Die Geigerin Natalia van der Mersch und die Pianistin Natalia Kovalzon spielen in dieser Aufnahme die drei Sonaten fur Violine und Klavier von Edvard Grieg bieten. Ihre Spielweise, brillant, dynamisch und zugleich der interpretativen Tradition verpflichtet, fuhrt dazu, die Eigenheiten und Starken dieser drei Sonaten neu zu entdecken, die sich in ihrer Sprache und in ihrer Aussagekraft sehr voneinander unterscheiden - mit Momenten lyrischer Abschweifung, aber auch mit Hohepunkten virtuoser Gestaltung, insbesondere in der dritten Sonate, einem charakteristischen Werk aus der vollen Reifezeit des Komponisten. Grieg schreibt: "Die drei Sonaten gehoren zu meinen besten Kompositionen und reprasentieren verschiedene Perioden meiner musikalischen Entwicklung: die erste ist naiv und ideenreich; die zweite ist von nationalem Schwung inspiriert; die dritte ist die mit dem weitesten Horizont."

2020 - a time when travel was not easily possible - gave rise to this unusual journey in the mind, traversing the country and leading us to a variety of places. The guitar is our guide. But it doesn't travel alone; it joins mandolin, double bass, and accordion, inviting us to make music together in duets. The music originates from Spain, often from the pen of the famous composer and pianist Enrique Granados, who lived from 1867 to 1916 and wrote for the piano. His compositions vividly capture the atmosphere of the country. In the arrangements with guitar and partner instruments, new chapters are opened, the sounds leading us to new places. The central work is the "Valses Poeticos," which illuminate a different scene in each of it's ten short movements. In this "Spanish Journey," the guitar is not only the guiding thread of the production - a specific instrument is the protagonist: a 1955 concert guitar from the workshop of the Guitar maker Ricardo Sanchis-Carpio from Valencia. The accompanying musicians-Jochen Ro� on mandolin, Florian Dohrmann on double bass, and Alexander Pankow on button accordion-are all longtime and cherished collaborators and fellow musicians. The electric guitar finds it's place alongside the accordion, keeping pace with it's volume and tonal range. The "Spanish Journey" is a free-flowing exploration that began in the mind and has now become audible, with impressions of Spain, hints of jazz and classical music, and subtle emotionality.

Dame Sarah Connolly and Joseph Middleton present a richly rewarding programme of art songs from a variety of composers. The recital opens with Chausson's Po�me de l'amour et de la mer, which took almost a decade to compose and shows Wagner's influence on the younger composer. Composed in 1935 on a study trip to Rome, Barber's Three Songs set poems by James Joyce and portray three love affairs. Debussy's Trois Chansons de Bilitis set the erotic poems of Pierre Lou�s, which were all the rage in Paris at the turn of the century. Aaron Copland completed his Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson in 1950, but declared that they should not be seen as a set but as twelve individual works. Connolly here includes 'I've heard an organ talk sometimes' and 'The world feels dusty', the latter giving the album it's title. The programme concludes with the premi�re recording of Errollyn Wallen's Night Thoughts: a cycle of four songs commissioned by Leeds Lieder, and first performed by Dame Sarah and Joseph, the cycle's dedicatees. Setting two of her own poems alongside one by Emily Dickinson and lines from Shakespeare's MacBeth, the cycle took it's inspiration from Howard Hodgkin's painting Night Thoughts.

When the Arts Council's Welsh Committee approached Grace Williams in the summer of 1959 with the offer of a commission to write a one-act opera, this was an opportunity to realise a long-cherished ambition. For her libretto, the composer turned to the French satirist Guy de Maupassant's savagely funny short story en Famille in which the apparent demise of a cantankerous matriarch uncovers the greed of family members. She wrote her own libretto for The Parlour, embellishing and refining Maupassant's story for dramatic purposes and transferring the setting from the banks of the Seine in France to the living room of a house in a Victorian seaside town. Structured in two scenes framing a brief interlude, the drama unfolds during a summer's day in 1870. The Parlour reveals Grace Williams as a natural composer for the theatre, with a flair for character delineation and development. The fast pace means there is no time for a formal overture and the drama begins without preamble. The compact arias, ensembles, recitatives and choruses arise naturally from the music, which is continuous, and there are no long numbers to inhibit the flow of the narrative. As the composer admitted, 'There's quite a lot to say in a short time. So whatever else I'll be accused of, I hardly think anyone could say that the opera drags'. At it's first performance, The Parlour was given a sustained ovation by an enthusiastic audience and there were some very good press notices. Writing in The Sunday Times, Felix Aprahamian was profuse in his admiration, describing The Parlour as 'hilarious' and 'an undoubted hit', going on to remark that 'the piece progresses with perfect clarity and a fine sense of musical contrast'. He concluded his observations by commenting that 'Miss Williams shows a remarkable feeling for musical proportion in her very first operatic essay'. � Paul Conway

From Haydn in the early 1770s to Ligeti in the late 1960s and beyond, the string quartet has been recognised by composers, performers and audiences alike as the bedrock of the chamber music genre. The format had it's origins in private settings for amateur players who revelled in it's intimate, conversational and witty aesthetic. It progressed into a medium of public concerts for Beethoven's essays in expressive profundity and further contemporary approaches have seen it adapted into almost infinite possibilities. These two works by Lawrence Rose take inspiration from some past musical traditions which he has adapted into new and different guises.

