{"title":"The Alpha Sale 2026","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOver 400 titles \u003c\/strong\u003efrom \u003cstrong\u003eAlpha Classics \u003c\/strong\u003eare on sale now at \u003cem\u003eArkivMusic\u003c\/em\u003e!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eExplore timeless masterpieces by \u003cstrong\u003eFauré, Dvořák, Strauss\u003c\/strong\u003e and many more, brought to life by celebrated artists including the \u003cem\u003eBusch Trio, Jodie Devos, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France\u003c\/em\u003e, and an outstanding roster of world-class performers. From intimate chamber music to sweeping orchestral works, this collection offers remarkable performances at exceptional savings!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"shopify-section-template--18107431616746__blocks_hpEaLT\" class=\"shopify-section\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"shopify-block-ARk1HUVd2TGNpVktaW__ai_gen_block_00051a3_B6TAYk\" class=\"shopify-block\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"ai-section-header-ark1huvd2tgnpvktawaigenblock00051a3b6tayk\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"ai-section-header__container-ark1huvd2tgnpvktawaigenblock00051a3b6tayk\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"ai-section-header__description-ark1huvd2tgnpvktawaigenblock00051a3b6tayk\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"shopify-section-template--18107431616746__blocks_hpEaLT\" class=\"shopify-section\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"shopify-block-ARk1HUVd2TGNpVktaW__ai_gen_block_00051a3_B6TAYk\" class=\"shopify-block\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"ai-section-header-ark1huvd2tgnpvktawaigenblock00051a3b6tayk\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"ai-section-header__container-ark1huvd2tgnpvktawaigenblock00051a3b6tayk\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"ai-section-header__description-ark1huvd2tgnpvktawaigenblock00051a3b6tayk\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShop the sale before it ends at\u003cstrong\u003e 9:00am ET, Wednesday, August 19th, 2026\u003c\/strong\u003e. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"le-sommeil-dulisse","title":"Le Sommeil d'Ulisse","description":"Le Sommeil d'Ulisse","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44701561651434,"sku":"3760014190063","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/309856.jpg?v=1785755774"},{"product_id":"la-conversation","title":"La Conversation","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44701574922474,"sku":"3760014190032","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/567403.jpg?v=1785772688"},{"product_id":"grosz-gund-be-still-my-heart","title":"Grosz \u0026 Gund: Be Still My Heart","description":"Be Still My Heart presents works by two little-known Viennese composers. Robert Gund (1865-1927), born in Switzerland, a pianist, teacher and composer who was highly regarded in Vienna but whose works have since been forgotten, and his younger brother Wilhelm Grosz (1894-1939), who was writing highly successful songs for the cinema in Berlin at the time of Gund's death. Grosz then emigrated to the United States in 1939, when his music became influenced by both post-Romanticism and jazz. This programme, conceived and performed here by Christian Immler and Helmut Deutsch, both masters of the German Lied, includes many songs that are recorded for the first time. Grosz's New York songs have inspired many cover versions by such 20th-century musical greats as Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and the Beatles.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012430221546,"sku":"3701624511176","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4394721-3312251_f2a47c43-311c-4245-a8cb-8cbb92e025cb.jpg?v=1785906262"},{"product_id":"par-amour","title":"Par amour","description":"Love is the common thread running through this first recorded recital by soprano Vannina Santoni; it's also an opportunity to look back over her fifteen-year career, through her leading roles, alongside her favourite musicians. With the help of the Orchestre National de Lille and Quebecois conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni, she places her sensual voice at the service of famous operatic arias featuring the amorous heroines of Gounod, Massenet, Puccini ('O mio babbino caro'), Catalini ('Ne andro' from La Wally) and Verdi (Desdemona's poignant 'Ave Maria' from Otello). The programme also includes a rare but sublime aria from Franco Alfano's Tolstoy-inspired opera Risurrezione (1904), as well as the magnificent 'Saint-Sulpice' duet from Massenet's Manon, with tenor Julien Dran. Finally, Vannina Santoni pays homage to her Corsican roots with a new orchestration of the lullaby 'O Ciucciarella' that Corsican mothers have sung to their children for generations.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012431007978,"sku":"3701624511183","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4392285-3307318.jpg?v=1785902648"},{"product_id":"hensel-mendelssohn-guess-who","title":"Hensel \u0026 Mendelssohn: Guess Who?","description":"Pianist Olga Pashchenko creates musical narratives with selections from Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words. As children, the two immensely prodigious siblings enjoyed using text to inspire their piano pieces, although which of them was the actual inventor of the genre remains a mystery. It is possible that they either co-created this genre, or even that Fanny could have been the creator of the genre traditionally ascribed exclusively to Felix. This music, although wordless, is bursting with poetry and well-suited to the Conrad Graf piano from 1836 that Pashchenko chose for this recording. The Graf piano, a brand favoured by Felix, has a recitative-like quality that Pashchenko uses to perfectly articulate the poetry inherent in these Lieder ohne Worte or as Fanny called them, Lieder fur das Pianoforte.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012431925482,"sku":"3701624511190","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4394722-3312252.jpg?v=1785908289"},{"product_id":"dazzling-light","title":"Dazzling Light","description":"On Dazzling Light Christopher Lowrey and his vocal ensemble Altera explore light in all it's forms. There is a remarkable body of choral music that evokes light's many facets: the light of morning and evening, sacred light, light as a symbol of Christ, light as the conqueror of darkness and even (thanks to the James Webb telescope) the light of distant galaxies. This programme includes works primarily from the 20th and 21st centuries, with music by John Rutter, Jonathan Dove, Matthew Martin, Toby Young, Charles Wood, Ko Matsushita, Sir William Harris, Eric Whitacre, Thomas Tallis, Michael Garrepy and David Hill. There is also an evening prayer by English composer Joanna Marsh, a work by South African composer Motshwane Pege, the winner of Altera's third composition competition, and John Cameron's arrangement of Edward Elgar's Nimrod from the Enigma Variations; this work, entitled Lux aeterna, is perfectly suited to Altera's strengths.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012432744682,"sku":"3701624511206","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4394723-3312253.jpg?v=1785906285"},{"product_id":"shostakovich-suite-on-verses-of-michelangelo-october","title":"Shostakovich: Suite on Verses of Michelangelo; October","description":"Matthias Goerne, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Mikko Franck continue their series of recordings of Shostakovich's symphonic works with baritone with the Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti (1974), and the symphonic poem October (1967). These are two very different works: the first is one of Shostakovich's most deeply personal creations and has no connection to the ideological issues of Soviet power. The second was commissioned by the Soviet authorities to glorify the 1917 Revolution and is filled with irony. Goerne is the perfect interpreter for Shostakovich's great cycle of settings of verses by Michelangelo, in which intimate moments where the voice is almost a cappella alternate with powerfully dramatic passages with full orchestra.