Walter Braunfels’ music died twice: first, when the Nazis declared it “degenerate art”; and again when post-war Germany had little use for the various schools of tonal music. This was the period when arbiters of taste considered any form of romantic music – which meant practically the whole pre-war aesthetic – to be tainted.

The a cappella ensemble Quartonal is one of the most promising vocal groups to emerge from Germany in recent years. Following their highly successful debut release, this second album features outstanding a cappella settings ranging from George Michael’s "Faith" and Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" to beautiful traditional numbers. The choir won First Prize at the German National Choir Competition in the Vocal ensemble category. They were also awarded the “audience and jury awards” at the ‘A Capella’ contest in Leipzig as well as winning the ‘Tolosako Abesbatza Lehiaheta’ choir competition in Tolosa (Spain).

“Contemplation has enabled a powerful introspection within me, etching a path to my innermost self. It is with great anticipation that I now reveal this path, in the hope of forging a heartfelt connection with you. I present this to you, imbued with the sincerity of my emotion, and extend an invitation for you to accompany me on this journey.” – Huw Montague Rendall

This first joint project by the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and the Basel-based vocal ensemble Voces Suaves is dedicated to the musical milieu into which Johann Sebastian Bach was born, and especially to those composers who had a demonstrable influence on the work of the man who would later become Thomaskantor in Leipzig. In addition to pieces from the Altbachisches Archiv (Archive of the Older Bachs), the album features sacred concertos and early cantatas by Bach’s predecessors and superiors from Arnstadt, Mühlhausen, Weimar and Leipzig, providing impressive proof of how highly developed the musical tradition of Central Germany was then.

The Easter Oratorio (German: Oster-Oratorium), BWV 249, is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, beginning with Kommt, eilet und laufet ("Come, hasten and run"). Bach composed it in Leipzig and first performed it on 1 April 1725.

or fans of Nektar, Van Der Graaf Generator and Progressive Rock! Formed in Germany in 1969, Nektar favoured extended compositions and concept albums over the constraints of pop. They were among the progenitors of the progressive rock movement of the 1970s as well as the jam-band scene that arose in the late 1990s. Their sound travelled well to the States, where they enjoyed Top 40 success with “A Tab in the Ocean” (1972) and “Remember the Future” (1973). Nearly 20 albums and a half-century later, the band’s artistic and personal charisma has earned them masses of devoted fans. As they began the next 50 years of their career, they kicked it off earlier this year with “Journey to the Other Side – Live at The Dunellen Theatre June 10, 2023”.

LOVE STORY SHORT – About a love that fell apart. This is what Eva-Maria Hartmann calls her current crossover program, which describes the highs and lows of a love relationship between two people. It is an attempt to sing about love and pain, to revel in it and ultimately to scream it from the heart. Enthusiastic, angry and whining. Sad and romantic. In all colors.

"I simply cannot stop enthusing about Weinberg’s The Passenger. I’ve heard it three times now, studied the score, and every time I understand more of the beauty and greatness of this music. It is a work of consummate form and style and its subject extremely relevant." (Dmitri Shostakovich)

The collection of the best songs of the singer for the period from 1985 to 1992 includes 22 hit singles and two compositions in German, which had previously been released only in 7-inch format. Released in a gatefold sleeve on two vinyl records.

Recording St. Matthew Passion with boys’ and young men’s voices is an exceptionally intensive experience. Singing from memory and seeing Jesus’ suffering from the trusting perspective of children leads you to a different conclusion than it would with adult singers.

Balthasar Erben, born in Danzig in 1626, was a cosmopolitan. When he applied for the position of Kapellmeister at the main church of St. Mary in his home town at the age of 27, the council granted him a generous grant so that he could "look around the world and perfect himself as a composer". Erben was on the road in Europe for five years and visited all the centers of musical culture up to Rome.

This recording by the Swiss soprano Franziska Heinzen, accompanied by the pianist Benjamin Mead, is on the one hand a declaration of love to Franziska Heinzen's home canton of Valais, and on the other hand a homage to the art of Swiss song: the starting point is the song cycle "Lieder us um Tal" (1981) by Eugen Meier on Valais German poems by Hannes Taugwalder (1910-2007), which is thematically expanded with selected songs by Swiss composers of the last two centuries.

Eines kann man den tanzwütigen Berlinern wahrlich nicht absprechen: Absolute Spielfreude, die sie auch auf ihrem elften Studioalbum (die Best Of-Wiederauferstehung SILBERNE HOCHZEIT außen vor gelassen) ACHTUNG MENSCH! wieder zum Besten geben. Der Dudelsack dudelt, die Synthies frohlocken, und der Bass wummert.

Zedd has solidified himself as one of the top names in the history of dance music. Telos is multi-platinum producer Zedd’s first album in nearly a decade. With an impressive discography including multiple number ones and 30+ billion streams in total, on top of over 5 million headline tickets sold, Zedd has solidified himself as one of the top names in the history of dance music.

Basel was a center of choral music in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The selection of works on the album Stilles Leuchten traces the developments of this vocal high culture with works by composers who worked in and around Basel. The older pieces were composed in the 1850s, while the more recent ones were written during the cultural upheaval of the 1920s and early 1930s. Raphael Immoos and his vocal ensemble Basler Madrigalisten vividly present the broad spectrum of vocal works from the late Romantic period in the Swiss city on the Rhine.