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Another volume in the highly acclaimed complete cycle of Dmitry Shostakovich symphonies from conductor Vasily Petrenko, leading the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra on the Seventh Symphony, written during the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. Initially the composer gave each movement a programmatic title but later withdrew them, leaving this epic work as an historic emblem of heroic defiance in the face of conflict and crisis.

Vasily Petrenko flawlessly guides the Liverpool Philharmonic through every twist, turn and climax in Shostakovich’s remarkable Symphony No. 4 on this critically acclaimed album, recorded in 2013. The composer’s characteristic pathos and intensity pervade the piece, drawing the listener into an inner world of Soviet-era turmoil. Audiophilia included this album on its list of the 15 Star Recordings of the year.

Another volume in the highly acclaimed complete cycle of Dmitry Shostakovich symphonies from conductor Vasily Petrenko, leading the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra on the Seventh Symphony, written during the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. Initially the composer gave each movement a programmatic title but later withdrew them, leaving this epic work as an historic emblem of heroic defiance in the face of conflict and crisis.

Vasily Petrenko flawlessly guides the Liverpool Philharmonic through every twist, turn and climax in Shostakovich’s remarkable Symphony No. 4 on this critically acclaimed album, recorded in 2013. The composer’s characteristic pathos and intensity pervade the piece, drawing the listener into an inner world of Soviet-era turmoil. Audiophilia included this album on its list of the 15 Star Recordings of the year.

Walter Piston wrote music of clarity, nobility, longing tenderness, wit and elegance. His craftsmanship was admired not only by his students at Harvard, but by all great composers of this century. Piston’s works for violin and orchestra are extraordinary examples of his musical gifts and mastery of instrumental technique. Internationally recognized violinist James Buswell imbues these works with authority and tonal strength.

This is a beautiful collection of exceptional audiophile recordings of some of the great composers; Grieg, Fauré, Mahler, Mozart, Rachmaninov, Ravel, Saint-Saëns, and many others. The collection includes over 99 minutes of classic romantic music loved by all.

This is a beautiful collection of exceptional audiophile recordings of some of the great composers; Grieg, Fauré, Mahler, Mozart, Rachmaninov, Ravel, Saint-Saëns, and many others. The collection includes over 99 minutes of classic romantic music loved by all.

Shostakovich wrote the fifth of his fifteen symphonies in 1937 and it was given its first performance in Leningrad in November that year, presented as for the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the Russian Revolution. It originally carried the sub-title 'The practical answer of a Soviet artist to justified criticism'. This, coming after the events of 1936, led to a certain initial coolness towards the symphony outside Russia. Abroad it was at first seen as an act of submission to an arbitrary cultural dictatorship. Nevertheless there is no reason to suppose that Shostakovich was, at the time, insincere in his recantation and apology, or that his own musical development might not have led him to abjure the evils of Western serialism that had at one time begun to attract him. The condemnation of 1948 was, of course, quite another matter.

Edward Kennedy ‘Duke’ Ellington wrote some of the twentieth century’s greatest Big Band music, but he also wrote in a variety of forms. The boisterous and evocative Harlem pays tribute to Ellington’s roots, Black, Brown, and Beige sets work songs and spirituals, whilst the suite from The River shows his genius in writing for the stage. Three Black Kings, scored as a ballet, was left unfinished at his death, but shows no lessening of invention. Ellington’s arrangement of Billy Strayhorn’s Take the ‘A’ Train became famous around the world after the outbreak of World War II, and ranks among the most widely recorded standards of all time.

This is a beautiful collection of exceptional audiophile recordings of some of the great composers; Grieg, Fauré, Mahler, Mozart, Rachmaninov, Ravel, Saint-Saëns, and many others. The collection includes over 99 minutes of classic romantic music loved by all.