The Sonus Quintet is Germany's first reed quintet, consisting of clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone, oboe, and bassoon. This unusual combination of woodwind instruments allows for imaginative and airy sounds beautifully showcased on the ensemble's GENUIN debut album. The program includes the quintet's own transcriptions and the original composition "Refraction" by David Biedenbinder from 2015. The album title "Light" is reflected in various ways in the works: Gershwin's "An American in Paris," Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," and Grieg's famous "Air" from the "Holberg Suite."

Learn more about Elite Recordings and the revival of their VOX Classics albums on the Naxos Classical Spotlight Podcast!

These Vox recordings from 1974 capture Leonard Slatkin and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in classic performances of Gershwin’s most popular orchestral works including An American in Paris, Catfish Row and Cuban Overture. Newly remastered in 192kHz / 24-bit high definition.

Learn more about the VOX Label, the Elite Recordings production team, and the reissuing of these classic Utah Symphony recordings on the Naxos Classical Spotlight Podcast!

Vox Audiophile Edition. Tchaikovsky composed his First Symphony just after graduating from the St Petersburg Conservatory. The Second Symphony presents an infectious cheerfulness and imaginative skill in orchestration. These Vox recordings by the Utah Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maurice Abravanel were originally released in 1974 as quadraphonic LPs (QSVBX 5129 and QSVBX 5131) and also appeared in 2001 as part of a complete Tchaikovsky symphonic edition on the Vox label (CD5X 3603). The Elite Recordings for Vox by legendary producers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz are considered by audiophiles to be among the finest sounding examples of orchestral recordings. Remastered in high definition from the original source tapes.

The ARUNDO quintet shines with virtuosic expressiveness and a variety of sounds in the classical lineup of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn. On its second CD, "Saga," the ensemble brings to life four varied worlds of sound that immediately stimulate the imagination. Claude Debussy's colorful re-creations of a bygone ideal, Carl Nielsen's play with the diversity of human characters, and Lalo Schifrin's reinterpretation of the New Orleans style have long accompanied the ensemble and have become part of its own history as "heartfelt pieces." As with the highly acclaimed debut CD, "Origin," the ARUNDO quintet has commissioned a new work from the American composer Kevin Beavers: The "saga" continues…

Poetry and music accomplish together what neither can accomplish alone. For the majority of the works on this album, John Wykoff collaborated with one of the best choral lyricists of our time. In writing the words for many of the works, Charles Anthony Silvestri was finely sensitive to the ways in which music transforms a text and is transformed in return. His lyrics are imaginative and beautiful, yet he leaves room for music to interpret the text and divert it's meaning... Music can account for many dimensions. From the comfort, consolation, protection, sacredness in Out of This Darkness, it also has the power to combine these with their opposite: threat, danger, and disquietude. Only the combination of words and music makes all these nuances possible. While lyrics typically precede music, sometimes it is the other way around, as with the Inventions for Choir (and Piano), where Wykoff considered what it would mean to take the spirit and purpose of Bach's famous keyboard inventions, but not the style, and write a set for singers in a contemporary choral idiom. And then there is Five American Songs, which began not with words or music separately, but with old songs whose words and music were already wed. Wykoff set out not to alter or change each song, but to lovingly frame it (to "curate it," as he heard Alice Parker say once). Any undue intrusion of the composer would distract from these charming songs, not enhance them. Songs do not live on paper. They come alive only when sung and played. The Missouri State Chorale, Parker Payne, and Cameron LaBarr bring these works to life. Music is something humans do together. And singing together is something that usually makes us more human.

American composer Trevor Kowalski's latest album, "The Twilight Glow," marks an eagerly anticipated addition to his diverse and intricate discography. Known for his serene and dreamy soundscapes as well as his sophisticated classical compositions, Kowalski continues to explore a range of themes and moods with his new collection. For the album's title track, "The Twilight Glow," Kowalski has taken the exceptional step of transcribing the sheet music himself, underscoring the significance of this piece within the collection. The album features a variety of arrangements, including solo piano, a full score for performance suites, and parts for horn and strings, showcasing a rich orchestration that suits various musical preferences. An EMMY-nominated composer, Kowalski's work remains a testament to his mastery of blending classical influences with contemporary soundscapes. "The Twilight Glow" is available now for listeners who appreciate finely crafted musical compositions.

