This CD on the ARS PRODUKTION label features no fewer than eleven world premiere recordings from the pen of the great Belgian violinist and composer Henri Vieuxtemps (1820-1881), presented by five young violinists together with the Vogtland Philharmonic Orchestra under Simon Edelmann. The miniatures were written for personal use in concert, often as a supplement to large concertante forms. Some were published, but always in more easily marketable arrangements for violin and piano, with the violin part sometimes being toned down.

Milestones is a cross-genre project by violinist Hugo Ticciati and the O/Modernt Chamber Orchestra, bringing together music by Josquin des Prez, Igor Stravinsky, and Miles Davis. Conceived around shared anniversary years, the album reflects O/Modernt's practice of placing music from different periods and traditions into direct conversation. Instrumental arrangements and collaborative performances draw attention to common ground between Renaissance polyphony, early modernism, and jazz, particularly in approaches to rhythm, texture, and improvisation. Recorded in Germany and the UK in 2021, the project documents an ensemble-led approach that emphasises attentive listening, flexible roles for soloists, and collective music-making across stylistic boundaries.

Saxophonist, clarinettist, composer and visual artist Marcel Barta entered the Czech jazz and improvisation scene while still a student and has since become one of it's core members. He is a founding member of the electro-jazz quintet MUFF, the cult jazz sextet Vertigo and the duo DoMa Ensemble. Besides collaborating with many foremost artists from different genres on the home and international scene, he has been dedicating himself to composition, writing scenic music for the theatre company Farma v jeskyni (Farm in the Cave), among otherprojects. He is the recipient of multiple Czech Music Academy Awards in the jazz category, having also been nominated for the same award on a number of occasions. While Episodes from the Spinning Ball is the first recording to feature Barta's work exclusively, the eponymous composition is his first piece for a large ensemble. As composer and arranger he has taken part in dozens of projects and recordings, many of which were released by the label Animal Music. The new album brings a recording of a concert performance featuring the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, which took place as part of the jazz-symphonic crossover series New Horizons in February 2025 in the DOX+Multifunction Hall in Prague. Composed on a commission from the orchestra, the work formally resembles a suite in three parts. It is performed, however, as a continuous flow of music. In the author's own words, the piece "is an attempt to evoke a story that reflects my own planetary experience. The rotating ball in the title is a geoid, the shape of our own planet." Combining composed music with improvisation, the piece bears traces of Barta's original style, known for example from his work for Vertigo or Muff. It is rooted in jazz and contemporary classical music and unfolds like an elaborate story in which densely composed soundscapes interweave with delicate melodies and fine-grained instrumentation and whereorder coexists with improvisation and melancholy passages alternate with psychedelia and humour. The jazz band in the recording features, alongside Marcel Barta himself, trombonist stepan Janousek, keyboardist and synth player Vojtech Prochazka, double bassist Milos Klapsteand drummer Jan Chalupa. The whole jazz-symphonic ensemble is conducted by Bastien Stil who has had ample experience leading crossover projects.

A musical portrait of the German Romantic composer: Bruch placed great emphasis on melody and expression, remaining stylistically rather traditional-even as the music around him was changing dramatically. In addition to orchestral works, he also composed choral and chamber music.

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's compositional work can be characterised overall as a permanent conflict between high artistic standards and the need to make concessions to playability, audience taste, and contemporary understanding of music. However, as the eldest son of the famous Thomaskantor, he was willing only to a limited extent to subordinate his musical ideals to external constraints, as numerous contemporary anecdotes and documents attest. He preferred to accept being considered an outsider and deliberately moved his art beyond the boundary that Gotthold Ephraim Lessing described as the threshold at which the common people could "distinguish the true from the false." This uncompromising attitude not only shaped his contemporary failures but also explains the enduring fascination that his work exerts today.

When Josefine entered her second half-century in 2021 (sometimes it's permissible to mention the age of a lady...), Norrbotten Big Band decided to celebrate her achievements by commissioning six big band pieces from composers who, at different times and on different occasions, have been connected with Josefine. We are very happy with the result and confident that the sometimes challenging nature of the music will create a portrait of Josefine with all her magnificence on full display.

