Over the course of his life, Einojuhani Rautavaara's work has developed like a microcosm of the history of music since 1950. His break with the bonds of serialism and a commitment to his own unique ideals were of crucial importance to his international reputation - a courageous step that manifested itself in unmistakeable creations. Rautavaara demands extreme intimacy and immediate, vivid empathy from his listeners, but rewards them with a spiritual wealth that leaves an indelible impression. The 50-year old violin concerto with it's delicate reminiscences of Sibelius, the poignant declaration of love in the Serenade from the year of his death, 2016, and his beautiful Autumn Gardens written just before the turn of the millennium are impressive examples of his intelligibility and are for good reason the most often performed works of the Finnish master.

Extraordinary works by British Women composers, brought to light by cellist Catherine Wilmers In A Cello Galaxy of British Women Composers, Catherine Wilmers brings to light an extraordinary collection of works by British women presenting us with twelve premiere recordings. Drawing on diligent research, Wilmers unearths strikingly original compositions presenting us with premiere recordings by Amy Elsie Horrocks, Ethel Barns, Elizabeth Poston, Joan Trimble, Dora Bright, Susan Spain Dunk, and Sarah Rodgers, whose Mountain Airs was written for the cellist. Some of these works lay forgotten in the archives of the Royal Academy of Music, their potential stifled by societal limitations rather than artistic merit. The album is more than a rediscovery-it is a testament to the resilience and artistry of these composers. The satisfyingly detailed liner notes reveal the challenges they faced, often in their own words or through the prejudices of their time. As late as the 1920s, the critic Cecil Gray echoed Dr Johnson's notorious remark: 'A woman's composing is like a dog walking on it's hind legs; it is not done well but you are surprised to see it done at all.' Such dismissals only fuel the need to champion these voices today. Wilmers' deep connection to this repertoire is evident in every performance, matched sensitively by accompanying pianist, Jill Morton. A former cellist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Catherine Wilmers has long questioned why so few works by women have entered the standard repertoire. This album is part of her answer-a luminous and long-overdue celebration of their music.

Ferdinand Hiller was the son of a wealthy industrialist from Frankfurt. He studied with Johann Nepomuk Hummel in Weimar from the age of ten, lived for several years in Paris and finally settled in Cologne in 1850. He took over the direction of the Gurzenich Orchestra and the municipal conservatory, organised twelve instalments of the Lower Rhine Music Festival and played an outstanding role in Cologne's music scene. Nevertheless, the oeuvre of the precocious composer Ferdinand Hiller still requires careful review and evaluation. To this end, the two symphonies in F minor (1832) and E minor (1848) recorded here are revealing - these are two fiery, dramatic works of a vivacious temperament. He took audible pleasure in forcing his ideas into classical forms and rejoicing in the fact that they clearly embraced the boundaries.

The arrangement of Schubert's songs on this album does not correspond to the order we know from conventional editions or from most recordings. Although often referred to as such, Schubert's Schwanengesang is not his third song cycle. It is, in fact, a collection of 14 of his late songs. What particularly motivated us as performers was finding a new, individual approach that is expressed not only in the order of the songs as we chose them, but also in our personal emotional response to each of the songs. We wanted to convey this individuality to you, our listeners, as vividly as possible, so you could experience the emotion and atmosphere of each song as directly as Schubert and his singing colleagues did in the bourgeois salons of Vienna at the time." Kresimir Strazanac In addition to Schubert's Schwanengesang, the album includes three thematically related songs by the British composer Mary Frances Allitsen.

In the latter half of the 18th century, the Portuguese court saw the emergence of distinctive instrumental practices within it's sacred repertoire. Among these innovations were works composed for Holy Week that featured concertante violas but conspicuously omitted violins. This unusual instrumentation became a hallmark not only of daily court music but also of Portuguese music as a whole. This tradition likely reflects the profound influence of Neapolitan music in Portugal, aligning with a broader practice of incorporating solo bass instruments to enhance the solemnity of liturgical occasions, such as Holy Week and All Souls' Day. One of the most notable composers of the Patriarchal Chapel to embrace this style was Jose Joaquim dos Santos. Born in obidos in 1747, he entered the Patriarchal Seminary in 1754, studying under the renowned Neapolitan composer David Perez. By 1763, Santos had joined the seminary's teaching staff, where he remained a central figure until his death in 1801. His work exemplifies the rich interplay of local tradition and Neapolitan influence.

