At the age of 15, Johann Sebastian Bach attended the Latin school at St. Michael's Monastery in Luneburg for two years. There is also evidence of at least one trip to Hamburg during this time. The young Bach must have been impressed and inspired by the North German music scene with it's large organs and independent pedals, the diverse reed stops, the clear and "sharp" mixtures and, last but not least, his musical experiences in Hamburg's Gansemarkt Opera House.Bach's chorale partitas bear clear traces of the North German environment, for example in the operatic-ariose elaborations with French ornaments or in the very individual virtuoso arrangements of the variations, which suggest the text interpretations of individual song verses. In contrast to this is the Orgelbuchlein, composed in the somewhat later Weimar years, which forms the foundation for Bach's monothematic composition: Here, the sound of a chorale is formed using just one characteristic motif. The roots of this compositional aesthetic can be traced back to Bach's early encounter with Georg Bohm in Luneburg.The history of the large organ in St. Michael's, which can be traced back to the 15th century, is eventful: in 1708 the Schnitger pupil Matthias Dropa built a new organ and extended the existing instrument by Niehoff (1553) - the young Bach may have been able to follow the plans. After numerous alterations, the current specification corresponds to that of 1708, and a precise historical restoration is currently being planned. The tremendous richness of color and the tonal spirit of the Baroque period can be clearly heard despite the equal temperament. The Klapmeyer organ in Altenbruch (1730), on which Dropa also worked from 1697-1700, gives an authentic impression of the sound of this organ landscape in Luneburg thanks to the restoration by Jurgen Ahrend (2004). The specifics of the historical sounds become tangible when comparing the two instruments. UPC: 885470020853Label: Berlin ClassicsRelease Date: 4.24.26Format: CD
A look at the great talent of Dvorak's pupils in an original selection of famousand less famous worksThe present compilation - a sequel to the 3CD set The Many Loves of AntoninDvorak - is intended as a timely reminder of the wealth and sheer diversityof talented Czech composers who emerged from Dvorak's masterclass atthe Prague Conservatoire during the 1890s and early 1900s. Dvorak,approaching fifty and at the height of his fame, had been persuadedto devote some of his time to teaching at the Conservatoire, thereby creatinga lasting legacy, an influential "Dvorak School" of composers, several of whomwent on to teach at the Conservatoire themselves, passing on the traditionto future generations. Naturally, the most room is given to Josef Suk,the pupil of Dvorak who left the most original legacy of compositions.A separate CD is devoted to Dvorak's lesser-known pupils: the talentedmelodist Oskar Nedbal won fame for his operettas, and Julius Fucik iscelebrated for his witty marches, while the legendary violinist Jaroslav Kocianwrote music for his own instrument, and the Czechoslovak Legionnaire RudolfKarel was an exemplary patriot. Also of interest are composers who areentirely forgotten apart from a single work of greater significance, like AdolfPiskacek, Vojtech Kuchynka, and Arnost Praus. A third CD belongsto the underappreciated master Vitezslav Novak, whose distinctivemodernism builds upon Dvorak in an interesting manner. Once again, thereis an excellent selection of music from the Supraphon catalogue with all ofthe most important names such as the violinist Josef Suk, the pianist IvanMoravec, and the conductors Vaclav Talich, Karel sejna, and Libor Pesek.Other outstanding performers on this compilation include Igor Ardashev,Jan Panenka, Emil Leichner, Josef Vlach, Josef Veselka, Karla sroubek, VaclavSnitil, Richard Novak, Beno Blachut, Ivan Kusnjer, and many others. The Englishmusic journalist Patrick Lambert, an important expert on Czech music withdeep knowledge of the Supraphon catalogue, selected the music and wrotethe insightful text in the booklet. UPC: 099925436629Label: SupraphonRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
Inspired by his impressive descriptions, ensemble feuervogel follows Coryat on his voyage of discovery through the alleyways, squares and canals of the Serenissima: from the magnificent St Mark's Basilica to the noble palazzi of the Venetian aristocracy and the elegant courts where music, dance and courtly art played a central role. The concert program Observations of Venice brings ornate diminutions and madrigals into dialogue with dance music, ricercars and canzonas. In this way, ensemble feuervogel receives the music of the Venetian cinquecento, which Coryat wrote was 'so beautiful that I would willingly walk a hundred miles at any time to hear the like of it.' UPC: 7619990104693Label: Note OneRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
