Composer-pianist Bruce Wolosoff describes the essence of his new album, Blue Mantra, as an engagement in multiple dialogues - between music and visual art, between the blues and chamber music, and between various moments in his creative life. The title track was inspired by a painting of the same name by his artist-wife Margaret Garrett. Similarly, Matisse Fantasies arose from seeing a charcoal drawing by the celebrated French impressionist. Blues for the New Millennium, commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution to commemorate the turn of the century, expresses a "before" and "after", and marked a turning point in Bruce's compositional style as he embraced a more directly lyrical, melodic compositional voice. All three works are scored for clarinet, piano and varied strings, and revel in bluesy lyricism alongside Bruce's formidable pianism and the virtuosity of his collaborators: clarinettist Narek Arutyunian, violinists Deborah Buck and Michelle Ross, and cellist Clarice Jensen.

Jenna Nyman

Orjan Hulten

In keeping with the fascinating rediscoveries of French music made by the Palazzetto Bru Zane, this programme of sacred music presents works by well-known composers such as Saint-Saens and Faure as well as lesser-known works such as the Kyrie by Clemence de Grandval and Charlotte Sohy, the Ave Maria by Leon Boellmann and Fernand de La Tombelle, and a Cantique de Jean Racine composed by the deeply religious Mel Bonis to a different text from that chosen by Faure, in memory of her deceased son edouard. Instruments were added ad libitum for performances in the most prestigious religious buildings to encourage performances of the said works in other places as well. Faure's Tantum ergo, for example, with organ, piano or harp and double bass, could be played in church, in concert, or at home. These discoveries are what make this programme so interesting, bringing the Choeur de Radio France together with vocal and instrumental soloists of the highest calibre under the expert direction of Christophe Grapperon.

In the heart of Baroque Rome, the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is the principal Marian sanctuary of the Eternal City. For centuries it has guarded not only the relics of Jesus's cradle and swaddling-clothes, but also the celebrated marble Nativity Scene by Arnolfo di Cambio (1291), the first of it's kind in the history of art, thus earning it the title of "Bethlehem of the West". Here, in 1707, Alessandro Scarlatti was employed as maestro di cappella. Though a brief appointment - it lasted little more than a year - it was long enough to leave a deep impression, above all on the repertoire for Christmas, which was celebrated in the basilica with particular solemnity. For the 300th anniversary of the composer's death, Giulio Prandi and Coro e Orchestra Ghislieri dedicate their fifth album for Arcana to Scarlatti's unique, splendid music for a Roman Christmas.

Marc-Antoine Charpentier, with his Messe a quatre choeurs, delivers a unique work that reflects a rare encounter between French tradition and the splendor of Roman Baroque. Inspired by the grand polychoral works of Gabrieli and Benevoli whom he listened to attentively during his stay in Italy he unfolds a choral dialogue of exceptional breadth. Four vocal and instrumental ensembles face each other, respond, and intertwine in a play of echoes and timbres that transcends the liturgical space. Jean-Baptiste Nicolas brings an exalted momentum to this masterpiece of sacred music, combining stylistic precision with interpretative finesse.

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's 36-year collaboration with the legendary guitarist Andres Segovia resulted in 35 works featuring the guitar, including three concertos, several large cycles and numerous shorter pieces. Castelnuovo-Tedesco first met Segovia at a festival in Venice in 1932 and composed a new work for the legendary guitarist almost every year afterwards. Among the towering masterpieces in guitar literature is Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Platero y Yo (Platero and I), a cycle of consisting of 28 settings, arranged into four groups of seven-movement suites with a total playing time of 1 hour and 49 minutes. Originally conceived as an accompaniment for a recitation of selections from the Nobel Prize-winning Catalan poet Juan Ramon Jimenez's collection of poetic sketches of the same name, the composer gave his permission for the work to be performed without spoken text, which is how it is performed here. You can read Jimenez's texts in English translation while listening to the music and enjoying the wonderful illustrations for each movement by the award-winning artist Halfdan Pisket, especially commissioned for this recording. In preparation for bringing this masterwork to life, internationally acclaimed, multi prize-winning Danish guitarist Niklas Johansen not only studies the Spanish language to appreciate Jimenez'sprose-poems in their native language, but travelled to Spain, not far from Jimenez's hometown of Moguer. The close relationship with the language and culture has lent Johansen's interpretations a personal resonance. This album was recorded in Fredensborg Palace Chapel by the Danish masters of sound, Preben Iwan and Mette Due who beautifully captured the exceptional acoustics. We wish to express our sincere thanks to His Majesty King Frederik X, who personally granted us permission to record in Fredensborg Palace Chapel.

Both these violin concertos have been long-neglected for the same reason: their composers were much better-known for their achievements in musical theatre rather than for their works for the concert-hall. Robert Russell Bennett studied composition in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, and his output includes seven symphonies. He also orchestrated some of the highest-profile musicals in Broadway history, including works by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Rodgers and Hammerstein. (Richard Rodgers modestly claimed that Bennett's skills in instrumentation had made his music 'sound better than it was'). Vladimir Alexandrovich Dukelsky changed his name to Vernon Duke at the suggestion of his friend Jacob Gershovitz - better known as George Gershwin. Duke received a rigorous training in classical music at the Kyiv Conservatory; was friends with Prokofiev and composed ballet scores for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in Paris, as well as three symphonies. He remains better known as the creator of hit shows, such as Cabin in the Sky, and as the composer of numerous songs that became jazz standards, including 'April in Paris'. Chloe Hanslip, Andrew Litton, and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra perform both concertos with aplomb, and Andrew Litton also takes the role of pianist in Bennett's Hexapoda.

