Mikolaj Gorecki: Flute Concertos

Folklore takes the listener on a musical journey throughout 19th- and 20th-century France, Georgia, Hungary, and Spain. Through different styles and soundscapes, the compositions are united by the spirit of folk traditions and national character, as well as personal memories of the performers-Swiss-French cellist Christoph Crois� and Georgian pianist Ana Bakradze. Works originally conceived for their instrumental combination sit alongside transcriptions that fit their sound world like a glove, a testament to the popularity of all the music on this album. Siete Canciones Populares Espa�olas, a set of seven traditional Spanish songs by Manuel de Falla, is his most-arranged composition and among his most popular. B�la Bart�k's Six Romanian Folk Dances, originally composed for solo piano, were drawn from melodies the composer recorded of folk musicians singing in the countryside of his Hungarian homeland. Hungarian influences infuse Pablo de Sarasate's Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs), originally scored for violin and orchestra. Sulkhan Tsintsadze's Five Pieces on Georgian Folk Themes evoke childhood memories for pianist Ana, especially the fourth, a lullaby that her mother used to sing to her. The most substantial work on the album, Robert Schumann's F�nf St�cke i'm Volkston (Five Pieces in Folk Style), conjures the harmonies and rhythms of folk music. French national character imbues Nadia Boulanger's Trois pi�ces (Three Pieces) and works by her teacher Gabriel Faur�: his elegant Sicilienne-originally penned for orchestra but frequently adapted for cello and piano-and his ever-popular miniature "Apr�s un r�ve" (After a Dream) from his Trois M�lodies (Three Melodies). When asked about their own connections to this music and what they wish for the listener, Christoph and Ana agree: "Above all, joy! We share a love for the roots in these pieces and the inspiration they provided to the composers. For this album, we've selected our favourite miniatures. Some are well known, others are more personal, but they all connect to the spirit of folk traditions in some way. It's about the lasting pleasure of connecting through music we love."

A concert performance of Darius Milhaud's "intermedial" ballets, alongside the world premiere recording of the complete original version of Salade. This release brings together all that is most irresistible in the music of the great French master of modernism: jazz, the circus, reimaginings of early music, serenades from Sardinia, and the folkloric colours of Provence. A distinguished cast of young vocal soloists, together with a chamber ensemble of the Poznan Philharmonic, is led by Lukasz Borowicz, an eminent interpreter of unjustly neglected scores.

The programme of the latest recording by the distinguished choir 441 Hz brings together works by composers from a wide range of cultural traditions, from Scandinavia to the Philippines. Their shared expressive thread is a meditation on the phenomenon of light-it's symbolism, radiance, and transformative power. These composers write for mixed choir, enriched here by the subtle colours of violin, Tibetan singing bowls, handbells, and even water-tuned glasses. Yet for all it's imaginative scoring, the programme is far removed from the world of avant-garde experiment. Instead, it unfolds in a language of luminous harmonies, deeply affecting solo voices, and expansive musical forms, creating an atmosphere of serenity and inward reflection.

Christoph Graupner must have made a deep and lasting impression on his contemporaries. Otherwise, more than two decades after his death, an admiring epitaph would scarcely have attested that he regarded church music as "so lofty, venerable, and sacred that he distinguished it from operatic and chamber styles as far as heaven from earth; the stranger who heard him for the first time marveled and believed himself transported into another world." Our catalogue now offers ample opportunity to test the truth of these words of praise. The cantatas released thus far represent only a small fraction of the nearly fifteen hundred works Graupner left behind. Yet, in every single one, we hear that he approached this genre "with diligence, punctuality, quiet serenity, and joy of heart." These same qualities have clearly inspired the performers, who now join forces for the sixth time in their commitment to the long-serving Kapellmeister of the Darmstadt court.

The compositions of Rev. Michal Roman Szulik-conductor, musicologist, and composer-stand as a testament to the musical life of the community gathered around the cathedral in Siedlce. Their defining quality lies in the composer's devoted preservation of the stylistic language of sacred music. Written for a cappella choir or with organ accompaniment, these settings of texts-ranging from medieval psalms and hymns to contemporary works-reveal a profound command of the history of liturgical vocal music, while also reflecting the composer's deep reverence for a tradition cultivated over many centuries.

