Richard Strauss summed up his two-act opera Intermezzo as a ‘bourgeois comedy with symphonic interludes’. The soprano role of Christine with its shimmering cantilenas represents Strauss’s wife Pauline, while the successful Kapellmeister Robert Storch serves as Richard Strauss himself in a domestic drama that was avant-garde for its time but now resonates with the accessibility of today’s reality shows. This production from the Deutsche Oper Berlin was acclaimed for its lush orchestral sound and superbly characterful cast led by a formidable central performance from Maria Bengtsson.

The reputation of Havergal Brian (1876–1972) as a late-blooming symphonist obscures the fact that he was an early-blooming composer of choral music for the huge market of amateur choirs thriving in Edwardian England. His choral songs range from simple unison settings for children’s or women’s voices to harmonically complex essays intended to tax the ability of groups taking part in the choral competitions once popular in regional Britain. This second selection includes four canons that Brian wrote in the early 1920s as contrapuntal studies for his mighty Gothic Symphony.

In this sixth album the Choir of Girton College, Cambridge, continues its pioneering exploration of the music of the Italian Renaissance master Marc’Antonio Ingegneri (c. 1535/36–92) with a programme exploring in music Christ’s relationship with his disciples – twelve motets, symbolising the twelve disciples, framing the five-voice Missa Kyrie Secundi Toni, all in their first recordings. These further discoveries confirm Ingegneri’s position as one of the masters of his age, writing music as expressive and moving as his better-known contemporaries Palestrina and Lassus – and just as individual.

Pastoral Reflections is an always-fascinating album by Jill Haley and the York (Pennsylvania) Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Lawrence Golan) that features two National Park Suites composed by Jill, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral.” Jill has been composing music inspired by National Parks and National Monuments all over the US, often as part of an “artist in residence” program, since 2010. She has released eleven albums of that music as well as performing it all over the country. A member of the York Symphony Orchestra herself, Jill is widely known for her performances and recordings playing oboe, English horn and/or piano; she has also played on dozens of other artists’ recordings - especially recordings that were done at Will Ackerman’s Imaginary Road Studio in Vermont.

Proper, the famous British reissue label, has given the world a series of four-CD "Proper boxes" that contain essential recordings by legendary musicians. Proper's The Lester Young Story is an excellent introduction to this man's phenomenal artistry. Beginning with two instrumentals from his very first recording session on November 9, 1936, Proper skims along the surface of the first 13 years of Lester Young's career, touching upon his adventures with Count Basie, Teddy Wilson, Billie Holiday, Una Mae Carlisle, Sammy Price, the Kansas City Six and Seven, pianist Nat King Cole, and numerous others who collaborated with Pres on records issued under his name. This musical odyssey is a colorful mosaic of historical recordings that originally appeared on the Vocalion, Columbia, Victor, Signature, Keynote, Savoy, Aladdin, and Mercury/Norgran/Verve labels. The survey closes with two extended jams from a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert held at Carnegie Hall on September 17, 1949. Although it stops short of dipping into the best of his later works, Proper's The Lester Young Story may serve both as a superb introduction and a tasty addition to already well-stocked jazz libraries.

Captured live at New York's legendary jazz sanctuary in December 1990, this monumental concert document stands as a definitive pinnacle of modern piano trio expression. Released on the acclaimed Japanese label DIW, the performance captures the exceptional chemistry between visionary pianist Geri Allen, legendary bassist Charlie Haden, and avant-garde drumming master Paul Motian. Operating without a traditional timekeeper mindset, the trio builds fluid, conversational soundscapes where composition and free improvisation dissolve into one another. The carefully curated setlist features deeply personal originals from all three members, navigating from Allen's spiritually resonant chordal explorations to Motian's hauntingly sparse melodic structures and Haden's robust, blues-inflected bass laments. Allen's remarkable command of the piano keys channels both traditional swing logic and angular avant-garde clusters, beautifully framed by Motian's abstract, shimmering cymbal work. It remains an essential, deeply intellectual live document of contemporary creative acoustic jazz history.

This exceptional 1989 studio session captures one of the most dynamic and creatively integrated piano trios of the late twentieth century operating at the absolute peak of their collaborative powers. Released on the prestigious Japanese avant-jazz label DIW Records, this landmark production unites the brilliant, forward-thinking pianist Geri Allen with the legendary veteran rhythm section of bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Paul Motian. The repertoire is exceptionally balanced, featuring striking historical compositions by Ornette Coleman and Charlie Parker alongside deeply poetic originals contributed by each of the session participants. Allen commands the acoustic landscape with her highly distinctive, percussive yet deeply lyrical block chords and adventurous harmonic lines. She is matched step-for-step by Haden's robust, deeply grounded acoustic bass tones and Motian's uniquely abstract, painterly approach to rhythmic timekeeping. The resulting music is incredibly fluid, cerebral, and intensely communicative, serving as a timeless masterwork of modern post-bop interaction.

