Curating the best new classical recordings
There’s always wonderful music to discover, from instrumental to vocal music, new recordings of old favorites, or albums featuring cutting-edge contemporary works. Discover more about each selection below.
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Boston Camerata: Treasures of Devotion
“Treasures of Devotion” by the Boston Camerata, under the artistic leadership of singer/director Anne Azéma, features a program of early Renaissance spiritual pieces and related secular songs. These miniature masterworks were intended not for grand cathedrals or public ceremony, but for personal meditation, private chapels and rooms, family houses, and assemblies. Like the examples of intricately carved boxwood devotional objects ...
Chamber Music of Hubert Parry – Leonore Piano Trio
The Leonore Piano Trio brings together three internationally acclaimed artists – violinist Benjamin Nabarro, cellist Gemma Rosefield, and pianist Tim Horton – whose piano trio performances under the umbrella of Ensemble 360 were met with such enthusiastic responses that they decided to form a piano trio in its own right. This is the trio’s second recording of rarely heard chamber ...
Fly the Coop: Bach Sonatas & Preludes – Emi Ferguson & Ruckus
Taking Bach out of the museum and infusing his music with equal parts tradition, funk, whimsy, and fun, Emi Ferguson and Ruckus take you on a wild romp through some of Bach’s most playful and transcendent works. The album features new arrangements of Bach’s Flute Sonatas and Keyboard Preludes, orchestrated for Baroque flute and the forces of Ruckus that include ...
Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier – Heidrun Holtmann
Pianist Heidrun Holtmann was born in Munster, Germany, where she began her musical education at the age of four. Five years later, she was accepted by the Music Academy of Detmold. She was awarded several prizes at national and international competitions. Holtmann’s discography includes the complete works for piano and orchestra by Schumann and Beethoven’s Third and Fourth Piano Concertos ...
Michael Fabiano: Verdi & Donizetti
American tenor Michael Fabiano presents a spectacular set of scenes taken from late Donizetti and middle Verdi operas, revealing the strong ties between these two composers. The album documents a paradigmatic shift in Italian opera, from the beautiful lines and crispness of bel canto to a richer, more dramatic musical universe. After numerous successes on the opera stage, this is ...
Romance: Piano Music of Clara Schumann – Isata Kanneh-Mason
For the 200th anniversary of Clara Schumann’s birth, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason takes us on a journey through the composer’s extraordinary life. Kanneh-Mason joins forces with an all-female line-up to champion the significance of women musicians throughout the years and their influence on the classical music canon. The recording features Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto, along with solo works for piano and ...
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra: Gateways
The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra may be China’s oldest orchestra, but it is marking its 140th anniversary with a thrilling new beginning. Recently signed to Deutsche Grammophon, the SSO and Music Director Long Yu are launching a series of albums featuring works by major Chinese composers. Gateways, the first album, contains two works by Qigang Chen, as well as Rachmaninoff’s vibrant Symphonic Dances ...
The Classical Piano Concerto: Music of Johann Baptist Cramer
As pianist, conductor, and recording artist, Howard Shelley has enjoyed a distinguished career since his highly acclaimed London debut in 1971. Most of his current work is in the combined role of conductor and soloist. This is reflected in a discography that now exceeds 160 albums and the works of over 70 composers. On his latest project, Shelley is joined ...
David Fung: Mozart Piano Sonatas
Even in his youth, the music of Mozart always held mysterious power for pianist David Fung. His teachers made it clear that he certainly should study and learn Mozart’s music, but he was not to perform it publicly. Perhaps these directives only increased Fung’s fascination with the music. In any case, they certainly did not stop him from playing Mozart’s ...
The Crossing: Evolutionary Spirits
The Crossing is a Grammy Award-winning chamber choir conducted by Donald Nally and dedicated to new music. It is committed to working with creative teams to make and record new, substantial works for choir that explore and expand ways of writing for choir, singing in choir, and listening to music for choir. “Evolutionary Spirits” brings together innovative works by six ...