The French composer and organist Thierry Escaich composed his Te Deum pour Notre-Dame for the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris; a hymn to the Cathedral's resurrection, it is a large-scale work for children's choir, two mixed choirs and orchestra. One hundred and eighty singers and instrumentalists gave the work it's first performance and recorded it in the prestigious building on 12 June 2025. Thierry Escaich was inspired by the Cathedral's thousand-year-old history and drew on many sources, beginning with the Bible but also including prestigious authors who had written about Notre-Dame such as Victor Hugo and Charles Peguy. According to Escaich himself, "this Te Deum is a journey from the destructive flames of the conflagration to the fire of redemption". Escaich, who has been a co-titular organist of the Cathedral since 2024, also presents examples of his famous art of improvisation on the Cathedral's organ between each movement of the Te Deum. The work won universal acclaim at it's first performance, with some journalists describing it as "the great French oratorio that we have been awaiting since the beginning of the 21st century" (Le Figaro).

Giovanni Paolo Cima (1570-1630) was an Italian composer, organist, and violinist active during the transition from the Renaissance to the early Baroque period. He served as the music director at the church of Santa Maria presso San Celso in Milan, where he played a significant role in shaping the musical life of the city. Cima was part of a generation of Northern Italian composers who began experimenting with the emerging stylistic innovations of the early 17th century, particularly in instrumental music. One of his most important contributions is the collection Ricercari e canzoni alle francese, published in 1606. This work stands out as one of the earliest Italian publications to feature works for solo instruments with continuo, marking a significant development in the evolution of the Baroque sonata. The collection includes a variety of instrumental forms, notably ricercari and canzoni, which demonstrate his ability to merge contrapuntal techniques with expressive melodic writing. The ricercari are reflective of the older Renaissance tradition, often built on imitative counterpoint and showcasing Cima's command of structure and thematic development. In contrast, the canzoni are livelier and more sectional, pointing toward the emerging concertato style. These pieces often feature contrasting rhythms and clear melodic phrasing, suggesting the influence of vocal models on instrumental writing. Cima's music reflects both conservatism and innovation. While rooted in Renaissance polyphony, his Ricercari e canzoni anticipate the more dramatic and expressive instrumental music that would dominate the Baroque era. His work helped lay the groundwork for later composers like Dario Castello and Biagio Marini, contributing to the broader shift toward idiomatic instrumental composition and the increasing independence of instrumental genres in early 17th-century Italy. Played by Federico Del Sordo organ and harpsichord (organ: the Meiarini organ (1630), Chiesa S. Maria del Carmine, Brescia, the harpsichord built by Francesco Marini after anon. Italian, early 17th-century. Federico Del Sordo is one of Italy's foremost Early Music musicians and scholars, with an impressive discography to his name.

This first recording of the Eule Organ of Magdalen College, Oxford (opened in January 2023) features a wide range of music performed by Alexander Pott. From Wagner to Delius, the repertoire showcases the instrument's German Romantic heritage as well as it's suitability for English 20th-Century transcription, thanks to it's distinctive voice, colour, breadth and sensitivity.

After a 'spellbinding' album for Alpha devoted to her American roots (Alpha1071), pianist Claire Huangci now celebrates female composers, acknowledging: 'The realities these women faced are difficult to imagine for any modern woman in the field.' Clara Wieck (who became Schumann after her marriage to Robert in 1840) was a mother of eight and the main breadwinner, constantly on tour. Fanny Hensel composed largely in private. Often publishing under her brother's name. Amy Beach's career was practically silenced during her marriage; only upon her husband's death did she return to the stage. Florence Price faced both racial and gender discrimination and later raised two children alone. Across the centuries, the voices of these women reach us thanks to musicians like Claire: 'In their music, we don't just hear history. We hear transformation. Heroines is my way of listening back-and adding my voice to theirs.'

