HBDirect Sale - Discounts on Two Labels & Shipping!

Naxos & Chandos On Sale!

This weekend we're discounting the complete catalogs of Naxos & Chandos up to 30%! Also effective through midnight on Monday, we've dropped our initial shipping rate to only $1.99 plus 50 cents for each additional disc on all domestic internet orders.

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Janácek Opera Suites Vol. II

"NZSO is a truly extraordinary orchestra. They approached this music with gusto, enthusiasm and an incredible discipline... Even if it's hard to believe, the playing quality even improved as we continued recording and you're in for a real treat in 2 outstanding CDs that are due to release later in 2009." -Peter Breiner on Vol. 1 - Click Here for the complete interview

The Newest Releases From Naxos

Antoni Wit conducts Szymanowski: Symphonies no 1 & 4, Concert Overture & Etudes for Piano
Martucci: Orchestral Music Vol 2 / La Vecchia, Rome SO
Deutsche Schubert-Lied-Edition 31 - Sturm und Drang Poets
University of Kansas Wind Ensemble plays Ticheli, Dzubay, Bryant, Etezady & Mackey

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D'Indy Orchestral Works II

"[Gamba's] readings are beautifully paced, with a fine ear for color and drama... the Icelandic musicians are plenty warm too, and I don't think these recordings are likely to be surpassed soon, unless Charles Munch rises from the dead. I am looking very forward to Volume 2!" -Classical.net on Vol. 1

New From Chandos - Released Tuesday

Opera in English - Rossini: The Italian Girl in Algiers (Highlights) with Cohen, Miles, Tynan, Gibbons, Soar
Contemporaries of Mozat - Bamert conducts the London Mozart Players in Vogler: Symphonies, Overtures, Ballets
Chamber Music by Schulhoff & Schoenberg

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The Haydn Concerto Box

"This jolly set from Naxos unites for the first time, I believe, all of Haydn's surviving concertos... Naxos are really spoiling us with the Haydn anniversary. This is a great set... Anyone curious about this area of Haydn's work can invest with confidence." -MusicWeb-International

Haydn Box Sets From Naxos - On Sale This Weekend

Haydn: Oratorios / Schuldt-Jensen, Spering, Rubens - New!
Haydn: The Complete String Quartets / Kodály String Quartet
Haydn: The Complete Piano Sonatas / Jenö Jandó

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Sale Highlights

Keyboard Releases
Busoni: Piano Music Vol 5 / Wolf Harden
Kabalevsky: Complete Piano Sonatas / Alexandre Dossin
Dickinson: Complete Solo Organ Works / Jennifer Bate

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New On Spanish Classics
García Abril: Madre Asturias / Pixán, Torres-Pardo
Albéniz: Piano Music Vol 3 / Guillermo González

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For Choir & Orchestra
Penderecki: Utrenja / Wit, Hossa, Rehlis, Kusiewicz
Mendelssohn: Paulus, Op 36 / Hickox, Gritton
Eccles: The Judgement of Paris, Mad Songs / Curnyn, Williams, Hulett, Bickley
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé, Shéhérazade Ouverture / Märkl

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New Concerto Recordings
Pleyel: Symphonies Concertantes, Violin Concerto in D major / Perry, Thakar, Chiang
Pizzetti: Concerto dell'estate, La festa delle Panatenee, etc / Michailidis, Thessaloniki State SO
Arensky: Piano Concerto Op 2, Fantasia Op 48, etc / Yablonsky, Scherbakov
Bax: Symphonic Variations, Concertante for Piano (Left Hand) / Judd, Wass, Bournemouth SO
Nieminen: Concertos for Flute & Clarinet / Gallois, Raasakka, et al

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Also Currently On Sale

The Newest HBDirect Month-Long Sale!

Sale Running Through May 20th!

Our newest monthly sale, on seven complete labels and two DVD labels, is already underway! We've highlighted some new releases in this newsletter, but you can click on any logo to see the label's complete catalog.

