David Price and the Choir of Portsmouth Cathedral present a selection of traditional and contemporary Christmas carols. They are joined by organists Sachin Gunga, Kim Chin and The Band of His Majesty's Royal Marines Collingwood.

Offenbach goes Hollywood: Mariame Clement's production of Les Contes d'Hoffmann transforms ist titular character into a storyteller of a different kind. The different acts, which are based on short stories by E.T.A. Hoffmann, take the audience on a journey through the world of cinema, from a 70s sci-fi flick over a costume drama to a feverish experimental sequence. The three love interests Olympia, Antonia and Giulietta are portrayed by American soprano Kathryn Lewek, who "impresses with brilliantly assertive coloratura, melting cantilenas and pulsating drama" (Drehpunktkultur). At the centre of this tragic tale of unrequited love is Hoffmann himself, stepping into the role of a script writer and film director in this production. The incredibly charismatic Benjamin Bernheim "splendidly cele brates the invasive tragedy of his character. Sound, expression and presence could not be better combined" (Der Standard). Kate Lindsey, who portrays the muse disguised as Hoffmann's friend Niklausse is a joy to watch and listen to as she "absorbs Clement's energy of ideas and gilds her vocal tour de force with scenic exuberance" (Der Standard). An opera evening that spans the emotional spectrum from hilarious comedy to deeply felt heartbreak.

The second album from the Choir of St John's with their new music director - Christopher Gray. At the centre of the programme are the atmospheric Quatre Motets pour le temps de Noel by Francis Poulenc, and the heartfelt Three Carol-Anthems by Herbert Howells who directed the Choir here at St John's during the Second World War. Other items include the beautiful carol John Rutter wrote for the Choir in 1985, There is a flower, and the haunting Peace on earth by Master of the King's Music, Errollyn Wallen. "My aim with this album has not been to break new ground with repertoire, but to ensure that classics remain fresh for the current generation" - Christopher Gray

SOMM Recordings celebrates the wealth of popular concert music produced in Vienna in the 19th and early 20th centuries with a release called Dancing in Vienna, an exhilarating collection of waltzes to set your feet tapping. The Philharmonic Concert Orchestra is led by the versatile Scottish conductor, Iain Sutherland, whose previous, wide-ranging collaborations with SOMM have received enthusiastic critical response: "strong and trenchant, often exhilarating, never sentimental, " Gramophone; "getting pretty much everything right, every nuance and subtle rhythm, " Amazon USA. Einzi Stolz, widow of one of the last masters of Viennese light music, Robert Stolz, wrote to Sutherland, "You have a Viennese heart with the golden arm for Viennese music." Robert Stolz's rousing march, Greetings from Vienna, opens this collection, which also includes his Viennese Cafe Waltzes. Dominating the light music programmes of Vienna for almost a century was the Strauss family-Johann I and his three sons Johann II, Josef, and Eduard. They composed dances and conducted their own orchestras for all the grand balls and concerts almost every day of the week in Vienna, as well as all over the world. Among the works by Johann Strauss II included here is his famous Emperor Waltz, commissioned in 1889 for a state visit by Emperor Franz-Joseph I of Austria-Hungary to Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. Reflecting the rise of popular Hungarian gypsy music at the time is his Salute the Magyars polka, along with the Trisch Trasch, Thunder and Lightning, and Champagne polkas, and the overture to his operetta masterpiece, Die Fledermaus. Johann II was the most famous of the family of musicians, though he once said of his younger brother, Josef Strauss, that he was "the more gifted of us two; I am merely the more popular..." From Josef Strauss we have the Chatterbox Polka, Dragonfly Polka-Mazurka, Jockey Polka (incorporating the international trumpet call marking the opening of the racing season), the Feuerfest! Polka to celebrate the Wertheim company's 200, 000th fireproof safe, and the beloved Pizzicato Polka, on which he collaborated with popular brother. The youngest of the Strauss brothers, Eduard Strauss, was better recognized as a dance music conductor than as a composer. Still, this release includes his Clear Track Polka, heralding the opening of a new railway company in 1869. Johannes Brahms greatly admired the melodic genius of Johann Strauss II. Their respect was mutual, and Strauss often included his good friend's Hungarian Dances on his programmes. This present collection includes Nos. 1, 5, and 6 from Brahms's collection of 21 dances. The lesser-known composer, author, and musical administrator Richard Heuberger is represented on this CD of Dancing in Vienna by the overture to his light opera, The Opera Ball.

