The Brussels court attracted some of the greatest composers and organists of the time at the beginning of the 17th century, including Peter Philips, Peeter Cornet, John Bull, and, a little later, Abraham Van den Kerckhoven, all of whom explored new ways of making organs sound. Flemish and Walloon organ builders throughout Europe, and in Spain and France in particular, were building instruments at that time that were to have a profound influence on organ building in those countries. UPC: 5400439004788Label: RicercarRelease Date: 5.8.26Format: CD
Marking the fifth anniversary of Bernard Haitink's passing, Decca is proud to present the third and final limited-edition box set in a series that began with the landmark Concertgebouw Orchestra edition and continued with the London recordings. The focus of this edition is Bernard Haitink's recordings with three of the world's leading orchestras: the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Wiener Philharmoniker. Also included are recordings of Mahler and Poulenc with the European Community Youth Orchestra, Fidelio from Dresden (with Jessye Norman,) and from the early stereo years, a partnership with David Oistrakh coupling Mozart with Stravinsky. Most intriguing perhaps, is music by Turnage recorded with the Chicago Symphony. This 31-CD set features the original jackets and a booklet with insightful notes by Andrew Stewart.
Tracklist:
CDS 1-6
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1-9
The Creatures of Prometheus Overtures: Coriolan, Leonora No. 3; Egmont
Triple Concerto (Beaux Arts Trio)
CDS 7-9
Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5; Choral Fantasia
(Alfred Brendel; London Philharmonic Choir)
CD 10
Dvorák: Cello Concerto; Silent Woods; Rondo in G minor
(Maurice Gendron)
CD 11
Holst: The Planets
Elgar: Enigma Variations
CDS 12-15
Liszt: Tone Poems
CD 16
Liszt: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 ; 2; Totentanz
(Alfred Brendel)
CDS 17-18
Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 1,3 'Scottish',4 ; 5 'Reformation'
Overtures: Meeresstille Und Glückliche Fahrt; the Hebrides
CD 19
Mozart: Overtures
CD 20
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Vladimir Ashkenazy)
CDS 21-26
Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10 ; 15; the Golden Age - Suite
CDS 27-28
Stravinsky: The Firebird; Petrushka; the Rite of Spring
CDS 29-31
Verdi: Don Carlo
(Galina Gorchakova, Olga Borodina, Dmitri Hvorostovksy; Chorus ; Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden)
UPC: 028948540839Label: DeccaRelease Date: 9.18.26Format: CD
Adolf Reichel, born in 1816 in Tursnitz, was a prominent pianist, composer, and conductor who followed in the footsteps of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Siegfried Dehn. After studying in Dresden and Berlin, he spent several years in Paris, where he began a lifelong friendship with the anarchist Mikhail Bakunin. After stints in Meiningen and again in Berlin, he was appointed to Bern, where he assumed all leadership roles for the orchestra, various choirs, and the conservatory. Both symphonies were premiered in Bern (1869 and 1870). Elegance and contrapuntal virtuosity are complemented by original thematic development and a fundamental commitment to classical aesthetics. The Bern Symphony Orchestra performs the two symphonies by it's first chief conductor in a world-premiere recording under the baton of Christoph-Mathias Mueller. UPC: 7629999548473Label: Schweizer FonogrammRelease Date: 9.18.26Format: CD
Mezzo-soprano Beth Taylor and pianist Hamish Brown make their debut recital album with Linn Records. A rising vocal star, Taylor came to international prominence as a finalist of the 2023 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, and has since collaborated with both the Berliner Philharmoniker and Wiener Philharmoniker. An award-winning pianist, Brown enjoys a highly diverse collaborative career with singers, instrumentalists, orchestras and theatre. The sea-inspired programme showcases the duo's curiosity, with Taylor - equally at home in English, French and German repertoires - demonstrating her formidable technique. The recital exudes a saline atmosphere, starting with the evocative My Lagan Love arranged by Hamilton Harty and followed by Hedwige Chretien's Petits Poemes du Bord de l'Eau, Ethel Smyth's Three Moods of the Sea and Edward Elgar's celebrated Sea Pictures. Placed among these gems are songs by Schubert and Alma Mahler, together with a world premiere recording of Cameron Biles-Liddell's The Breakers. UPC: 691062079426Label: Linn RecordsRelease Date: 10.2.26Format: CD
