Sir Malcolm Sargent’s 1957 Planets with the BBC Symphony Orchestra was one of EMI’s earliest and most spectacular stereo triumphs — a vivid, spacious recording that Gramophone hailed as “the most vivid bit of stereo recording I have yet heard.” Compared with his 1954 Decca version, Sargent’s later interpretation offers greater breadth and refinement, the BBC players and Women’s Chorus responding with radiant precision and beauty.

From the same Kingsway Hall sessions comes Beni Mora, Holst’s shimmering North African tone-painting, while The Perfect Fool, recorded four years later at Abbey Road with the Royal Philharmonic, reveals Sargent’s flair for orchestral colour and wit. Together they form a superb portrait of Holst’s world — visionary, exotic, and exuberant — newly restored here in pristine stereo sound.

We also mark the 135th anniversary of the death of César Franck with a 15% discount on all his music at Pristine.

This week we visit Vienna’s historic Redoutensaal for one of Erich Kleiber’s finest achievements on record — his 1955 stereo Le Nozze di Figaro with the Vienna Philharmonic and State Opera Chorus. It was the first truly complete Figaro on LP, preserving the recitatives and unfolding with an unhurried grace that The Gramophone hailed as “beautifully acted, leisured and graceful.” Decca’s early stereo sound brings the listener right into the room, every ensemble clear and alive with natural warmth.

Kleiber’s cast is a dream team of mid-century Mozartians: Cesare Siepi’s virile and intelligent Figaro, Alfred Poell’s commanding Count, Lisa Della Casa’s radiant Countess, Hilde Gueden’s sparkling Susanna, and Suzanne Danco’s pure, poised Cherubino. With its luminous balance of wit, beauty and humanity, this remains one of the most enduring Figaros on record — a model of clarity and proportion from a conductor who believed, in his own words, that Mozart’s music must always let “the light shine through.”

We also mark the 65th anniversary of the death of Dmitri Mitropoulos with a 15% discount on all his recordings at Pristine.

This week, Pristine brings together for the first time the complete acoustic recordings of Sir Thomas Beecham — a fascinating portrait of the young maestro before the microphone era. Made between 1910 and 1918, these rare discs capture Beecham in the early blaze of his career, leading his own orchestra and shaping the sound of British music long before Toscanini, Boult or Stokowski ever entered a studio. Sixteen of these performances were never remade, and none appear in Warner’s forthcoming “Mono Era” box.

From the sparkling Die Fledermaus Overture to Beecham’s only Firebird recording — also the earliest Stravinsky on record — this is a treasure trove of musical history brought vividly back to life. Expertly restored by Mark Obert-Thorn, these performances reveal the energy, imagination and wit that made Beecham a legend. Hear where it all began — over a century later, they still leap from the grooves with unmistakable vitality.

We also celebrate Johann Strauss's 200th birthday with a 10% discount on all our recordings of the Waltz King.