Samuel Lord Kalcheim composes in a variety of styles, old and new, and is dedicated to writing music both emotionally and intellectually satisfying, balancing tender lyricism with tight, complex formal architecture. Building on an expertise in 18th and 19th c. styles and forms, Samuel writes expressive new music for today's sensibilities.

David Conte's Intimate Voices presents a deeply personal journey through a decade of his chamber music, with works recorded between 2014 and 2024. Celebrating the composer's 70th birthday, this album reflects his belief in the continuity of musical culture, shaped by his studies with the legendary pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. As one of her last students, Conte embraces her wisdom that "true personality in music is only revealed through the deep knowledge of the personalities of others." His compositions resonate with this philosophy, drawing inspiration from past masters while forging his own expressive voice. Highlights include the quietly intense Elegy for Violin and Piano and the dynamic Piano Trio No. 2, whose four movements pay tribute to Erich Korngold, Stephen Sondheim, Frank Martin, and Beethoven. Also featured are the Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Sonata for French Horn and Piano, and Aria and Fugue for Cello and Piano, each showcasing Conte's mastery of instrumental color and structural clarity. His works seek to engage listeners beyond chronological time, instead creating musical narratives that feel eternal in their emotional depth and artistic intent. Marking his debut on PENTATONE, Intimate Voices is a testament to Conte's evolution as a composer and his deep reverence for the past. Performed by an ensemble of distinguished musicians including Samuel Vargas, Kevin Korth, Emil Miland, Miles Graber, Kevin Rivard, Jerome Simas, Eric Zivian, and Matthew Linaman, this album offers an essential listening experience for lovers of contemporary chamber music.

What comforts the soul? The various settings of the 42nd Psalm and other spiritual works that are brought together on this recording provide different answers to this central human question. It's always about a path between complaint and hope. The juxtaposition of the solo bass voice, which represents the human soul, and a string ensemble offers exciting opportunities for composers like Knupfer, Schulze and Briegel to show not quick answers, but strong emotional developments. Other spiritual and instrumental works, primarily from Central Germany, show other aspects of this affective search for reliable values and are all first recordings by the Kirchheimer DubenConsort with Dominik Worner as bass soloist and directed by Jorg-Andreas Botticher.

At just ten years old, Helene Liebmann, nee Riese, made her public debut as a pianist in Berlin, marking the beginning of a remarkable career. Soon thereafter, her first compositions followed - understandably, works primarily dedicated to her own instrument. Shortly after her marriage in 1814, the young artist relocated to London with her husband, where she studied under Ferdinand Ries, a friend and student of Beethoven. During this time, her earliest chamber music works came into being, followed by additional compositions while in Britain, including the two duo sonatas and the first of two piano trios recorded here. These are all elegant and distinctive works, shifting from the spirit of late Classicism toward the Biedermeier era with a delicate Romantic touch, making them both accessible and enduringly appealing to listeners.

In this concert, the Wiener Philharmoniker, conducted by Andris Nelsons, present a "heavenly" pairing: Alban Berg's "Violin Concerto, To the Memory of an Angel", alongside Mahler's Fourth Symphony, whose final movement sets "Das himmlische Leben" (Heavenly Life) to music. With this performance, young German-American violinist August Hadelich gave his debut at the Salzburg Festival and thrilled the press: "The fabulous Augustin Hadelich filled the difficult solo part with emotion and fragility, his performance was sensitive and yet glowing." (Die Presse). With Mahler's Fourth, Andris Nelsons creates "a Mahler miracle of quiet tones" (Volksblatt), joined by German soprano Christiane Karg as the soloist of the finale. The concert is part of the Wiener Philharmoniker's Mahler cycle with Nelsons. Program: Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 4 Alban Berg: Violin Concerto "To the Memory of an Angel"

