Day 1: Alex Paxton – Delicious (New Amsterdam Records)
Delicious is a joyous and satiating sonic experience from start to finish, set within a utopian ambient landscape, orchestrated like a symphony and decorated with a.s.m.r. inflections.
“wild and wacky to a new level... invigorating... classical, jazz, pop, baroque, minimalist, maximalist, acoustic, electronic - are stirred together and served up in 13 delicious dollops... impossible to listen with a straight face...” — Geoff Brown, The Times
Listen to the full album here: https://open.spotify.com/album/2n80CvJHe56YZROVgF16yC?si=b0i5heH0QtCiaA24KkpBvQ
Day 2: Nicholas McGegan & Cantata Collective – J.S. Bach: Easter Oratorio & Magnificat (Avie)
San Francisco-based Cantata Collective continues its exploration of J S Bach's major choral masterworks with a third in the ongoing series, pairing the composer's Easter Oratorio and Magnificat.
Released in time for Holy Week, both works are lavishly scored and feature some of Bach's most festive and popular vocal writing. With celebrated baroque music specialist Nicholas McGegan on the podium, and a roll call of today's fnest early music vocal soloists, this release is poised to build on the auspicious previous releases - a "bold and beautifully constructed" St. John Passion (BBC Radio 3 Record Review), and "an exemplary performance" of the Mass in B Minor (American Record Guide).
“McGegan’s conducting is knowledgeable and assured…” — James A. Altena, Fanfare
Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/album/1ULvH4YAcae7huEkmGLtSP
Day 3: Anthony Romaniuk & Nicola Boud – Brahms: Clarinet Sonata No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 120 No. 2
This recording brings together two late masterworks by Brahms: the Op. 120 Clarinet Sonatas and the Op. 117 Intermezzi for piano, written in the tranquil setting of Bad Ischl.
Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/album/5SKPqoH6nYGAHrGpwAnH0F?si=lPNT12C6Sn-SECokK8dGww
Day 4: Peter Harvey – Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem (J.S. Bach Stiftung St. Gallen)
Recording of BWV 27 and Brahms' Requiem with Rudolf Lutz and the Bach Stiftung St. Gallen live from Kirche St. Johann, Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Listen here “Siehe, ich sage euch ein Geheimnis”: https://youtu.be/cJAskpMeTFQ?si=VAK3NdY6hkKNho6Z
Day 5: Clare Hammond – British Piano Concertos (BIS)
Clare's album of piano concertos by Walton, Britten and Tippett with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and George Vass has been praised in The Times for its "crisp artistry" while Gramophone described her "exquisitely variegated tonal palette, deft touch and quiet authority" as "truly things of wonder".
Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/album/0aYEtdBkHrY8DsI4q0cnU9?si=YtByw6wwSkawJYAUYUf53w
Day 6: Francesca Chiejina – Elgar: The Kingdom (Signum Records)
Elgar’s grand choral masterpiece finds new life in this powerful recording under David Temple, featuring the Crouch End Festival Chorus, London Mozart Players, and a stellar cast of soloists including Francesca Chiejina and Dame Sarah Connolly. Recorded in the restored Victorian Theatre at Alexandra Palace, the performance combines dramatic sweep with deep expressive tenderness.
''Francesca Chiejina shines in the Virgin Mary's glorious set piece "The sun goeth down" - and my goodness, what thrillingly refulgent top notes at the words "The Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole wold." — Andrew Achenbach, Gramophone
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHsfpgKOBbk
Day 7: Amjad Ali Khan, Ayaan Ali Bangash & Amaan Ali Bangash – Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Music performed by Amjad Ali Khan and sons with spoken reflections by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Amjad Ali Khan said: "Our album ‘Meditation: Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’ is a project close to our hearts. It brings together the spoken wisdom of His Holiness with original music that invites reflection, stillness, and compassion. Throughout our lives, we have been inspired by his teachings and this collaboration allowed us to create something that carries his message of peace and hope in a new way."
Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/album/53ieadYxDz93hOY3heQFbT?si=NNNgxv7kTO6ZwzHe3Xc-lg
