Swiss-French flautist Emmanuel Pahud, named "one of the finds of the decade" by Gramophone Magazine, is one of today's most exciting and adventurous musicians. Appointed Principal Flute for the Berliner Philharmoniker aged just 22, his solo albums have sold over 400,000 copies worldwide, including a Mozart Concertos disc that has sold over 70,000 units.

The music of contemporary Lithuanian composer Peteris Vasks has a reputation for depicting nature, a grand tradition in the northern countries, and for creating structure that examine the relationship between nature and human culture. One might also add that from the evidence of the music here, which dates from between 1972 and 2011, Vasks is one of the few composers, in the Baltics or anywhere else, to succeed in gradually moving in the direction of tonal music without a sharp shift in direction. That's a testament to the strength of his musical personality.

Named after the 18th-century dance-style movement 'Badinerie', this beautiful new album from flautist Julien Beaudiment and harpist Marie Pierre Langlamet offers a diverse span of repertoire, with a rich collection of works from across the centuries. At the heart of the album lies Francis Poulenc's Sonata FP 164, with it's three emotive movements, each painting a vivid musical picture. The wistful Allegro malinconico and the playful Presto giocoso show Poulenc's stylistic intricacies, while Mozart's soul-stirring Adagio from K 285 transports listeners to a realm of serene beauty. Johann Sebastian Bach's iconic Badinerie infuses the collection with Baroque charm.

Another reason to take a look into the Glossa Cabinet series comes with the reappearance of Marcello Gatti’s delightful interpretation of transverse flute Sonatas by Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (son number 9 of JS), who worked in the courtly surroundings of Bückeburg in central Germany in the last part of the 18th century. These sonatas were composed around the time of JCF’s visit to see his brother Johann Christian in London in 1778 and combine the Italian galante style with the sensitivity of the Empfindsamer Stil. Elegantly performed by Gatti and Giovanni Togni, fortepiano, with cellist Giovanna Barbati joining for a Trio in D major (from the middle of the 1780s), the recording was captured in sound by Sigrid Lee and Roberto Meo.

Bei Dabringhaus und Grimm kamen jetzt auch die Flötenquartette von Mozart heraus, und zwar in einer Aufnahme, die der historischen Aufführungspraxis folgt. Konrad Hünteler hat sich mit dem Geiger Rainer Kußmaul, dem Bratschisten Jürgen Kußmaul und dem Cellisten Roel Dieltiens zusammengesetzt, und da spitzt man die Ohren. Denn erst vor einigen Wochen hat Emanuel Pahud, der Soloflötist der Berliner Philharmoniker, eben diese Quartette in einer phänomenalen Neueinspielung vorgelegt. Diesmal sitzt also sein einstiger Konzertmeister Rainer Kußmaul sozusagen im anderen Boot, und tatsächlich wird diese Aufnahme in ganz anderer Weise von der Violine geprägt als die Pahud-CD.

Flautists tend to know that Quantz gave flute lessons to Frederick the Great and that he wrote about 300 concertos for the instrument. Only a few of these concertos have been easily accessible in print or on disc. However, in this welcome recording of five Quantz concertos, flautist Rachel Brown seems the perfect ambassador to bring a few of these unfamiliar but intriguing works back into the repertoire. Whether playing a Baroque-inspired fugue, a more ‘classically styled’ Allegro or languid slow movement, Brown’s daring expression and technical brilliance – together with the Brandenburg Consort’s focused sound and racy pace – seem intuitive. Quantz and Brown appear together again, briefly, in Concert in Sanssouci. ‘Sans souci’ means ‘without worry’, and was the name of Frederick the Great’s country house near Potsdam. A certain joie de vivre is in the air in this recreation of a typical evening’s concert chez Frederick. The Hanover Band, under Roy Goodman, plays with real spirit, although Nathalie Stutzmann’s rich contralto lends a more melancholic feel in arias by CH Graun. Although Frank de Bruine is a rather understated soloist in the CPE Bach oboe concerto, the band’s dynamic interpretations and composer’s inventiveness win through.

