After two albums devoted to Ireland and Scotland, Alix Boivert and The Curious Bards cross the North Sea to Sweden and Norway. Rejecting the artificial distinction between ‘art’ and ‘folk’ music, they give us a chance to hear the colourful and varied world of eighteenth-century Scandinavian songs and dances.

Following two highly acclaimed albums, the Maxwell Quartet rounds off its Haydn mini-series with the composer’s two Op. 77 string quartets, juxtaposed with its signature pairing of Scottish folk music. The quartet, which has become known for its ‘infectious enthusiasm’ and ‘irresistible’ playing (BBC Music Magazine), showcases its compelling storytelling with Haydn’s last foray in the genre. The two quartets balance and complement each other perfectly: one brilliant, enigmatic, youthful and light, the other considered, noble and with a certain degree of gravitas. The complementary choice of Scottish folk music is equally balanced, ranging from the joyful – The Marquis of Tullibardine, Captain Campbell’s March, etc. – to the more sombre – Hector the Hero. The cleverly constructed programme epitomises Hatto Beyerle’s aphorism (the Maxwell Quartet’s mentor, and dedicatee of this album): ‘In order to truly understand Haydn’s music, you must first understand folk music.’

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) was regarded as one of the greatest theoretical and practical musicians of his time even during his lifetime; arguably the most famous son of Johann Sebastian Bach, he broke new ground in the concerto genre between the Baroque and Classical periods. His flute concerti are not only technically exceptionally demanding but are particularly challenging “in the art of expression”, to quote one of his contemporaries. In this new recording of C.P.E. Bach’s flute concertos in A minor (Wq 166 / H. 431), G major (Wq 169 / H. 445) and D minor (Wq 22 / H. 425) the Georgian Chamber Orchestra Ingolstadt and Ariel Zuckermann (solo flute and conductor) invoke the zärtliche Empfindungen, the tender sentiments that the composer considered essential in order to reveal new aspects of music.

This programme brings together composers who, for the most part, were compelled to flee their homeland. In 1920, Ivan Wyschnegradsky took refuge in Paris, where he wrote for a quarter-tone piano at a time when, in Russia, the slightest dissonance was considered a political provocation. Andrzej Panufnik left his native Poland in 1954. Alfred Schnittke settled in Hamburg in 1990, eight years before his death, having spent most of his life in the Soviet Union. Although Schubert never moved away from Vienna, the pain and solitude of his inner exile are palpable in his music. Finally, the Belgian violin virtuoso Eugène Ysaÿe emigrated on account of the First World War and it was in the United States, in 1917, that he wrote the melancholy musical poem recorded here, which he called Exil! Is exile nothing but pain and isolation, or also a source of inspiration which, with music, expresses what words cannot say, acting as the ultimate refuge?

Fresh from his triumphant onstage success in Paris, Berlin and Brussels singing leading roles in the operas of Rameau and Mozart, tenor Reinoud Van Mechelen presents his long-awaited first Mozart recording. Together with his ensemble A Nocte Temporis, he has devised a highly imaginative programme. From the eleven single opera and concert arias for tenor and orchestra that are ascribed to Mozart, the Belgian tenor has selected those that are entirely in the composer’s hand – leaving out the ones completed or reconstructed by others, and adding an exquisite aria from Mitridate, re di Ponto. Mozart was only nine years old when in 1765, during his stay in London, he launched into his first opera aria for tenor and orchestra, to verses from a libretto by Metastasio.

"Live ID.”, the definitive live album by Poland’s prog masters RIVERSIDE culminates the “ID.Entity” cycle. 12 songs in over 110 minutes of playing time recorded in June 2024 in Warsaw.

Pianist François Couturier and violinist Dominique Pifarély, major figures in French improvisation, have played together in many projects over the last 30 years, including their duo, which made its recording debut for ECM with the remarkable Poros in 1997. Preludes and Songs, carries the story forward, with its programme including music by both players as well as pieces by Jacques Brel, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and J.J. Johnson. With sensibilities informed by jazz and contemporary composition, Couturier and Pifarély channel the wide-ranging repertoire into compelling, starkly expressive music. Preludes and Songs was recorded in the exceptional acoustics of Reitstadel Neumarkt, in October 2023, and produced by Manfred Eicher.

The first-time teaming of Poland’s dynamic Marcin Wasilewski Trio and big-toned US tenorist Joe Lovano brings forth special music of concentrated, deep feeling, in which lyricism and strength seem ideally balanced. The alliance plays four new tunes by Marcin and one by Joe, as well as Carla Bley’s classic “Vashkar” (in two variations), plus collective improvisations with strong input from all four players; Slawomir Kurkiewicz’s bass skills are particularly well-deployed in the spontaneous piece “Arco”. Joe will be joining the Polish trio for a number of selected concerts in the autumn. Arctic Riff was recorded at France’s Studio La Buissonne in August 2019, and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Encore is a new album produced from previously unheard archival recordings by the legendary Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence, made in 1965 at the height of his career. Spence’s radically innovative guitar style transformed elements of Bahamian traditional music into adventurous, joyful improvisations and influenced players worldwide. His powerful singing stemmed directly from the rhyming tradition created by Bahamian sponge fishermen early in the 20th century. The music is punctuated by Spence’s unique, sometimes otherworldly vocalizations including humming, short bursts of lyrics, and near-scat singing. Some of the recordings include singing by Spence’s sister Edith Pinder and her family members Raymond and Geneva Pinder. Producer Peter K. Siegel captured these performances at Spence’s only New York concert, at the performer’s cottage in Nassau, Bahamas, and at Siegel’s apartment in Manhattan.

In the late 1960s and early 70s, John Barry was at his creative peak, writing both his greatest Bond music for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and the score for the Oscar-winning Midnight Cowboy within a few months of each other. As one decade melted into the next, Barry would provide a host of haunting, highly atmospheric scores: The Appointment, Deadfall, Mary Queen Of Scots, Follow Follow, with possibly his finest ever saved for Nicolas Roeg’s masterpiece Walkabout. He also found time to write the deathless theme for TV series The Persuaders.

The Lost Album From Ronnie Scott's is an unreleased live recording of jazz icon Charles Mingus from Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London captured in August 1972. It features alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, tenor saxophonist Bobby Jones, trumpeter Jon Faddis, pianist John Foster, and drummer Roy Brooks.

Although a favoured student of J.S. Bach, Johann Ludwig Krebs didn’t see any substantial success in his own lifetime. More recent assessments have discovered a highly educated, enlightened and open minded musician who was clearly highly accomplished as a performer, demonstrating a fascinating synthesis of Baroque, Galant and Classical forms.

Arba - Borochov's fourth album as leader, was recorded in 2022 with his quartet of in-demand New York musicians and Grammy award-winning producer Matt Pierson, and is due for release on 8th September 2023 on Greenleaf Music. The nine original compositions celebrate an emergence from a time of hopelessness and loss to a recognition of faith in the radiant life-force. Borochov performs on a custom-made Monette 4-valve quarter-tone trumpet which he uses to incorporate Maqams into his playing (the middle-eastern microtonal modes that are the musical language of his traditional upbringing).

GleAM Records is proud to announce the release of Everyday Life, the debut album of Italian guitarist and composer Edoardo Liberati and his project Synthetics.

Dan Tyminski is set to release God Fearing Heathen, his first true bluegrass album in 15 years, on June 23 via 8 Track Entertainment.