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Mahler, Gergiev & the LSO

"It is almost inconceivable that any recording could capture entirely the scale and wide dynamics of this massive work with absolute fidelity, but James Mallinson (producer) Jonathan Stokes (engineer) have achieved a magnificent result using the opportunities offered by the 5.1 multi-channel mix. Definitely recommended." -sa-cd.net

Recent Releases on LSO Live

MacMillan's St. John Passion with Colin Davis
Mahler: Symphony no 2 conducted by Gergiev
Colin Davis conducts Sibelius' Symphonies no 1 & 4

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Camilla Tilling Sings Strauss

"Strauss' demanding writing holds no fears for Tilling's technique or vocal range and it's a constant pleasure to hear her negotiate the sometimes fearsome tessitura with apparent ease, the voice maintaining its attractive lightness and bloom throughout, warmed with a delicate vibrato... Tilling is, on the whole, beyong reproach." -MusicalCriticism.com

New Releases From BIS

Partners in Time: Tasmin Little & John Lenehan play Kreisler, Bach, Mozart, Grieg, Tchaikovsky & Bartok
Pettersson: Songs, Concertos for Strings with Christian Lindberg & Anders Larsson
Vänskä conducts Paulus' To Be Certain of the Dawn

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Silence and Music

"The singers respond with performances of exceptional focus, clarity, and warmth... Conductor Marcus Creed's readings breathe with naturalness and appropriate fluidity. The sound of the SACD is wonderfully clean, with just enough resonance." -All Music Guide

New on Hanssler Classic

Gidon Kremer plays Schubert, Prokofiev, Beethoven, Kreisler, Webern
Schubert: Complete String Quartets with the Verdi Quartet
Claudio Arrau plays Beethoven & Brahms

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Sale Highlights

On Ondine & On Sale
Hindemith: Klaviermusic; Dvorák: Symphony no 9 / Eschenbach, Fleisher
Hallgrimsson: Cello Concerto, Herma / Mork, Storgards
Bach: Sonatas for Solo Violin (for Guitar) / Timo Korhonen

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Save on DG & Decca DVDs!
Robert Schumann: The Symphonies / Bernstein/Vienna PO
Gounod: Roméo Et Juliette / Villazon, Machaidze
Cecilia Bartoli / The Barcelona Concert & Malibran Rediscovered
Maazel: 1984 / Maazel/Royal Opera House, Keenlyside

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Upcoming Releases on Naxos
Penderecki: Utrenja / Wit, Hossa, Rehlis, Kusiewicz
Haydn: The Complete Concertos / Müller-Brühl, et al
Haydn: Oratorios / Schuldt-Jensen, Spering, Rubens, et al

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New Releases on Preiser
Rudolf Bockelmann Vol. 2 - Lebendige Vergangenheit
Surprise - Bach, Caccini, Falconieri, Fauré, Handel, etc / Beasley, Morini, Accordone
Lehár: Piano Music / Macourek

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Rutter on Collegium
A Christmas Festival / Rutter, Royal PO
The Cambridge Singers Christmas Album / John Rutter
Rutter: Sprig of Thyme, Traditional Songs, etc.

HBDirect Weekend Sale - Cantatas Through the Ages

Save on all Cantatas & Oratorios This Weekend!

This weekend we invite you to explore the Cantata in all its forms throughout the baroque, classical and romantic eras and into the 20th century. Until Monday at Midnight you'll find discounts up to 30% on all Cantata recordings!

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Vol. 20 in Gardiner's Bach Series

"Persson's performance is a delight. The standards of performance and presentation are as high in this latest installment of Gardiner's cantata cycle as they have been in previous issues. The series continues its impressive progress." -MusicWeb-International.com

More Baroque Cantatas & Oratorios

Handel's Saul with Rademann, Speer, Mead, Schmitt, etc.
The Passion Cantatas of Telemann featuring bass-baritone Klaus Mertens, conducted by Shalev Ad-El
A. Scarlatti: Euridice dall'Inferno with Ars Lyrica Houston
Click Here for all Baroque Cantatas & Oratorios

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Mendelssohn's Paulus

Chandos is pleased to welcome back Mendelssohn's Paulus in an attractive new packaging at mid-price and timed to coincide with the composer's anniversary. 'Cathedral Music' commented on the initial release, "Another superb performance from Hickox, who gets a quartet of tremendous soloists and a first rate orchestra and chorus... One of this year's musts".

