The music on this album reflects the rich tradition of Russian ballet, from 19th-century classics such as Swan Lake to the innovations of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and the ballets of the Soviet era. While ballet music had long been treated as little more than functional accompaniment, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky transformed the genre by giving it symphonic scale and psychological depth. 'Ballet is a symphony in it's own right,' he declared, and after him ballet scores became true concert works, inspiring generations of leading Russian and European composers. Recorded at the Sverdlovsk Philharmonic, this album brings together a century of Russian ballet music in performances by the Ural Youth Symphony Orchestra under Dmitry Filatov.

Pianist, conductor, composer, close friend of Busoni and champion of Ravel in the United States, Rudolph Ganz remains one of the great forgotten figures of early twentieth-century music. Through eleven works, including five world premiere recordings, Dominic Chamot retraces Ganz's singular artistic journey at the crossroads of Romanticism and Modernism. From the intimate lyricism of his early piano miniatures to the more daring harmonic language of his later works, this programme reveals a composer of striking individuality and imagination. The album places Ganz alongside composers who shaped his artistic world and dedicated important works to him: Christian Sinding, Ferruccio Busoni and Maurice Ravel. Performed by the award-winning German-Swiss pianist Dominic Chamot, this recording combines discovery, virtuosity and historical insight.

Carmelo de los Santos and Ney Fialkow follow their award-winning album "Sonatas Brasileiras" with a colorful exploration of unjustly neglected works for violin and piano by Brazilian composers. "Canto da Saudade" delineates a sonic map that spreads beyond the best-known composers, surveying the Brazilian music of various periods and styles. By providing a window into over a hundred years of music, the duo illustrates just how much there is to explore in the history of Brazil, a continental country whose vastness is also translated to music. Spanning fourteen works by composers from Alexandre Levy and Carlos Gomes to Villa-Lobos, Guarnieri, Mignone, Gnattali, Nobre and Miranda, the program traces Brazilian music from 19th-century Romanticism through 20th-century nationalism and postwar modernism. Both acclaimed figures on Brazil's musical scene, violinist Carmelo de los Santos and pianist Ney Fialkow balance busy careers as soloists and chamber musicians with teaching posts - de los Santos as Professor of Violin at the University of New Mexico, Fialkow as Full Professor at the Instituto de Artes, UFRGS, in Porto Alegre.

Cantando en la Ciudad de Los Angeles - Christmas Villancicos by Gaspar Fernandez in Viceregal Mexico offers a vibrant re-creation of the Christmas villancico tradition as heard in early seventeenth-century Puebla Cathedral, where Fernandez served as chapel master. Rooted in historical evidence, it reveals how these works combine popular poetry, dance forms, voices of diverse origins, and devotional expression, bringing to light a repertoire of remarkable linguistic, melodic, and expressive richness. Concerto Scirocco, directed by Giulia Genini, brings it's expertise in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century instrumental repertoire, while the singers of La Boz Galana lend particular sensibility to the prosody and expressive force of these Hispanic Golden Age poetic texts. Both ensembles perform under the artistic direction of Sebastian León. Conceived as the musical companion to Mexican musicologist Ireri E. Chavez Barcenas's book Sounding Race, Identity, and Devotion in Puebla de Los Angeles (Oxford University Press, 2026), this recording invites renewed listening to this extraordinary repertoire.

Rarely heard, Sergei Prokofiev's own transcriptions for solo piano reveal a fascinating new perspective on his orchestral imagination. This collection brings together rare piano versions of symphonic and ballet works, including several world premiere recordings. Far from simple reductions, these transcriptions transform works such as the 'Classical' Symphony, Le pas d'acier or L'Enfant prodigue into dazzling and highly personal creations. Performed by Alexey Zuev, a specialist of Russian twentieth-century repertoire, and enriched by the research of leading Prokofiev scholar Marina Raku, this album sheds fresh light on a little-known but essential facet of Prokofiev's creative world.

