Sylvius Leopold Weiss was born in the then-Bohemian province of Silesia (now in Poland) in 1687. Growing up, Weiss was greatly influenced by Losy, and this influence is clearly reflected in his early compositions. Following his Italian sojourn (1710–14), Weiss became deeply involved with the Prague musical scene. According to numerous documents, he spent considerable time there even after being invited by Augustus the Strong on the 23rd of August 1718 to become an Electoral Saxon and Royal Polish Chamber Musician at his court in Dresden. Between 1717 and 1724, Weiss collaborated with Prague lute maker Thomas Edlinger to enhance the standard 11-course instrument by adding two bass courses to extend its range. Together, they devised an innovative design that expanded the lute’s capabilities, resulting in a unique instrument. This is the kind of lute used for this recording, embodying the craftsmanship and innovation of its creators. It’s worth noting that the lutes were traditionally strung with gut rather than metal, as is often the case today, and this recording continues this tradition.

The Dresden manuscript features several of Weiss’s best-known works, also found in other manuscripts, alongside a selection of expansive sonatas composed later in his life that are exclusive to this source. While some of these sonatas are handwritten by Weiss himself, the majority were likely copied by Friedrich Wilhelm Raschke, the Saxon minister for war. According to Crawford, Raschke ‘seems to have gained access to what must have been Weiss’s personal archive of music.’

Margherita Berlanda is an incredible sound artist known for her deep connection with the accordion, both technically and emotionally. Her project Beyond/Oltre reflects her innovative approach, pushing the boundaries of music interpretation. Through this endeavour, she challenges herself to overcome diverse obstacles, turning the accordion into a vehicle for exploration and revelation. With her artistic vision, Berlanda invites audiences on a captivating journey through dynamic musical landscapes.

The musical walk through the Danube metropolis of Vienna leads past the homes of waltz kings and monuments to operetta composers, to the Ringstrasse, to pubs and wine taverns.

At the podium of the Munich Radio Orchestra is Patrick Hahn – a true expert on Vienna. The young Austrian knows Vienna very well – he is also considered a proven interpreter of Georg Kreisler’s song art, which he also gives a sample of on the piano and signing at this production.

Anton Bruckner began the revision of his Third Symphony after completing the Fifth on 16 May 1876, and continued working on it sporadically until 28 April 1877. Then, after the Vienna Philharmonic rejected the symphony for a third time, Bruckner’s friend Hofkapellmeister Johann Herbeck took matters into his own hands. He arranged to conduct the work himself as part of a concert series promoted by the Society for the Friends of Music (Gesellschaftskonzerte) on 16 December 1877. When Herbeck passed away unexpectedly, Bruckner was forced to conduct the symphony himself. The performance proved to be one of the worst debacles of his career. The players were rude and unreceptive, and the audience left the concert hall in droves. Despite the public fiasco, Theodor Rättig, one of the few people who remained to the end of the performance, offered to publish the work, which represented the first publication of a Bruckner symphony. Two other people who were also there at the end – Gustav Mahler and Rudolf Krzyzanowski – prepared a piano four-hand reduction for Rättig’s publication, which appeared at the end of 1879.

Whenever Gustav Mahler spoke of Beethoven, he did so with an air of reverence: ‘Among poets and composers of more recent times we can, perhaps, name but three: Shakespeare, Beethoven and Wagner.’ Even so, Mahler the conductor considered Beethoven’s scores primarily as a challenge, as material that needed to be adapted for the orchestras and concert halls of his time. Richard Wagner had already studied Beethoven’s scores intensively and written about them in great detail. The balance in sound of the classical orchestra had developed, and a return to previous proportions was out of the question, given the increased size of the concert halls. People knew of the existence of Mahler’s adaptations, but it was not until 1927 that Erwin Stein, the composer, pianist and music journalist active in Schoenberg’s circles, was able to report that all of Mahler’s conducting scores, replete with his ‘Retuschen’ (retouchings), had in fact survived.

