Formed in Israel almost three decades ago and now based in the United States, the Ariel quartet has built a reputation for tackling challenging repertoire with bold interpretations and deep musical insight. This suitably ambitious new project, timed to coincide with the quartet's 30th anniversary in 2028, highlights their dedication to Beethoven's transformative works, tracing his journey from the classical brilliance of the early quartets to the spiritual profundity of his later ones. 5060189563784 ORCC100378.2 44930509 .00 16.99 .23 ORCHID CLASSICS COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAL & SYMPHONIC 05/02/2025 07/01/2025 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/42/4402542-3325931.jpg 6 2 N CONCERT ROYAL KOLN INTERWOVEN PATHS Why should things be more fair in musical history than elsewhere? Here, too, the wall that stands between fame and obscurity is very thin and, moreover, rather arbitrarily erected. But it can be unsurmountably high. Coincidences, small vicissitudes of life can decide between success and failure in the eyes of posterity. The composers whose works we find on this recording are prime examples of this. On the one hand, George Frideric Handel, the cosmopolitan, widely known composer, chapel master to His Majesty, the King of England, and director of the Royal Academy of Music, who hardly needs any further introduction, and, on the other hand, Johann Sigismund Weiss. Who? The name Weiss only brings to mind Sylvius Leopold, the famous lutenist at the Dresden court, acquainted with Bach - this was the older brother of our Weiss. He, too, was a professional musician, and, as his works show, one who was entirely on a par with his brother, indeed even with Handel - but he never became famous. He was born ca. 1690 in Breslau, and died in Mannheim in 1737. We hardly know anything about his life and work. From 1708 to 1718, he was lutenist of the Electoral Palatinate court chapel in Dusseldorf, subsequently - until 1723 - he held the same position in Mannheim. There he advanced to court Kapellmeister. But his path crossed that of Handel. 4012476368894 MUSP36889.2 45254147 .00 16.99 .20 MUSICAPHON COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAL & SYMPHONIC 09/12/2025 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/19/4404819-3412733.jpg 22 1 N DORHAM / JOBIM STANDARD - NO STANDARD In a time when musical genres are constantly in dialogue with one another, Standard - No Standard proves that the jazz tradition is not only alive but also constantly evolving. This album, the result of a powerful collaboration between guitarist Joost Zoeteman, bassist Bart Tarenskeen, and drummer Wim de Vries, showcases how three musicians masterfully strike a balance between reverence for jazz history and a fresh, contemporary approach. 608917359824 CHLL73598.2 44952211 .00 16.99 .22 CHALLENGE COMPACT DISCS POP JAZZ 04/25/2025 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/44/4404944-3329290.jpg 1 1 N GREENE / EARLY OPERA COMPANY JEPHTHA The passage of time has perhaps been unkind to the English composer Maurice Greene. By 1730 he was one of the most senior musicians in England: Organist at St Paul's Cathedral, Organist and Composer to the Chapel Royal, and Professor of Music at the University of Cambridge. When he was appointed Master of the King's Music, in 1735, he held every significant appointment in the Kingdom. Of course, the overwhelming presence of Handel in London at the time most certainly played a significant part in Greene's relative obscurity. His second attempt at oratorio, Jephtha, in 1737, marks the first successful foray by an Englishman in this genre. Brimming with attractively varied airs and choruses, powerfully emotive accompanied recitatives, and spirited orchestral movements, it is an engaging work. Taken from the Book of Judges, chapter 11, the account of Jephtha tells the story of a fearless Israelite warrior recalled from exile to fight for his people, a man not only of great valour but, as it transpires - thanks to an impulsive and fateful pledge - of profound honour, too, destined to assume his place as their worthy ruler. Christian Curnyn directs his Early Opera Company forces with a dazzling cast of soloists: Andrew Staples takes the part of Jephtha, joined by Mary Bevan, Michael Mofidian, and Jeremy Budd. 0095115040829 CHN408SACD 44952235 .00 43.99 .27 CHANDOS SUPER-AUDIO CD CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAL & SYMPHONIC 04/18/2025 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/46/4404946-3329235.jpg 61 2 N HIGGINS PERCUSSION CONCERTO - STUDY SCORE When I was young I inherited a large pile of my dad's old Beano annuals (a popular comic book in the UK) which, torch in hand, I would consume with relish under my bed sheets at night. There was something about the anarchic and wild nature of the comics that appealed to me as child and, if I'm being honest, continues to appeal to me as an adult. The onomatopoeic words that were delicious to say