On October 5th, we celebrate the centenary of conductor and choir director Jürgen Jürgens, a leading figure among the new generation of early music explorers after the Second World War. Founder of the Monteverdi-Chor Hamburg in the 1950s, he distinguished himself through his pioneering concerts and recordings devoted to the Italian composer, who was little known and poorly served on disc at the time. This recording of the Vespers is one of the first major versions of this important work. It was recorded with the assistance of Concentus Musicus Wien, which featured Herbert Tachezi, Gustav Leonhardt, and Nikolaus Harnoncourt, with whom Jürgens collaborated closely on this disc (the former taking charge of the instrumental arrangements, the latter of the critical work on the score). The vocal soloists include Max von Egmond and Nigel Rogers.

Im Jahr 1729 veröffentlichte der Edelmann und Dichter Annibale Marches (1686–1753) »Tragedie Cristiane«, eine bemerkenswerte Sammlung von zehn italienischen Theaterstücken.Von Racine, Corneille, Voltaire und der klassischen Tradition beeinflusst, sind diese innovativen Dramen tief in der Theaterpraxis der Jesuiten verwurzelt. Um seine Vision zu verwirklichen rekrutierte Marchese zehn erprobte Komponisten seiner Zeit – allesamt Meister der sogenannten Neapolitanischen Schule. Ihre strophischen Arien, oft nur mit Cembalo obbligato begleitet, reflektieren jeweils den individuellen Stil des Komponisten. Ergänzend erklingen bislang unbekannte Instrumental-Tänze.

The three works on this recording bear witness to the changes that took place at the dawn of musical modernism. The reappraisal and reinterpretation of traditional musical genres and innovations led to new ways of organising and addressing the harmonic, melodic, timbral and rhythmic elements of music. Polish composer Karol Szymanowski developed a highly personal musical language that prioritises tone colour, an approach that is perfectly suited to the triptych Mythes, inspired by legends from ancient Greece. Here he developed a new mode of expression, a fusion of the violin and the piano into a single entity with the use of extended violin techniques.

The first installment in an exploration of the German Romantic trio repertoire, this double album by the Zadig Trio (Miclen LaiPang, Marc Girard Garcia, and Guillaume Vincent) offers an absolutely exhilarating journey between light and shadow. At its center are the marvelous Trios for violin, cello, and piano by Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, complemented by a few rare transcriptions. The first installment in an exploration of the German Romantic trio repertoire, this double album by the Zadig Trio, now on the naïve label, offers a journey…

The age-old spirit of the composer-performer lies at the heart of the 10-year collaboration between cellist-composer Christoph Croise and composer-saxophonist Daniel Schnyder (pronounced SHNEE-der).This resulting album features two of Daniel's concertos, both commissioned by Christoph, alongside numerous world premieres of solo and chamber works. Christoph shines in the Concerto for Cello, Percussion and String Orchestra, whilst the two Swiss compatriots share the limelight in Concerto Populaire for soprano saxophone, cello, percussion and string orchestra, both backed by members of Christoph's hand-picked Beyond Modern Orchestra, an ensemble dedicated to the creation and performance of new music. Christoph brings in other close collaborators, including Alexander Panfilov for Jazz Sonata for Cello & Piano, harpsichordist Peter Gorobets for Cello BLU - another Christoph commission that explores the unique timbral relationship between the two instruments - and an octet of leading European cellists for Cubac - a fusion of Cuban rhythms and Bachian-counterpoint. Throughout, Daniel's compositions seamlessly fuse a melting pot of musical styles, including classical, jazz, Middle Eastern, African and Latin American. Christoph, who himself is rapidly gaining renown as a composer, says, "There is no more fitting way to celebrate contemporary music than by performing it alongside the composer himself."

Needing no introduction, Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth has championed the trumpet repertoire amongst audiences on all six continents, meriting the highest critical praise for her soulful, lyrical sound and collaborative approach to music-making.

The soundtrack to the 2025 musical drama "Kiss of the Spider Woman" is a collection of songs written by the legendary duo John Kander (music) and Fred Ebb (lyrics), and also includes the original film score by composer Sam Davis. The vocal performances are delivered by the film's lead actors: Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna, and Tonatiuh. The album features well-known compositions from the Broadway production as well as three previously unreleased songs, including the singles "Never You" and "I Will Dance Alone."The film, directed by Bill Condon, is an adaptation of the 1993 Broadway musical of the same name and the novel by Argentine writer Manuel Puig. The plot unfolds in an Argentine prison in the 1980s and tells the story of two cellmates: Luis Molina (Tonatiuh), a gay window dresser, and Valentín Arregui (Diego Luna), a Marxist revolutionary. Molina escapes the brutal reality by recounting the plots of films starring his favorite movie diva, Aurora (Jennifer Lopez), who appears as the Spider Woman.

