In his time, Bruckner was understood and admired only within a small circle, a handful of advocates of his music, both pupils and Wagnerites. As Bruckner worked on the Adagio, the emotional heart of the Seventh Symphony, he heard news of the death of his idol Richard Wagner, and instantly decided to dedicate it to his remembrance.

This album illustrates two contrasting periods in Chostakovich's life: the 24 Preludes and Piano Concerto no.1 were written in a climate of total artistic freedom, while the tender, joyful Conterto no.2.

American cellist Alisa Weilerstein, described by BBC Music Magazine as one of the most extraordinary soloists of her generation, follows her critically acclaimed Decca debut recording of Elgar s Cello Concerto with a vital new interpretation of Dvorak s Cello Concerto, coupled with some of his best-known melodies.

Recorded live on SACD in the sumptuous acoustic of Griegha llen in Bergen, this mind-blowing interpretation of Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder involves 350 performers: large choral forces, six exceptional soloists, and the legendary Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra extended for the occasion all conducted by Edward Gardner. Marking the pinnacle of the Orchestra's 250th anniversary celebrations, the same forces offered two evening concerts that met with unanimous acclaim in the press, including a five-star review from The Daily Telegraph praising the 'sweep of Gardner's conducting, by turns luminous and incisive'.

The young violinist Alina Ibragimova is already established as an admired recording artist, standing alongside great artists of the past and present with her versions of Bach and Beethoven’s violin works. She appears on this latest release with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Vladimir Jurowski (in his Hyperion premiere) in a programme which includes a classic of the concerto repertoire: Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, Op 64. Ibragimova’s is a glittering, knife-edge performance, her playing a portrayal in itself of the music’s passion held in control through exquisite craft. The Violin Concerto in D minor—an unusual and welcome pairing—is an early work, written when the composer was only thirteen. As with Mendelssohn’s other juvenile works it is extraordinarily accomplished and exceedingly charming.

The Swedish recorder virtuoso Dan Laurin has demonstrated his remarkable versatility on some thirty recordings on BIS, ranging from a nine-disc set with 17th-century composer Jacob van Eyck's complete Der Fluyten Lust-hof to the recent Rock that Flute, with music for recorder and strings written in 2013 by the Dutch composer Chiel Meijering. During a recording career that stretches over almost 30 years, Laurin keeps returning to one particular set of works, however: the concertos by Antonio Vivaldi.