Inspired by the view over the lake from his new house 'Ainola', the atmospheric opening of Sibelius's violin concerto transports the listener directly to the wide open, forested landscape of Finland. It also signaled farewell to Sibelius' dream of becoming a virtuoso violinist. The concerto remains a supreme challenge to performers, with it's two huge cadenzas. It was, after much revision, given it's premiere in the version we know today in 1905 in Berlin, conducted by Richard Strauss with Karel Halir as soloist. Jarnefelt's berceuse is altogether simpler fare, but touching and sentimental. He was the brother of Aino, Sibelius's wife. It was inspired by the sight of his two year old daughter sleeping. Szymanowski has become the most famous Polish composer after Chopin before the First World War, and his style embraced the lush romanticism of Richard Strauss, Stravinsky's early ballets and of course, Polish traditional music. The composer called this concerto 'horribly sentimental'.

This though provoking and beautiful recital from Yuval Zorn reflects the Zeitgeist of our troublesome times. "This album was created during a time of war, the full impact of which is yet to be understood, and it's making provided me with a much-needed safe haven from the turbulence outside. Much like Debussy's "and the moon descends on a past temple" (from Images II), the music here embodies not only the decay of an old order but also the potential growth of a new one, with it's hopes and perils', says Yuval Zorn.

Brahms' Cello Sonata No.1 was composed at a time of great emotional upheaval in 1865. His mother was dying, and the composer having visited her in Hamburg, had immersed himself in the music of Bach for solace. The finale of the sonata has an uncanny resemblance to Contrapunctus XIII from The Art of Fugue. The second sonata is a product of the tranquil summer holiday Brahms spent in the scenic lakeside suburb of Hofstetten, outside Thun in Switzerland in 1886. The work is on a large symphonic scale in four movements, and in contrast to the earlier sonata's pensive and unsettled nature, is bathed in afternoon sunlight. Stanford composed his Ballata and it's companion, the Ballabile in 1918 for cello and orchestra. This is the product of the end of his compositional career, after his 7th and final symphony, and the large scale concertos. Effectively a cello concerto minus a first movement, Stanford made the version for cello and piano the same year. The Ballata is a delightful slow movement.

Brtish pianist Alexander Ullman, presents a program of Edvard Grieg's Moods, Songs and Lyric Pieces. The prize of the album, Alexander's own transcriptions of music from the Peer Gynt Suite No.1, which draws out the color of the orchestra from the piano, perhaps more than the composer's own. Like Chopin, Grieg was more comfortable creating exquisite miniatures rather than large scale orchestral works. Both produced concertos for the piano, and Grieg's example is one of the most popular in the repertoire, but it is in his small-scale solo works that his poetic musical expression had free reign. Alexander Ullman plays Book 10, Moods, and seven pieces from 1907, probably the last music Grieg composed. The program also includes a selection of songs arranged by the composer for solo piano.

Shostakovich regarded his 3rd String Quartet as one of his best works and initially gave each of the movements titles such as 'blithe ignorance of the future cataclysm' and 'Forces of war unleased', but then withdrew the titles shortly after completing the work. Why he did this we don't know, maybe he was wary of the Soviet authorities reading unpatriotic meanings into them. Whatever the reasons, the 3rd is a powerful statement containing the composer's dry humor, with a good dash of sarcasm, the sinister and the passionate. Saariaho's Terra Memoria, her 2nd String Quartet, bears the subtitle 'for those departed.' The composer said that "we continue to remember those who are no longer with us. Their life is complete, nothing will be added... our experiences of being with them, different aspects of their personality, certain memories haunt our dreams, some remain clear flashes which we can relive."

The two works on this album were commissioned by conductor Paul Sacher in the 1930s for the orchestra he founded in 1926, the Basel Chamber Orchestra. This orchestra was famous for it's adventurous programing, often combining baroque repertoire with contemporary works. Bartok's Divertimento nods at the baroque concerto grosso in it's use of individual groups of players, and the title 'divertimento' recalls Mozart's many examples of this form. By contrast, the earlier of the two commissions avoids any musical category - Bartok simply called the work Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste. 'Strings' in this works title includes harp and piano, 'percussion' adds not only timpani, but snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, tam-tam and xylophone, and of course the sparkling sound provided by the celeste. It is a beautiful score, culminating in a brilliant finale with dance rhythms and folk dance syncopations.

