Available in September. Pre-order now!

The untimely passing of award-winning pianist and conductor Lars Vogt on September 5, 2022 profoundly shocked the global music community. Some 16 months earlier, already aware of his diagnosis and in the middle of his treatment sessions, the artist had an urgent desire to record a Mozart piano concerto album together with the Orchestre de chambre de Paris. He believed that performing these fantastic works that he so much admired would also be the best medicine for his condition. For this Mozart album Lars Vogt coupled two concertos: the early, exuberant Piano Concerto No. 9, ‘Jeunehomme’, written by Mozart in his early 20s, together with the melancholic and nostalgic Piano Concerto No. 24, which is considered by many as Mozart’s greatest piano concerto – a perfect closure to Lars Vogt’s final concerto album.

Available in September. Pre-order now!

After recordings of Beethoven’s complete symphonies, two Ravel albums, one Rautavaara album, and the award-winning album Americascapes, Robert Treviño now turns his focus on the symphonic poems by Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936). Together with the Orchestra Nazionale Sinfonica della RAI, Robert Treviño presents the composer’s famous Roman Trilogy, an exciting orchestral masterpiece culminating in the triumphant Pines of Rome.

This new album, featuring the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra and Aapo Häkkinen, together with the Audi Jugendchorakademie and bassoonist Jani Sunnarborg, presents late works by composer Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775–1838), making it an important addition to the recordings of Nordic Classical period works and of early Finnish music. The album’s highlight is the world première recording of Crusell’s Viking-themed, ‘The Last Warrior’ (Den sista kämpen), the composer’s last large-scale composition.

Violinist Rachel Barton Pine’s 24th recording for Cedille Records, Dependent Arising, reveals surprising confluences between classical and heavy metal music by pairing Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 77, with Earl Maneein’s Dependent Arising – Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, performed with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under the baton of Tito Muñoz.

Known for her virtuosity, expressive playing, and extensive repertoire, Pine discovered her love for heavy metal as a teenager and later performed at rock radio stations where she would intersperse covers of songs by Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and Metallica with works by Paganini and Ysaÿe.

The album explores connections between modern classical music and heavy metal and showcases Pine’s unique journey with these two seemingly disparate genres.

Pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli’s performances remain highly valued to this day for their tremendous levels of reflection. He might spend decades, for example, getting to know a work at every level in order to inform his interpretation. His touch, his appreciation of a work’s hidden emotional depths and his highly refined sense of sound were applied equally effectively to Chopin as to Debussy. Today, however, he is less well remembered as an interpreter of Mozart, which makes these 1956 recordings with the orchestra of Süddeutscher Rundfunk conducted by Anton von Bavier particularly fascinating. His Mozart is emotionally uplifting, confident, always forward-leaning and at times even boisterous, all the while shunning hype, self-indulgence and, particularly in slow movements, sentimentality.

Few listeners know much, if anything, about Zygmunt Noskowski (1846–1909), even though Szymanowski featured among his distinguished students and Moniuszko among his renowned teachers. And yet, for most of the 19th century, Noskowski was the primary exponent of modern symphonic music in Poland. As a conductor and concert organiser, he himself championed the causes of forgotten Polish composers. Now it’s the turn of Antoni Wit, who succeeded Noskowski at the helm of the Warsaw Philharmonic 94 years after his retirement, to raise the profile of his late-romantic colleague, having similarly promoted the music of Zygmunt Stojowski on a previous Capriccio recording (C5464).

On this newest endeavour, the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Joachim Gustafsson, turns its attention towards Danish composer August Enna (1859–1939) with renderings of two of his charming orchestral works. Traces of several elements from Enna’s musical life converge in the Violin Concerto: his background as a violinist and his deep connection to opera meet the tradition of Nordic national romanticism. While Symphony No. 2 may be considered conservative for its era, it is abundantly rich in its continuous melodic flow, creating an immediately impactful experience.

