Three CD set. Joyce DiDonato has staked a powerful claim on the multi-faceted title role of Handel's opera Agrippina. In the words of The Telegraph, she sings it with "authority, grandeur and high style". She has performed it in concert and in the opera house with Maxim Emelyanychev, Chief Conductor of Il Pomo d'Oro. Joining them on this recording is a cast of established and rising stars that includes Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Franco Fagioli, Luca Pisaroni, Elsa Benoit and Jakub J�zef Orlinski.

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 variet� 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."

A new production by Opera de Lille

Gautier Capu�on's new album Sensations is a mix of popular music, classical (Smetana's Moldau), film (John Williams's Schindler's List), and well-known French songs ("La Vie en Rose", Jacques Brel's "Quand on n'a que l'amour").

3 LP clamshell. Mythologies is Thomas Bangalter's first composition for orchestra, conceived upon request of choreographer Angelin Preljocaj for the ballet of the same name. Performed by the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine under the direction of Romain Dumas, it is a large and lyrical work in which Bangalter, co-founder of Daft Punk, reinvents his relationship to composition.

LES PECHEURS DE PERLES

Vinyl LP pressing. 2024 release.

An album dedicated to Johann Sebastian Bach piano solo, follows Alexandre Tharaud's very original Four Hands project. The protean French pianist brings a programme concentrating on Bach on the piano - in this instance mostly in his own transcriptions such as the Lute Suite BWV 996, the Johannes-Passion BWV 245 and many others. The album also features a few Bach HITS: Sicilienne BWV 1031, the famous Bach/Gounod Ave Maria and the Adagio from the Keyboard Concerto BWV 974, after Alessandro Marcello Adagio.

Songbook is the title of French clarinetist Pierre G�nisson's new album, recorded with pianist Bruno Fontaine, and several surprising guests. Featuring a laid-back mix of repertoire taken from the American Songbook and from French popular repertoire. Terrific lineup of artists includes Monica Bellucci on "I Got You Under My Skin", Lambert Wilson on "My Funny Valentine", Thibaut Garcia on Salvador's "Syracuse" and on "Smile", Youn Sun Nah in "La Javanaise", Kimberose on "What A Wonderful World".

To open the Met's 2017-18 season, powerhouse soprano Sondra Radvanovsky tackled one of opera's most fearsome roles, the title druid priestess of Bellini's Norma, who wrestles with love and betrayal before making the ultimate sacrifice on a funeral pyre. Mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato sang Norma's friend and rival, Adalgisa, in Sir David McVicar's evocative production. To open the Met's 2017-18 season, powerhouse Bellini: Norma (Met Live Recording).

Vinyl LP pressing. Alexandre Tharaud pays tribute to composers associated with the courts of the French kings Louis XIV, XV and XVI. Lully, Rameau, Charpentier and Franois Couperin stand beside lesser-known masters: d'Anglebert, Forqueray, Royer, Duphly and Balbastre.

