Exploring the oeuvre of Mauro Montalbetti is like moving through a labyrinth made of glass, in which the apparent simplicity of the surfaces hides, in full view, the multilayered interplay of references and reflections. Since the late 1980s, the composer from Brescia has progressively tackled almost every genre, in a succession of experiences that have been described as phases in their own right, but which are surprising for the coherence and naturalness of their development. This recording by the AltreVoci Ensemble and Laura Bersani has among it's merits precisely that of allowing us to discover the path that Montalbetti has traced in his now more than 35 years of activity through his output for transverse flute, an instrument deeply loved by Montalbetti, who cites among his references the great flutist Annamaria Morini, whom he met and listened to several times in the 1980s, and the works of Varese, Debussy, Messiaen, Berio, Maderna, Matsudaira, Hosokawa, Takemitsu and, of course, his teacher Giacometti.

The sorceress Armide, infatuated with the valiant knight Roland, but desperate for Roland to return her love, tries at all costs to lure him into her arms. At the same time, the courageous Herminie tries to protect Tancrede, Roland's companion, from the dangers that threaten him. Published in 1704, Suite d'Armide ou Jerusalem delivree is as rare as it is unique: in the handwriting of the Regent Philippe d'Orleans, it's composition testifies to a certain talent and a refined ear. Leonardo Garcia-Alarcon and Cappella Mediterranea brilliantly restore the little-known genius of the sovereign.

The critically acclaimed Invencia Piano Duo make their Divine Art debut with Dualities, a dazzling album that expands the possibilities of the piano duet and duo repertoire. Drawing on their virtuosity and innovative spirit, the duo explores works that transcend the boundaries of traditional solo piano, delivering arrangements that demand the synergy of four hands. Highlights of the album include Andrey Kasparov's stunning arrangements of Liszt's Totentanz, Ravel's La valse, Scriabin's Vers la flamme, and Albeniz's Triana. These beloved solo pieces are reimagined with breathtaking scope and texture, demonstrating the Invencia Piano Duo's interpretive depth. The album also features two original compositions by Kasparov: Fantasy on Lutheran Chorales and Cadenza for LvB. These works showcase the duo's mastery of both performance and composition, taking full advantage of the dynamic and expressive potential of four-hand piano playing. Founded by Andrey Kasparov and Oksana Lutsyshyn, the Invencia Piano Duo bring a wealth of experience and accolades to their performances. Educated at the Moscow State Conservatory and later at Indiana University's School of Music, the duo has won international recognition for their compelling interpretations and bold programming. Both artists are esteemed faculty members at Old Dominion University in Virginia and serve as artistic co-directors of the Norfolk Chamber Consort. Their individual achievements are equally impressive. Lutsyshyn, a prizewinner at the William Kapell International Piano Competition, made her Carnegie Hall debut following her success. Kasparov, winner of the Albert Roussel Prize, has premiered significant works such as Bartok's revised Piano Concerto No. 3 and earned recognition as a composer of published and recorded works. The Invencia Piano Duo's discography includes a celebrated four-volume series of Florent Schmitt's piano duet works on Grand Piano Records, as well as albums for Albany and Naxos. With Dualities, they continue to push artistic boundaries, presenting an arresting collection that redefines the piano duo repertoire. This album is an essential addition for lovers of virtuosic piano music, blending brilliance, originality, and deep musicality in a singular listening experience.

