Catrin Finch releases Notes to Self, her first solo album in a decade, featuring personal tracks dedicated to her 13-year-old self. Accompanied by letters, the album reflects on her 40-year career, exploring vulnerability, transformation, and life under public scrutiny. As a gay woman, cancer survivor, and mother, Finch channels her struggles and triumphs into music, marking a bold, introspective evolution in her artistry.

Winner of the 2024 La Maestra competition in Paris and recipient of five additional prizes, conductor Bar Avni is pursuing a very promising career. Born in Israel, she first studied percussion before turning to conducting. She counts Yoav Talmi, Barbara Hannigan and Ayelet Geva as mentors and has assisted conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel, Klaus M�kel� and Myung-Whun Chung. Avni is known for her desire to seek out programmes that are off the beaten track. This is evident in her first recording with the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, which combines the music of Charlotte Sohy, Darius Milhaud, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Igor Stravinsky. The programme opens with Sohy's symphony Grande Guerre, which was composed in 1914 but only premiered in 2019. Milhaud composed his first of six Petites Symphonies in 1917 while he was secretary to Paul Claudel, French ambassador to Brazil. C. P. E. Bach's sparkling symphony, composed in 1775, precedes the final work by Stravinsky, his first major work composed after he moved to America around 1940, a Symphony in Three Movements. Three movements: the common thread running through the works on this symphonic journey.

Pianist Christian Blackshaw presents A Moment in Time, an intimate exploration of Franz Schubert's late masterworks. The album features the Four Impromptus, D. 899, written in 1827, in which Schubert transforms the simple impromptu into "a harmonically connected cycle of unparalleled beauty." From the dramatic intensity of the first to the serene beauty of the third and the triumph over darkness in the fourth, Blackshaw reveals the depth, subtlety, and emotional brilliance of Schubert's music. The album also presents the Sonata No. 21 in B-flat Major, D. 960, one of Schubert's last major works for solo piano, composed during spring and autumn of 1828. It's movements traverse hope, despair, and luminous introspection, culminating in a finale of quiet triumph. For Blackshaw, these performances are a personal reflection - a snapshot in time of both Schubert's genius and his own lifelong engagement with these works.

Regarded as one of the finest interpreters of classical and romantic repertoire, Imogen Cooper is internationally renowned for her virtuosity and lyricism. Dame Imogen writes: 'It has taken many years for me to perceive the last three sonatas by Beethoven as the evolving journey I now feel them to be. A combination of wariness of Op. 109 and overawe of Op. 111 kept me solely concentrated on Op. 110, which I can hardly regret. Nor do I regret thereby coming late in life to Opp. 109 and 111. Having come to see the shortcomings of my perception as surmountable, I found that the joys and riches of these wonderful works presented themselves with much more vivid colours than had I tussled with them whilst I was tussling with myself. The case was, incidentally, similar with the "Diabelli" Variations, Op. 120, which I finally approached and embraced in my sixties, with crystal clarity of intention and unadulterated joy. Now it would be hard for me to play any of the last three sonatas alone, so potent is the journey from first to last. And how privileged my hands feel, having wondered and wandered in the heavenly heights of the last pages of Op. 111, to travel down the keyboard and bring this astonishing last sonata, and indeed the whole body of thirty-two sonatas, to a close, with a quiet chord of C major - no long note value, no fermata. Just silence.'

American Tapestry by the Calidore String Quartet weaves together a panoramic portrait of American musical expression across the 20th and 21st centuries. The programme spans Samuel Barber's lyrical String Quartet No. 1, featuring the iconic Adagio; Wynton Marsalis's jazz-inflected At the Octoroon Balls; and John Williams's With Malice Toward None-here in it's world premiere string quartet version. The album concludes with Erich Korngold's radiant String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, written in postwar Los Angeles. Together, these works reveal a vibrant continuum of American artistry-a sound world both richly diverse and deeply unified in spirit.

Composed at the age of 19, Rachmaninov's earliest published cycle of piano pieces, the Morceaux de Fantaisie, contains the Pr�lude in C-sharp minor, destined to become his signature work, and the M�lodie in E major, much loved by Tchaikovsky. The expressive Morceaux de Salon show Tchaikovsky's influence and some of the grief felt by Rachmaninov after his mentor's death. With the inclusion of the melodically rich Nocturnes and the Four Pieces, the earliest to survive in his hand, this collection shows both the young composer finding his voice and the timeless Rachmaninov we recognise today.

Hailed by the magazine BBC Music for it's 'generous and warm-hearted, utterly beguiling playing', the GRAMMY�-nominated Neave Trio has emerged as one of the finest young ensembles of it's generation. For this, their eighth album, they have once again selected a programme of works by female composers. Written in 1846, the Piano Trio of Clara Schumann was considered a great success by her friends and supporters (notably by Brahms) but her lack of self-confidence clouded her own view of the piece. Intellectually curious and a voracious reader from an early age, Dora Pejacevic was largely self-taught as a composer. She composed her first piano trio (in D major) in 1905 (when she was twenty) and the second followed in 1910, by which time Pejacevic's musical language had already evolved into it's distinctive late-romantic style. Chaminade's Piano Trio No. 2 in A minor was published 1887, with a dedication to the great French cellist Jules Delsart. The successful premiere had been given at the Salle �rard on 4 February 1886. Chaminade went on to play the A minor Trio regularly during the 1890s, to substantial critical acclaim.

