Ode & Ballade by Skye Consort & Emma Björling brings stories of medieval saints and sacred wells, fair maidens outsmarting presumptuous knights, beautiful or boisterous drinking songs, thieves meeting their fate, heartbreaking love songs, groovy dance tunes, and celebrations of the return of Spring. The album combines elements from world music and classical traditions to narrate poems, tales, legends, and sonnets from Sweden, Ireland, Scotland, France and more.

Skye Consort was formed in 1999 to bring an art-music aesthetic to folk music from different world traditions. They have performed and toured extensively with various collaborators and released seven full-length albums. In November and December of 2018, in collaboration with Emma Björling, Skye Consort created a new repertoire sourced from Scandinavian, Québecois, and Celtic roots. Skye Consort & Emma Björling won the OPUS award for Best World Music Album 2019.

Listen to Ode & Ballade wherever you stream your music.

Anders Koppel’s borderless view of music has taken in everything from psychedelic rock to world music and avant-garde concert pieces. But his gregarious musical aesthetic has found a special home in the world of the instrumental concerto, a genre whose exchange of energies continues to inspire him. Three of Koppel's most charming concertos are heard here in new recordings from the musicians who inspired them and the Danish Sinfonietta, that commissioned and first performed them.

In the ever-evolving landscape of contemporary classical music, composer Henning Fuchs emerges as a trailblazer with his latest release, Cocoon. This musical odyssey composed by Henning Fuchs, beckons listeners to transcend the conventional and embark on a reflective journey through a unique blend of neo-classical and world music. Fuchs, once the assistant to the renowned Max Richter, brings his cinematic expertise to the forefront, crafting compositions that invite introspection and meditation. The core of this auditory adventure lies in Fuchs' ability to marry neo-classical elements with world music nuances. Drawing inspiration from his contemporary Irish abode, the album introduces rare traditional instruments, resonating with the sounds of a place that has become a muse for the composer. The result is a rich tapestry of tones and textures that transport the listener to an otherworldly realm where time seems to stand still. Collaborating with a talented ensemble of musicians, Fuchs enlists the skills of Katie O'Connor (Violin), Aoife NíDhornáir on (Violin/Viola), Paula Hughes on (Cello), Kieran Moynhihan (Flute), Aisling Ennis (Harp), and Martin Schärer on percussion. Each instrument becomes a storyteller, contributing to the album's narrative and enhancing its emotive depth.

Adding another layer to this sonic journey are the guest vocals of Uzo Nwanaga and Lisa Lambe. Their voices intertwine seamlessly with the instrumental arrangements, creating moments of sublime beauty and emotional resonance. Cocoon becomes a collaborative effort, an immersive experience that transcends the boundaries of conventional genres. As you delve into the tracks, there's an undeniable sense of being cocooned in the intricate melodies and thoughtful compositions. Fuchs' creation becomes a sanctuary, encouraging contemplation and reflection. It's an invitation to explore the uncharted territories where classical and world music intersect, challenging preconceived notions and offering a haven for those seeking a deeper connection with the music. The album is an auditory tapestry that encourages listeners to let go of expectations, immerse themselves in the soundscape, and emerge on the other side with a renewed perspective on the boundless possibilities of musical expression.

Baroque world music – Four musicians (a Sicilian, a Catalan, a South Tyrolean of Italian origin with Slovenian roots and a Viennese) meet in Vienna to make music together out of love for Baroque and traditional music from southern Italy. Coming from all points of the compass, like the ROSA DEI VENTI – the wind rose, the sounds of violin, cello and harpsichord mingle in an intimate embrace with the intense songs of southern Italian music. With the album “ROSA DEI VENTI”, the ensemble, founded by Marinka Brecelj in 2012, draws on the rich musical tradition of southern Italy, which has its roots in various cultures. The focus is on serenades and love songs in Griko, a language that combines ancient Greek, Byzantine-Greek and Italian elements and is spoken in the Magna Graecia region of southern Italy’s Apulia (Salento) and occasionally in Sicily. The songs are part of the traditional music of the Greek colony in Italy. The songs from Sicily are touching with their rough tenderness and are reminiscent of the most diverse Oriental and Arabic influences from the Mediterranean region. The album combines music from the southern Italian Renaissance and Baroque periods with folk songs, with various versions of the tarantella adding a dance-like note to the program.

