Debussy: Chamber Music
Chandos CHAN-10717

Debussy: Piano Trio in G major (21:59)

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano; Daniel Rowland, violin; Jacqueline Thomas, cello

The Brodsky Quartet celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Formed in 1972, the Quartet quickly emerged at the forefront of the international chamber music scene. It has performed more than 2,000 concerts and made more than 50 highly acclaimed recordings. Now exclusive Chandos artists, the Brodsky players are releasing their second album on Chandos with guest soloists Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and the harpist Sioned Williams.

Arvo Pärt: Creator Spiritus
Harmonia Mundi HMU-807553

Pärt: Stabat Mater (26:04)

Theatre of Voices, NYYD Quartet / Paul Hillier

Paul Hillier curates this collection of Arvo Pärt’s choral and instrumental chamber music drawn from different periods in the composer’s career. Leading his celebrated vocal ensembles Theatre of Voices and Ars Nova Copenhagen along with NYYD Quartet and long-time collaborator organist Christopher Bowers-Broadbent, Hillier produces another powerful recording of ethereal sacred music.

The Complete Music of Carl Ruggles
Other Minds OM 1020/21-2 (2 CDs)

Ruggles: Men and Mountains (10:09)

BuffaloPhilharmonic / Michael Tilson Thomas

Carl Ruggles (1876–1971) was an innovative American composer who used “dissonant counterpoint” to fashion a body of work both finely crafted and wrought with emotional power. This reissue includes performances conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas with the Buffalo Philharmonic, the original liner notes, an essay on Ruggles by Lou Harrison and historic photos of the composer.

Kraus: Viola Concertos
Ondine ODE 1193-2

Kraus: Viola Concerto in C major (17:37)

David Aaron Carpenter, viola; Tapiola Sinfonietta / Janne Nisonen

This new release features the first-ever commercial recording of three newly discovered, substantial viola concertos by German-born Swedish composer Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792). These works were found in the University of Lund library and had been mistakenly identified as by a Benedictine monk.

English Recorder Concertos
Our Recordings 6.220606

Arnold: Concerto for Recorder & Orchestra, Op 133 (11:55)

Michala Petri, recorder; Hong Kong City Chamber Orchestra / Jean Thorel

The recorder has been part of Western music for more than 700 years, during which time it has enjoyed a particularly special relationship with the composers and musicians of England. The music here showcases three generations of English composers who have all made significant contributions to the repertoire: Gordon Jacob, Sir Malcolm Arnold, and the youngest, Richard Harvey.

Dowland in Dublin
Atma ACD2 2650

Dowland: O Sweet Woods (2:51); A Galliard (1:46); A Shepherd in a Shade (3:21); His Golden Locks (4:24)

Michael Slattery, tenor; La Nef

Was John Dowland, often considered the first great English composer, actually Irish? This question is the starting point for ‘Dowland in Dublin,’ the new Atma release featuring American tenor Michael Slattery and Montreal’s La Nef. The Celtic-flavored disc has garnered much praise since its release earlier this year.

Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony
Harmonia Mundi HMU-807567

Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony (Symphony #2 in G major) (42:42)

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra / Christopher Seaman

To mark the close of an outstanding 13-season tenure as music director of the Rochester Philharmonic, Christopher Seaman leads his orchestra in a program of music which he holds especially dear: Vaughan Williams’ London Symphony and the ‘Serenade to Music’ (with singers from Mercury Opera Rochester).

The Soviet Experience, Volume II
Cedille Records CDR 90000 130 (2 CDs)

Shostakovich: String Quartet #1 in C major, Op 49 (14:43)

Pacifica Quartet

Cedille presents the second installment in the Pacifica Quartet’s four-volume survey of the complete Shostakovich string quartets, The Soviet Experience. This is the first Shostakovich quartet cycle to include works by other important composers of the Soviet era, adding variety and perspective to the listening experience. Volume 2 features five works from the period surrounding World War II: 1938 – 1949

American Stringbook
MDG 912 1717-6

Diamond: Rounds for String Orchestra (14:57)

Do.gma Chamber Orchestra / Mikhail Gurewitsch

In its latest recording, the Do.gma Chamber Orchestra has turned its attention to the music of America, presenting the work of three 20th-century composers, and one from the late 19th-century Romantic period. These performances of music by David Diamond, Arthur Foote, William Schuman and Samuel Barber demonstrate the beauty and daring of American composition.