Initiated by the visionary musicologist and organist Olivier Alain - brother of Marie-Claire Alain - this monumental "Encyclopedie de l'orgue" series presents an unparalleled panorama of organ repertoire. It offers a detailed exploration across diverse regions, historical periods (from the 16th century to the contemporary) and stylistic approaches. Recorded between 1958 and 1975, this comprehensive collection features several first-time releases on CD, providing a vibrant testament to the art and spirit of the organ. Major composers are represented by their complete works, while lesser-known figures are highlighted through a carefully curated selection of significant pieces. Each recording was meticulously made on an instrument truly representative of it's repertoire - one whose construction and tonal character authentically correspond to the original aesthetic of the work. The interpretations consistently pursue musical, historical, and stylistic authenticity, entrusted to some of the most distinguished organists of their era.

With Magische Tone, Jonas Kaufmann returns to the world of operetta and late Romantic opera, presenting a collection of some of the genre's most beautiful and beloved melodies. Recorded in Budapest with the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra under the baton of Dirk Kaftan, the album celebrates the rich musical heritage of the Austro Hungarian Empire (1867-1918). The new recording brings together perennial favourites by Emmerich Kalman, Franz Lehar, and Paul Abraham, alongside lesser known treasures such as Bob's entrance aria from Jeno Huszka's (Bob Herceg). Several duets enrich the programme further, including the sparkling "Komm mit nach Varasdin" from Grafin Mariza, performed with soprano Nikola Hillebrand, one of today's most sought after voices. Among the collection's highlights are the two opera arias "Hazam, hazam" from Ferenc Erkel's Bank ban and the album's title track, "Magische Tone" from Karl Goldmark's Die Konigin von Saba. These works demonstrate Kaufmann's versatility across contrasting styles and vocal demands, resulting in a glowing tribute to a cosmopolitan era of European music.

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.

Despite a difficult start in life and an early reputation as a "conceited brat" (not helped by a father who tried to market him as a "new Mozart") Carl Maria von Weber developed into a disciplined professional through rigorous training under Abbe Vogler and years of practical experience managing theatres in Breslau, Prague, and Dresden. His breakthrough as a composer was closely tied to his collaboration with clarinettist Heinrich Joseph Baermann - Weber's mastery of the clarinet's technical possibilities leading to the famous concertos that paved the way for his operatic triumphs. His masterpiece, 'Der Freischutz' became a cultural phenomenon, praised for it's "Wolf's Glen" scene and it's balance between romantic nature and demonic forces. After a life of great musical discipline amidst continued adversities, Weber died in London at only 39 years old, shortly after the successful premiere of his final opera 'Oberon'. This box celebrates the range of Weber's genius via the selection of several highly recommended reference recordings.

A portrait of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players through the 1970s, through their complete recordings for Deutsche Grammophon and Philips. This diverse range of repertoire receives luxury treatment from the musicians, always centered in beauty of tone and with the kind of joyful freedom of phrasing which world-class orchestral musicians produce when liberated from the authority of a baton. The Boston Symphony Chamber Players were created in 1964, to play at the Tanglewood Festival before the 'main event' of the Boston Symphony's concerts. Before long, the BSCP became the main event themselves, with a programme of concerts throughout the year, and a busy recording schedule. When the Boston Symphony Orchestra began to record with DG in 1970, so did the Chamber Players. Violinist Joseph Silverstein, cellist Jules Eskin and flautist Doriot Anthony Dwyer all take starring roles on an album of late chamber music by Claude Debussy, and a new booklet essay by Peter Quantrill outlines the importance of these three superb musicians to the profile and the identity of the BSCP. As led by Silverstein, the repertoire of the BSCP also reflects the inclusive nature of the main orchestra's programming. There is high modernism, in an album of modern American chamber music by Ives, Carter and Porter. There is classic modernism, in immaculately prepared accounts of landmark works by Stravinsky and Schoenberg. There are core Romantic classics such as a Dvorak string quintet and the Clarinet Quintet by Brahms. Then there are delicious rarities such as chamber-scale arrangements of Johann Strauss waltzes. This diverse range of repertoire receives luxury treatment from the musicians of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, always centred in beauty of tone and the kind of joyful freedom of phrasing which world-class orchestral musicians produce when liberated from the authority of a baton. Coming to a close with a glorious pairing of the clarinet quintets of Mozart and Brahms from 1993, led on Philips by the veteran clarinettist Harold Wright, this collection of 'Original Jacket' albums rewards lovers of chamber music with playing of consistent vitality and refinement.

