The piano quintet is one of Shostakovich's most popular chamber music works, and has been ever since the first performance. The premiere came only a few years after "Pravda" had denounced the composer, and the work allowed him to rehabilitate himself and return to public musical life. But the bitter years were not forgotten: although the Soviet authorities were pleased with the new work, it is full of hidden references to the fear-stricken times, and can be understood as a critique of the system. This recording does justice to the work's context, with Ashkenazy and the Fitzwilliam Quartet delivering an extremely expressive performance.

The Sun King’s Mass was without doubt one of the privileged rites for the standing glory of the sovereign, as much because of its splendour, as for its ceremonial aspect, which brings time to a halt, solidifying the eternal image of royal power. The greatest composers of the kingdom distinguished themselves by making the holy service a veritable heavenly concert. The bell rang, the fifes and drums announced the arrival of the king in the gallery, the organ burst forth, the Grands Motets by Lully and Delalande enthralled under the golden vaults, the delicate and intimate petits motets by Couperin appear with grace in the alcoves of the Royal Chapel…

Christina Pluhar and l'Arpeggiata invite you on a musical cruise that will take you from Portugal to Turkey, following the coasts of Spain, Catalonia, Greece, and Italy, caressed by the rocking of the waves and the captivating dialogue between traditional plucked instruments of the Mediterranean region the qanun, saz, Greek lyre and lavta, the oud and Portuguese guitar and the Baroque strings of l'Arpeggiata.