Stellar cellist Gabriel Schwabe completes his two-volume survey of Beethoven's complete works for cello and piano. He is accompanied by the acclaimed English pianist Nicholas Rimmer. Volume 1 is available on Naxos 8.574529.

French Piano Trios - Trio Gaon Trio Gaon presents major works of French chamber music with compositions by Debussy, Ravel, Lili Boulanger and Francaix. This is a genre that does not really have a large selection of works to choose from as there were not many French composers who dedicated themselves to this form of instrumentation, something that can be explained by the historical development of music particular to France. More comfortable with opera, French composers belatedly began to turn to composing instrumental music in the middle of the 19th century in an effort to emancipate themselves from the predominance of the German and Austrian musical tradition, and thus from one of it's most important forms, that of the sonata.

Divine Art presents the enchanting compositions of Australian maestro John Carmichael in this extraordinary collection. Carmichael's distinctive neo-Romantic style, an exquisite fusion of originality with echoes of Rachmaninov, offers a lush musical journey that will resonate with a broad audience, particularly those less inclined towards avant-garde new music.

This album boasts a diverse selection of duos, solos, and a Piano Concerto characterised by exuberant pianism harmoniously paired with a string orchestra, culminating in a Caribbean-flavoured final movement. Carmichael's compositions extend to a Piano Trio, Towards the Light, spotlighting the viola in works designed to elevate this often-overlooked instrument. The collection is further enriched by a Divertimento for flute, oboe, clarinet, and piano, giving the listener a varied repertoire where melodic elements take centre stage. Collaborating with Carmichael are some of highly talented artists, including acclaimed pianist Antony Gray, whose recent Divine Art recordings of Saint-Saëns piano music have earned glowing praise, making them the label's top sellers of 2022. Join us in this celebration of the potential in new orchestral and chamber music, where Carmichael's melodic brilliance and the artistry of our distinguished performers converge to create a truly remarkable album.

John Carmichael was born 1930 in Melbourne, Australia. He studied piano and composition at the University Conservatorium there, followed by two years piano studies with Marcel Ciampi at the Conservatoire National in Paris. Further composition studies followed with Arthur Benjamin and Anthony Milner in London while Carmichael joined the first group of musicians working for the newly established Council for Music Therapy, for whom he introduced music therapy programs at Stoke Mandeville Hospital and Netherden Mental Hospital, Surrey. In 1960 he became musical director of the Spanish Dance group Eduardo Y Navarra touring extensively with them both abroad and in Britain; foreign languages are one of his passions – the latest challenge being Chinese.

Explore this album of Dan Locklair's Sacred Choral Music, performed by The Choir of Royal Holloway, with David Goode and Onyx Brass, directed by Rupert Gough.

Unter dem Titel Wagneriana präsentiert diese Aufnahme das Schaffen Richard Wagners in neuem klanglichen und musikalischem Gewand. Das Spektrum reicht von Bearbeitungen der Originale bis hin zur Neuvertonung eines verschollenen Liedes. Diese besondere Produktion ist nicht zuletzt eine Hommage an die Josef Matthias Hauer-Musikschule Wiener Neustadt anlässlich ihres 150-jährigen Bestehens. Der Titel Wagneriana deutet darauf hin, dass keine der auf der CD enthaltenen Kompositionen in der Originalfassung von Wagner erklingt. Der Grad der Bearbeitung und Überarbeitung von Wagners Vorlagen variiert jedoch. Die Bandbreite reicht von Arrangements, die das Original lediglich in anderem Klang präsentieren, über Ergänzungen im Stil Wagners, Paraphrasen bis hin zu Collagen und der gänzlichen Neuvertonung eines verschollenen Liedes unter Verwendung von Wagnerschen Motiven.

The Book of Psalms is an ancient corpus of 150 texts exploring thanksgiving, lamentation, penitence, and spirituality, which have significantly influenced mythical and secular poetry. Including several premiere recordings, this album features well-loved settings of these treasured words, together with fresh compositions by emerging composers.

