Bruch & Mendelssohn Violin Concertos
Avanti Classic 5414706 10362

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor, Op 64 (27:16)

Philippe Quint, violin; Minería Symphony Orchestra / Carlos Miguel Prieto

Four-time Grammy nominee Philippe Quint brings his insights to two favorite concertos of the Romantic period. The release coincides with the theatrical opening of Downtown Express, a new film starring Quint. It marks the first time that a classical musician has been featured as the lead in an American film.

Corelli: 12 Violin Sonatas, Op 5
Bridge Records 9371 (2 CDs)

Corelli: Violin Sonata in F major, Op 5, #4 (10:53)

Trio Corelli

This complete recording of Corelli’s magnificent Op 5 violin sonatas is performed by Trio Corelli of Denmark on period instruments. The set was published in Rome in 1700. It contains six church sonatas and six chamber sonatas. The church sonatas represent a more serious and solemn style, while the chamber sonatas consist mainly of preludes and dance movements.

Pleyel: Symphonies
Naxos 8.572550

Pleyel: Symphony in B-flat major (26:37)

Sinfonia Finlandia Jyväskylä / Patrick Gallois

During his long and energetic life, Ignaz Joseph Pleyel distinguished himself as a composer, publisher and piano manufacturer. His versatility is also to be found in his vast musical output. This recording features two symphonies and Pleyel’s only flute concerto.

Beethoven: Human Misery - Human Love
Sony Classical 88691919442

Beethoven: Symphony #9 in D minor, Op 125, Choral: 1^st mvt (with introduction by Yann Martel) (14:52)

Montreal Symphony Orchestra / Kent Nagano

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Kent Nagano and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra is part of an acclaimed cycle of the complete Beethoven symphonies. The performance was recorded in the orchestra’s newly built 2,000 seat concert hall, Maison symphonique de Montréal .

Orion Weiss in Recital
Bridge Records 9355

Dvořák: Humoresques, Op 101: #1 (2:37); #8 (3:19); #7 (3:36)

Orion Weiss, piano

This CD, an award-sponsored recording by the Classical Recording Foundation, features the 30-year old piano virtuoso, Orion Weiss, performing three cycles of short pieces — works of Dvořák, Bartók and Prokofiev.

Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra
Deutsche Grammophon 476 4498

Debussy: La Mer (24:41)

Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra / Myung-Whun Chung

The Seoul Philarmonic Orchestra is setting a new standard for orchestral music in Korea and regularly performs for largely sold-out audiences. Internationally acclaimed conductor Myung-Whun Chung leads his orchestra in a new album of French masterpieces.

Byron Janis: The Chopin Collection
EMI Classics 02898-2

Chopin: Nocturne in E-flat major, Op 55, #2 (5:25); Waltz in G-flat major, Op 70, #1 (1:42); Waltz in E-flat major, Op 18, Grande valse brillante (4:01)

Byron Janis, piano

Byron Janis’ rich discography covers repertoire from Beethoven to Mozart, but he has always had a special affinity for Chopin. Janis is famous for his sensitive interpretations of the composer’s works. In 1967, Janis discovered previously unknown versions of two Chopin waltzes – which he reflected as “a defining moment of my life; I felt like I was being led to them.”

Behzod Abduraimov
Decca 478 3301

Liszt: Mephisto Waltz #1 (The Dance at the Village Inn) (11:16)

Behzod Abduraimov, piano

The debut recording from the young pianist, who, at the age of just eighteen, won the 2009 London International Piano Competition with an electrifying performance of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto #3. Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Behzod Abduraimov is already a mature concert artist who thrills audiences wherever he appears.

Brahms: A German Requiem
Soli Deo Gloria SDG-706

Schütz: Selig sind die Toten (4:00)
Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem: Selig sind die Toten (10:04)

Katharine Fuge, soprano; Matthew Brook, baritone; Monteverdi Choir; Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique / Sir John Eliot Gardiner

Brahms’ German Requiem is presented alongside pieces by Heinrich Schütz, which might have inspired its composition, giving the listener a new insight into Brahms’ mind and music making. The booklet includes a note by composer Hugh Wood, explaining how the pieces relate to each other and giving a moving account of Brahms as a composer and as a man.