The protagonist of this new album is the Fairy Guitar Quartet, a group born in 2020 from the meeting of four guitarists united by a strong passion for chamber music. Volver, the album that marks their recording debut, explores the great Argentine musical repertoire with a new research approach, offering an evocative musical journey along the multiple ties that unite Italy to the South American country and allowing you to experience and rediscover intense emotions. In a story of continuous departures and returns, complex fee- lings emerge, chapters with great evocative power that belong to the shared cultural heritage. A precious opportunity to rediscover a world that is always full of charm, a reflection of the creative encounter of dif- ferent cultures (African, indigenous, Spanish and Italian), through a listening journey that develops along the subject of Volver, a theme that resonates deeply in Italian and Argentine culture but also, more generally, in every corner of the southern hemisphere: the sadness of separation from what you love and the hope of re-embracing your roots. With the surprising arrangements of Gianvincenzo Cresta and Francesco Fausto Magaletti, the album features songs by Carlos Gardel, Anibal Troilo, Ariel Ramirez, Gustavo Leguizamon, Daniel Toro and Astor Piazzolla.

Stefania Neonato is involved in both historical performance practice on historical instruments as well as the modern piano playing tradition. Christine Busch can be heard as a soloist and chamber musician with both the modern and baroque violin in concerts worldwide. The fortepiano used for the present recordings come from the Viennese workshop of Nannette Streicher and has the serial number 1060. Ludwig van Beethoven himself was good friends with the couple and played their instruments. The three selected sonatas on this album span a period of fourteen years, from 1798 (Op. 12/1 and 3) to 1812, the year of the composition of Op. 96 - two years before the piano used here was completed. Nannette Streicher opened her piano workshop together with her husband and her brother in Vienna at the end of the 18th century. They built well over a thousand instruments, of which only around forty fortepianos have survived to this day.

This album comprises compositions for various Asian instruments from Japan to India, some combined with Western instruments. Traditional performance techniques figure more prominently in some pieces than in others. Most of these recordings were previously released, but are long out-of-print. They have benefitted from recent advances in editing technology.

Robin Stevens' A Questing Soul, his fifth album with Divine Art, offers a compelling portrait of a composer whose work has evolved over nearly three decades. This collection spans a broad stylistic spectrum, charting Stevens' progression from the lush Late Romanticism of his early works to the more dissonant and experimental idioms of his later compositions. Throughout, Stevens balances technical innovation with an underlying sense of lyricism, humour, and tonal clarity, making this album a rich listening experience for those who appreciate the depth and variety of contemporary chamber music. The two most substantial works on the album-Fantasy Sonata and Sonata Tempesta-were composed during Stevens' late twenties and represent key milestones in his early output. The Fantasy Sonata, written for violinist Christine Townsend and pianist Stephen Robbings, presents an intensely focused sound world built around the octatonic scale. It's single-movement structure moves from a soulful, lamenting introduction to more turbulent, faster sections, culminating in a joyfully intense peroration. Sonata Tempesta, in contrast, is a large-scale, four-movement work whose expansive form allows Stevens to weave together moments of lyrical beauty and stormy intensity. Both pieces showcase Stevens' ability to combine complexity and accessibility, creating compositions that are intellectually stimulating yet emotionally resonant. The album also includes a number of shorter works, or "miniatures," which offer Stevens the opportunity to explore new compositional ideas on a smaller scale. Pieces like Stratospheric! For solo violin and Toccata for solo piano demonstrate his flair for virtuosity and dynamic contrasts, while others, such as Cri de Coeur, evoke more contemplative, intimate soundscapes. These miniatures are fascinating in their own right, offering a glimpse into the composer's more experimental tendencies. One of the album's more unusual works, Scherzo in Blue, brings jazz influences into Stevens' instrumental music-a rarity in his oeuvre. The piece is infused with "blue notes" and jazzy piano chords, creating a playful yet sophisticated contrast to the more classical structures found elsewhere on the album. The title track, A Questing Soul, reflects the essence of the album: a compact tone poem for solo piano that alternates between dreamy lyricism and muscular, assertive themes. The piece encapsulates Stevens' ability to juxtapose contrasting musical ideas, leaving listeners with as many questions as answers-an approach that defines much of his work. With it's blend of large-scale sonatas, experimental miniatures, and the intriguing title track, A Questing Soul offers a comprehensive view of Robin Stevens' compositional range. This album will appeal to those with an interest in the intersections of modernism, Romanticism, and contemporary chamber music.