Mary Elizabeth Bowden, praised for her ‘splendid, brilliant’ artistry (Gramophone), celebrates the narrative power of the trumpet with Storyteller: Contemporary Concertos for Trumpet. Bowden is joined by the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and conductor Allen Tinkham in a collection of new concertos that redefine the trumpet’s voice in modern classical music. This recording, a testament to Bowden’s commitment to expanding the trumpet repertoire, features world premiere recordings of works by James M. Stephenson, Clarice V. Assad, Vivian Fung, Tyson Gholston Davis, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and Reena Esmail, showcasing the richness and versatility of contemporary classical trumpet music. Two works by James M. Stephenson bookend the program: The Storyteller, which pays homage to legendary trumpeter, Adolph Herseth, and Scram!, a spirited display of musical virtuosity. Clarice Assad’s Bohemian Queen draws its inspiration from the life and visual art of Gertrude Abercrombie, known as ‘the queen of the bohemian artists’ and active in Chicago’s jazz circles. Assad’s concerto integrates the classical form with the spontaneity of jazz. Vivian Fung’s Trumpet Concerto is written for and inspired by Bowden’s pioneering journey as a female trumpeter in a male-dominated field. This continuous, episodic work traverses a spectrum of emotions – from struggle to triumph – culminating in a celebratory frenzy that challenges and expands the instruments’ traditional boundaries. Tyson Davis’s Veiled Light is a musical interpretation of a James Abbott McNeill Whistler painting, Nocturne in Black and Red, conveyed through an exploration of light and shadow. The piece captures the artwork’s serene yet dynamic reflection of urban nightscapes. Sarah Kirkland Snider originally scored her Caritas as a song for mezzo-soprano, based on texts by Hildegard von Bingen. The piece, which Snider arranged for trumpet specially for this recording, celebrates the power of the Female Divine and Bowden’s own presence in the brass music world as a symbol of strength, power, and creative force. Reena Esmail’s Rosa de Sal, inspired by Pablo Neruda’s Sonnet XVII, is based on the Hindustani raag of Puriya Dhanashree. The composition delves into the depths of desire and intimacy, capturing the poem’s essence through a fusion of Western and Eastern musical traditions. Storyteller: Contemporary Concertos for Trumpet is produced and engineered by the GRAMMY-winning team of James Ginsburg and Bill Maylone.

The works on this album take us on a journey exploring Mozart’s diverse musical horizons. It opens with the dramatic Adagio and Fugue, K. 546, a work with an almost primeval expressive power that can still shock today. The Sinfonia concertante is one of Mozart’s greatest masterpieces, its luminous world of elegance and clarity delivering a message of hope amidst the most profound melancholy. The programme ends with Mozart’s youthful Symphony No. 27 in which an intensity of expression and air of enigmatic mystery hides behind a gloss of graceful playfulness.

The Ferruccio Busoni Chamber Orchestra, founded in 1965, is one of the first chamber orchestras created in Italy after the war and the oldest in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. The orchestra has performed worldwide, including Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Tunisia and Italy with renowned soloists. The orchestra has recorded recordings on Amadeus and Brilliant Classics. They also organise the International Musical Mornings festival. Notably, they received the 14th Century Seal by the Municipality of Trieste.

Massimo Belli, a distinguished violinist and conductor, is the director of the Ferruccio Busoni Chamber Orchestra. He has performed solo and conducted in the most important halls throughout Europe, the former Soviet Union, Turkey and South America. Belli has recorded for various radio stations and labels, including Concerto Classics, Brilliant Classics and Warner Classics.

The 2023 edition of Brucknertage Festival St. Florian showcased a rare treat: Rémy Ballot and the Altomonte Orchestra St. Florian presented the premiere performance of the critical new edition of Anton Bruckner’s Symphony in D Minor, WAB 100, ‘The Nullified’ (formerly known as Die Nullte or No. 0) by David Chapman. This composition, contrary to common belief, is not Bruckner’s symphonic debut but was composed in 1869 after his first symphony, initially intended to be his second. Many aspects of the piece introduce radical new elements, foreshadowing the revolutionary compositional techniques of Bruckner’s later works. Notably, the ‘First Theme’ does not conform to traditional thematic development but rather presents abstract soundscapes, leading conductor Felix Otto Dessoff of the Vienna Philharmonic to famously inquire, ’Well, where is the main theme there?’ This critique deeply affected the sensitive 45-year-old Bruckner, leading him to ‘nullify’ the work by adding the number ‘0’ to the autograph and disregarding it for the remainder of his life. However, it wasn’t until 1924 that this magnificent D Minor symphony, unjustly overlooked in Bruckner’s catalogue, received its long-awaited premiere in Klosterneuburg.

