Ottawa Chamberfest runs July 23 to August 2, and we're proud to be hosting five free concerts in the store as part of the official The Record Centre Series. While you're here for the music, or while you're waiting for the next show, here are some of the classical and chamber music records currently on our website — a mix of canonical recordings, audiophile pressings, Canadian composers, and modern minimalists, all available now.

Beethoven / Janigro / Demus — Sonatas for Cello and Piano Vol. 2 — $14

A US mono pressing of the Beethoven cello sonatas — one of the great composer's most intimate chamber forms — performed by Antonio Janigro and Joerg Demus. At $14, this is one of the most affordable meaningful records in the store. The cello-and-piano combination is as close to the heart of chamber music as it gets, and these performances are thoughtful and warm.

Hélène Grimaud & Sol Gabetta — Duo (2013 Europe, 2LP Gatefold, 180g, NM/NM) — $60

A beautifully produced 2LP gatefold on 180g vinyl pairing two of Europe's finest instrumentalists — pianist Hélène Grimaud and cellist Sol Gabetta. The repertoire spans Brahms, Ravel, and Debussy. NM/NM, pressed by Deutsche Grammophon, this is the definitive way to own this recording.

Kyung-Wha Chung — Violin & Piano Sonatas — $52

Kyung-Wha Chung is one of the great violinists of the 20th century — fiery, technically brilliant, and emotionally direct. This LP pairs violin and piano sonatas in a recording that has long been considered a benchmark. A natural companion to the live violin music coming to the store this month.

Steve Reich & Musicians — Drumming (UK 2017 Remaster, Sealed) — $50

Minimalism at its most hypnotic and most joyful — Reich's 1971 Drumming broke open what percussion could do in a concert hall context and pointed toward everything from techno to contemporary classical. The UK 2017 remaster is sealed. Terry Riley joins us for a listening session on August 1 — this is the Reich companion piece to have on hand.

Steve Reich — Live / Electric Music (Music On Vinyl) — $40

Early Reich, before the full minimalist project crystallized — Live / Electric Music captures him in a more experimental mode, and the Music On Vinyl pressing is clean and well-mastered. For the serious listener who wants to trace the arc of minimalism from its roots.

Aaron Copland — Piano Concerto (1995 Analogue Productions 180g, Sealed) — $45

Analogue Productions doing what they do best — a heavyweight, meticulously mastered pressing of one of the 20th century's most distinctively American piano concertos. Still sealed. The combination of Copland's wide-open harmonic language and AP's pressing quality makes this one of the most sonically immersive records in the collection.

Philip Glass — The Essential (Music On Vinyl, 2LP) — $135

Two copies in stock of the most comprehensive single-volume Glass collection on vinyl — spanning his film scores, operas, and solo works across a double LP from Music On Vinyl. Glass's work sits at the exact crossroads between chamber music tradition and modern minimalism. A definitive way to introduce someone to one of the most significant composers of the last fifty years.

Nils Frahm — Spaces (2014 UK, 2LP, NM/EX-) — $40

A live document of Nils Frahm's solo piano and electronics performances — intimate, spontaneous, and deeply beautiful. Spaces is the record that introduced many people to Frahm's world, and the 2014 UK double LP with original inserts is the version worth owning. Absolutely at home alongside Chamberfest programming.

Milstein / Tchaikovsky — Violin Concerto in D Major (Cisco Numbered Limited Edition, Sealed) — $75

Nathan Milstein's recording of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto is one of the great violin recordings — authoritative, singing, and full of personality. This sealed Cisco limited numbered pressing is audiophile-grade, and with live violin in the store this month, there's no better time to own the definitive studio version.

Quatuor Purcell — Barbara Pentland & R. Murray Schafer: String Quartets (CBC, Sealed) — $15

A Canadian gem: the Purcell Quartet performing string quartets by Barbara Pentland and R. Murray Schafer, two of Canada's most significant 20th-century composers, on a 1970 CBC pressing — still sealed. Schafer in particular has deep Ottawa connections. At $15, this is one of the most significant bargains in the store for anyone interested in Canadian chamber music.

Rachmaninov — Lang Lang (2LP 180g, Europe 2017, Sealed) — $55

Lang Lang and the Mariinsky Orchestra — the Piano Concerto No. 2 and Paganini Rhapsody on 180g vinyl, sealed. Rachmaninov's second concerto is one of the most beloved works in the chamber/orchestral piano repertoire, and this pressing does it full justice.

Gershwin — Rhapsody in Blue / Concerto in F (2023 EU Numbered, Sealed) — $55

Gershwin's most enduring orchestral works on a 2023 European numbered pressing, sealed. Rhapsody in Blue sits right at the intersection of classical concert hall and jazz club — which feels appropriate for a record store hosting a chamber music festival.

All of the above are in stock now. Come hear live music in the store July 24, 25, 27, and August 1, and take something home to listen to afterward.