Multi-award-winning pianist, recording artist, educator and artistic director, Sophia Agranovich is “a bold, daring pianist in the tradition of the Golden Age Romantics… A tigress of the keyboard” – Fanfare. Her performances are captivating audiences by the “orison of uncommon beauty” – Audiophile, “the ideal balance she achieves between the intellectual and the emotional” – Fanfare, “interpretation that dares to be different”, “magnificent shading and superior musicianship” (American Record Guide). A Steinway Artist, Ms. Agranovich has performed in USA, Europe, Israel, and Canada. Recently she played solo concerts at the Pennautier Festival and Juan-les-Pins in France where she premiered compositions dedicated to her by Françoise Choveaux, and was invited to China and Brazil. Some of her prestigious venues are David Geffen Hall, Bruno Walter Auditorium and Paul Hall at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, Roerich and Metropolitan museums, Steinway Hall and gal­leries, Bargemusic, Tenri Cultural Institute, Polish Cultural Foundation, Lambert Castle, Watchung Arts Center, Salle Cortot, Théâtre Na Loba, Ehrbarsaal, Gesellschaft für Musiktheater, Kaiser Hall. She also performed at libraries and numerous colleges and universities, such as the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rubin Academy of Music, National Music Academy of Ukraine and Lviv State Conservatory. Ms. Agranovich has collaborated with Mark Peskanov, Shlomo Mintz, Christopher Collins Lee, Andrew Litton, Alexander Mishnaevsky, Andrew Lamy, Brett Deubner, Gregory Singer, Anatole Wieck, Rupam Sarmah, Lili Haydn, Hamid Saeidi, Kathleen Supove, award-winning Emmy, Grammy, and Billboard top ten musical artists, and members of the major orchestras. Sophia Agranovich has released ten solo albums from 2010 through 2022, including seven on Centaur label. Her albums are charting in top 10 across all musical genres on One World Music Radio and on World Top Radio Airplay Charts. Her discography received outstanding reviews and includes ‘Romantic Virtuoso Masterpieces’ (works by Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, Scriabin), ‘Franz Liszt – Bicentennial Tribute’ (‘Un Sospiro’, ‘La Campanella’, Rhapsodie Espagnole, Sonata in b minor); ‘Passion and Fantasy’ (Beethoven: ‘Appassionata’, Chopin: Fantaisie and Sonata in b minor); complete Brahms-Paganini Variations; Schumann: Symphonic Etudes, Schumann-Liszt: ‘Widmung’; Schubert: ‘Wanderer’ Fantasie and Chopin: 4 Ballades; Schumann: Carnaval and Fantasie; Chopin: Polonaise-Fantaisie and Nocturne Op. 48 No.1, Liszt: complete Sonnetti del Petrarca, ‘Dante’ Sonata, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 14; Chopin: Sonata in B-flat Minor, 4 Scherzi, Polonaise ‘Héroïque’; ‘In Celebration of 250th Anniversary of Beethoven’ (Fantasie Op. 77, Sonatas ‘Pathétique’, ‘Moonlight’, ‘Tempest’): ‘Liszt: Rhapsodies, Études and Transcriptions’ (Hungarian Rhapsodies No. 6 and No. 13, Études d’exécution transcendante ‘Ricordanza’ and ‘Mazeppa’, Schubert/Liszt Ständchen. Erlkönig, Die Forelle). Ms. Agranovich was awarded 3 Gold and 12 Silver Medals from Global Music Awards, Winner of The American Prize in the Piano Solo division, 2 Gold Medals from Prestige Music Awards, Best Classical Solo / Best Classical Album / Hall of Fame from Akademia Music Awards, 4 Best Classical Piano Albums from Clouzine International Music Awards, Best Classical Artist (2) /Best Female Classical Artist/Best Classical Recording (3) /Best Instrumental Recording from Radio Music Awards, Best Classical Recording and Hall of Fame from Indie Music Channel, 4 Platinum awards in Best Classical Pianist/Best Instrumental Artist/Best female Artist/Best Classical Music categories, 