Denis Kozhukhin presents a new album of Haydn: Sonatas, offering a fresh and illuminating journey through the composer's keyboard repertoire. Haydn's keyboard sonatas brim with invention, drama, and wit, matching the brilliance of his symphonies and quartets. Revisiting this repertoire, Kozhukhin reveals their expressive depth and sparkling originality in a recital of striking contrast and character. From the genial Allegro of the early D Major Sonata, Hob XVI:4, to the restless intensity of the C minor Sonata, Hob XVI:20, each work reflects Haydn's inexhaustible inventiveness and subtle mastery of keyboard textures. A prize-winner of prestigious competitions, including the Leeds International Piano Competition (2006) and the Queen Elizabeth Competition (2010), Denis Kozhukhin has established himself as one of the most acclaimed pianists of his generation. He presents another chapter in his exclusive collaboration with PENTATONE, following albums such as Grieg and Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos (2016, Gramophone Editor's Choice), Brahms: Ballades and Fantasies (2017, 5 stars in Diapason), Ravel & Gershwin and Richard Strauss' Burleske (2018), Grieg: Lyric Pieces & Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte (2019, Gramophone Recording of the Month), Cesar Franck's Symphonic Variations (2020), and Somnia (2025, Gramophone Critic's Choice for 2025 Top Recordings).

The Subscription Concert Series of the Wiener Philharmoniker from the Golden Hall of the famous Musikverein are special concerts reserved for subscribers. Due to the exceptional quality of the concerts and the limited offer, the average waiting time for subscribers is more than 10 years. With this series, these very special concerts are made available for the first time audiovisually to a wider audience worldwide. Mahler's unusually expansive five-movement Symphony No. 7 is among the composer's most ambiguous and enigmatic works, often regarded as his most challenging to perform. Andris Nelsons leads the orchestra in a new chapter of their Mahler cycle, reaffirming his stature as "one of the most celebrated conductors of our time" (Salzburger Nachrichten). Under his baton, the Seventh becomes "magic in the Golden Hall. [...] Rarely has one heard this work so finely chiselled, so dynamically balanced. An event." (Kurier). "Andris Nelsons and the Vienna Philharmonic bring total coherence to Mahler's Seventh Symphony." (Seen and Heard International)

The Subscription Concert Series of the Wiener Philharmoniker from the Golden Hall of the famous Musikverein are special concerts reserved for subscribers. Due to the exceptional quality of the concerts and the limited offer, the average waiting time for subscribers is more than 10 years. With this series, these very special concerts are made available for the first time audiovisually to a wider audience worldwide. Mahler's unusually expansive five-movement Symphony No. 7 is among the composer's most ambiguous and enigmatic works, often regarded as his most challenging to perform. Andris Nelsons leads the orchestra in a new chapter of their Mahler cycle, reaffirming his stature as "one of the most celebrated conductors of our time" (Salzburger Nachrichten). Under his baton, the Seventh becomes "magic in the Golden Hall. [...] Rarely has one heard this work so finely chiselled, so dynamically balanced. An event." (Kurier). "Andris Nelsons and the Vienna Philharmonic bring total coherence to Mahler's Seventh Symphony." (Seen and Heard International)

Following a first release devoted to string trios by Hungarian composers (BIS-2107), the Trio Boccherini now presents a programme dedicated to works composed in France and Belgium during the first half of the 20th century. In a culture that so brilliantly cultivated the art of conversation, it is hardly surprising that early French string trios were often referred to as "Conversations � trois." The programme opens with a trio by Jean Cras, a Breton composer who produced a body of high-quality work while serving as an officer in the French navy. His string trio is a major work that incorporates a wide range of styles, including North African influences alongside echoes of Bach and Bart�k. The next work, Eug�ne Ysa�e's Le Chimay, is an intense work that is demanding for performers, both technically and emotionally. The work was so named because of the venue of it's first performance, long after the composer's death. Rejecting the modernism then in vogue, Jean Fran�aix's Trio appears light, airborne, playful, even impertinent. Both funny and profound, the work stands out for it's unique poetic quality. The programme ends with an arrangement for string trio of Claude Debussy's famous Clair de lune, a work of timeless beauty.

In 2002, anticipating the 205th anniversary year of "The President's Own" Marine Band, the then-Directors of this beloved ensemble invited John Williams to conduct a gala concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The legendary American composer graciously accepted, noting that his own father, a percussionist, had taught his son to love and respect the Marine Band from a young age. Williams first appeared with the band on July 12, 2003, one day after the band's official 205th birthday, thus inaugurating a long collaboration sustained by mutual respect and admiration. Williams would return to the Kennedy Center for another concert, this time in celebration of the band's 210th anniversary, in 2008. Several of his most enduring works were prepared especially for the Marine Band for these concerts, from film soundtrack highlights to original concert works. These full-length gala concerts from 2003 and 2008 are, taken together, a tour de force of some of Williams' most popular and creative scores, and serve as the primary source for this unique new recording collection. "Performing with 'The President's Own, '" writes Williams, "has been one of the highest honors of my working life in music. My great hope is that listeners of this special recording will experience some of the exhilaration and fun that I enjoyed conducting these two memorable performances... this ensemble truly is a national treasure of which all Americans should be justly proud."