This first volume of The Complete Alkan Organ Works presents Joseph Nolan's recording of Charles-Valentin Alkan's major works for organ and pedal-piano, performed on the restored Stahlhuth-Jann organ of St Martin's Church, Dudelange. The release includes the 11 Grands Preludes and Handel transcription Op. 66, the Petits Preludes sur les huit gammes du plainchant, and the Impromptu on Luther's "Ein feste Burg", Op. 69. The booklet outlines Alkan's background, his distinctive position in 19th-century French music, and the technical demands of these rarely recorded pieces. It also documents the instrument's history and Nolan's long-term commitment to the project. UPC: 635212098226Label: Signum ClassicsRelease Date: 3.27.26Format: CD
With Reflections, Swiss pianist Joseph-Maurice Weder presents his new studio recording on ARS - an intense musical self-portrait featuring masterpieces by Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin. These sonatas are more than just repertoire: they are personal lifelines, grown from decades of experience and worldwide concert practice. The recording combines interpretative clarity, emotional depth, and artistic maturity - a listening experience that oscillates between intimacy and expansiveness. UPC: 4260052386927Label: Ars ProduktionRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
The reputation of Havergal Brian (1876-1972) as a late-blooming symphonist obscures the fact that he was an early-blooming composer of choral music for the huge market of amateur choirs thriving in Edwardian England. His choral songs range from simple unison settings for children's or women's voices to harmonically complex essays intended to tax the ability of groups taking part in the choral competitions once popular in regional Britain. This second selection includes four canons that Brian wrote in the early 1920s as contrapuntal studies for his mighty Gothic Symphony. UPC: 5060113446800Label: ToccataRelease Date: 6.5.26Format: CD
The Flemish Music Heritage series is a journey of discovery, reviving remarkable pieces of musical heritage. Forgotten scores are brought to light, and familiar compositions are given a fresh perspective. In close collaboration with the Study Centre for Flemish Music, the recordings are founded on intensive research in libraries and archives and meticulously prepared score editions.The works, expertly selected by connoisseurs, are performed by valued musicians and ensembles who passionately restore neglected and forgotten composers to the recognition they deserve. With these vibrant composer monographs, Antarctica Records aims to broaden horizons and enrich the repertoire with rediscovered treasures from the past.This FMH album focuses on the third and final volume of works for piano solo by Joseph Ryelandt (1870-1965). Performed by Jozef de Beenhouwer, who has championed Ryelandt's music for decades, the album sheds light on a versatile and refined voice in Belgian musical history. UPC: 608917737325Label: AntarcticaRelease Date: 5.1.26Format: CD
The album features a sonata written especially for Arto Noras, one of today's greatest cellists, presented as a gift for his 80th birthday. The violin sonata is likewise dedicated to it's performer-an exceptional Korean violinist held in high esteem by Krzysztof Penderecki, Ryu's mentor and artistic patron. The Korean composer's music speaks in a highly personal voice, blending echoes of Romanticism and Impressionism. Together, these two works invite listeners to savor the sheer beauty of sound and the dazzling virtuosity that define the artistry of all four performers. UPC: 5902547020259Label: Dux Recording Prod.Release Date: 5.1.26Format: CD
After 'Oylam' in 2010, Judith Berkson (mezzo-soprano, pianist, composer and improviser) returns with another unclassifiable, and strangely compelling, artistic statement. On 'Thee They Thy,' she leads a trio with Trevor Dunn and Gerald Cleaver through a radically changing program addressing new settings for prayer, original songs, vocal experimentation, improvised piano and more. 'Thee They Thy' was recorded at Oktavaen Audio Studio, Mt. Vernon, New York. The album was produced by Manfred Eicher.
