How can music by Mozart still feel undiscovered? For this ensemble, the answer lies in the piano trios: works that, despite their composer's fame, remain surprisingly absent from the concert hall. Bringing together K. 254, K. 496 and K. 548, this first volume follows Mozart's style across twelve formative years, representing three distinct periods in his writing for piano trio, from the lingering influence of the accompanied sonata to a richly conversational chamber style.

A new recording of Beethoven masterpieces by a Hungarian pianist acclaimed for her 'intelligence, technical finesse, and innate musicality' (Classics Today). As issued by Brilliant Classics in 2025, a 34CD box of music from Bach to Bartok demonstrated the impressive range of Klara Wurtz's musical affinities, in recordings which span over two decades. According to Rob Cowan in Gramophone, the box testified to a career of consistent excellence in the studio, 'her performances attentive to detail, sprightly and invariably at one with her chosen repertoire'. Such praise amplified the enthusiastic reception accorded to her long-pondered recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations, made for Piano Classics, and which was given an Editor's Choice by Gramophone for it's 'selfless commitment and personality, bringing delicacy, drama and architectural splendour to this great music.' In her latest recording, Klara Wurtz turns to equally canonic repertoire by Beethoven: the Third Piano Concerto, the 'Pathetique' and 'Moonlight' Sonatas. This illuminating combination allows the listener to trace Beethoven's development in a concentrated span of three years on the cusp of the 19th century, and specifically through his special feeling for the tragic-heroic key of C minor, which reached it's most celebrated expression in the Fifth Symphony. The slow movement of the 'Pathetique' Sonata has achieved hardly less iconic status in the popular imagination. It's mood of inward contemplation transports the listener to a space inside the mind of the 28-year-old Beethoven, which the outer panels of the sonata further heighten with their high and noble drama. From three years later, the C sharp minor of the 'Moonlight' Sonata further intensifies those contrasts of serenity and struggle with it's sublime opening movement followed by a pair of intricate and fiendishly demanding movements. In 1800 - the year before the 'Moonlight' - Beethoven addressed the legacy of Mozart head-on in the Third Piano Concerto, which takes both it's key and the shape of it's opening motif from the earlier composer's Concerto K491. Klara Wurtz is given attentive and lively support by the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice under their experienced Armenian music director, Vahan Mardirossian.

It is impossible to imagine the modern bassoon without him: almost 200 years ago, Carl Almenrader, together with Johann Adam Heckel, founded the instrument-making workshop that continues to dominate the global bassoon market unchallenged to this day. Almenrader's skill on the instrument, his refined sense of tone, and Heckel's precision craftsmanship laid the foundations for the success that Almenrader carried out into the world as a travelling virtuoso with his own compositions. Michael Kaulartz and Carl Sonje Montag present Almenrader's duets in an impressively agile, virtuosic and yet surprisingly rich and varied manner.

At a time in which even highly regarded English musicians went hungry because their employers withheld their salaries, John Hingeston was fortunate. The pastor's son from York caught people's attention as a youth with his organ playing and soon was in the service in the Earl of Cumberland. He was sent to London to receive further education and became a loyal servant. When Oliver Cromwell came to power, he made him his master of music. After the restoration of the monarchy, he played viol and was the keeper of wind instruments at the court. The young Henry Purcell was his apprentice and successor. He was a staunch advocate for his less privileged colleagues, enjoyed a distinguished reputation as a teacher, and left behind a considerable body of melodious chamber music for string instruments (and organ). Some of these features highly original instrumentation, reflecting half a century of British musical history - a 'missing link' comes to light between Orlando Gibbons on the one hand, and John Blow and Henry Purcell on the other.

This UNIQUE album encompasses selections from six centuries of Hungarian keyboard music, originating from the territory of old Hungary, and occasionally from abroad. The programme opens with the first known suite composition by a Hungarian composer. Mihaly Bulyovszky (ca 1640?1712). The program continues with Hungarian Dances from Hungarian and international collections as old as the 16th and 17th century, followed by a Toccata & Fuga by Daniel Brassai Croner (1656-1740). From the 18th century we hear a Sonata by Maria Kohary (1769-1824) and Jozsef Bengraf (1745?1791). Skipping the 19th century we freshly arrive in the 20th century, which is represented by a Divertissement by Pal Hermann (1902-1943). The 21rst century presents Lajos Huszar b.1984 in his Sonata for Harpsichord Op.11, the program ending with Cemballata by Mate Hollos (b. 1954) and a Suite by Szilvia Elek. The guide through this fascinating journey is Hungarian harpsichordist Szilvia Elek. She was born in Budapest and graduated from the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. In Hungary she studied with Jozsef Soproni (composition), Rita Wagner, Ferenc Rados, Gyorgy Kurtag (piano, chamber music) and Janos Sebestyen, then with Malcolm Bilson in the United States and Jos van Immerseel in Belgium. She defended her doctoral dissertation - summa cum laude - in 2019 at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.

