Lili Boulanger (1893-1918), younger sister of the more famous Nadia Boulanger, was a brilliant and precocious French composer who dazzled the world of European music at the beginning of the 20th century. At age 19, Lili Boulanger became the first woman to win France's Prix de Rome. In her short career, Boulanger advanced the impressionism of her era, finding her own voice in music that's expressive and luminous, moving and enchanting. Debussy descriptively described her music as "undulating with grace."

To place Boulanger's music in context, the CD offers songs by prominent French composers who had a connection to her music: Fauré, Ravel, Debussy, Messiaen, and Honegger.

BRYN TERFEL / SEA SONGS - Bryn Terfel's new album 'Sea Songs' presents a rich and diverse repertory of traditional music with sea shanties, spirited sailor songs and maritime folk tunes in brand new arrangements. Featuring guest stars Sting, Sir Simon Keenlyside, Fisherman's Friends and Calan.

NADINE SIERRA & PRETTY YENDE IN CONCERT

Elina Garanca - When Night Falls... / This intimate album, says Elina Garanca, is meant for "that time of day when you withdraw to your own private life". The celebrated mezzo has selected songs to help her listeners "tune out the world for two or three minutes and immerse themselves in the special magic of the evening hours". Joined here by an array of distinguished instrumentalists, Garanca performs traditional songs as well as vocal nocturnes by Schubert, Brahms, Strauss, Humperdinck and several composers from Spain and her beloved Latvian homeland.

COMPLETE RECORDINGS ON AMERICAN DECCA

The fruit of a long-standing collaboration between Jean-Guihen Queyras and choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker (whose acclaimed production Mitten wir i'm Leben sind has had over 100 performances worldwide and was filmed in 4K for the enclosed Blu-ray disc), this new recording of Bach's Cello Suites arrives 17 years after his first reading that quickly set the standard. Profoundly influenced by his close connection to dance, the cellist has drawn fresh inspiration from the source. Today, he is ready to offer his latest look at the iconic cycle.

DOUCE FRANCE: MELODIES & CHANSONS

No fewer than four pianists are called on to tell these hugely enjoyable 'unplayed stories', a unique selection of early Romantic concertante works for multiple pianos and orchestra by Mendelssohn, Moscheles, Schubert, and Liszt. All are new to the catalogue in the versions recorded here, and all benefit from the sympathetic storytelling of the MultiPiano Ensemble.

The sublime reflection of a human being faced with his own finitude and what comes afterwards, Mozart's Requiem reaches beyond the realm of music to attain universal resonance. Raphaël Pichon's interpretation of this testamentary work, nurtured by a seminal experience with stage director Romeo Castellucci and punctuated by earlier sacred pieces of Mozart, is overwhelmingly moving

The transcendental difficulties of Beethoven's Hammerklavier sonata will always deter all but the greatest pianists of the day, with only a select few able to master it's formidable musical, emotional and technical challenges. Marc-André Hamelin is of course very much of their number, and his performance - one which relishes all the work's glory and grandeur - is simply stupendous.

Christophe Rousset continues and concludes his exploration of Bach's splendid keyboard corpus in this new recording, which combines depth, virtuosity and interiority. The Toccatas are among Bach's earliest works composed between 1705 and 1712. They bear witness to the influence of northern masters such as Buxtehude, and are above all the site of Bach's stylistic blossoming, giving free rein to his fantasy, his freedom and his architectural and expressive genius.

The Mass in B minor is one of the supreme peaks of Bach's music. A visionary synthesis of the art of a composer who, here more than anywhere else, gives meaning to the world in which he lives, and reveals to us something of what lies beyond. Rapha�l Pichon and his ensemble Pygmalion explore this universe which gives utterance to the mysteries of incarnation and death.

PETER GREGSON

GOLDEN RENAISSANCE: PALESTRINA

Has there ever been a composer of more consistent elegance? If Steven Isserlis's rhetorical question invites the listener to think of plausible alternatives, on the evidence of this wonderful album-an imaginative selection of Boccherini's cello concertos and cello-centric chamber music- they are most unlikely to succeed. This is truly 'music of the angels', with performances to match.