Recently Released Romantic Cantatas & Oratorios

Mendelssohn: Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh' darein with Monica Groop, Andrea Brown, Michael Volle & Werner Güra
Mercadante: Virginia with Benini, Patterson, Antonucci
Elgar's Choral Music conducted by Richard Marlow
Click Here for all Romantic Cantatas & Oratorios

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Lukaszewski: Via Crucis

"Polyphony and The Britten Sinfonia's performance of Lukaszewski's Via Crucis sometimes achieves such a frightening intensity that, if you were to play it in a darkened room, alone, it would almost be too emotionally overwhelming... one can't help but feel that this is a work due to receive a great many performances, and a recording to be used as a benchmark for the quality of them." -BBC Music Magazine

The Cantata & Oratorio in the 20th Century

Vanska conducts Paulus' To Be Certain of the Dawn
Antoni Wit conducts Penderecki's Utrenya - $6.99
Ginastera: Lamentions of Jeremiah with Kent Tritle conducting the St. Ignatius Loyola Choir
Click Here for all 20th Century Cantatas & Oratorios

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Sale Highlights

Sale Ends Midnight Tonight!

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Sound-Savings
Hundreds of Cantata recordings under $8.00!
Click Here to browse them all

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On Super Audio
Handel: Israel in Egypt / Speck, Winter, Wey, Kobow, Flaig
MacMillan: St John Passion / Davis, Maltman, London SO
Foss: The Prairie / Clark, BMOP
Browse Super Audio Cantatas

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Cantatas & Oratorios on DVD
Haydn: The Creation / Hogwood/AAM / Kirkby
Bach: Cantatas / Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque
Rachmaninoff: The Bells, Symphonic Dances, Symphony No. 2 / Bychkov/WDR SO Köln
Cantatas & Oratorios on DVD

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Cantatas of the Classical Era
J.C.F. Bach: Pygmalion, Die Amerikanerin, etc / Max
Raimondi: Il Giudizio universale / Sacchetti, Omilian, Camastra
Haydn: The Seasons / Harnoncourt, Schoenberg Choir
Classical Cantatas & Oratorios

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A Sneak Peek!
Upcoming cantata releases - available for preorder now!
Haydn: Complete Oratorios / Schuldt-Jensen, Spering, Rubens
Eight Handel Cantatas will be released 5/12 on Berlin Classics
Schütz: Saint Luke Passion SWV 480 / Hillier, Linderoth
All Upcoming Cantata Releases

Final Days of Savings at HBDirect!

Sale Ends This Friday!

Our current sale on nine labels will end on Friday at Midnight! With discounts up to 20% on the complete catalogs of DG, Nimbus, Supraphon, Kultur, Wigmore Hall Live and more, this is not a sale you'll want to miss!

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Anne Sofie von Otter Sings Bach

From the very beginning of Anne Sofie von Otter's career Bach formed a substantial part of her repertoire and was also how most of the world first heard her. Now, 20 years later, the mezzo comes back full circle. After a year of extensive research on Bach's vocal works, this program reflects her great care along this journey back to Bach.

Just Released From DG!

Handel's Alcina conducted by Alan Curtis with Joyce DiDonato, Maité Beaumont, Karina Gauvin & Laura Cherici
Pianist Yuja Wang Plays Chopin, Scriabin and Liszt
André Previn - A Celebration - 6 CDs for $50.98

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Shumsky's Hommage to Kreisler

"Shumsky projects the richest and most lustrous tone imaginable and does so with unflagging virtuosity... Its listening pleasures owe much to Shumsky's irresistible spontaneity, his gutsy, "golden age" timbre and faultless technique." -MusicWeb-International

The Newest on Nimbus!

