Emerging from over twenty years of live performance and creativity, Astoria presents Neurometro, a resolute, modern reimagining of the musical world of Astor Piazzolla. Led by the artistic vision of Christophe Delporte, the ensemble bridges the gap between traditional Tango Nuevo and contemporary textures, fusing jazz, improvisation, and classical depth into a confident, free interpretation.
Northern Dawn reveals the music of Dieterich Buxtehude (1637-1707) through the intimate voice of the Baroque lute. In his transcriptions of keyboard and instrumental music, Elias Conrad traces a five-part, cantata-like journey of seeking, longing, pleading, hoping, and trusting. Emerging from the darkness of a war-torn century, this programme becomes a quiet, luminous counterpoint to the noise of our own time and casts Dieterich Buxtehude as a radiant light.
The Flemish Music Heritage series is a journey of discovery, reviving remarkable pieces of musical heritage. Forgotten scores are brought to light, and familiar compositions are given a fresh perspective. In close collaboration with the Study Centre for Flemish Music, the recordings are founded on intensive research in libraries and archives and meticulously prepared score editions. The works, expertly selected by connoisseurs, are performed by valued musicians and ensembles who passionately restore neglected and forgotten composers to the recognition they deserve. With these vibrant composer monographs, Antarctica Records aims to broaden horizons and enrich the repertoire with rediscovered treasures from the past. This FMH album focuses on works for piano solo by Lodewijk Mortelmans (1868-1952). Performed by Jozef de Beenhouwer, who has championed romantic and late romantic music for decades, the album sheds light on a versatile and refined voice in Belgian musical history.
A conversation between the piano compositions of Lili Boulanger and her teacher Gabriel Faure. Lili Boulanger's lesser-known dreamy Preludes (never published) and Marche gaie (recently discovered), along with her popular 3 Morceaux and her more serious Theme and Variations, are mirrored by Faure's masterpiece Theme and Variations, as well as his lesser-known, melodic, and enchanting Pieces breves.
Flemish Music Heritage: Irene Fuerison - Music for violin an
Antarctica
CD · 1 disc
$16.99Aug 07, 2026
The Flemish Music Heritage series is a journey of discovery, reviving remarkable pieces of musical heritage. Forgotten scores are brought to light, and familiar compositions are given a fresh perspective. In close collaboration with the Study Centre for Flemish Music, the recordings are founded on intensive research in libraries and archives and meticulously prepared score editions.? The works, expertly selected by connoisseurs, are performed by valued musicians and ensembles who passionately restore neglected and forgotten composers to the recognition they deserve. With these vibrant composer monographs, Antarctica Records aims to broaden horizons and enrich the repertoire with rediscovered treasures from the past. This FMH album presents music for violin and piano by female composer Ire'ne Fuerison (1875-1931). Performed by Guido de Neve (violin) and Tom Hermans (pianoforte), they bring previously unrecorded music from a forgotten voice in Belgian musical history.
Tuning Time - Orchestral Works by Annelies Van Parys
Antarctica
CD · 1 disc
$16.99Jun 05, 2026
This first portrait album devoted to Annelies Van Parys reveals a distinctive voice in contemporary European music. Drawing on spectralism, she builds luminous orchestral textures that unite timbral exploration with clear musical architecture and strong dramaturgy. Conductor Marit Strindlund notes: "I find Van Parys to be one of the most interesting contemporary European composers... a uniquely individual artistic voice is always shining through her music."
Flemish Music Heritage - Ryelandt: Piano Sonatas III, Noctur
Antarctica
CD · 1 disc
$16.99May 15, 2026
The Flemish Music Heritage series is a journey of discovery, reviving remarkable pieces of musical heritage. Forgotten scores are brought to light, and familiar compositions are given a fresh perspective. In close collaboration with the Study Centre for Flemish Music, the recordings are founded on intensive research in libraries and archives and meticulously prepared score editions. The works, expertly selected by connoisseurs, are performed by valued musicians and ensembles who passionately restore neglected and forgotten composers to the recognition they deserve. With these vibrant composer monographs, Antarctica Records aims to broaden horizons and enrich the repertoire with rediscovered treasures from the past. This FMH album focuses on the third and final volume of works for piano solo by Joseph Ryelandt (1870-1965). Performed by Jozef de Beenhouwer, who has championed Ryelandt's music for decades, the album sheds light on a versatile and refined voice in Belgian musical history.
Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1875-1911) was both composer and painter, a rare synesthetic talent whose music mirrors his visionary visual art. This album presents 35 piano works tracing his evolution from intimate folk-inspired preludes to bold, chromatic explorations, illuminated by Lithuanian tradition, mystical symbolism, and the influence of his mother. Pianist Geert Callaert brings tender clarity and interpretive freedom to Ciurlionis' delicate yet daring scores, offering listeners a unique journey through one of the early 20th century's most singular artistic minds.
Ex Nihilo brings together a diverse palette of music into one continuous flow. Ligeti's Musica Ricercata forms the spine of the programme, interwoven with 20th-century works that resonate with it and new interludes by Brecht Valckenaers. Together, they trace a lineage of invention-exploring how composers reimagine their musical language and the piano itself ex nihilo, "from nothing."
Oasis - Belgian music of the 20th and 21st centuries for flu
Antarctica
CD · 1 disc
$16.99Apr 03, 2026
What is the likelihood of happening upon an oasis in the heart of Europe? In this debut album, the Trio BECEL seeks to evoke just such an extraordinary curiosity. With their unfamiliar constellation of instruments, the trio reveals hidden treasures of Belgium's musical landscape from the 20th & 21st centuries. You will encounter harmonies from the Old Continent intermingled with the rhythms of America, Hungarian bells responding to Japanese poetry or even a soul on a tightrope - dancing
When film composers turn to classical music, they shed a straitjacket rather than lose a safety net. In his Metamorfosi di Violetta, Ennio Morricone dissects the unravelling of La Traviata's heroine with filmic acuity. Tigran Mansurian's Agnus Dei oscillates between chant and dissonance to evoke unresolved grief. John Corigliano's Soliloquy turns inward even further, transforming private loss into quiet radiance. Bernard Herrmann never sought classical abstraction, yet Hitchcock's musical alter ego-the composer of the Psycho and Vertigo scores-provides this programme's pièce de résistance: Souvenir du voyage, a nostalgic gem with profound cinematic sensibility.
Bernhard Lang's Monadology XXXVI is a radical "meta-composition". It deconstructs Chopin's Op. 10 Études through granular analysis, loops, and virtual remixing-destroying and reassembling the score into new sonic textures. The cycle consists of 12 Etüden. The last three are dedicated to Daan Vandewalle, the internationally acclaimed pianist renowned for his mastery of 20th- and 21st-century repertoire, who now brings them to this album.
D O W L N D R A K E merges the worlds of soprano Annelies Van Gramberen and singer-songwriter Sim Van Thienen to create a bold sonic universe. Together, they weave the melancholic songs of the English troubadours John Dowland (1563-1626) and Nick Drake (1948-1974) into a layered tapestry of loops, electronics, and guitars, with Annelies' voice as a shining guide through the shadowy paths of the human soul.
With my second album, "All Things Will Clear Up, Eventually", I want to encourage people to pause-to take a moment to truly feel the struggles in their lives, reflect on themselves, and engage in introspection. It's like lying on your back and gazing at the clouds, watching them appear, shift, and eventually dissolve. You begin to see shapes and patterns-new things you wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't taken the time to look a little longer. I believe that pausing and "gazing at the clouds" is essential for our mental well-being. It keeps us from fleeing into the rush of daily life and ignoring the difficult parts. Instead, it invites us to slow down and attentively observe what surfaces and moves within and around us. And I believe that pausing gives hope. These are the moments when, even in the midst of difficulty, we slowly begin to notice new possibilities and beauty-the blue sky between the clouds, the childlike images hidden in the darker ones. I believe my music can play a comforting and empowering role in this process.
