Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 4 is the only work on the disc and the performance was recorded live in Mandel Concert Hall in May of this year. Prokofiev first based this symphony on his 1928 ballet The Prodigal Son, then revisited it nearly two decades later to create a work of greater scope and vitality. The 1947 revision expands the symphony’s scale, moving from calm, reflective passages to bursts of energy, tender lyricism, and a finale charged with rhythmic drive.

We know Satie as a loner, but it is less well known that Satie had also been in love. He had a brief and stormy affair with the painter Suzanne Valadon. The portrait she made of him is on the cover of this album, as pianist Guillaume Coppola has conceived it as an intimate portrait of the composer, one masked by a veil of modesty or provocation and which lies between antique and oriental inspiration, mystical phases, humour and cabaret. The miniature Bonjour Biqui and the motif of the Vexations possess rare allusions to Valadon and become commas between these chapters, as does Désespoir agréable, whose title alone seems to sum up Satie's life and work.

The Simply Mozart adventure, dedicated to his last three symphonies, comes to an end with this third volume and the 39th symphony. The programme also includes the overture to Così fan tutte ("a statement of the opera in miniature", according to Julien Chauvin) and the Sinfonia concertante for violin and viola. Composed one year after Mozart's second trip to Paris, the Sinfonia concertante was directly inspired by the Parisian practice of having several soloists enter into dialogue with the orchestra; this was very much in vogue at the end of the 18th century. "Mozart left his mark on us and on our hearts with its second movement, one of the most poignant that he was ever to write," says Julien Chauvin; here his violin dialogues happily with the viola of Amihai Grosz, who has already made two recordings for Alpha Classics (ALPHA634 & 1013).

"Dear Ophelia" is a journey to the inner voices that we humans carry within us. With Shakespeare's Ophelia (Hamlet), one of the most interesting and powerful female figures in European cultural history, soprano Meredith Wohlgemuth and pianist Jinhee Park explore the emotional landscapes that connect us across time and cultures in their debut album. "Ophelia's story, filled with vulnerability and silence, helped us both to unlock something very personal and essential within us, and in her we found echoes of ourselves.

Denis Pascal and his sons Alexandre and Aurélien are united by a unique bond that can only come from family ties in music, and invite us on a fascinating exploration of Czech music between the 19th and 20th centuries. The national composers gradually emancipated themselves from German influence and infused their aesthetics with the melodies, colors and rhythms of their homeland. Bedrich Smetana was the first to follow this seminal path, and in his Trio op. 15, in which he mourns the death of his beloved daughter in 1855, the darkness is sometimes illuminated by purely Czech colors. In his trio "Dumky" (1891), Dvorák accentuates this tendency brilliantly, with a gripping expressive palette and an admirable perfection of composition. The Elegy by Josef Suk is a tribute to his older brother and also adds echoes of antiquity, not unlike French Impressionism.

‘as night falls’ is the latest release from Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Jerk (Joshua Kinney) - a moody, shape-shifting EP that traces the arc of a single night. Made in close collaboration with drummer and longtime friend Martine Wade, the project moves through moments of tension, introspection, and groove-driven release.

L’Equipe Lab is a “small big band” made up of top musicians from the jazz scene, with roots in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. These sought-after musicians have shared the stage with big names like Dizzy Gillespie, Pat Metheny, Toots Thielemans, Gregory Porter, Patti Austin, Belle Perez, Benjamin Herman, Rowwen Hèze, and Eric Vloeimans. Their track records are underscored by honors such as a Grammy Award, the Dutch Jazz Competition, and the Alfa Award for Best Songwriter. Under the name Jo Didderen & L’Equipe de Rêve, this ensemble has released four albums over the past decade, filled with “Happy Jazz” for heart, head, and feet. Danceable, yet also suited for quiet listening.

Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 4 is the only work on the disc and the performance was recorded live in Mandel Concert Hall in May of this year. Prokofiev first based this symphony on his 1928 ballet The Prodigal Son, then revisited it nearly two decades later to create a work of greater scope and vitality. The 1947 revision expands the symphony’s scale, moving from calm, reflective passages to bursts of energy, tender lyricism, and a finale charged with rhythmic drive.

Joseph Gibbs is one of the 18th century’s best-kept secrets; his music is characterful and individual, fusing the best of Italianate virtuosity with English and quirky Gibbs-ian humour. Despite the obvious brilliance of his compositions, the 8 Solos for Violin and Basso Continuo, Op. 1 of c. 1746 are one of only two published sets of music, and there are scant references to Gibbs in the years after his death. However, the re-emergence of his portrait (painted by Thomas Gainsborough) in the early years of the 20th century sparked a curiosity and interest in Gibbs’s music, which has been described as amongst ‘the finest English violin sonatas of the century’.

Blending traditional songs from Uganda and the United States with original compositions, GENERATIONS continues Joe Sheehan’s evolving exploration of folk music through a contemporary jazz lens. The album includes arrangements of Ugandan songs Omugongo and Nabirye, the British and Irish folk ballad Sprig of Thyme, and the spiritual This Little Light of Mine, alongside five originals by Sheehan and his ensemble, Kinetic. Inspired by fieldwork and performance in Ghana and Uganda, these songs reflect on how we might live more fully and wisely. GENERATIONS expands the ensemble’s mission of cross-cultural dialogue, drawing on global folk traditions to create music that speaks across generations.

They are one of the most famous and frequently performed works of classical music: Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. The Latin title refers to a collection of songs from Benediktbeuren dating from the 11th and 12th centuries with texts written in Middle Latin, Old French and Middle High German.

When, in 1950, a teenage Julian Bream happened upon Peter Warlock’s piano arrangements of some of John Dowland’s lute pieces, it was love at first sight. For almost the next 30 years, Bream would devote himself to both the lute and the guitar before relinquishing the former in favour of the latter (although he was to return to the lute many years later).

Composed in 2020 during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the first incarnation of the work was played as a sound installation at the Kapellen Leprosarium (Leper's Sanctuary) in Hanover, Germany. This sanctuary was built around 1250 and served as a quarantine for those who suffered from the plague and leprosy in the Middle Ages.

This hour of atmospheric dub techno music was recorded live during the 35th edition of my "Stay at home" online concert series in January 2022. All sounds are coming from the Roland Juno 60, Eurorack Modular and Elektron Digitakt. Effects by Valhalla DSP. Field Recordings by Luftrum.

Riot Jazz Brass Band return with their 4th studio album, dedicated to what they do best - making people happy!