'become the Sky' is a collection of meditative, piano-led pieces, deeply exploring themes of change, travel, and the profound feeling of returning home. The album was recorded at the beautiful Australian Chamber Orchestra's studios. The recording space itself became an integral part of the album's sound: it's vast and echoic, yet there's a purposeful, tangible sense of intimacy woven throughout. What began as a two-day session for an EP quickly unfolded into something more; 11 tracks ended up being recorded, each captured in straight takes in their most authentic form. Music has this incredible power to fuel our minds, transport us to different places, and help us hold onto deeply felt memories. In our fast-paced, often anxiety-fueled world, 'become the Sky' was written to be a musical companion - a way to slow down and truly appreciate life in slow motion.

For almost 3 decades, brothers Alfons and Aloys Kontarsky were the world's leading piano duo. They set the standard for all subsequent pairs of siblings to play the piano. Even today, their musical and analytical acuity and intellectual insight remain unrivalled. What is particularly fascinating about their playing is the lucid, transparent sound. An American critic summed it up succinctly, "One pianist in two bodies." Between 1959 and 1983, they recorded numerous albums for Deutsche Grammophon. These recordings are now available for the first time as an 18 CD Original Jackets Collection, which includes three CD premieres. Saint-Saens' 'Carnival of the Animals' is featured in 3 versions: English, German and a purely musical rendition. Additional Philips, ECM & Koch Schwann recordings are also available, as are live recordings from the Lockenhaus festival. The portrait is completed by liner notes from Peter Uehling & Markus Kettner, as well as numerous rare and unpublished photos.

Child's Play is a double album of chamber music by Australian composer Carl Vine, one of the most approachable and prolific composers of our day. Vine's output embraces 8 symphonies, 13 concertante works, numerous chamber works, plus music for film, television, dance and theatre. This album marks the final recording of the Goldner String Quartet, whose members have chosen to honor the occasion in the company of friends, including longtime collaborator Piers Lane. The album's title is taken from the String Quartet No 6. In the liner notes, written by the composer himself, Vine writes of being commissioned to create music that "uplifted, edified and elated."

Her first solo recital, and it's a triumph, concluded the Times in it's 5-star review of one of 2024's Top 20 Classical Albums. Forming part of Mishka Rushdie Momen's mission to restore a fuller picture of English Renaissance music after the 'cultural vandalism' of the Tudor Reformation, this chart-topping debut album makes a powerful case for playing these early keyboard works with the full expressive joy of a modern Steinway.

STEPHAN MOCCIO / SCENES FROM A VELVET ROOM Stephan Moccio - composer behind hit songs for Celine Dion, Miley Cyrus, and The Weeknd - recalls his formative years as pianist at the Toronto Four Seasons hotel lounge on his wistful, nostalgic, and jazz-infused new album Scenes from a Velvet Room. (Decca Records)

The new audiophile vinyl series DECCA PURE ANALOGUE presents iconic recordings from the Decca and Philips archives in a whole new sound quality. The renowned Emil Berliner Studios have remastered in 100% analogue quality (AAA) using technologies developed specially for the series. Each release in the series is pressed on 180g heavyweight virgin vinyl records and presented in deluxe gatefold editions, with original artwork and liner notes, with additional photos and facsimiles of the tape boxes and recording documentation. Furthermore, each hand-numbered limited-edition release includes a new essay by Dominic Fyfe, Label Director of Decca Classics and Rainer Maillard (EBS) detailing the history of the recording and the technical background and procedure for the release.

In this album two Swiss musicians - the cellist Andreas Graf and pianist Evelyne Grandy - transform what is essentially a song recital into a programme of lyrical miniatures for cello and piano. They thread their own arrangements of melodies by five fellow Swiss composers through some unfamiliar versions of well-known tunes, casting some long-standing favourites in new light and setting them alongside new delicacies.

