NB: Due to the current pandemic CDs may take longer than usual to arrive.

"He gives no short measure of musicianship. Each phrase is played with an intense concentration that makes it sound as if Kempff had just composed the sonata and were now running it through for the first time... to my mind his performances of these two early sonatas, both written about 1797 , are among the best things he has done" - The Gramophone, 1957

This week we begin a new series: Wilhelm Kempff's 1951 studio recordings of the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas. Although largely overshadowed by his later stereo remake, these are arguably the better performances, let down by inferior sound.

This series aims to rehabilitate those earlier recordings, with XR remastering completely revitalising the sound quality and bringing some of the finest piano tone you'll hear at Pristine to these essential classics. Absolutely not to be missed!

NB: Due to the current pandemic CDs may take longer than usual to arrive.

"Playing through these discs is an awe-inspiring experience ... ...it is worth its musical weight in gold. Mono or stereo, beg, borrow, or better still buy, for there has never been anything like this before in recorded chamber music" - The Gramophone, 1962

This week's release features four works, all recorded between 21-30 August 1961: Mozart's String Quintet No. 4, Franck's Piano Quintet, Brahms's String Sextet No. 2 and Mendelssohn's Octet for Strings.

They date from the first series of legendary chamber concerts arranged and performed by Jascha Heifetz and Gregor Piatigorsky in August 1961, and in these astonishing new stereo XR remasters you'll find fine detail, subtle individual shadings and glorious ensemble playing emerging anew - as if hidden in the shadows for nearly 60 years.

NB: Due to the current pandemic CDs may take longer than usual to arrive.

"An extremely intelligent, emotionally gratifying triptych from one of the most “classical” of the legendary, Golden Age conductors" - Audiophile Audition on Vol. 1

We return to Klemperer's Mozart recordings with the Philharmonia Orchestra this week, with three symphonies recorded within a few days of each other in London in July 1956. The set starts with the Symphony No. 25, moving onto two late symphonies, No. 39 and No. 40.

All are brilliantly played and, in these new XR remasters, sound truly fabulous!