‘The Miraculous Mandarin’ (op. 19, Sz 73) is Bartók’s last work for the stage. The plot revolves around prostitution, brutality, robbery, murder, being an outsider, (unrequited) love and finally, as a catharsis, a kind of love-death. The music is relentlessly sharp for long stretches, garishly dissonant, radical, probably the most modern score Bartók created. The premiere (1926) in Cologne was a scandal and Konrad Adenauer, then Lord Mayor of Cologne, immediately cancelled the performances.

La bohème is an opera in four acts, composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème (1851) by Henri Murger. The story is set in Paris around 1830 and shows the Bohemian lifestyle (known in French as "la bohème") of a poor seamstress and her artist friends.

Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Isolde), WWV 90, is a music drama in three acts by Richard Wagner set to a German libretto by the composer, loosely based on the medieval 12th-century romance Tristan and Iseult by Gottfried von Strassburg. First conceived in 1854, the music was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered at the Königliches Hoftheater und Nationaltheater in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting. While performed by opera companies, Wagner preferred the term Handlung (German for "plot" or "action") for Tristan to distinguish its structure of continuous narrative flow ("endless melody") as distinct from that of conventional opera at the time which was constructed of mundane recitatives punctuated by showpiece arias, which Wagner had come to regard with great disdain.

Robin Stevens’ A Questing Soul, his fifth album with Divine Art, offers a compelling portrait of a composer whose work has evolved over nearly three decades. This collection spans a broad stylistic spectrum, charting Stevens’ progression from the lush Late Romanticism of his early works to the more dissonant and experimental idioms of his later compositions. Throughout, Stevens balances technical innovation with an underlying sense of lyricism, humour, and tonal clarity, making this album a rich listening experience for those who appreciate the depth and variety of contemporary chamber music.

Lyrita releases its Chamber Music of William Busch album on 3 January 2025, with members of the Piatti Quartet, Simon Callaghan and Ashok Klouda (SRCD 439).

Albin Fries, who is also a passionate natural scientist, presents highlights of his Lied oeuvre on this CD with soprano Margarita Gritskova, who has been a member of the Vienna State Opera ensemble since 2012. These include songs that refer to nature, such as the "Seasons" cycle, which includes a setting of Uhland's famous poem "Fruhlingsglaube", as well as music on poems by Hermann Hesse, Stefan Zweig and Heinrich Seidel, songs dedicated to love, such as the cycle "Lieder nach Gedichten von Friedrich Ruckert op. 52" and settings of other poems by Adelbert von Chamisso and Clemens Brentano.

With the publication of this album, the Euridice Choir from Bologna achieves a major objective with regard to the divulgation of some choral works by two authors, Ildebrando Pizzetti (Parma 1880 – Rome 1968) and Giorgio Federico Ghedini (Cuneo 1892 – Genoa Nervi 1965), who are at the top of the history of 20th century Italian choral music; unfortunately most of these masterpieces seldom find place in concert programs and are, by consequence, little known.

In the beginning was tonality. Then came atonality which was revolutionary. Tonality continued in folk music and popular music, in spite of atonality, but in the case of serious composers, it was taboo to even think of writing tonal on pain of being ignored and unperformed.

The two works recorded on this album come from a creative period at the beginning of the 1930s. In terms of style, with his works linked to basic tonalities, Weigl drew on the sound realm of late Romanticism, from whose aesthetics he never departed in favour of more progressive contemporary trends. His knack for orchestration shows both in the hymnic climaxes as well as the chamber music-like passages. Weigl never lived to hear any performances of either his Third Symphony or the Symphonic Prelude and, like so many of his larger works, these scores were not rediscovered until there was a resurgence of interest in Weigl’s music decades later. This release allows listeners to hear both works for the first time on record.

This second album of early 19th century bassoon concertos by Jaakko Luoma and Tapiola Sinfonietta includes four delightful concerto gems written for Frans Carl Preumayr (1782–1853), proficient and talented bassoonist who moved to Stockholm in 1802. Probably the best-known of the works were written by his Finnish father-in-law Bernhard Henrik Crusell and Franz Berwald, Sweden’s most famous composer of the Romantic period. However, the impressive bassoon concerto by the Swiss-born Édouard Du Puy has been very rarely heard. Also the German-born composer Eduard Brendler has been largely forgotten by music history. All four works are powerful, interesting, and demanding solo compositions which offer a thrilling journey into the musical life in one of the Nordic music capitals 200 years ago.

Paul Huang and Helen Huang have been exploring the repertoire for violin and piano for now a decade.​ As a way of celebrating their fruitful and enriching collaboration, they have devised this album as an​ ingenious game of mirroring. The title of this second album for naïve is not accidental, as the two​ musicians offer highly diverse perspectives. This new recording focuses first on two sonatas composed​ by Francis Poulenc (1942-1943) and Sergei Prokofiev (1938-1946) during the second world war of the​ 20th century, respectively at the opening and closing of this album. Between these two pieces, Spiegel im​ Spiegel by Arvo Pärt (1978), a page with ethereal lines, a moment of introspection and calm that becomes a space for contemplation and reflection necessary in this otherwise dense and angular​ programme.

Immerse yourself in the enigmatic beauty of Alexander Scriabin's complete piano sonatas, masterfully interpreted by the renowned pianist Yunjie Chen. This new album offers a profound journey through the introspective and mysterious soundscapes that have captivated audiences for over a century.Scriabin's sonatas, often described as "mysterious and lovely", provide an unparalleled canvas for personal and intimate expression. Yunjie Chen's nuanced performance brings these unique pieces to life, allowing listeners to explore the deep emotional currents and the profound philosophical questions inherent in the music.

The composer Dominick Argento wrote that he would "like for the listener to be reminded of their own humanity. I want an emotional reaction, anywhere from joy to despair… something that reminds us that we're human." The sets of songs and cycles included in this brilliant recording all speak to this artistic goal and include settings of Olga and Anton Chekhov, Petrarch, Walt Whitman, Walter de la Mare, Alun Lewis, and Argento himself. Mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala, baritone Jesse Blumberg and pianists Martin Katz and JJ Pena join forces to present this tribute to a great American composer.

Brahms's two masterpieces for cello and piano are heard in new recordings by Emanuel Gruber and Arnon Erez. The Jerusalem Post wrote that Emanuel Gruber is "one of our great artists" citing "his extraordinary capacity for projecting the deepest meaning of the music". Awarded the Pablo Casals prize by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, he also won the Concert Artists' Guild Auditions early in his career. Arnon Erez has performed in major concert halls, including Carnegie Hall in New York, Beethoven Halle in Bonn, Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Musikverein in Vienna, Wigmore Hall in London and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

The Gottingen Symphony Orchestra under Nicholas Milton combines Dvorak's well-known symphony From the New World with the orchestral work Frozen in Time by Avner Dorman. This unusual combination results in an exciting musical journey that challenges the performers to present a broad spectrum of styles and techniques, thus opening up a new world.