Giuseppe Di Stefano sings Verdi & Puccini
Copland: Music for the Theatre, Quiet City, Music for Movies, Clarinet Concerto with Dennis Davies & William Blount
Shlomo Mintz plays Vivaldi Violin Concertos Vol 2
John Browning plays Barber's complete solo Piano Music

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A Remastered Legend

This 1973 recording of Martinu's first violin concerto with Josef Suk & Georg Solti brought the "Paris-era" concerto out of oblivion and back into the concert halls. These newly remastered recordings were released last month, marking the 80th birthday of the violinist and the 50th anniversary of the composer's death.

Recent Releases From Supraphon

Josef Suk Plays Dvorák Miniatures, Bagatelles, Terzetto
Václáv Smetácek conducts Dvorák: Symphony no 3, Glazunov: Saxophone Concerto & Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
Gipsy Way - Pavel Sporcl Plays Bach, Brahms & Sarasate

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On Sale Through Friday

Sound-Savings
We have more than 6,000 classical titles under $8.00!
Click Here to browse them all

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New on Kultur
Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About
Verdi: Requiem - Carreras, Price, Norman, Raimondi
Davis: A Simple Man
Kiri Te Kanawa in Concert
Purcell: The Fairy Queen / English National Opera

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The Latest From Dacapo
Norgaard: Seadrift, Nova genitura, Fons laetitiae / Vist, Schreiber
Langgaard: The Symphonies / Dausgaard, Danish NSO
Olsen: In a Silent Way, Kata, Oryq, Ictus / Austin
Pade: Aquarellen über das Meer no 1-21, Illustrationer / Gert Sorensen

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Pärt & Schnittke on ECM
Pärt: In principio, etc / Kaljuste, Estonian NSO
Schnittke: Symphony no 9; Raskatov / Russell Davies
Zimmermann: Canto di speranza, Violin Concerto / Zehetmair, Demenga

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Wigmore Hall Live
Songs by Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky / Podles, Ohlsson
Schubert: Piano Trio No 2; MacMillan: 14 Little Pictures / Gould Piano Trio

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On Sale From Dorian
Indigo Road - Original Lute Music by Ron McFarlane
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde / Slowik, Elwes, Braun
The Baltimore Consort - Live

HBDirect Sale on Over 10,000 Baroque Titles!

Announcing an All-Baroque Music Sale!

Through Monday at Midnight all Baroque music is on sale at HBDirect! In addition, we'll take $5 off any internet order of $50 in merchandise if you insert xy5off in the coupon code field on the first page of the checkout process. This coupon can only be used once by each customer and is valid through Midnight on Monday!

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Second Time's a Charm!

"Angela Hewitt has done it again... while living and growing with the music during the year-long world tour, [Ms. Hewitt says] her interpretations changed. Internalising the material, she uncovered a new-found freedom within it; opportunities to throw fresh colour into the mix, to loosen up, to be more expressive... The result is a precious document, which draws upon her development as a person and a performer over the past 10 years." -The Guardian

New Bach Recordings

Anne Sofie von Otter sings Bach - $17.98 $12.99!
Ton Koopman & the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra perform Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079
Mass in B minor with Marc Minkowski & Musiciens du Louvre

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Handel's Forgotten Opera

"Max Emanuel Cencic, Philippe Jaroussky, Xavier Sabata, and Terry Wey... deliver clearly differentiated performances, singing with dazzling assurance and vocal beauty... a feast for connoisseurs of coloratura singing... the music is exceptionally attractive and a marvel of inventiveness, variety, and lyrical inspiration, and it deserves broader exposure." -All Music Guide

Commemorating the 250th Anniversary of Handel's Death

Rolando Villazón sings Handel arias with Paul McCreesh & The Gabrieli Players
Charles Mackerras conducts Water Music Suites and Music for the Royal Fireworks
Jory Vinikour plays Handel's Harpsichord Suites
Click Here to browse over 1,800 Handel titles!

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Brilliant Baroque Masterpieces

A feast for lovers of baroque music! Not only are all the old favorites present, there are also many lesser-known works by great composers and their contemporaries to be found in this collection. Over the course of 50 CDs, listeners can discover the extraordinary sound world of Biber's 'Mystery' Sonatas, Corelli's Concerti Grossi, Geminiani's cello sonatas and so much more, all performed by leading artists.

