Pianist and barrister Paul Wee has made recordings devoted to the virtuoso repertoire of the 19th century, earning him the highest praise from the specialist press. He also tackled Beethoven with Franz Liszt's transcription of the Heroica Symphony, a recording named "Editor's Choice" by Gramophone, which wrote: � Paul Wee proves himself a master of these treacherously demanding transcriptions, sweeping aside the technical challenges to present these great works with consummate musicianship. � It was therefore only a matter of time before he turned his attention to the pinnacle of piano literature: Beethoven's late sonatas. While Sonata Op. 101 is the least known of this select group, it nonetheless opens Beethoven's third and most prophetic creative period. It is followed by Sonata Op. 106, the "Hammerklavier", an immense work in every sense of the word which, as the author of the liner notes put it, "makes such demands., that it is as if a new set of auditory equipment was required." As for the last three sonatas, worked on at the same time and conceived as a triptych, Beethoven knew that they would constitute his three final utterances in the genre of the sonata. To quote the author of the introductory text once again, "the closing pages of Op. 111 escape earth's orbit forever, leaving the listener behind."

John Barry est l'un des plus grands compositeurs de musique de film du XXe siecle. Olivier Julien, dans une anthologie 3 CD retrace le fil de la jeune carriere d'un orchestrateur de genie. en effet, avant de composer les bandes originales legendaires de James Bond et d'�tre maintes fois recompense aux Oscars, John Barry posait dej� les fondations d'un style qui allait non seulement revolutionner la musique de film, mais aussi marquer de son empreinte un rock britannique qui allait conquerir le monde. Patrick FReMEAUX John Barry is one of the greatest film composers of the 20th century. In a 3-CD anthology, Olivier Julien traces the early career of a masterful orchestrator. Indeed, even before composing the legendary James Bond soundtracks and receiving numerous Oscar awards, John Barry was already laying the foundations of a style that would not only revolutionize film music but also leave it's mark on British rock, which would go on to conquer the world. Patrick FReMEAUX CD1 : JOHN BARRY AND THE SEVEN : LET'S HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME - ROCK-A-BILLY BOOGIE - ZIP ZIP - THREE LITTLE FISHES. THE JOHN BARRY SEVEN : EVERY WHICH WAY - YOU'VE GOTTA WAY - BIG GUITAR - RODEO - PANCHO [THE JOHN BARRY SEVEN WITH LATIN-AMERICAN RHYTHM ACCOMPANIMENT] - HIDEAWAY [THE JOHN BARRY SEVEN WITH LATIN-AMERICAN RHYTHM ACCOMPANIMENT] - FARRAGO - BEE'S KNEES - WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN - LONG JOHN - SNAP 'N' WHISTLE - LITTLE JOHN - FOR PETE'S SAKE - LITTLE JOHN (LIVE) - REBEL ROUSER - GOOD ROCKIN' TONIGHT (LIVE) [THE JOHN BARRY SEVEN AND BOB MILLER AND THE MILLER MEN] - MAB MAB - TWELFTH STREET RAG - CHRISTELLA. JOHN BARRY AND HIS ORCHESTRA : MOOD ONE - MOOD TWO - MOOD THREE - MOOD FOUR - SMOKY BLUES. CD2 : THE JOHN BARRY SEVEN PLUS FOUR : HIT AND MISS - ROCKIN' ALREADY. JOHN BARRY AND HIS ORCHESTRA : BEAT FOR BEATNIKS - BIG FELLA - BLUEBERRY HILL - NEVER LET GO. THE JOHN BARRY SEVEN : WALK DON't RUN - I'm MOVING' ON [THE JOHN BARRY SEVEN PLUS FOUR] - BLACK STOCKINGS - GET LOST JACK FROST - SATURDAY'S CHILD - MAGNIFICENT SEVEN - SKID ROW. JOHN BARRY - BEAT GIRL : MAIN TITLE - BEAT GIRL - THE OFF BEAT - I DID WHAT YOU TOLD ME (CHANTe PAR ADAM FAITH) - LINDON HOME ROCK - TIME OUT - THE SHARKS - THE BEAT GIRL SONG (CHANTe PAR ADAM FAITH) - THE CITY 2000 A.D. - THE STRIPPER - THE CAVE - BEAT GIRL - KIDS STUFF - MADE YOU (CHANTe PAR ADAM FAITH) - CAR CHASE - NIGHT CHASE - CHICKEN - BLUES FOR BEATNICKS - IT'S LEGAL (CHANTe PAR SHIRLEY ANNE FIELD) - THE IMMEDIATE PLEASURE - BLONDIE'S STRIP - END SHOT - SLAUGHTER IN SOHO / MAIN TITLE - BEAT GIRL. CD3 : JOHN BARRY AND HIS ORCHESTRA : THE MENACE - RODEO. THE JOHN BARRY SEVEN : STARFIRE - A MATTER OF WHO [THE JOHN BARRY SEVEN PLUS FOUR]. MICHAEL ANGELO AND HIS ORCHESTRA : ROCCO'S THEME - SPINNEREE. THE JOHN BARRY SEVEN : WATCH YOUR STEP - TWIST IT. JOHN BARRY - STRINGBEAT : IT DOESN't MATTER ANYMORE - SWEET TALK - MOODY RIVER - THERE'S LIFE IN THE OLD BOY YET - A HANDFUL OF SONGS - LIKE WALTZ - RODEO - DONNA'S THEME - STARFIRE - BAUBLES BANGLES & BEADS (FROM KISMET) - ZAPATA - RUM-DEE-DUM-DEE-DAH - SPANISH HARLEM - MAN FROM MADRID - THE CHALLENGE. MICHAEL ANGELO AND HIS ORCHESTRA : TEARS - THEME FROM "THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS STONE". THE JOHN BARRY SEVEN AND ORCHESTRA : CUTTY SARK - LOST PATROL - THE JAMES BOND THEME - THE BLACKSMITH BLUES - THE LOLLY THEME - MARCH OF THE MANDARINS. DIRECTION ARTISTIQUE : OLIVIER JULIEN

