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New Release Round-Up - 2nd January 2026
2nd Jan 2026by Katherine Cooper
Brahms from Edward Gardner in Bergen, a third Joan Sutherland box-set on Decca, Max Richter's score for the new film adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet, and Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky from Nobuyuki Tsujii.
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Philippe Jaroussky celebrates 25 years in the profession
31st Dec 2025by Katherine Cooper
The French countertenor reflects on the changes he's seen during his first quarter-century in the business, his recent album of Italian secular cantatas, his blossoming parallel career as a conductor, and why he's a firm believer that 'the grass is not always greener in another field'.
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Thomas Dunford and Lea Desandre on Songs of Passion
23rd Dec 2025by Katherine Cooper
The lutenist and mezzo discuss their Presto Award-winning album of music by Dowland and Purcell, their own first encounters with both composers as teenagers, and some of the friends and family-members who played a part in the project.
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Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann from Covent Garden
19th Dec 2025by Katherine Cooper
Stuffed with references to films including Moulin Rouge, Casino Royale and Mary Poppins, Damiano Michieletto’s surreal, absinthe-drenched production of Offenbach's final opera is the perfect dark Christmas treat, with Juan Diego Flórez heading a superb cast as the eponymous poet and barfly.
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Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann (Blu-ray)
Juan Diego Flórez (Hoffmann), Ermonela Jaho (Antonia), Alex Esposito (Lindorf/Coppélius/Miracle/Dapertutto), Julie Boulianne (Nicklausse), Olga Pudova (Olympia), Marina Costa-Jackson (Giulietta), Christine Rice (Muse) Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Antonello Manacorda, Damiano Michieletto
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New Releases from Winter 2025
19th Dec 2025by Katherine Cooper
A nature-themed concept-album from The Hermes Experiment, a 150th-birthday tribute to Ravel from Cristian Măcelaru in Paris, an homage to trailblazing cellist Lise Cristiani from Sol Gabetta, and Beethoven from Jordan-born pianist Karim Said.
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New Release Round-Up - 12th December 2025
12th Dec 2025by Katherine Cooper
A Mozart Requiem with a difference from Manfred Honeck in Pittsburgh, André Tchaikowsky from Peter Jablonski, Mahler from Gianandrea Noseda in Washington, and Chopin & Scriabin from Mikhail Pletnev.
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Requiem: Mozart's Death in Words and Music
F. Murray Abraham, Jeanine De Bique (soprano), Catriona Morison (mezzo), Ben Bliss (tenor), Tareq Nazmi (bass); Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Westminster Choir, The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, Manfred Honeck
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Christmas New Releases 2025
5th Dec 2025by Katherine Cooper
Festive releases from the Choir of St John's College Cambridge, the Miró Quartet, Il Pomo d'Oro, and the brass section of the Berlin Philharmonic.
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O Holy Night
Alexander Robson, Montague Tatnell (soprano), Arthur Cobb (soprano), Bryony Macleod-Jones (soprano), Alice Markham (vocalist), Theodore Horch (tenor), Alexander Semple (bass-baritone), Nicholas Garcia (soprano), Matthew Monaghan (vocalist), Anna Morgan (vocalist), William Collison (tenor), Garbhán McEnoy (tenor), Simon Hall (bass-baritone), John Moore (bass-baritone), Amelia Crichton-Stuart (soprano), Alexander Weiss (bass-baritone), George Henty (soprano), Choir of St John's College Cambridge, Christopher Gray
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A Cuban Christmas from The Sarahbanda
28th Nov 2025by Katherine Cooper
Horn-player Sarah Willis and her Havana-based dance-band add spice and salsa to a host of seasonal favourites including an exuberant reimagining of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, with guest vocals from Carlos Calunga (of Buena Vista Social Club fame).
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New Release Round-Up - 28th November 2025
28th Nov 2025by Katherine Cooper
Haydn from Giovanni Antonini and the Kammerorchester Basel, Bach from Sébastien Daucé and Ensemble Correspondances, Ravel from the Nash Ensemble, and previously unreleased recordings by the late Radu Lupu.
