Christina Pluhar collaborates with star countertenor Philippe Jaroussky and her ensemble L'Arpeggiata for a great program of French Baroque music: de Vis�e, Antoine Boesset, Etienne Moulin�, Michel Lambert, and many more.

THRIVE was composed over the last couple of years, during a period of uncertainty and fear. I have always been convinced that it is in times of adversity that we remember what is essential to us. THRIVE is the inner strength that pushes us to fight in moments of doubt or sorrow. The impulse deep inside us that incites us to search for the best, to look up, to fight to overcome difficulties and reach a kind of fulfilment. This album is for those who feel, consciously or unconsciously, the need to build something else, to seek out new horizons. For those who wish to turn their backs on the things that oppress us and aggress us, on meaningless demands. This is a personal battle at a time when collective awareness is settling in: the planet is spiralling; a vortex. We must change; we can evolve. Many of us want this, and music can be a catalyst. The piano has always helped me find this momentum, and composing for strings has opened up new horizons for me. By taking inspiration from a theme, a melody, or a few notes by the greatest classical composers, I also wanted to show that there is always a personal path. I hope that this album will accompany you or inspire you to find your own way of life, there is always hope. Within us, we all have this ability; this power to transform a difficulty into an opportunity. The greater the challenge, the greater the reward. THRIVE!

2021 release. A collection of 11 titles unveiled one by one every month, each a jewel of pure emotion, will allow Riopy to enter into an uninterrupted conversation with the fans of his music. His inspiration has been guided by his will to pay tribute to the anonymous but true heroes of "normal life". Although he has rejected tricks of over-produced music, preferring the sheer power and shine of an amazing Fazioli piano, he manages to create incredibly cinematic music, built chapter by chapter, character by character, growing into a piano tale - a piano tale that, for the listener, will become an unforgettable experience of Bliss.

The partnership of the young and dynamic Daniel Barenboim with Otto Klemperer, a veteran not known for his readiness to compromise, proved a revelation. As Barenboim says, Klemperer - considered the greatest Beethoven conductor of his time - "approached the essence of what he wanted directly and without hesitation". The fruit of their collaboration in 1967 was this vivid and inspiring set of the Beethoven Piano Concertos.

23-year-old French pianist Kim Bernard is the first laureate of the Fondation Gautier Capu�on. Kim Bernard studied piano from the age of 5, won first prize at the 2012 Montrond-les-Bains International Competition and at the National Pianistic Nights Competition. His first album is dedicated to Chopin, Ravel and Debussy.

Dong Hyek Lim has long wanted to devote an entire album to Schubert. Now he has recorded two of the three epic piano sonatas that Schubert produced in the final year of his short but prolific life: No 20 in A D959 and No 21 in B flat D960. "These sonatas are both deep, dark, late Schubert," says Lim, "but they make a good pairing because they are highly contrasted... In D959 Schubert is more determined and clear about what he wants to do. D960 is more Romantic and fragile. I wouldn't say that Schubert knew he was going to die that year, but I can still feel the depth of these sonatas. Schubert occupies a place between late Beethoven and Romanticism. I feel I must play his music in a Classical way, but I must also let it sing."

Mozart's treatment of the various characters in Lucio Silla is masterly, says Laurence Equilbey, "Shaking up the conventions of opera seria, he conveys the passions and torments of the human soul." A drama of passion and politics in Ancient Rome, Lucio Silla was composed in 1772, when Mozart was just sixteen. This recording represents the culmination of an extended project undertaken by Equillbey, her Insula Orchestra, Le Jeune Choeur de Paris and five brilliant solo singers. Between 2016 and 2021, Equilbey's Lucio Silla became a much-praised travelling show visiting such locations as Paris, Vienna, Aix-en-Provence, Versailles and Beaune. The title role is taken by tenor Alessandro Liberatore, who is joined by countertenor Franco Fagioli and three contrasting sopranos, Olga Pudova, Chiara Skerath and Ilse Eerens.

Shani Diluka's new solo-piano album brings a different perspective to 20th-century American classical music. With a few "jazz breaths" by those who worshipped classical music, the album references the great American themes of the first pioneers. It features short pieces by Philip Glass (from Etudes), Keith Jarrett ("Be My Love"), John Cage ("Dream"), Daft Punk ("Veridis Quo"), Terry Riley (The Philosopher's Hand), Bill Evans ("Danny Boy"), and many more.

