Before Handel's celebrated Giulio Cesare captivated audiences across Europe, Antonio Sartorio had already created his own magnificent setting of this timeless libretto. Now, 350 years after it's Venetian premiere, experience this extraordinary work as it was meant to be heard-performed on period instruments in it's first modern staging. Conducted by Attilio Cremonesi, this live recording from the Innsbrucker Festwochen reveals a composer of remarkable invention: fifty-five exquisite arias and duets that showcase the birth of the high Baroque vocal tradition. With a sumptuous continuo section and richly orchestrated accompaniment, Sartorio's Giulio Cesare in Egitto stands as a vital link between Renaissance vocal art and the operatic masterworks to come. A triumph of musical archaeology and performance excellence! UPC: 4260307439477Label: Fra BernardoRelease Date: 8.21.26Format: 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
Between longing and farewell, memory and transformation, Viktor Ullmann's songs unfold as a universe of remarkable poetic intensity. Hard It Is to Leave Beauty Behind offers a richly faceted portrait of a composer whose voice resonates with particular urgency today: rooted in late Romanticism, sharpened by modernism, and indelibly marked by the upheavals of the twentieth century. Soprano Aurea Marston approaches this repertoire with acute textual sensitivity and a voice that balances radiance and fragility. At her side, Cornelia Lenzin shapes the piano part not as mere accompaniment but as an equal partner. The result is a recording that presents Ullmann's songs not simply as historical testimony, but as living art of timeless relevance-music that seeks to preserve beauty, even in the knowledge of it's transience. UPC: 4262353971109Label: Prospero ClassicalRelease Date: 9.18.26Format: 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
"Never has Bach seemed less dry and more full of fantasy," stated The Telegraph. Mahan Esfahani's mammoth project to record the complete keyboard works of Bach reaches it's zenith with The Complete Keyboard Concertos. At every stage in the series, Esfahani has sought to challenge long-held assumptions about the composer we seek to know. By teaming up with the Britten Sinfonia, he dispels any assumptions that the harpsichord might be seen as an "ancient" instrument, eschewing period instruments in favor of modern ones. In his typically scholarly but engaging liner notes, Esfahani writes of Bach the trendsetter, putting the keyboard front and center in a concerto for the first time. In addition to his roles as harpsichordist and director, Esfahani adds a compositional feather to his cap with the first recording of his own reconstruction of the "lost concerto" No. 8 (BWV1059), once available only as a small fragment. 2-CD set. UPC: 034571284811Label: HyperionRelease Date: 7.10.26Format: 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
In Celtic mythology, the 'Banshee' is a messenger between worlds. The four musicians of The BanXhies have come together around this figure, seeking to use music as a conduit from the outer world to the inner world. For their very first album, Roxana Rastegar, Yaore Talibart (violins), Suzanne Wolff and Louise Acabo (harpsichord) have chosen to explore the aesthetic connections between Venice and Vienna through the figure of Antonio Caldara Vienna, 48° North: It was here that Antonio Caldara settled, at the end of a journey that began much further south, in Venice, where he was born in 1670. Recognised from a very early age, Caldara's career was marked by decisive encounters and constant travel. In Venice, he was influenced by the works of Giovanni Legrenzi and crossed paths with Antonio Vivaldi, who, like him, would later make the journey to Vienna. There, Caldara joined a cosmopolitan and flourishing milieu, where the influence of travelling musicians such as Georg Muffat had already paved the way for a dialogue between Italian and Germanic styles. UPC: 3701624512609Label: AlphaRelease Date: 9.4.26Format: 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