Musica viva KALITZKE AND FERRARI Johannes Kalitzke: Zeitkapsel - Totentanz fur gro�es Orchester ("Time Capsule - Dance of Death for large orchestra") Luc Ferrari: Histoire du Plaisir et de la Desolation ("A Story of Pleasure and Desolation") On November 10, 2023, Johannes Kalitzke presented himself in a double role as conductor and composer ("the one makes you want the other") in the Herkulessaal of the Munich Residenz with the world premiere of his Zeitkapsel - Totentanz for large orchestra ("Time Capsule - Dance of Death for large orchestra"), commissioned by musica viva, as well as with Luc Ferrari's Histoire du Plaisir et de la Desolation, a sonic search for "new sensuality". - Both compositions can be experienced in this CD live recording of the musica viva concert. Johannes Kalitzke (born 1959) is a renowned German conductor and composer. Zeitkapsel - Totentanz for large orchestra was commissioned by Bavarian Radio's musica viva in 2022-2023. The world premiere documented on this CD took place on November 10, 2023 in Munich. Sebastian Schottke was responsible for the sound direction. Representing time capsules in the material sense, the orchestral piece contains musical artifacts from different times and cultures that were rediscovered at a later date and that characterise the sonic context of the piece, above all the first ever acoustic recording in history: a recording of sound waves on wax paper from 1860. Fragments of it can be heard at the end of the piece, like a revelation. Histoire du Plaisir et de la Desolation for orchestra by Luc Ferrari (1929-2005) was written in 1979-1981 as a Radio France commission for the Orchestre National de France, and was premiered in Paris in 1982 by that orchestra under the direction of Michael Luig. Orchestral music is not necessarily what one associates with the name Luc Ferrari. The composer, who died young, became known primarily as an exponent of musique concrete, opening up new creative paths in his use of tape technology. His sonic quest leads from the promising opening movement Harmonie du diable to the double-edged nature of pleasure (Plaisir-Desir), only to fail brilliantly with the "rupture of all logic" in the final Ronde de la desolation. ? Johannes Kalitzke conducts the world premiere of his orchestral piece Zeitkapsel - Totentanz for large orchestra; live recording from the Herkulessaal of the Munich Residenz as part of Bavarian Radio's musica viva concert series ? He also conducts the impressive and rarely performed orchestral piece Histoire du Plaisir et de la Desolation by the French composer and sound artist Luc Ferrari ? The conductor and composer Kalitzke conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Johannes Kalitzke, conductor

The idea of developing a project on Bolognese composers for guitar has been more and more appealing to me, as my activity of ensemble guitarist increased; an activity which I had firmly chosen in accordance with the 1970s' ideals regarding collective work. I have always found this way of making music more rewarding and useful than soloistic work, which I still perceive as self-referential; especially in the field of contemporary music, very self-referential per se. Within programmes structured even for large ensembles, I have often found myself proposing pieces for soloists, sometimes very beautiful, either by young authors at the beginning of their career or by renowned composers who often belonged to the Bolognese music environment. However, what I have always found somewhat absurd is that those compositions, prepared with care, sometimes for prestigious events such as "Chigiana Novit�", were often first and last ever performances. From this sort of frustration derives the choice to collect these few pieces, in order to narrate the Bolognese voice of the guitar from the 1970s to the 2020s, along an ideal itinerary of teachers and students (who became teachers themselves) starting from their forefather, Giacomo Manzoni, and to record them so that they won't be forgotten. Andrea Orsi

Polish wind quintets vol. 3

The Promises of Darkness marks the next chapter in the visionary collaboration between Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Roger Reynolds and conductor/producer Mathias Reumert. Released by Ekkozone, this landmark album showcases world premiere recordings of four major works, tracing four decades of Reynolds's trailblazing contributions to contemporary music. The title work, The Promises of Darkness (1975), pays homage to Reynolds's mentor Roberto Gerhardt. Scored for an ensemble of 11 players, this piece masterfully conjures vivid colors and an almost cinematic sense of dread, revealing Reynolds as a composer unafraid to probe the edges of musical and emotional experience. From 1985 comes Mistral, for strings, brass, and amplified harpsichord. Although inspired by an encounter with the forceful Mediterranean wind, the piece is "neither illustrative nor programmatic," according to the composer. Mistral has previously been released in a lo-fi live recording, but the highly refined score - with it's crystalline articulate harpsichord - is finally brought to life in this new version, which Reynolds himself has hailed as "a triumph." A relentless exploration of the interplay between two harmonic strata, Dionysus (1990) involves "a blend of metaphor and pragmatics" and is captured in a breathtakingly precise performance, with expressive solos from flutist Helene Navasse and trumpeter Laszlo Molnar. Closing the album is the electroacoustic Positings (2013), where the Mathias Reumert Group is joined by computer musician and Reynolds collaborator Paul Hembree. Seamlessly blending live performance with electronic textures, Positings embodies Reynolds's innovative spirit, pushing the boundaries of sound and structure. This release follows the critically acclaimed Wind Concertos, the first in the Reynolds/Reumert series, which earned Album of the Year (The Five Best) from the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in 2024. With The Promises of Darkness, Ekkozone solidifies it's reputation as a home for groundbreaking contemporary music, curated with Reumert's exacting vision.

