This further edition to Steffen Schleiermacher's Eisler anthology once again provides insights into an exciting composer's life that still receives far too little attention today. With his differentiated palette of expression and affinity for nuance, Schleiermacher is a master interpreter of Eisler's original, often surprising aesthetics encompassing an extremely wide variety of musical styles.

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's 36-year collaboration with the legendary guitarist Andres Segovia resulted in 35 works featuring the guitar, including three concertos, several large cycles and numerous shorter pieces. Castelnuovo-Tedesco first met Segovia at a festival in Venice in 1932 and composed a new work for the legendary guitarist almost every year afterwards. Among the towering masterpieces in guitar literature is Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Platero y Yo (Platero and I), a cycle of consisting of 28 settings, arranged into four groups of seven-movement suites with a total playing time of 1 hour and 49 minutes. Originally conceived as an accompaniment for a recitation of selections from the Nobel Prize-winning Catalan poet Juan Ramon Jimenez's collection of poetic sketches of the same name, the composer gave his permission for the work to be performed without spoken text, which is how it is performed here. You can read Jimenez's texts in English translation while listening to the music and enjoying the wonderful illustrations for each movement by the award-winning artist Halfdan Pisket, especially commissioned for this recording. In preparation for bringing this masterwork to life, internationally acclaimed, multi prize-winning Danish guitarist Niklas Johansen not only studies the Spanish language to appreciate Jimenez'sprose-poems in their native language, but travelled to Spain, not far from Jimenez's hometown of Moguer. The close relationship with the language and culture has lent Johansen's interpretations a personal resonance. This album was recorded in Fredensborg Palace Chapel by the Danish masters of sound, Preben Iwan and Mette Due who beautifully captured the exceptional acoustics. We wish to express our sincere thanks to His Majesty King Frederik X, who personally granted us permission to record in Fredensborg Palace Chapel.

Preserved in three different libraries, the Marciana in Venice, the Library of the Naples Conservatory, and the State and University Library in Hamburg, the six cantatas that make up this world-premiere recording were composed by Benedetto Marcello in the early 18th century. These are thus youthful works, quite interesting for the originality of their writing, which helps us understand why their author was so highly regarded during his lifetime - even called the "prince of music" - and also by posterity, as he managed to blend his personal sensibility with lessons drawn from tradition and the influences of a life rich in cultural encounters. The compositional structure of these works - less known than his concertos and theatrical works - follows the traditional format of alternating recitatives and arias. However, this does not prevent the author from experimenting with innovative solutions, particularly in the treatment of the voice. Typical of Marcello's style is a certain inclination toward the bizarre, with the use of harmonies that can sound "estranging," sudden modulations, chromaticism, augmented sixth chords, and the melodic interval of the diminished fourth. In some passages, he even seems to anticipate the models of the "sublime" style theorized in the mid-to late 18th century.

The development of an original classical repertoire for the accordion began with Mogens Ellegaard in his native Denmark and his student, the Scot Owen Murray, in the UK. In 1976 Ellegaard gave the first broadcast performance of Gordon Jacob's pastoral, elegant concerto, which treats the accordion almost as a chamber organ. A generation and more later, two concertos written for Owen Murray open out the possibilities of the accordion much more adventurously, exploiting it's extraordinary range of colour, it's striking range of expression and it's mercurial ability to weave through orchestral textures.

Inspired by the power and clarity of an extraordinary instrument handcrafted by a legendary guitarrero from Granada, guitar virtuoso Stephen Marchionda presents his very own personal versions of Bach's Sonata in A Minor and the Suite in E Major; and together with the Lute Suite BWV 997 he has created an album that masterfully combines polyphonic intimacy with sonorous opulence.

Christian Euler, together with his piano partner Paul Rivinius, present two Brahmsian masterpieces which foreshadow the fin de siecle and contrast these with Schumann's "Marchenbilder", whose fairytale-like character is reflected in the music's imaginative narrative gesture, transporting the listener into an enchanting world full of magic, poetry and longing.

Cohaere Ensemble brings back to life the instrumental works of an unfairly forgotten composer. The music of Pierre Gaultier de Marseille has accompanied the ensemble since it's earliest days. The precise, luminous performance of the Symphonies divisees par suites de tons, in the 1707 edition, gives this rare work a fresh and modern feel.

The guitar duo of Adam Cicchillitti and Steve Cowan presents a new album of their original arrangements of 19th and 20th century piano repertoire. Lyrique features the works of Edvard Grieg, Maurice Ravel, Erik Satie, Germaine Tailleferre, John Cage, and Federico Mompou. Though varied in style, these pieces invite listeners into a rich and multifaceted dialogue with the concept of 'lyrical' in instrumental music. The guitar's rich tonal palette and nuanced capacity for expression brings new life to these iconic works.

Baglama virtuoso, composer and singer Erdal Akkaya together with the baroque orchestra caterva musica take listeners on an exciting musical voyage through centuries of shared history between Orient and Occident. "It is like embracing the past, the future and eternity on the banks of the river of culture, which has been flowing uninterruptedly for centuries" describes Akkaya. His original compositions alongside European and Turkish music from the 14th to the 18th centuries tell stories of love and quarrels, truths and falsehoods, peace and conflict, giving insights into the multifaceted relationship between the Ottoman Empire and the West.

The arrangement of Albeniz's piano works for solo guitar, multiple guitars, and even guitar plus a melody instrument has a long tradition, beginning with Francisco Tarrega and Miguel Llobet as well as many other legendary guitarists. The arrangements and versions recorded here are not actually original arrangements but are compiled from a multitude of existing templates and suggestions from recordings.