Four sonatas from the middle period of this exceptional yet undeservedly overlooked composer reveal a distinctive musical voice, where echoes of Rachmaninoff's and Grieg's mature Romanticism intertwine with the shimmering colours of Impressionism and the refined sensibility of the English tradition. Though these works make undeniable virtuoso demands, it is their melodic and harmonic imagination that commands the foreground: long-breathed phrases, subtle expressive nuance, and richly intriguing sonorities. The recording brings together distinguished instrumentalists associated with the Academy of Music in Krak�w, whose interpretations are marked by brilliance, passion, and a palpable sense of discovery as they illuminate the beauty, individuality, and enduring artistic value of Bowen's music.

The album “Vetra” features folk music taken from the material collected and written down by Ludvig Mathias Lindeman, in Valdres. Lindeman found his “raw material” in the tunes and folk melodies played and sung in villages and small communities off the beaten track in various parts of Norway, and which had been handed on directly from person to person, and which in the process had been moulded into a style which we can call traditional music – in our case traditional Valdres music. We cannot get away from the local element. Folk music and folk songs in Valdres are closely connected to the local scene: its nature and animal life, its seasons, and its people. Folk songs and short verses refer to people by name, and stories tell of animals and underground creatures. Folk music is very much part of the folk history and identity of Valdres. This album can be a modest contribution to this identity.

Danger is what drives LAAKE. After tackling an electronic symphony with "O", first album released in 2020 on Mercury and two EPs released in 2015 and 2017, french pianist and producer LAAKE returns with "VOLT", a vast and solar opus against the current tides of the electronic music scene. The piano loops, spearhead of the musician, collide with the percussions and drums - great novelties of this album - in a progressive and mastered deluge. The album's energy easily navigates through electronic and classical dimensions, flirting with organ sounds, powerful basses and polyphonic voices, all witnesses of the urgency arising from each track.

Recorded with 10 musicians from the classical and jazz worlds between Paris and Brussels, the 10 tracks that make up the album succeed one another but do not sound alike… Carried by the irresistible need for the musicians to surprise us. Yet "VOLT", LAAKE's second studio album, was initially imagined as a piano solo record, a collection of hundreds of snippets of melodies recorded and carefully preserved over the last ten years by LAAKE. History decided otherwise: "During the recording of the first piece of the album, barefoot, I suffered an electrocution, or rather an electrification, the first one being fatal, by touching with my arm a luminous sconce of doubtful confection. Expelled backwards by the shock, persuaded to live my last moments, I noticed several minutes later the multiple burns appearing on my body, bewildered. A visit to the hospital followed and a psychological trauma that would last more than a year, unable to touch a switch or screw in a light bulb. The current had gone through me but I was still there. A cure? "LAAKE" means "medicine" in Finnish. A necessity rather, that of reinventing oneself, of metamorphosing in order to be better reborn.

