This week we release a very special recording: Yehudi Menuhin in the three Edvard Grieg violin sonatas, recorded at Abbey Road in 1957. These performances capture Menuhin at his most intimate and inward, partnered by pianist Robert Levin in readings of warmth, poise and deep musical understanding. Heard today in XR remastering, the sound has a vivid clarity and presence that belies its age.

Grieg’s sonatas span more than twenty years of his creative life, from youthful confidence to mature emotional depth, and Menuhin’s playing brings their lyrical heart fully into focus. The slow movement of the Third Sonata in particular has a vocal tenderness that stops you in your tracks. This is not nostalgia, but music-making that still feels alive, personal and deeply human.

We also mark the birthday of Alexander Scriabin (born 6 January 1872), with 10% off all Scriabin recordings in our catalogue for the next week. A perfect moment to explore the music of one of the most visionary and original voices of the early twentieth century.

Our final release of the year turns the spotlight on the unjustly forgotten Sir Dan Godfrey in a revelatory performance of Vaughan Williams’ A London Symphony, recorded in 1925 using the composer’s expanded 1920 score with the London Symphony Orchestra. This passionate, committed reading reveals a far more serious and profound musician than Godfrey’s later “pops” reputation might suggest.

Among the very finest achievements of the acoustic era, the sound has extraordinary presence and impact, beautifully restored by Mark Obert-Thorn. Partnered with Godfrey’s earliest electrical recordings of Debussy and Dvořák, the release invites a fresh appreciation of a conductor who played a crucial role in the shaping of British musical life.

We also celebrate Puccini's birthday with a 10% discount on all his music at Pristine all this week. 

Sir Thomas Beecham’s 1959 Messiah is one of the most striking reimaginings of Handel ever committed to record. Working with Sir Eugene Goossens’s richly coloured, full-symphonic orchestration, Beecham transforms Handel’s oratorio into a sweeping musical drama that glows with energy, grandeur and unmistakable personality. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus perform at their zenith, with a luxury quartet of soloists — Jennifer Vyvyan, Monica Sinclair, Jon Vickers and Giorgio Tozzi — delivering interpretations as bold and vibrant as the orchestral palette behind them.

Beautifully restored by Pristine, this release allows modern listeners to experience Messiah exactly as Beecham conceived it: opulent, theatrical, unapologetically imaginative and utterly unlike any other version. Whether you cherish Handel’s masterpiece or are discovering this legendary reinterpretation for the first time, Beecham’s Messiah offers a thrilling encounter with a score reborn — a vivid reminder that great music thrives not only in tradition but in inspired reinvention.

We also celebrate Beethoven's 255th birthday with 15% off all of his hundreds of Pristine appearances.