'Fifty Shades of Grey – The Classical Album' set for release on EMI

7 August 2012, 15:02 | Updated: 7 August 2012, 16:08

You may not associate Sir Simon Rattle and King’s College Choir with the erotic novel, ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’, but a new classical album is set to change that.

After the Tallis Scholars set pulses racing with their chart-topping recording of Tallis’ Spem in alium, featured in Fifty Shades of Grey, EMI Classics are releasing an album of classical music chosen by author E L James.

If you’ve failed to be inspired by the plot of the naughty bestseller, the music may come as a pleasant surprise. The album features classic pieces including Pachelbel’s Canon in D, the second movement of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and the ‘In Paradisum’ from Fauré’s Requiem – all firm favourites in the Classic FM Hall of Fame.

Sir Simon Rattle, King's College Choir, Barbara Hendricks, and Alexandre Tharaud are among artists featured on the album, alongside the Tallis Scholars.

James said: "I am thrilled that the classical pieces that inspired me while I wrote the Fifty Shades Trilogy are being brought together in one collection for all lovers of the books to enjoy."

The album is available to download on 21 August.