In his liner notes, Yevgeny Sudbin remembers falling in love with Tchaikovsky’s music when he was introduced to classical music. On this album, the pianist presents a collection of piano pieces and arrangements for piano, solo and four hands, of orchestral works by the great Russian composer, preceding it with a curtain raiser much-loved by Tchaikovsky himself: Mikhail Glinka's Overture to Ruslan and Ludmila. The piano pieces selected by Sudbin spans some twenty years of Tchaikovsky's career and takes in the ever-popular Barcarolle (June) and Troika (November) from The Seasons as well as three pieces from the composer's last work for piano, the 18 Pieces, Op. 72. To these are added two waltzes from The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty, here performed in four-hand piano arrangements with Sudbin's 12-year-old daughter Bella playing the ‘primo’ part.

When western audiences discovered the music of Nikolai Kapustin, they were truly shocked: Who was this Soviet (!) composer, whose music sounded more like an Oscar Peterson improvisation than anything else – but who wrote detailed scores, black with notes? As we discover more and more of his music (and there’s so much more yet to discover), a very distinct, always wholly charming voice emerges, whether in a freewheeling outright-jazzy work like his Concerto for 2 Pianos and Percussion, the more symphonic Fifth Piano Concerto, or the frisky Sinfonietta which transports us into a smoky 1940s bar in Manhattan.

After 15 years of waiting: Audio portraits of Oslo's tragic-heroes by Norway's least Nordic piano trio.The idea for the album came to Aarum after reading "Oslo originals" - a book about the fascinating residents from the Norwegian capital's history. Each track on the album, he decided, would paint a portrait of one of these personalities. Take "El Jucan", a tribute to Einar Olsen, who walked the streets as a fakir, swallowed swords, flames and glass and lay on a bed of nails. In an inspiring twist of serendipity, the recording studio happened to be in the immediate vicinity of a mental hospital. This set the mood perfectly, as many of the personalities captured on the album battled with alcoholism and deteriorating psychological health. The entire album, the first one by the current line-up of the trio after 15 years, was recorded in a single 1,5 hour short session. Thanks to this impressive achievement, the Anders Aarum trio are now originals as well. They, too, have now become part of the Oslo puzzle.

The tenth album from this Toronto based groove duo, Four80East. With an eclectic mix of neo-jazz, Gonna Be Alright serves up a infectious mix of soul, funk and jazz groovers to follow-up their 2022 release Straight Round. Four80East is a Toronto-based electro-jazz duo that’s all about the groove. Drawing from their diverse musical influences, Rob DeBoer and Tony Grace have created a signature sound that combines electronic production with live instrumentation. Four80East has been a mainstay on the contemporary jazz scene for over 20 years.

Nigel North is one of the finest lute players in our midst today, and his legendary four-CD set, ‘Bach on the Lute’ (Linn records 1994 to 1996) remains unsurpassed in its technical and musical brilliance. Now, he completes his journey with a double CD combining Bach's original 'lute works' (more likely written for Lautenwerck, or luteharpsichord), with North's own lute transcriptions of Bach's music for flute, organ, and more. This is an exquisite recording, full of space and intimacy, which makes you feel as though it is being played just for you. A must-have.

Live archive release from the Pop music icon. Recorded live on The Great Lawn of New York City's Central Park on May 26, 1973. Produced by Lou Adler, Carole King Home Again is a previously unreleased concert recording and a stunning document of one of the greatest contributors to the American songbook.

Gabriels with the full release of their debut album, Angels and Queens. The 13 track record released via Atlas Artists/Parlophone Records and was produced by the Grammy winning and fellow Compton local, Sounwave.

More than 25 years after his first EMI album, Antonio Pappano has established himself as a leading figure of conducting, particularly in music from his native Italy. This collection includes excerpts from all his EMI and Warner Italian recordings, from the famous Verdi and Puccini cycles with Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu to the recent praised versions of Turandot and Rossini’s sacred works.