A very special grand wind ensemble piece, composed by Mr. Mozart' has been performed for this recording by wind players (and a double bass) of the orchestra of the Wiener Symphoniker under the baton of Milan Turkovic. The work being mentioned is Mozarts Wind Serenade No. 10 in B-flat major, K. 361, widely known as the 'Gran Partita'. The 'very special'-ness of this piece was not only awed-inspiring to contemporary audiences; until today the listener is filled with awe-stricken silence by the uncomparable stylistic variety, the grand musical arc spanning over seven movements and the extraordinary Mozartian melodic riches like with hardly any other work of musical history. Contributing to the impression of the work itself is the performer's unmatched expertise with interpreting Mozart and their Viennese playing wit which is audible with every single note. UPC: 9003643993778Label: GramolaRelease Date: 9.4.26Format: CD
Rafal Blechacz returns with a compelling new Deutsche Grammophon album centered on the expressive power of C minor. Together with the Dresdner Philharmonie under Kent Nagano, he presents Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor, K. 491 and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37 - two landmark works that reveal the dramatic, introspective and visionary possibilities of the piano concerto. The program is completed by Beethoven's 32 Variations in C Minor, WoO 80, placing Blechacz both in dialog with orchestra and alone at the keyboard. The album offers a focused, repertoire-driven narrative that connects Mozart and Beethoven through one of classical music's most charged tonalities, while showcasing Blechacz's artistry in major concerto repertoire and solo Beethoven.
Tracklist:
* Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491
I. Allegro
II. Larghetto
III. Allegretto
* Ludwig Van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
I. Allegro Con Brio
II. Largo
III. Allegro
* Ludwig Van Beethoven 32 Variations in C minor, Woo 80
Theme + Variations 1-2
Variations 3-5
Variations 6-8
Variations 9-11
Variations 12-13
Variations 14-16
Variations 17-18
Variations 19-21
Variations 22-24
Variations 25-27
Variations 28-30
Variations 31-32
UPC: 028948689408Label: Deutsche GrammophonRelease Date: 8.21.26Format: CD
The prizewinning guitar duo Bluvenduo present a versatile selection of transcriptions for two guitars, several of which have never previously been arranged for this format. The freshness and sense of discovery in Schubert's Sonata in A major is a product of the music's inherent songful lyricism, perfect material for a guitar duo. So, too, is Franck's Prelude, fugue et variation, a work of variety, elegance and light textures. The three Rachmaninov Preludes provide subtly contrasting moods, while Schumann's Kinderszenen offers a wealth of intimacy, excitement and expressive refinement. UPC: 747313918478Label: NaxosRelease Date: 9.4.26Format: CD
Regarded as the father of Czech music Bedrich Smetana was a pioneer in developing a national style that culminated in his popular symphonic cycle Ma vlast. Composed after he had become deaf the Czech Dances are Smetana's last major piano works. Sparkling with distinctive character and inventiveness Book 1 elevates the humble polka to the level Chopin achieved with his mazurkas, while Book 2 was inspired by the old Moravian and Bohemian dances played to Smetana by his neighbour, a local amateur violinist. Coloured with Lisztian harmonic richness, the Piano Sonata in G minor combines Romantic expressiveness with puckish good humour. UPC: 747313471874Label: NaxosRelease Date: 8.14.26Format: CD