3 Gold Awards in Best Female Instrumental Artist, Best Instrumental Music, Best Performance categories and Instrumentalist of the Year from LIT International Talent Awards, Best Classical Album from One World Music Radio, Steinway Top Teacher Award, Best Classical Album – Gold at One Earth Awards, Best Instrumentalist from InterContinental Music Awards, Industry Leader and Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Awards and more. Her albums and live concerts are broadcast worldwide, most recently in Brazil on Universidade FM 106.9 “Company of the Music”, in Canada on CKWR ‘Women in Music’, Berlin, Munich, Rome, New Zealand, London, Tokyo, Osaka, Paris, Tel-Aviv, WMNR Fine Arts Radio, NPR WLPR-FM “Art on the Air”, WQXR Greene Space live with Elliott Forrest, on WWFM “Between the Keys” with Jed Distler, WWFM “Piano Matters” and WQXR “Reflections from the Keyboard” with David Dubal. A native of Ukraine, Sophia Agranovich won the Ukrainian Young Artists Competition–currently Mykola Lysenko International Competition–at ten, being the youngest participant. At thirteen she performed Concerto in E minor by Chopin in Chernivtsi, Lviv and Kyiv. Her concerts were broadcast on national TV and radio stations. Her teachers in Ukraine were professors Anna Stolarevich and Alexander Edelmann, peers of Vladimir Horowitz in the class of Felix Blumenfeld and disciples of Heinrich Neuhaus. At fifteen, Ms. Agranovich entered the Juilliard School in New York City as a student of legendary professor Sascha Gorodnitzki, who himself was a student of Josef Lhevinne (peer of Sergei Rachmaninoff and Alexander Scriabin). While at Juilliard, she also studied with Nadia Reisenberg, a disciple of the St. Petersburg piano school of Leonid Nikolaev and student of Hofmann and Alexander Lambert – student of Franz Liszt. Ms. Agranovich earned Bachelor and Master Degrees from the Juilliard School, holding full scholarship and a Fellowship teaching Piano Minor at Juilliard. She won First Prize in the Bergen Philharmonic Competition. After graduating Juilliard, Ms. Agranovich began working towards her Doctorate at the Columbia University, but deferred that pursuit to raise a family, which led to her additional 23-year career in Information Technology. Having earned a certification in Computer Science, she worked as a systems analyst for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company where she received the Presidential Quality Award for Computer Systems Design and Support, and later as a senior programmer/analyst/project manager/vice president at Merrill Lynch. Ms. Agranovich also studied naturopathy, traditional Indian medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, receiving certifications in Yoga, Pilates, and other holistic disciplines. She taught Yoga and Pilates at the YMCA branch. Sophia Agranovich is an esteemed pedagogue, lecturer, master class clinician, adjudicator, and is a recipient of numerous teaching awards. Her students often win top prizes in regional, national and international competitions and are playing at prestigious venues and internationally. They had been accepted to Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, New York University, Mannes College and other notable universities. Their performances were broadcast on radio and TV, including WWFM “Kids on Keys” and WQXR “Young Artists Showcase”. Ms. Agranovich is an active member of various professional music organizations, listed in “Who’s Who in America” and “Who’s Who in the World”, a voting member of NARAS (GrammysR) and GrammyU mentor, Artistic Director of ‘Classicals at the Circle’ music series at the Watchung Arts Center, Program Chair and Board member of Music Educators Association of New Jersey.

