With "Beethoven for Flute and Piano - Part II", audite continues it's CD series exploring the composer's contributions to this instrumentation. While the first release, "But in my style!", focused on the late works, this new double album turns to the composer's early Viennese period. Here, the flute does not appear merely as an ad libitum instrument, but takes centre stage as the tonal focus of both original compositions and arrangements. The spectrum ranges from a version revised and authorised by Beethoven himself to adaptations by Friedrich Hermann. In this way, the selection also offers a glimpse into the historical reception of his music. Together with the first volume, it presents a richly varied panorama of Beethoven's oeuvre for flute and piano.

Henrique Oswald was perhaps the most European of Brazilian composers, having spent a large part of his life in Italy; he also absorbed influences from France and Germany. Oswald's music always retains a lyrical character with qualities of elegance and radiance, which can be heard in the Sinfonietta. The expressive Elegia, originally conceived for cello and piano, is dedicated to the memory of a friend. With it's contrasts between darkness and light, coupled with undeniable beauty, the Symphony is regarded as Oswald's finest orchestral achievement and one of the most significant works in the Brazilian orchestral literature.

Human Vibe is the sound of three musicians whose shared understanding runs deeper than geography. Pianist Jan Gunnar Hoff, bassist Jasper Somsen, and drummer Carsten Lindholm come from three different countries, yet their friendship and musical intuition make them feel like lifelong companions. In this trio, a glance, a breath, or a single musical gesture is enough to set the group into fluid, unified motion. A Trio Shaped by Conversation and Connection For their second album together, the trio reunited in the Netherlands, where long conversations over lunches and dinners flowed directly into their creative process. Out of these moments came the title Human Vibe-a phrase that perfectly captures the essence of their collaboration: three individuals, each with his own artistic pulse, meeting in a shared space where honesty, curiosity, and joy guide the music. Their performances embody the same spirit. They speak openly with audiences, share stories, and create an environment where listeners feel personally connected to the unfolding music. The album was recorded at Studio 2 in Hilversum, the Netherlands' oldest radio studio and a place rich with musical history. Photographs of legendary jazz artists still hang on the walls, creating an atmosphere steeped in the past. Hoff, Somsen, and Lindholm recorded exactly the way they play live: together in a single room, in full view of one another. The result is an album that captures not only the music, but the trio's closeness and immediacy.

The guitar is an expressive harpsichord declared the composer Claude Debussy after a concert by the Catalan guitarist, Miguel Llobet. The classic guitar has benefited, more than most other instruments, from arrangements of music of many genres. Renaissance and Baroque music especially suit the timbre and range of the guitar and keyboard music is ideal for playing on the guitar, often direct from the original score. Debussy's comment may be unjust to harpsichordists, but the expressive limits of the guitar may be said to outweigh those of the harpsichord. Girolamo Frescobaldi was born in Ferrara, one of the most musically stimulating cities in Italy at the end of the 1500s. He was organist of St Peter's, Rome and is said to have also been a magnificent harpsichordist. His influence spread not just through Italy, but also north of the Alps. Gaetano Greco (also Grieco) was born and worked in Naples, notably as Maestro di cappella of the Basilica in Naples from 1704-1720. He was an influential figure, numbering Domenico Scarlatti and Nicola Porpora among his pupils. If we know the name Domenico Alberti nowadays it is probably only through the eponymous bass figuration heard in many classical and pre-classical keyboard pieces. The lively Giga, from his collection of Sonatas Op.1 gives way to a more elegant Allegro from a Sonata da camera. As well as being a composer and a pupil of Pasquini, Domenico Zipoli trained for the priesthood as a Jesuit. He emigrated to Paraguay, where he aimed to complete his training, but died before he could be ordained. With Bernardo Pasquini we bridge the gap between Frescobaldi and Domenico Scarlatti. Pasquini made a close study of Frescobaldi's work, especially his early Fantasie and employed some of these ideas in his variations. Moving forward 50 years from Pasquini, Benedetto Marcello proved to be a real polymath, with interests in politics, law and literature. He left behind a substantial number of sonatas, especially for cello and harpsichord. Like Marcello, Domenico Cimarosa's main musical output was vocal music, mainly operas, of which he wrote more than 80, admired by Mozart and performed by Haydn at Eszterhaza. Cimarosa's Sonatas are a refreshing leap into the early classical style, while acknowledging Domenico Scarlatti's influence. Domenico Scarlatti's keyboard output, 555 sonatas, dwarfs all the other composers on this recording. The similarity in range between the harpsichord and the guitar makes transcriptions relatively easy. Paradies was another composer whose music was valued by Mozart, as well as Clementi and Cramer, both keyboard virtuosi of the late 1700s and early 1800s. Played with great commitment and feeling for the style by Antonio de Innocentis, who also signs for the guitar arrangements.

