This album aims to highlight one of the instruments that Barrios loved and played most, his Francisco Simplicio guitar, made in 1927. The selected pieces underline the main musical directions that stand out within the vast repertoire linked to Barrios, also making reference to the works of authors that he used to perform and who therefore had a voice on this instrument, like Chopin, Bach or Tarrega.

The Curious Bards immerse us in the 18th-century popular music of Ireland and Scotland, with reels, jigs, songs and dances that circulated in the oral tradition and in print, from the airs of Turlough O'Carolan to the great collections of the period. Impelled by an irresistible energy and underpinned by historical research, this album restores the vitality of this music that lives for the dance, for the preservation of folk memory, and for sharing with others.

Schumann is one of the great lifelong companions for musicians, including, Dasol Kim. The composer manages, with remarkable subtlety, to capture the fleeting yet striking moments and emotions of existence. His Carnaval, the Forest Scenes, and his final composition, the Geistervariationen ("Ghost Variations"), dedicated to Clara and first published in 1939, contain numerous references to popular imagination, literature, Schumann's life, and his reflections - all of which Dasol Kim explores here.

Juliette Hurel and Isabelle Moretti present an inspired selection of French music for flute and harp, featuring key masterpieces alongside some rare delights. From the intensely vocal melodic line of Faure and Debussy's playful exploration of timbres and resonances to the subtly sculpted writing of Jean Cras, this recital highlights the virtuosity and expressive verve of a duo of great stylistic finesse.

The Chevalier de Saint-George is in many respects an exceptional figure. Born in Guadeloupe in the eighteenth century to an aristocrat and an enslaved woman, he received in Paris the education of a court gentleman: violinist, fencer, Freemason, participant in the Revolution, and conductor, he was also a composer. It is naturally to the violin that he dedicated his finest works, among which the concertos, marked by a virtuosity that is both unbridled and graceful, stand out in particular. Romuald Grimbert-Barre and the Orchestre national de Cannes pay tribute to this extraordinary life by pairing the Op. 5 and Op. 8 concertos with Thierry Pecou's Concerto Hommage a Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George. Through it's many biographical references, the work offers multiple poetic points of entry into the life of this singular and fascinating figure, who remains far too little known today.

The new recording project by La Compagnia del Madrigale is dedicated to the Ninth Book of Madrigals (1588) by Giaches de Wert. Wert-Flemish by birth but active for most of his life in Italy at the Gonzaga court in Mantua-embodies the figure of the great composer capable of transcending fashion to create art that, as they used to say in the sixteenth century, is destined to remain durable and eternal. The Ninth Book, published during a period of personal tribulation and heartbreak over his thwarted love for the poetess Tarquinia Molza, marks a pinnacle of artifice and pathos. Here, Wert explores the heights of Petrarch's Canzoniere, alongside verses by Torquato Tasso, Jacopo Sannazaro, and Battista Guarini, alternating luminous courtly homages with an innovative lyricism that foreshadows the style of Carlo Gesualdo. La Compagnia del Madrigale - one of the world-leading ensembles in the performance of Monteverdi, Marenzio, Gesualdo, and Rore - delivers these pages with absolute artistic excellence.

Vivaldi's famous Four Seasons are dedicated to Count Wenzel von Morzin from Prague. In 1718, he traveled to Venice with his 'virtuosissimo orchestra' and hired Vivaldi as 'maestro di musica italiano'. This marked the beginning of an era of close musical exchange between Venice and Prague. This relationship, which shaped an entire generation of Czech composers, is the focus of Vivaldi in Prague. The program includes concertos by Frantisek Jiranek, who was employed in Count Morzin's chapel and studied in Vivaldi's circle in Venice from 1724 to 1726, and by Antonin Reichenauer, whose musical thinking was strongly influenced by Vivaldi's school. The program is complemented by a bassoon concerto by Vivaldi dedicated to Count Morzin, an aria from a Vivaldi opera performed in Prague in 1730, and two arias from Vivaldi pasticcios reconstructed by Robert Rawson for this production. These pasticcios were compiled by the Venetian impresario Antonio Denzio from popular Vivaldi operas and presented to Prague audiences with new texts, including some in Czech.

In 1696, the Salzburg court conductor Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber described his print of seven chamber suites ("Partien") for two string instruments and basso continuo as "artful vocal harmony" in ornate Latin. These trio sonatas are of a special kind, because the two upper voices are not limited to the typical imitations practised in Italy at that time, but Biber allows the solo voices to be played in a free, expressive manner. He allows them to shine in a different light in virtuoso interplay above the bass foundation, repeatedly in full-bodied polyphony or in chords. In addition, new timbres are created through the use of the violin, viola and viola d'amore in various combinations and the 'detuning' of the strings (scordatura) to achieve different string tensions and thus give the instruments a sharper or softer sound. This recording is the third installment of the Biber recordings with Harmonie Universelle.

