“I can hear in the music of both composers a similarity in their processes of giving physical form to their inspirations.
The cruel resistance of the blank page feels, in both cases, inexistent, ignored. And therein lies an important, precious connection between Mozart and Schumann: an unobstructed directness to their music, in which the purity of intention remains intact.” Piotr Anderszewski

Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra present this acclaimed live 2016 recording of orchestral suites based on two of the most significant operas in history. Der Rosenkavalier found its place in the concert hall from the beginning, first with two waltz sequences and later with the famous 1944 suite, but Elektra remained purely on the opera stage until now, thanks to Honeck's own symphonic adaptation in collaboration with Czech composer Tomás Ille.

Sir Colin Davis was instrumental in the development and success of LSO Live, including the label’s first Grammy award. He also played a huge part in the pre-eminence of the LSO across the globe for more than 50 years. A ‘master Sibelian’ his landmark cycle of the complete symphonies on LSO Live has been described as possibly "the finest Sibelius cycle on disc" by The Observer.

Every string quartet dreams of having its own Mozart cycle: for its 10th anniversary in 2016, the Armida Quartet plans to perform all 23 works in public. The composer was part of each one of their lives long before the ensemble was formed. Playing in orchestras, in chamber music and in solo recitals, the Armida Quartet’s future members already got to know and love Mozart.

In Music for Pieces of Wood, Joe Beribak, sitting in the center of a semicircle, begins to strike the first pattern. Joe will maintain this pattern, unflinchingly, for the entire duration of the piece. Katy, Jessica, Derek and Eddie contribute all of the sinuous and minimalist variation which they weave into filaments of sound and rhythm as if all five musicians were one person. Smoke & Mirrors takes us on many journeys in this album. These are refreshingly fully-developed works, each very different from the others, each with its own story.