{"title":"Classics Direct - Pre-orders Homepage","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"vikingur-olafsson-continuum-ii-cd","title":"Continuum II (CD)","description":"\u003cp\u003eVíkingur Ólafsson continues his acclaimed exploration of J.S. Bach with \u003cem\u003eCONTINUUM II\u003c\/em\u003e, the second instalment in his ongoing Bach project. Bringing together original keyboard works, transcriptions and Ólafsson’s own new arrangements, the album reveals an intimate and reflective side of Bach’s music. \u003cem\u003eCONTINUUM II\u003c\/em\u003e is also the first album to have been recorded entirely at Ólafsson’s new home studio in Iceland, The Nutshell.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eFollowing the success of his previous Bach recordings, the album deepens Víkingur Ólafsson’s lifelong musical conversation with the composer, combining familiar masterpieces with less widely known works and fresh interpretations.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Víkingur Ólafsson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54737336533276,"sku":"4869327","price":24.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0874\/0513\/4108\/files\/Vikingur_Olafsson-Continuum_II_CD.png?v=1792457924"},{"product_id":"john-coltrane-ballads-lp","title":"Ballads (LP)","description":"\u003cp\u003eJohn Coltrane's time with Impulse! 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Working largely from minimal rehearsals and stunning single takes, beloved numbers like \"All or Nothing At All,\" \"It's Easy to Remember\" and \"What's New?\" are infused with an energy that makes these songs feel brand new, further establishing Trane as one of the most striking bandleaders of his generation.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"John Coltrane","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54827506434332,"sku":"600574213037","price":49.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0874\/0513\/4108\/files\/JohnColtrane-Ballads_LP_-600574213037.png?v=1793838930"},{"product_id":"garrick-ohlsson-chopin-the-complete-works-16cd-box-set","title":"Chopin: The Complete Works (16CD Box Set)","description":"\u003cp\u003ePeerless in this repertoire, Garrick Ohlsson is the most recent Jury Chair at the International Chopin Piano Competition and winner himself of the 1970 Competition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAside from all the solo piano music, the set presents the \"piano concertos\", other concert works, the cello sonata, the piano trio, the \"songs\" and more, thus offering every last note Chopin ever wrote. It also includes the only work on the set not featuring Ohlsson: the recently discovered Waltz ‘found in New York’, which Sir Stephen Hough set down for Hyperion within days of the work’s announcement. This set can claim to be the most complete Chopin set ever presented to the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlso featured are the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Kazimierz Kord, violinist Leila Josefowicz, cellist Carter Brey and alto Ewa Podleś.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Garrick Ohlsson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54827506499868,"sku":"CDS4485166","price":79.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0874\/0513\/4108\/files\/GarrickOhlsson-Chopin-TheCompleteWorks_16CDBoxSet_-CDS44851-66.png?v=1793838920"},{"product_id":"stan-getz-joo-gilberto-getzgilberto-lp","title":"Getz\/Gilberto (LP)","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom the shores of Rio de Janiero, the sound of bossa nova changed the way the world heard jazz in the 1960s. Arguably the finest record of its kind, 1964's \u003cem\u003eGetz\/Gilberto\u003c\/em\u003e marked a meeting of the minds between Stan Getz, one of America's top jazz saxophonists, and a collection of Brazilian bossa nova legends including singer\/guitarist João Gilberto and songwriter\/pianist Antônio Carlos Jobim. A Grammy Award winner for Album of the Year, the LP features the definitive recordings of the international hit \"The Girl from Ipanema\" (featuring vocals from Astrud Gilberto) and \"Desafinado.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stan Getz, João Gilberto","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54827506532636,"sku":"881061004752","price":49.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0874\/0513\/4108\/files\/StanGetz_JoaoGilberto-Getz-Gilberto_LP_-881061004752.png?v=1793838913"},{"product_id":"karl-richter-js-bach-sacred-works-11cd-4dvd-3-blu-ray-audio","title":"J.S. 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The edition brings together the \"St. Matthew Passion\", the \"St. John Passion\", the \"Christmas Oratorio\", the \"Magnificat\" and the \"Mass in B minor\" on CD and Blu-ray Audio, alongside 75 cantatas for the Sundays and feast days of the church year on two further Blu-ray Audio discs. Later performances of the Passions and the Mass are presented across four DVDs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA major addition to the set is the inclusion of three live radio recordings from Munich (1967) and Schwetzingen (1969), released on disc for the first time: \"Singet dem Herrn BWV 225\", \"Komm, Jesu, komm BWV 229\" and \"Jesu, meine Freude BWV 227\". As no recordings of these central Bach motets had previously been available on disc in Karl Richter’s discography, these performances offer a unique insight into his interpretation of these works.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Karl Richter","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54827506630940,"sku":"4869079","price":139.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0874\/0513\/4108\/files\/KarlRichter-J.S.Bach-SacredWorks_11CD_4DVD_3Blu-rayAudio_-4869079.png?v=1793838907"},{"product_id":"christian-forshaw-grace-davidson-lindisfarne-beyond-the-causeway-cd","title":"Lindisfarne - Beyond the Causeway (CD)","description":"\u003cp\u003eMusic from Lindisfarne, the ancient Holy Island where pilgrimage meets song.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis album, composed by Christian Forshaw, English saxophonist and composer who has previously collaborated with artists such as Brian Eno, combines elements of folk, classical, sacred, and contemporary.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWritten for saxophone and soprano, with layered performances on multiple additional instruments, this music features the luminous voice of soprano Grace Davidson, central to the album's identity.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Christian Forshaw, Grace Davidson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54827506663708,"sku":"4872389","price":24.