Sarah Fox: Mozart Concert Arias

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.

It crunches, rustles, whispers, rattles, bubbles - extended playing techniques, preparations, and various everyday materials produce a seemingly endless variety of sounds in Eloain Lovis Hübner's compositions. Hübner does not understand sound as fixed material, but rather as a state or "as a living relationship between bodies - instrumental, vocal or electronic," as booklet author Sophie Emilie Beha describes it. "The music is constantly in motion, attracting, repelling, tilting, shimmering, breaking apart, and reassembling itself. It creates spaces in which listening itself becomes a physical experience: focused, fragile, and yet full of energy." Two series of works are at the heart of the album. "crunch modes 1.0" (Schallfeld Ensemble) and "crunch modes 3.0" (Spóldzielnia Muzyczna Contemporary Ensemble) initially reveal what is typical of Hübner's composing - they zoom between micro- and macrocosm and move between structure and loss of control, accumulation and decay, and radicalism and delicacy. "Trauma und Zwischenraum" [Trauma and Interstice] was composed under the influence of the coronavirus pandemic and features three very different instrumentations: in the first part of the work, the ensemble airborne extended plays the recorder, flute, prepared harp, and harpsichord. In the second part, the musicians of the Arditti Quartet swap their bows for whisks, corks, or toothbrushes, creating acoustic metaphors. In the third part, interpreted by the Lange//Berweck//Lorenz Trio, hybrid sound bodies such as accordion plus effects unit or Korg MS 20 Mini with electric guitar are used. In "[untitled]," the only vocal work on the album, AuditivVokal Dresden deals with nonsense speech, noise imitation, and film language, referring to the legendary airport scene from the film "Casablanca".

Philip Cashian (born Manchester, 1963) is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary British music, widely recognised for a style that combines rhythmic urgency with luminous harmonic writing. His music has been described as "an uncompromising reflection of the modern world," characterised by tightly worked motivic ideas, striking instrumental colour, and a constant tension between propulsion and stillness. Trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Oliver Knussen and Simon Bainbridge, and later with Lukas Foss at Tanglewood, Cashian has developed a language that is both intellectually rigorous and immediately physical in it's impact. This recording brings together key chamber and concertante works spanning nearly three decades, framed by the two Chamber Concertos (1995 and 2024), written twenty-nine years apart. Both pieces explore the rich possibilities of instrumental combination within a chamber ensemble, giving prominence to extended solo lines and concertante groupings. Between them appear two more intimate works: Dances and Nocturnes (2020), a single-movement piano quartet alternating kinetic rhythmic energy with reflective, nocturnal stillness, and The Distance of Night (2022), a restrained and deeply expressive solo piano work written in memory of Simon Bainbridge. Throughout the programme, Cashian's music reveals a fascination with visual art-particularly mid-20th-century British abstraction-as well as a highly refined sense of form and drama. The result is a compelling portrait of a composer whose music is at once rigorous, vivid, and emotionally direct.

The Spanish label IBS Classical releases Libro del Frío (Book of Cold), a major work by composer José María Sánchez-Verdú, based on the celebrated poetry collection by Antonio Gamoneda, one of Spain's most influential contemporary poets and winner of the Cervantes Prize. Written for countertenor, organ, orchestra, and five spatialized instrumental groups, Libro del Frío is an immersive sound architecture conceived for the Cathedral of León, where it was premiered in 2008 on the occasion of the 25th International Organ Festival. In this recording, the haunting voice of Carlos Mena finds it's perfect echo in the vast resonances of the sacred space, joined by Óscar Candendo at the organ and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, under the composer's direction. Drawing on the deep musicality of Gamoneda's verse, Sánchez-Verdú creates a unique dialogue between word, space, and sound. His composition unfolds as a seven-part cycle-with interludes and the final organ work Límina-where silence and light become structural elements of the music. The result is an experience that blurs the boundaries between liturgy and abstraction, between human voice and cathedral architecture.