Tri Nguyen, classical pianist and dàn tranh (Vietnamese zither) master, presents 14 enchanting pieces composed in the form of a heartfelt letter to his late mother. With his bicultural upbringing, Tri showcases his mastery of the piano, at times reciting Bach, Vivaldi, Ravel… as well as his profound knowledge of the ancient techniques of dàn-tranh playing. An elegant blend of ancient and modern, Western and Asian, touching on tales of his childhood, the challenges of Covid-19 and his profound love and gratitude for his mother.

Tanya Ekanayaka presents a stunning array of 43 works for solo piano composed between 2021 and 2022, drawing inspiration from 40 languages ranging from rare and critically endangered languages spread across Earth’s six continents, home to permanent human habitation, to some of the most famous and unusual languages of South Asia. Mystical, vibrant, contemplative and poetic, the sutras and pianisms traverse a broad spectrum of moods and thought. Throughout, the prolific composer-pianist’s fearless musical authenticity glistens within the beautiful originality of this remarkable double album.

Gao Hong (Chinese pipa master) discovers friendship, creativity and the joy of spontaneity with Kadialy Kouyate and his captivating Senegalese kora. With skilful balance of composition and improvisation, the two instruments and musicians converse through the expression of the strings – exchanging cultural stories, traditions and musical styles. This album shines a light on the new possibilities that can arise when peoplefrom all cultures open their hearts and minds to one another, when they abandon inhibitions and simply explore. As Gao concludes, “our music will not just be Chinese or Senegalese, it will be a new form of world music that melds styles and sensibilities from two continents.”

Damien is a mysterious violinist who plays in the “non-classical” style and prefers rock. Didier, a pillar of the Belgian folk and world music scene. It is these differences that truly characterize the band; a duplex, a duality – equilibrated by Oliver Cox’s forceful drumbeats and Quentin Nguyen’s distinctive keyboard tones. The result of their creative communion is Maelstrom – a dreamy and surreal musical travel diary that draws from journeys both real and imagined, inspired by European literature, popular culture and Belgium’s rich seafaring tradition. This musical journey around the world is comparable to Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours, Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne. It’s a hypnotic waking dream traversing the globe and time in an anarchic voyage of nostalgia and discovery – touching down in countries such as Canada and Bulgaria, the cities of London and New York, before finally landing on a Caribbean beach. Every song on the voyage has a distinct European vibe with world music influences interlaced throughout.

Tomorrow’s finally here is the second long play album from energetic jazz band Bangkok Lingo. This Quintet is filled to the brim with both high-octane rhythm and intense solos as well as laidback grooves and delightful melodies, and they have established themselves as a sought after act on the Norwegian live scene. The five young musicians hail from Oslo and are inspired by exotic music from other parts of the world. Their music mixes swing, free jazz and catchy melodies in a raw and unfiltered landscape. Tomorrow’s finally here is inspired by both legendary 60’s jazz, swing and world music, all performed with excellence and joy.

REVIEWS:

These guys aren't from Bangkok, they're from Norway, but you would never have expected that when you hear the music from their second long player "Tomorrow's Finally Here". Trumpet and saxophone as well as a rhythm section of bass, drums and percussion create a sound that is transparent despite its density, whose melodic variety seems to come directly from South Africa and is sometimes reminiscent of Chris McGregor's Brotherhood Of Breath or Abdullah Ibrahim's masterpiece "African Marketplace". The two horns play lively melodies, but they are also up to all the tricks of free jazz and Olav Imerslund's heavily syncopated bass ensures a constantly grooving drive.

-- Jazz Thing

A wildly creative and joyful exploration of traditional Taiwanese culture. The music of A Moving Sound is the result of a deep commitment to making art entwined with spiritual practice. Starshine celebrates life and our journey through it. This album features original compositions weaving folk and traditional opera, from earthy to transcendent, joy to suffering, all enhanced with stunning vocals and the rich textures of traditional Taiwanese instruments. “A Moving Sound is one of the most original outfits working in the world music arena today. An inspired marriage of Taiwanese traditional sounds and Western pop experimentation that forges an important new musical dialogue.” (Tom Pryor)

Virtuoso jazz bassist, Carl Mayotte is a musician, arranger, composer and producer. His first album Fantosme, co-produced with Michel Cusson, allowed him to be named the Jazz Revelation by Radio-Canada in 2020 and to be nominated at the Gala de l'ADISQ 2020 in the in the category Jazz Album of the year. Now teaming up with Analekta, this prolific musician is releasing his third album, in which he explores jazz fusion and world music. He writes: “I am happy and honored to finally present my new album Escale. As its title says, this album is a musical journey that differs from my usual musical universe and it was composed in a different way too. Improvisation and instinct taking the place of reflection and hours of doubts that usually inhabit my composition techniques.”

The album Musical Landscapes contains a carefully thought over and set together group of eight compositions. The latter are formative of a specific music journey that spreads out from north to south and from west to east. This journey integrates diversity and beauty of art experience: from musical subtleties through grandeur of sounds, up to Spanish guitar temperament, from raindrops to storms with hailstones, from corta figure to sonorism. The selected compositions are, on one part, the most prominent works of world music in new arrangements and, on the other, the rarely performed pieces that were originally composed for the four-guitar ensemble. The presented transcriptions, full of the four musicians’ creative solutions and conceptions make up a new repertoire characteristic of fairly individual and authorial traits. The keynote of the project is the landscape conceived of in variety of manners.