For the pianist and opera conductor Boris Bloch, who hails from Odessa in present-day Ukraine, the works of Frederic Chopin represent the epitome of poetry in music. Chopin's primary means of expression-the language with which he expressed everything he wanted to say-was his melody: the most beautiful kind known to man. For Chopin, however, this melody was more than that; it was a reflection of reality, behind which lay a real image or event. Heinrich Neuhaus pointed out the autobiographical character of Chopin's oeuvre. And it is precisely this autobiographical character that has helped countless people find themselves in their own biographies. This explains the immense popularity and universal appeal of his works, which are cherished all over the world. On this double CD, Boris Bloch presents a selection of Mazurkas, etudes, Impromptus, the four Ballades, and the second Piano Sonata, Op. 35. UPC: 9003643993617Label: GramolaRelease Date: 4.24.26Format: CD
Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Gil Rose present the world premiere recording of Lysistrata, or The Nude Goddess, an opera by Mark Adamo. Far removed from the fa-miliar outlines of Aristophanes' ancient comedy, this daring reimagining reshapes a ca-nonical text into something far more psychologically intricate and musically electrify-ing.Set within a richly variegated score of shifting textures and mercurial transformations, the opera unfolds as a labyrinth of mirrored themes - where melodies change alle-giance, identities blur, and every gesture carries double meaning. The familiar premise of women withholding intimacy to halt war becomes the starting point for a deeper ex-ploration of desire, power, and identity. Adamo's libretto dismantles classical certain-ties, replacing caricature with complexity, and recasts Lysistrata as a figure who must confront not only the politics of war, but the far more disquieting ambiguities of love itself.Under the leadership of conductor Gil Rose, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project has become an unsurpassed advocate for 20th and 21st century American music. Alongside Adamo, this marks their collective return to PENTATONE, following their GRAMMY-nominated recording of John Corigliano's The Lord of Cries (2023). UPC: 8717306265393Label: PentatoneRelease Date: 8.7.26Format: CD
A proliferation of programmatic music infuses Winter Night, composer Elena Ruehr's seventh release on AVIE, the result of a particularly close collaboration with the international members of the Boston Trio - violinist Irina Muresanu and cellist Mihai Marica, both Romanians, and Korean pianist Heng-Jin Park -who are joined by native New Yorker violist Marcus Thompson in Elena's piano quartet. Emotions, energy and the natural world abound in the world premiere recordings of the album's four works. The title track, Elena's Piano Trio No. 3, is a four-movement narrative that is by turns lyrical, graceful and melodic. The joyful Piano Trio No. 4, subtitled 'Ski, Kayak, Bike', recalls childhood sports enjoyed with her father, the work's dedicatee. The three movements of Piano Trio No. 5, 'Troubled Times', confront emotional responses to challenging personal circumstances, yet also seem especially appropriate now given the state of the world's current events. Piano Quartet No. 2, 'Maple', is an homage to an ancient tree that has stood the tests of time, much like the Stradivarius instruments that were made using the beautiful, dense wood. Elena's music appropriately references composers working at the same time as the famed luthier, Bach, Pachelbel and Vivaldi. UPC: 822252287622Label: AvieRelease Date: 10.2.26Format: CD
Nine years before achieving an enduring worldwide success with the operetta A Waltz Dream, Oscar Straus scored a notable success in March 1898 in Mainz-where he was then earning his living as a conductor-with his symphonic poem based on Franz Grillparzer's play Der Traum, ein Leben. As the local press rightly observed at the time, the "very appealing composition, distinguished by it's melodic flow and subtle harmonization... earned the composer, who was present, warm ovations and repeated curtain calls." Today, the work has, quite incomprehensibly, been omitted even from the most exhaustive encyclopedias. Only slightly better was the fate of The Princess of Tragant, a ballet-pantomime that in November 1912 even opened the doors of the Vienna Court Opera to Straus. Although the title has not entirely vanished, the charming tale of a decidedly choosy princess and her suitors-so warmly received by audiences at the time-was soon cast into the impenetrable shadow of A Waltz Dream. UPC: 761203553228Label: Cpo RecordsRelease Date: 7.17.26Format: CD
