Nightswim 2023

The fame and legacy of Maria Callas are nearly unsurpassed in the modern history of opera. Her fame has transcended the usual boundaries of classical music, and she has been the inspiration for several movies as well as the successful Broadway play "Master Class." Her extensive catalogue of recordings remains among the most coveted and controversial for both her fans and detractors.

Willie Nelson is probably the greatest living country star of our time. The Texan has been an institution of the genre for decades and is revered by generations of colleagues and fans. So it's no wonder that countless well-wishers celebrated this legend's 90th birthday with a unique concert. "Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 Live At The Hollywood Bowl" now brings this historic event to your living room.

The Philadelphia Woodwind Quintet; founded in 1950; comprised the principal woodwinds and French horn of The Philadelphia Orchestra. They made their recording debut for Columbia in 1953: four players from the ensemble were joined by pianist Rudolf Serkin in the Beethoven and Mozart Quintets in E-flat. Serkin; a frequent soloist with the orchestra; had been so taken by the artistry and tonal colors of its first-chair winds that he approached them about making a record together. So began the group’s history at Columbia’s 30th Street Studio in Manhattan. It would span 15 years; during which the ensemble naturally focused on the many outstanding works scored for standard woodwind quintet. But guest performers often joined them on recordings as well as in concerts; extending their repertoire to include not only composers of their own time; but even music outside the classical sphere written by the legendary jazz trumpeter Ornette Coleman.

Anshel Brusilow was for many years the celebrated concertmaster of the legendary Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy. In 1965 he founded the Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia with whom he recorded six albums for RCA Victor until 1968, now available for the first time, freshly restored and as a 24-bit remaster. The wide-ranging repertoire of the carefully selected musicians extends from symphonies by Haydn and Cherubini to the First Serenade by Brahms and the Fourth Suite by Tchaikovsky to works by Arensky, Ibert, Wolf, R. Strauss, Ravel, Francaix and a haunting cantata by Richard Yardumian (a composer whom Eugene Ormandy also supported).

CHICAGO CHRISTMAS COMPLETE features all three of Chicago's classic Christmas albums - FROM WHAT’S IT GONNA BE, SANTA?, O CHRISTMAS THREE, and CHICAGO CHRISTMAS - in a 3CD set.

Germaine Thyssens-Valentin was a classical pianist of Franco-Dutch parentage, noted for her performances of French music. She studied under Gabriel Fauré at the Paris Conservatoire, and in the 1950s, after a long absence from performing while she raised a family of five children, she recorded a series of discs of Fauré's music that have been reissued on compact disc to considerable acclaim.

Germaine Thyssens-Valentin (27 July 1902 – 7 July 1987) was a classical pianist of Franco-Dutch parentage, noted for her performances of French music. She studied under Gabriel Fauré at the Paris Conservatoire, and in the 1950s, after a long absence from performing while she raised a family of five children, she recorded a series of discs of Fauré's music that have been reissued on compact disc to considerable acclaim.

Gennady Rozhdestvensky was born in Moscow.

Rozhdestvensky was the son of conductor Nikolai Anosov Rozhdestvensky and soprano Natalya Rozhdestvenskaya. A pupil at the Gnesin School of Music and the Moscow Conservatory school for children, he entered the Conservatory in 1941 to study conducting with his father and piano with Lev Oborin. While still at the Conservatory, Rozhdestvensky conducted Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker at the Bolshoi Theater. Following his graduation in 1954, he was appointed assistant conductor at the Bolshoi and in 1956 made his first visit to England with the Bolshoi Ballet. In 1961, Rozhdestvensky was named artistic director of the Soviet Radio Symphony Orchestra, remaining there until 1974. Three years later, he became Bolshoi's youngest principal conductor, remaining at that post until 1970.