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012433465578,"sku":"3701624511213","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4397809-3315042.jpg?v=1785913087"},{"product_id":"adams-stravinsky-gershwin-bernstein-hallelujah-junction","title":"Adams, Stravinsky, Gershwin \u0026 Bernstein: Hallelujah Junction","description":"Anna Geniushene and Lukas Geniusas both have brilliant careers as soloists: Anna won the silver medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022 and now records for Fuga Libera, while Lukas' two Rachmaninov recordings, a recital of solo works (ALPHA997) and songs with Asmik Grigorian (ALPHA796), have both won major awards. Partners in life and in art, they form a highly virtuosic and tightly knit duo. This highly varied programme pays tribute to American music with works by Gershwin, Stravinsky, Copland and McPhee, a succession of melting-pots that create fusions of classical music, jazz, Mexican music and Balinese rhythms. The spectacular and rebellious Fourth Ballad from Frederic Rzewski's North American Ballads (1978-79) is also included. This musical odyssey concludes with the vast fresco that is John Adam's magnificent Hallelujah Junction (1996).","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012434252010,"sku":"3701624511220","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4404913-3378351.jpg?v=1785904520"},{"product_id":"prokofiev-shor","title":"Prokofiev \u0026 Shor","description":"Many people have been waiting for Behzod Abduraimov's performance of Prokofiev's second piano concerto - that powerful work which caused a scandal when it was first performed near St Petersburg in 1913 because it was considered too futuristic. The work that we hear today is a version that Prokofiev himself reconstructed and reworked in 1923, as his first version was burnt on his departure from Russia. Abduraimov gives a dazzling performance of the work with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and it's conductor Vasily Petrenko. The Prokofiev stands in stark contrast to Alexey Shor's Piano Concerto No. 1, which was composed and first performed in 2023. Abduraimov embraces the juxtaposition of the two works: \"the depth and complexity of Prokofiev's universe is set against Shor's more lyrical and accessible art: each work reflects different facets of the human experience, and I think it's good to share this diversity of feelings, textures and moods\".","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012435759338,"sku":"3701624511244","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4402454-3323965.jpg?v=1785887495"},{"product_id":"schumann-faure-samsara","title":"Schumann \u0026 Faure: Samsara","description":"For her fourth recital on Alpha Classics, mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey has chosen to record two cycles, Schumann's well-known Frauenliebe und Leben and Faure's La Chanson d'eve, a much more unfamiliar work. What the two cycles have in common is that a woman is their protagonist: \"both works deal with innocence, discovery, joy, sorrow and ultimately a deeper understanding of life that only experience can offer\", says Kate Lindsey, who has named this new album Samsara, a Sanskrit word that evokes the cycle of life, from birth to death. Eric Le Sage, a great specialist in the music of Faure and Schumann, is the ideal partner for this introspective journey, which also features extracts from Schumann's sublime Myrthen as well as Faure's famed Clair de lune and Chanson d'amour.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012436611306,"sku":"3701624511251","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4402455-3323966.jpg?v=1785890719"},{"product_id":"mahler-symphony-no-10","title":"Mahler: Symphony No. 5","description":"This recording of Mahler's Fifth Symphony by the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich under it's Music Director Paavo Jarvi, is the first in a complete cycle of Mahler symphonies. Jarvi has of course conducted Mahler's works many times in his career, but has waited for the right moment to record the complete cycle in the studio: the right moment not only in his life as a musician but also in his relationship with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich; the maturity and power revealed in the orchestra's recordings for Alpha Classics have been hailed by the music press since 2019. \"Mahler truly opened up a new universe with the Fifth, in which he initiated an incredibly personal style of music-making.\" says Paavo Jarvi. \"It is the very nature of it's opening - a military funeral - and of it's tragedy, in conjunction with the very idea of beginning a symphony in this way, which signals that something completely different is in store for us\".","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012438216938,"sku":"3701624511275","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4397811-3315044.jpg?v=1785894023"},{"product_id":"rebelle","title":"Rebelle","description":"To mark the 150th anniversary of Bizet's death and the premiere of his immensely popular Carmen, Alpha Classics and Le Palazzetto Bru Zane now pay tribute to Celestine Galli-Marie, the singer who created the title role. A remarkable actress and singer, she created sixteen roles in fifteen years at the Opera-Comique, including Ambroise Thomas' iconic Mignon and Jacques Offenbach's Fantasio. Eva Zaicik is delighted to take on the roles created by such a colourful artist: 'Celestine embodied a certain idea of artistic and feminine rebellion. Her voice, charisma and unique theatrical approach brought to life characters who were free, complex and often struggled with the norms of their time.' Supported superbly by Pierre Dumoussaud and the Orchestre National de Lille, the French mezzo not only brilliantly embodies characters created by Bizet, Massenet, Offenbach and Thomas but also breathes new life into arias by Paladilhe, Poise, Deffes, Masse, Guiraud, Cohen and Grisar.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012439036138,"sku":"3701624511282","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4402457-3323968.jpg?v=1785888591"},{"product_id":"couperin-lalande-lecons-de-tenebres","title":"Couperin \u0026 Lalande: Lecons de Tenebres","description":"The Office of Tenebrae was extremely popular in France in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was tightly structured and also had a true theatrical dimension, notably through the use of light and the gradual extinguishing of a candle after each lesson. The three Lecons de Tenebres by Francois Couperin are a skilful blend of theatrical writing that expresses the extremely poignant text of the Lamentations of Jeremiah with haunting recitations of Hebrew letters (Aleph, Beth, Caph...). This music is often associated with the female voices of convents and abbeys although religious houses for men such as the Jesuit houses also celebrated the Tenebrae with music. Louis-Noel Bestion de Camboulas has chosen to record this programme with male voices, a choice that reveals unexpected new colours and textures in the music. The album also includes Lalande's Miserere, again with male voices: haute-contre, taille and basse.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012439724266,"sku":"3701624511299","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4402458-3323969.jpg?v=1785888595"},{"product_id":"sibelius-symphonies-nos-6-7-the-tempest","title":"Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 6 \u0026 7; The Tempest","description":"This volume concludes the complete Sibelius symphonies performed by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under Santtu-Matias Rouvali. This series has already won numerous awards around the world and reaches it's climax here with three of Sibelius' greatest symphonies: Andrew Mellor writes in his introductory text that \"we hear music carried by forms of gravitational energy reminiscent of those that govern the course of a river\". Rouvali has also chosen to record eight extracts from Sibelius' incidental music for Shakespeare's The Tempest. First performed in March 1926, it is one of Sibelius's final orchestral works and is certainly his most fascinating composition for the theatre.