I think of fantasy as a creative force that has united composers across the centuries, to which each composer has miraculously had access, then transposed it over time. In each composer we find characteristics typical of the time in which he lived, others typical of the composer, and sometimes phrases, ideas, fragments, which seem to come out of time and space, into another dimension compared to everyday life. Here is where the genius lives, where the connection with the devine, through the creative force of fantasy, allowed the composers to go beyond their human nature." Margherita Santi

This recording was made in December 1982 at a time when record label planning was dominated by the demand for new digital recordings of standard repertoire. It has rightly been described as a boom time, when orchestras, conductors, chamber groups and soloists spent the majority of their days in the studio revisiting the bread-and-butter favourites of the literature. Nimbus was therefore open to the suggestion from John Boyden that he record for us some Mozart Serenades with the ECO. The recording was released on LP in 1984 but was never released on CD. Looking back on that time I suppose that by 1984 we were putting all our energies behind our new, exclusive relationship with William Boughton and his English String Orchestra. In hindsight it is a pity that the refined playing of the UKs finest chamber orchestras at the height of it's prestige has been overlooked. � Adrian Farmer

A high-grade LP transfer for a superbly engineered album of Bach at his most life-enhancing. JS Bach may not have composed any concertos specifically for recorder – none have survived, at any rate – but he scored for the instrument elsewhere in his output, most unforgettably so in his earliest surviving cantata, the ‘Actus tragicus’. In any case the uniquely adaptable nature of his inspiration lends itself to the kind of sympathetic adaptation undertaken here by Erik Bosgraaf in partnership with the musicologist and art historian Thiemo Wind. Three of the concertos here have beenadapted from pieces which survive in a scoring for solo harpsichord and string orchestra: BWV 1053, 1055 and 1059. A fourth concerto has been constructed by Wind from transcriptions of cantata arias, adapted from the secular cantata Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen BWV215 and Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen BWV32. The idea is humble but ingenious, answering the question: what might Bach have done, or could he have done, if he had written concertos for the recorder? In doing so, Bosgraaf and his colleagues are following good precedents: after all, Bach himself created and performed many such transcriptions. His oeuvre demonstrates that a composition wasnot regarded as an unchanging work of art, and during his lifetime it was standard procedure to make quite radical adaptations according to the relevant circumstances. In any case, Bosgraaf and the one-per-part musicians of Cordevento perform these concertos with an unfailing sensitivity to the momentum and poetry of Bach’s originals. Now, on 180-gram vinyl, these recordings gain a special warmth and depth while losing none of their pin-point clarity. ‘Erik Bosgraaf’s recorder-playing is fluent and lively in fast music, and his five colleagues provide accompaniments that are lean, stylish and precise.’ (Gramophone)

"Echos de la Terre," the first album with Cypres by the highly promising Trio O3, is intended as an aural journey into the immensity and immeasurability of the world around us. Each composition resonates with one of the fundamental elements present in nature. However, the element earth, mentioned in the title of the CD, is not directly linked to any of the four pieces. Rather, it is light (Fiorini) that appears as a crucial element alongside air (Kõrvits), fire (Saariaho), and water (Crumb).

Interpreting these complex works as if they were their mother tongue, Lydie Thonnard, Eugénie Defraigne, and Lena Kollmeier, thanks to their mastery of unconventional playing techniques, bring them to life and fuse their distinct instrumental voices into a harmonious whole, lavishing the listener with unexpected pleasures and profound emotions.