Erwin Schulhoff's Menschheit brings together some of the Czech composer's most compelling and deeply personal orchestral works, written in the aftermath of the First World War. At it's heart are the rediscovered vocal symphonies Landschaften and Menschheit, visionary song cycles that reflect on loss, renewal, spirituality and the fate of humanity through richly expressive poetry and sumptuous orchestral colours. Influenced by Mahler yet unmistakably individual, these works reveal Schulhoff at a pivotal moment in his artistic development, transforming the trauma of war into music of profound emotional depth, culminating in a message of hope and human resilience. Â Performed by the Residentie Orkest The Hague under the direction of Jun Markl, with mezzo-soprano Barbara Kozelj, this live recording also showcases Schulhoff's dazzling stylistic versatility through his jazz-inspired Suite for Chamber Orchestra and his exuberant orchestration of Beethoven's beloved Rage Over a Lost Penny. Recorded in the exceptional acoustics of Amare in The Hague - one of Europe's most modern and inspiring concert halls and home of the Residentie Orkest - this album celebrates both the rediscovery of a remarkable musical voice and the artistic excellence of one of the Netherlands' leading orchestras. UPC: 0608917200614Label: Challenge ClassicsRelease Date: 9.4.26Format: 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
A tireless adventurer and eclectic soul, Joseph Bologne de Saint-George is revisited here through a unique portrait that reveals the many facets of his talent. A true polymath born in Guadeloupe, he combined the arts and arms: an outstanding fencer, military adviser and violin virtuoso, he was even Marie Antoinette's teacher. Theotime Langlois de Swarte and the Orchestre de l'Opera Royal thus shine a light on this flamboyant personality who rose above the societal constraints of the 18th century. UPC: 3760385430768Label: Chateau VersaillesRelease Date: 5.22.26Format: CD
The distinguished Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt, long associated with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra as a regular guest, conducted Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 in d Minor, in concerts on May 7 and 7, 2009 in the in the Philharmonie i'm Gasteig in Munich. This new BR-KLASSIK CD presents not only the live recording of this compelling interpretation but also a live orchestral rehearsal recording from May 2009. The latter forms part of BR Klassik's acclaimed series Conductors at Rehearsal, offering a glimpse into their artistic work with the orchestra."It seems that the Ninth is a limit. He who wants to go beyond it must pass away. [...] Those who have written a Ninth stood too close to the hereafter." Arnold Schoenberg wrote those words in reference to Gustav Mahler, who had just died without ever having heard his own Ninth Symphony performed. Bruckner was apparently afraid of the fatal number as well: "I don't want to start on my Ninth at all, I don't dare'. However, very soon after the completion of his Eighth Symphony in September 1887, Bruckner started on his first drafts. Overall, work on the Ninth then dragged on over the long period from 1887 to 1896, having to be constantly interrupted because of the composer's deteriorating health. Bruckner finally died while working on the fourth movement - and his masterpiece dedicated to "the beloved God' remained unfinished. Even without a finale, the three-movement torso that survives is, of course, extremely impressive.The completed movements were first performed in Vienna on February 11, 1903, in an unusual personal version by the conductor Ferdinand Lowe. The actual first performance of the original score with it's three movements only took place on April 2, 1932 in Munich. Ever since, Bruckner's Ninth has been an essential part of the Late Romantic symphonic repertoire - above all in it's original version.The detailed rehearsal recordings on the CD provide a deeper insight into this magnificent work. Listeners can experience first-hand how the conductor's wishes, ideas and instructions are implemented, how his explanations and his temperament change the resulting sound, and what thoughts lie behind the interpretation of the work. Thanks to this series, which is now also available on CD, the unique artistic partnership between Herbert Blomstedt and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra can be documented. Blomstedt's seemingly inexhaustible source of energy - music itself - is palpable in every word and every bar.? Herbert Blomstedt conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in concerts on May 7 and 8, 2009? Live recording of Bruckner's Symphony No. 9? Includes "Conductors at Rehearsal": live recording of the orchestra rehearsal May 7 and 8, 2009 for the Munich concerts UPC: 4035719002355Label: Br KlassiksRelease Date: 9.4.26Format: CD