""The strong visual power of the music is captivating,"" one commentator reported after he heard the first of two albums devoted to the four surviving symphonies of the ""Rhineland music pope"" Ferdinand Hiller (1811-1885). With the conclusion of this cycle - small in scale but remarkable in quality - Howard Griffiths and the Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt (Oder) now present us with the earliest and the latest works in the series. Once again, it is not only the enthusiastic reviewer who will find much to enjoy. The Symphony in E minor is the passionately effervescent creation of an artist who has just turned twenty and wants to show the world all he has. The ""Final Word"", written four and a half decades later, exudes the self-confidence of a man who has long since ""made it"". He can look back nostalgically on the days of Mendelssohn and Schumann and still allow himself to write harmonic oddities without asking permission. Astonishing! UPC: 761203568222Label: Cpo RecordsRelease Date: 10.2.26Format: CD
On 18 March 1860, Vienna witnessed a genuine political sensation at the second concert of Euterpe, a young orchestra society. The programme began with several pieces by Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, which were received with great applause for the composer, who was present. Equally successful was Fantasia symphonica on themes by Ernst II, for which the Kapellmeister of the Theater an der Wien was responsible - none other than Franz von Suppe, who had succeeded in weaving several themes by his blue-blooded "colleague" into a rousing, impressive symphony. Once again, Suppe's classical training had paid off. Although he achieved immortality as the composer of Die schone Galathee and, above all, Boccaccio, he made a significant contribution with a number of serious works (such as the Requiem cpo 777 842-2). The "symphonic fantasy" is paired with Twelve Spanish Dances, a spirited collection of delightful miniatures from which the famous Jota rears it's head time and again UPC: 761203557325Label: Cpo RecordsRelease Date: 8.21.26Format: CD
GRAMMY-winning flutist Brandon Patrick George and pianist Bryan Wagorn present The Deep Has Always Known Me, an album inspired by the myth of Undine - her emergence from the depths, her experience of love, and her transformation into human form. The title, an original idea by the artists, reflects the mystery and emotional intensity at the core of the programme. Developed since 2022 and rooted in one of the duo's first post-pandemic performances, the project grew from a desire to create something meaningful after a long period of separation, centred on themes of love, loss, and solace.Romantic repertoire forms the album's foundation, with works by Franz Schubert and Carl Reinecke exploring longing and devotion through literary narratives and nature-infused sound worlds. Music by Lili Boulanger, Florence Price, and William Grant Still expands this expressive journey with warmth, intimacy, and richness of color. United by close listening and deep musical trust, George and Wagorn shape a recording that offers reflection, connection, and quiet emotional depth. UPC: 8717306265218Label: PentatoneRelease Date: 5.29.26Format: CD
The soulful sounds of the saxophone played by multi-Grammy-winning Branford Marsalis pairs perfectly with the evocative works of British composer Sally Beamish and Mahler. Led by Eric Jacobsen with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, this album delivers the songful melancholy of the Mahler songs, played by Marsalis, combined with the freneticism and imagery of Sally Beamish's two rarely heard works, brought to a center stage.
