A conversation between the piano compositions of Lili Boulanger and her teacher Gabriel Faure. Lili Boulanger's lesser-known dreamy Preludes (never published) and Marche gaie (recently discovered), along with her popular 3 Morceaux and her more serious Theme and Variations, are mirrored by Faure's masterpiece Theme and Variations, as well as his lesser-known, melodic, and enchanting Pieces breves.

Roland de Lassus composed more than eighty masses, of which only two are Requiems; it is not possible to link them to the funerals of any particular individuals. The four-part Missa pro defunctis was published in Paris in 1577. The library of an abbey in Augsburg, however, contains a transposed manuscript copy intended for an ensemble of male voices (tenors, baritones and basses); what is more, this manuscript copy includes a Dies Irae that does not appear in the Paris edition. The five-part Requiem was published in 1589, five years before Lassus's death. Here, Vox Luminis presents both compositions, highlighting the contrasting colours of the two vocal ensembles: the gravity of the four-part Requiem against the light of the five-part setting.

With this historic CD series, Tactus and Federico Maria Sardelli - leading Modo Antiquo - produced the first complete recording of Antonio Vivaldi's Cantatas for soprano. Having appeared only sporadically on the recording scene, the Cantatas constitute a very important group of works within Vivaldi's output. Dedicated exclusively to female voices, the Cantatas are divided - as in the Ryom catalogue - into cantatas for soprano and continuo, cantatas for alto and continuo, cantatas for soprano and instruments, and cantatas for alto and instruments. The first complete recording of Vivaldi's Soprano Cantatas is undertaken by Modo Antiquo with full respect for the original texts and the performance practices of the era. For the performance, the original manuscripts were used wherever possible, usefully supplemented by consultation of the complete critical edition by Francesco Degrada and the Istituto Italiano Antonio Vivaldi, published by Ricordi. The four CDs are here gathered in a single box set on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of Tactus's activity.

A comprehensive introduction to a foundational figure of early Romantic music: modern recordings of all the concertos and solo piano music by 'the father of the nocturne', the Irish pianist and composer John Field. Frederic Chopin was only the most celebrated of many pianist-composers to pay warm tribute to the musician who, more than any other, invented the genre which became synonymous with musical Romanticism. His exquisite tone-poetry on the page, as well as the brilliant imagination of his playing, proposed a new way of addressing the piano, and responded to the rapid advance in the instrument's technology during the first decades of the 19th century. Where Beethoven had sought to stretch and challenge and conquer the piano, Field drew from it a more intimate style which mirrored the cantabile and legato of Italian singing. Born in Dublin in 1782, Field received his earliest lessons in music from Tommaso Giordani, and then continued his studies in London with another Italian immigrant across the Channel, Muzio Clementi. While Field went on to achieve celebrity as a pianist across Europe before settling in St Petersburg, and dying of alcoholism in 1837, he left a legacy of music for his instrument which gradually fell from prominence. During the last half century, and the early-music revival's focus on this pivotal era in music history, Field has been re-assessed. This comprehensive collection presents Field as a major figure of early Romanticism: a witty virtuoso in the concertos, a master of form in the sonatas and nocturnes, and above all a mind which could translate impressions into notes, especially from the natural world. These recordings were enthusiastically welcomed for their detailed precision and sympathy with Field's idiom. 'The performances and recorded sound here are very fine... a lovely, leisurely listening experience.' (Restani's cycle of the concertos, reviewed by Fanfare). 'Tyler Hay relates to John Field's Nocturnes much as Claudio Arrau did to those of Chopin.' (Classics Today).

What happens when the illustrious brass sections of the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic come together? The answer: The Philharmonic Brass. Making it's debut in Vienna's Musikverein in April 2023 the group will come together for recording, tours and education work. Comprising some of the best-known faces in the brass world from Berlin, Vienna and their friends, the group includes Sarah Willis, horn, Matthias Hofs, trumpet, or Paul Halwax, tuba. In February 2025, a new chapter began with the release of their first album on Supreme Classics: Italiana! Conducted by Maestro Riccardo Muti includes virtuoso arrangements of some of the best-known music including Verdi's Sinfonia di Nabucco, Rossini: Guillaume Tell - Overture and many more. We can now look forward to the ensemble's very first vinyl release and this exceptional album in an audiophile pressing by the renowned record manufacturer Pallas.