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was an Italian composer, violinist, and priest, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures of the Baroque era. Born in Venice, Vivaldi was nicknamed "Il Prete Rosso" (The Red Priest) because of his red hair and clerical background. Although he was ordained as a priest, his true vocation was music. He spent much of his life working at the Ospedale della Piet�, a Venetian orphanage for girls, where he composed and directed music, training many talented young musicians. Vivaldi's greatest legacy lies in his instrumental concertos, especially those with the violin. Each concerto displays his remarkable understanding of the instrument's expressive and technical capabilities. His concertos typically follow the three-movement structure (fast-slow-fast) that became standard in later classical music. They are characterized by brilliant virtuosity, rhythmic vitality, and a clear sense of form and contrast between soloist and orchestra. Among his violin concertos, The Four Seasons (Le quattro stagioni) stands out as his most famous and innovative work. Composed around 1723 and published in 1725, this set of four concertos -Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter- is a vivid example of early program music. Each concerto is accompanied by a sonnet that describes natural scenes and human emotions associated with the seasons. Through musical imagery such as bird calls, thunderstorms, harvest dances, and icy winds, Vivaldi masterfully translates the poetry into sound. Included are the concertos Op. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12. Vivaldi's concertos influenced many later composers, including Johann Sebastian Bach, who transcribed several of them. Although his music fell out of favor after his death, the 20th century brought a revival of interest, restoring Vivaldi's reputation as a master of melody, color, and instrumental brilliance. Today, his concertos remain central to the Baroque repertoire and beloved by performers and audiences worldwide. Played by Italian violinist Federico Guglielmo and his L'Arte dell'arco. The press has been unanimous in it's praise: "a definitive recording, bravo!" (Diapason), "infectious joy, improvisatory flair and instinct, this is music making minted in the moment" (BBC 3), "They know the secret language of Vivaldi.." (Diapason).

Born in Budapest in 1975 and based in Germany, composer M�rton Ill�s studied with Detlev M�ller-Siemens and Wolfgang Rihm. In 2020, he composed the violin concerto Vont-t�r for Patricia Kopatchinskaja, a long-time partner who performs his music with total commitment. "She gives the impression that music can be tactile, truly three-dimensional, to the point that you could almost touch it, that each gesture has it's own colour, temperature, smell, taste," says Ill�s. S�rt-t�r, "space filled with tears," is a cello concerto: "I make it moan, scream or even roar hysterically in order to draw out the vocal qualities capable of communicating human pain." In Nicolas Altstaedt, "I found the ideal performer, who grasps the dark drama of this subject with existential intuition and makes it resonate with primitive force." Rajzok I consists of tuning the strings of 24 instruments to different quarter-tone intervals. A very unusual and fascinating total scordatura. In Three Sketches, electronic music blends with the sound of the violin, multiplying the sensations and sound textures. Fascinated by the human psyche and the processes that take place in the human body, Ill�s develops music that lives, speaks, and breathes.

James McVinnie brings Johann Sebastian Bach's monumental Clavier-ubung III to life in a recording that captures both it's technical brilliance and profound spiritual depth. Bach's 1739 collection, his first published volume of organ music, is a masterful synthesis of compositional technique, theological meditation, and musical expression. With twenty-seven works, including chorale preludes, duets, and the majestic opening Prelude and closing Fugue, the collection is a rich musical exploration of Lutheran faith, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, and the artistry of counterpoint at it's most sublime. From the intricate contrapuntal pairs of the Catechism chorales to the flowing bass lines of Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam, and the transcendent final Fugue in E flat, McVinnie navigates Bach's towering architecture with clarity, precision, and sensitivity. This recording highlights the cosmopolitan textures, theological symbolism, and emotional resonance that make Clavier-ubung III a pinnacle of the organ repertoire. With insight drawn from decades of study and performance, McVinnie offers a journey into Bach's musical universe, where faith, intellect, and artistry converge in works of extraordinary beauty and enduring power. James McVinnie made his PENTATONE debut in January 2025 with the album Dreamcatcher.

Head Space: Candlelight is the first EP in The King's Singers' Head Space series, aiming to connect choral music with calmness and reflection. Inspired by compline, the Catholic night service, it features plainchant, including "In manus tuas Domine" and "Salva nos Domine vigilantes," emphasizing breath-led pacing. The album also includes wordless Orlando Gibbons "Songs," contemporary pieces by Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Judith Bingham, and Arvo Part, and the experimental "4'33" by John Cage, concluding with Robert Parsons' "Ave Maria" and Edvard Grieg's "Ave Maris Stella," all designed to create a contemplative atmosphere.