For his debut solo album, Zachary Hatcher explores the contrasts that define the harp: the shift between ancient and modern and the thin line between dreams and nightmares. The album is built around Zachary's own transcription of Maurice Ravel's Ondine. The piece has long been absent from the harp repertoire because of it's immense difficulty; Zachary is currently the only harpist performing it. This focus on the outer limits of the instrument continues with his own Sonata for solo harp, a work in three movements-Burlesque, Waltz, and Prayer-that reflects his recent return to composition. The album also features Consolation and Swan Descending, two works by Per Norgård that capture a specific Nordic introspection, as well as Paul Hindemith's Sonata and Henriette Renie's Piece Symphonique; these two works, while standard for harpists, are stylistically unusual for their composers.

Philzuid's eighth album is a live recording of Antonin Dvorak's The Wild Dove and Johannes Brahms's Symphony No. 1. Dvorak was deeply fond of the poetry of his compatriot Karel Erben. The Wild Dove is one of four compositions in which Dvorak drew inspiration from Erben's poetry. Brahms spent more than two decades working on his first symphony, ultimately producing what would become his magnum opus. Both works are performed by the orchestra under the direction of chief conductor Duncan Ward.

Tania Giannouli and Nik Bartsch have played together as a piano duo since 2023. Whilst they are both open to influences and traditions, their skill and passion are also nourished by chamber music from the classical tradition, by the true spirit of folk music, by a dedication to the ritual structures of sacred music and by the innovative creativity and need for freedom that jazz demands.  Their rhythmic energy is shaped by the legacy of Balkan music and by the rhythmic traditions developed on percussive instruments such as the cimbalom. The intellectual and musical backgrounds of these two artists have now merged naturally after long individual journeys and have created a shared sonic philosophy rooted in the present. The eight pieces on this album present an organic and effortless distillation of all of these aspects.

Discover the extraordinary life of Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689), one of the 17th century's most unconventional figures. Crowned at the age of six, she then abdicated when she was 28 and travelled from Stockholm to Rome, where she became a celebrated patron of the arts. Her passion for music helped shape Rome into a cultural capital, where she fostered talents such as Scarlatti and Corelli. This album traces her remarkable journey through the music she loved, from Swedish court compositions to Italian Baroque masterpieces. Concerto Copenhagen, Denmark's acclaimed early music ensemble, now brings this story to life with historical insight and artistic vitality, celebrating a queen who not only defied norms but also left an indelible mark on European culture.

Introducing Jiaxin Min in her debut album, this recording marks the arrival of a compelling new voice on the international piano scene. Emerging as an audience favourite from the Queen Elisabeth Competition she combines expressive intensity, clarity of thought and a deeply personal artistic vision. Centred around the idea of farewell and reunion, the programme brings together Beethoven's intimate Sonata Lebewohl ('Les Adieux'), Liszt's dramatic Ballade No. 2, and Barber's powerful Piano Sonata. Through these landmark works, Jiaxin Min explores themes of absence, transformation and rediscovery, drawing on her own personal journey through music and returns to the stage. Balancing virtuosity with introspection and emotional depth, this first album reveals an artist of rare maturity and personality.

The classicism that emerged in Vienna with Mozart and Haydn was later revisited by Prokofiev in Russia, Poulenc in France, and, most unexpectedly, Villa-Lobos in Brazil. Each composer reimagined this tradition through a sparkling, modern, and energetic lens shaped by their own heritage. Now, Brazilian conductor Simone Menezes leads the ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien in a program that takes us back to the city where this tradition was born. Recorded in Vienna and featuring Prokofiev's Classical Symphony, Villa-Lobos's Sinfonietta 'In Memory of Mozart', and Poulenc's Sinfonietta, these performances bring the music full circle. A dialogue across continents and centuries, shaped by clarity and contrast, this is a vibrant and cosmopolitan homage.

This album is built around a remarkable instrument: the Guarneri del Gesù 'Sainton Betti' violin, once played by Prosper Sainton. More than a solo voice, the violin shapes both the repertoire and the narrative of the project. From this starting point a journey through the golden age of the Romantic violin unfolds. Works by Niccolo Paganini, Gioachino Rossini, Hector Berlioz and Richard Strauss reflect the musical world Sainton inhabited, while bringing renewed attention to this fascinating yet overlooked figure. At the heart of the project, violinist Dmitry Smirnov reveals the instrument's full expressive range, joined by Victor Jacob and the Kammerorchester Basel. Together, they create a vivid dialogue between soloist and orchestra. A programme that connects repertoire, instrument and history into a single, coherent musical narrative.

