HBD - Spring 2023 Classics & Jazz Catalog

Classics & Jazz

Spring 2023

All Prices Good through 6/30/23

Classical & Jazz Vinyl LPs

see pages 7 & 50

Signum Classics Sale

see page 12

HBDirect Classics

We are pleased to present the HBDirect Spring 2023 Classics & Jazz catalog, with a wide array of releases we’re sure will be of great interest to our customers. On the classical side, we are proud to present hundreds of new releases organized by time period as well as a 20% sale on select titles from Signum Classics! Also, you’ll find an expanded DVD/Blu-ray section containing new opera, ballet, and concert releases, plus a sale on fascinating art documentaries from Exhibition on Screen. We are pleased to present new releases from Vox Classics and a sampling of some of the best classical & jazz offerings on Vinyl LPs! On the jazz side, we’re proud to feature sale pricing for select titles from NXN Recordings, The Lost Recordings, and Fondamenta. To order online, visit www.arkivmusic.com and click on the “HBDirect” tab at the top of the screen. Keep in mind that we now offer free shipping for all orders over $150!

Shipping Policy

HBDirect has updated the shipping policy for all orders. Please view our new shipping rates on the order form of this catalog to determine your freight amount. Delivery time runs 3–7 business days, and your order may come from multiple locations.

Call to order ...

1 800 222 6872

Catalog Index

3

Signum Classics

New from Naxos

New by Era

Brilliant Classics

DVD & Blu-ray Titles

New Jazz Releases

Fondamenta & TLR Sale

Featured Jazz Go to Pages 48–55

New Jazz Releases

Ella Fitzgerald, Avishai Cohen, Christian McBride, Enrico Pieranunzi

See Page 48

Acrobat Jazz, Blues & Big Band

Quincy Jones, Rosemary Clooney, Tommy Dorsey, Josh White See Page 54

Jazz Vinyl LPs

Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Connie Han, Joey Alexander See Page 52

Get on the mailing list for our catalogs!

In addition to this specialty Classical & Jazz catalog, HBDirect regularly publishes a Mixed-Genre Catalog featuring World Music, Classic Rock, Folk, Roots of American popular music, Retro and Stage & Screen – in addition to classical and jazz favorites!

Sales tax obligation changes

HBDirect is obligated by law to collect sales tax on merchandise and shipping from residents of FL, KY, NJ, PA, & VT (6%) and TN (9.725%)

Payment Methods

HBDirect accepts Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express credit cards, as well as personal checks and money orders. Please make sure your payment is in U.S. funds and make your check or money order out to HBDirect. Paypal is also available when purchasing from our website.

& Jazz Spring 2023

Mendelssohn: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 2

The Quatuor Van Kuijk concludes its complete recording of Mendelssohn’s string quartets with Op. 44 Nos. 2 and 3 and the Quartet Op. 80, which bears the mark of the sudden death in 1847 of his sister Fanny, to whom he was very close. As Stéphane Goldet writes in the booklet: ‘The act of resistance that is the Quartet Op. 80, written in a single burst during the summer of 1847, its overwhelming “No, not that, not her!” shouted by four instruments for twentyfive minutes, was to be the composer’s last completed work. (Alpha) 1CD# ALPHA931 $18.99

Elfman: Violin Concerto; Hailstork:" Piano Concerto No. 1

This recording presents brand new concertos from two vibrant and contrasting American composers. Adolphus Hailstork’s First Piano Concerto draws on his African American heritage to create a work brimming with energy and high spirits. The Violin Concerto “Eleven Eleven” by Danny Elfman – renowned for his many film scores including Batman – has its roots in the composer’s rock, film and television background, but also illustrates his love for the music of Shostakovich and Prokofiev. (Naxos)

1CD# 8559925 $13.99

Forgotten Voices – A Song Cycle for Voices & Strings

Multi-award-winning violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins is the entrepreneurial spirit behind Music Kitchen. Forgotten Voices is a song cycle commissioned by Music Kitchen – Food for the Soul, with support from Carnegie Hall, comprising works by 15 of today’s foremost composers featuring evocative and poignant texts by homeless shelter clients that have provided a profound source of inspiration and reverence. Forgotten Voices premiered to a sold-out Carnegie Hall audience in March 2022 and inspired a short film that has won multiple awards at festivals around the globe. (Avie)

1CD# AV2582 $17.99

Mazzoli: Dark With Excessive Bright

Named ‘2022 Composer of the Year’ by Musical America, Missy Mazzoli inhabits an exquisite and mysterious sound-world in which indie-rock sensibilities meet American minimalism, European modernism and classical traditions. The album is bookended by two versions of the same work: loosely based on baroque idioms the violin concerto Dark with Excessive Bright is first heard with string orchestra accompaniment and then in a chamber version. The soloist is in both cases Peter Herresthal, who also performs Vespers for Violin, a piece for amplified violin and electronics. (BIS)

1SACD# BIS-2572 $19.99

Tchaikovsky: Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture – Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite

What made Mariss Jansons different from many of his colleagues? What was the key to his success? And most importantly, after all his artistic experiences, what brought about his maturity and artistic completion? In addition to his own willpower and his work ethic, his extraordinary musical life was determined by many factors; they included an open-minded and supportive environment, and an orchestra of outstanding musicians. Jansons leads the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in these magnificent recordings. (BR Klassik) 1CD# BRK900016 $17.99

New Year's Concert 2023 / Welser-Most; Vienna Philharmonic [2 CDs]

The annual New Year's Day concert in Vienna has been a major event for over eight decades! On January 1st of this year, this prestigious concert was conducted by Austrian conductor Franz Welser-Möst for the third time (2011, 2013) The Vienna Philharmonic sends people all over the world a New Year's greeting in the spirit of hope, friendship and peace with the lively and light-hearted and at the same time nostalgic and profound music from the vast repertoire of the family of Johann Strauss and its contemporaries. (Sony)

2CD# 19658717392 $17.99

New Classical

Mahler: Symphony No. 5 / Orchestre symphonique de Montreal

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and its Music Director Rafael Payare make their Pentatone debut with Mahler’s 5th Symphony. The album is also the first recording under Payare’s tenure, and the beginning of a long recording relationship with the label. (Pentatone)

1CD# PTC5187067 $15.99

Rota: Film Music; Concertos

When Toscanini encouraged Nino Rota to study at the Curtis Institute, it was already clear he would have a massive career. Only the direction wasn’t certain yet. It turned out to be classical music and film music, the former informing the latter. Notable when you listen to the delicious waltz from War & Peace or the darkly humorous snippets from the very apropos Orchestra Rehearsal. (Capriccio)

1CD# C5494 $19.99

Debussy, Enescu, Ravel, Rota & Ysate: Impressions D’enfance

Leader of the Orchestre National de France for the past two decades, chamber musician, high-flying soloist, Sarah Nemtanu is one of the most dynamic musical figures on today’s French scene. With her partner Romain Descharmes, she presents here a very personal journey, in the form of a tribute to her dual Romanian and French roots. (Alpha)

Onslow: Piano Quintets / Nepomuk Fortepiano Quintet

Hailing from an aristocratic English family, George Onslow (1784–1853) grew up as a nobleman in ClermontFerrand, France. Onslow’s strict classical style, however, made him unique in Paris at that time, earning him the nickname, ‘French Beethoven’. There has been an increase in interest in his works in recent times, and his compositions can be heard frequently in concert halls today. (Brilliant Classics)

1CD# BRI96720 $12.99

Bonds: Credo; Simon Bore the Cross

New York City-based The Dessoff Choirs, instrumental in re-establishing the music of 20th-century African American composer Margaret Bonds with the world-premiere recording of her Christmas oratorio, The Ballad of the Brown King, present two more Bonds premieres: new orchestrations of her cantata, Simon Bore the Cross, and the large-scale Credo set to prose by W.E.B. Du Bois. (Avie)

1CD# AV2589 $17.99

Godowsky in Asia / Charisse Baldoria

Philippine-born pianist, composer, and educator Dr. Charisse Baldoria draws upon Western pianism, her Southeast Asian and Hispanic heritage, and various art forms in her work. Her recently recorded all-Godowsky album features the complete Java Suite inspired by pianist-composer Leopold Godowsky’s travels to the island of Java in 1923.

(Centaur)

1CD# CRC3972 $15.99

Tom + Will – Weelkes & Byrd: 400 Years

400 years ago, in 1623, England lost two of its greatest composers, William Byrd and Thomas Weelkes. In a program marking this double anniversary, The King’s Singers and Fretwork turn their focus to the bold personalties of these two men, Will and Tom. This release unlocks the humanity behind these two giants of Elizabethan music.

(Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD731 $14.39

Monteverdi: Concerto, Settimo libro de’ madrigali [2 CDs]

With this recording of Book VII of Claudio Monteverdi’s madrigals (1619, Venice), Rinaldo Alessandrini and his Concerto Italiano devote themselves to a love theme with a very pastoral edge the composer particularly savored. The Italian harpsichordist and conductor once again offers us a collection of Monteverdi madrigals of the highest quality. (Naive)

2CD# OP7365 $19.99

Strike, Strum and Stride / Blue Violet Duo

Blue Violet Duo “excel at both extremes, from the nuanced and restrained to the incandescent and extravagant” (Stringendo). Formed in 2013, the Chicago based duo was born of a friendship and musical kinship and enjoyed immediate recognition, winning a competition that led to their performance in Carnegie’s Weill Hall in New York in February of 2014. (Centaur)

1CD# CRC3978 $15.99

The Launy Grøndahl Legacy, Vol. 7 [2 CDs]

Three major additions to the Grøndahl discography, newly recovered from the archives of Danish radio, remastered from the original tapes and released here for the first time. Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and the first two movements of Schubert’s ‘Great’ C major Symphony confirm what an exhilarating interpreter Grøndahl was of the Austro-German classics. (Danacord)

2CD# DACOCD887 $33.99

1CD# ALPHA834 $18.99

New Mexican Music for Saxophone Quartet / Sigma Project

The saxophone quartet Sigma Project is based in Madrid. One of their key efforts is to create and promote a broad and diverse repertoire. The five scores recorded here are among them. Composed by Arturo Fuentes, Víctor Ibarra, Hilda Paredes, Javier Torres Maldonado and Hebert Vázquez, these works were written for, dedicated to, and premiered by SIGMA Project in different concerts and festivals. (Mode)

1CD# MOD-CD-331 $18.99

Manelli: Trio Sonatas Op. 3 / Ensemble Giardino di Delizie [2 CDs]

The forgotten art of a 17th-century Roman master, in the hands of a dynamic period ensemble with a string of acclaimed rarity albums to their credit. The Baroque triosonata repertoire still yields up plenty of undiscovered treasure lying in libraries across Italy. “A garden of delights, sensitively and beautifully performed, perfect for any lover of the Baroque.” – MusicWeb (Brilliant Classics)

2CD# BRI96465 $14.99

Bach, Copland, Liszt: Fantasies & Transcriptions / Stijn De Cock

Hailed for his passionate and virtuosic piano playing by the East Hampton Star, internationally acclaimed pianist Stijn De Cock maintains an active musical career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teaching artist in the US and abroad. On this new release he presents a program of works by Bach, Copland, Liszt, Mendelssohn, and Scriabin. (Centaur)

1CD# CRC3979 $15.99

Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil (Vespers)

The Clarion Choir and its Artistic Leader Steven Fox make their Pentatone debut with a recording of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s choral masterpiece, the All-Night Vigil, demonstrating their exceptional proficiency in Russian repertoire. Generally considered as one of the most exceptional US choirs, their recordings of Russian choral repertoire have received multiple GRAMMY nominations. (Pentatone)

1CD# PTC5187019 $15.99

NEW RELEASES IN BRIEF

Hans Gál: Works for Viola, Piano, Violin and Oboe [2 CDs]

Composer Hans Gál was born near Vienna in 1890. He rose to fame in the 1920s as a composer and scholar. His compositional style was considered more traditional than other composers, but his music is nonetheless fresh and infused with chromaticism and counterpoint. He was an extremely successful composer of all genres, especially opera. (Centaur)

2CD# CRC3975/76 $15.99

Bach Family / Ensemble Polyharmonique

The close-knit nature of the Bach musical family is documented in many sources. In baroque Central Germany, the name “Bach” was practically synonymous with the job title “musician”. The “Family Affairs” with 15 works from four generations thus provide an impressive testimony to this unique musical dynasty. (CPO)

1CD# 555418-2 $16.99

Martha Argerich Live, Vol. 11 [2 CDs]

The eminent Martha Argerich is one of the most loved and admired classical pianists of all time. This set is the 11th volume of Doremi’s special series of live performances and broadcasts featuring the artistry of the young Martha Argerich. Most items are first release ever. The performances here are live recordings from her Venice recital in February 1969, and from her Cologne broadcast in September 1960. (Doremi)

2CD# DHR-8191/2 $37.99

Love is a Rebellious Bird – French Music for Oboe & Piano

French music for oboe and piano lies at the heart of the oboe repertoire. In this their third album, Catherine Tanner-Williams and Christopher Williams present the famous oboe sonatas of Saint-Saëns, Poulenc and Dutilleux alongside their own brand-new transcriptions of well-known arias from Bizet’s Carmen, including the Habanera “L’amour est us oiseau rebelle” – Love is a rebellious bird. (Willowhayne)

1CD# WHR080 $21.99

Bass Favorites & Transcriptions from the 18th Century / George Speed

George Speed joins with pianist Heidi Louise Williams for this program showcasing Bass favorites and transcriptions, including works by Beethoven, Boccherini, Dragonetti, and Sperger. (Centaur)

1CD# CRC3994 $15.99

Mahler, Weill, Romberg: Atlantic Crossings

The album Atlantic Crossings by the Parisian Orchestre Pasdeloup, is dedicated to works from European composers who crossed the Atlantic to New York or later had to flee there from the Nazis. (Gramola)

1CD# GRAM99278 $23.99

Walker: Lyric for Strings; Folksong for Orchestra

The Seattle Symphony releases powerful live performances of works by two brilliant American composers, William L. Dawson and Pulitzer Prize winner George Walker. (Seattle Symphony)

1CD# SSM1027 $16.99

Schneider: The Art of Trumpet / Reinhold Friedrich

Reinhold Friedrich is one of the world’s leading trumpeters, and impresses with a breathtaking variety of repertoire on a breadth of brass instrments. (Solo Musica)

1CD# SM419 $18.99

New Releases

New from Vox Classics

Mozart Piano Concertos Nos. 17 & 27 / Walter Klien; Minnesota Orchestra

The piano concerto was the category in which Mozart most consistently excelled. No. 17 is one of six piano concertos he composed in 1784. Scored for the same instrumentation as No. 17, No. 27 was his last piano concerto. It stands alone, because its content and character make it unique and it is deeply personal, having a feeling of subdued gravity.

(Vox Classics)

1CD# VOX-NX-3012CD $16.99

Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 / Saint Louis SO; Leonard Slatkin

Sergey Rachmaninov’s orchestral works range from 1887, when he was not yet 14, to 1940, when he produced his valedictory work. His Second Symphony was written between 1906 and 1908 and the composer expressed doubts about being able to compose a symphony.

(Vox Classics)

1CD# VOX-NX-3013CD $16.99

Beethoven: Overtures & Incidental Music / Minnesota Orchestra

Much has been written about Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, formerly Leonore. Beethoven worked on it on and off for almost a decade. During that time the four different overtures included on this recording were composed. They are substantially different, not only in length but also in themes. On the present recording Stanislaw Skrowaczewski leads the GRAMMY Award-winning Minnesota Orchestra. (Vox Classics)

1CD# VOX-NX-3017CD $16.99

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 / Saint Louis SO; Leonard Slatkin

Sergey Rachmaninov’s concertos for piano and orchestra continue to be his most successful compositions together with his second symphony. The piano concerto No. 3 belongs to the most demanding repertoire ever written for this genre. The composer cited it as his favorite.

1CD# VOX-NX-3014CD $16.99

Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 / Berlin PO; Wilhelm Furtwängler

Coming between the Eroica and the C minor, the Fourth Symphony has often been regarded as a less ‘important’ work than either of those two giants. The Fourth is, in all truth, a simpler, more, delicate and contrasting work, more graceful in contour but not a shade less inventive melodically. And the Fourth has claimed its fanatic adherents – men like Berlioz, Schumann, Tovey and others. (Vox Classics)

1CD# VOX-NX-3002CD $16.99

Les Nuits de Paris – Dance Music from Folies Bergère to Opéra

The dance permeated every layer of Romantic society from popular dance halls to courtly salons. Under the expert baton of François-Xavier Roth, the orchestra Les Siècles has set out to rediscover this French repertory using historical instruments. Their album explores the output of both established composers – Camille Saint-Saëns, Charles Gounod, Jules Massenet –and their colleagues. (Bru Zane)

1CD# BZ2005 $18.99

The Lute Music of Valentin Strobel / Tobias Tietze

Lutenist Tobias Tietze already has appeared on many recordings as continuo player. On this album, everything focuses on his solo playing and creates a very intimate atmosphere for the highly idiomatic music for the baroque lute in the French style. (Arcantus)

1CD# ARC 22033 $14.99

Bach & Pärt / Arabella Steinbacher

Arabella Steinbacher presents works for violin and orchestra by Johann Sebastian Bach and Arvo Pärt, together with violinist Christoph Koncz and the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester. This seminal work is performed here alongside the E Major Violin Concerto and the Double Concerto in D Minor, on which she is joined by violinist Koncz. (Pentatone)

1CD# PTC5187017 $15.99

Beethoven for Three – Symphony No. 6 / Ma; Kavakos, Ax

Like their first Beethoven for Three release — Symphonies Nos. 2 & 5 — this recording challenges the traditional boundary between chamber and orchestral repertoire to offer the listener two very different sides of the composer using the same three voices. In the C Minor piano trio, we hear Beethoven’s brilliant exploration of three instruments’ essential expressive capabilities. (Sony)

1CD# 19658739372 $13.99

The baroque trumpeter Josh Cohen is among the most sought-after clarino specialists in North America. Devoted to a broad cross-section of trumpet repertoire from the late seventeenth century through the mid-eighteenth, this recording shows how far the art of playing the baroque trumpet has advanced. (Chandos)

1CD# CHAN 0828 $20.99

Altissima – Works for High Baroque Trumpet / Josh Cohen

Classical Vinyl LPs

Eugenio Della Chiara Plays

Paganini,

Galante, García [LP]

Eugenio Della Chiara got his degree in classical guitar with full marks and honors at the Conservatoire of Pesaro. Among the Maestros he studied with three are Beppe Ficara, Andrea Dieci and Oscar Ghiglia, whose course he attended at the Accademia Chigiana of Siena. He plays guitars by Domingo Esteso (Madrid 1935) and Lucio Carbone (Milano 2021). (Stradivarius)

1LP# STR37234 $29.99

Mozart y Mambo / Sarah Willis [2 LPs]

Following the phenomenal success of the first Mozart y Mambo album, Sarah Willis returns to Cuba not only to record two more Mozart horn concertos but also to create a landmark original work that takes its place in Cuban music history. In Mozart y Mambo – Cuban Dances, Sarah commissions the very first Cuban horn concerto – calling on six young talented Cuban composers to each write an original dance. (Alpha)

2LP# ALPHA943 $36.99

Bach: Violinkonzerte [LP]

Frank Peter Zimmermann, one of the most important violinists of our time, and his son Serge, who made his orchestral debut in 2000 at the age of nine with a violin concerto by Mozart, have succeeded in making a wonderful recording of the violin concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach together with the Berliner Barock Solisten. A great listening experience! (Haenssler Classic)

1LP# HC21056 $29.99

Piazzolla: Aconcagua / Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas [LP]

The accordion is an instrument that is deeply rooted in Lithuanian folk music. With its lightness and melancholy, Astor Piazzolla’s music has fascinated Martynas Levickis from an early age, and together with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, he presents an interpretation of “Las Cuatro Estaciones Portenas,” Piazzolla’s timeless masterpieces of many styles that capture in music the four seasons in Buenos Aires. (Accentus)

1LP# ACC40552 $36.99

VINYL LPS IN BRIEF

Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 / Gewandhausorchester Leipzig [LP]

Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony is considered the absolute pinnacle of his oeuvre. These recordings, first released in 1962 on the GDR label “Eterna”, are still regarded as a reference by subsequent generations of young musicians and listeners. Thanks to a loving analog remastering of the original tapes, these recordings now resound in new splendor and in a previously unheard-of sound quality. (Berlin Classics)

1LP# 0302859BC $30.99

Mieczyslaw Weinberg: Violin Concerto –Sonata for 2 Violins [LP]

With 22 symphonies, 17 string quartets, 9 concertos, and 7 operas, the composer Mieczyslaw Weinberg left behind an extensive oeuvre. Musically, one can hear the composer’s close friendship with Dmitri Shostakovich, although Weinberg’s music is more lyrical and romantic in nature. (Accentus)

1LP# ACC40518 $36.99

Mozart & Hummel / Sophie Dervaux [LP]

Bassoon player Sophie Dervaux presents her second album on the Berlin Classics label. Previously released on CD she now presents Mozart and Hummel bassoon concertos on vinyl. Sophie Dervaux has been principal bassoonist of the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra since 2015. (Berlin Classics)

1LP# 0302809BC $20.99

Beethoven: Klavierkonzerte 1–5 [5 LPs]

There is hardly a better way to approach Ludwig van Beethoven than through his piano concertos. Beethoven’s own instrument was the piano, and in his improvisations he merged virtuosity and unbridled expression. One of the most revered artists of our time, Mitsuko Uchida is known as a peerless interpreter of the works of Mozart, Schubert, Schumann and Beethoven. (Berlin Philharmoniker)

5LP# BPHR180242 $228.99

Schubert in Love / Rosemary Standley Ensemble [LP]

A few years after the success of her album crossing Baroque music with folk, Love I Obey, the Franco-American singer Rosemary Standley visits Schubert, this time with the complicity of the ensemble Contraste. (Alpha)

1LP# ALPHA865 $24.99

Korngold: String Quartets, Nos. 2 & 3 / Alma Quartet [LP]

Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s three string quartets are surely masterpieces and can be seen as modern tone poems imbued with beautiful melancholy and Viennese charm. (Challenge)

1LP# CCLP 72868 $34.99

Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1 – Symphony No. 9 [LP]

Shostakovich’s (first) piano concerto features impressive pianistic virtuosity, bold experimentation, satire, and caricatures of different musical styles. (BR Klassik)

1LP# BRK900204 $39.99

Dvořák: Symphonies Nos. 8 & 9 [3 LPs]

Sir Charles MacKerras’s accounts of Symphonies Nos 8 and 9 are torrentially vivid, as performed by the superb Prague Symphony Orchestra under his baton. (Supraphon)

3LP# SU4301-1 $85.99

Boxed

The Rediscovered RCA Victor Recordings / José Iturbi [16 CD]

Once upon a time in the 1940s and 1950s in America, classical music and its stars were a natural part of many big Hollywood movies. This edition is a tribute to an era when classical music from films made its journey around the world. It contains all the recordings made by José Iturbi for RCA Victor from 1933 to 1955, remastered from the original records and tapes, including previously unreleased recordings.

(Sony)

Ivry Gitlis – The Legend [4 CDs]

16CD# 19439836502 $125.98

The concert programs of Ivry Gitlis were often challenging for the audience. Nevertheless, when Gitlis plays the great concertos whose timeless worth still dominates today’s concert programs, his own, sometimes idiosyncratic interpretation is audible, challenging the listener to more intensive engagement with that which is already well-known. (Profil)

4CD# PH19056 $22.99

Legendary Pianists – Famous Piano Concertos [10 CDs]

For many decades the orchestras of the German broadcasting service SWR have worked together with many famous musicians from all over the world, including the outstanding pianists selected for this collection, among them Clara Haskil, Jörg Demus, Paul Badura-Skoda, Alicia de Larrocha, Wilhelm Backhaus, and Géza Anda. (SWR Classic)

10CD# SWR19433CD $51.99

Bruckner: The 9 Symphonies / Herbert Blomstedt; Gewandhausorchester Leipzig [10 CDs]

Bruckner’s symphonies are strenuous alpine hikes, and Blomstedt is a mountain guide who not only has the next fork in the road in mind but knows every stone on the path before the group has even started. The nine symphonies released in this box were recorded at the Gewandhaus Leipzig between 2005 and 2012. (Accentus)

10CD# ACC80575 $89.99

Mozart: Die verstellte Gärtnerin [3 CDs]

Rarity – German version of Mozart’s “Finta gardiniera.” 5 years ago, the Munich Radio Orchestra under Andrew Parrott performed Mozart’s singspiel “Die verstellte Gärtnerin” – the rarely performed German version of “Finta gardiniera,” which can now finally appear on CPO. When this opera was first performed, Mozart was 19 years old – an age at which most composers had not even begun. (CPO)

3CD# 555386-2 $33.99

Beethoven:

The Late Quartets / Calidore String Quartet [3 CDs]

The Calidore Quartet begin their new cycle of Beethoven’s complete String Quartets with the Late Quartets, a 3–volume set of Opp. 127, 130, 131, 132, 133 & 135. Performances of the Calidore String Quartet are renowned for their “deep reserves of virtuosity and irrepressible dramatic instinct” – New York Times. (Signum Classics)

3CD# SIGCD733 $20.79

Handel: Organ Concertos Op. 4 & Op. 7 / Ivan Ronda [3 CD]

The Organ Concertos Op. 4 and Op. 7 by George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) were originally composed as musical interludes to be performed during the intervals of the Oratorios. Handel chose to write for the organ, an instrument hitherto relegated to the liturgical service, to emancipate it and have it take on a new character, more brilliant and appealing to the public.

(Brilliant Classics)

3CD# BRI96547 $16.99

Wilhelm Backhaus Edition – Early Recordings 1927–1939 [5 CDs]

Essentially, in the incredible ease and naturalness of his pianism, in the unassuming simplicity and absorption of the man, Backhaus was much the same artist and personality then. And he was far from unknown. Even before he won the Rubinstein Prize in 1905, Backhaus was internationally celebrated as a prodigious virtuoso.

(Profil)

5CD# PH23001 $22.99

Stenhammar: The String Quartets [3 CDs]

Composed between 1894 and 1916 Wilhelm Stenhammar’s body of six numbered string quartets is considered unique among Scandinavian music of its time, both in its consistency and in its musical aspirations. Together, the quartets reflect the composer’s development, from full-blown Romanticism to a more sparse and formally concentrated idiom that distances itself from late-Romantic conventions. (BIS)

3SACD# BIS-2709 $39.99

Offenbach: Complete Duos for 2 Cellos [7 CDs]

Years before he took Paris by storm as a brilliantly witty composer of operettas, Offenbach was celebrated across Europe as a virtuoso cellist. It is this lesser-known aspect of his creative personality that is explored by Giovanni Sollima and Andrea Noferini, who have spent years immersing themselves in the technically intricate but always lyrical and extrovert pieces which Offenbach wrote for his instrument. (Brilliant Classics)

7CD# BRI96251 $34.99

Sets

Compositrices – New Light on French Romantic Women [8 CDs]

In this 8-CD set featuring several hundred performers, the Palazzetto Bru Zane offers a ‘new light’ on female composers from nineteenthcentury France. The selections range over chamber music, orchestral works, piano pieces and songs. They highlight twenty-one female creators, from already identified personalities like Hélène de Montgeroult, Louise Farrenc, and Mel Bonis to such completely unknown figures alike.