From two players to twelve: few ensembles could respond with equal authority to the very varied demands made by this wonderful collection of Debussy's chamber music. But then, few ensembles can stand comparison with the Nash Ensemble, whose members continue to set the standards across a dauntingly wide repertoire. A realization of the Pr�lude � l'apr�s-midi... for chamber ensemble adds to this album's more familiar attractions of the string quartet and three sonatas.

Graham Ross and the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge celebrate the 500th anniversary of Palestrina's birth in style, recording for the very first time an album of outstanding works by the Roman master that are still little-known. To add resonance to their program, they pair settings of the same texts by three of Palestrina's English contemporaries: William Byrd, Robert White, and William Mundy.

The Piatti Quartet continue their exploration of Ina Boyle's music with this fascinating album on the theme of Phantasies, and the vision of one extraordinary patron of music. Walter Cobbett (1847 - 1937) was a successful businessman and chamber music patron, who, created a competition for British composers in 1905, and singlehandedly created the 'Phantasy' (his spelling), taking inspiration from the 16th and 17th century instrumental works for viol or string consorts. Ina Boyle, entered her composition in 1919, but misread the requirements of 'piano & strings'. Herbert Howells entered his composition in 1917, and Malcolm Arnold, whilst coming after the competitions ended, continued the form with his Phantasy composed when he was 19. Cobbett also commissioned Phantasies, including the Vaughan Williams work on this album from 1912. Augusta Holm�s depicts the mythological figure of Hibernia in the 7th of her Vingt Melodies - a slow nationalist march depicting Christmases of Irish mythology. Tippett was awarded the Cobbett medal for services to chamber music in 1948, but when Stravinsky died in 1971, he was one of several major composers to commemorate the composer. Dating from 1972, In Memorium Magistri receives it's first recording on this album as do the two works by Boyle.

Pascal Rog� has over several decades, become the greatest interpreter of the French piano repertoire. His recordings of Satie and Debussy are benchmark performances, still unrivalled in the catalog. On this album he turns to Poulenc and is joined by cellist Lidy Blijdorp in the cello sonata, and pianist Elena Font in the sonatas for two pianos, and for four hands. Font plays the solo works included in this charming album of superbly crafted, elegant and sometimes witty music by this 20th century French master.

Trio Barclay present Beyond The Pacific, an album of contemporary works for piano trio that sits at the intersection of chamber music excellence and a 21st-century American musical experience. The album opens with a cathartic journey: the Piano Trio No. 1 of Sheridan Seyfried. Energetic and heartfelt in equal measure, the range of tones and color on display throughout the album is immediately apparent. Elsewhere, "Orcas Island: The Rose of the San Juan Islands" by John Wineglass heightens the imagery, depicting a stunning portrait of the seascapes of the Pacific Northwest. Further down the Western coastline, Michael Fine's "California" delights in the fascinating multiculturalism of the Golden State, the third of three works showcased fittingly by three of California's foremost chamber musicians. Trio Barclay present these thought-provoking works with their usual flair and vigour. Having fostered a reputation as an ensemble of big musical personalities who create dynamic and exciting musical experiences across North America and beyond, this album is a moving and nostalgic return home, underscored by three gems of contemporary music.

At the heart of this new album from renowned British pianist Charles Owen stand two towering masterpieces: Liszt's Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen and Franck's Pr�lude, Choral et Fugue - works that chart spiritual journeys through grief, doubt and despair toward radiant, redemptive hope. Each embodies the essence of de Profundis - a rising from the depths, a cry of the soul yearning for transcendence. Liszt and Franck, so different in temperament yet united by deep mutual admiration and shared faith, drew profound inspiration from their Catholic spirituality. Where Liszt's unbridled Romanticism blazes with drama and color, Franck's introspection glows with quiet devotion; both speak to the indomitable human spirit. Balancing such intensity are Liszt's visions of nature in the Deux L�gendes and Les jeux d'eaux � la Villa d'Este: birdsong, flowing water, and the shimmer of divine light. His piano writing moves from the lightest suspension of sound to thunderous resonance, creating musical landscapes of awe and serenity. Charles Owen brings this immensely personal recording to life with luminous clarity and poetic insight, revealing music of both earthly struggle and eternal hope.

