Earth-Shaped Hearts draws a musical thread from the minutiae of everyday life to earth’s incomprehensibly vast geological timescales. The texts are drawn from the work of acclaimed Tasmanian poet Kristen Lang, whose words remind us how to be human on an ancient planet.

Canadian composer Amy Brandon has a penchant for examination of phenomena in her music, finding rarefied beauty in refined and unbridled noise, experimentation with alternate tuning, and innovative instrumental approaches. Lysis features performances by Alkali Collective, Chartreuse Trio, Quatour Bozzini, Symphony Nova Scotia with Jeffrey Ziegler, Julian Bertino, Sara Constant, India Gailey, Leah Plave, Jeffrey Stonehouse, Gwenaelle Ratouit, Daniel Áñez, and Brandon herself on electronics.

Delve into the captivating world of contemporary classical music with Giacomo Manzoni's Parole da Beckett. This mesmerizing programme, brought to life by the exquisite soprano Livia Rado alongside the Coro Polifonico Castelbarco, Ensemble Vocale Continuum, and the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, a testament to the innovative spirit of composer Giacomo Manzoni. Released by MILANO DISCHI, the album focuses on the title piece, which takes inspiration from the words of Samuel Beckett, weaving a sonic tapestry that blurs the lines between music and literature.

“Encounter” is a colorful term. The English word stands for encounter, meeting, collision, unexpected, touch. Our program also speaks of this diversity of meaning. It lives from vital exchange, from resistance, dangers and surprises, and not least from risk. Our soloist commissioned three of the pieces specifically for this purpose. They were tailor-made for him, although not bite-sized. On the contrary: they challenge you and want to leave your comfort zone.

Intermedial, occasionally multimedia, filmic, (photo-)graphic, electro-acoustic, radiophonic, instrumental, improvisational, notated, installative and collaborative. Nikolaus Heyduck is not just an artist and composer, he is a sound artist, an actor active in various aesthetic metiers. Seven of his works created in recent years can be heard here.

With his song cycle Kafer toten, recorded here for the first time, Alexander Maria Wagner (*1995) presents a sound cosmos that brings a new and surprising variety to the listener, both on the text/vocal level and on the instrumental level. The recording is interpreted excellently and passionately by the performers, Graham F. Valentine; Christian Spataru; Florian Moser; Felix Rosenboom; Eniko Cseh; Jake Mann and Shun Oi.

With "Distant Fragments", Camilo Mendez presents an album of solos and duos that showcase his most intimate and reflective works, creating a rich sound tapestry. While Mechanical Resonance I: Iridescent Resonance explores cloud luminescence through prepared violin and viola, Five Fragments deals with the themes of variation and polyphony. Cancion de la Distancia, on the other hand, reflects the fleeting nature of memory and time, inspired by Arturo’s poetry. Recorded by Roberto Alonso, Linus Fung, William Lane, Angus Lee and Charles Ng, this album offers a subtle and complex musical contemplation.

Near Distant by Michelle Lou explores the intricate interplay of stasis, time and perception. Lou’s compositions challenge conventional interpretations, presenting music as a constantly evolving landscape. Through “static” or “stasis-variation” she reveals the complexity within seemingly unchanging sounds, inviting listeners to explore subtle transformations in pitch, timbre and dynamics. This album embodies Lou’s unique approach, emphasizing our active role in perceiving and transforming the infinite essence of music.

In the heart of 21st-century Japan, Yu Kuwabara emerges as a composer of remarkable versatility and resilience. Inspired by Japanese mythology, Buddhist chants, and Edo songs, Kuwabara explores the energy of the Japanese language through her compositions. Her works, such as Bai and Dharani and Toward the Brink of Water Or the Verge of Dusk, blend Western classical influences with traditional Japanese elements. Kuwabara's research in traditional arts fuels her innovative approach, capturing the fluidity of 'awai' - the in-between state of being.

The Rhythm Method string quartet (Leah Asher, Marina Kifferstein, Meaghan Burke, and Carrie Frey) celebrates its 10th anniversary season with the release of Pastorale, featuring three works written for the group by Lewis Nielson, Paul Pinto, and ensemble violinist Marina Kifferstein. Each piece, in its own way, grapples with questions of social awareness, engagement, and collectivism, all of which is consistent with The Rhythm Method's commitment to meaningful artistic inquiry since its inception.

Like a nurseryman, Bastien cultivates sounds that he arranges into landscapes. He transcends one sound typology by a novel marriage of timbres and discovers another by accident of execution… Related loops circulate between the pieces. Subtractive melodies emerge in Nuées d’encre and Instinct, then determine Toccata di fumo. The vocal effect of the wah-wah mute, timid and plaintive in Sanguine, becomes bestial in the final pages of Instinct. Everywhere, the meticulous attention to detail testifies to Bastien’s taste for the imperceptible: the score of Les Insectes teems with motifs which, despite their similarities, are never repeated identically. Under the microscope, sound waves are as distinct as natural elements.

Ayane Kawamura’s CD is devoted to the contemporary violin repertoire, in particular involving the use of live electronics, the subject of Ayane’s thesis. The works on this CD reflect the Parisian world of contemporary music, centred around the figure of Pierre Boulez, Ircam and the Paris Conservatoire.

The exceptional artist LIAO Lin-Ni brings silence to life and gives us something previously unheard of.

Margherita Berlanda is an incredible sound artist who not only knows her accordion inside out technically, but also seems to regularly look into its soul. Margherita elicits spherical yet grounded tones from her instrument; she explores the unknown and loves to think outside the box. It is no coincidence that Margherita calls her new project "Beyond/Oltre". She has brought together pieces of music that challenge her as an interpreter to overcome the most diverse boundaries: tonal, physical, ideological boundaries. In doing so, the young musician turns the accordion into an instrument of discovery and revelation. With artistic vision, she takes us on a journey in which the musical landscape is in a constant state of flux.

"Janárceková's intellectually unpretentious expressionist music never runs the risk of becoming cliche-infected: her will to express herself and her awareness of fragmentariness combine in a subtle sensuality of sound. At every moment the music seems to be 'appropriate': far removed from triviality, and away from fashionable contemplative platitudes." (Dirk Wieschollek) The Slovak Quasars ensemble's conductor Ivan Buffa also doubles as the piano soloist with the Bamberg Symphony in the piano concerto of Viera Janárceková, who surely must be counted as one of the most distinguished female voices in today's European composition landscape.