Fresh from their critically acclaimed series of the complete symphonies of Beethoven (8.505251) and Brahms (8.574465–67), the Danish Chamber Orchestra and Adam Fischer turn to Haydn’s late symphonies, beginning with the first three of the twelve ‘London’ symphonies, composed during Haydn’s first visit to the capital. Arguably his greatest achievements in the genre, they include the enduringly popular ‘surprise’ in the slow movement of No. 94. Fischer and his orchestra, who have performed together for over two decades, employ varied bowing and playing styles in the strings and innovative dynamic techniques in the winds that bring new levels of excitement to these masterpieces.

Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, ‘Pathétique’ is the culmination of Tchaikovsky’s symphonic canon. It charts a monumental course from its opening – the longest symphonic movement he ever wrote – through a powerful march-scherzo to a shattering, lamenting finale. The fantasy-overture after Shakespeare’s Hamlet is an insightful character study. The much-admired Tchaikovsky recordings of the Utah Symphony Orchestra and Maurice Abravanel – who brought the orchestra to prominence as one of America’s most distinctive and respected – were originally released in 1974.

Stanisław Moniuszko’s music is filled with patriotic character and songful lyricism, and of his numerous operas, he is perhaps best remembered for Halka (8.660485–86) and The Haunted Manor (8.111391–92). With his reputation as ‘the father of Polish national opera’ firmly established, Paria was his final completed opera. The tragic narrative tells of the pariah Idamor, who becomes the heroic leader of an army and goes against Indian social norms in choosing Neala, the daughter of High Priest Akebar, as his bride. Although Paria was misunderstood by critics at its premiere, the moving themes of exclusion and the power of social rules now make it an opera for our times.

This 6-disc collection features some of the most renowned singers of the 20th century. Disc 1 showcases Nicolai Gedda’s interpretive genius with historical recordings made between 1954 and 1965 and featuring works by Mozart, Rossini, Glinka, Schubert, Poulenc, Rimsky-Korsakov and others. On Disc 2, Martina Arroyo’s rich, well-rounded voice is on full display during her Schweingen SWR Festival performances. Discs 3 and 4 include recordings made at the height of Peter Anders’ career, featuring works by Wagner, Strauss, Beethoven, Schumann and Tchaikovsky. Disc 5 spotlights Marilyn Horne at the peak of her abilities with an all-Rossini programme. Lastly, Disc 6 is devoted to the incomparable Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, performing lesser-known repertoire from the 1950s in Stuttgart. This collection provides a captivating musical journey that presents some of the greatest voices of the 20th century.

Led by the visionary conductor, organist, and harpsichordist Mary Jane Newman, the angelic voices of the Parthenia XII choir, accompanied by the Musica Antiqua ensemble, takes listeners on a soul-stirring exploration of the Magnificat collection. This compilation puts together the magnificent works of three celebrated composers – Michael Praetorius, Johann Pachelbel, and Samuel Scheidt – and brings audiences back to an era when Baroque splendour and spiritual resonance converged. This digital release presents an unforgettable journey even for those who may be new to the world of classical music; the sheer beauty and emotional depth present in this release will surely leave an indelible mark on listeners.

Premiered online between October and November 2020, Campaign Songs is a collaboration with Kronos Quartet, intended to galvanise voter turnout in the 2020 election. Recorded in isolation by each member of the Quartet, the eight short pieces that comprise Campaign Songs were accompanied by specially made video works touching on racial, climate, and economic justice issues.

The pieces, arranged by Michael Gordon, draw from the canon of American patriotic, political, and folk music, including Woodie Guthrie’s This Land is Your Land, God Bless America (a campaign song for both Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his 1940 opponent Wendell Willkie), When Johnny Comes Marching Home (a campaign song for James A. Garfield), America the Beautiful, and The Star Spangled Banner.

Unbounded: Music by American Women builds on the success of Perspectives, Dawn Wohn’s premiere album that showcased music by women from around the world. Unbounded features Amy Beach’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon’s Smoky Mountain Air. Works by two African American women, Dorothy Rudd Moore and Irene Britton Smith, complete this exciting new recording.

