Two years after his first solo-piano album, JB Dunckel has reimagined it's delicate melodies for string quintet. On Paranormal Music Chamber, the ten dreamy, moody tracks blossom into a warm palette of colours through minimalist yet sophisticated arrangements and production. First and foremost a "r�veur d'harmonies" ("dreamer of harmonies"), JB has teamed up with composer and pianist Harry Allouche to create these arrangements for a string quintet, specially formed by five musicians from the Orchestre de l'Op�ra national de Paris. Double bass, cello, violins and viola-sometimes joined by flute-significantly broaden the tonal spectrum of the pieces, while preserving or even amplifying their original sensibility, freedom and momentum. Whilst simple and accessible, Paranormal Music Chamber is nonetheless a very sophisticated album, the result of rigorous work at every stage of it's conception. It is no easy feat achieving a work that is at once modern and complex, yet uncomplicated-a showcase of heartfelt and deeply human aspect.

Composer-pianist Riopy returns with his fifth album "Be Love" - his first key music release since 2023's "Thrive". The 12 track album is comprised of 6 cinematic piano-instrumental tracks - a return to his roots of cinematic solo piano - and 6 more expansive tracks where Riopy experiments with his voice: from meditative whispers to raw and emotive lyricism. The composer-instrumentalist has utilised numerous ways to produce sound, just never his own voice. "I had this compulsion, this need to use my voice, because I think it's one of the biggest fears I've had through my life. It felt right. I needed to do this. "Be Love" was recorded on Riopy's dream instrument, the Steinway Spirio. It was mixed by GRAMMY-winning producer Oli Jacobs (Peter Gabriel, Lana Del Rey, Van Morrison) who has masterfully entwined Riopy's evocative vocals with his delicate piano tracks.

Produced during the astonishingly fruitful year before the composer's death aged 31, the Impromptus are short, lyrical miniatures of contrasting mood and character which create a musical narrative whose imaginative reach transports the listener far beyond the 19th-century drawing room. They have been core components of Eric Lu's repertoire for several years, but the pianist decided to wait before recording them. "I have a real sense of a journey with these works, in particular with Op.90, having lived with them intensely in preparation, on stage and, finally, in the recording studio," he says. "For me, the Impromptus are some of the greatest jewels in the piano literature. They are magnificent, deep pieces of music, and the very essence of Schubert."

Two of the world's leading string quartets, the Eb�ne and the Belcea, come together to perform octets written 75 years apart by two phenomenally gifted teenage composers, Felix Mendelssohn and George Enescu. The two ensembles, the Eb�ne based in Paris and the Belcea in London, first joined forces almost a decade ago and have developed their collaboration since then. When they played the Mendelssohn and Enescu octets in Philadelphia in November 2024, The Strad - an authoritative voice in the world of string music - wrote: "The phrase 'luxury casting' gets tossed around a lot, but seemed entirely appropriate here, as these two distinguished groups effortlessly fused their expertise - and had a blast doing it. The gutsy results had many people in the audience standing before the interval..."

New HD 192kHz/24-bit remastering from original tapes by Studio Circ�. Herbert Blomstedt is an iconic American-born Swedish conductor known for his extensive career and "old-world ideals" approach to music. His career has included tenures as chief conductor of prominent orchestras, such as the Staatskapelle Dresden, and as music director of the San Francisco Symphony. Blomstedt was notably the first conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra from 1967 to 1977, during which time he made the acclaimed recordings contained in this Nielsen box set. Blomstedt's conducting style is often described as disciplined and serene, using minimal, refined gestures without a baton, as he believes the orchestra needs a musician to communicate with rather than a "time beater." He has been praised for his ability to bring out the grace and clarity in a piece, and for his collaborative and communicative relationship with the musicians he leads.

Composer-pianist Riopy returns with his fifth album "Be Love" - his first key music release since 2023's "Thrive". The 12 track album is comprised of 6 cinematic piano-instrumental tracks - a return to his roots of cinematic solo piano - and 6 more expansive tracks where Riopy experiments with his voice: from meditative whispers to raw and emotive lyricism. The composer-instrumentalist has utilised numerous ways to produce sound, just never his own voice. "I had this compulsion, this need to use my voice, because I think it's one of the biggest fears I've had through my life. It felt right. I needed to do this. "Be Love" was recorded on Riopy's dream instrument, the Steinway Spirio. It was mixed by GRAMMY-winning producer Oli Jacobs (Peter Gabriel, Lana Del Rey, Van Morrison) who has masterfully entwined Riopy's evocative vocals with his delicate piano tracks.