This release is the world premiere recording of Estonia's first major work in art music in it's original score and sung in Estonian. Rudolf Tobias (1873-1918) is widely celebrated in Estonia as the 'father of Estonian music' and considered as the first Estonian composer to have obtained a degree in composing after completing his studies at the St Petersburg Conservatoire. In this recording the composer's magnum opus, Joonas (Jonah Oratorio) is performed by a first-class Estonian line up led by the award-winning ensembles Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and conductor Tonu Kaljuste.

The primal force of the spoken word collides with evocative music that pierces the heart: the irrepressible power of Moor Mother's' apocalyptic album is visceral. This spellbinding symphonic version created for the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn and the string quintet Wooden Elephant by Ian Anderson, the impassioned opus by the radical American poet becomes a grandiose Gesamtkunstwerk that touches the soul.

For Wolfgang Amadeus, composing violin sonatas was a welcome respite from his tiresome commissions. With great clarity of expression and the right combination of lightness, playfulness and depth that make these pieces so special, Tibor Gyenge and Michael Schoch present a selection of their favourites.

Baroque bad boy Francesc Valls shook the music world by not conforming to standard practice and using unconventional harmonies and gratuitous dissonance. Ensemble Bachwerkvokal led by Gordon Safari take this controversial Catalan composer from the time of Bach out of the archives and present his extraordinary works for the first time in this world premiere recording.