(Bru Zane)

8CD# BZ2006 $49.99

Mozart: String Quartets Complete [7 CDs]

All Mozart String Quartets complete. The Armida Quartett is seen today as one of the best quartets coping with the giant W.A. Mozart. Rave reviews from Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine. The Box has been recorded and released in close cooperation with the famous Henle publisher. (Cavi Music)

7CD# AVI 8553523 $29.99

Franck:

Organ Music [3 CDs]

Work began on the basilica of SaintClotilde in 1846, and only three years later, construction of the organ began under the supervision of the doyen of French organ builders, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. The instrument as it comes down to us is one of the most magnificent surviving examples of his art and craft – and crucially for the purposes of this album, influenced in its construction by César Franck. (Brilliant Classics)

3CD# BRI96220 $16.99

Issac Stern & Yefim Bronfman play Mozart [4 CDs]

In another highly distinguished collaboration, the legendary Isaac Stern and Yefim Bronfman perform Mozart’s mature violin sonatas over four CDs. Recorded in 1993–1994, several years after the pair first collaborated, the sonatas demonstrate their “excellent rapport” (Gramophone) in these delicate works. (Sony)

4CD# 88985464992 $22.98

BOXED SETS IN BRIEF

Hugo Alfvén: Complete Symphonies, Suites & Rhapsodies [7 CDs]

Hugo Alfvén’s music has always been close to the hearts of the Swedish people, and ranks among some of the most significant and representative of the spirit of the country. Alfvén is known as a cheerful entertainer in compositions such as Den Forlorade Sonen (‘The Prodigal Son’), but his symphonies reveal a different, more elegiac and often more dramatic side. (Naxos)

7CD# 8507015 $46.99

BBC

Legends,

Vol. 3 [20 CDs]

This third 20-album box brings together more of the greatest performances taken from the BBC archives. ‘The high standard of musical performances in these releases is mirrored in their scrupulous documentation and presentation... the engineering and sound of these recordings, despite their ages, is uniformly clear and sympathetic. The result is an unqualified success.’ – Gramophone (ICA Classics)

20CD# ICAB5167 $82.99

Bach: Cantatas, Motets & Organ Music [6

J.S.

CDs]

In 2012–14, these six albums were issued as individual books, in which format they attracted praise both for the depth of their insights and the excellence of the performances: ‘”Elegant” is the word for this production, equally worthy to give or to keep’ Fanfare (Vol. 1). This box makes them available once again, with a new introductory essay by Peter Quantrill in the booklet, and all the original essays. (Brilliant Classics)

6CD# BRI96434 $59.99

Gieseking: Columbia Graphophone Recordings

Complete Edition [48 CDs]

“The whole conception of performance in these days is too heavy, loud and blatant,” said Walter Gieseking in 1926. Gieseking’s finesse, imagination and sureness of touch brought him special and lasting distinction in the solo piano works of Debussy et Ravel, which he recorded in their entirety. The complete solo piano works of Mozart are another pillar of this 48-CD collection. (Warner Classics) 48CD# MOB245596 $139.99

Godowsky: Complete Studies on Chopin [3 CDs]

Godowsky employs various forms in his Studies on Chopin, including variations on the études, transcriptions for the left hand, free transcriptions, cantus firmus, and metamorphoses. (Brilliant Classics)

3CD# BRI96706 $16.99

Hahn: Complete Piano Music [4 CDs]

First released in 2015, unavailable now for some time, this complete survey of Reynaldo Hahn’s piano music features a feast of charming and unfamiliar music from the golden age of the French salon. (Piano Classics)

4CD# PCL10257 $34.99

Erbach: Complete Organ Music [9 CDs]

The predominant forms in this set are toccatas, canzonas and ricercars, as well as instrumental ‘settings’ of the Magnificat and the Ordinary of the Mass for liturgical use. (Brilliant Classics)

9CD# BRI95329 $54.99

Earl Wild: Complete Piano Music [3 CDs]

Recorded between 2013 and 2018, this is the first and so far only complete collection of Earl Wild’s piano music. It opens with poetic slow movements from Marcello to Fauré. (Brilliant Classics)

3CD# BRI96705 $16.99

Boxed Sets

Bax: Complete Symphonies, Orchestral Works [7 CDs]

Sir Arnold Bax wrote his seven symphonies between 1921 and 1939. From the dramatic impact of the Second Symphony through to the seascapes of the Fourth and hints of Sibelius in the later works, Bax’s powerful symphonic world is one of surprising and at times stormy vigor contrasting with the most intense lyrical expressiveness and serenity. (Naxos)

7CD# 8507014 $46.99

The Complete Recordings of Manuel Barrueco [11 CDs]

This box-set brings together his entire legacy of Manuel Barrueco and bears witness to his unique artistry which prompted The New York Times to write of him”... a warmth and a singing quality that would undoubtedly have made Segovia smile”. (Warner Classics)

11CD# MOB146275 $34.99

Barber: Complete Songs [3 CDs]

The songs of Samuel Barber offer the beauty of his output in microcosm. ‘Complete’ in this context used to mean the 47 songs gathered in a Deutsche Grammophon 2-CD set from 1994, but there are 65 songs here, making it the most complete survey yet recorded. These are heroic numbers demanding an interpreter of heroic projection. (Brilliant Classics)

3CD# BRI96514 $16.99

Mahler: Welt und Traum (World & Dream) Audiobiography [4 CDs]

Gustav Mahler’s life is the story of a triumphant career. In his ten-part audiobiography, Jörg Hanstein tells Mahler’s story before the background of a high-tension era, colorful and multi-voiced, factually correct and close to the sources. Actors like Udo Wachtveitl, René Dumont, Laura Maire and Gert Heidenreich guarantee listening pleasure on the highest level.

(BR Klassik)

4CD# BRK900901 $34.99

Reinecke: Complete Works for Two Pianos [3 CDs]

Carl Reinecke became known not least for his piano works, in which he reveals his style rooted in Romanticism. He wrote not only for solo piano, but also for piano four hands and for two pianos. The piano duo Genova & Dimitrov have now discovered this group of works, and now presents the first recording of all works for two pianos. A brilliant complete edition! (CPO)

3CD# 555454-2 $33.99

Musiques Nouvelles – Coffret Des 60 Ans [6 CDs]

The publication of this anniversary box set celebrating 60 years of Musiques Nouvelles, a true collector’s item, brings the 30-year collection of Cypres to a close in the most beautiful way. The 45 masterpieces recorded here reflect the beautiful aesthetic plurality of the creative music composed in the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles during the decade 2012–2022. (Cypres)

6CD# CYP8621 $49.99

Bach Im Spiegel / Felix Vogelsang [3 CDs]

Ever since Pablo Casals awakened Johann Sebastian Bach’s cello suites from a slumber of over 150 years back in 1900, they have fascinated and inspired composers, performers, and audiences alike. Cellist Felix Vogelsang works out the relationships of the works to each other with richly nuanced and precise cello playing! (Genuin)

3CD# GEN 23821 $29.99

Johanna Martzy Plays Violin Concertos & Sonatas [6 CDs]

This program forms a journey from dusk to dawn and guides us through various nights as described by several composers of the 16th century. Janequin, Lassus, Palestrina, Guerrero and their Franco-Flemish, Italian and Spanish colleagues lead us as we explore these nights, sometimes dark and terrifying, sometimes radiant with starlight, tranquil, and filled with love. (Profil)

6CD# PH22080 $22.99

Mozart: Complete Piano Sonatas / Mao Fujita [5 CDs]

A significant undertaking for any pianist, this project also marks the rising piano star’s Sony Classical debut. Described by The Times of London as “a musician of tremendous versatility and taste, with a poetic sense of pulse,” Mozart’s 18 piano sonatas offer a unique musical biography of the composer. (Sony) 5CD# 19658710762 $59.98

Cecile Ousset: Complete Warner Recordings [16 CDs]

The EMI Classics recordings of Cécile Ousset (b. 1936), spanning the years between 1982 and 1991, would mark her third and most prestigious recording collaboration, launching her, at age 46, into the international limelight. Indeed, recognition did not come easily to this grand dame of the piano, who, at the age of 14, obtained her prize at the Paris Conservatoire under the tutelage of Marcel Ciampi. (Warner Classics)

16CD# MOB436246 $44.99

Chamber Works

Mahler: Auferstehung

The new Geniun CD, featuring a chamber music version of Mahler’s 2nd Symphony, offers the listener a new and unusual perspective on this work of the century! Annika Steinbach (soprano) and Henriette Gödde (alto), as well as Emanuel Mütze (trumpet), contribute to this extraordinary, topnotch listening experience. (Genuin)

1CD# GEN 23818 $18.99

Habbestad, Hindemith, Iberg & Lung: Trio Brax

Trio Brax is a chamber music ensemble based in Tromsø, Northern Norway, founded in 2015. In this first recording they showcase music by the three Norwegian composers; Kjell Habbestad, Håvard Lund, and Helge Iberg, as well as music by Paul Hindemith. The ensemble features an unusual combination of viola, tenor saxophone, and piano. (Lawo)

1CD# LWC1248 $16.99

Le Dolce Sirene / Bach Aria Soloists [2 CDs]

Reference Recordings is proud to present a very special new release! Entitled Le Dolce Sirene to represent the all-women force of Bach Aria Soloists, this exciting new album includes works by Monteverdi, Handel, Mendelssohn and Bach, alongside a new transcription by BAS of Cecilia McDowall’s song cycle Four Shakespeare Songs. (Reference)

2CD# FR-750 $16.99

Homage to Beethoven / Dresden Septet

A young ensemble backed with over 400 years of history is releasing its debut CD with Genuin – the Dresden Chamber Soloists. On this CD, the ensemble combines Beethoven’s famous Septet with a new work written for the same instrumentation, Simone Fontanelli’s gestural Dresden Septet – Hommage to Beethoven. A worthwhile world premiere recording! (Genuin)

1CD# GEN 23805 $18.99

CHAMBER WORKS IN BRIEF

Haydn, Pawollek & Smetana Trio E.T.A.

Over the past decades, the German Music Competition has repeatedly given a stage to great chamber music formations! In this recording, we become acquainted with the promising Trio E.T.A., featuring Elene Meipariani (violin), Till Schuler (cello), and Till Hoffmann (piano), performing works by Joseph Haydn, Roman Pawollek, and Bedrich Smetana. (Genuin)

1CD# GEN 23816 $18.99

Berg, Wally & Zemlinsky: Viennese

Transfigurations

Three Vienna-born composers and four elective Viennese performers come together in four challenging and deeply layered compositions that span 120 years of Viennese musical history. Two arrangements are by the composers themselves, and two are by violinist Maxim Brilinsky. (Hanssler Classic)

1CD# HC22046 $18.99

Kahn: Chamber Music

“The decision to record works by my great-grandfather was actually made some time ago. Back in 2006 I founded the Hohenstaufen chamber music festival, where we play chamber music from absolutely all eras, in a wide variety of scorings. This is how we came to engage with the chamber music of Robert Kahn, who was a Professor at the Musikhochschule in Berlin for chamber music and piano.” – violinist Rahel Rilling (Hanssler Classic)

1CD# HC22075 $18.99

Hodkinson: Chamber Works

Throughout his lifetime, composer Sydney Hodkinson wrote over 250 works, covering a wide array of genres including educational literature, chamber arrangements, and large-scale orchestral pieces. This release brings four live recordings of the late composer’s string quartets and a trio, Rogatio Gravis, to life with performances from the Benda Quartet and the Jupiter Quartet. (Navona)

1CD# NV6498 $14.99

Dekker, Grieg, Hoekstra & Ravel: Spectrum / Colori Ensemble

With Spectrum, the Colori Ensemble presents its third album for Aliud Records in close collaboration with the Frisian Music Archive. (Aliud)

1CD# ACDOE1272 $16.99

J.S. Bach, Handel & Telemann: German Delight

The new release German Delight by the Apollo Ensemble contains six examples of what C.P.E. Bach called ‘music for Kenner und Liebhaber’ (professionals and amatuers). (Querstand)

1CD# VKJK 2107 $18.99

Koppel: Chamber Music

Danish composer and musician Anders Koppel’s imagination and fecundity of ideas give his music a character of joie de vivre, curiosity and playfulness. (Danacord)

1SACD# DACOCD946 $16.99

Raff: Chamber Music, Vol. 3

On the occasion of the 200th birthday of the Joachim Raff, the Leipzig String Quartet presents his string octet, which follows this principle in an exemplary manner. (MDG-Gold)

1CD# 3072273 $19.99

Signum

Santtu Conducts Strauss / Philharmonia Orchestra [2 CDs]

Santtu Conducts Strauss is a 2-volume album featuring four works by Richard Strauss conducted by Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, two of which are live recordings of Santtu’s 2021/22 opening concert and first concert as Principal Conductor at Royal Festival Hall. Eine Alpensinfonie and Also sprach Zarathustra are live recordings of Santtu’s opening concert of the 2021/22 season. (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD720 $20.79

Magnificat 3 / Andrew Nethsingha

Following their critically acclaimed ‘Psalms’ album, St. John’s College, Cambridge and Andrew Nethsingha present a selection of recordings from January and July 2022. Much of the third volume in their series of Evening Canticles focuses on music in a twenty-year period, from 1945 to 1965. Philip Moore’s Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis were commissioned especially for St. John’s College, Cambridge. (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD742 $14.39

Respighi: Ballad of the Gnomes / Philharmonia Orchestra

Geoffrey Simon’s exploration of Respighi’s catalogue has yielded a number of colourful compositions whose neglect hitherto remains something of a mystery. The works recorded on this reissue cover a wide range of moods, from the opulence and excitement for which Respighi was noted in his famous Roman Trilogy, to more reflective pieces inspired by nostalgia for the music of the past. (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD2161 $14.39

Visions Illuminees / Ruisi Quartet

In her third recital album for Signum Records, celebrated soprano Mary Bevan returns with a selection of French songs, featuring works by composers including Britten, Ravel, Debussy and Faure. Bevan notes: “The texts that composers of French mélodie have set to music contain a depth and a mystery that I find fascinating and a source of repeated inspiration..” (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD735 $14.39

Beethoven, Barry: Complete Symphonies [6 CDs]

To mark their 30th Anniversary, Britten Sinfonia and Thomas Ades are releasing their acclaimed Beethoven and Barry cycle as a box set. The works were recorded between 2017 and 2019 at Barbican Hall, London and Theatre Royal, Brighton. (Signum Classics)

6CD# SIGCD687 $72.79

Matthew Locke was born 400 years ago in 1622, and while he is often ranked as one of England’s finest composers, he is still unaccountably neglected: his music may not be as immediately appealing as his immediate successor, Henry Purcell, nor as wide-ranging as William Byrd, yet his forceful musical personality and luxuriant technique place him in the first echelon of English composers. (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD728 $14.39

Chilcott: Canticles of Light / NFM Choir

Canticles of Light is Bob Chilcott’s ninth album on Signum Records. Featuring celebrated composers including Cecilia McDowall, Francis Pott and James MacMillan. Hailed by The Observer as ‘a contemporary hero of British choral music’, Chilcott has enjoyed a lifelong connection with singing and choirs. As a composer he has a large catalogue of music published by Oxford University Press. (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD729 $14.39

In Celebration – The Piano Trios of Stanley Silverman

“A celebration of the chamber works of US composer Stanley Silverman, with stellar performances by the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio and featuring guest vocals from the iconic singer and songwriter Sting. Reveille (Trio No. 2) was written in 2011 for the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio. (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD738 $14.39

Lovesick / Randall Scotting; Stephen

Stubbs

His second album on Signum Records, counter-tenor Randall Scotting is joined by celebrated lutenist Stephen Stubbs for a collection of anti-Valentine’s songs focusing on heartbreak and loss from the 17th century. (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD736 $14.39

Forza azzurri! Music by Dall’Abaco, Brescianello, Vivaldi

Whilst the volume of music that flowed from Vivaldi’s pen was unusually plentiful, many other composers were needed to fulfil the needs of the regional courts and churches throughout Italy. Expert early-music ensemble La Serenissima perform works by Lorenzo Gaetano Zavateri, Giuseppe Sammartini, and Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello alongside works by Vivaldi on this new album of Italian Baroque masterpieces. (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD705 $14.39

Matthew Locke: The Little Consort / Fretwork

Classics

Ravel: Five O’Clock Foxtrot / Philharmonia Orchestra

Ravel grew up in Paris during la belle epoque, the thirty-odd years prior to 1914 when Paris was the unquestioned artistic center of the world. The fin de siecle years saw him enter the Paris Conservatoire. He was an immensely gifted youth, and one by one his early compositions began to show a real mastery of conception and execution.

(Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD2160 $14.39

J.S. Bach: Harpsichord Concertos, BWV 1052, 1054, 1055 & 1058

“JS Bach’s seven concertos for solo harpsichord & amp; strings, BWV 1052-1058, occupy a significant place in the history of music, marking as they do the origin of the keyboard concerto genre. Collectively, they encompass the gamut of Baroque rhetorical expression; it is difficult to think of a more diverse, revolutionary and technically refined set of instrumental concertos from the Baroque period”

Andrew Arthur (Signum)

1CD# SIGCD710 $14.39

The London Violin Sound / London PO; Royal PO; Philharmonia Orchestra

A unique demonstration of massed instrumental playing, featuring no less than 48 violinists under the baton of Geoffrey Simon. Three of London’s finest sections drive the concept of the violin ensemble to new heights in these innovative, hugely sonorous treatments of repertoire from Debussy to Gershwin. (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD2008 $14.39

Falkenberg: The Moons Symphony

International award-winning composer, Amanda Lee Falkenberg has composed a dynamic new work that merges music and science. The seven-movement symphony dramatizes past, present and future moon explorations, and highlights discoveries that have been made in our search for other worlds that could possibly sustain life. (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD730 $14.39

SIGNUM TITLES IN BRIEF

Walton: String Quartet in A Minor –Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 3

Following their successful Dvořák cycle with Signum Records, Albion String Quartet are back with a selection of string quartets by Walton and Shostakovich, recorded in 2021. The concept: to juxtapose two masterpieces written in the same year in the immediate aftermath of war (1946) by composers inhabiting two entirely different social and political worlds in the Soviet Union and Britain respectively. (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD727 $14.39

Von Bingen: Sacred Chants / Grace Davidson

Grace Davidson presents her third release with Signum Classics, an intimate disc of Sacred Chants by Hildegard von Bingen, translations by Jeremy Summerly. Grace Davidson is a British soprano who specializes first and foremost in the performance and recording of Baroque music. (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD717 $14.39

The Psalms / Andrew Nethsingha

The Choir of St. John’s have received glowing praise for their previous releases, culminating in the choral prize at the 2017 BBC Music Magazine Awards for their debut release of works by Jonathan Harvey. The Choir of St. John’s College, Cambridge is one of the finest collegiate choirs in the world, known and loved by millions from its broadcasts, concert tours and recordings. (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD721 $14.39

The Crown: Heroic Arias for Senesino

The countertenor Randall Scotting’s debut album on Signum Records – with Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, conducted by Laurence Cummings – explores repertoire composed for the (in)famous countertenor Senesino, featuring works by composers including Ariosti, Oralandini, Giocomelli and Gaj. (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD719 $14.39

Vivaldi’s Women – Instrumental & Vocal Sacred Music

La Serenissima explore the sacred works of Vivaldi, many of which were composed for a Venetian institution that cared for unwanted children, which included a talented group of performers (the figlie di coro). (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD699 $14.39

Beethoven: Violin Concerto – Romances

On his second album with Signum Records, internationally acclaimed violinist Charlie Siem is joined by the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Oleg Caetani to perform works by Beethoven. (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD704 $14.39

Duparc: The Complete Songs

Malcolm Martineau follows up his acclaimed complete song collections of Poulenc and Faure with an album celebrating the solo songs of Henri Duparc, performed by an acclaimed roster of British singers. (Signum Classics)

1CD# SIGCD715 $14.39

Handel: Caio Fabriccio, HWV A9 [2 CDs]

The conductor and harpsichordist, Bridget Cunningham brings back to life Handel’s pasticcio opera, Caio Fabbricio first performed in London in 1733. (Signum Classics)

2CD# SIGCD713 $20.79

Kapustin: Piano Concerto No. 5, Concerto for 2 Pianos and Percussion

10/10! “This splendid new release confirms the excellent impression made by its predecessors, especially the remarkable disc containing the Fourth Piano Concerto and other orchestral works. Kapustin’s jazzinflected style offers a full range of expressive nuance projected in a consistently kinetic, refreshing and melodically attractive language that is uniquely his own.” – Classics Today (Capriccio)

1CD# C5495 $19.99

Toch, Weill, Krenek & Bartok: 1923

“Go back a hundred years. This album, a dazzling act of creative programming by Bavarian Radio, covers three young composers in hyperinflationary Berlin and a fourth dancing away on the fringes. Howard Arman conducts the Bavarian Radio chorus, Cristian Macelaru the excellent orchestra. If this programme sets any kind of benchmark for 2023, we’re in for a thrilling year.” Lebrecht Weekly (BR Klassik)

1CD# BRK900206 $17.99

Handel: Theodora / Lisette Oropesa; Joyce Didonato [3 CDs]

“This is now the benchmark Theodora; it is optimally cast, dramatically intense and luminously beautiful. Its world-class principles use their fine vocal qualities to deepen their characters. With a precocious band and commanding chorus under Maxis Emelyanychev, the result is spellbinding.” – BBC Music Recording of the Month (Erato)

3CD# MOB177910 $24.99

Arutiunian, Shostakovich & Weinberg: Trumpet Concerto

“Paul Merkelo’s nicely programmed album is a tribute to the great Ukrainian-born trumpet virtuoso Timofei Dokschitzer. Merkulo has made his own edition in conjunction with conductor Hans Graf and piano Jae-Hyuck Cho, using Shostakovich’s original orchestration and adapting Dokschitzer’s arrangement. It still sounds as riotous and high-spirited as before, and Merkelo and company raise the roof at the end.” – Gramophone (Naxos)

1CD# 8579117 $13.99

Weinberger: Piano Music

The international success of Weinberger’s opera Schwanda the Bagpiper in 1927 has obscured a sequence of piano works written when the composer was still in his teens. The Second and Third Piano Sonatas form a commanding pair, both written in 1915 – the former autobiographical, playful and dark – the latter neo-Classical with Francophile elements.”

Classical Music Daily (Grand Piano)

Dvořák: Poetic Tone Pictures, Op. 85 / Leif Ove Andsnes

“It’s no doubt that the Poetic Tone Pictures should be welcomed into the piano repertoire far more than they have up until this point. At the very least, Andsnes does these gems justice with a highly imaginative performance. A delightful listen and an enthusiastic recommendation.”

– The Classic Review (Sony)

1CD# 19439912092 $13.99

Beethoven & Stravinsky: Violin Concertos / Vilde Frang

“Frang’s exquisite tonal subtlety and enhanced range of dynamics allows her to weave in and out of Beethoven’s carefully graded orchestral textures, with a profound sense of listening and responding to everything going on around her. This is arguably Frang’s finest disc since her sensational Sibelius/Prokofiev debut.” – BBC Music (Warner Classics)

1CD# MOB677403 $18.99

Mahler 4 / Camerata Gala

“Mahler’s 4th Symphony and the lieder of Des knaben Wunderhorn are symphonic scores with a hue similar to that which can be found in chamber music. This is due to the fact that Mahler’s orchestration is not too dense. Domínguez-Nieto’s conception of the work, recorded here for the first time, exploits, with utmost respect for the composer’s original orchestration.”

– Classical Music Daily (IBS)

1CD# IBS-142022 $15.99

Santoro: Symphonies Nos. 11 & 12 / Neil Thomson; Goiás PO

“Claudio Santoro’s music always seems to grab the listener by the throat. The Concerto grosso is one of a number of hugely impressive works from his final decade and provides an attractive and intriguing mixture of conventional writing and flashes of the cluster-laden periods of the past. These impressive and rarely heard works are all played with absolute conviction and panache...” – Gramophone (Naxos)

1CD# 8574406 $13.99

Coleridge-Taylor: Piano Trio, Nonet, Piano Quintet

“With so many works recorded multiple times by established peformers, it’s wonderful to be acquianted with an unknown composer in general, and particularly with his seldom-played works. This album includes Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s early chamber works that show tremendous vigor and originalist. The players of the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective rise to the occasion.” – The Classic Review (Chandos)

1CD# CHAN 20242 $18.99

1CD# GP887 $16.99

Choice

Donizetti: Signor Gaetano / Javier Camarena

“Above all, there’s simply an enormous amout to enjoy in Camarena’s singing, right from the ranz des vaches-like solo that opens the first track. But this album is so much more than a vocal showcase. Camarena, vividly abetted by Frizza, brings dramatic urgency to everything he does. All in all, this is a hugely enjoyable and unusually satisfying and engaging operatic recital....” – Gramophone Recording of the Month (Pentatone)

1CD# PTC5186886 $15.99

Vaughan Williams; Howells; Delius; Elgar: Music for Strings / John Wilson

“ A new release from John Wilson and his Sinfonia of London – a well-known ensemble in the 1950s, relaunched in 2018 by Wilson for special projects – has become a redletter day in the recording calendar. As ever, the brilliance of the playing makes this essential listening, the precision and attention to detail alive and exhilarating.” – The Guardian (Chandos)

1SACD# CHSA 5291 $21.99

Janáček – Brahms – Bartók / Patricia Kopatchinskaja; Fazil Say

“There is no piece of music — works by Tchaikovsky or Schoenberg, or an old folk tune — that the violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja cannot play in a way that unwinds your expectations and forces you to hear it anew. So it is with the latest chapter in her partnership with the intrepid Turkish pianist and composer Fazil Say.” – New York Times (Alpha)

1CD# ALPHA885 $18.99

African-American Voices / Kellen Gray; Royal Scottish NO

“This release gives evidence that the rediscovery of music by African Americans is spreading beyond American shores, even if the conductor here, Kellen Gray, is of southern American background. He leads the Royal Scottish National Orchestra confidently in music that was probably new to all involved, even Gray himself. It speaks well of the young conductor that he has programmed some unusual works.” – AllMusicGuide (Linn Records)

1CD# CKD699 $18.99

Mozart: La clemenza di Tito [2 CDs]

“In recent decades La clemenza di Tito has come into its own, and this 2020 recording will add to its popularity. The title role Is difficult to cast, but Nicky Spence has the range, the fluency and the technique to bring off all the vocal challenges. The recitatives in which Spence expresses his confliected position are highlights.” – BBC Music (Alpha)

2CD# ALPHA793 $27.99

Beethoven: Sonatas for Piano & Violin / Midori; Jean-Yves Thibaudet [3 CDs]

“In their new album, Midori and Jean-Yves Thibaudet have taken on a project not meant for the faint-of-heart. The release perhaps fittingly commemorates the violinist’s illustrious career to date and the 40th anniversary of her professional debut. Given their long-term friendship, Midori and Thibaudet’s artistic relationship is relatively new; the duo first collaborated in the 2018-19 season.” – The Classic Review (Warner)

3CD# MOB215360 $24.99

Poulenc: Les Animaux modèles; Sinfonietta / Bramwell Tovey

“There’s plenty of meat in Poulenc’s Sinfonietta, not least in the abundance of memorable tunes, some borrowed from one of the composer’s many abandoned string quartets. Above all, Tovey engenders a sense of energy and fun, reminding us that although the work lasts for nearly half an hour, it is well named. – BBC Music (Chandos)

1SACD# CHSA 5260 $19.99

Spohr: Complete Works for Clarinet & Orchestra [2 CDs]

“The Finnish artist Christoffer Sundqvist is one of the leading clarinetists of his generation, and we are very happy to have won him for our complete edition of Louis Spohr’s works for clarinet and orchestra. Not only the extremely brilliant and masterful four clarinet concertos can be heard, but also all the other works for clarinet and orchestra, composed at that time for the virtuoso Johann Simon Hermstedt.” – Classical Music Daily (CPO)

2CD# 555151-2 $33.99

Palumbo: Woven Lights

“With echoes seemingly coming from Alban Berg’s violin concerto, Palumbo’s own Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (2015) displays bittersweet lyricism. Characterized by a dramatic language and driven by a strong and varied rhythmic impulse, the single-movement work also offers transitional moments of static beauty typical of the composer’s usual finesse in the scoring.” – Classical Music Daily (BIS)

1CD# BIS-2625 $19.99

Elgar: Viola Concerto – Block: Suite for Viola & Orchestra / Timothy Ridout; BBC SO

“The concerto is entirely convincing as a viola work, which makes its rarity in the concert hall and on disc all the more surprising – apparently this is just the third ever commercial recording. It could even be argued that the central pair of movements are more effective in the viola version than in the original....”

