Award-winning pianist Ingrid Fliter makes her Linn debut with a distinctive performance of Chopin's notoriously difficult piano concertos, featuring the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jun Märkl.

Heinrich Biber’s astonishingly powerful and deeply emotional Mystery Sonatas represent a triumph of Baroque invention. Boston Baroque’s Christina Day Martinson delivers a technical tour de force, as she navigates the virtuosic challenges presented by the fiendishly demanding changing scordatura. Boston Classical Review described her live performance as ‘a flourish of technical complexity and musical wizardry’, whilst the Boston Globe wrote, “Day Martinson…didn't just survive, she triumphed.” The adventurous use of six baroque violins in fifteen different tunings creates otherworldly soundscapes that result in a deeply moving and glorious listening experience. This highly disorientating practice reaches its pinnacle in Sonata XI ('The Resurrection') where the middle two strings are crossed over each other both in the peg box and behind the bridge, so that one can literally see a cross on the violin. The fifteen sonatas have been traditionally grouped into three sets of five: five joyful mysteries, five sorrowful mysteries, and five glorious mysteries. Boston Baroque’s founder Martin Pearlman plays organ and harpsichord, with Michael Leopold on theorbo and guitar and Michael Unterman on cello.

"The results on this disc are stunning." Gramophone "Phantasm's playing is impeccable." BBC Music Magazine "A sheer delight." International Record Review o This new recording is the only complete collection of William Byrd's consort music and includes new hymn settings that are premiere recordings. o William Byrd was the most celebrated lizabethan composer of Renaissance consort music, English song, masses, Latin motets and keyboard works who studied under Thomas Tallis. o Byrd's viol music is polyphonic and full of melancholy. The performances on this recording brings out the rich, overlapping textures of the compositions creating a mesmerising sound. o 'William Byrd Complete Consort Music' is Phantasm's second album with Linn; their first, 'John Ward: Consort music for five and six viols', was a Finalist in the 2010 Gramophone Awards. o Inspired by the great twentieth-century string quartets, Phantasm enjoys taking risks in its search for renditions that renew the expressive traditions of early music. o Critics have called their performances and recordings: 'intoxicating', 'revelatory', 'electrifying', 'interpretations pervaded by a truly burning spirit'. o Their recordings have won two Gramophone Awards in addition to numerous other international nominations and citations and are recognised as the most exciting viol consort active on the world scene today. o Director Laurence Dreyfuss is one of the world's most eminent Musicologists who has made the study of 16th and 17th century instrumental music his life's work. He brings this vast knowledge and immense passion into Phantasm and its recordings. o Phantasm has been made 'Ensemble in Residence' at Magdalen College, Oxford, which will enable them to put on far more concerts in the UK and abroad over the upcoming months and years.

Robin Ticciati cemented his reputation as an outstanding Berliozian with this 2013 recording, Berlioz: Les nuits d’été, which includes excerpts from Roméo & Juliette and La mort de Cléopâtre. Ticciati delivers fresh insights and vivid colours into this luminous work showing similar flair to that of his teachers Sir Simon Rattle and the great Berliozian Sir Colin Davis. The recording features Kathleen Ferrier prize-winning mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill, who has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, New York and won acclaim as Cléopâtre, a role she reprises here: ‘Cargill’s Cléopâtre gives even Dame Janet a run for her money...a real revelation’ (Limelight Magazine). The works of Berlioz have featured prominently in Ticciati’s programmes with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra since he was appointed Principal Conductor in 2009 earning critical acclaim. This recording was nominated for a 2014 ICMA Award and topped Kate Molleson’s ‘2013 Classical Top 10’ list in The Herald.