out loud (Boing! Splat! Paarp! Sluurp!); the diverse range of colourful characters (the Bash Street Kids, Billy the Whizz, Bananaman, and Dennis and his dog Gnasher); the seemingly endless adventures and stories that saw our heroes overcome challenges, get into trouble (and sometimes deal with the consequences) all fed my imagination. It's not often I'm asked to write a piece of music that is, at it's core, fun; but luckily I take writing 'fun' music very seriously! This Percussion Concerto is a colourful, whacky, fast-paced, tour-de-force for solo percussion and orchestra. The concerto features an array of unusual instruments for the soloist (opera gongs, tin cans, plastic buckets), but within the orchestra itself, if you listen carefully, you will also hear slide whistles, kazoos, dustbin lids, car horns, and even some squeaky dog toys! � Gavin Higgins 9790708219620 NIM13120 44930387 .00 129.99 1.10 NIMBUS RECORDS SPECIAL PRODUCTS CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAL & SYMPHONIC 04/04/2025 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/30/4402530-3324059.jpg 9 1 N DVORAK DVORAK: STABAT MATER The Dresdner Philharmonie and Marek Janowski present a recording of Antonin Dvorak's Stabat Mater, together with the MDR Leipzig Radio Choir, Hanna-Elisabeth Muller (soprano), Roxana Constantinescu (mezzo-soprano), Christian Elsner (tenor) and Tareq Nazmi (bass). In terms of scope and duration, Dvorak's Stabat Mater is the largest setting of this sacred text to date. Likely inspired by the tragic death of all his three children - in the timespan of just two years - the work is heartrending, yet establishes a gradual path from darkness to light, from despair to peace and hope; ascetic and restrained, yet full of suspense. This recording, made in connection to a live performance commemorating the bombing of Dresden, offers a rendition that never drags, avoids excessive sentimentality, and is all the more moving as a result. Marek Janowski is one of the most celebrated conductors of our time and has a vast PENTATONE discography, chiefly consisting of German operas and symphonic works. From 2019 to 2023 he was Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Dresdner Philharmonie. Dvorak's Stabat Mater is his seventh PENTATONE recording with this orchestra, with whom he recently released Schubert's Unfinished and Great Symphonies (2023), Schumann's complete symphonies (2024), as well as Haydn's Die Schopfung (2024). The MDR Leipzig Radio Choir also appeared on that recording, has frequently featured on other PENTATONE recordings and starred on Bruckner Haydn Motets (2021) and Mendelssohn Choral Works (2023). Hanna-Elisabeth Muller released Reine de coeur (2018) and Sinnbild; Strauss Songs (2022) on PENTATONE. Roxana Constantinescu featured on PENTATONE recordings of Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana and Puccini's Il tabarro (both 2020), as well as Kodaly & Bartok (2023). Christian Elsner also has a longstanding relationship with the label, including his solo recording of Schubert Lieder (2015). Tareq Nazmi appeared on the beforementioned recording of Die Schopfung. 8717306262224 PNTA5187222SACD 44930530 .00 21.99 .16 PENTATONE SUPER-AUDIO CD CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAL & SYMPHONIC 04/04/2025 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/45/4402545-3324043.jpg 118 1 N BARTOK BARTOK: DUKE BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and it's chief conductor Karina Canellakis continue their Bartok journey with the composer's only opera, Duke Bluebeard's Castle, starring mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham (Judith) and bass-baritone Gabor Bretz (Bluebeard). One man, one woman, and a dark castle with seven mysterious doors are all it takes to create a psychological thriller full of suspense and intense emotion. Karina Canellakis and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra received a Grammy nomination for their recording of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra and 4 Orchestral Pieces, which BBC Music Magazine praised as enticing and brilliantly engineered", while Gramophone lauded how orchestra and conductor "paint the soundscapes with both finesse and fire." For Canellakis, Bartok's opera recorded here is "an homage to life itself, to life's brevity and fleeting beauty, to being human, to love, and to death." Internationally acclaimed for her emotionally charged performances, technical command and interpretive depth, Karina Canellakis has become one of the most in-demand conductors of her generation. She returns to PENTATONE as Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra continuing their Bartok cycle that began with the aforementioned Concerto for Orchestra in 2023. Rinat Shaham and Gabor Bretz are sought after by the world's greatest opera houses and have long-standing experience performing Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle with various orchestras and conductors around the world.