Beloved songs by Stanislaw Moniuszko are presented here in a striking new sound world, inspired by the tradition of 19th-century home music-making, where the piano gives way to plucked instruments-lutes and guitars. This bold artistic vision is further enriched by masterful spoken interpretations of poetry by writers close to the composer, delivered by acclaimed actor Krzysztof Gosztyla. Two contrasting vocal voices-a light, luminous female timbre and a strong, resonant male voice-come together to tell a story in which wit and humor intertwine with moments of tender, nostalgic reflection. UPC: 5902547021898Label: Dux Recording Prod.Release Date: 5.1.26Format: CD
Mezzo-soprano Anna Lucia Richter interprets Gustav Mahler's Wunderhorn Lieder and Kindertotenliederwith great emotional depth and subtle creative power - two cycles that illuminate human fate in all itsfacets like few others. In the Wunderhorn Lieder we encounter tender childhood memories and bizarre stories - a worldbetween irony, folk song and deep melancholy. The harrowing contrast is provided by theKindertotenlieder, in which Mahler sets the pain of the loss of a child to music with poignant clarity andtouching restraint. Together with the Gurzenich Orchestra Cologne under the baton of Jordan de Souza, Anna Lucia Richtergives these songs a new, very personal dimension with her highly nuanced voice. UPC: 4260183510369Label: Myrios ClassicsRelease Date: 4.10.26Format: CD
A fascinating and still enigmatic figure, Anna Bon di Venezia was one of the few professional female composers of the 18th century to secure a place in European courts. A virtuoso, singer, and composer, her career unfolded across Venice, Bayreuth, and Nuremberg, where she published her three collections of works between 1756 and 1759. Little is known about her: the only definitive biographical details come from the dedications and title pages of her publications. Anna studied under Candida della Pieta, a viola teacher and former student of Antonio Vivaldi. Even in her early years, she was recognized as a talented musician and soon distinguished herself as a composer. The collection presented here, Six Sonatas for Harpsichord, op. 2, was published in Nuremberg in 1757 during Anna's stay at the court of Bayreuth. The sonatas are dedicated to Ernestina Augusta Sophia, Princess of Saxe-Weimar, who was Anna Bon's pupil before marrying the Duke of Hildburghausen. Annarosa Partipilo excels in her meticulous performance, playing a late 18th-century fortepiano. UPC: 8007194108590Label: Tactus RecordsRelease Date: 4.3.26Format: CD
Harpist Anne-Sophie Bertrand presents Amalie's Cosmos, an evocative journey through the salons of 19th-century Europe. At the heart of Berlin's vibrant cultural life in the early 19th century stood Amalie Beer, a wealthy patron, intellectual, and matriarch of one of Europe's most influential musical families. While history often remembers her son, Giacomo Meyerbeer, as a towering operatic figure, it was Amalie's salon that cultivated artistic, scientific, and political discourse, supported composers, and encouraged the careers of remarkable women such as Fanny Hensel and Pauline Viardot.Amalie's Cosmos revives the spirit of these Berliner salons through a carefully curated program of works that echo their creativity and curiosity. From the intimate lyricism of Fanny Hensel and Glinka to the exotic colours of Debussy's Estampes, the virtuosity of Parish Alvars, and the contemporary homage to Paganini by Nimrod Borenstein, the album traces a delicate thread through time, place, and influence. The result is a shimmering musical tapestry that celebrates memory, artistry, and the enduring power of the salon as a space for inspiration and dialogue. UPC: 8717306264976Label: PentatoneRelease Date: 4.10.26Format: CD
Anne-Sophie Mutter is launching her own series of recordings on Alpha Classics, ASM Forte Forward, devoted to the music of our time: it will exclusively feature contemporary works written for her. In 2026 and 2027, this exceptional artist is celebrating her jubilee: 50 years on stage, driven by curiosity, passion and commitment to the future of music. The first opus in this new series, East Meets West, includes works by four composers from diverse origins. The programme moves from solo violin, through duo and chamber repertoire, to concerto with orchestra. It opens with Likoo for solo violin by Iranian-Dutch composer Aftab Darvishi, followed by Gran Cadenza for two violins by Unsuk Chin, a South Korean composer living in Berlin, Jorg Widmann's String Quartet No. 6, entitled Studie uber Beethoven; and concludes with Thomas Ades' concerto for violin and orchestra, Air-Homage to Sibelius, premiered in 2022 and recorded here with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the British composer himself. UPC: 3701624512449Label: AlphaRelease Date: 4.10.26Format: CD
