The album 'out into the open', featuring four works composed for Trio Accanto by Brice Pauset, Rebecca Saunders, Misato Mochizuki and Beat Furrer, documents a collective journey into the unknown and, at the same time, marks the conclusion of an intense triangular relationship that has bound Nicolas Hodges, Marcus Weiss and Christian Dierstein together over the course of twelve years. Before Nicolas Hodges left the trio in 2024, the three went into the studio for a final recording session: with four works that span even more than just their time together. Brice Pauset's 'Adagio dialettico' was already part of their core repertoire when Nicolas Hodges replaced pianist Yukiko Sugawara in 2012. And it featured in his Accanto debut concert in Prague on 1 November 2013. The three more recent compositions - by Rebecca Saunders, Beat Furrer and Misato Mochizuki - were all written for the trio of Weiss, Dierstein and Hodges. The composers play with this unique constellation from a wide variety of perspectives, whilst composing for three distinctive musical personalities: contemplative, virtuosic, sensuous and experimental. And more than once, with this trio as exemplar, they raise the question of the compatibility of individuality and society, of freedom and community spirit.

AMIR FARID PERFORMS TRAKTAT VOM LICHT: PIANO MUSIC

The Gesualdo Six/Owain Park - "Radiant Dawn". For their tenth Hyperion album, award-winning vocal supergroup The Gesualdo Six combine voices and trumpet to unearth the spirit of the surprise 1990s hit ECM album 'Officium' (Jan Garbarek & The Hilliard Ensemble), launched when G6 director Owain Park was still in the cradle. Exploring fresh sound worlds, this album presents writing old and new, with two compositions commissioned specifically for the release. The Gesualdo Six regularly tour the world, giving 150+ concerts a year. The group has commissioned (and written) over 100 new works from a diverse range of composers and runs regular composition competitions.

Ikon/David Hill - "Howells: King David & Sine nomine". Herbert Howells was perhaps the most distinctive and revered composer of sacred choral music in 20th-century Britain. However, his non-sacred music has been long neglected; this album unearths Howells's little-known secular choral music. 12 of the 14 tracks here represent repertoire that is completely new to UMG. New arrangements by Iain Farrington have been specially made for this recording, including Howells's famous "King David" and the title track "Sine nomine." Ikon comprises the UK's foremost singers brought together to form one superchoir. David Hill MBE has held conducting posts with the Bach Choir, BBC Singers and Yale Schola Cantorum. Featuring starry soloists Ruairi Bowen (tenor), Hilary Cronin (soprano), Charlie Lovell-Jones (violin) and Iain Farrington (piano).

Vox Clamantis - "Part: And I Heard a Voice". Estonian vocal ensemble Vox Clamantis and their leader Jaan-Eik Tulve have established themselves among the leading interpreters of Arvo Part's music over a quarter-century of close collaboration with the composer - a relationship that builds on the almost half a decade-long artistic partnership between Part and producer Manfred Eicher. 'And I heard a voice' was recorded in Haapsalu Cathedral, Estonia and is released as Arvo Part turns 90.

Rolf Lislevand - "Libro primo". On his newest recording for ECM's New Series, lute virtuoso Rolf Lislevand turns to the revolutionary Baroque literature for archlute and chitarrone, interpreting 17th-century lute composers' works largely found in their first printed books - their respective libri primi. In striking solo performances, the Norwegian explores the progressive nature of pieces by the Italians Johann Hieronymous Kapsberger, Giovanni Paolo Foscarini and Bernardo Gianoncelli as well as two Recerercadas of Spaniard Diego Ortiz.

