"If you happen to come to Frankfurt, especially in the first half of winter, please let me know. I would also come, either inviting Muhlfeld or bringing a viola part - for two clarinet sonatas that I would like Mrs. Schumann to hear. The unpretentious pieces would not disturb our comfort - but it would be nice!" This is what the 61-year-old Johannes Brahms wrote to his friend, the violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim, on October 14, 1894. Even this brief note indicates the composer's early intention to have his two sonatas, Op. 120, performed alternatively by a wind instrument or the viola. Proving that these works are much more than 'unpretentious', Salzburg violinist and violist Thomas Albertus Irnberger, together with his long-standing piano partner Michael Korstick present a late new focus of Brahms's. The subsequent "Marchenbilder", Op. 113, by Robert Schumann mark another pinnacle of the viola-piano repertoire. UPC: 9003643993747Label: GramolaRelease Date: 5.15.26Format: CD
Forgotten Danish romantic piano composer.The composer Carl Schwarz (1803-1834) is a puzzling figure in Danish music. There are only a few composers that we know less about. He is not mentioned in any reference book on the history of Danish music, nor in Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians. The all-inclusive German Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart also has nothing to say about him. It is, however, certain that he was born in Kiel, the capital of the Danish-owned duchy Holstein in 1803. There was a considerable and fruitful exchange of knowledge between the universities in Copenhagen and Kiel, so it is hardly surprising that Carl Schwarz arrived in Copenhagen and became a pupil of Kuhlau: he and Weyse were the leading Danish composers at the beginning of the 19th century. Unfortunately, we do not know when Schwarz began to receive tuition, but given that his year of birth was 1803 it is hardly unrealistic to assume that it happened around 1820. UPC: 5709499100707Label: Danacord RecordsRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
Alexander Glazunov's seven string quartets extend over the entirety of his composing career and are equal in significance to his symphonies. Fused with nationalist sentiment and Classical discipline the First String Quartet secured the Glinka Prize for the teenage composer in 1884. The advances in expressive range and formal integration in the Second Quartet include a rapturous slow movement considered a highlight of his earlier output, while the Third Quartet has become known as 'The Slavonic' for it's evocative folk-music character. UPC: 747313471676Label: NaxosRelease Date: 4.24.26Format: CD
This collection of string music by Hugh Shrapnel is a powerful, humane response to poetry, history and social unrest. From the poetry-inspired lyricism of The Hazel Nut, through the turbulent, searching drama of Nascence, to the powerful narrative of Easter Rising, these works explore struggle, awakening and the possibility of peace. UPC: 726436300254Label: Convivium RecordsRelease Date: 6.5.26Format: CD
Kruger's music can manifest itself as compositions with an enormous variety of structures and instrumental combinations, as multisensory mixtures of sound, image, and movement, or as pure electronics, or... - an aesthetic range reflected, at least partially, in the program of this album. But in spite of this heterogeneity that defies conventional categorization, there are certain significant constants in Kruger's works. One of these is the physicality of their linguistic forms and a correspondingly close connection to the interpretive powers of their performers. He investigates and redefines sounds, exploring physiognomies and contexts that were not yet in his repertoire. The early organ piece "conTemp[s]lations" might seem to be out of place, but it's expansive microtonality and unconventional coloration foreshadow Kruger's later electronic works such as "rosebud". Everything in this contemplative sound continuum is geared toward flowing transformations of sound qualities and the relationships of timbral mixtures. The instrumental monologues and dialogues of "fuckin' A!", "renk", and "nun schauervoll einmalig blickt es mich an" are characterized by a high degree of density and kinetic energy. "rosebud", for dancer, motion sensors, and live electronics was created at the renowned IRCAM center in Paris in collaboration with dancer Victor Virnot, whose choreography is closely linked to the live electronic processes. During the development of the piece, each of the two levels was influenced, and even determined, by the other, until "rosebud" finally achieved it's final, definitive form. The dancer embodies, so to speak, an "extended" musician - a hybrid of man and machine. UPC: 4010228741827Label: Wergo GermanyRelease Date: 6.19.26Format: CD