Cesar Guerra-Peixe (1914-1993) was a Brazilian composer, violinist, and musicologist whose work reflects a deep engagement with both European classical traditions and the rich diversity of Brazilian folk music. Initially influenced by modernist and serialist techniques, Guerra-Peixe later shifted toward a nationalist style, incorporating rhythms, melodies, and structures derived from regional traditions across Brazil. This transition marked a significant phase in his career, as he sought to create a distinctly Brazilian voice within the concert music tradition. Although Guerra-Peixe is not primarily known as a guitar composer, his contributions to the instrument are notable for their craftsmanship and cultural authenticity. His complete works for solo guitar are relatively few compared to major guitar composers, yet they hold an important place in the Brazilian guitar repertoire. These pieces reflect his ethnomusicological interests, often drawing on northeastern Brazilian musical idioms, such as baiao, maracatu, and frevo. Through these influences, Guerra-Peixe infused his guitar music with rhythmic vitality and expressive nuance. His guitar works demonstrate a clear understanding of the instrument's technical and expressive possibilities. Rather than treating the guitar merely as a harmonic accompaniment, he explores it's capacity for polyphony, timbral contrast, and rhythmic complexity. The writing is idiomatic, making effective use of open strings, varied articulations, and dynamic contrasts, while remaining accessible to skilled performers. Played with great feeling for the idiom by Flavio Nati, one of Italy's foremost guitarists, winner of the Golden Guitar. He played in Carnegie Hall New York as soloist in the guitar concerto of Castelnuovo-Tedesco.

This album centres on Ravel: Ravel the composer with Ma Mere l'Oye - originally a suite for piano four hands composed in 1910, orchestrated the following year to become a ballet and Ravel the arranger with Mussorgsky's famous Pictures at an Exhibition, as well as his orchestration of Schumann's Carnival, an embryonic project begun in 1914 for the great Nijinsky, who would ultimately never dance it. Only four excerpts were transcribed, and they were not published until 1975, on the centenary of Ravel's birth. Joseph Swensen, conducting the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, brings them back to life and infuses this colourful programme with his passion and infectious enthusiasm.

Among Teatro alla Scala's most unforgettable productions, this La forza del destino is a performance of striking musical energy, with Riccardo Chailly conducting an exceptional cast of opera stars. Anna Netrebko (Leonora), confirms her absolute dominance of the Verdian repertoire, showcasing 'beautiful floating high notes and enviable fiato' (OperaWire). Brian Jagde (Don Alvaro) and Ludovic Tezier (Don Carlo), give impeccable performances of great emotional depth and timbral richness. Joining forces, Stage Director Leo Muscato and Set Designer Federica Parolini deliver a reinterpretation of Verdi's classic in a modern key. On a set that impresses for both beauty and functionality, the scenes are set across different eras, reminding us that war is always part of humans' fate. 'The undisputed star of the evening is Anna Netrebko. She elevates Donna Leonora with her distinctive, dark, velvety timbre, impeccable high notes, and acting presence.' (Orpheus Magazine)

There are projects that spring from a hunch and which, driven by conviction and hard work, eventually come to seem entirely natural. The 'Messes Breves' project is a bold initiative that brings together works rarely performed together, breathing new life into pieces that are all too seldom heard in concert or on record. To bring together on the same recording the Missa brevis in D minor of Mozart, the Orgelmesse of Haydn and the Missa brevis of Fabian Fiorini, a work commissioned especially for this project, manifests the desire to abandon a well-worn track and promote a repertory that is as demanding as it is profoundly alive. This condensed form, rich in emotion, encourages spiritual reflection, aesthetic appreciation and a deep connection with the timeless tradition of sacred music.

