Nathan Milstein, one of the 20th century’s most revered violinists, is celebrated here in the second volume of a landmark series reissuing his complete solo 78rpm recordings for American Columbia. Long overshadowed by his concerto legacy, these solo performances—made between 1935 and 1945—are presented in full for the first time in any official release. Featuring Milstein at the height of his youthful virtuosity and interpretive depth, this volume includes his only commercial recordings of works by Stamitz and Paganini, and offers first-time digital/CD availability of Gluck, Schumann, Brahms and more.

A protégé of Leopold Auer and contemporary of Vladimir Horowitz, Milstein brought a combination of elegance, precision and emotional intensity to everything he played. Joined by his longtime accompanist Artur Balsam, Milstein explores both Classical and Romantic repertoire with luminous phrasing and technical brilliance. These rare and historic performances are a vital addition to the Milstein discography and a must for any serious collector of great violin playing.

We also celebrate the 110th birthday later this month of Mario Del Monaco with an automatic 15% discount on all his recordings at Pristine.

This week we return to the artistry of Rudolf Firkušný with a superb pair of Capitol recordings from the late 1950s devoted to Brahms. The 1958 mono sessions, newly presented in Ambient Stereo, pair Firkušný with the legendary William Primrose in the two Op. 120 Viola Sonatas—works Brahms originally conceived for clarinet but later arranged for viola. While the composer himself expressed misgivings about the viola versions, these deeply felt performances make a persuasive case for their place in the repertoire, with Primrose’s radiant tone and Firkušný’s refined pianism offering a compelling counterargument to Brahms’s own doubts.

Complementing the sonatas is Firkušný’s 1959 stereo recital of Brahms’s shorter piano works, culminating in a beautifully shaped account of the Four Pieces, Op. 119. Though the stereo spread is subtle, the clarity and warmth of Firkušný’s playing more than compensate. Together, these recordings offer a fresh opportunity to appreciate Firkušný's elegance and insight in Brahms—interpretations that may well inspire you to reconsider the composer’s own reservations.

We also mark the 88th birthday of the premature death in 1937 of George Gershwin with a 10% discount on all his recordings at Pristine.

Bruno Walter’s recording of Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony, set down in March 1961 in Hollywood, was among the last he made before his death the following year. Recorded in five carefully spaced sessions to accommodate the elderly conductor, the performance has long been hailed as a landmark, becoming “a phonograph classic.” This new remaster brings fresh clarity and presence to a much-loved interpretation.

But there’s more: while preparing notes for this release, we discovered a long-overlooked edit in Walter’s Bruckner Symphony No. 4—a missing beat that has slipped past listeners and producers alike for over six decades. After painstaking restoration work involving the reconstruction of just 0.373 seconds of music, we are proud to present, for the first time ever, the complete Fourth Symphony No. 4, fully restored and sonically revitalised!

We also mark this week Mahler's 165th birthday with a 15% price reduction at the checkout on all his recordings at Pristine.