The Westerlies' sophomore release showcases the quartet in a boldly personal setting, presenting original music by each member of the ensemble in vivid sonic detail captured by GRAMMY-winning producer Jesse Lewis (Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma, Roomful of Teeth, Brooklyn Rider, LA Phil). Following their critically acclaimed debut album Wish the Children Would Come On Home: The Music of Wayne Horvitz, this project further explores jazz, folk, and chamber music influences to create the rarest of hybrids: music that is both "folk-like and composerly, lovely and intellectually rigorous.”

The London Haydn Quartet reaches the six great quartets published in 1788 as Opp 54 & 55 in another unmissable two-for-the-price-of-one set. Is it possible to have too much Haydn? The only sensible answer is ‘no’, especially when the music is performed with such intelligence and humanity as here.

Following the successful release of the Grieg Violin Sonatas, Franziska Pietsch and her piano partner Detlev Eisinger now present music by Sergei Prokofiev on the audite label. His works reflect facets of her own biography to a significant degree. As an emerging talent in the GDR, Franziska Pietsch enjoyed special state support; her musical training was thus initially shaped by the Eastern European school, bringing Prokofiev's music close to her heart. His two Violin Sonatas appear as two contrasting poles within his oeuvre - her life has also moved between extremes. The state support led to early success in the GDR. However, her father's escape to the West in 1984 was followed by two years of reprisals by the regime, intensively shaping Franziska Pietsch's understanding of music: deprived of any possibility of playing concerts or taking lessons, her chosen path towards hope - against desperation, refusal, fear and despotism - led inwards.

A long-admired figure on the New York scene, cellist Michael Nicolas enjoys a diverse career as soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and improvisor. His eclectic tastes and willingness to try just about anything have led him to forge a musical path of uncommon breadth, from performing masterpieces of the past in the world’s most prestigious concert halls, to free-form improvisation in a downtown New York experimental venue with giants of the genre, to working with contemporary composers of all styles, pushing the boundaries of musical expression and meaning.

The Alliage Quintet has a gift for surprising its audiences by toying with the illusion of a symphony orchestra. The ensemble is like a storyteller regaling its audience with its own version of a traditional narrative.

Most of the familiar orchestral versions of Richard Wagner’s operatic music were arranged either by him or his followers in the 19th century, so the Overture & Venusberg Music from Tannhäuser & the Prelude to Act III from Lohengrin have long been performed in these special concert formats. But the main work of this SACD is the 1993 suite arranged by Henk de Vlieger, Parsifal, an Orchestral Quest, which is a fresh adaptation of the key moments from Wagner’s final music drama. The work was commissioned by the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, after de Vlieger, the ensemble’s percussionist, had successfully arranged music from Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen into a similar orchestral vehicle for them. Parsifal, an Orchestral Quest was premiered on RCA in 1997 by Edo de Waart, & Neeme Järvi leads the 2nd recorded performance on this 2010 release on Chandos.

Nicole is one of the brightest stars on the international opera scene. In October 2015 she made a sensational debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden to unanimous critical acclaim, singing Micaëla in Carmen; in December 2015 she returned to Covent Garden in the lead role in Eugene Onegin opposite Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Nicole has been known to Australian audiences for several years through her major roles for Opera Australia; she has already won the 2013 Neue Stimmen competition (Germany) and received nominations in the International Opera Awards and Australia’s Helpmann Awards.

Mendes blossoms on his soulful second LP. Illuminate expands on the promise of the social media star’s 2015 debut (and his many online dispatches) with a set of introspective, blues-driven pop that recalls the guitar-born elegance of John Mayer (“Ruin” ) and the melodic verve of Ed Sheeran (“Three Empty Words”).

Fantasy Records is proud to announce the release of COLVIN & EARLE, the self-titled, debut album from acclaimed GRAMMY® Award-winning artists Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle.

At concert halls around the world, Itzhak Perlman has enchanted audiences with the dazzling and delicious encore pieces that top off his recitals. These two albums offer a lavish selection of his favourite miniatures.

1988. Half of the 6 piece Pink Dots had quit after a long tour. EK and The Silverman were living in a caravan.It was never going to be a happy album…yet it remains a persnal favourite for the 2 survivors of LPDs class of '88. This 2016 Remaster may well be the definitive version of this album.

Country music trio Gloriana present their much anticipated second studio album, A Thousand Miles Left Behind on Emblem Music Group/Warner Bros. Records. The band had a hand in writing all 11 tracks on the album and worked with GRAMMY Award winning producer and Emblem Music Group label owner Matt Serletic (Willie Nelson, Matchbox 20, and Aerosmith). Their single "(Kissed You) Good Night" has become the fastest rising single of the trio s career to date.