The Florestan Trio now turns its attention to Schumann's Piano Trios. These two works, Opp 63 and 80, were composed in rapid succession in the summer and autumn of 1847, some five years after the prolific year when Schumann composed most of his large-scale chamber works.

Acclaimed for his great recordings of works by Mozart and Berlioz, it is a little surprising that Sir Colin Davis is not equally hailed for his superb renditions of Schubert's symphonies, a repertoire for which this conductor's blending of Classical elegance and Romantic passion is perfectly suited. Previously released as a box set in 1996, this RCA Complete Collection reveals Davis as a masterful interpreter of Schubert's unique uses of symphonic form; and his performances have real momentum and coherence, the two qualities that hold these symphonies together. Davis' sense of trajectory is plainly evident in the first six symphonies, which adhere to Classical models and depend on forward motion and clear structures to convey the unity of their movements. But propulsion is even more critical in the more expansive frameworks of the Symphony No. 8, "Unfinished," and the Symphony No. 9, "The Great".

Hugo Kaun is considered a modern late Romantic and was a German composer, conductor and music educator. His works were held in the highest esteem in Germany and America. In Chicago, Kaun studied with the German-American music theorist Bernhard Ziehn, with whom Wilhelm Middelschulte also received his training. Later, like Middelschulte, he taught at the conservatory there. Until 1901, he worked as a music teacher, conductor and composer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and other places, and as founder and conductor of the Milwaukee Liederkranz and director of the festivals of the Northwest Sängerbund.

These CDs have been issued by Decca in their "Legendary Performances" series; the recording was originally issued on the Ace of Diamonds label in 1960. Fritz Reiner belonged to that era of revered authoritarian conductors (including Toscanini, Klemperer and Beecham) who dominated the pre-Second World War orchestral scene. His reputation was achieved very largely through his interpretations of Wagner opera in America and Europe and his orchestral directorships in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Chicago. This recording of the Verdi Requiem came towards the very end of his conducting career and only 3 years before his death.

Franz Liszt’s art songs form a fascinating repertoire. His lieder served as a vehicle for his own artistic and aesthetic development, but also as inspiration for his contemporaries, who soon followed in his footsteps in composing songs for voice and orchestra.

On his second album for Alpha Classics, rising star violinist Kerson Leong juxtaposes the Violin Concertos of Bruch and Benjamin Britten. This unusual pairing is a reflection on the journey from one extreme of expression to another. Bruch’s In Memoriam is the perfect bridge between them.

After the celebrated Stabat Mater, already recorded to great acclaim by the RIAS-Kammerchor, here is Rossini’s other masterpiece in the domain of sacred music, the last of his “sins of old age”. This Petite Messe solennelle is indeed “small” in terms of the forces deployed - the instrumental accompaniment is limited to two pianos and a harmonium - but it also well deserves the adjective “solemn” for its ample scale and its formidable dramatic power. In many respects, this work may be seen as its composer’s musical testament. Dazzled, like all his critical colleagues, Filippo Filippi wrote after the first performance in March 1864: “This time, Rossini has surpassed himself, for no-one can tell what is the more impressive, his learning or his inspiration.”

Once regarded as Verdi's lost opera because of early censorship and controversy, Stiffelio has now established its rightful place in Verdi's canon. In this 1993 recording from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, José Carreras, as the Protestant minister whose faith is shattered when he discovers his wife's adulterous liaison with a family friend, leads a fine cast that includes Catherine Malfitano, Gregory Yurisich, Gwynne Howell and Robin Leggate under the baton of Edward Downes.

Adelaide di Borgogna es uno de los títulos más infrecuentes en la producción operística de Rossini, siendo ésta la número 23 de las 39 que el compositor llegó a escribir. Se trata de una composición de escritura musical no muy habitual en el pesarés, resultando bastante sobria y austera en lo que a canto canoro se refiere, haciendo primar sobre ello un equilibrio vocal, sobre todo en lo tocante a los roles de Adelaide y Ottone.

Opening with its famous ‘Sunrise’ fanfare, there is no mistaking Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra. A bold, intrepid tone poem, famously used by Stanley Kubrick in 2001: A Space Odyssey, it explores mankind’s place in the universe, diving headfirst into themes of religion, science and individuality.

Gianadnrea Noseda and the BBC Philharmonic have the work’s measure and their performance has a full-blooded intensity and fire. Tempos are well judged and orchestral textures well blended. Noseda balances a strong sense of the piece’s architecture with its expressive eloquence and rich nostalgia it is a reading that can rank alongside the classic Ormandy and Pletnev accounts, both of whom bring a special authority to the Symphony.

Writing in a style that was essentially Romantic, if modified by his study of Classical composers, the Swedish composer Stenhammar enjoyed a successful career also as a pianist and then, primarily, as a conductor. As a leading composer of his generation in Sweden, Stenhammar contributed to a variety of genres. Two symphonies and two piano concertos, in addition to a number of less substantial works, are still in today’s repertoire. The Interlude from his important cantata Sången is a frequent concert item.

Yamagata Symphony Orchestra is one of Japan's famous local orchestras and is very much loved by the people of Yamagata. This album is the first album by conductor Chiaki Murakawa, who will turn 90 in 2023. This is a live recording of the Yamagata Symphony Orchestra's 300th regular concert commemorating the 50th anniversary of its founding and the performance celebrating Chiaki Murakawa's 90th birthday. The program is Chiaki Murakawa's most important repertoire, Sibelius. Like the nature of Yamagata, the majestic music of Sibelius is played abundantly.

What better introduction to a new Chopin programme than the Barcarolle op. 60? A pure masterpiece! Debussy recommended its study to his pupil Catherine de Romilly: "You will work on it until you play it well, and for years if necessary!" Written in the summer of 1846, in parallel with the Polonaise-Fantasy op. 61, the work brings together all the subtleties and the most refined colours of Chopin’s universe. After a short, questioning introduction on the dominant, the left hand begins a calm, swinging accompaniment that introduces the shimmering theme in thirds and sixths, which is most bewitching! The utmost flexibility is obviously required here, and it is not until the bridge in A major that the tempo slowly comes to life.