Tracklist:
Slow
V'shamru
Torque
Dust
Cleav
Notice
Thee They Thy
Amerika
Slowly Walk Into It
Sated
UPC: 602488253994Label: Ecm RecordsRelease Date: 4.24.26Format: CD
Philippe Joseph Hinner (1755-1784) - long known only as "Harp Master to Her Majesty, the Queen of France" - was much more than a court musician. His extraordinary biography and elegant music offer a fascinating glimpse into the world of Marie Antoinette and the refined culture of pre-revolutionary France. In 1774, he was appointed to the royal chapel of Louis XVI and soon became harpist and valet to the young queen. In her company, he composed numerous subtle works - romances and airs tendres for voice and harp - intended for the elegant salons of Versailles and often dedicated to members of the royal family. For several years, Julia Kirchner and Vera Schnider have been rediscovering forgotten works for soprano and harp from around 1800. Their new album brings Hinner's romances and airs back to life - intimate, finely nuanced pieces full of expression, grace, and virtuosity. UPC: 4039956926054Label: Coviello ClassicsRelease Date: 5.15.26Format: CD
This debut joint album by a married duo of distinguished pianists captures two artists at the height of their international careers, delivering masterful interpretations that affirm their virtuosity and artistic maturity. Both works reflect turbulent chapters in their composers' lives, tracing themes of transformation, memory, irony, intimacy, and emotional honesty.The result is music that invites deep reflection on both artistic and personal truth, while also immersing the listener in moments of pure beauty-shaped by the fleeting, atmospheric spirit of the North. UPC: 5902547021997Label: Dux Recording Prod.Release Date: 5.1.26Format: CD
This recording opens up a lyrically dense world of sound that moves between quiet intimacy and lucid emotional depth. It contains a selection of songs in which the theme of alienation is dealt with on a multidimensional level: geographically, emotionally, and existentially. At the centre of this is the song oeuvre of Alexander Grechaninov, a master of late Russian Romanticism, whose work strikes an unmistakable tone in it's emotional complexity, it's compositional balance, and it's structural clarity. UPC: 881488250220Label: Hanssler ClassicRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
This album pays tribute to composer Benjamin Britten, who will be commemorated in 2026, the 50th anniversary of his death. It was conceived by conductor Lawrence Foster who, with Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, showcases the British composer's impressionism tinged with post-Romanticism. The programme includes his sublime Illuminations, based on Rimbaud's poem, often performed by tenors but originally created by a soprano in 1940. Here, the young and very promising French soprano Julie Roset is the soloist, giving a very engaging performance. Another famous piece by Britten, Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, commissioned by the British Ministry of Education in 1945, is a set of variations on a theme by Purcell that showcases each family of instruments in the orchestra. Although the Sinfonia da requiem (1940) was commissioned by the Japanese government to celebrate the 2600th anniversary of the Mikado dynasty, Britten dedicated it to the memory of his parents. Finally, the Choral dances from Gloriana are taken from the opera-tribute to the Queen of England, who was crowned six days before the premiere on 8 June 1953. UPC: 3701624512265Label: AlphaRelease Date: 4.24.26Format: CD
In 1800, France was passionate about Haydn's music. The Paris Opera decided to stage a French version of his oratorio La Creation du Monde (The Creation of the World) in Paris, which had been completed two years earlier and premiered in Vienna. The first French performance of the work took place on December 24, 1800, a date that became historic because Bonaparte, First Consul and future Napoleon, decided to attend and narrowly escaped an explosion that killed 40 people and destroyed 15 houses... This French version has now been revived thanks to Julien Chauvin, who almost by chance came across the first edition (piano-vocal) of the French version of The Creation and who, with Le Concert de la Loge, the Choeur de Chambre de Namur, and leading vocal soloists (Julie Roset, Stanislas de Barbeyrac, and Nahuel Di Pierro), now presents the very first recording of it: "Haydn succeeds in developing an incredible palette; the orchestra is really there to personify and colour the verses, " says the conductor. UPC: 3701624511862Label: AlphaRelease Date: 4.24.26Format: CD