Tracklist:
Rückert-Lieder Op. 44, Ich Bin Der Welt Abhanden Gekommen (I Have Been Lost to the World)
Under the Wing of the Rock: I
Under the Wing of the Rock: II
The Imagined Sound of Sun on Stone: I
The Imagined Sound of Sun on Stone:
Imagined Sound of Sun on Stone: III
Symphony No. 2, MVT IV. Urlicht (Primal Light)
UPC: 738715292815Label: Bright Shiny ThingsRelease Date: 7.17.26Format: CD
Ex Nihilo brings together a diverse palette of music into one continuous flow. Ligeti's Musica Ricercata forms the spine of the program, interwoven with 20th century works that resonate with it and new interludes by Brecht Valckenaers. Together, they trace a lineage of invention - exploring how composers reimagine their musical language and the piano itself ex nihilo, "from nothing." ? UPC: 608917738025Label: AntarcticaRelease Date: 4.10.26Format: CD
I compose music in collections-each containing similar themes and unifying elements that create cohesion of thematic material. The following are contained in this album: Maze of Infinite Forms, Life and Opinions, Shifting Spheres, Wings of the Grasshopper, Sound Louder in Darkness. - Brian Buch UPC: 044747419824Label: CentaurRelease Date: 7.10.26Format: CD
On 24 April 2026, Divine Art is proud to present the complete Annees de pelerinage Suites for solo piano by Franz Liszt, performed by the exciting Taiwanese-American pianist Brian Hsu. Released as a 3-CD set, this monumental cycle traces a physical and emotional journey by the composer through the magnificent alpine landscapes of Switzerland, the art and literature of Italy, and the journeys within. The album was recorded and engineered in Dolby Atmosr spatial audio by GRAMMYr-nominated producer Sergei Kvitko.Brian Hsu explains how the inception of the album came during COVID: "These pieces became a way for me to travel through music-to wander the mountains of Switzerland, drift along the canals of Venice, and encounter the art and architecture of Italy through Liszt's imagination. In a moment defined by isolation, this repertoire offered connection, motion, and emotional release."Hsu's performances trace these connections, bringing forth the vivid imagery, energy, youthful exploration, and outward discovery in Books I (Suisse) and II (Italie). His performances then underline how Book III unfolds as a spiritual pilgrimage-an inward journey shaped by reflection and acceptance.Brian Hsu was drawn from an early age to the imagination, virtuosity, emotional range, and expressive power of Liszt's music, and he took on the recording of this work as a "personal challenge". Recordings of the complete Suites have been achieved in full by fewer than two dozen pianists. Hsu presents Liszt not only as the virtuoso whose technical brilliance reshaped the piano literature, but as a poet, philosopher, and artist whose musical language evolved alongside his professional and personal life. Liszt is deeply associated with dazzling virtuosity and showmanship, but this represents only one facet of a composer whose artistic voice grew increasingly reflective, restrained, and forward-looking over time. Hsu's interpretation of Annees de pelerinage presents the comprehensive view that each Book offers a distinct emotional world, and that together, they form a narrative that mirrors the stages of a life well-lived.Since his concerto debut at the age of 16 with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Brian Hsu has gone on to establish himself as a pianist of electrifying energy and highly communicative performances. Critics have praised his playing in superlatives, noting his "breadth of expression and technical ability." Mr. Hsu has performed throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and South Africa, appearing as concerto soloist with such ensembles as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Taiwan National Symphony, Juilliard Orchestra, Haddonfield Symphony, Sendai Philharmonic, University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, and music festivals. His performances have been broadcast nationally on WQXR radio in New York and All Classical Radio in Portland. In addition to competition successes, Mr. Hsu has been the recipient of numerous awards during his studies at The Juilliard School, Yale University, and the University of Michigan. An avid chamber musician, collaborator, and educator, Mr. Hsu continuously performs with distinguished artists worldwide and has given masterclasses at various colleges and universities throughout the United States and Asia. He is currently an associate professor of piano at the University of Oregon. UPC: 809730137624Label: Divine ArtRelease Date: 4.24.26Format: CD