Recorded live at the Montmartre in Copenhagen, this monumental big band release stands as one of the finest achievements in the extensive compositional catalog of pianist and arranger Carla Bley. Backed by a spectacular fifteen-piece European-American orchestra, Bley navigates high-concept frameworks that combine traditional big band swing architectures with avant-garde humor and modern classical sophistication. The title track sets an intense, dramatic mood, featuring complex brass counterpoints and exploratory solo exhibitions by an all-star lineup. Utilizing the unique tonal colors of French horn, oboe, tuba, and harmonica, the arrangements effortlessly transition between dense post-bop sections and fragile, introspective melodies. Bley’s sharp wit shines through the elaborate multi-part suites, particularly during extended instrumental improvisations that challenge standard structural boundaries. Backed by the flawless rhythmic timing of bassist Steve Swallow, this historical performance represents a pristine document of contemporary progressive orchestral jazz design.

Herbert von Karajan was born in Salzburg on 5 April 1908. He initially showed great talent as a pianist but his music teacher, Bernard Paumgartner, persuaded him to concentrate on conducting. After studying under Franz Schalk in Vienna, Karajan was engaged in 1929 by the Ulm opera house, where he remained for five years. In 1934 he was appointed music director at Aachen and soon became one of the most important younger conductors in Germany. Four years later he joined the Berlin State Opera, where he worked until it was destroyed by bombing in 1944.

This exceptional mid-1990s CD compilation packages two historically significant mid-1960s sessions originally recorded for the legendary Verve Records label, beautifully pairing the distinctive groove architectures of guitarist Grant Green and trumpeter Donald Byrd. The first segment resurrects Green's highly danceable 1965 organ-trio date, highlighting his lean, blues-inflected linear picking alongside the masterful, innovative modal bass pedals and swelling chords of organist Larry Young. The second half shifts seamlessly into Byrd's soulful, big-ensemble production from 1964, characterized by sophisticated brass arrangements from Claus Ogerman and Herbie Hancock, dynamic gospel-influenced choir accompaniments, and high-energy rhythm sections. Both landmark albums represent a critical transitional bridge where the hard-driving logic of hard bop naturally coalesces with urban rhythm and blues, resulting in a historically vital, multi-layered collection overflowing with infectious rhythmic pockets, memorable grooves, and world-class instrumental virtuosity.

The sophomore leader date from Norwegian trumpeter, composer, and sonic architect Nils Petter Molvaer marks a definitive and historically crucial turning point in the late-twentieth-century evolution of electro-acoustic fusion. Released via the esteemed ECM Records imprint, this landmark conceptual production expands brilliantly upon the pioneering structures of his debut, seamlessly dissolving the lines that traditionally separate live contemporary jazz improvisation from hyper-modern underground electronic rhythms. Molvaer surrounds his fragile, heavily mutated trumpet phrasing—frequently filtered through an array of digital delays, harmonizers, and vocoders—with an imposing, industrialized rhythmic framework built out of dark ambient synthesizers, precise turntablism, aggressive loops, and deep drum-and-bass grooves. The resulting soundscapes alternate effortlessly between moments of stark, meditative vulnerability and heavy sonic tension, delivering a deeply influential masterwork that redefines the parameters of modern Scandinavian future-jazz design.

This historical live document captures a fascinating moment in the avant-garde history of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Recorded in July 1968 at the Boston venue known as The Ark, this officially sanctioned bootleg release bridges the gap between orchestral complexities and satirical rhythm and blues. The performance features the classic early lineup of the ensemble navigating intricate compositions, dense horns, and unpredictable group improvisations. Listeners are treated to stellar live readings of early career favorites alongside challenging instrumental excursions, highlighted by a staggering, side-long medley that showcases the band's unparalleled instrumental tightrope walking. It remains an essential, unfiltered record of the creative genius, sharp societal satire, and dense musical architectures that defined this legendary era of progressive musical experimentation.

Summer is finally here. Spring came and went, and before we really noticed, the sunlight started to stay a little longer and the air picked up that familiar warmth. Essentials Summer 2026 is up and it sounds like those heated, golden hours that seem to last forever once they get going. We curated 24 new tracks to drift you through your sun-soaked afternoons. Laid-back rhythms and unhurried grooves. Songs to blast while you relax by the pool. Feet in the water and not a cloud in sight.

This album by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Nicholas Collon joins together two impressive cosmic visions: Gustav Holst’s iconic orchestral masterpiece The Planets together with a gem from Finnish orchestral literature, Väinö Raitio’s (1891–1945) Moonlight on Jupiter. Raitio’s work from the 1920s is recorded for the first time in 50 years and receives its first CD recording.

In the second volume of his complete Mozart piano sonata cycle, Jae-Hyuck Cho continues his exploration of Mozart’s keyboard writing as a living, singing voice. Four sonatas trace a journey from warmth and intimacy to outward brilliance, revealing the composer’s remarkable gift for dialogue and character.From the graceful charm of the Sonata in B-flat major, K.281 to the broader expressive range of the Sonata in F major, K.332, the programme moves through the poised intimacy of K.282 before concluding with the theatrical sparkle of the Sonata in C major, K.309.Part of a five-volume series for Orchid Classics, Cho’s interpretations emphasise clarity and vocal phrasing, reflecting the operatic spirit at the heart of Mozart’s keyboard writing.