Paris is gripped by fear. A series of murders is leaving a bloody trail through the city. We are talking about E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "Das Fraulein von Scuderi," published in 1819 and often cited as one of the earliest German crime stories. And even though the story is set in the Paris of the time of Louis XIV, the work has a deeply romantic quality, driven by a fascination with genius, coupled with dark passions and terrible crimes. In 1925, Hindemith came into contact with the publicist and poet Ferdinand Lion. To Lion's libretto, influenced by New Objectivity, Paul Hindemith set music that, for all it's modernity, consciously takes up historical forms and brings them into play in a neo-baroque manner. The highly acclaimed, star-studded series of performances by the Vienna State Opera is hereby released for the first time as a gripping live recording. UPC: 845221055305Label: CapriccioRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was an Italian Baroque composer, virtuoso violinist, and priest, best known for his dynamic instrumental concertos and innovative orchestral writing. Born in Venice, Vivaldi was trained in both music and theology, eventually becoming a violin teacher and composer at the Ospedale della Pietà , an orphanage for girls with an exceptional music program. His tenure there produced many of his finest instrumental works and helped shape the distinctive Venetian Baroque style.Vivaldi's concertos revolutionized instrumental music by exploring the expressive and technical possibilities of each instrument. His violin concertos expanded the concerto form, using clear contrasts between soloist and orchestra and developing the ritornello structure that would influence composers such as J.S. Bach.His flute concertos, composed later in his career, demonstrate his sensitivity to the instrument's lyrical qualities and agility. These concertos were among the earliest significant contributions to the flute repertoire and reflect the growing popularity of the transverse flute in the early 18th century.Vivaldi also wrote around 40 bassoon concertos, an unprecedented number for the time. These works reveal his deep understanding of the instrument's expressive range, from playful and energetic to dark and solemn. They remain central to the bassoon's solo literature today.This new recording presents the first recording of concertos which missed certain movements, and which are completed by reconstructing from existing musical materials, by Alessandro Ciccolini, achieving cohesive and stylistically faithful reconstructions. Ciccolini has already works extensively reconstructing Vivaldi operas, for publication by Barenreiter and Boosey & Hawkes, and performed by Alan Curtis for DG. Played by Tommaso Rossi (flute solo), Alessandro Ciccolini (violin solo & conductor), Giovanni Battista Graziadio (bassoon solo) and the Compagnia de Violini. UPC: 5063758973212Label: Brilliant ClassicsRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
Paavo Jarvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich continue their complete cycle of Mahler symphonies with the Seventh, considered one of his most complex and challenging symphonies: "The Mahler we encounter in Symphony No. 7 is more complex, darker and more philosophical than the Mahler we know from his previous works," says Paavo Jarvi. Mahler, who was extremely busy in his role as director of the Vienna Opera, composed this symphony on the shores of Lake Worthersee in Austria during the summers of 1904 and 1905. Also known as "Song of the Night," this symphony is characterized by rich instrumentation (including a guitar and mandolin in the fourth movement) and spectacular orchestral effects: "Here, nature roars," Mahler said of the tenor horn solo at the beginning of the work. UPC: 3701624512067Label: AlphaRelease Date: 4.10.26Format: CD
Treasure Island: The Musical. This album was composed by Cyril Ornadel and Hal Shaper, and based on the original book by Robert Louis Stevenson. This original cast won the 'British Academy Award' and 'Best Musical of The Year'. Listen in full and enjoy the voices of a super cast including luminaries like Spike Milligan.
Tracklist:
Treasure Island
The Admiral Benbow Inn
Fifteen Men
Find That Boy
Shipmates, Partn'rs and Pals
Heave Oh Haul
Billow The Sails
Land Ho
Deepwater Sailors
Cheese
Cap'n Silver
Far Away From England
Never Got Caught
Treasure Island
Fifteen Men
UPC: 741869418116Label: Prestige Elite LlcRelease Date: 5.22.26Format: CD
The title stands for the idea of re-coloring - for consciously questioning listeners' expectations and musical attributions, between tradition and new beginnings. What happens when classical forms, harmonic contrasts, and contemporary musical languages collide? The rare combination of harp, clarinet, and cello in the Trianima ensemble creates a delicate, transparent soundscape that opens up space for nuances and subtleties. UPC: 4260052386972Label: Ars ProduktionRelease Date: 5.15.26Format: CD
What is the likelihood of happening upon an oasis in the heart of Europe? In this debut album, the Trio BECEL seeks to evoke just such an extraordinary curiosity. With their unfamiliar constellation of instruments, the trio reveals hidden treasures of Belgium's musical landscape from the 20th & 21st centuries. You will encounter harmonies from the Old Continent intermingled with the rhythms of America, Hungarian bells responding to Japanese poetry or even a soul on a tightrope - dancing UPC: 608917737929Label: AntarcticaRelease Date: 4.3.26Format: CD
