The young German violinist Arabella Steinbacher is already being hailed as one the truly great violinists of our times. The New York Times has noted her balanced lyricism and fire…(and) finely polished technique and beautifully varied palette…. This performances are her first recorded attempts at the Mozart concerti, despite receiving many repeated requests to do so, and having played his works often since her youth.

More than three decades have elapsed since Frans Brüggen set down his earlier visions of the three final symphonies by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with his Orchestra of the 18th Century. Now, he has chosen to release his new views of these contrasting yet complementary works as part of his Grand Tour series on Glossa. The Dutch maestro has been regularly engaging with the music of the Salzburg genius throughout the time of his musical journey with the Orchestra of the 18th Century and the symphonies of Mozart have frequently appeared in their concert schedules.

Discover powerful and moving music by Tchaikovsky in this all-new release from Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony. With the heroic Symphony No.5 and the passionate Romeo and Juliet, featuring one of the best-known love themes ever written, this thrilling, live recording is the perfect addition to any music collection.

Bach's cantatas make use of an amazing diversity of instruments, both old and new. Among the 'new' instruments was the violoncello piccolo, a rare type of cello that was popular for a brief period at the beginning of the eighteenth century. The addition of a fifth, higher string provided the instrument a unique lightness and delicacy in the upper registers. This collection featuring cellist Ophelie Gaillard and the ensemble Pulcinella focuses on arias from Bach's cantatas that are scored for the violoncello piccolo. The arias are interspersed with instrumental transcriptions from the Schubler Chorales and the Orgelbüchlein. Vocal soloists include soprano Sandrine Piau, tenor Emiliano Gonzalez Toro and alto Christophe Dumaux.

Craig Leon, who created the transcriptions for Joshua Bell on his Sony Classics release entitled Romance of the Violin, now arranges transcriptions for the cellist Ophelie Gaillard on the new Aparte label. His arrangements has given Gaillard the opportunity to revive the long standing tradition of cellists, from Piatigorsky to Casals, who have played crowd-pleasing transcriptions of great works. Accompanied by the rich sound of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, she weaves an elegant tapestry of favorite classics.