Each of the five members of wind 'supergroup' Les Vent Francais, partnered by pianist Eric le Sage, plays a sonata written by Paul Hindemith in the dramatic years between 1936 and 1943 - compact, lucid and engaging works for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and alto horn. "These Hindemith sonatas are a great asset to the wind repertory," says oboist Francois Leleux. "Hindemith took a very particular approach to each instrument, with a wonderful sense for it's individual sound."

Christina Pluhar states: "Monteverdi's most admirable trait is the enormous diversity of compositional techniques that he masters and interweaves with supreme skill. Our aim in this recording is to bring out the varieta of his secular compositions. The modernity that runs like a constant thread through his pieces and makes his music seem timeless even in the twenty-first century is selfevident if one considers, for example, his use of ostinato basses. Jazz musicians are supposed to have 'invented' the walking bass in the 1940s, but already in Monteverdi we find ostinato basses which diverge from the standard ostinatos of the seventeenth century, that are unique of their kind and sound extremely modern." The BBC Magazine reviews the performance as "technical perfection". The easy informality with each other and the music, with which these pieces are performed, makes for a captivating listen. One of the most exciting Baroque performances to hit the record shelves this year. A Must Listen."

Deluxe two CD edition. 2022 release. The most unforgettable songs from Disney's iconic films reimagined by the greatest living pianist, Lang Lang's The Disney Book tells the story of a century of magical, joyous entertainment for all. Join him on an uplifting, virtuosic journey to experience beloved songs from Disney films with collaborators from across the globe, including Andrea Bocelli, Sebastian Yatra, and Jon Batiste, performing hits from Snow White, Encanto, Beauty and the Beast, Pinocchio and many more.

exciting reading of Arnold's finest symphony from unexpected sources, coupled with enchanting CD debutants... The 5th is a marvellous symphony, perhaps his greatest - powerfully argued, confidently structured, and full of memorable invention. It is good to see it so well played and recorded in Munich, guided by Douglas Bostock who comes into his own in four extra works, which are all first recordings. Divertimento- a splendidly characterful triptych; there is much outrageous fun in the St Trinian's score - bursting with irreverent ideas and effects; and the lovely, nostalgic 'Sarabande' of Solitaire (one of his most touching tunes).(Gramophone)

A String Quartet that can easily morph into a jazz band - New York Times, 2009 Milestones is the new album of Quatuor Ebene recorded in 2023, with the line up still featuring Rafael Merlin (violoncello)(*) - next to Pierre Colombet (violin) Gabriel Le Magadure (violin), Marie Chilemme (viola). It features several standards such as Miles Davis, Milestones - Thelonious Monk, Round Midnight - Erroll Garner, Misty - Toots Thielemans, Bluesette, A nice follow up on albums such as Fiction (2010), Brazil (2014) Eternal Stories in (2017), Milestones is a stylish and original jazz album featuring their arrangements, a talent the QE have nurtured over the years Rafael Merlin (violoncello) has left the QE after 25 years of performing, touring and recording to pursue his conducting and composer activities, the new cellist of the QE is Yuya Okamoto. Booklet text from Rafael Merlin

For their liturgical debuts in London and Leipzig respectively, Handel and Bach played the card of vocal and orchestral splendor. Whether celebrating the Peace of Utrecht (Handel's Te Deum) or the Nativity (Bach's Magnificat, performed here in it's original version), the RIAS Kammerchor offers us a flamboyant interpretation of these seminal works.

With selections ranging from Praetorius to Britten, plus all-time favorites such as J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio and Handel's Messiah, this album brings together some of the most beautiful and justly famous musical settings of the Nativity story. Festive or intimate, exuberant or elegiac, these highlights from iconic recordings in harmonia mundi's voluminous catalogue are an ideal sampling of the Christmas magic across epochs and styles.

This collections celebrated Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlins' forty years of excellence with and around the Bach family. In addition to such famous works as the Brandenburg Concertos and Orchestral Suites, this anniversary set invites you to explore the golden age of a veritable dynasty, from Johann Sebastian's distant cousin Johann Ludwig to his sons Wilhelm Friedemann, Carl Philipp Emanuel and Johann Christian - from the finest works of the Baroque era to the first examples of the Classical style: simply breathtaking.

In themselves, Beethoven's quartets represent an odyssey, a round-the-world voyage," says Quatuor Ebene. The French ensemble is marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth with a global tour of 21 countries. In the course of their Beethoven Around the World tour, the Ebene will make live recordings in seven different cities: Vienna, Philadelphia, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Melbourne, Nairobi and Paris. This first release, recorded at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, comprises the first two 'Razumovsky' Quartets, op 59 No 1 and op 59 No 2.

Beethoven's 16 string quartets occupy a place of honour in the chamber repertoire and, like his nine symphonies and 32 piano sonatas, trace his progression through his creative life. 2020 marks the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth, and Quatuor Ebene is recognising this with an extensive tour, entitled Beethoven Around the World, which runs from Spring 2019 to December 2020. Over that period the French ensemble will give over 120 concerts in a total of 21 countries on six continents, focusing on complete cycles of the quartets from February 2020. Beethoven Around the World encompasses live recordings for Erato, building a complete cycle, made in seven of the world's great cities: Vienna (at the Konzerthaus); Philadelphia (Kimmel Center); Tokyo (Suntory Hall); Sao Paulo (Sala Sao Paulo); Melbourne (Melbourne Recital Centre); Nairobi, and, with the support of UNESCO, Paris (Philharmonie de Paris). Speaking of the ongoing tour, the members of Quatuor Ebene say: "This is where Beethoven goes global. The quartets are 16 masterpieces that form an eternally modern artistic canon of unparalleled breadth and depth - they translate the purest humanity into music. In themselves they represent an odyssey, a round-the-world voyage." The players believe that the composer's music "transcends all linguistic, geographical and political borders... Both modern and timeless, it is universal. It cannot be readily classified as Classical or Romantic, as German, or even as Western, but it is music that expresses itself freely and which addresses the audiences of the future rather than it's own time... It can seem complex at first, but everything becomes clear as it's essence emerges." The ensemble also emphasises that: "The quartet as a genre gives individual players the chance to shine, yet is simultaneously predicated on collaboration and Concord: it shows democracy in action. It's emotional and intellectual power is considerable, yet it is also universally accessible as it embodies underlying ideals - enlightenment, fraternity and humanism, as typified by Goethe and by Schiller in his Ode to Joy [the inspiration for the final movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony]. At the same time it is informed by Kant's ideas on morality, goodwill and the categorical imperative, all of which were gaining currency in Beethoven's time. It also reflects the German philosopher's view of our relationship with the natural world, which has such resonance for the environmental issues of today." Appropriately, the tour will be associated with a carbon offset programme devoted to reforestation.

'Mahan Esfahani couldn't make a routine recital of Bach's keyboard music if you paid him' was BBC Record Review's verdict on a previous release: prospective listeners to this wonderful new set should rest assured that any hint of the routine remains as distant a threat as ever.

A comprehensive overview of every style available to Bach, from the archaic to the modern, Mahan Esfahani rises confidently to the challenge of his own brilliant appraisal of the Partitas in performances brimming with intellectual and emotional energy.