Following a first release devoted to string trios by Hungarian composers (BIS-2107), the Trio Boccherini now presents a programme dedicated to works composed in France and Belgium during the first half of the 20th century. In a culture that so brilliantly cultivated the art of conversation, it is hardly surprising that early French string trios were often referred to as "Conversations a trois".The programme opens with a trio by Jean Cras, a Breton composer who produced a body of high-quality work while serving as an officer in the French navy. His string trio is a major work that incorporates a wide range of styles, including North African influences alongside echoes of Bach and Bartok. The next work, Eugene Ysaye's "Le Chimay", is an intense work that is demanding for performers, both technically and emotionally. The work was so named because of the venue of it's first performance, long after the composer's death. Rejecting the modernism then in vogue, Jean Francaix's Trio appears light, airborne, playful, even impertinent. Both funny and profound, the work stands out for it's unique poetic quality. The programme ends with an arrangement for string trio of Claude Debussy's famous Clair de lune, a work of timeless beauty. UPC: 7318599927084Label: BisRelease Date: 6.19.26Format: CD
One of the most sought-after young chamber ensembles of it's type, Trio Gaspard is praised for it's unique and fresh approach to the score, one recent recording prompting The Times to conclude: 'Kaleidoscopic textures and sprightly wit, wonderfully conveyed by Trio Gaspard... delightful listening'. It was founded in 2010, it's members hailing from Germany, Greece, and the UK. They studied at the European Chamber Music Academy, in Vienna. Haydn's music has been of central importance to their programming over the past fifteen years, and it is rare for them to perform a concert without one of his works. Trio Gaspard writes: 'Over this series of recordings, we present Haydn's rich output for piano trio neither chronologically nor in the groups in which the works were first published. Instead, just like the preceding discs, Volume 5 is conceived as a programme of contrasting trios that can be heard in a single sitting. We also continue the series of contemporary works which we have commissioned to accompany our Haydn project and are delighted to present the world premiere recording of Helena Winkelman's Threesome in a High-den.' UPC: 0095115236727Label: ChandosRelease Date: 4.10.26Format: CD
Ture Rangstrom's The Bridal Crown has proven to be one of the most durable Swedish operas, and has been performed in abundance in many different productions across the country. Located in Dalarna in the latter half of the 19th century, it is a kind of Romeo and Juliet story with two young lovers - Mats and Kersti - from families in enmity with each other. The drama itself cries out for music and there is even some melodies created by playwright August Strindberg himself. But then, it was released as an opera by the composer Rangstrom who created, as it would turn out, an eternally young music drama. UPC: 7393338113621Label: SterlingRelease Date: 6.5.26Format: CD
At the age of five, Accursio Antonio Cortese began studying music and the organ with his grandfather, D. Imbornone.At the V. Bellini Conservatory (now A. Scarlatti) in Palermo, he earned a Piano Diploma with O. Buogoand a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Composition with honors and special mention under M. Betta. Heearned a Master's Degree in Composition with I. Fedele at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with tophonors. He specialized in film music composition with L. Bacalov and opera with G. Battistelli, both at theAccademia Chigiana in Siena. He studied conducting with C. Caruso, choral music and choral conducting withM. Ghiglione. He furthered his knowledge of jazz music by attending international seminars in Siena and atRoccella Jazz. He has a substantial catalog of symphonic, chamber, sacred, operatic, and film compositions.His music has been performed in Italy, the USA, Argentina, Finland, Russia, Switzerland, France, and Romania,in prestigious venues. His music is published by: Suvini Zerboni - sugar music (Milan); Sconfinarte editions(Brescia); and Isuku Verlag (Munich). UPC: 8011570373403Label: StradivariusRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
In 2002, anticipating the 205th anniversary year of "The President's Own" Marine Band, the then-Directors of this beloved ensemble invited John Williams to conduct a gala concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The legendary American composer graciously accepted, noting that his own father, a percussionist, had taught his son to love and respect the Marine Band from a young age. Williams first appeared with the band on July 12, 2003, one day after the band's official 205th birthday, thus inaugurating a long collaboration sustained by mutual respect and admiration. Williams would return to the Kennedy Center for another concert, this time in celebration of the band's 210th anniversary, in 2008. Several of his most enduring works were prepared especially for the Marine Band for these concerts, from film soundtrack highlights to original concert works. These full-length gala concerts from 2003 and 2008 are, taken together, a tour de force of some of Williams' most popular and creative scores, and serve as the primary source for this unique new recording collection. "Performing with 'The President's Own, '" writes Williams, "has been one of the highest honors of my working life in music. My great hope is that listeners of this special recording will experience some of the exhilaration and fun that I enjoyed conducting these two memorable performances... this ensemble truly is a national treasure of which all Americans should be justly proud." UPC: 636943996621Label: Naxos AmericanRelease Date: 6.19.26Format: CD