Margaret Brouwer is a composer renowned for her music’s lyricism, imagery and emotional power. The five premiere recordings on this album span 24 years. Brouwer grew up in a Dutch/American community and her Symphony No. 1, Lake Voices encodes both a recurring Dutch hymn-like melody and the rhapsodic, sparkling sonorities of a lake vista. Rhapsody, Concerto for Orchestra provides dazzling sounds and virtuosic challenges, while Pluto, written during a period of loss, offers destructive but also restorative moments. Elsewhere, Brouwer evokes the beauties of nature and sailing at dawn.

Restless and dynamic by nature, Oscar Lorenzo Fernandez was a key figure in the cultural life of Rio de Janeiro, founding numerous influential musical institutions both journalistic and educational. He gained international fame for the primordial power of Batuque, the final dance movement of his Afro-Brazilian influenced Reisado do Pastoreio suite. Without ever abandoning his Brazilian roots, in his later career Lorenzo Fernandez moved away from explicit nationalism towards a more universalist idiom as can be heard in the vigorously themed and atmospheric First Symphony of 1945 and the programmatic Second Symphony, inspired by the life and death of the heroic 17th-century explorer Fernão Dias Paes Leme.

Toshio Hosokawa is Japan’s leading living composer. This fourth volume in the series of his orchestral works, during which he was present for all recording sessions, contains two concertos and two works for orchestra. The Trumpet Concerto, ‘Im Nebel’, which draws its inspiration from Herman Hesse’s poem, conjures up a vision of man and nature, in which the trumpet slowly and magically melts into the orchestral mist. Inspired by a birth, Violin Concerto, ‘Genesis’ again places the soloist as the human protagonist in a universal drama of finding harmony through conflict. Sakura is one of Japan’s best-loved songs, arranged by Hosokawa for orchestra, and Uzu displays unique orchestral sonorities.

Award-winning composer Gabriel Erkoreka (b. 1969) is one of the leading composers of contemporary music from the Iberian Peninsula. This new album by the Basque National Orchestra conducted by Juanjo Mena is dedicated to his orchestral works. Erkoreka studied composition with Michael Finnissy at the Royal Academy of Music in London and after graduating, his works have been performed in important festivals across the globe. In 2021, Gabriel Erkoreka received the National Music Award given by the Spanish Ministry of Culture.

Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony marked several new departures for the composer: not only did it differ from its predecessors in terms of tonal language and formal structure, it was also the first symphony to bring the composer, now 60 years old, the success that had been elusive for so long. After its premiere in Leipzig, subsequent performances took place in other German cities, and then in Amsterdam, Chicago, New York, Berlin, Budapest and London; also in Vienna, which for many years had been very critical of Bruckner’s works.

Soon after finishing the Seventh Symphony, Bruckner composed the Eighth, his most extensive. However, after being told by his good friend, the conductor Hermann Levi, that he couldn’t quite make sense of it, Bruckner – again plagued by self-doubt – immediately started to revise the score, a process that took him a number of years. The Eighth Symphony therefore has two versions: the original one from 1887 (heard on this recording directed by Eliahu Inbal, one of the first conductors to re-introduce it into concert halls) and the revised version from 1890.

The massive popularity of Grieg’s Piano Concerto contributed significantly to his renown, marking a high point in his early period. This is a truly Romantic concerto with parallels to Schumann in its emphasis on melodic lines. The overture In Autumnhas an air of Mendelssohn in its sense of drama combined with a ‘union of merry and serious elements’ that characterise the season. The Two Lyric Pieces and the Old Norwegian Melody with Variations provide an attractive mosaic of Norwegian mood pictures.

With the world premiere recording of the environmental oratorio Earth Vigil, GRAMMY Award-winning choir Conspirare and conductor Craig Hella Johnson celebrate their long-time artistic relationship with composer Robert Kyr. Earth Vigil tells a tender and moving story of two characters and their dramatic journey amidst great challenges caused by the intensifying climate crisis. This extraordinary new work invites us to remember the wonder and beauty of the natural world and of our lives together on this planet. As it comes to a close, the final scene compels us forward with a profoundly hopeful and emboldening song. Soprano Awet Andemicael and baritone Stephen Lancaster give voice to the leading characters.

Mezzo-soprano Megan Kahts, a native of South Africa, received her training at the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where she has been based since 2009. She sings internationally, specialising in the performance of Early and Contemporary music and has won coveted prizes in prestigious competitions. With a background as both a pianist and a vocalist since her teenage years in South Africa, Megan embodies the essence of both a stage performer and a chamber musician.