Joseph Haydn: Complete Symphonies Vols 32 - 35 With this box set of four CDs, you now have the final missing piece of the jigsaw of the complete recordings of all of Haydn's symphonies, as performed by the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra. "Heidelberg Haydn is a paragon of dynamism, freshness, wildness, humour, and a richness of surprise. I am delighted that the journey continues, and that the cycle is completed. My musical encounters with the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra have always been journeys to happiness. Idealism, the love of music, and technical perfection combine here with the will to create something very special, and it all fits perfectly into the symphonic world of Joseph Haydn. Full of anticipation, I look forward to the future!" Johannes Klumpp

Bach, in his time, could never have envisioned his music being recorded. When we first embarked on our journey with the Oxford Bach Soloists, our focus was not on recording. We were immersed in the live experience, discovering Bach's vocal works chronologically, in real-time. It was about living the music as all those who performed and heard it did, tracing his steps through each note and phrase. Featuring two of our core Soloists, Nick Pritchard and Yu-Wei Hu, this album presents three of Bach's Cantatas. These include possibly his earliest vocal work, Christ lag in Todesbanden (BWV 4), his only extant tenor cantata, Ich armer Mensch (BWV 55), and the much-beloved cantata, Ich habe genug, showcased here in it's arrangement for high voice and flute (BWV 82.2). This recording is a celebration of our journey with Bach, and an invitation to experience his timeless music through our own journey of dedication and discovery.

The protagonist of these recordings owed his posthumous fame to an error. The Jena Symphony, discovered in the city's university library in 1909, was thoroughly studied, discussed, and even recorded as a supposed early work by Beethoven. However, since 1968 it has been established that the composition is by no means the titan's "zero" symphony, but rather the 14th of 23 symphonies that Friedrich Witt wrote in Niederstetten, Baden-W�rttemberg, many of which were also published. A full five weeks older than his colleague from Bonn, whom he outlived by nine years, he had been court conductor in W�rzburg since 1802, where his symphonic output took an astonishing turn and was apparently renumbered. The three symphonies recorded here, Nos. 1 to 3, were written a few years earlier than their much-praised cousin, but consistently display uncompromising quality.

It was through a chance hearing by Nimbus founder, Numa Labinsky, that William Boughton came to visit Nimbus in 1982. Numa had been checking the quality of LPs going through the manufacturing plant. He liked what he heard on one of them by a new string orchestra called the Vivaldi Ensemble with William Boughton. The meeting happened, discussions went very well and the orchestra - renamed English String Orchestra - made it's first Nimbus recording on 31 May 1983. A potpourri featuring harpist Susan Drake 'Music for Harp and Strings', Sadly this recording, a digital pioneer, has degraded beyond repair. The next recording was an altogether grander affair; popular string orchestra works of Elgar, made in the Great Hall of Birmingham University. The orchestra under William's direction quickly became a regular feature of Nimbus's releases, as did the Great Hall. The relationship was so close and so active that it might have appeared to be a house band - except that the orchestra and it's music director had a rich and busy concert life quite independently of their work in the studio. Neither William nor I recall there being any particular reason why this recital was held back. However, I believe the following chronology of events holds a clue. Just two months after this record we were back in the Great Hall to record an album of Butterworth (A Shropshire Lad, The Banks of Green Willow, Two English Idylls), Parry (Lady Radnor's Suite) and Bridge (Suite for Strings). When it was released, particularly in the USA, it became the orchestra's, and Nimbus's calling-card, instantly racking-up chart successes, a top spot in the Billboard 100 and endless radio play. In those days classical radio in the US stretched from coast-to-coast, so not wanting to miss an opportunity our American agent put William and me on a trans-American PR tour. The obvious question came from all sides - 'what's your follow-up?' the only possible answer being 'more English music'. Finzi, Delius, Holst, Tippett and Britten were the order of the day. Josef Suk, Antonin Dvorak and Leos Janacek have waited a long time for their day in the sun. � Adrian Farmer

An album of world premiere recordings of works written to accompany poems by celebrated Irish novelist and poet James Joyce, Desmond Earley and the University Choral Scholars of University College, Dublin release their fourth album on Signum Classics. Following their EP "Ireland is My Home" which was Scala Radio's Album of the Week, this new album aims to encapsulate the influence of singing and music in Joyce's work. A tenor himself, it was Joyce's wish that his words be set to music, and through commissioning new works, the choir are proud of their unique connection to Joyce's Dublin story. "It is a pleasure and honour for us to be the first choral ensemble to wrap James Joyce's 'suite of songs' in an Irish choral voice" - Desmond Earley (Artistic Director)

