This 25CD set presents the most famous, iconic and best-loved works from the Baroque Era, works which are part of our common musical heritage and conscience, eternally young and cherished for their charm, beauty and deeply human emotions, shared by audiences all over the world.
Played by specialized Early Music Groups like L’Arte Dell’arco, Musica Amphion, Violini Capricciosi, Musica ad Rhenum and many others.

Lang Lang presents a treasure trove of musical discoveries in this album: Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 2, recorded with the Gewandhausorchester and Andris Nelsons, is a true romantic masterpiece for Lang Lang that rivals the great concertos by Rachmaninoff or Tchaikovsky. Pairing it with Carnival of the Animals, a whimsical menagerie that has captivated young hearts for generations, Lang Lang continues his heartfelt wish to promote the love of classical music to young people and it also gives him a chance to collaborate with his wife, pianist Gina Alice. These two large scale orchestral works are complemented with solo compositions, including hidden gems by five female French composers as well as beloved French Classics.

This is the best available modern recording of Dvorák’s three gorgeous Slavonic Rhapsodies, music that’s totally neglected in the concert hall and nearly so on recordings (at least by major names). The dark timbre of the Leipzig orchestra, with strings dominating, isn’t exactly ideal for Dvorák. However, in the rhapsodies at least, the playing is so lovely and Masur’s direction so musical and alert that it would be churlish to quibble further.

This is the best available modern recording of Dvorák’s three gorgeous Slavonic Rhapsodies, music that’s totally neglected in the concert hall and nearly so on recordings (at least by major names). The dark timbre of the Leipzig orchestra, with strings dominating, isn’t exactly ideal for Dvorák. However, in the rhapsodies at least, the playing is so lovely and Masur’s direction so musical and alert that it would be churlish to quibble further.

The latest high quality recording of the profound "Bull 3" recorded with LGO in 1963, for the 10th anniversary of Sanderling's death! A masterful performance full of the German spirit of yesteryear. New reissue from the original ETERNA analog tape. World's first SACD release! Mastered only in the analog domain and directly converted to DSD! The 11th SACD hybridization of the latest reissue project of ETERNA's original analog tapes in Japan, the latest SACD release of Kurt Sanderling's (1912.9.19-2011.9.18) early session recording of Bruckner's Symphony No. 3, which was made 10 years after his death. This piece was a specialty of Sanderling's, which he conducted many times during his life, and several later live recordings of the piece are available in addition to this recording.

An array of musical stars converges in Leipzig to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach taking up his appointment as Kantor at the city’s iconic Thomaskirche – a post that he occupied for more than a quarter of a century, covering a period in which he created many of his greatest works. On a special open-air stage in the market square of Leipzig the Thomaner Choir and the Gewandhaus Orchestra under their current Thomaskantor Andreas Reize were joined by Lang Lang, Daniel Hope, Albrecht Mayer, Sophie Kauer, Francesca Aspromonte and Cameron Shahbazi.

Continuing his Bruckner cycle on Deutsche Grammophon with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Andris Nelsons presents the Symphony No. 7 in E major, paired with an excerpt from Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, "Siegfried's Funeral March" from Götterdämmerung. While this symphony is outwardly one of Bruckner's most approachable, particularly in its lyrical opening movement, its energetic Scherzo, and its jubilant Finale, its long, funereal Adagio makes the connection to the gloomy Ring selection more apparent, since this slow movement was composed in anticipation of Wagner's death. It also marks the first time that Bruckner used a quartet of the novel "Wagner tubas," and unusually wrote parts for cymbals, triangle, and timpani at the movement's climax, perhaps symbolizing Wagner's apotheosis.

In order to expand the breadth of his performance career, Thibold has been actively exploring repertoire that is less popularly recorded in recent years. These two piano concertos by Mendelssohn are crystal clear and graceful under Thiebaud's skillful hands. The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra is the oldest orchestra in the world. Mendelssohn was invited to be the fifth conductor of the orchestra in 1835. Therefore, this episode invites them to take on the important responsibility of concerto, which is particularly meaningful.

Over the last few years, Andris Nelsons and the Gewandhausorchester have recorded a Bruckner symphony cycle, pairing each work with orchestral music by Wagner. DG now presents their complete Bruckner/Wagner recordings in a 10-CD box and digitally, including Dolby Atmos versions. The set also features the artists’ previously unreleased recordings of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 0 (the so-called “Nullte”) and the overtures to Wagner’s Rienzi and Der fliegende Holländer.

Masur, who is far and away the best craftsman and the most sympathetic interpreter of these symphonies; moreover he has far and away the best orchestra at his command of all rivalling issues. I will merely draw attention to the majesty and inexorable propulsion of his No. 2, and the sheer exuberance of his rhythmic textures in No. 3, which also features a red-hot sensual climax for the slow movement of this symphony. The sound quality is not the best, judging by our standards; but it is clear, warm and natural, hardly subject to complaints.

Following the 2011 landmark Beethoven cycle, Riccardo Chailly returns with a recording of the complete Brahms symphonies and orchestral works including the overtures and Haydn Variations. Rarities include world premiere recordings of two piano intermezzi orchestrated by Paul Klengel (brother of the Gewandhaus’ long-standing principal cellist Julius Klengel); the 9 Liebeslieder waltzes; the original first performance version of the Andante of Symphony No. 1 and the even rarer revised opening of the Fourth Symphony. Chailly has radically rethought his approach to these works, re-examining the scores and returning to the recorded interpretations of a generation of conductors alive during Brahms’ lifetime, principally Felix Weingartner and one of his Gewandhaus predecessors Bruno Walter.

This album uses the term “discoveries” rather loosely, especially as it applies to the Piano Concerto No. 3 in E minor, for which the third movement existed only as an incomplete sketch. This was reconstructed and finished by Mendelssohn specialist Marcello Bufalini and premiered in 2007. The resulting work is full of buoyant energy, but it’s oddly short on melodic distinction–not a characteristic we normally associate with Mendelssohn. What it does have is some wonderfully bravura piano writing, delivered with engaging brio by Roberto Prosseda, whose masterful technique makes it a bit easier to overlook the music’s shortcomings.

Willis-Sørensen celebrates the release of her second solo album with Sony Classical, “Strauss: Four Last Songs”. The album presents masterpieces from Richard Strauss’s later years, including his sublime Vier letzte Lieder and the closing scene of his final opera, Capriccio. Praised by Opéra Magazine for possessing an “uncommon talent, able to rival the best examples of the past, without being content to simply follow in their footsteps”, Ms. Willis-Sørensen is accompanied by renowned conductor Andris Nelsons, who leads the Gewandhausorchester. Also featured on the album is German bass Sebastian Pilgrim who joins Ms. Willis-Sørensen for the Capriccio scene. Her debut album Rachel which was released last year, received widespread praise and recognition. Gramophone Magazine recommended the album as “a rewarding and intelligent debut from a very fine singer”.

Once celebrated as 'Beethoven's Tenth', Brahms' first attempt at the symphonic genre was generally greeted as the most promising answer to Beethoven's legendary legacy, and solidified his musical reputation. For Blomstedt, bringing these Brahms pieces into the world in the strange year of 2020 has a special significance, as Robert Schumann, Brahms' close friend and mentor, once pointed out that it is the musician's mission 'to bring light into the depths of the human soul'. The euphoric finale of Brahms' 'First Symphony', evidently inspired by Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy', fully conveys this message of hope and Blomstedt's unshakable belief in the imperishable power of the human spirit.