What does the German word Heimat mean? The place of one's birth, a place of initial socialisation, or a feeling of security and belonging? Many composers made the city of Vienna their Heimat. Beethoven, Schubert, Ernst, Vorisek and Mozart - all represented on this recording - were shaped by it's rich traditions and contributed to the style that we now call Viennese Classicism. The Austrian capital has always been a centre for the arts, and music in particular. It attracts creative minds and artists and is the embodiment of a bridge between tradition and modernity. This recording aims to take the listener on a journey of discovery through a pivotal period around the year 1800, in the form of a spontaneous and intimate chamber music concert. It combines masterpieces of the duo repertoire for violin and piano with little-known gems such as Vorisek's Sonata in G major.

The Minnesota Orchestra and it's music director Thomas Sondergard delve into the imaginative world of Thomas Ades, a singular voice in contemporary classical music. Featuring two of his most compelling orchestral works, The Exterminating Angel Symphony - a world premiere recording - and the Violin Concerto, this album captures Ades' uncanny ability to merge intellectual rigor with raw emotional immediacy. With orchestral textures both radiant and unsettling, Ades evokes a surreal musical landscape, brought vividly to life by Sondergard's incisive direction and violinist Leila Josefowicz's electrifying performance. Highlighting two distinct sides of Ades' artistry, cinematic drama and virtuosic intimacy, this recording explores the composer's breadth with striking clarity. Josefowicz brings fierce expressivity and precision to the Violin Concerto, while the orchestra navigates the volatile energy of The Exterminating Angel Symphony with gripping intensity. This album also marks the PENTATONE debut of the Minnesota Orchestra, Thomas Sondergard, and Leila Josefowicz.

In the complete edition compiled by BR-KLASSIK, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under the direction of its long-time principal conductor Mariss Jansons explores Mahler's symphonic œuvre. This complete recording of Mahler's impressive symphonies is further enhanced by revealing rehearsal recordings and interesting interviews. In his nine symphonies, Gustav Mahler built up an entire world for himself and his listeners. More than almost any other composer, he tried in his symphonic works to get to the very bottom of the cycle of life, that eternal process of becoming and expiring – so what better complete set of symphonies to express the finest qualities of a modern-day conductor and the unique sound of a leading orchestra?

Mariss Jansons found simple and clear words to express what it was that so fascinated and moved him about Mahler's music throughout his life. He said that the composer’s work always related to what was universal and contained absolutely everything that exists in the world. In his symphonies, said Jansons, Mahler captured nature, faith, love, death, pain, tragedy, happiness, humor, utopia, irony, sarcasm - everything that makes up human existence. Jansons regarded his music as posing questions that ultimately every thinking person has to ask, and everyone can find something in it where they recognize themselves as if in a mirror. There are nevertheless no definitive answers in Mahler, "nothing triumphant that is at one with itself." When he first encountered Mahler’s music, this experience struck Jansons like a bolt from the blue. Gradually, he developed into one of the leading Mahler conductors of his era. The fact that he had the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks as a partner here – an orchestra that can look back on a long Mahler tradition - was certainly a very fortunate coincidence.

This new large-scale setting of the Magnificat has been written as a companion piece to J.S. Bach’s famous setting (BWV 243). Although making use of a more contemporary musical language, it uses similar instrumentation, follows the same framework of chorus and solo movements, and makes use of a number of features that are typical of Bach’s music.

"Keywords," the title of this two-part concept album, cleverly plays with the English word "key," which carries a dual meaning, referring to both the piano key and the key itself. With one exception, the album features pivotal words from piano music of the 20th and 21st centuries, curated in a highly personal selection, including some premier recordings. The intention is to delve into a fundamental question of musical interpretation and composition: "how to address people with music." This doesn't imply the notion of making music verbally communicate. Instead, the pieces themselves are "speaking" works – piano compositions containing explicit or hidden messages, referencing poetry, incorporating language, words, or syllables, engaging in dialogues, resembling diary entries, or narrating entire stories. Moreover, the piano itself takes on various "voices" – whispering, stuttering, calling, hesitating.

