Wind Takes Flight began with a simple yet powerful idea: to reimagine the music of Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th-century mystic and composer, through the lens of modern electronic soundscapes. The title, drawn from one of Hildegard's sacred poems featured on the album, also reflects her love of birds and the natural world. These have been enduring sources of inspiration for us throughout this creative journey. As collaborators, we, - Julia Sinclair, an English soprano soloist, and Marijn Cinjee, a Dutch electronic musician - were drawn to the timeless spirituality and beauty of Hildegard's work. The idea of bringing together our two musical worlds to create something new and transformative felt both exciting and inevitable. In April 2023, we debuted an experimental live improvisation inspired by Hildegard's hymn O ignis Spiritus paracliti at Stone Nest in London, in an immersive listening experience using more than 40 loudspeakers driven by the 4DSOUND spatial sound system. The audience's response to the soaring vocal lines and immersive electronic textures confirmed that we were onto something special, and that performance became the foundation for Wind Takes Flight, the album's title track. Over the next eighteen months, we poured ourselves into this project, crafting what would become Wind Takes Flight. The album is a conversation across time - beginning with Hildegard's chants and evolving into a love letter to her music, merging her sacred compositions with contemporary sound design while remaining true to the deep spirituality and reverence of her music. Premiering the album live in spatial sound at Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam was an unforgettable experience, captured in the drama and beauty of Ekstasis, a piece created for that performance. Now, we're thrilled to share Wind Takes Flight with you. This album is more than music; it's a bridge between past and present, an invitation to step into a space where ancient echoes meet modern innovation, and where the spirit of Hildegard of Bingen - artist, composer, and pioneer - soars anew.

As Bath Abbey Boys' Choir marks it's 150th anniversary, we are delighted to present this album. I hope you will enjoy this varied collection, which has been designed to showcase the very best of our boys' choral singing. One of the highlights of this project has been welcoming our alumni to sing again in Bath Abbey as part of the recording. Seeing the joy of our former choristers at being back in the Abbey, some of whom left the choir over 50 years ago, demonstrates the lasting mark that their time as a chorister has made on their lives. We know how important these choirs are for training future musicians. However, I believe we often underestimate the impact that being part of a choir can have on the choristers who pursue other careers; the discipline, teamwork and concentration skills that will support them throughout their lives, helping to build the leaders and team players of the future. This recording has been made to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the introduction of the Boys and Lay Clerks (formally Men's choir) in 1875. At a time when boys' choirs are decreasing due to mixing the treble line with boys and girls, we are lucky that, despite there being no choir school at the Abbey, we can maintain our independent boys' choir. For part of this recording, we have invited our girls and lay clerk alumni to join us for two items as we celebrate the history and tradition that helped many singers to find their voice. � Huw Williams

This CD brings together some particularly attractive compositions written for Karlsruhe by the court conductors and musicians of the margraves of Baden. The pieces convey an impression of the rich and lively musical life in Karlsruhe from the early 18th to the early 19th century, which in no way needs to shy away from comparison with south-west German musical metropolises such as Mannheim or Stuttgart.

The Living Fire is a celebration of choral music written for or associated with Jesus College, Cambridge. Featuring several premiere recordings of contemporary choral works by emerging composers, this album highlights the artistry within the College whilst honouring it's rich musical legacy. At the same time, it looks forward: the impetus behind this project was to provide a platform for emerging artists from within the College community to showcase their work. This project holds particular significance for several Choir members since, among the lyricists and composers, are former ensemble members. Their deep connection to the group has allowed for the creation of choral works uniquely suited to individual voices and our corporate strengths, making these world premieres all the more fitting. Many of the other contemporary works on this album are staples of Choral Evensong, beloved by the Choir and heard in Chapel services for many years. This album is a celebration of the bright future of music at Jesus College, the Choir's integral role in this special community, and it's broader contribution to the development and enjoyment of choral music globally. � Benjamin Sheen

Suffering in an unhappy marriage, Woman yearns for a world beyond the boundaries of flesh and an existence outside of the conventions of human society. A secret young Lover's desire instigates an explosive metamorphosis, and Woman finds perfect release as a tree. Sivan Eldar composes with Like Flesh her first opera on a libretto by Cordelia Lynn, a poetic saga inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses. A new eco-feminist myth about our broken relationship with an environment in crisis, interpreted by Maxime Pascal and Le Balcon, and recorded by b records at Opera de Lille.

The short individual pieces on this recording, the Valsas, Improvisos and Momentos show the sweeter side of Guarnieri's musical language. The Waltz is a format in which every Brazilian composer has expressed his national character, making it almost a new distinctive format. Guarnieri's Valsas share a minor key, and typically present internal melodies shared between the hands, and wreathed in chromatic modulations and decorations. Their mood is one of longing, now almost completely shorn of it's dance character. The effect of all these pieces, many of them extreme miniatures, is of gentle nostalgia. � Adrian Farmer

From Renaissance Spain to 21st century Denmark, On a Ground is a musical journey across time and traditions, centered around one of music's most universal elements: the ground bass. Celebrated recorder virtuosa Michala Petri and renowned Japanese baroque harpist Marie Nishiyama unite to explore the expressive power of this timeless form. Recorded, after a concerttour i Japan, including Suntory Hall, and just before the global lockdown at Chichibu Muse Park in Japan, the album presents intimate and evocative interpretations of works by Diego Ortiz, Alessandro Marcello, J.S. Bach, Erik Satie, and contemporary Danish composer Lars Hannibal, among others. The duo's collaboration reveals the meditative beauty and subtle intricacies of their ancient instruments. From the iconic Greensleeves and baroque gems to lyrical modern compositions, On a Ground is a graceful, immersive listening experience rooted in shared artistry and a deep respect for musical heritage. Recorded December 2019, Chichibu Muse Park, Japan in the DXD format by Hironori Kosaka (OMF).

No one did more for Danish music in his lifetime than Launy Grondahl. In these radio recordings from the 1950s, he conducted unfamiliar works by the father of the classical tradition in Denmark, J.P.E. Hartmann. This music for the stage presents both the light and the serious sides of the 'Nordic tone' which inflected music in Denmark up to the time of Nielsen and beyond. The Nielsen influence emerges in two movements from the First Symphony by his pupil Poul Schierbeck, and then in a ceremonial cantata which was performed annually to mark Denmark's national day. Composed during the Nazi occupation of Denmark, the cantata by Jens Laurson Emborg belongs to it's dark time, and yet it also captures enduring characteristics of the Danish spirit.

BEST OF THE MOODY BLUES

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as an artist who "creates unique aural landscapes," Icelandic pianist V�kingur Olafsson continues his acclaimed recording partnership with Deutsche Grammophon with the release of Debussy � Rameau. Following two albums featured in NPR Music's Top 10 Classical Albums (Glass in 2017 and Bach in 2018), Olafsson's third album pairs works by two French composers separated by well over a century: Jean-Philippe Rameau and Claude Debussy.

THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHES

It entered into jazz lore when, at this 1960 Berlin concert, Ella forgot the words to Mack the Knife ; she improvised her way out of it in an inventive way that amazed even herself!

ALBINONI: THE COMPLETE CONCERT

SING ALONG WITH MITCH 3-CD SET

Treasures of the Spanish Renaissance