With the composer Franz Hummel, Alexander Silieman and Yojo have constructed a new style of improvisation that sounds like an extreme free form of jazz, but is, at the same time, related to various developments in avant-garde music. Each piece bears a characteristic title.

Together since formation in 2009, the Vulkan Quartett has three extraordinary performers, Sándor Galgóczi on first violin, Hans Martin Gräbner as pianist and arranger, and Frank Wittich on the double bass. The quartet has devoted themselves to high-quality salon music with a wide repertoire from Argentinian tago to Neapolitan songs to French and Viennese salon music.

During the 17th century, Nuremberg was one of the leading music centres in Germany. Organists were the main carriers of musical life here, usually writing vocal and instrumental works alongside Clavierwerke. The activities and production of famous Nuremberg organists were determined by the continuity of a teaching tradition, probably unique in Germany, that spanned five generations. Early Music by Staden, Pachelbel, Hassler, Kindermann and others, including some Premiere Recordings!

Alexandra Sostmann traces the delicate ramifications in the history of piano music. Despite the historical distances, the choices makes clear that music and interpretation are dependent upon one another and that, together, they can reveal similarities between baroque and contemporary music. Magnificent Baroque as well as 'new' Piano Music by Bach, Gubaidulina, Part, Xiaoyong Chen (Premiere Recording), Terry Riley (Transcription for Piano - Premiere Recording), Dutilleux and Shostakovich.

For the first time ever, the Metzler Organ of St. Jakob's Friedberg, Bavaria is featured in a first-class recording. A fine selection of works by German, English, French, and Italian composers not only demonstrates organist Peter Schnur's skill and sensitivity, but also showcases the organ's full range of tonal colors and lively, balanced sound.

This CD presents the first recording of the new Pope Benedict Organ, which was built in 2006 by the Swiss organ building firm Mathis. The recording took place in September/October 2006, during the week of celebrations surrounding the consecration of the new Instrument by Pope Benedict XVI.

Austrian composer Dieter Kaufmann (b. 1941) studied composition and electro-acoustic music in Vienna under Karl Schiske and Gottfried von Einem and in Paris under Messiaen, René Leibowitz, Pierre Schaeffer and François Bayle. His works include chamber, symphonic and vocal music, musical theatre, electro-acoustic music and live electronic music. He has won numerous national and international prizes, including the Ernst Krenek Prize (Vienna), the Prix Magisterium de Bourges/France, the Carinthian Kulturpreis and the Music Award of the Republic of Austria.

"• The programming of this CD flows from the organ to the harpsichord, reveling first in the large acoustics of the church and then in the closeness and intimacy of the harpsichord. • The D-minor Toccata, BWV 913 is presented to us here in its organ version. The same applies to the last harpsichord piece (the Partita on the chorale ""Ach, was soll ich Sünder machen"", BWV 770)."

Clarinet and harp are an appealing combination with which new works can be discovered and also newly discovered. Duo Imaginaire illustrates the unique effect of the combination of their instruments, beyond the boundaries of genres and epochs. The result is a sound image rich in facets, raising the question as to why more hasn't been written for this combination.

• Baroque-Classical-Romantic-Modern era music • A program of short, festive works • Booklet notes in German, English & French; includes sung texts

The selection of music that Ana-Maria Lungu presents US on this debut is as personal as it's title. The musical life of this gifted violinist is at the foreground of this production rather than any composer or work. These live recordings provide US with a glimpse into her world of feelings. This CD tells of the musical of roots of Ms. Lungu. Out of her musical development, she presents classical pieces originating in Rumanian folklore, Romanticism and contemporary 'classics'.

The internationally renowned baritone Franz Grundheber has long been a staple of the operatic scene. With this CD he shows himself to also be a sensitive and expressive interpreter of Lieder. From Schumann to Schubert and Wolf to Wagner, Grundheber's exceptional instrument weaves stories out of nothing at all.

Following Yojo's first CD release for TYXart (TXA12001), at the age of 15, for which he received enthusiastic reviews, this CD now presents the 17-year-old with Liszt's monumental B Minor Sonata as the main work.

I felt it was necessary to dedicate a new anthem to the Bavarians, to express their liberality and the modern Bavarian way of life. The rhymed verses that I have set to music are based on a few lines jotted down by King Ludwig Ii, who resembled today's view of the imaginative Bavarian in an astoundingly prophetic way.' - Franz Hummel.

Pianist Matthias Veit believes that in our fast-paced music world, including the classical world, our lives consist of increasingly fragmented and frenetic listening across eras. This release attempts to come to terms with these changes, exploiting the wealth of brief piano pieces in the repertoire to build a kaleidoscope of musical epochs.