Hailed by Classic FM as "one of today's most exciting young composers" Rebecca Dale is a London based composer, working most often with large orchestral and choral forces in the worlds of cinema and theatre. Night Seasons is an album about hope, looking for the light in difficult times, written during a time of personal dif- ficulty while her father was terminally ill. With works written for choir and cello it strives to be a hopeful album, reaching for the wonder around us. Rebecca Dale says "It's been one of the great privileges of my life to be able to write for cellist heroes of mine to whom I grew up listening. I also got to have fun setting some famous poems... I am indebted to everyone who has created this album with me".

The composer, pianist, and conductor Gerard Schurmann (1924 - 2020) was born in Kertosono, Java, which was then part of the Dutch East Indies. The family lived within earshot of the resident gamelan orchestras at the Sultan's Palace, and hearing the pentatonic scales and intricate rhythms of this traditional Indonesian music made a lasting impression on the young Gerard. During the 1950s and 1960s, Schurmann was best known for his film scores, particularly The Long Arm (1956; CHAN 10979) and Horrors of the Black Museum (1959; CHAN 10979). Man in the Sky is a Concert Overture derived from Schurmann's score for the eponymous film. The Piano Concerto was written for the great British pianist John Ogdon, who gave the premiere in November 1973. The work is laid out in two movements, the first rapid and virtuosic, the second broader and more contemplative. Romancing the Strings is a set of six short variations on an original theme which Schurmann wrote originally for a Disney feature that was eventually broadcast as Dr Syn - Alias the Scarecrow (CHAN 10979). The programme concludes with Gaudiana, a set of Symphonic Studies for orchestra inspired by the work of the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, which was first performed by the Orquestra Simf�nica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya under Rumon Gamba in December 2005.

Kasparas Uinskas is an internationally acclaimed pianist, praised by critics for his virtuosity and romantic style. Mr. Uinskas is performing at most important world concert halls - New York's Carnegie Hall, Berlin Philharmonie, London Wigmore Hall, Madrid Auditorio Nacional, J. F. Kennedy Center in Washington, DC among others. "... great pianist and musician... " Carnegie Hall (New York Concert Review). "... his interpretations overcome all limits... " Berlin Philharmonie (Klassik in Berlin)

Little is known of Vincenzo Bonizzi's life, but he lived and worked mostly in Parma, and is remembered by music historians for writing the last work for the viola bastarda published in 1626. The viola bastarda was described as 'the queen of instruments' - it stands midway between tenor and bass viols in terms of size and tuning. Bonizzi's Alcune opere di diversi auttori is a mixture of original music and pieces drawn from numerous sources, all of which are of high musical value and technical difficulty.

The annual Christmas concert series at Oslo Cathedral, 'Klinge skal et jubelkor', has long been a highlight of the pre-Christmas period in Norway's capital city. Once every year, all of the choirs associated with the cathedral come together to perform a programme of Christmas music, from the youngest fledglings in the boys' choir to the veteran choristers who have sung at the cathedral their whole lives. Together with brass, timpani, harp, and two organs, the choirs perform Christmas carols central to the traditions of the Church of Norway.�This recording of Oslo Cathedral's Christmas programme demonstrates that the cathedral continues to thrum with it's rich musical tradition.

Volume 13 is the final instalment in Wolf Harden's series of Busoni's piano music, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the composer's death in 2024. It features selections from the multi-volume Klavierubung ('Piano Exercise') as well as some early miniatures, and more.