For more than 50 years, Sir Simon Rattle, Chief Conductor of the Bavarian Radio Chorus and Symphony Orchestra, has devoted himself intensely to the deeply personal, emotional, and autobiographical music of Gustav Mahler.Mahler conceived his symphonies as all-encompassing universes that reflect the full spectrum of human life. He famously said: 'To me, a symphony means using every available technical resource to build a world.'To guide both orchestra and audience through these profoundly moving musical worlds, no conductor is better equipped than Sir Simon Rattle.Mahler's 'Resurrection Symphony' explores one of humanity's most profound existential questions: the meaning of life. From the opening movement, originally titled 'Totenfeier' ('Funeral Rite'), to the finale, in which the soloists and chorus proclaim 'Aufersteh'n wirst du!' ('You shall rise again!'), Mahler grapples with joy and suffering. The Second Symphony's dramatic contrasts, emotional intensity, richly coloured orchestration, and crowning choral finale have made it one of his most beloved works.Now released on CD by BR-Klassik, the Munich performance of the symphony from March 2026 brings together a stellar cast in a superb interpretation of one of the defining masterpieces of the Late Romantic symphonic repertoire.Gustav Mahler wanted his Second Symphony to exceed any known format - and he also wanted it to tackle the key questions of existence: ""Why have you lived? Why have you suffered? Is everything just one enormous, terrible joke? We have to solve these questions in some way if we want to carry on living, "" said the composer. Similar questions preoccupied him throughout his life, and with a special intensity during his time as an opera conductor in Hamburg. The Second Symphony, also referred to as the ""Resurrection Symphony"", is a complete expression of Mahler's existential struggle; both it's form and it's overpowering sound make this utterly clear.The symphony took several years to compose - it was written between 1888 and 1894. In September 1888, the first movement - which at this point still bore the title ""Totenfeier' ('Funeral Rite') - was already complete. The second and third movements were not written until 1893 and Mahler only completed the entire work in 1894. Like most of Mahler's symphonies, the work follows a ""Per aspera ad astra"" pattern ('through difficulties to the stars'). Starting with a funeral march in the main theme of the opening movement - the passing of a life full of vigour, pain, blows of fate, and only a few brief and beautiful moments - the symphony concludes with a triumphant resurrection movement. The premiere of the complete symphony took place on December 13, 1895 in Berlin under Mahler's direction; previously (on March 4 of that year) he had already performed the first three movements. The premiere of the Second Symphony thus took place after that of the Third. The reactions were initially subdued, but today the work ranks as one of the most popular of Mahler's symphonies. - The Munich concert event of May 2011 is now being released on BR-KLASSIK as a CD - it is a star-studded, outstanding interpretation of one of the most important compositions in the Late Romantic symphonic repertoire. UPC: 4035719002409Label: Br KlassiksRelease Date: 10.16.26Format: 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
Granville Bantock was born into a wealthy family (his father was a highly respected gynaecologist) in central London in 1868. Poor health scuppered his parents plans for a career in the Indian Civil service, and eventually Bantock gravitated to music, studying at both Trinity College and at the Royal Academy of Music. Early conducting engagements took him around the world with a musical comedy troupe, before he was appointed as conductor of the New Brighton Tower concerts in Cheshire. He very quickly expanded the scope of the orchestra, and stage concerts featuring works by Joseph Holbrooke, Frederic Hymen Cowen, Charles Steggall, Edward German, Hubert Parry, Charles Villiers Stanford, Corder and others, frequently devoting whole concerts to a single composer. Edward Elgar commented that Bantock had 'the most fertile musical brain of our time', On Elgar's recommendation, he became the first Principal of the new Midland Institute School of Music, in Birmingham, and within seven years had succeeded Elgar as Peyton Professor of Music at the University of Birmingham, a post he held until 1934. His unique musical style combines the romanticism of Wagner with influences of English and Scottish Folk Music, as well as the exoticism of eastern music. He had many champions of his work, including Sibelius, who became the first president of the Bantock society formed after the composer's death in 1946. UPC: 0095115538029Label: ChandosRelease Date: 10.2.26Format: CD
