ARTISTS
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone
Gerald Moore · Sviatoslav Richter · Wolfgang Sawallisch et al, piano

TRACKLISTING
CD 1 - ANTHOLOGY
SCHUBERT: An die Musik D 547 · Der Musensohn D 764 · Du bist die Ruh D 776
Ständchen (Leise flehen meine Lieder) D 957/4
BACH: Ich habe genug BWV 82 (1st aria)
GLUCK: Ach, ich habe sie verloren
MOZART: Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja (Die Zauberflöte)
MOZART: Fin ch'han dal vino (Don Giovanni)
BRAHMS: Feldeinsamkeit Op. 86 No. 2
LISZT: Es muß ein Wunderbares sein (S. 314)
STRAUSS: Ständchen Op. 17 No. 2
WOLF: Verborgenheit
WAGNER: 'Wie Todesahnung Dämmrung - O du, mein holder Abendstern' (Tannhäuser)
WAGNER: Was duftet doch der Flieder (Meistersinger)
STRAUSS: Herr Graf, Sie haben Ihrem werten Brief (Arabella)
SCHUBERT : Das Lied im Grünen D 917 · Die liebe Farbe (Die schöne Müllerin)

D 795/16 · Erstarrung (Winterreise) D 911/4 · Der Leiermann (Winterreise) D 911/24
Abschied von der Erde D 829

CD 2 - CYCLES, 'BONUS' MATERIAL
MAHLER: 4 Rückert-Lieder
SCHUMANN: Dichterliebe Op. 48

Bonus material - early / 1st time on CD*
BRAHMS: An eine Äolsharfe* Op. 19 No, 5 · Mondnacht*
WOLF: Ein Ständchen euch zu bringen* · Was für ein Lied*
DEBUSSY: La grotte* · Mandoline*
SCHOECK: Nachruf, Op. 20 No. 14 Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (narrator)
[28] 'Meine stetigsten Freunde sind Platten, Bücher
und Bilder'(Aus Erzähltes Leben)*
ORFF: Estuans interius

DVD
SCHUBERT: Am Fenster D 878 · Auf der Donau D 553 · Liebeslauschen D 698 · Auf der Bruck D 853 · Fischerweise D 881b · Der Wanderer D 649 · Die Sterne D 939 · Im Frühling D 882

In the style and format of our highly successful 'The Magic of Horowitz' from 2003, here is a 'greatest hits' package from the world's greatest baritone, to be released in conjunction with his 80th birthday.

This is a popular anthology of lieder and opera arias, including six new songs released for the first time on CD. It is testimony to both the mastery and the versatility of this celebrated artist.

A real rarity is the bonus DVD: it consists of eight Schubert lieder with Sviatoslav Richter as pianist, recorded in 1978 - first commercial release ever!

ARTISTS
Amadeus String Quartet
with Cecil Aronowitz, viola

TRACKLISTING
CD 1
BRUCKNER: String Quintet in F major
SMETANA: String Quartet in E minor 'From my Life'

CD 2
VERDI: String Quartet in E minor
TCHAIKOVSKY: String Quartet No. 1 in D major
DVORAK: String Quartet No. 12 in F major 'American'

Norbert Brainin, the leader of the Amadeus Quartet, died on 10 April 2005 at the age of 82. Given the Quartet's unique contribution to Deutsche Grammophon's history, stretching back to the early 1950s, and ending only with the death of violist Peter Schidlof in 1987, we feel it appropriate to render homage to the Quartet once more with a double CD of rare recordings.
 
Three of the recordings are appearing for the first time internationally on CD (Bruckner, Verdi and Tchaikovsky); and the repertoire lies outside the Amadeus's classic Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert.

The booklet includes a specially commissioned article by Tully Potter, a friend of the Quartet, and a selection of photographs documenting the Amadeus's long career.

TRACKLISTING
BEETHOVEN: Fidelio

Grief and passion and heroism - it's all there in Böhm's classic recording of Beethoven's 'song of humanity. Gwyneth Jones sings one of her best roles, James King offers a performance of overwhelming power and Theo Adam makes an absolutely black villain out of Pizarro.

