Essentials 2016

This album takes you through the most important of Tchaikovsky’s works: the groundbreaking ballets and monumental symphonies, the concertos and works for string orchestra, arias from Eugene Onegin and of course the 1812 Overture. Performers include Hilary Hahn, Herbert von Karajan, James Levine, Mikhail Pletnev, Msitislav Rostropovich and many others.

Puccini wrote arias like no other composer, from O Soave Fanciulla to O Mio Babbino Caro and of course Nessun Dorma. His operas are among the most performed worldwide – La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Turandot, Manon Lescaut and Tosca are all featured here. Singers include Anna Netrebko, Plácido Domingo, Mirella Freni, José Carreras and Monsterrat Caballé among others.

Beethoven is undoubtedly one of the most influential and important composers of all time. This album features the landmark symphonies, concertos, chamber music and solo piano music from this giant of music, all performed by the greatest interpreters – Claudio Abbado, Martha Argerich, Wilhelm Kempff, Carlos Kleiber, Rafael Kubelik and many others.

As the name implies Pink Project is a cover band that plays Pink Floyd music. And they already have been doing that for 20 years. Their tour is called their 20th anniversary tour - The Wall Essentials & more! Pink Project started out as a project with many musicians that played the album The Wall in the way Pink Floyd did it in the eighties…

Pump up the volume! No single phrase captures the sound of the 1980s better. Big, loud, bold, and brash – even the ballads had power! The ’80s were the last golden era of Top 40 radio. This was a magic time when the best music was also the music that filled America’s airwaves. Artists like Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, U2 and Prince were at the absolute zenith of their commercial careers, but that was only half the story.

The 1950s were fun, the 1960s were wild, and the 1970s were decadent. But the 1980s? The ’80s were big: Big hair; big shoulder pads; big, booming music; and big changes. MTV, compact discs, and digital sampling were brand new, and FM radio blasted the hits of the day to nerds, preppies, and punks alike.