Heifetz, Rubinstein, Richter, Piatagorsky, Arrau, Oistrakh, Rostropovich, Menuhin, Stokowski, Kogan, & Crespin Lead The Roster Of Great Artists Featured In Priceless Filmed Performances, Digitally Restored And Available For The First Time On DVD In Full-Length Programs With Rare Bonus Footage

Collaboration Between IMG Artists & France's Ideale Audience Results In A Series 10 Years in the Making, With Performances Mined Primarily From The Archives Of The BBC And France's INA (Institut National de l'Audiovisuel)

First Release Includes Bruno Monsaingeon's Legendary Film "Glenn Gould: The Alchemist," With Monsaingeon's Personal Recollections Of Working With & Filming Gould Included In The DVD Notes

An unprecedented collaboration 10 years in the making between IMG Artists and France's Idéale Audience, the new Classic Archive DVD collection brings to home video an extraordinary legacy of filmed performances by the greatest names in classical music. Released by EMI Classics, Classic Archive offers a unique historical glimpse into the filmed heritage of classical music in performances previously unavailable in any form on home video. The series' first releases bristle with legendary names - Heifetz, Rubinstein, Richter, Piatagorsky, Arrau, Oistrakh, Rostropovich, Menuhin, Stokowski and Kogan, all captured on film in rare, unforgettable performances.

Each of the discs features lovingly restored films - some dating back as far as the 1940s, remastered using the finest state-of-the-art technology - assembled in full-length programs of complete musical performances, accompanied by comprehensive booklets and rare bonus footage. Classic Archive allows the listener to see, perhaps for the first time, the visual language of these extraordinary performers.

A total of 17 Classic Archive titles are already in release. In addition to the artists mentioned above, they include rarely seen films of such conductors as Igor Markevitch, Herbert von Karajan, Carlo Maria Giulini, Guido Cantelli and André Cluytens; pianists Alfred Brendel and Emil Gilels; violinist Nathan Milstein; and vocal recitals featuring performances by Régine Crespin, Teresa Berganza, Denise Duval and other landmark mid-century singers.

The task of assembling Classic Archive was a monumental one, from the detective work of finding the material, to securing the rights and the financing from diverse sources, to the painstaking restoration and thoughtful arrangement of each program. The series is a dream come true for the determined man who envisioned it - Stephen Wright, Managing Director and Senior International Vice President of IMG Artists Worldwide and a passionate fan of the legacy

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