Offenbach goes Hollywood: Mariame Clement's production of Les Contes d'Hoffmann transforms ist titular character into a storyteller of a different kind. The different acts, which are based on short stories by E.T.A. Hoffmann, take the audience on a journey through the world of cinema, from a 70s sci-fi flick over a costume drama to a feverish experimental sequence. The three love interests Olympia, Antonia and Giulietta are portrayed by American soprano Kathryn Lewek, who "impresses with brilliantly assertive coloratura, melting cantilenas and pulsating drama" (Drehpunktkultur). At the centre of this tragic tale of unrequited love is Hoffmann himself, stepping into the role of a script writer and film director in this production. The incredibly charismatic Benjamin Bernheim "splendidly cele brates the invasive tragedy of his character. Sound, expression and presence could not be better combined" (Der Standard). Kate Lindsey, who portrays the muse disguised as Hoffmann's friend Niklausse is a joy to watch and listen to as she "absorbs Clement's energy of ideas and gilds her vocal tour de force with scenic exuberance" (Der Standard). An opera evening that spans the emotional spectrum from hilarious comedy to deeply felt heartbreak.

Hik Hail to the hesitation Hik is an old Icelandic word for hesitation. Hesitation is the moment of pause or delay before saying or doing something. It is a glimpse in time filled with uncertainty, even doubt. "A feeling of uncertainty, doubt or indecisiveness facing difficult decision or situation. A state of being reluctant or hesitant to act, speak, or make a choice." This album is in many ways an ode to hesitation. It is composed by improvisation, and as a conversation between the violin and the organ, reacting and coexisting in sound and metrum. The feeling of hesitation is that glorious moment before playing on, lingering on an overtone or diving into next phrase. It can feel endless, wonderful, natural, weird, distressing or impossible, but mostly exciting, hopeful and mysterious. These pieces were composed in Laugarneskirkja in Reykjavi�k where we also recorded: August 7th, Hik and Tango These pieces were composed in Reykholtskirkja in West - Iceland, very close to where Una �s grandmother was born on the farm Rauthsgil in 1905: Disclosure 1, Disclosure 2, Fuga in G, Skylight 1 and Skylight 2.

Silvius Leopold Weiss (1687-1750) left behind an enormous oeuvre of over 600 works for and with lute, which not only impresses with it's virtuosity but also with it's musical quality and characterises him both as a composer of the first rank and documents his exceptional status as a lutenist. Bernhard Hofstotter ignites a firework display of virtuoso baroque lute music.

The three operas-comiques in this set epitomise the glamour, vivacity and zest of the quintessentially French genre and are among their composers' most admired works. Adolphe Adam's "Le Postillon de Lonjumeau" exudes rococo Parisian charm, Reynaldo Hahn's elegant and refined "Ciboulette" is one of the last masterpieces of French operetta, and Jacques Offenbach's "La Perichole" is an opera-bouffe of scintillating colour and vivacious dances. These acclaimed productions from the famous stage of the Opera Comique in Paris feature world-class performers, superb directors, and, in the Adam, costumes by the iconic French fashion designer, Christian Lacroix. “[A] delightful collection…Florie Valiquette shows a lively stage presence as Madelaine...All in all this is an enjoyable outing.” --MusicWeb International

Through the Mirror of Sound - A Journey into Wonderland or "Down the Rabbit Hole of Sound" A musical and introspective journey into "Wonderland" - a place as beautiful as it is uncanny, where the laws of nature no longer apply. Inspired by the classic Alice in Wonderland, Maddalena Del Gobbo embarks on a sonic voyage of discovery into a world where nothing is as it seems. Confusion and despair linger at every turn - and yet, hope remains. Despite all uncertainty and dramatic twists, everything ultimately falls into place, for in the end, goodness proves stronger. The program spans four centuries of music - from Tobias Hume (around 1600) to contemporary compositions - drawing a fascinating arc through time and space.

Weinberg's final opera, based on Dostoevsky's novel, condenses the plot without losing it's psychological depth. Prince Myshkin, mentally ill yet believing in goodness, meets merchant Rogozhin on a train, sparking a tale of dependence, madness, and murder. The opera, rediscovered in the last decade, presents the composer Weinberg as Shostakovich's equal. The Idiot, composed in 1986-1989, now staged in Salzburg, directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski and conducted by Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, brings the world of literature to the opera stage. The excellent cast of singers contributes to make the production a great success. Bogdan Volkov "expressive lyrical tenor touches intimately in the piano and yet remains able to cope with all orchestral storms" (BR Klassik).