These are world premiere recordings of Paul Wranitzky (1756 - 1808) (contemporary of Mozart) Violin Concertos on period instruments. Recorded in Nova Rise Monastery where Wranitzky Studied. The Soloist is Lina Tur Bonet, together with the Wranitzky Kapelle and Marek stilec - conductor

Baroque repertoire paired with two arrangements of pop songs by Sam Smith (Unholy) and Billie Eilish (Everything I wanted). Ensemble reflektor is ambassador for a musical culture without boarders advocating new performance concepts and stylistically varied programs. Oboe Concerto in G Minor by Platti, Oboe Concerto in D minor (after BWV 974) by Marcello, Double Concerto in D minor RV 535 by Vivaldi, Sonata No. 1 by elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre

These are works by Makkonen, Bartok, Bach, Semionov, Lukes, Kovac Galliano, Hermosa, Messiaen inspired by dance and folk music performed by Anna Paulova and Jiri Lukes

This setting of the Stabat Mater, a 13th century hymn to the Virgin Mary, is written for soprano, tenor and bass soloists as well as chorus, strings and piano. The work was composed in 2009 and divides the original twenty stanzas of the text into ten movements. It describes the grief-stricken Mother of Jesus standing at the foot of cross, on which he is suffering an agonising death. The overall shape of these movements provides something of an arch structure, with similar music at the beginning and end. Similarly, a slower variation of the second movement is used for the penultimate movement.

Brian Buch says about this album: I often compose pieces in collections of works. Composed between 2016 and 2018, the music on this CD predominantly features music from a collection I call Maze of Infinite Forms. Inspired by the writings of the Indian polymath Rabindranath Tagore, these pieces extract insanity from the ordinary - often presenting a simple idea in the current of chaos. This music lives on the edge of certainty - embracing while at times fearful of sudden descent into madness.

Agostino Steffani (1654-1728) is one of the most remarkable figures of the European Baroque period and was not only a composer, but also a priest and diplomat. He directed the Hanover Opera and influenced some of the most important musicians of his time with his work. This recording combines his Psalmodia vespertina (1674) with the posthumously published Stabat Mater. The psalms are scored for double choir and organ, but are presented here in a richer instrumentation with strings and winds as well as alternations between soli and tutti.

The Donizetti Opera Festival in Bergamo continues to present early works by Donizetti that have been unjustly neglected for decades. Alfredo il Grande, a love story that explores the defeat of the invading Danish army by the victorious Britons, was first performed in 1823 and was revived in this production two centuries later. Skilfully orchestrated, it features memorable arias for the hero Alfredo, and includes a superb concluding rondo for the heroine Amalia, as well as a radiant quintet. The opera is heard here in Edoardo Cavalli's 2021 critical edition. Gramophone called it 'a vocally accomplished performance' and 'a fine revival'.

Naples and Venice were two of the most important centers for music in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries. On this new recording of baroque recorder concertos from Italy, the Bremen Baroque Orchestra and Clara Guldberg Ravn once again demonstrate their great joy of playing and the highest quality of baroque performance practice. In addition to well-known works by Antonio Vivaldi and the recorder evergreen by Giuseppe Sammartini, the young Danish recorder player has also ventured into rather unknown baroque works by the Neapolitan Nicola Fiorenza and the Swede Johan Helmich Roman.