When EMI was sold, the company was split and Warner Music bought EMI Classics. Interested parties wondered what would happen to the vast EMI back catalogue. Previously Warner had been piecemeal and inconsistent in the reissuing of titles from other companies it had purchased, such as Erato, Teldec and Finlandia. Their cheap reissues had been unattractively packaged, with scant reference to the original sources. Lately, companies have realised that LP nostalgia now plays a major role in classical music purchases. Many box compilations feature reproductions of the original record covers. Recent Warner reissues have been outstanding examples of what can be done, and are even more comprehensive than before, such as their complete Karajan and Callas sets.

Twenty titles constitute the new Original Jacket Series. These are individual discs, or sometimes two- or three-disc sets. All but two come from EMI’s catalogue, and all feature a reproduction of the original artwork on the front. They rarely contain extra material, but simply reproduce the contents of the original disc. (Another twenty were released in September.)

Many titles have appeared before, usually in EMI’s Great Recordings of the Century series. One of these is a Milhaud disc, with Leonard Bernstein conducting the French...