On April 29, 1844 in Paris's Salle Erard, Charles-Valentin Alkan returned to the platform after an absence of six years. Bach, Scarlatti, Beethoven and Weber featured, as well as four of Alkan's latest compositions. Two of these appear on Andrew Yiangou's remarkable recital - the Op.22 Nocturne and the Op.23 E minor Saltarelle. The centre piece in the program is the misleadingly titled Sonatina in A minor, Op.61. This is a large-scale sonata of huge technical challenges. Busoni claimed that Alkan was, along with Chopin, Liszt, Schumann and Brahms was one of the five greatest composers for the piano since Beethoven. Alkan certainly discovered unheard of sonorities imbued with a disturbing power, and a preoccupation with the darker shades of human experience. Andrew Yiangou's program is a fascinating view into the musical world of one of the most enigmatic composers of the 19th century.

Karim Said became well-known after Christopher Nupen's film, Karim's Journey, documented his journey at age 14 from Jordan to the Purcell School in London. Daniel Barenboim had arranged for Karim to study at the school and has been a mentor. Karim was a member of the East West Divan Orchestra, created by Barenboim and Karim's uncle, the late Edward Said. Karim has established an orchestra in Amman and conducts and plays throughout the Middle East and Europe. For Karim's debut concerto recording, he is joined by his friend and fellow East West Divan alumni, conductor Domingo Hindoyan, and the chemistry between them is palpable. As Barenboim said of the young Karim, "What he already knows you cannot learn."

This though provoking and beautiful recital from Yuval Zorn reflects the Zeitgeist of our troublesome times. "This album was created during a time of war, the full impact of which is yet to be understood, and it's making provided me with a much-needed safe haven from the turbulence outside. Much like Debussy's "and the moon descends on a past temple" (from Images II), the music here embodies not only the decay of an old order but also the potential growth of a new one, with it's hopes and perils', says Yuval Zorn.

Joanna Kacperek's new album for Rubicon is a superbly curated recital of music by women composers - all of whom achieved fame in their day but, in most cases, rapidly faded from the repertoire after their deaths. There is no logical reason for this obscurity. The music is first rate, and they enjoyed support from their great male contemporaries including such luminaries as Haydn, Hummel, Moscheles, Liszt, Franck and Grieg. Some have remained on the fringes of the repertoire - Chaminade for example, but for many listeners of this album it will be a fascinating voyage of musical discovery. This is great music, deserving to be better known, and is out there for us to access and enjoy.

A rising global talent and Steinway Artist, Indonesian pianist Jonathan Kuo is without a doubt a name to watch. He has appeared at the Musikverein and the Salzburg Mozarteum to name just two prestigious European venues among many that have witnessed his performances. Mentored by Stanislav Ioudenitch, the gold medallist at the 2001 Van Cliburn, Jonathan is a fearless virtuoso combined with rare emotional depth. His debut recording brings together the rarely recorded Java Suite by Leopold Godowski, and Stravinsky's Three Movements from Petrushka.

Paul Carr's Awakening is a striking four movement choral work, each movement depicting the seasons - Spring and Autumn Equinox, and the Summer and Winter Solstice. The orchestral and choral writing makes an immediate impression - it is powerful, lyrical, at times cinematographic. It is in the tradition of British choral compositions over the last 100 years. The libretto is Stephen Feltham. Awakening is a modern classic, an accessible and striking addition to the British choral repertoire.

Since the release of the chart topping Alehouse Sessions in 2017, and a world wide tour, Bjarte and the boys and girls have been busy on this new album which moves the alehouse project on from dour Puritanism of Cromwell's Commonwealth, to the hedonistic Restoration of Charles II, and the Glorious Revolution that saw William III and Mary II replace the unpopular James II. The alehouse musical culture developed into playhouses, and music halls, selling tickets and subscriptions. Operas, masques, dance, jesting (the first stand-up comedians maybe?), all this prepared the way for the first public concert hall to be established. Nights in these places though would still be bawdy - stage fights, cross dressing, elements of pantomime, songs sung to popular tunes of the day, satire - always a good draw, and a good number of rustic clowns, bawdy wenches and fools thrown in for good measure! Think of these back rooms as a very English mix of Shakespeare, commedia dell arte, juggling with music by Purcell, folk tunes, and sea shanties. After the misery of the Commonwealth and Cromwell's dictatorship, the public were in the mood to party! Playhouse is your invitation to the party - enjoy!

Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Sonata was extensively revised by the composer in 1931, and the revised version is tighter and thinner in texture than the original version of 1913. It represents a supreme challenge to the pianist in either version, and has all the hallmarks of the composer at the height of his powers. The 6 Moments Musicaux Op.16 are early works which exhibit the flamboyance of the youthful virtuoso. Sonya Bach includes three of the Preludes from the Op.23 set.

An album of firsts - all these works are receiving world premiere recordings, and this is the only album devoted to music for strings by Welsh composers. Most listeners will be familiar with works for strings by Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Tippett - they are some of the most famous works in the repertoire. The works on this album reveal that composers in Wales were also writing outstanding works for strings at the same time. Grace Williams was taught by Vaughan Williams, and her haunting Elegy leaves a deep impression on the listener. Morfydd Owen's brief Romance reflects her all to short life - tragically cut short in 1918 at just 26. Her trajectory as a composer was set high. William Matthias, one of the better known of Welsh composers, studied with Lennox Berkeley and was a child prodigy. Best known for his music for choir, he also wrote three symphonies and three piano concertos. His deft and polished Music for Strings displays his technical prowess to the full. Paul Mealor is one of the current generation of composers from Wales, studying with Mathias. His music was performed at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011, and Wherever You Are was the Christmas No.1 single in the UK in the same year. Arwel Hughes studied with Vaughan Williams and was a key player in the establishment of music at BBC Wales, becoming Head of Music in 1965. He composed in all fields, from oratorios, religious music, chamber and orchestral music - the latter often drawing on Welsh legends and history. Christopher Woods powerful Aberfan is a musical memorial to the harrowing tragedy that occurred on October 21, 1966 when a coal spoil tip engulfed a school killing 116 children and 28 adults in surrounding streets.

The Piatti Quartet continue their exploration of Ina Boyle's music with this fascinating album on the theme of Phantasies, and the vision of one extraordinary patron of music. Walter Cobbett (1847 - 1937) was a successful businessman and chamber music patron, who, created a competition for British composers in 1905, and singlehandedly created the 'Phantasy' (his spelling), taking inspiration from the 16th and 17th century instrumental works for viol or string consorts. Ina Boyle, entered her composition in 1919, but misread the requirements of 'piano & strings'. Herbert Howells entered his composition in 1917, and Malcolm Arnold, whilst coming after the competitions ended, continued the form with his Phantasy composed when he was 19. Cobbett also commissioned Phantasies, including the Vaughan Williams work on this album from 1912. Augusta Holmes depicts the mythological figure of Hibernia in the 7th of her Vingt Melodies - a slow nationalist march depicting Christmases of Irish mythology. Tippett was awarded the Cobbett medal for services to chamber music in 1948, but when Stravinsky died in 1971, he was one of several major composers to commemorate the composer. Dating from 1972, In Memorium Magistri receives it's first recording on this album as do the two works by Boyle.

The Arundel Choirbook is one of the most significant surviving collections of English polyphony from the early 16th century. As well as containing invaluable sources for masses by Robert Fayrfax and Nicholas Ludford, it also contains many works by lesser known and anonymous composers of the period. The Arundel or Lambeth Choirbook is celebrating it's 500th anniversary (Arundel College in Sussex was founded in 1380 and dissolved in 1544), and it is fitting that the Iken Scholars has selected a sequence of pieces by anonymous composers (known as the Lambeth Anonymous) that are receiving their world premiere recordings. The pieces are a selection of Magnificat settings, settings of Salve Regina, Ave dei patris, Ave mundi spes Maria, Vidi aquam egredientem and Gaude flore virginali. The seven Lambeth Anonymous settings are nestled between mass settings by Ludford and Fayrfax in the choirbook. This recording was made in the chapel at Lambeth Palace where the manuscripts have been housed since the early 17th century

James Richman is the first musician since Leonard Bernstein to graduate Harvard, Julliard and the Curtis Institute of Music, studying conducting with Herbert Blomstedt, piano with Horszowski, and harpsichord with Kenneth Gilbert. He is considered one of today's leading conductors of Baroque music and opera. James was made a Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 1995 in recognition of his contributions to the field of music. Rameau's Pieces de Clavacin was composed over a period of 20 years, the first collection, or book appearing in 1706. These pieces showcase Rameau's lyrical and expressive style, often featuring intricate ornamentation and elegant melodies. The collection is considered a major work in Baroque keyboard repertoire, reflecting Rameau's mastery in both composition and harmony.