Christmas simply wouldn’t be Christmas without the iconic voices of The Sixteen providing a soundtrack to the season. Celebrated for collections that provide an alternative to the customary festive offerings, this new album from the world-renown choir is no exception. No other festival in the Christian year has inspired so many composers and such a variety of musical styles as Christmas. The Wise Men and the Star features a veritable cornucopia of yuletide music from the premieres of three new works to traditional carols including Away in a manger and In the bleak midwinter, and modern classics such as Eric Whitacre’s Lux aurumque and Mykola Leontovich’s Carol of the bells. This new album promises something for everyone.

The soundtrack to the 2025 musical drama "Kiss of the Spider Woman" is a collection of songs written by the legendary duo John Kander (music) and Fred Ebb (lyrics), and also includes the original film score by composer Sam Davis. The vocal performances are delivered by the film's lead actors: Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna, and Tonatiuh. The album features well-known compositions from the Broadway production as well as three previously unreleased songs, including the singles "Never You" and "I Will Dance Alone."The film, directed by Bill Condon, is an adaptation of the 1993 Broadway musical of the same name and the novel by Argentine writer Manuel Puig. The plot unfolds in an Argentine prison in the 1980s and tells the story of two cellmates: Luis Molina (Tonatiuh), a gay window dresser, and Valentín Arregui (Diego Luna), a Marxist revolutionary. Molina escapes the brutal reality by recounting the plots of films starring his favorite movie diva, Aurora (Jennifer Lopez), who appears as the Spider Woman.

Paul Ben-Haim, one of the leading Israeli composers of his generation, was born Paul Frankenburger in Munich. He studied composition with Friedrich Klose and served as assistant conductor to both Bruno Walter and Hans Knappertsbusch. His extensive output comprises works in all the principal genres, apart from opera, and music either for or with cello features prominently throughout. After he emigrated, Ben-Haim increasingly advocated a specifically Jewish national expression; his own compositions favoured a late-Romantic vein suggestive of Ernest Bloch and were frequently informed by Middle-Eastern overtones.

While Pygmalion, Rameau's emblematic work, reveals the passion of a sculptor in love with his creation, Pierre Iso's Zémide reveals the gentle tyranny of Love, weaving an allegory in which even the fiercest hearts yield to its power. Like Galatea awakening under Pygmalion's gaze, this vibrant programme of Baroque passion comes to life under the inspired direction of Reinoud Van Mechelen, offering a spectacle where music and sentiment intertwine in dazzling symphonies.

SUPERB 2 CD SET FEATURING RAINBOW IN JAPAN IN 1980 Following the 1978 departure of Ronnie James Dio as Rainbow s vocalist, Ritchie Blackmore firstly offered the role to Ian Gillan Blackmore s old Deep Purple colleague but when he was turned down the job went to former Marbles singer Graham Bonnet. Concurrently, Don Airey joined on keyboards and another former Purple man, Roger Glover, took over on bass while also producing and composing lyrics. The band s first album with the new line up, Down To Earth, came out in July 1979 to rapturous praise from critics and fans alike. The record included the group s two biggest hit singles, Since You Been Gone and All Night Long . The Down To Earth Tour kicked off in summer 1979 and played across North America, Europe and the Far East where, on 9th May 1980, the group performed at the Budokan in Tokyo, putting on one of the tour s finest and best remembered shows. Recorded for local TV and FM Radio broadcast, this previously unreleased concert is now available on this 2CD set, 40 years after the legendary gig was performed.

Concertos for bass clarinet are rare enough; this album brings three new ones to swell those limited ranks. It presents the fruit of a series of interlocking international co-operations, between orchestras in Sweden, the UK and USA, with American, British and Swedish composers and, at the heart of the undertaking, the bass clarinettist of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Carl-Johan Stjernström. All three composers exploit the huge range of colours the bass clarinet can offer, in music that ranges from the fierce and dramatic to the sunny and easy-going. The album also inaugurates a Toccata Next series providing a platform for the musicians of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra.

As a concept musical, Love Life was a real trailblazer, inspiring musical theatre favourites of the 1960s, 70s and beyond from Cabaret and Chicago (originally subtitled ‘A Musical Vaudeville’) to Sondheim’s Company (told through a series of vignettes). It is “one of Weill’s best scores” (conductor Jim Holmes), a masterpiece of putting different musical styles together, “a compendium of American musical idioms, cunningly chosen so that they suit the dramatic material”. Kurt Weill and Alan Jay Lerner teamed up in 1947, both riding high on recent successes (Street Scene for Weill, Brigadoon for Lerner) and looking for new projects. When Love Life premiered on Broadway in 1948, Weill called it “an entirely new form of theatre.” Stephen Sondheim denoted it as “a useful influence on my own work.”

Often referred to as My Morning Jacket’s ‘OK Computer’ and considered one of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time, ‘Z’ was the pinnacle of the band’s early career upon its release and sold more than half a million copies worldwide. This 20th Anniversary Edition was remastered from the original tapes by Emily Lazar and includes 14 unreleased outtakes and demos, plus reworked artwork with unpublished photos. Contains fan favourite classics ‘Off The Record’, ‘Dondante’ and ‘Wordless Chorus’.