MIKHAIL PLETNEV / CHOPIN & SCRIABIN: PRELUDES - The legendary pianist, Mikhail Pletnev, proudly presents his first Deutsche Grammophon recording in decades: Chopin & Scriabin: Preludes. The renditions captured reflect a master's perspective on two masterpieces of the piano repertoire. In a historic milestone for DG, the engineering team captured the performances on a pure analog vinyl format (AAA), the first time since the 1980s that this has been done for a frontline release. The analog version was recorded on a Studer tape machine with two custom-made Sennheiser microphones, while at the same time an 11-channel microphone setup was used for the digital CD version. The tape was cut and pasted with the virtuosity of earlier sound engineering, so to speak "by ear" at the Emil Berliner Studios, while the same cuts had to be made visually on the computer.

Pianists Bertrand Chamayou and Leif Ove Andsnes join forces to record Schubert's magnificent Fantasia in F minor, presenting a landmark Schubert 4 Hands album. This release arrives 40 years after Radu Lupu and Murray Perahia's legendary CBS recording and 60 years after Benjamin Britten and Sviatoslav Richter's historic Aldeburgh Festival performance. The duo delivers breathtaking interpretations that could establish this recording as the new reference for Schubert's Fantasia. The album pairs the Fantasia with other Schubert four-hand works composed in 1828, the year of the composer's death, offering a deeply intimate and historically informed program.

CANTUS is a carefully selected bundle of 6 tracks, each based on a choral or aria-melody. The first single is a stunningly beautiful arrangement by Elizabeth Joy Roe and Greg Anderson of 'Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben,' an aria from Bach's St. Matthew Passion.

I believe this project is one of the most important of my life as a keyboard player. On the one hand, because of it's extraordinary richness and prolific content, and on the other hand, because of the strong and so right relationship that Louis Couperin and his work had with the harpsichord and the organ. He knew how to make these instruments sing and vibrate like no one before him and probably no one after him either. Jean Rondeau. A monumental project unlike any other on the market today, Louis Couperin The Complete Works feature all his works, but Jean Rondeau has also selected works by composers Couperin considered his masters and students. The set comprises 10 albums and 1 DVD - a 66 minute film by Erwan Ricordeau, features Rondeau in Colmar's Unterlinden Museum, one of the locations of the recording. He explains the instrument, and his relationship and admiration for Couperin. It provides fascinating insights which are a perfect accompaniment to this Complete Works set. (DVD: region-free NTSC format- picture format: 16:9 anamorphic- sound format: stereo PCM 2.0 language: French, subtitles. English)

The Planets is the most frequently performed piece of 20th century British music with immediate and lasting appeal. This high-profile live recording from 2006 was long overdue for the Berliner Philharmoniker who had not recorded The Planets since the legendary Karajan recording of 1981. Sir Simon Rattle had previously recorded another version of The Planets with the Philharmonia Orchestra, back in 1980, which was also hugely successful. Contrary to popular opinion The Planets is not a typically "English" piece. Holst's eclectic musical world was inspired by his fascination with astrology (mythology and horoscopes), Sanskrit writings and his admiration for the works of his contemporaries - particularly Debussy, Stravinsky, Ravel and Scriabin. "A magisterial performance, closely attentive to detail, in which the continental influences are highlighted as never before... The climax of 'Uranus' is a thriller: a massive build-up, with the famous organ glissando not spotlighted but spreading a great cloud of atmospherics in it's wake. Rattle also makes the best case yet for Colin Matthews' 'extra' planet 'Pluto'." BBC Music Magazine

For Quatuor Arod, the six string quartets in Haydn's opus 76 "represent the apogee of the Classical style, but they are also ageless, "presenting almost infinite possibilities". This Haydn project has been close to Arod's heart for a long time. "Haydn, the founding father of the string quartet, composed the op. 76 quartets in his mid-sixties. Representing Haydn in all his maturity, achievement and mastery as he exploits a broad expressive palette, they constitute a turning point in the history of the quartet as a genre." Within this Classical repertoire, the Arod's players sought to be "faithful to both the spirit and letter of these works... The modern bow, invented after the time of Haydn, did not allow us enough flexibility and lightness, which are defining features of his writing..." Arod's solution was to commission a new set of bows, based on models produced in the 1770s by the celebrated Tourte brothers. The players' instruments, which date from the 17th and 18th centuries, remained configured for modern practice. "The impact of the Classical bows was immediate: the articulation became more natural, the responses more flexible, the sound more transparent. The bows transformed our playing, which became lighter, more open and more free."