The Carestini Ensemble Wien, founded by Megan Kahts, consists of her close musician colleagues with whom she has collaborated on various baroque opera and chamber music projects. Specialising primarily in eighteenth-century compositions, the ensemble explores the works of Handel, Hasse, Gluck, Caldara, and other composers who crafted parts and roles for the castrato Giovanni Carestini, after whom the ensemble is named. Based in Vienna, all members of the ensemble are experts in Historical Performance Practice, showcasing their talents on period instruments.

The third volume of Mozart’s Masses focuses on works written in Salzburg when the composer was in his late teens and early twenties. The Missa in honorem Sanctissimae Trinitatis, a bright celebratory work, is the only Mass setting without soloists that Mozart composed. The Missa Brevis in D Major is a compact, economic setting conforming to the Archbishop’s dictates for shorter works. Its companion, the Missa Brevis in B-Flat Major, though keenly responsive and beautiful, upset church musicians because it utilised a Parisian gavotte in the ‘Dona nobis pacem’ and ended Mozart’s employment on a provocative note. Volume 1 in the series is on 8.574270, Volume 2 is on 8.574417.

The impulse to create this album stemmed from the 10th anniversary of TrioTones, coinciding with the Year of Czech Music. TrioTones proudly presents its debut album Czech Chamber Music, featuring compositions spanning from 1763 to 1980. Among the showcased composers is Roman Haas, a talented  yet somewhat forgotten Czech composer. The project, from inception to completion, spanned a year. Now, you can finally enjoy this collection of exquisite Czech chamber music for clarinet, cello and piano.

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco began to focus on chamber music composition during the late 1920s. From this period comes the String Quartet No. 1 in G Major, which offers a countryside panorama with rustic serenades and processional themes reminiscent of a village festival. Returning to a much-changed Italy after the Second World War inevitably generated mixed feelings in the composer – the String Quartet No. 2 in F Minor reflects these through dissonance and restlessness, though dancing rhythms sound notes of optimism. His final quartet, No. 3 in F major ‘Casa al Dono’, is an effortless fantasia, animated and in part ecclesiastical, which was inspired by memories of his homeland and the friendships he had enjoyed.

The music world celebrated a very special anniversary in 2023: Johann Sebastian Bach’s appointment as Thomaskantor in Leipzig three hundred years ago. Looking back, Bach’s appointment as Thomaskantor in Leipzig marked a continuation of his successful career, despite not being the first choice for the position. Bach’s music has consistently delighted audiences, from its revival by Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn in the past to its prominence today in countless concert series, festivals, and music ensembles bearing his name. This project is no exception. As a recorder player and musician, Andreas Kammenos owes much to Bach, showcasing his instrument’s versatility in wonderful cantatas and drawing  inspiration from Bach’s arrangements of other composers’ works and his own recycling of musical themes.

During his first visit to Prague in 1840, Franz Liszt, the musical genius and titan of the piano, heard and remembered Josef Theodor Krov’s melody Tešme se blahou nadejí, which was subsequently misinterpreted as an old Hussite song. Inspired by this melody, Liszt wrote the Hussiten-Lied. Another composition by Liszt on this album, Slavimo slavno slaveni! is also inspired by Czech/Slavic culture. Naturally, Liszt’s influence extended to Czech musicians, prompting the inclusion of compositions by several Czech composers on this album.

Lark Animations is an exploration of the songbird’s existence through a commemorative study, drawing inspiration from its movement patterns and heralding calls of spring. The player is surrounded by twelve sheets of music, forming an organic open-world system that animates the gestures of the body, the movements of the bow, and the resonance of the violin, echoing a singing lark soaring through the skies. Through its non-linear arrangement and open structure, the piece encourages the performer to immerse themselves in the material, leaving the actual duration at the discretion of the violinist and adaptable to the specific circumstances of each performance. The two recorded takes of Lark Animations represent arbitrary motions through the score, serving as the A and B sides of this release.

The Italian composer, Carlo Albanesi, moved to London in 1882 where he successfully balanced a career as a piano soloist with that of professor of piano at the Royal Academy of Music. The majority of Albanesi’s compositional output was for solo piano and his pedagogical publications are still in use by students today. His narrative and lyrical style is apparent in both the Six Romances without Words and the improvisatory Album Leaves, while the antique dances in the Piano Suite show the influence of Grieg. The sonatas are considered the quintessence of Albanesi’s oeuvre, and his last, the Sixth Sonata, contains an entire world of expressive nuance. Acclaimed pianist Julia Severus continues her survey of works by an unjustly forgotten composer pianist who was held in the highest esteem by colleagues, students and audiences alike.

