Ma Mere

This varied and vivid selection of works shows Ravel as the master of the ‘choreographic symphony’, words he himself used to describe his masterpiece Daphnis et Chloé, which contains some of his boldest and most resplendent music. His imagination retained a direct link to the poetry of children, as shown in Ma mère l’oye, whilst in Valses nobles et sentimentales he set out to write a sequence of waltzes following the example of Schubert. These classic VOX recordings from 1974 by Stanisław Skrowaczewski and the Minnesota Orchestra are critically acclaimed. The Elite Recordings for VOX by legendary producers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz are considered by audiophiles to be amongst the finest sounding examples of orchestral recordings.

Luminosity, clarity and depth of colour characterise the playing of Éric Heidsieck, born in Reims in 1936. A student of French masters Marcel Ciampi and Alfred Cortot, he went to Wilhelm Kempff to further his exploration of Beethoven. Heidsieck's career, encompassing more than 2000 concerts around the world and duo partnerships with his pianist wife Tania and cellist Paul Tortelier, has brought him particular fame in Japan. His distinguished interpretations of Beethoven’s complete piano sonatas, recorded in the years around 1970, are complemented here by a previously unreleased 1958 version of the ‘Hammerklavier’ Sonata.

New York-based guitarists Jack Petruzzelli and Cameron Greider have played with a Who’s Who of rock and pop artists from Patti Smith and Chris Cornell to Joan Baez and Rufus Wainwright.