This unprecedented recording - released precisely in the year of the celebrations commemorating one of the most significant figures in human history - explores the musical output of Padre Giambattista Martini dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi. A Franciscan friar and ecclesiastical musician, as well as a learned teacher and tireless researcher, Martini composed a Mass (incomplete) and various motets in honour of the Saint. From these, the Ensemble San Pietro - directed by Marcello Rossi and Giacomo Contro - has reconstructed a complete "Franciscan" Mass. The essay accompanying the CD also features a curious analogy between the composer and his saintly dedicatee, supported by a careful analysis of historical documents.

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.

Good things come in fives, said conductor Douglas Bostock as he set out to prepare a truly unrivalled selection of British works for string orchestra for this cpo recording. Over the past few years, he has created a stunning kaleidoscope in which international luminaries (Elgar, Parry, Bantock, Ethel Smyth) and more national figures join together in these recordings in an enlightening and uplifting way. The release of this fifth volume marks not only the conclusion of the series, but also the end of an era. After seven years in the role, Douglas Bostock is stepping down as principal conductor of the Sudwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, an orchestra that has provided him with outstanding support in this homage to his homeland. And once again, the sons and daughters of Albion rise up and soar over their unique musical landscapes - Imogen Holst draws inspiration from an old picaresque novel, Gordon Jacob delivers brilliant variations on a theme by Purcell, the conductor Eugene Goossens demonstrates his creative imagination, and finally, despite his "progressive" tone, the Welshman William Mathias leaves no doubt as to where he was born. A thoroughly successful finale!

In this third volume of his acclaimed Beethoven fortepiano cycle, Roberto Prosseda explores four early piano sonatas composed between 1796 and 1799, including the iconic Pathetique Sonata, the expansive Op. 7, and the intimate Op. 49 sonatas. Performing on an original 1820 Conrad Graf fortepiano, Prosseda reveals a Beethoven who is bold, unpredictable, and deeply theatrical - an improviser whose music breathes with rhetorical power, expressive contrasts, and remarkable spontaneity. Rather than seeking historical reconstruction, this recording offers a fresh rediscovery of Beethoven's creative imagination through the distinctive colours and responsiveness of one of the finest surviving instruments of it's kind. Recorded at the renowned Musicafelix Studio in Prato, Italy, this album benefits from an exceptional acoustic environment that beautifully captures the fortepiano's unique palette of transparent bass, eloquent middle register, and crystalline treble. Together, Prosseda's insightful interpretation and the studio's natural sound create an immersive listening experience that brings Beethoven's early masterpieces vividly to life, balancing architectural grandeur with poetic intimacy. 'I continue to perceive a remarkably living presence: a Beethoven who improvises, experiments, and takes risks.' - Roberto Prosseda

Novus Ritus, a CD featuring percussion, voice, live electronics, and interactive video, has been released by Stradivarius. This project is part of MUSIC4D, an initiative of the "A. Scontrino" Conservatory of Trapani, funded by the European Union under the Next Generation EU program, with scientific coordination by Eugenio Catone. MUSIC4D is an innovative project created to explore the intersections between music and technology, redefining the boundaries of education, composition, and performance in the digital age. Conceived by Antonino Errera, Novus Ritus was brought to life through a collaboration between the "A. Scontrino" Conservatory of Trapani and Arizona State University, facilitated by Simone Mancuso and Gabriel Jose Bolanos, professors of Percussion and Composition, respectively, at the university. The tracklist unfolds through four tableaux vivants, animated by the pulse of percussion rooted in archetypal rhythms. The original music is performed by the composers themselves, with the vocal contribution of Irene Sciacca, a student at the Scontrino Conservatory and co-author, alongside Errera, of the vocal lines for the chants, which are performed in four languages: Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Sicilian. The instrumentation includes both ritual Mediterranean instrumentso typical of Morocco and Tunisia and instruments used in classical and avant-garde music, including the sixxen, microtonal instruments designed by the Greek composer Iannis Xenakis. In the album liner notes, Miriam Scotto di Santolo writes: "Filtering, reverberation, granulation, and sound spatialization 'transport' the audio from the present to the remote past, closing the magic circle like contemporary mechanai. Novus Ritus, as the Latin etymology suggests, points to the cyclical nature of an Hypostasis: Rites dedicated to the Moon, the prehistoric Great Mother who appears in the sky each month as a reflection of the Sun as a sickle announcing birth and death, wind and rain, sowing and harvest, in a mystical dance that has always inspired poets, mystics, and artists everywhere." It is an original project with broad geographical and temporal horizons, an evocative listening journey that suggests narratives, stories, and references to be identified and discovered within an intertwining web of auditory and visual impressions.