SOMM RECORDINGS�celebrates the powerful and dynamic relationship between soloist and orchestra with three works by Nimrod Borenstein, whom Opus klassiek called "Brilliant... an inspired composer but also an inspiring conductor." Borenstein leads the English Chamber Orchestra in his Concerto for mandolin and orchestra; Shakespeare Songs for soprano and orchestra; and Legende - Concerto for oboe and orchestra. The program features mandolinist Alon Sariel, honored for his "dazzling virtuosity" by The Vancouver Sun; soprano Sarah Fox- Honorary Fellow at the University of London's Royal Holloway College and winner of the Kathleen Ferrier and John Christie awards-praised for her "shining intelligence" by Gramophone; and oboist Sanja Romic, hailed by Zubin Mehta for her "musical depth and lovely tone" and applauded worldwide for her expressive sound and charismatic stage presence. Nimrod Borenstein-whose substantial catalogue currently numbers more than 100 works ranging from orchestral and chamber music to solo instrumental pieces-made his SOMM debut [SOMMCD 281] conducting the first recordings of his Piano Concerto, piano quintet�Light and Darkness, and�Shirim�for solo piano, celebrated by Pizzicato as "feel-good music of exquisite quality." With reference to this present release, Borenstein describes the relationship between soloist and orchestra as having an epic, almost theatrical quality. "It can become a moment of confession, or of confrontation," he says, "a personal voice rising against, or carried by, a collective force." These elements are richly evident in all three works presented here. While the qualities of a mandolin can be delicate, quiet, and soft, Borenstein's choice in composing his Concerto for mandolin and orchestra was to create a work that feels monumental in scope while showcasing the virtuosic capabilities of the instrument. To this end, the composer explored many of the technical ideas and expressive tools pioneered by Paganini for the violin, adapting them to the mandolin's unique sound. This release of Borenstein's Shakespeare Songs reprises his performance in March 2025 at London's Cadogan Hall with Sarah Fox and the English Chamber Orchestra. In choosing and setting these five Shakespeare sonnets, Borenstein has created both variety and a sense of overall structure ranging from the enchantment of pure beauty in "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" to the despair-turned-hope in "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes." The two-movement Legende - Concerto for oboe and orchestra was written for and premiered by Sanja Romic in 2024. The slow, dance-like opening is like a preamble to a tale about to be told; "Let me tell you a story about a legend I once heard." The second and final movement is more fiery, with contrasts leading to a faster tempo return of the opening theme, creating a sense of narrative closure before a brilliant, virtuosic conclusion.

Santtu conducts Stravinsky is the third album from Philharmonia Records featuring two incredible works by Igor Stravinsky - the complete Petrushka (1947 version), and the Firebird Suite (1945 version) - conducted by Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, these two works were recorded at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall in 2023.

The album 'OCULUS' is Julie Cooper's 2nd to be released on the Signum Classics label. It is an eye into the world of colour in music, from the Italian Renaissance through to present day. Inspired by the talent of the artists recording the tracks, by paintings, dances and architecture of the Italian Renaissance and the vividly descriptive colours the Oculus Ensemble's Conductor Jessica Cottis sees when conducting in certain keys through her synaesthesia.

Domenico Cimarosa Le astuzie femminili A Neopolitan nurse who starts a career in Rome as a notary; a young girl, who is placed in his charge and may only receive her father's rich inheritance if she weds the Neapolitan Don Giampaolo, who is enthralled with her; a poor dolt who is hopelessly in love with the heiress; a housekeeper who adores the wrong lawyer; and a scheming girlfriend who cleverly arranges a happy ending. Le astuzie femminili, "Feminine wiles", may only have six characters, but they stir up such a frenzy that even today one cannot help but grin. Underscored by the exuberant and extraordinarily melodic music of the once successful composer Domenico Cimarosa, this Buffa is the ideal counterpart to Il matrimonio segreto, which joined the cpo catalogue just three years ago.

In celebration of his 80th birthday, this four-disc set spans more than five decades of Michael Tilson Thomas' compositional career. It features 18 works, from premiere recordings to remastered archival recordings available for the first time. The deluxe collection also includes an extensive booklet containing composer's notes, original essays, and a timeline of archival photos chronicling MTT's life as a pianist, conductor, composer, recording artist, and teacher.