Bach's Cello Suites are his only works for solo cello but are central to the repertoire and remain unequalled in their expressive musical depth. Dor Gidon Amran, the virtuoso mandolinist who has recorded his own unique arrangement of Paganini's 24 Caprices on Dynamic (CDS8038), has now arranged Cello Suites Nos. 1-3 for the mandocello. This is a baritone instrument of the mandolin family, but much larger than a mandolin, whose strings are tuned exactly like those of the cello. Being played with a plectrum, the mandocello belongs to a very different sound world to the cello, offering a unique perspective on these great works.

Spanning 500 years from the exquisite simplicity of Thomas Tallis' perfect miniature O nata lux through Britten's jubilant Festival Te Deum to Cheryl Frances-Hoad's majestic O come let us sing unto the Lord, this album celebrates the hope and anticipation that comes with the beginning of a new day. Arise my love perfectly complements Magdalen's first album on CORO, Peace I leave with you, which celebrates music written for the end of the day.

A re-release of Beethoven's Sonatas Nos. 3 & 9 (Kreutzer) from celebrated violinist Viktoria Mullova and her duo partner for this recording, Kristian Bezuidenhout. The pair bring a tension-filled account of these works, displaying their energetic and spontaneous take on what's considered one of Beethoven's most challenging works.

What distinguishes Faur�'s Requiem from numerous other settings of the requiem text is it's rather intimate, restrained, almost chamber-music nature, a "lullaby of death", as it has also been called, initially more as a criticism of a work that for most of the time avoids depicting the dread of death and the Last Judgement. Faur�'s reply "But this is how I feel about death: as a happy liberation, as a striving for happiness in the hereafter rather than as a painful transition", not only perfectly describes essential characteristics of his Requiem, but also reveals it to be a very personal expression of the composer's very own artistic nature. Two generations after Faur� (and Faur�'s grand-disciple through his teacher Koechlin), Francis Poulenc's (1899-1963) displayed a significantly different approach to religion. Poulenc, who like Faur� was from the southern part of France, had been shaped by his homeland in the sense of a 'rural', intense but joyous Catholicism. He regarded his Gloria as a more joyful counterpart to some of his other sacred works, and it is in this spirit that the first movement, begins in a festive mood with a striking, fanfare-like motif in the full orchestra. If Poulenc cited Gozzoli frescoes with monks sticking out their tongues and Benedictine monks playing football as the source of inspiration for his Gloria, then nowhere is this more immediately comprehensible than in the second movement, with it's rhythmically pointed Laudamus te, of the choir. In both the opera house, and concert hall, Pr�tre's interpretations were notable for their full-blooded and highly romantic character; in style, they were often different from those of French conductors of the previous generation. He was an effective conductor not only of the French repertoire, but also of the music of Italy, and Germany, a fact reflected by the admiration in which he was held in both countries. A highly experienced and polished recording artist, Pr�tre had many years' experience of working in the studio. His discography was large. Especially important were his recordings of the music of Poulenc.

The oratorios of Giacomo Carissimi (1605-1674) are seminal works in the early history of a genre that combines sacred narrative, theatrical expression, and musical virtuosity to create a new, dramatic form. Of the mostly Old Testament stories to which Carissimi's oratorios refer, the vivid tale of Jonah stands out. During his divine mission at sea, the biblical hero is caught in a storm and swallowed by a whale. Carissimi shapes this material into a fast-paced plot with emotionally powerful solo recitatives, interspersed with a complex array of choral passages-including a striking double chorus depicting the storm. Who better to interpret Carissimi's expressive music than Giovanni Antonini, one of the foremost conductors on the period-instrument scene? The performance also features the historically informed performance ensemble Il Giardino Armonico, with instrumentation specially adapted to the Bavarian Radio Chorus and the unique tonal qualities of the oratorio. It's artistic director Giovanni Antonini has worked with the Bavarian Radio Chorus for many years, with critically acclaimed concerts featuring works ranging from the early Baroque period to the First Viennese School-and he also finds the perfect sound for Carissimi's music. With choral music by Claudio Monteverdi and Orlando di Lasso, this album also traces the development of dramatic vocal music in the transition from the late Renaissance motet to the more emotionally expressive interpretations of the early Baroque period. The famous Lamento d'Arianna is the only surviving piece from the lost opera Ariadne by Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), who reworked this lament into an equally expressive madrigal in 1610. Excerpts from the two legendary and mysterious cycles Prophetiae Sibyllarum and Lagrime di San Pietro by the Wittelsbach court composer Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594) conclude the album, allowing us to experience masterpieces of the motet style, to which the Bavarian Radio Chorus regularly devotes itself in historically informed performances. With it's powerful double-choir storm scene, the oratorio Jonah is a highlight of high Baroque choral music. Carissimi's oratorios are key milestones in the development of the genre. Featuring the renowned early music ensemble Il Giardino Armonico, led by Giovanni Antonini, with whom the BR Chorus has already performed programmes to high acclaim, this release also includes the madrigal version of the legendary Lamento d'Arianna by Claudio Monteverdi, the master of early Baroque opera. Also including excerpts from two important cycles of works by the Munich Renaissance master composer Orlando di Lasso, this dynamic live recording captures performances in Munich's Prinzregententheater.