One of the most important sources to be copied in the 14th century, the Codex of Las Huelgas is an anthology of chants from the 13th century that are prime examples of the Ars Antiqua. It includes many original pieces, as well as some that can be found elsewhere in various Spanish sources, and others that originally came from the Notre-Dame school. Two specialist Italian vocal groups share in the epic project of recording the entire Codex, with these two discs constituting the first instalment.

The performing styles of Armoniosoincanto and the Gruppo Vocale Garda Trentino are tonally different but share similarities in their approach to interpreting the various pieces. The young voices of the Gruppo Vocale Garda Trentino offer a luminosity and a rhythmic effect that creates a brilliant, precise vocal quality, always expressive and communicative. Armoniosoincanto presents interpretative impulses that are more reflective and controlled – partly in response to the texts, and partly due to the group’s vocal timbre, which is more mature in certain respects. That is not to say that this timbre is any less brilliant where required, nor any less mellow in the psalmodic formulations.

These performances are based on the transcriptions published by the Codex’s first editor, Higinio Anglès, in El CoÌdex Musical de Las Huelgas (Muìsica a veus dels segles XIII–XIV) (1931) and on Juan Carlos Asensio’s work El Códice Polifonico de Las Huelgas: aspectos codicológicos y notacionales – La Música en el Monasterio de Las Huelgas en tiempos de su Códice Polifònico (Editorial Apuerto, 2001).

Pianist and composer Marina Baranova released her album Hypersuites on Berlin Classics in August 2016. "My Hypersuites are acoustic remixes of baroque masters," says the artist. For her project, she selected compositions by four Baroque composers - Couperin, J. S. Bach, Rameau and Handel - and combined individual pieces by these composers to create four suites of her own. The result of this exploration is a new Gesamtkunstwerk, a modern "mixed tape": Hypersuites. Baroque music of the 21st century. For Hypersuites, recorded on a modern Steinway grand piano in the Berlin Teldex studio, Marina Baranova has invited a special guest: Composer and pianist Hauschka created a remix of Rameau's La Poule. The result is a piece that mirrors baroque and electronic music. What if this idea is taken a step further? Marina Baranova is a classical concert pianist who has her musical roots not only in classical music but also in jazz. However, her interests go much further. The idea for Hypersuites came to her during a DJ session. She thought that scratches are basically the modern form of baroque musical embellishments. So nothing could be more obvious than to give the Hypersuites another musical color: Electronic arrangements of Baranova's version for solo instrument. How do DJs, contemporary composers and musicians interpret baroque music? How modern is baroque music, and how can it be transferred into the present day? Not just remixes, but an independent piece of music should be created, with an individual signature without any specifications or restrictions. Who takes part? Hauschka created a 6-minute version of Rameau's La Poule for Hypersuites Reloaded. The musician is known for his "prepared piano" and film scores, but new projects are also leading him more towards classical music with orchestras and chamber ensembles. The composers, producers and musicians John Kameel Farah, Damian Marhulets, Humboldt, Kostia Rapoport, Jannis Block, Anton Berman and Raz Ohara can also be heard with their own remixes. Marina has also created her own remix, which is not just a remix, but offers yet another unique approach to Bach's Siciliano.

The album Intrecci New compositions and arrangements for Guitar, produced with the support of the MiC Ministry of Culture and SIAE as part of the 'Per Chi Crea' program, presents a singular listening itinerary that sees Giacomo Susani's two souls as an interpreter and composer dialogue in an original way. The program unfolds in four pairs of songs: four original compositions, accompanied by four repertoire arrangements created by Susani himself. "Mine was not an operation of transcription as faithful as possible to the originals - says Giacomo Susani - but I decided to move in an arrangement dimension functional to the narrative arc of the CD and therefore aimed at enhancing the intrinsically identifying qualities of the guitar." The first pair of songs that opens the album sees two works brought together and characterized by a fundamental contrapuntal architecture: a very short Fuga by G.F. Handel, taken from Voluntary X for organ, and the original piece Dialogo (homage to Lauro), born from a commission received by Pixaudio for an upcoming documentary on Antonio Lauro. With a change of interior landscape, we move on to Caprice 4 for solo violin by Pierre Rode, a composer and famous French violinist who lived between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, associated with the piece that gives the album it's title: Intrecci (homage to Paganini) by Susani, a work commissioned by the Paganini Guitar Festival 2024 and which pays homage to Paganini by developing a dialogue between the two gestural worlds, that of the violin and that of the guitar, both loved by the Genoese composer. The third pair of pieces leads into the more abstract dimension of melancholy and meditation, with the very famous June by P.I. Tchaikovsky for piano in the version for guitar created by Giacomo Susani and the original piece by Susani Gems dreaming which the author considers his most abstract work among those on the album. The listening ends with an arrangement of Moon River by Henry Mancini and an original piece in three movements inspired by three paintings by the British author Frederic Leighton. An album that develops in an eclectic meeting of sound worlds and artistic illuminations, where the classical repertoire is singularly intertwined with contemporary expression.