Composed by Michael Gordon in 2022, Field of Vision was first presented as a large-scale site-specific work for the Sunken Garden and the surrounding grounds at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, NY. Performed on specially constructed and tuned percussion instruments, industrial metals, wood and gongs, the piece is meant to produce a complex spectrum of overtones and resonances. The large number of percussionists, and the vast performance field, is meant to highlight a sweeping perspective and the architectural movement of sound."We want to induce a quasi-meditative, almost ecstaticstate - for performer and audience alike - whereattention sharpens and dissolves, and thoughts focusand drift," Gordon explains. "In the end, I think the music emerges as an exploration of space itself. Who can tune space? The answer becomes collective: the performers, the instruments, the listeners." UPC: 713746321727Label: CantaloupeRelease Date: 6.19.26Format: CD
The works of Nikolai Myaskovsky, one of the major composers of the 20th century, remain largely unexplored. The Ural Youth Symphony Orchestra and Alexander Rudin continue their project of reviving the composer's unheralded masterpieces: his early symphonic poem Alastor embodies the aspirations of a lonely romantic hero towards an unrealisable ideal; the Seventh Symphony is a mature artist's contemplation of a man and of the world; The Kremlin by Night cantata, composed late in his career, expresses Myaskovsky's love for his motherland and it's rich history. This is the first studio recording of the cantata. "Myaskovsky's works are very close to me," says Alexander Rudin, "his music is noble, darkened, philosophical and somewhat mysterious; much in it remains unknown. Deriving from Tchaikovsky, Myaskovsky also inherits Mussorgsky's tragic disposition and premonition of catastrophe. His inherent awareness that life was restless, somewhat dangerous and unpredictable, was connected not only with his time but also with his perception of the world". UPC: 5400439008533Label: Fuga Libera LabelRelease Date: 4.10.26Format: CD
It was Prince Nikolaus of Esterhazy's increasing infatuation with the baryton that compelled Haydn, the prince's Kapellmeister, to write an unprecedented body of 125 works for baryton trio. The instrument is more like a viola d'amore than a bass viol and has extra strings behind the neck that provide resonance and opportunities for plucking effects. The six works in this album are intimate expressions of great beauty with a sustained level of invention, all of which reflect the prince's increasing confidence in the instrument. Volumes 1 and 2 are available on 8.574188 and 8.574504. UPC: 747313470877Label: NaxosRelease Date: 3.27.26Format: CD
IBS Classical presents a distinguished new release featuring violinist Valerie Steenken and pianist Ricardo Alà Alvarez, performing three major violin sonatas by Richard Strauss, Ottorino Respighi, and Manuel M. Ponce. Conceived as a journey across German, Italian, and Mexican traditions, the programme bridges late-Romantic lyricism and early-twentieth-century modern expressivity.Strauss's youthful Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 18, combines soaring melodic invention with symphonic breadth, while Respighi's Sonata in B minor unfolds as a grand, rhetorically charged architecture culminating in a majestic Passacaglia. Ponce's Sonata breve, written in Paris in 1930, distills neoclassical elegance and Mexican lyricism into a concise yet refined statement of style.In this recording, Valerie Steenken (Concertmaster of Spanish National Orchestra) and Ricardo Alà Alvarez (Professor at Reina SofÃa School) offer performances of exceptional unity and insight. Steenken's luminous tone, phrasing of great naturalness, and expressive precision find in Alvarez's pianism an ideal counterpart-sensitive, detailed, and dynamically sculpted. Their dialogue reveals a profound understanding of structure and sound, bringing each work's emotional core vividly to life. Through this project, IBS Classical reaffirms it's dedication to artistic excellence and to the renewal of essential chamber repertoire for violin and piano, presented here in a performance of rare coherence and expressive depth. UPC: 8436597701105Label: Ibs ClassicalRelease Date: 5.1.26Format: CD
Exquisite music between late Romanticism and Impressionism, which [...] definitely deserves to be heard." There is not much to add to the words of the reviewer who reported on the first part of these complete recordings for klassik-heute. Leopold van der Pals, the son of Danish-Dutch parents, grew up in Russia and spent his life searching for higher truths. His inspirations-Goethe the scientist and his spiritual successor Rudolf Steiner-and his own experiences led him to ever-new explorations of the possibilities of infinite metamorphosis to an all-encompassing state of being. The current release concludes his cycle of string quartets. A bonus track-the melodious, distinctive quintet for flute and strings, where the composer renounces all virtuoso pretensions in a particularly appealing way. UPC: 761203574322Label: Cpo RecordsRelease Date: 5.1.26Format: CD
