"Two of the few vinyl sets that I still treasure feature recordings from the 1950s of Bach’s English and French Suites with the pianist Alexander Borovsky. I bought these years ago from ‘Discurio’ in London’s Shepherd’s Market where the proprietor described the playing as having a Rubinstein-like ease of manner and warmth of tone. And he wasn’t wrong: here was Bach playing where elegance, tasteful phrasing and unforced liveliness guaranteed hours of pleasure..."
Rob Cowan, Gramophone, April 2018

Released here on CD, digital download and high resolution streaming for the first time ever, we present Alexander Borovsky's complete Bach English and French Suites. Recorded for Vox LP issues in 1952 and 1953 respectively they were the first complete piano recordings of these works.

Exceptionally well-received on their release, they clearly retain enthusiastic admirers some 65+ years later. Newly transferred and XR-remastered by Andrew Rose from near-mint original vinyl this is a release that's surely not to be missed by pianophiles and Bach lovers anywhere.

The great Norwegian soprano Kirsten Flagstad officially retired from the concert stage in New York in 1955, after which she intended to keep to making occasional recordings in her retirement years.

However the 50th anniversary of the death of Norway's foremost composer, Grieg, in September 1957 proved sufficient for Flagstad to return to the stage for one final appearance, at a Proms concert in London conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent.

The concert was an all-Grieg affair, with orchestral pieces in both halves serving as introductory material to the main act - Flagstad herself, singing a selection of some ten songs by the composer. Captured by the BBC in fine sound and remastered here by Andrew Rose, the result is a superb souvenir of a truly historic concert performance.

"Neither Minghini-Cattaneo, a much underrated mezzo, nor Ezio Pinza have been surpassed on record in this music. The mezzo sings throughout with opulent tone, biting attack and consistent steadiness, and she never forgets to convey the meaning of what she is interpreting. She isn’t over-subtle concerning dynamics. In that respect she is given a lesson by Pinza, who is at all times responsive to what Verdi wrote as regards note values and emphases. Everything he does here is exemplary. Franco Lo Giudice has precisely the right Verdian tang for the tenor’s music and sings with total conviction..."
- Alan Blyth, Gramophone magazine

Recorded just 28 years after Verdi's death, this first ever recording of his Requiem breathes Verdian life - and death. This stunning new transfer by Mark Obert-Thorn reveals just how much details was captured in that recording, made nearly 90 years ago. An absolute masterpiece.