This box set from the third cello session of the Queen Elisabeth Competition brings together the 12 prize-winners who offered audiences exceptional musical moments throughout the competition. It opens with the concertos performed by the first four laureates. As tradition dictates, the programme begins with Prokofiev's Symphony-Concerto performed by First Prize winner Ettore Pagano, followed by Lutoslawski's Cello Concerto performed by Second Prize winner Tae-Yeon Kim. These are followed by Barber's Cello Concerto performed by Third Prize winner Leland Ko and Shostakovich's Cello Concerto performed by Fourth Prize winner alvaro Lozano Cames. A full disc of chamber music extends the journey, ranging from Josef Suk to Kaija Saariaho, and featuring Harold Noben's compulsory work alongside other highlights from the competition. The programme then returns to the orchestral repertoire with concertos by Anton Kraft and Leopold Hofmann, before concluding with Four Odes to the Tidings of Flowers by Fang Man, the compulsory work of the final round. Beyond the prize list itself, this album reflects the richness of an edition marked by the broadening of repertoire, the curiosity of it's performers, and the extraordinary diversity of musical personalities gathered in Brussels. A vivid testament to the art of cello playing today.

In this album two Swiss musicians - the cellist Andreas Graf and pianist Evelyne Grandy - transform what is essentially a song recital into a programme of lyrical miniatures for cello and piano. They thread their own arrangements of melodies by five fellow Swiss composers through some unfamiliar versions of well-known tunes, casting some long-standing favourites in new light and setting them alongside new delicacies.

The works for piano and orchestra by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) represent a distinctive part of his output and reflect his evolving musical style during the early twentieth century. Although Stravinsky is widely known for his revolutionary ballets such as The Rite of Spring, his compositions featuring piano and orchestra demonstrate his interest in rhythm, clarity, and neoclassical form. The most significant of these works is the Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments (1923-24). Unlike the traditional Romantic concerto that pairs the piano with a full symphony orchestra, Stravinsky scored this piece for piano and a large ensemble of winds, brass, timpani, and double basses. The absence of strings creates a bright, sharp sound that highlights the percussive nature of the piano. Stravinsky himself often performed the solo part, and the concerto reflects his own technical abilities as a pianist. Structurally, the work follows a clear three-movement design-Largo, Allegro, and Largo-blending Baroque inspiration with modern rhythmic vitality. Another important composition is the Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1928-29). Written again for Stravinsky's own performances, this piece is lighter and more playful than the earlier concerto. It consists of three continuous sections and features brilliant piano passages combined with lively orchestral textures. The title 'Capriccio' suggests a free and imaginative character, which is evident in the work's energetic rhythms and witty musical gestures. The orchestration includes a full orchestra, producing a richer sound than the wind-dominated concerto. Also presented are a selection of shorter works for piano solo: Tango, Ragtime, Circus Polka, Piano Rag Music, Valse pour les enfants: quasi-popular music, infused with Stravinsky's unique rhythms, dissonances and wit. Giuseppe Andaloro (Palermo, 1982) is one of the most acclaimed Italian pianists of his generation. Winner of prestigious international competitions - including the Ferruccio Busoni (Bolzano). He has performed in some of the world's leading venues: Teatro alla Scala and Sala Verdi in Milan, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Mozarteum in Salzburg, Konzerthaus Berlin, Salle Gaveau in Paris, Royal Festival Hall in London, Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo, Esplanade in Singapore, Concert Hall in Hong Kong. He has appeared at renowned festivals such as the Salzburg Festival, Ruhr Piano Festival, Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi, George Enescu Festival, Ravello Festival, and Beirut Al Bustan. As soloist, he has collaborated with orchestras such as the London Philharmonic, NHK Symphony (Tokyo), under the direction of conductors like Vladimir Ashkenazy, Gianandrea Noseda, and Andrew Parrott.

