The poetics of space and the art of time, high-precision mechanism, rhythmic exhilaration . . . Ligeti’s music defies criteria and codes. This recording provides an opportunity to assess the evolution of the musical language of one of the twentieth century’s greatest composers, from the early Concert Românesc to the later concertos for piano and violin, performed here by two fabulous virtuosi.

Alpesh Chauhan and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra continue their fascinating survey of Tchaikovsky’s orchestral works, combining established repertoire with lesser-known works to great effect. For this third volume, the former are represented by orchestral excerpts from Eugene Onegin, and the brooding Marche slave. Eugene Onegin is without doubt Tchaikovsky’s best-known opera, regularly performed by opera companies around the globe. The ‘Entr’acte and Waltz’ opens Act II, a party in the country for the name-day of Onegin’s neighbour Tatyana, whilst the ‘Polonaise’ sets the scene for Act III, with another, much grander ball set years later in St Petersburg.

Foxwarren, the Canadian indie collective fronted by Andy Shauf, returns with their sophomore album '2.'Joined by his fellow Canadian childhood friends and close collaborators Dallas Bryson (guitar), Darryl Kissick (bass), Avery Kissick (drums), and Colin Nealis (multi-instrumentalist), the eclectic sound of '2' - weaving genres ranging from folk to psych rock to downtempo - coincides with Shauf's curiosity and desire to incorporate a Native Instruments Maschine MSK3 sampler into his process. There is something uncanny about the feeling of these songs, the way bits recorded in different rooms amplify your attention, listening for how these layers lock. But their true connective tissue is the generous and gentle ways Shauf and the rest of Foxwarren move with melody.

Vahid Khadem-Missagh took over as artistic director of the Academia Allegro Vivo on the renowned festival orchestra’s fortieth anniversary, a generational shift that has found expression both in the orchestra’s membership and in the design of its programmes.

The Danish National Symphony Orchestra transforms the stage into enchanted musical landscapes inspired by legendary video games such as The Legend of Zelda and League of Legends, with Nordic singer Eivør as special guest in Legends Never Die and more.

Long acknowledged as one of the great pianists of our time, Elisabeth Leonskaja shares her wealth of experience of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 5, the ‘Emperor’, with the players of the Orchestre Français des Jeunes, aged between 16 and 25. The conductor is Danish-born Michael Schønwandt, who was the orchestra’s music director from 2021 to 2024.

Auf ihrem Live-Album «Bescht of 30 Jahr» hat Sina die Fans bestimmen lassen, welche Lieder festgehalten werden sollten. Die legendäre «Mühle Hunziken» bot den perfekten Rahmen für die Aufnahmen, die in drei magischen Nächten kurz vor Weihnachten 2024 stattfanden. Das Album ist nun sowohl auf CD wie auch als Digital Download erschienen. Die streng limiterte Vinyl-Ausgabe wird anfang April im Handel verfügbar sein.

Organized into five cycles, each consisting of a prélude, a valse, and an envol, Félicien Brut’s new album offers a fresh and poetic vision of the accordion’s versatility.

Last year, Vicky Leandros, one of the country's last great pop divas, declared her farewell to the stage. Versatile artists like her have become very rare. Since the sixties, Vicky, with her unmistakable voice and huge talent, was not only constantly at the top of the music business in Germany. She also made music history in international countries with over 55 million records sold worldwide and a total of 500 albums - dozens of which went gold and platinum

The magical world of the great Cuban-American woodwind master Paquito D’Rivera continues to expand. Over his seven decades in music, D’Rivera has become engaged with musicians hailing from locations all throughout the world. His most recent release, La Fleur de Cayenne, highlights his work with an ensemble of Cuban expatriates and a Colombian vibraphonist who call Madrid, Spain home with a group they call the Madrid-New York Connection Band.

Sinularia from Berlin are playing "Subwater Beats", their self- created genre. They combine Wonky Beats and Intelligent Dance Music inspired by Flying Lotus and Aphex Twin, Jazz and Improvisation, complexistic rhythms with floating melodies and chords out of the Electronica world. Jo Wespel (guitar, fx, composition), Felix Henkelhausen (double-bass, fx) and Max Santner (drums, fx) from Berlins young (post)contemporary scene are transforming their virtuosity to "refreshing and unpredictable colours" (Jazz'halo / Belgium).

"Phi-Psonics is a spiritual exploration of being together and connecting," says acoustic bassist Seth Ford-Young of the immersive project he initiated in East Los Angeles in 2016. For his third long-player under the Phi-Psonics banner, Ford-Young marshalled a series of live recordings at the Healing Force of the Universe record store in Pasadena, California, sculpting fourteen tracks, largely composed in the moment with a fluctuating cast of players, which wonderfully transmit his ideals of community and inner peace.

Saxophonist Chris Cheek's playing was once described by Steve Swallow and Carla Bley as "the very embodiment of gentle, graceful lyricism." They also referred to Cheek as "a master of the sucker punch." In this beautifully recorded session with the Bill Frisell Trio, Cheek opts for quiet jabbing, sedate tempos, and even outright accessibility over any sneaky wallops. Instead of igniting into an inferno that the instrumental power assembled would suggest, Keepers of the Eastern Door is content to simmer. The St. Louis, Missouri, native and Berklee graduate has always had a way with sentimental standards as he proved with the pair of live albums recorded at Barcelona's Jamboree Club in 2000.

In a world awash with superficial emotions and fleeting moments, Sophie Auster emerges with her fourth studio album, Milk for Ulcers, out via The Orchard. The album’s title stems from a candid dinner table discussion about outdated remedies: “Although milk may momentarily relieve ulcer pain, it can make it worse. It’s like putting butter on a burn,” Auster reflects. This striking irony encapsulates the spirit of the album—a deep exploration of healing and the complexities of emotional wounds.

A lot has happened in the miles and years we’ve covered together. Midnight at The Valencia is an honest account of some of the highs and lows we encountered and the stories we found along the way: ‘Ride Home’ unfolds a portrait of a boy we watched going off to war, only to see him return later a man; ‘Adeline’ is a melancholy love letter from a father to his daughter; ‘Morning Light’ follows a family man as he tries to rebuild his life after a divorce; ‘Breathe’ chronicles a tryst between illicit lovers fighting to slip the stranglehold of failing relationships; ‘Push/Pull’ is that plaintive rite of passage through loss and grief we all have to navigate; ‘Keep on Running’ is a cautionary tale of a friend’s brush with the unsolicited attentions of a stalker; and if ‘Holding my Breath’ is a confession to a partner of feeling trapped in a relationship, ‘Your Spark’ is the counterpoint finale: a thank you from one of us to his wife.