With a keen sense of musical poetry, pianist Jurg Hanselmann explores the early piano works of Josef Gabriel Rheinberger. The twelve character pieces for the 'new' piano (1864) present the young Liechtenstein composer as a true master of musical miniatures: from the light, dance-like Duettino to the mysterious Notturno to the brilliant Etude and moments of heartfelt melancholy. The program is complemented by the rarely performed Four Fugues for Piano (1862), which impressively showcase Rheinberger's masterful contrapuntal artistry. All works are world premiere recordings. With rich color, clarity, and heartfelt expression, Jurg Hanselmann opens the door to Rheinberger's previously little-known piano universe. UPC: 4260052386576Label: Ars ProduktionRelease Date: 5.15.26Format: CD
'Generally labelled as a Baroque instrument and thought to have disappeared with the French Revolution, the harpsichord flourished again in the first third of the 20th century and inspired original compositions': Justin Taylor offers us a 'personal' overview of the harpsichord in the 20th century. He has structured this album around four major concertos (Falla, Poulenc, Francaix, Gorecki) which are linked by pieces for solo harpsichord: Bartok, who, in his preface to Mikrokosmos, from which this Hommage to Bach is taken, suggests playing certain pieces on the harpsichord, Martinu and a new work by Stephane Gassot in reference to Ligeti... The programme concludes with a nod to Scott Joplin and his famous ragtimes. Always attentive and passionate about instruments, Justin Taylor chose to record the entire programme on a single instrument, a harpsichord built in the 1970s by Anthony Sidey, a hybrid model between Pleyel instruments and historical harpsichord making, which "gives a wide and highly varied range of colours". With this album, he follows in the footsteps of Wanda Landowska and Elisabeth Chojnacka, two pioneers who promoted the harpsichord in all it's modernity. UPC: 3701624510414Label: AlphaRelease Date: 5.22.26Format: CD
Songs and Chamber Music brings together two powerful musical voices separated by generations yet united by emotional depth and lyrical intensity. Roman Ryterband's rarely heard works trace a life marked by exile, loss, and cultural memory-from intimate Hebrew songs and elegiac chamber pieces to German Lieder and American-inspired songs shaped by war, displacement, and longing. His music blends late-Romantic richness with Jewish musical echoes, revealing a composer of striking melodic invention and human sensitivity.Alongside Ryterband's rediscovered legacy, Wojciech Stepien offers contemporary reflections on solitude, love, and memory. Drawn from his opera A Single Man and song cycles inspired by James Joyce, Stepien's works evoke California landscapes, inner monologues, and haunting emotional shadows. Together, these recordings form a moving dialogue between past and present-music that speaks quietly, intensely, and with enduring relevance. UPC: 5902547022215Label: Dux Recording Prod.Release Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
Isata has a longstanding love for the music of Prokofiev and performed his Piano Concerto No. 3 for her solo debut at the BBC Proms in 2023. Now she explores the music of this great composer further, on this electrifying new album. As with her last solo album, celebrating Mendelssohn, here Isata offers a rounded portrait of Prokofiev: original solo piano compositions, piano transcriptions by the composer of his most beloved ballets scores - Romeo & Juliet and Cinderella - as well as the opera 'The Love for Three Oranges' with it's famous March. UPC: 028948718573Label: DeccaRelease Date: 4.10.26Format: CD
In 1938 the Moravian-born Hugo Kauder (1888-1972) became one of the many Jewish musicians forced to flee Vienna into exile in the United States. Kauder's music reflects his Viennese heritage, with his generous output of chamber music in particular continuing the tradition of Brahms, not least in it's depth of feeling and dignity of manner. These four sonatas, early works balancing youthful passion and mature emotion, launch a series intended to recover the work of a composer who himself might fairly be classed as another Viennese master. UPC: 5060113447821Label: ToccataRelease Date: 5.15.26Format: CD
The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Netherlands Radio Choir, under Chief Conductor Karina Canellakis, present Rachmaninoff: The Bells & Symphonic Dances, a powerful and deeply expressive interpretation of these late masterpieces by Sergei Rachmaninoff. In The Bells, radiant choral textures and richly coloured orchestration trace a journey from youthful shimmer and lyrical warmth to ominous tolling, overwhelming drama and a final vision of serene transcendence. The outstanding soloists - Dmytro Popov, Kristina Mkhitaryan and Alexander Vinogradov - bring vocal brilliance and emotional depth, while the choir illuminates the text with clarity and a glowing, golden sound. In Symphonic Dances, rhythmic vitality and earthy drive give way to moments of nostalgia and introspection, culminating in a bold and exhilarating finale that captures the composer's unmistakable voice in his final orchestral work.Internationally acclaimed for her emotionally charged performances, technical command and interpretative depth, Canellakis has become one of the most in-demand conductors of her generation. She returns to PENTATONE as Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, further expanding a recording partnership that began with GRAMMY-nominated Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra (2023) and continued with Bartok: Duke Bluebeard's Castle (2025). UPC: 8717306265232Label: PentatoneRelease Date: 6.12.26Format: CD
