Salzburg

In these thrilling concert films, Anne-Sophie Mutter plays and directs all five of Mozart's Violin Concertos. "Mutter's approach is full of expressive detail, her tempos bringing warmth to the slow movements … urgent speeds in outer movements … technically immaculate" (The Strad).

This ninth volume in the Next Generation Mozart Soloists series brings together four young soloists under conductor Howard Griffiths and reveals the sheer breadth of Mozart’s creativity. Mozart most probably heard a sinfonia concertante — a work in which a group of solo instruments embarks on a dialogue with orchestra — for the first time in Paris in 1778. He composed such a work for violin, viola, and orchestra the following year: the Sinfonia concertante KV 364. It is recorded here by Johan Dalene and Eivind Ringstad, who are full of praise for how Mozart gave the viola equal footing with the violin.

This ninth volume in the Next Generation Mozart Soloists series brings together four young soloists under conductor Howard Griffiths and reveals the sheer breadth of Mozart’s creativity. Mozart most probably heard a sinfonia concertante — a work in which a group of solo instruments embarks on a dialogue with orchestra — for the first time in Paris in 1778. He composed such a work for violin, viola, and orchestra the following year: the Sinfonia concertante KV 364. It is recorded here by Johan Dalene and Eivind Ringstad, who are full of praise for how Mozart gave the viola equal footing with the violin.

This is Grigory Sokolov’s “debut” recital on Deutsche Grammophon, an outstanding live recording from the Salzburg Festival 2008 of central repertoire: W.A. Mozart, F. Chopin & 6 encores. At last - after 20 years - the maestro has agreed to allow his recordings to be released on CD - now as an exclusive DG artist. Regarded as one of the world’s leading pianists, and adored by his public in sold-out concerts, Grigory Sokolov is the real thing – an artist dedicated to his art, and nothing else.

Good news for pianophiles everywhere that Grigory Sokolov has, as DG put it, now signed an exclusive contract. This is of course not taking him into the studio or anything as workaday as that. No, he has allowed them to release a live recital from the 2008 Salzburg Festival. But let’s not knock that: it’s difficult to imagine just how much negotiation that must have taken. Comparisons are irrelevant (except perhaps with himself): this is Sokolov we’re talking about. But in this cult of celebrity, his very aversion to the notion has turned him into one – a bit like Glenn Gould in an earlier era…

REPRINT (2nd EDITION) Comprising all previously unreleased recordings, this four-CD set presents classic, headline-generating performances by the London Symphony Orchestra with conductor Karl Böhm at the Salzburg Festival. Dating from 1973 to 1977, the recordings also feature pianist Emil Gilels (in the Schumann Piano Concerto) and violinist Henryk Szeryng (in a concerto once attributed to Mozart). A veritable symbol of Central European values, Böhm leads the LSO in Mozart's Symphonies No. 28 and No. 35 ("Haffner"), Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, Schumann's Symphony No. 4 and Brahms' Symphony No. 2. The four-disc set is sold for the price of three, with the Richard Strauss tone poem Death and Transfiguration coming on a bonus CD. The Austrian Radio (ORF) stereo tapes were digitally mastered by Ton Eichinger Studio in Vienna. Illustrated with photos from the LSO archive, the 96-page booklet features an introduction by Pulitzer Prize–winner Tim Page and an essay by notable British critic/author Richard Osborne, as well as artist bios from The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. REPRINTED COPIES INCLUDE: Attractive, informative and protective slipcase Improved book layout Additional photographs with expansive captions Same high-quality audio production