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012440609002,"sku":"3701624511305","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4394724-3312254.jpg?v=1785894049"},{"product_id":"for-dieter-hommage-a-dietrich-fischer-dieskau","title":"For Dieter - Hommage a Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau","description":"Baritone Benjamin Appl pays tribute to his mentor, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, whose centenary we celebrate in 2025. \"The first time I heard his voice was at school when I was twelve. In 2009, I applied for his master class at the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg which was the start of a long and transformative relationship. I was fortunate to work with him on my entire repertoire over countless hours in his homes in Berlin and Berg.\"    This album, a CD-book of 140 pages with personal text written by Appl alongside numerous previously unpublished photos and letters, offers us a glimpse into who Fischer-Dieskau was as a person, outside of his obvious public successes and accolades. The repertoire in this touching recording is structured to reflect the major stages of his life and includes compositions by family members Albert and Klaus Fischer-Dieskau, repertoire he sang as a soldier during WW2 and as a POW in Italy, commissions composed especially for him through to favourite Lieder by Schubert.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012441460970,"sku":"3701624511312","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4420723-3383071.jpg?v=1785908176"},{"product_id":"chopin-intime","title":"Chopin Intime","description":"Justin Taylor has a passion for early keyboards and is always keen to match the works he tackles with the most appropriate historical instruments. Justin has always been fascinated by the music of Frederic Chopin, whose intimate musical world is presented here. We know that Chopin composed some of his preludes during his stay with George Sand in Mallorca, where he used a very special instrument. This was a Pleyel pianino - a small upright piano of six and a half octaves that was only made between 1835 and 1842 - with a beautiful natural resonance and a velvety timbre. Taylor has recorded the preludes composed on this Pleyel pianino along with a selection of etudes, nocturnes and mazurkas, all of which suit the sound of the instrument perfectly. A moving transcription of Bellini's Casta diva, an aria that Chopin much admired, is also included here.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012442149098,"sku":"3701624511329","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4409972-3332314.jpg?v=1785902002"},{"product_id":"images-hommage-a-marcel-tournier","title":"Images - Hommage a Marcel Tournier","description":"The harpist Emmanuel Ceysson is unanimously recognised for his powerful virtuoso playing. He was appointed principal harp with the Opera national de Paris at the age of 22, where he remained for fifteen years before going to the orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera of New York for five years; he has been principal harpist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra under Gustavo Dudamel since 2020. Here he pays tribute to Marcel Tournier (1879-1951), one of the greatest harpist composers in the history of the instrument. The majority of Tournier's works are for solo harp or voice and harp, but he later added other instruments to certain pieces and so transformed them into chamber works. The works recorded here date from his mature years and show the influence of Debussy, Satie, and Ravel. Emmanuel Ceysson, the Quatuor Voce and Veronique Gens draw our attention to this important composer and to several previously unpublished versions of some of his works, the manuscripts of which have only recently come to light.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012443033834,"sku":"3701624511336","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4413281-3364103.jpg?v=1785886803"},{"product_id":"mozart-6-string-quintets-on-historical-instruments","title":"Mozart: 6 String Quintets on Historical Instruments","description":"Spunicunifait is the curious name adopted by a group of five musicians, all of whom have a great deal of experience in chamber music as well as in prestigious orchestras such as the Chamber Orchestra of Europe; they have founded this ensemble to be able to devote themselves to the in-depth study and period instrument performance of Mozart's six string quintets. Their choice of a name is also a trifle facetious, copying the example set by Mozart in a letter to his cousin Maria Anna Thekla Mozart in which he wrote the three mysterious words \"Spuni Cuni fait\"; these could mean spun or woven \/ coney or rabbit \/ and \"made,\" the past participle of the French verb faire: to make: something woven from rabbit skin, like the shawl his beloved cousin Basle wore in a self-portrait.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012443951338,"sku":"3701624511374","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4439214-3412721.jpg?v=1785898608"},{"product_id":"j-s-bach-partitas-1","title":"J. S. Bach: Partitas","description":"The French harpsichordist Celine Frisch has an extensive discography, including many award-winning recordings devoted to Bach. Now she presents the Partitas, the famous and abundant collection of six suites that Bach composed from 1726 onwards - at the rate of one new partita per year - which he published as his Opus 1: As Celine Frisch points out, \"Bach explores the possibilities of each dance in order to extend it's limits deploying an intense expressive palette that ranges from the most disarming tenderness through to the most poignant distress and unbridled joy\".","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012444868842,"sku":"3701624511381","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4426883-3394313.jpg?v=1785898374"},{"product_id":"mozart-piano-concertos-nos-9-in-e-flat-major-kv-271-jena","title":"Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 9 in E-flat Major, KV 271 \"Jena","description":"Mozart's piano concerto in E flat KV 271 has long been known as the 'Jeunehomme' - but it was discovered in 2004 that it was actually composed for Louise Victoire Jenamy; Mozart misspelled her name as 'jenomy' in a letter to his father in 1778 and so created a misunderstanding that lasted for over two centuries. Mozart composed his piano concerto KV 414 in Vienna in 1783; Evren Ozel, the soloist in these two works, says that this work \"is more carefree and allows the performers to explore a gentler and more tender side of Mozart\". It was only two years after his first violin concerto that Mozart - then 19 years old and concertmaster to the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg - composed his second, KV 211; two more followed within the year. \"The art of performing Mozart's music is to play it with simplicity and life while remaining true to the Classical style\", says Jan Mracek, the second soloist on this, the twelfth volume in the Next Generation Mozart Soloists series conducted by Howard Griffiths.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012445556970,"sku":"3701624511398","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4426884-3394314.jpg?v=1785892065"},{"product_id":"giacomelli-cesare-in-egitto","title":"Giacomelli: Cesare in Egitto","description":"The Italian conductor Ottavio Dantone breathes new life into Cesare in Egitto, an opera by Geminiano Giacomelli (1692-1740) based on a libretto written by Domenico Lalli with the assistance of a young collaborator not yet in his thirties: Carlo Goldoni. Cesare in Egitto, is considered to be Giacomelli's masterpiece; his drammi per musica enjoyed great success in Parma, Venice, Milan, Rome, Turin and Graz. He also influenced the most eminent musicians of his time: Vivaldi, for example, used arias by Giacomelli in his pasticcio Bajazet. This world premiere recording was made with the Accademia Bizantina and first-rate soloists at the Innsbruck Festival, where Ottavio Dantone has been music director since 2024.