– The Guardian (Harmonia Mundi)

1CD# MOB946534 $19.99

New from

Zador: Celebration Music; Chamber Concerto

Eugene Zádor was an established composer by the time he moved from Europe to the United States in 1939 where he worked as a film composer. Many of the works on this album exhibit Zádor’s finest traits, blending neo-Classicism and neo-Romanticism with expert orchestration and rhythmic verve, and a dedication to tonality liberally peppered with gentle dissonance. (Naxos)

1CD# 8574262 $13.99

Brahms: Hungarian Dances & The Hungarian Tradition [2 CDs]

Brahms had long been immersed in the folk traditions and spirit of Hungary’s musical repertoire. This album presents his Hungarian Dances alongside their source material and variants, as well as some elements that Brahms omitted from his settings.The heroic strength and dynamism, as well as the melancholy of the Dances can be heard as never before. (Naxos)

2CD# 8574424-25 $24.99

Korngold: String Quartets, Nos. 1–3

Erich Wolfgang Korngold wrote a significant body of chamber music. His three String Quartets reflect differing periods of composition. The First marries impetuousness with enticing harmonies and rapt eloquence. The Second dates from 1933 and has great clarity and rhythmic impetus, with a full complement of Korngold’s lyricism. (Naxos)

1CD# 8574428 $13.99

Puts: The City – Marimba Concerto – Moonlight

“This collection of recordings is especially meaningful for me because it charts my growth as an orchestral composer from my years as a student – when the Marimba Concerto was composed – to more mature work such as ‘Moonlight.’ It also reflects the wonderful relationship I have enjoyed over the years with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop.” – Kevin Puts (Naxos)

1CD# 8559926 $13.99

Scriabin: The Poem of Ecstasy – Symphony No. 2

Scriabin composed most of his single-movement fourth symphony

The Poem of Ecstasy between 1905 and 1908 in Italy and France. He originally intended it to be called Poème orgiaque (‘Orgiastic Poem’) with its unprecedented raw sensuality and overpowering aesthetic, taking chromaticism beyond even Wagnerian voluptuousness. (Naxos)

1CD# 8574139 $13.99

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 4 / Petrenko; Giltburg

For 19th-century audiences

Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 was the most loved of all his piano concertos, a work in which the balancing of high drama, tenderness, lyricism and humour is most pronounced and in which a coda resolves inner tensions with brilliance and triumphant grandeur. Piano Concerto No. 4 is the most introspective and poetic of the concertos. (Naxos)

1CD# 8574152 $13.99

German: Symphony No. 2, ‘Norwich’ / National SO of Ireland

Sir Arthur Sullivan called Edward German ‘the one man to follow me who has genius’. Notwithstanding German’s success in operetta, especially with Tom Jones and Merrie England, orchestral music was always central to his life. Stylistic affiliations with French and Russian music – not that common in British music of the time – are often evident. (Naxos)

1CD# 8555228 $13.99

Justin Holland: Guitar Works & Arrangements

Justin Holland was an important African American figure in the national US anti-slavery movement as well as being a significant figure in guitar composition and methodology. As a composer he synthesised European models and embraced popular, church and parlour songs generating a rich variety of works. (Naxos)

1CD# 8559924 $13.99

Brahms: Complete Songs, Vol. 3 / Alina Wunderlin; Kieran Carrel

For Brahms, folk songs were sources of musical inspiration, not subjects for academic study. The songs from Books 6 and 7 of the Deutsche Volkslieder exemplify how Brahms’ distinctive and expressive accompaniments brought unique qualities to these songs, how he intensified certain verses to draw out their power, or allowed the piano its own revealing melodic phrases.

1CD# 8574346 $13.99

Unicum – New Songs from the Leuven Chansonnier

The discovery in 2015 of a 15th-century parchment chansonnier still in its original binding was made still more startling because it contained twelve previously unknown, anonymous chansons. Most are rondeaus, and they range from the uncomplicated to the refined and elaborate; many bear musical indications that they are the work of the greatest composers of the period. (Naxos)

1CD# 8574395 $13.99

(Naxos)

Naxos

Wranitzky: Orchestral Works, Vol. 5 / Czech Chamber Philharmonic

1CD# 8574399 $13.99

Ketèlbey: Bells Across the Meadows

1CD# 8555175 $11.99

Hommage à Victor Babin / Two4Piano

1CD# 8551462 $13.99

Raizes:

Portuguese Chamber Music / Matosinhos String Quartet

1CD# 8579114 $13.99

R. Schumann: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 (re-orchestrated by G. Mahler)

1CD# 8574430 $11.99

Guarnieri: Piano Music, Vol. 2 –Improvisos, Valsas, Momentos

1CD# 8573632 $11.99

Salgado: Chamber Music, Vol. 1 / Kansas Virtuosi

1CD# 8579128 $11.99

Santoro: Fantasias sul América, Sonata for Solo Violin

1CD# 8574407 $13.99

Pütz: Moods – Luxembourg Contemporary Music, Vol. 2

1CD# 8579116 $13.99

Berkeley – Brahms – Leshnoff: Horn Trios 1CD# 8579137 $13.99

Bollon: Die ungebornen Enkel –The Secret Garden of the Cordania

1CD# 8574456 $13.99

Joyce: Caravan Suite – Toto –Dreams of You

1CD# 8555218 $13.99

Howells: Piano Music, Vol. 2

1CD# 8571383 $13.99

Sgambati: Symphony No. 2 –Sinfonia Epitalamio

1CD# 8572686 $13.99

Rubinstein: Piano Music – 3 Caprices, Op. 21 & 6 Pieces, Op. 51

1CD# 8574300 $13.99

Sacred Music

J.S. Bach: St. John Passion [2 CDs]

Bach’s St. John Passion is like an eternal cry into the void, carrying the essence of western, protestant answers to the fundamental questions in life in music. Our wrongdoings on Earth contrasted with higher moral principles. Nowhere else does it crystallize into music more profoundly and beautifully than in this immortal manifestation of Bach’s genius. (Berlin Classics)

2CD# 0302071BC $22.99

Machaut: Songs from Remede de Fortune

The story told by the ‘Remede’ may be familiar episodes of courtly life and love in fourteenth century France but from it, Machaut develops a magisterial work exploring themes of philosophy, psychology and artistic endeavour. “A beautiful, intimate performance....delicacy and intimicay are suberpbly matched to these more introspective works.” – Gramophone (Hyperion)

1CD# MOB283999 $19.99

Reforming Hymns / Musica Ficta

There is, naturally, only a small region which sings in Danish. The psalms sung by religious communities during the time of the Reformation in Denmark were, for the most part, borrowed from other languages and used with existing melodies. With this recording, the Copenhagen based vocal ensemble Musica Ficta explores the Danish Reformation hymnody from an international perspective. (Dacapo)

1CD# 8226142 $15.99

Grandi, Rigatti, Rovetta & Schutz: Worship in a Time of Plague

Sacred motets for 1–6 voices published in Venice before, during, and after the plague of 1630, featuring Capella Intima and the Gallery Players of Niagara. Founded in 2008, the vocal quartet Capella Intima presents unique programming of mainly 17th century repertoire. (Musica Omnia)

1CD# MO0804 $13.99

Sørensen: St. Matthew Passion

To mark Oslo International Church Music Festival’s anniversary in 2020, a new St. Matthew Passion was commissioned from Bent Sørensen, one of northern Europe’s most performed and admired composers and winner of the Grawemeyer Award for Music in 2018. The libretto [in English] was curated by Jakob Holtze and is made of fragments of the Gospels of Matthew and John. (BIS)

1SACD# BIS-2611 $19.99

Graupner: My Faith Stands Firm - Cantatas for Bass Voice

There are scores for over 1,400 of Christoph Graupner’s church cantatas. Forty-seven of these are for solo bass voice with a variety of instrumental pairings. This recording, featuring cantatas and instrumental works composed between 1720 and 1745, offers the listener an introduction to Gaupner and an important, if small, piece in the larger puzzle that is Graupner’s life and work. (Affetto)

1CD# AF2301 $16.99

Caporali: Via Crucis – Cantate Sacre [2 CDs]

The first CD is entirely dedicated to the Via Crucis, the re-enactment of the journey taking Jesus to the cross through the traditional fourteen stations, while the second CD contains two sacred cantatas dedicated to Saints Paola and Ciriaco, patron saints of Malaga, and to Santa Maria della Vittoria, also protector of the city since the conquest in 1487 by King Fernando the Catholic. (Tactus)

2CD# TC950391 $25.99

Mold: Passiontide – a Lenten Cantata

Passiontide – A Lenten Cantata. Simon Mold’s new setting is a triumph drawing deeply on the traditions of baroque Passion settings as well as such works as Stainer’s ‘The Crucifixion’ and Maunder’s ‘Olivet to Calvary’. A strikingly accessible work that explores a range of emotions with a sure feel for word-setting and an irrepressible tunefulness. (Divine Art)

1CD# DDA25238 $18.99

Mozart in Milan: Sacred Music around the Exsultate, jubilate

The splendour of Mozart’s motet Exsultate, jubilate stands out in a repertoire that has for too long remained in the shadows: the magnificent output of church music composed in 18th-century Milan, the city in which Mozart, then not even 17 years old, wrote his first masterpiece of sacred music precisely 250 years ago. (Arcana)

1CD# A538 $18.99

Praetorius & Schutz: Sacred Works in Parallel Settings

In our series “Music from Wolfenbüttel Castle,” the sixth concert in the series featured and recorded parallel settings of sacred works by Michael Praetorius and Heinrich Schütz. One does not immediately think of counting the great Dresden composer Heinrich Schütz among the kapellmeisters at the Wolfenbüttel court, and yet he was officially engaged there as “Capellmeister von Haus aus” from 1655 until at least 1666.

(CPO)

1CD# 555503-2 $16.99

Early Music

Byrd, Monte, Papa, Tabakova & Wilder: A Watchful Gaze

In his 400th anniversary year, William Byrd’s legacy is marked by the commission of two new pieces from acclaimed composer Dobrinka Tabakova, bringing his musical heritage firmly into the modern day. The two premieres, “Arise Lord into thy rest” and “Turn our captivity,” highlight the beauty of modern polyphony and showcase The Sixteen in a new light. (Coro)

1CD# COR16195 $19.99

Willaert: Adriano 4

An event in the world of Renaissance recorded music! After three releases exclusively on LP, the group founded by tenor Tore Tom Denys, that has swiftly become a reference for Flemish polyphony performance, issues their first CD. The CD contains the world premiere recording of Adriaen Willaert’s St. John Passion, composed around 1545, followed by three Easter motets. (EPR Classic)

1CD# EPRC 0054 $16.99

A Byzantine Emperor at King Henry’s Court –Christmas 1400 London

Travel back to a Christmas like no other before or since, with music for the Nativity of Christ not heard in centuries. Vocal ensemble Cappella Romana combines passion with scholarship in its exploration of early and contemporary music of the Christian East and West. A Byzantine Emperor at King Henry’s Court is Cappella Romana’s 30th release. (Cappella)

1SACD# CR427 $19.99

Sweelinck: The Art of Variation – Secular Cycles

Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, although considered an isolated phenomenon, transformed Amsterdam into the center of interest for keyboard music. Today, Sweelinck is considered not only one of the most famous organists, but also one of the leading composers of his time and the last great master of Dutch and Flemish polyphony. (Challenge)

1CD# CC 72926 $16.99

EARLY MUSIC IN BRIEF

Tenebres et Abysses

The Leçons de Ténèbres (Tenebrae Lessons) fall within the tradition of French sacred music under the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV. With her Ensemble Léviathan, Lucile Tessier crafts a showcase worthy of the King’s Chamber for the melismas of the Soprano Eugénie Lefebvre: the shadows come alive, a long lamentation rings out from the abysses, in the flickering flame of candlelight. (CDV)

1CD# CVS092 $18.99

Stella: Renaissance Gems & their Reflections, Vol. 3 / Ora Singers

Spanish composers of the sixteenth century followed a long tradition of writing music in honor of the Virgin Mary. The composer Tomás Luis de Victoria wrote multiple settings of devotion to Mary of which this collection showcases some real gems. The album sees Ora Singers continue their series of great renaissance masterworks being reflected by some of the finest choral composers of our present day. (Harmonia Mundi)

1CD# MOB945070 $19.99

Frescobaldi: Fiori Musicali

SOMM Recordings marks the anniversaries of the birth and death of the late-Renaissance, early-Baroque master Girolamo Frescobaldi with a revelatory new recording of his celebrated collection of liturgical organ music, Fiori musicali Making their label debuts are acclaimed organist Richard Lester, and a baritone quartet drawn from The Greenwood Consort. (Somm Recordings)

1CD# SOMMCD 0661 $18.99

L’Arte Del Virtuoso, Vol. 1 – Solo Concertos

Caterva musica has committed itself entirely to early music. What makes it special: Each member is a gifted soloist, but knows how to fit into the accompanying orchestra when needed. Five remarkable solo concertos of the 18th century show once the stupendous virtuosity of the individual, but also but also the harmonically colorfully coordinated ensemble performance of the top-class group. (MDG-Scene)

1SACD# 9262277-6 $19.99

The Splendour of Florence / Gothic Voices

Following its Gramophone Editor’s Choice album Echoes of an Old Hall, Medieval expert Gothic Voices has recorded The Splendour of Florence, a collection of Franco-Flemish music. (Linn)

1CD# CKD700 $18.99

Machaut: Remede de Fortune / Blue Heron; Les Délices

This live recording of a concert production of the Remede includes all seven musical items from the Remede as well as a selection of other motets, songs, and dances. (Blue Heron) 1CD# BHCD1012 $19.99

William Byrd: Pavans & Galliards [2 CDs]

Daniel-Ben Pienaar continues his campaign of performing early music on a modern piano with an abundant selection of Pavans & Galliards, Variations & Grounds by William Byrd. (Avie) 2CD# AV2574 $24.99

Giaches de Wert: Versi d’Amore / Voces Suaves

Following three critically acclaimed albums of sacred music, Voces Suaves turns to the most important secular genre of the Renaissance: the madrigal. (Arcana) 1CD# A536 $18.99

The Baroque

Pisendel:

Pi / Concerto Kohl

Concerto Köln is one of the leading orchestras for historically informed musical performances and recordings. Recent concerts of Wagner’s “Rheingold” and an album released together with soprano Jeanine De Bique have been celebrated and praised by critics and listeners alike. The conceptual originality of their work seems endless. (Berlin Classics)

1CD# 0302808BC

$23.99

Seicento Stravagante – Music for Cornetto & Keyboard

Through works by Italian composers from the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the two members of Seicento Stravagante, David Brutti and Nicola Lamon, demonstrate the extravagant styles of early baroque music. Brutti perform this selection of works on three different types of cornetto, while Lamon alternates between a copy of a harpsichord from 1681 and two organs from 1578 and 1660 respectively. (BIS)

1CD# BIS-2526 $19.99

Vivaldi: Lute & Mandolin Concertos

“I enjoyed greatly some highly attractive and charming music, sensitive playing, and clean, freshsounding recordings... The Lute concerto in particular has good things... Of the Mandolin concertos, this double is most interesting, done with charm, with one mandolin each to the left and to the right, and is quite delightful. Much of the music is in Vivaldi’s best sombre G minor tone.” – Gramophone (Alto)

1CD# MOB414657 $10.99

D’Alay: The Dresden Concertos for Violin, Strings & Organ

Mauro D’Alay was a native of Parma. These concertos are formally based on models by Vivaldi, but D’Alay’s style is freer, at times incorporating a more ‘modern’ galant fashion in discoveries such as the beautiful and unique Concerto in D minor, and in pieces dedicated to the famous Venetian violinist, ‘Maestra’ Anna Maria della Pietà. (Dynamic)

1CD# DYN-CDS7982 $16.99

J.S. Bach: Tears from Babylon / Alexandra Papastefanou

New piano transcriptions by Greek pianist Alexandra Papastefanou of various Cantatas, an Organ Sonata and a Chorale Prelude by J.S. Bach, all recorded here for the first time. The famous Myra Hess transcription of Bach’s cantata Jesus bleibet meine Freude concludes a fascinating new look at some of Bach’s choral and organ works. (First Hand)

1CD# FHR141 $12.99

Bach Transcriptions – Six Concertos for Violocello

Piccolo

Bach Transcriptions is a surprising labyrinth of sound that forms the conclusion of Marco Brunello’s trilogy dedicated to Bach’s music, of works to which we listen afresh thanks to the expressive potential of the piccolo cello, an instrument that Bach himself had particularly appreciated. (Arcana)

1CD# A535 $18.99

Telemann: Complete Cantatas, Vol. 2 [2 CDs]

If you are still looking for proof that quantity and quality need not be mutually exclusive in the case of composing geniuses, you will find plenty here. Listening and discovering is pure pleasure, wrote FonoForum when the first part of Telemann’s cantatas of the French Year was released. Worth discovering, not only for Telemann fans! (CPO)

2CD# 555437-2 $33.99

Rosenmüller, Selle, Monteverdi: Love Songs & Psalms

Under the title “It is good for me”, the words from the 73rd Psalm, love songs, jubilant and psalm chants from the 17th century by Johann Rosenmüller, Claudio Monteverdi, Nicolò Corradini and others can be heard with the tenor Georg Poplutz, who is highly esteemed for his “expressive yet sensitive interpretations”. (CPO)

1CD# 555362-2 $16.99

Kuhnau:

Complete Sacred Works, Vol. 8

With the eighth album of our complete recording of Kuhnau’s vocal works, this ambitious project now reaches its conclusion. Everything is represented, from simple secular arias to sacred concertos still clearly in the 17th century tradition and elaborate cantata-like structures such as those presented by the mature Thomaskantor Kuhnau. (CPO)

1CD# 555460-2 $16.99

Becker: Sacred Concertos & Sonatas

Probably born in Hamburg in 1623, Dietrich Becker not only mastered organ playing, but also developed into an outstanding violinist and composer. His historical importance lies primarily in the field of instrumental music, but also in sacred music: five sacred concertos from his pen have survived in their entirety; they are united as first recordings on this release. (CPO)

1CD# 555464-2 $16.99

Era

Biber:

Sonatae Tam Aris, Quam Aulis Servientes

The Salzburg court conductor

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber is known today as a composer of excellent violin literature. His works are appreciated by violinists for their great artistry and virtuosity. The Ensemble Harmonie Universelle mixes twelve short trumpet duets from Biber’s pen with the twelve princely sonatas on this recording.

(Accent)

1CD# ACC 24386 $18.99

Baroque-Modern / Anna Urpina

This album allows us to appreciate the versatility of the young performer Anna Urpina, whose goal has been to approach each score from a historically informed perspective. The compositions of c. XVII and XVIII (Castello, Biber, Corelli and Telemann) are recorded with Baroque violin (with gut strings) and bow next to the harpsichord. (IBS Classical)

1CD# IBS-112022 $15.99

J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Consort III / Phantasm

This is the third and final instalment of the Well-Tempered Consort series. In this program devised by its director Laurence Dreyfus, the viol consort Phantasm continues to shine new light on the fugues from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier interspersed with some of the composer’s most harmonically adventurous experiments from the Clavierübung III. A fitting end to a remarkable journey! (Linn Records)

1CD# CKD708 $18.99

The Couperin Family / Benjamin Alard

This latest MarchVivo release is a remastering of the concert given by Benjamin Alard at the Fundación Juan March on 1 February 2020 as part of a series entitled The Couperins at the harpsichord. The album focuses on the stylistic connections between different members of the most significant family in the history of the French Baroque: the Couperins. (Marchvivo)

1CD# MV 007 $18.99

BAROQUE TITLES IN BRIEF

Purcell: Love Restor’d – Songs from the English Restoration

Early music ensemble Ceruleo presents an album of music from restoration-era England. Featuring works by Henry Purcell, John Blow, and John Eccels, the album looks at the dramatic character of English restoration music and its relationship to the theatrical tradition of the time. (Resonus)

1CD# RES10308 $16.99

Neander: Psalter und Harffe Wacht Auff

Before Joachim Neander’s death in 1780, he had succeeded in completing his booklet entitled “Belief and Love Exercise. Topped by covenant-songs and psalms of thanksgiving”. It comprises 58 titles of which he arranged 43 himself and marked 17 with the note “own melody”. About half of the pieces can be heard on the album in alternating sequences of solo or duet vocals. (Cantate)

1CD# CAN58056 $14.99

Guerre: The Violin Sonatas of 1707

This release showcases the three violin sonatas that Elisabeth Claude Jacquet de la Guerre composed in 1707. The artists featured here –violinist Dana Maiben, gambist Sarah Cunningham, and harpsichordist Lisa Goode Crawford- are experts in historical performance practice and give these works the life they deserve. (Centaur Records)

1CD# CRC3988 $15.99

Handel: Five Great Suites for Harpsichord (London, 1720)

George Frideric Handel made a name for himself as a brilliant organist and harpsichordist early on in his career. In November 1720, he published the Suites de Piecespour le Clavecin, now known as the Eight Great Suites, his most important work for harpsichord. The spectacular Eight Great Suites show Handel the harpsichordist at his best. (Challenge)

1CD# CC 72923 $16.99

Scarlatti: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 8 / Christoph Ullrich [2 CDs]

Christoph Ullrich presents Vol. 8 of the complete recording of all 555 sonatas by Domenic Scarlatti. He knows how to shape these gems, which seem to have been written for him, with such never-ending imagination. (Tacet)

2CD# TACET275 $21.99

Schein: Israels Brunnlein [2 CDs]

Johann Hermann Schein commands the various stylistic phenomena with aplomb, committed only to the affects and the expression. (CPO)

2CD# 555459-2 $33.99

Patino: Musica Vocal en Castellano

In addition to his vocal production in Latin, Carlos Patiño cultivated various musical genres in Spanish, mainly tonos and villancicos. (Lauda)

1CD# LAU023 $18.99

Sammartini: The Celebrated San Martini – Recorder Sonatas

Giuseppe Sammartini was a famous oboist and highly respected composer of the late Baroque period who made his great career in London from 1720. (Pan Classics)

1CD# PC10443 $18.99

The Classical

Mozart: Piano Concertos, Vol. 7

Volume 7 of Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s Mozart piano concerto features two of the late concertos –Nos. 24 and 25 – coupled with a spirited reading of the Marriage of Figaro overture from Gábor Takács-Nagy and the Manchester Camerata. Recorded in Manchester’s Stoller Hall, Bavouzet plays a Yamaha CFX nine-foot Concert Grand Piano. (Chandos)

1CD# CHAN 20192 $20.99

Haydn: String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77

Comprised of principal players from the Edmonton Symphony and the orchestras of the Canadian Opera Company and National Ballet of Canada, the RSQ is one of Canada’s most dynamic ensembles with a unique voice and a deep love for the music of Haydn. This recording brings together three great, late works by the acknowledged masters of Viennese classicism, Mozart and Haydn. (Leaf Music)

1CD# LM252 $16.99

Gassmann: Oboe Quintets & Oboe Quartets

This production cleverly combines the two main areas of Florian Leopold Gassmann’s (17291774) activity, featuring arias from the successful opera Amor und Psyche, and other light music works. These are all extremely beautiful-sounding, imaginative and varied creations. (CPO)

1CD# 555528-2 $16.99

Beethoven: Diabelli Variations, Op. 120

Diabelli was overwhelmed by the work submitted by Beethoven which overshadowed anything else sent by others. He pronounced it ‘a work to set alongside J.S. Bach’s masterpieceʼ (Goldberg Variations) and he must have been exceptionally gratified that his otherwise ordinary waltz tune would survive in perpetuity as a result of Beethoven’s efforts. (Alto Music)

1CD# MOB413100 $10.99

Smethergell: Overtures, Vol. 1 –

Six Overtures Op. 5

Smethergell’s Charming Overtures Vol. 1 – of the composers of the British kingdom who can be described as contemporaries of Joseph Haydn, almost all are largely forgotten today. Yet even before Haydn’s arrival in 1790, concerts of orchestral music had long been established in a variety of venues. (CPO)

1CD# 555540-2 $16.99

Mozart: Kronungsmesse/Coronation Mass, KV 317

The mass that Mozart composed in 1779 for the Easter service in Salzburg Cathedral is shrouded in legend. From the very first bar onwards, it exudes the stately tone that would, much later on, earn it the sobriquet “Coronation Mass”. Soon after Mozart’s death, it became the Viennese court orchestra’s favorite mass for coronation ceremonies. (BR Klassik)

1CD# BRK900530 $17.99

Ræhs: Flute Sonatas, Vol. 2

The second album by the Danish recorder player Clara Guldberg Ravn completes the flute sonatas by Martinus Ræhs in a particularly exciting and colorful way. Together, the two albums represent the first complete recording of his flute sonatas. (Arcantus)

1CD# ARC 22031 $14.99

C.P.E. Bach: Sonatas for Traverso & Clavier

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach is one of the key figures of this “in-between time” and one of the representatives of a radical change in musical aesthetics. The philosopher and aesthetic theorist Johann Georg Sulzer described the ideal “soulful” trio sonata as follows: “The actual trio has three main voices, which concert against each other, and as it were maintain a conversation in tones.” (ARS Producktion)

1CD# ARS38623 $18.99

Beethoven: Sonatas for Piano & Violin, Vol. 3

The present release is the third and final instalment in Foyle/Stsura’s complete recording of Beethoven’s Piano and Violin Sonatas. The sonatas on the first two albums were emblematic of Beethoven’s early and middle periods, showcasing the composer’s command of the Classical idiom. (Challenge)

1CD# CC 72862 $16.99

Haydn 27 – Symphonies Nos. 3, 33, 108 & 14

“For those pieces still missing from the complete recording, the Heidelberger Sinfoniker have been proceeding since Vol. 25 in chronological order, to better chart the development of Haydn the composer. We are in the midst of a young, wild Haydn, a Sturm und Drang Haydn. Heidelberg Haydn is a paradigm of dynamism, freshness, wildness, humour and constant surprise.” - Johannes Klumpp (Haenssler Classic)

1CD# HC22077 $18.99

Era

Haydn 2032, Vol. 13 – Horn Signal

The Esterházy princes’ love of hunting prompted their ‘house composer’ Joseph Haydn to make extensive use of the horn. Between 1761 and 1790 there were a total eighteen horn players in princely service, but no trumpeters! So, in his Symphony No. 48 of 1769, for example, Haydn used the horns as ‘replacement trumpets’. The horns strike a flamboyant note in Haydn’s symphonies. (Alpha)

1CD# ALPHA692 $18.99

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 21 & 24

Academy of Ancient Music resumes a celebrated project to record Mozart’s Complete Piano Concertos, with this ninth volume released after an extraordinary 20-year wait. Together with renowned scholarpianist Robert Levin, AAM presents Mozart’s Piano Concertos No. 21 in C Major K467, and No. 24 in C Minor K491, described by Mozart scholar Alexander Hyatt King as ‘one of the greatest pianoforte concertos ever composed’. (AAM)

1CD# AAM041 $19.99

George: A Lifelong Journey

A musical journey to foreign worlds: rediscovered music by Sebastian George, a German composer who rose to become a style-defining figure in Moscow and St. Petersburg at the end of the 18th century. George first traveled to Moscow around 1766, and established himself as a composer, entrepreneur, and the owner of a music shop that sold scores and musical instruments. (Perfect Noise)

1CD# PN 2206 $17.99

Haydn: Die Sieben Letzten Worte Unseres

Erlosers Am Kreuz

“This recording is the result of a project launched a few years ago by the Brühl Castle Concerts series and Capella Augustina within the framework of the Haydn Festival, which they organize. We commission works that are related in a certain manner with the oeuvre of Joseph Haydn and are explicitly conceived for an orchestra playing on period instruments. (Cavi Music)

1CD# AVI 8553518 $17.99

Mozart: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 6

SOMM Recordings’ acclaimed survey of Mozart’s Piano Sonatas by Peter Donohoe reaches its end with Vol. 6 featuring four works illustrating the composer’s endless fascination and creative invention with the piano. Mozart described the Piano Sonata No. 16 (K.545 ) as “a little piano sonata for beginners”. It is so much more than that! (Somm Recordings)

1CD# SOMMCD 0660 $18.99

Haydn: Piano Works, Vols. 1 & 2 [2 CDs]

Acclaimed British pianist Peter Donohoe returns to Signum Records with Vols. 1 and 2 of a new series of Haydn piano works –including the Variations on Gotterhalte den Kaiser, Hob. i, 430. “I cannot imagine a living pianist capable of improving upon Donohoe’s outstanding artistry.”