CALYPSO, PREGoN, MAMBO, CREOLE WALTZ, BE-BOP JAZZ, DANZoN-MAMBO, VOODOO SONG, POP, GOOMBAY, MENTO, RHYTHM AND BLUES, JAZZ, SHUFFLE RHYTHM AND BLUES, BIGUINE, QUADRILLE, LATIN JAZZ, TELEVISION SOUNDTRACK, QUELBE, BLUES, CHA CHA CHa, BALLAD. Meconnues, ignorees, voire devalorisees, les musiques caribeennes sont � la base d'une grande partie des musiques americaines qui ont conquis le monde. Marquees � leur tour par l'influence des etats-Unis, elles ont produit une magie irresistible de Cuba � la Nouvelle-Orleans et de la Martinique � Haiti, jusqu'� la Jamaique. Ce coffret para�t simultanement au livre de reference Caraibes/etats-Unis de Bruno Blum. en montrant les interactions fondamentales entre Caraibes et etats-Unis de 1944 � 1972, il devoile dans cette anthologie au champ tres large, une relecture radicale de toute l'histoire des musiques americaines, une invitation � un nouveau regard sur l'heritage des Caraibes. Patrick FReMEAUX Often unsung and ignored, the music of the Caribbean formed the basis of much American music, which subsequently conquered the world. In turn, the USA left a deep mark on it, which produced an irresistible magic - from Cuba to New Orleans and all the way to Martinique, Haiti, Jamaica. This Caribbean compendium also shows the cream of U.S. music with ties to the West Indies. In showing fundamental interactions between the two, in this exceptional anthology Bruno Blum unveils a radical rereading of American music history and a doorway to a new outlook on the Caribbean. Patrick FReMEAUX CD1 - CARIBBEAN : RUM AND COCA COLA [TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, CALYPSO] - LORD INVADER - CAO CAO, MANi PICAO [CUBA, PREGoN] - CELIA CRUZ - PIANOLO [CUBA, MAMBO BATIRI] - PeREZ PRADO - CUBAN MAMBO [CUBA, MAMBO] - PeREZ PRADO - TES YEUX [MARTINIQUE, CREOLE WALTZ] - L'ORCHESTRE DELS' JAZZ BIGUINE - MARJORIE'S FLIRTATION [TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, CALYPSO] - LORD KITCHENER - JEAN AND DINAH [TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, CALYPSO] - THE MIGHTY SPARROW - CHEROKEE [JAMAICA, BE-BOP JAZZ] - JOE HARRIOTT - EL BOMBiN DE PERUCHO [CUBA, DESCARGA JAZZ] - ISRAEL "CACHAO" LoPEZ - CHANCHULLO [OYE CoMO VA] [CUBA, DANZoN-MAMBO] - ANTONIO ARCA�O - SIESTA [HAITI-USA, POP SONG] - JOSEPHINE PREMICE - SONG OF THE JUMBIES [HAITI-USA, VOODOO SONG] - JOSEPHINE PREMICE - SPONGER MONEY [BAHAMAS, GOOMBAY] - GEORGE SYMONETTE - SHAKE SHAKE SE�ORA [JUMP IN THE LINE] [JAMAICA, MENTO] - LORD FLEA - ZOMBIE JAMBOREE [JAMAICA, MENTO] - LORD LEBBY - FAT MAN - DERRICK MORGAN [JAMAICA, RHYTHM AND BLUES] - TENDERLY [JAMAICA, JAZZ] - ERNEST RANGLIN TRIO - SERENADE IN SOUND [JAMAICA, JAZZ] - CECIL LLOYD GROUP - EXODUS [JAMAICA, JAZZ] - CECIL LLOYD GROUP - ONE CUP OF COFFEE [JAMAICA, SHUFFLE RHYTHM AND BLUES] - BOB MARLEY - THIS MAN IS BACK [JAMAICA, SHUFFLE RHYTHM AND BLUES] - DON DRUMMOND - NOUS LES CUISINIeRES [GUADELOUPE, BIGUINE] - ROBERT MAVOUNZY - PANTALON [GUADELOUPE, QUADRILLE AVEC COMMANDEUR] - ENSEMBLE DE QUADRILLE GUADELOUPeEN. CD2 - USA : RUM AND COCA COLA [CALYPSO] - THE ANDREW SISTERS - EARLY IN THE MORNING [SHUFFLE RHYTHM AND BLUES] - LOUIS JORDAN - RAN-KAN-KAN - [MAMBO] - TITO PUENTE - I'm GONE [RHYTHM AND BLUES BALLAD] - SHIRLEY & LEE - BEGIN THE BEGUINE [LATIN JAZZ] - CHARLIE PARKER - EVIL EYED WOMAN [RHYTHM AND BLUES] - TERRY TIMMONS - BO DIDDLEY [RHYTHM AND BLUES] - BO DIDDLEY - DAY-O [DOCKER SONG] - HARRY BELAFONTE - CARRIBEE JOE [TELEVISION SOUNDTRACK] - DUKE ELLINGTON - CONGO SQUARE [TELEVISION SOUNDTRACK] - DUKE ELLINGTON - ZAJJ'S DREAM [TELEVISION SOUNDTRACK] - DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA - ST. THOMAS [JAZZ] - SONNY ROLLINS - MY BOY LOLLIPOP [SHUFFLE RHYTHM AND BLUES] - BARBIE GAYE - PEANUT VENDOR [PREGoN] - CHET ATKINS - JEAN & DINAH [CALYPSO] - ROBERT MITCHUM 2'42 - 16. MAMBO AT THE M [MAMBO] - CAL TJADER - DON't BLAME IT ON ELVIS [QUELBE] - THE FABULOUS MCCLEVERTYS - ALLIGATOR WINE [BLUES] - SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS - BE MY GUEST [SHUFFLE RHYTHM AND BLUES] - FATS DOMINO - IT KEEPS RAININ' [BALLAD] - FATS DOMINO - ZOMBIE JAMBOREE [CALYPSO] - HARRY BELAFONTE - CARAVAN [JAZZ] - DUKE ELLINGTON - OYE CoMO VA [CHA CHA CHa] - TITO PUENTE. COeDITION AVEC LE MUSeE DU QUAI BRANLY - JACQUES CHIRAC DIRECTION ARTISTIQUE : BRUNO BLUM