Angelic' is a word often used to describe Philippe Jaroussky's voice. The ethereal quality of his countertenor is intrinsic to his roles as both an angel and as a ghost in Only the Sound Remains, a double bill of operas by the distinguished Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, whose first opera L'Amour de loin has captivated audiences at such venues as the Salzburg Festival, Paris's Th��tre du Ch�telet, London's English National Opera and New York's Metropolitan Opera. Saariaho composed Only the Sound Remains with Jaroussky in mind. "I've been to many concerts that he's given in Paris and I love his voice and the way he sings," she told the Dutch website Cultuurpers when the opera received it's premiere in Spring 2016 at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, where this DVD and Blu-ray were recorded. She and Jaroussky worked together as she wrote the score, ensuring that it was tailor-made for his talents. The production - by the celebrated American director Peter Sellars, who declared that "Philippe Jaroussky sings like nobody else on the planet" - was subsequently seen in Helsinki (April 2017) and reaches Paris, again with Philippe Jaroussky, in early 2018. "Only theSound Remains is a profound and moving exploration of mortality and consciousness," wrote Classical Voice North America, "The score [conducted by Andr� de Ridder, who has wide-ranging credentials in contemporary music] is a swirl of choral and instrumental colors layered over a subtle electronic foundation withantiphonal effects. Structured like a series of interlocking boxes and punctuated bydelicate word-painting, this opera marks a breakthrough in Saariaho's ability to bring astory to life, with vividly imagined details that focus on sensory experience and hint atthe inner emotions of the characters." The Financial Times described the opera in detail: "The ending of Kaija Saariaho's new double bill for the Netherlands Opera lives up to it's name. Her subtle and meticulous blend of live electronics with acoustic sound can create curtains and washes of sound, sensual and evocative in ways that have become her trademark.... Tsunemasa (Always Strong) and Hagoromo (Feather Mantle), 14th-century Japanese Noh theatre works brought to the US... in the early 20th century and later pieced together into English approximations by poet Ezra Pound, form the basis of a libretto for an evening of music theatre co-conceived by Saariaho and director Peter Sellars. Both works... are scored for small ensemble with two singers - baritone and countertenor. Both narrate encounters with the supernatural.... Saariaho uses the Finnish zither-like kantele rather than a Japanese koto in her ensemble, and western flutes in place of the shakuhachi [a Japanese flute], but the Japanese sound-world is a clear source of reference, with pentatonic scales and onomatopoeic percussion deployed generously. Baritone Davone Tines and countertenor Philippe Jaroussky are perfect as the earth/spirit counterparts of the two pieces (ghost and priest for the first opera, fisherman and angel for the second), Tines with his earthy, virile warmth, Jaroussky with his ethereal purity, the music tailored for these two exceptional voices. Sellars, as always, sets out with consummate sincerity and solid stagecraft to convey a highly spiritual message... It is meticulously crafted and superbly performed. Saariaho is in fine form." Philippe Jaroussky's performance was summed up by France's Op�ra magazine: "In Hagoromo the voice of the French countertenor blossoms with a wondrous freedom and expressivity," while the S�ddeutsche Zeitung wrote that "Philippe Jaroussky is the noblest and most distinctive of countertenors... If he has gained fame as an exponent of virtuosic baroque arias, here

#LetsBaRock is the new surprising, artistic project by Jakub J�zef Orlinski and Aleksander Debicz, the artists created "cover-versions" of baroque pieces, anchoring them in the 21st century. Aleksander Debicz gives an example: "In our version, Baroque pieces sound decidedly modern but retain their character, even if we've shifted some accents. For instance "Oblivion" based on "Oblivion soave" from Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea, remains a sort of lullaby, yet in our version, it has the qualities of a trance-like, dreamlike club track." Repertoire features well-loved pieces from Purcell, Monteverdi, Vivaldi and Handel.

#LetsBaRock is the new surprising, artistic project by Jakub J�zef Orlinski and Aleksander Debicz, the artists created "cover-versions" of baroque pieces, anchoring them in the 21st century. Aleksander Debicz gives an example: "In our version, Baroque pieces sound decidedly modern but retain their character, even if we've shifted some accents. For instance "Oblivion" based on "Oblivion soave" from Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea, remains a sort of lullaby, yet in our version, it has the qualities of a trance-like, dreamlike club track." Repertoire features well-loved pieces from Purcell, Monteverdi, Vivaldi and Handel.

Vinyl LP pressing. 2016 release. One of opera's most outspoken and impassioned personalities, Joyce DiDonato reminds us with her album In War and Peace that music "soothes turmoil, threatens power and the status quo, and gloriously exalts the spirit". Her selection of arias demonstrates how powerfully Baroque opera explores the extremes of human nature - from the tumult of Handel's 'Scenes of Horror, Scenes of Woe' to Purcell's descent into despair, 'Dido's Lament'. Joyce's longtime partners, the spirited Italian Baroque ensemble Il Pomo d'Oro, join her on this unique journey through sublime, challenging music; through chaos transformed by the eternal search for serenity.

An album dedicated to Johann Sebastian Bach piano solo, follows Alexandre Tharaud's very original Four Hands project. The protean French pianist brings a programme concentrating on Bach on the piano - in this instance mostly in his own transcriptions such as the Lute Suite BWV 996, the Johannes-Passion BWV 245 and many others. The album also features a few Bach HITS: Sicilienne BWV 1031, the famous Bach/Gounod Ave Maria and the Adagio from the Keyboard Concerto BWV 974, after Alessandro Marcello Adagio.

New collaboration between Jakub J�zef Orlinski and Il Pomo d'Oro. Jakub's sixth project features music by early baroque composers, including Monteverdi, Caccini, Frescobaldi, Kapsberger, Saracini, Netti, and Jarzebski. Musicologist Yannis Fran�ois researched the program and uncovered some extraordinary repertoire, now recorded for the first time (10 world premiere recordings). "With that album and this very specifically selected program I want to focus on the general meaning of word "beyond". Mostly to show people that this music is beyond it's times. It is still relevant, it is still alive, vibrant, touching, engaging and entertaining." - Jakub J�zef Orlinski.