Wired Resonances is a collection of seven works for viola d'amore, each developed in collaboration with Marco Fusi. The viola d'amore's resistance to standardisation makes it a fertile ground for artistic reinvention as each composer approaches the instrument anew, unbound by tradition. Inspired by medieval manuscript miscellanea, Wired Resonances resists linearity and traditional ideas of authorship, inviting listeners to approach each piece as a singular artefact within a broader, resonant whole. Annie Hui-Hsin Hsieh's Breathless, transforms Fusi's breath into a vast electronic soundscape, the viola d'amore mimicking the sound of the breath through light bow strokes and gentle caressing of the strings. Zeno Baldi's Spikes explores a variety of music-box-like sounds, created by plucking the sympathetic strings, playing on the tuning pegs, and traversing a wealth of microtonal variations. Two collaborative works, Circular Ruin created with Barbara Nerness and encounter 1.4 with Pierre Alexandre Tremblay explore improvisation and interaction in very different ways. The former draws on field recordings captured by Nerness at the Frog Pond Open Space in California, whilst the second sets the viola d'amore against Tremblay's electric bass and laptop. Giovanni Verrando's Fourth Born Unicorn, rounded version and Mary Bellamy's Shivering Mountain, the two purely acoustic works here, explore the tactile and resonant qualities of the instrument, conjuring percussive textures and a world of airy noise respectively. Bara Gisladottir's ORF (en lika axir og onnur pyntingataeki) takes a radically different approach, juxtaposing the instrument with the sounds of grass cutting, thudding hammers, roaring chainsaws and human screams. Starting with an idyllic country scene the sounds become increasingly traumatic, the viola d'amore eventually enveloped by a reverberant electronic shadow. Much like the manuscripts that inspired it, Wired Resonances is a collective act of preservation, the work of many hands - composers, performers, and collaborators - that together have shaped it.

Mahan Esfahani - "Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1". Mahan Esfahani's hugely ambitious, complete Bach keyboard project reaches it's summit with Book 1 of the WellTempered Clavier. Bach wrote his seminal 48 Preludes & Fugues with a harpsichord in mind; this is a rare chance to hear the music as intended. Recorded on a German double-manual harpsichord built by Huw Saunders and based on an instrument thought to have belonged to Bach. Mahan's discography has thus far garnered a Gramophone Award, two BBC Music Magazine Awards, a Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, Opus Klassik Recording of the Year, Diapason d'Or, Choc de Classica and an ICMA, among many other awards. 2 CD set.

2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the Nash Ensemble, and Hyperion is celebrating the occasion with a program of Debussy's Sonatas & Prelude ? l'apr's-midi d'un faune. The original album was #1 on the UK Specialist Charts earlier this year, with the Times writing: "Sixty years have told us that with the Nash Ensemble's musicians, whatever their repertoire, nothing can ever really go wrong." Available on 180g vinyl.

Initiated by the visionary musicologist and organist Olivier Alain - brother of Marie-Claire Alain - this monumental "Encyclopedie de l'orgue" series presents an unparalleled panorama of organ repertoire. It offers a detailed exploration across diverse regions, historical periods (from the 16th century to the contemporary) and stylistic approaches. Recorded between 1958 and 1975, this comprehensive collection features several first-time releases on CD, providing a vibrant testament to the art and spirit of the organ. Major composers are represented by their complete works, while lesser-known figures are highlighted through a carefully curated selection of significant pieces. Each recording was meticulously made on an instrument truly representative of it's repertoire - one whose construction and tonal character authentically correspond to the original aesthetic of the work. The interpretations consistently pursue musical, historical, and stylistic authenticity, entrusted to some of the most distinguished organists of their era.

With Magische Tone, Jonas Kaufmann returns to the world of operetta and late Romantic opera, presenting a collection of some of the genre's most beautiful and beloved melodies. Recorded in Budapest with the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra under the baton of Dirk Kaftan, the album celebrates the rich musical heritage of the Austro Hungarian Empire (1867-1918). The new recording brings together perennial favourites by Emmerich Kalman, Franz Lehar, and Paul Abraham, alongside lesser known treasures such as Bob's entrance aria from Jeno Huszka's (Bob Herceg). Several duets enrich the programme further, including the sparkling "Komm mit nach Varasdin" from Grafin Mariza, performed with soprano Nikola Hillebrand, one of today's most sought after voices. Among the collection's highlights are the two opera arias "Hazam, hazam" from Ferenc Erkel's Bank ban and the album's title track, "Magische Tone" from Karl Goldmark's Die Konigin von Saba. These works demonstrate Kaufmann's versatility across contrasting styles and vocal demands, resulting in a glowing tribute to a cosmopolitan era of European music.