July 2026, Divine Art presents Set Two for Piano from visionary composer Eric Craven, the latest in a series of releases showcasing his 'non-prescriptive' method of composition. This unique method features different levels of notation allowing the performer varying degrees of freedom to manipulate choices around a set core. The composer states that his hope is "to reward any pianist with even modest ability with immediate success" (Pieces for Pianists Vol 1 & 2) in creating something beautiful and expressive while also providing a challenge to more accomplished pianists to explore new territory. Irish pianist Mary Dullea is Eric Craven's collaborator on all these recordings and in Set Two for Piano she brings her long experience of realising Eric's music to her wonderfully instinctive performance. This new collection offers 12 hugely enjoyable pieces that are more expansive than the previous SET, each plainly numbered without named titles. They reference a range of different styles, from toccata-like study to jaunty waltz, often with a backbone of jazz, and all varying from low-, middle- to high order notation, the levels of non-prescription with which Craven presents the score. Low-order refers to music that appears with pitch and rhythm plus bar-lines; high-order is only pitches; and middle-order somewhere in between. There are no other details given such as tempo, time-signatures, dynamics, articulation, character, or duration. "... there is a day when the recording must be made with that version of the piece committed to a presence in the world for others to hear! Essentially I am pushed to make decisions about the performances at every moment; one might say that this is part of the spontaneity of the act of performance anyway but what is particular to this is that, apart from pitches and rhythms... I aways have the choice to do something else. So, the journey from first receiving a score to defining one interpretation is a combination of experimentation and control." American Record Guide has previously said of the collaboration between Eric Craven and Mary Dullea: "the result of this artistic input from these two musicians is of true artistic alchemy". "Much of Set for Piano is abrasively wantonly tonal - abrasive in the sense that Craven's tonality is literal and daringly untreated; triads shocking in their nakedness... He cuts across stylistic allegiances, those same old same old allegiances that box so many composers in." Philip Clark, Gramophone. Manchester-born Eric Craven has left little musical footprint. He has composed since his teenage years but has rarely sought to introduce his music to a wider audience through performance or publication. The original SET was the first of his 'non-prescriptive' compositions to be recorded after Craven was persuaded by leading and eminent pianists to make his work available. This was followed by Entangled States, a set of forty-eight short pieces and two volumes of Pieces for Pianists - a collection intended to present more immediately accessible scores to a wider audience of pianists. Also released on Divine Art were his highly acclaimed Piano Sonatas 7,8 and 9, also with Mary Dullea. Mary Dullea enjoys a very busy career as a soloist and chamber musician and regularly performs and broadcasts internationally. Her exceptional discography demonstrates her support and championing of new music, and her pianism, musicality and remarkable virtuosity make her an ideal interpreter. She is currently Director of Performance at Royal Holloway, University of London, where she is also a Professor in Music. She has collaborated with Eric Craven for many years, with a number of releases on Divine Art and Metier.

Embark on a transformative musical journey with "The Art of Dreaming," a visionary collaboration between Martin Herzberg and Felix Räuber. This captivating album unfolds across 11 phases, inviting listeners to explore themes of stillness, timelessness, and self-identity. Guided by Herzberg's intricate melodies and Räuber's evocative vocals, the album weaves a tapestry of emotions that resonates with the complexities of the human experience. From serene tranquility to crescendos of emotion, the progression mirrors the ebb and flow of introspection. Immerse yourself in this sanctuary of sound, where music becomes a pathway to self-discovery. "The Art of Dreaming" is an invitation to pause, reflect, and emerge with a renewed connection to your inner world and the world at large.

Discover Tim Allhoff's musical tapestry, weaving classical elegance reminiscent of Bach and Edvard Grieg, soul-stirring Singer-Songwriter essence, soothing Jazz, and reimagined Pop covers. This album transcends genres to focus on evoking emotions. "Silence Is Something You Can Actually Hear" invites you to pause, breathe, and surrender to music that touches the heart. Collaborations with Vienna Morphing Soloists and SIGNUM Saxophone Quartet elevate the auditory journey. Tim Allhoff's original "KANON" composition resonates with enchanting saxophone harmonies. Inspired by Haruki Murakami, the album's title encapsulates its essence. Let melodies carry you to a realm where time slows, finding solace in unspoken notes. This isn't just an album; it's a 50-minute oasis of calm where music becomes whispers of the heart. Immerse in this auditory sanctuary and let the silence speak.

My dream of recording all four of the Mozart horn concertos has been fulfilled at last. Little did I know that this long-held dream would come true in Cuba of all places and with a Cuban orchestra! I have learned so much about Cuban music and how to dance Mozart along the way and, as a result, feel changed as a person and as a musician", says Sarah Willis. With this album - subtitled La Bella Cubana - the Mozart y Mambo trilogy is complete. After two critically acclaimed albums, three documentary films, two international tours and fundraising to help support classical musicians in Cuba, Sarah concludes this adventure of a lifetime with the Havana Lyceum Orchestra and their conductor, José Antonio Méndez Padrón by recording Mozart's Concerto No. 4 with its famous final Rondo. Also on the album, three of her colleagues from the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Jonathan Kelly, Wenzel Fuchs and Stefan Schweigert, join her for more Mozart, performing the Sinfonia Concertante for four solo wind instruments and orchestra. Of course, no Mozart y Mambo album would be complete without the Sarahbanda ensemble, who once again fuse Mozart with Cuban dance rhythms in Rondo alla Rumba. And what better way to say goodbye than with the most famous Cuban song of all time, Guantanamera! Let the magic of Mozart y Mambo - this music, these musicians, their interpretation, their love for the project and for each other - get you up and dancing one more time!