Ori and Omri Epstein, best known for performing as part of the Busch Trio, make their Linn debut as a duo with a recording of Beethoven’s complete works for piano and cello. Considered cornerstones of the repertory, the cello sonatas illustrate all the creative periods of the composer’s working life. The two Sonatas Op. 5 are bursting with exhilarating effects. Written when Beethoven was focused on showcasing his own virtuosity as a pianist, they are nonetheless eloquent showpieces for the ‘accompanying’ cello which is used in a remarkable variety of ways. Pianist and cellist are treated as equal partners in the Sonata in A major, which is the most lyrical and improvisational of Beethoven’s sonatas. The cello’s versatility across rapid changes of register and function is especially well demonstrated here. The two Sonatas Op. 102 herald the concentration of Beethoven’s late style and are particularly technically demanding. Beethoven scholar Barry Cooper describes them as having “a transcendent quality that, even after countless performances, makes them always seem innovative and challenging

Newly formed Trio Marie Soldat releases its eagerly awaited debut album on Linn. Comprising violinist Cecilia Bernardini, fortepianist Keiko Shichijo and cellist Marcus van den Munckhof, the Dutch trio takes its name from Marie Soldat-Roeger, a pupil of Joseph Joachim and celebrated violinist who formed perhaps the first all-women chamber group in 1887 known as the Soldat Quartet. The program includes two E flat major masterpieces of the genre, fittingly performed on period instruments. Mellow in tone and richly textured, Beethoven’s Op. 70 No. 2 belongs to the composer’s so-called ‘middle period’. Composed in 1808 at the end of a particularly creative phase which saw a flurry of expansive works, the trio looks back at Beethoven’s one-time teacher Haydn. Trio Marie Soldat rounds off its recital with an enticing account of what is perhaps the pinnacle of the trio repertoire, Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 2. Although later revised by the composer himself, the Trio gives a rare chance to hear the longer, seldom performed premiere edition.

Dunedin Consort presents this highly anticipated recording, J.S. Bach: Violin Concertos. The album contains Bach’s Concerto for violin and oboe in C minor, BWV 1060R, Violin Concerto in E major, BWV 1042, Ich hatte viel Bekummernis, BWV 21, Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041, and Concerto for two violins in D minor, BWV 1043. Establishing a reputation as one of the leaders in historical performance, The Dunedin Consort, under the direction of John Butt OBE, has won multiple awards, including a GRAMMY nomination.

The Japanese percussionst Kuniko turns to the cello suites and violin sonatas of J.S. Bach for her fourth solo studio recording with Linn. Arranged for solo marimba, Kuniko gives unique perspective of these hugely famous and intellectually challenging works. Her trademark is her highly sensitive touch, particularly with wooden instruments such as marimba, which gives these interpretations an extremely stripped-down yet natural, organic feel. The beautiful acoustic of the medieval Jaani Kirik in Estonia creates the ideal sound space for Kuniko's arrangements. Kuniko is a solost who is recognized around the world for her astonishing virtuosity, exquisite musical insight and expressive yet elegant performance style. She is renowned for her flawless technique when playing both keyboard and percussion instruments, which blends seamlessly with her profound musical intelligence.

There is a degree of self-effacement and self-absorption in his playing that I find appealing: it's as though we are eavesdropping on an intimate and private dialogue. A fine set, beautifully recorded.

– BBC Music Magazine

With no shortage to choose from, it's easy to imagine why listeners might be overwhelmed when choosing a recording of Bach's Sonatas & Partitas for solo violin. Baroque violinist Pavlo Beznosiuk throws his hat into the ring with this 2011 Linn Records set. His playing does seem very conversational, even drawing listeners into the discourse. His effortless technique shines through in the much more animated, vivacious fast movements.

– All Music Guide

Bach’s Mass in B minor is undoubtedly his most spectacular choral work and this 2010 soloist-led performance by Dunedin Consort enables a level of clarity and expression that is not traditionally a feature of modern choral performance. Another huge critical success for Dunedin Consort, it was described as ‘spine-tingling’, an ‘electric performance’ and ‘a definitive recording’; it also earned a Gramophone ‘Editor’s Choice’ accolade. Dunedin Consort performs the premiere recording of the work in the 2006 Breitkopf & Härtel edition, edited by Joshua Rifkin, a leading thinker in authentic period performance, who fully endorses John Butt’s interpretation. The music capitalizes on the very essence of the group’s skills: skilled virtuosic choral performance coupled with outstanding, characterful solo singing. This recording features several soloists from Dunedin Consort’s acclaimed recording of Bach’s Matthew Passion, which was named a ‘Benchmark Recording’ by BBC Music Magazine.