Transcribing an established piece of repertoire for a new instrument unlocks new colors and expressions the original composer may have never dreamed of. On ART OF TRANSCRIPTION, flutist Alexander Lipay explores Brahms' Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Schubert's Sonatina No. 2 in A minor, and Franck's Sonata in A major with a fresh perspective, swapping the string instruments out for the liquid, ethereal sound of the flute. Accompanied by pianist Fanya Lin, Lipay unearths exciting qualities within each piece and breathes new life into well-known notes.

At the close of the seventeenth century, Farina, Minei, and Netti created some of the most popular pieces of their day. Their dialogues for soprano and bass offer a colorful palette of emotions. This recording presents the first modern performance of several pieces that once enchanted Neapolitan evenings. Their interplay of contrasting passions is a breathtaking musical postcard from the Bay of Naples.

During our 2022 Continuo Foundation-supported tour of music from the manuscripts of Margaret of Austria (1480-1530), which we entitled Epitaph for a Green Lover, it became clear that there was keen demand for the programme. After every performance of this beautiful and unrepresented music, the audience asked if we had made a recording; in the end, we took heed. Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy, Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands, was a great patron of the arts who loved to dance and sing. But, above all, she loved her green parrot. Our programme's title comes from the remarkable chanson Soubz ce tumbel with it's tragic text by Margaret's court poet, Jean Lemaire de Belges. In this song, we find a text drawn from de Belges's Epitaphe de l'Amant Vert, in which the amant vert ('green lover') refers to the beloved green parrot. This chanson, along with all the songs featured on this album, come from the two extant songbooks, or chansonniers, of Margaret of Austria, which are now housed in the Brussels Royal Library. Alongside the songbooks, Margaret's library consisted of over 350 treasures, including the Très Riches Heures de duc de Berry, the Sforza Hours, and an exquisitely decorated book of basse dances on black-stained vellum with silver and gold calligraphy. Such a collection gives a sense of how Margaret was a linchpin in Renaissance culture. Our aim is to transport the modern-day listener to Margaret of Austria's court through music. Our programme even allows us to give insight into her character, since some of her own poetry was set to music by her favourite musicians; we have featured a selection on this album. We have had such pleasure exploring this music and sharing it with audiences in concert, and are thrilled to now bring this stunning repertoire to listeners through this recording. © The Linarol Consort

This album brings together three landmark works for string orchestra from the 20th century by Béla Bartók, Paul Hindemith, and Manuel Castillo, performed by Camerata Gala under the direction of Alejandro Muñoz. The programme offers a compelling and well-balanced journey through three highly individual and stylistically "unclassifiable" voices, each representing a distinct historical and aesthetic context while remaining firmly outside rigid compositional schools. Bartók's Divertimento for Strings, one of his last works composed in Europe, blends neoclassical clarity with the rhythmic vitality and modal language of Hungarian folk music, resulting in a score of striking energy, expressive depth, and technical brilliance. Hindemith's Fünf Stücke, Op. 44 No. 4, written within the framework of Gebrauchsmusik, stands out for it's formal precision, contrapuntal craftsmanship, and pedagogical intent, while maintaining a strong and unmistakable musical personality. The programme concludes with Cuatro cuadros de Murillo by Manuel Castillo, a work of profound spirituality and refined orchestral colour, inspired by the religious iconography of the Sevillian painter and a cornerstone of the Spanish repertoire for string orchestra. Recorded at the Auditorio del Rectorado of the University of Córdoba, this release presents a thoughtfully curated programme of major interest to general audiences, specialists, programmers, and advocates of 20th-century string repertoire.