Ernst von Dohnanyi was one of the most versatile and influential musicians of his time but his works are now seldom played. A gap which Capriccio want to fill now with this already eight recording of his late romantical, sensual music, deeply rooted in the Austro-German classical tradition. His Symphony No. 2 is a colossal work, lasting around an hour and calling for an extraordinarily large orchestra. The composition coincided with his departure from war-torn Hungary during World War II. Ruralia Hungarica, written in 1923 and arranged for orchestra in the following year, makes use of familiar Hungarian folk-melodies, some of them known abroad through their appearance in the work of other Hungarian composers.

All music on this album is composed and arranged by Clara Ponty and inspired by the famous works of George Frideric Handel and additional arrangements by Pierre Doursout and Gladsome Passacaille by Johan Halvorsen and Clara Ponty. The album is co- produced by Clara Ponty and Pierre Doursout. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Julien Basseres. Clara Ponty is a classically trained pianist, singer, and composer with an eclectic body of work presented across six albums. Daughter of Jean-Luc Ponty, a pioneer and undisputed master of violin in the arena of jazz and rock, Clara's diverse background, including exposure to a broad world of music from an early age, along with residences in different countries and cultures, is the source of inspiration for the development of her wide-ranging output. All works are inspired by wellknown Suites, Minuets and of course one of his most famous works: Water Music. Clara Ponty revived the music in her own way and gave it all her own twist: 1. Sweet Gigue; Inspired by Handel's Suite in E Minor-Gigue G.162, 2. Sarabande Reimagined; Inspired by Handel's Suite in D minor-Sarabande G.110, 3. Baroque Andante; Inspired by Handel's Suite in D Minor-Presto G.117 and more to discover! 'I want to give new life to this exceptional music. My hope is that this album will be perceived as a bridge, proving that classical music is not a niche genre, but a universal emotion.' - Clara Ponty - When Baroque Meets Modernity: Composer-Pianist Clara Ponty unveils her album 'Handel Reimagined' - How can we breathe new contemporary life into the legacy of George Frideric Handel? With her new album 'Handel Reimagined, ' pianist and composer Clara Ponty offers a bold and intimate reinterpretation of the Baroque repertoire. Born out of the isolation of lockdown and a prestigious invitation to the city of Halle in Germany (Handel's birthplace), this opus breaks down the boundaries between eras, making classical music accessible to all generations. - Handel Reimagined - All works are inspired by well-known Suites, Minuets and of course one of his most famous works: Water Music. Clara Ponty revived the music in her own way and gave it all her own twist.

Among Teatro alla Scala's most unforgettable productions, this La forza del destino is a performance of striking musical energy, with Riccardo Chailly conducting an exceptional cast of opera stars. Anna Netrebko (Leonora), confirms her absolute dominance of the Verdian repertoire, showcasing 'beautiful floating high notes and enviable fiato' (OperaWire). Brian Jagde (Don Alvaro) and Ludovic Tezier (Don Carlo), give impeccable performances of great emotional depth and timbral richness. Joining forces, Stage Director Leo Muscato and Set Designer Federica Parolini deliver a reinterpretation of Verdi's classic in a modern key. On a set that impresses for both beauty and functionality, the scenes are set across different eras, reminding us that war is always part of humans' fate. 'The undisputed star of the evening is Anna Netrebko. She elevates Donna Leonora with her distinctive, dark, velvety timbre, impeccable high notes, and acting presence.' (Orpheus Magazine)

Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers is the landmark work of early Baroque music. It sits at the crossroads of Renaissance polyphony and the new dramatic style heard in his first opera, L'Orfeo. 'The Vespers' redefined what sacred music could sound like - emotionally immediate, virtuosic, both looking back to the past and driving forward into the future. Monteverdi specialists I Fagiolini and Robert Hollingworth have waited until their 40th birthday to record the 1610 collection. This is a lifetime's work with every nuance of drama and colour brought out in their one-to-a-part performance.

Benjamin Britten's three Cello Suites rank among the most important solo works for the instrument since Bach. Written for Mstislav Rostropovich, they unite references to early music traditions with a distinctly modern voice, combining formal mastery, dramatic imagination and profound emotional depth. In this recording, Pieter Wispelwey brings his new reading of a 45 year long engagement with these remarkable works for cello solo.