Plain Songs: 'Love Comes Quietly' (after Robert Creeley) is composer Peter Garland's haunting seven-movement work for pipe organ, performed by acclaimed organist Carson Cooman on the Fisk organ at Harvard Memorial Church. Garland writes about "Plain Songs": "I wanted to write a piece for organ that would be intimate and mostly quiet, emphasizing the nature of the organ as a wind instrument capable of long, sustained tones. I wanted the musical textures to be open and transparent, rather than dense and massive. I also had in mind smaller historical organs and their music. The reference to the poet Robert Creeley is relevant to the above-mentioned goals. I greatly admire the simplicity and clarity of his poetic language; it's lucidity and how it rarely strays from the directness of popular, vernacular speech. I wanted to emulate those qualities in my music to the extent it was possible: to transfer the music of his poetry into the language of my music." Peter Garland is a composer, world traveler, musicologist, and writer whose music is informed by his well-traveled ear and strong sense of personal vision. He studied with Harold Budd and James Tenney and maintained long friendships with Lou Harrison, Conlon Nancarrow, Paul Bowles, and Dane Rudhyar. As a musicologist, he has focused on Native American, Mexican, and Southwestern American musics and 20th-century experimental composers of the Americas, championing the work of Revueltas, Partch, and Nancarrow long before their music became fashionable and regularly programmed. Since the early 1970s, Garland's music has been marked by a return to a "radical consonance" and simplification of formal structure influenced by Cage, Harrison, early minimalism, and a great variety of world musics. His unique and highly engaging pieces have been played around the world by such noted performers as pianists Aki Takahashi, Herbert Henck, and Sarah Cahill; percussionist William Winant; accordionist Guy Klucevsek; and the Kronos Quartet and released on the Cold Blue, Tzadik, New Albion, Mode, Avant, Toshiba-EMI/Angel, New World, and other labels. "Garland's music seems to be about the sheer expressive power of sound itself.... I feel he is one of our true originals." (Robert Carl, Fanfare magazine) "Garland is... a composer of mesmerizing music." (Kyle Gann, Chamber Music magazine) "A marvelous artist." (Harold Budd) Carson Cooman is an acclaimed concert organist who specializes in the performance of contemporary music-and more than 300 compositions by over 100 composers have been written for him by such composers as Kyle Gann, Jennifer Higdon, Jo Kondo, Robert Moran, Howard Skempton, and Linda Catlin Smith. His organ performances can be heard on a numerous of recordings. And as a composer, Cooman has written hundreds of works that have been performed around the world. He is currently Research Associate in Music and Composer in Residence at Harvard's Memorial Church. "Carson Cooman is one of the most versatile and active musicians of our time. Pianist, organist, composer, and improviser, he is excellent in every field." (Music and Vision) "Cooman's success as a composer for the organ is due in large part to his innate understanding of the instrument as a performer." (American Record Guide) "Carson Cooman is a nimble, nuanced, and eloquent advocate." (Choir & Organ)

The recording of Mozart's Piano Concertos No. 20 and 24 is intended as a contrasting twin project to the first recording of No. 15 and 21 released on the Solo Musica label in 2024. The two recordings are like the "yin" and the "yang," the moon and the sun, demonstrating the multifaceted nature of Mozart's creativity. As a pianist, Zhen Chen wants to demonstrate his ability to develop and perform works of different artistic modes. Furthermore, since the pianist and the orchestra remain the same in the two recordings and only the baton has been changed-from the hand of the Austrian conductor Thomas Rosner to the French conductor Paul Meyer-these two recordings are an interesting pair, allowing listeners to savor the difference in the artistic direction of the two conductors. No. 15 and 21 are, in his opinion, the quintessential Mozart piano concertos in major key. They are gleeful, humorous, and uplifting, while No. 20 and 24 are the rare gems of Mozart's multi-movement piano works in minor keys. Out of a total of 27, he composed only two piano concertos in minor keys. They are among the few works by Mozart dominated by an unsettling and gloomy sense.