The award-winning vibraphonist Pascal Schumacher and the internationally acclaimed pianist Danae Dorken present their new album 'Glass Two' - an impressive musical homage to one of the most influential composers of our time: Philip Glass. Their unusual instrumentation for piano and vibraphone creates an unrivaled sound world that brings Glass' minimalist worksto life in a new and refreshing way. At the heart of the album are original interpretations of Glass' compositions, complemented by Schumacher's own works. These pieces, inspired by personalities who influenced the American composer, such as the poet Allen Ginsberg or the sculptor Richard Serra, form a unique fusion of two musical worlds. This fusion creates a profound and multifaceted, yet reduced and clear atmosphere. Pascal Schumacher and Danae Dorken impressively demonstrate that less is sometimes more: Their artfully crafted arrangements are characterised by a fascinating transparency that captures the essence of minimalist music. The result is a captivating listening experience that allows the colors and textures of Glass' works to shine in a new light and interact harmoniously with Schumacher's own compositions. The album will be released on the Neue Meister label on CD and vinyl on 8 November 2024 and is an indispensable discovery for all lovers of modern classical music. Immerse yourself in the soundscapes of 'Glass Two' and experience a musical journey that inspires both in it's reduction and diversity

Explore the cutting-edge fusion of tradition and technology with Preludes Tableaux, the latest album by visionary composer Johannes Motschmann. In this groundbreaking work, Motschmann collaborates with a custom-built AI, uniquely designed and meticulously trained to understand and replicate his distinctive compositional style. This is no ordinary AI; it was created specifically for this project, using a vast dataset of Motschmann's previous works to shape it's creative output. Each track on the album is the result of a dynamic interaction between Motschmann's human intuition and the AI's computational creativity, blurring the lines between human and machine-made music. The result is a compelling blend of organic and synthetic artistry that redefines musical collaboration. To enhance the sonic depth, the album was recorded using iconic analog instruments such as the Steinway D, Yamaha CP 70, Rhodes, and Wurlitzer, creating an immersive and rich soundscape. Alongside Motschmann's original compositions, the album features faithful, original renditions of classical works by Bach, Schonberg, Skrjabin, and Alain, offering a journey that bridges the gap between the historical and the contemporary.

Explore the cutting-edge fusion of tradition and technology with Preludes Tableaux, the latest album by visionary composer Johannes Motschmann. In this groundbreaking work, Motschmann collaborates with a custom-built AI, uniquely designed and meticulously trained to understand and replicate his distinctive compositional style. This is no ordinary AI; it was created specifically for this project, using a vast dataset of Motschmann's previous works to shape it's creative output. Each track on the album is the result of a dynamic interaction between Motschmann's human intuition and the AI's computational creativity, blurring the lines between human and machine-made music. The result is a compelling blend of organic and synthetic artistry that redefines musical collaboration. To enhance the sonic depth, the album was recorded using iconic analog instruments such as the Steinway D, Yamaha CP 70, Rhodes, and Wurlitzer, creating an immersive and rich soundscape. Alongside Motschmann's original compositions, the album features faithful, original renditions of classical works by Bach, Schonberg, Skrjabin, and Alain, offering a journey that bridges the gap between the historical and the contemporary.

