Jean-Paul Dessy's music occupies a singular place in the contemporary landscape: it does not submit to any school or current, but traces a ridge, stretched between interiority and expansion, between spirituality and sound matter. Each work is a journey, a ritual of sound that calls on the listener to listen with the utmost acuity, where time seems suspended, as if returned to it's original density. This album is the result of this mutual loyalty, of this long-term exploration. It is also the testimony of a unique, living work that continues to move us, to question us, and to draw, in the infinity of the sound spectrum, a profoundly human imprint.

An award-winning English composer of international standing, and one of the leading composers of his generation, whose music has been performed, recorded, and broadcast in many countries, Edward Gregson celebrates his eightieth birthday in 2025. He continues to compose and perform as actively as ever. This album presents three major concertos, interspersed with two shorter works for piano and orchestra. A Song for Bram was written in memory of his great friend and advocate, the conductor Bramwell Tovey. A Song for Sue, re-working the central Nocturne from his Concertante for Piano and Brass Band (1966), is a 2024 tribute to his wife. One of the most performed of all his works, the Tuba Concerto was written for John Fletcher, who gave the first performance in 1977. Gregson's Concerto for Viola and String Orchestra 'Three Goddesses' was given it's first performance in 2023 by Rachel Roberts. The goddesses depicted in the three movements are Morrigan (Celtic warrior queen and earth mother), Aphrodite (Greek goddess of love and beauty), and Diana (Roman goddess of the hunt). First performed by these forces in 2020, the Oboe Concerto 'A Vision in a Dream' is inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem Kubla Khan. In following the narrative, Gregson comes closest in his series of concertos to producing a descriptive symphonic poem.

Jenna Nyman

Tenor Haitham Haidar's debut solo album Zaytoun (meaning 'Olive' in Arabic) is a captivating collection of beautiful Baroque and Arabic songs, interlaced with poetry and musical improvisations, an exploration of the intersection between Baroque and Arabic music. Whether it be through instrumentation, ornamentation, or vocal production, Zaytoun highlights the natural connections between what we generally view as separate worlds. Haidar pairs Baroque arias and songs by Monteverdi, Purcell and Bach, with the traditional Arabic songs which were his first introduction to music. He has added arabic instrumentation to some of these Baroque standards, and even translated a Bach aria into Arabic, incorporating Arabic style into the Baroque structure. Alongside the music, are three poetry tracks (from Gibran Khalil Gibran's The Prophet) read over beautifully performed oud improvisation by Abdul-Wahab Kayyali. These tracks (prelude, intermezzo, and postlude) help present the music to follow and shape Haidar's narrative of his own immigrant story in the unique intertwining of Arabic and Baroque music. "As an Arab immigrant, life continues to be a journey of exploration of home, of belonging and this musical project encompasses all parts of my identity, allowing them to live and shine within one sphere rather than compartmentalized sections of myself." Haitham Haidar is a Lebanese-Palestinian Canadian tenor highly sought out for his musicality, "standout presence", and sensitive storytelling. He is a proud graduate of Yale's Institute of Sacred Music, McGill's Schulich School of Music, and the University of British Columbia and currently resides in Montreal, Quebec. Haitham is praised for his 'musical and linguistic versatility' and his 'bright' and 'innately lyrical voice' and enjoys performing oratorio, opera, and chamber music across North America, Europe, and Asia. His recordings as a soloist with the Conspirare and Skylark ensembles have received multiple GRAMMY� nominations.

Ferdinando Carulli was amongst the most important Italian guitarist-composers during the first half of the 19th century, and his Guitar Method, Op. 27 is still in use today. Marcello Fantoni's first volume of Carulli Rediscovered (Dynamic 7956) was awarded the Chitarra d'Oro Prize for best guitar album of the year in Italy in 2023, and this second volume features world premiere recordings of rarely performed works. These range from the complex Grande Sonatas to three lively Neapolitan-style Ouvertures, Op. 6 [a] brought by Carulli from Italy to his new home in Paris. The album concludes with the brief but delightfully melancholy etude in B minor, Op. 192.

