Classical Today

The riches of the classical canon never cease to amaze — and neither does the talent of the current generation of musicians who have taken it upon themselves to breathe new life into familiar works, or introduce us to pieces that were nearly buried forever in the dust of time . . . and one such case in point is Renaissance composer Alessandro Striggio's Mass in 40 Parts, a work thought to be lost until unearthed by musicologist Davitt Moroney, recorded commercially for the first time by I Fagiolini in March 2011: "Agnus Dei II" opens our selection, followed by composer/conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen taking on Shoshtakovich with Georgian violinist Lisa Batiashvili, and much more.

Two supreme Russian talents; one sonata — head over to Next Steps for a touch of brilliance.

Our overview of contemporary classical talent continues with a couple of phenomenal musicians, both born in the early '70s, united for a rendition of Janacek's Sonata for Violin and Piano — Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky played a Beethoven sonata by ear at the age of five, and has followed an upward trajectory since then, while fellow former child prodigy, violinist Vadim Repin, was rated by legend Yehudi Menuhin among the best he ever heard: make your own appraisal after listening to the "Adagio". And if you'd like to have your socks blown clean off by young talent, check out Beijing-born Yuja Wang as she wows with Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.

You've heard the prodigies — now experience the excellence of company and orchestra, in Deep Cuts.

While it's invigorating to witness a prodigious individual talent in full flow, under the spotlight, it can be equally life-affirming to appreciate the coordinated abilities of a group — like the Classical Opera Company, founded by conductor Ian Page, here performing the overture from Thomas Arne's Artaxerxes, in the landmark production from 2009 at Linbury, released January 2011. The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra might by the oldest symphony orchestra in the world, with origins dating back to 1743, but it has reached the second decade of the 21st Century in robust health under the musical direction of Riccardo Chailly: here he oversees Gershwin's Porgy and Bess suite.

The works of the greatest composers played by the most talented musicians on the planet — that, in a nutshell, is what our Classical Today Essentials are all about. From the BBC Philharmonic doing Bartok's piano concertos to lyric soprano Kate Royal flawlessly interpreting the songs collected on A Lesson in Love, we've got it covered, and we feel sure you'll appreciate the sheer range and sweep of our selection. If you'd like to hear beautiful medieval English music interpreted by a dynamic Norwegian ensemble, or a French baroque piece (by Louis Couperin) performed by an ultra-cool, modern harpsichord maestro (Christoph Rousset), look no further. Take your time to explore the cream of contemporary classical talent . . . and enjoy.