Who but Alexandre Tharaud would follow an album devoted to Beethovens formidable final three piano sonatas with a recital of compact pieces by Lully, Rameau, Franois Couperin and other composers associated with the French court in the 17th and 18th centuries I've always been attracted by French music of this period, explains Tharaud, whose wide-ranging Erato catalogue embraces Bach, Scarlatti, Haydn, Mozart, Chopin, Brahms, Rachmaninov, Satie, the music of Jazz Age Paris and the work of French singer-songwriter Barbara. I see this album as a bouquet of short pieces by different composers of that time. It is a tribute to the composers of Versailles. They were active during the reigns of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI and the youngest of them, Claude Balbastre, died in 1799, 10 years after the outbreak of the French Revolution. A number of the pieces have not, to the best of Tharauds knowledge, previously been recorded on the modern piano he mentions the music of Balbastre, Jacques Duphly and Pancrace Royer. As he explains, Lully did not write for solo keyboard, but his orchestral Marche pour la crmonie des Turcs from Le bourgeois gentilhomme has been transcribed for piano a number of times. For this album Tharaud has made his own arrangement of the piece, aiming to capture the full richness of it's sonorities and to emphasise it's dancing nature. Some of the pieces Tharaud considered for inclusion felt immediately comfortable on the piano keyboard; others sounded cumbersome and thus unsuitable for the album. For instance, the highly ornamented writing of Jean-Henry dAnglebert (1629-1691) can be tricky on the modern instrument, which has a heavier action and sonority than a 17th century harpsichord

Starring Anne-Catherine Gillet, Ja�l Azzaretti, St�phane Degout.

Soprano Sabine Devieilhe's signature operatic role, Lakm�, forms the starting point for her enticing albumMirages. A collection of opera and song in French, it's theme is the exotic allure of faraway - and imagined - places and people. In addition to three numbers from Delibes' opera, it features music by Berlioz, Debussy and Stravinsky and some rarer names: Thomas, Messager, Koechlin and Delage. Devieilhe is joined by mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa, pianist Alexandre Tharaud and the period-instrument orchestra Les Si�cles under it's founder, Fran�ois-Xavier Roth.

This release is a survey of Ravel's solo piano music, a bold statement from the French rising star of the piano. It includes not only the oft-performed works such as Le tombeau de Couperin, and the Pavane pour une infante defunte but also lesser-known gems such as the pieces written in the styles of Borodin and Chabrier respectively, and the early Serenade grotesque. The album is a tour de force and promises to be a major landmark in his discography. Bertrand Chamayou, hometown: Paris, was born in Toulouse in 1981. Despite his youth, Chamayou is firmly established as a highly-respected artist and is much in demand. He is the only artist to win France's prestigious Victories de la Musique on three occasions. At 20, he was a prize-winner at the international Long-Thibuad Competition, returning there in 2012 as a member of the jury. He has serious approach and has achieved success with his solo albums as well as his recent recital album with cellist Sol Gabetaa.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Cellist Gautier Capu�on is the constant presence in this programme of music by Robert Schumann. In the Cello Concerto his partners are Bernard Haitink and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and in a selection of chamber works his violinist brother Renaud and the pianist Martha Argerich. "Bernard Haitink is a wonderfully inspiring guide," says Gautier, "and Martha Argerich carries me along on the composer's waves of romanticism and passion." - Universally recognised as the finest cellist of his generation, Gautier Capu�on has a firm reputation as a concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. He is a regular performer with the Berlin Philharmonic, Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony, NHK Symphony, and at festivals such as Verbier and Lugano, and has won several awards at the ECHOS and the Victoires de la Musique.

Marking the 150th anniversary of Berlioz's death, this performance of the mighty Requiem or Grande Messe des Morts - presented on both DVD and CD - took place in St Paul's Cathedral, London, in March 2019. Conducted by John Nelson, it involved over 300 musicians, including tenor Michael Spyres. As Nelson said: "Every measure resonates deeply with me and I feel there is sincerity, even in the great moments of bombast." The Times wrote: "The surpassing virtue of this performance... was that both aspects, the spine-shakingly spectacular and the heart-rendingly haunting, were allowed to make their impact."