Strange Wonders, The Wexford Carols, Vol. II is the follow-up to the #1 Billboard and Amazon charting The Wexford Carols (2014), hailed by The Irish Times as "The Wexford Carols as they have never been heard before." Produced by celebrated Grammy-winning producer Ethan Johns (Paul McCartney, Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagne) and led by renowned Irish singer/arranger Caitriona O'Leary, this new recording offers an intimate, spiritual, and mystical journey through eleven rarely-heard carols from Ireland's cherished Christmas tradition. The album features a world-class ensemble, including Alison Balsom (trumpet), Stile Antico (choir), Seth Lakeman, Clara Sanabras, John Smith, Olov Johansson, Simone Collavechi, Deirdre O'Leary, Mel Mercier, John Hearne, and Ethan Johns himself. Drawing on 17th-18th century Wexford carol traditions and blending early music, folk, and classical styles, Strange Wonders illuminates familiar moments of the Christmas story alongside rarely sung carols to saints of the Twelve Days. This moving collection brings Ireland's greatest Christmas music to life for today's audiences in a timeless new way.

Pianist and composer Eduard Kiprsky, a native of St. Petersburg and winner of countless international composition awards, has long been involved with writing song cycles. On this album, titled "Friedensgebet" (Prayer for Peace), mezzo-soprano Margarita Gritskova-a beloved ensemble member of the Vienna State Opera-and Alexander Mikhailov, tenor at St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre, join Kiprsky at the piano to perform a selection of his songs. These settings of poems by Heinrich Heine, Eduard Morike, Hermann Hesse, Joseph von Eichendorff, and Clemens Brentano, among others, explore doubt, loss, and suffering, yet also love, hope, and resilience. Framing the vocal works are two instrumental pieces: the Arioso for Piano, Violin, and Cello and the award-winning "Friedensgebet" String Quartet, which lends the album it's title.

For the pianist and opera conductor Boris Bloch, who hails from Odessa in present-day Ukraine, the works of Frederic Chopin represent the epitome of poetry in music. Chopin's primary means of expression-the language with which he expressed everything he wanted to say-was his melody: the most beautiful kind known to man. For Chopin, however, this melody was more than that; it was a reflection of reality, behind which lay a real image or event. Heinrich Neuhaus pointed out the autobiographical character of Chopin's oeuvre. And it is precisely this autobiographical character that has helped countless people find themselves in their own biographies. This explains the immense popularity and universal appeal of his works, which are cherished all over the world. On this double CD, Boris Bloch presents a selection of Mazurkas, etudes, Impromptus, the four Ballades, and the second Piano Sonata, Op. 35.

German Gents is a phenomenon among vocal ensembles, the four singers perfectly translate all styles and genres - and already reach their fans with a following of over 500k on their social media?. Their album will contain a mix of traditional German and international Christmas songs, complemented by timeless classics in A-cappella style. The masterful performance of festive melodies reflects both the serene contemplation and the joyful spirit of the season. The recording is produced in perfect audio quality with a festive sound?.

Niccolo Paganini was already a legend in his lifetime as the "Devil's Violinist"-yet far fewer people, then or now, know that he was also one of the finest guitarists of his era, composing countless works for and with the guitar alongside his famously virtuosic violin pieces. Now, Salzburg's star violinist Benjamin Schmid and guitar virtuoso Petrit ceku embark on a mission to revive these overlooked gems, which hover between Mozart and Haydn on one side and Italian bel canto on the other. Joined by Florian Eggner and Benedict Mitterbauer, they present the Guitar Quartet No. 10, the Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Guitar, and the Trio for Violin, Guitar, and Cello-works of diverse genres, only partially published during Paganini's lifetime. These pieces blend breathtaking virtuosity (the Quartet could pass as a "disguised violin concerto") with playful charm and the intimate flair of Romantic salon music.

Mendelssohn's music contains a fascinating duality: deeply rooted in German Romanticism, inspired by Bach and Beethoven, but at the same time shaped by his Jewish origins and the tension between these two worlds. This complexity unfolds in a special way at Christmas time in particular - as a bridge between traditions, cultures and spiritual experiences. An album that combines the festive warmth and spiritual depth of the Christmas season with the radiant music of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. A unique musical language - full of light, inwardness and festive joy