For 15 years now, Stoomboot has been drifting through the corridors of Flemish culture, with a half-smile and a tear, watching the world go by. Early in his career, that gaze turned inward: a romantic young man searching for love. On Stoomboot (2014), he became a storyteller; a poet singing about women he couldn't have. He collaborated with Kommil Foo and was even nominated for a MIA Award. With Storm (2016), the melancholic journey continued. But something changed: he met the love of his life. His world grew. On Zwarte doos (2018), the longing for love turned into living with it. The outside world slowly seeped into his songs - reflections of the Brussels attacks, Trump's first presidency, and the chaos of the times. Meanwhile, Niels Boutsen (that's the man behind the boat) graduated as a historian and started teaching. There, the idea for Omdat we naar de zee stromen (2020) took shape: a concept album about time and how it ticks differently for everyone. For his students. For his wife, who was battling burnout. For his grandparents, whom he rarely visited. Stoomboot wanted to go beyond music, creating a stage performance around the same theme, including storytelling, songs, and live charcoal art by Wide Vercnocke, drawn right there on stage. Before he knew it, the ten-year anniversary of Stoomboot was approaching. Time to look back, the best way he knows how: with a guitar and a story. 10 jaar Stoomboot (2021) was recorded live at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. Over that decade, he also wandered off the main path a few times, paying tribute to the French chanson that inspired him (Mr. Bateau, 2019), blending poetry and jazz in Zandland (2019), releasing Ze leest zo mooi verkeer (2022) with Raymond van het Groenewoud, and touring with his wife in Het is zoeken (2024), a tender and funny show about early parenthood. After ten years on stage, Niels found himself wondering: "What now?" Another record? Absolutely. He picked up the phone and called Tuur Florizoone (accordion) and Christophe Devisscher, two musicians he'd admired for years, watching them light up stages all over the country. "Want to make something together?" he asked. They did. The result is Een heel leven (2026), another concept album, this time about the unpredictable paths life takes. The title says it all: a musical stroll through what Niels's life could have been, but never was. Sometimes the choices that don't feel like choices end up shaping everything. The album was recorded live in the studio. Just three musicians in a room, telling a story. Put it on, and they're right there with you.

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) composed two piano concertos that stand as strikingly different yet complementary reflections of his evolving musical and emotional world. The Piano Concerto No.1 in C minor, Op. 35 (1933), written for piano, trumpet, and string orchestra, is a work of youthful brilliance and wit. Shostakovich himself was the soloist at it's premiere, showcasing his virtuosity and sharp humor. The concerto brims with parody, irony, and stylistic playfulness-traits that would define much of his music. The first movement alternates between dramatic, driving passages and cheeky references to classical motifs. The second movement offers a surprisingly lyrical, melancholic interlude before the music veers back into high-spirited satire. The inclusion of the trumpet, often acting as a witty commentator or foil to the piano, adds to the concerto's sense of mischievous dialogue. Beneath the humor, however, lies an undercurrent of anxiety and intensity, reflecting Shostakovich's growing awareness of the political pressures surrounding Soviet artists in the 1930s. The Piano Concerto No.2 in F major, Op. 102 (1957), by contrast, is lighter, more transparent, and more optimistic. Written as a gift for his son Maxim's 19th birthday, it is among Shostakovich's most accessible works. The outer movements sparkle with energy and joy, evoking the vitality of youth, while the slow movement stands as one of the composer's most beautiful lyrical statements-a tender, introspective melody that has become a concert favorite. Although less satirical and complex than the First Concerto, the Second demonstrates Shostakovich's mastery of clear form, elegant orchestration, and emotional directness. Giuseppe Andaloro (Palermo, 1982) is one of the most acclaimed Italian pianists of his generation. Winner of prestigious international competitions-including the Ferruccio Busoni (Bolzano), London World, Sendai, Hong Kong, and Porto-he was awarded the Medal for Artistic Merit by the Italian Ministry of Culture in 2005. He has performed in some of the world's leading venues: Teatro alla Scala and Sala Verdi in Milan, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Mozarteum in Salzburg, Konzerthaus Berlin, Salle Gaveau in Paris, Royal Festival Hall in London, Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo, Esplanade in Singapore, and Concert Hall in Hong Kong. He has appeared at renowned festivals such as the Salzburg Festival, Ruhr Piano Festival, Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi, George Enescu Festival, Ravello Festival, and Beirut Al Bustan. As soloist, he has collaborated with orchestras such as the London Philharmonic, NHK Symphony (Tokyo), Philharmonische Camerata Berlin, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and Hong Kong Philharmonic, under the direction of conductors like Vladimir Ashkenazy, Gianandrea Noseda, and Andrew Parrott.