On the occasion of conductor Georges Prêtre's 100th birthday in August, the label SWRmusic will release an 8CD box-set containing a wonderful collection of representative orchestral works by eleven composers, thus showing the fruitful collaboration between the French conductor and the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO). Most of the recordings are being released for the first time, with the exception of the works by Maurice Ravel and Richard Strauss, which have previously been released by this label.

The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1945 and has developed into one of Germany’s most important musical ambassadors over the following seven decades. World-renowned conductors, as well as some of the world’s greatest soloists, have been guests of the Stuttgart RSO, including Carlos Kleiber, Ferenc Fricsay, Karl Böhm, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Hans Knappertsbusch, Sir Georg Solti, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Kurt Sanderling, Gary Bertini, and Herbert Blomstedt, as well as Maria Callas, Mstislaw Rostropowitsch, Maurizio Pollini, Yehudi Menuhin, Alfred Brendel, Hélène Grimaud, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Elina Garanca, Rolando Villazon, Hilary Hahn, Sol Gabetta, and Lang Lang, to name just a few.

This first joint project by the Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin and the Basel-based vocal ensemble Voces Suaves is dedicated to the musical milieu into which Johann Sebastian Bach was born, and especially to those composers who had a demonstrable influence on the work of the man who would later become Thomaskantor in Leipzig. In addition to pieces from the Altbachisches Archiv (Archive of the Older Bachs), the album features sacred concertos and early cantatas by Bach's predecessors and superiors from Arnstadt, Muhlhausen, Weimar and Leipzig, and with them impressive proof of how highly developed the musical tradition of Central Germany then was. Although many of the composers are completely unknown to us today, their works, some of which are recorded here for the first time, provide a fascinating insight into the musical language of late seventeenth-century Germany with it's inspiring wealth of colours and forms.

Michal Balas passionately presents two cello concertos by Joseph Haydn. The young Polish cellist devotes himself to the C major and D major concertos, which are highly esteemed among cellists. 'All cellists were brought up to play these pieces with great respect - like Bach's cello suites or Beethoven's sonatas,' says Balas, who is on the threshold of a global career and is studying in Basel. With his debut album, he brings a fresh perspective to this repertoire. In collaboration with conductor Christian Erny and the Kurpfalzisches Kammerorchester Mannheim, Balas reinterprets the Haydn concertos with courage and confidence. His individual cadenzas show his personal perspective. The recording shows an outstanding performance and intensive exchange. Balas sets a new milestone in his musical journey.

Performances of less recorded orchestral works by Igor Stravinsky, which show the versatility of the Russian composer, who was never a supporter of any kind of expression aesthetics. On the contrary, he saw composing as an intellectual game, an attempt to solve self-invented musical problems. His constructivism could be kindled by Italian Baroque music, but just as well by the polyphonous structures of the Renaissance, by jazz, or by Anton Webern's serial tone complexes.

25 years of La Cetra Basel! To celebrate this anniversary, La Cetra and Arcana are releasing the "greatest musical masterpiece of all time", as the work was called in the 19th century: Bach's Mass in B minor. "It is a dream come true to have recorded this work for La Cetra's 25th jubilee - the best birthday present ever!" says maestro Andrea Marcon. Under his direction, La Cetra Basel has made a name for itself in recent years with acclaimed interpretations of J. S. Bach's most important sacred works. Featuring top-flight soloists, this recording presents Andrea Marcon's particular vision for this Mass, notable for the division of voices between "concertists" and "ripienists". The sonority and character of each movement emerge from the skilfully crafted balance between solos and tuttis, creating a three-dimensional sound reminiscent of a three-manual organ. The result is a unique tonality, full of fresh nuances and colours, and no doubt very close to what Bach had imagined.