For years, Margarita Höhenrieder was searching for the authentic sound of Frédéric Chopin's piano works. Which instrument of its time most convincingly reflected Chopin's music? Chopin himself had given the answer in 1831: "Pleyel's instruments are the non plus ultra"!The choice for the recording therefore fell on a Pleyel fortepiano, built 1848 in Paris and expertly restored using historical materials and methods. It is absolutely identical in construction to the instrument that Chopin owned, and thus represents an authentic sound testimony. For acoustic reasons of the sound of the original instruments, the Oberstrass Church in Zurich (1st Piano Concerto) and the Vienna Musikverein in Vienna (2nd Piano Concerto) were chosen as recording venues.

The orchestras "La Scintilla" conducted by Riccardo Minasi and the "Wiener Akademie" conducted by Martin Haselböck also played on historical instruments. We hear in each case the historical versions by Jan Ekier. Margarita Höhenrieder's careful recreation of the authentic Chopin sound gives the listener highly interesting insights into music history.

Bartolomeo Campagnoli (1751-1827) was a violinist by training, who worked in the courts and capitals of Baroque-era Europe, with posts in Rome, Dresden, and then (from 1797 to 1818) in Leipzig, where he was leader of the venerable Gewandhaus Orchestra. He learned his trade with famous Italian musicians Tartini and Nardini. Campagnoli claimed for himself "the German learnedness with Italian soul", and his works abound in lyrical melodies set into the firm musical structures of the First Viennese School. This 3-CD set presents string quartets, flute quartets, and duos for flute & violin, highly attractive works in prevailing light and lyrical mood. Performed in historically informed performance practice by the Ensemble Symposium, the Ensemble Il Demetrio, and Stefano Parrino (flute) and Francesco Parrino (violin). Recordings were previously issued separately on Brilliant Classics, here receiving a new lease of life as a 3-CD set.

Original motion picture soundtrack from A Letter From Helga All music is composed by Krist�n Anna Valt�sd�ttir except "I'm Not The Loving Kind" is composed by John Cale Arranged by Krist�n Anna and Dav�� ��r J�nsson Accordion, pianos, marxophone, synthesiser and vocals performed by Krist�n Anna Cornett performed by �ki �sgeirsson Cello arrangement and performance on tracks 1, 2, 7 and 15 by Gy�a Valt�sd�ttir Tuba, trombone, alto horn and euphonium on tracks 1, 10, 12 performed by Ingi Gar�ar Erlendsson Hammond organ on "I'm Not The Loving Kind" performed by Dav�� ��r J�nsson Additional vocals on "I'm Not The Loving Kind" performed by Dav�� ��r, Krist�n Anna and �sa Helga Hj�rleifsd�ttir Recording engineering by �lfur Hansson, Krist�n Anna, Gy�a Valt�sd�ttir, Gabr�el �lafsson and Reykjav�k Orkestra Mixed and produced by Krist�n Anna Mastered by Styrmir Hauksson

This four-disc set brings together the complete Offertories of Palestrina, the supreme master of Renaissance sacred polyphony. Each disc is devoted to works for different seasons of the liturgical year and a range of solemn occasions. Conceived for the adornment of the liturgy at the foremost church of Rome, these compositions have retained their place at the heart of the Christian musical tradition, admired across the centuries for their devotional purpose and their incomparable artistic perfection. In this distinguished recording, Schola Cantorum Gedanensis-one of Poland's most esteemed vocal ensembles, with nearly half a century of artistic achievement-turns to this sublime repertoire with characteristic insight and poise. Laureate of six Fryderyk Awards and two Golden Orpheus distinctions, the choir, under the direction of Jan Lukaszewski, offers an interpretation of luminous clarity, tonal refinement, and contemplative depth, revealing anew the spiritual radiance of these timeless works.

