After their first recording, Nuits parisiennes, Manon Galy and Jorge Gonzalez Buajasan open the door to the inner worlds of Romanticism. Surrounding Mendelssohn's rare Sonata in F major MWV Q 26 (his only mature violin sonata), Brahms's Second, and Grieg's Third are a few poetic and intimate gems, such as Sibelius's Berceuse and Fibich's Po�me. Between "melancholy waltz and languorous vertigo," violin and piano become the exalted yet nostalgic voice of the composers' most personal confidences.

LIMINAL

Bach's St. John Passion is the earliest surviving Passion or Oratorio by J.S Bach and was first performed in 1724. This version consists of two sections and retains this structure in the versions and revisions that followed in 1725, 1730, 1736 and 1749. Bach added several numbers in the 1749 version, but several arias from the revisions are found only in the appendices of modern editions. So, there is no 'final' version crafted by the composer as there is for the later St. Matthew Passion, no single manuscript as there is for the Brandenburg Concertos, nor a revised printed edition as exists for the Goldberg Variations. What we do have are Bach's various attempts as he went from performance to performance, to try to grasp what he was aiming for - consciously and unconsciously. There is much that is operatic in the music, and the thought that the St. John Passion is Bach's opera is hardly an original one. This recording uses the new edition by musicologist Malcolm Bruno.

Thomas Kelly made his concerto debut performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No.24 with the orchestra of the Purcell School. He was just 9 years old. Since then, Thomas has studied with Dmitri Alexeev at the Royal College of Music, and awarded the RCM's highest accolade for a pianist, the Benjamin Britten Fellowship. Thomas has many awards from international competitions and has a wide repertoire embracing both core and lesser known areas of the piano repertoire. His debut album is a daunting program of organ works arranged by great pianists for their instrument.

WATER NAMES

The term 'spectrum' is usually associated with physics. When white light hits a prism, it breaks down into the full spectrum of rainbow colors. These colors have always existed but only become visible through refraction. Music is similar. The pieces on this album are like a prism, unfolding the fundamental human emotions into their infinite facets, and creating a tribute to the timeless power of music, that resonates with the entire color palette of the human soul. The selection of pieces therefore follows an inner logic: that of emotion, timbre, and the moment. Each piece unfolds it's own microcosm and invites the listener to lose themselves within it. Esther Birringer's new album is a must for lovers of the piano, and an essential playlist addition.

This recital brings together three late piano groupings by Franz Schubert, works that distil his distinctive blend of intimacy, lyricism and emotional ambiguity. The program centers on the complete Six Moments musicaux D.780, framed by the poignant Allegretto in C minor D.915 and the Drei Klavierst�cke D.946, composed in the final year of Schubert's life. Rich in expressive depth, the Moments musicaux move effortlessly between simplicity and complexity: gentle lyricism gives way to sudden shadows, major and minor coexist in close tension, and fleeting dance rhythms dissolve into quiet resignation. The Allegretto D.915, composed as a farewell to a close friend, exemplifies Schubert's rare gift for finding increased poignancy in moments of apparent calm. The Drei Klavierst�cke, published posthumously, stand as impromptus in all but name-restless, searching works that juxtapose turbulence with luminous stillness. For pianist Katya Apekisheva, Schubert has been a lifelong companion. This recording represents a deeply personal homage, shaped by years of performing and living with this music. Recorded on a Steinway Model D at Syde Manor, the album offers a thoughtful, finely judged reading of some of Schubert's most inward and compelling piano writing.

Midway through Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historic speech at the 1963 March on Washington, a voice rang out from behind him: "Tell them about the dream, Martin!" That voice belonged to Mahalia Jackson, King's close friend and one of the most revered gospel singers of the 20th century. Glorious Mahalia, a visionary tribute to Jackson's life by the internationally renowned Kronos Quartet, uses that moment as a springboard to explore the depth of Jackson's musical craft and it's impact on the Civil Rights Movement, including her relationship with Clarence Jones and Studs Terkel, other luminaries of the time. Featuring compositions by Stacy Garrop and Zachary James Watkins, a new arrangement of Jackson's astonishing version of the Antonio Haskell composition "God Shall Wipe All Tears Away," and archival audio of Jackson's voice, the album illuminates Jackson's historic artistry and advocacy.