Over the course of a long but ultimately frustrated career as a late-Romantic lyric composer, Francesco Cilea ascribed to one credo above all: 'Be Italian'. In L'Arlesiana and Adriana Lecouvreur, above all, he created masterpieces of the new style of verismo which kept sung drama in Italian at the centre of wider notions of what opera means. Everything he wrote, from large-scale stage works, to chamber pieces to the salon songs and miniatures gathered here, expressed his quintessentially Italian voice and aesthetic philosophy. 'The real instrument of expression of the passions is the divine human voice,' he once remarked, 'with which no instrument can ever compete.' Thus, in complement to his career as an operatic composer, he wrote a small but exquisite collection of songs gathered here by artists with considerable experience in the field of neglected Italian art-song. This collection opens with the charming Romanza which Cilea composed at the age of 17, evidently under the spell of Bellini's Norma. The more complex harmony of 'Bionda larva' from three years later mirrors Cilea's development as a stage composer, about to launch his first opera, Gina. Every sung line here is calculated, as it was in Monteverdi's day, to heighten an appreciation of the text, and the emotions underlying it, with a madrigalian illustration which always colours and never obscures the words. There are expressions of heightened erotic passion alongside simple religious devotion - a typically Italian paradox. As interludes, David Boldrini plays four evocative miniatures, functioning essentially as songs without words. He and Lenny Lorenzani have made a previous collection of Cilea's songs, but this new Brilliant Classics album was recorded in 2023 and features a different selection of repertoire. - Francesco Cilea (1866-1950) went into history as the composer of one opera, Adrienne Lecouvreur. However, this late romantic Italian left a fine oeuvre of chamber and solo works, wonderfully evocative music, full of subtlety and finesse, in the style of early Debussy, studies in sonority and instrumental colours. - This new recording presents a selection of art songs and piano works. The songs are typically Italian in their simple, fluid, and elegant vocal melodies, "The real instrument of expression of the passions is the divine human voice, with which no instrument can ever compete" As Cilea himself said in an interview. - Beautifully performed by Lenny Lorenzani and David Boldrini.

Since 2010, Christian Lindberg and the Norrk�ping Symphony Orchestra have embarked on a unique and ambitious project: a complete performance and recording cycle of the orchestral works of Allan Pettersson, the Swedish master symphonist renowned for his deeply personal and emotionally charged compositions. Premiered in 1956, Symphony No. 3 is distinctive within Pettersson's extensive symphonic output as his only symphony in four movements, adhering to a more traditional structure. While an early work reflecting influences of Shostakovich, Sibelius, and Mahler, it is far from a minor achievement. Though the lyrical passages that would later define his style are not yet fully developed, the symphony offers a concise and sharply etched musical landscape, both impressive and strikingly original. Symphony No. 8, premiered in 1972, is arguably Pettersson's most celebrated and frequently performed symphony. It's extended, often described as "free" or "never-ending," melodies create an impression of boundless continuation, yet the work is far from tranquil. As is characteristic of Pettersson, the symphony possesses a strong autobiographical element. In his own words: "The work I am working on is my own life, the one that is blessed, the one that is cursed: I devote myself to it in order to rediscover the song that the soul once sang."

With Water & Fire, B’Rock Orchestra and Dmitry Sinkovsky present Handel’s Water Music alongside his Music for the Royal Fireworks. Both works were written for royal open-air ceremonies, were likely substantially drowned out by the noise of fireworks and the waves of the Thames during their first performance, and were never played again during Handel’s lifetime. Since then, they have, however, become favourites of the public, and they contain some of the most appealing instrumental music of the baroque era. B’Rock performs these works with an ensemble that approaches the ca. 50 musicians that Handel originally employed, conveying the pomp and splendour while also highlighting the coloristic richness and refinement of Handel’s scores. B’Rock Orchestra is one of today’s most forward-thinking period orchestras with a desire for encounter and exchange. The ensemble returns to Pentatone after having released Schubert’s complete symphonies with conductor René Jacobs between 2018 and 2022, as well as Antwerp Requiem c. 1650 (2022). Dmitry Sinkovsky is in demand as a conductor, violinist and countertenor, and previously appeared on Pentatone with Monteverdi: Il delirio della passione (2021).

