27 April – 1 May 2009
Elīna Garanča – Bel Canto
DG 477 7460
Filarmonica del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Roberto Abbado

Mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča follows her exceptional DG debut, Aria Cantilena, with Bel Canto. In this personal selection of great scenes by Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti, Elīna focuses her ‘velvety mezzo’ on lesser-known operas as well as famous bel canto masterpieces featuring guest artists like Ildebrando d’Arcangelo.

20 – 24 April 2009
MSO LIVE - Elgar Delius Wagner
Sir Charles Mackerras
ABC 476 3224

In November 2007 Sir Charles Mackerras conducted an electrifying concert with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, winning a Helpmann Award for best Performance in a Classical Concert. Elgar's most beloved orchestral masterpiece, ‘Enigma’ and all the excitement of the occasion is captured in this live concert recording. The lush, richly textured melodies are presented in a glowing performance that also includes Wagner's mighty Venusberg Music and Delius's The Walk to the Paradise Garden.

13 – 17 April 2009
Julia Fischer – Bach Concertos
Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Decca 478 0650

Fischer's first Decca release features some of Bach's most popular violin concertos. Just 25, Fischer has already received numerous awards. She has been praised for her performances of Bach’s unaccompanied violin music but she sees the concertos in another light altogether. ‘They are very different. You can hear very clearly that the concertos are influenced by virtuoso players of that time,’ says Fischer. 

6 – 10 April 2009
Australian Baroque Brass – Revolution
Music of a Golden Age Vol. 2
TR 761 901

Following on from its highly successful 2006 disc, Music of a Golden Age Vol.1, Australia's leading period brass ensemble, Australian Baroque Brass, captures the revolutionary sounds of the late 18th and early 19th centuries with the release of its second disc in the Music of a Golden Age series, Revolution.

The disc, released on Tubicium Records, features works by Mozart, Beethoven, Salieri, Schubert and other composers all working in a time marked by war, social change and intellectual upheaval. 

For more information and to purchase Revolution visit the Australian Baroque Brass website at http://www.australianbaroquebrass.com.