— Lotte Thaler

This new large-scale setting of the Magnificat has been written as a companion piece to J.S. Bach’s famous setting (BWV 243). Although making use of a more contemporary musical language, it uses similar instrumentation, follows the same framework of chorus and solo movements, and makes use of a number of features that are typical of Bach’s music.

For almost his entire life, Bela Bartok's music was unnoticed by the general public, this extraordinary composer created a unique cosmos of Hungarian/Southeast European folk and art music. Like Schonberg and Stravinsky, he is one of the protagonists of 20th century music. A few years after his death, his music became a bestseller and this success is once again reaching unimagined heights in our time. Accordionist Teodoro Anzellotti presents an individual selection of Bartok's masterpieces.

BR-KLASSIK is dedicating a second portrait edition to the eminent Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink, containing a total of 9 CDs. Bernard Haitink died in October 2021; he would have turned 95 in March 2024.

These exceptional live recordings document the long-standing and intensive collaboration between Bernard Haitink, the Bavarian Radio Chorus, and the BRSO. Since Haitink conducted a subscription concert for the first time in 1958, he repeatedly led the BRSO for over six decades—sometimes in the Herkulessaal of the Residenz, sometimes in the Philharmonie im Gasteig. The orchestras’ musicians and singers were just as happy to work with him as the Bayerischer Rundfunk’s sound engineers.

The box set includes complete recordings of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (CD 1) from 2019, Bruckner‘s Symphonies No. 4 (CD 2) from 2012, No. 7 (CD 3) from 1981, and No. 8 (CD 4 / CD 5) from 1993, as well as his Te Deum (CD 4) from 2010. Also featured are Dvořák‘s Symphony No. 7 from 1981 and his Scherzo Capriccioso (CD 6) from 1981, Mahler‘s Symphony No. 7 (CD 7) from 2011, and Shostakovich's Symphonies No. 8 (CD 8) from 2006 and No. 15 (CD 9) from 2015.

Adam Fischer and the Danish Chamber Orchestra continue their ground-breaking survey of Haydn's late symphonies. This fourth volume presents Haydn's final three London symphonies performed with the same excitement and energy that can be found in Volumes 1-3 of this critically acclaimed series.

Unlike his namesake Harry, Cypriani Potter did not learn his craft at Hogwarts, but with renowned British composers and then put the finishing touches to his music in Vienna - above all with Ludwig van Beethoven, who undoubtedly taught him some particularly effective tricks. In any case, there is an unmistakable magic in his works: at times it is delightful melodies, at others dramatic energy build-ups or rhythmically urgent episodes that give his music such an appeal that it is worth recording all of his surviving symphonies (nine, after all) and garnishing them with a few smaller pieces - in the present program, for example, with the Overture to Shakespeare's Tempest and with the original Concertante for piano and four strings on the popular theme La Follia, which Potter animates to a veritable outburst of temperament.

Kyrill Kondraschin and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks: what had been planned as a happy relationship between the significant representative of the Russian conducting school and the first class Munich ensemble ended tragically with the sudden death of the conductor before he could assume the position of Chief Conductor of the orchestra. All the more significant is thus this sound document. The live recording made at concerts in Munich’s Herkulessaal comprises an exciting program that juxtaposes two late romantic works from different symphonic cultures: Rimsky Korsakov’s “Russian Easter” Overture and César Franck’s only symphony, in D minor.

The Danish Chamber Orchestra present more vibrant performances of Haydn’s 'London' symphonies with their chief conductor Adam Fischer. These recordings are the product of a two-decade partnership between Adam Fischer and the Danish Chamber Orchestra during which they have explored the most effective technical solutions necessary for performing these masterpieces. Volume 1 is on 8.574516.