Born in Brussels in 2020, The WIG Society (TWS) has rapidly grown into one of the most exciting musical ensembles on the European Early Music scene. As a rising ensemble within the EEEmerging+ programme, TWS has developed an original approach to the chamber music of the galant and classical period. Their playing highlights the lavish, extravagant, and witty elements of a repertoire principally designed to entertain an aristocratic society on the decline. They re-imagine rococo ballrooms and salons as contemporary dance floors, Haydn as the Beyoncé of the 1770s. Their sound is rich and nuanced in depth thanks to the employment of both the harpsichord and the double-bass, instead of the traditional cello. Alongside works by celebrated composers, TWS proposes some world premiere recordings of neglected composers from the Mannheim School and beyond.

Rhapsodies is the fourth album on Naxos dedicated to the lauded American composer Margaret Brouwer - renowned for her music's lyricism, imagery and emotional power. Marin Alsop conducts the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra in this programme of world premiere recordings including Symphony No. 1 'Lake Voices' and the dazzling Rhapsody, Concerto for Orchestra.

The three renowned Danish jazz artists, bassist Lennart Ginman, drummer Thomas Blachman and pianist Carsten Dahl, collectively known under the moniker GinmanBlachmanDahl, are set to release their new album on Storyville Records on April 5th. Bearing the title, “What’s to Come!”, this record is a testament to the power of spontaneity, unpredictability, and collaboration in the realm of jazz.

The combination of these three masterful musicians has resulted in yet another album that simply oozes swing, timing, dexterity, and imagination. They are simply put - some of the most visionary and innovative Danish jazz musicians and composers, and their music reflects their never-ending quest to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

Unlike a conventional studio recording, this album was born out of raw spontaneity and creative synergy within the trio – every note, every chord, every rhythm was created in the spur of the moment. The result is a sonic journey into the heart and essence of improvisation.

What’s to Come! invites listeners into the intimate dialogue between three masterful musicians. With a nod to the luminaries who have shaped the genre—Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Bill Evans—the trio infuses their compositions with a sense of homage and reverence, yet never shy away from boldly charting their own course. From the introspective melodies that stir the soul to the explosive bursts of energy that ignite the senses, this recording captures the full spectrum of human experience in all its complexity and nuance.

As the final notes fade into the ether, one cannot help but feel the palpable sense of anticipation lingering in the air—a promise of What’s to Come!, and an invitation to join them on their ongoing odyssey of sound and expression.

American composer Trevor Kowalski's latest album, "The Twilight Glow," marks an eagerly anticipated addition to his diverse and intricate discography. Known for his serene and dreamy soundscapes as well as his sophisticated classical compositions, Kowalski continues to explore a range of themes and moods with his new collection. For the album's title track, "The Twilight Glow," Kowalski has taken the exceptional step of transcribing the sheet music himself, underscoring the significance of this piece within the collection. The album features a variety of arrangements, including solo piano, a full score for performance suites, and parts for horn and strings, showcasing a rich orchestration that suits various musical preferences. An EMMY-nominated composer, Kowalski's work remains a testament to his mastery of blending classical influences with contemporary soundscapes. "The Twilight Glow" is available now for listeners who appreciate finely crafted musical compositions.

Anton Bruckner - Symphony No. 7 Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Eliahu Inbal.

A traveler between worlds, navigating between tradition and avant-garde, the highly acclaimed pianist Jan Gerdes exemplifies mastery in both realms. With his new GENUIN album, he more than lives up to his reputation as a fearless musical adventurer: he releases exciting, contemporary piano music by six composers from various countries in the African continent. Names like Clare Loveday, Andile Khumalo, or Bongani Ndodana-Breen urgently deserve our attention! Gerdes contributes with his brilliant recordings to a new focus that the increasingly internationalized music scene needs. Top marks for interpretation and repertoire value!

Just as the worthy and skilled painter imitates all things created in nature by varying the colours, in the same way you can imitate the expression made by the human voice on a wind and stringed instrument. This concept, which was explained by Silvestro Ganassi in his Opera intitulata La Fontegara already in 1535, has inspired Concerto Scirocco to seek�the maximum expression when interpreting the instrumental music of the 16th and 17th centuries. Hand in hand with the development of the instrumental repertoire, rhetoric became the link between instrument and voice, between imitation and reality. Where words were lacking, composers and instrumentalists used rhetoric to delight listeners just as singers did.� In�this, it's�fifth, recording, Concerto Scirocco focuses on an early baroque anthology of pieces, "painting in notes" a number of musical portraits full of contrasts:�the pulsating rhythm of the battle in the�Symphonia "A�gran�battaglia",�the�beguiling�mermaids in Marco Uccellini's�Aria sopra�"Questa bella Sirena",�or the operatic tension in the�Sonata a�tre�by Francesco Cavalli.