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012447129834,"sku":"3701624511411","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4433147-3412722.jpg?v=1785901404"},{"product_id":"schubert-kurtag-lines-of-life","title":"Schubert \u0026 Kurtag: Lines of Life","description":"Benjamin Appl met Hungarian composer Gyorgy Kurtag in 2019 and has worked with him ever since. 'He has shaped me both as a musician and as a human being, perhaps more than anyone else,' says Appl. This album alternates Romantic German lieder by Schubert and Brahms with vocal pieces by Kurtag, five of which are world premiere recordings. Kurtag himself is at the piano for two of the songs by Schubert and Brahms; while the German baritone's old and trusted friends Pierre-Laurent Aimard and James Baillieu join him for the other works in this programme, all under the artistic direction of Kurtag, ending with a fascinating recorded interview with Gyuri bacsi ('Uncle George') by Benjamin Appl, who tells us: 'My aim in this album is to give listeners a glimpse into the infinite universe of Gyorgy Kurtag, a shy procrastinator, stern self-critic, hesitant researcher, introverted questioner, unpretentious intellectual, brilliant composer and an extraordinary human being.'","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012448735466,"sku":"3701624511459","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4392286-3307319.jpg?v=1785902652"},{"product_id":"haydn-2032-vol-17-per-il-luigi","title":"Haydn 2032, Vol. 17 - Per il Luigi","description":"Per il Luigi is the 17th volume of the complete Haydn 2032 collection and presents a number of Haydn's earliest symphonies; these had been composed to display the talent of the musicians who had joined the Esterhazy court orchestra during the same period as Haydn himself. The centre of the programme is the Symphony No. 13 in D major from 1763, whose orchestration includes four horns and whose final movement features a prefiguration of the famous theme of Mozart's 'Jupiter' symphony, to be composed twenty-five years later. The violin concerto in C major is marked fatto per il Luigi in Haydn's catalogue of works and was dedicated to Luigi Tomasini (1741-1808), a violin virtuoso born in Pesaro and a friend of Haydn. Two centuries later, the young Baroque violin virtuoso Dmitri Smirnov now brilliantly champions this repertoire with the Kammerorchester Basel under Giovanni Antonini.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012449587434,"sku":"3701624511466","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4420724-3383072.jpg?v=1785892344"},{"product_id":"handel-chandos-anthems-anthems-for-cannons","title":"Handel: Chandos Anthems (Anthems for Cannons)","description":"In the summer of 1717, after performing his Water Music during a royal cruise on the Thames, Handel began composing for James Brydges (1674-1744), who became the first Duke of Chandos and created the Cannons Concert at his estate in Cannons (near Edgware), with ten instrumentalists and three singers. Handel composed eleven anthems and a Te Deum for him from August 1717 onwards, as well as transposing and revising As pants the hart (HWV 251b). O sing unto the Lord a new song (HWV 249b) is an adaptation of an anthem written three years earlier for the Chapel Royal. The anthem Have mercy upon me, O God (HWV 248) was composed in 1717 and is a paraphrase of the Miserere. The Alleluia of Let God arise (HWV 256a) prefigures the famous Hallelujah chorus from Messiah (1741). Arcangelo and Jonathan Cohen now revive these four Chandos anthems composed for Cannons with eight singers and eleven excellent instrumentalists.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012452831466,"sku":"3701624511534","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4424565-3387766.jpg?v=1785898142"},{"product_id":"mahler-symphony-no-1-lp-version","title":"Mahler: Symphony No. 1 (LP Version)","description":"Paavo Jarvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich present the second volume of their complete Mahler Symphonies, with his First Symphony, known as the \"Titan\" in reference to the eponymous novel by the poet Jean-Paul that Mahler greatly admired. Although he abandoned this title three years after the symphony's premiere in 1893, the symphony has, like many of Mahler's works, \"a clearly programmatic character\" according to Paavo Jarvi: \"Mahler was a composer who was truly able to explore the inner world of human beings and to question what goes on inside us.\"","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl","offer_id":46012463055082,"sku":"3701624511671","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4454873-3445100.jpg?v=1785632352"},{"product_id":"hommage-a-jodie-devos","title":"Hommage a Jodie Devos","description":"Jodie Devos is sorely missed. Aged just thirty-five, she died on 16 June 2024. Wishing to perpetuate her memory and her art, we have decided to publish this boxed set containing all of the recordings she made for Alpha Classics over a period of ten years: six albums that bear witness to the exacting standards, sensitivity, eclecticism and curiosity of this unusual soprano who was loved by all. Also included is a concert she gave at the Gaume Festival in August 2017; this deeply moving programme reveals another side of Jodie, notably her love of American music and song, from Gershwin to Michel Legrand. All profits from the sale of this boxed set, which includes all the texts from the original albums, will be donated to the Jodie Devos Fund, created in 2025 to perpetuate the transmission and promotion of the operatic art that she held so dear.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012475572458,"sku":"3701624511916","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4454877-3445104_49506716-a19e-46bb-ab4a-2d194a71da2c.jpg?v=1785892365"},{"product_id":"lully-atys-1","title":"Lully: Atys","description":"This new recording from March 2024 of Jean-Baptiste Lully's musical tragedy, premiered in Saint-Germain-en-Laye 348 years earlier, is the result of the most recent historical, musicological and organological research. The instructions in the 1676 libretto regarding the orchestra's layout, the number and distribution of musicians, and the instrumental colours, particularly of the wind instruments, have been scrupulously followed by Alexis Kossenko and Benoît Dratwicki, artistic director of the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles.    The choice of soloists was as close as possible to the characteristics of the singers who performed the work when it was first created, as much is known about their vocal and theatrical qualities. This has resulted in a first-rate vocal ensemble, including Mathias Vidal, Véronique Gens, Sandrine Piau, Tassis Christoyannis, Hasnaa Bennani, Eléonore Pancrazi, Adrien Fournaison, David Witczak... as well as the Pages and Chantres du CMBV (bringing together children and adults) and Les Ambassadeurs - La Grande Écurie, all experts in this repertoire.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012477112554,"sku":"3701624511930","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4474204-3493516.jpg?v=1785887150"},{"product_id":"garcia-alarcon-la-passione-di-gesu-overo-il-vangelo-di-gui","title":"Garcia-Alarcon: La Passione di Gesu, Overo il vangelo di gui","description":"Leonardo García-Alarcón's first major composition, La Passione di Gesù, is a \"canonical labyrinth in the form of an oratorio,\" a tribute to counterpoint and to all the composers who have magnified this art, Johann Sebastian Bach foremost among them. Inspired by the Gospel of Judas, it is a passion for our times, which gives a special place to the figure of the apostle who betrayed Christ, and to the women who surrounded him. With his ensemble Cappella Mediterranea and a team of loyal and highly committed soloists, the Argentine conductor invites us on an extraordinary journey in the form of a labyrinthine tale - à la Jorge Luis Borges, another source of inspiration - crossing languages, styles and instruments, both modern and ancient, including, of course, the bandoneon: \"The coded instructions that accompany the sung text are like puzzles to be solved to help the listener find their way out of the labyrinth-or not,\" concludes Leonardo García-Alarcón.