Among the various recordings of H.v. Karajan of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and Mozart's Requiem (no less than 4 for each of them), the 1958 and 1961 recordings stand out among critics as perhaps his most important interpretations of this repertoire. The Missa, never released by EMI, was made available by Testament more than 20 years ago. It has not been available on the market for some time. It is actually one of the most extraordinary interpretations of Beethoven's religious masterpiece, also due to the extraordinary sound quality achieved by the Columbia technicians of the time. Mozart's Requiem was Karajan's first recording of this work. Even this production, which has always been available in the DG catalogue, is currently very difficult to find.

Previously unreleased recordings of Sweden's most legendary jazz groups and artists, curated from the Swedish Jazz Archives

The long-awaited vinyl print of Swedish jazz bassist Svante Soderqvist's celebrated solo album The Rocket. Intimate and atmostpheric jazz that deals with the deep questions of life and coexistense.

The composer Dominick Argento wrote that he would "like for the listener to be reminded of their own humanity. I want an emotional reaction, anywhere from joy to despair... something that reminds us that we're human." The sets of songs and cycles included in this brilliant recording all speak to this artistic goal and include settings of Olga and Anton Chekhov, Petrarch, Walt Whitman, Walter de la Mare, Alun Lewis, and Argento himself. Mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala, baritone Jesse Blumberg and pianists Martin Katz and JJ Pena join forces to present this tribute to a great American composer.

Chopin is said to have played in time (the metronome was always on the instrument), his left hand relentlessly keeping the tempo. Students also reported that he never played a piece in the same way, and that each performance produced a different result. And yet the composer's rubato playing was by no means as free as it is today. There are no reports of Chopin's playing of Bach in particular, but his admiration for the composer is certain. We therefore put the legend that he himself—according to his own statement—played only Bach for fourteen days before a concert into perspective and simply imagine that he worked intensively on "Bach" before his already rare performances. We can assume that the preludes and fugues of the "Well-Tempered Clavier," some of which are also heard in this project, were the focus of his interest.

A closer look at Chopin’s works, especially those of a smaller dimension, repeatedly catches the eye of modules that we think we already know from Bach. Individual bars of the Préludes op. 28 (1836-1839) and Études (op. 10 no. 4) (1833/1837) could be retransformed into a nucleus in Bach’s character with just a few “hand movements.” Chopin’s veneration of Bach preserved these highly condensed musical tools of the Baroque composer well into the Romantic century. He still used them in his late works, such as his last Nocturne in E major, which in a sense takes stock of “Bach.”

This recording, which feels entirely experimental, aims to create a unique musical experience through the direct connection of tonal, for example key, variations. The sound of some structurally related works clearly shows how much Chopin was influenced by Bach's work, whose formal stability with its geometric structures often prevented him from sowing too much "tinsel, trinkets, and pearls," something Robert Schumann once had the courage to accuse his rival of. The aim of this project tempted us to play "Chopin like Bach" here and there and to achieve the greatest possible transparency with extremely economical use of the pedal. Above all, to breathe Chopin's breath into Bach's melodic beauties with a "romantic" touch. The approximately 40-year-old Steinway B grand piano was chosen because of its slim bass section.

Boxberg worked as an organist in Grossenhain from 1692 to 1702. From here he worked simultaneously as a singer, opera director, opera composer and also as a librettist, in Leipzig and at the courts of Wolfenbuttel, Ansbach and Kassel, and later as an organist in Gorlitz. The cantatas he composed do not follow the model common at the time in terms of form and instrumentation, with choirs, solo arias, recitatives and chorales, with an orchestra consisting of strings, wind instruments and continuo. A large part of the works are chamber music with a singing voice and two melody instruments, plus bassoon and organ. Formally, many of the solo cantatas consist of a dictum (Bible text appropriate to the Sunday of the church year) and an aria, usually four verses long. The name of these works is "Conncert con Aria". Another cantata form uses psalms and chorales in it's content. In formal terms, these cantatas can be assigned to the earlier, motet-like style.

