This studio recording of Alexander Glazunov's Raymonda is created for the 2022 performance by English National Ballet, with a score adapted and edited by Gavin Sutherland and Lars Payne. Following the epic journey of love and courage inspired by the spirit of Florence Nightingale, this lavish orchestral adaptation retains the best of Glazunov's 19th-century original score, updating it to match the dramatic new narrative choreographed by Tamara Rojo.

The French speak of the malediction d’avoir bien fait, i.e. the curse of having done well. It indicates the uncomfortable situation of one who has accomplished something satisfactorily, and is therefore expected to be always up to the standard he or she has set. This may be a particularly daunting feeling especially for young people, whose creative powers may be paradoxically blocked precisely by the consciousness of a successful first exploit, and of the expectations this has caused.

The most beautiful jazz songs by 101 Strings Orchestra, Anita O'Day, Jay Orlando and many more on one compilation!

When it comes to the Delta blues, all roads lead to its father figure Charley Patton, an immensely gifted performer, Patton served as a major influence on other legendary bluesmen who followed including Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf

Auber’s overtures were once as popular as those by Rossini and Suppé, with no less a figure than Tchaikovsky commenting on the ‘elegant clarity of his harmonisation, his delightful and striking melodies … and beautiful instrumentation.’ Full evidence is provided here in music that ranges across Auber’s creative periods where finesse of orchestral detail and piquant harmonies are met by verve and wit. Some of his least well-known music is encountered, as are scores that explore vivid dance themes, all presented with Auber’s gossamer orchestration and lightness of touch.

In a diary entry from the year 1827, Robert Schumann writes: Solitude is the intimate encounter with oneself, […], it is an active, thoughtful, creative tranquility, the active state of the soul amidst the body's passivity. - Solitude is the nursemaid of all great spirits, the mother of heroes, the companion of the poet, the friend of the arts.In her new album "Solitude," soprano Katharina Konradi embarks on a musical journey to explore solitude. On this journey, she is accompanied by poets and composers from different time periods. The Cosmos Quartet from Barcelona joins her on her journey. Art songs by composers such as Robert and Clara Schumann, Franz Schubert, and Hugo Wolf, as well as folk songs and French chansons, are waypoints on this journey on which they explore the various facets of solitude together. Miniatures for solo soprano by the Hungarian-French composer György Kurtág serve as transitional elements, providing subtle and sophisticated coherence. Among the special rarities of the recording are the two Catalan songs by the violinist, composer, and conductor Eduard Toldrà.

George Benson Simply one of the greatest guitarists in jazz history, George Benson is an amazingly versatile musician whose adept skills find him crossing easily between straight-ahead jazz, smooth jazz, and contemporary R&B. Blessed with supreme taste, a beautiful, rounded guitar tone, terrific speed, a marvelous sense of logic in building solos, and, as always, an unquenchable urge to swing, Benson's inspirations may have been Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery, but his style is completely his own. Not only can he play lead brilliantly, he is also one of the best rhythm guitarists around, supportive to soloists and a dangerous swinger, particularly in a soul-jazz format; skills he first garnered attention for as a member of Brother Jack McDuff's band in the early '60s. Benson can also sing in a lush, soulful tenor with mannerisms similar to those of Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway. In a sense, he is the guitar-playing equivalent of Nat King Cole, a fantastic instrumentalist whose smooth way with a pop vocal helped solidify his prowess in the marketplace. It is this combination of singing and guitar playing that has garnered him numerous accolades and chart success, including most notably his 1976 breakthrough Breezin', which topped the pop, R&B, and jazz charts and took home Grammy Awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Record of the Year.

Erin Morley is one of today's most sought after coloratura sopranos, and her debut recital album presents a thoughtfully curated program which mirrors a stroll through a garden, delving into rich repertoire inspired by flowers, birds, and nature. Morley, known for her operatic roles, draws on connections to the natural world, offering a mix of well-known pieces, contemporary compositions, and hidden gems. A notable feature is the premiere recording of Ricky Ian Gordon's "Huit Chansons de Fleurs," a contemporary song cycle exploring themes of death, resurrection, fragrance, and the fleeting nature of beauty, adding a layer of poignancy to an album which features a diverse selection of vocal repertoire. Among the album's highlights is Saint-Saëns's "La Libellule," a rarely heard gem capturing the agile movement of a dragonfly. Sullivan's "Rose-in-Bloom" stands out as the first to present the aria in its original key, the heights of the final cadenza just one example of Morley’s extraordinary performance of the repertoire. The program also includes compositions by Rachmaninov, Zemlinsky, and Milhaud, exploring further connections to the themes of blossoms and birds. "Rose in Bloom" is an exploration of nature's influence on music, a testament to Erin Morley's artistry and originality, and a delightful journey through a garden of musical encounters.