The essence of Ferruccio Busoni’s music lies in its synthesis of emotion and intellect, rooted in his Italian and German ancestry. His Sonatinas typify the stylistic range of his maturity, with the First Sonatina unfolding with the spontaneity of an improvisation. Veering between darting angularity and ominous expectancy, the Second Sonatina is one of his most radical musical statements, while the poise of the Fourth Sonatina marks Busoni’s closest approach to Impressionism. The Drei Albumblätter represent Busoni at his most austere and profound, reflecting the mystical character of his late music.

This series marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Anton Bruckner, which falls in 2024. It’s dedicated to his symphonic works which are performed in new transcriptions for organ by Hansjörg Albrecht and recorded at important locations that include Zurich, Leipzig, Linz, Vienna and London. Each transcription is accompanied by a contemporary composition that references Bruckner’s work in the ‘Bruckner Windows’ series.

Hansjörg Albrecht concludes this extensive project commemorating Anton Bruckner with his final recording of the Study Symphony.

The guitar played a significant role in Paganini’s career as a composer. It’s speculated that he received his initial musical training from his father on a Genoese mandolin before focusing on the violin and the ‘chittara francese.’ These instruments shared a similar tuning to the guitar. The recording dedicated to Paganini’s complete works for guitar is divided into two double-disc volumes. The first volume includes the 43 Ghiribizzi and various other compositions, such as sonatas, sonatinas and free forms. Mauro Bonelli, for the realisation of this work, used a period guitar with catgut strings, tuned to 415 Hz: nineteenth-century Austrian guitar without a label; the fact that its fretboard can be tilted by means of a peg connects it with the best Legnani-Stauffer tradition.

The Subscription Concert Series of the Wiener Philharmoniker, held in the Golden Hall of the famous Musikverein, are special concerts reserved for subscribers, hence the name. But to become a subscriber, due to the exceptional quality of the concerts and the limited offer, the average waiting time is more than 10 years. With this series, these very special concerts are made available to a wider audience worldwide for the first time in an audiovisual format. With Zubin Mehta and Martha Argerich ‘two veteran musicians gave rise to real storms of enthusiasm in the Musikverein.’ (Wiener Zeitung) ‘The power of true ‘Old Masters’ – Martha Argerich sat at the piano as spiritedly sparkling as ever. Just as Bruckner’s Fourth subsequently succeeded in becoming a magnificent dialogue between orchestra and conductor: Bruckner impulsive, intimate, poignant, stirring.’ (Kronenzeitung)

‘They languish until the last encore’ (Wiener Zeitung), ‘A deeply felt, rapturous performance’ (The Guardian)

A radiant concert at the Great Golden Hall of the Wiener Musikverein: Diana Damrau and Jonas Kaufmann, luminaries of the classical realm and celebrated interpreters of Lieder, breathe life into love songs of two titans of romanticism, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms. They explore love’s myriad dimensions through soul-stirring solos and mesmerizing duets in a journey through a kaleidoscope of emotions, from reverie and yearning to the bliss of fulfilment, tempered by moments of heartache, resignation, and sacrifice, charming and moving. Adding to the magic is their esteemed collaborator at the piano, the incomparable Helmut Deutsch, whose artistry enhances every note and infuses the music with an undeniable depth of expression.

Pianist Yuja Wang has become an integral part of the world‘s major stages, inspiring young and old alike. Her playing displays technical brilliance and a seemingly endless range of emotions. The Piano Recital from the Wiener Konzerthaus allows her to display her fiery virtuosity as well as her mature musicality and imagination with an eclectic, personally chosen program. It combines masterpieces from famous works by Ludwig van Beethoven and Alexander Scriabin to lesser-known compositions by György Ligeti and Nikolai Kapustin, including also sublime musical miniatures by Christoph Willibald Gluck and Philip Glass. A historical milestone that is not to be missed! ‘The hall went wild!’ (Der Standard)

Gaetano Donizetti had big shoes to fill at his debut in Naples in 1823, arriving at the Teatro di San Carlo just after Rossini’s departure, full of talent but still seeking his true voice. Alfredo il Grande is influenced by Rossini, but also shows hints of great things to come. The narrative is a celebration of heroism and magnanimous royalty, taking us to 9th century England where King Alfred the Great is on the run from the Vikings. Revived two centuries after the spectacular failure of its premiere, this little-known opera seria can now stand as a reflection on humanitarian values and gestures of resistance against the destructiveness of war.