Orjan Hulten

Winner of the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, the British mezzo-soprano Katie Bray has become known for her magnetic stage presence and gleaming, expressive tone. Katie writes: 'Youkali, It is the land of our desires, It is happiness, it is pleasure... But it is a dream, a folly, There is no Youkali! This song was my first encounter with Kurt Weill, more than twenty years ago, and that yearning, mesmerising tango has been a constant companion ever since. The sentiment behind 'Youkali' touched me deeply, and seemed to echo Weill's own search for a place of personal and artistic freedom, a German Jew forced into exile in 1933 owing to the rise of the Nazi regime. He moved around the world, and with each new country came a reinvention of himself and some more miraculous musical shape-shifting. 'Youkali' is Weill's 'Somewhere over the rainbow', an idea that resonates strongly with me, and seems painfully relevant to us all as I write this, in 2025, yet again living in a world at war. My performances of Weill's songs have always centred around 'Youkali' and Weill's search for a place to belong and to be free. I have wanted to make this album for many years, and am thrilled finally to have had the chance to do so with such a special team of collaborators and friends. It is my tribute to Kurt Weill, the chameleon, in all his glory, and a tribute to us all in our search for kindness, love, and peace.'

Orjan Hulten

While cpo is currently preparing a box set with all of Austrian composer Egon Wellesz' nine symphonies, the Aron Quartet has begun recording a cycle of his string quartets. This contemporary of Alban Berg and private pupil of Arnold Schoenberg had a remarkable life and career, both in that genre as well as in orchestral music. His career began at the end of the post-Romantic period, whose signs of harmonic dissolution could no longer be overheard, but whose Romanticism was expounded upon in all of it's autumnal charm. Later, we witness a constructive reorientation that reveals the strict architectural underpinnings of chamber music without compromise. The interplay, migrations and transformations of motifs, the shifting force fields between the individual voices, the dynamic urge to break new ground - all invite the listener to participate with intensity and fascination.