Dive into the mesmerizing soundscape of Alex Stolze's latest album, "Raash ve Ruach." This groundbreaking work weaves together the powerful contrasts of contemporary classical music and electronica, where the violin takes center stage, singing in place of words during a time that often feelsspeechless. "Raash ve Ruach," meaning "Noise and Spirit," is more than just an album-it's a call for spiritual reflection. Inspired by ancient Hebrew traditions and the unsettling events of our time, Stolze's music resonates with both the turmoil of the present and the longing for renewal. Crafted in the tranquility of the Uckermark and polished in Berlin's vibrant Neukolln, this album is a unique blend of rhythmic beats and introspective melodies. Perfect for those who crave music that moves both the body and the soul, "Raash ve Ruach" is a danceable yet deeply reflective experience. Let the wind of Stolze's violin carry you through the noise and into a place of solace.

Why should things be more fair in musical history than elsewhere? Here, too, the wall that stands between fame and obscurity is very thin and, moreover, rather arbitrarily erected. But it can be unsurmountably high. Coincidences, small vicissitudes of life can decide between success and failure in the eyes of posterity. The composers whose works we find on this recording are prime examples of this. On the one hand, George Frideric Handel, the cosmopolitan, widely known composer, chapel master to His Majesty, the King of England, and director of the Royal Academy of Music, who hardly needs any further introduction, and, on the other hand, Johann Sigismund Weiss. Who? The name Weiss only brings to mind Sylvius Leopold, the famous lutenist at the Dresden court, acquainted with Bach - this was the older brother of our Weiss. He, too, was a professional musician, and, as his works show, one who was entirely on a par with his brother, indeed even with Handel - but he never became famous. He was born ca. 1690 in Breslau, and died in Mannheim in 1737. We hardly know anything about his life and work. From 1708 to 1718, he was lutenist of the Electoral Palatinate court chapel in Dusseldorf, subsequently - until 1723 - he held the same position in Mannheim. There he advanced to court Kapellmeister. But his path crossed that of Handel.

Christian Euler, together with his piano partner Paul Rivinius, present two Brahmsian masterpieces which foreshadow the fin de siecle and contrast these with Schumann's "Marchenbilder", whose fairytale-like character is reflected in the music's imaginative narrative gesture, transporting the listener into an enchanting world full of magic, poetry and longing.

Baglama virtuoso, composer and singer Erdal Akkaya together with the baroque orchestra caterva musica take listeners on an exciting musical voyage through centuries of shared history between Orient and Occident. "It is like embracing the past, the future and eternity on the banks of the river of culture, which has been flowing uninterruptedly for centuries" describes Akkaya. His original compositions alongside European and Turkish music from the 14th to the 18th centuries tell stories of love and quarrels, truths and falsehoods, peace and conflict, giving insights into the multifaceted relationship between the Ottoman Empire and the West.

Inspired by the power and clarity of an extraordinary instrument handcrafted by a legendary guitarrero from Granada, guitar virtuoso Stephen Marchionda presents his very own personal versions of Bach's Sonata in A Minor and the Suite in E Major; and together with the Lute Suite BWV 997 he has created an album that masterfully combines polyphonic intimacy with sonorous opulence.

