With their faultless intonation, transparency of line, and ideal balance between emotional intensity and cool intellectuality, the Tallis Scholars are unrivalled in this repertoire. Peter Phillips highlights the individuality of the different voice-parts - making their individuality comprehensible - yet forms a homogeneous overall sound. By comparing the early Missa Ad fugam and the later Missa Sine Nomine Josquin's stylistic development becomes clear: the thick sound-world of the early work, with its melismatic long-drawn-out lines, yields to a much tauter style, full of rhythmic contrasts without forfeiting any complexity.

Fearsomely talented Swedish clarinetist Martin Fröst continues his conquest of the major concerto repertoire for his instrument with this recording of Carl Nielsen's 1928 Clarinet Concerto, paired with a new concerto by Finland's Kalevi Aho. The Nielsen concerto is a dense work in which the clarinet and the orchestra spend a lot of time going their separate ways, with the path of the clarinet being very twisted indeed. Difficult arabesques on the clarinet are interrupted without warning by heraldic blasts from the orchestral horns. The concerto was greeted by early reviewers as a radical modern work, and an instrumentalist wanting to push the clarinet into uncomfortable territory can still make it sound that way.

Deus Passus is one quarter of the Passion Project 2000, which celebrated not only the turning of the millennium but also commemorated the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death. German conductor Helmuth Rilling honored this occasion by commissioning Passions from four disparate composers: Wolfgang Rihm, Tan Dun, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Osvaldo Golijov. Deus Passus is a setting of the Passion according to St. Luke, and it is a marvel of a piece for many reasons. For a full hour and a half, with music that is mostly slow and largely atonal (in the sense that Berg’s music is atonal), the twisting, aching, unpredictable harmonies are totally captivating. Rihm chooses a straightforward setting, a simple, dramatic telling of the story, and it is in his capacity for restraint that the true brilliance of the piece lies. He uses the chorus sparingly, mostly for dramatic purposes, having it portray the angry rabble bent on crucifying Jesus (as it often does in Bach’s passions).

Nadia and Lili Boulanger, each in her own way, made a lasting impact on the musical world of the twentieth century. Sometimes luminous and full of hope, sometimes more somber, all their works testify to a poignant humanity. Going beyond the mélodies, Lucile Richardot, Anne de Fornel and the other artists assembled for this edition offer a multi-faceted portrait of the two composers, a form of musical narrative containing pieces that have never been published or recorded before.

Sweden's Marduk returns for another reap of the grim on Memento Mori for Century Media. Requested by fate and realized by Morgan Håkansson (guitar), Daniel Rostén (vocals), and Simon Schilling (drums), Marduk’s 15th full-length was cast under the promised land of disease, famine, and calamity. Ten tracks of relentless, uncompromising, gritty and hard Swedish black metal!

This debut album was credited to Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina because the project had begun as a solo record by Loggins being produced by Messina. By the time it was finished, however, Messina had written or co-written six of the 11 songs, contributed "first guitar," and shared lead vocals on many tracks. Messina's "Nobody But You" and "Vahevala," co-written by Loggins' second cousin, Dave Loggins, were the singles chart entries, but today everybody remembers the album for Loggins' "House at Pooh Corner," which had earned Loggins his record contract, and "Danny's Song," which Anne Murray took into the Top Ten the following year. The only thing wrong with this record is that it was too perfect - with their infectious blend of country, folk, rock, and Caribbean music, L&M started out at the top of their game, and although they were able to match some of the material and performances on later records, the team never got any better than this.

Here's to Life is a 1992 studio album by Shirley Horn, arranged by Johnny Mandel (also the composer of three of the songs on the album), who received a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) on this album.
Horn recorded with her trio (which includes bassist Charles Ables and drummer Steve Williams) first, emphasizing slow ballads. Mandel used the pianist-vocalist's improvisations and chord voicings as the basis for his charts and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis took guest solos on "A Time for Love" and "Quietly There." Shirley Horn fans will love this CD (which includes such numbers as "Here's To Life," "How Am I To Know" and "If You Love Me") but no real surprises or contrast occurs.

Some of this third Bo Hansson album was done at home while most of it was a formal studio creation. Violin and acoustic guitars are added to the mix of sounds on this proto-new age collection of instrumental music. The organs and synthesizers still swell in impressive solos - especially on the title track - and some of the tunes are fairly memorable, although some of the "tracks," such as "Time and Space," are nothing but short instrumental interlude. Without the dramatic pacing of Hansson's first album, this recording ultimately overstays its welcome.

Between When Planets Explode and Joined Ends, Oliver Johnson's first and second Dorian Concept albums, the Viennese musician and producer released a few singles and EPs. Among them were the brilliantly nutty "Trilingual Dance Sexperience" and relatively restrained four-track EP Her Tears Taste Like Pears, his first work for Ninja Tune. Johnson also performed around the world, including a stretch as a keyboardist for Flying Lotus' live show. He retreated from the stage, swapped out the microKORG with which he'd been closely associated, and eventually developed new material with use of other analog synthesizers and an electric Wurlitzer piano. Less jumbled and jagged than his debut, Joined Ends is filled with spiraling melodies and softer beats that place him a lot closer to Lone than to Hudson Mohawke…

“Dark Christmas” is the highly anticipated second volume of Tarja’s 2017 album "From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas)" – a surprise hit and on-going strong seller. This time, Tarja has added a haunting twist to classic Christmas hits and carols with the addition of a children's choir. For those who want to embrace the holiday spirit while exploring a more mysterious side of the season, Dark Christmas is the perfect album.

Inon Barnatan presents Rachmaninoff Reflections, offering some of the composer’s most cherished piano works, including his Moments musicaux, Prelude in G-Sharp Minor and Barnatan’s own arrangement of the Vocalise. Centrepiece of this project is Barnatan’s breathtaking new piano arrangement of the Symphonic Dances. Inon Barnatan is one of the most admired pianists of his generation (New York Times). His Pentatone discography consists of Time Traveler’s Suite (2021), Beethoven’s complete cello sonatas with Alisa Weilerstein (2022), as well as complete recordings of Beethoven’s piano concertos together with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and Alan Gilbert (2019 and 2020).