This CD recording with flutist Anne Pustlauk is an experiment: For about 15 years, she has been researching flute performance practices in the early and late 19th centuries, which differ greatly from our performance practices today. It is not only the historical instruments that make the difference; the playing style of that time is also extremely rare today. Together with L'arpa festante under Korneel Bernolet, Anne Pustlauk searches for new forms of expression without copying a specific playing style of that time. The artists demonstrate this impressively with the famous Flute Concerto, Op. 283, by Carl Reinicke and Peter Benoit's Symphonic Poem, Op. 43A, from 1865. The program also includes Ferdinand Langer's Flute Concerto in G minor, which he composed for his friend and colleague at the Mannheim Court Theater, Franz Neuhofer (a student of the famous flute maker Theobald Boehm), who held the position of principal flutist in the orchestra there. UPC: 4011254260023Label: Note OneRelease Date: 5.15.26Format: CD
Dora Pejacevic regarded her Symphony as her most important work. Yet at it's premiere, one crucial detail was missing: her full name. In the programmes for the first performances in Vienna and Dresden, only "D. Pejacsevich" was listed. Why did the composer refrain from including her first name? And would the audience have reacted differently if they had known that the Symphony was written by a woman? UPC: 4022143234490Label: AuditeRelease Date: 4.3.26Format: CD
Annika Treutler & Aris Quartett - Sibelius: Piano Quintet & Miniatures / A true discovery: Annika Treutler and the Aris Quartett turn to Jean Sibelius's early Piano Quintet in G minor - a rarely performed gem seldom heard in the concert hall. Powerful, bold, and rich in expressive intensity, the work reveals a surprising side of the Finnish composer beyond his celebrated symphonies. Complemented by selected piano miniatures, the album unfolds a multifaceted portrait ranging from Nordic clarity to lyrical intimacy. This recording invites listeners to rediscover Sibelius - beyond the familiar repertoire and with a fresh perspective on his early chamber music.
Tracklist:
mpromptu in B minor, Op. 5 No. 5
Impromptu in E major, Op. 5 No. 6
Esquisse, Op. 76 No. 1
Elegiaco, Op. 76 No. 10
Humoristischer Marsch, Op. 97 No. 4
Etude, Op. 76 No. 2
Souvenir, Op. 99 No. 3
Novelette, Op. 94 No. 2
Im Alten Heim, Op. 74 No. 4
Romance, Op. 24 No. 9
Arabesque, Op. 76 No. 9
Björken, Op. 75 No. 4
Granen, Op. 75 No. 5
Valse Triste, Op. 44
Piano Quintet in G minor, JS 159:
Grave - Allegro
Piano Quintet in G minor, JS 159:
Intermezzo. Moderato
Piano Quintet in G minor, JS 159:
Andante
Piano Quintet in G minor, JS 159:
Scherzo. Vivacissimo
Piano Quintet in G minor, JS 159:
Moderato - Vivace
Impromptu in G minor, Op. 5 No. 1
UPC: 4255839900137Label: DecurionRelease Date: 5.8.26Format: CD
The production by the Anonima Frottolisti ensemble, which needs no introduction thanks to it's specialisation in the interpretation of medieval and Renaissance music, focuses in this work on the theme of the female figure that has been handed down to us since the fifteenth century. Cecilia represents a life story that is entirely feminine: "The lament and pity, the despair, the condition of women and their redemption," jealousy, the renunciation of nobles and knights for the defense of one's love and dignity, the "Comedy," that is, the theatrical representation of reality. The song has ancient roots in Western music, from the first monodic forms of the 15th century in France, where the protagonist is Pernette, also present in Italy in the Aosta Valley tradition at the end of the 19th century, or in the case of Jeannette, still used in children's stories in French-speaking areas, or in the fifteenth-century example La belle se sied by Guillaume Dufay and the three-voice version by Josquin Desprez, or in the narrative song of the oral tradition of the "three sisters/ladies who come from Lyon," as well as in the sacred sphere, influencing the composition of the Missa la Belle se sied in Ms. 1377 from Trento, or the Missa La Belle se sied composed by Mambriano de Orto and printed by Petrucci in 1505. The disruptive force of this tradition, that is, the traces that branched out from it starting from the European Middle Ages, are still evident and inherent in every musical and literary sphere. UPC: 8007194108682Label: Tactus RecordsRelease Date: 6.5.26Format: CD
For his third solo album for Alpha, keyboard polyglot Anthony Romaniuk returns to the piano, exploring the seven modes: derived from the major scale, the basis of ancient Greek music but nowadays endemic in folk, jazz and beyond, each one containing a world of character and mood. Starting with John Adams' Phrygian Gates, Romaniuk devised a programme comprising music by Part, Ligeti, Radiohead and Bjork with his own original compositions; arrangements of traditional Catalan and English/Scottish music and improvisations. Continuing his search for a personal and original sound, Romaniuk uses two pianos, including a Klavins upright grand piano (from the collection of Nils Frahm) which, thanks to it's massive soundboard and 4 metre long bass strings, overwhelms the listener. The addition of various analogue and digital audio effects together with innovative recording techniques brings the listener into a unique sonic landscape, approaching that of a sound-installation. UPC: 3701624512029Label: AlphaRelease Date: 4.10.26Format: CD