Encounter brings together two towering works of contemporary chamber music that speak across cultures, histories, and inner worlds. Osvaldo Golijov's The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind and Peteris Vasks' String Quartet No. 6 arise from profoundly different traditions-Jewish mysticism and Baltic spirituality-yet meet in a shared search for truth, memory, and transcendence. Both works are intensely personal, rooted in lived experience and belief, and animated by music's power to give voice to what lies beyond words: longing, suffering, hope, and illumination. In this recording, these worlds do not merely coexist; they listen to, reflect, and transform one another. Performed by the Arethusa Quartet with clarinetist Chen Halevi, Encounter is also a meeting of artistic journeys. Golijov's ecstatic, ritual-like score unfolds as a spiritual ascent through dreams, prayers, and blindness-understood as deeper inner vision-while Vasks' Sixth Quartet traces a life's arc from farewell and remembrance to a final, hushed encounter with transcendence, illuminated by echoes of Beethoven. Across both works, vulnerability and intensity are balanced by stillness and song, darkness by light. What emerges is an album that feels at once intimate and universal: an affirmation of shared humanity, and a reminder of music's enduring ability to connect past and present, earth and spirit, performer and listener. = Curiosa is conceived as a personal "cabinet of curiosities" by violinist Jorge Jiménez, bringing together music that entered his life through years of travel, collaboration, and discovery. The album spans laments, dances, preludes, fugues, and songs from both renowned and anonymous sources, ranging from the Middle Ages to the Baroque and beyond. Each piece is selected for it's emotional depth, strangeness, and expressive power, forming a living repertoire shaped in rehearsals, late-night conversations, concerts, and recording sessions. Central to the project is Jiménez's fascination with unaccompanied music and historical instruments, particularly the baroque violin and vielle, whose raw and earthy sound transports the listener into earlier sound worlds. Throughout Curiosa, Jiménez weaves together personal heritage, musical memory, and imaginative storytelling. His own arrangements connect Bach, Dowland, Strozzi, Gaspar Sanz, and traditional tunes with vivid images. Joined by Joy Smith on early harps and Daniel Garay on historical percussion, and performing with his ensemble Tercia Realidad, Jiménez blends historical insight with spontaneity and improvisation. The result is an album that feels both intimate and expansive-music passed "between hands, ears, and hearts," constantly transforming while remaining deeply rooted in shared curiosity and human connection. Jorge Jiménez: "These pieces entered my life through the extraordinary musicians and ensembles I've been fortunate to work with across Europe. They form a living repertoire shaped in rehearsal rooms, late-night conversations, recording sessions, and concerts." = During the darkest of the lockdowns, I took my daughter to an open field near our home. In a time when the world felt shuttered and small, walking was our only escape from the suffocating stillness. As we reached the field, a sudden sensation washed over me-a quiet awakening. It wasn't just the spring breeze or the scent of the grass; it was a sudden reminder of what being alive meant. I felt I had been touched by Zephyr, the Greek god of the west wind, sparking a renewed wish to create and perform for the world once more. Liberte´: A piece exploring and searching for emotional freedom. Zephyr: Named after the gentle west wind, this track served as the primary source of inspiration for the entire album. Fushigi no Kuni: Translating to "Wonderland" in Japanese, this piece was inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland written by Lewis Carroll. A Troubadour in the Moonlight: A composition and improvisation depicting a minstrel serenading a loved one beneath the moon. For Misato: A heartfelt dedication to Misato-san, my dear friend who departed too young. The five songs above are composed by Yukari. Eurus, Suibokuga, Pandora's Box, Don't Follow the Piper, and Au crépuscule are collective improvisations. = "We can imagine some eyebrows being raised at the description of Dora Pejacevic as a contemporary of Brahms; the two composers were born more than fifty years apart, and their lives only overlapped by twelve years. Yet both works by Pejacevic are unmistakably from the same compositional lineage as that by Brahms; and both are works written early on in Pejacevic's remarkable (and, sadly, all-too-short) life. Both pieces belong clearly to the romantic tradition, displaying no hint of the more modernist directions which her later works would take. We were immediately intoxicated by the passionate sweep of Pejacevic's Piano Quartet, but also the tenderness of it's slow movement, and felt it would make the perfect bedfellow for the First Piano Quartet of Brahms, a piece to which Tom has felt particularly close since student days. Brahms's Piano Quartet is justly one of the best-loved of all chamber works, and few works are more exhilarating to perform: the first movement offers an abundance of glorious themes; the second takes us to a mysterious dreamworld; the third luxuriates in expansive lyricism; then the fiery virtuosity of the gypsy finale sends us headlong to the finish line. This album brings us to the end of our recorded journey through Brahms's three piano quartets, and it has been the greatest privilege and joy to record these works, alongside three major piano quartets by composers who deserve to be far better known. However, we are pleased to say that the series does not end here: looking beyond the piano quartets, we have further albums in preparation, pairing Brahms with his brilliant and lesser-played contemporaries." -Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective

Shura Cherkassky was introduced to Nimbus by Wilfred Stiff, then a director of the London agent Ibbs & Tillett. Wilfred recognised a young label pushing ahead fast at the transition point between LP and CD, one with a fondness for artists whose careers were waning. Accordingly, he dispatched one of his most prestigious names to the Nimbus Studio. Cherkassky was at that time acknowledged as one of the 'great' generation whose undoubted king was Horowitz, but after a long, notable career that began in his mid-teens, his popularity in the concert hall and recording studio had fallen. Shura's late career was in need of a final boost. Cherkassky's first visit lasted four days - 31 January to 3 February 1981; the results of that session were released on LP, but never on CD. They are once again available in Volume 1 of this series (NI 7112). For this second session, once again he stayed in the big house, having taken one look at Monmouth's finest hotel - The King's Head - and declared, 'Oh no, I won't be happy here!'. The studio and piano, a 1969 Hamburg Steinway, were set up as before. It was a studio so completely unlike the characterless spaces he had famously grown to decry. Here there was no sterile barrier to his inspiration. The grand Victorian reception room at Wyastone Leys served as a spectacular performance space, it's full-height windows framing commanding views down the Wye Valley. Shura loved it, signing a copy of his Pictures at an Exhibition LP, 'To everyone in Nimbus with love and the most wonderful feeling of inspiration'.

This valuable revival of the piano music by Cesar Cui began with a 2CD volume played by Marco Rapetti (PCL10211), surveying the composer's early output from 1877 to 1888. Born in what is now Vilnius, capital of modern-day Lithuania, Cui began to learn the piano as a child, initially from his elder sister. His first and last compositions were written for the piano, and he produced 29 opus numbers for the instrument (the total opus catalogue reaches 106). The Australian pianist Paul Rickard-Ford now moves the project on with a chronological survey from the Quatre Morceaux Op. 22 of 1883 to the Theme and Variations Op. 61, from 1901. Dedicated respectively to Theodore Leschitzky and to Josef Hofmann, these pieces show how admired Cui was in his day, even if he is now generally treated as the forgotten member of the 'Mighty Handful' group of Russian composers. One of Liszt's final works was a piano transcription of Cui's orchestral Tarantelle Op. 12. Other collections on the album are dedicated to Anton Rubinstein (the two Polonaises Op. 30) and to Hans von Bülow (three Impromptus Op. 35), as well as a charming pair of Bluettes Op. 29 dedicated to the Countess de Mercy-Argenteau, who was Cui's generous patron and indefatigable supporter outside Russia. Many of the pieces here are receiving their world-premiere recordings, such as the four pieces composed in 1900-01 and collected as Op. 60. They include a Polka, a Novelette, a Mazurka, and a Polonaise: all familiar genres, which Cui inflected with his individual brand of Russian-accented lyricism, ultimately drawing on an early-Romantic lexicon of expression formulated by Chopin and Schumann. Thus all the music here belongs to the salon, designed first and foremost to charm and to entertain. Paul Rickard-Ford has been on the staff of the Sydney Conservatorium for more than thirty years and was Chair of the Piano Unit from 2006 to 2016. His discography includes the Années de pèlerinage of Liszt, as well as recitals of Chopin and Schumann.

