Vocello… A contraction of ‘voce’ and ‘cello’, vocello is a word invented by Henri Demarquette, which is not yet to be found in the dictionary. It designates the unprecedented encounter of an a cappella chorus and solo cello, an encounter that, since 2013, has given rise to a new repertoire, as only a temperament as imaginative and unbridled as Henri Demarquette’s could conceive.

This bracingly eclectic recital opens with Fazıl Say’s Four Cities, a musical celebration of four Turkish locations the composer describes as “full of personal memories”. Originally a BBC commission, it was premiered in June 2012 during the City of London Festival by Nicolas Altstaedt and José Gallardo.

For the first time since their recording of Saint-Saëns La Muse et le Poète in 2013, the French brothers reunite for a recording of two of the great pillars of Romantic chamber music – Brahms’ string sextets.

Aida Garifullina’s debut album is one of the most eagerly awaited operatic events of the year! Since her triumphant win at Plácido Domingo’s Operalia 2013, the young star soprano from Kazan has become the hottest newcomer of the opera world – winning audiences over with stand-out performances at Vienna State Opera and Mariinsky Theatre, recitals at the Wigmore Hall and Vienna Musikverein and a US tour with Andrea Bocelli. Boosting a unique media profile Aida has made her feature film debut in Florence Foster Jenkins alongside Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant.

The year 1875 was something of an annus mirabilis for Dvořák: in just twelve months he composed his Fifth Symphony, the E major String Serenade, three important chamber works, four Moravian Duets and the five-act grand opera Vanda. It also marked both a peak in his fortunes – for the first time he received a state prize to help struggling young artists – and a year of deep personal sadness for the composer and his wife Anna, with the death on 19 September of their infant daughter Josefa.

Avital meets Avital is a dialogue between two musicians who come from different worlds but share a common richness of musical heritage. Grammy-nominee mandolinist, Avi Avital, comes from a classical tradition whilst award-winning bass virtuoso and oud player, Omer Avital, is an acclaimed jazz performer and composer. In Avital meets Avital, these two musicians, joined by Omer Klein on piano and Itamer Doari on percussion, draw on the diverse influences of Moroccan and North African sounds, folkloric and classical traditions, Israeli harmonies and Mediterranean rhythms creating a musical melting pot where the finesse of chamber music meets the raw emotional energy of jazz.