Tim Mariën uproots and challenges the musical experiences to which we as listeners are accustomed. Above all, the use of unconventional tunings makes one feel at first like a stranger in the music of the Belgian composer, then nevertheless "at home". Mariën, who appreciates a certain unruliness in the sonic material, detunes and reconstructs instruments in order to elicit unique microtonal scales and timbres from them. Tim Mariën started composing on his own, after discovering avant-garde composers such as Pierre Henry, Luigi Nono and Karlheinz Stockhausen in his teens. During his studies in musicology at KU Leuven, he researched Harry Partch’s ‘extended just intonation’. Mariën writes on commission of several ensembles, for which he often manipulates or re-tunes instruments. In 2010 he received the Stipendiumprize for composition during the international summer courses for contemporary music in Darmstadt.

Bach’s English Suites are entitled in a way that is as strange as it is hard to explain, at least at first glance. Contrary to what one might assume, these works are more closely related to French suites than to English music. The title is taken from the inscription “Fait pour les Anglois”, found on a manuscript owned by Bach’s youngest son. In addition to an extensive prelude and four traditional dances – Allemande, Courante, Sarabande and Gigue – each suite also contains “gallantries”, lighter dances that were fashionable at the time. In these dance movements, grace and melody play together with a compositional artistry that elevates them far beyond incidental music for courtly dances.

At the beginning of the 17th century, music in Italy underwent a radical change. From the first experimental attempts in Florence to revive the musical practice of Greek antiquity, which had not been handed down in detail, the genre of the monody developed, in which the singer could finally express all the nuances of the text (the "affects"), freed from the strict constraints of polyphony. To accompany this monophonic singing, new types of plucked instruments emerged, such as the archlute and the theorbo, characterized especially by their powerful bass registers and intense resonances. The new expressive demands invited playing with timbres, (de)crescendi and agogics to convincingly portray human passions, elements that were also applied to purely instrumental music, as in the works on this recording. The rigor of polyphony gave way to a style based more on improvisation, an aspect particularly important to Luca Pianca in his interpretation of solo works for archlute and theorbo by Piccinini, Kapsberger, Melli and Raimondo.

Tonrroutt, Thauranth, Tauront, Taurath, Torenth... few composers have had their names mangled by scribes so badly as the protagonist of this recording. The identity of the composer behind these variants has long remained shrouded in mystery. It is known that a certain Johannes Tourout was cantor in the chapel of Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg. The composer must have been very popular in Central Europe: a large number of his works can be found in important manuscripts from that region. Given the stupendous craftsmanship evident in his compositions, it is surprising that modern musicians have not paid greater attention to them. On this release, Cappella Mariana attempts to rectify this gap in his recorded repertoire.

In this recording, Jan Michiels transports us back to the Parisian salons of the 19th century. These were not only an ideal environment for Chopin – his Préludes op. 28 are a recurring thread throughout this album – but also for Debussy, whose Préludes are closely correlated with those of Chopin. Michiels opens his salon to various visitors: first Alfred Cortot, whose Chopin interpretations captivated generations of pianists, then György Ligeti and finally his friend György Kurtág. Michiels likes to dream that the 1894 Érard grand piano on which the Préludes by Chopin and Debussy were recorded might once have adorned a salon that Proust visited. “I wondered whether music was not the only example of how souls might have communicated if language had not been invented, words formulated and ideas analyzed. It is like a possibility that has not been acted upon."

Franz Schubert (1797-1827) was an extremely prolific composer, but his entire output for violin and piano fits on two CDs. His bold use of tonalities is already evident in the early works from 1816 and 1817, which clearly reflect his admiration for Mozart. The first three are labelled "Sonatina", possibly intended to appeal to amateur musicians. However, they are highly complex works by the youthful composer. The late works, written in 1826 and 1827 shortly before his death, are characterized by an exuberant virtuosity, and sometimes the piano is treated like a substitute orchestra. Piet Kuijken and Naaman Sluchin have devoted more than ten years to the intensive study of the interpretation of these works and the question of appropriate period instruments, with the aim of doing optimal justice to the spirit of Schubert's music in its profoundly human depth: "In these pieces, Schubert showcases every possible technical trick; invention is constantly applied to formal structure, the greatest simplicity is found alongside outrageous virtuosity, and an infinite variety of timbre can be found."

Alejo de los Reyes had his first experience of playing the guitar in Argentina with his parents, who were classical guitar players and teachers. In his parents’ home, Argentine folk music was part of every celebration and every gathering, and the tango was his grandfather’s favorite music. During his studies, De los Reyes played alternately in classical concert halls and tango salons. After touring in Europe as tango player, he began playing on period instruments and combining his academic knowledge with traditional music: “It was – and still is – amazing for me to realize that certain concepts of articulation, rhythm or rubato were as important in early European musical practice as they were in Argentine tango.” The vast and diverse musical culture of the South American continent was indeed shaped by Jesuit missions in the early colonial period. Not surprisingly, European Renaissance and Baroque music is a key element in understanding much of the traditional music of the Americas (and vice versa). This album reflects the ongoing journey De los Reyes has been on since his childhood, studying the music of his country and, more recently, the music of the European Renaissance.