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012491858154,"sku":"3701624512111","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4488746-3517875.jpg?v=1785897651"},{"product_id":"balada-para-un-loco-lp","title":"Balada para un loco (LP)","description":"Accordionist Theo Ould describes this new album as \"my most shameful - it's as if I hadn't let myself play Astor's music, not got my accordion out of the world of musical cliches, and concentrated on works that were more classical in style\". Theo's vocation, however, nonetheless became evident when he heard Piazzolla's Libertango at the age of 6! This Frenchman from Marseille, 20 years later, now tackles this music with fervour, exaltation, tailor-made arrangements, and the complicity of the Bilitis quartet, alongside double bass player Blanche Strombon; the mezzo-soprano Marina Viotti also appears in a generous and beautiful Balada para un loco, Piazzolla's setting of a poem by Horacio Ferrer. Theo Ould is deeply involved with this music, sharing his passion with us and inviting us to join in Ferrer's Balada: \"Crawl into this tender delirium that burns within me, put on this wig wovrn from larks - and fly! Fly with me now! Come along, fly, come!\"","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl","offer_id":46012499656938,"sku":"3701624512296","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4454879-3445106.jpg?v=1785636385"},{"product_id":"arvo-part-credo-1","title":"Arvo Part: Credo","description":"Paavo Jarvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra here pay tribute to Arvo Part, who celebrates his 90th birthday in 2025. The Estonian composer has been part of Paavo Jarvi's life since childhood: \"Arvo was my sister's and my father's supercool friend. He wore a baseball cap, jeans and a denim jacket\". The history of the Jarvi family is intimately linked to Part's work, since it was the now legendary concert in which Neeme Jarvi - Paavo's father - conducted Part's Credo in 1968 that caused the Soviet regime to blacklist the Jarvi family and precipitate their departure from Estonia. Credo is also included in this vast programme that covers 45 years of composing. What lies behind this music's simplicity and depth? One answer possibly lies in a remark that Part made in London during a rehearsal with Paavo: \"I have the impression that the orchestra doesn't like this chord enough\". The transformation that then occurred was incredible; the same notes, when played \"with love\", sounded completely different.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl","offer_id":46012503982314,"sku":"3701624512418","price":35.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4491318-3523927.jpg?v=1785619140"},{"product_id":"bridge-britten-debussy-cello-sonatas-mork-gimse","title":"Bridge, Britten \u0026 Debussy: Cello Sonatas \/ Mørk, Gimse","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe great Norwegian cellist Truls Mørk makes a triumphal return to chamber music with his regular piano partner Håvard Gimse. The program features two English composers, Benjamin Britten and his teacher Frank Bridge, whose Cello Sonata was written during the First World War and is tinged with despair and searing emotional force. Britten composed his Cello Sonata in 1961, following his meeting with Mstislav Rostropovich, to whom he dedicated the work. Another person traumatized by the Great War was Debussy, who wrote: ‘It was cowardly to think only of the horrors being committed, without trying to react by rebuilding, insofar as my strength allowed, a little of that beauty which is currently under attack.’ His Cello Sonata (1915) was the first of a series of six sonatas for various instruments that he planned to compose, only managing to write three before his death. As a determined Moravian nationalist, Janácek did not entitle his three-movement work of 1910 ‘sonata’; he called it \u003cem\u003ePohádka\u003c\/em\u003e (Fairy tale) and based it on a poem by Vasily Zhukovsky.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\" id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell8_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\"\u003eWhat one notices from the very start of the Bridge sonata, with which the disc begins, is Mørk’s fulsome tone. He is partnered very well throughout by Gimse and the recorded sound is really present, upfront, so much so that it is best to lower the volume for a realistic perspective. That said, I have found much to like in these accounts.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\" id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell8_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\"\u003eThis is an excellently programmed disc, admirably performed and well recorded. It should provide plenty of pleasure. Alpha are also to be commended for their cardboard product with sleeves for inserting both CD and booklet.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e-- MusicWeb International\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFour of the 20th century’s greatest works for cello and piano: three of them famously recorded back in the 1960s by Rostropovich and Britten – a hard act to follow. Yet the Norwegian duo, Truls Mørk and Håvard Gimse, rise fully to the challenge in close yet lucid recorded sound that achieves an exemplary balance between cello and piano. Marginally less juicy of tone and idiosyncratic of phrasing than Rostropovich, Mørk brings a classical poise and eloquence to his phrasing and a marvellous sensitivity to detail, while Gimse is fully alive to the very different styles of piano writing in these four works.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe qualities of the new recording are especially favourable to Frank Bridge’s big two-movement Sonata – composed athwart the outbreak of the First World War, which horrified him – where the old recording suffered from slightly cloudy piano sound. As Mørk soars through the fraught lyricism of its first half, one hears clearly how Bridge subtly inflected even the most seemingly conventional piano figuration with his own individuality. And if the new recording of Debussy’s war-time Sonata is less dark and rhapsodic than the Rostropovich-Britten, it exemplifies the more enduring characteristics of French culture he sought to uphold.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fugitive flights of melody and figuration comprising the three whimsical movements of Janáček’s\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ePohádka\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(Fairy Tales) demand a glancing, mercurial response which they certainly receive here, while the Britten Sonata somehow emerges as a weightier, more substantial work than in the original recording by its dedicatee and composer – special though that will always remain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- BBC \u003cem\u003eMusic \u003c\/em\u003eMagazine\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012507914474,"sku":"3760014195600","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4115296-2873673.jpg?v=1785888326"},{"product_id":"salonen-cello-concerto-ravel-sonata-for-violin-cello-altstaedt-kuusisto-slobodeniouk","title":"Salonen: Cello Concerto; Ravel: Duo \/ Altstaedt, Kuusisto, Slobodeniouk, Rotterdam Philharmonic","description":"\u003cp\u003eNicolas Altstaedt presents here his version of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s monumental Cello Concerto, originally composed for Yo-Yo Ma, and given its Finnish premiere by the Franco-German cellist under the composer’s direction. In partnership with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Dima Slobodeniouk, he reveals its full expressive dimension here: ‘The first movement opens with what, in my sketchbook, was called “Chaos to line”’, says Esa-Pekka Salonen. Chaos, a metaphorical comet, a rhythmic mantra with congas and bongos, a wild dance . . . Salonen goes on to say of the third movement: ‘I imagined the orchestra as some kind of gigantic lung, expanding and contracting first slowly, but accelerating to a point of mild hyperventilation which leads back to the dance-like material.