Extraordinary works by British Women composers, brought to light by cellist Catherine Wilmers In A Cello Galaxy of British Women Composers, Catherine Wilmers brings to light an extraordinary collection of works by British women presenting us with twelve premiere recordings. Drawing on diligent research, Wilmers unearths strikingly original compositions presenting us with premiere recordings by Amy Elsie Horrocks, Ethel Barns, Elizabeth Poston, Joan Trimble, Dora Bright, Susan Spain Dunk, and Sarah Rodgers, whose Mountain Airs was written for the cellist. Some of these works lay forgotten in the archives of the Royal Academy of Music, their potential stifled by societal limitations rather than artistic merit. The album is more than a rediscovery-it is a testament to the resilience and artistry of these composers. The satisfyingly detailed liner notes reveal the challenges they faced, often in their own words or through the prejudices of their time. As late as the 1920s, the critic Cecil Gray echoed Dr Johnson's notorious remark: 'A woman's composing is like a dog walking on it's hind legs; it is not done well but you are surprised to see it done at all.' Such dismissals only fuel the need to champion these voices today. Wilmers' deep connection to this repertoire is evident in every performance, matched sensitively by accompanying pianist, Jill Morton. A former cellist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Catherine Wilmers has long questioned why so few works by women have entered the standard repertoire. This album is part of her answer-a luminous and long-overdue celebration of their music.

With Reflections, Swiss pianist Joseph-Maurice Weder presents his new studio recording on ARS - an intense musical self-portrait featuring masterpieces by Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin. These sonatas are more than just repertoire: they are personal lifelines, grown from decades of experience and worldwide concert practice. The recording combines interpretative clarity, emotional depth, and artistic maturity - a listening experience that oscillates between intimacy and expansiveness.

Cesti: Cantatas & Arias

Volume 11 of Mathieu Gaudet's complete Schubert piano sonatas cycle brings us the fascinating second book of Impromptus D. 935, including the immortal Theme and Variation in B flat major. The youthful Sonata no. 2 in C major D. 279 and the � Noble � Waltzes D. 969 round up this spectacular album, full of singing melodies, contrasting atmospheres and romantic drama.

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Less is more: true to this motto, nine orchestra musicians who were friends founded the Ensemble Minui in 2016. Active in renowned orchestras such as the Carinthian Symphony Orchestra, the Slovenian National Opera, and the Vienna State Opera, they devote themselves here to exquisite minimalism with elegance and sophistication. Homogeneous and balanced, the five string players and four wind players offer previously unheard, sonically differentiated perspectives on large-scale operas such as Wagner's Die Walk�re, Puccini's Manon Lescaut, and Strauss's Die Frau ohne Schatten.

A sense of expectancy, along with images of stillness in nature, are recurrent in depictions of the story of Christmas. This collection of contemporary carols, alongside well-known favourites, seeks to draw the listener deeper into the remarkable story of the Christ Child.

Ukrainian and American Music for Piano Duo, performed by Ukrainian artists Anastasiia Larchikova and Mykhailo Diordiiev. These two young pianists perform a splendid program of half Ukrainian/half American compositions, all contemporary and all very accessible. On the American side the album has John Corigliano's "Gazebo Dances", Ricky Ian Gordon's "Ring-A-Ding-Ding", and a world premiere recording of Lowell Liebermann's "Romance, Etude and Chorale, Op. 134". This is the centerpiece of the album, and it is a stunning work that was commissioned by Steinway as a wedding present to Lang Lang. The Ukrainian music features "Carpathian Song" by Zoltan Almashi, composer, cellist and winner of the Lev Revultsky Prize in 2003; "Three Extravagant Dances" by the late Myroslav Skoryk, who was awarded the titles "The People's Artist" and "Hero of Ukraine", and whose music contains stylistic traits from Ukrainian folk music; and lastly "Ru-um-bambar" by Bohdan Sehin, who studied with M. Skoryk and whose music is highly textured, with Eastern European expressiveness. Proceeds from this album will be donated to Ukraine humanitarian aid organizations.

Esquisses opens up a fascinating soundscape for horn and piano, in which rare musical miniatures engage in a new dialogue alongside familiar masterpieces. The selection brings together finely drawn sketches from late Romanticism, modernism, and contemporary music-including forgotten gems from the Russian-Ukrainian repertoire, early works by great teachers such as Glazunov and Tcherepnin, as well as pieces written especially for the performers by Swiss composers such as Daniel Schnyder and Th�ring Br�m. This recording shows how rich, colorful, and virtuosic the literature for horn and piano can be-beyond the beaten track.

This album brings together a remarkable collection of secular choral works by the eminent American composer Dan Locklair, celebrated for his gift of weaving words with rich, expansive, harmonious, and lyrical music. Drawing on texts by poets as diverse as Robert Frost, Walt Whitman, W.B. Yeats, Phillis Wheatley, Christine Teale Howes, John Gillespie Magee, Jr., and Rabindranath Tagore, these pieces explore themes of love and loss, nature and freedom, moments of intimate reflection, and events of world-shaking resonance, always with a voice that is deeply rooted in American culture. Spanning more than three decades, the works range from intimate unaccompanied choral partsongs to expansive cantatas, all commissioned by a range of ensembles, youth choirs, and choral societies.

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