Guitariste virtuose et figure emblematique du jazz francais, Henri Crolla (1920-1960) a laisse une empreinte indelebile sur la musique de son epoque. Fils d'immigres napolitains, il s'impose comme l'un des guitaristes les plus talentueux de sa generation. Malheureusement, sa carriere fulgurante a ete interrompue par sa mort prematuree en 1960. L'anthologie de Stephane Carini rend justice � l'oeuvre d'un artiste injustement oublie et nous invite � redecouvrir la richesse inou�e et la diversite de son repertoire : du jazz � la chanson, de la poesie aux musiques de film. Patrick FReMEAUX Virtuoso guitarist and emblematic figure of French jazz, Henri Crolla (1920-1960) left an indelible mark on the music of his time. The son of Neapolitan immigrants, he established himself as one of the most talented guitarists of his generation. Sadly, his dazzling career was cut short by his untimely death in 1960. Stephane Carini's anthology does justice to the work of an unjustly forgotten artist and invites us to rediscover the incredible richness and diversity of his repertoire, which ranges through jazz, chanson, poetry, and soundtracks. Patrick FReMEAUX APReS LUI, IL N'Y A PLUS DE GUITARISTES NAGUINE REINHARDT (ePOUSE DE DJANGO REINHARDT) CD1 : HENRI CROLLA ET LeO CHAULIAC : MINOR BLUES - BYE BYE BLUES - THREE LITTLE BEANS. HENRI CROLLA ET YVES MONTAND : AFTER YOU'VE GONE - A PARIS - CARTES POSTALES - DIS-MOI JO - LES CIREURS DE SOULIERS DE BROADWAY - LE MUSICIEN - C'EST PAS UNE CHANSON D'AMOUR - JOLIE COMME UNE ROSE - LES ENFANTS QUI S'AIMENT (FABIEN LORIS) - LES ENFANTS QUI S'AIMENT - FLAMENCO DE PARIS - LA COMPLAINTE DE MANDRIN - MON POT' LE GITAN - LE PETIT M�ME. HENRI CROLLA ET D'AUTRES CHANTEURS : AVEC eDITH PIAF : CRI DU COEUR - AVEC MOULOUDJI : AURORE (SAINT-PAUL DE VENCE) - AVEC NICOLE LOUVIER : J'IMAGINE QUE SUR TA NAISSANCE. HENRI CROLLA ET STePHANE GRAPPELLI : DJANGOLOGY - MANOIR DE MES ReVES - BELLEVILLE - ALEMBERT'S. CD 2 : HENRI CROLLA ET D'AUTRES JAZZMEN - FEAT. LALOS BING (AKA MARTIAL SOLAL) : JE CHERCHE APReS TITINE - FEAT. ROGER GUeRIN, HUBERT ROSTAING, MARTIAL SOLAL : WHAT'S NEW - NIGHT AND DAY - FEAT. MAURICE MEUNIER : BODY AND SOUL - FEAT. MAURICE MEUNIER, MAURICE VANDER : OUT OF NOWHERE - SEPTEMBER SONG - SWEET GEORGIA BROWN - YARDBIRD SUITE - SOLITUDE - FEAT. HUBERT ROSTAING, MAURICE VANDER : NUAGES (FEAT. GeO DALY) - MANOIR DE MES ReVES. HENRI CROLLA & JACQUES PReVERT : CHANSON DANS LE SANG - eTRANGES eTRANGERS - CABLE CONFIDENTIEL - L'eCOLE DES BEAUX-ARTS - BARBARA - CET AMOUR. HENRI CROLLA : PARIS, JE T'AIME D'AMOUR - POINCIANA. HENRI CROLLA - MUSIQUES POUR LE CINeMA : HISTOIRE D'UN POISSON ROUGE (EXTRAIT) - BLUES - LA CHAPELLE - IMPROVISATION I - JARDIN DANS LA NUIT.

The young, Italy-based Quartetto Werther, regarded as one of the most promising rising chamber ensembles in the Italian and international concert scene, presents two masterpieces from the piano quartet repertoire: a lesser known work by the 16-year-old Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and Johannes Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 3, a composition he grappled with for nearly twenty years. This GENUIN release pays homage to three towering figures of Romanticism: Mendelssohn, Brahms, and the literary giant Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, without whom these works might never have come into existence. Firmly grounded in Goethe's poetic legacy and performed with extraordinary musical and technical refinement, this album brings both fresh revelations and long-overdue rediscoveries to light!