SOMM Recordings' Elgar from the Archives series is creating a stir amongst Elgar lovers and historic performance enthusiasts alike, with Music Web International's Nick Barnard remarking, 'SOMM's presentation is it's usual excellent self.' The series draws on the Elgar Archive of producer and master restoration engineer Lani Spahr, and SOMM is now pleased to release Volume 5, which features the oratorio The Apostles, Op. 49 (1903) and the song cycle Sea Pictures, Op. 37 (1899).Since his youth, Edward Elgar had conceived of a large-scale work depicting the disciples of Jesus and their response to the extraordinary events they witnessed. When the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival commissioned him to write a new choral work, he began to compose an intended trilogy. While the third part remains only in sketches, the first two-The Kingdom and The Apostles-are monumental contributions to British oratorio.SOMM's May 2026 release of The Kingdom (ARIADNE 5048-2) featured Sir Adrian Boult conducting The BBC Symphony Orchestra as part of the 1957 centenary celebrations for Elgar's birth. This present live recording of The Apostles is from a BBC Home Service aircheck at the Royal Festival Hall, London, on 12 June of that year. This also features The BBC Symphony Orchestra, here conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent-who, along with Boult and Sir John Barbirolli, was strongly associated with the promotion of Elgar's music in the years following World War II.As principal conductor of The BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sargent threw himself into celebrating the Elgar centenary, when the BBC broadcast all three of the major oratorios. In addition to The Dream of Gerontius, Sargent considered both The Apostles and The Kingdom to be masterpieces, which should have been much more widely known. About Sargent's 1957 performance of The Apostles, Stanley Bayliss wrote, 'the closing pages are magnificent and give us something that cannot be found even in Gerontius. This was fully understood by Sir Malcolm Sargent, who was the hero of the evening.'Included in this album is a first CD release, newly restored by Lani Spahr, of Elgar's Sea Pictures for contralto and orchestra with Gladys Ripley and George Weldon conducting the then recently formed Philharmonia Orchestra. This was recorded in 1946 for EMI. Elgar was no doubt one of Weldon's favourite composers. In 2008 SOMM first released the Sea Pictures with Gladys Ripley and the London Symphony Orchestra (SOMMCD 073, George Weldon conducts Elgar). This was recorded in 1954 at EMI's Abbey Road and produced by the late Brian Culverhouse. UPC: 758871505024Label: Somm RecordingsRelease Date: 9.18.26Format: CD
The Swiss composer Richard Flury (1896-1967) completed the last of his five symphonies in 1956, when it's unashamedly melodic and tonal style - with elements absorbed from Bruckner, Richard Strauss, Joseph Marx and other such late Romantics - made it a conscious rebellion against the modernist trends of the time. Flury, moreover, was an instinctive nature-painter, and the Swiss landscape that meant so much to him can be sensed almost as readily in supposedly abstract works such as this symphony as in those - often quasi-symphonic, like the suite also heard here - that play explicit homage to the woods and valleys in which he grew up. UPC: 5060113448057Label: ToccataRelease Date: 7.3.26Format: CD
Tracklist:
Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Op. 109-I. Vivace, Ma Non Troppo - Adagio Espressivo - Tempo I
Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Op. 109-II. Prestissimo
Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Op. 109-III. Gesangvoll Mit Innigster Empfindung, Andante Molto Cantabile Ed Espressivo
Piano Sonata No. 31 in a Flat Op. 110-I. Moderato Cantabile Molto Espressivo
Piano Sonata No. 31 in a Flat Op. 110-II. Allegro Molto
Piano Sonata No. 31 in a Flat Op. 110-III. Adagio Ma Non Troppo -
Piano Sonata No. 31 in a Flat Op. 110-III. Fuga. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor Op. 111-I. Maestoso - Allegro Con Brio Ed Appassionato
Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor Op. 111-II. Arietta. Adagio Molto Semplice E Cantabile
UPC: 028948720644Label: DeccaRelease Date: 8.21.26Format: CD
The award-winning documentary and recordings, Throw Down Your Heart, were produced and recorded by Béla Fleck, documenting his journey across Africa to research the origins of the banjo. This deluxe edition offers a complete disc of previously unreleased material from Fleck performing with virtuoso kora player Toumani Diabaté. The DVD includes 1-hour of bonus video material with 14 never-before-heard performances, new commentary by Fleck and director Sascha Paladino with behind-the-scenes insights. The set also offers an expanded essay by Fleck and new notes by Paladino.