At once sensual and existential, this collection of songs-composed across 125 years-meditates on nature and nostalgia, sex and love, the ephemerality of the human spirit, and the eternal, transformative power of art. These song cycles of Edvard Grieg, Claude Debussy, George Crumb, and Robert Spano coalesce into a testament to the limitless potency and fragility of love-both it's resplendent joys and it's tender sorrows. Despite love's transience and riskiness, the album compels us to ruminate on Rilke's witticism that "for one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks...' Each of the cycles presents us with existential questions of life and death, love and loss, but the album is structured in couplets. Debussy and Spano draw upon Ancient Greece, Grieg and Crumb draw upon enchantments of nature, the temporality of love, life, and memory. Claude Debussy's ethereal Chansons de Bilitis (1899) evokes a lusty, Grecian fever dream where the tumescence of love and desire comes to the fore. Robert Spano's Sonnets to Orpheus (2020) lends voice to Rilke's enigmatic eponymous poetry. Spano's setting of the songs-the intimate conversation between piano and soprano-"draws one voice out of two separate strings." Meanwhile, George Crumb's Three Early Songs (1947) emerge as whispered secrets, darkly-hued odes to impermanent nature-night, a flower, and wind. The songs lead us to ponder the difference between the actual and the seeming. Chansons de Bilitis is a sensual, sultry tease in more ways than one. The poetry penned by Pierre Louÿs is a literary forgery. Louÿs, in an introduction to his original poems, claimed that the verses were found in the tomb of a sixth-century (fictional) poetess named Bilitis. She was made out to be a contemporary of Sappho and the poems were written as pastiches in the style of Sapphic erotism. This deception only fueled the work's popularity. And although Debussy only sets three poems, Louÿs wrote 143 poems separated into three volumes that span scenes of pastoral youth (Book I: Bucoliques en Pamphylie), to burgeoning Lesbian-referring both to same-sex attraction and to acts associated with the isle of Lesbos-sexuality (Book II: elegies à Mytilene), and to life as a courtesan at the employ of Aphrodite (Book III: Epigrammes dans l'île de Chypre). In this way, maturation narratives-bildungsroman-form a motif throughout this album. Louÿs was inspired by sex tourism, to be blunt. At the insistence of friend and fellow writer, Andre Gide, Louÿs traveled to Algeria to indulge in sensual exoticism (and orientalism). A young Arab woman, Meriem, had come highly recommended by Gide who wrote of her and her music as something that "stupefied me like an opiate" as it "drowsily and voluptuously benumbed my thoughts." Meriem would become the muse for Chansons, which Louÿs began to draft in Algeria; the dedication of the collection reads "in memory of Meriem ben Atala." The turn of the twentieth century was rife with literary and musical games-anagrams, witticisms, forgeries, and puns. Louÿs even includes a fake scholar in the introduction to his work named G. Heim, meaning "mysterious" in German. And the title seems to me to be a play on words suggesting the feebleness, the feeblemindedness, debilite (de Bilitis) of love, sex, and the trickery of artistry. Exoticism too was par for the fin de siecle course-just think of the Orientalism of Delibes's Lakme (1883), Ravel's Sheherazade (1898/1902), and Debussy's own "Pagodas" from his piano suite, Estampes (1903). Each piece relies on coded musical identifiers that suggest otherness-nonconventional percussion instruments, incessant and layered rhythms, and sonic chinoiserie. For those sonic elements, Louÿs called upon his dear friend, Debussy, to orchestrate music to underscore his poetry. Debussy complained that the turnaround time was too short. Nevertheless, he was hard up and needed the money.

Musical individuality rather than symbiotic fusion: on historical instruments, but with the greatest expressive freedom, the musical details of Beethoven, Schubert, and Vorisek's works from early-nineteenth-century Vienna speak directly to the listener.

Award-winning duo, cellist Doris Hochscheid and pianist Frans van Ruth present enchanting works by Daniel van Goens with natural elegance and breathtaking virtuosity. Their highly-acclaimed Dutch Cello Sonatas Project is a veritable treasure trove of musical rediscoveries and the duo was honoured with the Knight's Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau for their contribution to Dutch culture.

Plain Songs: 'Love Comes Quietly' (after Robert Creeley) is composer Peter Garland's haunting seven-movement work for pipe organ, performed by acclaimed organist Carson Cooman on the Fisk organ at Harvard Memorial Church. Garland writes about "Plain Songs": "I wanted to write a piece for organ that would be intimate and mostly quiet, emphasizing the nature of the organ as a wind instrument capable of long, sustained tones. I wanted the musical textures to be open and transparent, rather than dense and massive. I also had in mind smaller historical organs and their music. The reference to the poet Robert Creeley is relevant to the above-mentioned goals. I greatly admire the simplicity and clarity of his poetic language; it's lucidity and how it rarely strays from the directness of popular, vernacular speech. I wanted to emulate those qualities in my music to the extent it was possible: to transfer the music of his poetry into the language of my music." Peter Garland is a composer, world traveler, musicologist, and writer whose music is informed by his well-traveled ear and strong sense of personal vision. He studied with Harold Budd and James Tenney and maintained long friendships with Lou Harrison, Conlon Nancarrow, Paul Bowles, and Dane Rudhyar. As a musicologist, he has focused on Native American, Mexican, and Southwestern American musics and 20th-century experimental composers of the Americas, championing the work of Revueltas, Partch, and Nancarrow long before their music became fashionable and regularly programmed. Since the early 1970s, Garland's music has been marked by a return to a "radical consonance" and simplification of formal structure influenced by Cage, Harrison, early minimalism, and a great variety of world musics. His unique and highly engaging pieces have been played around the world by such noted performers as pianists Aki Takahashi, Herbert Henck, and Sarah Cahill; percussionist William Winant; accordionist Guy Klucevsek; and the Kronos Quartet and released on the Cold Blue, Tzadik, New Albion, Mode, Avant, Toshiba-EMI/Angel, New World, and other labels. "Garland's music seems to be about the sheer expressive power of sound itself.... I feel he is one of our true originals." (Robert Carl, Fanfare magazine) "Garland is... a composer of mesmerizing music." (Kyle Gann, Chamber Music magazine) "A marvelous artist." (Harold Budd) Carson Cooman is an acclaimed concert organist who specializes in the performance of contemporary music-and more than 300 compositions by over 100 composers have been written for him by such composers as Kyle Gann, Jennifer Higdon, Jo Kondo, Robert Moran, Howard Skempton, and Linda Catlin Smith. His organ performances can be heard on a numerous of recordings. And as a composer, Cooman has written hundreds of works that have been performed around the world. He is currently Research Associate in Music and Composer in Residence at Harvard's Memorial Church. "Carson Cooman is one of the most versatile and active musicians of our time. Pianist, organist, composer, and improviser, he is excellent in every field." (Music and Vision) "Cooman's success as a composer for the organ is due in large part to his innate understanding of the instrument as a performer." (American Record Guide) "Carson Cooman is a nimble, nuanced, and eloquent advocate." (Choir & Organ)