– Musical Opinion (Signum)

2CD# SIGCD726 $20.79

Wilms: The Piano Concertos, Vol. 2

Born in the vicinity of Cologne, only two years after and some sixty km distant from Beethoven, Johann Wilhelm Wilms was once a musical force to be reckoned with. In Amsterdam, where he lived from the age of 19, his music was actually performed more frequently than Beethoven’s at one period, and his orchestral works were played in such musical centers as Leipzig. (BIS)

1SACD# BIS-2524 $19.99

Mozart, Salieri: Requiem / Herve Niquiet

Two illustrious composers at odds with their Requiem. In 1791, a 36-year-old Mozart composed the one that would remain unfinished due to his death. At the time, Salieri was at the height of his glory at the age of 41, famed for his operas from Paris to Vienna. In 1804 he composed his Requiem, which was strictly intended for his own funeral, where it was indeed played – in 1825. (CDV)

1CD# CVS078 $18.99

CLASSICAL ERA TITLES IN BRIEF

Boccherini: The Six Symphonies, Op. 35 [2 CDs]

Emilio Moreno’s passion, knowledge and thirst for the music of Luigi Boccherini yields a further revelation with the Six Symphonies, Op. 35, premiered in 1782, performed here by the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century. (Glossa)

2CD# GCD921131 $19.99

J.C.

Bach, Haydn / Sophie Dervaux

With her new album, Sophie Dervaux brings to the fore two composers who have received less attention so far –Johann Christian Bach and Johann Michael Haydn. (Berlin Classics)

1CD# 0302347BC $18.99

Beethoven: Quartette

The repertoire of Klangkollektiv Wein with its conductor Rémy Ballot is focused on a core of famous and lesserknown works of the First Viennese School. This live recording presents the two late String Quartets. (Gramola)

1CD# GRAM99248 $23.99

Beethoven: Die Geschopfe Des Prometheus, Op. 43

Ludwig van Beethoven and the stage: this is the story of a predominantly unhappy love affair with an unexpected happy ending – the late breakthrough of Fidelio. (CPO)

1CD# 555303-2 $16.99

The Romantic

Mahler, Strauss & Wagner: Liebestod / Bamberger Symphoniker

The music of Wagner, Mahler and Strauss is very close to the heart of the Bamberg Symphony and even seems to have ingrained itself in their DNA, to which the award-winning recordings of Mahler 4 with Jakub Hruša and Mahler 9 with Herbert Blomstedt impressively attest. With this concept album, they reflect on the topic of death, which Jakub Hruša does not interpret solely as a moment full of despair and tragedy. (Accentus)

1CD# ACC30599 $19.99

Schumann: The Symphonies & Overtures [3 CDs]

During their long collaboration (1997–2019) Thomas Dausgaard and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra developed a project they named ‘Opening Doors’, performing orchestral works from the Romantic era with the smaller-than-usual forces of a chamber orchestra. Due to the often revelatory results of this approach, the team went on to present at concerts around the world and on several recordings. (BIS)

3SACD# BIS-2669 $39.99

Saint-Saëns Volume 4.: Duos for Harmonium & Piano

The rise in popularity of the harmonium in the second half of the nineteenth century brought with it a large repertoire of chamber music, especially in France, where the instrument had been developed and refined. The combination of harmonium with piano was an especially popular one. The accordion, taking the role of the harmonium on these recordings, produces sound in a near identical way. (Nimbus)

1CD# NI8111 $18.99

Respighi: The Birds; Ancient Dances & Airs

With the present album, the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège and John Neschling bring us the sixth and last installment in a series that has been called ‘the finest-ever survey of the composer’s orchestral output undertaken by a single conductor’

BBC Music Magazine. (BIS)

1SACD# BIS-2540 $19.99

Schubert: Symphony No. 8 in C major D 944

A romantic horn melody from the distance is taken up by the woodwinds, continued by the cellos and violas, takes hold of the entire orchestra and leads into an exuberant, lively Allegro. Without resistance we surrender to this flow of melodies, harmonies, coldness gives way to warmth, and willingly forget for an hour all struggle and cramp around us. (Tacet)

1SACD# TACET249 $24.99

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 (1887 version)

It is an elaborate, raw earlier version of Bruckner’s 8th Symphony that Markus Poschner performs here, in the latest edition by Paul Hawkshaw. More ornate, brassier, and with more economically employed woodwinds, this version doesn’t smoothen edges and doesn’t round corners: An interesting insight into emboldened Bruckner at his unadulterated self. (Capriccio)

1CD# C8087 $19.99

Dvořák: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8

Dvořák: Works for Cello & Orchestra / Daniele Rustioni, Enrico Dindo

The Czech composer Antonín Dvořák was gaining international fame during the latter part of the 19th century for a string of highly successful and popular works across many genres. His Cello Concerto was premiered in London in 1896 – its symphonic character and wonderful melodic invention made the concerto one of his most beloved and frequently performed works. (Dynamic)

1CD# DYN-CDS7977 $16.99

Saint-Saëns: Violin Sonatas, Berceuse & Fantaisie pour violon et harpe

Saint-Saëns’s chamber music broke new ground in France at a time when public taste tended to favor opera and opéra-comique. His first Sonata for violin and piano, one of the earliest composed in France, is a masterpiece of boundless beauty. Its emotional impact and its highly poetic content are served by the composer’s perfect mastery of formal architecture. (BIS)

1SACD# BIS-2489 $19.99 Welt & Traum – Songs by Wolf, Liszt, Ullmann & Mahler

“And all, all was well again! / […] Love and pain / and world and dream!” So ends the fourth of Gustav Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, settings of texts the composer had partly taken from the collection “Des Knaben Wunderhorn” (the lad’s magic horn), recompiling and extending them. (Haenssler Classic)

1CD# HC22040 $18.99

Gianandrea Noseda chose Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 for his first Philharmonia concert as General Music Director of the Opernhaus Zurich. This performance is now released as a live recording, together with Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7, which was recorded at a later date. Slavic repertoire is very close to Noseda’s heart, and he succeeded in conveying this passion to the musicians of the Philharmonia Zurich. (Accentus)

1CD# PHR0113 $25.99

The Bruckner Symphonies (Organ Transcriptions),

Vol. 5

This series marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Anton Bruckner, which falls in 2024. It’s dedicated to Bruckner’s symphonies, most of them recorded in new transcriptions for organ by Hansjörg Albrecht. The 6th recording was made on the church organ of St. Margaret in Munich with the transcription of Bruckner’s 5th Symphony by Erwin Horn. (Oehms Classics)

1CD# OC 481 $14.99

Mendelssohn: 12 Early Symphonies (Remastered) [4 CDs]

In 1970, Kurt Masur took over the direction of one of the best orchestras in Germany and the world: the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. One year later, in 1971, these recordings of the 12 Youth Symphonies by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy were made. They are testimony to the emergence of a fruitful artistic relationship between Kapellmeister and musicians that was to last 26 years. (Berlin Classics)

4CD# 0302855BC $29.99

Beach & Maier-Rontgen: Female Composers of the Romantic Era, Vol. 2

In the Romantic period, works for the flute were almost as rare as women composers, and the flute had fallen out of fashion as a solo instrument. Entirely unjustly, the Swiss duo of Miriam Terragni and Catherine Sarasin thinks, and so they repeatedly take works for the violin as the basis for arrangements. In the case of these two sonatas, an extremely worthwhile project! (Coviello)

1CD# COV92209 $18.99

Hartmann: Piano Works, Vol. 4

Danish Romantic composer JPE Hartmann was born 1805 and lived nearly to be 100 years. During his time he was the most influential composer in Denmark and wrote beautiful music for solo piano. Here Danish pianist Thomas Trondhjem has reached the fourth volume in this enterprising series. (Danacord)

1CD# DACOCD950 $16.99

Berlioz’s Lost Oboe: Early French Romantic Music for Oboe and Piano

This recording unearths a handful of evocative oboe compositions from early nineteenth-century France. These works, all of which have never been recorded before, belong to a large corpus of neglected nineteenthcentury chamber music for oboe and fortepiano, and bear witness to a lively, dynamic tradition of wind playing in France. Performed here on a ten-keyed French oboe and fortepiano. (Ramee)

1CD# RAM2108 $18.99

Donizetti: String Quartets, Vol. 2 [2 CDs]

Saving the imagination. This was one of the secrets of good composition according to Donizetti. Indeed, this economy of invention proved especially effective in chamber music, particularly in its noblest formation: the string quartet. The Mitja Quartet was founded in 2008 by four musicians from Naples, Cosenza, Potenza and La Serena (Chile). (Urania)

2CD# LDV14095 $29.99

Schubert: Mass in A-Flat Major, D678

In his Mass in A flat, Schubert set himself the great task of composing a “Missa solemnis”, as he later entitled the work. As with the Mass he wrote in the last year of his life, he severed the bonds imposed by tradition on the four earlier works of 1814–16. His highest ambition for the effect it might have on the world is linked in the A flat major Mass with a deeply personal confession, the formulation of his own faith, of “true devotion.” (Haenssler)

1CD# HC22041 $18.99

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7

The first performance of Anton Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony at the Zurich Tonhalle took place on 14 January 1924, to mark the centenary of the composer’s birth. Under the direction of Walter, Furtwängler, Klemperer, Böhm and Karajan (to name but a few!), the orchestra has since given many performances of this monumental work which was its composer’s first great success. (Alpha)

1CD# ALPHA932 $18.99

ROMANTIC ERA TITLES IN BRIEF

R. Schumann: Piano Works / Gerhard Oppitz [2 CDs]

Within the realm of Romantic piano music, where new discoveries are constantly just around the corner, the contribution of Robert Schumann has always played a major part. (Haenssler)

2CD# HC22045 $18.99

The Young Chopin – Early Piano Works

“Hats off, gentlemen, a genius!” These were the words of Robert Schumann when he spoke of the young Chopin. His bold, virtuoso music enthralled the musical elite of the Romantic period and still grips us today. (Genuin)

1CD# GEN 23814 $18.99

Schumann: First Masterworks [2 CDs]

Pianist and conductor Vladimir Feltsman is one of the most versatile and constantly interesting musicians of our time. His vast repertoire encompasses music from the Baroque to 20th-century composers. (Nimbus)

2CD# NI6433 $18.99

Schubert: Elysium – A Schubert Recital

For their latest recital for BIS, Carolyn Sampson and Joseph Middleton present an all-Schubert recital themed around Elysium, the mythical idea of a blessed and happy eternal future. (BIS)

1SACD# BIS-2573 $19.99

Late Romantic

Rachmaninoff: Symphonies Nos. 1–3; Isle of the Dead [3 CDs]

Sergey Rachmaninov’s symphonic career had a rocky start with the premiere of his First Symphony, now recognized as one of the Russian symphonic works of the late 19th century. Both the powerful First Symphony and the gloriously melodic Second, with its lush harmonic Adagio second movement, are haunted by the Dies irae chant melody. (Naxos)

3CD# 8503278 $24.99

Vaughan Williams Live Vol. 4

SOMM Recordings continues its acclaimed Vaughan Williams Live series celebrating the 150th anniversary of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ birth with Vol. 4 featuring his signature Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, the Concerto for Two Pianos and Eighth Symphony in recordings conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos and Sir John Barbirolli. (SOMM)

1CD# ARIADNE 5020 $18.99

Miaskowsky & Rimsky-Korsakov: Cello Concerto Cello Sonatas

For the last ten years or so, there has been a gratifying renewal of interest in the eminent Russian composer Nikolai Myaskovsky, whose career spanned the late Romantic to early Modern periods. His creative legacy deserves far greater attention than is currently paid to him: Myaskovsky’s music demonstrates the highest level of craftsmanship and explores a very unique realm of emotional and soulful experience. (CPO)

1CD# 555420-2 $16.99

Ravel: Complete Solo Piano Music, Vol. 2

In Ravel’s output, themes of Classical order and choreographic gesture run parallel to a sensibility in touch with the macabre and grotesque. All these aspects of his music are illustrated by the second volume of Oleg Marshev’s Ravel survey, from the elegance of the Sonatine to the vertiginous fantasy of Gaspard de la Nuit. “Marshev is a phenomenon.” – BBC Music Magazine (Danacord)

1CD# DACOCD904 $16.99

Casadesus, Respighi & Saint-Saëns:

Ronde de Saisons

Unlike other early period-instrument revivals, the Société des Instruments Anciens ensemble performed not only baroque pastiche, but also new works which they commissioned and composed for their rediscovered instruments. This disc presents the premiere recordings of music written in the first decades of the twentieth century by Henri Casadesus and Ottorino Respighi. (Olde Focus)

1CD# FCR922 $19.99

Labor: Quintets & Clarinet Trio [2 CDs]

What the concert pianist, organist, and composer Josef Labor lost in eyesight when smallpox left him blind at age three, must have been added to his ears. Although roughly a Brahmsian (and a friend of the composer), Labor wrote in an original style, informed by his knowledge of and love for early music. (Capriccio)

2CD# C5473 $16.99

Poulenc:

La voix humaine

Véronique Gens’ version of La Voix humaine has been eagerly awaited! This ‘lyric tragedy in one act’ might have been written for her, so ideally suited are her feeling for language and her dramatic intensity to Poulenc’s monologue on a text by Jean Cocteau, composed in 1958. This is a far cry from the ‘light’ Poulenc of the 1920s. (Alpha)

1CD# ALPHA899 $18.99

Jongen:

Preludes for

Piano

Born in 1873, Joseph Jongen showed an outstanding precocity for music from a very early age, Although he composed in numerous genres, including the symphony and concerto, as well as chamber music, instrumental pieces, and choral works, it is his output for the organ for which he is now best known. (Chandos)

1CD# CHAN 20264 $20.99

A Golden Cello Decade 1878–1888 / Steven Isserlis

Steven Isserlis has curated another typically imaginative recital, in which all the works date – in one guise or another – from an especially fruitful decade in the history of the cello. “No cellist alive can match the eloquent intent of Steven Isserlis’s line. Every phrase he threads through the warm embrace of Connie Shih’s pianism is articulated and ‘breathed’ with the ardour...” – BBC Music (Hyperion)

1CD# MOB283944 $19.99

Weigl: Piano Concerto Op. 21 – Rhapsody

The orchestral songs by the now almost forgotten Viennese composer and late Romantic Karl Weigl date from 1916, while the Rhapsody for String Orchestra goes back to the String Sextet composed in 1906, but was composed together with the Piano Concerto only in 1931 and, like the latter, reveals a progressive and yet completely organic, natural development. (CPO)

1CD# 555360-2 $16.99

Era

Debussy, Prokofiev, Barber / Konstatin Emelyanov

This album of works by Debussy, Prokofiev and Barber aims to show not only the fascination of the increasing complexity of musical language in the 20th century but also the desire to preserve the ideas and achievements of previous musical epochs. The stunning fugue that concludes the sonata sounds like a manifesto. (Fuga Libera)

1CD# FUG812 $18.99

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10; Balakirev: Islamey

Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10, written in 1953, is regarded by many as his greatest work. The composer said of it, ‘I wrote it right after Stalin’s death and no one has yet guessed what the symphony is about. It’s about Stalin and the Stalin years. The short filler is a performance of Balakirev’s Islamey, who recorded the entire cycle of the composer’s symphonies with the Moscow Philharmonic. (ICA Classics)

1CD# ICAC5171 $14.99

Rachmaninov: Etudes;Tableaux – 3 Pieces / Nikolai Lugansky

Following on from his formidable complete recording of the Preludes, Nikolai Lugansky now immerses us in two more major cycles by Rachmaninov, the Études-Tableaux. Like Chopin and Liszt, the Russian composer here transcends every technical difficulty to make room for emotion alone.

(Harmonia Mundi)

1CD# MOB946282 $19.99

Wolf: Italienisches Liederbuch

Wolf (1860–1903) had a genius for the piano accompaniment regarding sensibility for the text and colorful, even illustrative composing: commenting, caricaturing, sometimes warm-hearted, sometimes quipping and full of humor. (Querstand)

1CD# VKJK 2111 $18.99

LATE ROMANTIC IN BRIEF

Balakirev: Orchestral Works

Lincke: Overtures, Vol. 1

Composer Edmund Nick, wrote: “Only a genuine Berliner like Lincke was capable of making a declaration of love to his father city in this way. All the softer emotions that move the Berlin heart are included in it.” Irrespective of such clichéd attributions, Paul Lincke founded something with works like this that had never existed before: Berlin’s own popular music. (CPO)

1CD# 555428-2 $16.99

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 & Symphony No. 2

A program of works by Sergei Prokofiev performed by Dmitry Liss and the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra in Yekaterinburg in June 2021 caused the audience to react with extraordinary enthusiasm and a storm of emotion. This is yet another acknowledgment that this orchestra should now be classified as one of the best performing today.

(Fuga Libera)

1CD# FUG798 $18.99

Korngold, Mahler, Strauss: Seelenübervoll

The debut album of pianist Friederike Sieber Seelenübervoll is featuring lieder from the late Romantic period and works by Alma Mahler, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Richard Strauss, and Alexander von Zemlinsky are performed. This production of five outstanding young singers resurrects the musical salon’s idea and gifts us a wealth of rarely performed songs. (Genuin)

1CD# GEN 23811 $18.99

Bosnar, Koechlin, Ritter & Saint-Saëns:: Form and Function

Ivan Bosnar, the 2020 First Prize Winner in the American Guild of Organists’ National Competition in Organ Improvisation (AGO’s NCOI), makes his debut album on the Pro Organo label, with a program that combines symphonic – romantic organ literature by Saint-Saëns, August Ritter and Charles Koechlin, with 6 improvisations (4 intermezzi, a set of variations on Regina Coeli, and a passacaglia and fugue). (Pro Organo)

1CD# PO7301 $17.99

The 1st Piano Concerto with Dinara Klinton as soloist, plus the 2nd Symphony and two highly original overtures attest to Miry Balakirev’s special place in music history. (MDG-Scene)

1SACD# 9522236-6 $19.99

Glazunov: String Quartets Nos. 3 & 5

“I commend this inexpensive disc to explorers of the string quartet who know and love their Smetana and lateDvořák Quartets.” – MusicWeb (Alto)

1CD# MOB414442 $10.99

Ole Hjellemo: Orchestral Works

The works presented here, which range from first recordings of relatively unknown pieces to staples of the concert canon, focus on the viola, an instrument long neglected but rediscovered during the 20th century. (Sterling)

1CD# CDS1128 $18.99

Wolf: The Complete Songs, Vol. 11

This disc is the final disc in Oxford Lieder’s complete Hugo Wolf song series – the first ever complete recording of Hugo Wolf’s songs. (Stone Recordings)

1CD# 5060192780932 $17.99

From the

Metamorphosis Ligeti / Quatour Diotima

Quatuor Diotima makes its Pentatone debut with a recording of Györgi Ligeti’s string quartets. While the second quartet from 1968 is an avantgarde classic, the first from 1953–54, “Metamorphoses nocturnes”, is often nicknamed Bartók’s seventh quartet, pointing out the continuity between these two Hungarian master composers. (Pentatone)

1CD# PTC5187061

$15.99

Wellesz: Chamber Music

In its mix of tonality, Expressionism and Schoenbergian serialism, the late chamber music of Egon Wellesz (1885–1974) marries the mid-century radicalism of his native city with the lyricism of his adoptive homeland. In the first part of his career Wellesz was best known as a composer of operas, and these chamber works were audibly written by someone with a keen sense of drama. (Toccata)

1CD# TOCC0617 $18.99

Weill: Symphonies 1 & 2 – Der Silbersee (excerpts)

Although Kurt Weill’s principal legacy lies in music theatre works of both popular appeal and intellectual weight, he was equally at home in purely orchestral works as evidenced by his two symphonies. Steeped in the world of Weill, conductor, composer and chansonnier HK Gruber performs the songs himself in his own inimitable way, giving an unusual authenticity to the interpretations. (BIS)

1SACD# BIS-2579 $19.99

Lysight & Piazzola: Seas8ns

Between 1965 and 1970, Astor Piazzolla composed the ‘Four Porteñe Seasons’ or ‘Four Seasons of Buenos Aires’, for his New Tango Quintet. It is an evocation of the different atmospheres of the Argentinian capital depending on the different seasons. Four Seasons (2016) for accordion, violin, cello, double bass, percussion and piano was composed at the request of accordionist Christophe Delporte. (Antartica)

1CD# AR 042 $14.99

Martinů: Complete Cello Sonatas / Johannes Moser; Andrei Korobeinikov

Cellist Johannes Moser and pianist Andrei Korobeinikov present Bohuslav Martinů’s Complete Cello Sonatas These works belong to the most significant twentieth-century repertoire for cello and piano. Reflecting Martinů’s troubled existence, defined by wartime, emigration, longing for the homeland, yet also full of hope and life-affirming energy, the music seems entirely topical in our own troubled times. (Pentatone)

1CD# PTC5187007 $15.99

Bentzon: Piano Works

Niels Viggo Bentzon is perhaps the most wide-ranging Danish composer of the 20th century. With over 600 opuses comprising virtually every genre imaginable, he produced art as naturally as breathing. The Dacapo Records debut of pianist Ramez Mhaanna presents a fresh, and stunningly original take. (Dacapo)

1CD# 8224737 $15.99

Piazzolla: Album for Astor

Nordheim: The Tempest – Suite from the Ballet

The Bergen Philharmonic present Arne Nordheim’s “The Tempest –Suite from the Ballet”. Arne Nordheim was Norway’s most significant and respected composer until his death in 2010, and one of the few figures in contemporary western music who proved himself able to move beyond traditional harmonic relationships while maintaining a distinct ability to communicate widely through his striking, physical music. (Lawo)

1CD# LWC1250 $16.99

Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain

“One of the very best pianists to have come out of Spain...she has an impeccably clean technique, considerable strength verve and temperament, but a level enough head to keep her from exaggerating effects to win applause, plus a delicate poetic sense without sentimentalising.” – Gramophone (Alto)

1CD# MOB414374 $10.99

Petersen: Symphony No. 3 C-sharp Minor

Petersen’s Third Symphony in C sharp minor received its premiere in 1934 under the baton of Karl Friderich in Darmstadt; a further performance followed on September 24, 1935, under Hermann Abendroth in Berlin. The present recording is the first to have been made of this work. Petersen wrote a short factual commentary on his Third Symphony for the September 1935 issue of the Zeitschrift für Musik. (Profil)

1CD# PH22069 $18.99

All of Piazzolla’s more than 750 works are inextricably bound to an essential and unmistakable Argentinian identity. He loved to startle the listener by spicing up his music with chromaticism, dissonance and abrupt surprises. The young Danish master of the modern accordion, Bjarke Mortensen and his friends serve up a true musical banquet that will satisfy all tastes. (Our Recordings)

1CD# 8226916 $19.99

20th Century

Neeme Järvi in Concert

The legendary conductor Neeme Järvi celebrated his eighty-fifth birthday in the summer of 2022, in Tallinn, giving a series of concerts with his beloved Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. This album serves not just as a commemoration of those wonderful concerts, but also as a personal calling card for this remarkable musician. (Chandos)

1CD# CHAN 20262 $20.99

American Masterpieces – Grofe, Thomson, Gould, Copland

“Abravanel’s account highly recommendable.. played with great conviction” [Thomson] “colours glowing, resonantly atmospheric, most enjoyable” [Gould] “so vivid and atmospheric.. astonishing recorded sound. Guaracha irresistibly catchy” [Copland] “orchestral vitality and rhythmic power” – Penguin Guide (Alto)

1CD# MOB414510 $10.99

Shostakovich: Chamber Symphonies, Opp. 49a & 110a

The Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor, Op. 35, written in 1933, is one of the last works written in Shostakovich’s first creative period which was not yet overshadowed by Stalinist repressions and is peppered with a great deal of parodistic allusions. With the present recordings the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie under its young, energetic chief conductor Pietari Inkinen draws a convincing bow across Shostakovich’s work. (SWR Classic)

1CD# SWR19124CD $18.99

Weinberg: Complete Works for Violin and Piano, Vol. 4

In the past twenty years the Polish-born, Moscow-based Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919–96) has been recognized as one of the major voices in twentieth-century music. This fourth and final volume of his music for solo violin, violin and piano and two violins completes the only survey to take all of these works into account. (Toccata)

1CD# TOCC0188 $18.99

Bacewicz: Music for String Orchestra

Grażyna Bacewicz was born on 5 February 1909 in Łódź. In 1919, she joined the Helena KijeńskaDobkiewiczowa Music Conservatory in Łódź, where she took violin and piano lessons, and for 18 years, she was active as a concert violinist. The present release is a showcase of her music for string orchestra. (Dux)

1CD# DUX1793 $19.99

Silvestrov: The Messenger

Alfred Schnittke and Arvo Pärt have both called the Ukrainian Valentyn Silvestrov “one of the greatest composers of our time”. He is also one of its true originals; though a leading figure in the former Soviet Union’s avant-garde in the 1960s, he subsequently came to realize that “the most important lesson of the avant-garde was to be free of all preconceived ideas – particularly those of the avant-garde. (Challenge)

1CD# CC 72939 $16.99

Shostakovich:

Works Unveiled

This release is the fruit of the French pianist Nicolas Stavy’s efforts to uncover unknown works by Dmitri Shostakovich. Spanning some fifty years of the composer’s career, these rarities include early piano pieces influenced by Chopin and the fragment of an unfinished violin sonata, but is bookended by arrangements of symphonic music, by Shostakovich himself and by Mahler, a constant influence. (BIS)

1SACD# BIS-2550 $19.99

Brahms, Kornauth & Korngold: Vienna 1913

The years 1900–1914 were perhaps the most thrilling period in European music history. Our program selection for this album focuses on two works written in Vienna in 1913 – the “summer of the century”, as author Florian Illies calls a pivotal year that put an end to the long 19th century and introduced the somber 20th century. (Cavi)

1CD# AVI 8553517 $17.99

20TH CENTURY TITLES IN BRIEF

Arnold: Clarinet Concerto & Orchestral Works

Rumon Gamba leads the BBC Philharmonic in this collection of lesser-known pieces by the British composer Sir Malcolm Arnold. This album features music from across his compositional career. (Chandos)

1CD# CHAN 20152 $20.99

Bacewicz: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4

The Third Symphony for large symphony orchestra was written in early 1952 and the monumental and pathetic music shows a hitherto unknown face of the composer. (CPO)

1CD# 555556-2 $16.99

Palmgren: Complete Piano Works, Vol. 6

The sixth volume in this series presents a panorama of Selim Palmgren’s works, featuring Ungdom, Op. 28 and Three Pieces, Op. 54, which includes Raindrops and Moonlight. (Grand Piano)

1CD# GP909 $16.99

Pictures of Light – Music of William Baines

This album includes a number of impressionist piano solos and also the first recording (and first performance) of the Five Songs, presented by veteran tenor Gordon Pullin. (Divine Art)

1CD# DDA25234 $18.99

Contemporary

Symmetria Pario – Creation / Murray McLachlan

Symmetria Pario: Creation explores the “beginnings of things,” the origin of the universe as expressed in music, and various creation stories from different cultures around the world.

