Michael Tilson Thomas

MTT, leading American champion of Ives’ work, states: “At its core, the music of Charles Ives is an expression of the heart and soul of America. The complexity of Ives’ rhythmic and harmonic ideas was very much ahead of his time, and, even as he was often labeled eccentric by his peers, he created a uniquely American sound. My aim with this album is to reveal the true essence of Ives’ music in order to allow the audience to see America through his eyes.”

Sony Music Entertainment is pleased to announce another ten Masters, the latest instalments in this mouth-watering series for collectors of the great artists. Here are ten new budget-priced box sets of classic recordings by some of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century.

At any rate, Stravinsky traveled to Venice many times, beginning in 1925 and continuing through visits for the first performances of his three commissions from the Biennale, Canticum sacrum ad honorem Sancti Marci nominis (Canticle to Honor the Name of Saint Mark) in 1956; in 1958, the grand late sacred work Threni; and, in 1960, Monumentum pro Gesualdo.

Sassy and conductor Michael Tilson Thomas had been cooking up Gershwin evenings for eight years prior to this live performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, so singer and conductor had this act together for a long time. Judging from Leslie Gourse's biography Sassy, Tilson Thomas apparently worshiped Vaughan and let her have totally free rein in their collaborations. As a result, this is a swooning, swooping, hooting, heavily vibrating diva trip, one of the most overindulgent recordings Sassy ever made…