Spiritillo Mediterraneo
Cristina Prats Costa (violin), Lucas Harris (archlute, theorbo and Baroque guitar), Naghmeh Farahmand (daf, darbuka and tambourine), Joseph Phillips (viola da gamba and bass), Esmeralda Enrique (castanets), Michael Unterman (cello), Charlotte Nediger (harpsichord)
The inventiveness and imagination of Baroque-era composers in cultures along the Mediterranean is celebrated in this spirited and colorful solo-recording debut by Spanish violinist Cristina Prats Costa. She’s joined by a cadre of period instrument specialists in music emphasizing Italian virtuosity, French refinement, and Spanish rhythmic fire. Costa’s arrangements of the Spanish pieces add a personal touch to this album which traces her own artistic journey.
French Orchestral Favourites
Sinfonia of London, John Wilson (conductor)
Another treat from one of the most active ensembles in the recording studio today, this is the 26th album from the ensemble relaunched in 2018 by conductor John Wilson to considerable international acclaim. Living up to its title, the album features suites from Bizet’s opera Carmen alongside Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and beloved works by Debussy, Chabrier, Ravel, and Saint-Saëns.
Inferno
Behzod Abduraimov (piano)
This is a dazzling recital presentation from the Uzbek pianist renowned for his great musical depth and phenomenal technique. The recording’s title is a bit misleading, however, applying principally to Liszt’s diabolical Après une lecture de Dante. Debussy’s elegant Suite Bergamasque and Stravinsky’s energetic Three Movements from Petrushka, a delicate set of variations by Czerny, and a peaceful Brahms Intermezzo round out the program.
Tomorrow Is Today
Papagena
Songs of love, beauty, and the passing of time are themes explored through the unique sonorities of this British female vocal ensemble that takes their name from the birdcatcher’s wife in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The group of three sopranos and two altos explore repertoire from medieval times through today in unaccompanied works by Hildegard of Bingen, Monteverdi and Purcell, traditional Ukrainian, Indian, and Bulgarian songs, and contemporary pieces by James MacMillan and Caroline Shaw.
Dvorák: Symphony No. 9 'From The New World'
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Lahav Shani (conductor)
The Rotterdam Philharmonic and Chief Conductor Lahav Shani offer an intriguing pairing here. Dvořák’s much-loved Symphony No. 9, “From the New World,” with its captivating blend of Slavonic and American spirit, is partnered with an exciting but rarely heard programmatic concert overture by Johan Wagenaar. Frequently labeled “the Dutch Richard Strauss” for his lush and theatrical orchestral writing, Wagenaar, in his overture Cyrano de Bergerac, paints with impetuous and soaring melodies and brilliant orchestration.
Uncovered, Vol. 4: Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Catalyst Quartet
This is the first of two recordings this month devoted to Joseph Bologne (1745-1799), the first classical composer of African descent to rise above societal constraints to achieve widespread renown in Europe — and an outstanding fencer, military adviser and violin virtuoso to boot. America’s versatile, Grammy-winning Catalyst Quartet brings together for the first time all 18 of Bologne’s string quartets, composed in three distinct sets of six at different times in his career, including some of the first quartets to be published in France. Together they provide a window into the sound world of late-18th century Parisian chamber music circles.
Chevalier de Saint-George - Portrait
Lauranne Oliva (soprano), Victor Sicard (baritone), Bastien Rimondi (tenor), Théotime Langlois de Swarte (violin & conductor), Roxana Rastegar (violin), Anna Sypniewski (viola), Hanna Salzenstein (cello), Justin Taylor (piano), Orchestre de l'Opéra Royal
The many facets of Bologne’s musical talent are explored in this extensive survey by a recently formed French orchestral ensemble plus soloists. Young conductor (and violinist) Théotime Langlois de Swarte presents violin concertos and a violin sonata, songs with orchestra, and instrumental and vocal highlights from Bologne’s operas L’amant Anonyme and Ernestine.
Liszt
Yekwon Sunwoo (piano)
“My interest in Liszt lies beyond brilliant technique,” says pianist Sunwoo. “What truly fascinates me is the depth of imagination and the vast spectrum of emotions Liszt breathed into his works…” The acclaimed Korean pianist showcases the virtuosic and poetic sides of Franz Liszt in his recording combining well-known masterpieces like the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, Paraphrase on Verdi’s Rigoletto, and Liebesträume with revealing transcriptions of songs by Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Schubert, and Dessauer.
Martinů: The Symphonies
Bamberger Symphoniker, Jakub Hrůša (conductor)
Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů completed nearly all of his six symphonies during his exile in the United States, which followed his blacklisting by the Nazi regime and the subsequent Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia after World War II. Poetic lyricism, epic tragedy, and Czech color and energy are hallmarks of these mature compositions, offered here in performances led by award-winning Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša.
Terra Infirma
Yolanda Kondonassis (harp), Andrew Grams (conductor), Interlochen Center for the Arts Orchestra, Vijay Gupta, Interlochen Center for the Arts Chorus, Carter Smith (choral director)
Combining Western classical and Hindustani traditions, the music of contemporary Indian-American composer Reena Esmail on this fascinating album also reflects her environmental advocacy. She’s found a kindred spirit in harpist Yolanda Kondonassis, whose own environmental awareness group commissioned the album’s title work, a concerto for harp and percussion inspired by the composer’s experience living in California during the catastrophic fires of January 2025. The outstanding harpist is also featured in a work for violin and harp based on Hindustani sunrise ragas and Earth Speaks: Curiosity, for chorus and solo harp, using as texts the names of stops made by the rover Curiosity on the planet Mars in 2011.
Igor Stravinsky: Fairy Tales
Susan Platts (mezzo-soprano), Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Joann Falletta (conductor)
Stravinsky’s ballet music and lesser-known symphonic and vocal fairy tales fill the latest release from the Buffalo Philharmonic and longtime Music Director JoAnn Falletta. On the ballet side are the concert suite from the Baroque-inspired score to Pulcinella and the Divertimento from The Fairy’s Kiss, Stravinsky’s homage to Tchaikovsky based on a Hans Christian Andersen story. More rarely heard are two early works — the Andersen-inspired symphonic Song of the Nightingale and The Faun and the Shepherdess, the composer’s romantically sensual gift to his young bride.
Unspoken
Wu Qian, Juho Pohjonen (piano)
Two players seated at one piano create one of the most intimate performance spaces in music. In this collection, acclaimed pianists Wu Qian and Juho Pohjonen share some lyrical and virtuosic music for piano for four hands, spanning the Romantic era. Though the duo performs two major duets by Felix Mendelssohn, the heart of the recording belongs to works by women composers -- suites by Amy Beach and Cécile Chaminade and a rediscovered sonata by German composer Sophia Maria Westenholz.