The duo 'À deux fleustes esgales' is here expanded. The two treble voices are joined by a basso continuo made up of harpsichord and cello, for a programme of famous trio sonatas by 'the Bachs'. From the father Johann Sebastian to the sons Carl Phillip and Wilhelm Friedemann, the stylistic evolution from Baroque to Classical can be traced here through the many facets of that crucial period in music, the eighteenth century: · Counterpoint and flowing polyphony raised to their zenith by Johann Sebastian in such a way that instrumentation becomes almost immaterial · Wilhelm Friedemann retains a certain contrapuntal denseness, placed at the service of an instrumental style sometimes reminiscent of Italian concertante writing · Carl Phillip Emanuel concentrates on the melodic line, with the continuo assuming more of a harmonic function, in a style that makes room for fantasy and sensibility or Empfindsamkeit. This CD takes us through this development - a guided tour that is sheer delight.

Finnish flute virtuoso Sami Junnonen joins the celebrated ensemble Chamber Domaine for a new recording of the complete Flute Quartets by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Junnonen is joined by Thomas Kemp (violin), Robert Smissen (viola) and Richard Harwood (cello). These four quartets, much admired as key works of this genre of the Classical era, see Chamber Domaine exploring new and broader musical avenues as the group looks to this earlier repertoire with stunning effect.

Die Extreme von Schönheit und Virtuosität hat Dorothee Oberlinger in dieser Aufnahme versucht sehr kunstvoll zu vereinen und so gibt diese CD nicht nur einen guten Einblick in ihr bravouröses Können, sondern beleuchtet auch die Werke Vivaldis in ihren mannigfaltigen Schattierungen. Dabei wird auf vordergründige Effekte verzichtet zugunsten der „schillernden Palette“ unterschiedlichster Affekte in Vivaldis Musik.

For this second recording devoted to French Baroque music for two solo transverse flutes, Marie-Céline Labbé and Marion Treupel-Franck perform the six suites by Pierre Danican Philidor (1681 1731), pieces taken from the three collections published by the composer in Paris in 1717 and 1718. Written in a highly original style in which one senses the spirit of freedom blowing over Versailles and France during the regency of the Duke d’Orléans, these short suites, in addition to the principal dances in vogue at the court of Versailles in the early 18th century, each comprise a fugue.

Although Carl Friedrich Abel (1723–87) is known as one of the last and greatest virtuosos of the viola da gamba, his instrument declined in popularity towards the end of the 18th century, leading him to compose for other instruments; some of his most successful results can be heard in the music recorded on this disc. Abel’s ability to compose particularly fine music for the flute can be traced back his time working at the Dresden court, which possessed one of the greatest orchestras of the era.

Johan Helmich Roman (born 26 October 1694 in Stockholm, died 20 November 1758 on the Haraldsmåla estate in Småland) is one of Sweden’s most important composers of all time. He has been called ‘the father of Swedish music’, and with good reason. As chief conductor of the Royal Court Orchestra, composer, musician and teacher, Roman laid the ground for an increasingly rich music scene in 18th century Sweden. He was also the first Swedish composer to attain international status, and had a prolific musical output covering most of the genres of his time, instrumental and vocal, with the exception of opera and oratorios.

Melodiya presents recordings by Alexander Korneyev, (1930-2010) was an outstanding flutist, People's Artist of the RSFSR and laureate of the State Prize of Russia. A world famous soloist, Korneyev won recognition primarily as a concert musician. He has performed with well-known Russian musicians such as Lev Oborin, Ivan Kozlovsky, Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Mstislav Rostropovich and the Beethoven Quartet.

During the Meiji Restoration (1868-1912) a broad diffusion of Western music flowed into Japan, first in the form of military band music and. later, Protestant hymns. By 1900, recitals of piano, violin and song were quite popular. Composers like Prokofiev, and performers such as Heifetz, Kreisler and Segovia also encouraged this musical direction, which strongly followed German Romanticism and French Impressionism. The new Western repertoire found a place with the traditional Japanese music, hdgaku, and as the two traditions came in contact, a new and unique form of music emerged. One of the most fascinating developments in Japanese music was the introduction of new instruments in the south of Japan, and their metamorphosis as they migrated north via Kyoto and Tokyo. Several composers on this disc have focused on natural themes, with water being a favourite and obvious choice. The works have been chosen to give a sampling of the diversity of Japanese music, from the beautiful, traditional folk-songs to the complex and challenging multi-movement works, many of which evoke the traditional instruments, namely shakuhachi and koto.