Mort au Printemps is a compelling journey through some of the most powerful musical visions of death from the early twentieth century, explored through the intense and versatile language of the piano duo. In this album, the Anton & Maite Piano Duo bring together three works that are deeply connected by aesthetic affinities, personal links between their composers, and a shared creative response to the tragic.At the heart of the programme lies Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, presented in the composer's own four-hand piano transcription. Far from being a reduction, this version retains all the work's primal energy, revealing with striking clarity it's rhythmic drive, structural ingenuity, and ritualistic character rooted in archaic and ancestral imagery.Alongside it stands El DÃa y la Muerte by Fernando Remacha, a two-piano work that remained hidden for decades. Inspired by the tragic death of the composer's grandson, the piece unfolds in a sombre, deeply moving musical language situated between Impressionism and Expressionism, marked by tension, dark colours, and emotional intensity.The album is completed by Claude Debussy's en blanc et noir, one of the most distinctive works of his final period, permeated by the oppressive atmosphere of World War I despite the composer's reluctance to make explicit references. Mort au Printemps powerfully reclaims the expressive depth of the piano duo repertoire, offering a recording of exceptional intensity, precision, and artistic vision. UPC: 8436597701037Label: Ibs ClassicalRelease Date: 5.1.26Format: CD
With Ravel Reflections, Anton Gerzenberg not only presents an impressive artistic statement, but also a kind of musical self-portrait: the young pianist proves himself to be an interpreter with analytical acumen, playful wit, and a captivating virtuosity that always remains committed to expression. His playing combines clarity and refinement with passion and a fearless willingness to take risks - qualities that made him the winner of the 2021 Geza Anda Competition and which also characterize this album. UPC: 4262353970966Label: Prospero ClassicalRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
What's missing in Verdi's vast discography is a production dedicated to ballet music. This box set contains complete recordings of Philips sources from the 1970s. The high audio quality combined with a less explored repertoire, and in some cases less-known, are the ingredients of a product that can still stand in a Verdi discography without the aftertaste of dejà vu. UPC: 8051773574290Label: Urania RecordsRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
"The guitar is an expressive harpsichord" declared the composer Claude Debussy after a concert by the Catalan guitarist, Miguel Llobet. The classic guitar has benefited, more than most other instruments, from arrangements of music of many genres. Renaissance and Baroque music especially suit the timbre and range of the guitar and keyboard music is ideal for playing on the guitar, often direct from the original score. Debussy's comment may be unjust to harpsichordists, but the expressive limits of the guitar may be said to outweigh those of the harpsichord.Girolamo Frescobaldi was born in Ferrara, one of the most musically stimulating cities in Italy at the end of the 1500s. He was organist of St Peter's, Rome and is said to have also been a magnificent harpsichordist. His influence spread not just through Italy, but also north of the Alps. Gaetano Greco (also Grieco) was born and worked in Naples, notably as Maestro di cappella of the Basilica in Naples from 1704-1720. He was an influential figure, numbering Domenico Scarlatti and Nicola Porpora among his pupils.If we know the name Domenico Alberti nowadays it is probably only through the eponymous bass figuration heard in many classical and pre-classical keyboard pieces. The lively Giga, from his collection of Sonatas Op.1 gives way to a more elegant Allegro from a Sonata da camera.As well as being a composer and a pupil of Pasquini, Domenico Zipoli trained for the priesthood as a Jesuit. He emigrated to Paraguay, where he aimed to complete his training, but died before he could be ordained.With Bernardo Pasquini we bridge the gap between Frescobaldi and Domenico Scarlatti. Pasquini made a close study of Frescobaldi's work, especially his early Fantasie and employed some of these ideas in his variations.Moving