Legendary composer for stage and screen John Williams has admired the United States Marine Band (“The President’s Own”) since childhood, and in recent decades, the maestro and ensemble’s mutual admiration has deepened amidst a series of collaborations marking the group’s major anniversaries. The culmination of this twenty-year relationship was Williams’s return to conduct the band’s 225th anniversary gala concert in …

WindSync’s new album pays homage to the French composer, conductor, music theorist, and legendary composition pedagogue Nadia Boulanger, who wielded immense influence over American music and musicians. Boulanger found a way to nurture each composer’s individual voice, and in doing so sowed the seeds of the kaleidoscopic breadth of styles that emerged in American music in the 20th century. The …

With their latest album, reeed quintet Calefax explores the majestic and mysterious essence of the organ— without an organ in sight. Revoicing centuries of repertoire for their wind ensemble, they channel the instrument’s spiritual depth, improvisational roots, and theatrical flair through breath and reed instead of pipes. From Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck’s Fantasia Chromatica and Nicolaus Bruhns’s richly imaginative Prelude in …

Acclaimed Swedish clarinetist and conductor, Martin Fröst presents his new album dedicated to the music of J.S. Bach. Although Bach never encountered the clarinet, this has proved no barrier for Martin Fröst, who has returned to Bach’s music time and time again throughout his illustrious career. Fröst had already devised and performed programs entitled Beyond All Clarinet History (B.A.C.H.), which …

Saxophonist Jess Gillam and her ensemble continue their innovative exploration of sound in the second EP (five tracks) in the PRISM series, blurring boundaries between classical, folk, and contemporary music. Arrangements of Debussy’s “Clair de lune” and Nadia Boulanger’s “Cantique” showcase the lyrical tone of the soprano saxophone. Transcriptions of Baroque works include Scarlatti’s F minor sonata and Telemann’s Oboe …

The latest album from English flutist Lisa Friend — who has performed as a soloist with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra — is a collection of American works for flute and piano, featuring composers such as Copland, Price, Bernstein, Beach, and Griffes. Joined by pianist Rohan de Silva, Friend explores …

Daniel Ottensamer presents Brahms’ two legendary clarinet sonatas, reworked for clarinet and orchestra by Stephan Koncz, who also conducts the Berlin German Symphony Orchestra on this recording. Koncz’s orchestrations bring these masterful pieces out of the limited space of chamber music, presenting them in a new symphonic light. The album is rounded out by a hidden gem, Walter Rabl’s clarinet …

Andreas Ottensamer, who recently announced he will step down as principal clarinet of the Berlin Philharmonic to focus on conducting, presents his latest album with pianist José Gallardo. Romanza features select movements from clarinet sonatas by Brahms, Poulenc, Saint-Saëns, Rota, and Joseph Horovitz. The album also includes Ottensamer’s own transcriptions of beloved classical melodies such as Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1, …