The third of this four-volume series unites distinguished composers of the older generation with some of the most promising voices in Spain today, amply justifying claims for a modern Spanish renaissance of the classical guitar. Performing works dedicated to and commissioned by himself, award-winning guitarist Adam Levin puts his flawless technique and gorgeous tone to the service of music whose soul and poetry are the unmistakable products of a common and illustrious ancestry. Volumes 1 and 2 are also available on Naxos records.

Classical guitarist emilie Fend and clarinettist Andreas Hermanski share an ambitious artistic vision to promote their relatively unusual instrumental combination through the commissioning of new repertoire. Including world premiere recordings, this programme presents neo-Classical dark and light contrasts in Giacomo Susani's Sonata, and striking evocations of nature in Antonio Giacometti's The Prideful Cry of Amazonian Forest. Psychological landscapes can be found in Jan Freidlin's Kafka Sonata alongside Roberto Sierra's Duo-Sonata, with all works exploring the diverse expressive potential of this exciting ensemble.

21st Mazurkas

In his second album for Willowhayne Records, virtuoso pianist Dominic John presents 24+1, a truly ground-breaking recording based on the ‘circle of fifths.’ From the power of Eduard Abramyan’s Prelude in F sharp minor to the poetry of John Ireland’s The Holy Boy, 25 composers extending across 2 centuries of music are represented in this unique musical journey that is sure to delight the listener. Dominic’s pianism has won him several prizes, including First Prize in the 22nd Brant International Piano Competition, British Music Society Awards, RCM Chappell Gold Medal, a Director’s Golden Jubilee Award at the RCM, and a laureate of the Corpus Christi, USA International Competition for Piano and Strings. He has performed in the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and abroad in France, Holland, Poland, Ameica, Korea, and Japan. He studied at Chethams School of Music, the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music where he held the RCM Society Junior Fellowship from 2004-2006. A versatile musician, Dominic is in demand as a soloist, member of various chamber ensembles and accompanist to a wide variety of singers and instrumentalists.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

German pianist Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy is one of the leading pianists of his generation. His concert activities and recordings mark him as an extremely intelligent musician with immense technical powers. His recordings of Brahms, Schumann and Rachmaninoff have won him rave reviews all over the world. His Chopin interpretations on this new recording breathe an air of improvisation, vision and imagination. Listening to his interpretation of the Preludes evokes a synesthetic experience: The sounds, views and smells of Mallorca (where they were composed) merge into one feeling of beauty, bliss and melancholy.

Classical Music

Kabalevsky was born in Saint Petersburg in 1904 and soon moved with his family to Moscow where he studied piano at the Scriabin Musical Institute. During his adolescence he already began teaching piano lessons, composing simple pieces for his students and for silent films. In 1925 he entered the Moscow Conservatory as a student of Ab Gol'denvejzera for piano and of N.Y. Mjaskoskij for composition. He graduated in 1930. By the 1930's Kabalevsky was appointed as an assistant instructor of composition at the Moscow Conservatory, and by 1939 he was a full professor. This period until 1942 is considered to be Kabalevsky's strongest. During this time he wrote much incidental music for radio and stage. On this new release, Italian pianist Maria Gabriella Bassi performs his 24 Preludes for Piano Op. 38.

Classical Music

The UNLV Wind Orchestra has received international acclaim for its fresh and creative approach to music making. Performing contemporary repertoire in addition to classical masterworks, the Wind Orchestra at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has been responsible for commissioning and premiering numerous significant new works by America’s finest young contemporary composers. The ensemble is comprised of music majors, non-majors, and includes select graduate students enrolled in the masters and doctoral performance degree programs at UNLV. Under the baton of Professor Thomas G. Leslie, the Wind Orchestra has received acclaim for outstanding performances at conventions across the globe. They have also received outstanding reviews for twenty professional recordings of international repute. The cornerstone of this album- and the piece from where the album’s title comes- is Morton Gould’s Festive Music, penned in 1964 by the Tri-City Symphony Orchestra of Illinois. In 1991 Mark Jirousek transcribed the work for wind band- the arrangement heard on this release. This work is paired with other remarkable wind band pieces by composers Malcolm Arnold, Howard Hanson, Julian Tanaka, and Jean Francaix.