SOMM Recordings marks the 150th anniversary of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875�- 1912) with a diverse selection of his orchestral works, reflecting both his Afro-British parentage and a musical milieu that included Holst and Vaughan Williams. Of particular note is that five of the seven works presented here are first recordings. This commemorative release features the Ulster Orchestra conducted by Charles Peebles, whose first recordings of Piano Concertos�by Dora Bright and Ruth Gipps for SOMM�were widely praised. It was�quickly�apparent that Coleridge-Taylor possessed an unusual talent, and he produced a remarkable body of work before his untimely death at 37 though much of his music has been hidden from public view by the absence of surviving performance material. He composed his first work for voice and orchestra, Zara's Earrings, when he was just 19. Rebecca Murphy, hailed by Opera Journal for her "stunning delivery," is the featured soprano. The�Ballade, also written when Coleridge-Taylor was 19,�was premiered by Isabella Donkersley, the future wife of Augustus Jaeger (soon to be immortalised by Elgar as 'Nimrod' in his Enigma Variations). The Ballade's great drama and charismatic melodic material�play to the strengths of Coleridge-Taylor having been a violinist. �Ioana Petcu-Colan, heard here,�is leader of the Ulster Orchestra�and a soloist of considerable reputation. When Coleridge-Taylor heard Brahms's Clarinet Quintet while a student at the Royal College of Music, he was encouraged to write his own. The Romance for string orchestra is an arrangement of the quintet's introspective Larghetto affettuoso movement. Solemn Prelude, written for the Worcester Three Choirs Festival of 1899, is a work of elegiac pathos exuding the confidence of a young composer reaching the height of his powers. Since it's modern revival in 2021, it's been performed by some of the world's most distinguished orchestras. Coleridge-Taylor's Idyll, a commission for the Gloucester Three Choirs Festival in 1901, was a reworking of the Lament from his Symphony in A minor. When he conducted it's first performance, the Times critic wrote, "it was a single, very beautiful movement in C major. Giving ample room for the composer's love of original rhythm and rich and individual orchestral colouring. " Ethiopia Saluting the Colours from 1902 is an exuberant�work for orchestra and organ. It was inspired by Walt Whitman's moving poem paying tribute to an elderly Ethiopian woman encountered during the American Civil War. Beerbohm Tree commissioned the�incidental music for Stephen Phillip's play�Nero�in 1906, and the chance for Coleridge-Taylor to hear his music nightly rather than as one performance in the concert hall was a particular joy. This anniversary collection includes the first�Entr'acte,�which also featured at the 1907 Proms under Henry Wood.

The troubled life of English composer Ernest John Moeran (1894 - 1950) ended 75 years ago, when he fell into the water at Kenmare in Ireland, and his death was officially recorded as a cerebral haemorrhage. To honour the life of E J Moeran, SOMM Recordings is releasing broadcasts that were privately recorded by Lionel Hill, author of Lonely Waters - the diary of a friendship with E�J�Moeran. This commemorative release, with outstanding audio restoration by Lani Spahr, includes Moeran's Symphony in G minor conducted by Sir Adrian Boult and his Violin Concerto with the incomparable�Albert Sammons as soloist. Additionally, Moeran's Cello Concerto, written for his wife Peers Coetmore, is available as a download. E J Moeran was born to an Irish Protestant priest and a Norfolk-born mother, and the duality of his nationality finds expression in his music. He wrote of his Symphony in G minor that it "may be said to owe it's inspiration to the natural surroundings in which it was planned and written. The greater part of the work was carried out among the mountains and seaboard of Co. Kerry, but the material of the second movement was conceived around the sand-dunes and marshes of East Norfolk." On 9 February, 1949, Moeran and his friend Lionel Hill attended a performance of the symphony at the Royal Albert Hall, with Adrian Boult conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra. That is the performance heard on this CD. The first movement of Moeran's Violin Concerto, written in Co. Kerry, was similarly inspired by the calm of Kenmare Bay in fine weather, while the Lento last movement reflected a period of seasonal colour and beauty along the Kenmare River. The second movement Rondo is unmistakably imbued with the spirit of Kerry fairs and Irish fiddlers. Moeran wrote that "Albert Sammons is the only living violinist I would like to have interpret it." This recording, a BBC Home Service broadcast from Norfolk on 28 April 1946, is Sammons' last public concerto performance. One cannot overemphasise the importance of this recording; it is, as far as we know, Sammons' only known live recording. In December 1943, eighteen months before their marriage, Moeran wrote to the Irish cellist Peers Coetmore, "Please write and tell me you would like me to write a concerto especially for you, and I give you my promise that I will put my whole heart into it." The result is a work of considerable beauty, especially memorable for the typically Irish tune that introduces the slow movement. Following the premiere in Dublin, Coetmore gave it's first London performance in April 1946-available here as a download-with Adrian Boult conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra.