Gathered around Saint-Saëns' Danse macabre, you'll discover an unknown aspect of the French melodie of the Fin-de-siecle. Based on sometimes very intimate text by rimbaud, Baudelaire or Verhaeren, among others, these crepuscular works externalized, one century ago already, the existential malaise of the mankind facing the progress. The rare contralto tone of Sarah Laulan, laureate at prestigious Queen Elisabeth International Competition and at the Geneva International Competition, and associated artist at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, serve the ambiguity of these melodies, that deploy by turns onirism, darkness, but also humor, provocation and cynicism.

The central role of Naples in the history of vocal music has so far overshadowed a rich tradition of instrumental music; only in recent years has musicological research begun bringing it to light once more, demonstrating that Naples also played a crucial role in the field of instrumental music, no less relevant than other centres more often associated with this repertory, such as Rome and Venice.

Renowned period ensemble The English Concert and Harry Bicket are joined by two singers at the height of their powers, bright-voiced soprano Rosemary Joshua and the graceful mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, as they delve into the musical world in which Henry Purcell was immersed.

The Re-Sound Beethoven collection brings the symphonies of Beethoven back to the locations of their Viennese premieres. Four of the six venues where first performances of one or more of the nine symphonies were held still exist today, as do the eight Viennese halls and theaters where the composer’s orchestral works were performed in his lifetime. The orchestral forces of the Wiener Akademie corresponds in size and instrumentarium to those used by the composer. The producer Stephan Reh strives to reproduce the specific acoustical qualities of each room.

Music which belies the date and circumstances of its composition. All three works were written in the immediate aftermath of World War I, yet inhabit a sound world of Brahmsian richness and warmth—very much the product of the composer of the famous Violin Concerto. The Nash Ensemble are ideal interpreters.

This incredible recording of Anton Bruckner’s Symphonie IX also includes a bonus disc with the Version for Two Pianos. Featuring the Altomonte Orchester St. Florian under the direction of Remy Ballot, this album is a live recording of the original version. Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony is, in the composer’s own words, “The loveliest thing that I [Bruckner] ever composed.” The work is dedicated to the “dear Lord” and is the composer’s personal confrontation with his journey into the afterlife. The transcription for two pianos was arranged by Klaus Laczika and Matthias Giesen using a transcription by Dr. Karl Grunsky (1911) and more closely aligning it to Bruckner’s original scoring in the way of dynamics and instrumentation.