Expanding their notable Rossini discography, Sir Antonio Pappano and the Chorus and Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia perform the composer's Messa di Gloria of 1820. They are joined by five virtuosic vocal soloists: three Italians - soprano Eleonora Buratto, mezzo-soprano Teresa Iervolino and bass Carlo Lepore - and two Americans, Lawrence Brownlee and Michael Spyres, who celebrated Rossini and the star tenors of his era with their thrilling recital album Amici e Rivali, released in 2020. "The Messa di Gloria is a mass of light," says Pappano. "Rossini always connected vividly to his audience in his inimitable way. The soloists need to sing with great spiritual fervour and also powerful confidence as they convey the fearlessness of the composer's relationship to God. The work is a celebration, praising God's glory.... Rossini is just open eyes, open face, and open arms to God."

For her fourth Warner Classics album, trumpeter Lucienne Renaudin Vary has chosen four favorite concertos. Composed by Haydn, Hummel, Neruda and Arutunian, they span three centuries. Joining them on the programme are a so-called 'concerto' by big-band maestro Harry James - which lasts all of three jazzy minutes - and, inspired by Haydn's Concerto in E flat, a brief solo improvisation by Lucienne herself. "The concertos I've chosen are part of me," she says. "They've always been with me and today I perform them regularly in concert... Getting to record this album with the fantastic Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and Michael Sanderling is a dream come true."

Springsong introduces 10 original compositions: 7 piano solo, 3 with a string trio. Maxence's pieces are often short (2-4 minutes) and evoke images ("Ballerine", "Candle"), moments of calm ("Horizon", "Silence"), nature, and the elements, which also play an important role in the program ("Springsong", "Daffodils", "Orage", "Le Bleu du Ciel"). This new album is mastered by sound engineer Chab (Antoine Chabert), who won three Grammys for his work on Daft Punk's Random Access Memories album. Maxence's top track on Spotify, "Where Is My Mind", has more than 80M streams and it's used by Narciso Rodriguez TV spot; he has 991,898 monthly listeners and 79,968 followers. His releases on Warner Classics have reached a total of 96M streams worldwide, the top tracks being "Larmes glac�es" (2020) at 27M and "Rivages" (2022) at 22M (source: OPUS).The total streams of the first singles for this new project so far amounts to 1.9M streams (source: OPUS).

With Forgotten Arias countertenor Philippe Jaroussky pays tribute to composers of the late Baroque era and to the great librettist of the age, Pietro Metasasio. All ten arias on the album, written between 1748 and 1770 by nine composers, are heard in world premiere recordings. Metasasio's librettos were set by multiple composers - Vivaldi, Handel, Gluck and Mozart among them - resulting in hundreds of operas. The more familiar names on the multi-faceted programme of Forgotten Arias are Gluck, Johann Christian Bach, Jommelli, Hasse and Piccinni. Less well-known are Bernasconi, Ferrandini, Traetta and Valentini. Jaroussky's partners on the album are the conductor Julien Chauvin and his orchestra Le Concert de la Loge. All in all, Forgotten Arias looks set to be highly memorable.

This box set comprises all the operas and sacred works Otto Klemperer conducted for EMI Columbia and HMV. Oratorios by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Handel are accompanied by operas of Beethoven, Mozart and Wagner. There are also rehearsals and listening playback sessions for the recording of Mozart's Don Giovanni and a Bonus CD with recollections from artists who sang in Klemperer's opera performances. Otto Klemperer deeply loved both the theatricality of opera and the spirituality of oratorios, and these performances from his great Indian Summer represent the fruits of his lifetime of thought and experience in this repertoire.

Rising is the title of Lawrence Brownlee's inspiring project for which he has commissioned six of today's leading African-American composers to set poetry from the Harlem Renaissance to song. Rising showcases new works from African-American composers Damien Sneed, Brandon Spencer, Jasmine Barnes, Joel Thompson, and Shawn E. Okpebholo.