Günther Groissböck skilfully conveys the profound solitude of individuals at the peak of their lives. Through his performances, he offers audiences a deep insight into the universal quest for purpose. His stage portrayals resonate deeply, touching the hearts of audiences worldwide. Renowned for his portrayal of kings, scholars, and philosophers in prestigious opera houses, Groissböck also excels in roles depicting priests, mythical beings, and deities. One might say he specialises in portraying solitary figures, imbuing each character with a profound sense of depth and authenticity.

Over a span of two years, Günther Groissböck’s activities were documented, including his night journeys, day trips, rehearsals, sports activities, and performances. He was filmed portraying characters like the black-robed Kaspar, the powerful King Philip, or the searching figure in Richard Strauss’s villa. The result is a film that delves into a unique way of life, exploring how solitude serves as a source of artistic strength. It highlights his ability to infuse each performance with profound meaning from within. Echoing the sentiments of a Rückert poem set to music by Gustav Mahler, the film encapsulates Groissböck’s ethos: ‘I live alone in my heaven, in my love, in my song.’

Love and duty collide and nations clash in Verdi’s political drama, starring Elena Stikhina. In this new production, director Robert Carsen situates Verdi’s large-scale drama within a contemporary world, framing its power struggles and toxic jealousies in the apparatus of a modern, totalitarian state. Antonio Pappano conducts Verdi’s glorious, monumental score.

Raising the curtain on a work of superlatives: the Staatsoper Unter den Linden represents the ultimate challenge for any opera house, Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. Christian Thielemann conducts the Ring tetralogy, and Dmitri Tcherniakov, highly praised for his psychologically sophisticated productions, led the playful all-star ensemble coherently through the panorama of characters, situations and events that unfolded like a universe and consistently interpreted the sheer vastness and the manifold twists and turns of the Ring cosmos. ‘Musically, this ‘Ring’ blew away everything that had gone before – and we are talking about a performance history of more than one hundred years.’ (Die Welt)

In the third part of his Ring tetralogy, Wagner incorporates fairy-tale motifs into his epic mythological story. The well-known tale of The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn Fear is echoed in Siegfried as well as episodes from the medieval Nibelungenlied. ‘Andreas Schager – a heroic tenor like the world is looking for.’ (Berliner Morgenpost)

This studio recording of Alexander Glazunov’s Raymonda was created for the 2022 performance by English National Ballet, with a score adapted and edited by Gavin Sutherland and Lars Payne. Following the epic journey of love and courage inspired by the spirit of Florence Nightingale, this lavish orchestral adaptation retains the best of Glazunov’s 19th-century original score, updating it to match the dramatic new narrative choreographed by Tamara Rojo.

The original Raymonda is very rarely performed in the UK, where no dance company performs it in its entirety. The journey of adapting and realising Glazunov’s score was extensive, and this recording preserves the beauty of the piece and the musical talent of the English National Ballet. Sutherland and Payne spent four rewarding days making the recording in the Holloway Production Studio at the Mulryan Centre for Dance, London.

German composer Carl Teike came into contact with military music at an early age, but with his modest temperament he never achieved a high rank during his time in the army. He resigned from his post after his bandmaster told him to burn Alte Kameraden, a piece that would become one of the most popular marches in the world. Teike’s marches are entirely original and significantly enrich the German concert repertoire with their inventiveness, musical charisma and colourful instrumentation. This programme includes his first march, the Prinz-Albrecht-Marsch, which he dedicated to the Prussian monarch who ‘graciously accepted the dedication’. This is the first of three volumes.

Award-winning record producer, composer and tabla player, Kuljit Bhamra MBE, embraces the original sounds of ‘Hindi cinema’ or ‘Filmi’ by bringing together celebrated Bollywood singers, lyricists and musicians for Namaste Bombay. With 38 original songs inspired by the memory of orchestral-based songs that Kuljit enjoyed listening to as a youngster, and the origins and developments of ‘Bollywood’ music over the decades, it features lush instrumentations with traditional strings performed by the Bombay Gold Orchestra. An enthralling filmi journey designed to evoke your own imagined Bollywood fantasy!