'The sound of this recording is excellent'

TRACKLISTING
DONIZETTI: L'elisir d'amore

Catchy tunes and emotional melodies make for an irresistible comic opera that sparkles from beginning to end. Barbara Bonney 'proves herself well worthy of prima donna status', Gösta Winbergh offers 'plenty of youthful ardour...and some ringing high notes', and Rolando Panerai's Dulcamara 'provides the major delight of the recording. Gramophone

TRACKLISTING
MOZART: Die Entführung aus dem Serail

The reference recording - a fresher, more exhilarating Entführung you will not find!

Taken from John Eliot Gardiner's acclaimed series of Mozart recordings of the early 1990s - now made available at a lower price (budget!) for the first time. The strong young cast displays a special élan, with Luba Orgonasova as Konstanze in particularly outstanding form.

'The overture immediately establishes the extra zest of the performance' Penguin Guide

TRACKLISTING
JOPLIN: Treemonisha

A deliciously ingenuously score: choral rags, barber's shop quartets, Gilbert & Sullivan, Léhar, Gershwin - testimony to the spontaneity of Joplin's invention

Something very special and unique: a mixture of 19th-century European opera, African-American dance forms and American popular idioms - including some great ragtime numbers - forge this portrait of Treemonisha, a strong woman and true leader of her people. This original cast and orchestra recording, superbly led by composer-conductor Gunther Schuller, who prepared the orchestration of the score, is the only one commercially available.

'Performance and recording are first class' Penguin Guide

TRACKLISTING
PROKOFIEV : The Fiery Angel

'The story is largely distasteful' Penguin Guide

  - all the better, we say. After a quiet start, things gradually get more and mind-boggling.

'Of theology there is little in The Fiery Angel', Prokofiev wrote, 'but of orgies there's no end.'

In this sizzling tale of sexual obsession, the maddeningly impossible Renata relentlessly pursues her long-lost lover, aided and abetted by Ruprecht, the all-time Man Who Would Not Take No For An Answer.

TRACKLISTING
PUCCINI: Tosca

A deeply emotional Russian take on Puccini's shabby little shocker, with Vishnevskaya giving it all she's worth. Vishnevskaya sings one of her greatest roles 'with a Slavic keening in the voice and a desperate rapture' (Peter Conrad). She recognized herself in Tosca - an operatic heroine as liberator. Rostropovich supplies the orchestral drama that makes this award-winning recording such a searing experience. First time release on CD!

In all, 'A freshly conceived, loving, spontaneous account of the old favourite' Gramophone

TRACKLISTING
VERDI: Aida

'None is better or more thoroughly and thoughtfully conducted - and in Verdi, that is of the essence.' Gramophone

In Abbado's exalted account, the splendour and pageantry of Ancient Egypt are well-captured in the first two acts, to be succeeded by concern for the tormented fates of the lovers Aida and Radamès in Acts 3 and 4. Domingo is 'near ideal' as the hero Radamès, while Katia Ricciarelli gives 'a very involved, subtly defined account of her music.' Gramophone

TRACKLISTING
SAINT-SAËNS: Samson et Dalila

The epic biblical story of Samson's betrayal and death, originally intended as an oratorio by Saint-Saëns, was transformed into a sultry opera, with spectacle and ballet a logical part of the action, and the clash between austere Hebrews and pleasure-loving Philistines well to the fore. In this vintage set, 'the recording is as ripe as the music deserves.' Penguin Guide

TRACKLISTING
VERDI: Rigoletto

In Rigoletto, the licentious Italian Renaissance is the setting for a comic opera that turns to tragedy. Court jester Rigoletto, 'grossly deformed and absurd but inwardly passionate and full of love' (Verdi), is the source of those veerings of tone, from darkness to light, from comedy to tragedy, which give Rigoletto an almost Shakespearean expressive range and a breadth of sympathy typical of all Verdi's greatest operas.

'Kubelik is a conductor in Fricsay's class as his support for Fischer-Dieskau's Rigoletto reveals. Fischer-Dieskau once more reaches to a character's soul'

Gramophone . It is one of his greatest roles, preserved only in this recording, and this is a fitting release in the great artist's 80th year.

TRACKLISTING
WEBER: Der Freischütz

With its marvellous melodies, both in the folksong choruses and solos, as well as the weightier arias and ensembles, Der Freischütz has achieved enduring success. It tells a tale of foresters and demons that materialize in the sounds of Weber's orchestra.

A well-loved performance, especially interesting for the vigour, colour and just tempi of Eugen Jochum's direction, 'who here conducts with a sense of deep-rooted pleasure in the piece.' Gramophone