forward 50 years from Pasquini, Benedetto Marcello proved to be a real polymath, with interests in politics, law and literature. He left behind a substantial number of sonatas, especially for cello and harpsichord.Like Marcello, Domenico Cimarosa's main musical output was vocal music, mainly operas, of which he wrote more than 80, admired by Mozart and performed by Haydn at Eszterhaza. Cimarosa's Sonatas are a refreshing leap into the early classical style, while acknowledging Domenico Scarlatti's influence.Domenico Scarlatti's keyboard output, 555 sonatas, dwarfs all the other composers on this recording. The similarity in range between the harpsichord and the guitar makes transcriptions relatively easy.Paradies was another composer whose music was valued by Mozart, as well as Clementi and Cramer, both keyboard virtuosi of the late 1700s and early 1800s.Played with great commitment and feeling for the style by Antonio de Innocentis, who also signs for the guitar arrangements. UPC: 5063758971461Label: Brilliant ClassicsRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
a·pe·ri·od·ic is a Chicago-based experimental music ensemble founded in 2010 and directed by Nomi Epstein, featuring post-Cagean notated experimental music. Their second release on New Focus features an album-length work by Magnus Granburg written for the ensemble, Aus der Nacht, von den Wehen, a forty-five-minute episodic work comprised of 71 distinct sections that explore subtle changes in attack, decay, resonance, and pitch, using an indeterminate notation to inject variability into it's performance. UPC: 613527241261Label: New FocusRelease Date: 5.1.26Format: CD
With this sixth volume, the Arcadia Quartet completes it's series of recordings of Weinberg's string quartets. The ensemble comments: 'Although from time to time we encounter music that we have never heard before, rarely is that music something we would listen to or play again. In our times, with our technology of information, it is rather difficult to discover something meaningful and valuable that had been overlooked in the past, but when it does happen it is a really special moment. For us it happened when we first encountered the string quartets of Mieczyslaw Weinberg. We felt instantly captivated by the wonderful music, the deeply inspired melodies, and perfectly shaped structures. The joy of playing his music has only proved equalled by the enthusiastic response of the public every time we present these quartets in concert, so the obvious question arises: "How can it be that we never heard about Weinberg earlier?" His music is like a glow of light surrounded by the darkness of the unknown, and it quickly became a goal of ours to attempt to dilute these shadows. With every recording and every live performance of his music, we intend to shine some light on this wide-ranging, profound phenomenon, which has remained overlooked for so long.' UPC: 0095115236321Label: ChandosRelease Date: 6.5.26Format: CD
Duos and quartets by Wojciech Chalupka-winner of the Tadeusz Baird Competition, composer and saxophonist, and member of the acclaimed Nemesis Quartet-go far beyond personal reflections on philosophical questions. These works represent chamber music at it's highest level, brought to life in outstanding performances, including a live recording by the legendary Arditti Quartet. Striking, unconventional instrumental pairings, boundless imagination, and an effortless command of diverse musical styles define Chalupka's distinctive and compelling compositional voice. UPC: 5902547021638Label: Dux Recording Prod.Release Date: 5.1.26Format: CD
Son of the famous Johann Sebastian, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was a renowned keyboard virtuoso in the 18th century. A prolific composer and theorist of keyboard instruments, he forged the aesthetic of Empfindsamkeit, a style in which emotion is conveyed through subtle contrasts and harmonic surprises. From his Berlin sonatas to his flamboyant Fantasies, his work, published with great pomp for connoisseurs and amateurs, remains a pinnacle of musical eloquence. Arnaud de Pasquale, through the virtuosity of his playing, reveals all it's depth and expressive power. UPC: 3760385430799Label: Chateau VersaillesRelease Date: 4.10.26Format: CD