This is the premiere recording of J.S. Bach’s John Passion, heard for the first time within its original liturgical context. Director John Butt succeeds in giving listeners a refreshing outlook on one of the best-known pieces of the choral repertoire. The recording also features works by Jacob Händl Gallus, J. Crüger and J.H. Schein from an original Leipzig hymn book performed by a congregational choir and the University of Glasgow Chapel Choir. John Butt takes centre stage to perform organ chorale preludes by Bach and Schütz on the Collins organ at Edinburgh’s Greyfriar’s Kirk. The impressive cast includes Nicholas Mulroy (Evangelista), Matthew Brook (Jesus), Robert Davies, Joanne Lunn and Clare Wilkinson. The recording was named a Gramophone Award Finalist, ‘Recording of the Month’ by three separate publications and topped the UK Specialist Chart upon its release in 2013. Dunedin Consort’s recreation of this recording at the 2017 BBC Proms was a highlight of the summer, earning critical acclaim for the ‘revelatory’ and ‘vital’ performance.

The Dunedin Consort performs an invigorating performance of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos on this 2013 recording. Under the expert-direction of Bach-specialist, John Butt, Dunedin’s first instrumental release was a resounding success. The recording was nominated for both a ICMA and Gramophone Award and was #2 on The Herald’s ‘Best Classical Albums of 2013’ list. Bach’s Six Brandenburg Concertos are essential and enduringly popular works in the Baroque orchestral repertory, full of interesting instrumentation choices and dancing melodies. With characteristic aplomb, the Dunedin Consort brings to life the very best of the Baroque period. A powerfully intelligent interpretation, this period performance of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos is fulfilling on every level. Among Dunedin Consort’s talented instrumentalists are Pamela Thorby (recorder), Cecilia Bernardini (violin), Jonathan Manson (cello) and John Butt (harpsichord).

John Butt directs Dunedin Consort in this collection of three of Bach’s finest cantatas. Together, they explore the timely themes of consolation and salvation. Having previously received exceptional critical acclaim for recordings of Bach’s Mass in B minor (which was named a Benchmark Recording by BBC Music Magazine) and St. John Passion (nominated for both a 2014 ICMA and a 2013 Gramophone Award), Dunedin Consort now cements its impressive Bachian credentials with these three cantatas.

Bass Matthew Brook takes centre stage in the melancholic yet optimistic Ich habe genug, with soprano Joanne Lunn joining him to portray the searching dialogue of Jesus and the Soul in the profoundly beautiful Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen. Known as ‘Actus Tragicus’, the early cantata Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit is an altogether grander affair. Likely intended for a funeral, it stands out in Bach’s output both for its sublime choruses and its unusual instrumentation – notably the two oscillating recorders in the introduction, which set the tone for one of Bach’s most heartfelt and quietly uplifting cantatas.

Following his ‘glorious’ Shostakovich concertos recording which was named a BBC Music Magazine Concerto Choice, Simon Trpčeski releases his first solo piano album for Linn. Hailed for his powerful virtuosity, deeply expressive approach and charismatic stage presence, the pianist has recorded five sets of variations by Mozart, Brahms, and Beethoven. In addition to Mozart’s simple, elegant Variations on Salve tu Domine, and his practically unknown Variations on Come un agnello, the recital includes Brahms’s multi-layered, highly romantic Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 9, plus Beethoven’s Variations on the Russian Dance, whose classical style belies the composer’s quintessential fierceness. Beethoven’s substantial Variations on an Original Theme in C minor, whose eight-measure theme based on a descending chromatic bass sets off a whirlwind of uninterrupted variations, draws the recital to a close. The wide range of emotions expressed in these variations showcase Trpčeski’s own extraordinary range.