RCA Victor Group has Extensive Line-Up Of New Classical Releases Featuring Evgeny Kissin, Michael Tilson Thomas, Denyce Graves, Vesselina Kasarova, Ramon Vargas, James Galway & More.

Entertainment/Music Editors

NEW YORK--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Aug. 23, 2001

Previously Unreleased Historic Carnegie Hall Recital by Richter

Launches New "reDiscovered" Series

Legendary Artists Featured on 2 Deluxe, 2-CD Sets, "RCA Victor Red

Seal Century"

RCA Victor Group has an ambitious and exciting line-up of new classical recordings to be released worldwide in the coming months and throughout 2002.

The titles will cover a wide range of new recordings by top artists, including Evgeny Kissin, Michael Tilson Thomas, Vesselina Kasarova, James Galway, Denyce Graves and Ramon Vargas; digitally remastered, historic rarities from the vaults; compilations featuring previously unreleased material or music released on CD for the first time; and new works by popular classical crossover artists. Now celebrating its 100th year, the impressive, upcoming releases reflect the RCA Victor Group's continuing commitment to the world of classical music.

David Weyner, newly appointed Executive Vice President, General Manager of RCA Victor Group, commented: "By attracting world class artists whose talent, energy and creativity are of the highest caliber, we will continue our century-long tradition of global artistic excellence. Our upcoming releases include more than a dozen outstanding new classical recordings on RCA Red Seal: two new CDs by Evgeny Kissin, two contemporary releases by Michael Tilson Thomas, an opera, two early music recordings on DHM, and four major crossover releases on RCA Victor."

Among the highly anticipated new RCA Red Seal recordings are two by critically acclaimed pianist Evgeny Kissin, whom Billboard has proclaimed, "perhaps the world's most highly regarded pianist." Both recorded with seven time Grammy Award winning producer Jay David Saks, the first release, due out early 2002, features the music of Bach-Busoni, Glinka-Balakirev and Mussorgsky, while the second contains works by Schumann. Kissin's extensive performing schedule will bring him to the U.S. for two months this fall and again next spring.

Michael Tilson Thomas, the four-time Grammy(TM) Award winning Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony, conducts the New World Symphony in an innovative, world premiere recording of "Tuck and Roll: The Music of Steven Mackey (9/11). Considered one of the greatest interpreters of new music today, Tilson Thomas will follow it early next year with a recording of the music of Charles Ives featuring Thomas Hampson with the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus (2/02) to coincide with their Carnegie Hall appearances February 13 and 14.

Heralded by USA Today as one of the "singers most likely to be an operatic superstar of the 21st century," mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves has become world renowned for her portrayals of the title roles in Carmen and Samson et Delila. Her next recording features Latin music, collaborating with Eliane Elias, Pablo Ziegler, Chucho Valdes and Jose Maria Vitier in performances of works by Villa Lobos, Guastavino, Piazzola, Vitier, Valdes and Elias (2002).

Bulgarian mezzo-soprano Vesselina Kasarova stars on two new recordings, French Arias for Mezzo-Soprano and a complete recording of the Rossini opera, L'Italiana in Algeri, to be recorded in Munich in September. The New York Times has said, "...Ms. Kasarova has a luxuriously warm voice, sensitive musicianship and the technical agility to execute the florid bel canto coloratura mezzo roles."

Also new this year are two upcoming releases by Ramon Vargas, the internationally renowned tenor. Vargas' "Verdi Arias," previously released in Europe, will be released in September in the U.S. His next recording of early Italian arias with special arrangements will be recorded this fall. Vargas has already portrayed 50 leading roles onstage, mostly from the bel canto and Romantic repertoire, and he has garnered critical acclaim with Verdi operas. Of Vargas, Gramophone states, "This is really a tenor to cherish."

Eight Red Seal recordings to be released in the U.S. in August (8/21) include Beethoven Symphonies 1 & 2 conducted by Gunter Wand; Schubert/Goethe-Lieder with baritone Thomas Quasthoff; Lieder by Brahms, Schubert, Schumann with German mezzo-soprano Waltraud Meier; and a recording of piano works by Mendelssohn/Chopin with Alicia de Larrocha (9/11). Two Living Stereo releases to be released in September include Verdi's "Requiem" with Leinsdorf conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and "Songs of Faith & Inspiration" with the Robert Shaw Chorale (9/11). In October, Nikolaj Znaider will record Glazunov's Violin Concerto and Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 with Maris Jansons conducting the Bayerischer Rundfunk.

RCA Red Seal will launch an extraordinary new series of previously unpublished recordings from the vaults with "Richter--Rediscovered--Carnegie Hall Recital" (9/25). The Limited Edition 2-CD set comprises the complete December 26, 1960 Carnegie Hall concert given by legendary pianist Sviatoslav Richter during his historic American debut season. Special bonus tracks have been included as well. The recordings mark the only live stereo performances available from Richter's inaugural 1960 U.S. concert tour. Both concerts were recorded in true stereo and approved by him. Each track has been digitally remastered in spectacular 24/96 sound. Virtually none of the recordings have been heard since their actual performance more than 40 years ago and only six of the 34 tracks have appeared previously on LP.

As part of its centennial celebration, RCA Victor Group presents "The RCA Victor Red Seal Century." The two deluxe 2-CD editions, "Soloists and Conductors" (9/25) and "The Vocalists," (9/25) feature a thrilling retrospective of the great musicians central to the history of the label including Enrico Caruso, Julian Bream, Jascha Heifetz, Leontyne Price, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Arturo Toscanini. "Soloists and Conductors" contains 20 tracks new to CD, seven of which were never before released in any form, including an expanded version of "Carmen Fantasy" by Vladimir Horowitz. "The Vocalists" contains 22 tracks new to CD, including a rare Rosa Ponselle performance from La Forza del Destino.

The world's best selling flute virtuoso, James Galway leads RCA Victor Group's crossover fare with a new recording of music exploring the American/Celtic folk tradition. The consummate entertainer will be joined by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason on the new CD to be recorded in September for release in 2002. Ungar is known for his music for the acclaimed documentary, Ken Burns' Civil War.

A new recording with Keith Lockhart conducting the Boston Pops Orchestra, "A Richard Rodgers Celebration," with Martina McBride, Colin Raye and Larry Gatlin is slated for April 2002. It will feature the original Paul Whiteman arrangement of "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" and music from "The Sound of Music," "Oklahoma!," "Flower Drum Song," "Babes in Arms," "Carousel" and Victory at Sea." Additional releases with strong crossover appeal include a new classical recording in October of Renaissance music with the Canadian Brass.

Following the smash success of Three Mo' Tenors' live CD, RCA Victor will release a video and DVD. According to the Boston Globe, "Three Mo' Tenors sing opera arias, show tunes, jazz and blues, soul, spirituals, gospel, and patriotic music and they do...all of it well." The DVD and video will contain four additional songs not on the PBS broadcast of "Great Performances" including Stephen Sondheim's "Not While I'm Around" from Sweeney Todd and Scarlatti's "O'Cessate Di Piagarmi." Both will be released this fall.

RCA Red Seal is the classical label of RCA Victor Group, a division of BMG Entertainment, which is home to more than 200 record labels in 52 countries.