Renaud Capuçon, Jérôme Ducros

Capuçon, with pianist Jérôme Ducros, also his partner for a Virgin Classics Schubert recital released in 2006, has selected favourite encore pieces such as Kreisler’s mercurial Liebesleid and Dvorák's lilting Humoreske (arranged by Heifetz), tender episodes like Debussy's Clair de lune and Tchaikovsky's Valse sentimentale, works by the Romantics – Schubert (with the Ave Maria arranged by Capuçon himself), Mendelssohn and Schumann (transcriptions of numbers from the song cycle Frauenliebe und –Leben), and by composers of the 20th century – Strauss, Prokofiev, Szymanowski, Stravinsky, Korngold and the Romanian Grigoras Dinicu (reputedly judged by Heifetz as the greatest violinist he had ever heard).

'Capriccio' sees French violinist Renaud Capuçon, now in his early 30s, paying tribute to legendary violinists of the 20th century, including Kreisler, Heifetz, Milstein and Menuhin. This appetising selection of short pieces – virtuosic and lyrical, original compositions, transcriptions and arrangements – demonstrates the captivating charm the violin can exert.

A violinist in a class of his own, Renaud Capuçon shows why he is 'Le Violon Roi'; (The Violin King) in this 3-CD collection. As the leading French violinist of his generation, Capucon records exclusively for Virgin Classics and has a rich discography. The set brings together not only some of his best and most popular performances as a soloist but as a collaborator.

Passion Jaroussky marks 20 years since Philippe Jaroussky made his professional debut and commenced his rapid ascent to stardom. As the French countertenor says, “Even after all these years, my passion for music is undimmed.” Ranging musically from the 16th to the 21st century, the triple album comprises both new recordings and highlights from recent albums, and it also showcases Jaroussky’s collaborations with a host of major singers – from the worlds of both classical music and pop – instrumentalists, conductors and orchestras.

In his program notes for this CD, Philippe Jaroussky persuasively argues that, particularly because the traditional repertoire for counter tenors is so small (and much of the Baroque material was in fact written for castrati, an entirely different voice type), there is no reason counter tenors should not explore a broader variety of vocal material. His performance of French mélodies from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries makes an even more compelling case for his argument.

LA VOIX DES RÊVES - Greatest Moments in Concert” (available on DVD & Blu Ray) features video footage from a number of occasions and venues – including items from a concert given among the crystal chandeliers of the splendid Galerie des Glaces in the palace of Versailles, and works by Handel and Vivaldi performed in another jewel of French Baroque architecture, the sumptuously decorated Chapelle de la Trinité in Lyon.