Two years ago, the Arte dei Suonatori ensemble and it's dynamic conductor and harpsichordist Marcin Swiatkiewicz presented C.P.E. Bach's 'Hamburg' Symphonies (BIS-2459) - highly expressive and personal works. Nervous, full of unexpected twists and turns, surprises, contrasts and 'affects', they are, in a word, marked by Empfindsamkeit (heightened emotionality). This time, Arte dei Suonatori and Marcin Swiatkiewicz present six 'Berlin' Symphonies, composed between 1755 and 1758, that is, before the 'Hamburg' Symphonies. Arte dei Suonatori and it's conductor chose the original versions for strings alone with harpsichord continuo, making this recording the first to offer all these works together in their original forms without the wind parts, which were added later. The chamber-like aspect of the writing is highlighted here by the ensemble's compact instrumental force, where each musician participates on an equal footing and everyone is heard. Swiatkiewicz also points out that their interpretation, resting on historically oriented performance practices, is "grounded in a constant search for analogies between music and poetry, alongside a close attention to prosody and dance forms", ensuring that they will undoubtedly delight music lovers of the 21st century. UPC: 7318599927596Label: BisRelease Date: 6.12.26Format: CD
Movses Pogossian and his colleagues in the Armenian Music Project continue their tireless advocacy for the music of Armenia with this ambitious 4-CD collection, Stanzas in August. At the heart of the release are two sub-collections devoted entirely to the music of Ashot Zohrabyan and Koharik Gazarossian, two consequential composers who shaped Armenian music far beyond their own oeuvres. The other discs include lesser-known works by Aram Khachaturian, Tigran Mansurian, and Ghazaros Saryan, as well as premieres of piano miniatures by Artur Avanesov, and premieres by Vahram Sargsyan and Aram Hovhannisyan. UPC: 613527389949Label: New FocusRelease Date: 5.1.26Format: CD
Domenico Scarlatti is one of the few composers from theage of Bach and Handel, whose year of birth he shared,to have enjoyed continuous fame and the presence of hiskeyboard music in the general repertoire since his lifetime.Though Scarlatti wrote over 500 sonatas for keyboardthere is a wide variety in these works. Some are deeplyserious others are light and almost humorous. Somesound like courtly dances others like street songs. Thisability to cover a wide range of styles and moods is oneof the hallmarks of Scarlatti's work. Asako Ogawa haschosen a varied and uplifting collection for this presentalbum, presented in superb sound. UPC: 5060216342290Label: First HandRelease Date: 6.5.26Format: CD
« With his ability, precision and sensitivity, this pupil of the celebrated Herr Mozart exceeds all expectations» (Berlinsche Nachrichten von Staats, 21 May 1789). In a letter to Eckermann in 1829, Goethe compares his playing to Napoleon's domination of the world «both feats appear amazing to us; they escape our comprehension, yet occur nonetheless - and these marvels unfold before our very eyes». And according to Mozart himself, the young man was destined to reach the same heights with the pianoforte as Raffaello had in the world of Art. UPC: 8051773578359Label: Urania RecordsRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
Following Wendepunkt, Pierre Dumoussaud continues his epic through the twilight of German Romanticism: a seldom-performed three-part work by Max Reger, abundant with nocturnal hues and elfish dances, appears here alongside two of Gustav Mahler's major poetic cycles, sung by Aude Extremo and Stephane Degout. The Deauville Easter Festival Orchestra adopts an intimate chamber-style line-up which is characteristically Viennese, perfect for voices to murmur these tales of love and death into the listener's ear UPC: 3770005527914Label: B. RecordsRelease Date: 4.24.26Format: CD
Horizon is sublimely beautiful, evocative music written for and recorded by the celebrated Australian Chamber Orchestra. Adams writes:?"There are two horizons. The visible horizon. And the true horizon.... As we scan the horizon we measure not only space, but also time. How long might it take us to traverse that distance, from where we are to as far as we can see? And what lies beyond that edge of the known?."Composer John Luther Adams' music has won a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy Award (and a number or Grammy nominations) and has been performed by such prominent ensembles as the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Seattle Symphony, and the JACK?Quartet. "John Luther Adams... one of the most original musical thinkers of the new century." (Alex Ross, The New Yorker) "His music becomes more than a metaphor for natural forces: it is an elemental experience in it's own right." (Tom Service, The Guardian) "His music perfectly echoes the landscape he loves: impersonal, relentless, larger than human scale, yet gorgeous." (Kyle Gann, Chamber Music Magazine)The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) is a unique, highly lauded string orchestra led by Richard Tognetti. It tours the world, performing works from all periods of Western classical music, and has recordings on ABC Classics, BIS, Hyperion, Chandos, Sony, and other labels.. "ACO... invigorating and highly cultivated-a breath of fresh cultural air" (Gramophone) "This terrific string ensemble... seems to shine at anything it undertakes." (San Francisco Chronicle) "ACO... The finest chamber orchestra on Earth (The Telegraph, UK) "An orchestra that, by any standards, is one of the wonders of the musical world today." (The Guardian) UPC: 800413007128Label: Cold Blue LabelRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