Les Beatles (mais pas que) en jazz. Le duo Sara Longo / Alvise Seggi nous invite dans un voyage onirique et intime qui fait voile au gre des melodies du tandem Lennon/ McCarney. Surprenant et envoûtant. Augustin BONDOUX The Beatles in jazz. Lending sails to the melodies of Lennon and McCartney, the duo of Sara Longo and Alvise Seggi takes us on an intimate, dreamlike tour. The result? A voyage of spellbinding surprises. ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (FEAT. MATTEO GALLUS) - ELEANOR RIGBY (FEAT. DUDU KOUATe & MICHELE BONIVENTO) - CAN't BUY ME LOVE (FEAT. NICOLA ANGELUCCI) - TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS - ALL THAT MATTERS IS TODAY - FOR NO ONE - COME TOGETHER (FEAT. NICOLA ANGELUCCI) - LET IT BE - NORWEGIAN WOOD (FEAT. FILIPPO VIGNATO) - AND I LOVE HER - ENDLESS LAWNS - QUE JE T'AIME - ALFONSINA y EL MAR. SARA LONGO VOICE - ALVISE SEGGI DOUBLEBASS AND CELLO + SPECIAL GUESTS: MATTEO GALLUS VIOLIN - FILIPPO VIGNATO TROMBONE - MICHELE BONIVENTO HAMMOND ORGAN - DUDU KOUATe PERCUSSIONS - NICOLA ANGELUCCI DRUMS.

Music as a timeless connection-this is the essence of Ground. Tamar Halperin's latest album bridges centuries, blending Baroque masterpieces with contemporary compositions, harpsichord with synthesizers, and tradition with reinvention. Featuring works by Bach, Buxtehude, Francesco Tristano, Michael Wollny, Idan Raichel and more, Ground explores the invisible thread that links musical eras and styles. Through bold reinterpretations and fresh compositions, Halperin transforms historical influences into a deeply personal, yet universally resonant, listening experience. A celebration of music, friendship, and cultural continuity- Ground is where past and present converge in harmony.