2016 release, the highly-anticipated third album from critically-acclaimed, multi-Grammy winning international megastar Bruno Mars. 24K Magic is Bruno's first solo release in nearly four years. Written and produced by Shampoo Press & Curl, the first single and title track, "24K Magic" sees Bruno bringing the bounce to his adoring fans.

Vinyl LP pressing including digital download. 2016 release, the highly-anticipated third album from critically-acclaimed, multi-Grammy winning international megastar Bruno Mars. 24K Magic is Bruno's first solo release in nearly four years. Written and produced by Shampoo Press & Curl, the first single and title track, 24K Magic sees Bruno bringing the bounce to his adoring fans. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age and performed in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood. After being dropped by Motown Records, Mars signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 2009. The rest is history

25 POLISH FOLK SONGS FROM WARM

The story of DIEM (The Danish Institute of Electronic Music) is the story of 25 years of believing that the newest technology can move existing musical boundaries by creating new sounds, new structures, and pioneer the development of the music of the future. This double CD presents a broad selection of works produced at DIEM from 1987 to 2012; all of them presented in their original form and many of them released for the first time. DIEM is dedicated to artistic production, teaching, research and performance in the area of electronic music in Denmark. DIEM is led by the Californian-born composer Wayne Siegel, himself an electronic pioneer with several releases on Dacapo Records such as the recent TERRA in the spring of 2012.

In celebration of their 25th year together as one of the most adventurous and influential percussion ensembles in contemporary music, So Percussion announces the release of 25x 25. In keeping with the group's forward-looking mission, this 8-disc box set is not a retrospective; more characteristically, it's a stand-alone listening experience, featuring more than 8 hours of entirely new and previously unreleased recordings, with each piece written for, in collaboration with, and premiered by So Percussion. Over the last 25 years, the members of So - Jason Treuting, Adam Sliwinski, Josh Quillen, and Eric Cha-Beach - have been hailed for their gripping performances and wildly creative collaborations. Cantaloupe Music (the label launched by the Bang on a Can collective, which released So's first-ever album in 2004), is pleased to offer this collection to longtime fans and newcomers alike. It's both a comprehensive portrait, and a forecasting of where contemporary chamber music is heading.

"26 centers around the concept of violists performing and sharing their own compositions. As a violist/composer, I am inspired by the legacy of others who have picked up both bow and pen to create music. 26 was my way of gathering some of my favorite musicians who share a love of the viola, and a love for the new. This album features performances and works by violists Atar Arad, Garth Knox, and myself. Our trio of violists/composers is joined by composer Richard Karpen and violinist Michael Jinsoo Lim. The title of the recording comes from the number of strings on the instruments used: four strings each for the violas of Arad and myself and Lim’s violin; and 14 strings (seven playing and seven sympathetic) for Knox’s viola d’amore. As a student of Atar Arad’s, I had the opportunity to experience his artistry through his teaching, viola playing and his compositions. It was, indeed, Atar’s example that helped lead me to composing myself, along with the experiences culled from my performing career filled with new music and improvisation. I first got to know Garth Knox as an admirer of his work as violist of the Arditti Quartet. I have since had the good fortune to perform with him on a number of occasions, and to get to know him as a composer. Richard Karpen’s sense of experimentation was one of the initial draws for me to join the faculty at the University of Washington, where I am very happy to be his colleague. Michael Jinsoo Lim has been my partner in crime since we met in college. As co-founders of the Corigliano Quartet and members of Frequency, Mike is the musician I most often perform with." - Melia Watras

26 Bluegrass Instrumentals

26 Little Deaths - the new album from composer, singer and violinist Carla Kihlstedt and the contemporary ensemble Present Music - celebrates the macabre wit of iconic writer and illustrator Edward Gorey (1925-2000), whose 100th birthday fell on February 22, 2025. The album is an hour-long set of 26 miniatures for singing violinist and chamber orchestra, inspired by Gorey's macabre children's book, The Gashlycrumb Tinies. Following in the footsteps of Hanns Eisler and Kurt Weill, who moved seamlessly between art song, pop song and cabaret, Kihlstedt has created a work that captures the pathos, humor and wit of Gorey's indelible images.

Guitarist Samo Salamon hails from Marigor, Slovenia and splits his work and life between USA and European Continent, though in the last 10 plus years his activities has kept growing and expanding in the USA collecting numerous accolades from critics and public alike. “One of the more exciting and inventive improvising artists, Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon’s stylistic modus operandi, coupled with massive chops has earned him prominence within global, progressive-jazz circles. (Glenn Astaria – Jazz Review 2012) “Guitarist Samo Salamon is one of those players quietly but fully engaged with moving the music forward.” (Nic Jones, AAJ 2011) “The guitarist is the star, though, and he is a star. He is a tremendous player, articulating each note and line with clarity and force, no matter the velocity … to say many things via many means, … without hesitation and with complete artistic conviction … exciting and satisfying.” (George Grella – The Big City 2011)

The jazz quartet 2in2out was founded by saxophonist Nela Dusova and guitarist Jan Lacina, who are also the authors of the band's modern jazz repertoire. The duo invited drummer Adam Sikora and now also Slovak double bassist Peter Korman. In recent years, 2in2out has managed to develop from an originally student project into one of the most interesting Czech jazz acts. In 2024, the quartet will release it's debut album, Living Stories. The album was created in collaboration with long-time bandmates, double bassist Klara Pudlakova and drummer Adam Sikora. Living Stories presents a view of the world through the eyes of two jazz artists and authors with different aesthetic approaches, yet united in their musical narrative. "What I appreciate most about 2in2out's compositions are the original ideas, interesting formal solutions and also the overlapping of content, which is far from always commonplace in modern jazz today, and I would dare to say that it is often lacking." David Doruzka, leading Czech guitarist and pedagogue

The variety of styles, forms, and colours has fascinated and inspired Polish composers for many years. From Baroque to contemporary music, in the time of the First Polish Republic, during the partitions, and during the most tragic 20th century. It was Chopin that made Polish music famous in the world. However, there are still many other composers who are very interesting and deserve to be remembered and sometimes even discovered. Polish composers created music regardless of unfavourable circumstances, and in their music we find, above all, the Polish spirit that tied them to their country forever, even when it was impossible to find it on maps, but nevertheless it existed in the inalienable identity. It was that output and those biographies that inspired the creation of the International Competition of Polish Music, whose first edition was held in 2019; therefore, it is one of the youngest performance competitions in Poland.

Its programme differs from the one of typical performance competitions, as it consists solely of music by Polish composers. Moreover, the emphasis is on the quest for new repertoire, constantly rediscovered by researchers, but also by the performers themselves. One could ask whether such a competition makes sense. Similar questions arose when the Chopin Competition was founded less than 100 years ago. Very few people believed in the success of Jerzy Żurawlew’s initiative. 26 pianists came to the first Chopin Competition in 1927. Later, the list of participants grew steadily to reach over 500 in 2021. We are convinced that the International Competition of Polish Music will follow the same path. It was Poles that dominated the second edition of the event that ended in 2021, but – despite 6 the pandemic turmoil – there were also guests from far away. Among the pianists, the first two places were taken by foreigners, i.e. American Canadian pianist Carter Johnson and Ivan Shemchuk from Ukraine. A Pole – Michał Karol Szymanowski – won the third place.

The above proves the importance of the Competition, which attracts interesting and ambitious artists from different countries. The presented album is a selection of particularly interesting artistic creations. The first CD features excerpts from the performances of the winners of the first three prizes in both categories (piano and chamber music), while the second includes the interpretations awarded with special prizes and honourable mentions. Thus, an extraordinary panorama of Polish music emerges, from Karol Mikuli to Witold Lutosławski, which allows us to show the paths of Polish 19thand 20th-century music in an unconventional way. Our album features recording premieres of works by Henryk Pachulski and Miłosz Magin, but also charming piano Waltzes by Stanisław Moniuszko, a fragment of an exotic suite by Leopold Godowsky, impressive compositions for two pianos by Roman Maciejewski, or Grażyna Bacewicz’s Piano Sonata No. 2, full of virtuoso splendour.