Dawn Wohn’s and Emely Phelps’ performance on Unbounded is virtuosic and sensitive. The album will bring recognition to two African American composers whose outstanding compositions are yet to be discovered by most listeners. Amy Beach’s expansive Sonata is given a superlative presentation. The album offers an engaging combination of music from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, vividly presented by two exceptionally talented instrumentalists.

A native of Genoa, Luigi Cortese merged his experiences from studies in Paris and tuition from Alfredo Casella in Italy to create a personal idiom of lively intelligence and refined taste, largely avoiding the temptations of passing musical fashions. Salmo VIII is one of Cortese’s most important and profound works, while Cinque Pezzi is his wonderfully expressive final piano opus. This programme also contains two historical recordings made in the 1960s, including the Suite Française, which is one of the few documents of his own piano playing and probably Cortese’s finest achievement in the piano field. The poetic Sonata for Cello and Piano is performed by the unforgettable cellist Giorgio Lippi and pianist Luciano Sgrizzi.

It was in Paris just before the end of the 19th century that George Enescu began to compose prolifically, but it is only in recent years that a number of these scores have emerged. The Piano Quintet in D Major is one such work, lost for decades, but which proves to be a robust and elaborate piece reflecting the influence of Brahms. Enescu’s liking for unusual instrumental combinations is another theme of this album, such as the Prélude et Gavotte for violin, cello and two pianos, and the eloquent Pastorale, Menuet triste et Nocturne for violin and piano four hands. Aubade is Enescu’s only string trio, and the ever-popular Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 in the arrangement for piano and string quintet ends the programme with a flourish.

After the signal event that was World War I, gifted young composers trooped into the French metropolis full of hope. In 1925, the publisher Michel Dillard coined the term L’École de Paris (The Paris School) in reference to the foreign composers then living in Paris, principally the Hungarian Tibor Harsányi (1898–1954), Poland’s Alexandre Tansman (1897–1986), Bohuslav Martinů (1890–1959) from Czechoslovakia, Russia’s Alexander Tcherepnin (1899–1977), and the Romanian Marcel Mihalovici (1898–1985), all of whose works he specialised in disseminating.

These composers came to Paris from Eastern Europe and all, with the exception of Martinů [and Swiss composer Conrad Beck (1901–1989)], died there. All five initially addressed the difficult task of translating their countries’ folk music idioms into standard musical notation. Several works on this programme are heard in their world premiere recordings.

Within this album, the Insolito 8cento duo, composed of Angelo de Magistris on violin and Rosaria Dina Rizzo on piano, sheds light on a lesser-known body of work of the renowned Belcanto master Gaetano Donizetti: his chamber works dedicated to the violin. Often overlooked or even entirely neglected, and despite Donizetti’s more prominent association with vocal compositions, his exploration of chamber works for the violin reveals a dimension of his creative output that merits greater recognition. The music exhibited in this collection showcases his exceptional ability to craft elegant and refined works, mirroring the quality present in his vocal oeuvre. Unlike mere exercises or casual endeavours, these pieces reflect a genuine dedication to artistic expression.

Highly respected in the 19th-century Parisian music scene, Louise Farrenc was acclaimed as a pianist and admired by Robert Schumann for her compositions. The Theme and Variation sets are among her most significant works for piano. Their content ranges from the humour and playfulness of the Op. 7 set, to the intimacy and melancholy of Op. 6 on the popular aria O ma tendre musette! Maria Stratigou’s recording of the Études (GP912–13) was considered ‘beguiling piano music’ in BBC Music Magazine, confirming once again that Farrenc has been unjustly neglected as a composer.

The album Echo of BACH is Agata-Maria Raatz’s personal exploration through the history of solo music for violin, tracing its origins from the early Baroque period to the present. It is a musical journey centred on J.S. Bach, an inspiration to many generations of composers. On this unique path, the great master not only inspires, but is also influenced by the works of other musicians. Among them is a composer who might have been a source of inspiration for Bach on his musical path. It is the composer and violinist Jean Paul von Westhoff. Bach was 18 years old at the time, while Westhoff died only two years later at the age of 49. The probability is high that they met at that time and the young Bach became familiar with Westhoff’s work.

