Like Chopin’s Barcarolle, Fauré’s work shows equal measures of limpidity and gravity, brightness and great depth. Finding the right words to describe music such as this, which is not at all descriptive, is far from easy, and it puts us on unsafe ground. In answer to a lady who asked him in what sunny climes he had written his Sixth Nocturne, the composer replied ‘In the Simplon tunnel’. An apt quip! But we are touched by this music, which is very secretive, yet very human, because of its élan, its aspiration to something vast, and at the same time its inner poetry. Not a single page of the thirteen Barcarolles is lacking in that inspiration, which so movingly brings them together as a set of thirteen poems.

Modest Mouse create a sonic world that balances jagged chaos with haunting beauty, making them one of the most influential indie rock bands of the last 30 years. ‘An Eraser And A Maze’ is the first new studio album from the band since 2021’s ‘The Golden Casket’. A physics theory says past, present and future coexist - and that’s the best lens for ‘An Eraser And A Maze’, which feels like every era of Modest Mouse happening at once. Guided by Isaac Brock’s instinct-first process, the album is both familiar and alien, warm and cold. It stretches across the band’s sonic history, from propulsive classics to stripped, raw moments, while carrying an undercurrent of mortality and loss that refuses easy optimism.

The fruitful collaboration of French-born saxophonist-clarinetist Robin Fincker and British pianist Kit Downes goes back decades. Their life paths have taken them from London to two different countries in Europe, and they met again five years ago when they teamed up with Irish singer Lauren Kinsella to set traditional songs and contemporary poetry to music. Their internationally acclaimed first album, Ombres (released on BMC Records in 2024) combined folk and contemporary music in the spirit of European jazz, resulting in a musical world that is sometimes magically beautiful, sometimes surprisingly rough. Two Minds follows a similar concept, but with a more polished sound that relies even more heavily on improvisation. Shadowlands thus continues its journey between old and new music, shedding light on the unheard corners of past songs whilst unfolding its own version of contemporary folk music. This new repertoire features traditional Sean Os songs alongside original compositions, completed by works of numerous poets – both men and women – from the 19th century to the present day.

The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Netherlands Radio Choir, under Chief Conductor Karina Canellakis, present Rachmaninoff: The Bells & Symphonic Dances, a powerful and deeply expressive interpretation of these late masterpieces by Sergei Rachmaninoff. In The Bells, radiant choral textures and richly coloured orchestration trace a journey from youthful shimmer and lyrical warmth to ominous tolling, overwhelming drama and a final vision of serene transcendence.

Blues legend John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers (Buddy Whittington/Guitar, John Paulus/Bass, Joe Yuele/Drums) perform live in Houston, TX! Recorded in 1998 at Billy Blues and Rockeferrs, the set includes "White Line Fever," "A Hard Road," "Voodoo Music" and other classics from this legendary Blues frontman!

The Suicide Handbook is Ryan Adams’ most elusive and mythic recordings. The album is a raw and intimate collection of songs that captures the songwriter at his most unguarded. Recorded at the beginning of his solo career and long circulating only through bootlegs, the album has earned a legendary status among die-hard fans and fans of the americana genre alike for its stark stripped-back beauty.