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe coupling is the famous ‘Duo Ravel’ (to give it the original title used at its premiere), which Nicolas Altstaedt and Pekka Kuusisto have been performing and refining ever since 2010, and which it was high time to record.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAfter the “defining” opening of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCello Concerto\u003c\/em\u003e, the cello enters—soulful, almost tonal, and lyrical with long-lined modulations, as the orchestra holds the tonal-like center. In all three movements the orchestration reminds me of Ravel’s: delicate and transparent, whatever the size of the ensemble.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-ogsc=\"black\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe second movement has a concave shape, with a strong cluttered opening from which the solo cello emerges, flowing to a mid-section dialogue with the alto flute, before bird-like twitters expand to a bed of seagull-like cries (are they string glissandos or electronic?) over growing strings and winds.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-ogsc=\"black\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe music grows without a break into the kinetic, dance-like final movement. Salonen describes it as “lung music” that swells and exhales repeatedly, as light congas and bongos set the pace.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-ogsc=\"black\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBut what about the performers? I listened twice, and both times Altstaedt was so mesmerizing that I found it difficult to listen analytically. It’ll take more than a couple hearings for me to “own” the work, despite Altstaedt’s consuming magnetic draw. Slobodeniouk is his hand-in-glove partner. Each movement flows with integrity.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe exhilaration and esthetic pleasure Altsteadt and Kuusisto bring to Ravel's Duo Sonata as they respond is remarkable. The opening \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ci\u003eAllegro\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is flowing and lithe. In the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ci\u003etres vif \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003escherzo, the duo grabs hold of the insane pulse; the “harmonic sound set” is somewhat like hearing \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Rite of Spring\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e for the first time...\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRavel had fears of the sonata “being assassinated by amateurs.” I’ve never heard it more alive than with Altsteadt-Kuusisto!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cem\u003e--Fanfare\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e(Gil French)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012508700906,"sku":"3760014196270","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4057284-2827045.jpg?v=1785925310"},{"product_id":"van-gogh-in-me-3760014196386","title":"Van Gogh in Me \/ Dijkstra, Netherlands Chamber Choir","description":"\u003cp\u003eWith \u003cem\u003eVan Gogh in Me\u003c\/em\u003e, the Netherlands Chamber Choir presents an experience in which the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh and Gustav Klimt come to life to the music of the great Romantic and early 20th century composers such as Debussy, Saint-Saëns, Mahler... and, in a world premiere, a transcription for a cappella choir of Satie's first \u003cem\u003eGymnopédie\u003c\/em\u003e. Originally written for solo piano, this work, which is known and played throughout the world, finds a new magical and celestial dimension in this new version for choir.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMentioning the name of Van Gogh immediately evokes in each of us a color, a landscape, a sensation... Hence the idea of creating an immersive audiovisual experience: the choir approached an Italian collective, fuse*, to link images and sounds to the emotions of the musicians and the audience... fuse* developed an algorithm based on the works of Van Gogh and Klimt by recording their styles, colors, brushstrokes... then, during the concert, collects the sound of the choir but also biometric data that analyses the emotional state of the audience, the singers and the conductor, and creates visuals in real time, an astonishing show of colors and shapes that mixes sound, images and emotions... The visual of the album is inspired by these experiments.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012509487338,"sku":"3760014196386","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4129107-2895407.jpg?v=1785905673"},{"product_id":"haydn-2032-vol-9-laddio-giardino-armonico","title":"Haydn 2032, Vol. 9 - L'addio \/ Antonini, Il Giardino Armonico","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis ninth volume of the Haydn 2032 series focuses on the composer’s psychological subtlety in its focus on a central work: his Symphony no.45, known as the ‘Abschieds-Symphonie’ (‘Farewell’ Symphony), composed in 1772. It is said to have got its nickname from a symbolic message Haydn conveyed to Prince Esterházy when he and his orchestra were required to stay longer than planned in the Prince’s summer residence. On the occasion of the symphony’s first performance, Haydn had arranged for the musicians to leave their places one by one during the final Adagio. The day after the concert, all the musicians were able to return to their families and bid farewell to the Prince, who had obviously taken the point of this poetic request for ‘liberation’ expressed in music. The programme is completed by Symphonies nos. 15 and 35 and a cantata sung by Sandrine Piau, the heart-rending ‘Berenice, che fai?’ on a text by Metastasio that was a real ‘hit’ of the eighteenth century, set by some forty composers. This limited and numbered edition contains two vinyl LPs along with an album of photos by Patrick Zachmann (Magnum Photos) and an unpublished text entitled Adieux by the Swiss writer Franz Hohler.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl","offer_id":46012511748330,"sku":"3760014196850","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4405921-3329897.jpg?v=1785636152"},{"product_id":"haydn-2032-vol-11-au-gout-parisien","title":"Haydn 2032, Vol. 11: Au goût parisien \/ Antonini, Basel Chamber Orchestra","description":"\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe eleventh volume of the complete HAYDN2032 symphony cycle moves its focus to Paris: ‘Every day one perceives more clearly, and consequently admires more, the productions of this great genius, who, in every one of his works, knows so well how to draw rich and varied developments from a single subject’, wrote the Mercure de France in April 1788, adding that Haydn was ‘quite different from those sterile composers who constantly move from one idea to another . . .’. The symphonies presented here are no.2 (the first to be published in France), no.24 (the first to be performed there) and the so-called ‘Paris’ symphonies nos. 87 and 82 ‘L’Ours’, with its references to fairground atmosphere and its famous contredanse finale.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012513386730,"sku":"3760014196881","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4041593-2803050_b4d74623-d26a-4421-835d-03367643fada.jpg?v=1785901436"},{"product_id":"haydn-2032-vol-12-les-jeux-et-les-plaisirs","title":"Haydn 2032, Vol. 12: Les jeux et les plaisirs \/ Antonini, Kammerorchester Basel","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe twelfth volume in the Haydn 2032 series, in which Giovanni Antonini conducts the Kammerorchester Basel, is devoted to ‘games and pleasures’. The symphonies recorded here, nos. 61, 66 and 69, were composed for the daily theatrical performances held at Eszterháza Palace in the spring of 1776. For Haydn they marked the end of a festive period, before he had to return to the serious business of writing operas. The ‘Toy Symphony’, attributed to Haydn for 200 years before it was discovered that it was in all probability composed by a Benedictine monk, completes the program in a similarly light and cheerful atmosphere.