Peter Kooij is one of the leading bass singers in the early music scene, which becomes even clearer on his new CD ‘Die stille Nacht’ (The silent night) with Passion cantatas for solo bass by Telemann. His agile voice, the simple, yet rich timbre, the well-dosed expressive power: All of this shows Kooij’s elegant musicality and makes him an ideal baroque singer, especially for the atmospheric cantatas by Telemann. The Dutch bass, Peter Kooij, started his musical career at the age of six as a choirboy and sang many solo soprano parts in concerts and on records. However, he started his formal musical studies as a violin student. This was followed by singing tuition from Max van Egmond at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam, and in 1980 he obtained a diploma for solo performance. Peter Kooij is the artistic director of the "Ensemble Vocal Européen.”

In 1959, two composers wrote nonets: Nino Rota’s melodic Nonetto, on which he would continue to work for almost 20 years, and Bohuslav Martinu’s farewell chamber music piece, a nonet, which he composed as a last piece to satisfy his longing for his homeland. Eisler did not compose his nonet in his native country either, but arrived in Mexico in 1941 as a refugee from the Nazis. There he wrote the music for John Steinbeck’s documentary film The Forgotten Village, which served as the inspiration for his Nonet No. 2. With this album, the ensemble Oxalys presents us with the opportunity to rediscover these three nonets - three masterpieces by key protagonists of 20th century music history.

Vivaldi’s Concerti Ripieni are probably the most unusual works written by the Venetian composer. Some of these pieces, however, are particularly exceptional for various reasons, especially considering the artistic environment in early 18th century Venice. This recording presents Vivaldi’s most brilliant and at the same time bizarre works from this genre. These compositional experiments are sometimes quite extreme and far ahead of their time, such as the enigmatic Concerto Conca, the solemn Sinfonia Al Santo Sepolcro, the avant-garde and at the same time archaic Concerto Alla Rustica. This recording is the first collaboration of the Academia Montis Regalis with Enrico Onofri as principal conductor.

The paths of I SOLISTI and Frederik Neyrinck first crossed in 2011. The ensemble immediately recognized the artistic talent of the Flemish composer and together they set up a long-term collaboration. The fruits thereof can be heard on this album, which consists exclusively of works by Neyrinck, written especially for the ensemble. This album also marks a new chapter in their ongoing partnership, since he joined the artistic team of I SOLISTI as Artist in Residence, for a period of four years. With I SOLISTI, Neyrinck developed his affinity for wind instruments – a fascination from an early age and a common thread through his entire oeuvre. He’s always searching for refined combinations between instruments in the ensemble. This emphasis on the mixing of timbres from woodwinds and brass was also a key consideration while compiling the album and paints a heterogenous picture. In Suite Homo Deus Frankenstein (2020) a playful and colorful sound is heard, whereas the abstract musical material in Axe-I (2013), Gestalt I (2011), Gestalt V (2012), 1. Echo der Gestalt I (2011) and 2. Echo der Gestalt I (2011) produces strongly different results. In doing so, this album manages to capture the many facets of Neyrinck’s work.

Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini curates a unique collection of historical instruments in the Museo San Colombano in Bologna, which he regularly presents to the public in recordings. The theme of this production is the Dutch and Italian music of the time of the great painter Jan Vermeer (1632-1675). The recording, which was first made as an exclusive album for a Vermeer exhibition in 2014 in the Palazzo Fava in Bologna, brought together outstanding musician friends, including the baroque violinist Jaap Schroder, who died in 2020. This is possibly the last recording of this important pioneer of historical performance practice.

In addition to his famous large-scale song cycles, Schubert also composed and published numerous smaller song compilations. Some of these "miniature cycles" consist of songs written at different times and under different circumstances, but which Schubert himself assembled on the basis of thematic and textual connections. The selected cycles appeared in print during Schubert's publishing career of just eight years. Today, these songs are usually performed as individual works and taken out of context - here they are presented in the order carefully planned by the composer, just as they were heard at the famous Schubertiades.

NESHIMA is Orí Harmelin’s exciting debut solo lute and theorbo album. Orí explores a new realm of possibilities for personal creation as a modern musician using the musical language of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The album contains Orí’s arrangements of Madrigals, Motets and Chansons by Cipriano de Rore, Josquin des Prez and Thomas Tallis, alongside his own compositions of variation pieces such as La Monica, the passacaglia and Ballo del Granduca as well as original compositions using the tools of this musical language. Additionally, this album contains one piece for theorbo written for Orí by the composer Simon MacHale. NESHIMA is Hebrew for breath. In enhancing on the title Ori wrote “our breath is our constant friend. While breath is universal in that it is what connects us with life, it is also extremely personal, my breath is my life.” Between Orí’s creation of this album, its name, and Orí’s performance, we experience an extremely intimate encounter that connects us to the world of historical plucked instruments on a whole new level.

The bass-baritone Dominik Wörner and the Kirchheimer DübenConsort he founded dedicate themselves here to twelve pieces from the famous Düben collection and show in an exemplary way the enormous versatility of this unique collection. Ten different composers from Schütz to Capricornus and Pallavicino draw a time span from 1640 to 1720, with most of the works being recorded here for the first time. Under the direction of Jörg-Andreas Bötticher, the ensemble, which is made up of top-class specialists in early music, succeeds in making rousing interpretations of some very rewarding repertoire treasures, which have been successfully and extremely skillfully brought to life here.