After recording some of Bach's major works, Claire- Marie Le Guay continues her exploration of the boundless territories of the composer by taking a more intimate approach. The doors to these masterpieces are left ajar, and the pianist is modestly sketching the personal history of her relationship with Bach's music. She offers us the keys to a universe rich in colors and contrasts: a diversity that rhymes with eternity.

Traetta's Ifigenia in Tauride draws us into the tragic heart of the House of Atreus. Orestes is consumed by guilt over the murder of his mother Clytemnestra, while Iphigenia bears the lasting scars of her near-sacrifice, planned by her own father Agamemnon. They are two tormented souls, profoundly alone, who find each other in a moment of overwhelming recognition. Traetta's music captures this tragic tension perfectly. Standing at the crossroads of Neapolitan bel canto and Gluck's dramatic reform, his vocal writing is never an empty display. Every line, every ornament, conveys raw, sincere emotion. Christophe Rousset leads the musicians of Les Talens Lyriques and a brilliant cast of soloists, with Roc�o P�rez delivering a deeply moving portrayal of Iphigenia, in this masterpiece by Traetta, recorded here for the first time.

Ond of which is now available. Belgian harpsichordist Mario Sarrechia plays the solo part in the two concertos BWV 105Johann Sebastian Bach wrote six harpsichord concertos and compiled them in a volume around 1738. Most of his concertos for one or more harpsichords are probably arrangements of earlier concertos, mostly by Bach himself. The 'grand seigneur of early music' Sigiswald Kuijken combines Bach's six harpsichord concertos and the three double concertos for two harpsichords with the two violin concertos and the double concerto for two violins, which Bach also arranged as harpsichord concertos. All twelve concertos appear in a series of three CDs, the sec2 & 1058, Taiwanese harpsichordist Hsiu-Tzu Ryanas in the concerto BWV 1056, and Sigiswald Kuijken himself takes the solo in the violin concerto BWV 1042. Sigiswald Kuijken casts all the orchestral parts as soloists, as is customary with La Petite Bande and as was probably also practised by Bach - a theory that Kuijken underpins with ample evidence.

In 1786, Haydn composed The Seven Last Words of Christ for orchestra. Ten years later he produced a stunning choral version, which Justin Doyle and the RIAS Chamber Choir and Konzerthausorchester Berlin now invite us to rediscover. Together with four exceptional soloists, they reveal all the dramatic power of the work, it's expressive intensity and liturgical fervour.

An oceanic dialogue between two composers from the first wave of the modern musical era: such is Aline Piboule's daring new solo venture. Here the epic La Mer sprays it's rainbow of colors as idiomatically as if Debussy had written it for solo piano, like D'un cahier d'esquisses and the famous Clair de lune. In echo, John Ireland's piano triptychs, Sarnia and Decorations, conjure up the Channel Islands in bewitching musical poetry.

The empathy between Robert and Clara Schumann, Joseph Joachim and Johannes Brahms engendered one of Romanticism's most fruitful artistic friendships. With the aim of mining the precious jewels of that unique intimacy, three great artists have devised a program in the form of a poetic conversation; here chamber music once more becomes shared human emotion in it's purest expression.

This complete recording of the a cappella choral works of Francis Poulenc marks the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Ensemble Aedes and brings to a close a cycle initiated in 2009. Francis Poulenc's a cappella choral compositions form a unique ensemble, revealing a fragile interiority suffused with profound humanity. For him there was no sense of division between the secular and the sacred in his choral works: he appears to have considered them as a single entity, stemming from the same inspiration. From the Chanson � boire (1922) to the Laudes de saint Antoine de Padoue (1957), all of his compositions show the same fervor, clarity, and depth of feeling.