Los Angeles-based composer Noah Meites releases a collection of his chamber music that chronicles his vibrant artistic voice and his role as an active member of that city's fertile contemporary music community. Featuring performances by Brightwork New Music, HOCKET, Linnea Powell, richi valitutto, New Thread Quartet, and Meites' own ensemble LA Signal Lab, COUNTING is a vital snapshot of a prolific artist in one of the United States' most vital new music scenes. UPC: 613527257460Label: New FocusRelease Date: 5.8.26Format: CD
Bruce Heim was the Horn Professor at the University of Louisville from 1999-2021. He is an active recitalist, soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician, and pedagogue. He has performed in Mexico, Venezuela, Poland, Belgium, Japan, Brazil, Taiwan, and throughout the United States. UPC: 044747419527Label: CentaurRelease Date: 8.7.26Format: CD
The Elastic Heart of YouthPreface - Notes of RenewalIf we understood the world, we would realize that there is a logic of harmony underlying it's manifold apparent dissonances. - Jean Sibelius, In 1907, in conversation with Gustav Mahler.Originating in distinct musical dialects - Baroque, Classical, Nordic, Slavic, French, and contemporary - the works recorded here are bound together by a vivid, elastic heart: a profound spirit of vitality that endures through tension and release, stillness and motion, loss and restoration. Beneath their differing voices beats a kindred pulse shared with the natural world.Sibelius's Le Sapin evokes the spruce's calm and poise, it's hushed sonorities suggesting their own logic of repose. Janacek's Sonata 1.X.1905 bears witness - urgent, searching, unafraid-it's broken arcs invoking the dissonances of modernity's estrangement from nature and the fragile openings through which rebirth begins. Debussy's etude pour les arpeges composes and La fille aux cheveux de lin shimmer with shifting light and color, while Clair de lune unfolds in the moon's tender chiaroscuro, a meditation of light, shadow, and serenity. Mozart's Fantasy in D minor restores grace and clarity not by denying shadow, but by transfiguring it; it's improvisatory nature finds form through discovery. Scarlatti's sonatas dance with quick, inventive pulse: sunlight on stone, castanets crossing through the air. Their brilliance is youthful joy tempered by seasoned experience.Gross's Solace turns inward towards repose. Here the heart practices a different virtuosity - the courage to be calm, to let resonance and renewal begin. Even in this quietude, her music recalls nature's adaptability, it's patient recalibrations in the face of change. Missy Mazzoli's The Elastic Heart of Youth gathers all these energies into a radiant celebration of life. It's tensile rhythms and glowing harmonies echo the supple strength of the living world-the capacity to bend, to adapt, to begin again. UPC: 053479228901Label: Sono LuminusRelease Date: 4.24.26Format: CD
Almost three hundred years ago, the legendary opera librettist Pietro Metastasio was inspired to write dramatic verse on the Olympic Games, the mother of all festivals. It's perfection was renowned, and more than 70 composers set it to music. One of the first of these was Antonio Vivaldi, whose Olimpiade was a great success at it's premiere on 17 February 1734 in Venice. Once again, the audience was witness to a brilliant comedy of errors, which was not only based on the ever-popular role reversal, but also brings into play the power of the oracle and the "sportsman's" competition for the hand of a beautiful woman. A happy ending is guaranteed, as was the case at the Innsbruck Festival 2023, thanks to the original production and, above all, the infectious music of the Prete Rosso Vivaldi. UPC: 761203565122Label: Cpo RecordsRelease Date: 5.1.26Format: CD
London-based German pianist and composer Bruno Heinen draws on classical compositions of the twentieth century and the jazz tradition in his works. Heinen's work has been described by The Guardian as eclectic, eccentric, and unobtrusively sophisticated. This album is inspired by Bela Bartok's Mikrokosmos and uses cells and ideas from volume 6 of Bartok's work, as well as lyrics in the form of Bartok quotations, to create a new suite. Bruno Heinen's quartet, The W, is a newly formed contemporary jazz combo featuring the charismatic British jazz singer Heidi Vogel. On drums is New Yorker Gene Calderazzo, who plays a leading role in the international jazz scene. The double bass is played by Italian Andrea Di Biase, who has performed with such greats as Norma Winstone and Kenny Wheeler. Like the four even lines that form the letter 'W', the four members of the group become 'one' to create a perfectly balanced and captivating new sound! UPC: 4250702802112Label: TyxartRelease Date: 7.17.26Format: CD