Emmanuel Bardon and his fellow musicians are tireless explorers, reviving the wonders of the poetic, literary and musical history of one of the oldest cities in the world: Aleppo. An enchanting journey at the crossroads of traditional repertoires and Canticum Novum’s cosmopolitan identity. Canticum Novum is an ensemble of early and world music created by Emmanuel Bardon in 1996. Established in Saint-Etienne, Canticum Novum has a passion for the interpretation and the transmission of the most beautiful repertoires of early music, especially those that link the music of western Europe (Spain, France, Italy etc.) with that of the Mediterranean basin. The latter being enriched with the influence of both the Christian world and the Orient (which has been molded by a Jewish and Moorish heredity).

This latest album by Ignacio Lusardi Monteverde unearths the historical influences and musical interactions of various cultures, and their effects on the numerous toques heard in flamenco today. Within his own avant-garde compositions, inspired by his travels around the Andalusian provinces, India and the Middle-East, Ignacio embraces the original modes, melodic phrases, specific tempos and rhythms that have been developed and passed down over the centuries. “Ignacio’s willingness to explore out of his comfort zone and reach out to other cultures speaks to his character.” (Phil Manzanera, Roxy Music)

ECHO celebrates the tenth anniversary of an extraordinary partnership between two virtuosos whose previous releases include 2018’s album SOAR and their 2013 debut Clychau Dibon. ECHO marks the third part of this remarkable trilogy. The harp and kora share centuries of history, and Catrin and Seckou create a unique dialogue in a musical alliance of rare empathy, inspired by differences and similarities. Their atmospheric magic crosses genre boundaries, from folk and world music to classical and contemporary as their fingers flow like opposing tributaries into a single river of sound. ECHO is the tender triumph of an extraordinary musical partnership that combines harp and kora, the modern and traditional, different cultures and common humanity.

These "Carnets de voyage", which include all of Jean-Luc Fafchamps' pieces for string and keyboard quartet, are intimately linked to the MP4 Quartet. For several years, the four musicians have been taking them everywhere they perform, even to India, where these works are considered to be world music! From "Autoportrait en expirs", which depicts a whole life through the breath (to the last one), to the contemplations of "Nuages vus du ciel", via the electronic delirium of the "Lettre Soufie", Jean-Luc Fafchamps tells us the story of his solitary expeditions to the farthest reaches of the earth. Fasten your seatbelts and turn off the lights, because you can only see well with your eyes closed.

Iberi invite you to a supra feast full of gorgeous Georgian polyphonic singing! With sacred songs, historical ballads, lullabies, work songs and ‘table songs’ for feasting, they celebrate the age-old tradition of supra and its popular toasting themes. This traditional style of polyphonic singing is inscribed in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Iberi have released an accompanying cookbook to provide the full Georgian experience – the holy trinity of food, wine and song! “They look like warriors and sing like angels!” (Nick Hobbs, Charmenco Music Agency)

Sony Classical is proud to announce the release of the brand-new album from LAVINIA MEIJER, a pioneering and exciting musician and composer, and one of the most important harpists of her generation. Four years in the making, Are You Still Somewhere? sees Meijer combine original compositions with her long stated dream of interpreting modern composers and musicians for harp. Works by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ólafur Arnalds, and Alexandra Streliski all feature, as do collaborations with Dutch pianist Pieter de Graaf and punk legend Iggy Pop.

Lavinia Meijer has always pushed boundaries. Born in South Korea and adopted by a Dutch Austrian couple aged 2, she was only 9 when she stated playing the harp. By 11, she’d already been admitted to the prestigious Utrecht Conservatory, and by 14 was playing with symphony orchestras. Known for her passion in broadening the possibilities of the harp – both in terms of sound and appeal – she’s garnered worldwide critical acclaim for her intelligent, inventive interpretations of both orchestral repertoire and more contemporary music, playing alongside the likes of Philip Glass and Ólafur Arnalds, and performing works by Radiohead in classical venues.

Over the years, she’s been experimenting with electronic music, jazz, theatrical music, and avant rock. It was these experiments that led her to the ideas behind Are You Still Somewhere?, and provided inspiration for her own compositions. “I miss certain elements in the existing repertoire of the harp,” says Meijer, “particularly with regards to bringing the instrument into the new century, making it an instrument of today and tomorrow.”

Exploring different genres – pop and rock, dance and folk, jazz and electronica – led her to discover new elements and new sounds in the harp; to open up possibilities. “Really, it’s a way for me to connect myself to the world,” she says.