Five of the best brass players in the world united in a chamber music ensemble: The Reinhold Friedrich Brass Quintett was founded in 2022 and presents here it's first CD, UNITY. For this brass quintet's lifelong dream, world-renowned trumpeter Reinhold Friedrich has brought together the best players in their respective fields, musicians who not only get along extremely well with one another in a musical sense but also on a personal level. In their playing, one can feel their mutual appreciation and their joy in making music together, and, coupled with their unique technical and musical skills, as well as their chamber music experience, this enables the musicians to merge into a single unit.

Leonor de Lera has chosen the "Arcadia" described in Greek mythology as a transfigured place in idyllic nature as the title for her new CD. The genre of the pastorale, the Arcadian pastoral idyll, enjoyed incredible popularity during the
Renaissance and all the great poets of the time wrote poems that were in turn set to madrigals by the great composers. Leonor de Lera plays a selection of such pastorals on her violin - accompanied by lute and guitar. She does this, as was customary for Renaissance and early Baroque instrumentalists, by not playing the melodies true to the notes, but by embellishing them with so-called "diminutions". There were many schools and styles for these, which are described in treatises of the time, and the virtuoso also demonstrated his skills with his art of diminution. The violinist now applies the different styles to the various pieces she has chosen for this programme, which are by Monteverdi, Caccini, Falconieri, Trombocino, Willaert and many others. The result is a stylistically diverse, highly virtuosic CD that is also a comprehensive compendium of the art of diminution in Italy around 1600.

On a list of instruments people associate with the name Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the organ probably doesn't come very near the top. All those piano, violin, horn, flute concertos and more understandably dominate the limelight. Yet there's a small but significant body of music by Mozart for this instrument - one that played an important role in his employment at Salzburg and which he held in high esteem.

Avec ce double album, Anna Danilevskaia, violiste virtuose, et son Ensemble Sollazzo concluent l'enregistrement du Manuscrit de Louvain. L'exceptionnelle découverte, en 2015, de ce manuscrit émanant du centre de la France et daté approximativement de 1475 enrichit et renouvelle notre connaissance de la chanson de langue française du milieu du XVe siècle. En effet, sur les 49 chansons séculières qu'il rassemble, 12 ne figurent dans aucune autre source. Si aucune indication d'auteur ne figure dans le manuscrit, les chercheurs ont pu, par recoupements, attribuer nombre d'entre elles à des compositeurs déjà connus ; d'autres restent anonymes. Ce sont bien sûr des chansons d'amour, ballades, lais et virelais. Dominent naturellement dans cet album des compositeurs franco-flamands de la cour des ducs de Bourgogne, comme Antoine Busnois, Hayne van Ghizeghem, Gilles Binchois, ou encore l'Anglais Robert Morton. Mais on y trouve aussi des chansons d'autres compositeurs nordiques ayant oeuvré pour la cour des rois de France, comme Firminus Caron et Johannes Ockeghem, ainsi qu'un représentant de la « contenance angloise », Walter Frye. Ainsi qu’un certain Barbingant dont on ne sait rien d'autre que son « Au travail suis » fut la base d'une messe parodique d'Ockeghem. L’Ensemble Sollazzo nous aura offert de ce manuscrit richement enluminé une lecture passionnante, fraîche, variée, éclatante, osée mais convaincante. (Marc Galand)

Dr David Charles Johnson (27 October 1942 in Edinburgh – 30 March 2009 in Edinburgh) was a Scottish composer and a scholar of 18th-century Scottish music. Johnson was “an internationally recognised scholar” whose work significantly contributed to rediscovering and redefining 18th-century Scottish music within its historical context. His research focused on the music and social life of lowland Scotland during the 18th century, exploring influences, tastes, and key musical figures of the era.

The most beautiful jazz & soul songs by Otis Redding, John Coltrane, Wilson Pickett, Ray Charles and many more on one compilation!

Celebrating the work of Benjamin Britten, this album combines three of the composer’s enduringly popular, yet vastly distinctive works. Sir Simon Rattle leads us on an unexpected journey through this diverse collection of masterpieces.
Written shortly after the outbreak of World War II, Sinfonia da Requiem meditates in part on the political populism which had, for the second time in just a few decades, plunged the world in to an existential crisis. In this piece, Britten’s rich, yearning harmonies reveal a sombre and dramatic warning of the cost of conflict.