Leonard Bernstein based his Serenade for violin and orchestra on Plato's "Symposium". Like every work by Bernstein, the Serenade is rife with melodic and rhythmic vibrancy and originality.

After the premiere of Dvorak's 8 Symphony in Prague, this piece received such high praise in England that it was named the "English Symphony". For his graduation thesis in 1892, Dvorak chose to conduct the symphony instead of the usual lecture.

The Czech composer based his libretto on the play "Le Voyage de Thésée" by his friend and trusted source of inspiration, Georges Neveux. Martinu is said to have written the opera for Maria Callas. In this production, the role is sung by the…

Recorded live on July 16th from the Freiburg Cathedral, with soprano Barbara Bonney, worldwide renowned for the clarity of her voice and the precision of her diction and baritone Matthias Goerne, whose recent interpretation with Sir Alfred Brendel…

The programme is a musical celebration of the nativity, featuring many traditional carols, illustrated by pictures by the Old Masters from the National Gallery in London. With music by Handel and Vaughan Williams.

A series of six recitals, including the last five Beethoven Sonatas, by this master pianist at a new peak in his career. Both his audiences and the critics have been aware in recent years of new dimensions in Ashkenazy's playing. This may stem in…