This album is a collection of musical portraits - intimate sketches shaped by memory, place, and human connection. It reflects the soundscape of Alexander Ruess' upbringing near the Baltic Sea, the people who accompanied him along the way, and the impressions gathered through travel and encounter. At it's core, the music is deeply personal. Fur Opa is dedicated to Ruess' grandfather, who never played an instrument yet supported his musical journey unconditionally, driving him to countless lessons and proudly claiming responsibility for his grandson's talent. Sangen Fra Havet is an homage to the Baltic Sea and the Danish coastline, whose quiet vastness and shifting moods echo throughout the record. Cornflower draws inspiration from the vivid blue flower that grew at the edges of rural fields - a favorite of Ruess' maternal grandfather - symbolizing memory, landscape, and rootedness. The album balances composition and spontaneity. Interlude, the only fully improvised piece, captures the natural interplay between guitar, double bass, and drums, allowing the music's energy to unfold organically in the moment. Throughout the record, lyrical melodies meet open forms, creating space for both narrative clarity and collective expression. Recorded in Berlin with longtime collaborators Luca Curcio and Sebastian Merk, the trio's sound is defined by trust, subtle interaction, and shared musical intuition. A special highlight is the appearance of trombonist Nils Landgren on Fur Opa, whose music was a formative influence on Ruess' childhood and whose presence adds a distinctive warmth and depth to the album. Ultimately, this record is a dedication - to family, mentors, friends, and places that shape who we become. It is an expression of gratitude and belonging, rendered through sound

Daniel Seminara's Fantasticus is a musical journey through different eras, aesthetics and languages. From the improvisational inventions of the seventeenth century to the experiments of the late twentieth century, each selected piece reflects a common impulse: the desire to explore, to amaze, to go beyond the limits of tradition and to give voice, through the guitar and the lute, to music that is born each time as if it were the first. The repertoire spans from works by Kapsberger, Galilei and Piccinini over Sor and Poulenc to Petrassi and D'Angelo, always with the ideas of 'Stylus Phantasticus' in mind.

This is an album of what might best be described as nicely funky classical and tango music of the 20th Century, performed by chamber clarinet ensembles.

Considered a lesser-known gem of the operatic repertoire, Smetana's Dve vdovy ('The Two Widows') is set in a Bohemian country estate in which the contrasting personalities of recently widowed cousins Karolina and Anezka are tested by the attentions of gentleman-farmer Ladislav. Smetana's expert theatrical craftsmanship seamlessly blends Czech dances and choruses with beautiful cavatina-like solos. With the humane warmth of it's chamber-like comedy and deftly transparent orchestration, Smetana created a style of conversational opera in The Two Widows that was much admired by Richard Strauss.

Cheo Hurtado, virtuoso of the cuatro and bandola guayanesa, presents part of the vast traditional Venezuelan repertoire, mainly derived from pre-baroque and baroque Hispanic music: melodic richness and rhythmic vigour. Cheo Hurtado (born Asdr�bal Jos� Hurtado on 2 May 1960 in Ciudad Bol�var, Venezuela) is one of the most celebrated virtuoso performers of the cuatro, a small four-stringed instrument central to Venezuelan folk tradition. The Spanish conquest reached Venezuela fairly early. Christopher Columbus had already landed near the Orinoco delta by his third journey, in 1498. As it was near to Santo Domingo and Cuba, which were the gates to all contact with the homeland, Venezuela was exposed to a good deal of musical input from Baroque Europe. In addition to church and secular art music, Spanish popular music forms were also introduced throughout the continent of South America. These musical forms may have already gained African and American influences while in Spain. In the course of time, they turned into traditional music. Cheo Hurtado learned to play the cuatro with his father, performed at an early age as a soloist, and was awarded several prizes. He has played with various groups, including Guruf�o (one of the most popular bands in Venezuela). He also plays the bandola llanera, mandolina, and the Cuban tres.

Gramophone (UK):�A wonderful release that launches Berl Senofsky into the heady realms of collectable violin virtuosos.

