Many vinyl records are invaluable documents of their time, and hardly any series shows this as clearly as the Cologne recordings in the Electrola Collection. The re-release of these classics and rarities has met with an enthusiastic reception from  music-lovers and critics alike, and after the change from EMI Classics to Warner Classics the series is being continued under the name 'Cologne Collection'. The new additions cover opera and operetta, choral music and Lieder as well as the very first concerto recording made by top clarinettist Sabine Meyer.

In 1789 Mozart arranged George Frideric Handel's Messiah on behalf of a group of Viennese noblemen. He abridged the work in an effort to tauten the drama, transposed arias to suit his singers' abilities and he subjected it to a fundamental re-orchestration to adapt the sound of the work to the musical taste of his time.

lt was not until the 20th century that the historical and musical value of Mozart's Messiah arrangement was reappraised. Mozart's interpretation of Handel's Counterpoint and his synthesis of Baroque and Classical stylistic elements give the work a compelling new sound.