Concertgebouw Orkest Rimski Korsakov Scheherazade Krill

This Edition presents the “Magnificent Seven” and the “encore” in optimum technical quality. In the mid-Fifties of the last century, with the Cold War freezing relations between East and West, the English record label Decca decided to record a series of Russian operas with the Belgrade National Opera. Belgrade in the Yugoslavia of those days under Josip Tito was more open to “the West” than the Warsaw Pact countries gathered under the wing of the Soviet Union. The deal had been struck by former Decca manager and successful promoter of east European folklore in the USA, record executive Gerald Severn.

In honour of Bernard Haitink's 90th birthday this year, Decca presents one of the conductor's most lauded and respected series of repertoire. Bruckner's symphonic cycle is played here by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, recently voted by Gramophone Magazine as ‘The Greatest Orchestra in the World’.

Composed in 1882/3, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Piano Concerto was the last of a series of works written in the very happy middle period of his life; other compositions of this period, rich in charming lyricism, included the opera The Snow Maiden and the orchestral Szakza (‘Fairy Tale’). The Concerto was first performed in March 1884 at one of Balakirev’s Free School concerts in St Petersburg and was the last work of Rimsky to be wholly approved of by his erstwhile mentor. While the lyricism is still sincere and deeply felt in the Concerto, the work also foreshadows the master artificer of the later years.

British-Indian-American sitar player, producer, film composer and activist Anoushka Shankar shares her first live album since 2001’s Live At Carnegie Hall: Between Us… is her debut with German label LEITER and draws upon material from four solo albums, but also features one previously unreleased track. The record sees Anoushka Shankar maintain a long tradition of collaboration which began as a 13-year-old girl, when she started performing sitar alongside her father and teacher Ravi Shankar. Between Us… features Shankar’s regular collaborator – and master of the Hang a.k.a. hand pan – Manu Delago alongside Holland’s Metropole Orkest, directed by renowned conductor and arranger Jules Buckley. The album was recorded in 2018 during a short run of shows in the Netherlands.