David Fray stands out as one of today's most distinctive French pianists, widely acclaimed for his profound interpretations of Bach. Each of his recordings is considered a major event, making this new release all the more anticipated, as it marks his return after several years of silence. This new album features masterpieces from Rameau to Scarlatti, including lesser-known composers like Royer, with a strong focus on Bach. The repertoire includes original keyboard works as well as piano transcriptions by legendary pianists such as Siloti, Kempff, Busoni, and Stradal. Additionally, the album also includes the world premiere recording of Monsaingeon's arrangement for piano of Bach's Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003: Andante.

World premiere recording. Mozart's magnificent setting of the Requiem Mass needs no introduction. One of his last works and a landmark of choral music, it is paired on this album with a new and complementary work by the pianist and composer Fazil Say: Mozart ve Mevlana, an homage to Mozart's Requiem, based on the texts of 13th-century mystic Mevlana Rumi. Introducing Mozart ve Mevlana, Fazil Say says: "Mevlana is a great philosopher from the Eastern world - the Orient. I'm from Turkey. I thought: 'Why not unite East and West in love and friendship through texts from the great philosopher Mevlana and quotations from the music of a composer of genius like Mozart in a fluid musical space?... I play all Mozart's works for piano and I have recorded them all. So Mozart plays a very special role in my life... Mozart's music is the music of humanity. Likewise, Mevlana's words unite people regardless of their religion or belief."

Rising young virtuoso pianist with a profound musical insight. One of Gramophone magazine's piano experts, Bryce Morrison has written: "Levanon's daunting technique allows him the fullest imaginative freedom... Already he is liberated from the cares and concerns of other lesser pianists, free to do virtually anything." This project is part of an ongoing Liszt cycle (Sonate B minor in 2022/ Piano Concertos 1 & 2 + Totentanz in 2024) highlighting Levanon's affinity for the composer's virtuosic and poetic writing. Liszt's Transcendental Etudes are a monumental set of twelve virtuosic and expressive piano �tudes showcasing Liszt's technical brilliance. A high point in the Romantic repertoire, they are considered as some of the most difficult pieces for piano.

The world's longest running musical is celebrating it's 40th anniversary on October 8, 2025. To mark this event, we're re-releasing the recording of the 10th Anniversary Concert at the Royal Albert Hall on First Night Records. This first-ever release on LP has been remastered and compiled for 2 LP vinyl especially by Sir Cameron Mackintosh and his team. The full recording on 2 CDs is also being reissued. The celebrated concert starred a dream cast featuring Colm Wilkinson, Philip Quast, Michael Ball, Lea Salonga, Ruthie Henshall, Alun Armstrong, Jenny Galloway, Michael Maguire, Judy Kuhn, a company of 250 and the 70 piece London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by David Charles Abell.

Gautier Capu�on's cello becomes the voice of the Earth in an inspired album of world premiere recordings: Ga�a. Uniting seventeen world-premiere works by sixteen contemporary composers, this project - which takes it's name from the Greek goddess of Earth and mother of all life - sets out to explore humanity's relationship to nature through a multifaceted lens, drawing from different musical genres, aesthetics, and cultural influences as well as the formidable contrasts of the natural world. The recordings showcase diverse new works by innovative contemporary composers, from luminaries in the field - Max Richter, Ludovico Einaudi, Joe Hisaishi, Bryce Dessner - to brilliant emerging talents. In Gautier's words: "Ga�a is an album dedicated to the Earth, inspired by it's beauty, fragility, and strength."

Gautier Capu�on's cello becomes the voice of the Earth in an inspired album of world premiere recordings: Ga�a. Uniting seventeen world-premiere works by sixteen contemporary composers, this project - which takes it's name from the Greek goddess of Earth and mother of all life - sets out to explore humanity's relationship to nature through a multifaceted lens, drawing from different musical genres, aesthetics, and cultural influences as well as the formidable contrasts of the natural world. The recordings showcase diverse new works by innovative contemporary composers, from luminaries in the field - Max Richter, Ludovico Einaudi, Joe Hisaishi, Bryce Dessner - to brilliant emerging talents. In Gautier's words: "Ga�a is an album dedicated to the Earth, inspired by it's beauty, fragility, and strength."