Karol Szymanowski is considered to be Poland's greatest composer after Chopin. A contemporary of Bartok, Stravinsky, Scriabin and Ravel, his earlier works are of the late romantic style - Strauss, Reger and Rimsky Korsakov. Later he developed an impressionistic, oriental and partially atonal style which he later fused with folk music of his native land. Marin Alsop leads the Polish National Symphony in the 4th and last of his symphonies. This masterpiece of the symphonic repertoireis is a 20th century take on the Sinfonia featuring a prominent piano part, performed by Szymon Nehring.

Johanna Rose's continues her exploration of the music by two of the most significant composers for the viola da gamba - Marin Marais and Antoine Forqueray. It was not uncommon for many 17th century painters to feature music making or musical instruments. A lute or a viola da gamba in the artist's studio, a warm instrument beside the easel and rolled-up canvases, resting on the table stained with pigments, offering aid to concentration or recognition, carrying the promise of inspiration. The music on this album is certainly not meant for domestic music making of the type depicted in contemporary paintings - it makes huge demands on the performer and was composed by two of the greatest viola da gamba players in musical history.

Thomas Kelly made his concerto debut performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No.24 with the orchestra of the Purcell School. He was just 9 years old. Since then, Thomas has studied with Dmitri Alexeev at the Royal College of Music, and awarded the RCM's highest accolade for a pianist, the Benjamin Britten Fellowship. Thomas has many awards from international competitions and has a wide repertoire embracing both core and lesser known areas of the piano repertoire. His debut album is a daunting program of organ works arranged by great pianists for their instrument.

The term 'spectrum' is usually associated with physics. When white light hits a prism, it breaks down into the full spectrum of rainbow colors. These colors have always existed but only become visible through refraction. Music is similar. The pieces on this album are like a prism, unfolding the fundamental human emotions into their infinite facets, and creating a tribute to the timeless power of music, that resonates with the entire color palette of the human soul. The selection of pieces therefore follows an inner logic: that of emotion, timbre, and the moment. Each piece unfolds it's own microcosm and invites the listener to lose themselves within it. Esther Birringer's new album is a must for lovers of the piano, and an essential playlist addition.

Mozart composed the concerto for two pianos in 1779, and performed it with his sister Nannerl. It is a less adventurous work than the previous concerto, No.9 K271, but it is an altogether more successful work than No.7 for three pianos K242, which the composer arranged for two pianos. It is brilliant in nature, especially the finale. It foreshadows in places the great Sinfonia Concertante K364, but does not match the grandeur of that work. No.24 K491 from 1786 is one of the greatest of Mozart's concertos. The dark, turbulent and tragic mood undoubtedly had an influence on Beethoven's C minor concerto.

The Kuss Quartet and violist Muriel Razavi embark on a three-volume traversal of the six Mozart String Quintets. The first of these works dates from 1777 and was closely modeled on the contemporaneous quintets by Michael Haydn. The G minor, the 4th of the quintets was composed in 1786. It is dark, turbulent and melancholy, typical of the composer's G minor works. It is composed on a large scale, especially the opening movement, something it shares with the Prague Symphony No. 38 and the 25th Piano Concerto in C composed at the same time. The Kuss Quartet include two short works for string quartet by contemporary composers to place in between the two quintets and to round the album off.

British-German tenor, Rufus Muller, was acclaimed by The New York Times following a performance in Carnegie Hall as "... easily the best tenor I have heard in a live Messiah". His unique dramatic interpretation of the Evangelist in Bach's Passions confirmed his status as one of the world's most sought-after performers. On this recital, he performs Beethoven's Scottish Folksongs Op.108 alongside the Hammer Clavier Trio.