Baroque in a Budget Box!

Handel: The Masterworks from Decca, 30 CDs - $58.73
The Music of Handel & Bach - Allfred Deller Vol. 4
The Baroque Experience with Christopher Hogwood & the Academy of Ancient Music

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Sale Highlights

Sound-Savings
We have more than 900 Baroque titles under $8.00!
Click Here to browse them all

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Guitar & Lute Music
Bach: Sonatas for Solo Violin (arr. for Guitar) / Timo Korhonen
Vivaldi: Concertos & Other Works / Fisk, Hand
English Lute Songs / Blaze, Kenny
The Baroque Guitar Collection
The Baroque Lute Collection

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New Organ Releases
Organ Music from St. Jude's Church / Tracey
Bach: Toccaten & Fantasien für Orgel / Foccroulle
Bach: Triosonatas for Organ BWV 525-530 / Verhagen, Mathot
Storace: Works for Harpsichord & Organ / Jörg Halobek
Browse Baroque Organ Music

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Baroque DVDs
Handel's Water Music - Recreating A Royal Spectacular
Pergolesi: Stabat Mater, Vivaldi / Abbado, Ricciarelli, Terrani
Purcell: The Fairy Queen / English National Opera
Cecilia Bartoli - Viva Vivaldi
The Baroque DVD Catalog

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Great Baroque Composers
Tomaso Albinoni
J.S. Bach
G.F. Handel
Claudio Monteverdi
Henry Purcell
Domenico Scarlatti
G. P. Telemann
Antonio Vivaldi

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On Sale Through April 17th!

HBDirect Sale on Three Labels With Free Shipping Coupon!

DG, Decca & Philips on Sale!

Through Monday at Midnight all titles from DG, Decca and Philips are on sale with discounts up to 30%! Also, we'll ship any domestic internet order of $50 in merchandise for free if you insert S50M in the coupon code field on the first page of the checkout process. This coupon can be used once per customer on any order placed before Monday at Midnight!

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Rolando Villazón: Handel

"In a year in which there will be many tributes commemorating the 250th anniversary of the composer's death, this may be one of the most surprising, and satisfying." -Opera Today
"Villazón has triumphed to a quite unexpected degree, and thereby paid tribute to Handel in his anniversary year in the best way possible." -MusicalCriticism.com
Deluxe Edition with a Hardcover Book & DVD - $27.98 $21.23

New Releases From DG!

Pierre Boulez conducts Bartók Concertos with Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet and Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Vadim Repin & Truls Mork play Brahms Concertos conducted by Riccardo Chailly
Amore Infinito - Songs Inspired by Pope John Paul II, with Placido Domingo, Katherine Jenkins & Andrea Bocelli

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The Art of Bernard Haitink

Released in honor of Bernard Haitink's 80th birthday (March 4th, 2009), this 7-CD box set is available at a special budget price. It includes selections from 50 years of recordings with Decca & Philips and features Haitink's first recording for Philips: Dvorak's 7th Symphony in 1959.

New Releases From Decca

La Sonnambula with Cecilia Bartoli and Juan Diego Flórez
Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment with Sutherland & Pavarotti
Nelson Freire plays Debussy: Preludes & Children's Corner

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Dudamel & The SBYO

"A sinewy, uninhibited Tchaikovsky Fifth -- you'd expect nothing less from this source. Dudamel and his young players feed on one another; the exchange of energy is extraordinary.... Hearing is believing in the coda as the trombones and trumpets tumble into the abyss. Exciting? Deliriously so." -Edward Seckerson, Gramophone

Recently Released on Deutsche Grammophon

Hélène Grimaud plays Bach: Harpsichord Concerto, etc
Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto & Chamber Works performed by Anne-Sophie Mutter, with Andre Previn
Handel's Alcina with Sutherland & Wunderlich
Haydn: Italian Arias sung by Thomas Quasthoff