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Once known for his stately grand operas Gaspare Spontini posthumously surprised posterity with a light-hearted “commedia per musica” that was found at an antiquarian book dealer in England in 2006 and performed for the first time since 1800 at the Festival Pergolesi e Spontini in Jesi, Italy. With its motoric ensembles, intensifying rhythmic repetitions, and imaginative play with word fragments, La fuga in maschera anticipates Rossini at his best. Known for their historically informed performances, I Virtuosi Italiani is considered as “one of the most dynamic and able-bodied ensembles in the international musical world” (Milano Finanza).

This Blu-ray C Major Entertainment release of Gustav Mahler's Seventh and Eighth Symphonies continues the issuance of the complete, acclaimed Mahler cycle with Paavo Järvi and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, which since the 1980s and the release of Eliahu Inbal's FRSO Mahler cycle has come to be known as a "powerful Mahler orchestra" (Frankfurter Rundschau). As on previous releases, conductor Paavo Järvi's learned and probing introductions to the symphonies heard on the accompanying release are a worthy and self-recommending bonus feature. "The Estonian chief conductor is completing the Mahler Cycle at the highest level." FAZ (Sym No. 7) " The selection of soloists is cause for celebration." Frankfurter Rundschau (Sym No. 8)

With its majestic themes soaring upwards like gothic pillars and its brilliant chorales and fanfares glowing like stained – glass windows, Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 is the most monumental of his orchestral works, a cathedral in sound that grows out of pianissimo murmurs. Coming after the triumphs celebrated by the composer’s Seventh Symphony and Te Deum, the Eight was considered by Bruckner as the artistic climax of his career. Cleveland‘s Severance Hall is the venue for this performance. This hall, an eclectic yet elegant mix of Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Classicism, Egyptian Revival and Modernism was inaugurated in 1931 and is still hailed today as one of the world‘s most beautiful concert halls. The Cleveland Orchestra, founded in 1918, began its ascent to the upper ranks of the world‘s ensembles after it moved to Severance Hall in 1931.

Paramax Films captured the concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at its resident venue of Charles Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv in July 2015 conducted by Zubin Mehta and starring Georgian concert pianist Khatia Buniatishvili. The film showcases a performance of the piano’s most famous orchestral repertoire; Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 1 and Liszt’s virtuosic Piano Concerto No 2 with its waves of sound.

Richard Jones's radical new production of Lohengrin was the talk of the 2009 Munich Festival. It was also a triumph for Jonas Kaufmann in the title role. Die Welt added that they "could not think of any cast more perfectly matched, so youthfully enthralling, in short: so wonderful … ". With striking costumes and designs by Ultz - and directed by Maestro Kent Nagano - it represents a bold new Lohengrin for today's world.

For the first time in its history, a complete Beethoven sonata cycle was performed at the Salzburg Festival by none other than the world-renowned and influential Beethoven expert and pianist Rudolf Buchbinder. With more than 45 performances of the Beethoven sonata cycle in concert halls all over the world Buchbinder has set new standards in the interpretation of Beethovens works (Bayerischer Rundfunk). Buchbinders performance is that of a real master, effortlessly changing between lightning fast, technically challenging moments and tender lyrical passages. Where others can pride themselves in getting through without any accidents, Buchbinder is a poet, precise in every arpeggio, touching every keystroke (Kurier). This recording includes two concerts which feature sonatas 3, 6, 7, 16, 19, 24, 26, 28, and 29.

Conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker, Andris Nelsons presents a concert night which concentrates every conceivable passion: Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s Trumpet Concerto “Nobody knows de trouble I see” performed with “technical perfection” (Kronenzeitung) by “the fantastic Håkan Hardenberger” (Salzburger Nachrichten) and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in C minor “Resurrection”. “Nelsons proved to be delicate but hearty when interpreting Mahler.” (Wiener Zeitung) The conductor led the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to “enticingly beautiful sounds” (Die Presse). “High praise goes to the vocal soloists Ekaterina Gubanova, Lucy Crowe and the Bavarian Broadcasting choir.” (Salzburger Nachrichten) “Standing ovation”! (Kurier)

Beethovens opus of 32 piano sonatas, known as the New Testament of piano music, is a landmark in piano literature. Spanning Beethovens entire life, the sonatas reflect his whole development as a human being and a musician, moving from one century into the next, from one epoch in music in to another. With the sonatas Pathétique, Moonlight, Waldstein, Appassionata, Hammerklavier and the final sonata op. 111, the cycle contains some of the most known piano pieces of all time. Now, for the first time in its history the complete cycle was performed at the Salzburg Festival. For this challenge the Festival asked no less than the world-renowned and influential Beethoven expert and pianist Rudolf Buchbinder. With more than 45 performances of Beethovens complete sonata cycle in concert halls all over the world and his relentless drive to discover new details and facets in the sonatas through meticulous study of the scores, Buchbinder has set new standards in the interpretation of Beethovens works (Bayerischer Rundfunk). Includes two concerts featuring sonatas Nos. 2, 9, 15 (Pastoral), 27, 23 (Appasionata), 11, 20, 8 (Pathétique), 25, 21 (Waldstein), 30, 31, 32.