R. Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie

A wide-ranging programme from a contemporary French composer for whom Minimalism, oriental music, poetry and mysticism are central to his works.

Thuille's chamber music, whch reflects the influence of Liszt, Wagner, Rheinberger and early Strauss is undergoing a significant reappraisal. These are the only recordings of the Violin Sonatas in the catalogue.

Qunihico Hashimoto was one of the leading Japanese composers in the first half of the twentieth century. His synthesis of Japanese and European musical forms was founded on two years of study and travel in the West. Symphony No. 2 was commissioned to celebrate Japan's new postwar Constitution, but combines jubilation with an introspective nostalgia. Three Wasan sets Buddhist texts which describe the beauty of 'pure land' or heaven, merging traditional chant with bel canto expressiveness. Innovative for it's time, the early Scherzo con sentimental melds Japanese music with Western neo-classicism. Hashimoto's Symphony No. 1 can be heard on 8.555881. Takuo Yuasa regularly performs throughout Europe and the Far East. In Japan he has held the position of Principal Conductor with the Gumma Symphony Orchestra and in the United Kingdom he has been Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and of the Ulster Orchestra in Northern Ireland.

Andrea Antico was a printer from Dalmatia who obtained, through the first Medici Pope, Leo X, a monopoly on printing keyboard music. His 1517 collection of frottole – a quasi-rustic word meaning a deceitful, silly story – contains highly advanced, but textually corrupt arrangements of part-songs for keyboard made by an anonymous musician. This world première recording of the complete Frottole Intabulate incorporates a new edition by harpsichordist Glen Wilson.

Joseph Martin Kraus was one of the most talented and progressive composers of the 18th c., and regarded by Haydn as one of the only two geniuses he knew, alongside Mozart. Following the successful audition of his opera Proserpin, Kraus became closely associated with the court of Gustav III in Stockholm. The highly dramatic Begrafnings-kantat overture was the composer’s emotional response to the assassination of his sovereign. The vocal pieces include works performed for the first time in over two centuries, ranging from Italian concert arias to rare survivals from the Royal Dramatic Theatre.

RODRIGO: Concierto Pastorale / Fantasia para un Gentilhombre

The so-called 'lost generation' of German composers includes many whose lives were shaped by events after 1933. Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling: Violin Concerto; Partita; Polonaise buy CD music One such was Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling, a composer of strong spiritual depth whose 1953 Violin Concerto was rooted in his wartime experiences. Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling: Violin Concerto; Partita; Polonaise songs Ingeniously constructed, it subtly evokes the influence of Bach, without at all embracing neo-classicism. Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling: Violin Concerto; Partita; Polonaise album for sale Its moving slow movement is followed by a finale that marries virtuosity with dance-like magnetism. Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling: Violin Concerto; Partita; Polonaise CD music The Partita is much admired for its color and vitality, whilst the Polonaise is a lighter work, brimming with high spirits. Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling: Violin Concerto; Partita; Polonaise buy CD music GRAMMY--winner conductor and composer Jose Serebrier is one of today's most recorded classical artists. Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling: Violin Concerto; Partita; Polonaise songs He has received 39 GRAMMY- nominations in recent years. His First Symphony (8.559648) was premiered by Leopold Stokowski (who premiered several of his works) when Serebrier was 17, as a last-minute replacement for the then still unplayable Ives Fourth Symphony.

The Lamentations of Jeremiah may be unremittingly sad, but they have had a deep resonance for composers throughout the ages. This is a collection that reflects that diversity-from John Mundy's setting, which highlights the grave concern over schisms in the Catholic church of the sixteenth century, through to Rudolph Mauersberger's motet, which mourns the destruction of the city of Dresden in 1945. Two new pieces were commissioned especially for this project, and are recorded here for the first time: John Duggan's haunting set of three Lamentations for choir, trumpet and solo soprano; and Cecilia McDowall's exotic and powerful The Lord is Good, which was shortlisted for a BASCA award in 2012.

Sleep, Holy Babe is a collection of Christmas lullabies which reflect the old traditions and restful, contemplative nature of the nativity story.

Jonathan Dove is one of Britain’s most resourceful and versatile contemporary composers, whose affinity for vocal setting is especially striking. From the operatic canvas of his acclaimedFlight to his song cycles, his acutely perceptive approach to texts is unmistakable. Out of Winter, written in collaboration with Dove, is the late Sir Robert Tear’s poetic response to Thomas Hardy’s Winter Words. Cut My Shadow is a powerful and harrowing setting of three Lorca texts notable for a sense of constant unease and longing for a homeland. All You Who Sleep Tonight, to poems by Vikram Seth, is elegant, moving, and witty whilst Ariel explores Shakespeare’s elusive character from The Tempest in a rôle for unaccompanied soprano.

Portuguese composer Lues Tinoco's works are "as engrossing as they are entertaining" (Musical Opinion), and these premiere recordings represent some of the most exciting new orchestral work to appear in recent years. Conductor David Alan Miller writes, "Drawing inspiration from sources as diverse as French Impressionism and Brazilian Jazz, Tinoco creates a sound world that is uniquely, distinctly Portuguese, equal parts sunshine, saudade and sensuality. I know it's good when it makes my knees weak."

A wedding just wouldn't be complete without beautiful music. With the Perfect Summer Wedding you can be sure that your special day will be perfectly complimented by our selection of the world's most beautiful and romantic classical music.

Manuel de Falla is generally acknowledged as the leading figure in Spanish music of the twentieth century.

Guitar Recital: David Martinez