Coming Soon,
Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius from Paul McCreesh and other forthcoming highlights
Highlights for March and April include a period-instrument recording of Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius from Paul McCreesh and Gabrieli (with soloists Nicky Spence, Anna Stéphany and Andrew Foster-Williams), Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 and Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata from Beatrice Rana, Stravinsky's Petrushka and Debussy's Jeux from Klaus Mäkelä and the Orchestre de Paris, and French orchestral songs from Véronique Gens, the Münchner Rundfunkorchester and Hervé Niquet.
Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius
Nicky Spence (Gerontius), Anna Stéphany (The Angel), Andrew Foster-Williams (The Priest/Angel of the Agony), Gabrieli, Polish National Youth Choir, Paul McCreesh
Following award-winning recordings of Purcell's King Arthur, Berlioz's Grande Messe des morts, Britten's War Requiem and Mendelssohn's Elijah, McCreesh and Gabrieli tackle Elgar's 1900 oratorio - using original instruments from around the time of composition, including Érard harps, narrow-bore trombones, wooden flutes and piccolos, and a Lorée oboe previously owned by Léon Goossens. William Fox plays the Father Willis organ of Hereford Cathedral, which McCreesh describes as 'the perfect instrument for the highly imaginative organ part of Gerontius'.
Released 26th April.
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Reviewing Rana's recording of Chopin's Études Op. 25 and Four Scherzi, Fanfare described her as 'a pianist who could eventually match Argerich in mastering the piano at a rare level of formidable technique, fiery temperament, and totally absorbing musicality'. Two years on, she couples his Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor with one of the most technically-demanding works in the piano repertoire - Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat, in which she immersed herself deeply during the lockdowns of 2020/21.
Released 8th March.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
Stravinsky: Petrushka & Debussy: Jeux & Prélude à l'Après-midi d'un faune
Orchestre de Paris, Klaus Mäkelä
A year after his recording of The Rite of Spring & The Firebird with the Orchestre de Paris, the young Finnish conductor continues his Ballet Russes series with two works written for Sergei Diaghilev's Paris company in the 1910s. Reviewing The Firebird last year, Fanfare pronounced that 'it would be hard to deny Mäkelä his place in the top tier', whilst Wiener Zeitung noted that 'this album has sensuality of sound, precision, rhythmic pepper, and last but not least: an original freshness that borders on a miracle in view of the existing abundance of recordings'.
Released 10th March.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Following his recordings of the English Suites, Toccatas and a series of organ works (and of course his superb survey of the complete cantatas), Suzuki turns his attention to The Art of Fugue. For three of the fugues, he is joined by his son Masato, whose own recording of Book One of The Well-Tempered Clavier is also due out on BIS next month; the pair's recording of Bach's Concertos for Two Harpsichords was praised in Gramophone for their ability to tap into the 'simple elegance and devotional belonging' of the music.
Released 22nd March.
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
This recital of orchestral mélodies takes its title from a song by Reynaldo Hahn, whose 'D’une prison' and 'Mai' also feature on the programme alongside songs by Fauré, Saint-Saëns, Gounod, Dubois, Chausson and Tombelle. The album also includes the 'Invocation' from Massenet's incidental music for Les Erinnyes, the 'Pastorale' from his 1889 opera Esclarmonde, the long prelude 'Solitude' form Sapho, and the Nocturne from Fauré's Shylock Suite.
Released 15th March.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Featuring The Tempest, Francesca da Rimini, and The Voyevoda, the British conductor's debut recording last year demonstrated what BBC Music Magazine described as 'a tremendous flair for Tchaikovsky', whilst Gramophone opined that 'Chauhan proves in this disc that he loves Tchaikovsky and is not afraid to show it'. This sequel includes Fatum, Hamlet, Capriccio Italien, the Introduction to The Queen of Spades, and orchestral excerpts from The Oprichnik and The Snow Maiden.
Released 15th March .
Available Format: SACD
Born in Bordeaux in 1895, Beydts was a pupil of André Messager and devoted much of his energies to operette, ending his career as as Director of the Opéra-Comique; many of his songs (which embrace light music, jazz and polytonality) receive their world premiere recordings here. Dubois and Raës won a Gramophone Award last year for their survey of Fauré's complete mélodies, which was 'recommended for those who love indulging in French song at its finest'.
Released 15th March.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Strauss: Ein Heldenleben & Mahler: Rückert-Lieder
Sonya Yoncheva (soprano), Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Rafael Payare
The Montréal orchestra's first recording with their new Music Director (released a year ago on Pentatone) was an account of Mahler's Symphony No. 5 which received five stars in BBC Music Magazine and was hailed in The Sunday Times as 'an intense and beautifully recorded interpretation that you feel will the stand the test of time'. In her first recording of German orchestral song, Yoncheva joins them for the Rückert-Lieder (composed concurrently with Symphony No. 5), which are preceded by Strauss's exuberant autobiographical tone-poem from 1898.
Released 15th March.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
The Australian pianist's programme comprises Glazunov's Theme and Variations Op. 72 (originally titled 'Variations on a Finnish folk song' but modified after friction between Finland and Russia), the Six Pieces on a Single Theme which Tchaikovsky dedicated to his teacher Rubinstein in 1873, Rachmaninoff's Variations on a theme of Chopin Op. 22, and John Field's much smaller-scare Variations on a Russian Folk Song from 1818.
Released 5th April.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Katherine Cooper - Head of Editorial