Tracklist:
Tulinesangala – Uganda
Kinetsa – Madagascar
Ah Ndiya – Mali
Kabibi – Tanzania
Angelina – Uganda
D'Gary Jam – Madagascar, Uganda, Mali, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Cameroon
Throw Down Your Heart – Mali
Thula Mama – South Africa
Wairenziante – Uganda
Buribalal – Mali
Zawose – Tanzania
Ajula/Mbamba – The Gambia
Pakugyenda Balebauo – Tanzania
Jesus Is the Only Answer – Uganda
Matitu – Tanzania
Mariam – Mali
Djorolen – Mali
Dunia Haina Wema/Thumb Fun – Tanzania
Spirit Song – Uganda
Salam Aleikum – Mali
Chant – Tanzania
The Rights of Man / Ya Fama – Mali
Kamungoro – Uganda
Kandjo – Mali
Obughangwa - Uganda
Soumauro – Mali
Furaha –Tanzania
Mar Rano – Madagascar
Jesus of Banjul – The Gambia
Mali Jam –Mali
13, Kayi Ni Wura – Mali
Old Joe Jatta – The Gambia
Bamako
Nashville
Snug Harbor
Elyne Road
Matitu/Buribalal
Manchester
Katmandu
Kauonding Sissoko
Throw Down Your Heart
Dueling Banjos
Throw Down Your Heart Film [DVD]
UPC: 888072118324Label: Craft RecordingsRelease Date: 3.27.20Format: 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
On Mozart Horn Concertos, Ben Goldscheider joins the Munchener Kammerorchester in performances of all four concertos by Mozart, combining clarity, energy, and a strong sense of musical direction. Written for Mozart's friend, the horn player Joseph Leutgeb, these works remain central to the horn repertoire, balancing virtuosity, lyricism, with a uniquely conversational relationship between soloist and orchestra.For Goldscheider, these concertos have been a constant presence throughout his musical development, accompanying him from his early years as a horn player to major international solo appearances. This long familiarity informs an interpretation shaped by both experience and curiosity. Presented in reverse order, from the Fourth Concerto to the First, the album offers a fresh perspective on their overall arc. Ben Goldscheider makes his PENTATONE debut with this release, while the Munchener Kammerorchester appeared on the acclaimed recording of Four Seasons with Arabella Steinbacher in 2020. UPC: 8717306266086Label: PentatoneRelease Date: 10.2.26Format: CD
The second volume of the recording of the complete Flute Sonatas by Quantz!Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773) was a composer, theorist, flutist and flute maker of great name and fame. Despite being of humble origin he quickly rose to great eminence, becoming a personal friend and court composer of Frederick The Great, living happily at the sumptuous Potsdam court for 32 years, where he produced hundreds of works for the flute, playing them on the specially devised instruments that brought out their particular melodic beauty.Quantz writes about the ideal instrument: "In general the most pleasing tone quality (sonus) on the flute is that which more nearly resembles a contralto than a soprano, or which imitates the chest tones of the human voice. You must strive as much as possible to acquire the tone quality of those flute players who know how to produce a clear, penetrating, thick, round, masculine, and withal pleasing sound from the instrument."Benedek Csalog: "The present CD series, which seeks to record some 200 extant sonatas, employs modern copies of Quantz's instruments, most at this lower pitch. Through these, together with the applied performance style and technique, we hope to demonstrate convincingly the uniqueness of the Quantz flute, and the necessity of using such instruments to reveal the true character of his music."The Hungarian baroque flute player Benedek Csalog, winner of most prestigious early music competitions, among others Concours Musica Antique, Brugge (Belgium), graduated at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague in the class of Barthold Kuijken. He has been performing as a soloist in most of the European countries, Japan, North and South America, and the Middle East. He was a guest artist at major festivals, such as Utrecht Early Music Festival, Festival van Vlaanderen, Stockholm Early Music Festival, St. Petersburg Early Music Festival, etc. He played with iconic artists such as William Christie, Sigiswald Kuijken, Barthold Kuijken and Emma Kirkby as his partners.On these 2 CDs Benedek Csalog is partnered by Dora Petery and Fanni Edocs on the harpsichord. UPC: 5063758970990Label: Brilliant ClassicsRelease Date: 5.15.26Format: CD
Internationally acclaimed cellist Benedict Kloeckner and pianist Yo Kosuge join forces for a compelling collaboration. Both artists bring extensive experience from major festivals and leading orchestras, along with many years of chamber-music and recital performances?. For this album, they selected popular works and arrangements as follows: Schubert - Arpeggione Sonata; Lullaby; Nacht und Traume/Night and Dreams (arr. Kloeckner) / Mendelssohn - Sonata in D major; On Wings of Song (arr. Popper); Song Without Words (Op. 109)? UPC: 885470046143Label: Berlin ClassicsRelease Date: 6.19.26Format: CD
