Frank Martin's chamber music oeuvre may not take up much space on the shelf, yet it spans an entire artistic life. Together with pianist Ilona Timchenko; the Utrecht String Quartet dedicate themselves to three key works that impressively bring together tradition and modernity in the 20th century. His early piano quartet from 1919 clearly echoes influences from Bach to Franck, as well as folk melodies he had heard whilst stationed in the Savoy countryside during the First World War, though it is repeatedly enriched by dissonances that hint at more advanced harmonic ambitions. Martin quickly reached the limits of the traditional major-minor system, although he felt that music without tonality would be like architecture ignoring gravity. He combined Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique with a fine sense of sound and harmonic sophistication, particularly evident in the two outer movements. It was not until the age of 75 that Martin turned to the supreme genre of chamber music: the string quartet. Combining his inspirations from a long artistic career, his unique voice can be recognised in the chord progressions, musical flow and vivid rhythms, which the Utrecht String Quartet bring to life with natural ease.

The silver Renaissance trombone and the ostentatious claviorganum were once glittering status symbols for Renaissance popes and Baroque princes. Duo GlossArte bring these treasures to life with a colourful journey of timbres around the Mediterranean that celebrates virtuosity as well as heartfelt emotion. The bright, lyrical and contoured sound of the silver trombone is perfectly suited to virtuosic passages, from Renaissance ornamentation to Baroque stylus fantasticus. The expressive richness that Spanish historical trombone virtuoso, Juan Gonzalez Martinez explores finds an imaginative and charismatic counterpart in the Swiss-born organ and harpsichord specialist Lea Suter.

Mezzo-soprano Hermine May and pianist Manuel Lange invite you into Wagner's world of Tristan and Isolde where insatiable yearnings are awakened, passions heightened and where the fervent desire to transcend reality finds supreme love beyond death in Liebestod.

Aptly described as "music which wants to be heard with the ears of a child, full of wonder and amazement... deep and vulnerable", Ping Gao fuses the sonic aromas of East and West in a unique way, reflecting the appeal of his music throughout the world. The Sichuan-born composer finds a kindred spirit in Yubo Zhou, whose fragrant transparency and splendidly virtuoso performance create a poetic banquet for the ears.

Jan Von Busch and Johann Blanchard have compiled true highlights from the modest repertoire for the once-so-popular pairing of organ and piano. Recorded exclusively for MDG on the historic W�ldner organ from 1874, the restored instrument harmonises perfectly with the magnificent Bechstein grand piano. The organ's small size creates the possibility of truly balanced music-making with the piano in respect of dynamics, allowing a natural reproduction of French concert halls and salons of the 19th century - a programme of rare value!

The Detmold Horn Players, led by Michael H�ltzel, their legendary founder and director as well as influential teacher, present Hubertusmesse (St. Hubert's Mass), one of the very first recordings by the Detmold-based audiophile label MDG. The outstanding sound, technical craftsmanship, and, above all, musical quality of these sensational works for parforce horns, including several historical hunting fanfares from Bohemian, French, and Austrian traditions, are something quite extraordinary and vouch for the consistency with which MDG has been inspiring music lovers and sound enthusiasts around the world ever since.

It was a sensation, crowned by an OPUS KLASSIK award: the rediscovery of Johann Daniel Pucklitz's 'Oratorio secondo'. The breathtaking music of the Gdansk composer inspired Andrzej Szadejko and his Goldberg Baroque & Vocal Ensemble to embark on a complete edition of his works. The first instalment features two Lutheran masses and a number of cantatas that are set to rewrite the musical history of the Baltic region.

Ben van Oosten is the superstar of symphonic organ music. His multiple award-winning recordings of almost the entire French Romantic organ repertoire are highly acclaimed worldwide. With this dedication to the German Romantic repertoire with masterpieces spanning from Mendelssohn to Reger, van Oosten takes listeners on a sonorous journey through a century of music history that is inspiring in every way.

The primal force of the spoken word collides with evocative music that pierces the heart: the irrepressible power of Moor Mother's apocalyptic album is visceral. This spellbinding symphonic version created for the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn and the string quintet Wooden Elephant by Ian Anderson, the impassioned opus by the radical American poet becomes a grandiose Gesamtkunstwerk that touches the soul.

The primal force of the spoken word collides with evocative music that pierces the heart: the irrepressible power of Moor Mother's' apocalyptic album is visceral. This spellbinding symphonic version created for the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn and the string quintet Wooden Elephant by Ian Anderson, the impassioned opus by the radical American poet becomes a grandiose Gesamtkunstwerk that touches the soul.

For Wolfgang Amadeus, composing violin sonatas was a welcome respite from his tiresome commissions. With great clarity of expression and the right combination of lightness, playfulness and depth that make these pieces so special, Tibor Gyenge and Michael Schoch present a selection of their favourites.

Baroque bad boy Francesc Valls shook the music world by not conforming to standard practice and using unconventional harmonies and gratuitous dissonance. Ensemble Bachwerkvokal led by Gordon Safari take this controversial Catalan composer from the time of Bach out of the archives and present his extraordinary works for the first time in this world premiere recording.

To mark the 120th anniversary of Estonia's national composer Eduard Tubin, this exuberant chamber music programme, including two world premiere recordings, traces Tubin's life, which is clearly marked by the dramatic upheavals of the 20th century. Early works side by side with late compositions show deep insights into the artist's soul - we hear his inner struggles, his development and his joys in top-class interpretations by pianist Kart Ruubel and her twin sister Triin, violin, as well as Xandi van Dijk, viola and Theodor Sink, cello.

This is the most comprehensive collection ever recorded: The Leipzig Quartet have achieved legendary status with all Franz Schubert's string quartets and fragments, string trios and the famous Trout Quintet with Christian Zacharias. Great works like the Trout, Rosamunde, and Death and the Maiden juxtaposed with fragments and early works provide deep insights into Schubert's compositional development, making this 10-CD collector's edition so appealing.

France was on the brink of revolution and Haydn was at the height of his international fame. These flamboyant quartets were written especially for the lucrative Parisian market, where quatuor brillant was becoming increasingly popular. The style is dazzlingly virtuosic and Stefan Arzberger shines with Haydn's most brilliant, high-flying, concerto-like passages, leading this remarkable ensemble's captivating interpretation with admirable aplomb.