The Kuss Quartet and violist Muriel Razavi embark on a three-volume traversal of the six Mozart String Quintets. The first of these works dates from 1777 and was closely modeled on the contemporaneous quintets by Michael Haydn. The G minor, the 4th of the quintets was composed in 1786. It is dark, turbulent and melancholy, typical of the composer's G minor works. It is composed on a large scale, especially the opening movement, something it shares with the Prague Symphony No. 38 and the 25th Piano Concerto in C composed at the same time. The Kuss Quartet include two short works for string quartet by contemporary composers to place in between the two quintets and to round the album off.

From the lyricism of Bloch's Schelomo to the modernity of Lutoslawski's Cello Concerto, Jean-Guihen Queyras and Gustavo Gimeno explore the cello's lyrical side, revealing itself as prayer, lament, or murmur. In contrast, the Polish composer's Concerto for Orchestra celebrates vitality and collective energy. This program is a journey from inner song to orchestral power.

I Carry Your Heart is an album with love at it's heart; a luminous new recording from the VOCES8 Foundation Choir and Orchestra featuring the music of VOCES8's new Composer-in-Residence, Taylor Scott Davis. Released on 27 March 2026 on VOCES8 Records / Decca Classics and conducted by Barnaby Smith, the album is centred on Davis's powerful new six-movement Requiem, commissioned for VOCES8's 20th anniversary. Exploring hope through love's journey across life and death, this compelling programme offers a kaleidoscope of sublime melodies and richly interwoven choral and orchestral textures. Davis brings a distinctive contemporary voice to a work conceived as a Requiem for our times, open to listeners of all faiths or none. With exceptional artistry and emotional depth, i carry your heart is an essential new addition to the choral catalogue

Over the last two centuries and in today's churches, hymns may be referred to as songs, prayers, or even spirituals, but the need for them remains the same. These pieces are written as instruments of praise and worship to God, as prayers in time of need, and as reflections in expression of joy, sorrow, or thanksgiving. On this recording, there are inspirational words written to a Gaelic melody of unknown date and origin ("Morning Has Broken"), a song written by a grieving father after the loss of all five of his children to tragedy ("It Is Well with My Soul"), and a hymn assembled gradually by three people over 150 years in three countries ("Be Still My Soul"). The words and melodies may mean something different to everyone who sings them, but the intention of them has been the same for hundred of years - to worship, praise, and thank God.

Complete Crumb Edition, Volume 7
Unto the Hills
Black Angels
Ann Crumb, soprano
Marcantonio Barone, piano
Orchestra 2001
James Freeman, conductor
The Miró Quartet

Volume Seven of Bridge's Complete Crumb Edition features the world premiere recording of Crumb's new Appalachian folk song cycle, "Unto the Hills". Performed by Crumb's daughter, soprano Ann Crumb, and an ensemble of percussion quartet and amplified piano, the thirty-six minute cycle features spectacularly colorful (more than 75 percussion instruments) and moving renditions of such classic folk tunes as "Black, Black, Black is the Color", "Poor Wayfaring Stranger"," The Riddle", and "All the Pretty Little Horses". Also included on this CD is a stunning new reading of Crumb's classic "Black Angels" for Electric String Quartet. Performed by the brilliant, young Miró Quartet, this performance, supervised by the composer, features a combination of early 21st Century virtuosity and state of the art recording technology.

DOMINGO - OPERA DUETS WITH MIL

Classical Music

HALLELUJAH! AND OTHER GREAT SACRED CHORUSES

The great soprano Ileana Cotrubas is featured on this disc singing arias from many of her signature roles. Always an effervescent and engaging performer, Cotrubas became known for her portrayals of lyric soprano roles such as Susanna, Pamina, Gilda, Liú, and Adina , all of which are represented here.
She also tests more foreign waters in arias from Charpentier's 'Louise' and Verdi's 'La Forza del Destino,' with excellent results. For example, in contrast to the Gilda aria "Caro nome" from 'Rigoletto,' the Leonora aria "Pace, pace, mi Dio," displays the darker, more brooding side to Cotrubas that she did not often employ. Sitting lower in her vocal register, Cotrubas renders this wrenching aria with unwavering intensity that one wishes she had used more often. A wonderful highlight of the disc has Placido Domingo joining Cotrubas in selections from Donizetti's 'L'elisir d'amore," which is a sheer delight and familiar turf to Cotrubas. The well-known "O mio babbino caro," warmly sung by Cotrubas, ends this wonderful collection.

This CD contains both ADD and DDD recordings.
To know a piece of music, to truly understand the depth of its meaning, requires intense study. Once written, a great work takes on a life of its own, its full potential beyond even what its composer anticipates. This album, an exploration of Rachmaninov's 'Vocalise,' takes 13 interpretations and, by laying them side by side, shows how rich such a simple melody can be.
Each interpretation brings out something new in this beautiful, wordless song. Transcriptions for solo piano, solo flute, piano duet, soprano, full choir, and full orchestra show how flexibly the music accepts different ideas and instrumentation. The deep melancholy of Vladimir Spivakov's violin, accompanied by Sergei Bezrodny's piano, stands in stark contrast with the angelic transcendence found in countertenor Brian Asawa's performance.
Every listener will find his or her favorite performance here, but it is impossible to select a definitive interpretation. However, the Philadelphia Orchestra's version, conducted by Rachmaninov himself, has an air of authority. After all, who better to interpret the intentions of the composer than the composer himself?