PROGRAM SYNOPSIS:Hesterian Ballet-dramatic OperettaMother Nature dislikes disruptive delays and lack of organic empathy. Saturn is and karmic imprint within our DNA as the result of individually and collectively evolved experiences. It represents challenges carried from past incarnations from which we learn and master destiny. Thus, Saturn Return is a period and time of reckoning where we take responsibility for entire life cycles. It is a period of great transformation and inhanced awareness of who we are and our inherent goals. UPC: 044747409825Label: CentaurRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
The Saint-Sulpice Church in Paris is home to one of the world's most famous organs and the list of titulaires who have worked there includes such well-known composers as Charles-Marie Widor, Marcel Dupre and, of course, Daniel Roth. Since the latter's retirement at the end of 2022, 34-year-old Karol Mossakowski, born in Torun (Poland) and a graduate of Paris National Conservatory, has been continuing the glorious tradition of composers and organists at this church. This recording was produced in stereo and 5.1 multichannel versions in order to reproduce the sound experience in the room as realistically as possible. UPC: 4026798114916Label: AeolusRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
A world-premiere recording of string quintets by the long-forgotten composer Paul Caro, the final Wroclaw voice of the Neo-Romantic tradition. Known until now only through handwritten manuscripts, these newly rediscovered works impress with their clear formal design, lyrical melodic flow, and unmistakable echoes of the great masters-Bruckner, Reger, and Brahms.Performed by acclaimed chamber musicians from the Vienna and Kraków music scenes, these vibrant interpretations bring to light the remarkable expressive power and artistic promise of a composer finally receiving his due. UPC: 5902547022093Label: Dux Recording Prod.Release Date: 5.1.26Format: CD
Kerson Leong, winner of the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition in 2010, and Jonathan Fournel, winner of the Queen Elisabeth International Grand Prix in 2021, have each recorded several albums for Alpha Classics. Long-time collaborators and friends, they have come together around Faure: "His music recalls in me the images of night, of shimmering water, of solace. He's one of the composers I return to most in which to seek comfort.", says Kerson. Jonathan continues: "His writing conveys something deeply human." They chose to record his two sonatas for violin and piano - written at opposite ends of his career - as well as a selection of transcriptions of melodies and short pieces, such as the famous Berceaux, Clair de lune, Après un rêve, Soir UPC: 3701624511770Label: AlphaRelease Date: 6.5.26Format: CD
SOMM RECORDINGS celebrates the 400th anniversary of two Renaissance masters of the First Golden Age of English Song: John Dowland (1563-1626) and John Danyel (1564-1626). This recital for tenor and lute takes it's name from Dowland's song, Time Stands Still.The recording features British tenor Kieran White, who was a chorister at Wells Cathedral and held a Kohn Foundation Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music. The Guardian has praised White's "pure, luminous tenor" and Opera Magazine his "extraordinary emotional clarity." He performs with long-time collaborator and friend, the Swiss French lutenist Cedric Meyer, who holds two Masters of Arts and a postgraduate certificate with a specialisation in early music. Meyer plays here on his personally handcrafted 8-course Renaissance lute, based on an extant Italian lute from 1592. Lute songs, or "ayres," combine music and poetry to create songs that are filled with love, melancholy, and despair. John Dowland is acknowledged as the premier secular lute song composer of the late-sixteenth and early-seventeenth centuries, with a special affinity for the melancholy. It was a distinction he relished, even punning on his own name in the lute solo Semper Dowland, semper dolens - Always Dowland, always doleful. Dowland's status as a god of early music enthusiasts is matched by his astute business sense. To prevent unscrupulous printers from distributing his work in pirated editions, Dowland preserved his music by publishing it