In honor of Philip Glass' 70th birthday, Sony has devoted two CDs to 18 short works and movements of larger works, from recordings in its archive. The set provides a useful introduction to the composer's work from a relatively brief span in his long career, from 1976 to 1988. It was an exceptionally productive period for Glass; works written during that period include his three large-scale portrait operas – Einstein on the Beach, Satyagraha, and Akhnaten – all represented here, as well as two very popular albums of short pieces: Glassworks and Songs From Liquid Days.

The field of performances competing for your CD purchase dollar has grown crowded in the case of Henrich Ignaz Franz Biber's Mystery Sonatas (or Rosary Sonatas), a set of 16 pieces for solo violin and continuo programatically linked to the Passion story. This performance by violinst Alice Piérot and Les veilleurs de Nuit is part of a remarkable series from France's Alpha label, pairing mostly Baroque works with paintings of the era. The package for this disc shows an image of Mary awaiting the Annunciation, painted around 1475 by the Neapolitan Antonello da Messina.

Recorded for two different record companies over 14 years in five different locations, Emanuel Ax's Brahms concertos plus his Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79; Three Intermezzos, Op. 117; and Four Piano Pieces, Op. 119, are joined together for the first time here on two discs. Given the span in space and time, Ax is surprisingly quite consistent in his approach. The same emphasis on content over form, on heart over mind, on lyricism over drama is equally present in both concertos as well as in all the solo works.

It was the heroic age, the postwar age when American pianists first made their mark in the great wide world. The heroes took many forms: the apollonian Van Cliburn, the dionysic Byron Janis, and the mercurial Gary Graffman, along with many, many others. The most intellectually brilliant and technically incendiary member of the pantheon was Leon Fleisher. While other heroes rode the Russian war horses of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov to fame and glory, Fleisher stuck with Beethoven and Brahms, the Alpha and Omega of German composers for the piano. In these Columbia recordings of Beethoven's Third and Fourth piano concertos from the 1959 and 1961, Fleisher teamed with George Szell, the sternest of living conductors, leading the Cleveland Orchestra, the most virtuosic of American orchestras, and the results are transcendent.

A new release by the multi-award winning Russian violinist Roman Mints. Each piece on this recording has been chosen by the artist for very personal reasons. It includes the notable premiere of Dobrinka Tabakova’s Spinning a Yarn, for violin and Russian Hurdy-Gurdy (kolesnaya lira) written especially by the composer for Roman Mints. The recording premieres the use of Spatial Orchestration, a concept created by Mints to give the listener a unique understanding of each track. To find the right sound for each piece of music, Roman has used different place settings for the microphone, as well as moving his instrument around the studio, allowing his personal interpretation to enhance the final experience.

Roman Mints won a Foundation Scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London, and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Roman has recorded for ECM, Harmonia Mundi, Quartz, and other labels, and has performed with such prominent groups as the London Mozart Players, London Chamber Orchestra, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Musica Viva Orchestra, Russian Philharmonia, Kremerata Baltica, Prague Soloists and Prague Sinfonia, among others. His recording of the Mozetich Violin Concerto ‘Affairs of the Heart’ was used in productions by Hong Kong Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Q-dance company.

With his successful career and, above all, engagement with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Radek Baborák has followed the path taken by the Czech horn players who back in the second half of the 18th century gained fame in distinguished chapels in the territoiry of today's Germany. As the repertoire of this recording proves, besides the most renowned of them, Giovanni Punto, other Czech composers too had a penchant for creating music for the natural horn. The reason for the growing popularity of this instrument and its frequent application not only in orchestral and chamber music but also in solo parts was the technical improvement and, consequently, greater interpretational possibilitiesand higher attractiveness of sound.

These performances are truly great and surprisingly well recorded too. Walter has masterful way to create maximum drama and profundity in the 2nd symphony without making much fuss, letting the music flow naturally and speak for itself. The final apotheosis is very powerful and awe-inspiring without resorting to Bersteinesque exaggeration. The first symphony is equally impressive, beautifully crafted and lavishing in orchestral colour. Definitely a must-buy for anyone after fine performances of the two symphonies.

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was not only a brilliant conductor – having served with the New York Philharmonic for several decades beginning in 1943 – but was also recognized as one of the 20th century's most lauded composers. In that respect, few if any have contributed as significantly to classical music in the context of the American experience. It could likewise be contended that his contributions to the Broadway stage solidified the formerly intransigent chasm existing between symphonic and popular music. In honor of what would have been Bernstein's 85th birthday, Sony Music created a pair of mid-priced sets celebrating the maestro's accomplishments. A Total Embrace: The Composer (2003) offers more than three and a half hours of highlights spanning nearly a quarter-century.

Catrin Finch, the world-renowned classical harpist and composer, marks an exciting new phase in her remarkable musical career with the release of her album ‘Tides’ - an album of her own compositions. This release marks the first time Catrin's own compositions have appeared as a body of work on stage and on record, building on her hugely successful international classical career. It reveals a new side of an exceptional artists, driven to explore the possibilities of the harp and a lifetime of musical influences. As Catrin says, "All my musical life is here".

If you loved the crossover hit song "Time to Say Goodbye" as performed by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, or any of the Three Tenors discs, then you will love this disc also. Marcelo Álvarez and Salvatore Licitra are two of the new century's rising tenor stars, already being hyped as their generation's Domingo and Pavarotti. Here you have the two of them with the same lush orchestra and moving, passionate melodies as those other discs, including two new songs by Francesco Sartori, composer of "Time to Say Goodbye.

It's hard to approach a Radiohead tribute with anything but reservation, as the majority of the band's later work is difficult to replicate, especially if your arsenal consists of a single piano. Things aren't helped much thanks to Brad Mehldau's jazz interpretations leaving a bitter taste in the mouth of even the most die-hard Radiohead fan. That said, True Love Waits isn't a bad compilation if you were a fan of Mehldau's reworkings. However, if you were on the other side of the fence, it might not be the best album you'll listen to all year.

Yes, it sounds crazy to make yet another recording of Schubert's Trout Quintet a "reference recording", particularly given the number of really good ones already in circulation. Never mind. There is no finer performance available, and certainly none better recorded: gorgeous, perfectly natural sound whether in regular stereo or SACD surround-sound. So what makes this performance so special? First, and speaking generally, this has got to be one of the most shapely, elegant, and effortlessly flowing versions ever committed to disc.

The two piano concertos of Shostakovich, though strikingly different from each other, have both become twentieth century classics. The first has long been one of Marc-André Hamelin's 'party pieces.' Hyperion was pleased to have the opportunity to pair him with Andrew Litton, a conductor who knows these works backwards and forwards (he has even recorded the second concerto as pianist). The resulting performances have a vitality and flair which places them amongst the greatest ever put to disc. The Shchedrin concerto, though less well-known, is no less enjoyable. There is brilliance in both the piano writing and the orchestration and the surprise addition of a jazz trio in the finale - including vibraphone and drum kit - is sure to bring the house down.

World premiere recordings as well as relaxing favourites (including the famous Gymnopedie No. 1) from France's chicest, quirkiest composer. Alexandre Tharaud is renowned as an expert in French chamber music. Features acclaimed violinist Isabelle Faust. Beautifully packaged 2-CD set with access to downloads of extra bonus tracks. 'My aim in these two discs has been to offer the richest possible panorama of Satie's piano and chamber music, spanning his whole lifetime. Immersed in the world of Satie, we were touched, and often deeply moved by the trust he shows in his interpreters."