For her album, Raatz has chosen Bach’s Suite No. 5 in D Minor, coupled with a piece composed by the artist especially for this album under the pseudonym Clara Jaz. In addition the programme includes the work Cette âme a six ailes tout comme les Séraphins (This soul has six wings like the Seraphim) composed by the Swiss composer Xavier Dayer especially for Agata-Maria Raatz.

Delving further into the realm of piano compositions, Stefano Cascioli takes on an exciting new venture – the exploration of works by Hungarian composer Ferenc Farkas (1905–2000). Ferenc Farkas shared a profound connection with Italy that profoundly impacted both his career and the trajectory of Hungarian music history. Leading the composition department at the Budapest Academy of Music from 1949 to 1975, his class produced such excellent composers as György Ligeti, György Kurtág, Emil Petrovics, Sándor Szokolay, Miklós Kocsár, Zoltán Jeney, Zsolt Durkó, and Attila Bozay. His legendary lessons played an important role in turning the interest of Hungarian composers toward Latin culture and loosening the grip of the German influence that had lasted for centuries. While Farkas drew inspiration from the likes of Respighi in his approach to music and his reverence for the musical past, his style resonated more closely with Alfredo Casella and Gian Francesco Malipiero. His songs and chamber works were soon successfully presented in the Italian capital. A testament to this influence, the Teatro Indipententi staged the comedy Non ci sono più donne, written by Amelia Della Pergola (also known as Diotima), featuring Farkas’ music on March 15, 1930.

After World War I, composers would cast off the moorings of the traditional European styles to create something inexorably new. This was the beginning of the American Century. The four composers featured are the pinnacle of that achievement. Schuman, Persichetti, Ives, and Copland blazed a trail into a new era of distinctly American classical music on this incredible album from the United States Navy Band Washington D.C.

Andrea Chénier, premiered in 1896, is rightly considered a major work of verismo: with this melodrama about the historical figure of a poet in the turmoil of the French Revolution, composer Umberto Giordano created his emotionally charged masterpiece.

Director Philipp Stölzl, who is known for his imaginative, detailed and expressive directing style, made his debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper with this opera in 2017. The singing cast is also spectacular. Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros, the opera dream couple par excellence, can thus be seen together for the fourth time in a new Munich production. Through fortunate circumstances, two performances of the revival series – which, like the premiere series, was completely sold out – were recorded in the same year. This stirring, inspiring opera interpretation is now immortalised on DVD and Blu-ray.

Based on a play by Victor Hugo, Verdi’s Ernani was an immediate success, and as his most popular and frequently performed opera, it became a cornerstone of his burgeoning reputation in the mid-1800s. Contemporary critics remarked that ‘coming out of the theatre, people were already singing [those] catchy tunes … Few scores have made a stronger, more powerful impression.’ Ernani is a dramatic and intensely memorable tale of rebellion and romance – the chilling presence of the man in black and the drama of a joyful wedding turned to intense tragedy remains one of Verdi’s most compelling operatic creations. This acclaimed production was the first to be staged at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino since 1965.

Hänsel und Gretel brought Humperdinck worldwide fame but his tragic fairy story Königskinder (The King’s Children) offers a stark contrast to it and has only begun to be revived in recent years. The doomed love of a goose girl and a prince – as they battle prejudice and are obstructed by magic – ends in their loving deaths, and with it a rebuke to the villagers who rejected them. This acclaimed production by the renowned German director Christof Loy features the award-winning singers – tenor Daniel Behle and Ukrainian soprano Olga Kulchynska.

From the headlong rush of the overture, Mozart’s timeless comedy is a breathless journey through one very eventful day in the life of an 1830s château. Figaro and his bride Susanna conspire to foil the unwanted advances of Count Almaviva, while the Countess has her heart stolen by a cross-dressing pageboy. Mozart’s music unfolds with beautiful solos and ensembles to amplify the deep emotions behind the seemingly farcical surface.