Her new compositions reflect this; that musical culture is connected to society, and the world we live in. Inspired by events, large and small, around her and in her own life, Are You Still Somewhere? concerns self-reflection and inner growth, topics that have come to the fore over the last couple of years. Family too; looking back, longing, and living with one’s regrets are raked over in ‘Mom & Dad’, a track that features spoken word poetry from Iggy Pop. Melancholic and sombre, it’s a deeply emotional piece; few works here conjure such raw feelings.

So too ‘Another Lonely Night’, one of Meijer’s own works that confronts the youth suicide epidemic in her native homeland, and the pressure felt by teenagers to conform and succeed. Based mainly on two chords, the music climbs up and up, a sonic visualization of climbing up inside a building all the way to the top. ‘Stay In The Dark’, a work by mysterious neoclassical pianist Lambert, is another work that hues towards the darker end of the spectrum. “He uses very subtle night sounds, making it seem you are captured in the dark,” Meijer explains. The use of ‘lost sounds’ from the last century, discovered in an archive in the Netherlands, add to the moody atmosphere and sense of the nocturnal.

Are You Still Somewhere? is a record that showcases Meijer’s evolution as an artist and composer, but one that also speaks to her past. Defiantly individual, it brings the full scope of her talent as a harpist to the fore, and marks out new possibilities with her instrument; she pushing boundaries further than ever. “I’ve played with DJs, with pop, rock artists, jazz, and world music; it’s all possible with just one harp,” she says. “I want to show that it’s not just part of ancient history, but it’s contemporary and will keep developing itself. Are You Still Somewhere? is my way to prove that.”

REVIEW:

The album’s title implies loss and loneliness and, yes, much of it does have a feel of sitting in an empty room staring bleakly into space. Aside from brief moments from the likes of Preisner and Sakamoto, most of the material is by Lavinia Meijer herself, who is joined at the end by Iggy Pop.

-- BBC Music Magazine

TRACKLIST:

1. Showing Me (Lavinia Meijer)
2. Saman (Ólafur Arnalds)
3. Plus tôt (Alexandra Streliski)
4. Les Marionettes (Zbigniew Preisner)
5. Are You Still Somewhere? (Lavinia Meijer)
6. Porcelain (Lambert)
7. Another Lonely Night (Lavinia Meijer)
8. Stay in the Dark (Lambert)
9. Born (Lavinia Meijer)
10. DAMnation (Lavinia Meijer) feat. Pieter de Graaf
11. Solitude (Ryuichi Sakamoto)
12. Mom & Dad (Lavinia Meijer, Iggy Pop) feat. Iggy Pop

The Heart of the Dragon Ensemble and Chinese composer Jiang Li present an elegant union of ‘East meets West’, unveiling a wealth of Chinese art and culture to a broader audience. It showcases traditional Chinese music and literature via the sophisticated xiao, and the colorful Dai nation festivities with the hulusi. In addition, these two featured instruments are accompanied by the Chinese guzheng, pipa, erhu, and more, seamlessly entwining with Western drum kit, bass, guitar, piano, and strings. The result is a beautifully blended combination of classic Chinese heritage, Dai nation folk history, and Western influences.

Jessica de Boer writes: “Grow - my first album. In a way, the release of this album is the fulfillment of the things I sing about, heralding a new season. I’m looking back, ahead and at the world around me. So it’s not just about me, it’s about all of us. An album about emerging, growing (up), trusting and longing. Longing for something that’s certainly coming.” Jessica de Boer belongs to the newest generation of Dutch jazz singers and stands out because of her disarming and narrative style. During her studies at Utrecht Conservatory - from which she graduated in 2019 with honors - she fell in love with the rich harmonies and freedom of jazz. Soon she started writing her own compositions; light, colorful jazz with flexible melody-lines and a hint of world music. Inspired by nature, people and faith, her lyrics express universal theme's in a disarming way.