WORLD PREMIERE RECORDINGS of three works by Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023) from soprano Anu Komsi, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor Sakari Oramo, including the composer's final orchestral work, Vista, inspired by a scenic Interstate 5 highway to San Diego.

Signum Quartett presents the album the earth trembled, recontextualising the visionary string quartets of Leos Janacek alongside the striking String Quartet Op. 8 by Vitezslava Kapralova. Janacek's lifelong engagement with folk traditions shaped these works profoundly; he lays bare an extraordinary spectrum of feeling, exposing the innermost reaches of his psyche with an almost unsettling immediacy, music in which the earth really does tremble. Set against this, Kapralova's quartet offers balance: a strikingly youthful yet assured voice emerging from the same cultural milieu, opening an equally compelling emotional range. Interspersed throughout are fragments of Janacek's folk song arrangements and intimate miniatures from his album for Kamila Stosslova, whose absent voice subtly haunts the programme, weaving a fragile, imagined narrative between the works. This recording offers a fresh perspective on works that have accompanied the Quartett for many years and remain among the most emotionally overwhelming in the repertoire. Signum Quartett is frequently hailed as one of the most adventurous and outstanding ensembles of today. This is the quartet's fourth album with PENTATONE, after the Schubert cycle including Aus der Ferne (2018), Ins stille Land (2020), and Lebensmuth (2023).

The prizewinning guitar duo Bluvenduo present a versatile selection of transcriptions for two guitars, several of which have never previously been arranged for this format. The freshness and sense of discovery in Schubert's Sonata in A major is a product of the music's inherent songful lyricism, perfect material for a guitar duo. So, too, is Franck's Prelude, fugue et variation, a work of variety, elegance and light textures. The three Rachmaninov Preludes provide subtly contrasting moods, while Schumann's Kinderszenen offers a wealth of intimacy, excitement and expressive refinement.

For it's first album on Linn, Solomon's Knot performs one of Bach's most fascinating works. Although not a single note of the Kothener Trauermusik survives, almost every other detail of the performance does: we know it's date, the first performers, the librettist and the libretto. Reconstructed by Chad Kelly from various sources, chief among them Bach's first version of the Matthaus-Passion, this work was commissioned for both performance and this live recording by Solomon's Knot. Kelly's reconstruction does not claim to be definitive; such certainty is unattainable and beside the point. Instead, he uses carefully considered creative licence to bring to life two elements central to the original: the sincerity of the text, and the context of the occasion for which it was written. As 'one of the UK's most innovative and imaginative ensembles' (The Observer), the Baroque music collective Solomon's Knot is in full swing in this performance recorded at the Dreieinigkeitskirche during the Tage Alter Musik Regensburg festival.

Music for children plays an important role in Miloslav Kabelac's artistic oeuvre. Especially in the early days after the communist coup in 1948, the composer devoted himself to this genre: 'I regard composing for children as a 'touchstone' not only for all creative abilities, but also for the human qualities of the composer. That is why I take this work as seriously and as importantly as any other". In his music, Kabelac creates powerful atmospheric images with a playful sensitivity for language, some of which is highly onomatopoeic. His serious engagement with children's works is once again evident in the fact that Kabelac repeatedly quoted motifs and melodies from children's works in larger symphonic works.

Olle Adolphson (1934-2004) is one of the most important representatives of the Swedish ballad during the second half of the 20th century. He wrote long series of ballads that are loved by the Swedish people. Many of them have become so well-known that they can now almost be considered Swedish folk songs. Olle was inspired by and associated with great cultural figures of the time such as Evert and Sven Bertil Taube, Lars Forssell, Beppe Wolgers, Carl Fredrik Reutersward, Stig Claesson, Monica Zetterlund, Monica and Carl-Axel Dominique and others.