As chief conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali has spent five years recording Sibelius' symphonies and symphonic poems for Alpha Classics, landmarks of the discography which have received numerous awards worldwide. He wanted to continue this cycle with the famous violin concerto, for which he chose the young Swedish violinist Ava Bahari, artist in residence at the Gothenburg Symphony and ECHO Rising Star for 2026/2027... Together, they form a close-knit duo and share the same passion for the music of the Finnish composer who, heartbroken at not having realised his dream of becoming a virtuoso violinist, composed a concerto that would become an essential work in the history of music, in which soloist and orchestra merge... Rouvali and the GSO also recorded another work that demonstrates Sibelius' innovative symphonic thinking: the cycle of Four Legends of Lemminkainen, first heard in Helsinki on 13 April 1896. UPC: 3701624512159Label: AlphaRelease Date: 4.24.26Format: CD
Two early works by Robert Schumann surge with emotional intensity, where lyrical beauty meets dramatic urgency, soaring passion collides with deep introspection. Pianist Ayham Hammour, long associated with Poland and a familiar presence on major stages throughout Europe and the Americas, brings Schumann's inner world vividly to life. With imagination and keen insight, Hammour uncovers not only the composer's profound dramatic voice, but also the sparkle of wit, lightness, and subtle irony that lies beneath the surface. UPC: 5902547022062Label: Dux Recording Prod.Release Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
Winner of the 2024 York Early Music International Young Artists Competition, the trio Ayres Extemporae make it's recording debut on Linn Records with a programme that explores various colours and textures made available by the group's unusual combination of violin, five-string cello and cello. Erbarme dich! Represents a spiritual journey from torment to redemption built around the instrumental transcriptions of arias and sonatas by J. S. Bach, interwoven with the expressive depth of works by Biber and Locke. It is a profound reflection on these universal themes, tracing the full spectrum of human emotion from anger, guilt or remorse to acceptance and, ultimately, peace. The aria from the cantata BWV 55 lends it's name to this programme: a plea for mercy of touching vulnerability, signalling the beginning of the journey towards absolution. UPC: 691062079624Label: Linn RecordsRelease Date: 6.5.26Format: CD
Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan, renowned for their definitive interpretations of Bach's vocal music, have also garnered critical acclaim for their recordings of major choral and orchestral works, including Mozart's Requiem and the Mass in C minor, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and Symphony No. 9, and Brahms's Ein deutsches Requiem. Their latest venture sees them turn their expertise to Felix Mendelssohn's symphony-cantata, Symphony No. 2 'Lobgesang' (Hymn of Praise). Scored for soloists, choir and orchestra, the work comprises three symphonic movements and a final chorus - a design that clearly echoes Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Yet, Mendelssohn takes this concept further, with the concluding cantata section occupying two-thirds of the entire work's duration. It's text draws from biblical excerpts and specially commissioned poems. The initial symphonic movements, steeped in German Romanticism, deftly alternate with chorale-like passages, establishing a profound link to the ancient cantata tradition that defines the monumental finale.Premiered at St Thomas' Church in Leipzig (the same church where Mendelssohn's hero, Johann Sebastian Bach, once worked), the work celebrates the 400th anniversary of Gutenberg's invention of the printing press. It proved an immediate and resounding success, quickly becoming one of the most frequently performed works during Mendelssohn's lifetime. UPC: 7318599927619Label: BisRelease Date: 4.3.26Format: CD
With 'An American Dream?', Barbara Hannigan explores the concept of The American Dream. "I grew up in awe of America. I am still in awe, but largely in a nostalgic way. With this repertoire, I want to express my admiration for the incredible creativity and tenacity of composers who shaped a musical language that was truly their own." The Canadian conductor and soprano collaborates with her long-term partners, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, on this programme of works by American composers. With 'the fair' as a recurring theme across the repertoire, the image on the cover shows a carousel horse that is at a standstill. A pretty, painted object - but the floor is cracked and half the lights are burned out. Nostalgia and memory are mixed with underlying darkness and destruction. From George Gershwin's masterpiece Porgy and Bess - an opera about love, addiction, racism, and hope - Robert Russell Bennett's iconic arrangement of A Symphonic Picture is featured. Inspired by watching the silent film Nosferatu, Aaron Copland composed the vibrant Dance Symphony. The Carousel Waltz (arr. Don Walker) is the overture to the Broadway musical Carousel by Richard Rodgers. For the grand finale, Barbara Hannigan reunites with American composer and arranger Bill Elliott in their joint creation, At the Fair, a suite which includes a multitude of American songs and themes, including Have I Stayed Too Long at the Fair? and Jule Styne's famous hit Don't Rain on my Parade. UPC: 3701624512227Label: AlphaRelease Date: 5.22.26Format: CD
Barry Douglas CBE has established a major international career since winning the Gold Medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, in Moscow. In demand as a soloist and as a recitalist and chamber musician, he has performed with most of the world's leading orchestras. He celebrates his Irish heritage as Artistic Director of Camerata Ireland, the only all-Ireland orchestra, and of the Clandeboye Festival. Celtic Nocturne combines nocturns by John Field, traditional Irish melodies, and three compositions by Barry Douglas, all of which share the lyrical, melodic nature characteristic of Irish music. Born in Dublin in 1782, John Field moved to London in 1793 and continued his studies with Muzio Clementi. Following an extensive European tour with Clementi in 1802, Field finally settled in Russia. His Nocturnes combine classical structure with romantic expressiveness. UPC: 0095115236529Label: ChandosRelease Date: 5.22.26Format: CD
Commissioned by the Propaganda Department of the Soviet State Music Publishing House to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the October Revolution, the 'Symphonic Dedication to October' eventually became Shostakovich's Second Symphony, and was first performed, in Leningrad, in 1927. It is a short, through-composed work of around twenty minutes, it's structure involving four sections. It opens with a Largo meant to portray the primordial chaos from which order emerged, and ends with a choral setting of 'To October', a poem by Alexander Bezymensky, praising Lenin and the October Revolution. The symphony shows a marked departure in style from Shostakovich's first symphony, and is far more modernist and avant-garde. The Second Symphony made little impression, in Russia or the west, and is rarely performed. In contrast, the Fifth Symphony received a standing ovation at it's premiere, one that lasted for over half an hour, and was acclaimed both by state officials (for delivering everything that they had asked of Shostakovich) and by the public (who heard it as an expression of the suffering to which it had been subjected by Stalin). The Fifth Symphony is one of Shostakovich's best-known and most performed works, and has become standard repertoire for orchestras around the globe. UPC: 0095115537824Label: ChandosRelease Date: 4.3.26Format: CD
Karel Husa and the Belfiato Quintet - music inspired by freedom, recollections, and birds / Following the Prague Symphony Orchestra (CD Music for Prague, 2021) and the clarinettist Anna Paulova (2023), the Belfiato Quintet has also headed down the path of discovering the remarkable works of Karel Husa, a Pulitzer Prize and Grawemeyer Award winner, and one of the most prominent figures of Czech 20th-century music. Husa went to Paris to study underNadia Boulanger and Arthur Honegger. After the communist putsch of February 1948, he decided to remain abroad, working at Cornell University in the USA most of his life. He never forgot his homeland, however. This can be heard, for example, in his colourfulSerenade for Wind Quintet, Strings, Xylophone and Harp, which draws upon material from his earlier Evocations de Slovaquie. In these works, the composer relived his difficult decision not to return to his homeland. About Recollections for wind quintet and piano, the composer said: "Recollections are vivid, but not exactly precise. The way we remember things is a mix of accuracy and fancy... To accomplish all this, I wanted the composition to develop from simple tones and to return to them, all the while researching new combinations and sonorities in the quintet." Husa put his love of birds into his Five Poems for wind quintet, "for these wonderful creatures, who embellish our lives so magically"; he employs a wide range of musical resources including microtones and aleatory. In the Serenade, the superb BelfiatoQuintet is joined by the Prague Philharmonia led by Emmanuel Villaume, and inRecollections by Matous Zukal, a major talent among today's young pianists. UPC: 099925436926Label: SupraphonRelease Date: 3.27.26Format: CD
