According to German theological tradition, which Bach knew very well, the alto voice was the very symbol of the Holy Ghost. Bach's three solo cantatas for alto demand enormous vocal virtuosity. Their extraordinary musical variety embraces sublime consolatory lullabies, a faithful echo of an organ concerto and the dramatic qualities of an oratorio. Andreas Scholl is the featured soloist in this reissue, backed by Philippe Herreweghe and the Collegium Vocale Gent.

Waiting for the Lord…Surely one of the greatest gifts the Lutheran Church ever made to music was to have charged Bach with the duty of producing a cantata for every week of the year! He left us no fewer than three for the first Sunday in Advent alone, composed between 1714 (at Weimar) and 1724-31 (at Leipzig). They are inspired in very different ways by Luther's original chorale: it is as if all of baroque Germany is contained between the sobriety of BWV 61 and the ambitious frescoes of BWV 36 and 62…

To the glory of God and the Burgomaster: Bach's appointment as director musices of the city of Leipzig in 1723 brought with it, among his other functions, the duty of providing an annual liturgical cantata specifically intended for performance during the ceremony of the opening of the session of the new Municipal Council. At least twelve such cantatas were written during the long years he spent in the pious town, of which no more than a third have survived intact. The almost martial accents of Preise, Jerusalem, den Herrn, the invocation of prosperity and blessing of Gott, man lobet dich in der Stille and the astonishing parodies of the third Partita for solo violin in Wir danken dir, Gott - the three cantatas on this recording - are all somewhat unabashed combinations of the glorification of God and municipal pride.

If there is one work that sheds light on all facets of festive music-making during the Christmas season, it is Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. This music transcends the ages and radiates throughout the world – starting in Leipzig, where the six-part cantata cycle was first heard in the two main churches of St. Nikolai and St. Thomas on the festive days between 25 December 1734 and 6 January 1735.

This double album assembles two oratorios and three cantatas for the feasts of Easter and Ascension. Often overshadowed by the Christmas Oratorio, the two oratorios presented here rely on a form of dramaturgy absent from the cantatas; whether directly portraying the protagonists of the Passion of Christ (Easter Oratorio) or having the Evangelist narrate events, Bach draws on the music of earlier cantatas to produce two works whose beauty and coherence Philippe Herreweghe has brought out more convincingly than any other interpreter.

Young big band pays tribute to the legendary Skymasters: The Dutch big band tradition holds a special place in the history of jazz. The Skymasters, founded in 1945, captivated audiences with their swinging big band music and Dutch vocal repertoire through their popular radio broadcasts. Now, the Paradox Jazz Orchestra (PJO), a newly formed ensemble, pays homage to this illustrious era with their new album, “Remembering the Skymasters – Legacy.” Led by saxophonist and arranger Jasper Staps and trumpeter Teus Nobel, the PJO aims to revive and reintroduce the rich Dutch and international big band heritage to both existing and new generations of music lovers. In this blog post, we delve into the origins of the PJO, its unique concept, and its mission to keep big band music alive.

The latest fantastic album form the Mighty Boasscats - dripping with quality songs and musicianship. "‘Are You The Person You’ve Wanted To Be?’ maintains this trend as it slips oh so easily into the listener’s ears with a laid back groove JJ Cale would be proud of. It’s reminiscent of that period when UK players were challenging the Americans as to who could be the swampiest, most soulful and grooviest, with bands like Ace and singers like Jess Roden almost winning the competition.

Sketchbook of Dreams is a collabration between jazz quartet en string orchestra and features one of Europes leading artists in both the jazz and classical scene. The music can be described best as: cinematic, romantic, melancholic, swinging, with forward motion and always with a collective sound!

French artist, Fusion, Jazz, R&B, Hip-Hop producer and singer.

French Jazz sextet Asynchrone reimagine legendary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto"s repertoire As fans of the maestro"s work, French free jazz/electro collective Asynchrone began to interrogate his oeuvre in 2020, aiming to get inside his music, taking it to unexplored new dimensions. On their debut album "Plastic Bamboo", they achieve that and more. With a wildly eclectic approach in mind, there will be songs that most will be familiar with: "Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence" and Yellow Magic Orchestra"s "Behind The Mask", in particular.

Pavans and galliards by the Elizabethan master of melancholy, complemented by a new recording of Benjamin Britten’s magnificent Nocturnal inspired by both Dowland’s music and by the playing of Julian Bream.

The Amsterdam-based recorder quintet has done it again: an original concept, featuring several first recordings, and superb performances which confirm them among the top-tier of today’s early-music chamber ensembles.

Guido Santórsola (1904–1994) began his musical studies at the age of five, taught by his father, a sculptor, trumpeter and double bassist who moved from Southern Italy to São Paulo, Brazil in 1909, with the rest of the family joining him the following year.

Keido Saito, Japan's leading boogie woogie pianist, celebrates the 15th anniversary of his solo project by performing not only as a solo four-handed unit "Les Freres" but also as the only boogie woogie pianist in Japan.