Christmas with the Dresdner Kreuzchor means for the approx. 120 young singers of the Kreuzchor each year also a Christmas at the Dresdner Kreuzchor. With this selection of the best and most beautiful works from it's over 800-year history, the choir gives an insight into it's traditions around the most contemplative festival of the year. When the sun sets after two concerts on December 24, you can see candles flickering through the long corridors in the buildings of the Dresdner Kreuzchor. Everyone associates Christmas carols with unique situations and traditions; this also applies to the Dresdner Kreuzchor, whose days around Christmas are filled with special moments and songs that belong to them. Rudolf Mauersberger's choral setting of "Macht hoch die Tur" as the great beginning of Christmas Vespers, "Silent Night, Holy Night" shortly before the Christmas dinner or "O du frohliche", during which Christmas is traditionally rung in with key rings during the performance in the Kreuzkirche. The Dresdner Kreuzchor takes the listeners into it's very special and unique Christmas.

This elegant, long-awaited CD by the elder statesman of cabaret is a very personal tribute to the late, great Stephen Sondheim, sampling his songs from 1954 through 1990. Ross calls this collection "a challenge and a privilege," and James Gavin, author of the definitive book on cabaret, notes that the album is "a role model for anyone who aspires to be smarter, worldlier and more stylish than the rest."

Why Poesia? Because this album explores the cello as a lyrical instrument, with resonances close to the human voice. From the bel canto of Mercadante, a little-known but refined opera composer, to Vanherenthals' flamboyant Rhapsody on the Themes of Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, each work evokes the vocal universe, sometimes with modesty, sometimes with exuberance.

Two renowned tenor greats go on a special discovery: Rene Kollo and Jay Alexander sing evening songs by Schubert, Brahms, Mendelssohn and Schumann. The well-known songs from the Romantic era have all been newly arranged for string orchestra and produced in the studio for the first time in this form. The unique album, which will be released on February 11, 2022, combines two renowned voices that complement each other exquisitely in their diversity. The two singers can be heard in duet and solo, creating a whole new listening experience of these songs. Both tenors have sung an enormous range of repertoire. Rene Kollo is not only one of the most legendary Wagner tenors of the 20th century, he also opens himself to the so-called lighter muse. "Romantic Evening Songs, " recorded with the Central German Chamber Orchestra, delights with songs such as Schubert's "I'm Abendrot, " "An den Mond, " Mendelssohn's "Nachtlied" and "Der Mond, " as well as Schumann's "Mondnacht" and Brahms' "Wiegenlied." For Jay Alexander, the collaboration with the orchestra was particularly intense: "You are able to immerse yourself in these songs in a completely different way and embed your voice; it was a beautiful atmosphere. The orchestra interpreted in such a differentiated and sensitive way - you could feel that the musicians also put their heart and soul into it." The result is an album with music that resembles a dreamlike walk on a starry night

In the 'glory days' of the 1970s recording industry (and, incidentally, the time of CRD Records' foundation), there was a rush to record the classical canon. Naturally, as a pioneering label, CRD was at the forefront of this trend and had the privilege to work with Paul on the complete piano works of Faure and Ravel, amongst others. Today, hidden corners of classical continue to be unearthed and we are encouraged to rethink genre boundaries as we elevate long-disregarded voices. Meanwhile, there is another important venture at play: the careful curation of a composer's works. This is the bent of this release. Frederic Mompou's piano works have been well-covered, not least by the maestro himself in his own performances recorded in Barcelona in 1974. So why record this repertoire again 50 years later? From our perspective, it is a fitting choice as we celebrate 50 years as a label championing classical repertoire through the performances of world-class artists. But there has to be something more than that. Such is the accessibility of music today and the desire to reach virality that we seem to have forgotten how, for it's originator, it could be a definitively private and intimate exploit. Paul invites us to listen to Mompou's' rehearsal of own'. He encourages us, as Mompou did from the outset, to listen for the silences and peer deeply into the shadows. In a world in which our attention is constantly divided, perhaps now more than ever such albums are needed. Emma Pauncefort & Tom Pauncefort

Today Peter Schreier is regarded as one of the outstanding tenors of the 20th century. His legendary 1975 recording "Peter Schreier singt Weihnachts-lieder" (Peter Schreier sings Christmas carols) was not only in almost every eastern German household but western German as well. The original master has now been extensively restored and is now available on CD for the first time.

Take time in the summer to think about the winter, country folk would say. That is just as true of CD albums compiled to celebrate the happiest days of the year. In this record-breaking sultry summer, Ludwig Guttler has been giving some thought to how to celebrate the 200th anniversary in 2018 of this global song appropriately. "It is one of the first carols I learned to play on the accordion, a present I was given for Christmas after my fifth birthday," recalls Ludwig Guttler, who remembers that when he was a child, everybody sang along. In fact it took him a long time to understand how anybody sitting in church could stay still to the sound of "Stille Nacht". In addition to the best recordings from his gigantic catalogue, there are also recordings that have not yet been publihed: Guttler has arranged "Silent Night, Holy Night!" for his brass ensemble, clad each of the six verses in an instrumental garb of it's own and recorded it in the summer in Zwettl in Austria.