The idea for a series of recordings devoted to the music of Robert Schumann arose from Pierre and Theo Fouchenneret's work on the Sonatas for violin and piano, and from a desire to expand the project by exploring the rest of his chamber music as well as his concertos - for Schumann treats the orchestra in a very chamber-music-like manner in his concertante works. Following the complete chamber music of Johannes Brahms, recorded on the same label, Pierre and Theo decided to launch this Schumann Collection, with the support of their long-standing collaborators in the field of chamber music: the Strada Quartet, Victor Julien-Laferriere, Florent Pujuila, Philibert Perrine, Felix Roth, Caroline Sypniewski, Sarah Fouchenneret, and Hortense Cartier-Bresson. All are soloists, quartet players and chamber musicians who also perform with orchestras, driven by a shared passion for Schumann's music, which lends itself particularly well to a series of live albums: there is a warmth, an urgency and a passion in the concert experience that are essential to performing this music well. Each concert was recorded by the b. records team with a view to this ambitious complete collection that you now hold in your hands.

The very first notes of this CD are enchanting: the delicate sounds that Kanahi Yamashita draws from the strings of her guitar immediately transport us to a world filled with sounds and songs that illuminate the various facets between night and dream. In the songs by John Dowland and the variations by Segei Rudnev, the darkness and depth of the night allude to death and it's eternal silence. Frank Martin's composition, Quatre pieces breves, reflects both the tranquility and the restlessness of the darkness, much like Benjamin Britten's Nocturnal after John Dowland. The journey through the night concludes with the 1953 piece Alba by Swiss composer Hans Haug, whose gentle string sounds herald the dawn - the night ends and a new day begins. Full of hope, tenderness, and melancholy, qualities so characteristic of Kanahi Yamashita's playing. Kanahi Yamashita was born in Nagasaki in 1997 and received her musical training from her parents, the renowned - and recently deceased - guitarist Kazuhito Yamashita and composer Keiko Fujiie. From a young age, she performed worldwide in a duo with her father. At the age of 13, she made her solo debut in Turin. She has lived in Berlin since 2015, where she studied at the Berlin University of the Arts with Prof. Thomas Muller-Pering and at the Nuremberg University of Music with Prof. Bjorn Colell, graduating with honors in 2026.

This recording explores Brahms' masterpieces through the lens of historical performance practice, restoring lost expressive technical traditions such as rubato, portamento and tempo flexibility. Performed on period instruments by the Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht led by specialist Johannes Leertouwer, the album reveals a sound world of striking contrasts, dramatic freedom and orchestral transparency going far beyond modern conventions.

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.

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.

What music do angels play in a Baroque manor house? At Gut Hohen Luckow, Renaissance trombonist and composer Ercole Nisini set out to answer precisely that question. Inspired by the musical putti of the Ulmer Salon, the emblems of the Knights' Hall, and the allegories of the seasons, he created a cycle of new works: contemporary music for a place dating from 1709. GENUIN now presents the world premiere recordings of these compositions, performed by an ensemble of internationally acclaimed early-music specialists. Through the distinctive combination of tenor, Renaissance trombone, theorbo, harp, organ, and historical percussion, love emblems, images of the seasons, and angelic dances spring to life in sound-a musical fantasia inspired by a place, it's images, and it's stories.

Henry Purcell Reimagined: Baroque Songs of Fate and Freedom In this recording, the Vox Orchestra, conductor Lorenzo Ghirlanda and soprano Marie-Sophie Pollak explore some of Henry Purcell's most captivating songs from King Arthur, The Fairy Queen, and Dido and Aeneas. At the heart of the programme lies a theme that remains strikingly relevant today: the confrontation with the inevitable-war, love, duty, and loss. Rather than presenting these works solely as excerpts from Baroque stage music, the performers highlight their original character as songs. Purcell's memorable melodies emerge with remarkable directness and emotional immediacy, while instrumental interludes function like modern introductions and codas. Bold string playing, expressive continuo, and vivid contrasts of tempo create a sound world that feels both historically informed and surprisingly contemporary. Marie-Sophie Pollak brings the diverse characters to life with exceptional expressive clarity, favouring direct communication over excessive ornamentation. The result is a fresh and compelling interpretation that reveals Purcell's theatre music as a timeless collection of songs, bridging the distance between the seventeenth century and today's listener.

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.

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!

Introducing Jiaxin Min in her debut album, this recording marks the arrival of a compelling new voice on the international piano scene. Emerging as an audience favourite from the Queen Elisabeth Competition she combines expressive intensity, clarity of thought and a deeply personal artistic vision. Centred around the idea of farewell and reunion, the programme brings together Beethoven's intimate Sonata Lebewohl ('Les Adieux'), Liszt's dramatic Ballade No. 2, and Barber's powerful Piano Sonata. Through these landmark works, Jiaxin Min explores themes of absence, transformation and rediscovery, drawing on her own personal journey through music and returns to the stage. Balancing virtuosity with introspection and emotional depth, this first album reveals an artist of rare maturity and personality.