MEXICO LINDO

Includes work(s) by Thomas Tallis. Ensemble: Oxford Camerata. Conductor: Jeremy Summerly.

"...chamber music-making of high seriousness and high integrity that allows Bach's timeless music to speak for itself."

- BBC Music Magazine, [October 2008]

"...eloquently thought through and beautifully sung with the perfect sense of dramatic character:.. Sung with peerless vocal beauty and remarkably sensitive ornaments."

- Gramophone Magazine (About the Canadian counter tenor, Daniel Taylor.)

FAURÈ: PIANO WORKS VOL 1 KATH

1. Erlkönig, Op. 1 Quasthoff, Thomas 4:00
2. Prometheus, Nachlaß, Lfg. 47 Quasthoff, Thomas 5:29
3. Winterreise, D. 911; Der Lindenbaum Quasthoff, Thomas; Spencer, Charles 5:01
4. Winterreise, D. 911; Der Leiermann Quasthoff, Thomas; Spencer, Charles 3:26
5. Der Musensohn, Op. 92/1, D. 764: Durch Feld und Wald zu schweifen Quasthoff, Thomas 1:56
6. Liederkreis, Op. 39; Waldesgespräch, Op. 39/3: Es ist schon spät, es wird schon kalt Quasthoff, Thomas 2:03
7. Liederkreis, Op. 39; Mondnacht, Op. 39/5: Es war, als hätt' der Himmel Quasthoff, Thomas 3:43
8. Dichterliebe, Op. 48; Im wunderschönen Monat Mai, Op. 48/1 Quasthoff, Thomas 1:24
9. Dichterliebe, Op. 48; Allnächtlich im Traume seh ich dich, Op. 48/14 Quasthoff, Thomas 1:22
10. Belsazar, Op. 57: Die Mitternacht zog näher schon Quasthoff, Thomas 4:02
11. Johannespassion, BWV 245; Eilt, ihr angefochtnen Seelen Guttenberg, Enoch zu 4:26
12. Johannespassion, BWV 245; Betrachte, meine Seele, mit ängstlichem Vergnügen Guttenberg, Enoch zu 2:06
13. Johannespassion, BWV 245; Mein teurer Heiland, laß dich fragen Guttenberg, Enoch zu 4:07
14. Mentre ti lascio, o figlia - Aria for Bass, K. 513 Quasthoff, Thomas 7:13
15. Don Giovanni, K. 527; Deh, vieni alla finestra Quasthoff, Thomas 2:03
16. Don Giovanni, K. 527; Madamina Quasthoff, Thomas 5:48
17. Die Zauberflöte, K. 620; Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja Quasthoff, Thomas 2:55
18. Die Zauberflöte, K. 620; Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen Quasthoff, Thomas 4:15
19. Die Zauberflöte, K. 620; In diesen heil'gen Hallen Quasthoff, Thomas 4:42
20. Die Zauberflöte; Duet Papageno & Papagena: Pa-pa-pa... Caballé, Montserrat; Quasthoff, Thomas 2:39

This is not an opera program, nor is it a classical vocal recital or typical mix of traditional songs and arias, although this new recording from tenor Vittorio Grigolo has elements of all three. Rather, it is a celebration of the true Italian singer, Italian music, and whatever innate spirit and style embodied in both makes them inseparable and unique. And if you’ve any doubt that Grigolo is the real thing, “The Ital- ian tenor” as claimed on his debut recording, skip for the moment the superbly sung disc-opening opera arias (Rigoletto, Tosca, Martha, La?traviata, Così, and listen to “Non ti scordar di me” and “O paese d’ ’o sole.” Here is the passion, the joy, the truth of a master singer connecting with his listeners — and what a voice!

Grigolo has been said by some to be the heir of Pavarotti — fine. But Grigolo’s voice has purityand innate beauty along with the passion; a ringing, golden top; a centered, solidly secure placement across his range; and none of the spread, forced, hard-edged upper- register tone of his predecessor. Grigolo is young and talented, with natural gifts and a devotion to his art that bodes well for his future. He seems to understand that this is a long-term proposi- tion; that there is a difference between selling your talent and building a career; that to be a great singer, to sustain a career, to make music that is memorable and meaningful across years of performances and all manner of audiences takes time and care and patience, that a deep respect for the craft of singing is at least as important as an appreciation for one’s natural ability. Grigolo is not immune from a little over-the-top indulgence (Enrico Cannio’s “O surdata ‘nnammurato”), but you won’t mind because at the same time you will be savoring the memory of his meltingly affecting “Un’ aura amorosa” (Cosi) and powerful “Recondita armonia” (Tosca) and “È la solita storia” (L’arlesiana). The sound, recorded in Parma’s Auditorium Niccoló Paganini and London’s Wathen Hall, is ideal; the orchestral playing and direction is spot on.

—?David?Vernier, Listen: Life With Classical Music

DESPREZ: MISSA LA SOL FA RE MI