Giacomo Puccini's much-loved opera Tosca contains some of his most famous lyrical arias. It is also a powerful and tragic theatre piece set in politically dangerous times, featuring moments of courage and romantic tenderness. The expressive force of it's narrative and the power of Puccini's strikingly inventive score has made it one of the most frequently staged operas of all time. Daniele Gatti conducts this live performance from Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, with a cast acclaimed for it's impressive vocal and dramatic characterisation. UPC: 730099060776Label: NaxosRelease Date: 5.8.26Format: CD
The coming together of the percussionist and marimbist Vassilena Serafimova and the Quatuor Ardeo,(Ardeo String Quartet) the encounter of two worlds that inspire new repertoires as well as moods and impressions, recreated partly through original arrangements. This is a subtle balance between the marimba coupled with the vibraphone and the strings: the former, pulsating and silky, brings a more pronounced rhythmic dimension and occasionally takes on a concertante role; the latter offers a warm lyricism and a texture at times dense or transparent, but always supple. A delicate balance, too, when it comes to paying homage to the works without diminishing their original artistic strength. As the works and arrangements unfold, the journey takes shape like a voyage journal where age-old traditions meet fresh inspirations. Melodies in a Bottle aims to be less a programme than a passage, one of maritime or urban perspectives, of real or imagined landscapes, of music whose history is rewritten with every note. A meeting space where curiosity becomes an attractive driving force. UPC: 3760419361037Label: La Dolce VoltaRelease Date: 4.24.26Format: CD
Do you love Brahms? Then you will also want to discover the works of Amanda Maier and Robert Fuchs: Three violin sonatas, all composed or published in 1878, are now presented by Duo Codax on GENUIN. The album combines Brahms' G-major Sonata with two rarely performed works in a similar style for the same instrumentation-an engaging look at the musical environment of the time. With great sensitivity for tonal balance and phrasing, Verena Louis (piano) and Adam Markowski (violin) shape the long, sweeping lines, warm colors, and passionate accents of this music: a beautifully recorded, outstanding release for chamber-music lovers! UPC: 4260036259605Label: GenuinRelease Date: 4.3.26Format: CD
After Passion (ALPHA747), Veronique Gens reunites with Louis-Noel Bestion de Camboulas' ensemble Les Surprises to celebrate a type of role intrinsically linked to 17th- and 18th-century French baroque opera: queens! "Operatic queens are powerful women, often torn between duty and passion, with a fundamentally complex psychology. They display a range of emotions to match the theatre's dramatic and scenic effects; they also demand above all music that is by turns intense and sophisticated." writes Benoît Dratwicki of the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, a partner in this project. With Veronique Gens, one could not dream of a better embodiment of these women's destinies set to music by the most famous composers of the time (Rameau, Rebel, Dauvergne, Royer, Desmarest, Salomon, Stuck, Destouches, Francoeur...), many of whom have been unjustly forgotten. UPC: 3701624512050Label: AlphaRelease Date: 4.10.26Format: CD
Discover the allure of Gran Teatro La Fenice, one of Italy's most iconic theatres and among Europe's grandest opera houses. Known for hosting groundbreaking opera premieres in the 19th century, La Fenice has staged legendary works from the masters of the Bel Canto era-Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, and Verdi. Each year, a quarter-million visitors from around the globe are drawn to this historic venue, while the Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro La Fenice now perform worldwide, including a celebrated appearance at Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie in July 2024.Now, Teatro La Fenice proudly presents a collection of it's finest opera recordings from the past 30 years, available for the first time on CD. Featuring between 10 and 15 carefully selected operas each year, these recordings bring the magic of La Fenice's world-renowned performances to your home. Indulge in the timeless beauty of Italian opera at it's best. UPC: 4260193298134Label: Mondo MusicaRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
