Sony Classical Releases Two New Titles In Its Acclaimed Original Jackets Collection, Celebrating The Great Recordings of Conductor Leonard Bernstein and Pianist Vladimir Horowitz

CD Sets in Stores On Tuesday, December 4, 2001

PRNewswire
11/07/2001

Packaged In CD-Size Reproductions Of The Original LP Jackets, Collections Features Landmark Recording From Bernstein and Horowitz's Years As

Exclusive Artists with Columbia Masterworks

NEW YORK, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Classical celebrates both the look and the sound of the recorded legacies of conductor Leonard Bernstein and pianist Vladimir Horowitz with the release of The Original Jackets Collection Leonard Bernstein and The Original Jackets Collection Vladimir Horowitz, newly created boxed sets featuring classic recordings packaged in CD-size reproductions of the original LP jackets. Included are memorable Bernstein interpretations of the music of Beethoven, Copland, Gershwin, Haydn, Ives, Mahler, Shostakovich, Sibelius and Stravinsky, and recordings by Horowitz -- including all of the legendary 1966 return to Carnegie Hall -- of major works by Chopin, Scarlatti, Schumann, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Scriabin and other composers. Each ten disc set has been specially priced at $99.98. The Original Jackets Collection Leonard Bernstein (SX10K 89750) and The Original Jackets Collection Vladimir Horowitz (SX10K 89765) will be in stores Tuesday, December 4, 2001.

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Each disc selected for The Original Jackets Collection retains the content of an original LP release from Columbia Masterworks -- the forerunner of Sony Classical -- with the recordings digitally remastered and packaged in replicas of the LP jacket. Each set contains a new booklet with reprints of all the original liner notes. The Bernstein collection features a new essay about the recordings by music critic Sedgwick Clark. The Horowitz collection includes a reprint of an essay on the pianist by his longtime producer, the late Goddard Lieberson.

All of the recordings on The Original Jackets Collection Leonard Bernstein -- complete performances of major symphonic works -- date from Bernstein's historic tenure as music director and principal conductor of the New York Philharmonic (1958-69), which he conducts on most of these recordings. The recordings in The Original Jackets Collection Vladimir Horowitz date from the 1950s and 1960s, a period in which Horowitz recorded exclusively for Columbia Masterworks. The release on LP of the live recording of his 1966 Carnegie Hall recital -- representing Horowitz's return to public performance after a sabbatical of 13 years -- was a major recording event, and this collection presents it in full.

Vladimir Horowitz's recorded legacy was also highlighted on another recent Sony Classical release, Horowitz -- A Reminiscence (SK 89669). This collection serves as a companion disc to the Emmy Award-winning documentary film Horowitz -- A Reminiscence, which will have encore broadcasts on PBS stations during December and March pledge periods (check local listings).

The release of these two new titles in The Original Jacket Collection follows the acclaim last year for the first two sets in this series, featuring the recordings of pianist Glenn Gould and composer Igor Stravinsky conducting his own music.

The Original Jacket Collection Leonard Bernstein and The Original Jacket Collection Vladimir Horowitz will be featured on Sony Classical's Web site at http://www.sonyclassical.com/, where both Bernstein and Horowitz are featured on artist's pages. Sony Classical.com is an online resource for exploring the label's entire catalogue of recordings, and includes sound clips, track listings, cover art and other information about the recordings. The site also features an online radio show, album supersites, multimedia, artist biographies, tour schedules and discographies for all Sony Classical artists, as well as special promotions, and much more.

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SOURCE: Sony Classical

Contact: Susan Schiffer of Sony, +1-212-833-4763,
susan_schiffer@sonymusic.com