Internationally acclaimed flutist Ashley Solomon and period ensemble Florilegium present “Spohr Collection, Vol. 2”. Ashley Solomon: “The opportunity of playing original flutes from the 18th century is a rare occurrence. Whenever the chance presents itself, it must be seized immediately!”.

Printed in Rome in 1669, the fifteen pieces that make up the Concerto madrigalesco a tre voci diverse by Ercole Bernabei (1622-1687) are recorded here for the first time in their entirety. These madrigals transport us to Baroque Rome and the world of Flavio Orsini, Duke of Bracciano, to whom they are dedicated. They afford a glimpse of the tastes that prevailed at that time among the aristocratic families, who were convinced that the arts, and music in particular, reflected not only the power and fortune, but also the sensitivity and refinement of those who patronised them.

The ‘Dissonance’ Quartet is probably the best-known of the set of six Mozart wrote between 1782 and 1785 as a tribute to Haydn. It owes its nickname to the strange clashes of the slow introduction in C minor. Almost a century later, the thirty-year-old Tchaikovsky wrote his Quartet no.1, op.11, whose second movement, which moved Tolstoy to tears, was inspired by a folk tune that the composer heard a housepainter whistling. The musicians of the Esmé Quartet chose these two pieces because they love their respective Andante cantabile movements.

Every work of art is situated in the imagination,” wrote Pierre Soulages half a century ago. For Edith Canat de Chizy, this is a fundamental principle that has guided her work as a composer since her very first works. Knowing the close links between painting and music, she has often wanted to confront the imagination of painters such as Whistler, Monet, Staël, Turner and more recently Soulages, with Outrenoir (2020) for solo viola and ensemble.

Bach’s Musical Offering, one of the most fascinating works in music history, still raises questions even after countless interpretations and performances. Composed three years before his death, it embodies everything that makes Bach so captivating: magnificent music that is consummate in all parameters, hidden messages, romantic-transfigured history, enigmatic masterpieces, numerology… and most often it is met by nebulous, apprehensive respect.

Ellinor D’Melon releases her debut album on March 24th 2023 for Rubicon Classics featuring Tchaikovsky Violin concerto and Lalo Symphonie Espagnole with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and Jaime Martín.

The Warner Classics catalogue contains 70 years' worth of his recordings and this 3-CD collection, Yehudi!, provides a facinating perspective on his achievements: Menuhin was a man of ideals who changed the world through music.

Mary Frances Penick, better known as Skeeter Davis, was an American country music singer who sang crossover pop music songs. She started out as part of the Davis Sisters as a teenager in the late 1940s, eventually landing on RCA Victor. In the late 1950s, she became a solo star. One of the first women to achieve major stardom in the country music field as a solo vocalist, she was an acknowledged influence on Tammy Wynette and Dolly Parton and was hailed as an "extraordinary country/pop singer" by The New York Times music critic Robert Palmer.

Never-before issued recordings from legendary Motown guitarist, Dennis Coffey, captured live at Morey Baker’s Showplace Lounge in Detroit in 1968. One of the Funk Brothers, as featured in the Grammy award winning documentary “Standing in The Shadows of Motown”, Coffey has played with countless musicians from Quincy Jones to Barbra Streisand, and Michael Jackson to Stevie Wonder. Hot Coffey in the D was produced by Mike Theodore and Coffey, the same team that produced the recently rediscovered folk singer Rodriguez’s debut album Cold Fact (1970) and the soundtrack to the Academy Award winning documentary “Searching for Sugar Man”. These recordings showcase Coffey in his prime, raw and unfiltered, with fellow Detroiters organist Lyman Woodard (former musical director for Martha and the Vandellas) and drummer Melvin Davis (Smokey Robinson, Wayne Kramer).

Sounding better than ever; keeping the best aspects of the original music whilst injecting a new dimension. Not only has technology moved on but also this 21st Century line up includes a new generation of musicians, people with a lot to give.

Celebrated jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan paved the way for the popularity of ‘60s soul-jazz with the release of his definitive classic "The Sidewinder". The title track and one of Morgan’s signature tunes exemplified the soul-jazz genre, later becoming a jazz standard. Recorded in 1963 at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio, the highly successful album would chart on both the Billboard 200 and Billboard’s Top R&B albums. Its provocative phrasing and innovative technique mesmerized audiences. The album includes the hard-bop tracks “Gary’s Notebook”, “Hocus-Pocus” and “Boy, What a Night”. An absolute essential.

For today’s musicologists, performers and concert-going audiences, Mozart’s final symphonies are still a veritable miracle. Why they were written remains a mystery, and no-one knows whether Mozart ever heard them performed during his lifetime. One thing is certain: Mozart created three individual, distinctive and unique works here, which complement each other despite their extreme diversity.

The follow-up to his multiple award-winning, critically-acclaimed 2021 album, Dear America, Ridin’ is a continuation of the vision that informs Bibb’s artistry as a modern-day Blues troubadour. Grounded in the folk and blues tradition with contemporary sensibilities, Bibb’s music continues to reflect his thoughts on current world events and his own lived experiences, whilst remaining entertaining, uplifting, inspirational and relevant.

Paul Dunmall's dynamic Birmingham quintet's release Yes Tomorrow was a Discus highlight of 2022. We enjoyed the release so much that we took the unusual step of suggesting he add Julie and Charlotte to the group to make a second release. Paul embraced the idea with enthusiasm, and came up with this suite for the expanded group. The result is a freewheeling set with a great "live gig" feel, which gives plenty of space for each player to shine, and which mixes some tight compositions with open ended improvisation sections.

OUA's 6th album collides a studio session of bass driven rhythms with a marathon free improvisation session - combined, sculpted and arranged into an ever morphing tapestry of new sounds from leftfield progressive music. Fans of Soft Machine, Magma, Pink Floyd, Henry Cow, Sun Ra will enjoy this too.