Vincenzo Maltempo's considerable catalogue of recordings for Piano Classics includes a much-admired set of the two concertos by Brahms. According to Fanfare, 'Maltempo... plays with commanding technique, grand gestural sweep throughout, and real tonal bloom.' For this second volume of the composer's solo output for the piano, Maltempo has devised a compelling journey for the listener, from the noble and often heroic profile of the Ballades Op. 10 to the late and distilled collections Opp. 116-119, taking in en route the Variations on an Original Theme Op. 21 No. 1 and the eight Klavierstücke Op. 76. In his performances, Maltempo brings out this stylistic evolution of both piano-writing and harmony, enabling us to appreciate for ourselves the degree to which Brahms continually challenged himself to enrich and experiment with his style, as well as ruthlessly exercising on himself the red pen and the sharp ear which made him so shrewd a critic of fellow composers. The scholar Denis Matthews identified three phases, or styles, in Brahms, not necessarily equating to the conventional division of early, middle, and late: the architectural, contrapuntal, and lyrical. On the surface, beyond a more intense chromaticism and openness to dissonance, there is relatively little to separate the Ballades from the late works. Much the least-often heard piece in this collection is the Variations Op. 21, and the teasing ingenuity of Brahms's treatment of his theme - initially quiet and introspective - is based on a rigorous exploration of contrapuntal possibilities. The Variations date from a period immediately after his fateful meeting with Robert and Clara Schumann in Dusseldorf, when he found himself stretched to live up to the Schumanns' extravagant praise of him as the pre-eminent successor to Beethoven. They and others were captivated by the composer's own mastery of his instrument as a performer, too, and the Op. 21 Variations show Brahms moving on from the extrovert keyboard lionism of works such as the First Concerto while still using the variation principle to celebrate virtuosity as both a composer and a pianist. UPC: 5063758103688Label: Piano ClassicsRelease Date: 5.1.26Format: CD
With this recording, Violetta Khachikyan releases her third solo album, dedicating herself to rarely performed works from the Renaissance, early Baroque and Classical periods, which take on new timbres and vitality on the grand piano of the 21st century. Particular mention should be made of the three composers Marianne von Martinez, elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre and Yekaterina Alexeyevna Vorontsova. Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin seems like a retrospective and at the same time an innovative creation from old dances and forms, complemented by new harmonies and technical inventions of the modern instrument. UPC: 4260330917478Label: OehmsRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
This CD represents pianist Violina Petrychenko's longstanding efforts to promote Ukrainian music in Europe. The program introduces two composers who represent both poles of Ukrainian musical life - Borys Liatoshynsky from central Ukraine and Vasyl Barvinsky from the west of the country. The recording presents two of the most ambitious Ukrainian piano quintets, which open up different perspectives on one of the most important genres of chamber music, each influenced by unique historical and artistic circumstances. UPC: 4260052386842Label: Ars ProduktionRelease Date: 4.24.26Format: CD
Virgile Barthe, winner of the 2025 Guitar Foundation of America Competition, presents works ranging from the Baroque to the 21st century performed with his impeccable virtuosity and artistry. This recital takes us from arrangements of Domenico Scarlatti's deeply expressive sonatas and Buxtehude's brilliant Suite, to the lyrical Songs without Words of Mendelssohn and the haunting Music of Memory by Nicholas Maw. The album closes with Dusan Bogdanovic's Third Sonata, a truly virtuoso piece with it's quotes from Stravinsky and musical influences from the Balkans, jazz and the Renaissance. UPC: 747313919277Label: NaxosRelease Date: 6.12.26Format: CD
Tansman / bruchViviane Hagner, violin Poznan Philharmonic OrchestraLukasz Borowicz, conductorAlexandre Tansman (1897-1986) Violin Concerto Cinq Pieces pour violon et petit orchestreMax Bruch (1838-1920) Konzertstuck for violin and orchestra in F-sharp major, Op. 84Kol Nidrei for violin and orchestra Op. 47This captivating new recording by violinist Viviane Hagner brings together two composers whose music, at first glance, seems to come from very different worlds-yet reveals striking artistic affinities. Max Bruch, a pillar of German Romanticism, and Alexandre Tansman, a cosmopolitan Polish composer who spent much of his life in France, share a gift for melody and expressive nuance.Hagner, joined by the Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Lukasz Borowicz, offers radiant performances of Bruch's Konzertstuck and the beloved Kol Nidrei, alongside Tansman's rarely heard Violin Concerto and Cinq Pieces pour violon et petit orchestre. Recorded in July 2025 at the Poznan Philharmonic Hall, the album highlights the rich cultural threads linking German and Polish musical traditions, as well as the composers' shared appreciation for their Jewish heritage.With her luminous tone and keen musical insight, Viviane Hagner brings these works to life with both emotional depth and precision. This album is an invitation to rediscover two remarkable composers-and to experience the beauty and breadth of a repertoire that deserves far wider recognition. UPC: 4260234833423Label: AccentusRelease Date: 4.24.26Format: CD