With Loop Tales, Camille El Bacha and Naghib Shanbehzadeh bring Western classical piano into dialogue with Persian and Middle Eastern percussion. The piano evokes echoes of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Ravel, and Steve Reich, while percussion adds a vibrant rhythmic dimension. Each piece unfolds as a looping narrative built on repetition and evolving cycles that gradually transform. Piano and percussion create an immersive counterpoint where musical traditions intersect, shaping a sonic space in which cultures meet and reinvent themselves. Rooted in a shared desire to explore repetition as a living musical material, the album invites listeners into an intimate sound world shaped by subtle variation, resonance, and rhythmic energy. Concert pianist, composer, and improviser Camille El Bacha has developed a personal musical language bridging classical heritage and contemporary creativity. Alongside him, percussionist Naghib Shanbehzadeh draws on the rhythmic traditions of southern Iran, forming a deeply collaborative musical journey.

Astor Piazzolla was in his early thirties when he travelled to France to study composition with Nadia Boulanger at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau. Her guidance profoundly shaped his music. While Piazzolla sought to refine his classical style, Boulanger urged him to embrace his roots in tango, encouraging him to elevate, not abandon, his identity. This project celebrates their meeting by weaving together their musical worlds: Piazzolla's Argentine heritage - Carlos Gardel, Alberto Ginastera - and Boulanger's French influences, including Gabriel Faure and Lili Boulanger, as well as her love for early music, reflected here through a consort of viols. The dialogue between classical works and Piazzolla's Paris-era pieces evokes their extraordinary exchange: unexpected, magical, and unique.

Schone Welt, wo bist du? These words by Friedrich Schiller are the first of this new project, an exploration of existence, wandering and mourning. Coline Dutilleul has conceived a programme in which keyboard works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Lieder by Franz Schubert echo themes of melancholy and death: inner states that music makes perceptible through tempo, texture and harmony. These works trace a journey marked by absence and resilience in which agitation, renunciation and appeasement follow one another like the stages of mourning.

Music for These Troubled Times explores the melancholy of the past through the keyboard repertoire of the English virginalists of the late 16th and 17th centuries, and links this still familiar state of mind with the present - an age of social and political turbulence, uncertainty, and wars - through Maxim Shalygin's KHORA. Inspired by Robert Burton's 1621 treatise The Anatomy of Melancholy, which praises music as a remedy for the troubled mind, the programme moves between contemplative pavanes, witty variations, and complex polyphonic works. It includes rarely performed pieces and a first recording of the anonymous A Ground. Recorded on three unique harpsichords, it features a rare copy after 1579 L. Theewes' earliest surviving English instrument, a reconstruction of the original state of the 1612 I. Ruckers transposing double-manual harpsichord and a copy of the marvellous 1751 H. Hemsch.

This album offers an intimate journey into Schumann's world through three emblematic works. At it's heart stands the original 1841 version of the Fourth Symphony, a rarely performed score whose transparency and almost chamber-like clarity reveal a Schumann of striking immediacy, far from the heavier later revision. The Cello Concerto and the Fantasia for violin, the latter performed here in an idiomatic and expressive transcription for cello, both belong to Schumann's final Dusseldorf years and share an atmosphere of shifting moods and luminous shadows. Throughout the album, Alexander Rudin - appearing both as conductor and as solo cellist - joins Musica Viva in shaping a vivid, deeply human portrait of Schumann's imagination and it's fragile, radiant beauty.

The award-winning performances of Dutch pianist Nikola Meeuwsen, who claimed First Prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2025, are captured on this live recording. His artistic maturity is revealed in Mendelssohn's deeply felt Variations sérieuses, Liszt's visionary and impassioned Dante Sonata, and the imaginative Etudes of Ana Sokolovic. The programme is completed by Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 "Jenamy" with the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie under Vahan Mardirossian. These recordings capture the clarity, imagination, and expressive freedom that mark Meeuwsen as one of the most compelling voices of his generation.

This new album by the Yekaterinburg Philharmonic Choir presents Alfred Schnittke's Three Sacred Hymns and his Concerto for Choir, a setting of poems by Grigor Narekatsi (St. Gregory of Narek). Andrei Petrenko, the artistic director of the ensemble, says: "The Concerto is a unique choral canvas that blends musical layers of great profundity. The piece helps it's listeners and performers to transcend their earthly existence and to explore the sublime realms that Narekatsi and Schnittke have revealed. It is an embodiment of spirituality and possesses an endless array of meanings that can only be understood through it's sacred text."