The piano duo Jonas Hain & Robert Gromotka are joined by cello and violin for added depth and color in this new release. It is a concept album exploring human relationships and the invisible spaces between two people, blending neoclassical clarity with cinematic intensity, creating emotionally resonant soundscapes. Each composition captures moments of closeness, distance, and reflection. For fans of Nils Frahm, Max Richter, and �lafur Arnalds - intimate, poetic, and moving.

Rheinberger composed his Cantus Missae in 1878, during his tenure as court chapel master to King Ludwig II. The work bears witness to his successful reconciliation of the conflicting artistic currents of his time, and it is precisely this perfect equilibrium that has rendered it timeless. The Mass captivates with it's melodic, often almost Lied like character; yet, on closer listening, the music reveals a striking modernity for it's era. Nana Forte's Libera me was written almost 150 years after Cantus Missae. It is a spiritual drama in which the composer draws on the traditional techniques of double choir writing: she let's the choirs interlock contrapuntally or overlap in contrasting layers, as in the passage "tremens factus sum ego" ("trembling has overtaken me"). Frank Martin kept the manuscript of his Mass for Double Choir in a drawer for nearly forty years, regarding it as something solely between himself and God. In sound and musical language, the Mass is unmistakably a work of the twentieth century, yet one hears echoes of Gregorian chant and senses that the composer consciously places himself within the centuries old tradition of double choir composition and the symbolic world of Mass settings. Martin's work is shaped by the tension between tradition and modernity, personal confession and doctrinal expectation; but rather than seeking a "golden mean," he approaches these themes as a seeker and questioner. The result is one of the most highly regarded Mass settings of the twentieth century.

The organ works of Axel Ruoff, born in Stuttgart in 1957, constitute one of the most important contributions to the literature for the instrument by any composer since Messiaen. Stylistically, his music unites the French cathedral tradition of composers like Langlais, Dupre and Guillou with the concern with counterpoint and logic heard in Reger and later German figures. Ruoff uses the unparalleled resources of the modern symphonic organ not produce music of freewheeling energy and uncompromising power. (Volumes 1-5, TOCC 0567, 0596, 0610, 0672, 0709)

Tenor Daniel Behle fulfills a heartfelt wish and sings the "great" bel canto repertoire. However, he is not accompanied by a symphony orchestra, but by the renowned Alliage Quintet. The idea is as unusual as it is charming: instead of a full opera orchestra, four saxophones and a piano take center stage - sometimes shining velvety soft like strings, sometimes flashing virtuosically like brass instruments. Behle, one of the most versatile tenors of our time, sings arias that every opera lover carries in their heart-and which shine here in completely new colors. Bel canto with a wink, so to speak

Ravel Reflections not only presents an impressive artistic statement from Anton Gerzenberg, but also a kind of musical self-portrait: the young pianist proves himself to be an interpreter with analytical acumen, playful wit, and a captivating virtuosity that always remains committed to expression. His playing combines clarity and refinement with passion and a fearless willingness to take risks-qualities that made him the winner of the 2021 G�za Anda Competition and which also characterize this album.

With this double CD She Composed - Music by Women Composers, an artistically compelling and culturally significant project comes to life - one that combines musical quality, pedagogical vision, and editorial care in an exemplary way. The album presents piano works by women composers from several centuries and diverse cultural backgrounds, thoughtfully arranged in ascending levels of difficulty: from short, characterful miniatures to large-scale works of considerable technical and expressive demands. At the heart of the project lies it's carefully designed pedagogical concept. The selected works accompany pianists from early stages of learning to an advanced, concert-ready level. The result is a musical pathway that makes both technical development and growing expressive depth audible.

The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Netherlands Radio Choir, under Chief Conductor Karina Canellakis, present Rachmaninoff: The Bells & Symphonic Dances, a powerful and deeply expressive interpretation of these late masterpieces by Sergei Rachmaninoff. In The Bells, radiant choral textures and richly coloured orchestration trace a journey from youthful shimmer and lyrical warmth to ominous tolling, overwhelming drama and a final vision of serene transcendence. The outstanding soloists - Dmytro Popov, Kristina Mkhitaryan and Alexander Vinogradov - bring vocal brilliance and emotional depth, while the choir illuminates the text with clarity and a glowing, golden sound. In Symphonic Dances, rhythmic vitality and earthy drive give way to moments of nostalgia and introspection, culminating in a bold and exhilarating finale that captures the composer's unmistakable voice in his final orchestral work. Internationally acclaimed for her emotionally charged performances, technical command and interpretative depth, Canellakis has become one of the most in-demand conductors of her generation. She returns to PENTATONE as Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, further expanding a recording partnership that began with GRAMMY-nominated Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra (2023) and continued with Bartok: Duke Bluebeard's Castle (2025).