In June 2026, Metier proudly presents composer Michael Ellison's ground-breaking set of Three Transcultural Operas: Mevlana (Say I am you), Deniz Kustu (The Sea Crossed Fisherman), and bozlak opera Binbogalar Efsanesi (Legend of a Thousand Bulls), all performed with the Hezarfen Ensemble, the leading Turkish contemporary music ensemble co-founded by Michael Ellison. Ellison spent ten years working in Istanbul and has imbued these operas with an unprecedented level of integration of Turkish culture, music, and traditional instruments, seamlessly blending them with contemporary music in a unique and personal idiom. Ellison's is a music of singing melody, colour, and contrast, evocative atmosphere, and emotional breadth and has been described as "beautifully crafted, robust, and absorbing" by the American Record Guide. A new, 2026 High Resolution edition of Mevlana (originally released in 2014 on Metier) joins the newly recorded performances of Deniz Kustu and Binbogalar Efsanesi to bring together a first complete triptych of operas. Alongside the audio recordings, Metier will release the complete digital video productions of Deniz Kustu and Binbogalar Efsanesi operas recorded at the Istanbul Music Festival. Mevlana (Say I am You) was the first opera to include Turkish instruments and vocal styles, blended here with Western operatic tradition and based on the poetry of Rumi, the historic mystic. This hypnotic work dramatically traces the story of the transformation of Jelaluddin Rumi (Mevlâna) from ordinary scholar to ecstatic mystic at the hands of wandering dervish Shams-i Tabriz and features the dynamic vocal ensemble VocaalLAB Nederland with the Hezarfen Ensemble. Ellison's second and third operas are compelling tales that resonate with the global challenges of today, both adapted from novels by Yasar Kemal and directed for stage by Simon Jones. Powerful and dramatic, Deniz Kustu (The Sea Crossed Fisherman) tells the tragic tale of village-loner Selim and orphaned street-child Zeynel, integrating traditional Turkish instruments, contemporary elements, and Western opera singers. It's shocking events and environmental repercussions reflect our own current concerns. The opera also celebrates Istanbul, it's seas and marine life, contrasting the real and fantastical seascape of the Bosphorus with the dizzying, teeming metropolis of Istanbul and one small fishing village. "The Sea-Crossed Fisherman is an arresting picture of Istanbul, from it's glittering dawns to it's seething underbelly, and Kemal's... lyrical prose is a good fit for the American composer Michael Ellison... " -James Imam, Opera Magazine. Powerful and moving, Binbogalar Efsanesi (Legend of a Thousand Bulls) is based on the masterpiece novel by Yasar Kemal about the decline and disappearance of the last nomads in Turkey, as their millennia-old pastoral way of life is destroyed. The culmination of an 8-year European Research Council project, "Beyond East and West," Binbogalar Efsanesi is a unique work, sung in Turkish and integrates the dramatic, virtuoso style of traditional bozlak Anatolian folk music voices with contemporary language. Hale Tetik, of Andante Magazine, wrote: "The love, sorrow, grief, and rebellion, emanating from the voice of bozlak singer Fatma Aydogan, were engraved in our hearts." Michael Ellison has been commissioned and performed by major orchestras and festivals across Europe and the US, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Variances, Radio France, Grenoble Festival, New York Youth Symphony, Siemens Foundation, amongst many others. He was principal investigator on the European Research Council project Beyond East and West: Developing and Documenting an Evolving Transcultural Musical Practice (2015-2023) and the PI of the AHRC-Istanbul Development Agency supported project Transtraditional Istanbul. He teaches composition at the University of Bristol, England. UPC: 809730740121Label: MetierRelease Date: 6.19.26Format: CD
For it's sixth album on the Arcana label, Voces Suaves presents a programme dedicated to one of the most influential composers of the seventeenth century, the great Giacomo Carissimi. The album features Carissimi's most famous work, the masterful oratorio Jephte, alongside two of his rarely performed virtuoso motets. It also includes the astonishingly theatrical Cristo smarrito, by Domenico Mazzocchi, Carissimi's contemporary in Rome.The works on the album showcase the expressive power of Carissimi's musical language, as well as the remarkable virtuosity of the singers who originally performed his music. Instrumental interludes by Carissimi - found in the collection of his pupil Marc-Antoine Charpentier - have been interpolated into the score of Jephte, creating a unique version of the oratorio as it may have been performed in Rome during the composer's lifetime. UPC: 3760195735923Label: Arcana RecordsRelease Date: 4.10.26Format: CD
This boxset includes the Beethoven recordings made with the Philharmonia Orchestra between 1951 and 1958: the complete symphonies (with the Nos. 8 and 9 in stereo) - Karajan's most highly regarded cycle - as well as three overtures, some arias with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, the Piano Concertos Nos. 4 and 5 with Swiss pianist Walter Gieseking, and finally the Missa solemnis. "Karajan's 1953 recording of the Seventh Symphony truly is one of the finest performances of the Symphony ever put on disc... his 1954 Pastoral is indeed miraculous." Gramophone