HERE COMES EVERYTHING

GABRIEL KAHANE: HEIRLOOM

Never has Bach seemed less dry and more full of fantasy, stated The Telegraph. Mahan Esfahani's mammoth project to record the complete keyboard works of Bach reaches it's zenith with The Complete Keyboard Concertos. At every stage in the series, Esfahani has sought to challenge long-held assumptions about the composer we seek to know. By teaming up with the Britten Sinfonia, he dispels any assumptions that the harpsichord might be seen as an "ancient" instrument, eschewing period instruments in favor of modern ones. In his typically scholarly but engaging liner notes, Esfahani writes of Bach the trendsetter, putting the keyboard front and center in a concerto for the first time. In addition to his roles as harpsichordist and director, Esfahani adds a compositional feather to his cap with the first recording of his own reconstruction of the "lost concerto" No. 8 (BWV1059), once available only as a small fragment. 2-CD set.

Cellular Songs represents the latest chapter in Meredith Monk's extraordinary journey as a composer, vocalist, and multidisciplinary artist. Conceived as the second part of an interdisciplinary trilogy that began with On Behalf of Nature, this work turns inward-toward the microscopic worlds of life and transformation. Drawing inspiration from the processes of replication, mutation, and growth, Monk weaves a tapestry of interlocking vocal lines and sonic textures that evoke the vitality and fragility of living systems. - Performed with her Vocal Ensemble, the album embodies what Monk calls "cooperation, interdependence, and kindness"-values she sees as essential in the face of contemporary disconnection. The New York Times hailed the premiere as "an unmistakable sense of hope... a synthesis like the one created in Cellular Songs makes it easier to conceive of bridging divides." Musically, the album finds Monk refining her sculptural approach to sound, rotating phrases and gestures in space to form living, breathing musical organisms. Recorded at Power Station in New York in 2022 and 2024, the album reveals Monk at her most adventurous and emotionally resonant, reaffirming her status as one of the most visionary voices of our time.

Despite a difficult start in life and an early reputation as a "conceited brat" (not helped by a father who tried to market him as a "new Mozart") Carl Maria von Weber developed into a disciplined professional through rigorous training under Abbe Vogler and years of practical experience managing theatres in Breslau, Prague, and Dresden. His breakthrough as a composer was closely tied to his collaboration with clarinettist Heinrich Joseph Baermann - Weber's mastery of the clarinet's technical possibilities leading to the famous concertos that paved the way for his operatic triumphs. His masterpiece, 'Der Freischutz' became a cultural phenomenon, praised for it's "Wolf's Glen" scene and it's balance between romantic nature and demonic forces. After a life of great musical discipline amidst continued adversities, Weber died in London at only 39 years old, shortly after the successful premiere of his final opera 'Oberon'. This box celebrates the range of Weber's genius via the selection of several highly recommended reference recordings.

A portrait of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players through the 1970s, through their complete recordings for Deutsche Grammophon and Philips. This diverse range of repertoire receives luxury treatment from the musicians, always centered in beauty of tone and with the kind of joyful freedom of phrasing which world-class orchestral musicians produce when liberated from the authority of a baton. The Boston Symphony Chamber Players were created in 1964, to play at the Tanglewood Festival before the 'main event' of the Boston Symphony's concerts. Before long, the BSCP became the main event themselves, with a programme of concerts throughout the year, and a busy recording schedule. When the Boston Symphony Orchestra began to record with DG in 1970, so did the Chamber Players. Violinist Joseph Silverstein, cellist Jules Eskin and flautist Doriot Anthony Dwyer all take starring roles on an album of late chamber music by Claude Debussy, and a new booklet essay by Peter Quantrill outlines the importance of these three superb musicians to the profile and the identity of the BSCP. As led by Silverstein, the repertoire of the BSCP also reflects the inclusive nature of the main orchestra's programming. There is high modernism, in an album of modern American chamber music by Ives, Carter and Porter. There is classic modernism, in immaculately prepared accounts of landmark works by Stravinsky and Schoenberg. There are core Romantic classics such as a Dvorak string quintet and the Clarinet Quintet by Brahms. Then there are delicious rarities such as chamber-scale arrangements of Johann Strauss waltzes. This diverse range of repertoire receives luxury treatment from the musicians of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, always centred in beauty of tone and the kind of joyful freedom of phrasing which world-class orchestral musicians produce when liberated from the authority of a baton. Coming to a close with a glorious pairing of the clarinet quintets of Mozart and Brahms from 1993, led on Philips by the veteran clarinettist Harold Wright, this collection of 'Original Jacket' albums rewards lovers of chamber music with playing of consistent vitality and refinement.