The formation of the The Chaining Loops team is the result of encounters that, for the most part, took place over several decades, within various third-party projects of extremely diverse aesthetics. Over the years, this gave Olivier and his associates many opportunities to share a wide range of experiences through different projects, during numerous concerts in France and abroad. This is how Olivier met vibraphonist David Patrois in 1991, when they were both members of harmonica player Olivier Ker Ourio's quartet, which-after winning First Prize at the Concours National de Jazz de la Defense in 1993-performed in several concerts throughout France. In 1998, Olivier met cornettist and vocalist Mederic Collignon during Paris jam sessions. Mederic went on to take part in many of the leader's projects (duo, trios, etc.), including a quartet project featuring pianist Andy Emle. As for guitarist Michael Felberbaum, Olivier first invited him to take part in the European tour New Gravitations, which took place in 2007-2008 following the release of the album Gravitations on Altrisuoni in 2007. In 2013, trombonist Gueorgui Kornazov was already part of the drummer's septet project Abstract, whose album was released in 2013 on Rewind Records. Double bassist Yoni Zelnik, for his part, has participated since 2015 in several one-off concerts in France and Germany as a member of the leader's Reciprocity project. Tenor and soprano saxophonist Frederic Borey is the newest addition to the ensemble. The name Pulse was inspired for Olivier Le Goas by the word pulsar. A pulsar is a neutron star that rotates very rapidly on it's axis. The first pulsar, known as the Cambridge pulsar 1919 (CP1919), was discovered in 1967 by Jocelyn Bell and Antony Hewish. The Pulse septet project was born during a creative residency in 2021, which benefited from support from DRAC Bretagne. This residency made it possible to develop most of the repertoire featured on the album, with the exception of the album's eponymous title track, The Chaining Loops, which is more recent and was composed in 2024. It was only in June 2024, after a session canceled in 2023, that Olivier Le Goas brought the Pulse Ensemble to Studios de la Seine in Paris to record The Chaining Loops. The album The Chaining Loops presents a special repertoire consisting of five pieces: The Chaining Loops, Direction, Friction, Fifteen Miles, and Light in the Sky. The Chaining Loops, composed largely in spring 2024, is a large-scale piece built on the interlocking of pattern blocks and the stretching of melodic lines, with song remaining the central axis. Direction, originally composed for Olivier Le Goas's group Reciprocity, presents music of a lyrical and energetic character that gradually gains in density, complexity, and unity. Friction is a suite formed by the aggregation of multiple themes, in which the main opening theme (2021) crystallizes the overall structure of the piece and is based on an interplay of blocks of forces. Fifteen Miles, dating back to 2016, is a composition that was reworked twice-first in 2021 and again a few months before the recording. It combines an initial theme imbued with a certain gravity, contrasting with a second, more light-hearted theme. Light in the Sky offers a form composed of multiple arrangements of different thematic and solo sections, in which unexpectedly emerge contours and masses of sound.

Il Bajazet was commissioned in 1735 to open Verona's carnival season. Vivaldi chose a libretto by Agostino Piovene drawn from the well-known story of the defeated Ottoman sultan, King Bajazet, captured by Tamerlane who duly falls in love with Bajazet's proud daughter, Asteria. Vivaldi was in his late maturity when he completed the opera, modifying his music to suit contemporary taste, and using the pasticcio form, incorporating some arias written by other, mostly Neapolitan, composers. Repurposing of this kind was wholly acceptable at the time and such works enjoyed great popularity. The conductor and Vivaldi specialist, Federico Maria Sardelli, has integrated lost arias, clarified the use of historically appropriate orchestration, and brought the opera to rich theatrical life.

This thoughtfully sequenced recording explores sacred music written in the sixteenth and twenty-first centuries. It includes a famous madrigal, a starting point for a mass setting by Philippe de Monte, positioned alongside well-crafted, but previously unrecorded music from the same period. They are complemented by striking contemporary pieces by female composers, including Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Cecilia McDowall, Melissa Dunphy, Rosa Elliott and Kerry Andrew.

