The Freedom Sessions is an album by Sarah McLachlan which was released on 6 December 1994 on Nettwerk in Canada and 28 March 1995 on Arista Records in the United States. The album consisted primarily of previously unreleased alternative versions and remixes of McLachlan recordings, plus a cover version of "Ol' 55" by Tom Waits. Many of the tracks were recorded during the same sessions as McLachlan's 1993 album Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. In subsequent live performances, some of these songs (most notably "Ice Cream" and "Hold On") were reworked to match the style in which they were played on this album. The album was released in two versions: a standard CD, and an enhanced CD containing CD-ROM bonus material including interviews and music videos. The album was one of the first major enhanced CD releases.
The Glière is the most ambitious work here, running for nearly 23 minutes, almost a record length for a horn concerto. It is very florid and romantic—its unlikely model is Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, to which it comes nearest in the finale which is a lively Russian dance. Although some of the material is ingenuous, notably the march rhythm of the first movement, it is quite a jolly piece and has much in common with the Richard Strauss concertos. Otherwise the best known work is the Dukas Villanelle which Dennis Brain liked to play, and which is attractively diverse in mood and style, although essentially a miniature.
The Complete English Columbia Recordings & Early German Parlophone Recordings. The first Heritage release to re-issue material from the Pearl catalogue. This 4 CD set brings together the complete English Columbia recordings and rare, early German Parlophone recordings of Emanuel Feuermann. Feuermann is the cellist’s cellist par excellence, and many would claim him as the greatest of the century. He did not however, in his lifetime, make the headway he deserved, partly because he died at such an early age and partly because he was forever overshadowed by the colossal figure of Pablo Caslas. This edition includes extensive biographical and discographical notes – an illuminating package which provides an invaluable overview of one of the most talented string players ever to have graced the stage.