JOANA MALLWITZ MOMENTUM A film by Gunter Atteln Joana Mallwitz is a conductor. This profession is still seen by many people as predominantly male. Recognized early on for her exceptional talent, Mallwitz was Europe's youngest general music director before becoming chief conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, one of Germany's leading classical orchestras, in August 2023. Over two years, the film follows her as she embarks on a decisive phase of her international career - with debuts in Munich, Paris, Salzburg, and Amsterdam. At the same time, she and her husband have to reorganize their lives after the birth of their first child. JOANA MALLWITZ - MOMENTUM offers a candid and detailed portrait of the musician. We experience Mallwitz as a perfectionist who works hard, as a music mediator, and an energetic orchestra leader. Despite all her success, we feel the enormous pressure that the conducting profession brings with it, which, like a musical crescendo, steadily increases until her inaugural concert in Berlin. Opening film of FIPADOC Biarritz 2025 DOK. Fest Munchen 2024, Official Selection Krakow Film Festival 2024, DocFilmMusic Competition

The Schuppanzigh Quartet is one of the successful ensembles that has engaged with historical performance practice internationally for years. The power derived from the musical writings of past eras gives the ensemble a distinctive and distinctive sound language. The successful blend of newly discovered works and the masterful interpretation of Viennese classics and early Romantics are part of the ensemble's fundamental focus.

A journey through passion, vision, and sensuality, this album brings together three luminous works for voice and orchestra. At it's heart is Ernest Chausson's Poeme de l'amour et de la mer, Op. 19-a sweeping, late-Romantic meditation on love and loss, where human emotion dissolves into the vastness of the sea. Benjamin Britten's Les illuminations, Op. 18, follows with electric intensity, setting Rimbaud's vivid, surreal poetry in music that is both incisive and radiant. The program closes with Camille Saint-Saens' rare and intimate Extase, a delicate song of rapture and surrender. Tenor Edgaras Montvidas brings refined lyricism and emotional depth to this richly poetic repertoire, joined by the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra (for the Chausson), and conductor Modestas Pitrenas. An exploration of love, language, and longing-where music becomes poetry, and poetry sings. Recorded at Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall June 2021

Robert Alexander Schumann (June 8, 1810, Zwickau - July 29, 1856, Bonn) was one of the most significant composers of the 19th century and a pioneering music critic. His works represent some of the purest expressions of Romanticism in music. The son of a bookseller, Schumann was deeply influenced in his youth by German Romantic literature, particularly the writings of Jean Paul and E.T.A. Hoffmann.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the guitar experienced a true heyday in several European cities. Numerous guitar virtuosos sparked a wave of enthusiasm for the guitar. The guitar, long overlooked and, unlike the lute, without a tradition in art music, entered concert life and became a fashionable instrument. However, the majority of these concerts were not public in the modern sense; rather, they took place in the private salons of the nobility and the wealthy middle class. Those with social ambitions hosted musical soirees. The private spaces for these soirees were not the size of a concert hall, and a piano was not always available. Songs with guitar accompaniment and works for smaller chamber music ensembles with guitar, which were published in large numbers at the beginning of the 19th century, therefore enjoyed great popularity.

This powerful live recording from the Philharmonie Luxembourg brings together the choir of the renowned Gaechinger Cantorey and the Luxembourg Philharmonic under the musical direction of Hans-Christoph Rademann for an emotionally charged interpretation of Johannes Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem. Featuring acclaimed soloists Katharina Konradi (soprano) and Konstantin Krimmel (baritone), this performance offers a deeply human and musically refined experience of one of the most important choral works of the 19th century. Unlike the traditional Latin Requiem, Brahms' German Requiem focuses not on the dead but on the living - on comfort, compassion, and hope. Drawing on texts from the Lutheran Bible, Brahms crafts a spiritual and emotional journey that speaks directly to the human condition, transcending religious boundaries and remaining timeless in it's message. Rademann, a master of choral conducting, shapes the work with clarity, warmth, and expressive nuance. Under his direction, the Gaechinger Cantorey delivers a performance marked by rich tone, articulate phrasing, and emotional intensity. The Luxembourg Philharmonic adds glowing orchestral color and transparency, perfectly complementing the vocal forces. The synergy between choir, orchestra, conductor, and soloists is palpable throughout, offering a fresh yet profoundly respectful interpretation of this beloved masterpiece.

This is recording of Ballades and Scherzos by Fryderyk Chopin. Performed and recorded by outstanding Czech pianist Martin Kasik in Dvorak Hall, Rudolfinum Prague, Czech Republic.

This album seeks to honor composers that have been relegated to marginalized communities and are under-represented within the classical musical cadre. To be able to perform these stellar works is a mere starting point for offering the honor, attention, and exposure that is deserved and has been so long overdue.

During the long, uneasy days of the Covid Pandemic, I listened to radio dramas of the 1940's and 50's. These tales of extortion, infidelity and murder were filled with ominous organ hits, creaking doors, stilted dialog and droll one-liners; a mix of the deadly serious with the absurd. Radio Noir recalls the strange pandemic mood of dusk encroaching and isolation. ___Joseph M. Levin

The final volume of this groundbreaking Thomas Jensen series encapsulates the series as a whole. New remasterings of rare studio recordings from the 1940s complement first-ever releases for live broadcasts from the 1950s and 60s. The repertoire demonstrates Jensen's excellence as a sympathetic concerto partner; an insightful interpreter of Sibelius; and a devoted advocate for the composers of his native Denmark