties of nuance attempted in the normal way allowing for shadows and half-lights metaphorically.

This limited edition presents three outstanding albums by Víkingur Ólafsson in a box set including additional fan content and deluxe packaging. With three albums on Deutsche Grammophon so far Ólafsson is known as one of the most exciting pianists of today and widely acknowledged for his “individuality of spirit and intelligence of execution” (Limelight Magazine).

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra launch their new label with a powerful pairing of Debussy and Strauss led by Chief Conductor Jaime Martín. The Orchestra’s new label will share the incredible ecosystem of classical music across Australia, and their first album showcases two of their nation’s top talents – rising star soprano Siobhan Stagg and noted composer Brett Dean.

The Quartetto Italiano is regarded as one of the finest string quartets of the twentieth century. The group generally focused on quartet-only repertory, avoiding performance with guest artists of quintets and other larger compositions.