Chopin Piano Concertos 1 & 2, recorded live with the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra Frédéric Chopin wrote two piano concertos, which are now considered among the most important works of the Romantic period. Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21, was composed first in 1829 but was not published until later. It showcases Chopin's youthful virtuosity and lyrical musical language, particularly in the slow middle movement. The Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11, followed in 1830 and seems more mature, with an even stronger emphasis on the piano over the orchestra. Both concertos are considered key works for Chopin's style: full of poetic melodies, brilliant technique, and sensitive expressiveness.

Ireneo Fuser was born in Carbonera (Treviso) on 12 November 1902. In 1925, he graduated in organ at the Liceo musicale «Benedetto Marcello» in Venice under the tuition of Oreste Ravanello and later specialized in Rome with Fernando Germani. In 1927, he graduated in piano at the Conservatory in Parma and, in 1935, in composition at the Conservatory in Florence. In 1928, he won the competition to succeed Ulisse Matthey as organist at the Sanctuary of Loreto, a position he did not hold, however. He undertook a brilliant concert career that was marked by a broad repertoire, refined recording skills, great virtuosity, and musical sensitivity that made him one of the most important Italian organists of his generation. From the 1940s onwards, he has given organ recitals for Swiss radio and RAI in live or recorded Sunday programmes in Rome and Turin, which have been on the broadcast schedules for more than twenty years. At the same time, he carried out teaching activities first at the Licei musicali in Venice and Pescara and then in Bologna, where he was established in 1939 as an organ teacher at the Institute that three years later would become the Conservatorio «G. B. Martini». A firm believer in the phonic excellence of the ancient Italian organ, he shaped his activity with the noble aim of enhancing the glorious period of Italian musical art of the past; among his countless musicological works, the anthology «Classici italiani dell'organo» (1955) is still considered a reference work today.

The session notes for the 1974 recording show that Fantasias Nos. 1-5 were recorded on Monday, 26 August; Fantasias 7-12 on Tuesday, 27 August, followed by a day without recording. Fantasia No. 6 was recorded on Thursday, 29 August 1974. In these early days, it was Nimbus' practice to assemble masters quickly after recording, and given the founders' fierce commitment to 'unedited' takes, it is a reasonable bet that the master was assembled from the best whole takes of each movement. Scribbled words on the last page of the session notes suggest future possibilities: Tartini 24 Sonatas, Boccherini Quartets and Quintets with a 'very, very good pupil' for 2nd violin and 'Amo' (Fleming) on cello. Alas, it never happened. Apart from the Recording Agreement itself, there is no general correspondence in the Nimbus archive to explain how Maurice Clare found himself at Nimbus' Birmingham studio, nor why Telemann was the chosen repertoire. It is intriguing that Maurice's signature on the Agreement dated 24 April 1975 (interestingly eight months after the recording session) is witnessed by Ida G. Carroll-the celebrated principal of Manchester's Northern School of Music. In 1973, she was a key player in the amalgamation of Manchester's two music schools into the Royal Northern College of Music and served as it's first Dean of Management until 1976. © Adrian Farmer

Klaudia Rabiega: Dona Nobis Pacem Sacred Choral Works

Eternal Child, Avishai Cohen's new album, will be released in May and showcases the full depth of his artistry as a bassist and composer. Years later, he reunites with drummer Jeff Ballard on selected tracks, recalling their strong musical connection forged alongside Chick Corea. Recorded at the renowned Studio de Meudon in Paris, Eternal Child stands as a major new chapter in Cohen's work.

