Sir John Barbirolli – The Complete Warner Recordings
Warner’s 109-CD box set brings together Barbirolli’s HMV and PYE catalogs, newly transferred from original sources where available. The contents cover symphonic repertoire (Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Sibelius, Mahler) and concertante works with a range of soloists, plus early material from the 78-rpm era and some archival items. The set maps a broad career arc from pre-war sessions to his final years in Manchester and London.
Maurizio Pollini – Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon
DG’s Pollini edition consolidates the pianist’s five decades with the label, from early Chopin and Stravinsky milestones to late Beethoven, Debussy and contemporary music. Beyond the 62 audio discs, the set includes two DVDs (concerts with Karl Böhm—which also exists on the Böhm set mentioned below—Claudio Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic) and an extensive booklet with session material and photos.
Karl Böhm – Complete Orchestral Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon
A comprehensive 67-CD edition with an additional Blu-ray Audio disc, this set covers Böhm’s DG orchestral catalog from Mozart and Schubert through Beethoven and Brahms, alongside Strauss and Wagner. Listeners will find full symphony cycles as well as concerto collaborations with soloists such as Emil Gilels and Maurizio Pollini, all newly presented in DG’s archival series. The orchestras are the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, and Staatskapelle Dresden. For those tracking orchestral repertoire rather than opera, this is the most practical one-stop survey of Böhm’s DG orchestral work.
Alfred Brendel – Complete Philips Recordings
This set has appropriately been returned to the catalogue following Brendel’s death in June 2025. This is a 114-CD survey of Brendel’s Philips legacy, presented with a 200-page booklet and original-jacket artwork. The set includes both analogue and digital cycles of the Beethoven piano sonatas, and the composer’s three complete concerto traversals across analogue and digital eras with Haitink, Levine and Rattle. Schubert and Liszt are similarly represented in parallel analogue and digital surveys, alongside Haydn, Mozart, Brahms, and Schoenberg. Beyond the studio albums, the edition adds selected live, chamber and radio recordings from 1969 to 2008, offering a clear view of how Brendel’s approach and recorded sound evolved over four decades.
Bruckner – Complete Symphonies, Choral Works, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim
Deutsche Grammophon has rereleased Daniel Barenboim’s first Bruckner cycle, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (his later cycles were with the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Berlin Philharmonic). In addition to Symphonies No. 0-9, the set also includes the “Te Deum,” “Helgoland,” and “Psalm 150.” The recordings, made between 1973 and 1981, used the best analogue recording techniques of the time, and still sounds impressive. The box contains a 28-page booklet with lyrics and translations in English and French.
Jorge Bolet – Complete Decca Recordings
Decca gathers Bolet’s studio legacy from 1977–1990 into a 26-CD set, tracing a late-career renaissance that paired his patrician tone with big-boned Romantic repertoire. Liszt and Chopin are central, but the box also folds in Brahms, Schumann, and French selections, plus concertos with leading orchestras. Of particular interest is a first release of Bolet’s final sessions: Chopin Nocturnes and the Berceuse from early 1990, recorded months before his death. It is slow and Autumnal. Presentation follows the label’s usual format, with original jackets and documentation. A focused portrait of a pianist who combined old-world sonority with structural clarity.
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