Francesca Guccione's new album, The Geometry of Time, is a captivating fusion of her rich Sicilian heritage and the stunning landscapes of her homeland. Drawing deeply from Sicily's beauty and cultural depth, Guccione masterfully weaves these influences into her music, resulting in an evocative and immersive auditory experience. Guccione's album is a harmonious fusion of orchestral instruments, voices, synthesizers, and sophisticated audio samples. The result is a poetic and ethereal sound that transports listeners to a realm of their own. Her use of a diverse array of instruments, from digital and analog synths to samplers, in tandem with traditional ones like violins and piano, underscores her versatility and groundbreaking approach to music composition. Guccione's music is not just deeply intertwined with film, but often directly inspired by cinematic themes. The tracks in The Geometry of Time resonate with the mood and emotion found in movies, making it a perfect accompaniment for both the silver screen and personal introspection. In The Geometry of Time, Francesca Guccione continues to push the boundaries of musical expression, offering a unique blend of tradition and modernity that is both timeless and contemporary. This album is a testament to her artistic vision and celebrates the intricate interplay between culture, nature, and sound.

Francesca Guccione's new album, The Geometry of Time, is a captivating fusion of her rich Sicilian heritage and the stunning landscapes of her homeland. Drawing deeply from Sicily's beauty and cultural depth, Guccione masterfully weaves these influences into her music, resulting in an evocative and immersive auditory experience. Guccione's album is a harmonious fusion of orchestral instruments, voices, synthesizers, and sophisticated audio samples. The result is a poetic and ethereal sound that transports listeners to a realm of their own. Her use of a diverse array of instruments, from digital and analog synths to samplers, in tandem with traditional ones like violins and piano, underscores her versatility and groundbreaking approach to music composition. Guccione's music is not just deeply intertwined with film, but often directly inspired by cinematic themes. The tracks in The Geometry of Time resonate with the mood and emotion found in movies, making it a perfect accompaniment for both the silver screen and personal introspection. In The Geometry of Time, Francesca Guccione continues to push the boundaries of musical expression, offering a unique blend of tradition and modernity that is both timeless and contemporary. This album is a testament to her artistic vision and celebrates the intricate interplay between culture, nature, and sound.

Award-winning composer and educator Wenchen Qin's unique musical language is influenced by his multicultural background, integrating Eastern and Western elements. All the works on this release are infused with literature, mythology and a fascination with nature. The Cloud River revitalises the sheng - an ancient Chinese instrument - with new playing techniques. With the sheng also playing a leading role, Poetry of the Land ruminates on how the land provides great inspiration.

After recordings of Beethoven’s complete symphonies; two Ravel albums; one Rautavaara album; and the award-winning album ‘Americascapes’; Robert Treviño now turns his focus on the symphonic poems by Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936).Together with the Orchestra Nazionale Sinfonica della RAI; Robert Treviño presents the composer’s famous Roman Trilogy; an exciting orchestral masterpiece culminating in the triumphant Pines of Rome.

Respighi's fascination with the Eternal City is nowhere better expressed than in the three symphonic poems that make up the so-called Roman Trilogy. He had rarely taken on works of such proportions and his most recent large-scale orchestral work, the Sinfonia Drammatica, dating from 1914, still reveals the lasting influence of Brahms and Franck. But just one year later, he finally shook off the shackles of late 19th-century Romanticism, and offered a first glimpse of the remarkable use of color that would soon become a hallmark of his orchestral writing.

REVIEW:

Respighi’s three tone poems, collectively known as the “Roman Trilogy,” have been popular since their premieres, and there is no shortage of recordings. However, here is one that is worth consideration from a rising conductor and a major orchestra that is not recorded as often as it ought to be. This is absolutely infectious fun, and the performances are fully in the spirit of these evergreen favorites. Here is a release that will make one remember what it was they loved about this music in the first place.

-- AllMusic,com (James Manheim)