Mosaïc is an ensemble made up of six musicians from Bulgaria, France, Portugal, and Tunisia. Their compositions are above all else a space for musical encounters at the crossroads of jazz and Mediterranean music. Their musical language is varied, combining Balkan ornamentation with the colours of Western European chamber music and the rhythmic essence of North African music. The ensemble explores imaginative worlds and interweaves traditions like a Mosaic, passing from energetic grooves to the breath of the Bulgarian kaval and the woody sonority of stringed instruments. Now that it's creations have been welcomed throughout the Mediterranean, Mosaïc presents a debut album inspired by the different places it has visited and the people it has met.

The works of Nikolai Myaskovsky, one of the major composers of the 20th century, remain largely unexplored. The Ural Youth Symphony Orchestra and Alexander Rudin continue their project of reviving the composer's unheralded masterpieces. His early symphonic poem Alastor embodies the aspirations of a lonely romantic hero towards an unrealisable ideal. The Seventh Symphony is a mature artist's contemplation of a man and of the world. The cantata The Kremlin by Night, composed late in his career, expresses Myaskovsky's love for his motherland and it's rich history. This is the first studio recording of the cantata. "Myaskovsky's works are very close to me," says Alexander Rudin, "his music is noble, darkened, philosophical and somewhat mysterious. Much in it remains unknown. Deriving from Tchaikovsky, Myaskovsky also inherits Mussorgsky's tragic disposition and premonition of catastrophe. His inherent awareness that life was restless, somewhat dangerous and unpredictable, was connected not only with his time but also with his perception of the world."

If the flamboyant guitarist who is Gaëlle Solal has grasped one truth above all, it is that some paths must wander before they arrive. Her devoted companionship with Brazilian musicians, whether in Rio or far beyond, has given her not only the language but also the effortless sway of the Carioca rhythms that have woven themselves into our musical imagination for more than a century. From Choro to Maxixe, these nostalgic or restless pieces carry us to a place on earth that never ceases to fascinate, precisely because it never ceases transforming. From the roots of Brejeiro to the Concerto of Heitor Villa-Lobos and through the luminous popular instinct of Chiquinha Gonzaga, Gaëlle Solal leads us toward an inspired celebration of the magical myth of the Saci. Here, through the voice of composer Clarice Assad, this mischievous spirit of Rio has become a Concerto for the sovereign instrument of a Brazil that we have long dreamed of hearing so closely.

Miriam Prandi's deeply personal interpretation of Bach's suites for solo cello reveals a musical personality shaped by freedom and reverence for the work; her phrasing recalls not only the elegance of line in Bach's arias and recitatives but also the intricate figuration of his keyboard works. She naturally embraces certain elements of historically informed performance practice, although she refuses to be confined by it's prescriptions. She allows the music to speak in a way that all today can understand: a way that transcends stylistic labels and so-called modernity and speaks with clarity, conviction, and from the heart.

Manfred holds a special place in Tchaikovsky's oeuvre, as it is unique: a symphony composed on an extremely large scale around a wide-ranging literary programme. Manfred is the embodiment of several facets of Tchaikovsky's individuality: it presents both Russian and European features, Tchaikovsky's own talents as a psychologist and a shrewd judge of character, his abilities as a writer for the theatre, and his mastery in creating orchestral colours. The score itself dazzles with it's variety of images and sounds - from airy to grandiose and powerful, from pastoral and peaceful to dense and dark. The dramatic concept of the work as a whole, it's psychological portrayal of the protagonists and the vivid expression in their development all come to reveal the characteristic style of Tchaikovsky's late works. What is more, Manfred remains fascinating thanks to the fact that it emerged at the crossroads of various literary, philosophical and musical trends during 19th century. The album was recorded on the eve of the 185th anniversary of Tchaikovsky's birth.