Composers Cecilia Damstrom, Harrison Birtwistle and Missy Mazzoli join this album celebrating music for violin and piano. (Yarlung)

1CD# YAR84165 $19.99

Stevens: Chasing Shadows / Rosemary Attree; Amy Yule

An important strand in Stevens’ compositional output since 2007 has been writing music for relatively neglected instruments such as the tuba, the piccolo and the bassoon, and this strand was strengthened in the autumn of 2015 when he wrote a collection of six pieces for double bass and piano, to which Chasing Shadows and Obsession belong. (Divine Art)

1CD# DDA25236 $17.99

Garland: The Basketweave Elegies

Peter Garland’s The Basketweave Elegies is an enchanting nine-movement work for solo vibraphone, performed by celebrated percussionist William Winant. Garland writes: “I want to write music that is well-made, sturdy, useful, and beautiful—like a basket.” Peter Garland is a composer, world traveler, musicologist, and writer whose music is always informed by his welltraveled ear and strong sense of personal vision. (Cold Blue Music)

1CD# CB0066 $16.99

Sherr: Fugitive Footsteps

Laurence Sherr delves deep into the spirit of resilience with Fugitive Footsteps. Not shying away from musically pointing to suffering and despair, Sherr paints a vivid picture of persecution, trauma, and survivor’s guilt but also of silent and active opposition, hope, renewal, and the eventual overcoming of adversity.

(Navona)

1CD# NV6492 $14.99

Beaudoin: Digital Memory and the Archive

Composer Richard Beaudoin continues his deep investigation into the realm of microtiming with Digital Memory and the Archive. Featuring music for solo and two celli by Neil Heyde and longtime Arditti Quartet cellist Rohan de Saram, builds a rich approach to composition which embeds timings from iconic performances into the fabric of his music. (New Focus)

1CD# FCR358 $16.99

Aho: Violin Concerto No. 2 – Cello Concerto No. 2

The youngest winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2015, cellist Jonathan Roozeman takes on this work in five movements played without interruption and in the last section delivers a cadenza as unusual as it is clever. The Kymi Sinfonietta is conducted here by Olari Elts, a champion of contemporary Baltic composers. (BIS)

1SACD# BIS-2466 $19.99

Sierra: Piano Works

A student of Ligeti, Roberto Sierra is the most prominent Latin American composer on the international scene. He writes: “Ligeti’s sonatas, as I began to study them, opened me up to a world full of completely fresh sonorities, structures and approaches.” (IBS Classical)

1CD# IBS-122022 $15.99

Post: Concertino á Cinque & Piano Quintet

This new release presents two major works by the American composer, David Post, his Concertino á Cinque for clarinet and string quartet, and his Piano Quintet for piano and string quartet, both works heard in virtuosic performances by the Martinu Quartet, with clarinetist Ludmila Peterková and pianist Jan Dušek. MusicWeb described Post’s music as “immediately and obviously excellent.” (Bridge)

1CD# BCD9576 $16.99

Byron: Halcyon Days

Michael Byron’s “Halcyon Days” is music for marimbas, xylophones, vibraphones, glockenspiels, tubular bells, maracas, and piano. Most of these pieces are from a previously under-documented period of Byron’s work—the mid-seventies, when he composed unique, remarkable minimalist-styled works.

(Cold Blue Music)

1CD# CB0065 $16.99

Breathing, Remembering, Dissolving / Kukuruz Quartet

Breathing, Remembering, Dissolving is a collaborative record bringing together a collection of contemporary experimental musical perspectives that all share a common interest: challenging the idea of what the human is in a musical performance. The project collects six works by composers of various backgrounds coming from the San Francisco Bay Area, United States, Latin America, and Europe. (Innova)

1CD# INN077 $14.99

Works

Nicolaou: Etudes & Frames

On Etudes & Frames, pianist Tamara Stefanovich presents the music of contemporary master Vassos Nicolaou. In his Etudes, Nicolaou uses virtuosity as a means to explore forms made of complex rhythms, great speed and multi-layered sound. Each of the fifteen etudes has an evocative title and focuses on specific geometrical-choreographical movements of the hands on the keyboard. (Pentatone)

1CD# PTC5187041 $15.99

Herrmann: 3 Songs at the Open Window

Born in Heidelberg in 1968, Arnulf Herrmann is considered one of the most renowned German composers of contemporary music. Herrmann mainly composes ensemble and chamber music, but also pieces for orchestra and the stage. This studio recording from September 19, 2022 is one of the new versions of the song cycle from the year 2022. Anja Petersen sings, with Björn Lehmann accompanying on the piano. (BR Klassik)

1CD# BRK900641 $17.99

Willscher: Tier-Kompositionen

Andreas Willscher is counted among the most valued German composers of his time. Here we hear some quite unusual organ works that are easy and enjoyable to listen to. Jürgen Rieger first studied musicology, German and education in Freiburg im Breisgau, then Protestant and Catholic church music and organ concerts at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. (Querstand)

1CD# VKJK 2006 $18.99

Borenstein: Piano Concerto, Shirim & Light and Darkness

Somm Recordings is delighted to announce the label debut of composer-conductor Nimrod Borenstein with first recordings of three works showcasing the piano in separate guises: his Piano Concerto, piano quintet Light and Darkness, and Shirim for solo piano.

(Somm Recordings)

1CD# SOMMCD 281 $18.99

Jovanovic: Wirbel der Zeit

Slobodan Jovanovic was born in 1977 in Pancevo, Serbia. His dedicated exploration of the historical repertoire for these instruments and his deep commitments to 20th and 21st century works are documented in numerous concerts and on many recordings. On his newest release, he presents a selection of works that he himself composed. (Thorofon)

1CD# CTH2678 $16.99

Classico in Laguna – Anonymous Sonatas from the Late XVIII Century

The personality of an “anonymous” album lies in the centrality of the instrument performing and in its connection with the type of writing that relates all the pieces; light and refined melodic lines, delicate phrasing and a series of dynamic contrasts not only identify what one might refer to as a kind of “Venetian classicism”, but also make the hammer instrument one of the most suitable for their performance. (Urania)

1CD# LDV14092 $20.99

Iannaccone: Looking Back, Moving On [2 CDs]

Contemporary symphonic music tends to fall into either one of two categories: hopelessly cerebral concert hall material that is difficult to understand – or background music for motion pictures. Neither classification would be much to the liking of New York native Anthony Iannaccone, who sets out to prove that one can have the best of both worlds on Looking Back, Moving On. (Navona)

2CD# NV6487 $14.99

Forlivesi: ModernAntico

“Though this album may appear to deviate from the main themes and styles of my work, in reality it complements and enriches them. A familiar statement comes to mind: “Music first!”. It may sound simplistic, but it is not: music, specifically the composition of music, involves implementing a wealth of knowledge and skills.” – Carlo Forlivesi (Stradivarius)

1CD# STR37242 $16.99

CONTEMPORARY TITLES IN BRIEF

Hayden: Solos/Duos [2 CDs]

This album features world premiere recordings of some of Sam Hayden’s most significant acoustic music for solos and duos, performed by an array of internationally renowned contemporary music specialists. (Metier)

2CD# MSV28622 $18.99

Landini: Piano Sonata No. 7

After the success of the “Missa novem vocum”, with this new production by composer Carlo Alessandro Landini we return to the profane genre with the Sonata No. 7 for piano. (Tactus)

1CD# TC951203 $16.99

Sivelöv: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5

Niklas Sivelöv has proved a prolific symphonist over the past ten years or so, with six completed symphonies and a seventh currently in progress. (Naxos)

1CD# 8574508 $13.99

Maskats: Accordion Concerto, Tango, Cantus Diatonicus

Arturs Maskats (b. 1957) is an award-winning Latvian composer who has been at the center of Latvian cultural life for decades, especially in the field of theater and opera. (Ondine)

1CD# ODE 1419-2 $16.99

Vivaldi: La Stravaganza, Op. 4 – Transcriptions for Organ

The concerto played a leading role in the evolution of the language and style of instrumental music from the late 17th century onwards, with its popularity and importance continuing to grow throughout the 18th century. Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) did not invent the concerto grosso or solo concerto, but he can, without a shadow of a doubt, be considered the composer who gave the greatest boost to the genre. (Brilliant Classics)

1CD# BRI96614 $12.99

Lauro:

Guitar Music [2 CDs]

Born in Venezuela to Italian parents, Antonio Lauro (1917–1986) was very young when he began taking music lessons. Lauro was a fervent nationalist, and it was his political convictions that drove him to celebrate, and make in-depth studies of, the origins and heritage of Venezuelan music. In 1951, Lauro was imprisoned, because of his democratic convictions, this however did not stop his composing activities. (Brilliant Classics)

2CD# BRI96627 $14.99

Medtner: Complete Songs, Vol. 4

New recordings of Goethe and Heine settings by a master Russian songwriter, by performers thoroughly versed in the composer’s complex harmony and heritage. On this album, recorded in 2022, Ekaterina Levental and Frank Peters couple the Opp. 6, 15 and 18 settings of Goethe with the three Op. 12 settings of Heine: a unique but natural pairing on record. (Brilliant Classics)

1CD# BRI96066 $14.99

Music for Soprano & Guitar by 19th Century Female Composers

Aiming to recreate the musical atmosphere of a 19th-century salon, this recording revolves around two fundamental objectives. The first, to perform music by women who, as composers, performers and hostesses, were absolute cornerstones of these spaces. Second, to perform the songs, originally accompanied by piano, with newly made guitar arrangements. (Brilliant Classics)

1CD# BRI96729 $12.99

Dvořák, Janáček, Martinů: Slavic Rhapsody

The soul of Bohemia: familiar masterpieces and little-known gems for string ensemble by the five most famous Czech composers of the 19th and 20th centuries. This performance by the Ciconia Consort lends it a new lease of life: as rhythmically springy and attentive to detail as the ensembles previous explorations of string-orchestra repertoire. (Brilliant Classics)

1CD# BRI96737 $12.99

Cherubini: Six Sonatas for Fortepiano

In the second half of 18th century, keyboard music in Tuscany was flourishing. The piano, a new instrument, was highly favoured by the new Tuscan court, and the potential of this new instrument was sought out with keen interest by composers. (Brilliant Classics)

1CD# BRI96246 $12.99

Music for Flute & Organ / Duo Les Brumes

This new album is made by a duo of Piedmontese musicians who have explored the riches of the flute-andorgan repertoire to come up with a balanced selection of pieces written by 20th- and 21st-century composers on both sides of the Atlantic. Duo Les Brumes begin with an undoubted masterpiece: the Sonata da Chiesa which the Swiss composer Frank Martin originally composed in 1939 for viola d’amore and organ. (Brilliant Classics)

1CD# BRI96562 $14.99

Dussek: Violin Sonatas, Vol. 2

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760–1812) was a cosmopolitan piano virtuoso who studied with C.P.E. Bach, lived and performed in one European capital after another. Dussek’s music for his own instrument may now be much better known than half a century ago – not least thanks to the first period-instrument edition of his piano sonatas. (Brilliant Classics)

1CD# BRI96588 $12.99

From Venice to Leipzig – Organ Music

Whether or not they actually travelled south of the Alps, as Handel did early in his career, all 18th-century German composers of note were influenced by the Italian style of vocal and instrumental writing at the time. Manuel Tomadin’s latest album for Brilliant Classics explores the connections between these apparently disparate traditions, beginning with the Toccata, Adagio and Fugue BWWV564. (Brilliant Classics)

1CD# BRI96664 $12.99

J.S. Bach: Transcriptions for Guitar

In recent decades, Johann Sebastian Bach’s (1685–1750) works have undergone numerous transcriptions and adaptations. This album includes some famous works, among them the preludes from the French Suite No. 3 and Johann Peter Kellner’s collection. (Brilliant Classics)

1CD# BRI96687 $12.99

Classics

Dal

Violin Sonatas [2 CDs]

2CD# BRI96190 $14.99

Corsi: Bass Cantatas

1CD# BRI96693 $12.99

French

Sonatas, Vol. 1

1CD# BRI96566

Del Adalid, Arriola & Duran: String Quartets

1CD# BRI96661 $14.99

Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Complete Italian Solo Guitar Music 1CD# BRI96662

Stravinsky, Britten & Scriabin: Orchestral Music

1CD# BRI96724

Pleyel: Clarinet Chamber Music

1CD# BRI96849 $12.99

Musicke – Harpsichord Music by Female Contemporary Composers 1CD# BRI96476

Vitali: Artificii Musicali, Op. 13 1CD# BRI96686

Sciarrino: Chamber Music

1CD# BRI96683

Robin: Time Circles, Orchestral & Chamber Music

1CD# BRI96569 $14.99

Barba:

Cello

$12.99

$12.99

$14.99

$14.99

$14.99

J.S. Bach in Himmerod Abbey 1CD# BRI96615 $12.99

J.S. Bach: Guitar Music 1CD# BRI96679 $12.99

$12.99

M. Haydn: Pro Festo Innocentium Masses & Vesper 1CD# BRI96688 $12.99

The Cello at the Montecassino Abbey [2 CDs] 2CD# BRI96713 $14.99

Voice Recital

This Island / Susan Narucki; Donald Berman

GRAMMY Award winning American soprano Susan Narucki, “one of the great practitioners of contemporary vocal music” (Opera News) presents This Island, a specially curated, unique set of 21 art songs written in the first half of the 20th century, chiefly by women and some receiving their world premiere recordings. (Avie)

1CD# AV2592 $17.99

Mahler, Strauss: Befreit – A Soul Surrendered

Having won both the Kathleen Ferrier Award and Royal Overseas League Award in the same year, mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately writes of this project: ‘It has been my great pleasure to record with Joseph once again. We have long shared a mutual passion for early-twentieth-centuryromantic Lieder and talked of making a disc including songs by Mahler and Strauss. (Chandos)

1CD# CHAN 20177 $20.99

Jonathan Dove: Sappho

Sings

“It’s testament to the force of Sappho’s art that, even though practically all that remains of her work is, tantalizingly, just fragments, those fragments of her work still have the power to move, intrigue and inspire us. Huge thanks to Ralph Woodward for giving me the opportunity to set Alasdair Middleton’s wonderfully immediate translations.” (Convivium)

1CD# CVI076 $11.99

Über Glaube – Ein Portrait / voicemade

“Über Glaube – Ein Portrait” (About Faith – A Portrait) – This is the title of the debut CD of voicemade – the outstanding Leipzig a cappella ensemble. With their program, the six young musicians span centuries to combine music of the Renaissance with modern times. The track list includes music by William Byrd, Giovanni Gabrieli, and Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck. (Genuin)

1CD# GEN 23798 $18.99

Aperghis:

14 Récitations

Soprano Stephanie Lamprea releases her performance of Georges Aperghis’ genre defining 14 Récitations for solo voice, highlighting her precise approach to the notation. These works, written in 1977–78, stretch the voice into fertile extended technique territory, mixing sensuality with virtuosity in ways that had a profound impact on the solo vocal repertoire. (New Focus)

1CD# FCR361 $16.99

Berg, Domin & Heucke: Dennoch

A live recording from Leipzig featuring soprano Anne Schwanewilms, pianist Manuel Lange and actor Wolf-Dietrich Rammler is now being released by Genuin. The program of this top-class evening included the Seven Early Songs by Alban Berg, the poems of Hilde Domin, and the song cycle Dennoch by Stefan Heucke. (Genuin)

1CD# GEN 23808 $18.99

Argentina Songs / Soledad Cardoso

Two composers born in the second half of the 19th century in Argentina are combined with others born around 1910 whose works came to fruition in the 1940s. Thus, the Santa Fe-born Carlos Guastavino opens this record; after him, the focus is on the Buenos Aires-born Gilardo Gilardi; this is followed by a sample of the work of composers Lía Cimaglia Espinosa and Emilio Dublanc. (IBS Classical)

1CD# IBS-132022 $15.99

Milhaud: Melodies et Chansons, Vol. 1

The song oeuvre of Darius Milhaud is almost unmanageable. Holger Falk and Steffen Schleiermacher approach this huge convolute with a first selection that already shows the entire breadth of Milhaud’s compositions. Holger Falk knows excellently how to shape this expansion of meaning, and he is supported by Steffen Schleiermacher, who is as sensitive to sound as he is expressive on the contemporary Steinway. (MDG-Scene)

1CD# 6132271 $19.99

Hans Gál: Music for Voices, Vol. 2

This second album of Hans Gál’s choral music offers a vivid crosssection of his music for chamber choir, featuring mixed voices, women’s voices and male-voice choir, both a cappella and with piano, and ranging across five decades. (Toccata Classics)

1CD# TOCC0644 $18.99

Bach: Collegium Vocal Gent [10 CDs]

Founded by Philippe Herreweghe at a time when the Baroque revival was still a matter for specialists, Collegium Vocale Gent has been at the heart of the rediscovery of Bach’s sacred music. This ten-album set brings together some of his finest sacred vocal works, from a selection of Leipzig cantatas (Gramophone Editor’s Choice) to the St. John Passion by way of the Mass in B minor. (Phi)

10CD# LPH038 $41.99

Caruso: His Songs [2 CDs]

A symbol of Italianism and bel canto singing, Enrico Caruso moved from provincial Neapolitan stages to the world’s most prestigious opera houses, and as naturally as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, he could return to being the scugnizzo or street urchin of popular songs. A little-known repertoire that deserves today, 150 years after Carusiell’s birth, to be rediscovered by a new audience. (Urania)

2CD# LDV14096 $29.99

Strauss: Four Last Songs

The second album from the impressive American soprano after her critically acclaimed debut album, Rachel includes Richard Strauss’ most renowned song-cycle for soprano plus the final scene from his last opera, ‘Capriccio’. Rachel’s glistening tone, faultless technique and expressiveness make her the perfect interpreter of Strauss’s works and she is joined by fellow “Strauss-officionado” Andris Nelsons. (Sony)

1CD# 19439921722 $13.99

Hans Sommer: Orchestral Songs

Pentatone presents a new album full of world-premiere recordings of orchestral songs by Hans Sommer, sung by an excellent quartet of soloists together with the RundfunkSinfonieorchester Berlin under the baton of Guillermo García Calvo. Sommer was a Liszt student whose operas were performed and praised by Richard Strauss. (Pentatone)

1CD# PTC5187023 $15.99

Echo – Songs Across the Ages / Ruby Hughes

Huw Watkins’ song cycle Echo, composed for soprano Ruby Hughes and premiered in 2017 at Carnegie Hall, is at the center of this artfully crafted recital. Setting texts by five different poets, the cycle is a work centered on melancholy –on transience, remembrance, and in the final song a numbed cry of inconceivable loss. (BIS)

1SACD# BIS-2568 $19.99

VOCAL ALBUMS IN BRIEF

Vivaldi: Sacroprofano / Tim Mead

Amate

– Arias for Anna Maria Strada

Accompanied by the Abchordis Ensemble and Andrea Buccarella, the group’s conductor and harpsichordist, Marie Lys decided to dedicate her first solo album on Glossa to “La Stradina”, with an indepth study of Anna Maria Strada’s life on stage and the extraordinary vocal skills her roles demanded. Marie Lys has selected a repertoire that traces the career of this unique soprano in a representative way.

(Glossa)

1CD# GCD923536 $18.99

Labyrich, Schubert, Smirnow, Strauss & Szymanowski: My Soul Wept

Together with her piano partner Polina Spirina, mezzosoprano Natalya Boeva immerses herself in an exciting selection of works by the great lied composers Franz Schubert, Richard Strauss, and Karol Szymanowski and the contemporary Russian composers Alexander Labyrich and Dmitri Smirnov. Natalya Boeva and Polina Spirina present a moving interpretation of an extraordinary program! (Genuin)

1CD# GEN 23817 $18.99

Brahms, Mozart, Schubert & Xu: Fruhlingsglaube

After the first CD with Chinese and Classical songs, this time the soprano Marie Cho with Niels Muus at the piano presents songs by Mozart, Schubert and Brahms, and as a conclusion two Chinese songs, the Eastern Mongolian “Shepherd Song” by Qu Xixian and “Songs of my Hometown” by Xu Peidong. In between, piano pieces by Mozart and Schubert, played by Niels Muus, will be heard. (Gramola)

1CD# GRAM99276 $23.99

Voices – Songs by Richard Hageman

Thomas Hampson considers Richard Hageman as “an American composer of the highest caliber [and] an important contributor to the arts in America” and yet Voices is the first album ever to be dedicated solely to Hageman’s songs. Hageman moved from the Netherlands to Hollywood in 1938, quickly establishing himself as an A-list composer. (Aliud)

1CD# ACDOE1252 $16.99

Juxtaposing the sacred and secular aspects of Vivaldi’s work, this program explores the earthly passion of the divine and the heavenly beauty of love. (Alpha)

1CD# ALPHA914 $18.99

Schultz: Choral Songs

Svend Simon Schultz (1913–1998) is one of the most remarkable Danish composers and as a conductor he made a significant contribution to Danish songs. (Danacord)

1CD# DACOCD951 $16.99

Pachelbelo, Bertali, Matteis: Ciaccona!