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0874\/0513\/4108\/files\/ChristianForshaw_GraceDavidson-Lindisfarne-BeyondtheCauseway_CD_-4872389.png?v=1793838899"},{"product_id":"charles-mingus-mingus-mingus-mingus-mingus-mingus-lp","title":"Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (LP)","description":"\u003cp\u003eSay it as many times as you'd like: one of Charles Mingus' last great works as a bandleader is a must-hear, no matter how familiar you are with his extraordinary songbook. 1964's \u003cem\u003eMingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus\u003c\/em\u003e, released on the Impulse! label, featured the beloved bassist leading a series of brass-heavy ensembles through some of the most notable works he'd written to date, including the standard \"Goodbye Pork Pie Hat\" (retitled \"Theme for Lester Young\") and \"Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul.\" These remarkable reinterpretations helped bolster Mingus' influence as the decades wore on, with artists like Joni Mitchell dedicating whole tributes to his work near the end of his career.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Charles Mingus","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54827506729244,"sku":"881061004820","price":49.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0874\/0513\/4108\/files\/CharlesMingus-MingusMingusMingusMingusMingus_LP_-881061004820.png?v=1793838880"},{"product_id":"takcs-quartet-timothy-ridout-mozart-string-quintets-k-515-516-cd","title":"Mozart: String Quintets K. 515 \u0026 516 (CD)","description":"\u003cp\u003eWith \u003cem\u003eMozart’s String Quintets K515 and 516\u003c\/em\u003e, the Takács Quartet presents its 21st album for Hyperion. Recorded in concert at London’s Wigmore Hall in 2025, the Quartet is joined by Timothy Ridout, whose distinctive voice as second violist adds a new dimension to the ensemble’s long-established sound. This is the internationally acclaimed violist’s first recording with the Takács Quartet. Composed in 1787, the two works occupy a special place in Mozart’s chamber music. The additional viola gives the texture greater richness and allows for an exceptionally varied interplay of the inner voices. Transparent writing alternates with passages of considerable harmonic and expressive tension. The album also marks a significant moment in the Quartet’s history: founder member András Fejér appears for the final time on a Takács recording, bringing his 51-year tenure as the ensemble’s cellist to a close. The international press has consistently praised the Quartet’s fire, poetry, clarity, balance and exceptional playing. The Daily Telegraph has called it “the undisputed greatest string quartet in the world”.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Takács Quartet, Timothy Ridout","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54827506762012,"sku":"CDA68488","price":24.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0874\/0513\/4108\/files\/TakacsQuartet_TimothyRidout-Mozart-StringQuintetsK.515_516_CD_-CDA68488.png?v=1793838871"},{"product_id":"antje-weithaas-marie-elisabeth-hecker-dnes-vrjon-schumann-complete-works-for-piano-trio-2cd","title":"Schumann: Complete Works for Piano Trio (2CD)","description":"\u003cp\u003e“You have to have the courage to embrace darkness and, with Schumann, to leap from heaven to hell in a tenth of a second,” says violinist Antje Weithaas. The album presents \u003cem\u003eSchumann’s complete works for piano trio\u003c\/em\u003e: the three \"Piano Trios, Opp. 63, 80 and 110\", and the \"Fantasiestücke, Op. 88\". Throughout these works, passion and intimacy, lyrical inwardness and restless energy remain in constant dialogue. Begun in 1842 as Schumann’s first composition for piano trio and revised before its publication in 1850, the \"Fantasiestücke\" offer a concentrated, poetic counterpart to the three numbered trios.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe new Deutsche Grammophon recording features violinist Antje Weithaas, cellist Marie-Elisabeth Hecker and pianist Dénes Várjon. All three have established international solo careers while keeping chamber music at the centre of their artistic lives. Their shared musical language, shaped in concert and deepened in the studio, allows them to follow every sudden turn of mood, bringing Schumann’s hidden ideas and the shifting dialogue among the three voices into focus. Released in the year of Antje Weithaas’s 60th birthday, this album offers a portrait of Schumann’s music as powerful and vulnerable, restless and deeply personal.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Antje Weithaas, Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, Dénes Várjon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54827506794780,"sku":"4869316","price":29.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0874\/0513\/4108\/files\/AntjeWeithaas_Marie-ElisabethHecker_DenesVarjon-Schumann-CompleteWorksforPianoTrio_2CD_-4869316.png?v=1793838762"},{"product_id":"rias-kammerchor-berlin-justin-doyle-winter-tales-the-britten-christmas-album-cd","title":"Winter Tales – The Britten Christmas Album (CD)","description":"\u003cp\u003eRIAS Kammerchor Berlin and Justin Doyle celebrate Christmas with a programme centred on Benjamin Britten's choral masterpieces. At its heart is \"A Ceremony of Carols\", complemented by the early masterpiece \"A Boy Was Born\", the sonically captivating \"Missa brevis\", and the rarely performed \"A Hymn of St Columba\" and \"The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard\". Together, they place Britten's best-known masterpieces alongside rarely performed works, allowing listeners to experience his choral music in an unexpected context. Released to mark the 50th anniversary of Benjamin Britten's death, the album pays tribute to one of the defining composers of twentieth-century British music.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFormer Westminster Cathedral chorister Justin Doyle has been immersed in Britten's music since childhood and is now recognised as one of its foremost interpreters. 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These include a sonata by Marianne Martínez, Haydn’s earliest piano pupil; a caprice by Polish virtuoso Maria Szymanowska; a romance by Sophie Menter, Liszt’s favourite pupil; and Teresa Carreño’s \"Un bal en rêve\", which appears to anticipate the tune of \"Happy Birthday\" by some 30 years. The programme closes with music by Raie da Costa, one of the best-known light-music pianists of her day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy choosing shorter works, Tomes gives space to as many overlooked voices as possible. Her sensitive, meticulously researched notes also bring the remarkable lives behind the music vividly into focus. 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