Richard Strauss summed up his two-act opera Intermezzo as a 'bourgeois comedy with symphonic interludes'. The soprano role of Christine with it's shimmering cantilenas represents Strauss's wife Pauline, while the successful Kapellmeister Robert Storch serves as Richard Strauss himself in a domestic drama that was avant-garde for it's time but now resonates with the accessibility of today's reality shows. This production from the Deutsche Oper Berlin was acclaimed for it's lush orchestral sound and superbly characterful cast led by a formidable central performance from Maria Bengtsson.

The Welshman John Thomas (1826-1913), harpist to Queen Victoria, wrote prolifically for his own instrument, both for solo harp and for duos of two harps or harp and piano - a combination where the different sounds of the two instruments enhance the clarity of the texture. Thomas' original works use the elegant Romantic style of his own day, but he often drew on Welsh folksong for his inspiration and left a generous legacy of transcriptions, especially of operatic favourites. Although some of his music was intended for the Victorian drawing room, other pieces require a virtuoso technique - and all of it has a thoroughly engaging melodic appeal.�[Volumes 1-5: TOCC 0561, 0566, 0578, 0582, 0711]

Inspired by his impressive descriptions, ensemble feuervogel follows Coryat on his voyage of discovery through the alleyways, squares, and canals of the Serenissima: from the magnificent St Mark's Basilica to the noble palazzi of the Venetian aristocracy and the elegant courts where music, dance, and courtly art played a central role. The concert programme Observations of Venice brings ornate diminutions and madrigals into dialogue with dance music, ricercars, and canzonas. In this way, ensemble feuervogel receives the music of the Venetian cinquecento, which Coryat wrote was "so beautiful that I would willingly walk a hundred miles at any time to hear the like of it."

Almost 70 years after it's premiere in Athens, we are now experiencing the German premiere of Mikis Theodorakis' First Symphony. This expressive composition has a dramatic history: the boiling sounds of this composition reveal the suffering, hope, and desire for freedom that the 25-year-old composer felt when he wrote this work on the prison island of Makronisos. This is contrasted with Ektoras Tartanis' own symphonic debut work, Erato Psaltrian, for baritone, harp, and orchestra; three movements entitled Genesis, Journey, and Celebration. Tartanis introduces us to the world of Greek mythology, the tradition of Byzantine chant, and, at the same time, to contemporary soundscapes. The piece was written for Anneleen Lenaerts, principal harpist of the Vienna Philharmonic, who performs the work together with the internationally acclaimed Swedish baritone Kosma Ranuer Kroon.

Baroque mastermind J�rg Halubek finishes his journey around the great historic organs of Germany. The final installment of his series Organ Landscapes on vinyl. Halubek plays the Silbermann organ (1710-1714) in the Dom St. Marien Church in Freiberg, the Hildebrandt organ (1746) in St. Wenzel Church in Naumburg, and in the St. Johannis Church in L�neburg.

This CD box set allows us to relive that legendary Bayreuth Festival year with recordings of Tannh�user from July 22, Die Walk�re from July 25, Lohengrin from August 4, and Parsifal from August 5, 1954. For the rapidly expanding loyal audience of "New Bayreuth, " which had been establishing itself with remarkable speed since 1951, the year 1954 brought some unexpected surprises. A singer named Theo Adam, previously known only for minor roles, stepped in to replace the towering bass legends Ludwig Weber and Josef Greindl as Fasolt and King Heinrich. Meanwhile, a choir member named Franz Crass was promoted to the role of the Fourth Nobleman in Lohengrin, unaware that just five years later, he would alternate as King Heinrich alongside his already more established young colleague. Equally surprising was Greindl's debut as Gurnemanz in Bayreuth, filling in for Ludwig Weber.

Today, it is a beacon in the world of music: a cappella choir culture at the highest technical and musical level. Clytus Gottwald had a decisive influence on this choir culture with his work, arranging solo songs for polyphonic choirs and thus enabling new, breathtaking sound experiences. In 2025, Gottwald would have turned 100 years old. The Stuttgart Chamber Choir, conducted by Frieder Bernius, has taken this anniversary as an opportunity to honor Gottwald's art with a special program. From Franz Schubert's Nacht und Tr�ume (Night and Dreams) to Die K�nige (The Kings) by Peter Cornelius to Solveig's Song by Edvard Grieg, the range of songs that Gottwald transformed into a cappella choral sound experiences through his transcriptions is vast. A vocal delight, not only in the anniversary year!