PIANO CONCERTO #3: THE ROMANTIC

Revered for his Hammond organ work, soul-jazz grooves, and his three-decade career leading The James Taylor Quartet, maestro keyboard player James Taylor releases his first album of classical works. His long association with Acid Jazz Records continues, as the label also steps into the classical world for the very first time. Recorded solo on a Steinway grand piano, Taylor performs some of his favorite pieces from the classical cannon, with familiar tunes alongside lesser-known works on this beautiful, atmospheric recording. His interpretations show a deep love of classical music. Always one to evolve, just as the James Taylor Quartet introduced Herbie Hancock to the indie scene of the late '80s, Taylor in turn introduces his audience to a new repertoire, with a remarkable, fresh and modern solo classical piano album.

If music... showcases star countertenor Jakub J�zef Orlinski in 17 songs and arias by three composers of the Baroque era: Purcell, Handel and Fux. Perhaps unexpectedly, he is partnered not by an ensemble of period instruments but by a pianist - his long-standing colleague Michal Biel. "On this album we have combined arias and songs that inspire and speak to us, " says Jakub J�zef Orlinski. "I love thinking of albums as pages out of my diary. They are a statement of where I am as an artist." As Michal Biel, who draws on all the possibilities of a Steinway grand piano, freely admits: "If music... is not an answer to the question of how to perform these masterpieces with historical authenticity." He sees each aria or song as "a carefully considered transcription that reveals it's appeal transcending instrumentation".

With this fifth volume, Jonathan Biss concludes one of the most ambitious and innovative Beethoven release series of the 21st century. Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto is many things, but foremost, it is a thrillingly taut construction, grabbing the listener by the collar and not letting go. It is the first work to take full advantage of the dramatic potential inherent in the concerto genre, pitting the soloist against the orchestra in often uneasy confrontation. In it's slow movement, it becomes something completely different, the tonality transporting us to a faraway place, time suddenly elastic, ferocity giving way to spirituality. The whole piece is a marvel. It is therefore very exciting to hear a voice as singular as Caroline Shaw's grapple with Beethoven's concerto and the process through which it was conceived. Shaw writes that her Watermark is "woven from strands and patches and patterns" of the earlier work. She imagines Beethoven imagining it, and in doing so, creates something wholly original. "This album brings to a close the Beethoven/5 project, which has challenged and stimulated me for the past decade. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with the ten remarkable pieces that comprise it."

Gobi Canticle brings together eleven works for solo violin, violin and viola, and violin duo by ten composers of Asian heritage, many presented here in first recordings. Performed by Natalie Lin Douglas and Patrick Yim, longstanding advocates for new music with extensive experience commissioning, premiering, and recording contemporary repertoire, the album spans a wide expressive range from ritual and folk-derived sound worlds to contrapuntal studies and contemporary virtuosity. At it's centre is Lei Liang's Gobi Canticle, shaped by Mongolian musical traditions, microtonal inflection, and percussive string techniques. Zhou Tian's Duo provides a compact, high-energy showpiece, while Chen Yi's Energetic Duo distils rhythmic drive and color into a striking miniature. Several works draw on literary and seasonal imagery: Kai-Young Chan's Echoes of the Autumn Night reflects Tang-dynasty poetry through Cantonese speech rhythms, and Jungyoon Wie's Dan Poong traces the quiet transformation of autumn leaves. Across the program, composers engage imaginatively with string technique-scordatura, harmonics, ricochet bowing, hocketing, and microtonal tuning-creating a palette that is both refined and immediate. The result is a coherent collection that highlights individual compositional voices while revealing shared concerns with timbre, gesture, and cultural memory. Recorded in Watertown, Massachusetts, Gobi Canticle documents a significant body of contemporary duo repertoire and showcases two performers deeply committed to new music and collaboration.