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New Release Round-Up - 21st November 2025
21st Nov 2025by Katherine Cooper
Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius from Edward Gardner and the LPO, Brahms's Symphony No. 1 from Kirill Petrenko and the Berliner Philharmoniker, a portrait of Avril Coleridge-Taylor, and Schubert from Leif Ove Andsnes & Bertrand Chamayou.
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Anoushka Shankar on tradition and innovation
19th Nov 2025by Katherine Cooper
In the wake of winning the Ivor Novello Innovation Award last week, the sitar virtuoso and composer reflects on how she found a balance between honouring her father's legacy and forging her own artistic identity - with a little help from her friends...
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New Release Round-Up - 14th November 2025
14th Nov 2025by Katherine Cooper
Adès from Thomas Søndergård in Minnesota, Kapustin from young British pianist Ophelia Gordon, the complete works of Louis Couperin from Jean Rondeau, and a Sibelius anthology from the late Leif Segerstam in Helsinki.
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The Choral - Reflections on Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius
12th Nov 2025by Katherine Cooper
As Alan Bennett and Nicholas Hytner's film about a Yorkshire choral society performing Elgar's masterpiece during World War One hits UK cinemas, artists including Edward Gardner, Roderick Williams and opera director Stephen Langridge unpack what makes the piece so special for them...
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Anne Dudley reflects on her career
11th Nov 2025by Katherine Cooper
In the wake of becoming the 33rd Fellow of The Ivors Academy, the British composer recounts how she found her niche - from an early gig on Play School to working on The Crying Game, Jeeves and Wooster and Poldark.
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Poldark: Music from the TV series
Lang Lang, Chris Garrick (violin), Chamber Orchestra of London, Skaila Kanga (celtic harp), Anne Dudley (keyboards), Lucy Wakeford (harp), Eleanor Tomlinson (vocal), Skaila Kanga (harp), David Cohen (cello), Peter Schoeman (violin), David Daniels (cello)
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New Release Round-Up - 7th November 2025
7th Nov 2025by Katherine Cooper
Mahler from Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Grace Williams from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Mendelssohn & Bruch from Johan Dalene, and Bach from Pierre-Laurent Aimard.
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Vasily Petrenko on Elgar and Rachmaninoff
6th Nov 2025by Katherine Cooper
Ahead of the release of their debut recording on Harmonia Mundi next week, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's Music Director reflects on the parallels between two works which were premiered in 1913 - Elgar's Falstaff and Rachmaninoff's The Bells.
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Kitty Whately on Rebecca Clarke
5th Nov 2025by Katherine Cooper
In advance of the release of Clarke's complete songs on Signum this Friday, the British mezzo discusses her ongoing advocacy for women composers, with plans including a focus-day on Clarke at Wigmore Hall this weekend and a major new song competition early next year.
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New Release Round-Up - 31st October 2025
31st Oct 2025by Katherine Cooper
Bach's Goldberg Variations from Thibaut Garcia and Antoine Morinière, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor with Lisette Oropesa in the title-role, Frank Zappa, John Cage and more from Marc-André Hamelin, and Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir's first studio album on Deutsche Grammophon.
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Paavo Järvi on Arvo Pärt
27th Oct 2025by Katherine Cooper
In the wake of an album celebrating Pärt's ninetieth birthday, the Estonian conductor discusses his long relationship with the man and his music, how his father Neeme's early advocacy of the Credo led to both composer and conductor being blacklisted by the Soviet authorities, and his own 'holy mission' to champion the work of his compatriots.
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Gelosia from Philippe Jaroussky and Artaserse
24th Oct 2025by Katherine Cooper
The French countertenor does battle with the green-eyed monster in a programme of secular Italian cantatas, featuring two popular examples by Handel and Vivaldi, one relative rarity by Alessandro Scarlatti, and world premiere recordings of works by Porpora and Galuppi.