The Austrian composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957) was one of the greatest composing child prodigies in history. His keyboard style was highly personal and fully formed from the start, yet he seems to have had hardly any instruction on the instrument. Apart from a few lessons when he was five years old (not from an eminent teacher, but a needy relative), he seems to have been entirely self-taught. Celebrated British pianist Martin Jones released NI 5705 The Complete Piano Music of Erich Korngold on 4 CDs which is still available. This compilation includes many of the prodigious works written even before Korngold entered his teenage years.

The 'American dream' is the thread that connects these three works. Amy Beach was born in New Hampshire in 1867 and composed more than three hundred works, including a monumental suite for two pianos inspired by the Romantic tradition and based on ancient Irish melodies. Nadine Dana Suesse nicknamed the "Gershwin Girl" was born in Kansas City in 1909. She played her own compositions on the radio from the age of thirteen and composed hit songs, notably for Bing Crosby. She refused the attractions of Hollywood and studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Her works disappeared from the repertory after her death, although the Berlinskaya Ancelle duo are keen to revive her music with this 1943 concerto, described as "romantic, but mixed with modern harmonies and chords straight from jazz". Victor Babin was born in Moscow in 1908 and emigrated to the United States with his wife Viktoria Vronskaya in 1937. Their piano duo was very successful there: they gave the first performance of Babin's virtuosic Second Concerto under the direction of George SzelI in Cleveland in 1957.

Entirely devoted to the organ music of Elsa Barraine (1910-1999), Lucile Dollat's recording is an exceptional journey through sound, full of spiritual intensity. It opens with the remarkable Musique rituelle from 1967, which Barraine considered to be one of her most important works. It is followed by the two preludes and fugues from her early years, and Reflets magyars, a composition inspired by a traditional Hungarian folk song. The last piece on the record is the contemplative and celestial elevation.

In 1955, the conductor Gary Bertini founded the Rinat Choir and thus established professional choral music in Israel. The founding of the Rinat had a significant influence on the development of the Israeli choral scene; the choir was finally named the national choir in 1972. Psalms, verses and hymns were set to music for the Rinat Choir by the country's leading composers and transformed into extensive Hebrew motets and oratorios. The founding generation of Israeli music consisted of outstanding professional musicians who were born in Europe around the turn of the century. Although these composers came predominantly from Germany, Eastern Europe and Russia, their sources of inspiration can by no means be reduced to the music of their respective countries of origin. On the contrary: what united many of these composers was their fascination with the traditional music of the Jews, especially of Sephardic, Persian and Yemenite origin, and with the music of the Arabs they encountered in Palestine. The next generation of Israeli composers were not necessarily born in Israel either, but were strongly influenced musically by this country from the very beginning. In the 1960s and 70s, this generation disseminated their inspirational sources and borrowed from contemporary styles that they had become familiar with during their studies in Europe and the USA. While some representatives of this generation carried on the tradition of the founding generation, other composers introduced current developments in the musical world into the Israeli art music of their time. The pool of influences was also expanded to include American composers such as Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, John Cage and Lukas Foss.

Everything in the world whether it is life, a piece of art, a scientific discovery, a revolution, or even a simple idea has it's own starting point. For composers, it is the work that marks their first step into the world. Opus 1 is an exploration of those beginnings, where ambition meets uncertainty and raw ideas take shape. In this album, pianist Anna Geniushene, whose career highlights include being a Silver Medalist at the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and being named Young Artist of the Month by Musical America, explores the early creative voices of great Romantic composers such as Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Berg and Tchaikovsky, uncovering the ambition, curiosity, and individuality that shaped their musical identities. Was an Opus 1 a declaration of will or just a sketch of what was to come? This album delves into that question, offering a glimpse of great composers who were taking their first steps and searching for their true voice when everything was still possible.

This is the most comprehensive collection ever recorded: The Leipzig Quartet have achieved legendary status with all Franz Schubert's string quartets and fragments, string trios and the famous Trout Quintet with Christian Zacharias. Great works like the Trout, Rosamunde, and Death and the Maiden juxtaposed with fragments and early works provide deep insights into Schubert's compositional development, making this 10-CD collector's edition so appealing.

From the early 17th century onwards, the polyphonic motet that had dominated sacred music in previous centuries found itself complemented in both liturgical and devotional contexts by a new, more stream- lined form: the solo motet. This allowed prayer and meditation to be accompanied by music even in places where maintaining a stable polyphonic choir was impractical or economically unfeasible. At the same time, composers were afforded greater freedom to align with the emerging 'modern taste' of the time, which valued the expressive power of a single voice supported by organ or other continuo instruments over the contrapuntal interplay of multiple voices. This modern aesthetic increasingly prioritized the transmission of 'affetti,' seen as essential for the true expression of a text. The compositions presented on this CD by the Ensemble Amphion Novus, a premiere recording on an edition prepared specifically for this occasion, exemplify precisely this direction.