'become the Sky' is a collection of meditative, piano-led pieces, deeply exploring themes of change, travel, and the profound feeling of returning home. The album was recorded at the beautiful Australian Chamber Orchestra's studios. The recording space itself became an integral part of the album's sound: it's vast and echoic, yet there's a purposeful, tangible sense of intimacy woven throughout. What began as a two-day session for an EP quickly unfolded into something more; 11 tracks ended up being recorded, each captured in straight takes in their most authentic form. Music has this incredible power to fuel our minds, transport us to different places, and help us hold onto deeply felt memories. In our fast-paced, often anxiety-fueled world, 'become the Sky' was written to be a musical companion - a way to slow down and truly appreciate life in slow motion.

Nonesuch Records releases mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile's Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 2 on November 7, 2025. The two-LP album comprises Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004; Sonata No. 3 in C major, BWV 1005; and Partita No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006. For his second recording of Bach Violin Sonatas and Partitas, twelve years after the first volume, Chris Thile opted for a more personal approach to the revered master composer's works. This time, he allowed himself to take liberties with the scores, which he recorded in multiple, somewhat untraditional, locations of personal significance: Reservoir Studios and Tompkins Square Park in New York City; Farrell Recital Hall at Murray State University in Murray, KY; and Blackberry Farm in Walland, TN.

RIYOKO TAKAGI HALL CONCERT 2025 1ST SET

RUDOLF BUCHBINDER / SCHUBERT TREASURE On his album Schubert Treasures, Rudolf Buchbinder celebrates his 80th birthday this year by turning to a composer whose music has accompanied him for decades. On it, the legendary pianist performs Schubert's piano dances to mark this milestone in his remarkable career. These miniatures open fleeting glimpses into a mysterious cosmos, poised between the polished parquet of Vienna's ballrooms and something almost transcendent. With esprit, spontaneity and the authority of a career spanning nearly seven decades, Buchbinder brings these worlds vividly to life.

For almost 3 decades, brothers Alfons and Aloys Kontarsky were the world's leading piano duo. They set the standard for all subsequent pairs of siblings to play the piano. Even today, their musical and analytical acuity and intellectual insight remain unrivalled. What is particularly fascinating about their playing is the lucid, transparent sound. An American critic summed it up succinctly, "One pianist in two bodies." Between 1959 and 1983, they recorded numerous albums for Deutsche Grammophon. These recordings are now available for the first time as an 18 CD Original Jackets Collection, which includes three CD premieres. Saint-Saens' 'Carnival of the Animals' is featured in 3 versions: English, German and a purely musical rendition. Additional Philips, ECM & Koch Schwann recordings are also available, as are live recordings from the Lockenhaus festival. The portrait is completed by liner notes from Peter Uehling & Markus Kettner, as well as numerous rare and unpublished photos.

Child's Play is a double album of chamber music by Australian composer Carl Vine, one of the most approachable and prolific composers of our day. Vine's output embraces 8 symphonies, 13 concertante works, numerous chamber works, plus music for film, television, dance and theatre. This album marks the final recording of the Goldner String Quartet, whose members have chosen to honor the occasion in the company of friends, including longtime collaborator Piers Lane. The album's title is taken from the String Quartet No 6. In the liner notes, written by the composer himself, Vine writes of being commissioned to create music that "uplifted, edified and elated."

Christopher Tye is less famous than his Tudor contemporary Thomas Tallis and his documented life more chaotic, but the caliber of his Masses and polyphony are unsurpassed for color, full-textured fabric and interwoven melodic lines. The music may be English but the five members of Cinquecento ('16th century' in Italian) are pan-European, each bringing a lifetime of early music experience to forgotten masterpieces. This is their 17th album for Hyperion. Tye successfully negotiated the perilous politics of an era when successive monarchs, from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I, pulled England back and forth between Catholicism and Protestantism, and demanded that church music bend accordingly. The Peterhouse Mass recorded here survives in partbooks found in the Cambridge college of the same name; the missing tenor part has been reconstructed by Paul Doe.

Her first solo recital, and it's a triumph, concluded the Times in it's 5-star review of one of 2024's Top 20 Classical Albums. Forming part of Mishka Rushdie Momen's mission to restore a fuller picture of English Renaissance music after the 'cultural vandalism' of the Tudor Reformation, this chart-topping debut album makes a powerful case for playing these early keyboard works with the full expressive joy of a modern Steinway.