Astor Piazzolla's Tango Nuevo still enjoys great popularity 30 years after the composer's death. Hardly any other music is able to enthuse the classical concert audience as much as the lover of light muse, world music, or the jazz enthusiast and the specialist for contemporary music. Sonic Art Saxophone Quartet has arranged three great suites by the Argentinean grand master, which bring the rhythmic energy of the tango to the stage in highly different ways. And Valentin Butt's accordion provides the unmistakable color in the "Tango Sensations". "Estaciones Porteñas" superficially describe the Four Seasons. But they are much more than that: Buenos Aires and its people, its squares and streets, plus the atmosphere of a city where joy and suffering are often very close together. The music conveys pure emotion, inimitably captured from wild exhilaration to near silence. The almost 30 minutes of "Tango Sensations" are Piazzolla's musical legacy. The five composed states of mind were originally intended as film music and they are Piazzolla's last cyclical work. The "Suite del Diablo" was written as stage music and constantly oscillates between heaven and hell; the devil is sometimes fearsomely threatening, sometimes sugar-sweetly flattering - just as Piazzolla imagined life to be. For the tightrope walk between concert hall and club, between stage and street, the saxophone is the ideal instrumentation. No less than four of them offer a palette of expressive possibilities that blend perfectly with the accordion and which the Sonic Art Saxophone Quartet knows how to use with virtuosity. The dynamics of the performance are impressive and are unlikely to keep anyone in their seats.

The history of world music knows many examples of revival from non-existence and of rediscovery of both compositional legacy and names of composers themselves. Such phenomena also include the output and figure of Giedymin Prosper Rodkiewicz.   Until recently, Rodkiewicz was not widely known to musicologists or music lovers, and yet he was an outstanding composer, and his oeuvre survived thanks to a fortunate coincidence. The composer’s oeuvre, comprising around 75 pieces, is devoted entirely to piano and is particularly rich in miniatures. This output, as evidenced by the   dedications on the pages of Rodkiewicz’s works, reflects, like in a mirror, the world of the wealthy landed gentry who filled artistic salons, so popular in the 19th century. Likewise, the genres favored by the   composer reflect the existence of the upper echelons of the society of his era. All the pieces presented on the album are discographic premieres. Their arrangement can be considered symbolic: the gallery of the composer’s opuses opens with Waltz No. 2 in D flat major, Op. 24 and ends with Waltz No. 3 in A flat major, Op. 33. Undoubtedly, Giedymin Rodkiewicz could not fail to pay due tribute to this genre, which so definitely established its position in the 19th century Europe.

On this new release, Nadège Rochat performs Antonín Dvorák's Cello Concerto in B minor, op. 104, and André Caplet's mystically spiritualized Épiphanie, op. 22, together with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Benjamin Levy. Nadège Rochat is a distinguished expressive voice among young cellists. Besides her wide-ranging musical interests in baroque, classical and romantic repertoire, she likes to explore forgotten composers, world music and contemporary pieces. She started to play the cello at the age of four and first studied in Geneva, then in Cologne with Maria Kliegel. She attended master classes with Heinrich Schiff and Anner Bijlsma among others, and graduated from the Royal Academy of Music under Robert Cohen where she now has a teaching assignment. She won several first prizes in Swiss, German and British competitions and won twice the Swiss SUISA prize for the interpretation of contemporary music.

Composer Adam Roberts releases a collection of his chamber music which highlights his depth of expression, lyricism, and powerful command over structure and compositional arc. Featuring performances by andPlay, harpist Hannah Lash, Bearthoven, oboist Erik Behr, and the JACK Quartet, Roberts' music embraces a wide range of influences while integrating them into a focused frame. Called “a powerful success,” “arresting,” and “amazingly lush,” (the Bos-ton Musical Intelligencer), “an attractive mix of the familiar and exotic” (Boston Classical Review), and “invigorating” with a “persistent melodic urge” (American Academy of Arts and Letters), composer Adam Roberts’ music has been performed internationally by the JACK and Arditti Quartets, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, New York New Music Ensemble, Guerilla Opera, Transient Canvas, andPlay, and at festivals such as Wien Modern (Vienna), Tanglewood, the Biennale Musiques en Scène (Lyons), and the 2009 ISCM World Music Days (Göteborg). Honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fromm Commission, the Benjamin H. Danks Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Leonard Bernstein Fellowship from the Tanglewood Music Center. A dedicated educator, Roberts has taught at Harvard University, Northeastern University, Istanbul Technical University, the University of Georgia, and is currently Assistant Professor of Composition and Theory at Kent State University. In addition to this album, other music by Roberts can be heard on the Tzadik, New Focus Recordings, and Lila Müzik labels.