Ryelandt: Piano Sonatas II; Six Preludes, Op. 62 - Flemish M
Antarctica
CD · 1 disc
$16.99Nov 21, 2025
The Flemish Music Heritage series is a journey of discovery, reviving remarkable pieces of musical heritage. Forgotten scores are brought to light, and familiar compositions are given a fresh perspective. In close collaboration with the Study Centre for Flemish Music, the recordings are founded on intensive research in libraries and archives and meticulously prepared score editions.? The works, expertly selected by connoisseurs, are performed by valued musicians and ensembles who passionately restore neglected and forgotten composers to the recognition they deserve. With these vibrant composer monographs, Antarctica Records aims to broaden horizons and enrich the repertoire with rediscovered treasures from the past. This third volume of the Flemish Music Heritage series focuses on piano works by Joseph Ryelandt (1870-1965). Spanning nearly five decades of his creative output, the recording features five piano works-including two early sonatas, the expressive Six Preludes, and two later works that highlight Ryelandt's evolution toward a more transparent, neoclassical style. Performed by Jozef de Beenhouwer, who has championed Ryelandt's music for decades, the album sheds light on a versatile and refined voice in Belgian musical history.
Why Poesia? Because this album explores the cello as a lyrical instrument, with resonances close to the human voice. From the bel canto of Mercadante, a little-known but refined opera composer, to Vanherenthals' flamboyant Rhapsody on the Themes of Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, each work evokes the vocal universe, sometimes with modesty, sometimes with exuberance.
Debut album by a young talented Russian guitarist. Well constructed programme based on Leo Brouwer and Agustin Barrios. An engaging listening from start to end, thanks to the Kurenchakova's prowess and eloquence and to the warmly resonant recording. "Lux Amoris Aeterni" ("The Radiance of Eternal Love") is an album about divine love in the language of music, expressed through the gentle timbre of the classical guitar.
Spain and the guitar - an inseparable combination. Serenades of Spain goes beyond cliches, unveiling the rich musical heritage of both the country and the guitar, and takes the listener on a journey through three guitars: baroque, romantic, and classical - both solo and in duo with voice or cello. Featuring works by Spanish composers and those inspired by Spain, this album blends Flemish Renaissance court music, Baroque dances, expressive romanticism, neocasticismo, impressionistic colors, and folklore - a vibrant mosaic of Spain's musical history and the guitar.
CORO: inspired by Luciano Berio's 31-song composition of the same name, George de Decker painted a cycle of 31 canvases. The key sentence Berio took as his starting point comes from a poem by Pablo Neruda: 'Venid a ver la sangre por las calles' (Come and see the blood in the streets) - a caustic reference to General Pinochet's seizure of power in Chile in 1973. For the exhibition of this cycle of paintings, de Decker wrote a composition for female voices. On the soundtrack, he incorporated vocal recordings of Els Van Laethem, Anne Marie Honggokoesoemo and Herlinde Ghekiere. At the request of pianist Geert Callaert, he added a piano part, so that CORO ultimately became a composition for solo piano, with a soundtrack with female voices. CORO is preceded by two new scores in the same sound idiom.
This second volume of the Flemish Musical Heritage series focuses on art songs by Gustave Huberti (1843-1910). Songs are performed by two leading Belgian singers (soprano and baritone). Texts are in German, Dutch and French. The result is a pleasant portrait of a gifted composer in his different life periods.
Ryelandt: Piano Sonatas 1 - Flemish Music Heritage
Antarctica
CD · 1 disc
$16.99Apr 04, 2025
World Premiere Recordings: This is a rediscovery of forgotten scores as the piano sonatas Joseph Ryelandt haven't been recorded before. Fittingly performed by Jozef de Beenhouwer who has dedicated hilmself to Flemish music for which he received the Lifetime Achievement Award of Klara in 2010. Expertly Curated Works: Produced in close collaboration with the Study Centre for Flemish Music (Studiecentrum Vlaamse Muziek), guaranteeing scholarly and artistic depth. Cultural Enrichment: This is the first album of the new Antarctica series "Flemish Music Heritage" as well as the first volume out of 3 albums dedicated to Ryelandt's piano music.