This is Oliver Davis’ first album dedicated to the piano, and specifically two pianists, Dutch piano duo Beth & Flo. The album features this dynamic duo playing four hands piano and also on two pianos with full orchestra. The song cycle ‘Siren Songs’ features sopranos Grace Davidson, Julia Doyle and Grace’s son chorister Joshua Davidson. The theme of the album is water, in its many forms with songs depicting a river journey, Sea Dances for four hands and strings, Sea Waltzes in addition to the Water Variations. The opening piece, The Water Garden, will be one of three singles being released prior to the album’s launch. This album is the culmination of two years work to create a mesmerising piano and strings landscape.

Time of year and day, light; warmth, coolness; wind, rain; breath of air, babbling of the stream; People and other beings going about their lives: a strangely unpredictable mix of expected and unexpected events that contribute to the precise conditions of the moment in which we find ourselves. The here and now convey a special feeling and a unique sound identity. Mason enables us to connect with times, places, people, and situations that go far beyond the here and now. Mason is one of the most idiosyncratic composers and sound artists of our time; his works convey contemplative sounds that open our innermost being. Awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation Composer Prize, the Mendelssohn Scholarship, and the British Composer Award. He received his doctorate from King's College London under George Benjamin.

In the course of her long life, Johanna Senfter has enriched almost all genres of classical music, from chamber music to large-scale symphonic works. Her creations are all characterized by one unique feature - a harsh, almost austere beauty that runs the entire gamut from deep intimacy to whimsical humour which even repeatedly surprised the composer's teacher, Max Reger. Reger, the heavyweight workhorse from Upper Palatinate, was extremely impressed by the creative abilities of his pupil, whose career he was unfortunately unable to follow for too long. No doubt one or two turns of phrase would have sounded familiar to him had he experienced them; but he certainly would not have denied that this woman from a well-to-do family had asserted her own vision.

Franz Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 99 in E flat major was his first ever symphony to use clarinets; No. 100 in G major gained it's 'Military' appellation due to it's grand second movement featuring cymbals and triangle; and No. 101 in D major has long been nicknamed 'The Clock' due to the ticking rhythm in the second movement for plucked strings and bassoons. Previous volumes in the series are available on 8.574516 and 8.574517.

Anna Fedorova explores the Intrigues of the Darkness in these programmatic and extremely virtuosic works for solo piano. The journey from darkness to light begins with Scriabin's terrifying "Black Mass" Sonata. The work represents a satanic ritual that is possessed by the spectre of the Mephistophelian Liszt. de Falla's Suite from El Amor brujo conjures a mysterious world, full of magic, rituals and ghost visitations. Ravel described his Gaspard de la nuit as "romantic and of transcendent virtuosity". These highly evocative pieces are based on Aloysius Bertrand's prose poems depicting scenes of a hanged man sighing on the gallows and a devilish dwarf. Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition portrays many scenes of darkness but emerges into light with the Great Gate of Kiev, in which triumphant episodes alternate with moments of religious contemplation.

This recording is the first time I have immersed myself in the world of Sergei Prokofiev, a composer who has always held a special place in my life and in my repertoire. His Sixth and Seventh Piano Sonatas were written almost simultaneously at the start of the Second World War and are very similar in form and content. The conflict between man and machine, the individual and the collective, complexity and simplicity lies at the heart of their narrative. The music combines philosophical symbolism and almost orchestral polyphonic writing with brilliant piano technique and vibrant colouristic effects, making this pair perhaps Prokofiev's two most frequently performed works for solo piano. My connection with both sonatas began many years ago, so I was very interested in taking a quick snapshot of how this music resonates with me today, in the midst of these troubled times. Sergei Redkin

Rademann conducts with feeling and strives for a round and harmonious sound. The musicians of the Gaechinger Cantorey play excellently and show that historically informed performance practice and Romantic music-making are not necessarily mutually exclusive. necessarily mutually exclusive. It is the result that counts. And that is more than convincing with Rademann and his Cantorey. Above all, because the listener can't get enough of it. pizzicato