Yannis Constans, prodigieux guitariste occitan, qui s'est dejà produit avec les plus grands (Stochelo Rosenberg, Dorado et Tchavolo Schmitt, Angelo Debarre,...), s'associe à Samson Schmitt, virtuose inconteste, icône du jazz manouche. Un album unique, où tradition et modernite se rencontrent, tisse de complicites et de sonorites chamarrees. Incontournable pour tous les amoureux de guitares aux semelles de vent. Augustin BONDOUX/Patrick FReMEAUX Yannis Constans, a prodigious Occitan guitarist who has already appeared with the greatest (Stochelo Rosenberg, Dorado and Tchavolo Schmitt, Angelo Debarre,...) plays here with Samson Schmitt, undeniably a virtuoso musician and an icon in gypsy jazz. This album is unique, with an encounter between the tradition and the modern that is filled with entente and richly coloured sounds. An unavoidable record made for those who love guitars that tread as lightly as the wind. Augustin BONDOUX/Patrick FReMEAUX LE CHAT ET LA SOURIS (SAMSON SCHMITT) - EZPERANZA (YANNIS CONSTANS) - CASSE-NOISETTE (SAMSON SCHMITT) - ANAÏS (YANNIS CONSTANS) - MERCI DJANGO (SAMSON SCHMITT) - LA BOITE À MUSIQUE (SAMSON SCHMITT) - POR TUS OJOS (YANNIS CONSTANS) - BIBODe (DORADO SCHMITT) - HORA ADRIANO (YANNIS CONSTANS) - POUR MON PeRE (DORADO SCHMITT) - CHORO PRA ELEA (YANNIS CONSTANS) - RHAPSODIE À 6 CORES (SAMSON SCHMITT) - BONUS : PAPA ET LE TANGO (SAMSON SCHMITT). YANNIS CONSTANS ET SAMSON SCHMITT : GUITARE - CAMILLE WOLFROM : CONTREBASSE INVITeS : DORADO SCHMITT : VIOLON - STEFI SCHMITT ET STENLI SCHMITT : CHANT - NICOLA GIAMMARINARO : CLARINETTE - ROBERTO GERVASI : ACCORDeON DIRECTION COLLECTION : AUGUSTIN BONDOUX

This world premiere recording production was the rediscovery of composer Arturo Clementoni, active in Ascoli Piceno from the first two decades of the 20th century as chapel master and organist. The picture that emerges from the documentation of his activities is that of a person who lived and worked fully in the rich, lively musical humus of his land, and was loved and respected by his fellow citizens, but also esteemed by the great musical personalities of his time. For his activity as a composer he received a great number of awards, for instance the first prize for his Missa Jubilaris at the composition contest proclaimed in 1950 (declared Holy Year by Pope Pius xii) by Carrara of Bergamo, the most important Italian publisher of that period in the field of sacred and liturgical music. The life and work of Arturo Clementoni fit perfectly in the artistic and cultural current of the Cecilian Movement, whose ideals and rules were officially sanctioned by Pope Pius x's Motu proprio "Inter plurimas pastoralis officii sollicitudines", issued on 22 November 1903. The symphonic chorale Cristo risusciti undoubtedly is a peak among Clementoni's works that are known so far, and because of it's quality and breadth deserves to be seriously rediscovered in the context of the great organ literature of the twentieth century in Europe. The Missa Jubilaris is worthy of a special mention because of the spirituality with which it is imbued and because it achieves a successful mixture of an evocation of Gregorian atmospheres, a solid polyphonic framework, and bursts of symphonic-style elan.

Roberto Fabbriciani is an essential reference point for flutists and composers over the past decades. The list of renowned masters he has collaborated with is nothing short of impressive: Berio, Boulez, Bussotti, Cage, Carter, Castiglioni, Clementi, Dallapiccola, de Pablo, Donatoni, Ferneyhough, Gaslini, Huber, Krenek, Kurtag, Maderna, Messiaen, Morricone, Petrassi, Pousseur, Rihm, Rota, Sciarrino, Stockhausen, Takemitsu, Yun, and many others, to name only the historical figures! Fabbriciani has not only innovated flute technique but has also contributed to updating compositional strategies, as the instrument has consistently been placed at the service of composition. "The goal," Fabbriciani has stated, "is to bring art music to a wider audience. Technology has enabled a new leap forward, but composition doesn't arise from the availability of new tools, it emerges because innovative musical thinking requires these tools to express itself." This CD focuses on music dedicated to Fabbriciani (with the exception of Maderna's piece). Tackling such a diverse range of works by different composers is no small feat; it requires the ability to delve expressively into vastly different styles. Alongside technical skill, it demands a refined sensitivity. Fabbriciani excels not only in mastering the stylistic diversity of contemporary composers but also in interpreting the works of the past. Indeed, Fabbriciani is not merely the highly esteemed interpreter of contemporary music that we all recognize; he is also an outstanding performer of traditional repertoire, boasting an extensive discography that spans from Vivaldi to Bach, Respighi to Piazzolla, and beyond. The past nourishes the present, and the present holds the seeds of the future, as is evident in these recordings.

