Messiaen Vingt Regards Sur L'enfant Jesus (nos. 1 6) Anton Batagov (1990)

Herbert von Karajan recorded almost everything in the standard orchestral repertoire once, many works two or three times, between his 1950s recordings for EMI with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the early 1960s for Decca with the Vienna Philharmonic, and his 1960s - 1989 recordings, mostly with the Berlin Philharmonic, for Deutsche Grammophon.

A charismatic presence, [Casals] embraces each work with the passion of a devoted horticulturist tending his most precious flowers … I can't think of any other interpreters who so successfully underline the sheer inventiveness of Beethoven's writing.

Carl August Nielsen (Danish: ; 9 June 1865 – 3 October 1931) was a Danish musician, conductor and violinist, widely recognized as his country's greatest composer. Brought up by poor but musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he demonstrated his musical abilities at an early age. He initially played in a military band before attending the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen from 1884 until December 1886. He premiered his Op. 1, Suite for Strings, in 1888, at the age of 23. The following year, Nielsen began a 16-year stint as a second violinist in the prestigious Royal Danish Orchestra under the conductor Johan Svendsen, during which he played in 's Falstaff and Otello at their Danish premieres. In 1916, he took a post teaching at the Royal Academy and continued to work there until his death.

Shostakovich - Preludes & Fugues for Piano. Op.87 Nos.1-10 - Tatiana Nikolaeva (1990)
Melodiya | USSR | SUCD 10-00073 | 1990 | 1 CD | EAC Rip | FLAC (img + cue), LOG | 10 Tracks | TT 59:26 | Covers (jpg 300 dpi) | RAR 180 MB + 3% Recovery | FSonic/FServe
Classical / Instrumental / Piano

24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 by Dmitri Shostakovich. The cycle is an extremely profound work of great mastery. These are 24 masterpieces, each with a world of its own. They must and can be compared to Bach's cycle. It is a new world in polyphony. Tatiana Nikolaeva USSR People's Artist, graduated with honours from two departments of the Moscow Conservatoire: piano and composition. For over 30 years Tatiana Nikolaeva has been playing Shostakovich's cycle "24 Preludes and Fugues", especially actively during the last years. The full cycle "24 Preludes and Fugues" by D. Shostakovich performed by T. Nikolaeva is recorded on three CDs.

Jiří Antonín Benda won particular distinction as a composer of melodramas: dramatic works that accompany speech with music. After earlier employment with his brothers in Prussia, in 1750 he became Kapellmeister to Duke Friedrich II of Saxe-Gotha. His career thereafter centred largely on Gotha, with shorter periods in Vienna and in Hamburg.
Benda left a varied quantity of orchestral and instrumental music, including around 30 symphonies which seem to have enjoyed some popularity in his day. They are attractive examples of the style of the period. He also left 11 violin concertos, and there is a Viola Concerto attributed to him.

Hans Werner Henze has been a prolific composer over a career spanning six decades, writing extensively in all the standard genres such as symphony, concerto, opera, and song, in a remarkable variety of styles. As he has said, "I am bored by the idea of employing approaches which I have already tried." At times in his career, his controversial political views have attracted almost as much attention as his music.