For the premiere of his Cavalleria rusticana in 1889, Pietro Mascagni had to make a whole series of cuts and transpositions: The chorus at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome was not up to the demanding choral parts, and the soloists of Santuzza and Turiddu sometimes complained that their parts were uncomfortably high – and so the composer not only deleted large parts of the choral passages, but also changed his carefully thought-out key concept. Nonetheless, the piece was such a resounding success at its premiere that it continued to be performed in modified form – even after the piece had long since begun its triumphal march around the world.

The recording of this composer’s extraordinary vocal music was made at Kirby Hall in Northamptonshire, where this one-time organist to Charles I lived and worked for the Hatton family. Thanks to the kind permission of English Heritage, and the generous donations of so many of our supporters, we have the pleasure of bringing the forgotten composer of the English 17th century back into the light. The double album features all of Jeffreys’ works for 4 and 5 voices with continuo, including many world-premiere recordings. It is released on the Prospero Classical label: streaming services on 8 December 2023 & in physical form in February 2024 worldwide.

The music of Michael Jarrell has been said to ‘examine states of dream and unreality, searching for a moment of truth’ – a truth which is often found in the lowest sonorities and slowest tempi, a place where time stands still. His works are often interrelated, not only by a certain sensitivity or a distinctive tone, but also by the recurrence of particular features that he reworks in different contexts.

Christian Cannabich was one of a family of German musicians. Born in Mannheim, the son of a musician in the service of the Elector, he established himself as one of the most important of the Mannheim composers. He made Mozart welcome in Mannheim in 1777 and 1778, in the latter year following the court to Munich, when the Palatine and Bavarian electorates were united. He was much respected as an orchestra director, and died in 1798 in Frankfurt while visiting his son, the composer Carl Cannabich.

Poulenc’s remarkable comic opera ‘The Breasts of Tiresias’ was written during the darkest days of the German occupation of France. The premiere, at the Opera Comique was a great success, and given this was in 1947, it must have provided a much needed tonic for the war weary Parisians.

Recorded live at the Marillion Weekend Port Zelande Sun March 19th 2023.

Keith Jarrett’s account of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s Württemberg Sonatas is a revelation. “I’d heard the sonatas played by harpsichordists, and felt there was room for a piano version,” says Jarrett today. This outstanding recording, made in 1994 and previously unreleased, finds the pianist attuned to the expressive implications of the sonatas in every moment. The younger Bach’s idiosyncrasies: the gentle playfulness of the music, the fondness for subtle and sudden tempo shifts, the extraordinary, rippling invention…all of this is wonderfully delivered. The fluidity of the whole performance has a quality that perhaps could be conveyed only by an artist of great improvisational skills. In Jarrett’s hands, CPE’s exploration of new compositional forms retains the freshness of discovery. Recorded at Keith Jarrett’s Cavelight Studio in May 1994, the album includes liner notes by Paul Griffiths.

The Jazztet had been in existence for two years when they recorded what would be their final LPs, Here and Now and Another Git Together. The personnel, other than the two co-leaders, flugelhornist Art Farmer and tenor-saxophonist Benny Golson, had completely changed since 1960 but the group sound was the same. The 1962 version of the Jazztet included trombonist Grachan Moncur III, pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Herbie Lewis, and drummer Roy McCurdy. It is remarkable to think that this talent-filled group wasn't, for some reason, snapped up to record even more albums together. Highlights of their excellent out-of-print LP include Ray Bryant's "Tonk," "Whisper Not," "Just in Time," and Thelonious Monk's "Ruby My Dear." A classic if short-lived hard bop group.

The Endless Coloured Ways: The Songs of Nick Drake is a 2023 compilation album by various artists serving as a tribute to English folk musician Nick Drake. The album was released on 7 July 2023 by Chrysalis Records. The project was helmed by Chrysalis CEO Jeremy Lascelles and Nick Drake estate manager Cally Callomon.

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra teams up with a host of celebrities for Disney Goes Classical, a brand new album evoking the colour, emotion and pure joy of Disney music on a whole new scale, writes Nick Benson.

This new album is a solo project by Russell Morris and this is what he says in his own words about the album… "Jack Chrome is for me, a mythical dream like character. His dreams are different to you, and I — as he allows us to live thru, and experience them, from his point of view. They are in fact snippets of my own dreams - and flights of fancy through the mysterious Jack. From journeys, to mysterious book burning, and to secrets”. This new album is a highly creative album of songs and an exciting departure of sound from anything Russell has delivered in his career.