Tracklist:
Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21: I. Adagio Molto - Allegro Con Brio
Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21: II. Andante Cantabile Con Moto
Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21: III. Menuetto. Allegro Molto E Vivace
Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21: IV. Adagio - Allegro Molto E Vivace
Egmont, Op. 84: Overture
Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72B
Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36: I. Adagio - Allegro Con Brio
Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36: II. Larghetto
Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36: III. Scherzo. Allegro
Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36: IV. Allegro Molto
Coriolan Overture, Op. 62
Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55 "Eroica": I. Allegro Con Brio
Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55 "Eroica": II. Marcia Funebre. Adagio Assai
Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55 "Eroica": III. Scherzo. Allegro Vivace
Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55 "Eroica": IV. Finale. Allegro Molto
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: I. Allegro Con Brio
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: II. Andante Con Moto
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: III. Allegro -
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: IV. Allegro - Presto
Fidelio Op. 72, Act 1: Rezitativ. "Abscheulicher!"
Fidelio Op.72, Act 1: Arie. "Komm, Hoffnung"
Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60: I. Adagio - Allegro Vivace
Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60: II. Adagio
Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60: III. Menuetto. Allegro Vivace
Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60: IV. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Ah! Perfido, Op. 65
Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral": I. Erwachen Heiterer Empfindungen Bei Der Ankunft Auf Dem Lande. Allegro Ma Non Tr
Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral": II. Scene Am Bach. Andante Molto Moto
Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral": III. Lustiges Zusammensein Der Landleute. Allegro
Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral": IV. Gewitter. Sturm. Allegro -
Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral": V. Hirtengesang. Frohe Und Dankbare Gefühle Nach Dem Sturm. Allegretto
Symphony No. 7 in a Major, Op. 92: I. Poco Sostenuto - Vivace
Symphony No. 7 in a Major, Op. 92: II. Allegretto
Symphony No. 7 in a Major, Op. 92: III. Presto - Assai Meno Presto
Symphony No. 7 in a Major, Op. 92: IV. Allegro Con Brio
Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93: I. Allegro Vivace E Con Brio
Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93: II. Allegretto Scherzando
Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93: III. Tempo Di Menuetto
Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93: IV. Allegro Vivace
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo, Un Poco Maestoso
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": II. Molto Vivace - Presto
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": III. Adagio Molto E Cantabile - Andante Moderato
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": IV. (A) Presto -
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": IV. (B) Recitativo. "O Freunde, Nicht Diese Töne!" (Ode to Joy) -
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": IV. (C) Allegro Assai. "Freude, Freude!" -
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": IV. (D) Allegro Assai Vivace. Alla Marcia. "Froh, Froh, Wie Seine Sonnen Fliegen" -
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": IV. (E) Andante Maestoso. "Seid Umschlungen, Millionen!" -
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": IV. (F) Allegro Energico, Sempre Ben Marcato. "Freude, Schöne Götterfunken" -
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": IV. (G) Allegro Ma Non Tanto. "Freude, Tochter Aus Elysium!" -
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": IV. (H) Prestissimo. "Seid Umschlungen, Millionen!"
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 "Emperor": I. Allegro
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 "Emperor": II. Adagio Un Poco Mosso
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 "Emperor": III. Rondo. Allegro
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58: I. Allegro Moderato
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58: II. Andante Con Moto
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58: III. Rondo. Vivace
Missa Solemnis, Op. 123: Kyrie
Missa Solemnis, Op. 123: Gloria in Excelsis Deo
Missa Solemnis, Op. 123: Qui Tollis
Missa Solemnis, Op. 123: Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus
Missa Solemnis, Op. 123: Credo in Unum Deum
Missa Solemnis, Op. 123: Et Incarnatus Est
Missa Solemnis, Op. 123: Et Resurrexit
Missa Solemnis, Op. 123: Sanctus Dominus
Missa Solemnis, Op. 123: Praeludium - Benedictus
Missa Solemnis, Op. 123: Agnus Dei
Missa Solemnis, Op. 123: Dona Nobis Pacem
UPC: 5026854276700Label: Warner ClassicsRelease Date: 4.10.26Format: CD