We present you with an album that is a great exploratory adventure; it will satisfy every experienced seeker of new artistic discoveries. It includes works by as many as 20 composers active over the course of over 100 years. Thus, we close the second chapter of the International Competition of Polish Music and launch the next one, which will be completed in 2023. It is already now that we invite you to this extraordinary meeting with outstanding performers and wonderful output of Polish composers.

Two widely respected Brazilian musicians, originally meeting and performing together on a 2014 tour, saxophonist Sergio Galvao & guitarist Lupa Santiago developed a quick and exciting rapport, vowing to work more together. Soon after a second tour, Galvao relocated to France where he formed a trio with two dynamic French musicians, bassist Clement Landais and drummer Franck Enouf, making plans to record as a trio in the spring of 2017. By coincidence, Lupa was touring Europe during the same period and the idea to join the trio's recording was born. Meeting in the studio in Normandy on the first day of recording, they brought their compositions and after many jokes concerning soccer, the name for the recording and band came very easily: 2x 2. The music presented is fully jazz, but infused with rich experiences and deep influence from their own cultures and travels.

Taken from Abdullah Ibrahim's summer 2023 sold-out headline date at London's Barbican Centre, the new album "3" follows suit and is spread across two performances - the first is recorded without an audience ahead of the concert straight to analogue on a 1" Scully tape machine, which had previously been used by Elvis at the famous Memphis-based Sun Studios. The second recording is taken from the evening's performance itself with Ibrahim performing in a unique trio which includes Cleave Guyton (flute, piccolo, saxophone) who has performed alongside the likes of Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, and Joe Henderson, as well as lauded bassist and cellist Noah Jackson, both of which are members of Ekaya and featured on Ibrahim's top 3 Billboard Jazz album "The Balance". 2-CD

Taken from Abdullah Ibrahim's summer 2023 sold-out headline date at London's Barbican Centre, the new album "3" follows suit and is spread across two performances - the first is recorded without an audience ahead of the concert straight to analogue on a 1" Scully tape machine, which had previously been used by Elvis at the famous Memphis-based Sun Studios. The second recording is taken from the evening's performance itself with Ibrahim performing in a unique trio which includes Cleave Guyton (flute, piccolo, saxophone) who has performed alongside the likes of Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, and Joe Henderson, as well as lauded bassist and cellist Noah Jackson, both of which are members of Ekaya and featured on Ibrahim's top 3 Billboard Jazz album "The Balance". 3-LP, gatefold, 140g

Classical Music

It was his move to New York City that led to the development of the music on 3, 5, 8. While completing his master's degree in jazz studies at New York University, Duvignau was able to meet a number of musicians who would help shape his sound and approach to composing. Duvignau was introduced to Argentinean pianist Santiago Leibson at a recording session and they hit it off immediately. Leibson called the great drummer, Jeff Hirshfield, for one of their initial meetings and the three found a quick rapport as they began to play regular sessions and a handful of gigs. // While at NYU, Duvignau studied with the illustrious saxophonist Billy Drewes. Drewes was an inspiration, not only for his incredible playing, but for his compositional practice. The young bassist had become burnt out by writing highly involved compositions. Drewes recommended the practice of writing every day, no matter what came out. This helped Duvignau break through his writer's block and focus on developing a simpler, more spontaneous compositional style. // When the opportunity to record came about, Duvignau wanted to form a unit of openminded and flexibly expressive players. He invited his trio mates, Leibson and Hirshfield, and added Drewes. Duvignau also brought in German guitarist and fellow Berklee alum Elias Meister to bring a blues-inflected energy into the quintet's mix.

Anthony Braxton was first documented as a player in 1967 on Muhal Richard Abrams' Levels and Degrees of Light (DMK 413) Nine months of gestation produced this, his first recording as a leader. Braxton the player/composer/constructor is here at full length. In retrospect he was a much more developed and confident musician than he may have seemed at the time.

With Richard Abrams, Fred Anderson.