Classical music in Australia is barely two centuries old, and many of it's riches remain as good as unknown, both at home and abroad. This album of chamber music featuring the horn - itself a largely unfamiliar genre - charts the evolution of Australian music in microcosm, from Romanticism via modernism to a sound suggesting the open space of the outback. This repertoire is as good as unknown at home and further afield, though all of it has personality and presence, and should prove of interest to the international horn-playing community and to audiences more generally.

Signum Quartett presents the album the earth trembled, recontextualising the visionary string quartets of Leos Janacek alongside the striking String Quartet Op. 8 by Vitezslava Kapralova. Janacek's lifelong engagement with folk traditions shaped these works profoundly; he lays bare an extraordinary spectrum of feeling, exposing the innermost reaches of his psyche with an almost unsettling immediacy, music in which the earth really does tremble. Set against this, Kapralova's quartet offers balance: a strikingly youthful yet assured voice emerging from the same cultural milieu, opening an equally compelling emotional range. Interspersed throughout are fragments of Janacek's folk song arrangements and intimate miniatures from his album for Kamila Stosslova, whose absent voice subtly haunts the programme, weaving a fragile, imagined narrative between the works. This recording offers a fresh perspective on works that have accompanied the Quartett for many years and remain among the most emotionally overwhelming in the repertoire. Signum Quartett is frequently hailed as one of the most adventurous and outstanding ensembles of today. This is the quartet's fourth album with PENTATONE, after the Schubert cycle including Aus der Ferne (2018), Ins stille Land (2020), and Lebensmuth (2023).

September 2026, Metier Records presents Cliff Edge from Irish-born composer David Wallace: a striking new album of six works that illuminate his distinctive approach to material-led composition. Scored for forces ranging from solo bass clarinet to mixed chamber ensemble, the album presents a world where musical ideas behave like living organisms - shifting, resisting, and revealing themselves through pressure and transformation. The performers include Heather Roche, Chenyin LI, Jean Kelly (harp), James Widden (violin/viola), Heather Holford, and other leading UK and international soloists and chamber musicians. Wallace's compositional style blends classical elegance with modern innovation, often including elements of traditional Irish music, at times also featuring extended techniques or electronics. His music takes shape organically, instinctively allowing the music to go where it wants emotionally, balancing tradition with a fresh, contemporary perspective to create a unique voice. The pieces on Cliff Edge were written between 2006 and 2025 for different performers and circumstances, yet they share a common thread: each begins with a musical material that finds it's own path throughout the piece. These materials can be as simple as a grain of an instrument, the weight of a harmony, the friction between two lines, or the memory of a place. Some are intimate gifts; others are studies in instability or quiet acts of devotion. What unites them is a belief that music has it's own agency - that if you listen closely, the material will show you how it wants to unfold. At the heart of the album is the title work, Cliff Edge, a turbulent and finely etched piano piece that explores instability as a structural force. Surrounding it are five contrasting but deeply connected works: the fragile, breath-driven L'Oiseau mis en cage for bass clarinet; the ritualised, keening energy of Banshee for harp and voice; and H.B.J.W., a theme and five variations for violin and cello, written as a 50th birthday gift. The album also features Five Vignettes from the River Avon, a set of distilled landscape impressions for clarinet and basset horn, and Canticles, a luminous triptych for harp, flute, clarinet, and string quartet that closes the disc with a sense of quiet devotion. 'These works are not stories,' Wallace writes. 'They are environments. Each one begins with a material that behaves in a particular way, and the piece grows from listening to that behaviour.' David Wallace studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with Richard Baker and in Ireland with Rhona Clarke, and his music has received international recognition, including awards from Boston Metro Opera and the Tracey Chadwell Memorial Prize. Residencies at the Guildhall School, the Cork School of Music, and Clapham Chamber Concerts have shaped his distinctive voice, and his works are performed widely in the UK and abroad. He is Head of Junior Music Courses at the Guildhall School.

Spanning a century of musical thought, this compelling recital explores a rich dialogue between tradition and innovation and revealing how composers reimagine the past to create new artistic worlds. In music deeply rooted in the national identities of Bulgaria and Italy, the sequence begins with a work reminiscent of a 19th century tone poem, travels through 'New Music' of the late 20th century, and contemporary avantgarde works.