Francesco Palmieri has gathered in this album pieces that are special to him, with which he has sustained an intimate, lasting relationship - one might even say, of friendship. This is testified also by his fruitful collaboration with some of the composers presented here. The collection's title, Sans dire, taken from one of the works, evokes the familiarity that sometimes arises between friends; or, at times, between a performer and, through their instrument, a piece of music. As the composer himself notes: "Sans dire is a confidential, wordless conversation between intertwined souls, taking place around the body of the guitar - the instrument that, more than any other, reminds me of the tone of friendship and of those intimate connections that render words effective even when only hinted at." The program presents works for guitar or e-guitar, in some cases with added electronics. Composers include Luciano Berio (the famous Sequenzia), Salvatore Sciarrino, Marco Momi, Fausto Romitelli, and Pierluigi Billone. A fascinating journey through a sometimes hallucinating soundscape of unheard-of colours, timbres, and soundscapes. Francesco Palmieri (b. 1996) is a Berlin-based classical and electric guitarist whose work intertwines with contemporary music. He has performed at major festivals and concert halls, including Festival d'Automne, ManiFeste, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Ruhrtriennale, Wittener Tage f�r Neue Kammermusik, Darmst�dter Ferienkurse, Staatsoper Berlin, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Bregenzer Festspiele, ZeitR�ume Basel, Musikfestival Bern, Festival di Nuova Consonanza, and Milano Musica.

The Chiaroscuro Quartet is now offering us the fourth instalment of their ongoing complete recording of Beethoven's string quartets. This latest release spotlights the first two of the three Opus 59 quartets, known as the 'Razumovsky,' named for their patron, the Russian ambassador in Vienna, Count Andreas Razumovsky, who maintained a house quartet in his palace. Beethoven was particularly proud of these new quartets, despite the initial bewilderment they provoked among audiences, critics, and even performers. Famously, when a violinist complained of their difficulty, Beethoven retorted: "Oh, they are not for you, but for a later age." The first, in F major, was almost certainly the longest string quartet composed up to that point, and it's unprecedented weight and density of argument earn it the moniker the Eroica among Beethoven's quartets. The second, in E minor, is often described as a "close cousin" of the Appassionata Sonata, in that both works-composed at around the same time-are permeated by a profound darkness from start to finish. The Chiaroscuro Quartet's previous instalments in this cycle have already garnered superlative praise from the musical press, hailed as "breathtaking," "bristling with excitement and youthful vitality," and "a very special experience." There is no doubt this latest release is poised to achieve similar critical acclaim

Nine works - nine musical microcosms: this CD brings together contemporary monologues for trombone, composed by an international group of renowned composers. Between expressive sound theater, inner dialogues, and ecstatic outbursts, an impressive soundscape unfolds, showcasing the trombone in all it's facets - poetic, radical, virtuosic.

With Missa Iste Confessor Domini, the Musurgia Ensemble presents a fascinating journey into the music of the 16th century, taken directly from the historical manuscripts of the Santa Cruz monastery in Coimbra, Portugal. The focus is on the mass of the same name, which comes from the choir book P-Cug MM 2 - one of Portugal's most important musical sources from this period. This manuscript, probably produced shortly after 1530 in 's-Hertogenbosch, contains eleven masses by renowned Franco-Flemish composers. The program is complemented by colorful instrumental works from other Coimbra manuscripts. Jo�o Francisco Tavora, renowned recorder player and artistic director of the Musurgia Ensemble, draws on his many years of experience with Portuguese Renaissance and Baroque music. After studying in Porto and Leipzig, he has toured international stages as a soloist and ensemble musician and has made numerous recordings.

Metaludios vol. III marks a major new chapter in the acclaimed Metaludios cycle by Spanish pianist and composer Gustavo D�az-Jerez, one of the most original voices in contemporary piano music. Bringing together Books VI and VII, this album continues D�az-Jerez's exploration of the intersection between music, science, technology, and imagination, confirming the series as a reference point in 21st-century repertoire. Each work is rooted in a precise conceptual process: artificial intelligence models trained exclusively on the composer's own music, sonifications of natural and cosmic phenomena, image-to-sound transformations, mathematical sequences, and algorithmic structures. These materials are shaped through a highly personal musical language that balances structural rigor with expressive depth and poetic resonance. Highlights include Long Short-Term Memory, created using Google's Magenta AI framework; Fuzzball, derived from a mathematical sequence of 10,000 data points; and Perseus' Lament, based on NASA's sonification of pressure waves emitted by a supermassive black hole. Other works draw inspiration from visual art, historical memory, spoken language, and physical phenomena such as Schumann resonances. Recorded at the Auditorio Manuel de Falla and released by IBS Classical, Metaludios III offers distributors a distinctive catalogue title that appeals to contemporary music audiences, technologically curious listeners, and piano specialists alike, while reinforcing Gustavo D�az-Jerez's international profile as both composer and performer, one of Spain's leading pianists and composers, internationally acclaimed for his performances of contemporary and core repertoire. He has appeared worldwide and premiered major works with orchestras such as the London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.