For this second volume of their complete Beethoven piano trios, the Busch Trio illustrates the great variety that the composer was able to draw from an ensemble of just three instruments. The Trio in G Major, begun in 1793, is the second of three published in Vienna as Opus 1. The Trio in E Flat, WoO 38, was written in 1790-1791 in Bonn: it is unusual in that it has three movements in the same key and no slow movement. The charming Allegretto in E Flat was written by a young Beethoven experimenting. The Allegretto in B Flat, WoO 39, takes us back to 1812, the era of the famous 'Archduke Trio'. Finally, the Variations in E Flat Major, Op. 44, are a series of variations on arias from a little-known opera by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf. 'When practising, rehearsing, and performing Beethoven's works, it is impossible not to be overcome by the joy, courage, the love for life and humanity,' conclude the musicians of the Busch Trio. UPC: 3701624512203Label: AlphaRelease Date: 5.8.26Format: CD
Preparing a quartet turns abstract notes into a living, breathing musical world. Working on Haydn's Op. 77 and Shaw's Entr'acte felt like stepping through Alice's looking glass, where past and present meet. Performing both works on gut strings and classical bows created a shared expressive language across centuries. Shaw's piece, inspired by Haydn's sudden shift to D-flat major, plays with surreal transitions and rich, woody textures. Haydn's quartets, though few in number, reveal clarity, lyricism, and daring rhythmic exploration. Historical editions opened new interpretive possibilities, reminding us that each performance captures only one moment in an evolving tradition. Together, these works form portals into contrasting eras, emotions, and perspectivesPreparing a quartet transforms notes and structures from something abstract into a vivid, living form. As we shaped Haydn's String Quartets Op. 77 and Caroline Shaw's Entr'acte, Alice's Looking Glass became a fitting metaphor-a portal through which past and present coexist. As a historically informed quartet, we study how older works first resonated with audiences while approaching new compositions with the same curiosity. Playing both Haydn and Shaw on gut strings and classical bows allows a shared expressive language across centuries.Shaw's Entr'acte was directly inspired by Haydn's Op. 77 No. 2, especially it's unexpected shift to D-flat major. Structured like a minuet and trio, her piece explores playful, surreal transitions that feel like stepping through the looking glass. We relished discovering how harmonics, extended techniques, and historical bows create woody, textured colors unique to gut strings. The constantly shifting meters and the pavane-like middle section offered further opportunities for imaginative shaping.Haydn's Op. 77, though influential, is his shortest quartet collection. Commissioned as six quartets, only two were completed. We open Wait Till the Clouds Roll By with the second quartet in F major. It's first movement balances clarity with a misty, exploratory development. The Menuet feels rhythmically unstable before dissolving into the dreamy Trio. The Andante's serene theme and variations momentarily suspend time before the Finale jolts us awake. In working with historical editions-full of contradictions-we embrace the interpretive possibilities they offer, knowing a recording captures only one moment in an evolving tradition.In the G major quartet, a static yet expectant opening gives way to fragmented, lively exchanges. The Adagio offers spaciousness and sublime calm. Haydn's virtuosic Presto movements inspired us to experiment with tempo, including the daring 1854 metronome markings by Karol Lipinski.Wait Till the Clouds Roll By reflects our belief that music, like Alice's journey, helps us navigate a world of beauty, confusion, humor, and transformation. Through Haydn and Shaw, we experience portals between eras, emotions, and perspectives.The Butter Quartet consists of four musicians brought together by their mutual love of vibrant historically-informed performance of string quartets. They first formed during their studies at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, but soon developed a passion and dynamic that extended beyond their conservatory years. They released their debut album 'Scintilla' in July 2024 with Brilliant Classics. The Butter Quartet enjoys integrating their research on late 18th- and early 19th-century performance practice into powerful performances. They also bring the same spirit of discovery to newly-composed works for historically-setup instruments. UPC: 5063758700337Label: Brilliant ClassicsRelease Date: 6.5.26Format: CD