Inspired by poetry of the great African-American writers of the Harlem Renaissance - such as Alice Dunbar Nelson, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, and James Weldon Johnson - the compositions revolve around themes of joy, empowerment, faith, love, and strength in the face of challenge. Brownlee also collaborated closely with Dr. Louise Toppin, soprano and vocal professor at the University of Michigan, to revive select works by famed composers Margaret Bonds and Robert Owen, in addition to works by composer Jeremiah Evans. He is accompanied by the American pianist Kevin J. Miller.

Lawrence Brownlee: "These past years have been a trial, both for humanity as a whole, and the African-American population here in the United States. But through all these many challenges we have faced, I have also seen moments of strength, inspiration, hope, and great beauty. It is those themes of uplift, elevation, and rebirth that we have tried to focus on with this new project Rising, taking poems from the giants of the Harlem Renaissance, and working with some of today's most talented African-American composers, to create something that speaks not just to our struggles, but to our triumphs."

.In a world where climate change is at the heart of our attention, these eight delightfully unhinged seasons are scattered across a wildly singular time. They cast an artistic blur on our perception of what has always seemed taken for granted, unshakeable: the seasons with their established climates, our perception of time and space, Vivaldi's Four Seasons..."

The music of Ravel is especially close to Alexandre Tharaud's heart. Now, in partnership with the Orchestre National de France and conductor Louis Langrée, he has recorded both the composer's piano concertos, pairing them with Noches en los jardines de España (Nights in the Gardens of Spain), Manuel de Falla's sumptuous work for piano and orchestra.

"Ravel's Concerto in G major is fresh and Mozartian in it's colours, while his Concerto for the Left Hand is haunted by dark shades and suppressed fears," says Tharaud. Both concertos were premiered in 1932. "Characteristically for Ravel, they are simultaneously unique and alike. They share meticulous craftsmanship and jazzy touches, and both evoke little automata and the ghosts of war." The cross-currents of French and Spanish culture, so evident in Ravel's aesthetic, flow though Falla's concerto-like piece too. The Andalusian composer lived for a time in Paris and became friendly with Ravel. "The solo piano in Noches en los jardines de España plays a different role from the piano in the Ravel concertos," continues Tharaud. "It blends in more closely with the orchestra, though the works share a Romantic spirit and a poignant sense of nostalgia."

Gabriel Pierné - French composer, pianist, organist, and conductor - was born and raised in a family of musicians. At the Paris Conservatoire, he formed a stimulating musical friendship with Debussy, one year his senior, and was led by masters such as Massenet and Franck to the Prix de Rome, which he won in 1882. Celebrated as a performer - he succeeded Franck at the great Cavaillé-Coll organ in the Basilica of Saint Clotilde and took over from Mr. Colonne at the head of his eponymous orchestra - Pierné was also honored as a composer, leaving an inventive and witty body of work with more than fifty opus numbers. This edition presents his compositions in dazzlingly diverse performances, with the composer himself at the piano and baton, inviting the listener on an exciting exploration of his marvellous career.

In recent years the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg has made an impact with it's recordings for Warner Classics and Erato: of major works by Berlioz and Jan�cek, and of a wealth of shorter showpieces captured in Dolby Atmos immersive sound for digital playlists. Now the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg performs two of Tchaikovsky's best-loved masterpieces, the Fate-driven Symphony No 5 and the surgingly passionate tone poem Romeo and Juliet. The conductor is Aziz Shokhakimov, Music Director of the Alsatian orchestra, noted for his dynamism and his ability to shed new light on even familiar scores. A native of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and winner in 2016 of the prestigious Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award, he assumed his role in Strasbourg 2021 - at the age of just 32. The extension of his contract to 2026 was announced in late 2022. "My constant concern is for this orchestra to have a distinctive, readily identifiable sound," says Shokhamimov, "and for this sound to be of the highest quality. Thanks to all it's splendid musicians, that is achievable. The work we do together is very productive, and I always sense a powerful chemistry with this orchestra, which I first encountered in 2014. I fell in love with it immediately."