Clarinet Classics at Riversdale
Clarinetist Robert DiLutis and the Mellifera Quartet give sparkling performances of beloved classics such as Weber’s Clarinet Quintet along with delightful but lesser-known works. DiLutis describes the Weber Quintet as a dream come true for clarinetists, and that description could well apply to the other pieces on this album, which includes works by Miklós Rózsa, Alexander Glazunov, Erland von Koch, ...
Renée Fleming: Lieder by Brahms, Schumann & Mahler
Four-time Grammy winning soprano Renée Fleming presents her first full-length Lieder album in almost two decades. The new album, Lieder, features songs by Brahms, Schumann, and Mahler, each of whom bring Romantic poetry to life through exquisite word-setting and sublime melody. Fleming is joined by Christian Thielemann and the Munich Philharmonic in a performance of Mahler’s Rückert Lieder. For songs ...
ChangYong Shin: Music of Beethoven, Liszt & Chopin
Passionate, inspired performances and brilliant technique are the hallmark of pianist ChangYong Shin. He brings those qualities to meditative yet virtuosic works by Beethoven, Liszt, and Chopin. With performances in South Korea, Italy, France, the UK, and across the United States, and a growing reputation for compelling interpretations, Shin is developing an international career as a soloist and chamber musician. ...
They Persisted: Music of Amy Beach, Ulric Cole & Ethel Smyth
This release features three chamber works by female composers, written during the first three decades of the twentieth century. The project was initiated by pianist Joanna Goldstein, Professor of Music at Indiana University Southeast. Joined by violinist Steven Moeckel, cellist Nicholas Finch, and hornist Bruch Heim, the pianist presents rarely heard works by Amy Beach, Ulric Cole, and Ethel Smyth.
Sibelius: Kullervo – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard
Kullervo represents not only the confident first step in Sibelius’s symphonic odyssey, it is also a viscerally exciting experience on its own terms. A symphony with vocal soloists and choir, it was the first of Sibelius’s works to draw on the Kalevala, the Finnish national myth, which was a source of inspiration throughout his life. This recording from Thomas Dausgaard ...
Chopin: Concertos for Piano & String Quintet
Pianist David Lively has gone on a journey of discovery, recreating Chopin’s string-quintet arrangements for his two piano concertos, “through research, unearthing scores in national libraries, and writing my own transcriptions.” Acknowledging that these works were “destined for the concert stage as well as the music salon,” Lively’s versions reveal a delicate transparency to these familiar works. He is joined ...
Jess Gillam: Rise
Jess Gillam is an award-winning saxophonist. In 2016, she made history as the first-ever saxophonist to reach the finals of BBC Young Musician of the Year. “Rise” is Gillam’s debut album on Decca Classics. It’s a collection of pieces which showcase her phenomenal talent and diverse musical taste, ranging from Marcello and Shostakovich to David Bowie and Kate Bush.
Hermitage Piano Trio Plays Rachmaninoff
Descending from the great Russian musical tradition, the Hermitage Piano Trio is distinguished by its exuberant musicality, interpretative range, and sumptuous sound. Following a recent performance, The Washington Post raved that “three of Russia’s most spectacular young soloists… turned in a performance of such power and sweeping passion that it left you nearly out of breath.” On their debut album ...
Pavarotti: Music from the Motion Picture
To coincide with the release of the Ron Howard-directed documentary Pavarotti, Decca Records has released an album of the music featured in the soundtrack. This cinematic event showcases history-making performances and intimate interviews, including never-before-seen footage. Pavarotti: Music From The Motion Picture features selections from operas including Turandot, La Bohème, Aida, and Tosca as well as Italian songs and collaborations with friends including Plácido ...
Franck: Piano Works & Quintet – Michel Dalberto, Novus Quartet
Pianist Michel Dalberto has established himself during a forty-year career as a master. As an ardent defender of French music, he launched a series dedicated to Debussy, Fauré, Franck, and Ravel on the Aparté record label. Dalberto says, “I wish to prove myself worthy of the teachers who used to provide a specific idea of French music made of severity ...