Roffredo Caetani (1871-1961) prince of Bassiano, last duke of Sermoneta, composer and patron of the arts, developed a marked musical talent from an early age. A decisive factor in this respect was certainly the influence of his father, a close friend of Franz Liszt, who in turn would be an exceptional godfather and, later, teacher to Roffredo. Caetani completed his Sonata for Violin and Piano in 1898, and the work was first performed by the great Turinese violinist Teresina Tua and pianist Francesco Bajardi. The Sonata's three movements are decidedly broad and there is a particular evocation of the Baroque in the Adagio and Finale, as in Ferruccio Busoni's Second Sonata for violin and piano in E minor, Op.36. The first movement begins with a brief, slow and expressive introduction, almost enigmatic, somewhat reminiscent of the great Sonatas of the classical period (such as Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata), and then it gives way, in an almost impetuous manner, to the Allegro, full of themes following one on another, urged on by a pressing rhythm. In the Adagio, counterpoint is much more than a technique, it becomes an expressive tool. Written in ABA ternary form, the central part of which has a faster tempo (Pi� andante), the second movement consists of a combination of elegiac chants entrusted to the violin with chromatic counterpoint to the piano. The Finale of the Sonata is a three-voice fugue whose theme is developed from the very first notes of the movement and whose character is incisive and brilliant. Guido Alberto Fano (1875-1961) was an Italian composer, conductor and pianist of Jewish origin, a survivor of the Holocaust. He began his musical studies with Vittorio Orefice, later undertaking piano studies under Cesare Pollini. In 1894, he was invited by Giuseppe Martucci to be his piano and composition student at Bologna, where Fano graduated in 1897. Fano's Fantasia Sonata for violin and piano in D minor, composed in 1893, is one of the Paduan composer's first chamber works. It was later revised by the composer in 1941, during the dark period of his escape from Nazi persecution. The first movement - Contemplativo e sognante - is characterised by a plaintive thematic motif, emphasised by repeated crescendos and diminuendos in the middle of each bar, as if evoking a Jewish folk song. In the second movement, Andante sostenuto, baroque writing of an intimate and spiritual character is evoked. The piano is entrusted with an elaborate counterpoint with written flourishes that support and incorporate the violin line. The third movement, Misterioso e moderatamente mosso (added in the version of 1941) is nothing but a perpetual motion entrusted to the violin taking it's cue from the piano part of the Allegro molto (third movement version of 1893). The Finale, Allegro molto (added in the version of 1941), is a natural continuation, but it transfers the virtuosic character to the piano. The violin is then free to develop the cantabile and passionate theme set out in the first movement, reversing it's first three notes. - Recorded May 2024, Polla (Salerno), Italy - Bilingual booklet in English and Italian contains liner notes by Ludovica Del Bagno and a profile of the duo - Mauro Tortorelli plays a Giovanni Guidanti violin (Bologna, 1730) - The violin sonatas of Roffredo Caetani and Guido Alberto Fano, though lesser-known in the broader canon of chamber music, reflect the rich cultural and musical milieu of early 20th-century Italy. Both composers were deeply rooted in the Romantic tradition while also responding to the stylistic shifts of their time, and their violin sonatas reveal a blend of lyricism, structural clarity, and expressive depth. - Roffredo Caetani (1871-1961), a nobleman, composer, and pupil of Franz Liszt, brought a refined sensibility to his music. His Violin Sonata, composed in the early 20th century, is characterized by lush textures and a lively dialogue between violin and piano, offering glimpses of impressionistic color amid the Brahmsian density. - Guido Alberto Fano (1875-1961), a pianist, conductor, and close associate of Giuseppe Martucci, likewise embraced a Romantic idiom deeply influenced by the Germanic tradition. His Violin Sonata is notable for it's dramatic scope and contrapuntal rigor. Fano weaves complex motivic development with a keen sense of melodic invention, balancing virtuosity and lyricism. The piano part often assumes an orchestral role, supporting and sometimes challenging the violin in a vibrant interplay. - Played by the Gran Duo Italiano: Mauro Tortorelli and Angela Meluso, whose highly important and valuable discography for Brilliant Classics includes works by Saint-Saens, Santorsola, D'Ambrosio, Santoliquido, Sevcik, Auer, Milhaud, Castelnuovo-Tedesco and others.

Vienna, Vienna, just you, and you alone Because Vienna was the capital of music, at least in the 18th century, many pieces were not only premi�red there but were also immediately musically adapted there too. There are a variety of ways of engaging fruitfully with the musical works of others, to a greater or lesser extent. One option might be an arrangement, i.e., the adaptation of a composition for a different combination of instruments than originally intended. Entire operas could be arranged for piano, for example, and so find their way into aristocratic salons or bourgeois living rooms. The 19th century also saw the development of the paraphrase, a freely embellished arrangement of popular themes from operas, often in the form of a concert fantasia written for the piano. These also included the variation, or, to be more precise, the series of variations, which took a well-known melody as a model and altering it to a greater degree in each variation, whereby the tempo and key can also change.

A passionate advocate for the bassoon, Amy Harman is much sought after as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher, and communicator. Appointed solo bassoon of the Philharmonia Orchestra aged twenty-three, she is currently principal bassoon of the Aurora Orchestra and much in demand as a guest principal with leading orchestras in Europe, including Paavo Jarvi's Estonian Festival Orchestra and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Amy writes: 'The quality in all the musicians I have loved is the ability to make their instruments sing - to make a sound that is an extension of their voice and to communicate directly to the souls of their listeners. I was lucky enough to give many recitals during my time sponsored by the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT), in my early twenties, and when I was putting together programmes, I was always drawn to either transcriptions of songs or repertoire in which I felt that the bassoon could leave behind it's sometimes comedic image and become a voice. I have been even luckier to perform many of these recitals with Tom Poster, and we have over the years narrowed down our favourites to the pieces collected on this album. The Bassoonist's Songbook is a showcase of the side of the bassoon that I love the most, and I hope that many of you, too, will enjoy the songs that nestle within this beautiful instrument.'

Timothy Corlis is a JUNO-nominated composer hailed for his music's depth, passion and colour. His Missa Pax, a major work, reinterprets the liturgical tradition giving it new expression and vitality. Corlis is also devoted to social change, with activism at the core of his creativity. In Loveliest of trees, a setting of A. E. Housman's poem of the same name, he celebrates nature's beauty and bounty. The place of the divine feminine in the birth of Christ is reflected upon in O magnum mysterium; the dynamism of New York City is the inspiration behind Immortality; and In paradisum reminds us that paradise is often experienced on earth.

Il martirio di Santa Caterina by castrato singer, composer and writer Pier Francesco Tosi is a fine example of the rich tradition of late-Baroque oratorio. It is the embodiment of Tosi's famous treatise on a vocal style that emphasised expressive authenticity over virtuoso display. This story of the martyrdom of Catherine of Alexandria for refusing to convert to paganism is filled with deeply poignant music that depicts her prodigious inner strength, representing the power of faith through grief, courage, compassion, and admiration for the fortitude of others

Erik Palmberg - Trumpet Joona Toivanen - Piano Martin Sundstr�m - Bass Paul Svanberg - Drums & Percussion

Though he was admired by figures as illustrious as Rossini and Verdi, violinist-composer Giuseppe Austri has been largely forgotten, unlike his great contemporaries Paganini, Sivori and Bazzini. These premiere recordings show how inventive and virtuosic his works for violin and piano are, suggesting that he must have been a performer of transcendent technical and expressive abilities. Austri was in the mould of the great itinerant virtuosi of his time and, though his compositions can display Paganini-like writing, he matches incendiary passages with graceful cantabile and intimate delicacy.

Jenna Nyman

Louis Lortie's programme for this eighth and final volume of Chopin spans the composer's entire career, from the teenage Rondo, Op. 1 through to his final published piece, the Cello Sonata, Op. 65. Inspired by a visit to the estate of Prince Antoni Radziwill in 1829, the Introduction and Polonaise brillante, Op. 3 was written for the prince (a keen cellist) and his pianist daughter Wanda, and was published in 1831 in Vienna, shortly before Chopin's move to Paris. Variations brillantes, Op. 12 was based on the theme 'Je vends des Scapulaires' from the (now long-forgotten) opera Ludovic. Single-handedly responsible for establishing the popularity of the mazurka, Chopin wrote almost sixty of these works in his lifetime. The two sets here date from 1842 (Op. 50) and 1844 (Op. 56) whilst the composer was at the height of his powers - and popularity in the salons of Paris. Chopin struggled with the composition of the Cello Sonata, taking two years, from 1845 to 1847, before finally premiering it at his last public concert, in Paris, on 16 February 1848. He was striving to find a 'new style' in his composition, whilst at the same time struggling under failing health and the breakdown of his long-standing relationship with the novelist George Sand. His perseverance paid off, and the sonata remains a cornerstone of the repertoire.

Joseph Gibbs is one of the 18th century's best-kept secrets; his music is characterful and individual, fusing the best of Italianate virtuosity with English and quirky Gibbs-ian humour. Despite the obvious brilliance of his compositions, the 8 Solos for Violin and Basso Continuo, Op. 1 of c. 1746 are one of only two published sets of music, and there are scant references to Gibbs in the years after his death. However, the re-emergence of his portrait (painted by Thomas Gainsborough) in the early years of the 20th century sparked a curiosity and interest in Gibbs's music, which has been described as amongst 'the finest English violin sonatas of the century'.

The Austrian composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957) was one of the greatest composing child prodigies in history. His keyboard style was highly personal and fully formed from the start, yet he seems to have had hardly any instruction on the instrument. Apart from a few lessons when he was five years old (not from an eminent teacher, but a needy relative), he seems to have been entirely self-taught. Celebrated British pianist Martin Jones released NI 5705 The Complete Piano Music of Erich Korngold on 4 CDs which is still available. This compilation includes many of the prodigious works written even before Korngold entered his teenage years.