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This set presents an extensive collection of works which George Frideric Handel wrote during his short but astoundingly fruitful stay in Italy. Here he met the great composers of the day, imbuing the rich Italian style, full of drama, cantabile and instrumental brilliance.

Decca is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the supreme master of Italian opera Giuseppe Verdi’s birth in matchless style by releasing in February 2013 a 75-CD box containing his entire canon of works.

Serge Reggiani is a French chanson legend who first rose to fame as a singer in the 1960s after already having established himself as an actor in the cinema decades earlier. Born on May 2, 1922, in Reggio Emilia, Italy, he moved to France with his family at age eight. In the 1940s he established himself as an actor in the French cinema, most notably appearing in the Marcel Carné film Les Portes de la Nuit (1946) in addition to many others. He remained active in the cinema from the 1940s until the end of the century, acting in over 80 films total.

Authenticity, sweat, and electric guitars: these are the ingredients of a recipe that, with very small changes over the years, made Ligabue one of the most successful modern Italian rockers…

Virgin Classics invites you to enjoy the world premiere recording of Viviadi's Il Farnace in a version that Vivaldi prepared specially for the city of Ferrara in 1737-38 after its success in Venice. This is not only the first time the Ferrara version of Farnace has been recorded, but also the first time it has been heard, as the planned performances of 1738 were cancelled due to the local failure of the Vivaldi opera that preceded it, Siroe.

Harry Christophers and The Sixteen have long been celebrated for their recordings and performances of Handel. Over the past three decades Harry Christophers and his award-winning ensemble have expanded their Handel repertoire to take in his greatest works. They have also made numerous recordings of Handel’s masterpieces and this twelve CD boxed set features a selection of some of their finest discs along with three remarkable solo albums featuring The Sixteen’s celebrated orchestra and acclaimed sopranos Sarah Connolly, Ann Murray and Elin Manahan Thomas.