A live concert recording of the one-act farce based on Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther, captured during the 29th edition of the Easter Beethoven Festival in 2025. This release is based on the complete and authentic Milan manuscript, rather than the later versions that also circulated under different titles. The Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of it's chief conductor Lukasz Borowicz, joins forces with six outstanding soloists to deliver a performance of irresistible charm, virtuosic brilliance, and dynamic theatrical momentum. Thanks to it's vivid pacing and finely judged structure, the nearly 80 minutes of music pass in what feels like an instant, carrying the listener toward the work's unmistakably happy resolution to it's amorous entanglements.

The most beautiful song cycles of Polish vocal lyricism from the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The distinguished baritone Mikolaj Zalasinski, endowed with a voice of Verdian richness and beauty, together with the acclaimed collaborative pianist Lukasz Debski, invites the listener into a world of melancholy, reflection, and poetic depth - a world that, despite the passage of time, remains strikingly immediate and profoundly moving. Here, late Romanticism gradually yields to emerging new harmonic and colouristic tendencies, while the musical fabric is woven from texts by William Shakespeare and leading poets of the Young Poland movement. The literary and musical refinement of these compositions, combined with interpretations of the highest calibre, form the defining virtues of this album.

Conceived as a treasure trove of lesser-known French and Belgian repertoire, the works on this album span a forty-year period, from 1892 to 1932. A number of unifying threads run through the programme, perhaps the most significant of which is the influence of a composer whose music is not heard here at all: C�sar Franck. Franck taught and championed Guillaume Lekeu and Mel Bonis; and Bonis in turn taught Charlotte Sohy, whose principal composition teacher was Vincent d'Indy, one of Franck's most devoted acolytes. The artists decided against including Franck's Violin Sonata in favour of the work by his fellow Belgian Lekeu, much more rarely recorded and hardly ever heard in the concert hall. A number of shorter works surround this sonata to form a uniquely rewarding programme, starting with Charlotte Sohy's Th�me vari�. Three works by Mel Bonis complement the duo's recording of her Violin Sonata on their previous album (CHAN 20275), whilst the two �l�gies by Saint-Sa�ns have also been unfairly neglected. Fascinatingly, the second �l�gie and Messiaen's Th�me et variations are separated by just a dozen years, although they inhabit sound worlds seemingly decades apart. Elsa Barraine was Messiaen's contemporary and lifelong friend. Her haunting Nocturne seemed to provide a fitting conclusion to this programme.

Giacomo Puccini wrote only a few works for voice with piano accompaniment. Eleven songs were published during his lifetime; others remained lost for over a century. In 2010, a first critical edition of the total of sixteen vocal compositions was presented. Several of them are closely related to Puccini's operas and had already been written during his studies in Milan. It was this edition that inspired Johannes X. Schachtner to arrange the piano score-like accompaniments for orchestra. In early February 2023, the US tenor Charles Castronovo sang these sixteen songs for the first time together with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester conducted by Ivan Repušic. Charles Castronovo has worked with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester ever since a concert performance of Mozart's La clemenza di Tito in 2006. In the 2023/24 season, he will return to Munich as the orchestra's “Artist in Residence”. BR-KLASSIK now presents the CD “Giacomo Puccini - I Canti”.

Puccini's piano songs are entirely in the Italian tradition of the 19th century. Most Italian opera composers - from Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini to Verdi - also wrote lieder, but unlike the German art song, these were always closely related to bel canto, the “beautiful song”. Priority is given here to an irresistible melos over a mostly simple accompaniment, which is nevertheless supported by charming harmonies; hardly ever do these Italian songs eschew the dramatic flair of the opera composer. In the course of his work, Johannes X. Schachtner was increasingly fascinated by the way in which these songs, which were written for very different occasions and have no contextual connection, nevertheless convey the highly exciting story of a composer's life. From the youthful, almost innocent love song “A te” to Puccini's last songs with the impressive “Morire?” – but also small album leaves such as the setting of the Italian proverb “Casa mia, casa mia”, which is only a few bars long. Some songs also afford us a glimpse into the workshop of the composer Puccini, who made use of his earlier pieces in his operas. For example, a melody from the song

“Mentía l'avviso”, which was part of his final examination at the Milan Conservatory, became the famous aria “Donna non vidi mai” of Des Grieux in his opera Manon Lescaut a few years later.