AD ASTRA is Il Volo's new album, marking a significant milestone in their 15-year career as one of the leading names in classical crossover pop. This album is the trio's first to feature 11 previously unreleased tracks, bringing together a unique fusion of pop, classical symphonic music, and traditional opera. This international edition of AD ASTRA offers 16 tracks in total, including five new tracks. - Highlights include the golden tones of Now We Are Free, the iconic theme from Ridley Scott's Gladiator, composed by Hans Zimmer, as well as timeless American classics like The Sound of Silence and Hallelujah, reimagined with original arrangements by M. Tenisci and S. Marletta. Also featured is a special collaboration with renowned soprano Pretty Yende on Amazing Grace and an English version of their hit single Capolavoro. - This album, much like a finely tailored suit, is a perfect reflection of the distinct yet harmonious personalities of Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble, highlighting the rich vocal dynamics that have defined Il Volo's global success.

"We all envied her, because all that we had to struggle so hard to achieve seemed so natural and self-evident to her because she knew how to sing from the heart" said Elisabeth Schwarzkopf of her colleague Irmgard Seefried. Collected here are Seefried's complete recital recordings for Deutsche Grammophon as well as highlights from her recordings of opera and sacred music for the label and includes material both unpublished and new to CD.

Irmgard Seefried was a revered artist among lovers of natural singing, wrote the critic Alan Blyth. 'The emotions, grave or gay, are expressed directly, unfussily, genuinely, in that peculiarly outgoing manner that was this artist's supreme gift.' This gift illuminates song repertoire from Bach to Bartók and beyond in a newly compiled and remastered set of her recital albums recorded by Deutsche Grammophon in the 1950s and 60s. 'If I were condemned to hear only one voice for the remainder of my life I think it might well be hers,' wrote Blyth on another occasion (a reissue of the 1953 'Liederabend' anthology of concert performances). 'If I wanted to be charmed, to laugh or to cry I would find her the perfect companion.'

The core of the set is formed by several albums of Romantic Lieder by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Wolf. As well as an imaginative collection of Goethe settings, there is an album of Heine and Schumann, poetry and song, in which the recited portions are reissued on CD for the first time. The set includes two appendices, both also new to CD: Seefried's contribution to the DG audio documentary series 'Erzähltes Leben', and 'Erik Werba Accompanies You', in which the soprano's regular recital partner plays the piano part for famous Lieder (with the idea that the listener at home will take the sung line for themselves).

Seefried also made several opera recordings as well as sacred music for Deutsche Grammophon. Generous excerpts from these - often including entire scenes, not just arias - are included as newly-compiled anthologies across five CDs.

Seefried's voice was renowned for it's beauty and tonally purity, with minimal vibrato. Her diction was exquisite, as were her phrasing and legato in Schumann's cycle of Mary, Queen of Scots Lieder. Especially in folksong repertoire such as the Liebeslieder-Walzer of Brahms, she contrived to give the impression that her art came easily to her, and that it's expression was an inevitable extension of her personality, devoid of any suggestion of imposing her will upon the music. But this impression was the essence of Seefried's greatness, and it transferred to modern song repertoire, too: not only the opulent romanticism of Respighi's Il tramonto but Werner Egk's German-Mediterranean Quattro canzoni, and a selection of sacred solo motets by Paul Hindemith that surprised and delighted many critics on it's first issue.

All the material in this Original Covers collection has been newly remastered, and the set is richly illustrated and accompanied by a new essay on Seefried's art by Tully Potter as well as an English translation of Ein Selbstporträt by Fer van Campen.

For a monk resident in one of post-Reformation Germany's religious institutions, music would have served as a focus of spiritual discipline as well as a source of joy. Some real discoveries await the listener who joins The Brabant Ensemble on this exploration of the monk's musical life, represented by a variety of composers of greater and lesser familiarity.

VOCES8 - "Nightfall" / VOCES8 presents a collection of reflective and transcendent music inspired by the night. Featuring choral classics alongside contemporary arrangements, including new choral versions of popular works by Ludovico Einaudi, Sigur R�s, Koji Kondo and Max Richter. CD Digipak. Verve Label Group; Decca; Classical Crossover