Thibaut Garcia is one of the most acclaimed classical guitarists of his generation, praised for a playing style that combines virtuosity and poetic sensitivity. Born from a deep artistic friendship with guitarist Antoine Morin�re, this album offers a fresh take on Bach's masterpiece Goldberg Variations, now reimagined for two guitars. The arrangement, from Garcia and Morini�re themselves, is the result of a full year of work during which, quoting the artists, they focused on "how to adapt the keyboard work for two guitars, while preserving the illusion of a single performer". Twin guitars helped in their artistic endeavour: the album is recorded on two guitars cut from the same tree, and realized especially for the project by French luthier Hugo Cuvillier.

From Etienne Gara: "This album is a beautiful patchwork of short pieces that cannot be more different one from the other and span from the Baroque era to tomorrow. Think of it as an Advent calendar for listeners, where each piece opens a new window into a musical universe all on it's own. On this album, you'll find Classical music canons, film-music from Pulp Fiction and Psycho, miniatures by Philip Glass, and small curiosities written just for us that help bridge the gap between Classical music and today's diverse audiences. Delirium Musicum and Cabinet of Curiosities both carry that mischievous DNA that transcends borders and brings the excitement that unapologetic passion and commitment trigger. In other words, you have here a delirious concert where everyone will find something they know, something they love, and something that will trigger their curiosity."

With Pianosong, Alexandre Tharaud pays homage to the great French singers and songwriters of the 20th century (Brel, Piaf, Barbara, Gainsbourg, Trenet, Ferr�, Berger) by transposing their songs into a new pianistic and symphonic language. This is not a cover album, nor a tribute in the conventional sense. It is a collection of musical metamorphoses, through improvisation, arrangement, orchestration, and interpretation.

Thibaut Garcia is one of the most acclaimed classical guitarists of his generation, praised for a playing style that combines virtuosity and poetic sensitivity. Born from a deep artistic friendship with guitarist Antoine Morin�re, this album offers a fresh take on Bach's masterpiece Goldberg Variations, now reimagined for two guitars. The arrangement, from Garcia and Morini�re themselves, is the result of a full year of work during which, quoting the artists, they focused on "how to adapt the keyboard work for two guitars, while preserving the illusion of a single performer". Twin guitars helped in their artistic endeavour: the album is recorded on two guitars cut from the same tree, and realized especially for the project by French luthier Hugo Cuvillier.

From Irish ballads to stirring film scores (The Last of Mohicans, Titanic), via The Cranberries, U2, Enya, Sting, The Pogues, Secret Garden, The Corrs and more, Camille Berthollet brings us 16 new tracks on her latest album. Accompanied by the talented musician and arranger Johan Daalgard, as well as a host of instrumental collaborators, she celebrates the Celtic world in a refined style on violin and cello. Recorded in an ancient monastery in Brittany, this programme reveals the intimate, emotion-filled dialogue between the artist and her instruments.

RECORDINGS FROM 1996-2021. A flautist with contagious enthusiasm, tirelessly exploring the repertoire of his instrument, Emmanuel Pahud offers here a formidable anthology of the flute concerto - a musical genre celebrating it's three centuries of existence today. And the story is not over, his exceptional talent continually inspiring composers around the world.

Gelosia! (Jealousy!), Philippe Jaroussky's latest project with the instrumentalists of Artaserse, takes it's dramatic name from two solo cantatas receiving world premiere recordings. Programmed beside cantatas by Vivaldi, Handel and Alessandro Scarlatti, they are by the Neapolitan Nicola Porpora (1686-1768) and the Venetian Baldassare Galuppi (1706-1785). Though composed some 35 years apart, both cantatas set the same text, 'La Gelosia', written by the prolific Pietro Metastasio. "The cantata da camera or secular cantata, was an incredibly popular genre in the 18th century," explains Philippe Jaroussky. "Written for a solo singer, it often portrays a man or woman going through the torments of love and depicts the character's various states of mind... Cantatas of this kind served, I believe, as a kind of personal diary for composers. Being away from opera, with it's more academic demands, they could write as they wanted, completely free to express their feelings."