Leila Shayegh and her musician friends from La Centifolia play a whole round of chaconnas, some famous, some unknown, by Bertali, Purcell, Schmelzer Matteis, Corelli or anonymous composers. (Glossa)

1CD# GCD924207 $18.99

The Silver Swan / Emily Gray; Nicole Johnson

Singers of English Song have a vast treasury in which to find their repertoire. Michael Head’s songs are generally well known, but many of Eric Thiman’s songs are rarely performed. (Convivium)

1CD# CVI075 $16.99

Stelle

The Passionate Amy Beach / Solungga Liu

Centaur presents this collection of solo and chamber works by Amy Beach, performed by Solungga Liu, who has been acclaimed as a pianist of great breadth. She is a champion of early twentieth-century American music and underrepresented works of the standard repertoire. She is also known as an uncanny interpreter of new music. (Centaur)

1CD# CRC3990 $15.99

Franck: Piano Rarities – Original Works & Transcriptions

Few composers have enjoyed a late flowering to compare with that of César Franck. Many of the great works in this recording were composed during his final decades and still stand today as powerful representatives of French music. Jean-Pierre Armengaud presents an album of rarities composed for piano by Franck and arrangements of the composer’s works by distinguished musicians from the early 20th century. (Grand Piano)

1CD# GP906 $16.99

Romeo and Juliet – Tchaikovsky on the Piano

In his liner notes, Yevgeny Sudbin remembers falling in love with Tchaikovsky’s music when he was introduced to classical music. On this album, the pianist presents a collection of piano pieces and arrangements for piano, solo and four hands, of orchestral works by the great Russian composer, preceding it with a curtain raiser much-loved by Tchaikovsky himself: Mikhail Glinka’s Overture to Ruslan and Ludmila. (BIS)

1SACD# BIS-2198 $19.99

Elmas: Complete Piano Works, Vol. 2 / Mikael Ayrapetyan

World premiere recording –Armenian music specialist Mikael Ayrapetyan provides ample evidence of the contribution Stephen Elmas’s Mazurkas make to the piano repertoire and to the musical heritage of Armenia and beyond. The first volume in this edition was released in October 2022. (Grand Piano)

1CD# GP928 $16.99

Perpetuum / Anthony Romaniuk

Anthony Romaniuk, multikeyboardist, alchemist of pianos, or ‘musical polyglot’ as some people call him, presents his new album as follows: ‘For this album, I wanted to find music embodying this quality, pieces in perpetual motion.’ As if in some fascinating portrait gallery, we meet music by Kapsberger, Scarlatti, Purcell, Bach, Beethoven, and improvisations, played on a Fazioli concert piano. (Alpha)

1CD# ALPHA913 $18.99

New Piano

Piano Miniatures from China / Edward Han Jiang

World premiere recording – The ten pieces in this collection have been selected as being most representative of Chinese culture, combining compositions from the 1960s and 70s with contemporary piano works and arrangements of ancient folk songs. Appearing here in his Grand Piano debut is young pianist and composer Edward Han Jiang. (Grand Piano)

1CD# GP929 $16.99

Schubert: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2 [2 CDs]

This new double-album by pianist Lars Vogt, violinist Christian Tetzlaff and cellist Tanja Tetzlaff includes some of Franz Schubert’s greatest works of chamber music, including his Piano Trios and the Arpeggione Sonata in breath-taking interpretations. (Ondine)

2CD# ODE 1394-2D $24.99

Dukas: Complete Piano Music

A new recording of all the major works for piano by a foundational figure in French music of the early 20th century. Vincenzo Maltempo follows in the footsteps of virtuosos such as Michel Ponti and MarcAndré Hamelin, and shows himself equipped for the task, having already accumulated a critically acclaimed catalogue of hyper-virtuoso repertoire on Piano Classics. (Piano Classics)

1CD# PCL10171 $18.99

Early Piano Works of Ernst Krenek

Ernst Krenek’s ambitious works were complemented by smaller marches and waltzes for piano. In his early and mid-teens, a clear development toward vocal settings of German poetry is evident, be it as art songs or choral works. Occasional instrumental works, such as variation works for piano trio, a sonata for cello and piano, or a stage work, are early testimony of the diversity in Krenek’s future oeuvre. (Centaur)

1CD# CRC3968 $15.99

Haydn: The Complete Piano Trios, Vol. 2

Described by Gramophone as ‘an album of joyous, imaginative musicmaking that whets the appetite for future installments’, the first volume of the Trio Gaspard’s Haydn cycle was enthusiastically received by buyers and critics alike. As with that first volume, the Trio have designed a programme that works in its own right, and features trios from all periods of Haydn’s career. (Chandos)

1CD# CHAN 20270 $20.99

Albums

100 Years of the Piano Sonata / Michele Fazio

1CD# CRC3986

$15.99

Mendelssohn, Martinů & Mozart: In the Shadow

1CD# ARC 22029 $14.99

Martha Argerich Live, Vol. 12 [2 CDs]

2CD# DHR-8193/4

$37.99

Part: Lamentate

1CD# PCL10273 $18.99

A Bad Night in Los Angeles –The Piano Music of Robert Matthew-Walker

1CD# SOMMCD 0662

$18.99

Rarieties of Piano Music at the Schloss vor Husum 2022

1CD# DACOCD949

$16.99

Albanesi: Piano Works, Vol. 1 / Julia Severus

1CD# GP924 $16.99

Martinů: Piano Trio No. 1; Dvořák: Piano Trio No. 3

1CD# HC22029

$18.99

Reicha: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 5

1CD# TOCC0483 $18.99

A Testament to Hope –Piano Works by Beethoven

1CD# DACOCD 948

$16.99

Chopin: Piano Works / Anastasia Yasko

1CD# ARS38622

$18.99

Piano Works by Ravel, Chopin, Tchaikovsky

1CD# STNS30155

$17.99

Wuorinen & J.S. Bach – A Tribute / Steven Beck [2 CDs]

2CD# BCD9573A/B $33.99

1CD# AVI 8553514 $17.99

J.S. Bach, Prokofiev & Villa-Lobos: Polyphonic Evolution

1CD# CRC3997 $15.99

Martin, Turina & Vladigerov: Piano Trios / Trio Image

Brass Titles

German Baroque Trumpet Concertos / Thomas Reiner

Baroque works for oboe have long been fertile ground for transcription to the trumpet and there are several examples here of this refashioning. The sequence of concertos and sonatas include examples from Handel’s Italian years, and from Johann Gottfried Stolzel, who was strongly influenced by Vivaldi. Telemann’s marvelously inventive Concerto in D Major is performed on the modern flugelhorn. (Naxos) 1CD# 8551419 $13.99

Vaughan Williams on Brass

Vaughan Williams wrote three pieces for brass band – Henry the Fifth Overture, Prelude on Three Welsh Hymns and Variations for Brass Band, the latter commissioned for the National Brass Band Championships in 1957. This album brings together these works with many new arrangements of some popular pieces by Paul Hindmarsh (who curated and produced the album) and Phillip Littlemore. (Albion) 1CD# ALBCD052 $18.99

Friedrich: The Trumpet Collection [10 CDs]

This 10-album set, which includes Reinhold Friedrich’s recordings over the last 15 years, shows the impressive spectrum of this artist, playing a repertoire from the natural trumpet till the experimental avantgarde. This set is a chronology of trumpet literature spanning over 400 years of music history. (Capriccio) 10CD# C7285 $43.99

Gabrieli For Brass – Venetian Extravaganza

This fascinating transatlantic musical collaboration between the brass players of London’s Royal Academy of Music and New York’s Juilliard School presents enduring masterpieces by Giovanni Gabrieli and his Venetian contemporaries. Under the direction of Reinhold Friedrich, the players blend modern instruments and intellect with 16th-century technique and tuning to excel in this profoundly challenging repertoire.(Linn)

1CD# CKD581 $18.99

Gershwin, Piazzolla, Saint-Saëns: Horizons

Buzz Brass’s third album under Analekta label presents masterpieces from Aram Khatchatourian, Paul Dukas, Camille Saint-Saëns, George Gershwin, Lew Pollack, Claude Bolling and Astor Piazzolla. This brass quintet has been travelling the world and captivating classical-music lovers since 2002. Whether alone or with guest artists, Buzz Brass’s highly original performances never fail to leave an impression. (Analekta)

1CD# AN28929 $18.99

Orgelpunkt – Trombone & Organ

Together with organist Lea Suter, the Franz Kuhn Trombone Quartet brings remarkable literature from the heyday of virtuoso trombone playing to life in an authentic way. The trombone quartets by Arno Hansen and August Hänsel are an ideal complement to the virtuoso program. (MDG-Scene)

1SACD# 9512253-6 $18.99

9 Trumpets & 1 Piano – Trumpet Music from around the World

Nine Trumpets and One Piano is an album of works dedicated to leading trumpeter Fábio Brum and written for the classically conceived combination of trumpet or other high brass instruments and piano. The composers are drawn from across the globe, though the majority live in South America, and represent a wide variety of stylistic backgrounds. (Naxos)

1CD# 8579118 $13.99

Mosaic / A4 Brass Quartet

SOMM Recordings is thrilled to announce the release of Mosaic featuring the label debut of the A4 Brass Quartet. An exciting kaleidoscope of new music and bespoke arrangements for the ensemble’s distinctive line-up, Mosaic makes a bold claim for the vibrancy and variety of contemporary brass music. (SOMM)

1CD# SOMMCD 0638 $18.99

Trumpet Concertos / Selina Ott

On her debut album with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and Roberto Paternostro, Selina Ott presents an exciting selection from the opulent range of 20th century trumpet concertos that have been written in close temporal proximity to one another: the very frequently performed concerto by Arutunian is accompanied by the much rarer first concerto by Vladimir Peskin. (Orfeo)

1CD# ORF-C200091 $18.99

Gregson: Music of the Angels – Works for Symphonic Brass and Percussion

This outstanding program contains all of Edward Gregson’s significant works for Symphonic Brass, including the seminal Brass Quintet, the Symphony in two movements and Music of the Angels. Edward Gregson is an English composer of international standing, and one of the leading composers of his generation, whose music has been performed, recorded, and broadcast in many countries. (Chandos)

1CD# CHAN 20127 $18.99

Organ Recital Programs

Franck & Vierne: First & Last

The Quoirin organ is a very good fit for the colorful demands of Franck and Vierne’s music, and it was an honor to return to Ascension Church for this recording. With Vierne at the height of his artistry, his 6th Symphony marks the apex of the French symphonic organ tradition — a fitting culmination of the style enshrined with Franck’s Grande pièce symphonique. (Azica)

1CD# ACD-71356 $16.99

Moore: Via Crucis / Richard Moore

Explore this premiere recording of Philip Moore’s Via Crucis, performed at Guildford Cathedral by organist Richard Moore, with Revd Dr Barry Orford. The album includes a foreword by the composer.

(Convivium)

1CD# CVI079 $16.99

10 Famous Cathedral Organs / Stephen Cleobury

These are not only renowned organs with splendid sound, but here as recorded by renowned sound engineers with great experience and success with organ recordings. Featured organs include those from Westminster Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral, York Minster, Winchester Cathedral, Guildford Cathedral, King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, and as a bonus, Royal Albert Hall. (Alto Music)

1CD# MOB414640 $10.99

Organ Music From Middle Germany

This album celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Association of Friends of the Baroque Organ and demonstrates Langenbogen’s rich musical life. This release presents mainly organ works played by Thomas Ennenbach. In addition, we hear the Association’s Chairman Ralf Mielke (solo flautist in Halle Staatskapelle), and members of the Ensemble Arco Lungo. (Querstand)

1CD# VKJK 2103 $18.99

ORGAN RELEASES IN BRIEF

J.S. Bach: Bachs Königin / Holland Baroque

Holland Baroque presents Bachs Königin, an album full of masterful organ works by J.S. Bach, transcribed for the orchestra by Judith and Tineke Steenbrink. These creative interpretations add unique colours and a fresh spirit to baroque monuments. Holland Baroque is an original and innovative baroque orchestra that approaches baroque repertoire through a fresh and contemporary approach. (Pentatone)

1SACD# PTC5186971 $19.99

Horizon / Wolfgang Kogert

A great number of works have been premiered by Wolfgang Kogert and were dedicated to him trusting in his respectful approach, virtuosity and meticulousness. With the exception of “Péan IV” by Jean-Pierre Leguay, all works are premiere recordings. In order to ensure the greatest possible authenticity, the performer worked in close artistic exchange with all composers throughout the entire process of creating the album. (Cantate)

1CD# CAN58055 $14.99

Salve

Regina / Jesper Glans

This album is a recording of selected works from Swedish 20th century organ music. The recording is made in St. Andreas Church in Malmö, Sweden and the organ is played by Jesper Glans. For a majority of these works, this is the first public recording. Jesper Glans (b. 1994) graduated from the Musikhögskolan in Malmö and has both a master’s degree in church music and a master’s degree in organ. (Footprint)

1CD# FRCD 125 $16.99

Fink: The Great Organ Works

Christian Fink’s organ works include 5 sonatas, 2 fantasias [and a double fugue], 5 preludes [and a fugue], 30 chorale preludes and around 100 free recital pieces. His work lies in the temporal arc between the organ sonatas of Felix Mendelssohn and the chorale fantasias of Max Reger. (Haenssler Classic)

1CD# HC22066 $18.99

Companions – Contemporary Organ Music / Carson Cooman

A new album of ten contemporary organ works from nine composers representing six countries. Carson Cooman presents a program of contemporary music. (Divine Art)

1CD# DDA25241 $18.99

Stumm – Organ Works [2 CDs]

The Stumm family stands as one of Germany’s most famous organ-building dynasties, with some 400 organs built between Cologne and Karlsruhe, Luxemburg and Amorbach. (Haenssler Classic)

2CD# HC22073 $18.99

Mozart on the Organ / Christoph Schoener

For his latest production, Christoph Schoener combines obvious and surprising arrangements with Mozart’s original works. (MDG-Scene)

1SACD# 9492269-6 $19.99

Cooke: Organ Music / Tom Winpenny

Arnold Cooke was a prolific composer, with two operas, six symphonies, numerous concertos and a generous amount of chamber music to his credit. (Toccata Classics)

1CD# TOCC0659 $18.99

Choral Music

Tuur: Canticum Canticorum Caritatis

This album contains a selection of key a cappella choral works by Erkki-Sven Tüür. For the Estonian composer born in 1959, words and music are intimately linked. Triglosson Trishagion (2008), indebted to the Orthodox tradition and sung in Estonian, Russian and Greek, and Wanderer’s Evening Song (2001) complete this programme, which is characterised by a meditative, interiorised approach to the composer. (Alpha)

1CD# ALPHA917 $18.99

Coleridge: Requiem

“Composers have been setting the Requiem texts to music since the late Middle Ages, and it was to these early settings that I was drawn when writing my own offering: with simple, flowing melodic threads combined to create a richer fabric. My thanks to Rupert Gough and the vibrant young voices of the Choir of Royal Holloway.” – Matthew Coleridge (Convivium)

1CD# CVI081 $16.99

Ligeti: Complete Works for a Cappella Choir [2 CDs]

In addition to his popular compositions such as orchestral works and chamber music, György Ligeti also wrote vocal music, among them numerous and demanding a cappella choral works. Awardwinning Yuval Weinberg has been the chief conductor of the SWR Vokalensemble since the beginning of the season 2020/2021. (SWR Classic)

2CD# SWR19128CD $26.99

Bach: Motetten / Tölzer Knabenchor

Under Michael Hofstetter, who has been the choir’s first guest conductor since this summer, the Tölzer Knabenchor now presents – for the first time on the Christophorus label – an album with motets of the Bach family. This selection brings together motets by the Bach family in the 17th century, beginning with Johann Bach, the great-uncle. (Christophorus)

1CD# CHR77467 $18.99

Arias of Love & Sorrow / Gevorg Hakobyan

Gevorg Hakobyan is a rising star on the international operatic stage. Drawing from favorite operas such as Verdi’s Otello and Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades, Arias of Love & Sorrow joins recent Delos releases including Oksana Dyka’s In Questa Reggia, Oksana Volkova’s Poison D’Amour and Kristian Benedikt’s Tenore di forza in bringing new and captivating voices to fans of opera.

(Delos)

1CD# DE 3572 $16.99

Grigorjeva: Music for Male-Voice Choir

The choral music of Galina Grigorjeva – born in Simferopol in Ukraine in 1962 and based in Tallinn, in Estonia, since 1994 – is deeply rooted in the traditions of the Orthodox Church and in ancient Russian and Slavonic folklore. Although clearly by a contemporary composer, her works have a timeless, even hypnotic.

(Toccata Classics)

1CD# TOCC0679 $18.99

A third Hyperion release from topnotch Portuguese choir, Cupertinos, maintains the exceptional standards already set by the first two. This collection of sacred music by Pedro de Cristo includes five first recordings and marks animportant addition to the composer’s burgeoning discography.

(Hyperion)

1CD# MOB283937 $19.99

Bruckner Spectrum / Zurich Chamber Singers

These pieces allow a singular access to Bruckner’s musical development and personality, as well as his religious psyche. In this program Anton Bruckner’s motets are presented in a careful sequence combining them with works by Palestrina and Burkhard Kinzler. The latter feature as a commentary that both hearkens back ‘ad fontes’ and towards the twenty-first-century present. (Berlin Classics)

1CD# 0302806BC $18.99

Van Gogh in Me / Netherlands Chamber Choir;

Dukstra

With Van Gogh in Me, the Netherlands Chamber Choir presents an experience in which the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh and Gustav Klimt come to life to the music of the great Romantic and early 20th century composers such as Debussy, Saint-Saëns, Mahler... and, in a world premiere, a transcription for a cappella choir of Satie’s first Gymnopédie. (Alpha)

1CD# ALPHA638 $18.99

All Angels – Choral Works by George Arthur [2 CDs]

Explore this new album of choral works by British composer, George Arthur, performed by The Choir of Royal Holloway. He has been commissioned by various cathedrals and chapel choirs at home and overseas and his music is regularly performed around the world. He has had works broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and 4 and on BBC television. (Convivium)

2CD# CVI078 $19.99

Cristo: Magnificat – Marian Antiphons & Missa Salve Regina

Peter

Opera Recordings

So Romantique! / Cyrille Dubois

‘So Romantique!’ illustrates the ‘profoundly sentimental’ side of French opera from the 1830s to the 1900s, which gradually came to be judged overwrought and was condemned to partial oblivion. With the Orchestre

National de Lille conducted by Pierre Dumoussaud, French tenor Cyrille Dubois deploys the full range of his artistry, the impressive high notes, the luminous tone and the graceful phrasing that is ‘so Cyrille’! (Alpha)

1CD# ALPHA924 $18.99

Tafreshipour: The Doll Behind the Curtain [CD]

An original and challenging work of musical theatre, The Doll Behind the Curtain was composed in 2015 and is Tafreshipour’s first opera as well as the first Iranian opera with an English libretto. It was premièred in London in 2015 and is here heard in a recording by the team that also performed it at the Royal Danish Opera in 2020. (BIS)

1CD# BIS-2596 $19.99

Saint-Georges: L’Amant Anonyme [3 CDs]

Haymarket Opera, Chicago’s premier early opera company, performs on this world-premiere recording of L’Amant Anonyme (The Anonymous Lover) by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de SaintGeorges (1745–1799). Premiered in 1780, L’Amant Anonyme was the most successful of Bologne’s six operas and is the only one to survive to the present day. (Cedille)

3CD# CDR 217 $32.99

Auber: Le Philtre [2 CDs]

The two leading operatic composers of their time were Rossini and Auber, one now fêted, the other largely overlooked. In 1831 Auber and his long-standing librettist Eugène Scribe produced Le Philtre, which took the concept of petit opéra to the extreme, even outdoing Rossini’s Le Comte Ory in depicting a rural setting peopled not with Arcadian shepherds but with ordinary country folk. (Naxos)

2CD# 8660514-15 $24.99

Dessau: Lanzelot [2 CDs]

Donizetti: Lucia Di Lammermoor [2 CDs]

Among the countless studio recordings of Lucia di Lammermoor, this Westminster recording from the early seventies is particularly noteworthy. First of all for the conductor, Thomas Schippers, one of the most sensitive interpreters of Italian opera, especially in Verdi. The role of the protagonist is played by the American soprano Beverly Sills. An edition of constant reference. (Urania)

2CD# WS121.405 $29.99

Handel: Solomon [2 CDs]

Handel’s oratorio Solomon is now regarded by its performers and its listeners as one of his greatest compositions. This was not, however, always the case. Solomon was not performed outside of London during Handel’s lifetime, an unusual occurrence during his British career. Here, Leonardo García Alarcón and his singers and instrumentalists offer us a flamboyant version of the work. (Ricercar)

2CD# RIC449 $27.99

Rota: Il Cappello di Paglia di Firenze [2 CDs]

Nino Rota: “How I’d like to be remembered...with a bit of nostalgia, lots of optimism, and good humor.” Rota’s wish should well come true. Not the least, if we lend our ears to his third (of ten) and most popular opera, the snappy Florentine Straw Hat (Il cappello di paglia di Firenze), which Rota wrote in Bari, after the War ended, and orchestrated a decade later for its premiere in Palermo. (Capriccio)

2CD# C5466 $27.99

Strauss: Elektra [2 CDs]

Based on ancient Greek mythology and Sophocles’ tragedy Electra, the opera is the second of Strauss’s two highly modernist operas. Laila Andersson-Palme was born in 1941 and moved to Stockholm in 1960. Following a hugely successful career often singing Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner, in various roles, in 1985 she was appointed Court singer in 1985. (Sterling Records)

2CD# CDA1867 $29.99

Nowhere in his work does Dessau come up with a greater variety of musical styles than Lanzelot; from baroque concerto grosso and romantic parodies to agitprop music and modern sounds, he pulls out all the stops. With its plurality of musical levels and appeal to the courage of freedom, Lanzelot is the East German counterpart to the equally ambitious total theatre of Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s Soldaten. (Audite)

2CD# ADT23448 $31.99

OPERA ALBUMS IN BRIEF

Porpora: Carlo il Calvo [3 CDs]

Porpora’s opera is based on a Venetian libretto dating from 1699 which, under various titles, has been set to music by composers such as Vinacessi, Keller, Alessandro Scarlatti, Orlandini and Telemann. (Parnassus Arts)

3CD# PARARTS002 $45.99

Mozart: The Singspiele Operas [5 CDs]

These two works represent the alpha and omega of Mozart. With these performances of Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Die Zauberflöte, René Jacobs penetrates to the heart of Mozartian singspiel. (Harmonia Mundi)

5CD# MOB946718 $39.99

Lortzing: Der Waffenschmied [2 CDs]

Lortzing’s Der Waffenschmied is a lighthearted and superbly crafted opera that bridges Mozart’s Singspiele and early Wagner. (Capriccio)

2CD# C5490 $22.99

Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana

Riccardo Muti leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Chorus and a cast of outstanding soloists in Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. (CSO Resound)

1CD# CSOR 901 2201 $19.99

DVD &

Cavalieri: Rappresentatione di Anima et di Corop [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Emilio de’ Cavalieri’s Rappresentatione di Anima et di Corpo was premiered in 1600 in Rome. It was conceived to be performed in costume, bringing text and music together in a dramatic form, and is accepted as the first surviving opera, pre-dating works by Peri and Monteverdi. This production was hailed as ‘an unmitigated, tremendous success’ – Bachtrack (Naxos)

1Blu-ray# NBD0161V $27.99

1DVD# 2110750 $27.99

The Monteverdi Trilogy [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

This set brings together Monteverdi’s three surviving operas: the splendorous L’Orfeo and, from later in his life, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria and L’incoronazione di Poppea with their visceral passions and dramatic dilemmas. John Eliot Gardiner’s acclaimed Monteverdi 450 series of performances is a confirmation that Monteverdi ‘will be sighed for in later ages. (Opus Arte)

3Blu-ray# OA BD7300BD $54.99

3DVD# OA 1349BD $39.99

Levay: Elisabeth [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Powerful themes and a potent score brimming with fabulous music have combined to establish Elisabeth as the most successful German-language musical of all time. This spectacular open-air event presents Elisabeth at the fabled empress’s real-life home – Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. (Naxos)

1Blu-ray# NBD0164V $27.99

1DVD# 2110749 $27.99

Puccini: Turandot [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

This new encounter between director Robert Wilson’s powerful visual universe and Puccini’s evocative music was bound to be an outstanding event. Carried out by a brilliant cast of singers, dominated by Irene Theorin as Turandot, and Gregory Kunde as Calaf, this magnificent production has been met with universal acclaim. (Belair)

1Blu-ray# BAC570 $29.99

1DVD# BAC170 $29.99

Blow: Venus & Adonis; Purcell: Dido & Aeneas [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Two classic court operas are brought together to tell the stories of love, be it between gods or royalty in the historic Confidencen Theatre, Sweden. Venus & Adonis, composed in 1683 by John Blow, is considered the earliest example of English opera. It tells the enchanting story of two mythical lovers and their cruel fate in scenes reaching from light-hearted comedy to heartfelt despair.

(Opus Arte)

1Blu-ray# OA BD7308D $39.99

1DVD# OA 1361D $29.99

Giordano: Siberia [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Umberto Giordano’s opera Siberia with its libretto by Puccini’s successful librettist Luigi Illica premiered in 1903 at La Scala. This opera rarity performed at Bregenz Festival is musical narrative theatre in perfection in which “Uryupin leads the agile Wiener Symphoniker through the score with a sense for delicately tinted colours.“

– Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (C Major)

1Blu-ray# 763004 $42.99

1DVD# 762908 $32.99

Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Richard Wagner’s extraordinary cycle of four operas, Der Ring des Nibelungen, is epic in every sense of the word. Sofia Opera’s acclaimed productions bring Wagner’s shimmering and opulent vision to life in a spectacle that is thrilling from beginning to end in both its daring visual language and its overwhelming musical intensity. (Dynamic)

4Blu-ray# DYN-57964 $74.99

8DVD# DYN-37964 $74.99

Spuck: Winterreise [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Franz Schubert’s Winterreise, a cycle of 24 songs for voice and piano is not only regarded as the zenith of Schubert’s song composition, but as the pinnacle of German art song in its entirety. Using a mixture of large ensemble scenes and intimate solo images, Christian Spuck allows the medium of dance to provide new perspectives on one of the greatest works of classical music. (Accentus)

Verdi: Don Carlo

1Blu-ray# ACC10545 $49.99

1DVD# ACC20545 $38.99

Based on Schiller’s play of the same name, Don Carlo is Verdi’s most ambitious work, written for the Paris Opera in 1865–66 in the tradition of a French grand opera. This legendary production is directed by Herbert von Karajan. With its extraordinary vocal cast, it is truly one of the most memorable opera performances. (C Major)

1Blu-ray# 761604 $42.99

Schubert: Eine Winterreise [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

In Eine Winterreise, renowned director Christof Loy has created a memorable evening of music theatre in which Schubert’s tragically short life is depicted by and extended through his immortal music and songs from Winterreise, Die schöne Müllerin and Schwanengesang. (Naxos)

1Blu-ray# NBD0165V $27.99

1DVD# 2110751 $27.99

Blu-ray Video

Handel: Semele / NZ Opera [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Witness The Wedding of the Year, filmed at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Auckland, New Zealand. Handel’s Baroque masterpiece Semele is an exciting mix of opera and oratorio. “A remarkable production... a brilliant theatrical phenomenon, surprising, amusing and utterly engrossing”

Opera Magazine (Opus Arte)

1Blu-ray# OA BD7309D $39.99

1DVD# OA 1362D $29.99

Mascagni: L’Amico Fritz [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Building on the success of Cavalleria rusticana, Pietro Mascagni’s commedia lirica L’amico Fritz was given seven encores and thirty-five curtain calls at its premiere in Rome in 1891. Returning to the Teatro del Maggio Musicale in Florence for the first time since 1941, this production was acclaimed for its superb cast and astonishingly effective modern setting. (Dynamic)

1Blu-ray# DYN-37960 $27.99

1DVD# DYN-57960 $27.99

Offenbach: La Vie Parisienne [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Jacques Offenbach had already achieved fame as an operetta composer by 1866, but that year’s premiere of La Vie Parisienne was his first portrayal of contemporary Parisian life. With significant new musical discoveries and the final acts restored, this opéra-bouffe masterpiece now speaks for itself given the resources of a superb cast. (Naxos)

1Blu-ray# NBD0163V $29.99

2DVD# 2110753-54 $29.99

Verdi: Rigoletto [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Rigoletto is the sharp-tongued jester to the serial womanizer, the Duke of Matua. But when the Duke turns his seductive ways towards Rigoletto’s daughter, Gilda, the jester learns that he is powerless to protect her. What follows is an epic tale of deceit, revenge and, above all, love. Director Oliver Mears makes his Royal Opera debut with his thrilling new production’ – The Times (Opus Arte)

1Blu-ray# OA BD7303D $39.99

1DVD# OA 1354D $29.99

DVD/BLU-RAY IN BRIEF

Bellini: Bianca e Fernando [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Bianca e Fernando, commissioned for the inauguration of the Carlo Felice Theatre in 1828, was composed at the start of Bellini’s career as one of the most important opera composers of the 19th century. This acclaimed first modern performance revives the original ‘splendid celebration’ of its premiere. (Dynamic)