The sixteen songs arranged with orchestral accompaniment are complemented by orchestral works by Puccini, written during his studies at the Milan Conservatory. They reflect the musical spirit of the time that shaped the young composer – ranging from the melodic influences of his teacher Amilcare Ponchielli to the impressions that the music of Richard Wagner left on him. Themes from these pieces also recur in his operas. Puccini's enthusiasm for Wagner shimmers through unmistakably in the “Preludio sinfonica”. In the “Capriccio sinfonica” one can hear a whole reservoir of later opera melodies, the most striking of which (almost note-for-note) is the opening of La bohème. Puccini's funeral music “Crisantemi”, composed for string quartet, was written before his first resounding success with Manon Lescaut, where melodies from it recur. Puccini wrote the piece in memory of Amadeo di Savoia, Duke of Aosta, who died on January 18, 1890, and the morbid scent of the cemetery flowers pervades the three-part Andante movement.

A new album of world premieres from GRAMMY� Award-winning pianist Nadia Shpachenko! Compositions from nine of the best contemporary composers, all with the theme of the challenges and excitement of soccer. Remember the joys of the 2026 Soccer World Cup forever! Nadia Shpachenko enjoys bringing into the world things that are outside the box - powerful pieces that often possess unusual sonic qualities or instrumentation. An enthusiastic promoter of contemporary music, Shpachenko has premiered more than 150 works by many important composers. The composers featured on Keys to the Beautiful Game are Tom Flaherty, Pamela Z, Ian Dicke, David Sanford, Dana Kaufman, Harold Meltzer, Christopher Cerrone, Oliver Dubon, and Adam Schoenberg. Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Ms. Shpachenko is a Steinway Artist, Schoenhut Toy Piano Artist, and professor of music at Cal Poly Pomona University. Reference Recordings is proud to present her 6th album on our label.

This album presents a distinguished selection of chamber works for clarinet and piano, string trio, and reed trio in a variety of instrumental configurations. Composed over the span of several decades, these pieces reveal the most distinctive qualities of the composer's musical language: intense lyricism, fugal sophistication, propulsive rhythmic energy, daring chromaticism, and evocative allusions to jazz-inflected idioms and Polish folk tradition. Performed with exceptional artistry by some of Poland's finest chamber musicians, this recording offers compelling testimony to the richly deserved renaissance of Tansman's music. His works reward both listener and performer alike, combining expressive depth with brilliant virtuosity and the rare refinement of true chamber interplay.

London-based German pianist and composer Bruno Heinen draws on classical compositions of the twentieth century and the jazz tradition in his works. Heinen's work has been described by The Guardian as eclectic, eccentric, and unobtrusively sophisticated. This album is inspired by B�la Bart�k's Mikrokosmos and uses cells and ideas from Volume 6 of Bart�k's work, as well as lyrics in the form of Bart�k quotations, to create a new suite. Bruno Heinen's quartet, The W, is a newly formed contemporary jazz combo featuring the charismatic British jazz singer Heidi Vogel. On drums is New Yorker Gene Calderazzo, who plays a leading role in the international jazz scene. The double bass is played by Italian Andrea Di Biase, who has performed with such greats as Norma Winstone and Kenny Wheeler. Like the four even lines that form the letter 'W', the four members of the group become 'one' to create a perfectly balanced and captivating new sound!

The new album from Chopin Piano Duo - artists of international renown, deeply committed to exploring the repertoire for four hands and two pianos - brings back to light works by four composers once esteemed as pianists and influential figures in musical life, yet long overshadowed by the towering fame of Frederic Chopin and Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Their music reveals a clear affirmation of Chopin's genius, with echoes of his style and characteristic forms resonating throughout. Swierzynski's cycle of miniatures and a work by Stattler were edited and prepared for publication from manuscript sources by Chopin Piano Duo themselves, and are presented here in their world premiere recordings!