For many decades, students of Domenico Scarlatti, including me, have been debating about the relationship between most of Scarlatti's Sonatas and Flamenco dance. Silvia Rambaldi and Andreina Di Girolamo deserve our praise for presenting a practical demonstration that moves beyond the boundary of words, uniting dance and harpsichord performance, by means of the collaboration of the dancer Rita Marchesini, who is an expert on both Baroque and Flamenco dance. And since very often within certain Sonatas there is an alternation between the Andalusian style and the Italian one, the dancer, with her performance, demonstrates that it is possible to "play" with both styles appropriately. (Emilia Fadini) This interesting production on the harpsichord sonatas "encrypted" by Domenico Scarlatti is accompanied by a DVD rom containing the video of the sonatas for two harpsichords filmed in the performance "La festa dorata dell'anima", in which Rita Marchesini (historical dance and flamenco) and Alberto Rodriguez (Andalusian guitarist) join the harpsichordists Andreina di Girolamo and Silvia Rambaldi in this "field demonstration" of the influence of Italian and Spanish dance on the works of the great composer. The comments in the interview with the late Emilia Fadini are not to be missed.

The next album in their mixtape series, Light and Shadow is the new album from Orchestra of the Swan and artistic director David le Page. Featuring new arrangements of works by Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman and Radiohead this latest instalment promises to take you on a compelling, imaginative journey - bridging musical genres such as jazz and electronics in their signature 'Swan' style. Praise for Earthcycle SIGCD789 "Superb recorded sound repays listening on headphones with some ravishing details. The curious-minded won't be disappointed." - Gramophone

This recording is a witness to the last passage of a rich musical heritage that fascinated figures such as Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly: the last masters and the first disciples are reunited, who will be the reference for subsequent generations in a completely different social context. Numerous styles of dance and song - often accompanied by the recorder, bagpipes, reed, hurdy-gurdy, zither, tambura lute, violin, cymbalum, gardon viol (with struck strings) or spoons- form the basis of traditional Hungarian music: songs of the old style linked to weddings, traditional quests, winter and summer solstice bonfires...; and the new style nourished by contributions from Serbian, Swabian and Slovakian neighbouring cultures...; As for the Gypsies, dance and a cappella songs play a predominant role, in a style that is often spectacular and whose vocabulary, sometimes very bold, is that of everyday life, mixed with the most delicate poetry.

This album combines pieces for the core quintet of Onyx Brass with works for extended brass forces, plus piano in the case of Florence Price's Octet for Brasses and Piano. The majority of the pieces here receive their first commercial recording, the two Britten premieres bringing two long-forgotten pieces out of the Britten Pears Archive, in Aldeburgh, into the sunlight. Alongside these new discoveries are performances of established favourites by Sir Malcolm Arnold and Joseph Horovitz, staples of the brass chamber repertoire for more than half a century. The selection of composers spanning most of the twentieth century, and from both sides of the Atlantic, gives the album a refreshing contrast of musical traditions and styles. Founded in 1993, and initially inspired by the pioneering early years of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, Onyx Brass remains a leading light in cementing the place of the brass quintet as a medium for serious chamber music. To this end, the group has commissioned and performed the world premieres of more than 200 new works; many more are in the pipeline for performance and recording.

Hik Hail to the hesitation Hik is an old Icelandic word for hesitation. Hesitation is the moment of pause or delay before saying or doing something. It is a glimpse in time filled with uncertainty, even doubt. "A feeling of uncertainty, doubt or indecisiveness facing difficult decision or situation. A state of being reluctant or hesitant to act, speak, or make a choice." This album is in many ways an ode to hesitation. It is composed by improvisation, and as a conversation between the violin and the organ, reacting and coexisting in sound and metrum. The feeling of hesitation is that glorious moment before playing on, lingering on an overtone or diving into next phrase. It can feel endless, wonderful, natural, weird, distressing or impossible, but mostly exciting, hopeful and mysterious. These pieces were composed in Laugarneskirkja in Reykjavi´k where we also recorded: August 7th, Hik and Tango These pieces were composed in Reykholtskirkja in West - Iceland, very close to where Una ´s grandmother was born on the farm Rauthsgil in 1905: Disclosure 1, Disclosure 2, Fuga in G, Skylight 1 and Skylight 2.