First recording by a youngest piano duo of sisters, who already won several competition. The recording is a real business card with music by Rachmaninoff, Liszt and Piazzolla. Technically impeccable and full of energy, they convey to the audience the enthralling emotions of Liszt and Rachmaninoff piano duo masterpieces.
As I have sought to elucidate, all of the concertos in my repertoire tell a unique story, driven by technical virtuosity and artistic vision. In the hands of Jan Michiels, who performs the piano concertos, and clarinettist Roeland Hendrikx - with whom I collaborate for the first time in this project, I find that these fundamental characteristics of my style come to life in the richest possible way. - Robert Groslot
Cross-Genre Fusion: Stagioni transcends musical boundaries, seamlessly blending classical, jazz, blues, and rock elements. Mayke's composition acts as a bridge between classical traditions and diverse musical worlds, offering a symphonic ode to life and nature through four distinct seasons. Versatile Sound Exploration: Mayke's use of the E-cello goes beyond traditional norms, showcasing a diverse range of sounds and orchestrations.
The project centers around Eddy Vanoosthuyse's clarinet artistry, showcasing a personalized and immersive musical experience. There is a unique and reciprocal connection between Eddy Vanoosthuyse as a clarinetist and the contemporary Belgian clarinet repertoire, forming the heart of the 'Belgian Clarinet Heritage'. The artist's lifelong fascination with Belgian and Flemish music speaks to a deep-rooted passion and commitment to the local musical heritage.
Zayt Gezunterheyt -Folk Soul of the Eastern Clarinet / Roeland Hendrikx Ensemble
Antarctica
CD · 1 disc
$16.99Mar 01, 2024
If Eastern art music has a folk heart, its arteries are Roma and Klezmer sounds. From the orientalist imagination of Glazunov, the Jewish adoption of Prokofiev, the Uzbek inspiration of Khachaturian, to the Romani-Hungarian roots of Kokai and the Balkanism of Jan van der Roost: all composers on this disc build on the same toolbox of themes and techniques, and they all rely on the clarinet as the ultimate interpreter of this lore. Acknowledged and exquisitely performed by the Roeland Hendrikx Ensemble.
Imaginary journeys are a recurring theme in the works of composer George De Decker. For this full-length concert, De Decker drew inspiration from René Daumal's unfinished novel 'Le Mont Analogue' (1908-1944). Daumal once wrote,"Climbing the summit serves only one purpose: the adventure of the unknown," a sentiment that could well serve as a motto for all art. Harp, accordion, euphonium and double bass are combined with live electronics: an unusual, colourful, exciting cross-pollination. Five young, eminent musicians engage in dialogue with a sophisticated sound band at each concert. Their musical score, however, remains open to improvisation, allowing them to explore a wide range of tones, including vocal and instrumental sounds, natural acoustics, and computer-assisted sound manipulations.
On Plan BE, the Four Aces Guitar Quartet takes you on a journey through Belgian music history and presents its own arrangements of music by some iconic composers who have put Belgium on the international map. From Josquin Desprez’s subtle polyphony to the gypsy swing of Django Reinhardt, brought to you on four classical guitars by the internationally acclaimed ensemble Four Aces Guitar Quartet.
Entartete Musik / Lefort, Van Reyn, Brussels Philharmonic Soloists
Antarctica
CD · 1 disc
$16.99Sep 01, 2023
In 1938, at the Reichsmusiktage in Düsseldorf, the Nazi regime opened an exhibition around music with the theme: 'Entartete Musik'. They collected examples of what they considered degenerate music. Gustav Mahler, Kurt Weill, Hanns Eisler, Mischa Spoliansky; these were just a few names on the long list of depraved composers. On this album, this music and more.
Antarctica label launches a new series named Spring and focused on debut recordings by a selection of compelling musicians whose talents and creativity are characterised by noteworthy essence and individuality. The first release is by Romanian pianist Cristian Sandrin who chose an original and engaging programme of music by Enescu, Ravel and Scott, highlighting the mutual influences of three composers of three different countries, all working in Paris. The recording took place in highly reputed Potton Hall under the technical responsability of Ben Connellan. Produced by Rachel Smith.