Today one of the most highly respected string quartets, the Belcea were established in 1994 at the Royal College of Music in London and studied with the Chilingirian, the Amadeus, and later the Alban Berg quartets. Today one of the most highly respected string quartets, the Belcea were established in 1994 at the Royal College of Music in London and studied with the Chilingirian, the Amadeus, and later the Alban Berg quartets. They recorded for EMI Classics across nearly a decade, between 2000 and 2009, bringing about tremendous versions of quartets by Schubert, Britten, Bartók, and Mozart, to name a few.

"The Belcea Quartet throw every fibre of their beings into the most vivid projection of the masterpieces they undertake." - The Independent "These recordings form a crucial part of our life as a quartet and we hope that over the ensuing years they haven't lost their freshness and sense of adventure." - Krzysztof Chorzelski, violist of the Belcea Quartet

Renaud Capu�on recognises Vivaldi's Four Seasons as "a highlight of the violin repertoire", but it has taken him some time to add it to his discography. "For years, I refused to play it," he explains. "I'd heard it too much in the corridors of the M�tro in Paris and as holding music on the phone. But once I'd accepted to play it, I was blown away by the power of the music... I realised that it's famous because it's amazing! It's a masterpiece. I've now played it frequently with Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and it feels fresh and new every time." He has chosen to complement Vivaldi's four concertos with two sparkling concertos composed in Paris some 40 years after Vivaldi's death. They are by Chevalier de Saint-George (1745-1799), born in Guadeloupe of French and African descent, who became a prominent and influential figure in Paris. He has been described in the New York Times as a composer who holds a "truly unique place in Western classical music history".

Almost 50 years after his first DG recording of Franck's symphony with the Orchestre de Paris, Barenboim now presents a new interpretation with the Berliner Philharmoniker. In the outer movements in particular, he focuses on the large, monumental sound that emphasizes the hymnal aspect of Franck's symphony which fuses the spirit of Beethoven with French elegance. CD Digipak.

Cellist Gautier Capu�on, acting as 'godfather' through the foundation he established in early 2022, presents three outstanding young musicians, all prize winners in international competitions: the Italian pianist Martina Consonni, the French violinist Sarah J�gou-Sageman, and the South Korean cellist Jeein You. Speaking of his foundation, Gautier Capu�on says: "This philanthropic project is close to my heart and extends my long-standing commitment to music education and charitable endeavours." It supports exceptional young musicians in France and around the world during their studies and in the early stages of their careers. On this album Martina Consonni performs Robert Schumann's Papillons, then joins Sarah J�gou-Sageman for Schumann's Sonata No 1 for violin and piano, and Jeein You for Poulenc's Sonata for Cello and Piano. All three musicians come together for C�cile Chaminade's Piano Trio No 1, a work dating from 1880 when the composer was just 22 years old.

Michel Corboz was a conductor whose joy in singing inspired his exploration of choral works. An early love of music, and vocal music in particular, was nurtured by congregational singing at church (including plainsong) and radio broadcasts of Bach cantatas on Sundays. Corboz consistently endorsed an artistry in which everything began with the vocal impulse ("I want an orchestra that sings", he declared in 1980). That approach is evident in his recordings of Bach's major sacred works. Corboz waited before recording the Passion and Christmas Oratorio, working each time with his Lausanne ensemble and tenor Kurt Equiluz, a quite exceptional Evangelist. The Mass in B minor and the Magnificat are two other key works in Corboz's discographic legacy.

Joe Hisaishi / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - A Symphonic Celebration - Music From The Studio Ghibli Films Of Hayao - Hitchock and Herrmann, Spielberg and Williams, Zemeckis and Silvestri, Burton and Elfman, Fellini and Rota. There's a certain kind of magic that happens when a director and composer work together for an extended period; their imaginations are fueled by an artistic sensibility which becomes, inevitably, entwined. Such deep understanding between two artists has proffered memorable, even legendary, cinemusical experiences. But there's another of these partnerships we must honor and mention in the same breath, that of director Hayao Miyazaki and composer Joe Hisaishi.

Helene Grimaud/Konstantin Krimmel -"For Clara - Schumann: Kreisleriana Op. 16 & Brahms: Lieder Op. 32" - "The most literary of composers" is how H�l�ne Grimaud defines Robert Schumann, and the extent of that literary engagement can be measured not only in his vast output of songs and choral and operatic works, but also in the subtle way that inspiration from works of literature is threaded through his piano music.