In this sixth album the Choir of Girton College, Cambridge, continues it's pioneering exploration of the music of the Italian Renaissance master Marc'Antonio Ingegneri (c. 1535/36-92) with a programme exploring in music Christ's relationship with his disciples - twelve motets, symbolising the twelve disciples, framing the five-voice Missa Kyrie Secundi Toni, all in their first recordings. These further discoveries confirm Ingegneri's position as one of the masters of his age, writing music as expressive and moving as his better-known contemporaries Palestrina and Lassus - and just as individual. UPC: 5060113448019Label: ToccataRelease Date: 6.5.26Format: CD
Hardly any other event during Mozart Week has remained so vividly in visitors' memories as the 1994 production of Ombra felice.Mozart's creative excess in the field of opera is evident not only in fragments of stage works such as Zaide KV 344, L'oca del Cairo KV 422 and Lo sposo deluso KV 430, but also in the more than seventy arias and ensembles he composed as individual works. Some of these are abandoned or unfinished drafts, as Mozart's singers (or sometimes Mozart himself) were not entirely satisfied with them, while others were contributions to foreign opera productions, which were often performed in the form of pasticcios at that time. This broad compilation thus provides a good overview of Mozart's aria compositions. UPC: 4260415080950Label: BelvedereRelease Date: 4.17.26Format: CD
With Loop Tales, Camille El Bacha and Naghib Shanbehzadeh bring Western classical piano into dialogue with Persian and Middle Eastern percussion. The piano evokes echoes of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Ravel, and Steve Reich, while percussion adds a vibrant rhythmic dimension. Each piece unfolds as a looping narrative built on repetition and evolving cycles that gradually transform. Piano and percussion create an immersive counterpoint where musical traditions intersect, shaping a sonic space in which cultures meet and reinvent themselves.Rooted in a shared desire to explore repetition as a living musical material, the album invites listeners into an intimate sound world shaped by subtle variation, resonance, and rhythmic energy.Concert pianist, composer, and improviser Camille El Bacha has developed a personal musical language bridging classical heritage and contemporary creativity. Alongside him, percussionist Naghib Shanbehzadeh draws on the rhythmic traditions of southern Iran, forming a deeply collaborative musical journey. UPC: 5400439008618Label: Fuga Libera LabelRelease Date: 7.3.26Format: CD
The ongoing Schubert + series produced by pianist Can Çakmur has revealed an exceptional Schubertian. Now in it's sixth instalment, the series juxtaposes Schubert's works with those of composers he inspired. This latest program shines a spotlight on Robert Schumann. Schumann held Schubert in the highest esteem and was one of the first to recognise him as one of the most visionary composers to have ever lived and this alone would have justified this coupling. However, Çakmur delves deeper, using the program as a springboard for a philosophical discussion about naturalism within German Romanticism.The program features Schubert's brilliant Sonata in D major, D 850, composed in 1825 in the spa town of Bad Gastein. It's composition amidst the Alpine scenery likely sparked his imagination, echoing the themes of millers, hunters, forests, and mountains prevalent in his songs. Robert Schumann's Waldszenen (Forest Scenes) continues this thread of inspiration. In these nine miniatures, Schumann returns to the happy and simple lyricism reminiscent of early works like Kinderszenen. The program concludes with Schumann's Three Phantasiestucke, Op. 111, included, according to Çakmur, for the uncanny similarity between it's second piece and the slow movement of Schubert's Sonata.This program promises a compelling journey into the heart of German Romanticism, guided by Can Çakmur through the works of two of it's most pivotal figures. UPC: 7318599927602Label: BisRelease Date: 4.10.26Format: CD