1Blu-ray# DYN-57954 $27.99

1DVD# DYN-37954 $27.99

Puccini: Madama Butterfly [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, one of the most played operas today, is performed on the Seebühne for the first time. “Enrique Mazzola leads the Wiener Symphoniker to a beguiling string sound and a flexibility that is so important for Puccini”

– Der Tagesspiegel. (C Major)

1Blu-ray# 762204 $42.99

1DVD# 762108 $32.99

Janácek: Jenufa [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Award-winning director Claus Guth’s acclaimed production of Jenufa is a striking representation of an oppressed society ‘infused with heart-warming humanity’ (Evening Standard) Hungarian conductor Henrik Nánási conducts Asmik Grigorian in her much-anticipated Royal Opera House debut in the title role. (Opus Arte)

OA BD7302D $39.99

OA 1351D $29.99

Porpora: L’Angelica [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Nicola Porpora was a composer who helped to turn Italian opera into the most successful and spectacular genre in Europe. One of the few luminaries of the ‘Neapolitan School’ to actually be born in Naples, Porpora wrote L’Angelica, a serenade for six voices and instruments, to a libretto by the young Pietro Metastasio in 1720. (Dynamic)

DYN-57936 $27.99

Verdi: Falstaff – Salzburg Festival 1982 [Blu-ray]

In this legendary performance from the Salzburg Festival, Herbert von Karajan conducted and directed the opera, in the amazing set design of Günther Schneider-Siemssen. (C Major)

1Blu-ray# 761504 $42.99

Bellini: Norma [DVD]

This production of Norma as staged in January 2018 at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa was also the superb conclusion to the career of Mariella Devia, one of the finest Belcanto singers of our time. (Bongiovanni)

1DVD# AB20041 $31.99

Mozart: Don Giovanni [Blu-ray]

1987 production of Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni at the Salzburg Festival featuring an outstanding cast of singers. Including Samuel Ramey and Gosta Winbergh. (C Major)

1Blu-ray# 761404 $42.99

Donizetti: Torquato Tasso [DVD]

The music of Torquato Tasso is highly inventive – outstandingly so. This work is captivating in its intensity and focuses on aspects of and moments in Tasso’s rich, eventful life. (Bongiovanni) 1DVD# AB20040 $31.99

DVD &

Le Chevalier de Saint-George – The Enlightened Violinist [DVD]

An emancipated slave, the Chevalier de Saint-George managed to elevate himself to the highest spheres of the Enlightened 18th-century French society, thanks to his incredible accomplishments as a fencer, horseman, and musician. This film narrates his extraordinary adventures. (Belair)

1DVD# BAC190 $19.99

Home Music Berlin - Documentary & Concerts [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

When lockdown was imposed in 2020 many artists began streaming performances from their own homes. In response, pianist Francesco Piemontesi and director Jan Schmidt-Garre launched a concert series to showcase artists living in Berlin, given in the renowned Schinkel Pavillon with an expert technical team assembled at short notice. (Naxos)

2Blu-ray# NBD0124-25V $24.99

2DVD# 2110681-82 $24.99

Pavarotti in Central Park [Blu-ray]

When more than 500,000 people gathered in New York’s Central Park on 26 June 1993, they wanted to hear only one thing: The voice of the greatest tenor of the twentieth century: the voice of Luciano Pavarotti. He is accompanied here by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Leone Magiera, featuring the flutist Andrea Griminelli and The Boys Choir of Harlem. (C Major)

1Blu-ray# 762704 $32.99

John Cranko’s The Taming of the Shrew [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

John Cranko’s The Taming of the Shrew is one of the greatest ballet comedies of the 20th century. Inspired by William Shakespeare’s world-famous play, Cranko brings to vivid life the story of the shrewish Katherina whom no one wants to marry and the dashing and clever Petruchio who makes her his wife and “tames” her. “World class” – Tanznetz. (Unitel)

1Blu-ray# 808204 $42.99

2DVD# 808108 $32.99

Herbert Blomstedt – A Portrait [DVD]

Herbert Blomstedt is omnipresent on the concert stages of this world. As an exciting discourse on life philosophies, musical life and experiences as a musician, this film is a portrait of an unpretentious artist who has decisively shaped the classical music world for decades and continues to do so to this day. (Accentus)

1DVD# ACC20417 $24.99

Bruckner 11, Vol. 4 / Christian Thielemann; Vienna PO [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

On the occasion of the Bruckner bicentenary, the Wiener Philharmoniker recorded its first ever complete Bruckner cycle under the baton of Christian Thielemann. In addition to the well-known canon of nine symphonies, the two earliest Bruckner symphonies in F minor and D minor were also recorded for the first time in the orchestra’s history.

(Unitel)

1Blu-ray# 807404 $42.99

1DVD# 807308 $37.99

Adès: The Dante Project / The Royal Ballet [Blu-ray or DVD Video]

Originally presented as part of the 700th anniversary celebrations of the poet’s death, Dante’s epic journey through the afterlife in The Divine Comedy, is realized in a major artistic collaboration between trailblazing forces of the contemporary arts scene. Wayne McGregor’s ground breaking choreography comes together with a virtuosic new score by composer conductor Thomas Adès. (Opus Arte)

1Blu-ray# OA BD7278D $39.99

1DVD# OA 1319D $29.99

Feeney: The Cellist – Ashton: The Two Pigeons [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

This special release brings together two compelling works showing the dramatic range of Lauren Cuthbertson, and The Royal Ballet. Created by the Company’s Founder Choreographer, this recording captures The Royal Ballet’s famous skill and distinctive style. (Opus Arte)

1Blu-ray# OA BD7310D $39.99

1DVD# OA 1363D $29.99

Camilla Nylund Sings Masterpieces from the Great American Songbook [Blu-ray or DVD Video]

Finnish opera star Camilla Nylund sings masterpieces from the Great American Songbook in this unique collaboration with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra under their music director Marin Alsop. This special edition includes a DVD of the concert film-project by André Heller in black and white, plus an audio only recording. (Naxos)

1Blu-ray+CD# NBD0162V $27.99

1DVD+CD# 2110747 $27.99

Fuoco Sacro – A Search for the Sacred Fire of Song [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Opera confronts us with extremes of emotion, sometimes delivering unforgettable, life-changing experiences. Fuoco Sacro (‘Sacred Fire’) seeks out singers who have the power to pierce our hearts, presenting three of them at work in the most intimate details of their rehearsals and preparations. (Naxos)

1Blu-ray# NBD0141V $22.99

1DVD# 2110710 $22.99

Blu-ray Video

Beethoven and His Contemporaries, Vol. 1 [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

The award-winning Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin has become one of the world’s leading chamber orchestras on period instruments. These concerts reveal some of the foundations of Beethoven’s genius, and capture vital performances from the 2020 SWR Schwetzingen Festival, the biggest radio festival for classical music in the world. (Naxos)

1Blu-ray# NBD0135V $22.99

1DVD# 2110704 $22.99

Hampson & Darrell: The Secret Theatre [DVD]

Starring characters from the most popular festive ballets, the worlds of the Snow Queen and the Sugar Plum Fairy collide when the theatre bursts into life. In this spectacular, featurelength film, you’ll be treated to an extraordinary show filled with acrobats, snowflakes, clowns, princes and – of course –beautiful ballerinas. (Opus Arte)

1DVD# OA 1367D $24.99

Bruckner 11, Vol. 2 [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

On the occasion of the Bruckner bicentenary, the Wiener Philharmoniker recorded its first ever complete Bruckner cycle under the baton of Christian Thielemann. In addition to the well-known canon of nine symphonies, the two earliest Bruckner symphonies in F minor and D minor were also recorded for the first time in the orchestra’s history. (Unitel)

1Blu-ray# 807004 $41.99

2DVD# 806908 $36.99

Legendary Conductors of the Boston Symphony Orchestra [5 DVDs]

This 5-DVD box set represents some of the earliest televised concerts with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and three of their eminent music directors; Charles Munch, Erich Leinsdorf and William Steinberg. Leinsdorf’s performances of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky have been described by Gramophone as a “rare treat”. (ICA Classics)

5DVD# ICAB 5115 $66.99

DVD/BLU-RAY IN BRIEF

Pavarotti in Hyde Park [Blu-ray]

Kelly: Starstruck

The legendary Gene Kelly’s pioneering choreography and much-loved style influenced a generation of dance-makers, and we honor his creative legacy with this playful new production. Set to Gershwin’s effortlessly cool Concerto in F, with extracts from Chopin, recorded by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra. (Opus Arte)

1Blu-ray# OA BD7311D $29.99

1DVD# OA 1364D $24.99

Global Wagner – From Bayreuth to the World [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Global Wagner – From Bayreuth to the World is not a biography of Richard Wagner, nor is it a musicological analysis of his work. The film is a revealing feature-length study of life with Wagner’s legacy from one Bayreuth Festival to the next, and we travel the world to meet devoted Wagnerians and those most intimately involved in commenting on and producing his work today. (Naxos)

1Blu-ray# NBD0139V $22.99

1DVD# 2110708 $22.99

Paul Tortelier at the BBC [DVD]

To mark the centenary of the celebrated French cellist Paul Tortelier (born 21st March 1914), the BBC drew from their archives a selection of films and documents that spanned his whole career and testified to the exceptional rapport he enjoyed with Britain. Paul Tortelier at the BBC offers a portrait of one of the truly great cellists. (ICA Classics)

1DVD# ICAD5155 $24.99

Tero Saarinen Company – Third Practice – Rooted with Wings [Blu-ray or DVD Video]

The Tero Saarinen Company and the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra join forces to create a gripping contemporary fusion of dance, live music, opera and design. Rooted with Wings is a visual dance documentary that explores the work of internationally acclaimed choreographer and dancer Tero Saarinen. (Belair)

1Blu-ray# BAC498 $24.99

1DVD# BAC198 $24.99

This legendary concert of Luciano Pavarotti in Hyde Park,1991, was held to mark the 30th anniversary of the start of Pavarottii’s operatic career. (C Major)

1Blu-ray# 762404 $32.99

Ives: 3 Places in New England – Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 [DVD]

In 1970, Tilson Thomas recorded a series of spring concerts with the BSO – and this DVD features titles from that period. This is the first release of this material on DVD. (ICA Classics)

1DVD# ICAD 5111 $24.99

Elgar: Enigma Variations [DVD]

Humphrey Burton’s booklet note is informative and enlightening, and provides a unique perspective on the conductor and the DVD program – in particular the rehearsal, which he directed. (ICA Classics)

1DVD# ICAD 5098 $24.99

Bach: The Brandenburg Concertos [Blu-ray]

Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos rank among the most popular works of Baroque music. They were the perfect choice to record these musical gems at the historical location of their inception. (Accentus)

1Blu-ray# ACC10555 $39.99

Exhibition on Screen Sale

Exhibition on Screen – Pissarro: Father of Impressionism [DVD]

Without Camille Pissarro, there is no Impressionist movement. He is rightfully known as “The Father of Impressionism”. With exclusive access to the most extensive archive of any Impressionist painter and to the first major Pissarro retrospective in four decades, this film explores the enthralling and hugely important biography of an extraordinary artist. (Seventh Art)

1DVD# SEV223 $17.59

Exhibition on Screen – Frida Kahlo [DVD]

Come on a journey through the life of one of the most prevalent female icons: Frida Kahlo. She was a prolific self-portraitist, using the canvas as a mirror through all stages of her turbulent life. Exhibition of Screen explores the extraordinary symbolism and themes in these personal canvases to seek a deeper understanding of the real Frida Kahlo. (Seventh Art)

1DVD# SEV210 $17.59

Exhibition on Screen – Easter in Art [DVD]

The story of Christ’s death and resurrection has dominated western culture for the past 2000 years. It is perhaps the most significant historical event of all time as depicted by the greatest artists in history. Shot on location in Jerusalem, United States and throughout Europe, the film explores the different ways artists have depicted the Easter story through the ages. (Seventh Art)

1DVD# SEV209 $17.59

Exhibition on Screen – Van Gogh and Japan [DVD]

Though Vincent van Gogh never visited Japan it is the country that had the most profound influence on him and his art. Through journeying from the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, to Van Gogh’s adopted home of Provence, France and eventually to Japan itself, this film provides a fascinating look at just how profound this influence proved to be. (Seventh Art)

1DVD# SEV206 $17.59

Exhibition on Screen – Raphael Revealed [DVD]

Raphael was one of the most extraordinary artists of the Renaissance, indeed one of the all-time greats, but is often misunderstood or mythologized. The film revels in Raphael’s extraordinary artworks – allowing you to enjoy a fresh look at this giant of the Renaissance and marvel at his skill, creativity and ingenuity. (Seventh Art)

1DVD# SEV219 $17.59

Exhibition on Screen – Sunflowers [DVD]

The Van Gogh Museum has opened its doors exclusively to Exhibition on Screen, to go beyond the surface and explore the many questions and mysteries that surround Vincent Van Gogh’s seminal works. Only in this release will you have the rare opportunity to see these works brought together from across the world in this fascinating and dramatic story. (Seventh Art)

1DVD# SEV220 $15.19

Exhibition on Screen – Lucian Freud: A Self Portrait [DVD]

One of the most celebrated British painters of our time, Lucian Freud is also one of very few 20th-century artists who portrayed themselves in self-portraiture with such consistency. His self-portraits give a fascinating insight into his development as a painter, from his earliest portrait painted in 1939 to the final one 64 years later. (Seventh Art)

1DVD# SEV208 $14.39

Exhibition on Screen – Leonardo: The Works [DVD]

Leonardo da Vinci is acclaimed as the world’s favorite artist. Many TV shows and feature films have showcased this extraordinary genius but often not examined closely enough is the most crucial element of all: his art. Leonardo’s peerless paintings and drawings are the focus of Leonardo: The Works, as Exhibition on Screen presents every single attributed painting, in Ultra HD quality. (Seventh Art)

1DVD# SEV207 $17.59

Exhibition on Screen – Young Picasso [DVD]

Pablo Picasso is one of the greatest artists of all time – and right up until his death in 1973 he was the most prolific of artists. This film examines Picasso’s upbringing and the learning that led to his extraordinary achievements. Working closely with all three Picasso Museums in Malaga, Barcelona and Paris this film explains how he rose to such great heights. (Seventh Art)

1DVD# SEV205 $17.59

Exhibition on Screen – Degas: Passion for Perfection [DVD]

Exhibition On Screen journeys from the streets of Paris to the heart of the superb Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, whose extensive collection of Degas’ works is the most representative in Britain. With exclusive access to view rare and diverse works, this DVD offers a unique insight into Degas’ personal and creative life. (Seventh Art)

1DVD# SEV204 $17.59

DVD & Blu-ray Video

Three Tenors – Voices for Eternity [DVD]

The documentary Three Tenors – Voices for Eternity, tells the story of the most successful concert in the history of classical music, featuring recent interviews with Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, Zubin Mehta, Pavarotti‘s widow Nicoletta Mantovani, and many more. Includes behind-the-scenesfootage, showing the emotional highlights of the first concert and the sequel in Los Angeles. (C Major)

1DVD# 760908 $29.99

Metanoia – Simone Menezes & K –

A Music Documentary [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Together with her ensemble “K,” the choir Sequenza 9.3, and violinist Manon Galy, Simone Menezes travels across Italy and invites us to experience the thoughttranscending aspects of music, and to uncover the personal journeys of Metanoia of some of the greatest figures in music and art. (Accentus)

1Blu-ray# ACC10550 $39.99

1DVD# ACC20550 $24.99

Beethoven: Missa Solemnis [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

Since 1989, the prestigious Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s concerts around Ascension Day (15 August) have firmly been in the hands of Riccardo Muti. Always sold out, they are among the highlights of every festival summer. For this year’s concert and on occasion of his 80th birthday, the maestro was acclaimed for his interpretation of Beethoven’s Missa solemnis. (Unitel)

1Blu-ray# 806604 $41.99

1DVD# 806508 $29.99

Beethoven and His Contemporaries, Vol. 2 [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

The award-winning Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin has become one of the world’s leading chamber orchestras on period instruments. These concerts reveal some of the foundations of Beethoven’s genius, and capture vital performances from the 2020 SWR Schwetzingen Festival, the biggest radio festival for classical music in the world. (Naxos)

1Blu-ray# NBD0136V $22.99

1DVD# 2110705 $22.99

DVD/BLU-RAY IN BRIEF

Composers of the 20th Century [7 DVDs]

The Art of Lauren Cuthbertson [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

This 4-DVD collection includes two iconic roles that Lauren Cuthbertson he created for The Royal Ballet: the funfilled, eponymous Alice in Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; and Jacqueline du Pre in the biographical work The Cellist by Cathy Marston. (Opus Arte)

4Blu-ray# OA BD7307BD $54.99

4DVD# OA 1360BD $39.99

Gmeyner: Automatenbüfett [DVD]

Anna Gmeyner’s play Automat dates from 1932 and was inspired by the technological innovations of her age as well as by the reactionary attitudes of the bourgeoisie. The play proved a draw in major theatres in Hamburg, Berlin and Zurich before its author was forced to flee in the face of persecution by the National Socialists. This production is a true rediscovery. (Die TheatreEdition)

1DVD# THE08079 $24.99

Private Concerts with Daniel Barenboim and Martha Argerich [DVD]

This program rekindles the origins of the chamber music by showing itself inside the living rooms of grand artists for original concerts, played in an intimate and privileged setting: at Daniel Barenboim’s in Berlin, where he plays with Michael Barenboim and Kian Soltani; and at Martha Argerich’s in Geneva, with Mischa Maisky. (Belair)

1DVD# BAC189 $24.99

Ballets by Christian Spuck [DVD or Blu-ray Video]

This box set contains three extraordinary ballet choreographies by the successful German choreographer Christian Spuck: Verdi’s Messa da Requiem conducted by Fabio Luisi, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and Mouse King, conducted by Paul Connelly, and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet conducted by Michail Jurowski. (Accentus)

3Blu-ray# ACC60507 $87.99

3DVD# ACC70507 $69.99

This box set comprises award-winning documentaries that shine the light on the lives and works of a few of the most important and most well-known composers of the 20th century. (Accentus)

7DVD# ACC70503 $76.99

Brahms: Symphony No. 2 [DVD]

Rudolf Kempe was well positioned when he began his career as master of the baton, moving from the Leipzig orchestras to Dresden, Vienna and Berlin. (ICA Classics)

1DVD# ICAD 5119 $24.99

Les frères Morozov – The Story of a Russian Collection [DVD]

This film tells the story of brothers Mikhail and lvan Morozov bath major figures in the modern art scene and follows the destiny of their fabulous collections. (Belair)

1DVD# BAC185 $19.99

Leonard Bernstein, Vol. 2 [5 Blu-ray]

This Blu-ray box contains legendary concerts from 1977 – 1990 of Leonard Bernstein conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. (C Major)

5Blu-ray# 762304 $95.99

New Jazz

Prime / Christian McBride’s New Jawn [2 CDs]

Christian McBride’s New Jawn is back with their highly anticipated sophomore album, Prime, the follow-up from McBride’s Philly-centric named group. Featuring original compositions from each band member as well as fresh takes on songs from Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman and Larry Young, this group offers an exhilarating space of exploration for McBride to stretch his veteran wings. (Brother Mister)

2CD# BRO4004 $17.99

Passadinha – Jazz Thing Next Generation, Vol. 96 / Elsa Johanna Mohr

The 96th release of “Jazz thing Next Generation” seems to be heading to Brazil, but singer Elsa Johanna Mohr is from Düsseldorf. She can now be heard together with the Brazilian guitarist Flavio Nunes on her debut album. Together, the two have compiled a repertoire of Mohr’s originals and various Brazilian classics. (Double Moon)

1CD# DMCHR71418 $14.99

Jelly Roll Plays Morton / Jelly Roll Quintet

The current work, Jelly Roll Plays Morton, explores one of the legendary figures of the origins of Jazz with splendid sensitivity. With her Jelly Roll Quintet, Helga Plankensteiner tackles Morton’s splendid legacy with an attitude that on a first listen appears joyful, colorful, rich in moods and dynamics, with a few sprinklings of funk amid the rhythms of early 20th-century New Orleans. (Jazzwerkstatt)

1CD# JW231 $16.99

Samba Sem Você / Rosa Passos Quartet

Brazilian bossa nova queen Rosa Passos presents her highly anticipated album Samba Sem Você on Storyville Records. For years, the Brazilian vocalist and guitarist has had a devoted global following. It’s always soul-soothing and beautiful, and if you press play and close your eyes you can almost feel the Brazilian soul and see the sandy beaches for your inner eye.

(Storyville)

1CD# SVL1018499 $15.99

Londonien: Legacy / Emile Londonien; Nils Boyny

Emile Londonien soaks up the English jazz scene of the last fifteen years and offers up a personal version. Emile Londonien perfectly incarnates this “next gen” French jazz alongside Léon Phal, whose sound is close to theirs. Beyond labels, they mix tradition and contemporary music with ease, as measured on the dancefloor. (Naive)

Home / Les Arrivants

1CD# BLV8001 $16.99

Les Arrivants is an ensemble composed of Amijai Ben Shalev (bandoneon), Abdul-Wahab Kayyali (oud) and Hamin Honari (tombak, daf, frame drums). The repertoire developed by Les Arrivants reflects their experience of adaptation, which has had a lasting impact on their artistic and social lives. (Analekta)

1CD# AN29175 $18.99

Harm: Foresight / Markus Harm

The alto saxophonist Markus Harm from Nuremberg releases with “Foresight” the third album. The sound of saxophonist Markus Harm is mellow and sensual, and it combines optimally with the excellent guitar work of Christoph Neuhaus. (Double Moon)

1CD# DMCHR71423 $14.99

Bishop, Muller & Muche: From A to B / Jeb Bishop

Celebrate the trombone – Appreciate its slipperiness and weight; how it amplifies the intimacy of the voice and becomes vocal itself. The TRIO is that celebration: a celebration of the sound and possibilities of the instrument. And this is a glorious document of the kind of people that understand what the trombone is: absorbing and shocking; technical and transcendent; radical and human. (Jazzwerkstatt)

1CD# JW228 $16.99

Westman: Moving Forward / Simon Westman Trio

Since the debut album Stay a While in 2020, Gothenburg based Simon Westman Trio have had success on streaming platforms with 3 million streams. Now, they are back with a new album – Moving Forward

With this album, the three musicians have found their sound and their interaction even more. (Prophone)

1CD# PCD314 $18.99

Woods: Bird with Strings…& More! / Phil Woods [2 CDs]

Storyville Records is proud to present one of master saxophonist Phil Woods’ most impressive projects, Bird With Strings And More! The recording of this album took place in Tonhalle Zürich on June 13, 2005 with the help of pianist Ben Aronov, bassist Reggie Johnson, drummer Douglas Sides and the fantastic Zürich Chamber Orchestra. (Storyville)

2CD# SVL1038531 $18.99

Ella Fitzgerald Live at Montreux 1969

Ella Fitzgerald’s Live At Montreux 1969 features the First Lady of Song backed by the Tommy Flanagan Trio performing a set combining contemporary tracks, such as “Sunshine Of Your Love” and “Hey Jude” alongside classics like “I Won’t Dance,” “That Old Black Magic,” and a host of others. Available on CD for the first time! (Mercury)

1CD# MOB947294 $16.99

Blues & Bach / Enrico Pieranunzi Trio & Orchestra

It is to the musical conception and to the compositional art of John Lewis that, a little more than two decades after his passing, “Blues and Bach” wishes to pay tribute. His tunes have been reworked and orchestrated for the occasion with an ensemble that, in some ways, is itself a crossover within a crossover (jazz trio plus string quintet and woodwind quintet). (Challenge)

1CD# CR 73550 $16.99

Taylor: Conversations with Tony Oxley

Cecil Taylor, who died on April 5, 2018 in his hometown of Brooklyn, had a style all his own. Here we have one of his last concerts from 2008, performed in the Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonie. jazzwerkstatt had already begun impressively documenting the era of free jazz with the last recordings of Ornette Coleman. We hear the last sound cascades from Cecil Taylor in ‘Conversations with Tony Oxley’. (JCG)

1CD# JW 198 $16.99

Tate’s Delight – Groovin’ at the Jass Festival

Storyville Records presents the legendary American saxophonist Buddy Tate in a meeting with the Danish quintet White Label on the new album Tate’s Delight – Groovin’ at the JASS Festival. The meeting took place at the Holstebro JASS Festival in September 1982. (Storyville)

1CD# SVL1018533 $15.99

NEW JAZZ IN BRIEF

Angeloni & Roth: Spirale

Street Beat Suite / Lorraine Desmarais Trio

At the height of her art, the composer and jazz pianist Lorraine Desmarais offers a new work that celebrates the estuary of St. Lawrence River, connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Reminiscences of landscapes surveyed and loved, of people met and appreciated feed the movements of the music suite with pictorial accents. (Analekta)

1CD# AN29300 $18.99

No Subject / East Axis

East Axis is like the cumulative life experience of its members. East Axis is four men, of different styles and backgrounds, coming together to spontaneously make music that sounds like each of them, all of them, and none of them. (Brother Mister)

1CD# BRO4003 $17.99

Orsini: My Moon

This album by the Apulian pianist and composer Pierluigi Orsini is a journey into music and through music, admirable art and sublime language whose uniqueness in transposing the views on the world into notes remains unchanged over time. (Digressione)

1CD# DIGR132 $17.99

Powerplay / Organic Organ Trio

The album Powerplay is a collection of original tunes inspired both by jazz today and grooves from the past. Modern jazz has had a clear influence on the blues tune Goldish, a homage to American organ player Larry Goldings. A more traditional sound is found in the songs FU and It Ain’t Swingin’ where you can hear the light touch from old swing tradition combined with the simple and natural groove from gospel. (Prophone)

1CD# PCD304 $18.99

Tenor and soprano saxophonist Bruno Angeloni has worked with many fine musicians, including Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille and Michael Zerang. Since 2016, he has had several rather coincidental meetings at public sessions with the 24 years younger drummer Steffen Roth. Henceforth, together they formed the duo ‘Spirale’ and have recorded this fascinating album. (Jazzorchestra)

1CD# JW 203 $16.99

Sensitive Hours / Avishai Cohen

Previously unreleased outside of Israel, Avishai Cohen’s Sensitive Hours (the gold album recorded in Hebrew) is available everywhere now. For the first time in his career, he has not made an instrumental album, but an album of beautiful songs that he writes and performs. An essential milestone in his already rich discography.

