The 24 Caprices by Pietro Antonio Locatelli are unique in terms of both their form and their content. Taken from L’Arte del Violino op.III published in 1733 in Amsterdam, the Caprices are placed at the end of the external movements. They are autonomous pieces which have all the characteristics of the cadenza, namely a free form, and a highly inventive virtuosity. Gabriel Tchalik was born into a Franco-Russian family, these two cultures affecting both his personality and technique. He spent many years studying with Alexandre Brussilovsky. His impressive technical and musical qualities have been acknowledged at numerous international competitions. He won first prize at the Islam Petrella Competition in Albania, first prize at the first Yuri Yankelevitch International Competition in 2009.

In March 2017, Warner Classics marks the 10th anniversary of Mstislav Rostropovich’s death and 90 years since his birth with the deluxe collectors’ box set Cellist of the Century, comprising of selected remastered recordings.

Dating from 2005 and 2012, these are the Vienna Philharmonic’s first recordings of two of Schoenberg’s works: the Piano Concerto with soloist Daniel Barenboim under Pierre Boulez and the extremely challenging Violin Concerto starring father and son: Michael Barenboim as soloist under the direction of his father Daniel. Even today the virtuosity of the Violin Concerto instils a sense of awe in many violinists; for a time Jascha Heifetz regarded the work as unplayable.

With “My Christmas”, world-renowned opera star Plácido Domingo releases a personal Christmas album with songs dear to his heart to celebrate the warmth and magic of the season. The album will include a number of well-loved Christmas numbers, and will feature a host of top artists singing and playing with Domingo.

Italian vocal and chamber ensemble Nova Ars Cantandi is led by founder Giovanni Acciai on the world premiere recording of Arpa Davidica by Baroque composer Tarquinio Merula. This album, released in 2015, commemorates the 350th anniversary of Merula's death.