In March 2017, Warner Classics marks the 10th anniversary of Mstislav Rostropovich’s death and 90 years since his birth with the deluxe collectors’ box set Cellist of the Century, comprising of selected remastered recordings.

This attractively priced double set is one of Stephen Hough's most important recordings. 'Britain's greatest living pianist' (The Mail on Sunday) is joined by Mozarteumorchester Salzburg and international conductor Mark Wigglesworth in their Hyperion debut for Brahms's Piano Concertos. These works are among the greatest in the genre, and shore up Brahms's reputation as both a symphonist and a piano composer. Separated by twenty-two years and widely differing in their reception (the first was scorned and the second a huge success), they are monumental in scale, impassioned and truly romantic, forward-looking in form and requiring both great virtuosity and intimacy from the pianist.

Pavarotti made only one studio recording of I Puritani. In 1973 he recorded the opera with Richard Bonynge conducting the London Symphony Orchestra and with Joan Sutherland as Elvira.

In Volume 7 of his internationally praised Mozart cycle, Kristian Bezuidenhout includes two works influenced by Wolfgang's 1778 stay in Paris: the grandly proportioned Sonata in A minor, K310 and the dazzling Variations in C on 'Lison dormait', K264.

„Bellini’s penultimate opera – written for La Fenice, Venice, in 1833 – has never enjoyed the popularity of such works as La sonnambula, Norma and I puritani. Listening to this vintage Joan Sutherland recording dating from 1966, it is hard to fathom why. The story is strong and stirring – a sort of cross between Maria Stuarda and La Gioconda – and offers fine roles for the wronged titular heroine, her villainous husband Filippo, her platonic admirer Orombello and his would-be mistress, Agnese del Maino (a Princess Eboli avant la lettre).

Angela Hewitt's recordings of French piano music have received the highest critical acclaim. For this release, she turns to Faure, a French composer who is both serious and introspective, with a refinement that has led to him being relatively overlooked by some performers. In Angela Hewitt's hands this music is an utter joy. This album includes the composer's major work in the genre, the Theme et variations, Op 73, along with a selection of Valses-caprices and Nocturnes. It ends with a more radiant piece from Faure's youth, the Ballade pour piano seul, Op 19, dedicated to Saint-Saens.

As this is the case with many international stars, Chie Ayado is not a household name in America. In her native Japan, she's a superstar jazz performer with more than 10 millions of recordings sold. She's so in demand, she continues to play over forty large-venue concerts a year. Her label, East House Records, is making a name for itself with Three Blind Mice-style analog recordings of unbelievable accuracy and dimension. Vocals are listening-room immediate and the piano is detailed, full and beautifully balanced. Very little processing is used, so you hear Ayado's unique vocal and piano playing without all the sonic distractions hiding many modern digital recordings.