1CD# BLV7843 $16.99

Little Bird – Live in Gothenburg / Alexander Lövmark

Alexander Lövmark writes: “Dear listener, thank you for taking an interest in my record. Little Bird is a tribute to my lifelong love of the Great American Songbook. It features songs I love to sing and treasure listening to. The album was recorded in September 2020 in my hometown, Gothenburg, Sweden. It was a challenging year for me. However, the magic of music carried me through.” (Prophone)

1CD# PCD295 $18.99

Swedish Waltz: Mattias Åström Trio

Mattias Åström writes: “When writing and choosing material for this record I realized in the end that three of seven songs were waltzes. One of them sounded in some way Swedish, somehow simple and in the key of C. Hope you enjoy the music!” (Prophone)

1CD# PCD307 $18.99

Jazz Vinyl LPs

V7: The Bootleg Series / Miles Davis [2 LPs]

That’s What Happened 1982–1985: Bootleg Volume 7 is the next installment in the celebrated, awardwinning archival series that began in 2011, shining an in-depth light onto different eras of the legendary career of Miles Davis. Tracks include “Santana,” “Human Nature,” “Time After Time,” “Celestial Blues,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” and more. (Sony)

2LP# 19439863841 $39.98

Secrets of Inanna / Connie Han [2 LPs]

Rising star pianist/composer Connie Han brings the ancient Sumerian culture to the present day by channeling Inanna — the ancient Sumerian goddess of love, beauty and war — on her third release for Mack Avenue Records. Secrets of Inanna creates a new world open to interpretation, harkening back to the ethereal soundscapes of 1970s spiritual jazz. (Mack Avenue)

2LP# MAC1193LP $39.99

Oscar, With Love / Various Artists [5 LPs]

To honor her late husband, Kelly Peterson assembled some of the most celebrated jazz artists in the world to perform and record on the luminary’s prized personal Bösendorfer Imperial piano. This collection of friendship and love is now available as a 5-LP box. Oscar, With Love showcases Oscar Peterson and includes the world premiere of several pieces he wrote but never recorded. (Mack Avenue)

5LP# MAC1134LP $134.99

My Favorite Songs / Chet Baker [LP]

Matthias Winckelmann writes: “This is the last recording of legendary Chet Baker. He said that he would love to record with a quintet of good friends, a jazz big band and a symphonic orchestra. All were provided and the result was indeed a breathtaking event. This album put us on the map on a worldwide scale.” Songs include “My Funny Valentine,” “All Blues,” “Summertime,” “Django,” and more. (Yellowbird)

1LP# ENJ-5097-1 $24.99

Sketches of MD / Kenny Garrett [2 LPs]

With Sketches of MD, Kenny Garrett adds several historic firsts to his résumé: the first live recording of the Kenny Garrett/Pharoah Sanders pairing, Garrett’s first recorded set at New York City’s famed Iridium Jazz Club and his first release on Mack Avenue Records. (Mack Avenue)

2LP# MAC1042LP $29.99

Origin / Joey Alexander [2 LPs]

Joey Alexander presents Origin, his first album of all originals, and his debut for Mack Avenue Records.— is slated for a late spring release with vinyl coming early summer.

“I’m grateful to be able to work and collaborate with a team that I know shares my vision and musical spirit,” enthused Alexander. (Mack Avenue)

2LP# MAC1198LP $34.99

Cohen: Shifting Sands / Avashai Cohen [LP]

After a successful release and more than a hundred reviews around the world, Israeli composer, singer and bass player Avashai Cohen returns to jazz with Shifting Sands, an album that re-engages with fresh and expansive melodic lines, diverse and sophisticated rhythms and a musical elegance that only he can achieve. (Naive)

1LP# M7595 $24.99

Live at the Village Vanguard / Christian McBride [2 LPs]

In June of 2007, Christian returned to the Village Vanguard with a group consisting of Steve Wilson, Eric Reed, Carl Allen and a young vibraphonist whom he’d recently met, Warren Wolf. Although many iterations of his groups have played there, Inside Straight was birthed at the Village Vanguard. This particular set was recorded in December of 2014, titled Live at the Village Vanguard. (Mack Avenue)

2LP# MAC1192LP $34.99

More Music / Joey DeFrancesco [2 LPs]

One thing we could all use right now is More Music! And who better to supply that demand than Joey DeFrancesco? More Music is “more” in every conceivable way. It offers up ten DeFrancesco originals, brought to life by a scintillating new trio. (Mack Avenue)

2LP# MAC1186LP $27.99

Symphony Hall Concert / Erroll Garner [LP]

One of the most popular figures in jazz during his exceptional career, Erroll Garner’s legacy is receiving a remarkable reinvigoration through the concerted efforts of Octave Music’s Erroll Garner Project (EGP) and its partnership with Mack Avenue Music Group. Together they present this stunning 27-song previously unreleased 1959 concert recorded at Boston’s Symphony Hall. (Mack Avenue)

1LP# MAC1189LP $27.99

NXN Recordings

Anders Lønne Grønseth – Multiverse: Outer View

Anders Lønne Grønseth and the band Multiverse launches their third album Outer View. The band has been described as “...currently one of the Norway’s most original, ambitious, advanced and complete bands” and “a quintet that in a riveting way combines controlled melodicity with a trembling desire for improvisation.” – Jazzinorge (NXN Recordings)

1CD# NXN2009 $11.99

Andreas Ihlebæk: Nowhere Everything

Andreas Ihlebæk follows up his two solo piano albums with a musical fairytale, adding voices and careful instrumentation to his beloved, melodic pieces. His new album Nowhere Everything contains 12 brand new pieces written for piano, voices and strings with a touch of electronic ambience when suited. (NXN Recordings)

1CD# NXN1007 $11.99

Bangkok Lingo: Tomorrow’s Finally Here

Tomorrow’s Finally Here is the second long play album from energetic jazz band Bangkok Lingo. This Quintet is filled to the brim with both high-octane rhythm and their music mixes swing, free jazz and catchy melodies in a raw and unfiltered landscape. Tomorrow’s Finally Here is inspired by both legendary 60’s jazz, swing and world music, all performed with excellence and joy. (NXN Recordings)

1CD# NXN2012 $11.99

Espen Berg: The Trondheim Concert [2 CDs]

Five years after releasing his second solo album, Acres of Blue, Espen Berg decided to do a fully improvised piano concert and a live recording. This one-taker is a culmination of years of development, reflection and research. The music created in the moment reflects his emotions in a profound way, and every time he play it’s different.

(NXN Recordings)

2CD# NXN2011 $22.39

Helge Iberg – The Black On White Album

Helge Iberg writes: “Listening to the Beatles in my childhood and early youth left lasting impressions. My re-creation of some iconic songs has jazz and classical inspired ideas, but safeguards the music’s deep human appeal. The songs themselves are evergreen and alive, but can in this context only be justified by musical measures that should surprise and delight – preferably without being “artful””.

(NXN Recordings)

1CD# NXN1006 $11.99

NXN TITLES IN BRIEF

Bjørn Charles Dreyer: Time and Mass

Karl Strømme: Song Dust

Song Dust is the first trio recording from trumpeter Karl Strømme. For his NXN Recordings debut he teamed up with exciting young musicians Gard Kronborg on acoustic bass and Per-Arne Ferner on guitar. Listeners will enjoy both nods to the West Coast jazz as well as the Nordic cool. (NXN Recordings)

1CD# NXN2008 $11.99

Mr. Mibbler: Leave Your Thoughts Here

For their new release, Mr Mibbler has invited an incredible number of first-class Norwegian musicians to play around in their musical world. Leave Your Thoughts Here a musical journey of different moods, exciting instrumentation and a wonderful mix of genres. You will hear folk, jazz, ambient and electronica performed by the very best musicians in Norway. (NXN Recordings)

1CD# NXN4005 $11.99

Andreas Ihlebæk: I Will Build You a House

The title for Andreas’ third solo album came a couple of months before the pandemic. Andreas Ihlebæk – who has seen himself as a global citizen since childhood. The album’s title grew out of his steadily growing concern for the world around him, and for where we’re all headed. It is about building a good place for listeners to exist and/or escape to, wherever they may be. (NXN Recordings)

1CD# NXN1004 $11.99

Daniel Herskedal – Magnus Moksnes Myhre: Desert Lighthouse

Organ and tuba – not the most common ensemble – but a very exciting soundscape with unexplored sound possibilities. Organist Magnus Moksnes Myhre and jazz tuba player Daniel Herskedal met for the first time as students at the music conservatory in Trondheim, and the duo have now created a completely new vibe with Desert Lighthouse. (NXN Recordings)

1CD# NXN4004 $11.99

Jonas Sjøvaag: Sunday Songs

Sunday Songs is the newest vocal album from Jonas Sjøvaag .The album was inspired by some of the great performers of piano-driven pop, Billy Joel, Randy Newman and Randy Goodrum comes to mind, but it was also shaped by Sjøvaag’s background as a jazz musician. Sunday Songs is a melodic, heartfelt and beautiful album, with a timeless nerve and lyrics with a melancholy tinge. (NXN Recordings)

1CD# NXN2006 $11.99

Time and Mass challenges our perception of how a guitar sounds. It pulls you in its abstract way through intense emotions in a roller coaster of an album. (NXN Recordings)

1CD# NXN4003 $11.99

Mr. Mibbler: The Long Journey

Members of the group Mr. Mibbler, have come up with a kind of music that digs for gold in bits and pieces of musical driftwood, elusive thoughts and ideas, and immediate reactions to each other’s ideas. (NXN Recordings)

1CD# NXN4002 $11.99

Marius Klovning: Late Nights, Early Mornings

Late Nights, Early Mornings displays Marius Klovning’s exquisite melodic taste and his love for folk tunes, blues and the singer/songwriter tradition. (NXN Recordings)

1CD# NXN1005 $11.99

Thomas Torstrup Quartet: Two Brothers

The songs on Two Brothers were recorded in New Tone Studio in Oslo in August 2019. The sources of inspiration range from American jazz tradition to sacred music. (NXN Recordings)

1CD# NXN2007 $11.99

Jazz Favorites

Billie Holiday: Masters of Jazz, Vol. 11

This compilation features Billie Holiday singing many classic standards including “Strange Fruit,” “Lover Man,” “The Man I Love,” “All of Me,” “I Loves You Porgy,” “I Love My Man,” “Them There Eyes” and “Do Nothing ‘Til You Hear From Me”. Her musicians on these sessions, recorded between 1944–1951 include Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins, Jack Teagarden, Art Tatum, Oscar Pettiford and “Big” Sid Catlett. (Storyville)

1CD# SVL1018511 $5.99

My Art of Gypsy Jazz / Pietro Lazazzara

Pietro Lazazzara writes: “The work My Art of Gypsy Jazz consists of 14 compositions. 11 pieces are originals that have never been published, while 3 pieces were created by [Romani] music composers. The title of the album fully expresses my vision of traditional Gypsy Jazz and it’s possible projection into the future.” (Stradivarius)

1CD# STR57920 $16.99

The Best of New Orleans Jazz / Pres Hall Jazz Band

The highlights of New Orleans Jazz are here brought together in a single album which celebrates those early years: the good tunes, foot-stomping rhythms and rich harmonies. Authentic ensembles are featured, including Louis Armstrong & His Dixieland Seven, Kid Ory & His Band, Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers, and many more. (Gift of Music)

1CD# CCLCDG1296 $17.99

Late Night Jazz / Various Artists

Our second jazz collection is deliberately easy listening; relaxing and enjoyable, with strong melodies and a gentle swing. Sinatra, Holliday, Ella, Nat and many more stars in possibly the ultimate fantasy night club program! Relax into the small wee hours with numbers like “Sweet Lorraine,” or enjoy “April in Paris”, and “Dream a Little Dream” with Armstrong. (Gift of Music)

1CD# GCDG1195 $16.99

Jazz of a Summer’s Day / Various Artists [DVD]

Filmed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island and directed by world-renowned photographer Bert Stern, Jazz on a Summer’s Day features intimate performances by an allstar line-up of musical legends including Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, Anita O’Day, Dinah Washington, and closes with a beautiful rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer” by Mahalia Jackson at midnight to usher in Sunday morning. (Kino Classics)

1DVD# MOB251437 $17.99

Willisau 1978 / Dexter Gordon

In Willisau in 1978, Dexter Gordon is in a very happy period. Columbia signed the prodigal tenor resulting in the significant successes “Sophisticated Giant” and “Manhattan Symphony”, together with a rhythm section that Dexter then tours on club stages across the country. (TCB)

1CD# TCB 02452 $16.99

Kind of Blue / Miles Davis

Live

In 1979, when John Scofield Live first appeared, critic Chip Stern raved: “Spirited soloing and studio savvy stand as trademarks of 28-year-old John Scofield, a jazz guitarist who in a few short years already has garnered an impressive catalogue of gigs and LPs. So whether he’s soaring on flights of improvisational fantasy, or getting down to some smoking bebop, John Scofield has come of age in the world of electric jazz.” (Yellowbird)

1CD# YEB-9223 $14.99

The Window / Cecile McLorin Salvant

The Window is an album of Cecile McLorin Salvant duets with the pianist Sullivan Fortner, explores and extends the tradition of the piano-vocal duo and its expressive possibilities. With just Fortner’s deft accompaniment to support Salvant, the two are free to improvise and rhapsodize, to play freely with time, harmony, melody and phrasing. (Mack Avenue)

1CD# MAC1132 $17.99

Full Circle – The Music of Joni Mitchell / Debra Mann

Watching Joni Mitchell morph from acoustic chanteuse to sophisticated interpreter of jazz, accompanied by geniuses like Pastorius, Shorter, Metheny and Brecker, among others, truly floored Debra Mann. The piano/ voice teacher and Berklee grad seized on the idea of taking Mitchell’s material further into jazz and began trying it out at clubs. It captivated her audiences in the same way it did Mann herself. (Whaling City Sound)

1CD# WCS109 $14.99

Rediscover Miles Davis’ 1959 classic Kind of Blue through this 20-bit remastered version with a bonus track: an alternate take of “Flamenco Sketches”. Recorded at Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City on March 2, 1959 (tracks 1–3) and April 22, 1959 (tracks 4–6). Remixed from the original three-track tapes at Sony Music Studios, using a Presto all-tube, three-track recorder. (Sony)

1CD# CK64935 $8.99

John Scofield

Fondamenta/The Lost Recordings Sale

Live in Scheveningen 1958 / Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers [2 CDs]

Art Blakey leads the Jazz Messengers (Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, Bobby Timmons, and Jayme Merritt) through a smoking set of songs including “Moanin’,” “Along Came Betty,” “Night in Tunisia,” and more! On November 29, 1958 the crème’ de la crème of the jazz world was on stage at the Kurhaus in Scheveningen, and that performance had fallen into oblivion until this recording. (Fondamenta)

2CD# FON-1804034 $19.99

Live at Singer Concert Hall 1973 / Dizzy Gillespie

The discovery of unpublished recordings such as the one of this 1973 Dizzy Gillespie concert in Laren give a fresh, dispassionate perspective on the music that the artist was producing in the 1970s. Apart from high profile tours with legends of bebop (such as the Giants of Jazz in 1971) Gillespie would return to the framework of his usual small bands that were familiar yet experimental. (Fondamenta)

1CD# FON-1704028 $14.39

Live at the Berlin Jazz Festival 1969–1973 / Duke Ellington

Never before released Duke Ellington concerts recorded in 1969 and 1973 at the Berlin Jazz Festival. All tracks have been remastered from the original Berlin radio tapes using Phoenix Mastering. Tracks include “Sophisticated Lady,” “Take the ‘A’ Train,” “I Can’t Get Started,” “Satin Doll,” “Caravan,” and more.

(TLR)

1CD# TLR 2204041 $13.59

Ella Fitzgerald Live at the Concertgebouw 1961

The year was 1961, the venue the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. After a memorable performance in Berlin a year earlier, Fitzgerald was once again singing to a packed concert hall. This release has captured that performance, and has been remastered for crystal-clear sound quality. It’s the closest thing to being right there in the audience those five decades ago. (Fondamenta)

1CD# FON-1704027 $17.59

Live at the Concertgebouw 1961 / Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson

On February 10th of 1961, Norman Granz stepped on to the Concertgebouw stage to present one of the finest concerts from the Jazz at the Philharmonic series he organized. He introduced Oscar Peterson, who was always keen to play in this hall, renowned for its extraordinary acoustics. Peterson’s music, serene and free of showy moodiness, embodied the permanence of a certain golden age of jazz. (Fondamenta)

1CD# FON-88985390122 $17.59

The Lost Sessions / Blossom Dearie

There were many highlights to Blossom Dearie’s musical career: the concerts she gave the Netherlands between 1968 and 1989 feature prominently among them. In this concert recording, Dearie masterfully performs repertoires of every kind, from film music to Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now”, sensitively revisited. (Fondamenta)

1CD# FON-1804033 $14.39

Laren Jazz Festival / Sarah Vaughan

Over forty years have passed since the divine Sarah Vaughan gave this concert, one of her finest. Today the recording is now available for the first time on CD. Songs include “Watch What Happens,” “What are you Doing the Rest of Your Life?” “My Reverie”, “It’s Magic”, “Body & Soul” and “Moonlight in Vermont” and more! (Fondamenta)

1CD# FON-1604022 $17.59

Live in Rotterdam 1957 / Thelonious Monk [2 CDs]

When he set foot on the stage of Club Doelen on Oct. 28, 1967 in Rotterdam, Thelonious Monk had just turned 50, and the concert that followed is a testament to his genius. Opening and ending with the classics “Ruby, My Dear” and “Blue Monk”, he led for over 80 minutes the quartet and his accomplices, Charlie Rouse, Larry Gales, Ben Riley, and guests. (Fondamenta)

2CD# FON-170402 $19.99

FONDAMENTA/TLR TITLES IN BRIEF

Live at the Kurhaus 1967 / Dave Brubeck Quartet

The Dave Brubeck Quartet are ambassadors of American jazz in this exhilarating 1967 concert recording from the Kurhaus in Scheveningen. (Fondamenta)

1CD# FON-1704025 $14.39

Live at the Berlin Philharmonie / Sarah Vaughan [2 CDs]

Previously unreleased concert recorded in November 1969 at the Berlin Philharmonie. Tracks include “And I Love Him,” “I Cried for You,” “Misty,” “Fly Me To the Moon,” “Time After Time,” and more. (TLR)

2CD# TLR 2004037 $15.99

Debut in The Netherlands 1958 / Brubeck, Desmond, Wright

With the support of the American State Department, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, including new members Joe Morello and Eugene Wright, began a major tour of Europe early in 1958. (TLR)

1CD# TLR 2204043 $13.59

Acrobat Jazz, Blues

Quincy Jones: Six Complete Albums 1957–1961 [3 CDs]

Quincy Jones has become one of the most prominent personalities in popular music as a trumpeter and pianist who became an arranger, composer, bandleader, record producer and film & TV producer, and winner of a GRAMMY Legend Award in 1992, and who in 2022 is still active after a 70-year career. Tracks include “Sermonette,”

“Walkin’,” “Evening Dance” and more. (Acrobat)

3CD# MOB912727 $19.99

Blind Blake: The Paramount Years 1926–1932 [3 CDs]

Arthur ‘Blind’ Blake was a blues and ragtime guitarist, singer and songwriter who was a leading pioneer and member of what became known as the Piedmont school of bluesmen, performing in a style that was associated with the southeastern states of the USA, mainly around Georgia. (Acrobat)

3CD# MOB912925 $19.99

Rosemary Clooney: All the Hits & More 1948–1961 [3 CDs]

Rosemary Clooney, well-known in recent years as the aunt of movie star George Clooney, was one of the most popular and successful pop singers of the immediate post-war decades, racking up a remarkable string of hits in the early ‘50s. She called herself “a sweet singer with a big band sensibility.” (Acrobat)

3CD# MOB912826 $19.99

Lena Horne: The Singles Collection 1941–1950 [2 CDs]

Lena Horne was a multi-talented singer, dancer, and actor, eventually enjoying a career which spanned seven decades. This 48-track 2-CD set addresses the first fairly brief era of her recording career, when she established her reputation and had the first of her hits. Songs include the Great American Songbook classics “Stormy Weather”, “One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)” and “Deed I Do”. (Acrobat)

2CD# MOB344924 $16.99

Snooks Eaglin: The First Decade 1953–1962 [2 CDs]

Snooks Eaglin was a blind blues singer and guitarist from New Orleans who played a highly accessible brand of blues. This box set focuses on the first decade or so of his extensive recording career. It comprises early recordings including “This Train,” “Mardi Gras Mambo,” “Rock Me Momma,” and more. (Acrobat)

2CD# MOB345228 $16.99

Freddie Slack: The Singles Collection 1940–1949 [2 CDs]

Freddie Slack was a boogie-woogie pianist and swing bandleader who started out with Jimmy Dorsey’s band in the 1930s and subsequently racked up a string of hits in the 1940s. Tracks on this release include the Top 10 hits “Beat Me Daddy Eight To The Bar”, “Down The Road Apiece”, “Scrub Me Mama With A Boogie Beat” and “There I Go”, plus all his career pop and R&B hits with his own band. (Acrobat)

2CD# MOB343521 $16.99

Cab Calloway: The Hits Collection 1930–1956 [2 CDs]

This 48-track 2-CD set features Cab Calloway’s releases across two decades, including a few bonus tracks. Songs include the No. 1 “Minnie The Moocher” and the Top 5 hits “Kickin’ The Gong Around”, “St. James Infirmary”, “Tickeration”, “Chinese Rhythm”, “Moonglow”, “Angels With Dirty Faces”, “The Jumpin’ Jive”, “Blues In The Night” and “The Honey Dripper”. (Acrobat)

2CD# MOB342227 $16.99

The Glenn Miller Orchestra 1935–1944 [5 CDs]

The music of Glenn Miller’s orchestra was central to the style and atmosphere of the Swing Era and is inextricably associated with the Allied victory in WWII. This great value 124-track 5-CD set features an extraordinary tally of 21 No. 1s, including “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree”, “Chattanooga Choo Choo”, “Tuxedo Junction”, “In the Mood”, “Blueberry Hill”, “Fools Rush In” and many more. (Acrobat)

5CD# MOB751524 $24.99

Ray Bloch & His Orchestra – The Singles Collection 1945–1956 [2 CDs]

Ray Bloch was a pianist, composer, conductor, arranger and bandleader who is best known for being the arranger and conductor on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in the USA for it’s entire run from 1948 to 1971. Tracks on this collection include “Meadowland,” “By the Light of the Silvery Moon,” “Deep Purple,” “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” “Wonderful One,” “Full Moon & Empty Arms,” and more. (Acrobat)

2CD# MOB344825 $16.99

Count Basie & His Orchestra 1937–1939 [3 CDs]

Count Basie was one of the most important, innovative and influential personalities in jazz during the middle decades of the 20th century, both as pianist, composer and bandleader. This 63-track 3-CD set comprises his releases for Decca during those years, with tracks including “One O’Clock Jump”, “Blue And Sentimental”, “Blues In The Dark”, along with some of the classic standards of the era. (Acrobat)

3CD# MOB910525 $19.99

& Big Band

Digby Fairweather: Notes From a Jazz Life, Vol. 3 [2 CDs]

Cornetist Digby Fairweather has become one of the leading figures on the British jazz scene, both as a bandleader and sideman in other leader’s bands, and as a writer and broadcaster. Songs on this 2-CD collection include “If I Had You,” “Jumping the Blues,” “Gone With the Wind,” “Run Rabbit Run,” “Lover Man,” “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” and more. (Acrobat)

2CD# MOB344528 $16.99

The Art Tatum Collection 1932–1947 [4 CDs]

Of all the pianists in the annals of jazz, Art Tatum is the one who is most often cited by the great pianists of the post-war era as a key influence and inspiration. This 93-track 4-CD set comprises a significant proportion of his recordings through 1947, including “Tea for Two,” “St. Louis Blues,” “I Ain’t Got Nobody,” and more. (Acrobat)

4CD# MOB715526 $24.99

Charles Mingus: Landmark Albums 1956–1960 [3 CDs]

Charles Mingus was a double bassist, pianist composer and bandleader, and a significant proponent of the idea of collective improvisation. Tracks on this three-disc set include “Love Chant,” “Haitian Fight Song,” “Profile of Jackie,” “Cryin’ Blues,” “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat,” “Bird Calls,” and more. (Acrobat)

3CD# MOB912420 $19.99

Josh White: The Early Years Collection 1929–1936 [2 CDs]

Josh White was a multi-faceted entertainer, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. This compilation focuses on his releases from 19291936 and includes tracks such as “Little Brother Blues,” “Motherless Children,” “Double Crossing Woman,” “Lay Some Flowers on My Grave,” “This Heart of Mine,” “Low Cotton,” and more. (Acrobat)

2CD# MOB344726 $16.99

Tommy Dorsey: The Hits Collection 1935–1958 [6 CDs]

This 146-track 6-CD set comprises just about all of Tommy Dorsey’s recordings which appeared in the Billboard charts after their introduction in 1940, and includes those by Dorsey’s Clambake Seven as well as his main orchestra. It features a remarkable tally of 13 No. 1 hits. Tracks include “Lovely Lady,” “Star Dust,” “Marie,” “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” and more. (Acrobat)

6CD# MOB600921 $29.99

Larry Green & His Orchestra – Singles Collection

1946-1950 [2 CDs]

Pianist Larry Green led one of the many orchestras of the 1940s who played the popular style of “sweet music” aimed at the middle ground of popular music, rather than the swinging big band style of many bands of those times. Tracks on this two-disc compilation include “Near You,” “Bella Bella Marie,” “Beg Your Pardon,” “Bewitched,” and more. (Acrobat)

2CD# MOB345426 $16.99

Astor Piazzola: Nuevo Tango – Classic Albums 1955–1959 [2 CDs]

Astor Piazzolla was an Argentinian composer, bandoneon player and bandleader who was famous for revolutionising the traditional dance form, the tango, by introducing his concept of the Nuevo Tango. Tracks include “Sinfonia de Tango,” “Tango en Hi-Fi,” “Tango Progresivo,” and more. (Acrobat)

2CD# MOB345020 $16.99

Fred Astaire: Singles Collection 1923–1942 [3 CDs]

This 75-track 3-CD collection comprises most of Fred Astaire’s releases on the HMV, Columbia (UK & US), Victor, Brunswick and Decca labels from 1923-1942. It features all his thirty career hits, including the No. 1s “Cheek To Cheek”, “I’m Putting All My Eggs in One Basket”, “The Way You Look Tonight”, “Nice Work if You Can Get It” and “Change Partners” plus Top 10 hits with many other classics of the era. (Acrobat)

3CD# MOB912628 $19.99

Oh Lordy Mama – The Buddy Moss Collection 1930–1941 [2 CDs]

Eugene “Buddy” Moss, one of 12 children of a family of sharecroppers, was a blues singer guitarist and harmonica player from Georgia, and was one of what became known as the Piedmont school of bluesmen alongside Blind Blake, Josh White, Blind Boy Fuller and Barbecue Bob. Tracks include “Red River Blues,” “When I’m Dead and Gone,” “Bye Bye Mama,” “Best Gal,” and more (Acrobat)

2CD# MOB345525 $16.99

Charlie Spivak: The Chart Decade 1941–1951 [3 CDs]

Charlie Spivak was a trumpeter and bandleader of Ukrainian heritage, who played with a string of well-known bands during the 1920s and ‘30s, including those of Paul Specht, Ben Pollack, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. This 74-track 3-CD set includes the Top 5 hits “My Devotion”, “It’s Been A Long, Long Time”, “Oh! What It Seemed To Be”, “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons” and “Linda”. (Acrobat)

3CD# MOB912321 $19.99