Violinist Alexandra Tirsu presents her debut album comprising concertos by Dmitri Shostakovich and Paul Hindemith. Shostakovich's music has resonated with her since childhood, it's atmosphere reflecting the war stories she grew up with. Violin Concerto No. 1 unfolds like a psychological journey-from a shadowy opening to a fierce scherzo, an emotionally charged passacaglia, and a wildly ironic finale. Hindemith's rarely performed Violin Concerto, which Alexandra first explored at the ARD Competition in Munich, reveals a different voice: clear, structured, and quietly expressive. Recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko, this album captures a moment of depth, identity, and emotional connection through two powerful 20th-century works.

This recording brings together two late masterworks by Brahms: the Op. 120 Clarinet Sonatas and the Op. 117 Intermezzi for piano, written in the tranquil setting of Bad Ischl. The sonatas, full of tenderness and quiet intensity, were composed for clarinetist Richard Muhlfeld, whose warm, lyrical playing reignited Brahms's desire to compose after a period of silence. This is music of dialogue, not declaration. Nicola Boud and Anthony Romaniuk perform on instruments close to those Brahms and Muhlfeld would have known: a replica of Muhlfeld's 19th-century boxwood clarinet and an 1875 Steinway piano. These choices bring a soft, transparent quality to the sound, inviting a more intimate listening experience. Expressive tools of 19th-century performance: rubato, flexibility, arpeggiation, are used not as effects, but as natural extensions of the music's emotional landscape. Brahms once called the Op. 117 Intermezzi "three lullabies of my grief." These restrained yet luminous pieces distil his late style into elegiac monologues, offering quiet spaces where time feels suspended. Together, these warm, reflective and deeply emotional works offer a glimpse into Brahms' final years.

For the second project in it's Meridiane series, Sjaella explores the music of cultures whose languages exist only as mother tongues for minorities. On this new album, spoken, the a cappella vocal ensemble shares it's fascination for cultural diversity and vocal sounds through new interpretations of traditional music. The arrangements of folk songs and dances, as well as new compositions, represent sound worlds that move between tradition and modernity. Sjaella's Meridiane series, which continues on Fuga Libera, is a succession of colourful musical treasures that strengthens the ensemble's connection to it's own cultural roots.

Everything in the world whether it is life, a piece of art, a scientific discovery, a revolution, or even a simple idea has it's own starting point. For composers, it is the work that marks their first step into the world. Opus 1 is an exploration of those beginnings, where ambition meets uncertainty and raw ideas take shape. In this album, pianist Anna Geniushene, whose career highlights include being a Silver Medalist at the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and being named Young Artist of the Month by Musical America, explores the early creative voices of great Romantic composers such as Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Berg and Tchaikovsky, uncovering the ambition, curiosity, and individuality that shaped their musical identities. Was an Opus 1 a declaration of will or just a sketch of what was to come? This album delves into that question, offering a glimpse of great composers who were taking their first steps and searching for their true voice when everything was still possible.

In the first of several projects for Fuga Libera, Spanish double bassist Uxia Martinez Botana invites us to hear Mendelssohn as never before. By placing her instrument at the heart of the string quartet and replacing the traditional cello, she opens up a world of unexpected textures and emotional depth. Her brilliant career as a soloist and as principal double bass of Kremerata Baltica (at just 23) and the Weinberger Kammerorchester makes her the natural instigator of this innovative ensemble. Together with three exceptional musicians, she reshapes the balance of the ensemble with subtlety and imagination while remaining faithful to the spirit of the music. From the warmth of Mendelssohn's joyful moments to the raw power of his grief, the double bass becomes both foundation and voice. This is not only a tribute to a great composer, it is also an artistic statement, offering a fresh lens on this beloved repertoire, and a moving exploration of how tradition can evolve without losing it's soul.

Violinist Sylvia Huang has drawn inspiration from nature since her childhood, marvelling at it's beauty, it's cycles and it's subtle harmony. Her Ode to Mother Nature project is designed to raise awareness of the fragility of all living things. Pianist Boris Kusnezow partners Sylvia on this musical journey, which celebrates the cycle of the seasons with works by Gabriel Dupont, Lili Boulanger, Dora Pejacevic, Edvard Grieg, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Camille Pepin and Eugene Ysaye. Each piece highlights an aspect of one of the seasons, as well as the deep connection between music and nature. Through this music Sylvia invites us to appreciate the deep bond that unites humanity to it's environment, and the urgent need to protect it.