On the occasion of the 2025 Kreisler anniversary year, the exceptional violinist Benjamin Schmid posed the question: What happens for the violin in Vienna roughly 100 years after Fritz Kreisler? The result is this phenomenal recording with the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna under Lorenz Aichner, featuring orchestrated works by Kreisler and the world premiere recording of the "Concerto for Beni for Solo Violin and String Orchestra" (2023) by Georg Breinschmid, born in Vienna in 1973. To quote the dedicatee, it is a "magnificent violin concerto that, from my perspective, shares much with the musical understanding of Fritz Kreisler: music with unadulterated joy of playing, which devotes itself immediately and as artfully as possible to the parameters of melody, harmonic experience, and dance-like (or groovy) rhythm. There is always a close relationship to instrumental virtuosity and sonority - something very strongly pronounced in both composers. The album includes Fritz Kreisler's Preludium and Allegro "in the Style of Pugnani" and the "Viennese Rhapsodic Fantasietta" in arrangements for (string) orchestra. Kreisler's "Concerto in One Movement", based on the first movement of Paganini's Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 6, is presented here in an arrangement for wind orchestra, recorded with the Salzburg Wind Philharmonic under Hansjorg Angerer. UPC: 9003643993501Label: GramolaRelease Date: 4.3.26Format: CD
Gramophone (UK):Â A wonderful release that launches Berl Senofsky into the heady realms of collectable violin virtuosos. UPC: 4713106280301Label: Rhine ClassicsRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
The title 'Vida' of Misha Cvijovic's portrait album combines meanings from different languages - life, sight, healing and myth. The composer's music is equally multi-layered, resulting from her exploration of varying sonic and artistic perspectives. Booklet author Carl Rosman explains: 'A keen awareness of stage and physicality is constantly present, in works whose language is typically gestural, eclectic, and direct - although not without irony and polyvalence.' The album has three focal points: it begins with early compositions such as 'Lica Persefone', 'Tikkun Olam' and 'Cirque du Soleil'. As part of a young generation of composers from the former Yugoslavia who are significantly shaping the local contemporary music scene, Cvijovic also uses the ?-time rhythm of the Balkan region in the latter work, among others. She transfers this into a kaleidoscopic sound world in which the trumpet (Marco Blaauw) stands out with short acrobatic solos. The album also includes works such as 'Penumbra', 'Carbon' and 'Emotional Logic - Anger', which depart from the classical mainstream and take greater risks in improvisation and form, for example by expanding the ensemble with the timbres of accordion, baritone saxophone and electric guitar in 'Penumbra'. With 'Iktsuarpok' and 'Incandescent', the focus finally shifts to electronic and electroacoustic sound.Five of these works were recorded especially for this album in collaboration with the Ensemble Musikfabrik and Deutschlandfunk Kultur. The Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin conducted by Enno Poppe can also be heard, as well as Sebastian Berweck on the Minimoog and the Trio Splitsignals Berlin. UPC: 4010228644821Label: Wergo GermanyRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
Whether as a phone ringtone, in hotel lobbies, or in commercials for luxury goods, Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons have achieved a presence in everyday life today that the composer could not have imagined 300 years ago. However, it would be a shame to overlook the innovative testament to Baroque inventiveness that these violin concertos are, given their enormous popularity. With this recording, the Berliner Barock Solisten and Daishin Kashimoto invite listeners to rediscover the atmospheric nuances of The Four Seasons - and to listen to it with fresh ears. UPC: 4260306185412Label: Berliner PhilharmonRelease Date: 8.7.26Format: CD
Kirnberger Symphoes: World Premiere Recordings"His early acquaintance with the great school of Sebastian Bach, as well as his perspicacity, which enabled him to discover at an early stage the depth and incalculable richness in the works of this great master, unfathomable to so many others, and which had endeared him to this school, an institution which also demanded high precision and refinement in it's practice, something far more difficult to achieve than the glittering lustre of more recently founded schools, as well as for the harmonic part of the art, which it's master fathomed and exhausted as no one before him had ever done, all the more passionately and exclusively, since nature seemed to have denied him the delicate feeling for melodic beauty."- AMZ III, December 1800, p. 506 UPC: 881488250398Label: Hanssler ClassicRelease Date: 5.1.26Format: CD
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