Emeline Bayart, comedienne chanteuse et metteuse en scene, interprete Fragson, Guilbert, Brassens, Vincent Scotto, Anne Sylvestre ou Juliette. Elle donne vie a ce patrimoine musical essentiel qu'elle explore avec un panache fou et une justesse sans pareil. D'Elle a Lui raconte les frasques de la vie amoureuse avec gouaille, dr�lerie et emotion. Emeline Bayart a un talent inestimable pour mettre en lumiere l'art poetique du parle chante. Feminin, libre et fievreux. Irresistible. Augustin BONDOUX / Patrick FReMEAUX. Emeline Bayart excelle a donner des couleurs delicates aux melodies les plus tendres, a pimenter les histoires salees, a donner du punch aux ritournelles languissantes. Il n'y a rien de plus beau qu'un recital de grandes chansons francaises interprete avec esprit. Elle a puise la matiere de ce cabaret irresistible dans un large vivier. Elle est epatante et son partenaire de pianiste aussi. Armelle HeLIOT - Le Figaroscope. Actress, singer and stage director Emeline Bayart sings Fragson, Guilbert, Brassens, Vincent Scotto, Anne Sylvestre and Juliette. And here she gives new life to this essential music heritage with an exploration of songs where she adds her amazing panache to an unrivalled perspective. "D'Elle a Lui" sings of life's amorous escapades, with Emeline giving these songs a quirky humour that pairs laughter with the emotions. And she shows a priceless talent for illuminating the poetic art we call "spoken-song": feminine, free and excited. Irresistible.

Lino Liviabella was a well-known pianist and award-winning composer during the early to mid-20th century. He also achieved renown for his pioneering role within the movement that sought to emancipate Italian instrumental music from the influence of 19th-century opera. The spirit of Liviabella's music manifests itself as a creative journey through evocative sounds, fleeting impressions and strong dynamic contrasts. From the rigorous and brilliantly virtuoso Sonata in un Tempo to the passionate Concerto for Violin and Piano and so much more besides, Liviabella's chamber compositions represent the first important works for violin and piano written in Italy in the first half of the 20th century

The Sacconi Quartet join forces again with celebrated composer Jonathan Dove for the latest instalment of their many fruitful collaborations and journeys. The String Quartet no 2 On the Streets and in the sky was written during the recent pandemic and was commissioned for the Sacconi Quartet to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Between Friends, is a world premiere recording, and a memorial to Graeme Mitchison (1944-2018), a multi-disciplined scientist, intrepid adventurer, cyclist, paraglider, mountaineer and a possessor of two pianos on which he and Dove would play together for over forty years. Who Wrote the Book of Love? Is an extended song cycle written for baritone Philippe Sly who performs the work here. Vanishing Gold is a compact five-minute piece written for the 40th anniversary of the Endellion Quartet, who then retired. Dove's previous release with the Sacconi Quartet on Signum "In Damascus" was awarded Gramophone Recording of the Month and Presto's Editor's Choice in 2017. ? The beauty of the piece, for tenor and string quartet, is it's restraint. It doesn't sensationalise, get maudlin, moralise or politicise. The words are direct and the music respects that. The performance does, too: focused playing from the Sacconi Quartet and lucid, unswerving narrative from tenor Mark Padmore - The Guardian

This album features four great orchestral works that are inspired by works of art. The Saint-Saens, Rachmaninoff, and Liszt works are well-known. Also included is a work by contemporary composer William Popp, who is also well-known as an accordionist.

Even the name of the newcomer duo from Leipzig conjures up the legendary times of cabaret, silent film, and the Golden 1920s: lola. Gelb is what Anika Paulick (voice) and Michelle Bernard (piano) call themselves for the release of their debut album with GENUIN. On the program: the journeys of human life across the vast sea as well as into the (un)depths of our emotional worlds. Alongside numerous real places, lola. Gelb takes us to the fantasy island "Youkali", the "Bar zum Krokodil" (The Crocodile Bar), and the reflections of Friedrich Hollaender's "Wenn ich mir was wunschen durfte" (If I Could Wish for Something). With Kurt Weill, they sing about the ship with fifty cannons in "Pirate Jenny" (from the "Threepenny Opera") and summarize with Hildegard Knef's "17 Millimeter fehlten mir zum Gluck" (17 Millimeters Short of Happiness). So, let's pour ourselves a glass of champagne and set off!