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012515025130,"sku":"3760014196904","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4098018-2857436.jpg?v=1785925251"},{"product_id":"haydn-2032-vol-12-les-jeux-et-les-plaisirs-lp-version","title":"Haydn 2032, Vol. 12 - Les Jeux et les Plaisirs (LP version)","description":"This programme focuses on fantasy and pleasure, with three symphonies punctuated by lightness and wit. In addition to ten photos by Magnum photographer Cristina Garcia Rodero, a literary text that appears exclusively on the vinyl edition of the series provides a continuation of the musical experience. Philippe Claudel, President of the Academie Goncourt, here focuses on the pleasure and sensuality of a fleeting youthful encounter: \"The third movement of the symphony accompanies us towards the taut velvet of the great lime trees. We are no longer walking through life. We tread upon a dream. And music gives this dream the profundity of legend. [...] I experience my own mythology in this May evening. We lie on the lawn. Our eyes search for each other in the darkness. Our pupils are stars cast into the lofty skies of May. I am not fifteen. I am no longer fifteen. This does not mean anything. Time does not exist.\"","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl","offer_id":46012515713258,"sku":"3760014196911","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4404914-3413453.jpg?v=1785639311"},{"product_id":"haydn-2032-vol-13-horn-signal-3760014196928","title":"Haydn 2032, Vol. 13 - Horn Signal \/ Antonini, Il Giardino Armonico","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Esterházy princes’ love of hunting prompted their ‘house composer’ Joseph Haydn to make extensive use of the horn. At the time, this was still the hand horn (Waldhorn), limited to ‘natural’ harmonics, since it did not yet have valves. Between 1761 and 1790 there were a total eighteen horn players in princely service, but no trumpeters! So, in his Symphony no.48 of 1769, for example, Haydn used the horns as ‘replacement trumpets’, instructing them to play an octave higher than usual. The horns strike a flamboyant note in Haydn’s symphonies, which is probably why an anonymous copyist of no.59 dubbed it the ‘Fire’ Symphony. The Symphony no.31 ‘Horn Signal’ (1765) gives its name to this thirteenth volume in the Haydn2032 Edition. The four horns ring out majestically and the musicians of Il Giardino Armonico perform this music in their characteristically impetuous style, under the fiery direction of Giovanni Antonini.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012516466922,"sku":"3760014196928","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4164056-2938226.jpg?v=1785901448"},{"product_id":"haydn-2032-vol-13-horn-signal-1","title":"Haydn 2032, Vol. 13 - Horn Signal","description":"Haydn's Symphony No. 31 from 1765, known as the 'Horn Signal', lends it's name to this 13th volume of the Haydn 2032 series. Not only does the symphony feature four horns in their full majesty, but the entire ensemble of Il Giardino Armonico, directed with ardour by Giovanni Antonini, perform this music with characteristic impetuousness. The numbered vinyl recording that accompanies this volume includes a musicological introduction, a CD of the same programme, and a download code (like every vinyl release in the Haydn 2032 series). This particular volume also includes a catalogue of all the recordings already released and gives us another opportunity to admire the images taken by the photographers of the Magnum agency, our partner from the outset of the series.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD + Vinyl","offer_id":46012517318890,"sku":"3760014196935","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4424566-3387767.jpg?v=1785898154"},{"product_id":"haydn-2032-vol-14-limperiale-antonini-basel-chamber-orchestra","title":"L'imperiale - Haydn 2032, Vol. 14 \/ Antonini, Basel Chamber Orchestra","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe fourteenth volume of the Haydn 2032 edition is entitled L'Imperiale, after the nickname given to Symphony no.53 in the nineteenth century. This was perhaps Haydn's most famous symphony during his lifetime. Premiered in the theatre at Eszterháza Palace in 1778, it was published in London around 1781, and its melodious Andante was arranged more than thirty times for various instruments between 1783 and 1820. It made a decisive contribution to Haydn’s success, opening the way for him to perform in England. Symphony no.54, whose entertaining, theatrical style is a perfectly match for the atmosphere of the legendary court festivities given at Eszterháza around 1775, completes this programme along with no.33, one of his first festive works with trumpets, composed c.1761. In his introductory text, Giovanni Antonini revels in the ‘capricious’, whimsical character of certain passages in the last movement of Symphony No. 53; he also offers an alternative finale of the work at the end of the album.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012518170858,"sku":"3760014196942","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4405922-3329898_5dcd56bf-23f4-4a89-9d02-0e5f66a1cc7b.jpg?v=1785912037"},{"product_id":"haydn-2032-vol-14-limperiale-lp-version","title":"Haydn 2032, Vol. 14 - L'Imperiale (LP version)","description":"The fourteenth volume of the Haydn2032 edition is entitled L'Imperiale, after the nickname given to Symphony No. 53 in the nineteenth century. This was perhaps Haydn's most famous symphony during his lifetime. Premiered in the theatre at Eszterhaza Palace in 1778, it was published in London around 1781, and it's melodious Andante was arranged more than thirty times for various instruments between 1783 and 1820. It made a decisive contribution to Haydn's success, opening the way for him to perform in England. Symphony No. 54, whose entertaining, theatrical style is a perfectly match for the atmosphere of the legendary court festivities given at Eszterhaza around 1775, completes this programme along with No. 33, one of his first festive works with trumpets, composed c.1761. In his introductory text, Giovanni Antonini revels in the 'capricious', whimsical character of certain passages in the last movement of Symphony No. 53; he also offers an alternative finale of the work at the end of the album.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl","offer_id":46012518924522,"sku":"3760014196959","price":39.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4469868-3473508.jpg?v=1785625393"},{"product_id":"haydn-2032-vol-15-la-reine-kammerorchester-basel","title":"Haydn 2032, Vol. 15 - La Reine \/ Antonini, Basel Chamber Orchestra","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe fifteenth volume of the Haydn2032 cycle is entitled ‘La Reine’. One might think that this nickname refers to Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, queen of numerous territories, but in fact the monarch honoured by the popular title of Symphony no.85 is her daughter, Marie Antoinette. It was said to be the favourite of ‘La Reine de France’, which is the full nickname of the work. The new volume also includes Symphony no.50, which delighted the Empress’s ears when she visited Prince Nicolaus Esterházy at his ‘Hungarian Versailles’ in 1773. Symphony no.62, which dates from 1780, the fortieth anniversary of Maria Theresa’s accession to the throne and also the last year of a life as eventful as it was glorious, rounds off this latest instalment of the complete recording of the symphonies conducted by Giovanni Antonini, here at the helm of the Basel Chamber Orchestra.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012519874794,"sku":"3760014196966","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4313737-3133289.jpg?v=1785906120"},{"product_id":"haydn2032-vol-16-the-surprise","title":"Haydn2032, Vol. 16 - The Surprise","description":"'Joseph Haydn not only liked surprising his audiences, he also enjoyed a laugh', writes Christian Moritz-Bauer in the introduction to this sixteenth volume of the Haydn2032 complete recording of the symphonies. 