The name of Louis Vierne (1870-1937) will be associated with organ music immediately. Like a few other 19th century organists/composers he used the instrument as a means to perform 'symphonic' music. The scope in this respect was greatly enhanced by the new organs built at the time, for instance by Aristide Cavaille-Coll. The blend of styles in this music for organ is unique. It contains aspects of Romanticism combined with an impressionistic 'pastel-like' quality. Like many of his contemporary colleagues Vierne felt a strong fascination with Wagnerian chromaticism. An admirer and pupil of Cesar Franck at thirty, the virtually blind Vierne was appointed organist at the Paris Notre Dame. Among many other pieces for organ he wrote six (five movement) symphonies, which became standard organ repertoire. Franck inspired him in the use of cyclical elements and harmonic refinement, whereas Widor's influence is clear in the use of the organ and the classical forms. Louis Vierne's 24 Pieces en style libre Op.31 (1913), is a landmark collection in the French organ repertoire. Written for either organ or harmonium, these pieces demonstrate Vierne's gift for expressive lyricism and refined harmonic color. Unlike his larger symphonic works, the Pieces en style libre are concise, intimate, and accessible, designed for both liturgical use and concert performance. Each piece explores a distinct mood or character, from serene meditations like "Communion" and "elevation" to more animated works such as "Cortege" and "Postlude." Vierne's rich harmonic language, rooted in late Romanticism yet tinged with Impressionist nuance, reveals his deep sensitivity to tonal atmosphere. Played by Carlo Mazzone on the magnificent 1999 "Andrea Zeni" organ of the Parish Church of San Michele Arcangelo, Salgarede (TV), Italy. This instrument aimed to create a fully suited instrument for the performance of the organ repertoire of the second half of the 19th century in France. It is inspired by late-Romantic aesthetics, and endowed with all the stylistic and sonic prerequisites essential to the organ literature of the period.

While Rodolfo Ritter's repertoire encompasses many well-known and unfamiliar composers, he has made a speciality of Ponce's piano music. He recorded the two piano concertos (for Sterling) in 2013, as well as several solo pieces. Now, for Piano Classics, he embarks on a new adventure, which should win new friends everywhere for an idiom full of charm and optimism, essentially Romantic in spirit and piquantly coloured by the composer's Mexican heritage. A social and cultural revolution followed on the heels of Mexico's political revolution of 1910-1917, as a once largely rural nation became, within a matter of years, predominantly urban. Born in 1882, Manuel Ponce in some ways embodied the outward-facing spirit of that revolution, as the country's first internationally renowned composer of European-style art music ('classical'), and yet in the nostalgia-soaked language of that music evoked a romanticized past. This is the tension explored by Rodolfo Ritter as he begins a multi-volume journey through Ponce's piano output - only the second pianist to do so on record. Ponce was something of a child prodigy, already accomplished and cultivated as both a pianist and composer before he entered the national conservatoire in 1901. Take the dance for the left hand titled Malgre tout, which Ponce was inspired to write in 1900 as a homage to the sculpture of the same name by Jesús F. Contreras - a resonant depiction of a chained and defenceless woman who, "despite everything", looks up with hope (not so oblique as a politically charged metaphor). Earlier still is the bel-canto style lyricism of the Misterio doloroso (1899). Another pivotal work for the left hand dates from a full quarter-century later, the Prelude and Fugue which Ponce wrote in Paris while under the tutelage of Paul Dukas. No less schooled by an earlier period of study in Europe, as a pupil of Martin Krause in Berlin, comes the Variations on a Theme by Handel (1906). In the interim, Ponce channelled this classical technique through the melodies and rhythms of his home country in pieces such as the Rapsodia Mexicana No. 1 of 1911. Volume 1 of Rodolfo Ritter's survey contains all these and many more exciting discoveries. As a Mexican pianist, teacher and scholar of German heritage, Rodolfo Ritter is ideally placed to guide us through such unfamiliar territory.

Jewels of the 17th century, the Tours and Deslauriers manuscripts form a corpus of three hundred works born in the fervour of the provinces of the Kingdom. This journey to the very heart of French cathedrals reveals the striking theatricality of sacred stories, ranging from fascinating anonymous pieces to flashes of genius by Bouzignac and Moulinié. Under the direction of Fabien Armengaud, the Pages and Chantres of the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles make these scores blossom into a garden of delights, like a bouquet of myrrh.