This album - the third to be released on Alpha Classics - is entitled Nui (a Korean word meaning 'sister'). The Esme Quartet pays tribute to Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, with Fanny's Quartet in E-Flat major, written during the final year of her life, which finds a poignant echo in Felix's Quartet No. 6 in F minor, written in the aftermath of his sister's sudden death: The Esme Quartet hears in Fanny's Quartet an 'intimate and penetrating voice, reaching outwards with urgency, tenderness and vulnerability.' The programme also features a new work commissioned from the Korean-American composer Juri Seo, inspired by the traditional Korean song Eommaya nunaya ('Mother, Sister'). 'This song evokes a peaceful, distant place where loved ones gather and the heart finds rest, offering a quiet sense of comfort that resonates naturally with the emotional landscape of the Mendelssohns,' concludes the Esme Quartet, which is celebrating it's tenth anniversary with this new recording.

Recognisable throughout the world and marked by an unmistakable authenticity, Astor Piazzolla's musical language has achieved a truly universal resonance. Following on from Carlos Gardel, the Argentine bandoneonist and composer reinvented the tango in the 1950s, giving it a new aesthetic identity. Such was it's force that it ultimately moved beyond the dance itself and became the foundation of all Piazzola's musical creation. His style requires a kind of initiation: it is shaped by an improbable meeting between European art music and a popular art born in the barrios of Buenos Aires. By embracing it, Xavier Phillips and Les Solistes de Lausanne are cultivating a passionate relationship with this music, which breathes the soul of that city, poised between melancholy and exaltation.

Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841) was widely acknowledged in his time as a violin and -especially- viola virtuoso, composer and teacher. He gained great fame as a teacher of Paganini and some of the technical innovations that Paganini later used, such as left-hand pizzicato, chromatic ascending and descending scales, the use of very high positions on violin and viola, octave passages, were first introduced by Rolla. In 1782 Alessandro Rolla was appointed principal viola and the leader of the Ducale Orchestra in Parma, playing violin and viola until 1802. He travelled around Europe both as a soloist and conductor and became known also abroad. His works were published in Paris and Vienna. In 1802, Rolla was offered a position as leader and orchestra director of the La Scala Orchestra in Milan, where he remained until 1833. Here he conducted the first Milanese performances of Mozart's Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, Clemenza di Tito and Nozze di Figaro and Beethoven's first Symphonies. During this period he also conducted about eighteen operas of the then most loved opera composer, Gioacchino Rossini, as well as operas by Donizetti and Bellini, whom he got to know personally. Rolla's compositions are characterized by elegant melodies, clear structures, and increasing emotional depth, bridging the clarity of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the expressive intensity that would later define Ludwig van Beethoven. This delightful program presents chamber music in which the clarinet plays the leading role: a sextet, several duets of clarinet with other instruments, and a concerto for basset horn and string quartet. Brilliantly performed by Luigi Magistrelli, one of the leading clarinet players of Italy, seconded by a fine selection of Italian soloists. Magistrelli made many recordings for Brilliant Classics with works by C.P.E. Bach (95307), Giuliani (95541), Kummer (94472), Archduke Rudolph (94952), Rebay (94171) and Fuchs (96305). 'Luigi Magistrelli is a skilled artist, with the fingers and the enthusiasm for Weber.' Gramophone.

The Canadian-American cellist Elinor Frey performs and conducts Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's three cello concertos with the Accademia de' Dissonanti. These dramatic works, rich in turbulent exchanges yet also in tender moments, bear witness to C. P. E. Bach's fiery imagination, where emotion and melody take precedence. In Bach's time, personalising a performance was both common and expected. The question of 'how a cellist premiering these works would have approached these concertos' lies at the heart of this recording. Drawing on a vocabulary of ornamentation and melodic analysis derived from the music of the composer and his contemporaries, Frey has reconstructed the social milieu and instrumental practice of Bach's time, in order to approach the way in which this music was once heard and felt.

This album is built around a remarkable instrument: the Guarneri del Gesù 'Sainton Betti' violin, once played by Prosper Sainton. More than a solo voice, the violin shapes both the repertoire and the narrative of the project. From this starting point a journey through the golden age of the Romantic violin unfolds. Works by Niccolo Paganini, Gioachino Rossini, Hector Berlioz and Richard Strauss reflect the musical world Sainton inhabited, while bringing renewed attention to this fascinating yet overlooked figure. At the heart of the project, violinist Dmitry Smirnov reveals the instrument's full expressive range, joined by Victor Jacob and the Kammerorchester Basel. Together, they create a vivid dialogue between soloist and orchestra. A programme that connects repertoire, instrument and history into a single, coherent musical narrative.

