Classical
This section covers recording histories, birthdays, and anniversaries from composers and performers in classical music, along with vinyl reissue news as it appears. Classical music has long relied on multi-disc box sets to hold complete symphonies, operas, and cycles that don't fit on a single LP, and labels such as Deutsche Grammophon and Decca built strong reputations for recording quality that audiophile reissue programs still draw on today. Expect stories here about specific performances and recording sessions, the conductors, orchestras, and soloists behind them, along with notes on why a particular pressing or box set continues to matter to collectors.
78 STORIES
Hilary Hahn and the CD That Sold Half a Million
A seventeen-year-old violinist walks into a studio and records Bach’s solo partitas and sonatas. The result is a CD that moves over 500,000 copies. That debut, …
· 5 min read
The Night Venice Shrugged: Vivaldi's Death in 1741
Antonio Vivaldi drew his last breath in a rented Viennese room on 27 July 1741, and the city barely stirred. The silence that followed his death would last nearly two centuries.
· 5 min read
Murcof's Martes: Micro-Rhythms and Mountain Myths
The double black vinyl sits heavy in the hand, its sleeve dominated by a stark, monochromatic photograph of jagged peaks. These are the Rumurosa Mountains, a cr…
· 5 min read
Symphony X: The Album Michael Romeo Didn't Want to Break Apart
Symphony X founder Michael Romeo fought against releasing singles from 'Underworld'. He built the album to be experienced as a single, unbroken wave.
· 5 min read
Lorin Maazel: the violinist who conducted operas
Lorin Maazel never picked between the violin and the podium, and the RCA Records artist, who died in 2014, mastered both. Twelve years on, his precision still startles.
· 1 min read
Carlos Kleiber: The Conductor Who Recorded Less and Meant More
Carlos Kleiber left behind only a handful of recordings for Deutsche Grammophon before his death in 2004, yet each one became a benchmark.
· 1 min read