himself. The lute songs on this recording come from the First Booke of Songes or Ayres, published in 1597; the Second Booke, 1600; the Third and Last Booke, 1603; and A Musicall Banquet published by Dowland's son Robert in 1610. The texts are predominantly by anonymous authors.Unlike his enterprising publication of lute songs, Dowland never printed a definitive collection of his solo lute music. The four lute solos recorded here come from varying sources, with the result that not all can be definitively attributed. Nevertheless, the solo instrumental pieces offer a taste of the highly refined art of lute playing at the turn of the 17th century.Dowland's superstar reputation is diametrically opposed to that of his exact contemporary, John Danyel, whose vocal music survives in a single, slender volume, First Booke of Songes or Ayres-twenty-one Songs for the lute, viol, and voice-published in 1606. Danyel seems to have come from a wealthy family. He graduated from Oxford, served as a tutor and court musician, and his privacy could well have been by choice. Yet these few pieces that have survived illustrate the uniquely sensitive mind of a skillful composer. Despite being less prolific and remaining comparatively obscure, noted early music specialists consider every one of Danyel's extant works a masterpiece. UPC: 748871071827Label: Somm RecordingsRelease Date: 3.27.26Format: CD
English mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately presents an album of songs by Madeleine Dring. Born in 1923 to a theatrical family, Dring was admitted to the Royal College of Music at the age of nine. She went on to study composition with Herbert Howells, also taking lessons from Gordon Jacob and Ralph Vaughan Williams. She made her career in the theatre, earning a reputation for being able to create catchy numbers at short notice. Sadly, she died at the early age of fifty-three, of a brain aneurysm. The disparate nature of her musical legacy is often attributed to the piecemeal nature of her career; consequently, resurgence of interest in her work has lagged behind that of her contemporaries Elizabeth Lutyens, Elizabeth Maconchy, Grace Williams, and Ruth Gipps. Kitty Whately and Julius Drake have chosen widely from among her output, and end with Dring's version of Cole Porter's 'In the Still of the Night'. UPC: 0095115239025Label: ChandosRelease Date: 4.3.26Format: CD
The Finnish guitarist Kalle Kalima met the double bassist Oliver Potratz and the drummer Oliver Steidle in Berlin in the year 2000. The three musicians became companions on a journey that has now lasted for 25 years. They have defined their own sound and consistently push the boundaries of what is musically possible in a trio formation. The musical combination of influences from Finland and Berlin results in an original, wild and creative jazz music. Klima Kalima uses elements from rock, blues and folk to give their modern jazz sound a quirky and unique touch.The album 'Finn Noir' was released in 2013 (Enja Records), followed by the live album 'Live' (Planet Berlin 2022). These, along with their earlier albums 'Loru', 'Chasing Yellow' and 'Helsinki on My Mind', received excellent international reviews. They won the New German Jazz Award in 2008 and have performed concerts across Europe.Their new album 'Voyager Blues' will be released in fall 2025 on TYXart records. This project revolves around the twin spacecraft Voyager 1 and 2, which are located in the boundary zone of the solar system. One by one, the instruments on board are being shut down, in the hope that enough energy remains for the remaining devices to function until 2030. The musical project 'Voyager Blues' centers on these dying probes, with the band Klima Kalima providing the soundtrack to an imaginary film about the increasingly lonely and fading spacecraft. This theme also resonates with the lifestyle of the three musicians, who seem destined to be on the road for life.Over 25 years of hard work - through endless cycles of composing, rehearsing, performing live, and recording - the trio has developed it's own language. The magazine 'Jazzthetik' wrote of their last album: "Monk-ish in a cheerfully stubborn spirit, but not in repertoire, the three developed a richly packed program of distortions, exaggerations, and intensifications."In this project, the group returns to it's musical roots. This freer musical language is essential in 'Voyager Blues' to reflect the endless loneliness of the probes and allows even more space for ideas and dialogue among the musicians. Musically, this time the focus is on a narrative, melodic language. The basic concept is the blues - it's simplicity and clarity echo the solitary nature of dying. Alongside are melodies and polyrhythmic layers, interpreted in rock-inspired, constant dialogues between the musicians. UPC: 4250702802044Label: TyxartRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