RVB Quartet They bring a mix between rock and jazz which results in a refreshing sound. Interaction, improvisation and groove are the main ingredients that ensure vibrant compositions and crisp live performances. Hamabiwa The quartet feels like kings when they can play like children and let loose on their instruments. Hazel, Bibi, Marius (the little one) and Walt are the inspiration for this album.

This CD collection features famous classical Christmas pieces presented by the ensemble German Brass

When Deutschlandfunk and Musikfest Bremen first approached me to produce a CD with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, I faced the unique challenge of choosing a programme that resonated strongly with me and had a significant historical connection. Although I am half German and half Italian, I was quickly drawn to the personal ties I have with French music. I wanted to present works by young composers that had a strong impact on the history of music and pieces that offer the audience a rich, diverse soundscape. Therefore, I chose two French composers who are personally significant to me for various reasons.

Until recently, Bronsart von Schellendorf's career as a composer has been almost completely overlooked. But Liszt was aware of Bronsart's prowess, referring to his orchestral work Fruhlings-Fantasie as "beautiful and invaluable" and later declaring, "I value him as a character and a musician." Even a cursory listen to the Piano Concerto reveals a composer working in ambitious dimensions and an extrovert musical language. Rich in melodic and emotional content, Bronsart's piano writing gives ample opportunity for virtuoso display while delivering Bronsart's musical arguments with power and precision. Bronsart's good friend Hans von Bulow, another pupil of Liszt, had toured the work from 1870 onwards. He took the concerto abroad, giving a concert in Manchester under the baton of Charles Halle in 1877, by which time the work had secured a temporary foothold in the repertory.

Mozart Piano Concertos, Vol. 3. The concept behind our present undertaking, the Mozart Piano Concertos CD trilogy, is to present a range of concertos from Mozart's various compositional and performing periods, styles, techniques and instrumentations. Our endeavour is also linked with an encore-like single work on each CD, namely a Rondo. The additional connecting link between these six piano concertos is the Cadenzas & Lead-ins which Lazic�has composed himself. Here he was inspired by the common practice of the composer's day.

Joseph Swensen offers an intimate and cosmic symphonic fresco in the form of the Saga Trilogy, captured on this b-records disc. Composed in the wake of the pandemic, this trilogy explores the composer's inner world like an ancestral legend waiting to be discovered. Performed by the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, the music draws on reminiscences of Messiaen and the poetic spirit of Hafiz. From the cosmic pulsation of Primordial Cosmos to the mythological clamour of the SAGA concerto and the spiritual light of Song of Infinity, allow yourself to be swept away by this vibrant and deeply rooted work, which exists on the border between the visible and the invisible.

Evil Penguin is proud to present the first recording by Joshua Brown, Second Prize at Queen Elizabeth Competion 2024. Joshua Brown chose a Schumann programme for his debut: the two Sonatas and the rare and tricky late Fantasie. A perfect match was established between him and the much experienced and great piano partner Paolo Giacometti

A Sonic Dialogue Across Borders and Disciplines String Quartets brings together three visionary composers-Stephan Thelen, Gebhard Ullmann, and Udo Agnesens-in a compelling exploration of contemporary string quartet writing. Performed with striking intensity and nuance by the Al Pari Quartet, this album spans a landscape of sonic textures, rhythmic complexity, and deeply personal expression. The Composers & Works Stephan Thelen contributes two powerful pieces-"Urgent Call" and "Continuum in 9"-bridging minimalist structure and progressive rock energy. Drawing from his background as a mathematician and founder of the band Sonar, Thelen's music embraces polyrhythmic layering and mathematical precision while retaining an almost visceral emotional charge. "Urgent Call" is a driving invocation of Thelen's sonic ideals, while "Continuum in 9" melds crackling textures with electric urgency, breaking boundaries between concert hall and rock stage. Gebhard Ullmann's String Quartet No. 1 unfolds as a meditative, melodic journey across movements that shimmer with emotional clarity. A prominent jazz saxophonist and clarinetist, Ullmann here turns to composition as a space of reflection. His quartet opens with ethereal sul tasto textures and builds into complex interrelations of melody, memory, and transformation. Inspired by themes from his own creative archives, Ullmann's music resonates with a sense of transience and transcendence. Udo Agnesens, represented by String Quartet No. 23, offers the most introspective contribution. Though a prolific composer with over 30 quartets to his name, Agnesens often writes without seeking performance-his focus lies in creation over dissemination. The 23rd quartet is marked by a solemn pace and emotional depth, demanding immense control from the performers. It draws listeners inward, revealing it's subtle beauty through patience and restraint. "If you don't have the time to really listen to the music," he says, "maybe you should be doing something else". The Al Pari Quartet Founded in 2017 by students of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, the Al Pari Quartet-Dominik Kossakowski, Alicja Miruk-Mirska, Wiktoria Trzebowska, and Elzbieta Rychwalska-Dobrowolska -has become a formidable force in contemporary chamber music. Their work on this recording demonstrates not only technical mastery but deep interpretive insight. They deliver each composition with clarity, warmth, and expressive sensitivity, bridging the complex rhythmic structures and emotional demands of each piece.