Music Director of The Royal Opera Antonio Pappano brings his specialist perspective to Mozart’s effervescent score. A young and predominantly Italian cast, including Ricardo Fassi, Giulia Semenzato and Germán E. Alcántara, perform this revival of David McVicar’s sumptuous and hugely popular period staging.

Glyndebourne’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is pure magic. Brilliantly adapted from Shakespeare’s play, the opera follows the adventures of four lovers and a group of naïve rustics who, in a wood on a moonstruck midsummer night, fall foul of Oberon and Tytania, the quarrelling king and queen of the fairies.

In Peter Hall’s remarkable staging, the very wood comes alive as logs and trees move and rustle, creating ambiguous silhouettes in the dark mysterious woodland, lit only by designer John Bury’s wonderful rising sun and moon.

Three legendary performances from the Stuttgart Ballet in the choreography of John Cranko: Onegin, Romeo and Juliet, and The Taming of the Shrew. This boxed set includes bonus conversations on each ballet and three documentaries on the Stuttgart Ballet and its outstanding dancers Marcia Haydée and Friedemann Vogel: Of Miracles and Superheroes – The Stuttgart Ballet, Marcia Haydée – The Seduction to Dance and Friedemann Vogel – Incarnation of Dance. This is the first time these three documentaries are available on DVD and Blu-ray!

This collaboration started with the idea of somehow combining the fields of classical contemporary music and contemporary jazz improvisation, creating a bridge between the musical worlds. The resulting album, All in Twilight, is driven by a deep admiration for the original music and its expressive potential. Toru Takemitsu’s guitar suite All in Twilight with its richness and wide musical spectrum is paired with Erland von Koch’s Utanmyra-variationer based on a Swedish folk music tune, the explosive guitar piece Fuoco by French composer Roland Dyens and Thin Places, a new composition written for the duo by Stefan Klaverdal.

Tri Nguyen, classical pianist and đàn-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 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.

Composer and accomplished trumpet and flugelhorn player Jakob Buchanan writes music specifically with the musicians he is working with in mind. For this important project, he joins forces with his regular partners: the Aarhus Jazz Orchestra, conductor Carsten Seyer-Hansen, and percussionist Marilyn Mazur. Together, they conjure landscapes of beauty, power, and occasionally delve into profound melancholy. Mazur’s panoply of percussion functions as an emotional basso continuo, speaking a language built out of pure rhythm. Buchanan’s solos emerge almost like ancient cantillations amidst the intricate choral and orchestral textures. The Aarhus Jazz Orchestra is carefully orchestrated, and the Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir provides an aura of ethereal beauty, uniting wind and song in a captivating sonic tapestry. In every way, Buchanan’s Song and Wind is a worthy successor to his earlier award-winning Requiem, (also written with Marilyn Mazur and the Aarhus Jazz Orchestra in mind), a major work, expressive and full of beauty, drawing equally on the music of the past while charting a further course into the future.

Esteemed trumpeter Torsten Maaß has made his mark over the years as a versatile composer, adept arranger, and highly sought-after guest conductor for numerous prominent big bands. His artistic brilliance is evident in his collaborations with notable artists such as Max Mutzke, Clueso, and Ack van Rooyen, among others. Leading the renowned SWR Big Band, Torsten Maaß directs a captivating collection of compositions that bring his musical visions to life. Music Composed from Real Life, Part 1 features Maaß’ works influenced by real-life experiences, including notable tracks such as Sir Charles’ Tea Time, Basie Day, It’s Only Life, Lester Left Town, D is to Drive, and The Fluffer.

Experience the enduring elegance of Mozart’s Piano Sonatas through a remarkable complimentary track download. Dive into the expertise of pianist Lars Vogt as he masterfully interprets Piano Sonata No. 2 in F Major, K. 280. Vogt’s skilful touch brings out the vitality of each intricate note, animating the music with remarkable precision and showcasing Mozart’s brilliance in every melody and phrase.