All proceeds from GRACE: The Music of Michael Tilson Thomas will be donated to brain cancer research at the University of California, San Francisco Brain Tumor Center.

The Open Chamber Orchestra of Paris perform the concertos in chamber form, with Maestro Yair Benaim - who conducts the earlier concertos from the podium in the traditional manner - taking the first violin part, achieving a still closer assimilation with pianist Dana Ciocarlie, throwing into greater relief the spirited lucidity of her playing and demonstrating the versatility of these musicians, both individually and as an ensemble. The sound of the concertos when performed this way is at once slenderer and lither. What one may feel is lost when the works are divested of their mellifluous woodwind colours is more than compensated for by the greater clarity of the ingenious interplay of lines and voices in Mozart's conception

There were various reasons why we decided to combine works by Antal Dorati with those of Matyas Seiber on the present CD. Both attended Zoltan Kodaly's composition class at the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest, both were highly regarded by their illustrious teacher. Kodaly passed on to his students a love of folk music and a particular appreciation of tradition through successive eras of music history. (Oliver Triendl)

The Irish-French composer Augusta Holmes (1847-1903) is one of those female composers who knew how to overcome all hindrances with natural elan. "Like children, women have no concept of obstacles and their willpower tears down all walls," said her colleague Camille Saint-Saens. He hit the nail on the head, as the three-movement tone poem Roland Furieux disarmingly demonstrates. Just as the strong emotions of the knight, who temporarily loses his mind in a love frenzy, so too are the surges of Holmes' orchestra, which she masters with awe-inspiring self-confidence in all it's nuances. This artistry is present whether she is writing works with a national flavour or bringing mythical figures to life in song, as in the enchanting Andromede, who is saved from the "Battle of the Titans" by the loving Perseus.

The Yale Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1965 by a group of students who saw the growing potential for a large orchestral ensemble to thrive on campus. With a spirit for promoting new music and performing underrepresented composers alongside works of the standard Western canon, the orchestra has become a destination for students who wish to perform orchestral music at the conservatory level while taking advantage of all that Yale - a liberal-arts institution - has to offer. In it's more than fifty years, the orchestra has performed in some of the most hallowed music halls in the United States from Carnegie Hall in New York to Benaroya Hall in Seattle, toured twelve countries including Turkey, Russia, Brazil and Mexico, and premiered over fifty works of new music by composers including Leonard Bernstein, Benjamin Britten, and Caroline Shaw. YSO alumni have music careers in major orchestras around the world, including the New York Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, and the Berlin Philharmonic. The YSO is led by William Boughton, who is in his seventh and final year conducting the orchestra.

Towards the end of his life, Johannes Brahms declared more than once that he was retiring from composing - luckily for us, he never quite followed through. Not because he had run out of inspiration - Brahms was at the height of his powers - but because he felt a growing pull toward the intimacy of chamber music, piano pieces, and songs, which brought him deeper personal satisfaction than grand orchestral forms. Still, Brahms returned once more to orchestral writing in 1887 with the Double Concerto in A minor, Op. 102 - his last orchestral work. The reason was personal: a gesture of reconciliation toward his estranged friend, the great violinist Joseph Joachim. This concerto, written for Joachim and cellist Robert Hausmann, symbolises renewed harmony - not just musically, but emotionally. The two solo instruments engage in a rich, expressive dialogue throughout. Mozart wrote his Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major for violin and viola in the summer of 1779 - a true synthesis of symphony and concerto. This work is expansive and noble in character, full of brilliant writing for both soloists. Mozart, himself an accomplished violinist, clearly understood how to write for the instrument with flair and sensitivity. One striking feature of the work is that the viola part is written in D major, requiring the instrument to be tuned a semitone higher (a practice known as scordatura). Common in the Baroque era, scordatura was still occasionally used in Mozart's time to achieve a brighter, more penetrating sound. The autograph of the piece is lost; only later copies have survived - except for the original drafts of the cadenzas. On this recording, the viola part is performed by a cellist, playing in the original viola position without octave transposition. � Jarom�r Havl�k