(summary) "Ellis Island" or the sound odyssey of Julia Hamos, who examines in this very first album her family history, American and Hungarian, while displaying a longing for adventure. A poetic journey that takes us from the Hungary of Bela Bartok and Gyorgy Kurtag to the gates of New York and the recreations of Charles Mingus and Meredith Monk. (complete blurb) "Ellis Island" is an odyssey in sound, the story of a pianist with dual origins, Julia Hamos, who, in this very first album, looks at her family roots, American and Hungarian, and displays a longing for adventure. She looks towards the Hungary of Bartok and Kurtag, engaging in a dialogue with the memory of her ancestors from Transylvania. Originally from the same region as Kurtag, her maternal grandfather knew Ligeti as a child. This journey with it's haunting poetry will lead us also to New York, the pianist's first home, a place of hope and inspiration, which always feeds her creativity. Myself When I Am Real by Charles Mingus bursts forth, a fabulous moment, both poetic and pianistic, the zenith of this unusual and personal journey where the pianist, with a mellow yet clear sound palette, will have brought together in a fluid gesture the waking dreams of Schubert (Ungarische melodie, 1824), the very earthy and despair-tinged folklore of Bartok (Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs) and the torrential and enigmatic explosions of early Kurtag (8 Pieces Op. 3). In this eminently personal journey, however, there is no narcissistic temptation. Because if the young musician plays, she above all wants to speak to us, with modesty, but not without determination. Her piano assembles words, choreographs rhythms, and also deploy it's range of pastels colours. This is demonstrated by the subtle selection of Jatekok, where the piano will embody a thousand faces, in turn itself (Capriccioso), percussion (Play with Overtones), harp (Perpetuum mobile) or violin duet with viola (Tears). The two cycles of Bartok, with their characters so ironically sketched (Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs) and their sparkling rhythms (6 Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm), are no less alive. From the pianist's supple playing, from her silky legato, final streaks of melancholy will often escape. In all respects, "Ellis Island" is a fascinating experience - that of an artist who has found her voice.

Gripping, highly emotional interpretations of the symphonies of one of the most famous and important composers of the 20th century.

This album features the late piano works of Johannes Brahms, beautifully played by pianist Daniel Shapiro.

Erik Satie's influence, once barely acknowledged, has now permeated nearly every corner of modern music. Best known for the sensual simplicity of his tender Gymnopedies, such seeming naivety masked a colorful, and frequently, complex life and artistic vision. The experimental composer John Cage famously called Satie "indispensable," citing him as a profound inspiration for his own groundbreaking work. Satie's eccentricities were part of his charm, and this whimsy often seeped into his work. In Embryons desseches (Dried Embryos), for instance, he included absurd instructions in the score, phrases like "on the tip of your tongue" or "open your head," as well as giving his works absurd titles like Effronterie and Prelude canin, gleefully written to deflate the precious seriousness of classical music traditions. In contrast, there are works like Pieces froides (1897) that anticipate the rhythmic minimalism of Philip Glass and his visionary 5 Nocturnes (1919), the final series of his cyclically organized piano pieces composed using a highly complex system rigorously guiding the interplay of melody (right hand) and harmonic accompaniment (left hand). Even today, there are many surprises to be discovered in Satie's oeuvre. This specially curated program is brilliantly realized by Christina Bjorkoe, one of Denmark's leading musicians. Much in demand as a recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist with symphony orchestras, ClassicsToday praised Bjorkoe for her dynamism and passion. Her extensive discography includes critically acclaimed recordings of works spanning the piano repertoire from Beethoven to Borup-Jorgensen.

Franz Josef Aumann received his musical training as a choirboy in Vienna, together with Michael Haydn and Johann Georg Albrechtsberger. At the age of 25, he joined St Florian's Abbey, where he took over the choir just two years later and then directed the church music for over four decades. His church music was performed in St Florian's well into the 19th century and Anton Bruckner, who worked there for seven years as the monastery organist, greatly appreciated his works. His great Mass in C is a true 'Missa solemnis' with a magnificent orchestration of oboes, trumpets and timpani and a performance time of over 40 minutes, probably intended for special holidays. Aumann's instrumental music often has a 'twinkle in the eye': alongside virtuoso and ornate passages, the folk music of the region always shines through. This is clearly noticeable in the Cassatio 'La Pastorale', a pastoral piece for four strings and natural horn. It was performed at Schlagl Abbey at Christmas time in 1777 and must have created an exuberant, almost boisterous atmosphere.

Award-winning duo, cellist Doris Hochscheid and pianist Frans van Ruth present enchanting works by Daniel van Goens with natural elegance and breathtaking virtuosity. Their highly-acclaimed Dutch Cello Sonatas Project is a veritable treasure trove of musical rediscoveries and the duo was honoured with the Knight's Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau for their contribution to Dutch culture.