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In this volume focused on humour, Giovanni Antonini pays tribute to a great admirer of Haydn, Gioachino Rossini, by recording the sparkling opening Sinfonia of La scala di seta (The silken ladder), a one-act opera written in 1812.","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012520628458,"sku":"3760014196980","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4368161-3232700.jpg?v=1785918186"},{"product_id":"maria-mater-meretrix-3760014197390","title":"Maria Mater Meretrix \/ Prohaska, Kopatchinskaja, Camerata Bern","description":"\u003cp\u003eSoprano Anna Prohaska and violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja are both well known for their taste for eclecticism, experimentation and adventure. As they are also are friends, it was only to be expected that one day they would devise and record a programme together, and here it is: Maria Mater Meretrix … What is the relationship between Hildegard von Bingen and Gustav Holst, Antonio Caldara and Lili Boulanger? The two musicians and their partners in Camerata Bern explore the image of woman through ten centuries of music: the figure of the Virgin Mary – among other works, the triptych Magnificat - Ave Maria - Stabat Mater (1967\/68) by Frank Martin, an unclassifiable composer whom both artists venerate – but also Mary Magdalene, in pieces by Caldara and Kurtág. The Saint, the Mother, the Whore … The expression of two women musicians of today, a journey full of meaning and a sensory exploration featuring solos, duets, quartets and works for large orchestra.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHere’s a fun proposition. A program comprising works depicting either the Virgin Mary or Mary Magdalene through time, conceived of and executed with flair by the soprano Anna Prohaska and violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja. Both are thoughtful, entirely game musicians, and their passion for the concept and material is evident. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTaking as their theme the archetypes of saint, mother, and whore, Prohaska and Kopatchinskaja traverse many periods and styles in their exploration of the two Marys: Holst, Eisler, von Bingen, Kurtág, and Haydn are just some of the composers jostling for your attention. Undoubtedly the risk for some listeners will be an experience that verges on the musical patchwork, and for some \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaria Mater Meretrix\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is easily dismissed as just another concept album. For this reviewer, the particular alchemy of Prohaska and Kopatchinskaja override any such reservations, and some of the works gathered here are given truly revelatory readings. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTake Kurtág’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKafka Fragments\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e for one, selections of which are threaded through the track list. They pack a punch despite – or is it because of? – their lengths (the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBerceuse\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e lasts all of 59 seconds) and leave you wanting more: more of the composer’s spectral, exquisitely simple settings of Kafka’s diaries and letters, and more of the musicians’ seemingly inherent way with the music\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe spine of the recording is Frank Martin’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaria-Triptychon\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, which is similarly taken apart and studded throughout the album. This is another move that won’t agree with some listeners, and the contrast between a selection and its preceding or succeeding piece is sometimes a little too jarring to be entirely fruitful. However, there’s no faulting the commitment of the performers – Prohaska bends and wields her darkly-coloured, rich soprano with feline ease, and Kopatchinskaja matches her with her own glowing, sinuous phrasing. Together they bring to life an emotional world alternating between moments of extreme desperation and rapture, reaching such a pitch of intensity that the more tranquil offerings on the album actually serve as much needed and effective moments of respite. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHildegard von Bingen’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eO Rubor Sanguinis\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is one such example, drawing the listener into a richly imagistic world of great beauty. The closing “Per il mar del pianto mio” is another such example, taken from a Caldara oratorio that deals directly with Mary Magdalene –\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaddalena ai piedi di Cristo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Prohaska is simply gorgeous here, unfurling seemingly endless long lines of deeply felt sorrow and hard-won faith. Her unstinting dramatic instincts have never seemed so in tune with her musical gifts, and she brings something like Eisler’s sly, cabaret-tinged “Lied der Kupplerin” to bold, brilliant life. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDirecting the sensitive and dramatically attuned Camerata Bern, Kopatchinskaja thrills in electrifying selections from Haydn’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSeven Last Words\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and the God-Music movement of George Crumb’s spine-tingling \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBlack Angels\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e string quartet. 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With Almirena, Cleopatra and Alcina, Handel explores all the facets of these defeated heroines, whose boldly delineated characters live once more in Sandrine Piau’s passionate interpretation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIncludes arias from:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLotario | Rinaldo | Giulio Cesare | Alcina | Amadigi di Gaula | O numi eterni\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlus movements from the \u003cem\u003eConcerti grossi\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell5_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eSandrine Piau, not English and not even Italian, is arguably the greatest Handelian soprano of the day. She gets excellent support from the smooth historical performance group Les Paladins. She and director Jérôme Correas mesh beautifully. This all comes down to a magnificent artist at the top of her powers. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e-- AllMusicGuide.com (James Manheim)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012527018218,"sku":"3760014197659","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4037897-2784697.jpg?v=1785918500"},{"product_id":"c-p-e-bach-sonatas-for-flute-fortepiano","title":"C.P.E. Bach: Sonatas for Flute \u0026 Fortepiano \/ Lazarevitch, Taylor","description":"\u003cp\u003eWith these sonatas by C.P.E. 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This recording couples \u003cem\u003eLa Damoiselle élue\u003c\/em\u003e, a work described by the composer as a ‘little oratorio in a mystical and somewhat pagan vein’, the \u003cem\u003eNocturnes\u003c\/em\u003e for orchestra, composed between 1897 and 1899, and the ’symphonic fragments’ from \u003cem\u003eLe Martyre de saint Sébastien\u003c\/em\u003e fashioned by André Caplet less than a year after the work’s first performance, and which ensured it would not be forgotten by posterity.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012530229482,"sku":"3760014197772","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4069258-2805606.jpg?v=1785926245"},{"product_id":"bach-abel-solo","title":"Solo Bach-Abel \/ Boulanger","description":"\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis is Lucile Boulanger’s first solo recital. 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