Pierre Fevrier (1696-1760) was a French composer and harpsichordist active during the late Baroque period, a time when France cultivated a highly refined keyboard tradition. Fevrier served as organist at the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Pres in Paris, a prestigious position that placed him within an important musical and cultural center. His work reflects the elegance and ornamentation characteristic of French Baroque music, while also demonstrating a personal sensitivity to melody and structure. Fevrier's writing is firmly rooted in the French harpsichord tradition as shaped by Louis Couperin and d'Anglebert, codified by Francois Couperin, and enriched by Rameau's harmonic innovations. Like his contemporaries, Fevrier adopts the structure of the suite or ordre, based on sequences of stylized dances-Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue, Minuet, Gavotte-augmented by character pieces with evocative titles (La Sonore, La Delectable, L'Intrepide). At the same time, his musical language reveals a perceptible evolution: textures become clearer, and often more homophonic, melodic lines grow increasingly songful, and counterpoint-still present-is never ostentatious. It yields primacy to a measured eloquence in keeping with the French ideal of bon goût. This aesthetic of restraint situates Fevrier at the threshold between late Baroque and emerging galant style, without ever abandoning the formal rigor inherited from his predecessors. This is another enterprising recording by Fernando de Luca, who has done a great deal to revive forgotten names from 18th-century music with complete surveys of their music on Brilliant Classics, among them Dufour, Foucquet, Jollage, Gravier and Siret. '[De Luca] thinks outside of the box, and he clearly is a man with discerning tastes. These extend to his playing, which is clear-headed and disciplined, but never rigid. 'Charm' is such an overused word, but I cannot think of a better one to describe this music and these performances.' (Fanfare on the Jollage album, January 2024). Fernando de Luca plays a French harpsichord after Blanchet (1754).

The Chinese baritone Wang Huandong has conquered stages across Europe with golden tone, magnificent projection and dynamic stage presence. In this debut recital on record, he presents a personal selection of arias from the bel canto repertoire, including both audience favourites and rarities. Having graduated from his initial training in Beijing, Wang Huandong continued his studies with the tenor Angelo Lofrese. He won prizes in several European competitions before making impressive debuts with major companies such as the Arena di Verona and the Opera National de Bordeaux. He is undoubtedly one of the most exciting operatic talents to emerge from China in recent years, and has specialised in the Romantic Italian tradition from Donizetti to Puccini. This album thus makes a captivating showcase for Wang Huandong, and for the full range of his technical abilities and musicianship. The authenticity of it's style is further enhanced by the participation of the Orchestra Filarmonica della Calabria, who are steeped in this style. The conductor Filippo Arlia has his own extensive experience in the field of Italian opera; as does the producer Ra?aele Cacciolla, the resident sound engineer for the Opera alla Scala in Milan. The album opens with the showpiece for Enrico in the first act of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. The sombre atmosphere of 'Cruda e funesta smania' dissolves into the furious outburst of virtuosity in the cabaletta, 'La pietade in suo favor'. Much less familiar is the first-act scena for Severo in Donizetti's Poliuto. Then the aria 'Resta immobile' captures the moment of highest tension at the heart of Rossini's Guillaume Tell, as the eponymous hero attempts to shoot an apple placed on the head of his son. Wang Huandong returns to Donizetti for a pair of contrasting scenes from La Favorita, and then the superb Romanza from the composer's final opera, Dom Sebastian. On more familiar territory, he also presents 'Ah per sempre io ti perdei' from Bellini's last opera, I Puritani. Further demonstrations of Wang Huandong's versatility, adventurousness and Italianate feeling include excerpts from Bellini's Il pirata and Donizetti's Il duca d'Alba, before this showcase concludes in time-honoured fashion with the celebrated 'Largo al factotum' from Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia.